Claims
- 1. An article display apparatus comprising:
- a base support;
- a housing mounted to said base support, said housing having a hollow interior defined by transparent outer wall means formed with an article access opening;
- an article support carriage mounted to said base support beneath said housing, said article support carriage having a plurality of spaced article supports each adapted to support articles in vertical columns within said hollow interior of said housing, said article supports being pivotal between an article support position and an article removable position;
- a door assembly mounted to said outer wall means of said housing at said article access opening therein, said door assembly comprising:
- (i) a door panel movable between an open position for permitting removal of articles from said housing through said article access opening therein, and a closed position in which said article access opening is closed, said door panel being formed with a cam surface;
- (ii) a column support arm having a gripper element, said column support arm being movable between a retracted position spaced from said vertical columns of articles and a support position in which said gripper element contacts the article immediately above the lowermost article in said vertical column to retain the remaining articles in position in said vertical column;
- (iii) pivot means mounted in operative engagement with said column support arm and said cam surface of said door panel, said pivot means being movable relative to said cam surface in a first direction to urge said column support arm into said support position in response to opening of said door panel, said pivot means being movable relative to said cam surface in a second direction to urge said column support arm into said retracted position in response to closing of said door panel;
- (iv) pusher means operatively connected to said door panel for pivoting said article supports to said article support position upon closing said door panel and for pivoting said article supports to said article removal position upon opening said door panel; and
- cooling means for cooling said hollow interior of said housing.
- 2. The article display apparatus of claim 1 in which said article supports mounted to said article support carriage each comprise:
- a bracket fixedly mounted atop said article support carriage;
- an article support plate pivotally mounted to said bracket, said article support plate being pivotal between said article support position and said article removal position;
- a spring mounted between said article support plate and said article support carriage for biasing said article support plate to said article support position; and
- a push plate connected to said article support plate, said push plate being formed with a center portion connected to opposed wing portions, said pusher means being engageable with said center portion of said push plate to pivot said article support plate between said article support position and said article removal position.
- 3. The article display apparatus of claim 1 in which said outer wall means of said housing comprises a first and second cylindrical-shaped section of transparent material, said second section being concentrically disposed within said first section to form an air gap therebetween.
- 4. The article display apparatus of claim 1 in which one of said article support carriage and said housing is rotatable relative to the other, said housing having a flexible, elastomeric seal which contacts said article support carriage to substantially prevent the ingress of air and moisture into said hollow interior of said housing upon rotation of said article support carriage or said housing.
- 5. The article display apparatus of claim 1 in which said pivot means comprises:
- a pivot arm mounted in engagement with said cam surface of said door panel and resting against a first side of said column support arm;
- a spring having one end resting atop said pivot arm to urge said pivot arm into engagement with said cam surface of said door, and a second end resting against a second side of said column support arm opposite said first side thereof; and
- said pivot arm being movable with said cam surface in response to opening of said door panel to disengage said column support arm allowing said second end of said spring to urge said column support arm to said support position to retain the articles in position in said vertical column, said pivot arm being movable with said cam surface in response to closing of said door panel to engage said column support arm and move said column support to said retracted position.
- 6. The article display apparatus of claim 1 in which said pusher means comprises:
- a pusher element having a pair of opposed vertical arms each having an upper end and a lower end connected to a horizonal arm formed with a tab; and
- a crank arm for pivotally mounting said upper end of each of said vertical arms of said pusher element to said door panel, said crank arms being operable in response to opening of said door panel to move said pusher element downwardly so that said tab of said horizontal arm moves said article support of said article support carriage to said article removal position, said crank arms being operable in response to closing of said door panel to move said pusher element upwardly so that said tab of said horizontal arm disengages said article support to permit movement of said article support to said article support position.
- 7. The article display apparatus of claim 6 in which said pusher element includes means for urging said pusher element upwardly upon closing of said door panel.
