Abstract:
According to certain aspects of the disclosure, embodiments of a product merchandiser incorporating a video display is described. The product merchandiser described herein contemplates the use of a rear projector video system for display of video on a reflective film that is adhered to a glass or other transparent exposed surface on the merchandiser. Aspects of the merchandiser provided herein provide a cost-effective, durable, flexible/adaptable to different merchandiser sizes, and non-static means of displaying advertising or other promotions via video directly on an exposed surface of a product merchandiser.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The invention relates to video displays for product merchandisers. More specifically, the invention relates to product merchandisers having a video display, created by a rear projection video assembly, on a glass or other surface of a product merchandiser. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    Manufacturers of food and beverage products, as well as merchants, have long used product merchandisers to sell beverages, perishable and non/perishable food items, and other sundries at point of sale locations such as grocery stores, convenience stores, worksites, schools, hotels and other point of sale locations. Such merchandisers may comprise cooling units, to keep beverages cool or perishable food items fresh, or they may simply comprise a vending mechanism for vending non-perishable food items or other sundries. 
         [0003]    Often such merchandisers target consumers at these point-of-sale locations by displaying advertising, logos, or other appealing presentations on the products or on the product merchandiser that stores and displays the products. Such advertising has become crucial for selling products and reaching consumers, such as the food and beverage products that are described above. Most products are associated with a manufacturer or company by a logo or other graphics associated with the container or product during the sales process. 
         [0004]    It is common practice for manufacturers or vendors to apply or imprint a product merchandiser with graphics, logos, or other advertising indicia to attract consumers to the products at the point of sale. The graphics, logos, and other advertising indicia are typically affixed in a permanent fashion to the merchandiser and/or constitute static images. In many configurations, the graphics, logos, and other advertising is permanently applied to the housing structure of the merchandiser unit and may only be replaced by replacing the entire housing or a large portion of the housing. However, most advertising strategies frequently change, and replacing the merchandiser housing to reflect the current advertising may be inefficient, burdensome, and expensive. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0005]    The following presents a general summary of the disclosure in order to provide a basic understanding of at least some of its aspects. This summary is not an extensive overview and is not intended to identify key or critical elements described further below or to delineate the scope of the disclosure. The following summary merely presents some concepts in a general form as a prelude to the more detailed description provided below. 
         [0006]    According to certain aspects of the disclosure, examples and embodiments of a product merchandiser incorporating a video image display on a visible external surface of the merchandiser is described. As described herein, the cabinet of a product merchandiser may comprise a video display area housing a rear projection video projector. According to one embodiment described herein, the video projector may be positioned in the interior of a merchandiser cabinet/housing so that a video image is projected on a rear-reflective film adhered to a transparent surface (such as plastic or glass) on the interior surface of the cabinet. Accordingly, a video image is visible on the opposite, external, surface of the cabinet/housing. 
         [0007]    According to another embodiment described herein, the video projector may be mounted on an exterior surface of a merchandiser cabinet, such that a video image is projected on a rear-reflective film adhered to a transparent surface (such as plastic or glass) on the interior surface of the cabinet, and a video image visible on the opposite, external, surface of the cabinet/housing. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0008]    A more complete understanding of the present disclosure is illustrated by way of example in the following figures and is not limited by the accompanying figures in which: 
           [0009]      FIG. 1  illustrates a perspective view of an example of a product merchandiser incorporating a video display, according to aspects described herein; 
           [0010]      FIG. 2  illustrates a front view of an example embodiment of a product merchandiser incorporating a video display, wherein the product merchandiser door is open, according to aspects described herein; 
           [0011]      FIG. 3  illustrates a cross-sectional view of one embodiment of a product merchandiser incorporating a video display, according to aspects described herein; 
           [0012]      FIG. 3A  illustrates an exploded front perspective view of certain components of the exemplary embodiment depicted in  FIG. 3 ; 
           [0013]      FIG. 4  illustrates a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of a product merchandiser incorporating a video display, according to aspects described herein; 
           [0014]      FIG. 4A  illustrates an exploded rear perspective view of certain components of the exemplary embodiment depicted in  FIG. 4 ; 
           [0015]      FIGS. 5A and 5B  illustrate an another exemplary embodiment of a product merchandiser incorporating a video display, according to aspects described herein; and 
           [0016]      FIG. 6  illustrates yet another exemplary embodiment of a product merchandiser, according to aspects described herein. 
