Patent Grant
11709015
The present disclosure relates generally to the field of refrigeration systems, including refrigerated display cases. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to the field of shelving systems for refrigeration systems.
At least one embodiment of the present disclosure is a refrigerated display case having a rear wall. The rear wall includes a first end, a second end, opposite the first end, and a plurality of markings disposed between the first end and the second end. A mounting rail is coupled to the rear wall, and a shelf is adjustably coupled to the mounting rail at a plurality of positions between the first end and the second end of the rear wall. The plurality of markings are configured to indicate a distance from the first end of the rear wall to the shelf based on alignment of the shelf with at least one of the plurality of markings.
Another embodiment of the present disclosure is a panel assembly for a refrigerated display including a panel. The panel includes a first end, a second end opposite the first end, a first side extending between the first end and the second end, a second side opposite the first side and extending between the first end and the second end, and a plurality of markings disposed between the first end and the second end. The plurality of markings are configured to indicate a distance from the first end such that a user may quickly identify the distance to facilitate positioning of shelves in the refrigerated display case. The plurality of markings includes a first set of markings and a second set of markings. The first set of markings is disposed in a plurality of rows, each of the plurality of rows parallel to the first end. The second set of markings is aligned with a subset of the first set of markings and configured as numeric values indicating the distance from the first end to the numeric values.
Another embodiment of the present disclosure is a method of assembling a display area for a refrigerated display case. The method includes coupling a panel to a plurality of mounting rails. The panel has a plurality of markings. The plurality of markings is configured to indicate distances from a first panel end to a plurality of positions between the first panel end and a second panel end, the second panel end opposite the first panel end. The method further includes determining a first desired height for installation of a first shelf, and selectively coupling the first shelf to at least one of the plurality of mounting rails, based on determining the first desired height, such that a top surface of the first shelf aligns with at least one of the plurality of markings.
Referring generally to the FIGURES, a refrigerated display case and components thereof are shown, according to various exemplary embodiments. The refrigerated display case may include a vapor compression refrigeration system or other refrigeration system or systems. In some implementations, the refrigeration system may be used to provide cooling for temperature-controlled displays in a supermarket or other similar facility. Accordingly, it may be desirable to display products on shelves within the refrigerated display case based on predefined merchandising pans (e.g., plan-o-grams).
Before discussing further details of the refrigeration system and/or the components thereof, it should be noted that references to “front,” “back,” “rear,” “upward,” “downward,” “inner,” “outer,” “right,” and “left” in this description are merely used to identify the various elements as they are oriented in the FIGURES. These terms are not meant to limit the element which they describe, as the various elements may be oriented differently in various applications.
It should further be noted that for purposes of this disclosure, the term “coupled” means the joining of two members directly or indirectly to one another. Such joining may be stationary in nature or moveable in nature and/or such joining may allow for the flow of fluids, transmission of forces, electrical signals, or other types of signals or communication between the two members. Such joining may be achieved with the two members or the two members and any additional intermediate members being integrally formed as a single unitary body with one another or with the two members or the two members and any additional intermediate members being attached to one another. Such joining may be permanent in nature or alternatively may be removable or releasable in nature.
Referring now to
In some embodiments, the refrigerated display case 100 may include a mechanical-compression refrigeration system, an absorption refrigerating system, an evaporative cooling system, or a thermoelectric refrigeration system configured to selectively control a temperature of the display space 105. The refrigeration system may be a closed loop unit positioned on or in the refrigerated display case. Alternatively, the refrigerated display case 100 may be part of a large refrigeration loop connecting to additional refrigerated display cases.
A rear portion of the display space 105 is defined by panels 200. Mounting rails 300 are coupled to the sides of the panels 200 as shown. The display space 105 also includes shelves 400 coupled to at least one of the mounting rails 300. The panels 200 and the mounting rails 300 include an indexing system configured to facilitate placement of the shelves 400. Each of the shelves 400 is configured to support one or more of the products displayed in the display space 105. The refrigerated display case 100 also includes doors 110, as shown. The doors 110 may be used to facilitate thermal regulation within the display space. In some embodiments, the refrigerated display case 100 may have an open front (e.g., without doors 110).
