Combination shipping container and display rack
A combination shipping container and display rack has a body with a top, a bottom, and two sides forming one or more sub-container cavities, each cavity is accessible from the front and/or the rear of the rack. The rack also has one or more sub-containers within the cavities, one or more closure panels to shield the sub-containers during transport, wheels for rolling the rack across a surface, and a pair of forklift tine receptacles for lifting the rack. The rack and/or the sub-containers may have electronically and/or optically readable identification tags. The rack may use a battery and/or an external power source to power light elements and/or a refrigeration unit. The rack may include supports with attachment points for hooks, brackets and/or shelves to support the sub-containers. The closure panels and/or the sub-container may be constructed of wire mesh, transparent material, or stainless steel.
This application claims priority to commonly-owned Canadian Patent Application Number 2,443,755, filed 22 Oct. 2003 and incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUNDRetail distribution channels generally begin at a manufacturer and end at a retailer; there may also be third parties between the manufacturer and the retailer.
Handling goods as they pass through a distribution channel can result in labor expenses and risks of breakage or spoilage. The retailer ultimately recoups these expenses and risks, resulting in an increased price that a consumer pays for the goods.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONA combination shipping container and display rack has a body with a top, a bottom, and two sides forming one or more sub-container cavities, each cavity is accessible from the front and/or the rear of the rack. The rack also has one or more sub-containers within the cavities, and may also have one or more closure panels to shield the sub-containers during transport. The rack may include one or more dividers used in forming the cavities. The rack may, optionally, have wheels for rolling the rack across a surface, and/or a pair of forklift tine receptacles for lifting the rack. The rack and/or the sub-containers may have electronically and/or optically readable identification tags. The rack may use a battery and/or an external power source to power light elements and/or a refrigeration unit. The rack may include supports with attachment points for hooks, brackets and/or shelves to support the sub-containers. The closure panels and/or all or part of the sub-containers may be constructed of wire mesh, transparent material, or stainless steel.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Rack 10(1) is for example used to ship goods (e.g., goods 5,
In other embodiments, closure panels 32 may attach to body 12 in the shipping position, and may detach when goods within rack 10(1) are on display. Alternatively, closure panels 32 may permanently attach to rack 10(1) and cover sub-container cavities 20 in a shipping position and may fold or roll up within body 12 in a display position. Storing closure panels 32 within body 12 may be useful at shipment or retail locales where space is limited. Closure panels 32 may provide security at a retail location, for example, when rack 10(1) is utilized as an unattended kiosk.
Closure panels 32 may be constructed of various materials depending on the type of goods and a retail location of rack 10(1). For example, when rack 10(1) is utilized as a kiosk, closure panels 32 made of transparent materials (e.g., glass, transparent plastic, wire mesh) allow viewing of goods inside rack 10(1) even when closed. In other applications, closure panels 32 may be made of inexpensive yet sturdy material (e.g., metal) to provide protection during shipping.
Other locking devices may be included with rack 10(1). For example,
Sub-containers 26(14) may be configured within a rack 10(6) by mechanisms other than supports 70, attachment points 72 and brackets 74. For example, hooks or moveable shelves may engage attachment points 72. Tabs (e.g., like mounting tab 76) or hooks may integrate with a sub-container 26(14) to engage attachment points 72 directly. Supports 70 may attach to sides 18(6), top 14(6) and/or bottom 16(6) of rack 10(6), or may be integrated therewith. Brackets 74 may include rails that engage with sub-containers 26(14) so that sub-containers 26(14) slide partially or completely out of body 12(6). Attachment points 72 may be protrusions instead of apertures; shelves or sub-containers 26(12) may rest directly on such protrusions. Sub-containers 26(14) may stack on bottom 16(6) of rack 10(6); sub-containers 26(14) may include mechanical features such that a top surface of one sub-container 26(14) engages a bottom surface of another sub-container 26(14) placed thereon.
Accordingly, as described above, a rack 10 may begin as a shipping container for goods 5. Referring to
The changes described above, and others, may be made in the combination shipping container and display rack described herein without departing from the scope hereof. It should thus be noted that the matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings should be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. The following claims are intended to cover all generic and specific features described herein, as well as all statements of the scope of the present method and system, which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall there between.
Claims
1. A combination shipping container and display rack, comprising;
- a body having a top, a bottom, and two sides forming one or more sub-container cavities, each cavity accessible from at least one of a front and a rear of the rack;
- one or more sub-containers for placement within the sub-container cavities;
- a closure panel for overlying at least one of the front and the rear of the rack, to shield the sub-containers during transport;
- wheels being mounted to the bottom for rolling the rack across a surface; and
- a pair of forklift tine receptacles mounted to the bottom, for lifting the rack by a forklift.
2. The rack of claim 1, further comprising at least one identification tag.
3. The rack of claim 2, the identification tag being attached to one or more of the body and one or more sub-containers.
4. The rack of claim 3, the indentification tag being one or both of electronically and optically readable.
5. The rack of claim 1, each sub-container having a front panel divided into an upper portion and a lower portion, the upper portion being one of movable or removable to provide access to goods within the sub-container during retail display
6. The rack of claim 1, further comprising at least one locking device for affixing at least one of the sub-containers to the body.