       
    
    
       [0017]    The attached drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0018]    In the following description of various example embodiments of the disclosure, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and in which are shown by way of illustration various example devices, systems, and environments in which aspects of the invention may be practiced. It is to be understood that other specific arrangements of parts, example devices, systems, and environments may be utilized and structural and functional modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. 
       A. General Description of a Product Merchandiser 
       [0019]    In general, the disclosure relates to product merchandisers incorporating a video display on at least a panel of the product merchandiser. In accordance with at least some aspects of the disclosure, a product merchandiser may comprise a cabinet that encloses and defines an internal area configured to hold and display products. The cabinet may have a display area for displaying a product, a video display area for displaying video, and, if one or more products contained in the merchandiser must be cooled, a cooling portion configured to cool the product displayed in the display area. 
         [0020]    The product merchandiser may be any device having an enclosed space for storing products, such as food and beverage products. Any products may be placed within the enclosed space of the product merchandiser. The product merchandiser may be any suitable size and shape. For example, the product merchandiser may be very large and may enclose a large space, such as a typical room for a walk-in refrigerator or freezer. In another example, a product merchandiser may be relatively small, such as a product merchandiser that may be positioned in a store or at another point of sale. The product merchandiser may be any suitable shape including, but not limited to a sphere, a cube or rectangular enclosure, or any other polygon shape. The cooler merchandiser may be any suitable three dimensional container. 
         [0021]    The cabinet of a product merchandiser described herein may be constructed from any suitable material known to those skilled in the art including styrene, foam, metal (i.e., galvanized steel), wood, plastics, composite material, glass, and the like. For example, the cabinet may be made of a rigid styrene material, as conventionally available in the art. According to embodiments described herein, the cabinet may be made of a single type of material or may be created by combining and/or attaching a plurality of types of materials. Furthermore, one or more pieces may define the cabinet, and the one or more pieces may be of a unitary construction or may be individually formed. Each of the pieces may be any suitable shape and size. 
         [0022]    The cabinet may define an interior area for housing one or more products. The interior area may have a top wall, a bottom wall, and a plurality of side walls. The top wall, the bottom wall, and the plurality of side walls may form a shape such as a cube, a cuboid, or any other three-dimensional shape. The top wall, the bottom wall, and the plurality of side walls may be attached together at any angle, such as a right angle, an acute angle, an obtuse angle, or any combination thereof. The top wall, the bottom wall, and the side walls may be flat or may have a curved surface. Each of the top wall, the bottom wall, and the side walls may be any suitable size and shape. 
         [0023]    The cabinet may be capable of displaying products contained in the internal area. For example, the cabinet may have shelves or a display area for positioning products, such as food and beverage products. The display area may have any number of shelves. The shelves may contain any suitable material, including, but not limited to, plastics, wood, metals, and the like. The shelves may be stationary or pull-out type shelves and may include wire that form one or more slits in the shelf and define a surface upon which products may be displayed. The product display area may be a portion of the interior space defined by the cabinet. The product display area or a portion of the product display area may be visible from the exterior of the cooler merchandiser. An opening may provide access to the display portion to retrieve the products, as described in greater detail below. The display portion may include advertisements, shapes, colors, logos, props, product information or other features or information that may encourage a consumer to view and/or retrieve a product from the display portion of the housing. 
         [0024]    The cabinet may also comprise a cooling portion that is configured to maintain a suitable environment within the display portion (interior space) of the cabinet. The cooling portion may be configured to maintain a suitable temperature for storing and/or displaying products within the display portion of the cabinet. The cooling portion may also be configured to maintain additional environmental characteristics of the display area, such as humidity, ventilation, air pressure, and any other environmental characteristic of the display portion. The cooling portion may be electrical and/or mechanical and may be fixedly or selectively attached to the display portion of the housing. For example, the cooling portion may include positioning one or more cooling devices, within the cabinet to cool the interior space and keep the products that are stored within the display portion cool, such as in a conventional insulated box (i.e., a “cooler”). The cooling portion may also be a conventional electro-mechanical device, such as a conventional compressor and condenser that are configured to maintain a suitable temperature and humidity within the display portion. 
