Abstract:
A counter construction for merchandising prepared foods comprises a support fitted with and extending above the counter and an elongated sneeze guard assembly carried by the support means above the counter top. The sneeze guard is extensible into and out of the counter to permit the assembly to be raised and lowered relative to the counter top, permitting both full service and self-service modes of operation. The sneeze guard assembly further includes other features, including an illuminating light, a shelf and an advertising/accent panel, all of which are carried by the sneeze guard assembly.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]    This nonprovisional application claims the priority date of copending provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/197,355filed on Apr. 13, 2000, which is incorporated into this application by reference. The benefit of its earlier filing date is claimed under 37 C.F.R. §1.78( a )(4). 
     
    
     
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    The present invention relates to counter constructions and methods for displaying and merchandising prepared food products in restaurants, supermarkets and similar facilities.  
           [0003]    A variety of construction techniques have been employed in the past for counters useful in displaying and merchandising prepared foods. Generally, when the foods are to be “self-served” (i.e., placed on a plate or tray by the consumer) local and state regulations require that a sneeze guard panel be installed between the consumer and the food products. Examples of prior art sneeze guard constructions are shown in the following U.S. Pat. Nos.: 3,847,250 to Sherrill; 4,013,880 to Kennedy et al; 4,208,972 to Arend et al; and 4,892,366 to Yerman.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0004]    This present invention is directed to a convertible food merchandising counter construction and method which provides a significant degree of flexibility to the food retailer. In particular, a food merchandising counter construction and method in accordance with this invention permits the food retailer to use a single counter construction for merchandising prepared foods in either a full service mode (with the merchandiser&#39;s employees removing the food from the food receptacles) or in the self-service mode described above. Additional flexibility in the food merchandiser&#39;s options are present when the counter construction and method of the present invention is used together with a “Hot and Cold Food Storage and Display Apparatus and Method of Manufacture” as disclosed in copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/577,450 filed on May 24, 2000, the specification and drawings of which are incorporated herein by reference. Application Ser. No. 09/577,450 is co-owned by the assignee of this application.  
           [0005]    The ability to operate in either the full service mode or the self-service mode is achieved in the counter construction of the present invention using a counter having a bottom adapted to rest upon a support surface, opposing sides and ends extending upwardly from the bottom, with the counter including an upper serving counter top adapted to receive food retaining means. The counter construction includes support means fitted with and extending above the counter and further includes an elongated sneeze guard assembly carried by the support means and extending above the counter top. The sneeze guard assembly includes a unitary member and a transparent panel retained by the unitary member, with the transparent panel extending to a height and in a direction relative to the counter top which permits the transparent panel to function as a sneeze guard. In accordance with the present invention, the sneeze guard assembly further includes at least one of a light, a shelf, and an advertising/accent panel fitted to the unitary member.  
           [0006]    In a preferred form of the construction for the sneeze guard assembly, the unitary member comprises an extrusion defining at least one internal channel and plural special purpose channels facing outwardly relative to the interior channel. A first one of the outwardly-facing channels is shaped and dimensioned to receive and support an interior end of the transparent sneeze guard panel, and a second of the outwardly-facing channels is shaped and dimensioned to receive one of a light, a shelf, an advertising/accent panel and a mounting plate. In a specific arrangement, the unitary extrusion member is fitted with all of these features: a light facing downwardly toward the counter top to illuminate food in the retaining means; a shelf fitted across the top of the unitary extrusion member on a side opposite the light; an advertising/accent panel fitted above the transparent panel; and a mounting plate on a side opposite the advertising/accent panel and the transparent panel for attachment with the support means.  
           [0007]    Other specific features form a part of the preferred counter construction of this invention. These include but are not limited to a means for releasably locking the interior end of the transparent panel with the first outwardly-facing channel in a manner which permits the transparent panel to be easily engaged and disengaged from the unitary extrusion member. In one form, the releasably locking means comprises plural elongated mullions each having a first end dimensioned to extend into the first outwardly-facing channel and a second end dimensioned to extend away from the unitary member. Each mullion includes means at the second end thereof for supporting the transparent panel. A riser on one and a corresponding groove on the other of the first outwardly-facing channel and the interior end of each mullion forms a mechanism for releasably locking each mullion within the first channel.  
           [0008]    In an alternate form, the transparent panel may be releasably locked into the first, outwardly-facing channel through the use of a sealing strip at the interior edge of the transparent panel.  
