Merchandiser and methods relating to same
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional merchandisers are complex and costly to manufacture, difficult to assemble, and require inconvenient release mechanisms, making them hard to use for both consumers and store associates, and they often damage products during restocking due to the need to press items against pushers, while also being inflexible in displaying multiple products.
Innovation Solution
A product display merchandiser with a baseless design featuring adjustable side members, a tray that slides along arms with friction-reducing mechanisms, and removable dividers, allowing for easy restocking and accommodating products of varying sizes, with pushers that prevent product damage and allow for easy access, and the ability to repurpose the merchandiser for different products.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional tray or drawer-type merchandisers use intricate structures to facilitate easy restocking, then ease of operation is improved, but device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The merchandiser is divided into a stationary housing and a removable tray assembly. The tray can be easily separated from the housing for restocking purposes, eliminating the need for complex release mechanisms while maintaining ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The tray is extracted as a separate, removable component from the housing. This allows the tray to be easily removed and replaced for restocking without requiring complex mechanisms, thereby improving ease of operation while reducing device complexity.
2Ease of operation
If conventional merchandisers use release mechanisms to enable tray removal, then ease of operation is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The release mechanism is completely removed from the design. The tray is instead retained in the housing through friction engagement and can be easily removed by applying upward force, eliminating mechanism complexity while maintaining ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The tray assembly is designed to be self-removable without requiring any additional mechanisms. The upwardly extending tabs on the tray engage with the housing and can be easily disengaged by pulling the tray upward, making the system self-servicing.
3Stability of the object's composition
If conventional merchandisers use pushers to hold product, then product display stability is improved, but product damage risk increases during restocking
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using pushers to hold product from the front, the tray itself is designed with upwardly extending tabs that engage with the housing to retain the product. This inverted approach eliminates the need for pushers that could damage products during restocking.
Solution Approach 2:
The pushers are completely removed from the design. Product retention is achieved through the tray's upwardly extending tabs that engage with the housing, eliminating the harmful factor of pusher-induced product damage while maintaining product stability.
4Ease of manufacture
If conventional merchandisers use fixed width side members, then manufacturing cost is reduced, but adaptability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The side members are made adjustable in width, allowing the merchandiser to adapt to different product sizes. This dynamic adjustment capability is achieved through a simple mechanism that allows the side members to be moved between fixed positions, providing versatility without significantly increasing manufacturing cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The adjustable side members enable the same merchandiser unit to display products of varying sizes and configurations. This multi-functionality allows a single design to serve multiple product categories, effectively reducing the need for multiple specialized units and offsetting the manufacturing cost increase.
Data Source
AI summary
A product display tray is provided including one or more arms including engagement members. The product display tray can also include a base having one or more tracks receiving the one or more arms, wherein the base is slidable along the one or more arms from a first position to a second position. The product display tray can also include a handle. The product display tray can also include a latch, wherein the latch is operably connected to the handle, wherein the latch has an engaged position and a disengaged position, and wherein the latch is in the engaged position when the base is in the first position and the base is operable to enter the second position when the latch is in the disengaged position.