Product management display system with trackless pusher mechanism
A product management display system for merchandising product on a shelf includes using a trackless pusher mechanism that travels along a surface on which product is placed and one or more dividers for separating product into rows. The one or more dividers may be engaged to a front rail in two different conditions, locked and unlocked. In a locked condition, the relationship between the divider and the front rail resists alteration in any direction with respect to each other. In the unlocked condition, the dividers may be freely slid laterally along the front rail, while remaining perpendicular to the front rail. The one or more dividers may lock to the front rail through the use of corresponding teeth, resilient surfaces, a locking tab, a locking bar and/or a cam.
1. A merchandise display system comprising:
a front rail comprising a plurality of teeth and a cam bar, wherein the front rail further comprises a cam bar lever that moves the cam bar within the front rail, and
at least one divider configured to attach to the front rail, the at least one divider comprising a divider wall and a divider floor perpendicular to the divider wall, the at least one divider further comprising a plurality of teeth;
wherein the teeth in the front rail are configured to releasably engage the teeth of the divider by a camming action of the cam bar between a locked position and a released position in the front rail;
wherein the at least one divider is (a) movable in a lateral direction parallel to the front rail and (b) secured in a direction perpendicular to the front rail when the cam bar is in the released position, and
wherein the at least one divider is (a) immovable in the lateral direction parallel to the front rail and (b) secured in the direction perpendicular to the front rail when the cam bar is in the locked position.
2. The merchandise display system of claim 1 , wherein, in the released position, the cam bar lever withdraws the teeth of the front rail into the front rail away from the divider and in the locked position, the cam bar lever extends the teeth of the front rail toward the divider.
3. The merchandise display system of claim 2 , wherein when the cam bar lever is moved from the released position to the locked position, it moves the cam bar laterally along inside of the front rail.
4. The merchandise display system of claim 1 , wherein the front rail further comprises a tooth bar having tooth bar cam studs, wherein the cam bar further comprises at least one cam reservoir with a front end of the cam reservoir closer to a front end of the front rail and a rear end of the cam reservoir further back from the front end of the front rail, wherein the tooth bar cam studs are placed within the cam reservoir, such that when the cam bar and the cam reservoir moves laterally, the tooth bar cam studs move in a perpendicular direction to movement of the cam bar.
5. The merchandise display system of claim 4 , comprising two cam reservoirs and the tooth bar cam studs are placed within the cam reservoirs, respectively.
6. The merchandise display system of claim 1 , wherein the front rail further comprises a planar surface and a ridge that is perpendicular to the planar surface.
7. The merchandise display system of claim 6 , wherein underneath of the divider floor is a planar surface having a groove, wherein the groove corresponds with the ridge such that the divider floor will slide freely along the ridge and planar surface of the front rail.
8. The merchandise display system of claim 1 , further comprising a pusher mechanism having a pusher surface, and a coiled spring having a coiled end and a free end, wherein the coiled end is positioned behind the pusher surface and the pusher mechanism is attached to the merchandise display system only by the coiled spring.