GRAVITY FEED ROLLER STRIP SEATS FOR PLASTIC GLIDE TRAY

Abstract

Disclosed are roller strip seats adapted to be used in conjunction with plastic glide trays for displaying beverages. The roller strip seats have a base and a plurality of rollers, where the base has a top, a bottom, a width having two edges and a length having two ends, a first and a second roller support bar on opposite sides of the width of the base along the length, where each roller support bar has a plurality of spaced openings configured to hold one of the plurality of rollers. The seat also has at least one locator disposed on the bottom and at least one locking element also disposed on bottom to align and lock the seat in the plastic glide tray. The rollers are placed in opposite spaced openings and are freely rotatable in the openings without pulling away from or out of the openings.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCED APPLICATION

This application is related, and claims priority, to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/374,025, filed on Aug. 12, 2016, that is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference thereto.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Disclosure

The present disclosure relates generally to gravity feed strip seats having rollers disposed therein or thereon as a mechanism for moving an item thereon via gravity, and methods for assembling the same. The present disclosure also relates to systems comprised of the gravity feed strip seats and plastic glide trays. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to gravity feed roller strip seats having rollers disposed therein or thereon that are configured to be disposed in a plastic glide tray that may be inclined, where the roller strip seats fit into the plastic glide tray and assist in moving an item disposed thereon and methods of assembly thereof.

2. Description of Related Art

Currently, items such as beverages disposed in coolers are often placed in plastic glide trays to display the beverage in the coolers, both in big box supermarkets and in convenience stores. The basic function of the plastic glide tray is to hold the merchandise (beverage containers in bottles and/or cans) in proper alignment and to allow continual advancement of the merchandise toward the front of the plastic glide tray under gravitational force. Low cost, fixed dividers and easy installation are said to be the great advantages of such plastic glides, but steep pitches such as 12 to 16 degrees or more are often required to advance the merchandise to the front of the plastic glide tray. However, such a steep pitch for the incline is a great disadvantage in that the necessary pitch of 12 to 16 degrees reduces available vertical space in the coolers. The vertical space is of great value to the stores in that the greater the pitch angle, the fewer shelves can be deployed, and thus less merchandise can be displayed, in each cooler. Given the cost of the purchase and operation of the cooler, and that the stores cannot maximize inventory in the cooler for the given internal volume, profitability is reduced. In addition, such steep pitches may still fail to properly advance merchandise to the front of the plastic glide tray.

Modifications to improve the driving force for the advancement of merchandise in such plastic glide trays to attempt to (1) reduce the angle of pitch, (2) increase the quantity of merchandise that can be placed in the cooler, (3) and/or improve the actual advancement of merchandise disposed in the plastic glide tray and thereby improve the function, are practical issues of great marketing potential. Many methods have been tried but none is completely satisfactory, including spring-pusher systems such as mentioned below.

U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,497,342; 7,628,282; and 7,922,010 disclose product management display systems for merchandising both larger and heavier products that include the use of a pusher mechanism along with one or more roller assemblies. In combination, the product management display systems are said to improve the merchandising of products on the shelves, especially on horizontal or non-inclined shelves or surfaces. An exemplary embodiment of the patented product management display system includes a pusher mechanism mounted to a track that extends generally from the front of the shelf to the back of the shelf. The pusher mechanism is configured to urge product forward and toward the front of the shelf. At least one roller assembly is positioned beneath the product that is merchandised, and adjacent the track, to assist the pusher mechanism in urging the product toward the front of the shelf.

U.S. Patent Publication No. 2010/0276383 discloses a product management display system that includes a pusher mechanism mounted to a track that extends generally from the front of the shelf to the back of the shelf. The pusher mechanism is configured to urge product forward and toward the front of the shelf. At least one roller assembly is positioned beneath the product to be merchandised to assist the pusher mechanism in urging the product toward the front of the shelf. It is said that the disclosed product management display system may be mounted to a horizontal shelf or surface and heavier and/or wider product may be properly merchandised without the need to modify the system.

