Point-of-Sale Display System and Method

Abstract

A point-of-sale display system and method for storing, displaying, and dispensing a plurality of mutually distinct pairable items, includes a tubular frame having an exterior surface defining a rack thereon to display a plurality of customized items, the frame having an interior surface defining a hollow chimney. One or more trays are disposed on the exterior surface adjacent predetermined openings wherein the trays are in communication with the chimney. The chimney is loadable with non-customized items, for being stored and for flowing through the openings into the trays, wherein the non-customized items are stored along the interior surface, and the customized items are stored along the exterior surface, so that the display enables a non-customized item to be withdrawn from the tray and paired with a customized item from the rack to produce an enhanced customized item.

Description

RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 63 / 733,219, entitled Point-of-Sale Display System and Method, filed on Dec. 12, 2024, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety for all purposes.BACKGROUNDTechnical Field

[0002] This invention relates to point-of-sale displays, and more particularly to a point-of-sale display system for storing, displaying, and dispensing a plurality of mutually distinct pairable items.Background Information

[0003] Point-of-sale (POS) displays, also referred to as point of purchase (POP) displays, are well known in the art. Retail establishments are replete with POS displays in the form of shelving and free-standing and / or end cap displays designed to attract customer attention to particular products and to locate such products conveniently to encourage sales. While such displays are typically directed to single products, some are configured to display multiple complementary items, such as paired beer and chips on end caps during the football season to enable shoppers to grab-and-go without a lot of extra thought.

[0004] While some POS displays include shelving disposed at an incline to permit products to slide forward to effectively re-fill the front of the display as products are withdrawn by shoppers, conventional free-standing / end cap displays tend to have limited product display space and require relatively frequent stock replenishment. Also, because of their focus on simplicity and convenience, and the need to use relatively small footprints on crowded / expensive retail floors, conventional POS displays have not been suitable for displaying multiple disparate products in a manner that facilitates product customization.

[0005] Thus, a need exists for an improved point-of-sale display that addresses the aforementioned drawbacks.SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] The appended claims may serve as a summary of the invention. The features and advantages described herein are not all-inclusive and, in particular, many additional features and advantages will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art in view of the drawings, specification, and claims. Moreover, it should be noted that the language used in the specification has been principally selected for readability and instructional purposes, and not to limit the scope of the inventive subject matter.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0007] The present invention is illustrated by way of example and not limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings, in which like references indicate similar elements and in which:

[0008] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention;

[0009] FIG. 2 is an elevational view, on an enlarged scale, of a portion of the embodiment of FIG. 1;

[0010] FIG. 3A is a front elevational view, on an enlarged scale, of a customized product displayed by the embodiments of FIGS. 1 & 2;

[0011] FIG. 3B is a rear elevational view, of a customized product displayed by the embodiments of FIGS. 1 & 2;

[0012] FIG. 4 is a view similar to that of FIG. 1, without the displayed products;

[0013] FIG. 5 is an elevational view, on an enlarged scale, of a portion of the embodiment of FIG. 4; and

[0014] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along 6-6 of FIG. 4.DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration, specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized. It is also to be understood that structural, procedural and system changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. In addition, well-known structures, circuits and techniques have not been shown in detail in order not to obscure the understanding of this description. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

[0016] As used in the specification and in the appended claims, the singular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. For example, reference to “a product” includes a plurality of such products. Where used in this disclosure, the term “axial” when used in connection with an element described herein, shall refer to a direction relative to the element, which is substantially parallel to the longitudinal centerline a of display 10 as shown in FIG. 6. Similarly, the term “transverse” refers to a direction other than substantially parallel to the axial direction.

[0017] Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation. All terms, including technical and scientific terms, as used herein, have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs unless a term has been otherwise defined. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning as commonly understood by a person having ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and the present disclosure. Such commonly used terms will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless the disclosure herein expressly so defines otherwise.

