Space saving manual shelf management system

Abstract

A bottom supporting shelf allocation and management system for allocating shelf space among rows of products, the system comprises: a plurality of adjacent shelf allocating and managing units, each unit associated with at least one row of products, wherein each unit includes, a side divider approximately the same length as the shelf depth and approximately as high as the product containers, a backstop attached to the rear of the side divider and protruding laterally at substantially a perpendicular angle to the side divider which is configured, when the side divider is manually drawn forward, to make contact with a rearmost product resting immediately in front of the backstop and push that rearmost product and any other products in front of that product forward in sympathy to the forward movement of the side divider.

Description

251043-576150 / FFRZ TBDSPACE SAVING MANUAL SHELF MANAGEMENT SYSTEMFIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

[0001] The present disclosure relates to manual shelf management systems, and more specifically to a space saving, manual, modular, laterally supporting, shelf management system.BACKGROUND

[0002] Labor inefficiencies and other problems result when merchandise is displayed on retail store shelves with neither rigid dividers nor a method to bring product forward on the shelf into a preferred selling position (a process called "‘fronting”) without handling the merchandise piece- by -piece. These problems pertain to grocery stores and supermarkets where commodities such as ice cream pint containers, single-serve yogurt cups and various other food containers are displayed for sale on shelves.

[0003] With no rigid dividers store personnel must, during product stocking, form rows by approximating straight lines and then manually finessing products into straight rows. This process is imprecise and time consuming. Further, as new merchandise is fed into rows from the front of the shelf, packages in the middle of the row tend to move to the left or right (known as "snaking") causing packages in the middle or back of the row to be significantly out of alignment with those at the front. This results in wasted labor as store personnel must handle the merchandise multiple extra times to position products in proper alignment. Another result is shelf disorganization that degrades the shopping experience by making it difficult for shoppers to locate and reach / grasp merchandise.

[0004] Merchandise is generally selected by the consumer from the front of the shelf and store personnel are forced to constantly fronting the merchandise, i.e. bringing merchandise from the middle and rear of the shelf forward into a preferred selling position. The vast majority of store shelves are fronted using the legacy practice where store clerks manually grasp individual packages and pull them forward. This manually intensive practice is time consuming and can be counter-productive because, as the store clerk reaches with his hand into the shelf to grasp packages, adjacent merchandise is sometimes knocked out of position which requires the clerk to then re-position that disrupted merchandise before the fronting procedure is completed. Further, the piece-by-piece fronting method is ineffective as typically only one or two items may be easily brought forward into selling position leaving merchandise at the middle and rear of the shelf out of shopper view and inaccessible.251043-576150 / FFRZ TBD

[0005] The patent literature teaches effective so-called shelf management systems to alleviate the problems explained above.

[0006] US Patent 7,631,771 discloses an effective shelf management system for use on retail store shelves, especially on grocery store shelves. It provides a unit with a width-adjustable base with high side dividers (approx. 6” high) attached to both the left and right sides of the base. A puller arm runs in a channel along inside bottom of one of the side dividers, and that puller is attached at the distal end to a back-stop or paddle that, when the puller arm is drawn forward the backstop makes contact with the rearmost product resting on the base and that rearmost product and any products situated in front of that product are thereby moved forward towards the front shelf edge. A limitation of this design is that it has a base which adds cost and must be periodically cleaned, and it features two side dividers where only one is needed to separate product rows. The second side divider adds needless cost and occupies lateral space on the shelf thereby displacing what would otherwise be space for saleable merchandise.

[0007] US Patent 10,278,519 discloses an effective shelf management system for use on retail store shelves, especially for yogurt cups and other dairy containers. The design is a tray with a width-adjustable base with a single high side divider (approx. 8” high) attached in perpendicular orientation to one side of the base. While the system employs a one-divider design (thereby saving cost and lateral shelf space), in order to front the product row. the entire tray must be removed from the shelf and hung on hooks that protrude from the front edge of the dividers of the immediately adjacent units that remain on the shelf. Once the unit is hung, the operator must then push the yogurt cups to the front of the unit, then place new stock behind the existing cups, and then pick up the tray (again) and place it back on the shelf. Limitations of this design are that it employs a base that requires cleaning and requires a row-fronting procedure (because it requires repositioning of the tray two times) that is cumbersome and time consuming.

[0008] US Patent 9,433,305 discloses a ‘‘retainer assembly” intended for use with a so-called gravity roller shelf for merchandising yogurt cups and other stacked merchandise. This patent does not seek to protect the concept and design of the inclined shelf or the rollers that form the shelf surface (that allow products to roll down the slope of the shelf with almost zero resistance). The 305 patent rather claims a design of specialized retainers that attach to the row' dividers used with these specialized shelves. Merchandising single-high (or non-stacked) products on a gravity roller shelf is straightforward in that a simple low fence or stop (e.g. 1.50” high) installed along the front shelf edge is sufficient to prevent products from spilling off the front of the shelf. But merchandising stacked products (e g. 2-high or 3-high) on these inclined shelves is problematic because, to prevent the products from spilling off the shelf, a fence or stop that is nearly as high251043-576150 / FFRZ TBD as the top of the stacked products would need to be attached to the front edge of the shelf. The height of this fence or stop would be so great (e.g 6.0”) that it would block the customers’ view of the merchandise and would also make retrieving the products from behind the high fence difficult. The specialized retainers disclosed in this patent prevent products from spilling off the shelf while not obscuring the view of the products or making it difficult for customers to grasp items they want to buy. While the retainers as disclosed function well, the “gravity roller shelf’ design has several limitations. First, it requires that stores remove their existing shelves and replace them with specialized “roller” shelves. Second, these specialized shelves along with the dividers and retainers are together extremely expensive, and the rollers themselves are prone to being fouled by spilled food and other debris.

