Product display system

Abstract

An inexpensive, easy to assemble and durable product display system is disclosed. The system includes a plurality of elongated dividers, a base member and an alignment member. The dividers have sufficient rigidity to resist bending and to provide guidance of products placed between adjacent dividers. The base member includes a plurality of divider positioning cavities operatively associated with a first end of the divider which allow placement of the dividers in a predetermined configuration to accommodate a desired size of products. The alignment member receives a second end of the divider and retains the dividers in the predetermined configuration.

Description

This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application No. 60/599,812 filed Aug. 5, 2005.

BACKGROUND ART

The present invention generally relates to an adjustable, gravity-fed product display system. In an embodiment, the display system includes a plurality of elongated dividers for guiding products, a base member having a plurality of divider positioning cavities for allowing placement of the dividers in a predetermined configuration, and an alignment member for retaining the dividers in the configuration. The display system provides for the easy loading, organization, storage, shipment, display, promotion and dispensing of containerized or packaged goods, for example, goods contained within jars, bottles, cans and boxes.

Adjustable product display and dispensing units are known. For example, a wide variety of modular display devices have been designed and manufactured for use in organizing and merchandising shelved products to consumers. Supermarkets and other retail stores commonly utilize the displays to show and focus attention on the products displayed therein. One of the problems associated with storing and displaying shelved products to consumers is the inefficient use of available space and the inability of merchants to continuously supply products at the front of the shelf within easy reach of consumers. In an effort to overcome poor utilization of shelf space, gravity fed shelving displays have been designed whereby products positioned thereon are automatically moved towards the front of the shelf structure so as to be readily accessible and easily visible to consumers. Such gravity fed shelving displays are typically characterized by cumbersome and expensive constructions, which include multiple component parts and complicated support frame structures.

It is also common practice to provide product display apparatus to product manufacturers for loading, organizing and shipping products to retailers. The retailers set up the loaded product displays within their retail stores. Such product displays typically include a housing made of cardboard and multiple interior cardboard dividers or wire guides, and are delivered in kit form to the manufacturers' site for assembly and loading of products. A manufacturer may hire a third party co-packer to assemble such display devices and to load them with products for shipping to retailers. Such cardboard containers tend to be difficult to assemble, are somewhat flimsy, and usually are not reusable. Consequently, due to the time and effort required to assemble and load such product displays, manufacturers pay the co-packers increased fees and that cost is either passed on to consumers or eats into profits. Furthermore, the interior cardboard dividers or wire guides are prone to bending which may cause loaded products to jam during dispensing operations at the retail stores. In addition, such product displays typically deteriorate during use at the retail site, causing the product display to appear unappealing to consumers. Furthermore, these product displays usually fall apart during or immediately after use in the retail store and thus cannot be reused.

A need therefore exists for a product display that is inexpensive, simple to assemble, durable, and that is sturdy and presentable so as to meet the display and dispensing requirements of retailers.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Presented is an inexpensive, easy to assemble and durable product display system. The system includes a plurality of elongated dividers, a base member and an alignment member. The dividers have sufficient rigidity to resist bending and to provide guidance of products placed between adjacent dividers. The base member includes a plurality of divider positioning cavities operatively associated with a first end of the divider which allow placement of the dividers in a predetermined configuration to accommodate a desired size of products. The alignment member receives a second end of the divider and retains the dividers in the predetermined configuration.

In a preferred embodiment, the product display includes a housing for securing the base member and alignment member, and for snap-fitting the dividers therebetween. The housing may include a top wall, a bottom wall, a first side wall, a second side wall, and a rear wall. Advantageously, the base member has a product support surface that is angled towards the rear wall to aid in retaining products therein. The rear wall may be of a size to form an opening used for dispensing products. In addition, the alignment member beneficially includes a surface that is biased towards the base member when the product display is assembled, and the surface of the alignment member includes a pattern of cavities that correspond to the pattern of cavities of the base member. In another preferred embodiment, the product display includes a front panel for attachment to a front portion of the housing, the front panel having dimensions to form an opening above the base member for dispensing of products.