[0018] Referring now to the appended Figures, embodiments of the present invention will be described. As shown in FIGS. 1-3B, embodiments of the present invention include a point-of-sale (POS) display system 10 for storing, displaying, and dispensing a plurality of mutually distinct pairable items, in the form of non-customized products 12, and customized products 14, configured for being paired with one another to effectively customize the non-customized product to produce an enhanced customized product 12′. In the embodiment shown, the non-customized product is a soft plush toy (e.g., a teddy bear) 12, that is pairable with a customized product in the form of a t-shirt 14 emblazed with a name. The display system 10 advantageously leverages both interior and exterior surfaces for product storage to provide a particularly compact system that minimizes floorspace requirements while attractively displaying two pairable items in close proximity to one another for enhanced customer convenience.

[0019] By separating the customized products 14 from the non-customized products 12, and displaying the former while using internal storage for the latter, a single display 10 is capable of effectively displaying double or triple the number of enhanced customized products 12′ that could otherwise be displayed by conventional displays. In other words, these embodiments enable exterior surfaces that would otherwise be taken up by the non-customized aspects of the fully assembled enhanced customized products 12′, to instead be used to display a greater number of the customized aspects thereof. This advantageously enables a broader range of mutually distinct customizations to be presented on an exterior surface of a display rack than would be possible with conventional approaches. This is significant because potential purchasers would look for a particular customization (e.g., their name), before making a purchase decision. The ratio of customized products 12 displayable by embodiments of the present invention, to enhanced customized products 12′ displayable by similarly sized conventional displays is at least 2:1, and in the embodiment shown, is 2.6:1. In this regard, the embodiment shown displays a full range of 288 mutually distinct customized products (e.g., t-shirts having 288 different names) to effectively display 288 enhanced customized products on a display rack that would only accommodate about 108 products displayed in a conventional fully assembled manner.

[0020] The bears 12 are loaded into the center of display 10 through an opening 22 at the upper end (FIG. 4). The bears then flow out of openings in the walls of the display into acrylic trays 16. The t-shirts 14 customized with names, are supported by a series of racks extending along the exterior surfaces of the display 10. In particular embodiments, the t-shirts are packed within clear plastic boxes through which the various names thereon are visible to purchasers, e.g., as shown in FIG. 2. The t-shirts may also include additional indicia, e.g., on the backs as shown in FIG. 3B. A purchaser may then withdraw a bear 12 from tray 16, select a t-shirt having a desired name from the racks, and then dress the bear with the t-shirt to customize the bear 12, to produce an enhanced customized product (e.g., customized bear) 12′, as best shown in FIGS. 2-3B. It should be noted that while the bears 12 loaded into the display 10 and trays 16 do not have t-shirts on them, in particular embodiments, an exemplary customized bear 12′ with a t-shirt on it may be displayed behind an acrylic window 18, e.g., disposed adjacent to each tray 16 as best shown in FIG. 2.

[0021] Turning now to FIGS. 4-6, aspects of particular embodiments are shown and described in greater detail. Display 10 includes a substantially tubular frame having a longitudinal axis a, a ground engaging base 20 at a proximal end, and an opening 22 at a distal end thereof. The frame is supportable by the base 20 so that axis a extends substantially vertically as shown, although in particular embodiments axis a may extend obliquely to vertical to provide a sloped tubular frame. The tubular frame has an exterior surface 24 extending substantially 360 degrees about the longitudinal axis, which forms a rack to display the customized items 14. In the embodiment shown, the tubular frame has a substantially square transverse cross-section in which the exterior surface 24 is formed by four planar sides. It should be recognized, however, that the tubular frame may be provided with a transverse cross-section of substantially any desired shape, such as round, oblong, or any number of polygonal configurations. As best shown in FIG. 5, the rack is formed by an array of holes 23 extending along surface 24 to form pegboard portions that receive conventional pegs or hooks (not shown) therein, on which t-shirts 14 (FIG. 2), e.g., in clear plastic boxes, are hung. It should be noted that in some applications, it may be desirable to configure exterior surface 24 and / or the array of holes 23 to extend less than 360 degrees about axis a, such as to form an end cap display.

