Retail display support having reduced drag and method

Abstract

A retail display structure and method is provided for a product display that is self-facing. The retail display structure is adapted to mount onto a vertical support, and may take the form of a flat shelf, a wire shelf, a peghook, a spring loader pusher system, or other appropriate device. The retail display structure includes a support surface that extends horizontally toward a front stop. A lubricious surface is arranged over the support surface for supporting retail merchandise and facilitating easier sliding movement of retail merchandise toward the front stop. The lubricious surface can be a fluoropolymer or a silicone surface, or other such reduced friction layer that has a reduced static coefficient of friction in comparison to standard powder coating finishes for retail shelving and other such retail display structures.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . An apparatus for displaying retail merchandise, the apparatus adapted to be supported by a vertical support, the retail support structure comprising: 
 a retail support structure having a rearward portion adapted to be supported by the vertical support, the shelf support structure having a support surface extending horizontally, the support surface adapted to slidably support merchandise;    a front stop arranged proximate a front end of the support surface;    self facing means for facilitating forward movement of merchandise supported on the support surface toward the front stop; and    a reduced friction layer on the support surface, the reduced friction layer having a static coefficient of friction that is less than a static coefficient of friction for a standard powder coated finish for retail shelves.    
     
     
         2 . The aparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the reduced friction layer comprises a fluoropolymer.  
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein the fluoropolymer is coated onto the support surface and therefore integral therewith.  
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the reduced friction layer comprises a silicon ultraviolet (UV) type coating.  
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said means comprises an inclined angle of the support surface to provide for gravitational self facing.  
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 5 , wherein the shelf has a vertical drop of less than 3.5 inches per 12 inches of horizontal depth.  
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 5 , wherein the shelf has a vertical drop of less than 3.0 inches per 12 inches of horizontal depth, and wherein the shelf has a horizontal depth of between about 4 inches and about 30 inches.  
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 6 , wherein the shelf has a vertical drop of about 2 inches or less per 12 inches of horizontal depth.  
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said means includes a spring biased pusher biased toward the front stop and movable toward and away from the front stop.  
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein said support surface is oriented substantially parallel with horizontal when the shelf support structure is supported in a horizontal position by the vertical support.  
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the shelf includes a generally flat panel providing said support surface.  
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the support surface is provided by a sheet metal panel.  
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the shelf is formed of wire material.  
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the reduced friction layer is provided by a mat placed on top of the support surface.  
     
     
         15 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the reduced friction layer is provided by a wedge positioned on the shelf support structure.  
     
     
         16 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the apparatus comprises a peghook, the rearward portion comprising a mounting back with peg hooks that are adapted to be mounted into a pegboard.  
     
     
         17 . A method for displaying merchandise in a retail environment, comprising: 
 arranging a retail support structure having a support surface and a reduced friction layer on the support surface, the reduced friction layer having a static coefficient of friction that is less than a static coefficient of friction for a standard powder coated finish for retail shelves;    loading retail merchandise onto to the reduced friction layer; and    automatically self facing the retail merchandise over the reduced friction layer toward a front stop.    
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the reduced friction layer comprises a fluoropolymer.  
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , further comprising coating the flouropolymer is coated on the support surface.  
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 17 , further comprising providing price information in association with the retail merchandise in a viewable location for end use customer of retail merchandise.  
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein the retail support structure is a shelf, further comprising partitioning different types of retail merchandise across the shelf and providing different price information corresponding to the different types of retail merchandise.  
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the shelf comprises a flat panel, further comprising releasably attaching the reduced friction layer over the flat panel.  
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 22 , further comprising removing and replacing the reduced friction layer over the flat panel.  
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 17 , further comprising reloading retail merchandise onto the reduced friction layer as retail merchandise is removed from the retail support structure.  
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 17 , further comprising biasing a spring during said loading, the spring urging a pusher that acts upon the retail merchandise and urges the retail merchandise toward the front stop.  
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the retail support structure is a shelf, further comprising angling the shelf downwardly toward the front stop to facilitate gravitational feeding of retail merchandise toward the front stop.  
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 23 , further comprising angling the shelf with a vertical drop of less than 3 inches per 12 inches of horizontal depth.  
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 23 , further comprising vertically spacing a plurality of shelves having the reduced friction layer along a vertical support.