U.S. Pat. No. 8,312,999 discloses a product management display system for merchandising product on a shelf that includes using a trackless pusher mechanism that travels along a surface on which product is placed. The trackless pusher mechanism also includes a pusher paddle and a floor that extends forward of the pusher paddle. A flat coiled spring or other biasing element is operatively connected behind the pusher paddle and extends across the floor of the pusher mechanism to the front of the shelf. In use, the product to be merchandised may be placed on the coiled spring and on the floor of the pusher mechanism. Using this configuration, it is said that the pusher paddle is prevented from tipping or bending backwards during operation. In an alternative aspect, a mounting member may be used to mount the end of the coiled spring to the floor of the system. It is said that the disclosed display system may be used with the merchandising of product on horizontal or non-inclined shelves or surfaces, as well as with gravity-fed systems, or systems that use gravity as a mechanism to urge product toward the front of the shelf.

While the above systems are said to be an improvement to existing product management display systems, these systems are complex in design and construction, thus making them difficult to install without special tools and/or by a trained service person. The above systems are also difficult to keep clean and are subject to reduced efficiency as they become soiled with, e.g., spilled beverage.

Accordingly, there is a need for a system that advances items in a plastic glide tray without a spring-loaded pusher member.

There is a further need for a system that advances items in a plastic glide tray that reduces the number of working parts that need to be assembled or disassembled.

There is a further need for a system that allows for replacement of parts without the need for specially trained service personnel, thus reducing downtime and repair costs.

There is also a need for a system that allows for easy cleaning.

The present disclosure provides a simple but innovative solution to overcome the above problems and recognized needs of the prior art.

SUMMARY

One embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a roller strip seat comprising: a seat, wherein the seat comprises a base having a top, a bottom, a width having two edges and a length having two ends; a first and a second roller support bar disposed on opposite sides of the width along the length and having a portion disposed substantially perpendicularly in a direction away from the top, wherein each of the first and second rollers support bars has a plurality of spaced apart openings disposed therein, wherein a spaced apart opening of the first roller support bar is disposed opposite a spaced apart opening of the second roller support bar, and wherein oppositely disposed spaced apart openings of the first and second roller support bars are configured to hold one of a plurality of rollers; at least one locator disposed on and away from the bottom; at least one locking element disposed on and away from the bottom; and a plurality of rollers, wherein one of the plurality of rollers each is disposed in oppositely disposed spaced openings.

Preferably, the spaced openings of the first and second roller support bars are evenly spaced along a length of each of the first and second roller support bars. Also preferably, the at least one locator is disposed and configured to matingly engage a plastic glide tray so as to properly align the base of the roller strip seat in the plastic glide tray. More preferably, the at least one locator comprises a plurality of locators and, more preferably still, at least one of the plurality of locators is disposed proximal each edge of the width and proximal each end of the length. Most preferably, the plurality of locators comprises a first and a second pair of locators, wherein each of the first pair of locators is disposed substantially opposite the other and substantially equidistant from each edge and proximal a first end of the length, and wherein each of the second pair of locators is disposed substantially equidistant from each edge and proximal a second end of the length. Also preferably, the at least one locking element is disposed and configured to matingly engage a plastic glide tray so as to lock the base of the roller strip seat to the plastic glide tray. More preferably the least one locking element comprises a plurality of locking elements and, more preferably still, at least one of the plurality of locking elements is disposed proximal each end of the length of the roller strip seat. Most preferably, the at least one locking element comprises a plurality of locking elements disposed along the length of the roller strip seat, and the plurality of locking elements are uniformly disposed along the length of the roller strip seat.

Each roller comprises a cylinder portion having a diameter and a length and a connection element at each end of the length. Preferably, each cylinder portion has substantially the same diameter. Also preferably, each connection element is configured to matingly engage one of a pair of oppositely disposed openings in the first and second roller support bars so as to allow the cylinder to freely rotate. Also preferably, the configuration of the connection elements on each roller in association with the configuration of the oppositely disposed openings allows the roller to freely rotate without pulling away from or out of the oppositely disposed openings in the first and second roller support bars.

