SYSTEM FOR PRESENTATION OF SELF-SERVICE ITEMS

Abstract

A system for presentation and sale of self-service items comprises a peg configured to be attached to a vertical wall of a retail display unit. The peg is configured to retain items in packaging having a hole therein for the passage of the peg. The peg comprises a smooth rod with a section less than or equal to the section of the hole over a length of the rod configured to receive the packaging, and a notched free end section. The system further includes spacers formed by rings. Each ring has a lumen of section complementary to that of the rod and greater than the section of the notched free end, and at least one tooth configured to be disengaged by an external actuating mechanism to interact at rest with the notching. Each ring has an outer section greater than the section of the hole in the packaging.

Claims

1. A system for presenting self-service items, comprising: at least one peg configured to retain items in packaging having a hole therein for the passage of the peg, the at least one peg comprising a smooth rod with a section less than or equal to the section of the hole over a length of the rod configured to receive the packaging, the rod having a notched free end section; and spacers formed by rings, each ring having: a lumen of section complementary to that of the rod and greater than the section of the notched free end, and at least one tooth configured to be disengaged by an external actuating mechanism to interact at rest with the notching; and wherein each ring has an outer section greater than the section of the hole in the packaging.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein each ring comprises a hollow body and wherein the at least one tooth is comprises a flexible blade having an “L” shape with a fixed end extending longitudinally and a movable end, the movable end having an edge configured to rest between two notches of the notched free end of the rod.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the movable end of the flexible blade extends in a plane inclined with respect to the transverse plane of the hollow body, to come into abutment against a rear face of the notches during the exertion of a force on the ring in the direction of the free end of the peg on which it is disposed, wherein the actuating mechanism comprises a movable member having an inner end configured to separate the edge from the notches when pressure is exerted on an outer the movable member.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein each ring comprises a disengageable nut, and notched free end section of the rod comprises a threaded free end section of the rod.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein each nut contains an axially movable flyweight, pushed at rest against a rear face of the ring and having a seat for attaching the fixed end of the flexible blade, the movable end of the blade extending in a transverse plane, the edge of the movable end configured to engage at rest in the bottom of the thread, each nut further comprising a stop configured to block the movable end of the blade when the flyweight is pushed backward and a clearance freeing the movable end of the blade when the flyweight is pushed forward relative to the hollow body of the ring, the outer surface of the hollow body defining the actuating mechanism, wherein the actuating mechanism is actuated by rotating the hollow body relative to the rod.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the notched free end section of the rod comprises a hollow member engaged on a smooth end of the rod.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the longitudinal axis of the notched free end section of the rod is oriented at an angle relative to a longitudinal axis of end of the rod.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the rod comprises a smooth section adjacent to the notched free end section of the rod .

9. The system of claim 1, each ring is integrated in an anti-theft box.

10. The system of claim 1, each ring is integrated into the packaging of an item.

11. A system for presenting self-service items in a retail setting, comprising: a peg having a smooth cylindrical section, and a threaded free end section immediately adjacent the smooth cylindrical section; and a ring defining a hole therethrough and including an internal movable member, the internal moveable member configured to enable the threaded free end section of the peg to pass through the hole of the ring and to allow the ring to pass over the threaded free end section and onto the smooth cylindrical section without requiring rotation of the ring relative to the peg, the internal moveable member configured to require rotation of the ring relative to the peg to enable the ring to pass over the threaded free end section and off the peg.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the ring comprises: a hollow body having a longitudinal axis extending centrally through the hole; an internal ring member configured to slide relative to the hollow body between a first position and a second position; a biasing member disposed within the hollow body and configured to bias the internal ring member toward the first position; and at least one L-shaped element having a first section extending in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the hollow body, the first section fixedly attached to the internal ring member, and a second section oriented perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the of the hollow body, the second section configured to interfere with threads of the threaded free end of the peg when the internal ring member is in the first position, the second section configured to deflect over the threads of the threaded free end of the peg when the internal ring member is in the second position.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the hollow body has an internal stop feature configured to prevent deflection of the second section of the at least one L-shaped element when the internal ring member is in the first position, and wherein the hollow body has an internal recessed area into which the second section of the at least one L-shaped element can deflect when the internal ring member is in the second position.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] The present disclosure will be better understood on reading the following description, which concerns non-limiting embodiments illustrated by the appended drawings, in which:

[0032] FIG. 1 shows a front view of a peg according to the present disclosure;

[0033] FIG. 2 shows an exploded view of the free end of a peg according to the present disclosure;

