Systems and methods for displaying products |
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申请号 | US11292640 | 申请日 | 2005-12-02 | 公开(公告)号 | US20070125730A1 | 公开(公告)日 | 2007-06-07 |
申请人 | Douglas McLaughlin; Jeffery Dean; Leslie McCraw; Christopher Hartley; Eric Harrison; Scott Winchester; | 发明人 | Douglas McLaughlin; Jeffery Dean; Leslie McCraw; Christopher Hartley; Eric Harrison; Scott Winchester; | ||||
摘要 | Systems and methods for displaying products are described. One system comprises a lockable sidekick display configured to display a product. | ||||||
权利要求 | What is claimed is: |
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说明书全文 | The invention relates to systems and methods for displaying products. Certain products offered for sale in a retail environment may be dangerous or prone to theft. However, keeping such a product in an area off-limits to or out of sight from a customer may decrease a retailer's ability to sell the product. Similarly, one of these products may be stored in a conventional display unit visible to the customer (such as a lockable jewelry/cosmetic counter case, a lockable electronics cabinet, or a gravity-feed display behind a counter), but many conventional display units may be difficult to move, take up a significant amount of retail floor space, be incompatible with certain products, or require placement distant from an associated product or class of products not as dangerous or likely to be stolen, thereby decreasing opportunities for cross-marketing and selling. Display units in a retail environment may be costly to replace and may represent a significant expense in the set-up of a retail environment. Accordingly, a retailer with an existing store location may be resistant to modifying or replacing existing display units in order to accommodate a new product or service. Conventional display units may be configured to display a variety of different products during different retail seasons or sale periods, and a retailer may wish to minimize the time required to change out products in a display unit. Conventional display units may also be ill equipped to prevent damage to a product caused by a customer or employee. Accordingly, a demand exists for further systems and methods capable of safely and securely displaying a product in a retail environment. Embodiments of the present invention provide systems and methods for displaying products. One illustrative embodiment comprises a lockable sidekick display configured to display a product. This embodiment is mentioned not to limit or define the invention, but to provide an example of an embodiment of the invention to aid understanding thereof. Illustrative embodiments are discussed in the Detailed Description, and further description of the invention is provided there. Advantages offered by the various embodiments of the present invention may be further understood by examining this specification. These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention are better understood when the following Detailed Description is read with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: Embodiments of the present invention provide systems and methods for displaying products. The systems and methods embodying the invention can be adapted for use in many environments, wherever there is a need to display a product. For example, in one embodiment, a lockable sidekick display may be used to display a product that may be dangerous or prone to theft. The illustrative embodiments below show the invention used in a retail environment in association with systems and methods used to display refillable carbon dioxide tanks designed for use with paintball guns. In other embodiments, the present invention may be used to display various other types of products. For example, in various embodiments, a display according to the present invention may be used to display products such as food, wine, beer, spirits, chemicals, cleaners, paints, tools, ammunition, medicines, contraceptives, or tobacco products. Referring now to the Figures, in which like part numbers depict like elements throughout the Figures, In the embodiment shown in The store layout 10 further comprises a plurality of lockable sidekick displays 50 disposed on the side of each endcap display 40. The lockable sidekick displays 50 are disposed such that they are coupled to at least one of the adjacent endcap display 40 and the adjacent modular display 30. In the embodiment shown in The store layout 10 shown in As shown in Referring now to The modular display 230 shown in The endcap display 240 in the embodiment shown in The lockable sidekick display 250 is shown in a closed and locked configuration. The lockable sidekick display 250 is configured to display two different types of products. The first type of product is a steel 9-ounce refillable tank filled with carbon dioxide, and the second type of product is a steel 20-ounce refillable tank filled with carbon dioxide. Both of the refillable tanks are configured to be coupled to a paintball gun in order to provide a propulsive force thereto. In another embodiment, the lockable sidekick display 250 may be configured to display only a single type of product, or may be configured to display more than two different types of products. The lockable sidekick display 250 comprises a case 251. The case 251 in the embodiment shown in The lockable sidekick display 250 further comprises a plurality of shelves 252. In different embodiments, the lockable sidekick display 250 may comprise a greater or lesser number of shelves, or may not comprise any shelves at all. In one such embodiment, the lockable sidekick display 250 may comprise one or more pins or hooks used to hang items, one or more racks, or