Latching system for a merchandising apparatus

1. A sliding shelf latching system comprising:

a shelf movably mounted on a pair of side brackets, each of the pair of side brackets including a plurality of spaced catches defined thereon, said shelf being movable between a vending position and a stocking position;

a first latch housing mounted to the shelf adjacent a first side edge of the shelf;

a second latch housing mounted to the shelf adjacent a second side edge of the shelf;

a first latch member mounted in the first latch housing, said first latch member being resiliently biased into an extended position by a first biasing member;

a second latch member mounted in the second latch housing, said second latch member being resiliently biased into an extended position by a second biasing member;

wherein said first and second biasing members urge a respective one of said first and second latch members into contact with a respective one of said plurality of catches;

a first cable connecting said first and second latch members to each other;

a second cable connected adjacent a first end thereof to the first cable and including a handle located at a second end thereof, the second cable extending in common direction with the side brackets;

wherein said first and second latch members comprise a flat front face and an angled rear face for engaging with a respective flat front face and an angled rear face of at least one of said plurality of catches in each side bracket;

and

wherein said first cable is adapted to move said first and second latch members into respective retracted positions and allow said shelf to be moved from the vending position to the stocking position when said second cable is displaced towards a front edge of the shelf from a first position to a second position; and

wherein said shelf can be returned from the stocking position to the vending position irrespective of whether the second cable is in the first position or the second position.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said first latch member comprises a flat front face and an angled rear face.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein at least one of said plurality of catches includes a flat front face and an angled rear face.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein said shelf includes a top surface lying in a plane disposed at an acute angle to a horizontal plane.

5. The system of claim 1 further comprising first and second slides connecting said shelf to said first and second brackets.

6. The system of claim 1 further comprising a second cable connected adjacent a first end thereof to the first cable and including a handle located at a second end thereof.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the first cable extends along a first axis and said second cable extends along a second axis which is oriented generally normal to the first axis.

8. The system of claim of claim 7 wherein said first axis extends through said pair of side brackets.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein said second axis extends through a front and a rear face of said shelf.

10. The system of claim 6 further comprising a cable bracket mounted to said shelf, said second cable extending through said cable bracket.

11. The system of claim 6 further comprising first and second stops mounted to said first cable in a spaced manner, wherein the first end of said second cable is connected to said first cable at a location between said first and second stops.

12. A sliding shelf latching system comprising:

a shelf including a first side edge, a second side edge, a top surface and a bottom surface, the shelf being slidably mounted between a pair of side brackets and being movable between a vending position and a stocking position, the pair of side brackets including a plurality of spaced catches defined thereon;

a first latch assembly mounted to the shelf bottom surface adjacent the first side edge of the shelf, the first latch assembly including a first latch housing, a first biasing member, and a first latch member resiliently biased to an extended position in relation to the first latch housing;

a second latch assembly mounted to the shelf bottom surface adjacent the second side edge of the shelf, the second latch assembly including a second latch housing, a second biasing member, and a second latch member resiliently biased to an extended position in relation to the second latch housing;

wherein said first and second biasing members urge a respective one of said first and second latch members into contact with one of said plurality of catches;

a first cable connected to said first and second latch members, wherein said first cable is adapted to retract said first and second latch members in order to allow the shelf to be moved from the vending position to the stocking position;

wherein the first and second latch members each have an angled rear surface that interacts with a respective portion of each of the plurality of catches to permit retraction of said first and second latch members independent of the first cable when a force is applied to the shelf to return the shelf to the vending position.

13. The system of claim 12 further comprising a second cable including a first end connected to said first cable and a second end to which is mounted a handle, said second cable extending in a direction generally transverse to a direction of the first cable.

14. The system of claim 12 wherein the shelf is forwardly inclined in relation to a horizontal plane.

15. A latching system for a gravity feed merchandising apparatus, comprising:

a shelf slidably mounted between a first and a second side bracket, the shelf being adapted to move between a vending position and a stocking position, the first and second side brackets each including openings defined on facing surfaces thereof;

a first latch member operably mounted to one of the shelf and the first side bracket, the first latch member including a flat front face and an angled rear face;

a second latch member operably mounted to one of the shelf and the second side bracket, the second latch member including a flat front face and an angled rear face;

wherein the first and second latch members are located adjacent opposed side edges of the shelf;

wherein the first and second latch members are each resiliently biased to an extended position so as to engage the flat front face of a respective one of the first and second latch members with catches defined on the first and second side brackets, thereby retarding said shelf from sliding out of the vending position;

an actuating device for moving the first and second latch members to a respective retracted position thereby allowing said shelf to slide from the vending position to the stocking position, said actuating device including a handle displaceable from a first position corresponding to the extended position of the first and second latch members to a second position corresponding to a retracted position of the first and second latch members, the second position being closer to a front edge of the shelf than the first position;

wherein the angled rear face of the first and second latch member permits a retraction of the first and second latch members against the resiliently biased extended position thereby allowing said shelf to slide from the stocking position towards the vending position; and,

wherein said actuating device includes a cable connecting said first and second latch members to each other.

16. The system of claim 15 further comprising a ratchet construction disposed on at least one of the shelf and the first and second side brackets, the ratchet construction being adapted to enable the shelf to be held in a plurality of intermediate positions between the vending position and the stocking position.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the ratchet construction comprises a first plurality of spaced catches defined on the opening of said first side bracket and a second plurality of spaced catches defined on the opening of said second side bracket, wherein at least one of each of said first plurality of catches and second plurality of catches includes a flat front face and an angled rear face.