[0009] U.S. Pat. No. 9.907.413, which is incorporated herein by reference, discloses effective shelf management systems for use on retail store shelves, especially on grocery store shelves. Among the systems disclosed in this patent is a design intended to merchandise yogurt cups and other containers where the top of the containers is wider than the bottom. This “yogurt” design employs a single high side divider (e.g. 5-7” high) attached to one side of a base in such a manner that the divider may be moved forward and backward but cannot be moved laterally or vertically. A backstop is attached to the rear end of the divider / puller and when the divider / puller is drawn forward, the backstop makes contact with and brings forward any products positioned on the base. While an effective divider and fronting system, this design requires periodic cleaning because it has a base that collects spilled yogurt and other debris, plus the base adds cost.

[0010] U.S. Pat. No. 11,134,797, which is incorporated herein by reference, also discloses another effective shelf management system for use on retail store shelves, especially in the dairy and freezer case and is intended to merchandise products like yogurt cups, other dairy containers and ice cream pins, all of which are containers that are substantially wider at the top than at the bottom. This design features a base with a single fixed side divider. A free-floating puller arm with a backstop attached to the distal end rests on top of the base and immediately inside the fixed side divider. When the puller arm is drawn forward, the backstop also moves forward which then makes contact with the rearmost product on the base which then moves that rearmost product container forward along with other product containers positioned in front of the rearmost container. A limitation of this design is that it has a base w hich requires cleaning and adds cost.A further limitation of this design is that the free-floating puller-with-paddle may become separated from the unit rendering the unit without a means of row fronting.

[0011] US Patent Publication No.: US 2009 / 0261607 Al discloses a tool that an operator uses to align and straighten merchandise containers on a retail store shelf. The tool may also be used to251043-576150 / FFRZ TBD bring products from the rear towards the front of the shelf (aka row fronting). This disclosure is comprised of a rigid wire approximate in length to the depth of the shelf. At one end is a handle and at the distal end is a hook. The tool is held by one hand by the operator and inserted between product rows for the purpose of urging containers into a straight line. Also, when the hook is positioned behind products in the row and the tool is draw n forward, the tool allow s the operator to bring products towards the front shelf edge. Although this disclosure is an effective row straightening and row fronting device, in order to effectuate either the row straightening and / or the row' fronting features, the tool must be inserted between each row of products and this insertion step takes several seconds. Given that a typical grocery' store product area (e.g. jams & jellies or cat food cans) is comprised of several hundred row s and that several additional seconds are required to effectively straighten a row after the tool is inserted and would also be required to front the row, this tool begins with a substantial time disadvantage in comparison to most prior art systems which provide a divider (or dividers) that are installed between product rows and remain in position until removed. So most prior art systems have a large inherent advantage in that they remain in place and. in so doing, maintain straight product rows. And these prior systems are always in “stand by” position and allow immediate row fronting without the time-consuming extra step of inserting the tool.

[0012] Most of the prior art systems discussed in the patent literature above provide row' separation thereby making stocking of new merchandise easier, making it easier for shoppers to comprehend the different varieties of merchandise on the shelves, making it easier for store clerks to bring merchandise from the rear of the shelf towards the front shelf edge and making it easier for shoppers to select items for purchase. Many of these prior systems utilize a tray design with a base and two dividers that extend vertically from one side of the base (or a single divider), and this tray design allows clerks to easily move an entire row from one position to another, and this is a substantial advantage. All of these prior systems prevent co-mingling of products on the shelves (where an item moves from its designated row' into a different adjacent row') which causes extra work for store clerks, leads to difficulty in determining how much of a given item is stocked on the shelf, and can lead to items becoming "lost" on the shelf such that they do not sell before their expiration date. Many of these systems are designed to merchandise a distinct type of package where the top of the container is substantially w ider than the base (i.e., a frusto-conical shape). Most of these prior art systems do not employ mechanical fasteners or permanent adhesives making installation fast and easy. Further, because the systems are not attached to the shelf, new product cut-ins and merchandise reconfigurations (called re-sets) are easy to accomplish. As most of the prior art systems are comprised of individual trays or bases that support251043-576150 / FFRZ TBD individual product rows, re-setting of merchandise is made easier as the units of this system, while loaded with merchandise, can be lifted off and away from the shelf and repositioned on a different shelf location in the store.

[0013] A limitation of all of the prior art systems designed to merchandise ice cream pint containers (and single-serve yogurt cups) in a typical grocery store is that they feature a bottomsupporting base or tray. While a base or tray supports products from the bottom and allows an individual row of containers to be moved together to a different shelf location, a merchandising system with a base or tray presents numerous disadvantages: the base or tray adds material procurement and assembly steps, adds cost, collects spilled food and other dirt and debris and therefore requires cleaning and the tray or base requires a more involved and time-consuming installation as all of the merchandise must be picked up off the store shelf and then placed on top of the base or tray. A further limitation of most of the prior art systems is that they feature two dividers, and this 2-divider design occupies needless lateral space on the shelf that should be occupied by merchandise, plus the 2-divider design adds needless cost.

[0014] It is the object of the present disclosure to address the deficiencies of the prior art shelf management systems, while maintaining their advantages, and provide a highly effective, easy and fast to install, easy to use and maintain shelf management system which causes the least amount of disruption possible to a store's preferred row positioning of merchandise SUMMARY

[0015] The present disclosure is comprised of a single side divider, positioned on a retail store shelf to one side and immediately adjacent to one row- of merchandise (e.g. ice cream pint containers) and along the length / depth of the shelf. Attached to the divider at the rear or distal end, extending generally at approximately a 90-degree angle in relation to the divider, is a stop or “backstop,” (corresponding in width to the width of the merchandise) which, when the side divider is pulled forw ard, makes contact with the rearmost product in the row and brings that product, and any products in front of that rearmost product, forward in accordance with forward movement of the side divider.

