Secure Merchandising Display With Blocker Mechanisms
A system for controlling advancement of and access to product housed within a device. Systems and devices include a pushing assembly having a track, a pusher, and a stop for restricting forward movement of the pusher when the stop is engaged. The device also includes a door assembly that has an open position and a closed position, an engaging mechanism that engages the stop when the door assembly is in the open position, and a blocker mechanism that restricts consumer access to product located behind the door assembly.
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/111,235 filed May 19, 2011 (Allowed), which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/346,211 filed May 19, 2010, the entire contents of all of which are hereby incorporated by reference. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/111,235 is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. Ser. No. 12/792,252 filed Jun. 2, 2010 (U.S. Pat. No. 8,353,425), which is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. Ser. No. 12/567,370 filed Sep. 25, 2009 (U.S. Pat. No. 8,190,289), the entire contents of all of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONEmbodiments generally relate to systems for advancing and controlling access to product on a shelf.
BACKGROUNDTheft of small items in retail stores is a common problem. Items that are in high demand by thieves include over-the-counter (OTC) products such as analgesics and cough and cold medications, razor blades, camera film, batteries, videos, DVDs, smoking cessation products and infant formula. Shelf sweeping is a particular problem for small items. Shelf sweeping occurs when individuals or groups remove all the shelf stock and exit the store, similar to a “smash and grab” shoplifting technique. Shelf sweeping relies on excessive quantities of product being available on the shelf. Retailers must keep substantial inventory on shelf or incur the cost, including labor costs, of constantly restocking.
In addition to preventing theft, retail stores may want to limit the purchase of certain items. For example, to make methamphetamine, large quantities of cold medication are needed. Pseudoephedrine, the sole active ingredient in many cold medicines and decongestants, is also a key ingredient in methamphetamine, a powerful and highly addictive stimulant.
Retailers are challenged to balance the needs of legitimate consumers' access to high theft items with measures to minimize the incidence of theft. Because theft has become so rampant in certain product categories, such as razors and infant formula, many retail stores are taking the products off the shelves and placing them behind the counter or under lock and key. Customers must request the products to make a purchase. This requires additional labor costs to provide individual service to customers who would normally not require it. It also makes it difficult for customers to compare products. Furthermore, it might not be feasible where the space behind the counter is limited and is needed for prescription medications. In some cases, products are simply unavailable due to high pilferage rates. Therefore, a device or dispensing apparatus that minimizes the incidence of product theft is needed.
SUMMARYThe terms “invention,” “the invention,” “this invention” and “the present invention” used in this patent are intended to refer broadly to all of the subject matter of this patent and the patent claims below. Statements containing these terms should not be understood to limit the subject matter described herein or to limit the meaning or scope of the patent claims below. Embodiments of the invention covered by this patent are defined by the claims below, not this summary. This summary is a high-level overview of various aspects of the invention and introduces some of the concepts that are further described in the Detailed Description section below. This summary is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used in isolation to determine the scope of the claimed subject matter. The subject matter should be understood by reference to the entire specification of this patent, all drawings and each claim.
Systems of this invention relate to controlled access devices that house product and that have a door assembly having an open position and a closed position. When the door assembly is in the open position, a consumer has access to a limited number of product while a blocker mechanism restricts access to remaining product housed in the device. The devices also include a pushing assembly that provides controlled advancement of the product housed in the device. As a first product is removed from the device, the products located behind the one that was removed must move forward. In some embodiments, the pushing assembly includes a resistance mechanism that is coupled to the track and the pusher and that controls forward movement of the pusher along the track and thereby controls the speed at which product is advanced for access by the consumer. The pushing assembly also includes a stop mechanism that is engaged when the door assembly is in the open position. When engaged, the stop mechanism prevents the pushing assembly from advancing product forward.
