Device for product presentation

Abstract

Device (1) for product presentation with: a) an adapter rail (2) that can be fixed to a shelf; b) at least one compartment divider (5) fixed to the adapter rail (2), which has a wall and a holding element, and c) at least one goods pusher (8) movable along a guide profile (11) fixed to the adapter rail (2), by means of which goods (6, 7) arranged on the guide profile (11) can be moved to a stop (4), characterized in that the guide profile (11) can be fixed to the holding means of the compartment divider (5) via a plug connection.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a device for product presentation comprising an adapter rail that can be fixed to a shelf, at least one compartment divider fixed to the adapter rail, which has a wall and a holding means, and at least one product pusher movable along a guide profile fixed to the adapter rail, by means of which products arranged on the guide profile can be moved to a stop.

[0002] DE 20 2015 105 469 U1 discloses a device for product presentation in which a product feed is guided along a guide profile between two compartment dividers. The compartment dividers and the guide profile each have a front anchor that can be fixed to an adapter rail. This allows the compartment dividers and the guide profile to be easily mounted at different distances along the adapter rail, enabling flexible adjustment to accommodate varying product widths. Particularly with cylindrical or curved products, the force of the product feed in the feed direction can cause the product to be pressed against a compartment divider on one side, potentially leading to displacement in the rear area if the compartment divider is only fixed to the front anchor at the front.

[0003] German patent DE 20 2020 100 738 U1 discloses a device for product presentation in which a guide rail with a movable product feed is arranged between each pair of compartment dividers. The compartment dividers are fixed via a front anchor, whereby a non-slip material can be used on the adapter rail to increase the holding force. However, the problem remains that, in the rear area, the leverage forces acting on the compartment dividers in the event of lateral forces can have an unfavorable effect on the front anchor.

[0004] It is therefore an object of the present invention to create a device for product presentation in which improved fixation of the compartment dividers is achieved.

[0005] This problem is solved with a device having the features of claim 1.

[0006] The inventive device for product presentation comprises an adapter rail that can be fixed to a shelf, at least one compartment divider fixed to the adapter rail, which has a wall and a retaining element, and at least one product pusher movable along a guide profile fixed to the adapter rail, by means of which products arranged on the guide profile can be moved to a stop. The guide profile can be fixed to the retaining elements of the compartment divider via a plug-in connection. This allows the guide profile to be attached to the retaining elements of the compartment divider during assembly in order to secure the compartment divider against displacement or bending. The guide profile is thus used to reinforce the positioning of the compartment divider, even when it is subjected to lateral forces, for example by a product pusher acting on cylindrical or otherwise shaped products.

[0007] Preferably, the guide profile can be attached to the retaining elements from above. The retaining elements can protrude laterally from the wall of the compartment divider. In a first step, the compartment divider can be easily mounted to the adapter rail, for example, by inserting and pivoting it into corresponding fasteners on the adapter rail. Then, in a second step, the guide profile is attached to the retaining elements on the compartment divider from above. The guide profile is preferably held securely by the retaining elements. For this purpose, the retaining elements can have grooves, recesses, ribs, or projections that interact with a profile on the guide profile. Optionally, the guide profile can also be snapped or clamped to the retaining elements. Attaching the guide profile allows adjacent compartment dividers to be positioned with a small gap between them.The guide profile can optionally be mounted in different positions on the holding devices by attaching it, in particular parallel to the plane of the wall of the partition but at different distances from the wall.

[0008] Preferably, the retaining elements are designed as a strip extending parallel to the wall of the compartment divider. The strip can extend from the adapter rail over the entire length of the compartment divider, thus providing significant reinforcement against bending or displacement. Optionally, the strip can also be formed by individual sections projecting laterally from the wall of the compartment divider. In this case, several strip-shaped sections can serve as retaining elements along the length of the compartment divider.

