Claims:We Claim:

1. A temperature controlling appliance (100) with display arrangement comprising:
a refrigerating cabinet (1) for cooling plurality of merchandize (24) wherein said refrigerating cabinet is open from front side and has plurality of compartments for storing the plurality of merchandize (24); characterized in that
at least one door assembly (2) made of plurality of transparent layers (105) is connected to the front side of a refrigerating cabinet (1) for cooling plurality of merchandize (24) wherein said refrigerating cabinet is open from front side and has plurality of compartments for storing the plurality of merchandize (24) in said refrigerating cabinet (1); and
a plurality of air cavity or air pocket (22, 106)) is made between back surface (101) and front surface (102) of said at least one door assembly (2) to enclose the merchandize (24) to be displayed.

2. The appliance as claimed in claim 1, wherein said door assembly (2) further comprising an outer layer with a transparent window (23) and an insulating layer (25) at the back.

3. The appliance as claimed in claim 2, wherein said outer layer with a transparent window (23) further comprises plurality of transparent layer to achieve better insulation or to protect the insulation medium.

4. The appliance as claimed in claim 1, wherein said door assembly (2) further additional insulation (21) at upper and lower position of the said door assembly (2).

5. The appliance as claimed in claim 3, wherein said plurality of transparent layers can be attached or de-attached to said door assembly (2) through a hinged mechanism, snap-fit arrangements (104), screwed arrangements or any other means.

6. The appliance as claimed in claim 1, wherein said door assembly (2) comprises single transparent window (31,41) covering complete or partial area of said door assembly (2) or multiple transparent window (51) covering complete or partial area of said door assembly (2).

7. The appliance as claimed in claim 1, wherein said door assembly (2) further comprises LED lights (62), electronic displays (64), temperature indicators (63), or any other display aid (61).

Dated __th day of _________ 2019

Ajai Jain
For Godrej & Boyce Manufacturing Company Ltd , Description:FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to display of merchandise in cooler or refrigerator and more particularly, display of products or dummy products which are inaccessible to the customer.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

We generally keep food items such as meats, fishes and vegetables fresh in a refrigerator. The refrigerator comprises a freezing cabinet, a refrigerating cabinet, a vegetable cabinet and a door mounted at one Side of the refrigerator body and opening and closing the freezing chamber and the refrigerating chamber. The refrigerator is also available for commercial purpose for displaying the merchandise and branding the product.

Conventionally, there are four ways in which displays are accomplished.
1. Using an insulated opaque door with product branding stickers/paints or dummy products outside the cooling unit.
2. Using a separate temperature controlled compartment with actual products inside for creating the display.
3. Using a transparent door that shows the actual products inside the cooling unit.
4. Using a rack at the back of the transparent door of the cooling unit.

Using stickers or dummy products does not give the customers an authentic experience of the products inside the cooling unit and using actual products in a separate compartment or having a transparent door substantially increases the thermal load which the cooling unit must manage for maintaining the temperature.
The appliance must manage the temperatures in both the storage cabinet and the display cabinet, which increases the complexity and cost of the device. It also considerably reduces the amount of storage space vis-à-vis the footprint of the unit. In small outlets, footprint of the unit is an important factor in the seller’s decision to utilize the appliance as floor space is at a premium. It also leads to higher time and effort for completing the action of obtaining a product for the customer as they must open both doors to experience the product from the front door and then obtain the sellable stock from the back door.

Further, having multiple isolated transparent layers to increase the insulation is not a cost-effective solution for small counter-top devices. Our proposed solution displays the products inside the device while reducing the thermal leakages that occur because of the transparent door.

Using a rack behind a transparent door has the same performance related disadvantages as described for a unit with a transparent door above. In addition, since the customer can pick the products placed in the racks for consumption, there is an additional disadvantage of the branding display being disturbed by the customer. If the display is irregular or not appealing, it would reduce the pull that displaying the products has on the customers.
In view of the aforesaid, it is challenge to provide the customers with an authentic experience of displaying the actual products while maintaining a low energy footprint for the device.

The present invention provides solution for aforesaid problems.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide an authentic experience of displaying the actual products while maintaining a low energy footprint for a temperature controlling appliance.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a door assembly with cavity for a temperature controlling appliance.

