Supports: cabinet structure – Show-case type – Refrigerator
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-12
2001-10-30
Cuomo, Peter M. (Department: 3636)
Supports: cabinet structure
Show-case type
Refrigerator
C312S266000, C312S305000, C312S135000, C062S256000, C108S094000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06309034
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates generally to coolers and refrigerators and more particularly relates to coolers with oscillating product shelves.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Various types of coolers and refrigerators are commonly used to present different types of products for sale. The coolers generally have a transparent door, a lid, or another type of entrance such that a consumer can see the products therein. The products are generally placed on shelves within the cooler. As is well known, the consumer opens the door to the cooler and grasps the desired product or products. Such coolers are commonly used to sell refrigerated products such as bottles or cans of beverages. These beverages may include coffee; tea; water; fruit, vegetable, and juice concentrates; fruit, vegetable, and juice beverages; isotonic beverages; non-isotonic beverages; milk and milk by-products; carbonated soft drinks; and soft drink concentrate. The products also may include one or more food brands or other types of consumable items.
Various approaches have been used in the past to make an individual cooler, or the products within that cooler, stand out from the surrounding environment. One goal of cooler design is to have the cooler, or the products within the cooler, catch the consumer's eye. Such an attraction may lead to an increase in product sales. These approaches have included, for example, various types of advertising promoting the products, different lighting effects within or around the cooler, the use of sound, and various combinations of attractions so as to grab the consumer's attention.
Another method by which to attract the consumer's attention is to create motion within the cooler. For example, commonly owned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/110,847, entitled “Rotary Cooler”, describes a cooler with a number of product shelves that may rotate three hundred and sixty degrees (360°). Each shelf has an exposed portion with a number of products placed thereon, an interior portion for storage of products, and a panel separating the two areas. Products are moved between the exposed portion and the interior portion via an internal pusher device. When a sensor indicates that a product has been removed from the exposed area, the pusher device pushes another one of the product from the interior portion to the exterior portion. The disclosure of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/110,847 is incorporated herein by reference.
Although the rotary cooler as described therein has proved to be effective in catching the eye of the consumer through the use of motion, the cooler has several drawbacks. For example, the cooler has numerous moving parts that must be maintained. The cooler is therefore expensive to construct and expensive to operate as compared to conventional coolers. Loading the cooler also has turned out to be somewhat difficult in that the products should be located within the interior portion of the cooler. The interior portion of the cooler, however, is not directly accessible such that the cooler may not always be loaded in a first in and a first out basis. Further, because this cooler does not use a door, consumers may not believe the products are sufficiently cold.
What is needed, therefore, is a cooler that uses motion to attract the eye of the consumer. The motion within the cooler must be accomplished in a safe and cost effective manner. Further, the cooler should be relatively inexpensive to construct, operate, maintain, and reload as compared to most types of conventional coolers.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention thus provides a cooler with a number of product shelves and an oscillating drive mechanism. The oscillating drive mechanism is connected to the product shelves so as to rotate the product shelves in an oscillating manner. The cooler thus provides internal motion so as to catch the consumer's eye. The cooler also provides for easy reloading in a first in and first out manner.
Specific embodiments of the present invention include the cooler having an outer door with a transparent panel such that the product shelves may be seen. The outer door includes a door switch in communication with the oscillating drive mechanism. The door switch turns the oscillating drive mechanism off when the outer door is opened. A consumer may then remove a product from the product shelf while the shelf is not moving. The cooler may include an outer shell and a door with a substantially circular shape or any other conventional shape.
The product shelves may be made out of stainless steel, aluminum, or thermoplastics. The product shelves may have a substantially circular shape. The product shelves may have a rotation speed of about one-eighth (0.125) to about two (2) feet per second. One or more shelves may rotate first in a first direction while one or more other shelves may rotate first in a second direction. The product shelves may oscillate from a central point by about five degrees (5°) to about thirty degrees (30°). The product shelves may include a number of product channels positioned thereon. Each of the product shelves may have a first product channel positioned on a first side of the product shelf and a second product channel positioned on a second side of the product shelf. The product shelves may oscillate in a first direction such that the first product channel is accessible and then oscillate in a second direction such that the second product channel is accessible. The product shelves may have an angled shape with a first end and a second end. The second end may extend about seven degrees (7°) to about nine degrees (9°) beyond the first end. The product shelves also may be gravity feed organizers.
The oscillating drive mechanism may include one or more drive shafts powered by an electrical motor so as to rotate the shelves. The shelves may be supported for rotation within the cooler by a series of rollers. The drive shafts may rotate the shelves via a set of drive gears. The oscillating drive mechanism may have a first drive shaft and a second drive shaft with the first drive shaft powered by the electrical motor. The drive shafts may be connected by a set of rotation gears such that the first drive shaft rotates in a first direction and the second drive rotates in a second direction. One of the shelves may be connected to the first drive shaft and another one of the shelves may be connected to the second drive shaft.
The cooler also may include a reload switch in communication with the oscillating drive mechanism. The reload switch causes the oscillating drive mechanism to rotate the product shelves about one hundred eighty degrees. The product shelves each may have an upper end and a lower end such that the products slide towards the lower end of the shelves. The reload switch causes the product shelves to rotate such that the upper end of the shelf faces the user. The user may then reload the shelves via the upper end such that the products slide from the upper end to the lower end. The user again hits the reload switch such that the product shelves are rotated until the lower end of the shelves faces the door.
The cooler also may include a door control system. The door control system may include an outer door and a drive motor. The door control system also may have a sensor to detect the presence of a consumer such that the sensor activates the drive motor to open the door when the consumer is present. The sensor also activates the drive motor to close the door when the consumer is no longer present.
The method of the present invention provides for reloading a cooler with a number of products. The cooler may have a door and a number of product shelves. The product shelves may have a first end facing the door and a second end facing away from the door. The method may include the steps of opening the door, rotating the product shelves such that the second end faces the door, loading products onto the product shelves via the second end, and rotating the product shelves such that the first end again faces the door.
A further e
Bardin James R.
Credle, Jr. William S.
Cuomo Peter M.
Fisher Michael J.
Sutherland & Asbill & Brennan LLP
The Coca-Cola Company
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