         [0025]    A product merchandiser as disclosed herein may also incorporate a video display on a surface of a portion of the cabinet, or on a surface positioned next to the cabinet. The video display may be created on a transparent surface, such as a glass or plastic surface, of the cabinet by use of a rear projection video projection positioned within the cabinet or otherwise engaged proximate the cabinet, as described below. The video image may be projected on a film or coating placed on a surface of the cabinet. The video display may be used for product description, advertisement, promotional or other messaging purpose. For example, the video display may be customized for a particular product or may be customized to target a particular group of consumers or possible users of the products. 
         [0026]    A product merchandiser according to embodiments described herein may include at least one opening that provides access to products within the cabinet in the display area. A thermo-protective barrier may extend across the opening. The thermo-protective barrier may include a glass door, a thermo-protective barrier (such as a sheet designed to retractably extend across the opening), a ventilation system designed to maintain a protective air barrier across the opening, or any other suitable thermo-protective barrier. The thermo-protective barrier may extend across any portion of an opening. For example, the thermo-protective barrier may be a curtain that extends across the opening. In another example, the thermo-protective barrier may be a plastic or glass door that extends across the opening. The door may be opened via a hinge configuration, a sliding door configuration, or any other suitable arrangement. 
         [0027]    A product merchandiser as described herein may also have more than one opening. In some example product merchandisers, a first opening may be positioned on a first side wall and a second opening may be positioned on a second side wall that is different from the first side wall. Still further examples may have several openings across an extended wall, such as large cooler merchandisers. Some example product merchandisers may have an opening positioned in a top wall as well. 
       B. Specific Examples of a Product Merchandiser 
       [0028]      FIG. 1  illustrates a perspective view of an example of a product merchandiser  100  incorporating a video display  112 , according to aspects described herein. Merchandiser  100  comprises external cabinet  102  that may enclose and define one or more external surface and interior areas such as video display area  104 , product display area  106 , and cooling unit area  108 , each of which may comprise the entire portion of cabinet  102  from a front surface  140  to a rear surface  150 . Cabinet  102  may further comprise an opening such as cabinet door  116  for retrieval of products  118  displayed within product display area  106 . Cabinet  102  may be made from one continuous piece or a plurality of pieces (such as side panels, a rear panel, a front panel, a top panel or a bottom panel) or may be made and structured by any method known in the art without departing from the scope and intent of the disclosure. 
         [0029]    Video display area  104  may be positioned at any location on cabinet  102  and may consist of a transparent surface  110  capable of displaying a video image  112  projected from a video projector contained within, or proximate to, video display area  104  of cabinet  102 . Video projection according to exemplary embodiments described herein will be explained further below. External cabinet  102  may also comprise motion sensors or proximity sensors  114  for detecting the presence of a consumer. Motion/proximity sensors  114  will be discussed further below in relation to operation of a video display mechanism. 
         [0030]    Products  118 , stored within product merchandiser  100  on a plurality of racks or shelves  120 ,  122  in product display area  116 , may be accessed by a hinged door  116  with handle  117 . Door  116  may have a glass or plastic viewing front surface for viewing products  118  within the product display area  116 . The embodiment depicted in  FIG. 1  includes three racks  120 ,  122  (third not shown, but implied), however, in practice, a merchandiser may have more or fewer racks depending on the size of the merchandiser and/or the size of the products being displayed within. Thus, a product display area may be sized and shaped in a variety of ways to accommodate the numerous types, shapes and sizes of products that may be displayed in a merchandiser such as product merchandiser  100 . Those skilled in the art will recognize that the disclosure is not limited to the exemplary embodiments depicted in  FIGS. 1-4A , but may be fashioned in a variety of ways and still fall within the spirit and scope of the disclosure as contained herein. For example, the techniques described herein may be implemented on product merchandisers such as product vending machines, including food, cigarette and sundries vendors, as well as on beverage dispensers. 