[0016] A further aspect of the disclosure is a divider / puller that is comprised of a strong and thicker lower section from which vertically extends a much thinner “high” divider, which takes advantage of the fact that the target merchandise containers of this system (ice cream pint containers and yogurt cups) are frusto-comcal shaped so that, when two containers are side-by- side, a large gap between the containers is presented. The strong and thicker low divider exists in251043-576150 / FFRZ TBD the vertical space where this gap is present, and the thinner high divider exists at a higher vertical point where the tops of these target containers would touch.

[0017] A further aspect of the disclosure is a low side divider that is very rigid and so resists bending and flexing so that, when the divider is drawn forward to effect the row fronting operation, the divider remains substantially straight thereby maintaining the proper (approx. 90-degree) angle relative to the backstop thereby affording the backstop positive contact with the rearmost product in the row such that the rearmost product is brought directly forward rather than being pushed to the side.

[0018] A further aspect of the present disclosure is a backstop that is adjustable in width to accommodate merchandise containers of various widths.

[0019] A further aspect of the present disclosure is a hole or other feature at the front end of the side divider allowing a positive grip so that the front of the divider may be securely grasped for the purpose of pulling it forw ard to effect the row fronting operation.

[0020] A further aspect of the disclosure is a positioning tab or rod that protrudes from the rear base of the backstop and extends laterally towards the outside of the divider of the unit immediately adjacent and to the left of the subject unit for the purpose of maintaining the proper distance betw een the subject unit and the adjacent unit. This positioning extension tab or rod is adjustable in length.

[0021] A further aspect of the present disclosure is a connection between the divider and the backstop that is rounded (for example rounded to the effect of a 0.35” radius) on the outside surface of the comer where the divider and backstop meet for the purpose of preventing the outermost end or edge of the backstops of the units, when the units are drawn forward to effect the row- fronting function, from becoming caught or hung up on this outside comer.

[0022] A further aspect of the present disclosure is a positioning tab, which is adjustable in length to correspond to the width of the subj ect merchandise, that protmdes from the inside front of the divider laterally across the space occupied by the subj ect merchandise row and touching (or nearly touching) the outside of the side divider of the immediately adjacent row so that, in the case w-here the subject row is empty or mostly empty, the tab prevents the side divider from moving objectionably laterally thereby maintaining the proper divider position of the subject unit.

[0023] A further aspect of the present disclosure is a shelf allocating and management unit that may be installed simply by placing the unit between tw o rows on a store shelf, rather than requiring that merchandise containers first be removed from the row and then placed on top of or inside of or adjacent to the unit.251043-576150 / FFRZ TBD

[0024] These and other advantages of the present disclosure will be clarified in the following description taken together with the accompanying drawings.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] Fig 1 is a schematic perspective view of a shelf allocation and management system and showing the modular nature of the system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0026] Fig 2 is a schematic view of a shelf allocation and management system shown in Fig 1 and also showing the manual fronting operation with the divider / puller in a partially forward position and also showing units with a backstop set to a narrow width position (3 left-most rows) and also showing units with a backstop set to a wide position (2 right-most rows) and further showing a front and top portion of the divider that is swept back to allow a better view of the merchandise positioned towards the front of adjacent units to the left and right;

[0027] Fig 3 is a view of a shelf allocating and management unit according to one embodiment of the disclosure including a backstop that is configured to maximize contact with frusto-conical merchandise containers and including features at the front of the side divider that increase grip of the front of the unit so as to allow the user to more effectively pull the divider forward to effectuate row fronting, and including a positioning tab that protrudes from the interior of the side divider a distance equivalent to the width of the merchandise containers for the purpose of maintaining the proper lateral position of the units when they are empty or nearly empty;

[0028] Fig 4A is a front elevation schematic view of several side-by-side shelf allocation and management units according to the disclosure each filled with merchandise and further showing the gap presented between targeted merchandise containers when they are side-by-side and further showing that the thicker low divider is positioned in this gap without touching the merchandise containers and further showing that only a single thin high side divider separates the two containers at the point where they would otherwise touch;

[0029] Fig 4B is very similar view to Fig 4A but accomodating slightly different package sizes and also showing one version of the present disclosure where the divider handles are slightly curved inward to reduce interfere with each other during a fronting operation and then returning the unit to the starting or normal position;

[0030] Fig 5 is a view of two side-by-side shelf allocating and management units according to one embodiment of the disclosure and including a backstop configured to maximize contact with frusto-conical merchandise containers and wherein the backstop extensions are longer at the251043-576150 / FFRZ TBD botom and shorter above to correspond to most ice cream pint containers which are narrower at the botom and wider towards the top;

[0031] Fig 6A is a birds-eye plan view of view' of a shelf allocation and management system showing the curved handle and further showing the width adjustable positioning tab;

[0032] Fig 6B is a schematic perspective view of the shelf allocation and management system shown in Fig 6A; and

[0033] Fig 7 is a view' of the rear of two shelf allocation and management units showing that the backstop is width adjustable by showing one backstop set to a narrow' or closed seting and another unit set to a wide or open seting.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] It is noted that, as used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms "a," "an", and "the" include plural referents unless expressly and unequivocally limited to one referent. For the purposes of this specification, unless otherwise indicated, all numbers expressing parameters used in the specification and claims are to be understood as being modified in all instances by the term "about." The terms "about" or "approximate" or similar terms within this application will generally mean within 10% unless otherwise noted. Accordingly, unless indicated to the contrary, the numerical parameters set forth in the following specification and atached claims are approximations that may vary depending upon the desired properties sought to be obtained by the present disclosure. The various embodiments and examples of the present disclosure as presented herein are understood to be illustrative of the present disclosure and not restrictive thereof and are non-limiting with respect to the scope of the disclosure.

