Presentation system for products comprising slides movable along a baseplate

Abstract

 A description is given of a presentation system (1) for displaying products, comprising a base plate (2) which is to be placed loose on a bearing surface, said base plate having an upper side on which or in which a first guiding profiled pattern (4) is formed, and at least one slide (5) which can be placed on said upper side, which slide (5) has a bottom side on which or in which a second guiding profiled pattern (7) is formed, which second guiding profiled pattern (7) can move on or in said first guiding profiled pattern (4), wherein both guiding profiled patterns are designed so as to be interengaging guiding profiled patterns which can be moved in line with respect to each other.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a presentation system for displaying products.

[0002] Such a presentation system is known from NL-9200560. In said document a description is given of a system in the form of a shop rack, on which, viewed from back to front, products arranged in a row on a rack support are provided with a pressure plate. The pressure plate can be moved over a rack support in the form of a grid, enabling maintaining the products in line and moving them to the front of the rack, in this case referred to as fronting.

[0003] A drawback of the known presentation system resides in that the shop rack must be purchased as a unit in order to be able to display and front the products.

[0004] Other known presentation systems are integrated in the packaging of the products. In this case the packaging is no longer universal and its manufacture additionally requires substantial extra costs. Moreover, such a special packaging requires a support system which is adapted thereto and on which the boxes containing the products are displayed. However, the average customer should be able to take the products from the boxes in an immediately understandable manner, otherwise sales of these products will be adversely affected.

[0005] It is an object of the invention to provide a cost-price friendly and consumer-friendly presentation system, which can be provided loose on an existing bearing surface so as to be movable thereon, and which can be universally used for a plurality of product types for readily fronting and separating products on display and keeping them separated, without the presentation system taking up valuable space or adversely affecting sales.

[0006] To achieve this, the presentation system according to the invention is characterized in that it comprises :

• a base plate which is to be placed loose on a bearing surface, said base plate having an upper side on which or in which a first guiding profiled pattern is formed, and
• at least one slide which can be placed on said upper side, which slide has a bottom side on which or in which a second guiding profiled pattern is formed, which second guiding profiled pattern can move on or in said first guiding profiled pattern,

wherein both guiding profiled patterns are designed so as to be interengaging guiding profiled patterns which can be moved in line with respect to each other.

[0007] An advantage of the presentation system according to the invention resides in that it can be readily provided on the bearing surface of an existing support system for products, because the base plate forms the basis of this system. Special racks or adaptations to existing shelves or bearing systems are not necessary. This base plate which is to be provided on a bearing surface further has a profiled pattern which corresponds to that of the slide which can be readily advantageously moved along said base plate. This means that for fronting the products, only the slide has to be moved, as a result of which the products on the slide and between the slide and the front side of the base plate move forward along with the slide. In this position the products can be taken out by the consumer.

[0008] In addition, the slide system is directly recognizable to the customer, so that when the products are positioned, often among neighbouring products, more towards the back of the row, the customer himself will move the slide in the forward direction. As a result, these products also come within reach.

[0009] The slide or slides which can be designed in various ways to be explained hereinbelow are also used as product separator(s), by means of which rows of neighbouring products displayed on the slides are separated from one another.

[0010] The system according to the invention makes it possible to separate said neighbouring rows by means of only one wall, so that no valuable presentation space is lost.

[0011] An embodiment of the presentation system according to the invention is characterized in that at least one of the first and second guiding profiled patterns forms parallel, linear rows of juxtaposed elevated portions and depressions on the respective upper sides and bottom sides.

[0012] Such guiding profiled patterns can be readily provided on the respective sides and may comprise a large number of juxtaposed elevated portions and depressions. Apart from the milling out of material, injection moulding is preferred when, in principle, all parts of the system are made from a lightweight synthetic resin material.

[0013] A further embodiment of the presentation system is characterized according to the invention in that it comprises a wire connection, which may or may not be elastic, which extends across the base plate and which is provided between the slide and the front side of the base plate, and by means of which wire connection the slide is movable along the base plate.

[0014] Such a wire connection is expected to enjoy a high degree of acceptance among the public at large, because of the association with the pulling of a sledge. Advantageously, it is not necessary to reach between the sometimes difficultly reachable rows of products in order to take the desired product, but instead the wire present on the front side only has to be pulled to bring the product within reach on the front side by virtue of the moving slide.