[0009] If the retaining elements are designed as a strip, the strip preferably has a width between 4 mm and 50 mm, particularly 8 mm and 40 mm, so that movement of the compartment divider in a direction parallel to the adapter rail is made more difficult. This also ensures a stable connection to the guide profile. The strip or strip-shaped sections preferably have profiles that can engage with a contour on the guide profile, for example, projections, recesses, grooves, ribs, or other webs.

[0010] In a further embodiment, the holding elements, in particular the strip, can be designed such that they have essentially the same height as the guide profile. If wider goods, for example wider than 40 mm, are arranged between two compartment dividers, the guide profile can be mounted separately from the compartment divider without the guide profile touching the holding elements of the compartment divider. The goods can then rest on the holding elements and the guide profile against the compartment divider, with the contact surface forming a sliding surface for the goods when they are moved towards the stop on the adapter rail. This prevents the goods from tilting. Preferably, the guide profile can be inserted into the holding elements of the compartment divider in such a way that, even in the assembled position, the height of the unit consisting of holding elements and guide profile is approximately the same as if the holding elements and guide profile were arranged side by side.The difference in height is preferably less than 2 mm, in particular less than 1 mm, so that the goods are arranged at essentially the same height, regardless of whether the guide profile is placed on the holding means or mounted next to it.

[0011] In a preferred embodiment, a front anchor is formed on the guide profile, which can optionally be fixed to the adapter rail or inserted into a receptacle on the retaining elements, in particular on the strip. The anchor thus allows the guide profile to be mounted flexibly, either on the adapter rail and separately from the compartment divider, or alternatively on the retaining elements of the compartment divider.

[0012] The product pusher is preferably wider than the guide profile. This allows the guide profile to be manufactured with less material, while also enabling wider products to be moved via the product pusher. Viewed from above, the product pusher can be asymmetrically mounted to the guide profile, with the product pusher projecting more on one side than the opposite side, in particular by more than 20%. This asymmetrical arrangement has the advantage that the guide profile with the product pusher can be positioned so that the wall of the compartment divider is located directly next to the product pusher, and the product pusher protrudes from the guide profile on the opposite side.The product pusher can then be used for narrow goods where the distance between two adjacent compartment dividers is small, for example between 20 and 50 mm, and the product feeder can also be used for wide goods that require a distance between the compartment dividers of between 50 mm and 200 mm.

[0013] For a particularly stable design, the guide profile features two webs running parallel to the feed direction of the workpiece pusher, which are connected to each other via inclined reinforcing webs. This allows bending loads in the longitudinal direction of the adapter rail to be absorbed effectively. The retaining elements then have corresponding projections that engage between the reinforcing webs and ensure a stable fixation of the guide profile.

[0014] The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to an exemplary embodiment and the accompanying drawings. These show: Fig. 1 a perspective view of a device according to the invention for product presentation; Fig. 2 a perspective view of the device of Fig. 1 without goods; Fig. 3 a top view of the device of Fig. 2; Fig. 4A and Fig. 4B Two views of a compartment divider during mounting on the adapter rail; Fig. 5 a detailed view of the device of the Fig. 2, if the guide part is mounted at a distance from the compartment divider, and Fig. 6A to 6C show several views during the assembly of a guide profile on a compartment divider.

[0015] A device 1 for product presentation comprises an adapter rail 2 which can be fixed to a shelf of a retail display case. The adapter rail 2 has an angled cross-section and includes a retaining web 3 which can be fixed to the shelf and a stop 4 which is rib-shaped and projects substantially vertically upwards.

[0016] A multitude of compartment dividers 5 are fixed to the adapter rail. Each divider has a vertical wall and is fixed to the adapter rail 2 at one front end. A channel is formed between each pair of compartment dividers 5, in which goods 6 or 7 are arranged. Goods 6 are wider and require a greater distance between two compartment dividers 5, while goods 7 are narrower and require a smaller distance between two compartment dividers 5. Instead of the cuboid shapes, goods 6 and 7 can also have other geometries, for example, cylindrical or tube-shaped.