7. The rack of claim 6, at least one of the locking devices comprising one or more of: (a) a hook and a corresponding eyelet; (b) a hasp; (c) a latch; (d) a snap; (e) a bolt; (f) an electromechanical device; (g) a magnet; and (h) an electromagnet.
8. The rack of claim 1, the closure panel being moveable between a shipping position and a display position, in the shipping position the closure panel overlying at least part of one of the sub-container cavities, in the display position the closure panel permitting access to at least one of the sub-container cavities.
9. The rack of claim 8, the closure panel being foldable.
10. The rack of claim 1, one or more of the sub-containers having a mesh.
11. The rack of claim 1, further comprising at least one containment lip wherein a sub-container is removed from the rack by being lifted over the containment lip.
12. The rack of claim 1, one or more sub-containers being accessible from two sides of the rack.
13. The rack of claim 1, at least one of the sub-containers being accessible from only one side of the rack.
14. The rack of claim 13, at least one other of the sub-containers being accessible from one other side of the rack.
15. A combination shipping container and display rack, comprising:
- a body having a top, two sides, a bottom and a plurality of dividers, the body forming a plurality of sub-container cavities;
- a plurality of sub-containers for placement within the sub-container cavities such that the sub-containers are accessible from one of the front and rear of the rack, each of the sub-containers having a front panel divided into an upper portion and a lower portion, the upper portion being one of movable or removable in order to provide access to goods within the sub-container during retail display;
- electronically readable identification tags mounted to at least one of (a) the body and (b) one or more of the sub-containers;
- at least one locking device to affix one or more of the sub-containers to the body;
- one or more closure panels being positionable in a shipping position and, alternatively, a display position, in the shipping position the closure panels overlying at least part of one of the sub-containers, thereby protecing the one sub-container during shipment, in the display position the closure panels permitting access to the one sub-container;
- wheels mounted to the bottom such that the body is rollable across a surface; and
- a pair of forklift tine receptacles mounted to the bottom, for lifting by a forklift.
16. The rack of claim 15, wherein each sub-container comprises wire mesh.
17. A combination shipping container and display rack, comprising:
- a body having a top, a bottom, and two sides, the body forming one or more sub-container cavities, each of the sub-container cavities being accessible from at least one of a front and a rear of the rack;
- one or more closure panels that cover at least one of the sub-container cavities when positioned in a shipping position and that exposes the at least one sub-container cavity when positioned in a display position;
- one or more sub-containers, each of the sub-containers being configured to fit within one of the sub-container cavities such that goods therein are accessible when the closure panels are in the display position;
- wheels mounted with the bottom, and
- forklift tine receptacles mounted with the bottom.
18. The rack of claim 17, wherein the goods are visible within at least one of the sub-containers when the closure panels are in a display position.
19. The rack of claim 17 wherein the goods are visible within at least one of the sub-containers when the closure panels are in a shipping position.
20. The rack of claim 17, at least one of the sub-containers comprising stainless steel.
21. The rack of claim 17, at least one of the sub-containers comprising a divider and a tensioner that bias goods towards a front of the one sub-container.
22. The rack of claim 17, further comprising one or more electronically readable identification tags attached with one of (a) the body and (b) one or more sub-containers.
23. The rack of claim 17, further comprising one or more optically readable identification tags attached with one of (a) the body and (b) one or more sub-containers.
24. The rack of claim 17, further comprising one or more light elements.
25. The rack of claim 24 the light elements comprising one or more of (a) an LED display, (b) an incandescent light, (c) a fluorescent light, (d) an LED, (e) a strobe light, and (f) a backlit sign.
26. The rack of claim 24, further comprising a power cord and a power supply, to power the light elements.
27. The rack of claim 24, further comprising a battery, to power the light elements.
28. The rack of claim 24, further comprising a power cord, a power supply and a battery operable such that:
- (a) when the power cord is unconnected to external power, the light elements draw power from the battery, and
- (b) when the power cord connects to external power, the light elements draw power from the external power through the power cord and the battery recharges.
29. The rack of claim 17, further comprising a refrigeration unit for cooling at least one of the sub-container cavities.
30. The rack of claim 29, further comprising insulation to reduce heat transfer into and out of the one sub-container cavity.
31. The rack of claim 17, wherein at least one sub-container is accessible from the front and at least one sub-container is accessible from the rear.
32. The rack of claim 17, further comprising supports forming attachment points, for supporting the sub-containers at one or more selectable locations within the rack.
33. The rack of claim 32, further comprising one or more of hooks, brackets, and shelves that engage with the supports to suport the sub-container.
34. The rack of claim 17, one or more of the closure panels and sub-containers comprising at least one of transparent material, mesh, and stainless steel.
Type: Application
Filed: Oct 21, 2004
Publication Date: May 26, 2005
Inventor: Martin Assmann (Bremen)
Application Number: 10/970,746