The present invention relates to refrigerated merchandisers, and more particularly, to refrigerated merchandisers including a merchandising platform, lids for accessing a product display area of the merchandiser, and handles for moving the lids between open and closed positions.
In conventional practice, commercial businesses such as supermarkets and convenience stores are equipped with vertically-oriented and horizontally-oriented refrigerated merchandisers. Some refrigerated merchandisers include doors or lids that are movable between open and closed positions to provide access to the product display areas in the merchandisers. Often, handles are rigidly fixed to the doors using fasteners or other attachment means to allow movement of the doors between the open and closed positions.
In one construction, the invention provides a merchandiser including a case that defines a product display area, and a lid that is disposed over the product display area and substantially encloses at least a portion of the product display area. The lid is movable between an open position providing access to the product display area and a closed position limiting access to the product display area. The merchandiser also includes a handle assembly that has a handle coupled to and rotatable relative to the lid as the lid moves between the open position and the closed position.
In another construction, the handle has an opening adjacent the top of the handle, and the handle assembly further includes a cap that is engaged with the handle and that substantially encloses the opening. The cap has advertising information that is visible from outside the case.
In another construction, the invention provides a merchandiser including a case that defines a product display area, a first lid disposed over a portion of the product display area, and a second lid disposed over a portion of the product display area. Each of the first lid and the second lid is movable between an open position providing access to the product display area and a closed position limiting access to the product display area. The second lid is located adjacent the first lid, and the first lid and the second lid cooperate with each other to enclose the product display area. The second lid is oriented on the case so that the second lid is at least partially disposed under the first lid when one or both of the first lid and the second lid are moved toward the open position. The merchandiser also includes a first handle assembly that has a first handle coupled to and rotatable relative to the first lid as the first lid moves between the open position and the closed position, and a second handle assembly that has a second handle coupled to and rotatable relative to the second lid as the second lid moves between the open position and a closed position. The first handle and the second handle are oriented such that a top of the first handle and a top of the second handle are at the same height above a support surface of the merchandiser.
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. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
With continued reference to
The base 85 is relatively thin and includes a cylindrically-shaped platform 100 and a substantially cylindrical central portion or support 105. As shown in
The handle 90 is a substantially cylindrical shell defined by a circumferential wall 130 that has an outer, decorative surface 135 and an inner surface 140. The circumferential wall 130 has a tapered cylindrical shape that enlarges in diameter from the top of the handle 90 toward the bottom of the handle 90. As shown in
The handle 90 also includes tabs 155 disposed on the inner surface 140 and engageable with the tab members 120 to rotatably attach the handle 90 to the base 85. The tabs 155 are spaced apart from each other a distance around the inner surface 140 substantially corresponding to the distance that the tab members 120 are spaced apart along the circumferential surface 125 of the central portion 105. Generally, each tab 155 has a width that is slightly larger than the width of each tab member 120 so that a portion of each tab 155 is always engaged with at least one tab member 120. The length of each tab 155 corresponds to the length of the tab members 120 so that the tabs 155 can engage the tab members 120. In some embodiments, the handle 90 may include one continuous circumferential tab 155 that is engageable with the tab members 120.
Generally, the handle 90 is engageable by an individual to move the lid 45a between the open and closed positions. As shown in
The cap 95 is a thin cylindrical plate that covers the opening 150 to limit entry of dust and other undesired particles into the interior of the handle assembly 50a. The cap 95 is snap-fit attached to circumferential ridge 145 of the handle 90 via a tab engagement 97. The illustrated cap 95 is transparent. Alternatively, the cap 95 may be substantially opaque. In some constructions, merchandising information (e.g., brand names, logos, etc.) may be embossed or imprinted on the cap 95. In constructions including the transparent cap 95, merchandising information can be provided on a circular piece of paper or other medium and the transparent cap 95 can be used to encapsulate the merchandising information on the handle 90.
The handle assembly 50b includes the handle 90, the cap 95, and a base 165. The base 165 is attached to the lid 45b in the same manner as the base 85 is attached to the lid 45a (e.g., directly or indirectly using adhesive or fasteners), and the base 165 is taller relative to the base 85 such that when the handle assembly 50b is attached to the lower lid 45b as illustrated in
The base 165 includes a cylindrically-shaped platform 170 and a substantially cylindrical central portion or support 175. As shown in
The handle assembly 50c includes the handle 90, the cap 95, and a base 195. The base 195 is attached to the lid 45b (e.g., via fasteners or adhesive), and includes a platform 200 and a substantially cylindrical central portion or support 205. The platform 200 includes a plurality of support ridges 210, a relatively thick first portion 215 defined by a semi-cylindrical shape, and a relatively thin second portion 220 extending from the first portion 215. The thickness of the first portion 215 is such that when the handle assembly 50c is attached to the lower lid 45b, the cap 95 of the handle assembly 50a and the cap 95 of the handle assembly 50c are at substantially the same horizontal plane (i.e., the top of the handle assemblies 50a, 50b are at substantially the same height above the support surface of the merchandiser 10).
