REFRIGERATED MERCHANDISE DISPLAY SYSTEM
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates generally to a refrigerated merchandise display system for
storing and dispensing merchandise.
BACKGROUND
The design and construction of commercial refrigerators has remained the same for
many years. Generally, commercial refrigerators are large heavy boxes, which have
failed to keep up with design trends and consumer expectations. The walls of the
commercial refrigerators are typically formed from two thin steel plates with
insulating polyurethane foam injected between them. This construction makes the
commercial refrigerators heavy, time-consuming to build, and difficult to recycle.
Typically, in convenience stores and grocery stores, customers can only view the
product or merchandise within a commercial refrigerator when the customer is
standing in front of the refrigerator. Typical refrigerators also position the
refrigeration unit at the bottom of the refrigerator. This configuration exposes the
refrigeration unit to dirt, debris and other hazards that clog fans and other mechanical
parts in the refrigeration unit, which may increase maintenance and replacement costs.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of this invention described herein is to provide a fight weight refrigerated
merchandise display system. Another object of the invention is to provide visual
access of the merchandise within the display system to a customer, from a variety of
angles. Another object of the invention is to provide an easily accessible and
replaceable refrigeration unit.
In one aspect of the invention, a merchandise display system includes an outer
housing, an inner support, a front door assembly, a plurality of windows, a
refrigeration unit and a plurality of shelves for supporting merchandise within the
display system. The outer housing includes a top wall, a bottom wall, two side walls,
and a back wall. In at least one embodiment, the inner support is a tubular steel
structure that provides support for the outer housing. In at least one embodiment, the
front door assembly is transparent, which allows a customer to view the merchandise
within the merchandise display system. The refrigeration unit may be positioned at
the top of the merchandise display system and may also be removable. At least one of
the plurality of windows may be positioned on each of the side walls of the outer
housing. The plurality of windows may provide a customer visual access to a
plurality of rows of product within the merchandise display system. The outer
housing may be manufactured in a variety of shapes of colors. Each of the colors of
the outer housing may be indicative of and promote a type of merchandise or a brand
of merchandise.
[06] In another aspect of the invention, a plurality of merchandise display units may be
positioned side by side and may share a single refrigeration unit. In this aspect of the
invention, each of the plurality of merchandise display units includes an outer housing
having a top wall, a bottom wall, two side walls and a . back wall. Each of the plurality
of merchandise display units further includes an inner support, a front door assembly,
a plurality of windows, and a plurality of shelves for supporting merchandise within
each of the plurality of merchandise display units. In at least one embodiment, the
front door assembly is transparent, which allows a customer to view the merchandise
within the merchandise display system. The refrigeration unit may be positioned at
the top of the merchandise display system and may also be removable. At least one of
the plurality of windows may be positioned on each of the side walls of the outer
housing. The plurality of windows may provide a customer visual access to a
plurality of rows of product within the merchandise display system. The outer
housing may be manufactured in a variety of shapes of colors. Each of the colors of
the outer housing may be indicative of and promote a type of merchandise or a brand
of merchandise.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[07] FIG. 1 is a front view of a merchandise display system in accordance with the present
invention;
[08] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of exemplary components of the merchandise
display system;
[09] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the back of the outer housing of the merchandise
display system.
[10] FIGS. 4a-4b are perspective views of a portion of the outer housing of the
merchandise display system;
[11] FIGS. 5a-5b are perspective views of a portion of the side wall of the outer housing of
the merchandise display system;
[12] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the inner structure; and
[13] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the back of an exemplary embodiment of the
invention, illustrating a plurality of merchandise display systems in accordance with
the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[14] Referring to Fig. 1, the merchandise display system of the present invention is
indicated generally at 10. Fig. 2 is an exploded view illustrating exemplary
components of the merchandise display system 10 As shown in Fig. 2, the
merchandise display system 10 is a modular system, which may include a
refrigeration unit 100, an outer housing 200, a plurality of windows 300, an inner
structure 400, and a front door assembly 500.
[15] As shown in Fig. 3, the outer housing 200 includes a top wall 210, a bottom wall 220,
two side walls 230, and a back wall 240. The back wall 240, side walls 230, and top
wall 210 define an opening 250 in the outer housing 200 The opening 250 may be
configured to receive the refrigeration unit 100.
