Display Bin with Pusher Attachment for Soft-Packaged Product Alignment
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing display systems struggle with the storage and dispensing of soft packaging due to shifting and jamming issues, particularly with forward feed devices used in shelving systems.
Innovation Solution
A merchandising system featuring a bin with a base panel, support rails, walls, and a conveyor system that includes a pusher attachment for maintaining product alignment and facilitating smooth movement of soft-packaged items.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If forward feed devices are used to automatically move merchandise forward on a shelf, then product alignment and continuous facing are maintained, but soft-packaged products tend to shift or compress leading to jamming or misalignment
Solution Approach 1:
The bin is divided into multiple compartments with individual support rails for different product types and sizes. Each compartment can independently manage soft-packaged products, preventing cross-contamination of movement between different products. The support rails are segmented to provide localized support where needed most.
Solution Approach 2:
Support rails act as intermediary elements between the bin floor and the soft-packaged products. These rails provide a stable interface that prevents direct contact between products and the bin bottom, reducing shifting and compression. The rails serve as a mediator that maintains product integrity while allowing controlled movement.
2Quantity of substance
If soft-packaged products are stored in traditional shelving, then storage capacity is achieved, but products lack structural support causing shifting and compression
Solution Approach 1:
Support rails are strategically positioned at specific locations within the bin where soft-packaged products require additional stability. The rails provide localized structural support rather than uniform support throughout, allowing products to maintain their shape and structure at critical points while maximizing overall storage capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The bin structure combines rigid walls and base with flexible support rails that can adapt to different product shapes. This composite approach allows the system to accommodate various soft-packaged product forms while providing the necessary structural support to prevent deformation.
3Ease of manufacture
If a fixed bin structure is used for product display, then manufacturing simplicity is maintained, but adaptability to different product sizes and quantities is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The bin incorporates movable and adjustable support rails that can be repositioned along the bin length to accommodate different product sizes and quantities. This dynamic configuration allows a single bin design to adapt to various product types without requiring custom-manufactured bins for each product size.
Solution Approach 2:
The bin design uses standardized support rails that can serve multiple functions: providing structural support, enabling product segmentation, and facilitating easy cleaning. The same rail structure that supports soft-packaged products can be reconfigured to accommodate different product types, making the bin universally applicable.
Data Source
AI summary
A merchandising system includes a bin having a base panel and a plurality of walls extending from the base panel to define a product receiving area. One or more support rails extend along the base panel and a pusher coupling system includes one or more coupling members each supported by the base panel adjacent to one of the one or more support rails. The merchandising system further includes a conveyor system removably coupled to one of the one or more coupling members. Optionally, the bin may be slidably coupled to a track to facilitate lateral movement of the bin along a shelf.