As shown in
The central portion 205 includes a plurality of tab members 235 that are the same as the tab members 120. The handle 90 is rotatably attachable to the base 195 via the tabs 155 and the tab members 235 in the same manner as described with regard to
As illustrated in
The attachment clip 245 also includes alignment projections 260 and locking tabs 265 that secure the base 195 to the attachment clip 245. The alignment projections 260 are positioned along the flat side of the semi-cylindrically shaped clip 245 to align the base 195 relative to the clip 245. The alignment projections 260 are spaced apart from each other and from the edge of the clip 245 to allow slight movement of the base 195 after attachment to the clip 245. The locking tabs 265 are engaged by the base 195 to securely attach the base 195 to the attachment clip 245 via a snap-fit arrangement. The alignment projections 260 and the locking tabs 265 cooperate to limit rotational movement of the base 195 relative to the lid 45a and the clip 245 after the base 195 has been secured to the clip 245. In other constructions, the base 195 may be attached to the clip 245 via other attachment means.
To assemble the handle assembly 50a onto the lid 45, the base 85 is indirectly attached to the lid 45 via the attachment clip 245, or directly attached to the lid 45a using adhesive or other appropriate attachment means. In constructions of the handle assembly 50a including an attachment clip similar to the attachment clip 245, the base 85 is generally aligned with the space between the alignment projections 260 and is partially rotated (in the clockwise direction when viewed from above the base 85) relative to the attachment clip to engage the base 85 with the locking tabs 265. After the base 85 is snap-fit into the locking tabs 265, the base 85 is engaged with the recessed surface 255, and the alignment projections 260 and the locking tabs 265 restrict further rotational movement of the base 85 relative to the clip. If desired, the base 85 may be removed from the clip by pressing down on and rotating the base 85 (in the counter-clockwise direction when viewed from above the base 85) to disengage the base 85 from the alignment projections 260 and the locking tabs 265.
The handle 90 is then engaged with or snapped onto the base 85 via the cooperating tab members 120 and tabs 155. The cover 95 can be attached to the handle 90 before or after the handle 90 is attached to the base 85. In constructions including separate marketing information (e.g., on a piece of paper), the marketing information is placed under the cap 95 prior to attachment of the cap 95 to the handle 90 via the tab engagement 97. With regard to the handle assemblies 50c, 50d, the stop member 225 is attached to the platform 200 by sliding the stop member 225 within the channel 228 beyond the engagement member 227 so that the stop member 225 is securely held to the base 195. The stop member 225 is coupled to the base 195 prior to attaching the handle assembly 50c, 50d to the lid 45b.
The handle assemblies 50b, 50c, 50d are assembled onto the associated lids 45b in the same manner that the handle assembly 50a is attached to the lid 45a. As such, only assembly and attachment of the handle assembly 50a has been described in detail. However, it should be understood that the foregoing description of assembly of the handle assembly 50a onto the lid 45a is equally applicable to assembly of the handle assemblies 50b, 50c, 50d onto the lid 45b.
The merchandising platform 40 provides visible advertising and marketing space on the merchandiser 10 that is vertically above the product display areas 35 to attract consumers to the merchandiser 10 and to indicate the types of products supported in the product display areas 35. The merchandising areas 55 can be modified in many different ways to accommodate desired marketing information and effect.
With reference to
With regard to the handle assemblies 50c, 50d, which can be attached to the lower lids 45b, the semi-cylindrically-shaped platform 200 allows the associated lid 45b to be opened farther than the platforms 100, 170 of the respective handle assemblies 50a, 50b. Specifically, the second portion 220 of the platform 200 defines a space between the platform 200 and the lid 45 after the handle assembly 50c is attached to the lid 45b. This space is large enough to accommodate or receive an edge of the upper lid 45a that is adjacent to the lower lid so that when the lower lid 45b is opened, the opening to the product display area 35 is as large as possible. Likewise, when the upper lid 45a is moved toward and over the lower lid 45b, the upper lid 45a is received within the space to provide a relatively large opening to the product display area 35 below the upper lid 45a. The stop member 225 contacts the upper lid 45a to limit further movement of the upper lid 45a toward the handle assemblies 50c, 50d of the lower lid 45. In addition, the guard 240 protects an individual when the lower lid 45b is moved between the open and closed positions by providing space for the individual's hand to rest above the plane of the adjacent upper lid 45a while the upper lid 45a is opened or closed.
Various features and advantages of the invention are set forth in the following claims.
This patent application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/329,847 filed Apr. 30, 2010, the entire content of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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61329847 | Apr 2010 | US |