[0017] In Fig. Figure 2 shows the product presentation device without the products 6 and 7. It can be seen that a product pusher 8 is arranged between each of two compartment dividers 5, which is biased in a forward direction by a spring 9. The spring 9 is fixed at one end to a front anchor on the adapter rail 2 and biases the product pusher 8 towards the stop 4. The product pusher 8 is movable along a guide profile 11.

[0018] In Fig. Figure 3 shows a top view of the device 1, and it can be seen that in the two wider channels with the greater spacing of the compartment dividers 5, each product pusher 8 is movable on a guide profile 11, which is spaced apart from the adjacent compartment dividers 5 and is only fixed to the adapter rail 2. Each product pusher 8 is arranged asymmetrically in the top view and protrudes less on the left side than on the right side.

[0019] In the area of ​​the narrower channels for the narrower goods 7, the guide profile 11 is attached to a retaining element in the form of a strip 10. The strip 10 projects laterally from the wall of the compartment divider and has a width of, for example, 4 mm to 50 mm, in particular 8 mm to 40 mm. The strip 10 has a profiled contour that can engage with a contour on the underside of the guide profile 11, so that the guide profile 11, in the position attached to the strip 10, has essentially the same height as the guide profile 11 when it rests directly on the shelf. The height difference is preferably less than 1 mm.

[0020] In the illustrated embodiment, the strip 10 extends continuously from the adapter rail 2 to one end of the compartment divider 5, where a rear wall 13 is provided. According to an alternative embodiment (not shown), it is also possible to attach only individual sections or projections to the compartment divider 5 instead of the strip 10, so that the retaining elements are interrupted in the longitudinal direction of the compartment divider 5.

[0021] The compartment divider 5 and the guide profile 11 are preferably manufactured from plastic using injection molding. The compartment divider 5, together with the wall and the strip 10, can be manufactured as a single piece.

[0022] In Fig. Figure 4A shows the mounting of the compartment divider 5 on the adapter rail 2. The adapter rail 2 has a groove 30 in the area above the retaining bar 3, which is located between an upper locking bar 31 and a lower retaining bar 32. A bar 40 on the front anchor of the compartment divider 5 can be inserted into the groove 30. The lower retaining bar 32 has an upwardly projecting projection 33 in the form of a bulge, and adjacent to this is a groove-shaped receptacle 34. The retaining bar 3 also has a projection 35 towards the rear, which is wedge-shaped and tapers upwards. To fix the compartment divider 5, the front bar 40 is inserted into the groove 30, as shown in Figure 4A. Fig. Figure 4B shows the following. In the assembled position, the upwardly projecting projection 33 rests in a receptacle 41 of the front anchor on the compartment divider 5. Furthermore, a web-shaped retaining element 42 on the front anchor engages in the receptacle 34, the retaining element 42 being, for example, made of an elastic material to increase the holding forces. Additionally, a receptacle 44 is formed on the front anchor, which is placed onto the wedge-shaped projection 35 on the retaining web 3. The individual fastening elements on the front anchor and the adapter rail 2 can also be designed differently to fix the compartment divider 5 to the adapter rail 2.

[0023] In Fig. Figure 5 shows the guide profile 11 with the product pusher 8 when the guide profile 11 is arranged separately from the compartment divider 5, for example, to move wide goods in a channel between two compartment dividers 5. The guide profile 11 is fixed to the adapter rail 2 by a front anchor 12, the front anchor 12 having essentially the same contour as the front anchor of a compartment divider 5, which is shown with reference to the Fig. 4A and Fig. 4B as described. Optionally, the front web of the compartment divider 12 can be slightly shorter in the longitudinal direction of the guide profile 11 than that of the front anchor of the compartment divider 5.

[0024] In addition to the guide profile 11, the compartment divider 5 is fixed to the adapter rail 2, with the strip 10 protruding from the wall of the compartment divider 5 on one side. The strip 10 reinforces the compartment divider 5 against longitudinal displacement along the adapter rail 2, including in its rear section. The compartment divider 5 has a back panel 13 in its rear section, which can optionally be omitted.