[0035] The present disclosure maintains most of the advantages presented by many of the prior art shelf management systems, including a rigid divider that provides positive row' segregation and lateral support of the products, an integral fronting mechanism which allows rapid merchandise fronting, the ability to accommodate products of varying widths and the advantage of the units remaining in position between product rows which maintain straight rows by their (semipermanent) position on the shelf and likewise, by virtue of the fact that the dividers remain in place on the shelf, the units are available for immediate use for a row' fronting operation, in contrast to a row straightening and row' fronting tool that is carried by a store clerk.

[0036] Comparable to the systems of the prior art patents, the units 20 of the system 10 of the present disclosure are designed to be positioned on a retail store shelf 12 and the units 20 of the251043-576150 / FFRZ TBD system 10 are generally as long as the shelf 12 is deep and are arranged perpendicular to the front shelf 12 edge. The units 20 are designed to be placed between rows of merchandise 14.

[0037] The present disclosure provides a shelf management system that may be described as a manual shelf allocation and management system for allocating shelf space among rows of products. As seen in Figs 1 & 2, the system 10 includes a plurality of adjacent shelf allocating and management units 20, each unit 20 associated with at least one row of products 14. Each unit includes a single side divider 40 attached at the rear or distal end to a backstop 60 which protrudes laterally and at a substantially perpendicular angle from the divider 40, which is configured, when the side divider 40 is drawn forward, to make contact with a rearmost product 14 resting on the shelf 12 and to push the rearmost product 14 and any other products 14 in front of the rearmost product_14 forward in sympathy to the forward movement of the side divider 40.

[0038] The present disclosure, however, is a departure from most prior art ice cream pint and yogurt merchandising systems in that it is an extremely simple combination divider and fronting system that eliminates the conventional “tray"’ design, which is the default design for systems of this type. Each unit 20 of the present disclosure is comprised of only a single side divider 40 and backstop 60 in contrast to the majority of prior art systems that employ two dividers each protruding from either side of a base. The present disclosure is constructed of a single side divider 40 which also serves as the puller for the row fronting feature. There is no base. Product 14 containers merchandised by this system remain positioned on the top of the store shelf 12 as they would were no system present.

[0039] As seen in Figs 2, 3 and 5, the backstop 60 attached to the distal end of the side divider 40 defines the effective rear terminus of the shelf 12 with regard to the available space in the row for stocking merchandise 14. The backstop 60 length or width is parallel to the front and rear edge of the shelf 12 and the backstop 60 width should correspond to the width of the merchandise packages 14. The backstop 60 also serves to make contact with the rearmost product 14 in the row, so that when the backstop 60 is drawn forward (when the attached divider 40 is drawn forward) the rearmost product 14 comes forward along with any products 14 in front.

[0040] As seen in Figs 2 and 5 the backstop 60 of the present disclosure is adjustable in width so that product 14 containers of varying widths may by merchandised by the system 10. For example, the widths of ice cream pint containers and yogurt cups range from approx. 2.50” to 5.50” and while there is effectively only one width of ice cream pint container, there are as many as approx. 8 different widths of yogurt cups and tubs. A variety of methods may be used to allow the backstop 60 to be width-adjustable. One of these methods which affords two width positions, narrow and wide, is shown in Figs 7 and 5. As seen in Fig 5, the operation of the backstop 60 width adjusting251043-576150 / FFRZ TBD mechanism 61 is obvious and intuitive which facilitates the initial installation of the system 10 installation and also simplifies re-sets in the future. The simple width adjustment procedure also reduces installation time.

[0041] As shown in Figs 3 and 5, the perpendicular position of the backstop 60 combined with the relatively wide bottom of the divider 40 allows the individual units 20 to stand upright on the shelf 12 with no outside support. The front of each unit 20 is entirely open. Merchandise containers 14 are positioned alongside and immediately adjacent each unit 20 on the left side of the side divider 40 and directly in front of the backstop 60.

[0042] For consistency, the units described herein feature a backstop 60 that protrudes to the left of the distal end of the divider 40, so product containers merchandised by each unit shall be placed on the left side of the divider 40 so that they line up directly in front of the backstop 60. The system would operate identically if all of the backstops 60 protruded to the right. The system only works if all of the backstops 60 are oriented in the same direction.

[0043] The ’2-divider" design that dominates the prior art usually also includes a fronting mechanism that employs a puller arm that is a separate strip of plastic that runs in a track along the bottom of one of the dividers and where this puller arm is attached to a backstop at the rear. When the puller arm is manually drawn forward, the products are brought forward. These prior art puller arms add to the lateral space occupied by these competing systems and further add to the amount of lateral shelf space that they displace which may require the removal of additional row's of merchandise 14.

[0044] The thickness of the upper portion of divider 40, or upper divider portion 42 (as seen in Fig 3) is approximately 0.045” which is less than space that ordinarily occurs between product 14 row s (approx. 0.050”) when no shelf allocating and management system is present. As shown in Figs 4A and 4B, the fact that the present disclosure has only a single divider 40 (in contrast to most prior art system that employ two dividers per unit) combined with the extremely thin upper divider portion 42 thickness results in a system 10 that causes the least amount of lateral disruption possible, and in some cases will cause no lateral disruption. Put another way, among the chief aims of the present disclosure is that merchandise 14 placed in the units 20 should conform in position to what is dictated by the store’s planogram (which is a chart specifying the exact shelf position of merchandise on retail store shelves). Ideally, the system 10 should not change that specified position so that, after installation of the system 10. the merchandise containers and rows should be in the same position they occupied on the shelf prior to installation. (Unless esoteric and prohibitively expensive materials are used, it is not possible to manufacture a divider with a wall thickness that is substantially less than 0.045” thick.)251043-576150 / FFRZ TBD

[0045] The average thickness of one of the dividers of a 2-divider system is 0.070’", so, for example, the combination of the right divider of one unit of a 2-divider system with the left divider of a unit immediately adjacent and to the right would be 0.14”. The regularly-occurring space between product rows in a typical ice cream pints and typical yogurt case is ordinarily approx. 0.050”, so if the combined divider thickness occupied by a 2-divider system is 0.14"’ then it is clear that one or several product rows - depending on the number of 2-divider units installed - would need to be removed to accommodate the 2-divider system.