In some embodiments, the refrigerated display case 100 may include more or fewer of the panels 200. In these implementations, the dimensions of the refrigerated display case 100 may be scaled to suitably contain each of the panels 200. Accordingly, the refrigerated display case 100 may include more or fewer of the mounting rails 300 such that each of the panels 200 has two adjacent mounting rails 300. For example, the refrigerated display case 100 may include two of the panels 200 and three of the mounting rails 300. In this arrangement, one of the mounting rails 300 is in common with both of the panels 200. In other arrangements, each panel 200 is provided with two dedicated mounting rails 300. Similarly, the refrigerated display case may include more or fewer shelves 400. The amount of shelves 400 may depend on products selected to be displayed within the display space 105. Additionally, the shelves may be positioned relative to the panel 200, the display area 105, or each other based on the product or products selected to be displayed.
Referring now to
The plurality of markings 230 includes a first set of markings 240. The first set of markings 240 is shown as circular holes formed through the panel 200. In other embodiments the first set of markings may have a different geometry (e.g., square, triangular, etc.).
The first set of markings 240 is show to be arranged in rows, each of the rows is parallel to the first end 220. Each of the rows may include one or more markings of the first set of markings 240. For example, each of the rows may include between 15 and 20 markings of the first set of markings 240. The rows may be spaced from each other at regular or predefined intervals. For example, the rows may be spaced apart by about 0.5 inches to about 10 inches. More specifically, the rows may be spaced apart by about 1 inch. In other embodiments, the rows may be spaced apart by more than 10 inches or less than 0.5 inches to suitably subdivide the panel 200 such that a user may quickly determine the distance from the first end 220 to one or more of the first set of markings 240. In yet other embodiments, the rows may be irregularly spaced or intermittently spaced. For example, one or more rows may be skipped such that the rows are spaced by a greater distance. Alternatively, one or more rows may be added such that the rows are spaced by a lesser distance.
The plurality of markings 230 also includes a second set of markings 250. The second set of markings 250 are configured as depictions of numeric values (e.g., numbers, Roman numerals, other symbols or characters). Each of the depictions of the numeric values has a particular height and width such that a user may easily identify the numeric value being depicted. The size of the depiction of the numeric values may depend on the size of the panels 200, the positioning of the depiction of the numeric value relative to the rows of the first set of markings 240, or the numeric value being depicted. For example, each of the depiction of the numeric values may be centered on one of the rows of the first set of markings 240. In this example, each of the depiction of the numeric values may be sized such that each of the depiction of the numeric value is suitably larger each of the first set of markings 240. Alternatively the height and width of the depiction of the numeric value may be standardized and independent of the first panel 201 or other markings.
Each of the depictions of the numeric values is positioned in line with one of the rows of the first set of markings 240 such that a portion (e.g., top, center, bottom, etc.) of the depiction of the numeric value is centered with one of the rows of the first set of markings 240. The depictions of the numeric values indicate the distance from the first end 220 to the depiction of the numeric values. As shown, the rows of the first set of markings 240 may be spaced one inch apart, and the second set of markings may be spaced at every 5th row. The second set of markings are therefore spaced five inches apart indicated by the numeric vales as shown. Each of the rows of the first set of markings 240 in line with each of the second set of markings 250 may include one or more markings have a different geometry or configuration. As shown in
In some embodiments, the plurality of markings 230, including the first set of markings 240 and the second set of markings 250, are spaced apart relative to the size of the first panel 201 such that the first panel 201 is suitably subdivided by the plurality of markings 230. As shown, the plurality of markings 230 are configured as holes formed through the first panel 201. The holes may be punched or cut out of the first panel 201. More specifically, the holes may be punched using a specialized tool (e.g., a hole punching turret) to create geometric holes in the material of the first panel 201. The specialized tool may be configured to punch out the first set of markings 240. The specialized tool may also be configured to punch out the second set of markings 250 from the first panel 201. For example a ⅛″×1″ rectangular punch may be used in a specific punch sequence to generate the shape of each of the numeric value characters (e.g., 0 through 9, etc.). In other embodiments, the plurality of markings 230 may be etched or drawn onto the first panel 201 (e.g., laser etching, chemical etching, paint, inking, etc.). In yet other embodiments, the plurality of markings 230 may extend only partially between the first end 220 and the second end 225. For example, as shown in
Still referring to
In some embodiments, the mounting rails 300 are configured to be modular such that a single mounting rail (e.g., mounting rail 320) may be mounted between two of the panels 200 (e.g., first panel 201 and second panel 205). In this arrangement, the slots 350 of mounting rail 320 are disposed in two columns such that a first column of slots 351 is configured to receive a portion of a shelf to be mounted in front of panel 201 and a second column of slots 355 is configured to receive a portion of a shelf to be mounted in front of second panel 205.