Another embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a method of assembling a roller strip seat, the method comprising: providing a seat having base with a top, a bottom, a width having two edges and a length having two ends; providing a plurality of rollers; disposing a first and a second roller support bar on opposite sides of the width along at least a portion of the length and substantially perpendicularly in a direction away from the top; disposing a plurality of spaced apart openings in each of the first and second of rollers support bars; arranging a spaced opening of the first roller support bar to be opposite a spaced apart opening of the second roller support bar to form a pair of spaced apart openings; configuring oppositely disposed spaced openings of the first and second roller support bars to hold one of the plurality of rollers; disposing at least one locator on and away from the bottom of the base; disposing at least one locking element disposed on and away from the bottom of the base, wherein the at least one locator and at least one locking element are configured to matingly engage a plastic glide tray; configuring each of the plurality of rollers with connectors so as to be disposed in oppositely disposed spaced apart openings; and placing at least one of plurality of rollers in one of the plurality of pairs of oppositely disposed spaced apart openings.

Additional details of the rollers and the roller support bars are described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,376,154 having the same inventor as the present disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The patent or application file contains at least one drawing executed in color. Copies of this patent or patent application publication with color drawing(s) will be provided by the Office upon request and payment of the necessary fee.

FIG. 1 is an overhead perspective view of a plastic glide tray having a roller strip seat disposed therein of the present disclosure; and FIG. 1A is a detail view of section “A” of FIG. 1.

FIG. 2 is a bottom perspective view of a plastic glide tray having a roller strip seat disposed therein showing locking elements and locators of the roller strip seat used to align and lock the roller strip seat to the plastic glide tray of the present disclosure; FIG. 2A is a detail view of section “A” of FIG. 2; and FIG. 2B is a detail view of section “B” of FIG. 2.

FIG. 3 is an exploded bottom perspective view showing the parts of plastic glide tray and roller strip seat of the present disclosure; and FIG. 3A is a detail view of section “A” of FIG. 3.

FIG. 4 is a side perspective view of a front roller strip seat having rollers disposed therein of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a side perspective view of a middle roller strip seat having rollers disposed therein of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a bottom perspective view of a rear roller strip seat having rollers disposed therein of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a side view of a plastic glide tray having a roller strip seat dispose therein of the present disclosure; and FIG. 7A is an enlarged cross-sectional view through line “A-A” of FIG. 7.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

A preferred embodiment of the present disclosure will now be described in conjunction with the Figures, in which like numerals denote like elements.

FIG. 1 shows a system 100 that is a combination of a plastic glide tray 110 and a roller strip seat 120. Generally, system 100 is used in a refrigerated enclosure (not shown) to maintain beverage bottles or cans at a suitable temperature. As is known, a refrigerated enclosure generally comprises a box-like structure having doors that either slide or rotate to open so that a beverage bottle or can may be removed from the refrigerated enclosure. Plastic glide tray 110 comprises a bottom 130, a backstop 140, a front stop 150, a lower front guard 160 and plastic dividers 170. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, plastic glide tray 110 comprises a front section 111, a plurality of middle sections 112 and a rear section 113. In practice, front, middle and rear sections 111, 112 and 113 are typically of a set standard length, with variations of the depth of a refrigerated enclosure being accommodated by the number of middle sections 112 used. Front section 111, middle sections 112, and rear section 113 are detachably connected so that, as mentioned above, plastic glide trays 100 of different lengths can be assembled to accommodate different depths of refrigerated enclosures. The connections of front section 111, middle sections 112, and rear section 113 will be more easily seen in conjunction with FIG. 2. Roller strip seat 120 comprises a plurality of rollers 180 and a pair of roller support bars 190. In the embodiment of plastic glide tray 110 shown in FIG. 1, backstop 140 is shown as a semi-rectangular configuration having a back edge 141 and two parallel side retention bars 142. The function of backstop 140 is to prevent merchandise, such as beverage bottles or cans, from falling off the back of system 100. Also in the embodiment of plastic glide tray 110 shown in FIG. 1, front stop 150 is of a generally arc-like curved design 151 that is configured to conform to the exterior shape of a typical beverage bottle or can. Lower front guard 160, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, comprises two curved portions 161. The function of curved portions 161 is to prevent a typical beverage bottle or can from tilting forward at the bottom thereof and possibly slipping out of plastic glide tray 110. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, lower front guard 160 is shown as two curved portions 161 but could be a continuous curved strip or other suitable design. Plastic dividers 170 can be integral with bottom 130 of plastic glide tray 110 or separate therefrom. If separate therefrom, plastic dividers 170 would have suitable attachment means for attaching to bottom 130. Also in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, plastic dividers 170 each comprises an opening 171. Openings 171 are a mere matter of design choice and are employed, generally, to reduce the amount of material, i.e. plastic, that is necessary for the manufacture of plastic dividers 170. The function of plastic dividers 170 is to delineate rows of beverage bottles or cans and prevent the bottles or cans from tipping sideways into adjacent rows of beverage bottles or cans. In operation, beverage bottles or cans are inserted between dividers 170 of plastic glide tray 100 and are pushed rearwardly toward backstop 140 until plastic glide tray is filled with beverage bottles or cans. As noted above, backstop 140 prevents beverage bottles or cans from proceeding too far rearwardly and exit plastic glide tray 110 and or tilt in a rearward direction. Bottom 130 also comprises a front spacer 131 disposed on the front edge of bottom 130 below curved portions 161. The function of front spacer 131 is to assure proper spacing of a front edge 132 (here shown in a typical curved shape) of bottom 130, and thus plastic glide tray 110, at a distance away from the doors of refrigerated enclosure so as not to interfere with the function thereof.