In another preferred embodiment according to the invention, the housing, base member and alignment member are of one piece construction. The one piece construction may be a substantially planar form that has been pre-cut and pre-scored to facilitate assembly, and may be made out of a paper composite material. In addition, an advantageous implementation includes a base member and an alignment member that are configured such that the dividers are snap-fit thereto, and the dividers are configured to provide uninterrupted vertical movement of products placed between adjacent dividers.

The product display is advantageously made out of at least one of a paper composite material, cardboard, corrugated cardboard, plastic, rubber, fiberglass, metal or other type of composite material. When at least one of the base member and the alignment member are made of a plastic material, the predefined pattern of cavities can advantageously be vacuum formed. Alternatively, at least one of the base member and the alignment member may include a predefined pattern of cavities that are through holes or slots.

In another aspect of the invention, the base member of the product display includes a plurality of pins or bosses which are operatively associated with the dividers to provide different placements of divider locations thereon. A template containing a predetermined pattern associated with the base member may be used, wherein the template provides placement of the dividers in a predetermined configuration to accommodate a desired size of product to be displayed. In such an implementation, the alignment member includes a surface having a predefined pattern of slots that correspond to the pattern of the template.

A product display according to the embodiments of the invention disclosed herein can advantageously be configured for use as at least one of a wing rack display, a stadium cut tray, a peg wall module, or a slat wall module. The details of one or more embodiments of the invention are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the detailed description below. Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the detailed description and drawings, and from the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

Other aspects, purposes and advantages of the invention will become clear after reading the following detailed description with reference to the attached drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a front perspective view of an assembled embodiment of a product display system according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the product display system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective front view of an alternate embodiment of a product display system according to the invention;

FIG. 4A is a perspective front view of another alternate embodiment of a product display system according to the invention;

FIG. 4B is a simplified diagram of the product display system of FIG. 4A, illustrating how dividers would be inserted into the housing;

FIG. 5 is a perspective front view of yet another variation of a product display system according to the invention;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of a product display system according to the invention;

FIG. 7 illustrates an embodiment of the product display system according to the invention installed in a retail store wing rack; and

FIG. 8 illustrates another embodiment of the product display system according to the invention installed in a retail store as a stadium cut tray.

Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 shows a preferred embodiment of an assembled product display system 10 according to the invention. The product display system 10 includes a housing 2 having top, bottom, sides and a rear wall (not shown), a base member 4, and a removable front panel 5. The front panel 5 may contain artwork as shown, or may include advertising or other promotional material. The sides of the front panel 5 may be configured to ride in a pair of channels or tracks (not shown) in the side walls of the housing 2, and the front panel may be clipped or otherwise fastened to remain in place to enable products 6 to be dispensed from the bottom of the display system 10 as shown. The products 6 are stacked in columns inside the housing 2, and when a consumer removes a product, another of the same item drops down under the force of gravity to rest on the base member 4. The product containers shown in FIG. 1 are all jars, but it should be understood that other containers such as boxes, jars and cans of different sizes and shapes could also be housed and dispensed by the product display 10. The base 4 may include indentations or be otherwise configured to seat a product 6.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective front view of the product display system 10 of FIG. 1. The product display system 10 may be shipped to a co-packer or to a product manufacturer as a kit in pieces for assembly at a product site, such as at a warehouse. In such a case, each product display kit would include the housing 2, a base member 4, an alignment member 12, a plurality of dividers 14 and a front panel 5 (shown in FIG. 1). The housing 2 may have a height “h” of about 24 inches, and a width “w” of about 12 inches, which are a standard dimensions for a gravity fed display for products such as aspirin or vitamins in the retail industry. The depth “d” of the housing 2 may vary, depending on the dimensions of the product containers that are to be housed therein. It should be understood, however, that the housing may be larger or smaller which may depend on vendor requirements and the like. It is also noted that the product support surface of the base member 4 in this example is angled towards the rear wall 11 so that products seated thereon are less likely to tip over and fall out of the display in the retail environment.