Yet another object of the present invention is to display products which are inaccessible to the customer.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a temperature controlling appliance (100) with display arrangement comprises a refrigerating cabinet (1) for cooling plurality of merchandize (24) wherein said refrigerating cabinet is open from front side and has plurality of compartments for storing the plurality of merchandize (24), at least one door assembly (2) is connected to the front side of said refrigerating cabinet (1) and is made of plurality of transparent layers, and a plurality of air cavity or air pocket (22) is made inside said at least one door assembly (2) to enclose the merchandize (24) to be displayed.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the door assembly (2) further comprises an outer layer with a transparent window (23) and an insulating layer (25) at the back.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the outer layer with a transparent window (23) further comprises plurality of transparent layer to achieve better insulation or to protect the insulation medium.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the door assembly (2) further additional insulation (21) at upper and lower position of the said door assembly (2).

According to another aspect of the present invention, the plurality of transparent layers can be attached or de-attached to said door assembly (2) through a hinged mechanism, snap-fit arrangements, screwed arrangements or any other means.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the door assembly (2) may comprise single transparent window (31, 41) covering complete or partial area of said door assembly (2) or multiple transparent window (51) covering complete or partial area of said door assembly (2).

According to another aspect of the present invention, the door assembly (2) further comprises LED lights, electronic displays, temperature indicators, or any other display aid (61).

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate one or more embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, explain the invention. In the drawings,

Figure 1 represents the cross-section of a temperature controlling appliance in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 represents cross-section of door assembly in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 3 represents single display arrangement of the door assembly in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 4 represents partial display arrangement of the door assembly in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 5 represents multiple display arrangement of the door assembly in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 6 represents enhanced display arrangement of the door assembly with LED light in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 7 represents comparative performance graph in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 8 represents a temperature controlling appliance in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 9 represents complete structure of door assembly in accordance with the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In describing and claiming the invention, the following terminology will be used in accordance with the definitions set forth below. Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Although any sensing device, methods, system and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of the present invention, the preferred sensing device, methods, system and materials are described herein. As used herein, each of the following terms has the meaning associated with it in this section. Specific and preferred values listed below for individual components, substituents, and ranges are for illustration only; they do not exclude other defined values or other values within defined ranges for the components and substituents.

The terms “preferred” and “preferably” refer to embodiments of the invention that may afford certain benefits, under certain circumstances. However, other embodiments may also be preferred, under the same or other circumstances. Furthermore, the recitation of one or more preferred embodiments does not imply that other embodiments are not useful, and is not intended to exclude other embodiments from the scope of the invention.
As used herein, the terms “comprising,” “including,” “having,” “containing,” “involving,” and the like are to be understood to be open-ended, i.e. to mean including but not limited to.

Thus, before describing the present invention in detail, it is to be understood that this invention is not limited to particularly exemplified systems or process parameters that may of course, vary. It is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments of the invention only, and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention in any manner.

The proposed invention creates a display arrangement that allows actual products to be placed for the customer to see. The displayed products also serve as an insulation layer for the dispensable products inside the unit, thereby resulting in only a marginal increase in the thermal load of the system. Also, since the displayed products will be closer to the controlled temperature of unit because of leakage through the door of the unit, these displayed products remains at their preferred temperature band. The proposed solution also incorporates a means to change the products displayed in its cavity. This ensures longevity of the unit and increases the flexibility in terms of branding opportunities for the client.

Figure 1 shows cross-sectional view of a temperature controlling appliance which is used for displaying, storing, and dispensing merchandize. The temperature controlling appliance (100) with display arrangement comprises a refrigerating cabinet (1) for cooling plurality of merchandize (24) wherein said refrigerating cabinet is open from front side and has plurality of compartments for storing the plurality of merchandize (24), at least one door assembly (2) made of plurality of transparent layers is connected to the front side of said refrigerating cabinet (1), and a plurality of air cavity or air pocket (22) is made inside said at least one door assembly (2) to enclose the merchandize (24) to be displayed. The door assembly (2) has an outer layer with a transparent window (23) and an insulating layer (25) at the back into the cabinet (1). The door assembly (2) may also comprise of additional insulation (21) in areas not covered by the transparent window 23 mainly upper and lower position of the door assembly (2).

