IP Verse

Retail Merchandise Tray

Patent No. US11350769 (titled "Retail Merchandise Tray") was filed by Cerberus Business Finance Agency Llc on Feb 11, 2021.

What is this patent about?

’769 is related to the field of retail merchandise displays, specifically self-facing displays that use a pusher system to bias merchandise forward. These systems aim to reduce labor costs by automatically front-facing products as customers remove them. The background art includes pusher systems with tracks, springs, and dividers, as well as stand-alone pusher trays with adjustable side barriers. The patent addresses improvements to these pusher systems, particularly pusher trays.

The underlying idea behind ’769 is to create a retail merchandise tray that is easier and cheaper to assemble, while also improving functionality. This is achieved through several key innovations: a weld-free wire support structure , divider assemblies with resilient connections, an integrated baffle plate system, and a versatile shelf mounting arrangement. The design emphasizes modularity and ease of use, allowing for quick adjustments and replacements of components.

The claims of ’769 focus on a retail merchandise tray comprising a frame, a pusher, and movable divider assemblies. Claim 1 emphasizes the configuration of the divider assemblies, including divider walls with flanges and wire supports that allow for adjustment of the divider walls relative to the frame. The claim details the positioning of the wire supports and flanges in different positions of the divider walls. Claim 10 focuses on a similar tray, but emphasizes the cavities formed in the divider walls to receive the wire supports of the opposing divider assembly, and the slots in the outer surface of the divider walls to receive the outer end of the wire supports.

In practice, the tray works by using a wire support structure that is removably attached to the front stop and load-bearing members, eliminating the need for welding. The pusher, mounted on this structure, biases merchandise forward. The divider assemblies, with their resilient connections, allow for easy adjustment of lane widths. The integrated baffle plate system, with its slidable extensions, ensures consistent airflow in refrigerated displays. The shelf mounting arrangements provide flexibility in how the tray is installed.

The invention differentiates itself from prior approaches by focusing on ease of assembly and improved functionality. The keying arrangement for the wire support structure, the resilient connections for the divider assemblies, and the integrated baffle plate system all contribute to a more efficient and user-friendly design. Unlike traditional systems that may require welding or separate baffle plate mounting, ’769 offers a streamlined and modular solution for retail merchandise display.

How does this patent fit in bigger picture?

Technical landscape at the time

In the late 2010s when ’769 was filed, retail merchandise displays commonly relied on spring-loaded pusher systems to automatically front-face products on shelves. At a time when such systems typically incorporated tracks and pusher paddles, engineering constraints made it non-trivial to design easily adjustable and modular systems that could accommodate various product sizes and shelf configurations without requiring welding or complex assembly processes.

Novelty and Inventive Step

The examiner approved the application because there was no reasonable basis for combining the cited prior art (Vogler) with the claimed invention without using impermissible hindsight. Vogler discloses a retail merchandise tray with certain features, but it does not explicitly teach a tray where, with the first divider wall in a first position and the second divider wall in a third position, the flange portion of the first divider wall extends inward beyond the first side of the frame, and the flange portion of the second divider wall extends inward beyond the second side of the frame.

Claims

This patent contains 14 claims, with independent claims 1 and 10 directed to a retail merchandise tray. The independent claims generally focus on the structure and adjustability of divider assemblies within the tray. The dependent claims elaborate on specific features and configurations of the retail merchandise tray described in the independent claims.

Key Claim Terms New

Definitions of key terms used in the patent claims.

Term (Source)Support for SpecificationInterpretation
First divider assembly
(Claim 1, Claim 10)		“In embodiments according to this aspect, the at least one divider assembly includes a pair of divider assemblies movable about the second axis and arranged such that the pair of load bearing members are interposed between the pair of divider assemblies. The at least one divider assembly includes a divider wall and a pair of wire supports. The pair of wire supports are removably attached to the divider by a resilient connection.”A component mounted to the frame, including a divider wall and wire supports, that can be adjusted to different positions relative to the frame.
Flange portion
(Claim 1, Claim 10)		“In embodiments according to this aspect, the divider wall includes an upright portion having opposed sides. A flange extends from at least one of the opposed sides perpendicular to the upright portion. The at least one divider assembly includes a baffle plate extension connected to the at least one flange by a slidable connection.”A part of the divider wall that extends inward from the upright portion.
Longitudinally extending slot
(Claim 10)		“The slidable connection between the baffle plate extension and the at least one flange comprises a tab depending downwardly from the flange and a slot formed in the baffle plate extension which receives the tab.”A slot formed in the outer surface of the divider wall above the bottom surface of the divider wall, which receives the outer end of the wire support.
Merchandise support structure
(Claim 1, Claim 10)		“Turning now the drawings, various embodiments of a retail merchandise tray are illustrated. A retail merchandise tray (hereinafter referred to as a “tray”) according to the teachings herein as the advantage of having a reduced assembly time and cost due in part to the weld-free interconnection of its various components.”A component of the frame that provides a surface or mechanism for holding and presenting retail products within the tray.
Wire supports
(Claim 1, Claim 10)		“In embodiments according to this aspect, the at least one divider assembly includes a pair of divider assemblies movable about the second axis and arranged such that the pair of load bearing members are interposed between the pair of divider assemblies. The at least one divider assembly includes a divider wall and a pair of wire supports. The pair of wire supports are removably attached to the divider by a resilient connection.”Components that connect the divider wall to the frame and allow for adjustment of the divider wall's position.

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US11350769

CERBERUS BUSINESS FINANCE AGENCY LLC
Application Number
US17173889
Filing Date
Feb 11, 2021
Status
Granted
Expiry Date
Dec 1, 2037
External Links
Slate, USPTO, Google Patents