[0015] An automatically functioning system which does not require investments in, for example, electricity is characterized in that, if the wire connection is elastic and provided while under tension, said wire connection will be inherently inclined, during operation of the system, to move the slide to the front side of the base plate. The respective force then pushes the products forward.

[0016] Further detailed possible embodiments, which are set forth in the remaining claims, are mentioned together with the associated advantages in the following description.

[0017] The presentation system according to the present invention will now be explained in greater detail with reference to the drawings shown below, in which corresponding parts bear the same reference numerals. In said drawings:

Figure 1 shows a loose base plate for use in the presentation system according to the invention;

Figures 2A and 2B show examples of possible embodiments of slides which can suitably be moved along the base plate of fig. 1;

Figures 3A and 3B show embodiments of details and parts of possible front edges of the base plate of figure 1;

Figures 4A, 4B and 4C show variants of the construction of the slides of figures 2A and 2B;

Figures 5A, 5B and 5C show various types of coupling means by means of which, in particular, rear walls of single types and a compound type can be coupled together;

Figure 6 shows views of an adapter which can suitably be provided on the front edge of the base plate;

Figures 7A, 7B, 7C and 7D show embodiments of details of rear walls, side walls and bottom sides of walls of a type of slide; and

Figures 8A, 8B, 8C and 8D show simple, removable T, L, U, or combinations thereof, types of slides, the lower edges of which have locking means, which can be inserted, if necessary, into the rear wall of fig. 2B.

[0018] Figure 1 shows a loose base plate 2, which forms part of a presentation system 1, and which can suitably be used in the presentation system 1, which will be explained in more detail hereinafter, to display, at least in part, products, not shown in this figure, on said base plate 2. The system 1 comprises the base plate 2 which is to be removably placed on a supporting base, in this case a bearing surface. Said base plate 2 may be rigid or flexible, depending on the material used to make said base plate. The base plate 2 and the other parts, which will be explained in detail hereinafter, can be readily made of lightweight synthetic resin by means of injection moulding. The base plate 2 has an upper side 3 on which or in which a first guiding profiled pattern 4 is provided. The products may or may not be exclusively displayed on the upper side 3. The profiled pattern 4 on the upper side 3 comprises mutually parallel, linear rows of alternately provided juxtaposed elevated portions and depressions.

[0019] Figures 2A and 2B show embodiments of slides 5 which can suitably be placed on, and moved along, the base plate 2. The slide 5, which can be placed on the upper side 3, has a bottom side 6 on which or in which a second guiding profiled pattern 7 is provided which can be moved along or in the first guiding profiled pattern 4. Both guiding profiled patterns 4 and 7 are designed so as to be interengaging profiled patterns, which are linearly movable with respect to each other. The slide 5 shown in figure 1 can be moved from left to right and vice versa. Figure 2 A shows profiled parts which are used as glide elements 7 underneath the slide 5 and which enable the slide 5 to be moved, requiring very little effort and no lubricant at all, in the elongated depressions of the profiled pattern 4. The respective mutually parallel, linear rows of juxtaposed elevated portions and depressions provided on the respective upper side 3 and bottom side 6 prevent movement in directions other than from the front to the rear. Said profiled pattern 4 on the base plate can be formed by milling if necessary, but injection moulding is preferable from an economical point of view.

[0020] The products P may be placed, if desired, on the upper side of the slide 5, as shown in Fig. 2A. By providing the slide with ridges, movement of the products provided in the slide is prevented. In this case, the slide 5 has a rear wall 8 and a side wall 9 to support the products placed on the slide, said side wall being provided with a grip 10 on the front side, enabling the slide 5 to be readily moved along the upper side 3 of the plate 2. Also products present in front of the front edge 11 of the slide 5 can be displayed on the plate 2. When these products P have been removed, the slide 5 can be moved forward. In this case, the slide 5, which can be moved along the plate in the depth direction, has a bottom 12 the width of which is smaller than the width of the base plate which, in this case, is fully covered with profiled pattern 4, thereby enabling front - to- back movement and vice versa throughout the depth and at any desired transverse position.