FIG. 1A shows a detail of section “A” of FIG. 1. Shown in FIG. 1A is a portion of roller support bar 190 and a plurality of rollers 180. As can be seen in FIG. 1 A, roller support bar 190 has a plurality of substantially evenly spaced apart side openings 191, a plurality of evenly spaced top openings 192 and, disposed near the upper edge 193 of top openings 192, a pair of oppositely disposed protrusions 194 (only one of which is shown for each top opening 192 in the FIG. 1A in perspective view). Each roller 180 comprises a cylindrical portion 181 having a length and a connector 182 at each end of the length (only one of which is shown for each roller 180 in the FIG. 1A perspective view). Rollers 180 can be inserted into roller support bar 190 by aligning connectors 182 above top openings 192 and pressing downwardly. Connectors 182 are of a size slightly greater than a space 195 between adjacent protrusions 194 such that pressing downwardly on rollers 180 causes connectors 182 to pass by protrusions 194 and be seated properly into openings 191. Protrusions 194, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 A, have a rounded configuration such that connectors 182 may pass more easily downwardly therebetween for insertion into openings 191. The connection or fit between connector 182 and protrusions 194 is of a “snap-fit” nature. Openings 191 are provided so that a tool of suitable size and material may be inserted therein to pass under connector 182 and exert an upward force thereon to “pop” connector 182 upwardly past protrusions 194 for removal of roller 180 from roller support bar 190, such as for replacement of a broken roller. While connectors 182 are of a dimension slightly greater than the distance 195 between adjacent protrusions 194, connectors 182 are of a dimension smaller than a space 196 between opposite walls 197 of openings 191. By this cooperative dimensional relationship between connectors 182 and spaces 195 and 196, rollers 180 are assured of being held in roller support bar 190 to prevent rollers 180 from disengaging out of position in roller support bar 190, yet allow rollers 180 to rotate freely when placed in position in roller support bar 190.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a bottom 200 of plastic glide tray 110 having a roller strip seat 120 (not fully shown in FIG. 2) of the present disclosure disposed therein showing locking elements 210 and locators 220 of roller strip seat 120 that are used to align and lock roller strip seat 120 to plastic glide tray 110. Front section 111, middle sections 112, and rear section 113 are more clearly seen in FIG. 2 and can be detachably connected using suitable connection means (not shown in FIG. 2). In one commercial embodiment of plastic glide tray 110, front section 111, middle sections 112, and rear section 113 are detachable via connection means (not shown in FIG. 2) to adjust the length of the plastic glide tray. This detachment and reconnection is accomplished by breaking off one or more middle sections 112 and re-attaching rear section 113. In this commercial embodiment, rear section 113 is provided with “prongs” (not shown in FIG. 2) that can be slid into receiving “holes” (not shown in FIG. 2) of the remaining middle section 112. Bottom 200 of plastic glide tray comprises a plurality of ribs 230 (see, FIG. 2A). Ribs 230 are generally disposed on bottom 200 of plastic glide tray 110 in a substantially perpendicular crisscross pattern with some longitudinal ribs 231 disposed substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis L of plastic glide tray 110 and other transverse ribs 232 disposed substantially perpendicular to longitudinal ribs 231 (see FIG. 2A). Also disposed on bottom 130 of plastic glide tray 110 is a plurality of bottom openings 240 which are also disposed substantially parallel to longitudinal axis L of plastic glide tray 110. Longitudinal ribs 231, transverse ribs 232 and bottom openings 240 are provided to reduce the amount of material needed to manufacture plastic glide tray 110, yet maintain structural rigidity and integrity thereof, and bottom openings 240 of plastic glide tray are generally of uniform width. In addition, longitudinal ribs 231 and transverse ribs 232 provide less surface area and thus reduced friction for better sliding of beverage bottles or cans (when roller strip seat 120 is not disposed thereon). Also, bottom openings 240 allow for drainage in case of beverage bottle or can leakage.