[16] The outer housing 200 may be formed from a single piece of material. The outer
housing 200 may be made from any suitable material, such as plastic or metal. In at
least one embodiment, the outer housing 200 is a plastic shell, which is manufactured
using a rotational molding process. In at least one embodiment, as illustrated in Figs.
4a and 4b, the outer housing 200 is a hollow structure filled with a foam-based
insulation material 260. The foam-based insulation material 260 may be inserted into
the outer housing 200 through an injection molding process. This construction of the
outer housing 200 may reduce the weight of the merchandise display system 10, as
compared to a . typical commercial refrigerator.
The outer housing 200 may be any shape or size suitable for cooling and displaying
merchandise. For example, the outer housing 200 may be generally rectangular or
box shaped and may include curved or rounded surfaces. 'The outer housing 200 may
be manufactured in a variety of colors. The color of the outer housing 200 may be
indicative of a certain brand or type of merchandise and may be used to promote the
brand or type of merchandise. For example, blue and red and may be used to promote
traditional Pepsi products, white and blue and may be used to promote Diet Pepsi
products, green and may be used to promote non-carbonated beverages, and orange
and may be used to promote Gatorade products.
As illustrated in Figs. 5a and 5b, the outer housing 200 may include a plurality of
windows 300, which allow a customer to view the products being displayed in the
merchandise display system 10. In at least one embodiment, the plurality of windows
300 are transparent. The windows 300 may be made of any suitable material, such as
glass or plastic. The plurality of windows 300 may be attached to the outer housing
200 in any suitable manner. For example, in one embodiment, the windows 300 may
be attached to the outer housing 200 using mechanical methods, such as screws or
bolts in another embodiment, the windows 300 may be attached to the outer housing
200 using an adhesive. In at least one embodiment, the windows 300 are formed from
an inner window 320 and an outer window 330, as illustrated in Fig. 2. In this
embodiment, the inner window 320 may be attached to an interior surface of the outer
housing 200 and the outer window 330 may be attached to the outer surface of the
outer housing 200.
Referring back to Figures 5a and 5b, the outer housing 200 may define a plurality of
apertures 270 for receiving the plurality of windows 300. In at lea st one embodiment,
the outer housing 200 includes a plurality of window frames, which receive the
plurality of windows 300. The window frames may be formed from recessed
indentations 280 formed in the outer housing 200. The recessed indentions 280 may
surround the windows 300 or may surround only a portion of the windows 300.
[20] The windows 300 may be positioned at any suitable place on the outer housing 200.
In at least one embodiment, at least one window 300 is positioned toward the front of
each side wall 230 of the outer housing 200, adjacent the front door assembly 500, to
allow a . customer to view the first few rows of product within the merchandise display
system 10 when approaching the merchandise display system 10 from the side. The
windows 300 may extend along the entire height of the side wall 230 of the
merchandise display system 10 or may extend along a portion of the side wall 230. In
at least one embodiment, the merchandise display system 10 includes one or more
light bars 310 for illuminating the windows 300 In this embodiment, the light bars
310 may be attached to either the inner surface or the outer surface of the windows
300 or the outer housing 200 Alternatively, if the windows 300 include an inner
window 320 and an outer window 330, as illustrated in Fig. 2 the light bars 310 may
be positioned between the inner and outer windows.
[21] The outer housing 200 attaches to the inner structure 400 and at least a portion of the
outer housing 200 surrounds the inner structure 400. The outer housing 200 may
attach to the inner structure 400 in any suitable manner. In at least one embodiment,
the inner support 400 interlocks or snap fits into the outer housing 200. Alternatively,
the inner structure 400 may attach to the outer housing 200 by mechanical fastening
means.
[22] As depicted in Fig. 6, the inner structure 400 includes a top 410, a bottom 420, and
two sides 430. The inner structure 400 may include a back 440. The inner structure
400 acts as a chassis or endoskeleton to provide support for the outer housing 200 and
generally to the display system 10. The inner structure 400 may be made of any
suitable material, such as metal or plastic. In one embodiment, as depicted in Fig. 6,
the inner structure 400 is a tubular steel structure. Alternatively, the inner structure
400 may be a solid structure and may include a top wall 410, a bottom wall 420, and
two side wails 430. In one embodiment, the inner structure 400 includes a solid back
wall 440. The inner structure 400 may also provide support for the refrigeration unit
100 The inner structure 400 may define an opening 450, which corresponds with the
opening 250 in the outer housing 200. The opening 250 in the outer housing 200 and
opening 450 in the inner structure 400 may be configured to receive the refrigeration
unit 100.
