Illumination – With showcase or show window
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-13
2001-12-04
Husar, Stephen (Department: 2875)
Illumination
With showcase or show window
C362S092000, C362S290000, C362S354000, C062S264000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06325523
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to lighted display cases, and more particularly to display cases having light sources that direct light inside the cases and toward the display case shelves.
2. Related Art
In the past, a variety of shelves have been used inside display cases for the purpose of displaying different items in supermarkets, or other retail establishments items for sale are typically placed on the shelves in rows or columns. For example, dairy products in a supermarket may be placed on shelves inside a refrigerated display case with the older dairy products, which need to be sold first, located near the front and middle of the shelves where the products may be easily picked up by customers. However, problems are encountered in illuminating such products.
Products located near the middle of display shelves are difficult to illuminate when vertical fluorescent tubes or other lights located near the ends of the shelves are used to light or illuminate the interior of a display case. In such a case, the products located near the lights receive more light or illumination than products located near the front and middle of the shelves. As a result, products near the middle of the shelves are insufficiently illuminated.
When products are positioned on shelving near the light sources in a display case, undesirable glare or excessively bright regions are formed about the products. This localized area of illumination adversely affects the ability to more uniformly illuminate all products at the front of the shelf. Moreover, glare is a source of distraction that diverts the attention of a viewer or consumer away from a displayed product. Any attempts to reduce the glare by decreasing the illumination results in even less lighting for the products located near the middle of the shelves.
Another common distraction to a consumer or viewer is the heightened contrast created by the uneven amount of illumination across a display case shelf when lighting is located near the ends of the shelves. When viewing a series of adjacent display cases, the alternating high and low intensity lighting across the display case shelving is both distracting and projects an image of non-uniformity. This uneven effect is particularly undesirable when displaying stock of the same product or item.
Undesirable glare about the products near the lights may be eliminated by moving or positioning the product or items further towards the rear of the case away from the immediate area of the light. However, valuable forward display and shelf space is wasted by Roving products away from the lights. By shifting product in this way, the displaced items would also be located further away from a viewer and appear distant rather than on the shelving up close near the front portion of the display case.
Problems are also encountered when horizontal fluorescent tubes are mounted inside a display case, and used to light the interior of the case. Some products located inside the case may not be sufficiently illuminated, because these products are located too far away from the light source.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of this invention to provide a display case having light sources and lenses mounted in the case that alter light distribution along the display case shelves to produce a more uniform light distribution.
It is another object of this invention to provide a display case having a lens lighting system that reduces distracting glare from the light sources, the displayed items, and display case hardware within the case.
It is still another object of this invention to provide a display case having a lens that reduces contrast or differences in illumination between products located near the front ends of the shelves by the display case lighting, and the less illuminated products located near the front middle of the shelves.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a display case having light sources and lenses mounted in the case that permits increased shelving space while still supplying sufficient light to product.
Another object of this invention is to provide a display case having light sources and lenses mounted in the case that direct light toward the shelves in order to more uniformly distribute light.
It is still another object of this invention to provide a display case having some display shelves illuminated through lenses in the case, allowing certain items on certain shelves to be illuminated better than other items on other shelves.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a display case having lenses that are used to direct light toward the interior of the case.
It is another object of this invention to provide a display case having a lens lighting system used to direct light inside the case, and which may be mounted at different locations in the case.
It is still another object of this invention to provide a display case having a lens mounting system for distributing light that is economical to manufacture.
These and other objects and advantages are obtained by a display case having lenses that distribute or direct light from lamps located on or near the display shelves toward the shelves in order to provide a more desirable (e. g., uniform) light distribution to the shelves. The lenses facilitate the illumination of items placed on the shelves near the front and middle of the shelves. Light-directing portions of the lenses evenly distribute or direct light emitted from the lamps, such as fluorescent tubes located behind the lenses, toward the display case shelves.
In one embodiment of the lenses, multiple light-directing portions located on different opposite sides of a fluorescent tube are used to direct light toward shelves located on opposite respective sides of the tube. Such an embodiment may be used near the end of two adjacent shelves within a display case. Another embodiment of the lenses uses only one light-directing portion. Such an embodiment may be used at the end of a shelf located near the side of a display case.
In another embodiment of the display case, the lenses are mounted horizontally inside the case, and used to direct light toward the interior of the case and toward the shelves inside the case.
In still another embodiment of the display case, the lenses are mounted vertically inside the case at the corners of the case. The lenses direct light toward the interior of the case and toward shelves inside the case.
It will be appreciated through application of the concepts for the present invention that vertical lighting in conjunction with illumination with objects displayed horizontally on horizontal shelves enhances the illumination of such objects that is otherwise more difficult to achieve with vertical lighting systems. The lens systems enhance the ability to provide a good illumination with a short throw across a relatively longer shelf front. Such ability to improve the apparent illumination characteristics by vertical lighting of horizontally displayed products provides more flexibility and improved product presentation for a given case. This capability also permits more flexibility in combining vertical lighting systems and horizontal lighting systems where the horizontal lighting systems can be placed at the top, bottom, or intermediate levels of a display case. For example, improved product appearance by the vertical lens lighting system may permit shorter vertical lens lighting systems and the concurrent use of horizontal lighting systems as shown in the drawings herein.
The various features of the present invention will be best understood together with further objects and advantages by reference to the following description of the preferred embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4719765 (1988-01-01), Hooper et al.
patent: 5450297 (1995-09-01), Akashi et al.
patent: 5895111 (1999-04-01), Santosusso et al.
Calderon Fernando
Calderon Raymundo
Downing Bennie Reed
Santosuosso Joseph R.
Severloh Paul
Anthony Inc.
Henricks, Slavin & Holmes
Husar Stephen
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