one or more other elements known in the art used to display items. The shelves 252 in the embodiment shown in Each of the shelves 252 in the embodiment shown in One or more of the openings in the case 251 of the lockable sidekick display 250 may be configured to couple with either one or more of the shelves 252, or to a mounting bracket, such as the mounting bracket shown in In one embodiment, the lockable sidekick display 250 may be designed so as to be compatible with several different manufacturers' conventional mounting bracket products. In another embodiment, the lockable sidekick display 250 may be designed to work with a unique mounting bracket according to one embodiment of the present invention. Referring still to The door frame 257 is fashioned from steel channel material comprising an inside channel width dimension of approximately 0.188 inches and configured to receive the window 258 therewithin. The steel channel material has been cut to a suitable dimension and welded into a suitable shape at two of the door frame's 257 corners, while the top piece of the door frame 257 is coupled to the sides thereof with corner brackets configured to receive screws so that the window 258 may be installed and removed as necessary. In another embodiment the doorframe 257 may comprise a different suitable material or may be fashioned using one or more different suitable processes. In yet another embodiment, the door 256 may not comprise a doorframe 257, and the door 256 may comprise a hinged window 258 with a lock 259. The doorframe 257 is movably coupled to the case 251 along its vertical side opposite the lock 259 using three hinges (not shown). In one embodiment, the hinges may comprise, for example, part number BRC02019 available from American Performance Industries, Inc. of Sanford, N.C. The hinges are welded to the doorframe 257, and coupled to the case 251 using screws. The hinges are configured to conveniently allow the door 256 to open and close when the lock 259 is unlocked. In another embodiment, the door 256 may be movably coupled to the case 251 in another suitable manner. The window 258 in the embodiment shown in The lockable sidekick display 250 further comprises a lock 259 configured to restrict access to the interior of the lockable sidekick display 250 and any products therein by preventing the door 256 from opening without using a key to unlock the lock 259. The lock 259 comprises a keyed lock. In another embodiment, the lockable sidekick display 250 may comprise a plurality of locks 259, one or more of which may comprise another suitable type, such as a combination lock, a biometric verification interface, a magnetic lock, or a radio frequency actuated lock. The lock 259 is positioned adjacent the side 252 of the lockable sidekick display 250. The door 256 in the embodiment shown in In the embodiment shown in In some embodiments, one or more elements of the lockable sidekick display 250 may be marked with information associated with a product displayed within the lockable sidekick display 250. For example, the side 252 of the case 251 may be marked with marketing information in a bold color or font configured to catch a customer's attention as he or she passes down an aisle. As shown in In one embodiment, one or more of the shelves 253 may be configured to support a product at an angle configured to reduce the amount of space required between two adjacent shelves 253 within the lockable sidekick display 250 while permitting ingress and egress of a product. For example, in the embodiment shown, each of the shelves 253 is angled at 15° from horizontal towards the door 256, such that a 20-ounce refillable steel tank displayed within the lockable sidekick display 250 with its fitting angled towards the door 256 and supported by both a shelf 253 and a portion of a sign holder 254 that is part of the shelf 253. In another embodiment, a different angle may be used, or a product may be angled away from the door 256. Referring now to The top shelf 353 of the lockable sidekick display 350 is substantially perpendicular to the longest dimension of the lockable sidekick display 350. The top shelf is configured to hold twelve 9-ounce refillable containers 390 in a six-wide by two-deep arrangement. Each of the three lower shelves 353 is configured to hold four 20-ounce refillable containers 390 in a four-wide by one-deep configuration. In the embodiment shown, all shelves 353 but the top shelf 353 have a shelf bottom 363 that is angled towards the front of the lockable sidekick display 350 at an angle of 15° from horizontal. In the embodiment shown in As shown in Referring now to As shown in As shown in Each of the mounting brackets 480 shown further comprises a plurality of hooks 486 on one of the ends thereof. In the embodiment shown in Certain embodiments of the present invention may comprise methods, such as methods for displaying products. Referring now to In another embodiment, a lockable sidekick display configured to display a first product may be placed such that it is adjacent to a display of a second product associated with the first product. For example, the modular display (230) shown in In some embodiments, placing the lockable sidekick display within a public area of a retail store may comprise coupling a first end of a mounting bracket to the lockable sidekick display by inserting the first end into one or more holes in the lockable sidekick display. In such an embodiment, a second end of the mounting bracket may be coupled to one or more parts of an existing retail shelving system (such as the modular display (230) or the endcap display (240)). The lockable sidekick display may be designed to accept a plurality of suitable conventional types of mounting