Referring to FIG. 2, the housing 2 includes a top wall 3, a bottom wall 7, side walls 8 and 9, and a rear wall 11. It should be noted that the rear wall 11 is optional, and could be wholly or partially removed to provide for dispensing of products on both the front and rear sides of the product display. The base member 4 is shown positioned for insertion into the bottom portion (above the bottom wall 7) of the housing, the alignment member 12 is shown positioned for insertion into the top portion (below top wall 3) of the housing to form an upper internal boundary of the display system, and a plurality of dividers 14 are shown for insertion between the base member 4 and alignment member 12. The lower wall 17b of the alignment member 12 is shown as if the upper surface 17a is transparent for ease of understanding the positioning of cavities 16a to 16h discussed below. The base member 4 and the alignment member 12 may be snap fit, friction fit, glued or otherwise secured into place within the housing 2.

In the implementation shown, the base member 4 includes a plurality of divider positioning cavities labeled 15a to 15f, and the alignment member 12 includes matching or corresponding cavities 16a to 16h. The plurality of divider positioning cavities 15a to 15f and 16a to 16h are operatively associated with a bottom or first end 14a and with a top or second end 14b of the dividers 14 which allow placement of the dividers in a predetermined configuration to accommodate desired sizes of products. In particular, referring to the base member 4, placement of the dividers in the configuration illustrated permits products having footprints A, B, C and D, which may represent four different container sizes or shapes, to be loaded and stacked within the housing 2 of the assembled product display system. The dividers are configured to provide uninterrupted vertical movement of the products placed between adjacent dividers.

The dividers 14 shown in FIG. 2 have substantially L-shaped cross sections to match the L-shaped and T-shaped cavities 15a to 15h and 16a to 16h, but may be of any other cross-sectional shape that results in a divider that functions to adequately separate products and to preferably provide uninterrupted vertical passage of products between adjacent dividers. For example, the dividers 14 may have a C, D, H, J, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y or other geometric cross-sectional shape. The dividers provide mechanical strength to the display and are sufficiently rigid or non-bending to not interfere with the vertical movement of products between adjacent dividers.

The product display system 10 may be assembled by first connecting the base member and the alignment member 12 to the interior of the housing 2. Next, the bottom end portion 14a of a divider 14 is seated in a cavity 15a and a top end portion 14b of the same divider is snap-fit into the cavity 16a located in the lower wall 17b of the alignment member 12. The alignment member 12 is configured such that the lower wall 17b which contains the cavities 16a to 16h is biased towards the base member 4, and may include cuts 13a to 13c to define separate portions to facilitate bending of those portions when the dividers 14 are fitted thereto. The cavities or slots of the alignment member 12 thus receive the second ends of the dividers and are biased to retain the dividers in the predetermined configuration.

In a preferred embodiment, the housing 2, base member 4, alignment member 12 and dividers 14 are made of a durable, resilient plastic. But it should be understood that other materials could also be used, such as cardboard, corrugated cardboard, wood, rubber, fiberglass, metal or a composite material, so long as the product display components, and especially the dividers, have sufficient rigidity to resist bending. In particular, when in place, the dividers must provide uninterrupted guidance of products that are loaded or placed between adjacent dividers.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective front view of an alternate embodiment of a product display system 20. The product display system 20 also may be shipped to a co-packer or to a product manufacturer in pieces for assembly at a product site, such as a warehouse. Such a product display kit would include the housing 2, a base member 4, and a plurality of dividers 14 and a front panel 5 (shown in FIG. 1). The housing 2 may have dimensions the same as or similar to that of the housing shown in FIG. 1, but could also be of other dimensions.