The temperature controlling appliance (100) is functional without the use of insulation. The use of insulation in the cavity will improve the performance of the unit but a manufacturer can decide to forego this. This will result in a slight increase in the energy input, but the two-layer air encapsulating construction of the door will still provide a degree of insulation because air is a good insulator. The outer layer with a transparent window (23) can be made of plurality of transparent layer to achieve better insulation or to protect the insulation medium. The plurality of transparent layers can be attached or de-attached to said door assembly (2) through a hinged mechanism, snap-fit arrangements, screwed arrangements or any other means. For existing solutions, if manufacturer decides to change the branding of the product after some time. This would mean recalling the merchandising unit and changing its branding as well since the branding is “hardcoded” into the unit. In the proposed solution, the manufacturer can simply replace the products inside the display cavity and advertise the new branding. This ensures longevity of the temperature controlling appliance (100) and increases the flexibility in terms of branding opportunities for the client.

The customer can view the actual product placed inside the cavity of the door assembly but they are unable the touch the product. So, the products can be elaborately designed by the client to achieve maximum effectiveness without the fear that they can be disturbed by the customer. The temperature inside the proposed door cavity will be more than the cabinet temperature but less than the outside temperature. Suppose the ideal storage temperature range for the product being sold is 15-20 degree C. The cabinet (1) will maintain a temperature at 15 degree C. The temperature outside is say 25 degree C. The temperature in the door cavity will be somewhere around 20 degree C. This ensures that the actual products are in their ideal temperature and since the display products are also near the optimum range, they will not lose their shape and appeal.

Figure 2 shows the cross-section of door assembly (2) of the temperature controlling appliance (100). The space for insulation (103) provided in door assembly (2). To lock the door assembly (2), a snap-fit arrangement is provided at front-surface (102) of door assembly (2). A transparent layer (105) provided at front surface (102) for an authentic experience of displaying the actual products while maintaining a low energy footprint for a temperature controlling appliance. The merchandized products are paced in a cavity area (106) between back surface (101) and front surface (102) of door assembly (2). The transparent front layer and the cavity (106) area enable the retailer to place actual or dummy units which can be seen by the buyer. The insulation at the back provides thermal isolation for the cargo inside the temperature controlling appliance (100). Thus, even when the user is provided with a view of the actual products inside the unit, the products themselves are in a thermally insulated environment. This reduces the energy required to maintain the temperature of the cooling unit. Further, since the cavity with the display units cannot be accessed by the customer, the display can remain undisturbed as long as the retailer wishes.

In addition, since there is a mechanism available to the manufacturer to access the said cavity by opening the snap-fit front, the manufacturer can still change the display arrangement as per their wishes and evolving branding strategies. This ensures that the same cooler can be utilized by the retailer through different branding campaigns by adapting its display as per the manufacturer’s guidelines.

Another advantage because of the snap fit arrangement is that different embellishments can be added or removed as required to change the display. For example, the display can include a LED screen in one instance, which can be later removed and replaced by a simpler temperature display or LEDs, if required.

Figure 3-6 show different views of the door assembly in accordance with the present invention. The door assembly (2) may comprise single transparent window (31, 41) covering complete or partial area of said door assembly (2) or multiple transparent window (51) covering complete or partial area of said door assembly (2). Furthermore, the door assembly can have embellishments (61) to enhance the branding of the product. This can include provisions for LED lights (62), electronic displays (64), temperature indicators (63), or any other display aid (61) in the door assembly (2).

Figure 7 shows comparative performance graph in accordance with the present invention. This is achieved due to the fact that a multi layered door (with the front surface, cavity for display, and back surface) offers better insulating properties than a simple transparent door. The thermal load on the appliance is considerably less compared to a transparent door, resulting in at least a 20 % improvement in the performance of the unit.

Figure 8 shows the temperature controlling appliance (100) with display arrangement comprises a refrigerating cabinet (1). A door assembly (2) is connected to the front side of said refrigerating cabinet (1).

Figure 9 shows the complete structure of door assembly (2) for providing an authentic experience of displaying the actual products while maintaining a low energy footprint for a temperature controlling appliance.