[0046] Divider 40 serves simultaneously as a puller to actuate the row fronting operation. When divider 40 is drawn forward, backstop 60 also comes forward and makes contact w ith the rearmost product 14 positioned on the unit 20 so that the rearmost product 14 and any products 14 in front of backstop 60 will come forw ard towards the front of the shelf 12. While each unit 20 has only a single divider 40, the fact that the units 20 are most always installed in a series with many units immediately side-by-side, the subject row of merchandise 14 is contained on the right side by the divider 40 of the subject unit and contained on the left by the unit 20 immediately adjacent and to the left. So the subj ect unit, if you will, ‘"borrows” the divider of the immediately adj acent unit on the left to provide lateral support on the left thereby providing the needed stability’ - on both the right and the left sides of the row’ — to allow the row to be positively fronted without the merchandise containers 14 moving objectionably to the left or right.

[0047] Divider 40 also serves as a means of separating or segregating the product 14 rows so that one row may be stocked with new merchandise 14 and / or may be fronted without substantially interfering with, knocking over or generally disrupting the position of the immediately adjacent product 14 rows, either to the left or the right.

[0048] In order to achieve this row separation and to provide sufficient lateral support to ice cream pint and yogurt containers 14 that are often stacked 2-, 3- or 4-high (or more), the height of divider 40 (the total height low divider 41 and upper divider 42) will generally be between 4” and 7” high (though the divider may be as low’ as 2” or as high as approx. 11 ”) with a height of approximately 6.50” suited to most applications of merchandising ice cream pints and yogurt cups. These rows comprised of stacked containers 14 may be especially unstable and so a divider / puller height that roughly approximates the height of the product 14 stack is desirable.

[0049] While a single unit 20 as described above (with a single divider 40) would provide only partial lateral support to stacked ice cream pints or yogurt cups merchandised by that unit 20, because, as seen in the figures, as seen in Figs 1 and 2 a unit 20 is most always installed as part of a series of side-by-side units 20, where each unit 20 is immediately adjacent to a unit 20 both on the left side and right side, products 14 merchandised by the subject unit 20 are laterally supported251043-576150 / FFRZ TBD on the right by the high divider 40 of the subject unit 20 and are supported on the left by the divider 40 of the unit 20 immediately adjacent and to the left of the subject unit 20.

[0050] Key to the present disclosure is a divider 40 that is very rigid and resistant to bending or deflecting especially when the side divider 40 is drawn forward as during a fronting operation. This divider 40 rigidity is a function of the strength and stiffness of low divider portion 41. Yet upper divider portion 42 must simultaneously be of a very thin width so that it displaces the minimal amount of lateral space in the area where the merchandise 14 containers would naturally touch each other (the top or lids of the containers). The present disclosure is chiefly designed to merchandise ice cream pints and single-serve yogurt containers (and other dairy containers) of an inverted frustoconical shape characterized as a shape where the top of the container 14 is wider than the bottom of the container. In the USA. most single-serve yogurt cups and most ice cream pint containers 14 are shaped this way. As seen in Figs 4A and 4B, when positioned side-by-side these frustoconical containers 14 present a large gap at the base where the gap may be as much as 2.50” high and 1.0’ wide. Yet very little if any lateral space exists between the tops (or lids) of these containers 14. The result is that lower divider portion 41 for a shelf management system for these inverted frustoconical containers 14 may be quite wide (and strong) yet upper divider portion 42 must be very thin. Although these dimensions may vary, lower divider portion 41 exists in the vertical space from the very bottom of divider 40 upwards approx. 1.70”. and upper divider portion 42 exists in the vertical space beginning at the top of lower divider portion 41 and extending upwards approx. 3” to 7”.

[0051] Another priority for stores is that a shelf management system does not reduce the so- called row pack-out, which is the amount / number of product 14 packages that may be fit in the row front-to-back. The backstop 60 of the present disclosure occupies a minimal amount of space along the shelf 12 depth. In other words, the backstop 60 would displace from between 0.25” and 0.60” of space from the rear shelf 12 edge towards the front, and this small occupation of shelf 12 depth should not, in most cases, have any impact on the number of merchandise 14 containers that may be placed front-to-back in the row.

[0052] The present disclosure is designed foremost to merchandise ice cream pints and yogurt cups. It is fairly common for the shelves 12 in the freezer and dairy case to feature a high front shelf 12 lip, typically approx. 0.30” high. The present disclosure features a divider 40 that, when drawn forward to actuate the row fronting feature, may easily be lifted over a high front lip at the front of a shelf 12. The plastic construction of the units 20 allows for a very light divider 40 with attached back-stop 60 so an operator with even very limited strength can grasp the front of the divider 40, lift the divider 40 up slightly (clearing the shelf 12 lip) and then pull the divider 40251043-576150 / FFRZ TBD forward to bring the merchandise 14 containers in the row towards the front shelf 12 edge (to actuate the row fronting operation). Further, the divider 40 does not travel in a channel which may become fouled with spilled food or other debris thereby impeding the movement.