In this variation, the base member 4 is of one-piece construction, having a front portion that has been folded over to form a front wall or panel 21. As shown, the base member 4 is positioned for insertion into the bottom portion (above the bottom wall 7) of the housing 2. A rear portion 22 of the base member 4 will be seated on a support structure 24 that has been included on the bottom wall 7 of the housing. The base member 4 includes a plurality of divider positioning cavities labeled 15a to 15h.

In the embodiment of FIG. 3, the top wall 3 of the housing includes slots 18a to 18h having a configuration that matches the cavities 15a to 15h of the base member 4. Thus, the top wall functions as an alignment member for positioning the dividers 14. In particular, the product display device 20 is assembled by first connecting the base member 4 to the interior of the housing, and then inserting the plurality of dividers 14 through the slots 18a to 18h from above the housing 2. As described above, the base member 4 may be snap fit, glued or otherwise secured into place within the housing 2.

The plurality of divider positioning cavities 15a to 15h and 18a to 18h are operatively associated with the first and second ends 14a, 14b of the dividers 14 and these cavities allow placement of the dividers in a predetermined configuration or configurations to accommodate a desired size of products. As shown, placement of the dividers in the illustrated configuration permits products having footprints A, B, C and D to be stacked within the housing 2 of the assembled product display system. Of course, other configurations could be used, and thus other product sizes could be accommodated. In addition, it is contemplated that a pattern of cavities could be provided in both the top wall 3 and in the base member 4 that permits flexibility in defining the product channels that are formed when the dividers 14 are inserted within the housing 2.

Furthermore, as also mentioned above, the dividers could have other cross-sectional shapes. In addition, a portion of one or both tips of ends 14a and/or 14b could have a reduced size to facilitate fitting the divider into a cavity, and to enable each divider to be firmly seated within a cavity. It should also be understood that the cavities may be vacuum-formed so that a base exists for supporting each divider end portion. But one or more cavities could also be a through-slot so that, for example, a divider will rest upon the bottom wall 7 of the housing 2 when in place. In addition, in a preferred embodiment, the housing 2, base member 4 and the dividers 14 are made of a durable, resilient plastic (but other materials could also be used as mentioned above). Moreover, in the implementation shown in FIG. 3, an optional cover (not shown) could be provided to be attached on top of the top wall 3 after insertion of the dividers 14 to hide the slots 18a and 18h and provide a neat appearance for the product display 20.

FIG. 4A is a perspective front view of another alternate embodiment of a product display system 30, and FIG. 4B is a simplified diagram that is partially cutaway to illustrate how dividers 40 would be inserted into the housing 32 shown in FIG. 4A. The product display system 30 also may be shipped to a co-packer or to a product manufacturer for assembly at a product site, such as a warehouse. Such a product display kit would include the housing 32 which may be provided as a flat or planar form with scored sections that enable folding of the form to produce the housing, along with a plurality of dividers 40 and a front panel 5 (shown in FIG. 1). When assembled, the housing 32 may have dimensions that are the same as or similar to that of the housing of FIG. 1, or may be of other dimensions.

The housing 32 may be made of a paper product such as corrugated board, durable cardboard stock, corrugated cardboard, or a paper composite material, which can be prepared so that it is easy to fold to form the generally rectangular shape of the housing. In particular, the housing is of one-piece construction, having a rear wall 11 and side walls 8 and 9 that include pre-cut and pre-scored sections to facilitate folding into place. The top wall 3 includes alignment member 31 having an alignment portion 33 and a tab portion 34 that are folded underneath the top wall in the direction of arrow “A”. The tab portion 34 may be adhesively attached to the rear wall 11, and the alignment portion 33 includes a plurality of slots or cavities labeled A1 to A4 and B1 to B3. A bottom portion of side wall 8 has been cutaway in FIG. 4 to illustrate the various portions of the base member 35. In particular, the base member 35 has a front panel portion 36, a seating portion 37 and a folded over support portion 38. In this embodiment, the base member 35 is an integral part of the housing and may be adhesively or otherwise secured to the side walls 8 and 9. However, the base member 35 need not be glued to the sidewalls, as it may include tabs (not shown) that would fit into slots that have been pre-cut in the side walls 8 and 9, for example, to secure all of the parts to form the housing 30. The base member 35 includes a plurality of divider positioning cavities or slots that have also been labeled A1 to A4 and B1 to B3 that match those formed on the alignment portion 33. These cavities or slots provide choices for positioning the dividers, giving the co-packer or other assembly person the flexibility to arrange dividers to accommodate products of various sizes. It should be understood that in a preferred embodiment the entire housing 30 can be assembled without any glue or adhesive.

