Paul Flum Ideas, Inc.

Partnership for Innovation LLC

Paul L Flum

Christopher C Bidwell

Dewalt W Fowler

Jerry M Mynatt

Donald J Miller, Jr

Lionel D Gillespie

Keith Harbour

Product merchandising display unit

A product merchandising display unit having selectable product capacity including a receptacle having an internal cavity adapted for receiving and holding a quantity of product, and a product support floor member positionable at any one of at least two different elevated locations within the internal cavity for varying the product holding capacity thereof. A plurality of shoulder portions are located at each of the at least two different elevated locations within the internal cavity, the shoulder portions located at each spaced location being engageable with at least some of the peripheral edge portions associated with the floor member when the floor member is oriented in one of at least two different orientations. The display unit also includes a lid member having spaced pairs of retaining projections associated therewith for displaying advertising indicia therethrough.

Product merchandising unit with variable selectable product capacity

Product merchandising cooler

A method and apparatus for changing the appearance of a display merchandiser so as to resemble the appearance of a particular object, the method and apparatus including providing a plurality of sheet-like members which are attachable to selected portions of the display merchandiser in a particular manner such that, when the sheet-like members are attached to the display merchandiser, such sheet-like members interact with the merchandiser and with each other to form a three-dimensional representation of the particular object. Each sheet-like member is shaped and dimensioned to represent the appearance of a portion of the particular object, some of the sheet-like members being attachable to at least some of the elongated support members associated with the display merchandiser and at least one of the sheet-like members being attachable to the uppermost shelf member of such merchandiser. In one embodiment of the present invention, some of the sheet-like members are foldable and assemblable around various elongated support members so as to substantially encircle the same, whereas in another embodiment at least some of the sheet-like members are adhesively attachable directly to the elongated support members. The present sheet-like members can be formed in a wide variety of different shapes and configurations to simulate the appearance of a wide variety of different objects such as a bottle, a spaceship, animal or cartoon characters, or any other envisioned representation and such sheet-like members can be constructed for use with a wide variety of differently shaped display merchandisers.

Method and apparatus for changing the appearance of a display merchandiser

A gravity feed product merchandising display device for suspending a plurality of product containers in parallel rows therefrom, the display device comprising one or more adjacent product channels adaptable for receiving the cap or closure portion associated with a wide variety of product containers when positioned therewithin, each product channel including a pair of rail members for engaging the product containers positioned therebetween whereby the product containers are slidably movable therealong towards the front portion of the device for easy access and removal therefrom, and a stop member positioned adjacent the front portion of each product channel, the stop member including a generally forwardly facing aperture located in communication with each respective product channel, the stop member aperture being sized and shaped to engage the closure portion of the lead product container in each product channel so as to prevent its passage through the aperture when the product container is oriented in its suspended free state orientation but being sized and shaped so as to allow the closure portion of each product container to pass therethrough when the product container is angularly oriented at at least a minimum predetermined angle relative to its suspended free state orientation. The present invention also discloses several optional configurations and various components for accommodating product containers having differently sized neck and closure portions. Several methods for manufacturing the present display devices are also disclosed herein.

Gravity feed product merchandising display device and method for

A product support module adaptable for interlocking engagement with substantially similarly constructed modules to form a selectable width composite display assembly for merchandising products therefrom, each product module including a plurality of friction keeper members associated with one side edge portion of the module and a plurality of corresponding keying slots associated with its opposite side edge portion, the keeper members being substantially T-shaped in cross-section and each including a stem portion and an overhanging flange portion, the stem portion associated with at least the front keeper member being outwardly tapered along its entire length from bottom to top such that the mating surface formed between the stem portion and the overhanging flange portion forms an angle with the front wall side portion of the module. The taper associated with at least the front keeper stem portion enables its corresponding slot to become progressively tighter as the slot is moved progressively downwardly over the front keeper stem portion. The thickness of the wall portion forming the front keying slot may likewise be similarly tapered from bottom to top so as to be compatible with the taper associated with the front keeper stem portion to further improve the locking capability therebetween. Still further, other keeper members as well as their corresponding keying slots may likewise be tapered in similar fashion so as to even further improve the stability and joinder between two adjacent modules when such modules are coupled together. Each product module may vary both in lateral width and in the number of product channels associated therewith and some embodiments of the present product modules may include no side wall members or only one side wall member depending upon the particular merchandising application. Other optional features associated with the present product modules are likewise disclosed herein. The present product modules represent a one-inventory solution to a user enabling such user to organize and configure any particular shelf display to meet his/her specific needs and space requirements.