[23 ] As illustrated in Fig. 1, the merchandise display system may include a plurality of
shelves 460, which are configured to hold and display merchandise. The plurality of
shelves 460 may be attached to and supported by the inner structure 400. The
plurality of shelves 460 may be made of any suitable material. For example, the
plurality of shelves 460 may be made of plastic or metal. The plurality of shelves 460
may be a solid surface or may include apertures to allow air, liquid and debris to flow
through. Any number of shelves 460 is contemplated within the scope of the
invention, and may be dependent on the height of the merchandise within the
merchandise display system 10.
[24] The merchandise display system 10 includes a refrigeration unit 100. In at least one
embodiment, the refrigeration unit 100 is removable from the display system 10,
which allows the refrigeration unit to be easily accessed and replaced during
maintenance. The refrigeration unit 100 may be positioned at any suitable location
within the display system 10. In at least one embodiment, the refrigeration unit 100 is
positioned at the top of the display system 10. In this embodiment, the refrigeration
unit 100 is placed within the openings 250, 450 of the outer housing 200 and inner
support 400. The refrigeration unit 100 may engage with either or both of the outer
housing 200 and inner support 400.
[25] The refrigeration unit 100 may include typical refrigeration components such as a
compressor, a condenser, an evaporator, a fan, etc. The refrigeration unit 100 may
use any suitable type of refrigerant to cool the merchandise display system 10. For
example, R134A (tetraflouroethane), C02 (carbon dioxide), or hydrocarbons may be
used. The refrigeration components may be placed within the same enclosure in the
refrigeration unit 100 and separated as necessary by insulating material.
Alternatively, some of the refrigeration components may be placed in separate
enclosures within the refrigeration unit 100.
[26] In one embodiment, the refrigeration unit 100 may be a hybrid convection-conduction
refrigeration system. In this embodiment, the refrigeration unit 100 may include a
traditional vapor-compression system, which forces cool air from the refrigeration
unit 100 downward through the merchandise system 10. The merchandise displayed
in the merchandise display system 10 may be cooled through a conduction process
where thermal energy is passed from the shelves 460 to the merchandise to cool the
merchandise. In this embodiment, heat generated during the cooling process is
transferred out of the refrigeration unit 100 and merchandise display system 10.
[27] Referring had? to Fig. 2, the front door assembly 500 may include an inner door 530,
a door frame 540, and an outer door 550. The front door assembly 500 may be
attached to the merchandise display system 10 in any suitable manner. In at least one
embodiment, the front door assembly 500 is hingedly attached to the merchandise
display system 10. The front door assembly 500 may be attached to the outer housing
200 or the inner structure 400. In at least one embodiment, the front door assembly
500 is transparent to allow a customer to view the product inside the refrigeration
display 10.
[28] The front door assembly 500 may open in any suitable manner. For example, the
front door assembly 500 may include an axis on one side of the door assembly 500,
such that the door assembly 500 pivots around the axis and swings outwardly to allow
access to the merchandise display system 10. Alternatively, the door assembly 500
may slide open. The door assembly 500 may include a handle 520 to help facilitate
opening the door assembly 500.
[29] As illustrated in Fig. 1, the merchandise display system 10 may include a front
lighting system 510. The front lighting system 510 may include a plurality of lights
or light bars. In one embodiment, the front lighting system 510 is attached to the
outer housing 200. Alternatively, the front lighting system 510 may be attached to the
front door assembly 500. In this embodiment, the front lighting system 510 may be
attached to either the inner surface or the outer surface of the door assembly 500. In
at least one embodiment, the front door assembly 500 includes at least one light bar
on each side of the front door assembly 500, adjacent the sidewalis 230. In at least
one embodiment, the lighting system 510 may be positioned between the inner door
510 and the outer door 530. The merchandise display system 10 may also include an
interior lighting system within the interior portion of display system 10.
[30] in at least one embodiment, one or more of the lighting systems described above may
include light emitting diodes ("LEDs"). The lighting systems may include RGB and
ultra-bright white LEDs, which may reduce the required amount of electricity needed
to illuminate the product or the display system 10 and generate less heat than
conventional lighting. In at least one embodiment, each lighting system comprises 50
red, green, and blue ("RGB") LEDs and 20 ultra-bright white LEDs.