Certain embodiments comprise a controlled access device that houses product and that includes a blocker mechanism that restricts access to product housed within the device when a door assembly of the device is in the open position. One embodiment of a controlled access device, device 10, is shown in
As described in more detail below, controlled access device 10 comprises a pushing assembly 100 for controlled advancement of product and a door assembly 12 having a cover 28 that acts as a blocker mechanism. Controlled access device 10 also includes a hood 14 that cooperates with a base 16 and with door assembly 12. Controlled access device 10 has an open position and a closed position. Specifically, door assembly 12 is configured to revolve about its longitudinal axis L (
As shown in
In some embodiments, the top of the hood 14 includes an aperture 18 that aligns with an aperture 20 in the top of the door assembly 12 (
In some embodiments, the top of the hood 14 and/or the base 16 includes one or more grooves (such as groove 50 shown in
Door assembly 12 has any suitable geometry. As shown, the bottom plate 24 of door assembly 12 is sized and shaped to receive a round product, such as a bottle, although bottom plate 24 could have other shapes and sizes depending on the dimensions of the product(s) to be housed in the device. As shown in
As shown in
In the illustrated embodiment, as shown in
As mentioned above, the door assembly 12 is coupled to the base 16 and the hood 14 so that it is free to revolve about its longitudinal axis L from the closed position to the open position. As the door assembly 12 revolves, the bottom plate 24 revolves, which in turn revolves the cover 28. As door assembly 12 moves from its closed position to its open position, cover 28 revolves so that the left side 34 of the cover 28 abuts the right side 40 of the hood and the right side 36 of the cover 28 abuts against the left side 38 of the hood 14. In the open position, the concave side of cover 28, which is located behind any product housed on bottom plate 24, is facing the consumer so that a consumer has access to any product housed on bottom plate 24 (see
Moreover, because cover 28 extends along the periphery of the bottom plate 24 from generally a first end of diameter Q to generally a second end of diameter Q (diameter Q being only slightly smaller than width X of the hood 14), cover 28 at least partially blocks access to the interior of the device regardless of the door assembly's degree of revolution. Moreover, because width X of the hood is only slightly larger than the diameter and/or width of the product housed within the device and because cover 28 always extends at least partially across the width X of the hood, the cover 28 acts as a blocking mechanism regardless of the orientation of the cover. In other words, even when the cover is rotated to a point between the door assembly's open and closed position, product is not able to fit beyond the cover 28 for removal out of device 10.
In some embodiments, as shown in
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In embodiments including a resistance mechanism 130, resistance mechanism 130 is attached to pusher 114. As shown in
As one product is selected from the front of pushing assembly 100, the winding of the spring 150 causes the pushing ram 138 to move forward and the external gear component 144 to rotate along gear teeth 128 of track 116. The movement of pushing ram 138 advances remaining product along track 116 and toward bottom plate 24. The speed of this forward movement is controlled and reduced by resistance mechanism 130. The internal gears of the resistance mechanism 130 are configured to provide resistance to the forward movement by limiting the rotation of the external gear component 144. Because the external gear component 144 engages gear teeth 128 of track 116 and the external gear rotation is limited, the movement of pushing ram 138 and therefore the remaining product to the front of track 116 is slowed.
Product can be loaded in pushing assembly 100 by forcing pushing ram 138 backwards along track 116 and placing multiple units of the product against the pushing ram 138. As described above, spring 150 pulls the pushing ram 138 to exert force on the products towards the front of the track 116. Resistance mechanism 130 preferably allows pushing ram 138 to be forced backwards freely for loading of the product.
In the embodiments having a shaft 120, shaft 120 is configured to rotate as the pusher 114 moves. Shaft 120 may be positioned to engage a position sensor, such as a potentiometer or other suitable device, as shaft 201 rotates, as described in U.S. Ser. No. 12/567,370 filed on Sep. 25, 2009, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Shaft 120 may be helix shaped (or have other suitable shapes) and is positioned in relation to track 116 so that the shaft 120 is free to rotate without obstruction. As shown in
Pushing assembly 100 includes a stop 118 that prevents the pusher 114 from advancing product forward when the stop is in an engaged position. When stop 118 is in the engaged position, the engagement surfaces 156 of the stop 118 engage the projections 162 of the brake 146 that extend into resistance channel 134. When projections 162 of the brake 146 engage the engagement surfaces 156 of the stop 118, stop 118 prevents forward movement of the pusher 114 and thus prevents the pusher from advancing product forward.
In some embodiments, when stop 118 is engaged, the pusher 114 can move in increments of a predetermined amount, such increments corresponding to the depth of the product. As explained above, the stop 118 includes engagement surfaces 156 that form generally a sawtooth shape in cross section. Stop 156 is positioned within resistance channel 134 so that protrusions 160 of stop 118 are received in ramped slots 132 on the side of the track 116 (shown in
Pushing assembly 100 is assembled with respect to door assembly 12, which, as explained above, has a cover 28 that blocks access to the product housed on the bottom plate 24 when the door assembly 12 is in the closed position, and that blocks access to product stored on track 116 within device 10 when door assembly 12 is in both the closed and open position. As shown in
In an alternate embodiment, when sufficient force is applied to the front face 158 of the stop 118, the protrusions 160 on the side of the stop 118 move upward from one end of slots 132 to the other end of slots 132 to move the stop 118 from its disengaged position to its engaged position. Because slots 132 are sloped at an angle along track 116, movement of the protrusions 160 upward along the length of the slots 132 raises the stop 118 vertically from the disengaged position to its engaged position. In this way, when horizontal force is applied to the front face 158 of stop 118, such as by opening door assembly 12, stop 118 moves both horizontally toward the rear of the track 116 and upward at the same time. When stop 118 is raised to the engaged position, the engagement surfaces 156 of the stop 118 raise to engage the projections 162 of the brake 146 that extend into resistance channel 134. When projections 162 of the brake 146 are engaged with the engagement surfaces 156 of the stop 154, forward movement of the pusher 114 is restricted.