[0022] An interior surface 26 of the frame, as best shown in FIG. 6, defines a hollow chimney extending along the length of axis a. In particular exemplary embodiments, openings 28 extend through the walls of the frame at one or more predetermined axial locations between the proximal and distal ends 22, 24, e.g., between approximately ⅓ and ⅔rds of the axial distance from proximal end 20 to distal end 22. Trays 16 are disposed on exterior surface 24 at the axial locations of the openings 28 so that trays 16 are in communication with the chimney. As also shown, a platform 30 is disposed within the frame in axial alignment with a proximal portion of the openings 28 to effectively form a floor of the chimney. In particular embodiments, the non-customized items (e.g., bears) 12 are loadable into the chimney through opening 22, where they pile up within the chimney and spill out through openings 28 into trays 16 (FIG. 2). The trays 16 and openings 22 thus enable the bears 12 to be stored along the interior surface of display 10, while the customized items (e.g., t-shirts) 14 are stored along the exterior of display 10, to provide a relatively compact footprint that helps reduce the need for costly retail floor space. These embodiments thus effectively provide a unitary and compact point-of-sale display system that stores, displays, and dispenses a relatively large number of mutually distinct pairable items, to enable purchasers to easily customize the non-customized items. The separation of customized and non-customized pairable products enables the use of both interior and exterior surfaces of the display 10 to provide a particularly compact system that effectively displays a significantly larger number of enhanced customized products than would otherwise be possible using conventional approaches.

[0023] Although the embodiments shown and described herein include non-customized items in the form of stuffed animals, and although the customized items are clothing items emblazoned with names, it should be recognized that substantially any non-customized, and customized, products may be used with the display system 10 without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0024] Modifications, additions, or omissions may be made to the systems, apparatuses, and methods described herein without departing from the scope of the disclosure. For example, the components of the systems and apparatuses may be integrated or separated. Moreover, the operations of the systems and apparatuses disclosed herein may be performed by more, fewer, or other components and the methods described may include more, fewer, or other steps. Additionally, steps may be performed in any suitable order. It should be further understood that any of the features described with respect to one of the embodiments described herein may be similarly applied to any of the other embodiments described herein without departing from the scope of the present invention. As used in this document, “each” refers to each member of a set or each member of a subset of a set.

[0025] The present invention has been described in particular detail with respect to various possible embodiments, and those of skill in the art will appreciate that the invention may be practiced in other embodiments. First, the particular naming of the components, capitalization of terms, the attributes, data structures, or any other programming or structural aspect is not mandatory or significant, and the mechanisms that implement the invention or its features may have different names, formats, or protocols. Further, the system may be implemented via a combination of hardware and software, as described, or entirely in hardware elements. Also, the particular division of functionality between the various system components described herein is merely exemplary, and not mandatory; functions performed by a single system component may instead be performed by multiple components, and functions performed by multiple components may instead performed by a single component.

[0026] Various systems may also be used with programs in accordance with the teachings herein, or it may prove convenient to construct more specialized apparatus to perform the required method steps. The required structure for a variety of these systems will be apparent to those of skill in the art, along with equivalent variations.

[0027] To aid the Patent Office and any readers of any patent issued on this application in interpreting the claims appended hereto, applicants wish to note that they do not intend any of the appended claims or claim elements to invoke 35 U.S.C. 112(f) unless the words “means for” or “step for” are explicitly used in the particular claim.

[0028] Finally, it should be noted that the language used in the specification has been principally selected for readability and instructional purposes, and may not have been selected to delineate or circumscribe the inventive subject matter. Accordingly, the disclosure of the present invention is intended to be illustrative, but not limiting, of the scope of the invention, which is set forth in the following claims. It should be further understood that any of the features described with respect to one of the embodiments described herein may be similarly applied to any of the other embodiments described herein without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A point-of-sale display system for storing, displaying, and dispensing a plurality of mutually distinct pairable items, the display system comprising:a substantially tubular frame having a longitudinal axis, the frame having a ground engaging base at a proximal end and an opening at a distal end;the frame being supportable by the base wherein the axis extends substantially vertically;the frame having an exterior surface extending about the longitudinal axis, the exterior surface defining a rack thereon to display a plurality of first-type items in the form of customized items;the frame having an interior surface defining a hollow chimney extending along the longitudinal axis;one or more trays disposed on the exterior surface at predetermined axial locations between the proximal and distal ends, a plurality of openings extending through the exterior surface wherein the trays are in communication with the chimney;the chimney being loadable with a plurality of second-type items in the form of non-customized items, for being stored in the chimney and for flowing through the openings into the trays for being displayed and dispensed through the trays;wherein the openings and trays enable the display system to store the non-customized items along the interior surface of the display system, and to store the customized items along the exterior surface of the display system; andwherein the display is configured to enable a non-customized item to be withdrawn from the tray and paired with a customized item from the rack, to produce an enhanced customized item.