[0021] Fig. 2B shows a slide 5 comprising a rear wall 8, no front edge, and in this case two side walls 9-1, 9-2 coupled to said rear wall. In this case, the side walls 9 rest on the upper side of the slide 5, and said side walls are the walls 9 of, for example, L or T-shaped product separators shown in figures 8C and 8A, which in the process of building up the slide 5 are inserted through slots S into the rear wall 8. The embodiment shown here, which is somewhat wider, can suitably be used, for example, for bags whose contents are not very heavy. Said bags may be displayed on the slide 5 against the rear wall 8 and, in front of the slide, on the plate 2. A saving in both wall material and wall weight is achieved by removing material from the wall. Advertisements may be provided on or in the walls 8, 9 or may be removed from said walls.

[0022] Figures 3A and 3B show embodiments of details of possible front edges 13 of the base plate 1. In this case, said edge 13 is provided with teeth 14. Said teeth may be integral with the edge or may be detachably provided in a recess 15 at the front of the base plate 2, as shown in fig. 3A. The side walls 9-1, 9-2 can be guided by said teeth 14 and by said profiled pattern 14 when they are moved forward and backward during the movement of the slide 5 or the removable walls 9-1, 9-2 without the slide 5. A holder 15 for an information ticket may be snapped on between the side walls, which is schematically shown in figure 3B.

[0023] Figures 4A, 4B and 4C show variants of the construction of the slides 5 shown in figures 2A and 2B. The variant shown in fig. 4A comprises a wire connection which extends across the base plate 2 and which is provided between the slide 5 and the front of the base plate, and which may or may not be elastic. Said wire 16 can be used at least to pull the slide 5 forward, and if the wire is elastic the slide 5 will be inherently inclined to move forward, causing the products in front of and on the slide 5 to be pushed to the front of the plate 2 by the elastic force. The wire 16 can extend in a respective slot 17 between the elevated portions and across the intermediate depression of profiled pattern 4 to the front.

[0024] Fig. 4B shows a rear wall 8 which is detachable from the bottom 12, which facilitates space-saving transport. The side walls 9, 9-1, 9-2 in the slots S may be fixedly or detachably coupled to the rear wall 8 and/or the bottom 12.

[0025] Fig 4C shows an arrangement comprising a simple L-shaped and a T-shaped slide 5 the wall 9 of which extends through an appropriate slot 17 of the guide profile 7 to in between teeth 14. By lifting the relevant wall on one side by means of the grip 10, this slide 5 can be used both as product separator and pusher, so that the products in front of it can be pushed forward and fronted. Subsequently, the slide can be moved back, possibly against the opposing elastic force.

[0026] T-shaped, U-shaped, L-shaped and compound U-shaped slides 5, without a bottom 12 in front of which products can be placed, are also shown separately in figures 8A, 8B, 8C and 8D, for clarity.

[0027] Figures 5A, 5B and 5C show various types of coupling means 18 by means of which walls 9, 9-1, 9-2 and rear walls of various types of slides 5 can be coupled together. Said coupling enables, in general, a wider range of displayed products to be fronted in one go and simultaneously, after which the slide 5 thus formed, which possibly may have a bottom 12, can be moved back.

[0028] Fig. 5A shows appropriate types of sleeve couplings 18-1 which can be detachably provided, by means of which, for example, an L-shaped slide can be made into a T-shaped slide 5 having a larger range. By means of a pin, the left rear wall 8-1 is connected, in this case an entire rear wall 8 is connected through a hole in the wall 9.

[0029] Fig. 5B shows, in this case, a kind of dovetail joint 18-2 between wall 9 and a partial cut 19 in the rear wall 8.

[0030] Fig. 5C shows very clearly tenon and mortise coupling means 18-3, wherein an auxiliary 20 is coupled between neighboring rear walls 8 of two slides 5.

[0031] Fig. 6 shows an example of an adapter 21 in a number of different views, which adapter is suitable to be provided on the toothed or non-toothed front edge 13 of the base plate 2. The adapter 21 which is to be snapped on to the front edge at a suitable location has teeth 22 between which the (side) walls 9 rest, and they may be removed from between said teeth, if necessary, in order to move the slide 5.

[0032] Figures 7A, 7B, 7C and 7D show embodiments of details of rear walls 8, side walls 9 and, in particular, bottom sides of walls of a type of slide 5 without a bottom 12.