Another embodiment of controlled access device, controlled access device 300, is shown in
Device 300 includes a door assembly 312 having an open position and a closed position, and at least one blocker that prevents access to remaining product housed within the device 300 when the door assembly is in the open position. A pushing assembly, such as pushing assembly 100 described above, is assembled with respect to door assembly 312, shown in
In certain embodiments, door assembly 312 is a tip bin style door that pivots between an open and closed position around pivot 324. When door assembly 312 is closed, access to product located behind the door assembly is blocked to a consumer (
As mentioned above, the door assembly 312 includes a projection 326 (shown in
While the invention has been described in detail with particular reference to the disclosed embodiments, it will be understood that variations and modifications can be affected within the spirit and scope of the invention as described herein.
Claims
1. A controlled access device, comprising:
- a base for supporting a plurality of products;
- a hood surrounding the base for restricting access to the plurality of products, the hood including a door opening;
- a door assembly positioned at the door opening, the door assembly having a dispensing region for accepting one of the plurality of products, wherein the door assembly is pivotable about an axis between an open position and a closed position, wherein the dispensing region is externally accessible when the door assembly is in the open position, and wherein access to the dispensing region is blocked when the door assembly is in the closed position; and
- a cover of the door assembly positioned adjacent the dispensing region, wherein the cover restricts access to a remainder of the plurality of products when the door assembly is in the open position.
2. The device of claim 1, wherein the cover is positioned to restrict access to the plurality of products when the door assembly is in the closed position.
3. The device of claim 2, wherein the cover is positioned to restrict access to the plurality of products when the door assembly is in a position between the open position and the closed position.
4. The device of claim 1, wherein the base includes a feature for biasing the remainder of the plurality of products towards the dispensing region.
5. The device of claim 1, wherein the door assembly includes a bottom plate for accepting the one of the plurality of products, wherein the cover extends approximately halfway around a circumference of the bottom plate and extends generally from the bottom plate to a top of the door assembly.
6. The device of claim 1, wherein the cover is positioned to block access to the dispensing region when the door assembly is in the closed position.
7. The device of claim 1, wherein the door assembly is biased towards the closed position.
8. The device of claim 1, wherein the door assembly includes a handle for pivoting the door assembly.
9. A controlled access device, comprising:
- a base for supporting a plurality of products;
- a hood coupled to the base for restricting access to the plurality of products, wherein the hood includes a door opening;
- a door assembly positioned at the door opening, the door assembly comprising a bottom plate for accepting a first of the plurality of products and a cover restricting access to an interior region defined between the base, the hood, and the cover, wherein the door assembly is pivotable about an axis between an open position and a closed position, wherein the first of the plurality of products is accessible when the door assembly is in the open position, and wherein the cover blocks access to the first of the plurality of products when the door assembly is in the closed position.
10. The device of claim 9, wherein the cover blocks access to the interior region when the door assembly is in the open position, in the closed position, and in a position between the open and closed positions.
11. The device of claim 9, wherein the base includes a feature for biasing the remainder of the plurality of products towards the dispensing region.
12. The device of claim 9, wherein the cover extends approximately halfway around a circumference of the bottom plate and extends generally from the bottom plate to a top of the door assembly.
13. The device of claim 9, wherein the door assembly is biased towards the closed position.
14. The device of claim 9, wherein the door assembly includes a handle for pivoting the door assembly.
15. A controlled access product dispenser, comprising
- an interior region for storing a plurality of products, the interior region defined between a cover of a door assembly and a hood, wherein the door assembly is pivotable about an axis between an open position and a closed position, and wherein the interior region is blocked from access; and
- a dispensing region of the door assembly adjacent the cover, wherein the dispensing region is located within the interior region when the door assembly is in the closed position, and wherein the dispensing region located outside of the interior region when the door assembly is in the open position.
16. The dispenser of claim 15, wherein the interior region is further defined by a base for supporting the plurality of products.
17. The dispenser of claim 16, wherein the base includes a feature for biasing the plurality of products towards the dispensing region.
18. The dispenser of claim 15, wherein the dispensing region is defined in part by a bottom plate, wherein the cover extends approximately halfway around a circumference of the bottom plate and extends generally from the bottom plate to a top of the door assembly.
19. The dispenser of claim 15, wherein the dispensing region is located opposite the cover from the interior region when the door assembly is in the open position.
20. The dispenser of claim 15, wherein the cover is positioned to block access to the interior region when the door assembly is in a position between the open position and the closed position.
Type: Application
Filed: Jul 22, 2015
Publication Date: Nov 12, 2015
Inventors: Thomas A. Lockwood (Clemmons, NC), Roger K. Miller (East Bend, NC)
Application Number: 14/806,179