           [0009]    As discussed above, the counter construction of the present invention is useful in both full and self-service modes. To achieve this, means are provided for extending the sneeze guard upwardly or downwardly as desired by the food merchandiser. In one arrangement, this is achieved by the use of extensible posts as the support means, with the posts extending through the counter top and being lockable in different positions so as to change the height of the sneeze guard assembly above the counter top.  
           [0010]    The flexibility of the counter construction of the present invention is increased by the use of the unitary extrusion member as a means for forming end-to-end angular connections with adjacent unitary extrusion members, to thereby create a non-linear sneeze guard assembly useful for food merchandising installations having a variety of counter configurations, such as “island style” arrangement or the like. Examples of such configurations are shown in the “New Renaissance” promotional brochure of Load King Manufacturing Company, the assignee of this invention, which brochure is incorporated into this application by reference. Such non-linear sneeze guard assembly constructions are achieved in accordance with the present invention by using locking tabs which extend into one of the outwardly-facing channels in the end-to-end sections of the unitary extrusion member.  
           [0011]    Many other modifications and improvements are described further below with reference to the drawing and detailed description set out next. 
       
    
    
     THE DRAWING  
       [0012]    [0012]FIG. 1 is a right side front perspective view of a counter construction in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 2 is a left side elevation of the counter construction shown in FIG. 1 with the bottom portion of the counter cut away, and with certain aspects of the invention illustrated with dotted lines.  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the sneeze guard assembly of the present invention.  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the unitary extrusion member incorporated into the sneeze guard assembly of FIGS. 1, 2 and  3 , taken along the lines  4 - 4  in FIG. 1.  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the sneeze guard assembly of FIG. 1, taken along the line  5 - 5 .  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional side elevation of an alternate embodiment of the sneeze guard assembly shown in FIG. 5.  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 7 is a partially cut away perspective view of a portion of the sneeze guard assembly, illustrating details of the lighting fixture feature.  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the unitary extrusion member shown in FIG. 4 and illustrating certain aspects of the  15 -- lighting fixture feature.  
         [0020]    [0020]FIGS. 9 and 10 are partially cut away perspective views of the sneeze guard assembly further illustrating details of the lighting fixture feature.  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 11 is a partially cut away perspective view of the sneeze guard assembly, showing details of the mounting plate and support post features.  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 12 is a side view of the portion of the sneeze guard assembly shown in FIG. 11, further illustrating details of the mounting plate and support post features.  
         [0023]    [0023]FIGS. 13 and 14 are side views, and FIG. 15 is a partially cut away perspective view, showing details of the feature for releasably locking the mullion and transparent panel into place.  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 16 is a partially cut away side view of the advertising/accent panel feature.  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 17 is a partially cut away side view of the sneeze guard assembly, illustrating the top shelf feature.  
         [0026]    FIGS.  18 - 21  are top plan views of the releasable locking tab feature which permits end-to-end joinder of adjacent sections of the unitary extrusion member. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0027]    A preferred embodiment of the counter construction and method of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawing.  
         [0028]    First noting FIGS. 1 and 2, the counter construction is referred to generally by the reference numeral  10  and comprises a counter  12  having a bottom  14  adapted to rest upon a support surface such as the floor of a restaurant or supermarket, for example. The counter  12  further includes opposing ends  16 ,  18  extending upwardly from the bottom  14  and opposing sides  20 ,  22  extending upwardly from the bottom  14  and between the opposing ends  16 ,  18 . The counter  12  further includes a counter top  24  having a plurality of food retaining means extending therein, such as serving trays  26 . As discussed above, the serving trays  26  may be adapted to dispense prepared foods in either a hot or cold state, in accordance with the aforementioned application Ser. No. 09/577,450.  
         [0029]    A pair of support posts  34 ,  36  extend through the counter  12  and the counter top  24 , and are mounted with corresponding hardware  28 ,  29  so as to be extensible into and out of the counter  12  as depicted by arrow  48  in FIGS. 1 and 2. With specific reference to FIG. 2, reference numeral  36 A depicts the support post  36  in the upper, extended position while reference numeral  36 B depicts the support post  36  in the retracted position. It will of course be understood that a variety of techniques may be employed to achieve the raising and lowering of the sneeze guard assembly  30 ; by way of example, a telescoping technique may be used.  