FIG. 4B illustrates how the dividers 40 would be inserted into the housing 32. In this embodiment, the dividers 40 have Y-shaped cross-sections, and a first end 40a is inserted into one of the cavities or slots A1 to A4 or B1 to B3 in the base member, and then the second end 40b is inserted into the matching cavity in the alignment member 31. If the material of the housing has a memory, the alignment portion 33 will act as a spring that has a bias in a direction opposite to that of the arrow “A” of FIG. 4A. Thus, the dividers 40 will be rigidly held in place to thus function to support the products placed within the housing 32.

The configuration of slots or cavities A1 to A4 and B1 to B4 are illustrative only, and alternate divider implementations are possible to accommodate different products of various sizes. Furthermore, as also mentioned above, the dividers could have other cross-sectional shapes. In addition, one or both tips of ends 40a and/or 40b could have a reduced size to facilitate fitting the divider into the alignment member, and to enable each divider to be firmly seated within a cavity. The ends of the other dividers illustrated and described herein could also include such reduced size or smaller footprint. It should also be understood that the cavities of the various embodiments disclosed herein may be vacuum-formed so that a base exists for supporting each divider end portion. But each cavity may also be a through-slot so that, for example, the dividers rest upon the bottom wall 7 of the housing 2 or the top wall 3 when in place. Alternatively, if the products to be inserted into the product display are heavy, supports could be provided on top of the bottom wall 7 to reinforce the top surface of the base member 4 so that a stack of the heavy products can be accommodated, and so that the product display will be able to withstand prolonged use.

It should be understood that the product display embodiments described above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4B may be loaded with heavy items, such as shampoo containers or tomato sauce jars, and then shipped to retail outlets. Under such circumstances, the dividers 14 and/or 40 that are used to separate and locate the products must also be designed to withstand shipment of such heavy products when the product display is laid on its back during shipment. Moreover, the dividers may be required to support the heavy products during shipment without breakage to either the product containers or to the dividers themselves. Additional dividers could be supplied and located behind or underneath the heavy products to act as a support during shipment, and to support the items during display in some cases. Provision could be made in the base member and in the alignment member so that such additional dividers are centered behind the products, and these additional dividers would be inserted into the housing during assembly in the same manner described above.

FIG. 5 is a perspective front view of yet another embodiment of a product display system 50. The product display system 50 may be referred to as a power wing display, a peg wall module or a slat wall module, depending on the type of store fixture upon which it will be affixed. The product display system 50 includes an alignment member 52, a base member 56 and dividers 60. The alignment member 52 and base member 56 both include rearward facing mounting clips 54 that may be designed for attachment to a surface of a wing rack (not shown), or for attachment to other types of fixtures typically found in a retail store. The base member 56 includes a plurality of cavities 57 arranged in a predetermined pattern, and the alignment member 52 includes corresponding cavities or slots (not shown) in its bottom surface. The dividers 60 shown in FIG. 5 have a Y-shaped cross section and are fitted into the cavities when the product display 50 is attached, for example, to a wing rack. If additional rigidity or display support is desired or necessary, support rods (not shown) could be used to connect the side edges of the alignment and base members. But the mounting clips 54 are shaped and arranged so that when engaged with a fixture such as a wing rack, the alignment member 52 and base member 56 acquire the strength of the underlying rack in its product support capacity. In a contemplated implementation, the base and alignment members are identical components.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of a product display system 70. The product display system 70 may also be utilized as a power wing display, and includes an alignment member 72, a base member 76, a template 78 and dividers 75. The alignment member 72 and base member 76 both include rearward facing mounting clips 71 that may be designed for attachment to a surface of a wing rack (not shown) or other fixture typically found in a retail store. The base member 76 includes a plurality of pins or bosses 74 that are shown arranged in a grid configuration, but other configurations with less or more bosses or pins are also possible. The pins or bosses 74 are operatively associated with the dividers 75 to provide different placements of divider locations thereon. The template 78 fits into the base member 76 on top of the grid of bosses, and includes a predefined pattern of slots 79 to define where the dividers 75 should be inserted. The alignment member 72 includes cavities or slots (not shown) in its bottom surface that correspond to the pattern on the template. In an implementation, the alignment member may be supplied with an identical template.