- 8. An article display apparatus comprising:
- a support having an elongated column connected to a base portion;
- a housing mounted to said elongated column of said support, said housing having a hollow interior defined by transparent outer wall means formed with an article access opening;
- an article support carriage mounted to said base support beneath said housing, said article support carriage having a plurality of spaced article supports each adapted to support articles in vertical columns within said hollow interior of said housing, said article supports being pivotal between an article support position and an article removal position;
- a door assembly mounted to said outer wall means of said housing at said article access opening therein, said door assembly comprising:
- (i) a door panel movable between an open position for permitting removal of articles from said housing through said article access opening therein, and a closed position in which said article access opening is closed, said door panel being formed with a cam surface;
- (ii) a column support arm having a gripper element, said column support arm being movable between a retracted position spaced from said vertical columns of articles and a support position in which said gripper element contacts the article immediately above the lowermost article in said vertical column to retain the remaining articles in position in said vertical column;
- (iii) pivot means mounted in operative engagement with said column support arm and said cam surface of said door panel, said pivot means being movable relative to said cam surface in a first direction to urge said column support arm into said support position in response to opening of said door panel, said pivot means being movable relative to said cam surface in a second direction to urge said column support arm into said retracted postion in response to closing of said door panel;
- (iv) pusher means operatively connected to said door panel for pivoting said article supports to said article support position upon closing said door panel and for pivoting said article supports to said article removal position upon opening said door panel;
- cooling means for cooling said hollow interior of said housing;
- a basket rotatably mounted to said elongated column and movable atop said base portion of said support.
- 9. The article display apparatus of claim 8 in which said basket comprises:
- first and second basket sections each formed of a plurality of transversely oriented, interconnected wires defining a bottom wall, an upright outer wall and an upright, semicircular-shaped inner wall;
- means for rotatably mounting said first and second basket sections to said support so that said semicircular-shaped inner walls of said first and second basket sections are interconnected about said column of said support and said bottom walls of said first and second sections rest atop said base portion of said support, said first and second basket sections being rotatable relative to said column and said base portion of said support.
- 10. The article display apparatus of claim 9 in which said bottom wall of each said first and second basket sections includes rollers movable atop said base portion of said support.
- 11. An enclosure for refrigerating articles, comprising:
- a housing having an outer wall defining a hollow interior for receiving articles to be refrigerated;
- a thermally conductive column mounted within said hollow interior of said housing, said column being formed with an internal passageway having an inlet and an outlet;
- thermally conductive coil means mounted to said column, said coil means having a first end proximate said inlet of said internal passageway of said column and a second end proximate said outlet of said internal passageway;
- compressor means connected to said first end of said coil means for pumping cooling fluid in liquid phase into said coil means, said cooling fluid being converted from liquid phase into gaseous phase upon entering said coil means and moving toward said outlet of said column in gaseous phase to cool said coil means and said column, the cooling fluid creating a temperature gradient in said coil means and said column wherein said first end of said coil means proximate said inlet of said column is colder than said second end of said coil means proximate said outlet of said column;
- blower means for circulating air in a direction from the relatively warmer, second end of said coil means to the relatively colder, first end of said coil means, the air being circulated into said inlet of said column, through said internal passageway, out said outlet of said column and into said hollow interior of said housing for refrigerating articles therein.
- 12. An article display apparatus, comprising:
- a base support including a thermally conductive column formed with an internal passageway having an inlet and an outlet;
- a housing having an outer wall defining a hollow interior, said housing being mounted to said column so that said internal passageway of said column is located within said hollow interior of said housing;
- an article support carriage mounted to said base support for supporting articles within said hollow interior of said housing;
- door means mounted to said housing for permitting removal of articles from said interior of said housing;
- cooling means for refrigerating articles within said interior of said housing comprising:
- (i) thermally conductive coil means mounted to said column, said coil means having a first end proximate said inlet of said internal passageway of said column and a second end proximate said outlet of said internal passageway;
- (ii) compressor means connected to said first end of said coil means for pumping cooling fluid in liquid phase into said coil means, said cooling fluid being converted from liquid phase into gaseous phase upon entering said coil means and moving toward said outlet of said column in gaseous phase to cool said coil means and said column, the cooling fluid creating a temperature gradient in said coil means and said column wherein said first end of said coil means proximate said inlet of said column is colder than said second end of said coil means proximate said outlet of said column; and
- (iii) blower means for circulating air in a direction from the relatively warmer, second end of said coil means to the relatively colder, first end of said coil means, the air being circulated into said inlet of said column, through said internal passageway, out said outlet of said column and into said hollow interior of said housing for refrigerating articles therein.