         [0030]    The counter construction  10  further comprises a sneeze guard assembly referred to generally in the drawing using reference numeral  30 . In accordance with this invention, the sneeze guard assembly  30  employs a unitary extrusion member  32  which is supported by upright support posts  34 ,  36  in a manner which is described in greater detail below with reference to FIGS. 5, 11 and  12 . End caps  38 ,  40  are fitted at opposite ends of the unitary extrusion member  32 , and plural mullions  42  are releasably locked with the extrusion member  32  in a manner described below with reference to FIGS. 5 and 13- 15 . The mullions  42  support a transparent sneeze guard panel  44  which comprises either an acrylic or glass. The exterior edge of the transparent panel  44  is fitted with an edge trim  46 .  
         [0031]    As is shown in the side view of FIG. 2, the counter construction  10  may be utilized in a self-service mode with the support posts  34 ,  36  extended in the elevated position  36 A relative to the counter top  24 ; in this mode, customers may engage in self service of the prepared foods within the trays  26  by reaching under the transparent sneeze guard panel  44 . However, if the retailer wishes to dispense the prepared food products in a full service environment using an employee to remove the food from the tray, the support posts  34 ,  36  may be retracted inside of the counter  12  so as to lower the sneeze guard assembly  30 , as shown by dotted lines in FIG. 2 in position  36 B. In this mode, the ability of the customer to reach the food product is restricted.  
         [0032]    Reference is now made to the exploded view of FIG. 3, which is useful in identifying the various additional features and elements of the sneeze assembly  30 , which features and elements are described in great detail below with reference to FIGS.  5 - 17 . Additional elements shown in FIG. 3 include a light channel plate  31  which extends the length of the sneeze guard assembly  30  in order to cover the electrical wires running between light fixtures  39 . Plates  41  cover portions of the light fixtures  39  against possible shock hazard. Advertising/accent strip  43  is mountable to the unitary extrusion member  32  as described further below.  
         [0033]    [0033]FIG. 4 is a cross section of one embodiment of the unitary extrusion member  32 , which contains risers, walls, tabs, grooves, indents and flanges identified with both odd and even reference numerals in FIG. 4 from wall  52  to alignment groove  110  to form a single interior channel and five outwardly-facing special purpose channels extending along the length of the unitary extrusion member. By way of example, the extrusion member may be fabricated of aluminum although other materials are suitable.  
         [0034]    The six channels are identified by reference numerals A, B, C, D, E and F in FIG. 4 and have the following functions:  
         [0035]    A - light fixture channel  
         [0036]    B - inner wire channel  
         [0037]    C - sneeze guard and mullion support channel  
         [0038]    D - advertising sign/accent strip channel  
         [0039]    E - shelving and connector channel  
         [0040]    F - post mounting plate channel  
         [0041]    As shown in FIG. 4, lighting fixture channel A is defined by walls  82 ,  86  and  96  and includes indent  83  and flange  94  adapted to engage the lighting fixture cover plates  41 . Flanges  84  and  100  together with tab  102  are dimensioned to engage the channel plate  31  and an optional lens cover (not shown). Interior channel B is defined by walls  54 ,  62 ,  72 ,  86  and  96 , and is designed to act as a channel for electrical wiring serving the lighting fixtures  39 . The sneeze guard/mullion channel C is defined by walls  62 ,  70  and  72  and includes riser  74  dimensioned to engage a groove  75  in the mullion  42  (FIGS.  13 - 14 ) for purposes of releasably locking the mullion into the channel C. The walls  70 ,  62  and  72  define a narrow back chamber  73  which engages the interior end of the mullion  42  (again referring to FIGS.  13 - 15 ). The advertising/accent strip channel D is defined by walls  60 ,  64  and  70 , and flanges  66 ,  68  so as to hold advertising/accent strip  43  in channel D as shown in greater detail at FIGS. 5 and 16. Shelf mounting channel E is defined by channel sides  56 ,  58  and wall  54  for purposes of supporting a shelf  49  and shelf stanchion  50  (FIGS. 5 and 17). The bottom portion of channel E also receives locking tab  114  as described with reference to FIGS.  18 - 21 . Mounting plate channel F is defined by wall  96  and flanges  98 ,  108 , and is dimensioned to receive mounting plates  35 ,  37  which are attached by fasteners  47  extending through fastener guide  104  (see both FIGS. 4 and 5). The unitary extrusion member  32  further includes additional screw locator grooves  55 ,  88  and  92 , screw holes  65 ,  78  and  110 , alignment slots  80  and  106  and a second recess  90  for locking tab  116  (FIGS.  18 - 21 ). Recess  90  also serves as a wiring through for conductors  112  between adjacent light fixtures  39 . An unnumbered recess at the inside of channel D also is available to receive a locking tab if needed for structural integrity.  