The dividers 75 shown in FIG. 6 have an L-shaped cross section, but other shapes such as a T-shape could be used. The dividers 75 are fitted into the slots in the template 78 and pushed downwards between the bosses 74, which may function to grip the dividers in the base member 76. Thus, if the product display is going to be changed to support different size products, the dividers 75 can be pulled out of their former locations and then relocated to different positions by utilizing a different template 78 that defines a different predetermined pattern that utilizes different bosses, and by using a different alignment member 72.

In an alternate variation, the same alignment member could be used in conjunction with a second template that is identical to the one used with the base member to guide and support the dividers 75 when assembling the product display. In particular, one of the templates may be associated with the base unit 76 as described above, and the other may be made out of a fairly rigid material and configured for connection to the surface 73 associated with the alignment member 72 to provide alignment and sufficient support for the dividers.

It should be understood that the structure of the components shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 could be modified to fit within a housing similar to that described above with reference to FIG. 2 to FIG. 4. For example, the clips 71 associated with the alignment member 72 and base member 76 could be removed, and those components plus the dividers 75 could all be configured to fit within a housing such as the housing 2 shown in FIG. 2. Alternately, the alignment member 72 and base member 76 could be designed to be integral with a housing, in a manner similar to that described with reference to FIG. 4.

FIG. 7 illustrates an embodiment of the product display system 80 installed in a retail store wing rack 82. In particular, the housing is seated in the wing rack so that products 86 can be dispensed from the bottom portion of the display, on top of the base element 84. The front panel 85 may contain artwork, advertising or other promotional material. Products 86 are stacked in columns inside the housing 2 behind the front panel 85, and when a consumer removes a product, another of the same item drops down under the force of gravity to rest on the base member 84. The product display 80 is depicted in FIG. 7 as capable of dispensing products 86 contained within small boxes, but other containers such as jars and cans of different sizes and shapes could also be housed and dispensed. The base member 84 may include indentations or be otherwise configured to seat the boxed products 86. It should be understood that such a product display 80 could also be configured to be affixed to a slat wall fixture made of alternating slats in a retail store, and then it would be called a slat wall module. In addition, the product display 80 could include hardware for affixing it to a peg wall fixture of a retail store, and then it would be a called a peg wall module.

FIG. 8 illustrates another embodiment 90 of the product display system shown installed in a retail store “stadium” cut tray 91. The product display 90 is referred to as a stadium cut tray because it provides angled seating for products contained therein. In particular, the back wall of the product display (not shown) is angled at approximately 15° to the horizontal, which may be a retail store countertop, to permit the boxed products 96 loaded within the housing to easily slide to the bottom when a consumer removes a box to purchase it. The dispensing area of the stadium cut tray is at the front of the product display, and the cover 95 obscures the amount of product that is left within the display 90 so that an appealing appearance is maintained even when most of the products that were retained therein have been dispensed.