brackets produced by multiple manufacturers or used by multiple retailers. In another embodiment, the lockable sidekick display may comprise an integral mounting bracket, or may come equipped with a unique mounting bracket according to one embodiment of the present invention. Referring still to The method 500 further comprises stocking the stocking container as shown in box 525. In one embodiment, the stocking container may be stocked by manually or automatically loading one or more products into the stocking container. In another embodiment, the stocking container may be stocked at a remote location and may arrive at the retail store at least partially stocked. In one such embodiment, the stocking container may comprise a pallet that has been fully loaded at a servicing, manufacturing, or distribution site owned by the retailer or a different party. As shown in box 535, the method 500 comprises unlocking the lockable sidekick display. For example, the lockable sidekick display (250) may be similar to the embodiment shown in After unlocking the lockable sidekick display, the method 500 further comprises refilling the lockable sidekick display from the stocking container as shown in box 545. For example, in one embodiment, an employee may be charged with keeping track of an inventory of products displayed within a lockable sidekick display (250) as described above with respect to He or she may then bring one or more of the products into the public area of the retail store and use a key to unlock the lock (259) on the lockable sidekick display (250). He or she may then open the door (256) of the lockable sidekick display (250) in order to gain access to the shelves (253) therewithin. He or she may then refill the lockable sidekick display (250) with the appropriate number and type of products based on a variety of factors, such as the date, past sales data, or space available within or configuration of the lockable sidekick display (250). The employee may also wish to remove one or more products from the lockable sidekick display (250) at the same time due to a change in retail season, slow selling-performance, etc. As shown in box 555, the method 500 further comprises displaying the product(s) in the lockable sidekick display. For example, in one embodiment, after the lockable sidekick display has been at least partially refilled from the stocking container, an employee may close and lock the lockable sidekick display. In some embodiments, the lockable sidekick display may be configured to lock automatically upon closing a door or other access element. In one embodiment, a retailer may mark at least a portion of the lockable sidekick display with information associated with a product displayed therein. For example, the lockable sidekick display may comprise one or more sign-holders (such as the sign holders (254) described above with respect to Referring now to The method 600 further comprises displaying at least one substantially full refillable container in the lockable sidekick display as shown in box 615. As described above, the refillable container may comprise, for example, a steel or aluminum 20-ounce tank configured to couple with a paintball gun and filled with carbon dioxide. As shown in 625, the method 600 further comprises receiving an empty refillable container. For example, a customer may approach an employee of a retail store with an empty refillable carbon dioxide tank that the customer may own, or that a company providing a tank exchange service may own. In another embodiment, an automatic vending machine may receive the empty refillable container and provide the customer with a receipt indicating that he or she has returned the empty refillable container to the retail store in question. The method 600 further comprises unlocking the lockable sidekick display as shown in box 635. For example, this may be done in a manner described above with respect to As shown in box 645, the method 600 further comprises exchanging the received empty refillable container with the full refillable container from the lockable sidekick display. In one embodiment, the exchange may be made entirely by a store employee. In another embodiment, the process may be automated such that an employee is not required to be involved with the exchange. In some embodiments, the exchange of refillable containers may take place in exchange for a fee paid by the customer bringing in the empty refillable container, either at the time of the exchange, in advance, or on a recurrent basis. The method 600 further comprises filling the empty refillable container as shown in box 655. For example, a retailer may refill a 9-ounce aluminum tank configured to be coupled to a paintball gun with carbon dioxide after being received in an empty state from a customer. In another embodiment, a third party may collect the empty refillable containers from the retailer and provide the refilling services prior to returning at least a portion of the refilled containers. The method 600 finally comprises inserting the refilled refillable container into the lockable sidekick display as shown in box 665. In one embodiment, this may comprise unlocking the lockable sidekick display, opening a door thereof, and inserting at least one refilled refillable container into the lockable sidekick display prior to closing and locking the lockable sidekick display. In one such embodiment, a stocking container as described above with respect to The foregoing description of embodiments of the invention has been presented only for the purpose of illustration and description and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Numerous modifications and adaptations thereof will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. |