FIG. 2A shows a detail view of section A of FIG. 2. In FIG. 2A, longitudinal ribs 231 and transverse ribs 232 and bottom openings 240 are more easily seen. Also shown in FIG. 2A is a plurality of locking elements 210 that are disposed on the bottom 200 of roller strip seat 120. Locking elements 210 are disposed on the bottom 200 of roller strip seat 120 in positions so that they engage with bottom openings 240. As shown in FIG. 2A, locking elements 210 comprise an arrow-shaped tip 211 and a stem 212 (more clearly seen in FIG. 3A). The arrow-shaped tip 211 shown in FIG. 2A is generally a trapezoidal shape/structure having a narrower tip 213 and a wider base 214. This generally trapezoidal shape/structure of arrow-shaped tip 211 is configured so that locking element 210 can be easily inserted into bottom opening 240 and be held against adjacent edges 241 of bottom opening 240 to lock roller strip seat 120 in position on plastic glide tray 110. FIG. 2B shows a detail view of section B of FIG. 2. FIG. 2B shows a detail view of the bottom of rear section 113. In FIG. 2B, longitudinal ribs 231 and transverse ribs 232 are shown as are locking elements 210 and a pair of locators 220.

Referring to FIG. 3, roller strip seat 120 is comprised of a plurality of sections: front section 311, middle sections 312, and rear section 313, conforming to front section 111, middle sections 112, and rear section 113 of plastic glide tray 110, respectively. Each of the plurality of front section 311, middle sections 312, and rear section 313 of roller strip seat 120 has a pair of locators 220 disposed generally proximal a rear edge and a front edge of each of front section 311, middle sections 312, and rear sections 313 (see, FIG. 3) and configured to abut a transverse rib 232 also disposed generally proximal a rear edge and a front edge of each of front section 111, middle sections 112, and rear section 113 of plastic glide tray 110. Locators 220 are disposed to allow each of front section 311, middle sections 312, and rear section 313 of roller strip seat 120 to be properly placed and aligned (i.e. “located”) in relation to its matching front section 111, middle sections 112 and rear section 113 of plastic glide tray 100. Once properly placed and aligned, each of front section 311, middle sections 312, and rear section 313 of roller strip seat 120 can then be pressed downwardly so that locking elements 210, now properly aligned with bottom openings 240, can matingly engage therewith. Thus, locators 220 allow proper and rapid alignment of each of front section 311, middle sections 312 and rear section 313 of roller strip seat 120 with front section 111, middle sections 112 and rear section 113 of plastic glide tray 110, respectively.