[0053] The dividers 40 of the present disclosure must be very' strong and rigid so that during a fronting operation the side divider / puller 40 can move a full row of, for example, ice cream pints14 possibly stacked 2-high. Not only must the side divider / puller 40 be strong enough to effectively pull forward a row that is full of merchandise 14 containers (and occasionally ice cream pint containers are frozen to the shell), but also the side divider 40 must be rigid enough so that it resists flexing during the row fronting operation so that the orientation of the backstop 60 in relation to the divider 40 does not change to the point where it no longer makes positive contact with the rearmost container 14 in the row. In order for the backstop 60 to make positive contact with the rearmost merchandise 14 container so that, when drawn forward during a row fronting operation it maintains an orientation of substantially a 90-degree angle in relation to divider 40, the divider 40 must be very stiff / rigid. As stated above, the rigidity of divider 40 is entirely the result of the thickness, strength and stiffness of lower divider portion 41. If the divider 40 bends or deflects during row fronting then this may cause the effective angle of the backstop 60 to change and effectively “open up” (for example from a 90-degree angle may open to a 135-degree angle) with the result that, rather than moving forward, the product 14 containers may be pushed slightly forward and to the side.

[0054] A divider 40 that is simultaneously rigid at the bottom and thin in the upper portion of the divider / puller may be manufactured in different ways. One method would be to use plastic extrusion where the extrusion tool set could be configured to make the side divider 40 wide and strong at the bottom and thin towards the top. Another method would be to use a two-piece side divider 40 where the bottom portion divider 41 (thick and strong / ngid) was made via injection molding and the upper divider portion 42 (thin) is made via plastic extrusion, which lends itself to manufacturing much thinner wall thicknesses. In this scenario the upper divider portion 42 would be positioned above and attached to bottom portion divider 41. The exact method of manufacture and / or assembly is unimportant but is explained to show the variety of manufacturing methods that may be used.

[0055] The foundation and inspiration of the design of the present disclosure is simplicity, so the goal is that the system 10 would allow for ease of ordering the system 10, ease of installation of the units 20, ease of use, durability and low cost. To order the units 20 of the system 10 (because the units are width-adjustable), the only task required is to simply count the number of product 14 rows in the product area (e.g. number of rows of ice cream pints in a freezer case) and that then is251043-576150 / FFRZ TBD the number of units 20 to be ordered. For example, a store with 200 rows of yogurt cups that range in width from 2.60” to 4.80” (a typical range in most stores) could simply order 200 width- adjustable units 20. Some systems of the prior art are of a fixed width which makes ordering and installation very complicated, especially in the case of, for example, yogurt where there are numerous product widths and numerous corresponding fixed-width width sizes. In some instances, a yogurt case would have to be divided into as many as 7 or 8 different width sizes and the correct number of each width size of shelf management unit would need to be determined to organize and assemble the order.

[0056] To install the units 20 of the present system 10 the installer must simply adjust the width of the backstop 60 to match the w idth of the product 14, and then place the unit 20 to the right side of the product 14 row already on the shelf. In the case where the installer is starting with an empty row, the backstop 60 is again set to the proper width and then the empty unit 20 is placed on the shelf 12 and then filled with product. Because the present disclosure has no base, installation in many cases is simply a matter of setting the proper backstop 60 width and then placing the divider 40 between two product rows_with the merchandise containers 14 staying in place during the installation. To install most prior art shelf management systems that have a base (which is the default), the row must first be cleared of product containers, then the width must be adjusted, then the unit is placed in the row, and then the merchandise 14 containers that were on the shelf are picked back up and placed into the unit and onto the base. For the present disclosure, because the merchandise 14 may remain on the shelf 12 during installation, the installation time required should be substantially shorter.

[0057] The purpose and operation of the system 10 is highly intuitive as most store clerks are familiar with row dividers. It will be obvious to the store clerk that the purpose of the backstop 60 is to front the row and it will like ise be obvious that, to effect row fronting, the front of the divider 40 should be grasped and drawn forward. As the units 20 of the system 10 are so simple with so few moving parts the manufacture of the units 20 requires comparatively little material and time resulting in a low7cost system 10. And with the study construction of the divider 40 as described above and given the fact that the only moving part is the width-adjustable backstop 60 (which is adjusted once during installation and then perhaps twice per year during resets) the likelihood of malfunction or breakage is minimal.

[0058] Because there is no base or tray there is effectively nothing to clean so any spilled product, dirt or other debris will fall to the shelf 12 where it may be easily cleaned (in the same way the shelf would require periodic cleaning if no shelf management system were in place.) More than other food categories (e.g. salsa jars and peanut butter) yogurt cups are prone to leakage either251043-576150 / FFRZ TBD because of loose lids or because of container damage. Therefore, it is common for yogurt to spill and, if there is a shelf management system present (likely with a base), the spilled yogurt finds its way onto the base of that system. The no-base design of the present disclosure increases the labor savings appeal and lengthens the effective life of the system as sometimes shelf management systems are discarded not because they are broken but rather because they are so dirty7that, rather than cleaning the units, stores prefer to discard a system or buy a replacement (which, of course, is costly).

[0059] And because the units 20 are so simple and uncomplicated in design and because there is no base or tray but rather only a single divider and backstop, the manufacturing process will be simple and require relatively little material hence the purchase price will be quite low thus making the system 10 that much more attractive to store management.

[0060] As seen in Figs 2 and 3, the top of high divider / puller 40 is swept rearward_at an angle thereby allowing the shopper to better see the front of adjacent royvs to the left and the right while also providing sufficient lateral containment of the yogurt cups 14 at the front of the subject row. Though this is a seemingly inconsequential feature, because many rows of yogurt and ice cream pints are partially sold back from the front of the shelf, it is important for shoppers to be able to see merchandise that is slightly rearward of the front shelf edge and the swept-back divider 40 allows this.

