The present invention relates to a magnetic attachment for a light assembly, and more particularly, to a magnetic shelf attachment for a light assembly in a merchandiser.
In conventional practice, commercial businesses such as supermarkets and convenience stores are equipped with refrigerated merchandisers. These refrigerated merchandisers may be open or provided with doors and are used for presenting perishable food or beverages to customers while maintaining the fresh food or beverages in a refrigerated environment. Typically, these refrigerated merchandisers include a light source to illuminate the product display area for better marketing of the food product and for higher visibility to the customers.
Conventional refrigerated merchandisers typically include a fluorescent light source to illuminate the product display area. Some refrigerated merchandisers include fluorescent light sources coupled to a canopy of the refrigerated merchandiser to direct light generally downward onto the food product in the product display area. These refrigerated merchandisers also may include fluorescent light sources attached to shelves or other areas of the product display area. Generally, the fluorescent light sources used in conventional refrigerated merchandisers are relatively large, and reduce the amount of space in the refrigerated merchandiser that can be allocated to displaying food product.
The effectiveness of fluorescent light sources is dependent on the temperature of the application where the fluorescent light sources are used. In colder temperature environments, the fluorescent light source has less light output than a fluorescent light source in warmer temperature environments.
Other refrigerated merchandisers include light emitting diode (LED) light sources to illuminate the product display area. These LED light sources generally operate at a relatively high current (e.g., 300 mA), which produces a substantial amount of heat that can adversely affect the temperature of the food product in the product display area.
Replacing light sources in existing merchandisers can be relatively complex and inefficient. Generally, merchandisers must be modified to accommodate a replacement light source. Often, additional holes are needed in the existing canopy and/or shelves to adapt the existing merchandiser to the replacement light source, which can increase the complexity of the assembly process and the time needed to replace the light source.
In some constructions, the invention provides a merchandiser including a case that defines a product display area and that has case structure. The merchandiser also includes a light assembly. The light assembly has a light housing and a light source coupled to the light housing to direct light generally toward the product display area. The merchandiser further includes an attachment mechanism that has a magnet housing and a magnet substantially enclosed by the magnet housing. The attachment mechanism is coupled to the light housing opposite the light source to attach the light assembly to the case structure.
In another construction, the invention provides a light assembly for a merchandiser including case structure. The light assembly includes a light housing and a light source coupled to the light housing. The light assembly further includes an attachment mechanism that has a magnet housing and a magnet substantially enclosed by the magnet housing. The attachment mechanism is coupled to the light housing opposite the light source, and the attachment mechanism is configured to couple to the case structure.
In yet another construction, the invention provides a light assembly for a merchandiser including case structure. The light assembly includes a light housing and an LED light source coupled to the light housing. The light assembly further includes an attachment mechanism that has a non-conductive housing defining an aperture and a magnet partially exposed by the aperture. The attachment mechanism is coupled to the light housing opposite the LED light source, and the attachment mechanism is configured to couple to the case structure such that the magnet is spaced apart from the case structure.
Other aspects of the invention will become apparent by consideration of the detailed description and accompanying drawings.
Before any embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the following drawings.
In some constructions, the case 15 includes a casing 50 adjacent a front of the merchandiser 10.
Each door 65 includes a frame 75 that attaches a translucent member 80 to the door 65 to allow viewing of the food product from outside the case 15. The translucent member 80 can be formed from glass, or alternatively, from other materials that are substantially translucent (e.g., acrylic, etc.). In some constructions, the case 15 can include doors 65 without attachment of the doors 65 to mullions 55. In still other constructions, the case 15 can be an open-front case without the mullions 55 and doors 65.
As illustrated, the magnet housing 95 also includes two flanged protrusions 115 that are opposite the side of the magnet housing 95 that supports the magnet 100. Alternatively, fewer or more protrusions 115 can be incorporated into the magnet housing 95. The protrusions 115 couple the magnet housing 95 to the light assembly 85. The magnet housing 95 is made from a thermally and electrically non-conductive material (e.g., composite, plastic, etc.).