- 13. Apparatus for refrigerating articles contained in the interior of a housing comprising:
- a cooling coil having a first end and a second end spaced from said first end, said cooling coil being mounted within the interior of the housing so that articles carried within the housing are located between said first and second ends of said cooling coil;
- means for converting a cooling fluid introduced into said cooling coil from liquid phase to gaseous phase;
- means for circulating the cooling fluid in gaseous phase from said first end of said cooling coil to said second end thereof for cooling said cooling coil, the cooling fluid creating a temperature gradient in said cooling coil wherein said first end of said cooling coil is colder than said second end of said cooling coil;
- means for circulating air in heat exchange relationship relative to said cooling coil and the articles contained in the interior of the housing in a direction from said warmer second end of said cooling coil, over articles located proximate said warmer second end and thereafter over articles located proximate said first, colder end of said cooling coil, the air proximate said warmer second end of said cooling coil being circulated toward said colder first end of said cooling coil to prevent freezing of the articles located proximate said colder first end and to provide a more uniform temperature of all articles located between said first and second ends of said cooling coil.
- 14. A method of refrigerating articles carried within the interior of a housing, comprising:
- converting a cooling fluid introduced into a cooling coil from liquid phase to gaseous phase;
- circulating the cooling fluid in gaseous phase from a first end of said cooling coil to a second end of said cooling coil for cooling said cooling coil, the cooling fluid creating a temperature gradient in said cooling coil wherein said first end of said cooling coil is colder than said second end of said cooling coil; and
- circulating air within said hollow interior of said housing in heat exchange relationship relative to said cooling coil in a direction from said relatively warmer second end of said cooling coil over articles located proximate said warmer second end thereafter over articles located proximate said first, colder end of said cooling coil, the air proximate said warmer second end of said cooling coil being circulated toward said colder first end of said cooling coil to prevent freezing of the articles located proximate said colder first end and to provide a more uniform temperature of all articles located between said first and second ends of said cooling coil.
- 15. A method of claim 13 including the further step of introducing the cooling fluid in liquid phase into said first end of said cooling coil.
- 16. A method of refrigerating articles supported end-to-end in vertical columns within the hollow interior of a housing of an article display apparatus, comprising:
- positioning a cooling coil having spaced first and second ends within the hollow interior of an article display apparatus so that said second end is vertically above said first end, the articles carried in vertical columns within said hollow interior of said article display apparatus being located vertically between said first and second ends of said cooling coil;
- introducing a cooling fluid in liquid phase into said first end of said cooling coil;
- converting the cooling fluid from liquid phase to gaseous phase upon entering said first end of said cooling coil;
- transmitting the cooling fluid in gaseous phase to said second end of said cooling coil, the cooling fluid creating a temperature gradient in said cooling coil wherein said first end is colder than said second end; and
- circulating air within said hollow interior of said housing in heat exchange relationship relative to said cooling coil and the articles supported in vertical columns therein in a direction from said relatively warmer second end of said cooling coil over articles located proximate said warmer second end and thereafter over articles located proximate said first, colder end of said cooling coil, the air proximate said warmer second end of said cooling coil being circulated toward said colder first end of said cooling coil to prevent freezing of the articles located proximate said colder first end and to provide a more uniform temperature of all articles located between said first and second ends of said cooling coil.
RELATED CASES
This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 764,989, filed Aug. 12, 1985 and entitled "Article Display Apparatus", now U.S. Pat. No. 4,663,943.
This invention relates to an article display apparatus, and more particularly to a portable display unit for dispensing articles such as beverage cans in which the articles are stacked in vertical columns within a transparent housing.
The marketing concept commonly known as "impulse" buying has been effectively used in a variety of retail establishments, including supermarkets and convenience food stores. The idea behind impulse buying is that customers must see certain products before they are motivated to buy. In order to promote impulse buying, such products should be displayed attractively and at a location in the store which most customers are likely to pass by.
One aspect of impulse buying, particularly for food products requiring refrigeration, has been the development of article displays having transparent doors or walls with shelves angled upwardly from front to back so that all articles on the shelves may be seen by customers. Refrigerated display devices most commonly in use today are typically wall-mounted units having clear glass doors which open to an interior provided with a number of angled shelves adapted to support product.
Permanent well-mounted article display devices of the type described above present several limitations from the standpoint of promoting effective impulse buying. Only the front panel or door of such display devices is clear and thus the product it contains can only be viewed from one direction. In addition, such units are essentially permanently mounted to a wall or the floor and are not portable to various locations around the store. Items such as soft drinks, wine, prepared sandwiches and the like might sell much more quickly if the display apparatus could be moved to a location near the checkout counters of a store or other areas of high customer traffic. Marketing with impulse buying is effective only when the customer views the product, and permanently mounted wall units often are located in areas of low customer traffic.