Variable width product merchandising display unit having

A gravity feed display unit capable of being both vertically and horizontally arranged to achieve a wide variety of modular gravity feed configurations comprising a plurality of shelf members each having opposed side wall portions and a planar floor portion extending therebetween dividing each shelf member into respective upper and lower portions, a plurality of socket cavities integrally formed with the respective upper and lower portions of each of the shelf members, the shelf socket cavities being positioned at spaced locations adjacent the opposed side wall portions of each respective shelf member and each socket cavity including angularly oriented side wall portions, a plurality of elongated support members each having opposed end portions adapted to be insertably receivable within each of the shelf socket cavities so as to connect adjacent shelf members in spaced apart relationship one above the other, the planar floor portion of each shelf member being angularly oriented relative to a horizontal surface in a gravity feed orientation when a plurality of the support members are engaged with the upper and lower socket cavities of adjacent shelf members and the connected support members are thereafter vertically oriented relative to the same horizontal surface. A connector member is likewise disclosed for joining at least two of the present shelf members in a side-by-side gravity feed relationship one adjacent the other, use of a plurality of the present connector members enabling vertically disposed adjacent shelf members to be connected both in spaced apart gravity feed relationship one above the other and in side-by-side gravity feed relationship one adjacent the other.

Gravity feed display unit with modular capability

Contour bottle merchandiser and display cooler

Merchandising display cooler

A shelf member for displaying and merchandising shelved products therefrom including front, rear and opposed side walls and a floor portion extending therebetween, a plurality of parallel upstanding divider wall portions defining therebetween a plurality of adjacent product channels for receiving and organizing products positioned therewithin in parallel rows, the divider wall portions as well as the shelf side walls being constructed so as to be not only sufficiently tall to provide the necessary lateral support for merchandising taller products within the respective product channels, but, importantly, being also sufficiently flexible and/or resilient so as to enable such taller products to move within the respective product channels without binding, squeezing or otherwise hindering the product flow, particularly in gravity feed applications. The present flexible guide channel divider walls can also be relatively easily retrofitted onto existing prior art shelf members.

Product merchandising display shelf with flexible guide channel divider

Ice chest

Product display unit with mirrored side panels

An adapter member for angularly orienting at least one horizontally disposed shelf member in a modular display unit having one or more similar shelf members vertically arranged in spaced apart relationship one above the other and a plurality of support members disposed therebetween, the adapter member having first and second opposed end portions, the first adapter end portion being adapted to cooperatively engage respective upper and lower portions associated with each of the shelf members, the second adapter end portion being adapted to cooperatively engage the opposed end portions of each of the support members, the first and second adapter end portions being angularly related and tranversely offset relative to each other such that when a plurality of adapter members are operatively positioned between and engaged with the respective shelf members and support members forming the modular display unit, the shelf members engaged with the adapter members will be angularly oriented relative to the horizontal and the support members will be in corresponding vertical alignment with each other throughout the unit. The present adapter is constructed so as to be compatible and engageable with the cooperatively engageable components associated with many known modular display units, and conversion is achieved by integrally incorporating a plurality of the present adapter members into such units in a particular combination and orientation with existing components to form the desired configuration.

Adapter means for converting a horizontally arranged shelf member in a

A display unit capable of being both vertically and horizontally arranged to achieve a wide variety of modular configurations comprising a plurality of substantially similar shelf members, a plurality of elongated support members, a plurality of socket cavities associated with the upper and lower portions of each of the shelf members for cooperatively engaging and supporting the elongated support members in a substantially upright position relative to each shelf member, and a plurality of connector members for joining two of the shelf members in side-by-side relationship one adjacent the other, each of the connector members having a pair of socket cavities associated with one end portion thereof for cooperatively engaging any one of the plurality of socket cavities associated with the upper and lower shelf portions and a single socket cavity associated with the opposite end portion thereof for cooperatively engaging one end portion of each of the elongated support members, the elongated support members and the connector members being positioned and engaged with each other and with the respective upper and lower socket cavities associated with adjacent shelf members to connect such shelf members in spaced apart relationship one above the other and/or in side-by-side relationship one adjacent the other. Each of the elongated support members includes side wall portions which are concavely biased to improve the joinder between each support member and each such shelf cavity.

Growing community of inventors

Ladue, MO, United States of America

Paul L Flum