[0033] In particular figures 7A and 7B show that recesses 23 are provided on the front bottom side and/or rear bottom side of the slide wall 9, which recesses are shaped such that they can fit into elevated portions 24 provided on the front side, or possibly, the rear side of the base plate 2. Reference is made to fig. 1 for this purpose. This results in a locking effect or braking action, causing the slides to be inherently inclined to slip back into said elevations. In addition, this enhances the sturdiness of the system 1, because the slides are less likely to move from their positions and they have to be lifted slightly before they can be moved.

[0034] Such a locking effect or braking action is achieved differently in the embodiment shown in fig. 7C, in which magnets 25 are provided at various locations on the rear side of the rear wall 8, which is useful and increases the stability if a wall which is situated behind said magnets or, for example, a strip 26 (see fig. 1) thereof is made of metal. The slide 5 can be readily detached therefrom or attached thereto by applying a manual force exceeding the magnetic force.

[0035] Fig. 7D shows a wall 9 having pre-weakened breaking lines 27, allowing the wall 9 to be readily reduced to the required length by breaking it off along a certain breaking line 27. Cardboard, laminated paper but also synthetic resin are preferably used as the materials from which the components of the system 1 can be manufactured.

[0036] By rotating the bottom 12 of the slide through a quarter of a turn in case the upper side thereof is provided with a first type of profiled pattern 4, the bottom can serve as base plate 2. A somewhat smaller slide 5 the bottom side of which is provided with a second type of profiled pattern 7 can then be arranged on said base plate 2 so as to be movable across said base plate.

Claims

1. A presentation system for displaying products, comprising:

- a base plate which is to be placed loose on a bearing surface, said base plate having an upper side on which or in which a first guiding profiled pattern is formed, and

- at least one slide which can be placed on said upper side, which slide has a bottom side on which or in which a second guiding profiled pattern is formed, which second guiding profiled pattern can move on or in said first guiding profiled pattern,

wherein both guiding profiled patterns are designed so as to be interengaging guiding profiled patterns which can be moved in line with respect to each other.

2. The presentation system according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one of the first and second guiding profiled patterns forms parallel, linear rows of juxtaposed elevated portions and depressions on the respective upper sides and bottom sides.

3. The presentation system according to any one of claims 1 to 2, characterized in that the first guiding profiled pattern extends across the width and throughout the depth direction, that is from the back to the front, of the base plate, and the slide, which can be moved over it in the depth direction, has a bottom whose width is smaller than the width of the base plate.

4. The presentation system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the slide comprises a rear wall which rises from the upper side thereof and which is used as a supporting surface allowing products which are to be presented in front of it and which are to be displayed on the upper surface of the slide and the ground plate to rest against it.

5. The presentation system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the presentation system comprises a wire connection, which may or may not be elastic, which extends across the base plate and which is provided between the slide and the front side of the base plate, and by means of which wire connection the slide is movable along the base plate.

6. The presentation system according to claim 5, characterized in that, if the wire connection is elastic and provided while under tension, said wire connection will be inherently inclined, during operation of the system, to move the slide to the front side of the base plate.

7. The presentation system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that a toothed edge is provided at the front side of the base plate.

8. The presentation system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the slide has at least one wall or side wall which rises from the bottom of the slide and which is extended in the direction of the front side of the base plate.

9. The presentation system according to claim 8, characterized in that the at least one wall or side wall, viewed in a backward-slid position, has a grip close to the teeth.

10. The presentation system according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that the at least one side wall, rear wall and/or parts of the at least one slide are provided with inter-engagable and detachable coupling means.

11. The presentation system according to claim 10, characterized in that the coupling means comprise slots provided in said walls and/or parts and or with pins/holes which can be brought into alignment and which can be coupled with one another.

12. The presentation system according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that elevated portions in the second profiled pattern on the bottom side of the slide, or bottom sides of one or more walls of the slide, are each movable in depressions of the first guiding profiled pattern.

13. The presentation system according to claim 12, characterized in that recesses are provided on the front side and/or rear side of said elevated portions or bottom sides, which recesses are shaped such that they can fit into elevations provided on the front side or rear side of the base plate.

14. The presentation system according to any one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that at least the rear wall of the at least one slide is provided with one or more magnets.

15. The presentation system according to any one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that the base plate and/or the slide are made of cardboard or synthetic resin.

Drawing