[0034] FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of an anti-theft box according to the present disclosure;

[0035] FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of an anti-theft blister pack according to the present disclosure;

[0036] FIG. 5 shows a sectional view of a disengageable nut according to the present disclosure, in the peg loading phase;

[0037] FIG. 6 shows a sectional view of a disengageable nut according to the present disclosure, during the removal phase of an item from the peg;

[0038] FIG. 7 shows an exploded view of a disengageable nut according to the present disclosure;

[0039] FIG. 8 shows a perspective view of the flyweight of a disengageable nut according to the present disclosure;

[0040] FIG. 9 shows a schematic view of a ring according to a variant of the present disclosure;

[0041] FIG. 10 shows a schematic side view of a variant of the present disclosure;

[0042] FIG. 11 shows a schematic perspective view of a variant of the present disclosure;

[0043] FIG. 12 shows a detail view of a variant of the present disclosure; and

[0044] FIG. 13 shows a perspective view of another variant of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0045] The delay function in retrieving the item is obtained by the time made necessary corresponding to setting the button integrating the disengageable nut in rotation.

[0046] The release path of the item is obtained by a spiral-shaped path (thread) present on the peg supporting the items. The movement of the button is achieved owing to the interaction of a complementary thread present therein. In the variant described below, this thread is for example, in the form of three blades, in particular, metallic, placed at 120°.

[0047] This configuration is not limiting: the number of blades can be different, for example, a single blade or a larger set of blades, and the orientation can be different.

[0048] Similarly, the blades can be made from a material other than metal.

[0049] To enable the button to perform the delay function and the disengagement function, these blades have an axial degree of freedom relative to that of the peg. To allow simultaneous movement of the 3 blades, they have been associated by way of an additional part called a flyweight. The blades are held in position in the flyweight by snap-fastening, for example.

[0050] In order to optimize the interaction of the blades with the thread of the peg, a blade tip offset was made based on the pitch of the peg thread.

[0051] This offset is also present in the positioning of the release bearings in order to optimize the blocking of the blades in the delay mode. In order to switch automatically from delay mode to release mode, a spring has been associated with this function. This degree of freedom will allow the blades to move in 2 distinct areas.

[0052] The release area inside the button will allow the blade to be able to move freely in a dedicated housing when sliding (mounted) on the threads of the peg. The movement of the flyweight in this area is the result of the pressure exerted by the blades on the thread when the delay button is inserted on the peg. This movement is the result of the movement direction of the peg and the point of contact between the blades and the thread of the peg.

[0053] The delay area inside the button does not allow the blade to move freely. Indeed, in this area the space has been removed and replaced by stops leaving only the functional play to the axial movement of the flyweight. The blades therefore cannot slide on the thread; the only way to advance the blades is to make them follow the spiral-shaped path created by the thread. The movement of the flyweight in this area is the result of the action of the spring, which pushes the flyweight backwards.

[0054] During an attempted theft, the thief will try to quickly get the product off the peg without following the spiral path of the thread. This gesture of pulling the system forward will help keep the flyweight in position in the delay area by putting the blades under pressure against the thread (point of contact).

[0055] The disengageable button can be actuated by blades or balls or any other interaction solution.

[0056] The design of the peg must take into account that a sufficient distance between the threaded peg and the price tag support rod (paper or electronic) is ensured in order to guarantee the legibility of the instructions for use of the delay button. The threading area can be made by machining the metal rod, by adding one or more additional parts assembled at the end of the metal rod to adapt the desired delay time. The position and the length of the threaded area will be adapted according to the customer’s specifications.

[0057] A keying system ensures the perfect positioning of the flyweight equipped with blades or balls in the body of the button, in order to guarantee that each blade is associated with its release bearing.

[0058] Each peg performs several functions; [0059] a) The peg serves as a support for the items, the smooth part of the rod (100) allowing the item to be packaged owing to a hole that makes it possible to thread it onto the rod and to hang it, with the possibility of longitudinal sliding up to the removal end passing over the notched area (102); [0060] b) The peg is used to block the items through the interaction of its notched end with spacer rings that block the item “upstream,” the section of this ring being greater than that of the hole of the packaging; and [0061] c) Each item is separated by a ring (“a spacer ring”) that makes it necessary to remove the items one after the other, with a certain lag time between two removals, imposed by the passage of the ring over the notched area.

[0062] It is thus impossible to remove a series of items on the peg by a single gesture.