FIG. 3 shows an exploded bottom view of plastic glide tray 100 and roller strip seat 120 of FIG. 2. FIG. 3A shows a detail view of section A of FIG. 3. As can be more clearly seen in FIG. 3A, in the embodiment of the present disclosure shown in the Figures, locking elements 210 and locators 220 project downwardly from the bottom surface 310 of roller strip seat 120. Also in the preferred embodiment of the present disclosure as shown in FIG. 3A, locking elements 210 comprise an arrow-shaped tip 211 and a stem 212. The arrow-shaped tip 211 shown in FIG. 3A is generally a trapezoidal structure having a narrow tip 213 and a wider base 214. Base 214 of arrow-shaped tip 211 has a generally flat portion 215 that rests against oppositely disposed edges of longitudinal ribs 231 of bottom opening 240. This configuration serves to provide vertical stability to each of front section 311, middle sections 312 and rear section 313 of rollers strip seat 120 when disposed in place against plastic glide tray 110. As is known in the art, plastic glide tray is generally fabricated from molded plastic material, such as polypropylene (PP). PP is generally used since it has an inherent low friction coefficient and allows for proper “sliding” of beverage bottles or cans in the plastic glide tray. As a result of the PP material and length, longitudinal ribs 231 have a degree of “flexibility” such that bottom openings 240 have a degree of “expandability”. Thus, bottom openings 240 can be expanded by and accept arrow-shaped tip 211, and then return to their original size and shape and thus abut against generally flat portion 215, thereby “locking” arrow-shaped tip 211 in place. Stem 212 has a width 320 and a length 330 that are configured to substantially conform to the width and depth dimensions of bottom openings 240 of plastic glide tray 110. Of course, width 320 and length 330 of stem 212 will depend upon any particular plastic glide tray 110 with which roller strip seat 120 is used and, therefore, the particular dimensions of width 320 and length 330 are not provided here. While arrow-shaped tip 211 is in the shape of a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure shown in the Figures, it will be appreciated that arrow-shaped tip 211 need not be in that particular shape. Alternative shapes can be envisioned by those of skill in the art based on the present disclosure, such shapes including a “ball and post”, wherein the ball corresponds to arrow-shaped tip 211 and the post corresponds to stem 212. It should be noted that stem 212 can be designed as a solid piece or with a “narrow” area to provide for flexibility of placement of arrow-shaped tip 211. Other possible shapes will be readily apparent to those of skill in the art. Locators 220 of the preferred embodiment shown in the Figures generally have a post-like shape and, as shown in, e.g., FIGS. 3 and 3A, are comprised of a generally square shape having substantially equal widths 340 and lengths 350. Widths 340 and length 350 need not be of any particular size, with the only requirement being that they be of appropriate size to fit in bottom openings 240. Locators 220 also have a depth 360 that likewise need not be of any particular dimension, so long as depth 360 provides sufficient contact with an edge of bottom opening 240 to allow sure placement of locators 220 in and with relation to bottom openings 240.

FIG. 4 shows a side perspective view of front section 311 of roller strip seat 120; FIG. 5 shows a side perspective view of middle section 312 of roller strip seat 120; and FIG. 6 shows a bottom perspective view of the rear section 313 of roller strip seat 120. FIG. 4, FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 to not use any new elements that have not been described with respect to FIGS. 1-3A.

FIG. 7 shows a side view of plastic glide tray 110 comprised of front section 111, middle sections 112 and rear section 113 having a roller strip seat comprised of front section 311, middle sections 312 and rear section 313 disposed therein. FIG. 7A shows a cross-sectional view through line A-A of FIG. 7. As with FIGS. 4-6, FIG. 7 does not introduce any new elements that have not been described with respect to FIGS. 1-3A. Also, in FIG. 7, locking element 210 on the left is not fully seen due to being disposed behind transverse rib 232.

As will be appreciated based on the foregoing detailed description, plastic glide tray 110 may be comprised of any sized front section 111, any number of middle sections 112, and any sized rear section 113. Accordingly, front section 311, middle sections 312 and rear section 313 of roller strip seat 120 may be sized accordingly. Generally, middle sections 312 are the same size, but can be sized differently to accommodate changes in a plastic glide tray.

It should also be noted that the terms “first”, “second”, “third”, “upper”, “lower”, and the like may be used herein to modify various elements. These modifiers do not imply a spatial, sequential, or hierarchical order to the modified elements unless specifically stated.

While the present disclosure has been described with reference to one or more exemplary embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the disclosure without departing from the scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the present disclosure not be limited to the particular embodiment(s) disclosed as the best mode contemplated, but that the disclosure will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.

All of the patents and patent publications referred to herein are Incorporated herein by reference as if fully set forth verbatim in this disclosure.