Insulating covers 143 are coupled to the light assembly 85 between the attachment mechanisms 90 to enclose the exposed portions of the channels 142 and to space the attachment mechanisms 90 from each other. A translucent cover or lens 145 is attached to the light housing 125 to protect the light source 135 from debris or incidental contact while illuminating the product display area 40.
The light source 135 includes LED packages 150 spaced at predetermined distances along the light housing 125. For example, the LED packages 150 can be defined by an area of about 0.5 inches by 0.5 inches. Each LED package 150 can include any number of LEDs. In some constructions, each LED package 150 can include six LEDs. In other constructions, each LED package 150 may include fewer or more than six LEDs. The LEDs in each LED package 150 are low current LEDs (e.g., 15 mA), and the quantity of the LEDs are determined by the lighting necessary to illuminate the product display area 40 (
The light sources 135 are generally directed at food product in the product display area 40 (
As shown in
The light assembly 85 can be coupled to the canopy 30, one of the shelves 45, or one of the mullions 55, or any combination thereof, to uniformly illuminate the product display area 40. Generally, one or several light assemblies 85 can be incorporated into the merchandiser 10 and attached to any suitable surface in any combination (e.g., one or more light assemblies 85 coupled to the canopy 30, one or more light assemblies 85 coupled to each shelf 45, and one or more light assemblies 85 coupled to each mullion 55) for illuminating the product display area 40. The air gap 110 limits or minimizes a high heat conductance path between the light assembly 85 and the canopy 30. Also, the non-conductive magnet housing 95 limits or minimizes electrical conductance from the case structure 30, 45, 55 to the light assembly 85, reducing the potential for shock. The attachment mechanism 90 provides relatively quick attachment of the shelf light assembly 85 to the underside of the shelf 45 without additional fasteners and without complicated work processes. As such, the light assembly 85 can be readily repositioned in the case 15 to achieve a desired level of illumination in the product display area 40.
In constructions of the merchandiser including the light assembly 85 coupled to the canopy 30, the light source 135 is directed generally downward toward the shelves 45 to illuminate a large portion of the product display area 40. The light source 135 can be oriented to focus light in any direction suitable for illuminating at least a portion of the product display area 40.
In constructions of the merchandiser including the light assembly 85 coupled to at least one shelf 45, the light assembly 85 can be substantially hidden from view (e.g., behind a price tag molding (not shown) coupled to a forward end of the shelf 45). For example, the light assembly 85 can be positioned adjacent and behind the price tag molding when viewed from outside the case 15 so that a portion of the product display area 40 can be illuminated without the light sources 135 being directly visible from outside the case 15. The light assembly 85 generally takes up a relatively small area under the shelf 45, and provides a relatively large area between the shelf 45 (to which the light assembly 85 is attached) and the shelf 45 directly above or below the light assembly 85 to provide maximum viewability of the food product stored therein.
When the light assembly 85 is coupled to the mullion 55, the light assembly 85 can be positioned so that the light sources 135 are substantially hidden from view. The light source 135 is directed generally toward the product display area 40 (e.g., toward each of the shelves 45) to illuminate a large portion of the product display area 40.
The canopy, shelf, and mullion light assemblies 85 can be used together or separately in the refrigerated merchandiser 10 to illuminate the product display area 40. Use of the low current LED packages 150 in each light assembly 85 provides substantial energy savings. Generally, the overall power required to illuminate and to refrigerate the case 15 using the LED packages 150 is lower than the power required by cases that use fluorescent light sources or high current LED light sources. The light assemblies 85 using low current LED packages 150 also can be used to replace existing fluorescent and high current LED light assemblies of existing merchandisers to provide similar illumination of the product display area 40 via more economical means.
Various features and advantages of the invention are set forth in the following claims.