Now referring to
Now referring to
According to the exemplary embodiment shown in
According to additional exemplary embodiments, the design and features of each of the shelves 400 is substantially similar to the first shelf 401. In these implementations, each of the shelves 400 is configured to selectively interface with the slots 350 such that a top surface of each of the shelves 400 aligns with one or more of the plurality of markings 230.
Now referring to
At step 510, the mounting rails 300 are coupled to the panels 200. As described above, the panels 200 and mounting rails 300 may be configured to be modular such that multiple mounting rails 300 and panels 200 may be coupled together in series as shown in
At step 520, products are selected to be displayed. Each of the products may be the same type, or the products may be of different types. The products may be selected based on visual merchandising techniques or plan-o-grams (POGs). A POG is a model that maximizes retail sales by planning the placement of retail products on shelves.
The POG for the refrigerated display case 100 may recommend the orientation of the product on each of the shelves 400, an amount of products on each of the shelves 400, number or spacing of shelves 400 included in the refrigerated display case 100, capability to facilitate product or brand identity, or positioning of additional refrigerated display cases. The POG may also recommend other configurations, orientations, or other parameters of the display area 105. The POG allows the user to design the display space 105 before starting method 500.
The products may have particular dimensions taken relative to the position in which user desires to display the product. For example, POG may recommend that a label indicating various specifications of the product is on a first, front facing side of the product. The front facing side may have a particular height and width. A second side of the product may define a bottom surface of the product configured to be supported by the top surface 410 of one of the shelves 400. The POG may recommend the amount of products based on the bottom surface of the product.
At step 530, a height is selected to position the shelf 400. The height may be selected based on the height of the product to be displayed. For example, the shelf 400 is positioned such that the products being displayed on a shelf below can be easily seen and accessed by a user. The height also may be predetermined by the POG. For example, the POG may recommend that the shelf 400 is positioned such that the products being displayed on a shelf below can be easily seen and accessed by a user. Additionally, the POG may recommend maintaining optimal spacing between shelves such that the amount of products (e.g., a maximum amount, an optimal amount, etc.) recommend by the POG may be displayed within the display space 105. For example, a first product on a first shelf may have a height of about 5 inches. A user may decide to use, or a POG may recommend a height of more than 5 inches (e.g., 6.25 inches) to position a second shelf, above the first shelf such that a user may easily see and access the first product. Additionally, the first shelf may be selected to be positioned relative to a bottom surface of the display area 105 (e.g., relative to the first end 220). A last shelf (e.g., a highest shelf) may be selected to be positioned relative to a top of the display area 105 (e.g., relative to the second end 225).
At step 540, the top surface of the shelf 410 is aligned with at least one of the plurality of markings 230. The alignment may be based on the height decided at step 530. For example, the height may found on the panels 200 using the plurality of markings 230 on the panels 200. More specifically, the POG may have recommended at step 530 that a first shelf should be placed 5 inches from a bottom of the panels 200 (e.g., first end 220). The user may quickly determine the 5 inch distance from the first end 220 of the panels 200 by the plurality of markings 230. Additionally, the user may have decided at step 530 that a second shelf should be placed 10 inches away from the first shelf. The user may quickly identify a 10 inch spacing by using the plurality of markings 230. For example, the first shelf may be aligned with a first marking of the plurality of markings 230 labeled as “5” as shown in
In a further embodiment of step 540, an alternative spacing may have been selected for the shelves 400 at step 530. For example, a third shelf may have been selected to be spaced 4 inches above the second shelf as described above. The user may quickly identify the 4 inch spacing by counting the number of rows of the first set of markings 240 above the second shelf. More specifically, the user may count four rows of the first set of markings 240 that are spaced at 1 inch intervals. The total distance is approximately 4 inches. The user may then position the third shelf to align with the fourth row of the first set of markings 240 above the second shelf.