[31] In one aspect of the invention, as illustrated in Fig. 7, a plurality of merchandise
display systems 10 may be positioned side by side and may share a single
refrigeration unit 100. In this embodiment, each of the merchandise display systems
10 may include any of the features of the merchandise display systems 10, as
described above. For example, each of the merchandise display systems 10 may
include an outer housing 200, a plurality of windows 300, an inner structure 400, and
a front door assembly 500. in this embodiment, the outer housings 200 of each of the
plurality of merchandise display systems 10 may be connected to each other.
Alternatively, the plurality of merchandise display systems 10 may be connected
together solely by the single refrigeration unit 100.
[32] The merchandise display system 10 may include logos or signs to further promote the
brand or type of merchandise within the merchandise display system 10. The logos
and signs may be place on any suitable surface of the merchandise display system 10.
For example, a sign may be placed on the top wall 210 of the outer housing 200 or
logos may be attached to the front door assembly 500 or side walls 230 of the outer
housing 200.
[33] While the invention has been described with respect to certain preferred
embodiments, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, it is to be understood
that the invention is capable of numerous changes, modifications and rearrangements
and such changes, modifications and rearrangements are intended to be covered by
the following claims.
What is Claimed is:
1. A merchandise display system comprising:
an outer housing having a top wall, a bottom wall, two side walls and a back wall;
an inner support;
a front door;
a plurality of windows, at least one of the plurality of windows positioned on each side
wall;
a removable refrigeration unit;
a plurality of shelves for supporting merchandise,
wherein at least a portion of the outer housing is configured to surround the inner
support.
2. The merchandise display system of claim 1, wherein the outer housing is a hollow
structure filled with insulating material.
3. The merchandise display system of claim 1, wherein the outer housing is
manufactured in a plurality of colors.
4. The merchandise display system of claim 3, wherein each of the plurality of colors is
indicative of a type of merchandise.
5. The merchandise display system of claim 1, wherein the outer housing defines an
opening in the top, side and back walls.
6. The merchandise display system of claim 5, wherein the inner support defines an
aperture corresponding with the outer housing opening.
7. The merchandise display system of claim 6, wherein the removable refrigeration unit
is positioned within the outer housing opening and configured to engage the inner support.
8. The merchandise display system of claim 1, wherein the inner support is a tubular
steel structure.
9. The merchandise display system of claim 1, wherein the plurality windows are
secured to the outer housing by adhesive.
10. The merchandise display system of claim 1, wherein at least one light bar is adjacent
each side wall and attached to the front door.
11. A merchandise display system comprising;
an outer housing having a top wall, a bottom wall, two side walls and a back wall, the
outer housing defining an opening within the top, side, and back walls;
an inner support;
a front door;
a plurality of windows, wherein at least one of the plurality of windows is positioned
on each side wall;
a removable refrigeration unit positioned within the opening in the outer housing; and
a plurality of shelves for supporting merchandise, wherein the plurality of shelves are
attached to the inner support, and
wherein at least a portion of the outer housing is configured to surround the inner
support.
12. The merchandise display system of claim 12, wherein the outer housing is a hollow
structure filled with insulating material.
13. The merchandise dispiay system of claim 12, wherein the inner support is a tubular
steel structure.
14. The merchandise display system of claim 12, wherein each of the two side walls
define a recess and an aperture within the recess.
15. The merchandise display system of claim 14, wherein at least one of the plurality of
windows are secured to the recess in each of the two side walls by adhesive.
16. A merchandise display system comprising:
a plurality of display units, each display unit comprising:
an outer housing having a top wall, a bottom wall, two side walls and a back
wall;
an inner support;
a front door;
a plurality of windows, at least one of the plurality of windows positioned on
each side wall;
a plurality of shelves for supporting merchandise,
wherein at least a portion of the outer housing is configured to surround the
inner support, and
a removable refrigeration unit configured to attach to and cool the plurality of display
units.
17. The merchandise display system of claim 16, wherein each of the plurality of display
units include an opening defined in the top wall, side walls, and back wall.
18. The merchandise display system of claim 17, wherein the removable refrigeration unit
is positioned within the opening of each of the display units.
19. The merchandise display system of claim 16, wherein each of the side walls defines a
recess and an opening within the recess.
20. The merchandise display system of claim 19, wherein the at least one of the plurality
of windows are secured to the recess in each of the side walls by adhesive.