It should be understood that all of the product display systems presented herein could be suitable for use by retailers, wholesalers, manufacturers or any others requiring an easy to assemble, inexpensive and durable product display. Simple assembly and low material costs are achieved by using a small number of common or shared internal dividers with a standard size outside tray or housing. Such a product display system could be made of any number of desired materials to match any budget and any marketplace. In particular, any of the disclosed embodiments could be made from a paper product such as corrugated board, durable cardboard stock or a paper composite material, which can be prepared so that it is easy to fold to form the generally rectangular shape of the housing or the shapes of the alignment and base members. Use of such paper product materials lowers costs, especially when compared to prior art product displays of this type which typically used more costly materials that required special tooling and longer assembly time. The factors considered when choosing the material in which to fabricate a product display system according to the invention include durability, retail life span, product perception, retail environment and budget constraints.

The product displays described herein could also be made of a durable plastic, a polymer material, or a rubberized material which would potentially allow the product display to be reused many times. If the same or even if different products are to be loaded into such a reusable product display, a co-packer or retail store employee need only replace the cover to make the display appear to look like new again.

It should also be understood that the manufacturing processes used to make the various components may include any of vacuum forming a plastic material, die cutting a material, using injection molding and all other types of molding to form a component, heat bending, wood routing and other manufacturing processes known to those skilled in the art. Such manufacturing processes could be used alone or in any combination.

A number of embodiments of the invention have been described. Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. A product display system, comprising:

a plurality of elongated dividers having sufficient rigidity to resist bending and to provide guidance of products placed between adjacent dividers;

a base member having a plurality of divider positioning cavities operatively associated with a first end of the divider which allow placement of the dividers in a predetermined configuration to accommodate a desired size of products;

an alignment member for receiving a second end of the divider and for retaining the dividers in the predetermined configuration.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a housing for securing the base member and alignment member thereto, wherein the housing further comprises a top wall, a bottom wall, a first side wall, a second side wall, and a rear wall.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the base member has a product support surface that is angled towards the rear wall to aid in retaining products therein and the rear wall is of a size to form an opening used for dispensing products.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising a front panel for attachment to a front portion of the housing, the front panel having dimensions to form an opening above the base member for dispensing of products and further comprising at least one support element for supporting one or more portions of the base member.

5. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the housing, base member and alignment member are of one piece construction which is of a substantially planar form that has been pre-cut and pre-scored to facilitate assembly.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the alignment member includes a surface that is biased towards the base member when the product display is assembled and the surface of the alignment member includes a pattern of cavities that correspond to the pattern of cavities of the base member.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the surface includes at least one cut that defines separate surface portions of cavities to facilitate bending when dividers are installed.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the alignment member includes a pattern of slots that correspond to the pattern of cavities of the base member and forms an upper internal boundary of the display system.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising a cover for placement on the top wall to obscure the slots to provide a neat appearance for the product display.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the dividers have at least one of a substantially C, D, H, J, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, or other geometric, cross-sectional shape.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one end portion of the dividers has a reduced shape to facilitate seating in a cavity.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the base member and the alignment member are configured such that the dividers are snap-fit thereto and the dividers are configured to provide uninterrupted vertical movement of products placed between adjacent dividers.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the dividers, the base member and the alignment member are all made of the same material and the material comprises at least one of a paper composite material, cardboard, corrugated cardboard, plastic, rubber, fiberglass, metal or a composite material.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of the base member and the alignment member comprises a plastic material and at least one of the base member and the alignment member includes a predefined pattern of cavities that have been vacuum formed.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of the base member and the alignment member includes a predefined pattern of cavities that are through holes or slots.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the product display is configured for use as at least one of a wing rack display, a stadium cut tray, a peg wall module, or a slat wall module.

17. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the base member includes a plurality of pins or bosses which are operatively associated with the dividers to provide different placements of divider locations thereon.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising a template containing a predetermined pattern associated with the base member, the template providing placement of the dividers in a predetermined configuration to accommodate a desired size of product to be displayed, an alignment member for receiving a second end of the divider and for retaining the dividers in a predetermined configuration, and a housing for securing the base member and alignment member therein.