At step 550, the shelf 400 is coupled to the mounting rails 300 such that the alignment made at step 540 is maintained. For example, the user may have aligned the shelf at step 540. While suitably maintaining this alignment the user may insert the mounting flanges 450 into the slots 350 of the mounting rails 300. Each of the plurality of mounting slots 350 is positioned such that the top surface 410 of each of the shelves 400 aligns with at least one of the plurality of markings 230.
The user may repeat the method 500 until the display area has the desired number of shelves mounted to the mounting rails 300. For example, a user may decide to use or a POG may recommend using more than one shelf. In one example, a POG may recommend using exactly five shelves. The user may repeat method 500 until all five shelves have been positioned and coupled to the mounting rails 300.
As utilized herein, the terms “approximately,” “about,” “substantially,” and similar terms are intended to have a broad meaning in harmony with the common and accepted usage by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the subject matter of this disclosure pertains. It should be understood by those of skill in the art who review this disclosure that these terms are intended to allow a description of certain features described and claimed without restricting the scope of these features to the precise numerical ranges provided. Accordingly, these terms should be interpreted as indicating that insubstantial or inconsequential modifications or alterations of the subject matter described and claimed are considered to be within the scope of the disclosure as recited in the appended claims. It should be noted that the term “exemplary” and variations thereof, as used herein to describe various embodiments, are intended to indicate that such embodiments are possible examples, representations, or illustrations of possible embodiments (and such terms are not intended to connote that such embodiments are necessarily extraordinary or superlative examples).
The term “or,” as used herein, is used in its inclusive sense (and not in its exclusive sense) so that when used to connect a list of elements, the term “or” means one, some, or all of the elements in the list. Conjunctive language such as the phrase “at least one of X, Y, and Z,” unless specifically stated otherwise, is understood to convey that an element may be either X, Y, Z; X and Y; X and Z; Y and Z; or X, Y, and Z (i.e., any combination of X, Y, and Z). Thus, such conjunctive language is not generally intended to imply that certain embodiments require at least one of X, at least one of Y, and at least one of Z to each be present, unless otherwise indicated.
The construction and arrangement of the elements of the refrigeration system and valve diagnostic system as shown in the exemplary embodiments are illustrative only. Although only a few embodiments have been described in detail in this disclosure, many modifications are possible (e.g., variations in sizes, dimensions, structures, shapes and proportions of the various elements, values of parameters, mounting arrangements, use of materials, colors, orientations, etc.). For example, the position of elements may be reversed or otherwise varied and the nature or number of discrete elements or positions may be altered or varied. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure. The order or sequence of any process or method steps may be varied or re-sequenced according to alternative embodiments. Other substitutions, modifications, changes, and omissions may be made in the design, operating conditions and arrangement of the exemplary embodiments without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.
Although the figures show a specific order of method steps, the order of the steps may differ from what is depicted. Also two or more steps may be performed concurrently or with partial concurrence. Such variation will depend on the software and hardware systems chosen and on designer choice. All such variations are within the scope of the disclosure.
The background section is intended to provide a background or context to the invention recited in the claims. The description in the background section may include concepts that could be pursued, but are not necessarily ones that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated herein, what is described in the background section is not prior art to the description and claims and is not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in the background section.
It is important to note that the construction and arrangement of the systems and methods as shown in the various exemplary embodiments is illustrative only. Additionally, any element disclosed in one embodiment may be incorporated or utilized with any other embodiment disclosed herein. For example, the methods of the exemplary embodiment described with reference to
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