         [0031]    Product display area  106  of the interior of cabinet  102  may further comprise one or more light(s)  124  for illuminating products contained in the merchandiser  100 . Operation of light(s)  124  are discussed further below in relation to operation of an embodiment of a video display mechanism. 
         [0032]    Cooling unit area  108  of cabinet  102  may comprise any form of cooling unit known in the art such as any combination of a conventional electro-mechanical compressor and condenser, or other cooling mechanism. Cooling unit area  108  may provide temperature control to product display area  106 . 
         [0033]      FIG. 2  illustrates a front view of the example product merchandiser  100  depicted in  FIG. 1  with door  116  open. As seen in  FIG. 2  and described further below in relation to operation of a video display mechanism, when door  116  is opened by a consumer, video display  112  may be paused by a video display control mechanism or switch  126 . Such a mechanism may comprise a microcontroller configured to communicate with a video projector and other components of merchandiser  100 , such that when the door is opened by a consumer, the microcontroller signals the video projector to pause. When the door is subsequently closed, the microcontroller signals the video projector to resume the video display. Door  116  may further control a switch for interior light(s)  124  such that opening door  116  causes light(s)  124  to illuminate, as understood in the art. In addition, video display  112  may also be controlled manually by use of display control mechanism  126 . However, the operation of video display  112  and light(s)  124  may be controlled in a variety of ways and by a variety of mechanisms known in the art, and the present disclosure should not be interpreted as limited to any such switch or control mechanism. For example, video display control mechanism or switch  126  may be located in any location near, on or within cabinet  102  and may comprise a simple electromechanical switch in communication with a video projector (not shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 ), as is known in the art, a microcontroller in communication with a video projector, or may be incorporated directly on a video projector. 
         [0034]      FIGS. 3 and 3A  illustrate a cross-sectional and exploded view, respectively, of one exemplary embodiment of a product merchandiser  300  with video display assembly, according to aspects described herein. Similar to the merchandiser  100  depicted in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , merchandiser  300  comprises external cabinet  302  that may enclose and define one or more cabinet areas such as video display area  304 , product display area  306 , and cooling unit area  308 . Such areas may be defined as comprising a vertical section of the cabinet as shown in  FIGS. 3 and 3A  from a front surface  340  to a rear surface  350 . Cabinet  302  may also be constructed from one continuous piece or from a plurality of pieces (such as side panels, a rear panel, a front panel, a top panel or a bottom panel) or may be made and structured by any method known in the art without departing from the scope and intent of the disclosure. 
         [0035]    Products  318  may be stored and displayed within product display area  306  in product merchandiser  300 . Products  318  may be accessed by a hinged door  316  with handle  317 . Door  316  may have a glass or plastic viewing front surface located proximate a front surface  340  of cabinet  302  for viewing products  318  within the product display area  306 . Those skilled in the art will recognize that a product display area may be sized and shaped in a variety of ways to accommodate the numerous types, shapes and sizes of products that may be displayed in a merchandiser such as product merchandiser  300 . 
         [0036]    Product display area  306  in the interior of cabinet  302  may further comprise one or more light(s)  324  for illuminating products contained in the merchandiser  300 , and operation/illumination of light(s)  324  may be triggered by a switch connected to cabinet door  316  such that when cabinet door  316  is opened, lights  324  illuminate for better viewing of products  318 . Those skilled in the art will recognize that product merchandisers described herein, such as merchandiser  300 , may be embodied with a variety of different openings suitable for accessing products  318 , including, but not limited to a sliding door or a vending flip-up door, without departing from the invention as defined herein. 
         [0037]    According to an exemplary embodiment, merchandiser  300  may further comprise a cooling unit area  308  for housing a cooling unit known in the art, such as any combination of a conventional electro-mechanical compressor and condenser, or other cooling mechanism. Cooling unit area  308  may provide temperature control to product display area  306 . 