Claims

1. A roller strip seat comprising:

a seat, wherein the seat comprises:

a base having a top, a bottom, a width having two edges and a length having two ends;

a first and a second roller support bar disposed on opposite sides of the width along the length and having a portion disposed substantially perpendicularly in a direction away from the top, wherein each of the first and second rollers support bars has a plurality of spaced apart openings disposed therein, wherein a spaced apart opening of the first roller support bar is disposed opposite a spaced apart opening of the second roller support bar, and wherein oppositely disposed spaced apart openings of the first and second roller support bars are configured to hold one of a plurality of rollers;

at least one locator disposed on and away from the bottom;

at least one locking element disposed on and away from the bottom; and

a plurality of rollers, wherein one of the plurality of rollers each is disposed in oppositely disposed spaced openings.

2. The roller strip seat according to claim 1, wherein the spaced openings of the first and second roller support bars are evenly disposed along the length of the portion disposed substantially perpendicularly in a direction away from the top of each of the first and second roller support bars.

3. The roller strip seat according to claim 1, wherein the at least one locator is disposed and configured to matingly engage a plastic glide tray so as to properly align the base in the plastic glide tray.

4. The roller strip seat according to claim 1, wherein the at least one locator comprises a plurality of locators.

5. The roller strip seat according to claim 4, wherein at least one of the plurality of locators is disposed proximal each edge of the width.

6. The roller strip seat according to claim 4, wherein the plurality of locators comprises a first and a second pair of locators, wherein each of the first pair of locators is disposed substantially opposite the other and substantially equidistant from each edge and proximal a first end of the length, and wherein each of the second pair of locators is disposed substantially equidistant from each edge and proximal a second end of the length.

7. The roller strip seat according to claim 1, wherein the at least one locking element is disposed and configured to matingly engage a plastic glide tray so as to lock the base to the plastic glide tray.

8. The roller strip seat according to claim 7, wherein the least one locking element locator comprises a plurality of locking elements.

9. The roller strip seat according to claim 8, wherein at least one of the plurality of locking elements is disposed proximal each end of the length.

10. The roller strip seat according to claim 9, wherein the plurality of locking elements comprises a row of locking elements substantially evenly disposed along the bottom between the two ends, wherein each of the plurality of locking elements is disposed along the bottom along a longitudinal axis of the bottom between the two ends, wherein at least one of the plurality of locking elements is disposed away from the longitudinal axis toward a first one of the two edges, and wherein at least one of the plurality of locking elements is disposed away from the longitudinal axis toward a second one of the two edges.

11. The roller strip seat according to claim 10, wherein alternate locking elements of the row of locking are disposed substantially equidistant from each other and substantially equidistant on opposite sides of the longitudinal axis.

12. The roller strip seat according to claim 1, wherein each roller comprises a cylinder portion having a diameter and a length and a connection element at the end of the length.

13. The roller strip seat according to claim 12, wherein each cylinder portion has substantially the same diameter.

14. The roller strip seat according to claim 12, wherein each connection element is configured to matingly engage one of a pair of oppositely disposed opening so as to allow roller freely to rotate in a pair of oppositely disposed openings.

15. The roller strip seat according to claim 14, wherein the configuration of the connection elements on each roller and the configuration of the oppositely disposed openings allow the roller to freely rotate without pulling away from or out of the oppositely disposed openings.

16. A method of assembling a roller strip seat, the method comprising:

providing a seat having base with a top, a bottom, a width having two edges and a length having two ends;

providing a plurality of rollers;

disposing a first and a second roller support bar on opposite sides of the width along at least a portion of the length and substantially perpendicularly in a direction away from the top;

disposing a plurality of spaced apart openings in each of the first and second of rollers support bars;

arranging a spaced opening of the first roller support bar to be opposite a spaced apart opening of the second roller support bar to form a pair of spaced apart openings;

configuring oppositely disposed spaced openings of the first and second roller support bars to hold one of the plurality of rollers;

disposing at least one locator on and away from the bottom of the base;

disposing at least one locking element disposed on and away from the bottom of the base, wherein the at least one locator and at least one locking element are configured to matingly engage a plastic glide tray;

configuring each of the plurality of rollers with connectors to be disposed in oppositely disposed spaced apart openings; and

placing at least one of plurality of rollers in one of the plurality of pairs of oppositely disposed spaced apart openings.