         [0042]    [0042]FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the unitary extrusion member  32  as it is incorporated into the sneeze guard assembly  30 . In this cross-sectional view, the placement of channel plate  31 , lighting fixtures  39  and cover plates  41  relative to the various portions of the extrusion member  32  can be seen, together with flourescent light tubes  51  which extend along a portion of the length of the elongated extrusion member  32  between light fixtures  39 . The mounting plate  35  is positioned against wall  96  of the extrusion  32 , and is attachable with fasteners  47  extending into screw groove  104 . Shelf  49  with corresponding stanchion  50  extends into channel E, as previously described. Advertising/accent strip  43  is positioned within channel D, and mullions  42  are fixed in channel C, with the interior end of the mullion positioned in chamber  73 .  
         [0043]    An alternate form of construction for the transparent sneeze guard panel  44  is shown in FIG. 6; in this arrangement, mullions are not employed. Instead, the transparent panel  44  (which in this example preferably comprises a non-breakable acrylic) is provided with a sealing strip  74 A at the interior edge of the panel, so as to be lockable within chamber  73 .  
         [0044]    Additional details of the counter construction  10  will now be described with reference to FIGS.  7 - 17 ; however, occasional reference back to FIGS.  1 - 5  will assist in understanding these details.  
         [0045]    Turning now to FIGS. 7 and 8, the cover plates  41  are attached with the unitary extrusion member  32  in a facile manner by first extending one side of each plate underneath tab  94  and then pushing the other side into slot  83 . Fasteners may then be extended through the fixture  39  and cover plate  41  into screw groove  88  (FIG. 8). Thereafter, the light channel plate  31  may be pushed into place by engaging tab  102  and flanges  84 ,  100 , as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10. It will of course be appreciated that the electrical wiring  112  may be passed through the support posts  34 ,  36  so as to prevent any potential electrical hazard to customers or employees.  
         [0046]    Now noting FIGS. 11 and 12, the mounting plates  35 ,  37  may be attached into extrusion channel F by engagement under flanges  100 ,  108  and extension of fasteners through each mounting plate into screw groove  104 .  
         [0047]    As shown in FIGS.  13 - 15 , the mullions  42  provide a means for releasably locking the interior end of the transparent panel  44  within channel C. This is accomplished using riser  74  within channel C and groove  75  on the underside of the interior end of each mullion  42 . By extending that interior end of each mullion  42  into chamber  73 , the groove  75  is engaged with riser  74  to lock each mullion  42  in place. Each mullion  42  includes a U-shaped bracket  45  at the exterior end thereof, which engages the edge strip  46  of the transparent panel  44 . It will thus be understood from a review of FIGS. 5 and 13- 15  that the mullions  42  may be initially releasably locked into place, and then the transparent panel  44  are mounted onto the mullions in a rapid, facile manner by pushing the interior end of the panel  44  into the channel C, and then sliding the panel  44  forwardly into engagement with the brackets  45 .  
         [0048]    As was discussed above, the use of the unitary extrusion member  32  permits a counter construction  10  which employs a sneeze guard assembly  30  in a construction other than just along an elongated length. An example of such an arrangement is described next with reference to FIGS.  18 - 21 . In this arrangement, two sections of the unitary extruded member  32  having  45  degree end cuts are joined together to form a right angle construction. This is achieved by employing two locking tabs  114 ,  116 ; the locking tabs are preferably flat metal stock which in this example forms a right angle, although other angular displacements are suitable for non-right angle changes in direction of the sneeze guard assembly  30 . Locking tab  114  extends into channel E of the unitary extrusion member  32  (FIG. 4) and is fastened with screws  118  to screw groove  55  at the bottom of channel E (compare FIGS. 4 and 21). Locking tab  116  extends into recess  90  and is attached to screw groove  92  (see FIG. 4). In this manner, various angular configurations of the sneeze guard assembly may be achieved.  
         [0049]    While the present invention has been described with reference to a preferred embodiment, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various modifications and changes can be made in the construction and methods described without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention.