System and method for forming a header of a retail merchandising unit

Abstract

According to one embodiment, a RMU comprises a header. The header comprises a sidewall, and at least one coupling surface protruding from the sidewall. The header further comprises a top surface coupled to the sidewall via a through-surface coupling mechanism coupled at least partially through the at least one coupling surface. The header also comprises a bottom surface to the sidewall via a through-surface coupling mechanism coupled at least partially through the at least one coupling surface. The top surface and the bottom surface are coupled to the sidewall such that the top surface and bottom surface can each be individually uncoupled from the sidewall without requiring the other of the top surface and bottom surface to be uncoupled from the sidewall. As used herein, a through-surface coupling mechanism refers to any mechanism that inserts at least partially through a surface for coupling the surface to another part.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not applicable.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The following description relates generally to techniques for selectively widening a part to provide sufficient surface for through-surface coupling with the part, and more particularly to systems and methods for forming a header of a retail merchandising unit.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Many businesses use Retail Merchandising Units (RMUs) to establish an effective storefront through which they can conduct retail sales in public areas, such as shopping malls, theme parks, sports arenas, and a wide variety of other public venues. An RMU may, for example, be implemented as a kiosk or other structure. RMUs may be employed for a vendor (e.g., retailer) to market its merchandise to prospective customers and conduct sales transactions with customers. For instance, an RMU generally includes shelves (or other display mechanisms) for displaying the vendor's merchandise to prospective customers when the RMU is open for business. RMUs also generally include at least some amount of storage space for storing the vendor's inventory of merchandise. Typically, RMUs further include a cash register and/or other equipment (e.g., computer, credit card processing equipment, etc.) for conducting point of sale (POS) transactions with customers. Thus, generally RMUs effectively provide a self-contained storefront for vendors, much like traditional retail stores.

RMUs often provide a relatively low-cost alternative for a vendor to obtain a storefront in a public area. That is, an RMU may be used by a vendor to establish a storefront in a public area (which may be a highly desirable area with high visibility and customer traffic, such as a busy shopping mall) with much less overhead than is associated with traditional retail stores. For instance, while RMUs do not provide the amount of retail space that is afforded by a traditional retail store, RMUs may be arranged in walkways (e.g., halls of shopping malls, etc.) or other available space. Traditional retail stores commonly have 1000 square feet of space (and much more in many instances), while RMUs generally consume from approximately 10 square feet to approximately 150 square feet. Because RMUs generally do not consume a large amount of space (as compared to traditional retail stores) and because the RMUs can often be placed in otherwise unused areas, RMUs may incur very economical rent and utility costs. Further, an owner of a given space, such as a shopping mall, may benefit by allowing RMUs to be arranged within the otherwise unused portions of such space to increase the offerings of goods/services within the space and to realize income from the rental of such RMUs which would not otherwise be realized from such unused portions of the space. Many types of businesses can be effectively run without requiring the space afforded by a traditional retail store, and may instead be capable of effectively displaying and conducting sales of their merchandise in an RMU. RMUs thus offer such businesses a relatively low-cost alternative for establishing a storefront in a desirable area.

Often, RMUs have a body with a header coupled thereto. The header may provide an aesthetically pleasing appearance and/or provide certain functionality for the RMU. For instance, the header may include a display portion for displaying the name of the vendor's business, and/or the header may house lights for illuminating the vendor's merchandise in the RMU. One type of header that is popular for RMUs is referred to as a “racetrack” header. A racetrack header is a header that resembles an oval racetrack. An example of a traditional racetrack header is described further below with FIGS. 1 and 2.

An RMU manufacturer typically desires to minimize manufacturing costs, while providing a high-quality RMU for vendors. As discussed above, RMUs generally provide vendors a low-cost storefront option, and thus RMU manufacturers generally desire to minimize manufacturing costs without unduly sacrificing RMU quality in order to provide affordable RMUs to vendors.

Traditionally, the manufacturing costs associated with producing a header, and particularly a racetrack header, for an RMU have been undesirably high. Further, such headers have traditionally comprised a top surface, bottom surface, and a sidewall (which may be referred to as a “spreader” because it separates the top and bottom surfaces by a desired distance) that is disposed between the top and bottom surfaces. As discussed further below with FIGS. 1 and 2, such top and bottom surfaces have been jointly coupled with the sidewall via a connector such that the top and bottom surfaces cannot be separately uncoupled from the sidewall. Thus, for instance, if a user desires to access a component housed within the header (e.g., a transformer, etc.), the user may be required to disassemble both the top and bottom surfaces from the sidewall, rather than uncoupling only one of such top and bottom surfaces. This is undesirably cumbersome in most instances.

Turning to FIG. 1, an exploded view of an exemplary traditional racetrack header 10 of an RMU is shown. As shown, racetrack header 10 has a top surface 11, bottom surface 13, and sidewall 12 disposed between top surface 11 and bottom surface 13. In this example, top surface 11 comprises curved portions 101A and 101B, and straight portions 102A and 102B. Bottom surface 13 comprises half-oval portions 106A and 106B. Sidewall 12 comprises an inner sidewall and an outer sidewall. The outer sidewall aligns with the exterior edges of the top and bottom surfaces, while the inner sidewall aligns with the interior edges of the top and bottom surfaces. The outer sidewall comprises half-oval portions 120A and 120B (collectively referred to as outer sidewall 120). The inner sidewall comprises straight portions 121A and 121B and curved portions 121C and 121D (collectively referred to as inner sidewall 121).

Sidewall 12 comprises tubing (e.g., steel tubing) 105 coupled (e.g., welded) to the inner and outer sidewalls at various locations. In this example, tubing 105 is disposed at various locations on the interior of the outer sidewall 120, and tubing 105 is disposed at various locations on the exterior of the inner sidewall 121. Such tubing 105 aligns with holes in the top surface 11 and bottom surface 13 when the racetrack header 10 is being assembled. A coupling mechanism, such as a nut and bolt, is used to couple the top surface 11 and bottom surface 13 to the sidewall 12 through the tubing 105. For instance, FIG. 2 shows a cross-section of a portion of the racetrack header 10 of FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 2, a portion of a bolt 21 is inserted through a hole in bottom surface 13 and into tubing 105. Likewise, a portion of nut 22 is inserted through a hole in top surface 11 and into tubing 105.

Bolt 21 comprises a head portion 21A and a shaft portion 21B. The head portion 21A is sufficiently large such that it does not fit into the hole in the bottom surface 13 through which the shaft portion 21B fits. Thus, the head portion 21A engage the bottom surface 13. Nut 22 is commonly referred to as a joint connector bolt. Nut 22 comprises a shaft portion 22B that extends from a head portion 22A. The shaft portion 22B is hollow with an opening at the end opposite the head portion 22A into which a portion of bolt 21 is received. For instance, the interior surface of the hollow shaft 22B may be threaded for threadedly engaging with a threaded portion of the bolt's shaft 21B. The head portion 22A does not fit into the hole in the top surface 11 through which the shaft portion 22B fits. Thus, the head portion 22A engage the top surface 11.

Accordingly, in assembling header 10 together, bolts 21 engage nuts 22 in a known fashion to couple the top surface 11, bottom surface 13, and sidewall 12 together through tubing 105. It should be recognized that if the bolts 21 are uncoupled from nuts 22, both top surface 11 and bottom surface 13 uncouple from sidewall 12.

The cost of manufacturing this traditional header is undesirably high. Such manufacturing costs are high for various reasons. First, the top and bottom are produced out of ¼″ aluminum. The top and bottom plates are counterbored underneath to allow additional clearance for the light fixtures that may be implemented within the header. The joint connector bolts are long and required a shoulder along with a special nut which are more expensive than short ¼-20 all thread type. The round steel tubing is relatively expensive (e.g., more expensive than sheet metal). The round tubing is hand cut into lengths by a person, and thus labor cost is relatively high. The tubing had to have a jig produced to align the tubes in their proper positions. The tubes require a lot of welding steps. Further, the process for assembling the traditional headers required a bolt to be inserted simultaneously with a nut from the other side, which at times required two workers or a series of clamps to be employed, thus adding difficulty and expense to the assembly process.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed generally to techniques for selectively widening a part to provide sufficient surface for through-surface coupling with the part, and more particularly to systems and methods for forming a header of a retail merchandising unit.

According to one embodiment, a RMU comprises a header. The header comprises a sidewall, and at least one coupling surface protruding from the sidewall. The header further comprises a top surface coupled to the sidewall via a through-surface coupling mechanism coupled at least partially through the at least one coupling surface. The header also comprises a bottom surface to the sidewall via a through-surface coupling mechanism coupled at least partially through the at least one coupling surface. The top surface and the bottom surface are coupled to the sidewall such that the top surface and bottom surface can each be individually uncoupled from the sidewall without requiring the other of the top surface and bottom surface to be uncoupled from the sidewall. As used herein, a through-surface coupling mechanism refers to any mechanism that inserts at least partially through a surface for coupling the surface to another part. Examples of such a through-surface coupling mechanism comprise, without limitation, a bolt, screw, rivet (e.g., traditional and/or removable nylon-type rivets), rod, and stud.

According to another embodiment, a RMU comprises a body, and a header coupled to the body. The header comprises a sidewall comprising a curved portion. The header further comprises a through-surface coupling portion coupled to the curved portion of the sidewall. The through-surface coupling portion comprises a curved portion that abuts against the sidewall, wherein the through-surface coupling portion's curved portion has a curvature matching a curvature of the sidewall's curved portion. The header further comprises at least one surface coupled to the through-surface coupling portion. In certain embodiments, the through-surface coupling portion comprises a tab that protrudes from the sidewall. In certain embodiments, the through-surface coupling portion comprises a threaded tube that is coupled to the sidewall. Also, in certain embodiments, the at least one surface coupled to the through-surface coupling portion comprises a top surface and a bottom surface disposed on opposing sides of the sidewall.

According to another embodiment, a method of forming a header of a RMU comprises coupling at least one through-surface coupling portion to a sidewall of the header such that the at least one through-surface coupling portion protrudes from the sidewall. The method further comprises coupling a top surface and a bottom surface to the at least one through-surface coupling portion such that the sidewall is disposed between the top surface and bottom surface. The coupling of the top surface and the bottom surface permits each of the top surface and the bottom surface to be individually uncoupled from the sidewall without requiring the other of the top surface and bottom surface to be uncoupled from the sidewall.

According to another embodiment, a method of forming a header of a RMU comprises notching at least one notch into a curved portion of a sidewall of the header. The method further comprises providing at least one tab that comprises a) a curved portion having a curvature matching a curvature of the sidewall's curved portion, and b) a tongue projecting from the tab's curved portion. The method further comprises coupling the at least one tab to the sidewall such that the at least one tab's tongue resides in the at least one notch and the at least one tab's curved portion abuts against the sidewall. The method further comprises coupling at least one surface to the at least one tab.

As described further herein, certain embodiments of the present invention advantageously reduce manufacturing costs associated with RMU headers, while enabling high-quality construction of such RMU headers. Further, certain embodiments of the present invention advantageously enable a header's top surface and a bottom surface to be individually uncoupled from the header's sidewall, without requiring the other of the top and bottom surface to be so uncoupled.

The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technical advantages of the present invention in order that the detailed description of the invention that follows may be better understood. Additional features and advantages of the invention will be described hereinafter which form the subject of the claims of the invention. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the conception and specific embodiment disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present invention. It should also be realized by those skilled in the art that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims. The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of the invention, both as to its organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages will be better understood from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying figures. It is to be expressly understood, however, that each of the figures is provided for the purpose of illustration and description only and is not intended as a definition of the limits of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of the present invention, reference is now made to the following descriptions taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 shows an exploded view of an exemplary traditional racetrack header of an RMU;

FIG. 2 shows a cross-section of a portion of the racetrack header of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows an exploded view of an exemplary header of an RMU according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 shows a cross-section of a portion of the header of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5A shows another exemplary header of an RMU according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5B shows a portion of a curved portion of the header's sidewall of FIG. 5A;

FIGS. 6A-6B show exemplary tabs used to provide through-surface coupling portions for the sidewall's curved portions in FIGS. 5A-5B;

FIG. 7 shows an exemplary flow for forming a header of an RMU according to an embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 8 shows another exemplary flow for forming a header of an RMU according to an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Turning to FIG. 3, an exploded view of an exemplary header 30 of an RMU according to one embodiment of the present invention is shown. As shown, header 30 has a top surface 31, bottom surface 33, and sidewall 32 disposed between top surface 31 and bottom surface 33. In this example, header 30 is a rectangular shape, rather than oval as in the example of FIG. 1. Of course, the concepts described herein are not limited to any particular shape, and header 30 may be implemented as oval or any other desired shape. Top surface 31 comprises portions 301A-301D. Bottom surface 33 comprises portions 302A-302D. Sidewall 32 comprises an outer sidewall and an inner sidewall. The outer sidewall aligns with the exterior edges of the top and bottom surfaces, while the inner sidewall aligns with the interior edges of the top and bottom surfaces. The outer sidewall comprises portions 303A-303D (collectively referred to as outer sidewall 303). The inner sidewall comprises portions 304A-304D (collectively referred to as inner sidewall 304).

Inner sidewall 304 and outer sidewall 303 each comprises through-surface coupling portions 305 coupled (e.g., welded) at various locations. In this example, through-surface coupling portions 305 are disposed at various locations on the interior of the outer sidewall 303, and the through-surface coupling portions 105 are disposed at various locations on the exterior of the inner sidewall 304. In this exemplary embodiment, through-surface coupling portions 305 are each tubing having a threaded interior. For instance, in certain embodiments, the threaded tubing comprises ¼-20 steel hex nuts. Such threaded tubing 305 aligns with holes in the top surface 31 and bottom surface 33 when the header 30 is being assembled. A coupling mechanism, such as a bolt or screw, is used to couple the top surface 31 and bottom surface 33 to the sidewall 32 (i.e., to the inner and outer sidewalls) via the threaded tubing 305. For instance, FIG. 4 shows a cross-section of a portion of the header 30 of FIG. 3. As shown in FIG. 4, a portion of a first through-surface coupling mechanism (e.g., bolt or screw) 41 is inserted through a hole in bottom surface 33 and into threaded tubing 305. Likewise, a portion of a second through-surface coupling mechanism (e.g., bolt or screw) 42 is inserted through a hole in top surface 31 and into threaded tubing 305.

In this example, through-surface coupling mechanism 41 comprises a head portion 41A and a shaft portion 41B. The head portion 41A is sufficiently large such that it does not fit into the hole in the bottom surface 33 through which the shaft portion 41B fits. Thus, the head portion 41A engages the bottom surface 33. Shaft portion 41B is threaded for engaging the interior threading of tubing 305, thereby coupling with such tubing 305.

Similarly, through-surface coupling mechanism 42 comprises a head portion 42A and a shaft portion 42B. The head portion 42A is sufficiently large such that it does not fit into the hole in the top surface 31 through which the shaft portion 42B fits. Thus, the head portion 42A engages the top surface 31. Shaft portion 42B is threaded for engaging the interior threading of tubing 305, thereby coupling with such tubing 305.

It should be recognized that this embodiment enables the top surface 31 and bottom surface 33 to each be individually uncoupled from sidewall 32 (e.g., uncoupled from the inner and outer sidewalls in this example) without requiring the other of the top surface and bottom surface to be uncoupled from the sidewall. That is, through-surface coupling mechanisms 41 can be individually removed, thereby uncoupling only bottom surface 33 from sidewall 32, while allowing top surface 31 to remain coupled via through-surface coupling mechanisms 42 to sidewall 32. Similarly, through-surface coupling mechanisms 42 can be individually removed, thereby uncoupling only top surface 31 from sidewall 32, while allowing bottom surface 33 to remain coupled via through-surface coupling mechanisms 41 to sidewall 32. Of course, if so desired, both the through-surface coupling mechanisms 41 and 42 may be removed in order to uncouple both the bottom surface 33 and the top surface 31 from sidewall 32.

In this example, the through-surface coupling mechanisms 41 provide a removably reusable coupling between the bottom surface 33 and tubing 305, whereby the coupling mechanisms can be reused to removably connect the bottom surface 33 and tubing 305. That is, through-surface coupling mechanisms 41 may be removed (e.g., unscrewed) from tubing 305, thereby uncoupling bottom surface 33, and such through-surface coupling mechanisms 41 may thereafter be reused to re-connect the bottom surface 33 to the tubing 305. Likewise, the through-surface coupling mechanisms 42 provide a removably reusable coupling between the top surface 31 and tubing 305, whereby the coupling mechanisms can be reused to removably connect the top surface 31 and tubing 305.

It should be recognized that often the sidewall of a RMU header is not of sufficient width to support through-surface coupling. For instance, the width “W” of sidewall 32 (see FIG. 3) may be less than the width of through-surface coupling mechanisms 41 and 42. Thus, the sidewall 32 may provide insufficient surface to which through-surface coupling mechanisms 41 and 42 may couple. As such, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention, through-surface coupling portions, such as through-surface coupling portions 305 of header 30, are coupled (e.g., welded) to sidewall 32 at various locations in order to provide sufficient area for through-surface coupling where desired.

FIGS. 5A-6B show another exemplary RMU header 50 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this example, tabs are used to provide through-surface coupling portions, rather than the exemplary tubing 305 of exemplary header 30 described above with FIGS. 3-4. That is, as described further hereafter, tabs 503, 504, 505, and 506 are coupled to sidewall 52.

As shown, header 50 has a bottom surface 51 and sidewall 52. In certain embodiments, a top surface, such as top surface 11 of FIG. 1, may also be included arranged on an opposite side of sidewall 52 from bottom surface 51. In this example, header 50 is an oval-shaped “racetrack” header, similar to the shape of the exemplary header 10 of FIG. 1. Of course, the concepts described herein are not limited to any particular shape, and header 50 may be implemented as rectangular or any other desired shape. As with bottom surface 13 of header 10 of FIG. 1, bottom surface 51 of header 50 comprises half-oval portions 511A and 511B.

Sidewall 52 comprises curved portions 502, and straight portions 501A-501D. In this example, sidewall 52 comprises an outer sidewall and an inner sidewall. The outer sidewall is disposed adjacent to the outer edge of bottom surface 51, while the inner sidewall is disposed adjacent to the inner edge of the bottom surface 51. The outer sidewall is formed by straight portions 501A and 501B and curved portions 502A, while the inner sidewall is formed by straight portions 501C and 501D and curved portions 502B.

The inner and outer sidewalls comprise through-surface coupling portions coupled thereto at various locations. In this exemplary embodiment, the straight portions 501A-501D of sidewall 52 comprise a “c-channel”. The c-channel may be formed through a metal-bending process, for example. As shown with straight portion 501A, the c-channel includes a vertical portion 522 with an upper horizontal portion 520 and lower horizontal portion 521 protruding from such vertical portion 522. The upper horizontal portion 520 and lower horizontal portion 521 are substantially perpendicular to the vertical portion 522, and such upper and lower horizontal portions 520, 521 provide through-surface coupling portions. For instance, through-surface coupling mechanisms 510 are employed to couple bottom surface 51 to the lower horizontal portion 521, and likewise such through-surface coupling mechanisms 510 may be employed to couple a top surface (such as top surface 11 of FIG. 1) to the upper horizontal portion 520. Through-surface coupling mechanisms 510 may be pressed-in-metal (PIM) nuts, or any other suitable type of through-surface connector, such as a bolt, rod, rivet, stud, etc. Thus, the top and bottom surfaces may be separately coupled and uncoupled with sidewall 52 via upper horizontal portion 520 and lower horizontal portion 521, respectively.

In this example, various tabs 502-506 are employed to provide through-surface coupling portions on the curved portion 502 of sidewall 52. In certain embodiments, such tabs may be employed on the straight portions 501A-501D of sidewall 522, instead of employing the exemplary c-channel structure shown. Similarly, in certain embodiments, the c-channel structure of the straight portions 501A-501D may be employed for the curved portions 502 of sidewall 52. However, due to the cost of manufacturing a curved c-channel structure, it may be more cost-effective to employ tabs, such as tabs 502-506 on at least the curved portions 502 of sidewall 52.

In this example, tabs 503 and 504 are coupled to the exterior side of inner curved portion 502B, and tabs 505 and 506 are coupled to the interior side of outer curved portion 502A. Tabs 503 and 505 may be referred to as single through-surface coupling portions, while tabs 504 and 506 may be referred to as dual through-surface coupling portions. The single through-surface coupling portions 503 and 505 accept a single through-surface coupling mechanism (e.g., bolt, PIM nut, etc.), while dual through-surface coupling portions accept two through-surface coupling mechanisms.

As described further hereafter (e.g., with FIG. 8), notches 507 and 508 are notched (e.g., lasered) into curved portions 502A and 502B, respectively, at locations where tabs are to be coupled to the sidewall. A portion of curved portions 502A and 502B of FIG. 5 are shown in FIG. 5B. As can be seen, notches may be lasered into the upper side and lower side of the sidewall, and tabs may be coupled to the upper side and lower side of the sidewall. Tabs coupled to the lower side of the sidewall may be used for coupling a bottom surface 51 to the sidewall, while the tabs coupled to the upper side of the sidewall may be used for coupling a top surface (e.g., top surface 11 of FIG. 1) to the sidewall. FIG. 5B shows a tab 505 coupled to notch 507 of outer curved portion 502A of the sidewall such that the tab 505 projects from the sidewall inward toward the interior about which the outer portion 502A curves. Similarly, a tab 503 is coupled to notch 508 of inner curved portion 502B of the sidewall such that the tab 503 projects from the sidewall outward away from the interior about which the inner portion 502B curves.

FIGS. 6A-6B show exemplary tabs 503 and 505 of FIGS. 5A-5B. As shown in FIG. 6A, tab 505 comprises a curved portion 601 that abuts against the sidewall 52 when coupled to the sidewall. The curved portion 601 has a curvature matching a curvature of the sidewall's outer curved portion 502A. That is, tab 505 has a curved surface 601 that matches the curvature of the interior side of outer curved portion 502A such that the curved surface 601 of tab 505 abuts snugly against the interior surface of curved portion 502A when coupled therewith. Tab 505 also has a tongue 602 that projects from the tab's curved portion 601. Such tongue 602 fits into a notch 507 of the sidewall's outer curved portion 502A, as shown in FIG. 5B. In certain embodiments, the tongue 602 is welded to the notch 507, thereby coupling the tab 505 to the sidewall. Tab 505 also comprises an aperture (e.g., hole) 603 for accepting a through-surface coupling mechanism, such as a bolt, screw, PIM nut, etc. In certain embodiments, the aperture 603 may be threaded for threadedly engaging with a through-surface coupling mechanism.

As shown in FIG. 6B, tab 503 comprises a curved portion 604 that abuts against the sidewall 52 when coupled to the sidewall. The curved portion 604 has a curvature matching a curvature of the sidewall's inner curved portion 502B. That is, tab 503 has a curved surface 604 that matches the curvature of the exterior side of inner curved portion 502B such that the curved surface 604 of tab 503 abuts snugly against the exterior surface of curved portion 502B when coupled therewith. Tab 503 also has a tongue 602 that projects from the tab's curved portion 604. Such tongue 602 fits into a notch 508 of the sidewall's inner curved portion 502B, as shown in FIG. 5B. In certain embodiments, the tongue 602 is welded to the notch 508, thereby coupling the tab 503 to the sidewall. Tab 503 also comprises an aperture (e.g., hole) 603 for accepting a through-surface coupling mechanism, such as a bolt, screw, PIM nut, etc. In certain embodiments, the aperture 603 may be threaded for threadedly engaging with a through-surface coupling mechanism.

It should be recognized that the exemplary embodiment of header 50 enables a top surface (e.g., top surface 11 of FIG. 1) and bottom surface 51 to each be individually uncoupled from sidewall 52 without requiring the other of the top surface and bottom surface to be uncoupled from the sidewall.

It should be recognized that often the sidewall of a RMU header is not of sufficient width to support through-surface coupling. For instance, the width “W” of sidewall 52, shown in FIG. 5A, may be less than the width of through-surface coupling mechanisms 510 used (e.g., PIM nuts). Thus, the sidewall 52 may provide insufficient surface to which through-surface coupling mechanisms 510 may couple. The exemplary embodiment of header 50 addresses this issue by employing a c-channel sidewall for the straight portions 501A-501D of such sidewall, whereby the upper and lower horizontal portions 520, 521 provide sufficient surface for enabling through-surface coupling. The exemplary embodiment of header 50 further addresses this issue by employing tabs coupled to various locations of the curved portions 502A-502B of such sidewall, whereby the tabs provide sufficient surface for enabling through-surface coupling.

FIG. 7 shows an exemplary flow for a method of forming a header of a RMU according to an embodiment of the present invention. In operational block 71, at least one through-surface coupling portion is coupled to a sidewall of the header such that the at least one through-surface coupling portion protrudes from the sidewall. In block 72, a top surface and a bottom surface are coupled to the at least one through-surface coupling portion such that the sidewall is disposed between the top surface and bottom surface. The coupling of the top surface and the bottom surface in block 72 permits each of the top surface and the bottom surface to be individually uncoupled from the sidewall without requiring the other of the top surface and bottom surface to be uncoupled from the sidewall.

FIG. 8 shows an exemplary flow for a method of forming a header of a RMU according to another embodiment of the present invention. In block 81, at least one notch is notched into a curved portion of a sidewall of the header. In block 82, at least one tab is provided that comprises a) a curved portion having a curvature matching a curvature of the sidewall's curved portion, and b) a tongue projecting from the tab's curved portion. In block 83, the at least one tab is coupled to the sidewall such that the at least one tab's tongue resides in the at least one notch and the at least one tab's curved portion abuts against the sidewall. In block 94, at least one surface is coupled to the at least one tab.

It should be recognized that certain embodiments of the present invention reduce manufacturing costs from those required for producing the traditional header of FIGS. 1-2. For example, certain embodiments allow for speedier assembly, thereby reducing labor costs associated with constructing the header. Further, certain embodiments do not require a jig or other special equipment to be purchased or constructed for use in forming the header, thereby reducing the equipment costs associated with manufacturing. Further, in certain embodiments, the top and bottom surfaces, as well as the sidewall, are produced out of 11 gauge steel, rather than the ¼″ aluminum or 3/16″ thick steel used in the traditional header of FIGS. 1-2. Of course, any material may be employed for these components in certain embodiments. Further, certain embodiments ease the assembly process as certain embodiments of the header no longer require a bolt to be inserted simultaneously with a nut from the other side, but instead the top and bottom surfaces may be independently (or separately) coupled to the sidewall, as discussed above.

The above-described process for manufacturing of a RMU header provides several benefits and strategic advantages over the traditional welding techniques. First, the above-described manufacturing process reduces cost of producing the RMU by 50% over the traditional techniques. Further, the above-described manufacturing process improves quality, serviceability, and reduces lead times for manufacturing by 40% as compared to the traditional header manufacturing techniques.

Although the present invention and its advantages have been described in detail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions and alterations can be made herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Moreover, the scope of the present application is not intended to be limited to the particular embodiments of the process, machine, manufacture, composition of matter, means, methods and steps described in the specification. As one of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate from the disclosure of the present invention, processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps, presently existing or later to be developed that perform substantially the same function or achieve substantially the same result as the corresponding embodiments described herein may be utilized according to the present invention. Accordingly, the appended claims are intended to include within their scope such processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps.