[0025] In the Fig. Figures 6A to 6C show the assembly of the guide profile 11 with the product pusher 8 when the guide profile 11 is attached to the retaining elements of the compartment divider 5. The guide profile 11 is fed to the compartment divider 5 from above and attached to the strip 10. On the strip 10, in the area of ​​the front anchor with the web 40, there is a receptacle 45 in which the front anchor 12 can be received on the guide profile. Next to the receptacle 45, a projection 46 is provided for aligning the guide profile 11. The strip 10 includes several triangular projections 47, between which inclined grooves 48 are formed. This profile corresponds to the contour of the guide profile, which has two parallel webs extending parallel to the wall of the compartment divider 5. Between the two webs on which the goods pusher 8 is guided, there are diagonally running reinforcing webs 49 which can be inserted into the corresponding grooves 48 of the strip 10.

[0026] In the Fig. 6B and Fig. Figure 6C shows the assembled position of the guide profile 11 with the product pusher 8. The product pusher 8 is arranged with one side protruding from the guide profile. By attaching the guide profile 11 to the rail 10, the distance between two adjacent compartment dividers 5 can be kept small, for example less than 40 mm, so that the goods 7 can be optimally arranged on the device 1 for product presentation.

[0027] In the illustrated embodiment, the compartment divider 5 has retaining means in the form of the strip 10 only on one side. It is of course possible to provide corresponding retaining means on opposite sides of the wall of the compartment divider 5. Reference symbol list 1 Device 2 adapter rails 3 boarding bridge 4 stops 5 compartment dividers 6 items 7 goods 8 merchandise pushers 9 spring 10 bar 11 Leadership Profile 12 Front anchors 13 Back panel 30 Nut 31 Rest area 32 landing stage 33 lead 34th recording 35 lead 40 Bridge 41 recording 42 Holding element 44 recording 45 recording 46 lead 47 lead 48 Nut 49 Reinforcement bridge QUOTES INCLUDED IN THE DESCRIPTION

[0000] This list of documents cited by the applicant was automatically generated and is included solely for the reader's convenience. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA accepts no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature

[0000] DE 20 2015 105 469 U1

[0002] DE 20 2020 100 738 U1

[0003]

Claims

[1] Device (1) for product presentation with: a) an adapter rail (2) that can be fixed to a shelf; b) at least one compartment divider (5) fixed to the adapter rail (2), which has a wall and a holding element, and c) at least one goods pusher (8) movable along a guide profile (11) fixed to the adapter rail (2), by means of which goods (6, 7) arranged on the guide profile (11) can be moved to a stop (4), characterized by , that the guide profile (11) can be fixed to the holding means of the compartment divider (5) via a plug connection. [2] Device according to claim 1, characterized by , that the guide profile (11) can be attached to the holding means from above. [3] Device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by , that the guide profile (11) is positively locked in place by the retaining means. [4] Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by, that the holding means are designed as a strip (10) which extends parallel to the wall of the compartment divider (5). [5] Device according to claim 4, characterized by , that the strip (10) has a width between 4 mm and 50 mm. [6] Device according to claim 4 or 5, characterized by , that profiles are formed on the strip (10) which can be engaged with a contour on the guide profile (11). [7] Device according to any one of claims 4 to 6, characterized by , that the bar (10) has essentially the same height as the guide profile (11). [8] Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by , that a front anchor (12) is formed on the guide profile (11), which can optionally be fixed to the adapter rail (2) or inserted into a receptacle (45) on the strip (10). [9] Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized bythat the product pusher (8) is wider than the guide profile (11). [10] Device according to claim 9, characterized by , that the product pusher (8) is held asymmetrically on the guide profile (11) in top view and protrudes more on one side than on the opposite side. [11] Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by , that the guide profile (11) has two webs running parallel to the feed direction of the product pusher (8), which are connected to each other by oblique reinforcements.

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