Description of the Peg

[0063] The peg shown in FIG. 1 is formed by a rod (100) of round section, for example, the rear end (101) of which is curved and the front end (102) of which is threaded over a length corresponding to the desired delay time. This delay time corresponds to the time required for the unscrewing needed to remove the product from the peg. To reduce or lengthen the delay time, the rod (100) or its threaded end (102) may be interchangeable by replacement by snap-fastening means or at the time of manufacture or by the store manager.

[0064] Usually, a second rod (110) is placed in parallel, to support at its front end a display support for designating the item and/or the price. The rear ends of the two rods (100, 110) are engaged in a hooking interface (120) having in the illustrated example two prongs (121, 122) intended for snap-fastening into a perforated or grooved panel.

[0065] FIG. 2 illustrates an embodiment of the peg by assembly, at the free end of the rod (100), of two threaded half-shells (103, 104), fixed by gluing, welding or snap-fastening.

Packaging of Items

[0066] The items are placed in an anti-theft retaining system (10) associated with an anti-theft box shown in FIG. 3 or packaged with a blister pack (20) shown in FIG. 4. The packaging (10, 20) has a hole (21) allowing storage on a peg (100), surrounded by a ring (200). A crimping piece (22) secures the ring (200) to the blister pack (20).

[0067] It is also possible to provide items with packaging simply pierced to allow positioning on the peg (100), alternating them with rings (200). The ring (200) can also have a retractable nail or an added nail in order to associate an anti-theft tag with a ball lock.

Detail of the Ring (200)

[0068] FIGS. 5 and 6 show sectional views of an embodiment of a ring (200), respectively, in the engagement phase on the peg, where pressure is exerted on the front face of the items in the direction of the arrow (1), and in the removal phase of an item, where the movement relative to the peg is in the direction of the arrow (2).

[0069] The ring comprises a hollow body (210) made of plastic material, of cylindrical shape, opening at the front by an opening (211) of section complementary to the section of the peg (100) and closed at the rear by a pierced membrane seal (212).

[0070] It contains a tubular flyweight (220) pushed against the rear membrane seal (212) by a spring (213) bearing against an annular stop (214) provided in the front part of the hollow body (210). The flyweight secures three flexible blades (230) having an “L” shape with a rear part (231, 241, 251) extending in a longitudinal plane and a front part (232, 242, 252) extending in a transverse plane. The transverse edge of the front parts (232, 242, 252) comes into contact with the surface of the peg (100), and, in particular, of the threaded part (102) at the start of engagement of the item. A stop (205) limits the flexion of the rear part (231) of the flexible blade.

[0071] During the engagement of a series of items on the peg, the pressure exerted in the direction of the arrow by the end (232, 242, 252) of the blades (230) coming into contact with the thread (102) pushes the flyweight (220) back into the hollow body (210) by compressing the spring (213). In this position, the clearance (215) allows the blades (230) sufficient flexion to free the passage of the thread (102).

[0072] When removing an item, the pressure exerted in the direction of arrow 2 by the contact of the end (232, 242, 252) of the blades (230) with the thread (102), combined with the pressure of the spring, pushes the flyweight (220) against the pierced membrane seal (212). In this position, the blades (230) do not have freedom of movement in the clearance (215). Indeed, the stop prevents any bending of the blades, preventing axial movement of the ring (200).

[0073] However, by turning the hollow body, unscrewing is caused, which makes it possible to advance the hollow body (210) and the flyweight (220), provided with a protuberance (218) serving as position keying for the flyweight (220), until it passes the threaded part (102).

Variant Embodiment

[0074] FIG. 9 schematically illustrates an alternative embodiment where the peg (100) has a notched front end. The flexible blade (230) has a front part inclined with respect to the transverse plane. This inclination ensures an elastic deformation when the ring (200) is engaged on the peg (100) and pushed away from the free end (102), for bulk loading of the items.

[0075] Removal requires pushing back the flexible blade (230) using a button (270), which requires the customer to activate a single item at a time, the last item placed before the notched area (102).

Association of a Delay Device With an Anti-Theft Device

[0076] The present disclosure can be added to any existing anti-theft device by way of a hinged area.

[0077] By way of example, FIG. 12 illustrates an embodiment where the anti-theft device actuates a hook (285) suitable for attaching a strap (286) surrounding the protected item. This strap (286) can in turn be secured by an anti-theft box of the “security spider” type. By way of example, FIG. 13 illustrates another embodiment where the anti-theft device actuates a hook (285) able to attach to an anti-theft box (287) surrounding the protected item.