[0061] As shown in Fig 3, the front of high divider / puller 40 features a grasp handle 281. which may be simply a small hole at the very front divider / puller 40 or other feature that allows for a more secure grip, yvhich makes it easier for the operator to securely grasp high divider / puller 40 when performing a fronting operation.

[0062] As seen in Figs 3 and 5, the front of backstop 60 of the present disclosure features protrusions 62 that extend from different vertical points along the front of the backstop 60. These extensions correspond to the standard shape of a typical ice cream pints container or yogurt cup14. For ice cream pint containers and yogurt cups 14 (and other frusto-conical-shaped containers where the top of the container 14 is wider than the base of the container 14). a backstop 60 front or face that is uniformly vertical, at a 90-degree angle from the shelf 12, will, during a fronting operation when the backstop 60 is drawn forward, first make contact with the top of the ice cream pints or yogurt container 14 with the effect being that the ice cream pints or yogurt container 14 may be tipped over forward rather than the entire container moving forward along the shelf 12, which is the preferred outcome. In one version of the present disclosure, as can be seen in Figs 3 and 5, there are two curved extensions or protrusions 62 with the lower protrusion 62 extending approx. 0.75” from the backstop 60 face and the upper extension or protrusion 62 extending251043-576150 / FFRZ TBD approx. 0.50” from the backstop 60 face (to account for the fact that a typical ice cream pint container is narrower at the bottom and becomes progressively wider towards the top). These protrusions 62 make contact with the containers 14 in a way such that the force imparted from the forward movement of backstop 60 is more evenly distributed both along the lateral and the vertical dimensions of the ice cream pint or yogurt cup 14 with the result that the pint or cup 14 is more likely to move (slide along the shelf 12) directly forward towards the front shelf 12 edge rather than to tip over (forward) or to be pushed in a direction that is not directly parallel to the orientation of the divider 40.

[0063] A further aspect of the present disclosure, as shown in Figs. 3, 6A, 6B and 5, provides for width positioning spacers 87. The divider 40 of the present disclosure are naturally kept in proper position, which is perpendicular to the front (and rear) shelf 12 edge, because the merchandise 14 rows are always arranged in a straight line front-to-back and the divider / pullers 40 are positioned between those straight and parallel product 14 rows. Sometimes, however, product 14 rows are completely sold out (empty) or partially sold out leaving only perhaps one or two containers 14 in the row, and those containers 14 may be all the way at the back of shelf 12.In a situation where the row is completely or partially empty (leaving insufficient merchandise 14 containers as natural row “spacers”), divider / puller 40 may inadvertently be moved or knocked out of proper position to the left or right, and this would both appear disorderly and would force the clerk to return divider / puller 40 back to its proper position before additional merchandise stock 14 could be placed on the shelf 12, which would add time to the stocking procedure, an outcome that the system 10 should help stores avoid.

[0064] Width positioning spacers 87 would help alleviate the problem described above. The positioning spacers 87 are tabs made of flexible plastic or rubber and, as seen in_Figs 3, 6A, and 6B. are adjustable in length to correspond to the width of the merchandise containers 14. As shown in Figs. 3, 6A, and 6B, in one embodiment the spacers are shaped as tabs and they may be, for example, approx. 0.50” wide and 0.10” thick. The spacer tabs 87 are attached to the divider / puller 40 at a point approx. 1” or 2” rearward of the front end of the divider 40 and on the inside of divider 40 and towards the bottom of divider 40. The spacer tabs 87 run parallel to the shelf 12 surface and are positioned approximately 0.25” above the shelf 12 surface (although they may be positioned so they are slightly touching the shelf 12 or as high as 3” or higher above the shelf 12 surface). The spacer tabs 87 extend from the subject unit 20 and to the left a distance equivalent to the width of the merchandise 14 container (e.g. ice cream pint) so the tip of the tabs 87 makes contact with (or nearly makes contact) the outside of the divider 40 of the unit 20 positioned immediately adjacent and to the left. The tabs 87 sets the width of the row in the same251043-576150 / FFRZ TBD way as would a full row of merchandise 14. The tabs 87 are flexible, and the mechanism that attaches the tabs 87 to the inside of divider 40 may likewise be made of flexible material. The purpose of this flexibility is so the tabs 87, though stout and firm enough to keep the subject unit 20 in correct position, may move and bend freely so as not to impeded customers who are selecting containers 14 for purchase and likewise not to impede clerks who are re-stocking the row.

[0065] As shown in Figs 5, 6A, and 6B, to help prevent the spacer tabs 87 from interfering with or catching on an immediately adjacent unit 20, the ends of the spacer tabs 87 may be rounded and shaped vaguely like a lollipop with a radius of approx. 0.50”. This rounded end of a spacer tab 87 would allow the spacer to glance off of or otherwise slide by the handle 281 of an immediately adjacent unit 20 when the subject unit 20 is returned to the normal position after a row fronting operation. To further reduce the chances that the end of a spacer tab 87 would catch the handle 281 of an adjacent unit 20, as shown in Fig 4B, 6B and 5, the handles 281 at the end of divider 40 may be slightly laterally bent inward.

[0066] It is understood, therefore, that this disclosure is not limited to the particular embodiments disclosed, but it is intended to cover modifications that are within the spirit and scope of the disclosure, as defined by the appended claims and equivalents thereto.

Claims

251043-576150 / FFRZ TBDWhat is claimed is:

1. A shelf management unit for defining a product row on a shelf the unit comprising: a side divider having a proximal end and a distal end; and a backstop attached to the distal end of the side divider, the backstop having a productcontacting face and extending from the side divider at a substantially perpendicular angle; wherein a side of the unit opposite the side divider defines a substantially open productreceiving area.