2. The display system of claim 1, wherein the exterior surface extends substantially 360 degrees about the longitudinal axis.

3. The display system of claim 1, further comprising a platform disposed within the frame in axial alignment with the trays to form a floor of the chimney.

4. The display system of claim 1, further comprising the non-customized items and the customized items.

5. The display system of claim 4, wherein the non-customized items include plush toys, and the customized items include clothing items with at least names emblazoned thereon, wherein the plush toys are loaded into the chimney at the distal end of the frame.

6. The display system of claim 5, wherein the plush toys are disposed within the chimney, in the openings, and in the trays.

7. The display system of claim 6, wherein the trays further comprise a window portion configured to support and display an exemplary pairing of the first-type and second-type items that produce the enhanced customized item.

8. The display system of claim 7, wherein the enhanced customized item comprises one of said plush toys wearing one of said clothing items.

9. The display system of claim 7, wherein the rack comprises an array of pegs, the pegs supporting the first-type items in transparent packaging to reveal customization of the first-type items.

10. A method for storing, displaying, and dispensing a plurality of mutually distinct pairable items, the method comprising:(a) providing a substantially tubular frame having a longitudinal axis, the frame having a ground engaging base at a proximal end and an opening at a distal end, the frame having an interior surface defining a hollow chimney extending along the longitudinal axis, one or more trays disposed on the exterior surface at predetermined axial locations between the proximal and distal ends, and a plurality of openings extending through the exterior surface wherein the trays are in communication with the chimney;(b) supporting the frame with the base wherein the axis extends substantially vertically;(c) displaying a plurality of first-type items in the form of customized items on a rack defined by an exterior surface of the frame extending about the longitudinal axis;(d) loading into the chimney, a plurality of second-type items in the form of non-customized items, to store the non-customized items in the chimney and in the trays, wherein the non-customized items are displayed and dispensed with the trays; wherein the non-customized items are stored along the interior surface of the frame, and the customized items are stored along the exterior surface of the frame;and (e) enabling a non-customized item to be withdrawn from the tray and paired with a customized item from the rack, to produce an enhanced customized item.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the exterior surface extends substantially 360 degrees about the longitudinal axis.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein a platform is disposed within the frame in axial alignment with the trays to form a floor of the chimney.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the non-customized items include plush toys, and the customized items include clothing items with at least names emblazoned thereon, wherein the plush toys are loadable into the chimney at the distal end of the frame.

14. The method of claim 13, comprising disposing the plush toys within the chimney, in the openings, and in the trays.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising supporting and displaying in a window portion of the trays, an exemplary pairing of the first-type and second-type items forming the enhanced customized item.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the enhanced customized item comprises one of said plush toys wearing one of said clothing items.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising supporting on the rack, the first-type items in transparent packaging to reveal customization of the first-type items.

18. A point-of-sale display system for storing, displaying, and dispensing a plurality of mutually distinct pairable items, the display system comprising:a substantially tubular frame having a longitudinal axis, the frame having a ground engaging base at a proximal end and an opening at a distal end;the frame being supportable by the base wherein the axis extends substantially vertically;the frame having an exterior surface extending substantially 360 degrees about the longitudinal axis, the exterior surface defining a rack thereon to display a plurality of first-type items in the form of customized items;the frame having an interior surface defining a hollow chimney extending along the longitudinal axis;one or more trays disposed on the exterior surface at predetermined axial locations between the proximal and distal ends, a plurality of openings extending through the exterior surface wherein the trays are in communication with the chimney;the chimney being loadable with a plurality of second-type items in the form of non-customized items, for being stored in the chimney and for flowing through the openings into the trays for being displayed and dispensed through the trays;wherein the openings and trays enable the display system to store the non-customized items along the interior surface of the display system, and to store the customized items along the exterior surface of the display system; andwherein a purchaser withdraws a non-customized item from the tray, and pairs the non-customized item with a customized item from the rack, for customizing the non-customized item.

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