Portable, refrigerated display devices have been proposed to promote impulse buying of food items, as an alternative to wall-mounted displays. Portable, refrigerated displays generally include a clear housing mounted atop a base having rollers for movement of the display to the desired location. The housing includes a plurality of spaced shelves which are accessible by opening a single door mounted to the housing. Display devices of this type permit 360.degree. viewing of the articles placed therein and are portable.
Portable devices of the type described above provide an improvement over wall-mounted units from the standpoint of impulse buying, but also have limitations. The large access door mounted to the housings of such portable displays must be swung outwardly for removal of articles from the interior. This limits where the display may be positioned because the large door could interfere with customer traffic if it is opened into an aisle, or contact a counter or display. Additionally, large access openings allow extensive amounts of ambient air to enter and warm the interiors of such portable displays. As a result, the refrigeration units for such displays must cycle on frequently, and the clear, glass walls of their housings can become fogged with condensed moisture.
It is therefore among the objectives of this invention to provide a portable display apparatus for dispensing articles such as beverage cans which is compact but capable of displaying a relatively large quantity of articles in a small area, which can be positioned in virtually any location in a store without interfering with customer traffic while removing articles therefrom, and which can be adapted for efficiently and economically refrigerating food articles.
These objectives are accomplished in a portable article display apparatus comprising a base support, a cylindrical housing having at least one transparent outer, annular wall defining a hollow interior, door means mounted to the housing having a compact door panel to permit access to the housing interior for removal of articles one-by-one therefrom, and, in one presently preferred embodiment, means for cooling the housing interior and defogging the transparent outer wall of the housing. Articles are stacked in vertical columns within the housing interior upon an article support carriage rotatably mounted to the base support beneath the housing. The article support carriage is rotatable with respect to the fixed base support and housing to index each vertical column of articles into alignment with the door panel and thereby place the articles in each column in a position for removal one-by-one from the housing interior.
More specifically, in one aspect of this invention, a display apparatus is provided for dispensing articles such as beverage cans, oil cans, cigarette packs or any other product which can be stacked end-to-end in a vertical column. In one embodiment, the display apparatus includes a housing formed with a single transparent, cylindrical outer wall, a top cover and an open bottom. Alternatively, the housing is formed with two concentric cylindrical walls with an air space therebetween. A support column connected to a base is received within the hollow interior and mounted to the top cover of the housing.
Articles are stacked end-to-end in a plurality of vertical columns within the housing atop an article support carriage which is rotatably mounted to the support column at the open bottom of the housing. The article support carriage includes a wooden or plastic base plate supported on a lazy-susan-type bearing which is mounted to the column such that the article support carriage, and the vertical columns of articles it supports, are rotatable with respect to the fixed housing and column. Preferably, an elastomeric ring is mounted to the bottom of the housing which rests atop the base plate of the article support carriage to provide a dynamic seal therebetween as the article support carriage is rotated.
Articles, such as beverage cans, are mounted atop the article support carriage by a plurality of spaced article supports in the form of vertically-extending spacers or fins carried by a cylindrical wall mounted atop the article support carriage. The fins are spaced apart and shaped so that adjacent fins form an elongated sleeve in which articles, such as beverage cans, are retained in vertical columns atop the article support carriage. In one presently preferred embodiment, the fins are formed of a thermally-conductive material to aid in cooling of articles which must be refrigerated as described in more detail below.
A locator member is provided within the housing interior to index the article support carriage so that each vertical column of articles is aligned with the door panel mounted across an access opening formed in the outer wall of the housing. The article support carriage is rotated by grasping a ring mounted to the article support carriage beneath the housing so tha the desired vertical column may be indexed in place at the door panel for removal of the articles one-by-one.
In one presently preferred embodiment of this invention, one or more product-mounting pins, hooks or the like are connected to the column between its base and the housing. Alternatively, a basket is rotatably mounted to the column which rests atop the base. It is contemplated that the support pins, hooks or basket could be utilized to store and display various novelty items or snack food items, such as potato chips, corn chips, candy bars, etc.
In another aspect of this invention, a door assembly is provided which includes a door panel covering the access opening in the transparent outer wall of the housing. The door assembly includes structure responsive to movement of the door panel to an open position which tilts the lowermost article outwardly toward the access opening in the housing for removal therefrom and at the same time clamps the article immediately above the lowermost article to retain the remaining articles in position in the vertical column. When the door panel is then moved to a closed position, with the lowermost article having been removed, the remaining articles in the vertical column are released so that the next article in the column rests atop the article support carriage in a position for removal from the housing interior.
