System and method for displaying, vending and controlling inventory of valuable articles such as pre-recorded videotape cassettes

Claim 1

A merchandising system, comprising: a store having a sales area which is accessible to customers and a clerking area which is separated from the sales area by a check-out counter; a supply area for storing a plurality of different specific articles to be vended, this supply area being located so as to be accessible to clerks, from said clerking area, but not to customers, from said sales area; at least one display rack for inviting customers to select said specific articles, said display rack having a plurality of individual cells which are located so as to be accessible to customers, from said sales area; a plurality of enveloped packets, each enveloped packet being received in a respective said cell and comprising: (a) a generally flat envelope having a front and a back and an open mouth; (b) a front display card which is frontally visible when said envelope is frontally viewed, this front display card bearing, frontally thereof, non-verbal graphics and/or verbal indicia corresponding to a specific model of article from among said plurality of different specific articles, said front display card being carried by said envelope; (c) at least one token card bearing, bodily thereof, indicia corresponding to said specific model of article, each said token card being removably receivable in said envelope, behind said front display card, so as to have an end portion thereof protruding out of said mouth and beyond said front display card, said end portion of each said token card bearing customer selection-inviting indicia; and (d) at least one additional card carried by said envelope behind said at least one token card when both are present, and having an end portion which protrudes out from behind said front display card and bears customer-consoling indicia visible frontally of said front display card.

Claim 13

A method for displaying, vending and controlling an inventory of valuable articles, comprising: providing a store divided by a check-out counter into a sales area accessible to customers and a clerking area which is accessible to store employees but not to customers; providing in said clerking area a supply area having a supply of a plurality of different specific articles to be vended from the store; providing in said sales area at least one display rack for inviting customers to select said specific articles, said display rack having a plurality of individual cells which are located so as to be accessible to customers in said sales area; providing each of a plurality of said cells of said display rack with a respective enveloped packet which comprises: (a) a generally flat envelope having a front and a back and an open mouth; (b) a front display card which is frontally visible when said envelope is frontally viewed, this front display card bearing, frontally thereof, non-verbal graphics and/or verbal indicia corresponding to a specific model of article from among said plurality of different specific articles, said front display card being carried by said envelope; (c) at least one token card bearing, bodily thereof, indicia corresponding to said specific model of article, each said token card being removably receivable in said envelope, behind said front display card, so as to have an end portion thereof protruding out of said mouth and beyond said front display card, said end portion of each said token card bearing customer selection-inviting indicia; and (d) at least one additional card carried by said envelope behind said at least one token card when both are present, and having an end portion which protrudes out from behind said front display card and bears customer-consoling indicia visible frontally of said front display card; some of said different specific articles being stored in said supply area and the remainder being out of said store in the hands of customers; said token cards corresponding to said different specific articles stored in said display area being received in respective ones of said envelopes in respective ones of said cells of said at least one display rack; and said token cards corresponding to said remainder of said different specific articles being disposed in said file, whereby said at least one display rack presents said customer selection-inviting indicia to customers only in respect to said models of different specific articles which are actually stored in said supply area and presents said customer-consoling indicia to customers only in respect to said models of different specific articles all copies of which are in said remainder.

Claim 14

A method for displaying, vending and controlling an inventory of valuable articles, comprising: providing a store divided by a check-out counter into a sales area accessible to customers and a clerking area which is accessible to store employees but not to customers; providing in said clerking area a supply area having a supply of a plurality of different specific articles to be vended from the store; providing in said sales area at least one display rack for inviting customers to select said specific articles, said display rack having a plurality of individual cells which are located so as to be accessible to customers in said sales area; providing each of a plurality of said cells of said display rack with a respective enveloped packet which comprises: (a) a generally flat envelope having a front and a back and an open mouth; (b) a front display card which is frontally visible when said envelope is frontally viewed, this front display card bearing, frontally thereof, non-verbal graphics and/or verbal indicia corresponding to a specific model of article from among said plurality of different specific articles, said front display card being carried by said envelope; (c) at least one token card bearing, bodily thereof, indicia corresponding to said specific model of article, each said token card being removably receivable in said envelope, behind said front display card, so as to have an end portion thereof protruding out of said mouth and beyond said front display card, said end portion of each said token card bearing customer selection-inviting indicia; and (d) at least one additional card carried by said envelope behind said at least one token card when both are present, and having an end portion which protrudes out from behind said front display card and bears customer-consoling indicia visible frontally of said front display card; some of said different specific articles being stored in said supply area and the remainder being out of said store in the hands of customers; said token cards corresponding to said different specific articles stored in said display area being received in respective ones of said envelopes in respective ones of said cells of said at least one display rack; and said token cards corresponding to said remainder of said different specific articles being disposed in said file, whereby said at least one display rack presents said customer selection-inviting indicia to customers only in respect to said models of different specific articles which are actually stored in said supply area and presents said customer-consoling indicia to customers only in respect to said models of different specific articles all copies of which are in said remainder.