Product merchandise display with resilient product package retainer

Abstract

A merchandise display includes a display base having a surface arranged to hold one or more longitudinal rows of product containers. The display base has either (i) an elevation of its back end higher than its forward end or (ii) a pusher arranged to urge product containers on the display surface toward the forward end. A retainer is mounted on the display proximate the forward end. The retainer is made as a single structure of at least one resilient material. The retainer is deflectable with reference to its mounting point to enable moving product containers onto and from the display surface by deflection. The retainer is sufficiently resistant to bending to retain a longitudinally full row of product containers on the product display surface.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A merchandise display, comprising:
 a display base having a product display surface arranged to hold at least one longitudinal row of product containers, the display base comprising at least one of, (i) an elevation of a back end of the display base being higher than a forward end of the display base, or (ii) a pusher arranged to urge product containers on the product display surface toward the forward end; and   at least one retainer mounted on the display proximate the forward end, the retainer made as a single structure of at least one resilient material, the at least one retainer deflectable with reference to a mounting point of the at least one retainer to enable moving product containers onto and from the product display surface by deflection, the at least one retainer sufficiently resistant to bending to retain a longitudinally full row of product containers on the product display surface.   
     
     
         2 . The merchandise display of  claim 1  wherein the at least one resilient material comprises an elastomer. 
     
     
         3 . The merchandise display of  claim 2  wherein the elastomer comprises polysiloxane. 
     
     
         4 . The merchandise display of  claim 2  wherein the at least one resilient material comprises at least one opening, the at least one opening having at least one of a length and a diameter chosen to provide the retainer with a predetermined amount of deflection for a predetermined amount of deflecting force. 
     
     
         5 . The merchandise display of  claim 1  wherein the at least one retainer is mounted to the display base or to a rail coupled to the forward end. 
     
     
         6 . The merchandise display of  claim 1  wherein the at least one retainer is mounted to a divider wall disposed transversely to the display base. 
     
     
         7 . The merchandise display of  claim 1  wherein the at least one resilient material comprises a shear modulus of at most 0.2 gigapascals. 
     
     
         8 . The merchandise display of  claim 7  wherein the shear modulus is at most 0.0003 gigapascals. 
     
     
         9 . The merchandise display of  claim 1  wherein the at least one resilient material comprises a Young's modulus of at most 0.1 gigapascals. 
     
     
         10 . The merchandise display of  claim 1  wherein the at least one resilient material comprises a Young's modulus of at most 0.001 gigapascals. 
     
     
         11 . A merchandise display, comprising:
 a display base having a product display surface arranged to hold at least one longitudinal row of product containers, the display base comprising at least one of, (i) an elevation of a back end of the display base being higher than a forward end of the display base, or (ii) a pusher arranged to urge product containers on the product display surface toward the forward end; and   at least one retainer mounted on the display proximate the forward end, the at least one retainer comprising a mounting feature and at least one barrier feature, the at least one barrier feature extended to at least partially obstruct the at least one longitudinal row, the at least one barrier feature coupled to the mounting feature by a resilient material such that the at least one barrier feature is deflectable to reduce obstruction of the at least one longitudinal row when urged by a user moving a product container toward the at least one retainer.   
     
     
         12 . The merchandise display of  claim 11  wherein the at least one resilient material comprises an elastomer. 
     
     
         13 . The merchandise display of  claim 12  wherein the elastomer comprises polysiloxane. 
     
     
         14 . The merchandise display of  claim 12  wherein the at least one resilient material comprises at least one opening, the at least one opening having at least one of a length and a diameter chosen to provide the retainer with a predetermined amount of deflection for a predetermined amount of deflecting force. 
     
     
         15 . The merchandise display of  claim 11  wherein the at least one retainer is mounted to the display base or to a rail coupled to the forward end. 
     
     
         16 . The merchandise display of  claim 11  wherein the at least one retainer is mounted to a divider wall disposed transversely to the display base. 
     
     
         17 . The merchandise display of  claim 11  wherein the at least one resilient material comprises a shear modulus of at most 0.2 gigapascals. 
     
     
         18 . The merchandise display of  claim 16  wherein the shear modulus is at most 0.0003 gigapascals. 
     
     
         19 . The merchandise display of  claim 11  wherein the at least one resilient material comprises a Young's modulus of at most 0.1 gigapascals. 
     
     
         20 . The merchandise display of  claim 11  wherein the at least one resilient material comprises a Young's modulus of at most 0.001 gigapascals. 
     
     
         21 . The merchandise display of  claim 11  wherein the at least one barrier feature is made from at least one resilient material. 
     
     
         22 . The merchandise display of  claim 11  wherein the mounting feature is made from at least one resilient material. 
     
     
         23 . The merchandise display of  claim 11  wherein the at least one barrier feature and the at least one mounting feature are made from at least one resilient material. 
     
     
         24 . The merchandise display of  claim 23  wherein the at least one barrier feature and the at least one mounting feature are made as a single structure. 
     
     
         25 . The merchandise display of  claim 23  wherein the at least one barrier feature and the at least one mounting feature are made as a single structure and from a same resilient material.