More specifically, the door assembly of this invention cooperates with a plurality of pivotal article support members, each of which are mounted to the article support carriage for supporting a vertical column of articles. The article support members are movable between an article support position beneath the vertical column of articles, and an article discharge position in which the lowermost article in the column is tilted forwardly for removal from the housing. Pusher means associated with the door assembly is operable in response to movement of the door panel to an open position to contact and pivot the article support member to an article discharge position, and then disengage the article support member when the door panel is closed to return the article support member to an article support position.
The door assembly also includes column support means which is operable in response to opening of the door panel to engage the article immediately above the lowermost article in the column and clamp it in place so that the remaining articles in the column are maintained in position while the lowermost article is removed from the housing. When the door panel is closed, the column support means releases the remaining articles in the column onto the article support member.
The door assembly of this invention provides several advantages. The door panel is relatively small and swings upwardly when opened so that the article display apparatus herein may be positioned in virtually any location around the store, office or other location without interfering with customer traffic. In opening the door panel to remove an article, the article is tilted forwardly for easy access by the consumer without being tipped over onto the floor. In addition, the articles in the vertical column above the lowermost article are positively held in place and not released until the door panel is almost closed, thus preventing a child from getting his or her fingers caught beneath the column of articles after they are released.
In another aspect of this invention, a cooling system is provided for cooling the interior of the housing in order to refrigerate food items such as beverage cans and the like. The portion of the support column contained in the interior of the housing is hollow and forms an air passageway having inlets near the bottom of the housing and outlets near the top of the housing. A cooling coil, preferably in the form of copper tubing, is coiled within the column between its inlet and outlet openings. The cooling coil and column are disposed within the cylindrical wall which carries the spaced fins used to retain the articles in vertical columns within the housing.
Cooling fluid in liquid phase is pumped from a compressor carried in the base to the bottom of the cooling coil located near the inlet openings in the column. The cooling fluid is converted to gaseous phase thereat and circulated through the cooling coil toward the top of the housing. The temperature of the cooling coil and column to which it is mounted are maintained at between about 32.degree.-40.degree. F., with the temperature of the coil and column nearer the top of the housing being somewhat higher than the temperature of the coil and column at the base of the housing. This temperature differential in the cooling coil and column is due to the gradual warming of the cooling fluid as it moves upwardly through the coil.
A blower is mounted in the upper end of the column near the top of the housing which is operable to draw air into the hollow interior or passageway of the column through the air inlet openings at the bottom of the housing and then out the air outlet openings near the top of the housing where it is discharged over the articles held in the spaced fins. This is an improvement over prior art systems where the air flow is in the opposite direction, that is, from the cooler portion of the coil toward the warmer portion of the coil. In the relatively compact space within which the articles are stacked in the housing herein, it was found that a cooling air flow directed upwardly from the cooler portion of the coil at the bottom of the housing to the warmer portion of the coil at the top, in accordance with prior art teachings, caused the articles at the bottom of the housing to freeze and those at the top to remain relatively warm.. By circulating the air from top to bottom in this invention, the temperature of the articles within each column is maintained nearly uniform. Additionally, the thermally conductive fins become uniformly chilled which also helps maintain each article in the column at substantially the saem temperature.
In still another aspect of this invention, one presently preferred embodiment includes a system for defogging the transparent outer wall of the housing. The base of the support column is formed with a vent, preferably stamped in a stylized configuration such as a logo or the like, for the receipt of outside ambient air therethrough. The ambient air is drawn over the motor and compressor which heats the ambient air at least to some degree.
A number of outlet openings are formed in the column beneath the housing which communicate with a conical-shaped flow control plate having an upright outer lip. The flow control plate is mounted to the column beneath the housing and extends radially outwardly from the column such that its outer lip is substantially parallel to and spaced from the transparent outer wall of the housing. Air drawn through the vent in the base of the column flows upwardly through the column and out the outlet openings to the flow control plate. The flow control plate is operable to direct the heated air along the exterior surface of the transparent outer wall of the housing to prevent condensation of moisture thereon.
US Referenced Citations (33)
Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
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764989 |
Aug 1985 |
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Patent Grant
4794764