Claims

1. A retail merchandising unit (RMU) comprising:

a header comprising a) a sidewall, b) at least one coupling surface protruding from the sidewall, c) a top surface coupled to the sidewall via a through-surface coupling mechanism coupled at least partially through the at least one coupling surface, and d) a bottom surface to the sidewall via a through-surface coupling mechanism coupled at least partially through the at least one coupling surface; and

wherein the top surface and the bottom surface are coupled to the sidewall such that the top surface and bottom surface can each be individually uncoupled from the sidewall without requiring the other of the top surface and bottom surface to be uncoupled from the sidewall.

2. The RMU of claim 1 further comprising:

a body to which the header is coupled.

3. The RMU of claim 1 wherein the sidewall is disposed between the top surface and the bottom surface.

4. The RMU of claim 1 wherein the sidewall comprises a curved portion.

5. The RMU of claim 4 wherein the header comprises a racetrack header.

6. The RMU of claim 4 wherein the at least one coupling surface comprises a tab coupled to the curved portion of the sidewall.

7. The RMU of claim 6 wherein the tab comprises a threaded aperture for through-surface coupling via a threaded coupling mechanism inserted within the threaded aperture.

8. The RMU of claim 6 wherein the tab comprises:

a curved portion that abuts against the sidewall, wherein the tab's curved portion has a curvature matching a curvature of the sidewall's curved portion.

9. The RMU of claim 8 further comprising:

the tab having a tongue projecting from the tab's curved portion.

10. The RMU of claim 9 further comprising:

the sidewall having a notch into which the tab's tongue portion resides.

11. The RMU of claim 10 wherein the tab is welded to the sidewall.

12. The RMU of claim 10 wherein the tab's tongue portion is welded to the sidewall.

13. The RMU of claim 4 wherein the at least one coupling surface comprises:

a first tab coupled to the curved portion of the sidewall, the first tab comprising a curved portion that abuts against the sidewall, wherein the first tab's curved portion has a curvature matching the curvature of the sidewall's curved portion, and

a second tab coupled to the curved portion of the sidewall, the second tab comprising a curved portion that abuts against the sidewall, wherein the second tab's curved portion has a curvature matching the curvature of the sidewall's curved portion.

14. The RMU of claim 13 further comprising:

the top surface coupled to the first tab;

the bottom surface coupled to the second tab; and

the sidewall being disposed between the top surface and the bottom surface.

15. The RMU of claim 1 wherein the through-surface coupling mechanism comprises at least one of the following:

bolt, screw, rivet, stud, pressed-in-metal nut, and rod.

16. The RMU of claim 1 wherein the sidewall comprises a width measured parallel to the protrusion of the at least one coupling surface from the sidewall, and wherein the width of the sidewall is narrower than a width of the through-surface coupling mechanism.

17. A retail merchandising unit (RMU) comprising:

a body; and

a header coupled to the body, wherein the header comprises a) a sidewall comprising a curved portion, b) a through-surface coupling portion coupled to the curved portion of the sidewall, the through-surface coupling portion comprising a curved portion that abuts against the sidewall, wherein the through-surface coupling portion's curved portion has a curvature matching a curvature of the sidewall's curved portion, and c) at least one surface coupled to the through-surface coupling portion.

18. The RMU of claim 17 wherein the through-surface coupling portion comprises a tab.

19. The RMU of claim 17 wherein the through-surface coupling portion comprises a threaded tube.

20. The RMU of claim 17 wherein the at least one surface is coupled to the through-surface coupling portion via a through-surface coupling mechanism.

21. The RMU of claim 20 wherein the through-surface coupling mechanism provides a removable coupling between the at least one surface and the through-surface coupling portion.

22. The RMU of claim 21 wherein the through-surface coupling mechanism comprises at least one of the following:

bolt, screw, rivet, stud, pressed-in-metal nut, and rod.

23. The RMU of claim 20 wherein the through-surface coupling mechanism provides a removably reusable coupling between the at least one surface and the through-surface coupling portion, whereby the coupling mechanism can be reused to removably connect the at least one surface and the through-surface coupling portion.

24. The RMU of claim 20 wherein the sidewall comprises a width measured parallel to projection of the through-surface coupling portion from the sidewall, and wherein the width of the sidewall is narrower than a width of the through-surface coupling mechanism.

25. The RMU of claim 17 wherein the at least one surface comprises:

a top surface and a bottom surface disposed on opposing sides of the sidewall.

26. The RMU of claim 25 wherein the top surface and bottom surface are each individually removable from the sidewall without requiring the other of the top surface and bottom surface to be removed from the sidewall.