2. The shelf management unit of claim 1, wherein the side divider comprises a lower portion and an upper portion extending vertically from the lower portion, the upper portion having a first wall thickness and the lower portion having a second wall thickness greater than the first wall thickness.

3. The shelf management unit of claim 2, wherein the first wall thickness is approximately 0.045 inches.

4. The shelf management unit of claim 1 or 2, wherein the backstop is a width- adjustable backstop comprising a first member and a second member, the second member being laterally movable relative to the first member to change a lateral width of the backstop.

5. The shelf management unit of claim 4, further comprising a width adjustment mechanism coupling the first member and the second member.

6. The shelf management unit of any of claims 1, 2, or 4, wherein the side divider is constructed from a plastic material allowing the proximal end of the side divider to be lifted vertically.

7. The shelf management unit of claim 2, wherein the lower portion has a thickness and is constructed of a material with a modulus of elasticity sufficient to maintain the substantially perpendicular angle between the side divider and the stop when a row of products is moved.

8. The shelf management unit of any of claims 1, 2, or 4, further comprising a tab extending from an inside surface of the side divider, the tab oriented parallel to the stop.251043-576150 / FFRZ TBD9. The shelf management unit of any of claims 1, 2, or 4, wherein an outside comer formed at a connection between the side divider and the stop has a rounded profile with a radius of approximately 0.35 inches.

10. The shelf management unit of any of claims 1, 2, or 4, wherein the productcontacting face of the stop comprises at least one protrusion extending therefrom, the at least one protrusion shaped to conform to a non-parallel vertical side of a merchandise container.

11. The shelf management unit of claim 10, wherein the at least one protrusion comprises a lower protrusion extending a first distance from the product-contacting face and an upper protrusion extending a second distance from the product-contacting face, the first distance being greater than the second distance.

12. The shelf management unit of claim 2, wherein a top front edge of the upper portion is swept rearward relative to a bottom front edge of the lower portion.

13. The shelf management unit of any of claims 1, 2, or 4, wherein the proximal end of the side divider defines an aperture configured as a grasp handle.

14. The shelf management unit of claim 2, wherein the lower portion is composed of an injection-molded plastic and the upper portion is composed of an extruded plastic, and wherein the upper portion is attached to the lower portion.

15. A shelf allocation and management system comprising a plurality of adjacent shelf allocating and managing units, each unit associated with at least one row of products, wherein each unit includes a side divider approximately the same length as the shelf depth and approximately the same height as two ice cream pints containers stacked one on top the other where the side divider is attached at the distal end to a backstop which protrudes at a substantially perpendicular angle from the side divider and extends laterally across the shelf and where the backstop is configured, w hen the side divider is manually drawn forward, to make contact with a rearmost product resting on the shelf in the product row and push that rearmost product and any other products in the row forward in sympathy to the forward movement of the side divider.251043-576150 / FFRZ TBD16. The system of claim 15, further including an upper portion of a side divider with a very thin wall thickness such that the combination of the single divider design and the very thin wall thickness of the upper side divider allow for the smallest amount of lateral space to be occupied by the system between rows of merchandised products.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the side of the shelf allocating and managing unit opposite the side divider is substantially open such that new merchandise can easily be placed on the unit from the side.

18. The system of claim 17, further including a backstop that is adjustable in width to accommodate products of different widths.

19. The system of claim 17, further including a backstop width adjustment mechanism that is intuitive and easy to operate.

20. The system of any of claims 15-19, wherein the front of the divider may easily be lifted above a high front shelf lip such that the system may be used on shelves that feature these high lips.

21. The system of any of claims 15-19, wherein the side divider resists flexing so that, during a row fronting operation and even with heavy products, the backstop remains in proper position relative to the divider and does not “open up” so that the backstop makes sufficient positive contact xxi th the product row to effectuate row fronting.

22. The system of any of claims 15-19, further including a tab or rod or similar other protrusion attached to the inside of the front of the divider and extending in a substantially perpendicular direction opposite the divider where the length of the tab or rod corresponds substantially to the width of the merchandise containers and where the distal end of the tab or rod makes contact (or nearly makes contact) with the outside of the divider positioned immediately adjacent so as to maintain the proper lateral distance between the subject divider and the divider immediately adjacent when the subject row is empty or nearly empty of merchandise.251043-576150 / FFRZ TBD23. The system of any of claims 15-19, further including a connection of the divider and backstop that is rounded on the outside comer of that connection (for example rounded to the effect of a 0.35” radius) for the purpose of preventing the outermost edge of the backstops of the units, when the units are drawn forward to effect the row fronting operation, from becoming caught or hung up on the outside comer that forms the connection where the divider and back-stop are joined.

24. The system of claim 18 or 19, wherein the backstop that is shaped so that it makes more even contact with a merchandise container that does not have parallel vertical sides so that when the backstop makes contact with such a merchandise container as during a row fronting operation the container is more likely to move forward rather than to tip over forward.

25. The system of any of claims 15-19, featuring an upper portion of the divider where the top front of the upper portion is swept backwards so as to increase visibility of the adjacent product rows for the customer.

26. The system of any of claims 15-19, further including a grasp hole or other handle at the front edge of the high divider thereby making the front of the divider easier to grasp during a fronting operation.

27. The system of any of claims 15-19, wherein the lower section is manufactured via plastic inj ection molding and the high divider is manufactured via plastic extrusion and where the low divider and high divider are attached to form a single divider.

28. The system of claim 19, wherein both the lower section and upper section of the divider is made via plastic extrusion thereby eliminating the manufacturing step where a separate low divider is attached to a separate high divider.

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