27. The RMU of claim 17 wherein the at least one surface comprises a top surface, the header further comprising:

d) a second through-surface coupling portion coupled to the curved portion of the sidewall, the second through-surface coupling portion comprising a curved portion that abuts against the sidewall, wherein the second through-surface coupling portion's curved portion has a curvature matching the curvature of the sidewall's curved portion, and

e) a bottom surface coupled to the second through-surface coupling portion, wherein the sidewall is disposed between the top surface and the bottom surface.

28. The RMU of claim 27 wherein the top surface is removable from the through-surface coupling portion to which it is coupled without requiring the bottom surface to be removed from the second through-surface coupling portion to which it is coupled.

29. The RMU of claim 28 the through-surface coupling portion comprising a surface that is substantially perpendicular to the curved portion of the sidewall.

30. The RMU of claim 17 wherein the through-surface coupling portion protrudes from the sidewall.

31. The RMU of claim 30 wherein the through-surface coupling portion protrudes from the sidewall on an interior of the sidewall's curved portion.

32. The RMU of claim 17 wherein the sidewall encloses an interior area, and wherein the through-surface coupling portion protrudes from the sidewall into the enclosed interior area.

33. The RMU of claim 17 further comprising:

the through-surface coupling portion having a tongue projecting from the through-surface coupling portion's curved portion.

34. The RMU of claim 33 further comprising:

the sidewall having a notch into which the through-surface coupling portion's tongue portion resides.

35. The RMU of claim 34 wherein the through-surface coupling portion is welded to the sidewall.

36. The RMU of claim 34 wherein the through-surface coupling portion's tongue portion is welded to the sidewall.

37. A method of forming a header of a Retail Merchandising Unit (RMU), the method comprising:

coupling at least one through-surface coupling portion to a sidewall of the header such that the at least one through-surface coupling portion protrudes from the sidewall; and

coupling a top surface and a bottom surface to the at least one through-surface coupling portion such that the sidewall is disposed between the top surface and bottom surface, wherein the coupling of the top surface and the bottom surface permits each of the top surface and the bottom surface to be individually uncoupled from the sidewall without requiring the other of the top surface and bottom surface to be uncoupled from the sidewall.

38. The method of claim 37 further comprising:

coupling the header to a body of the RMU.

39. The method of claim 37 wherein the sidewall comprises a curved portion, and wherein the at least one through-surface coupling portion comprises at least one tab coupled to the curved portion of the sidewall.

40. The method of claim 39 wherein the at least one tab coupled to the curved portion of the sidewall comprises a curved portion that abuts against the sidewall, wherein the tab's curved portion has a curvature matching a curvature of the sidewall's curved portion.

41. The method of claim 40 further comprising:

notching a notch into the sidewall.

42. The method of claim 41 wherein the at least one tab coupled to the curved portion of the sidewall comprises a tongue projecting from the tab's curved portion, and wherein coupling the at least one tab to the sidewall comprises:

inserting the tab's tongue into the notch.

43. The method of claim 42 wherein coupling the at least one tab to the sidewall further comprises:

welding the tab's tongue portion to the sidewall.

44. The method of claim 37 wherein coupling a top surface and a bottom surface to the at least one through-surface coupling portion comprises:

coupling the top surface to the at least one through-surface coupling portion via a through-surface coupling mechanism; and

coupling the bottom surface to the at least one through-surface coupling portion via a through-surface coupling mechanism.

45. The method of claim 44 wherein the sidewall comprises a width measured parallel to the protrusion of the at least one through-surface coupling portion from the sidewall, and wherein the width of the sidewall is narrower than a width of the through-surface coupling mechanism.

46. A method of forming a header of a Retail Merchandising Unit (RMU), the method comprising:

notching at least one notch into a curved portion of a sidewall of the header;

providing at least one tab that comprises a) a curved portion having a curvature matching a curvature of the sidewall's curved portion, and b) a tongue projecting from the tab's curved portion;

coupling the at least one tab to the sidewall such that the at least one tab's tongue resides in the at least one notch and the at least one tab's curved portion abuts against the sidewall; and

coupling at least one surface to the at least one tab.

47. The method of claim 46 wherein the coupling the at least one tab to the sidewall comprises:

welding the at least one tab to the sidewall.

48. The method of claim 46 wherein coupling the at least one surface to the at least one tab comprises:

using a through-surface coupling mechanism.

49. The method of claim 46 wherein the coupling at least one surface to the at least one tab comprises:

coupling a top surface and a bottom surface to the at least one tab, wherein the top surface and the bottom surface are disposed on opposing sides of the sidewall.

50. The method of claim 49 wherein the coupling the top surface and the bottom surface to the at least one tab comprises:

coupling the top surface and the bottom surface to the at least one tab such that the top surface is removable from the at least one tab to which it is coupled without requiring the bottom surface to be removed from the at least one tab to which it is coupled.