         [0038]    According to the exemplary embodiment depicted in  FIGS. 3 and 3A , video display area  304  may be positioned at the top of cabinet  302  and may consist of a transparent surface  310 , or any other surface, capable of displaying a video image (not shown) projected from a rear-projection video projector  326  positioned within cabinet  302  in video display area  304 . According to aspects of the disclosure, in order to display a video image on surface  310 , wherein the video image may be viewed from the exterior front surface of the cabinet  302 , video projector  326  may project a stored video image  312  along path  330  onto a mirror  328  positioned on an interior surface at the rear of cabinet  302 . From mirror  328 , video image  312  may be projected along path  332  at a rear reflective film  334  that may be adhered to the interior surface of the surface  310 . By nature of film  334 , video image  312  will be viewable from the front of the surface  310 , i.e., proximate the front surface  340  of cabinet  302 . 
         [0039]    Video projector  326  may comprise any rear projection video projector known in the art. Example video projectors suitable for use in implementing aspects of the present invention include the Samsung® P400 Model or the LG® Ultra Mobile Projector, and those skilled in the art will recognize other appropriate video projectors for use in implementing the described embodiments. Rear reflective film  334  may comprise any transparent reflective film that may be laminated onto a transparent surface, such as plastic or glass, for use as a rear projection screen. One such film suitable for use in implementing aspects described herein is the 3M® Vikuiti® Rear Projection Film, however, those skilled in the art will recognize and be able to implement other such films for implementing aspects described herein. 
         [0040]    Video projector  326  may be configured to receive video image for playback via an SD card, thumb drive, or the like. Video projector  326  may also be configured to receive video data via a network connection such as a direct Ethernet connection or wireless network connection. 
         [0041]    According to aspects described herein, video projector  326  may be in communication with and/or controlled by a microcontroller, internal to the projector or otherwise (not shown), and may be configured to continuously play one or more selected video images. Video projector  326  may also be configured to begin playback or end playback based on an external event. For instance, cabinet  302  may comprise proximity sensors  314  configured to communicate with video projector  326  or microcontroller, such that proximity data received by video projector  326  from proximity sensors  314  may trigger projector  326  to begin or pause playback. In yet another embodiment contemplated herein, video projector  326  may be configured to pause playback when door  316  is opened by a consumer for product retrieval. 
         [0042]      FIGS. 4 and 4A  illustrate a cross-sectional and exploded view, respectively, of still another exemplary embodiment of a product merchandiser  400  with video display assembly  404 , according to aspects described herein. Similar to the merchandisers previously described, merchandiser  400  comprises external cabinet  402  that may enclose and define one or more areas such as video display area  404 , product display area  406 , and cooling unit area  408 . Products  418  may be displayed within product display area  406  inside cabinet  402 . Cabinet  402  may be constructed from a plurality of pieces (such as side panels, a rear panel, a front panel, a top panel or a bottom panel) or may be made and structured by any method known in the art without departing from the scope and intent of the disclosure. 
         [0043]    Products  418 , stored within product merchandiser  400  on one or more racks or shelves  420  in product display area  406 , may be accessed by a hinged door on the front surface of cabinet  402  (not shown in figures). Those skilled in the art will recognize that a product display area may be sized and shaped in a variety of ways to accommodate the numerous types, shapes and sizes of products that may be displayed in a merchandiser such as product merchandiser  400 . Product display area  406  in the interior of cabinet  402  may further comprise one or more light(s)  424  for illuminating products contained in the merchandiser  400 , and operation/illumination of light(s)  424  may be triggered by a switch connected to a cabinet door or opening such that when a cabinet door is opened, or other opening is otherwise opened, lights  424  illuminate for better viewing of products  418 . 
         [0044]    According to an exemplary embodiment, merchandiser  400  may further comprise a cooling unit area  408  for housing a cooling unit known in the art, such as any combination of a conventional electro-mechanical compressor and condenser, or other cooling mechanism. Cooling unit area  408  may provide temperature control to product display area  406 . 
         [0045]    According to the example embodiment depicted in  FIGS. 4 and 4A , video display area  404  may be positioned at the top of cabinet  402  and may consist of a transparent surface  410 , or any other suitable surface, capable of displaying a video image (not shown) projected from a rear-projection video projector  426  mounted on the outside of cabinet  402 . According to aspects of the disclosure, in order to display a video image on surface  410 , wherein the video image may be viewed from the front surface  440  of the exterior of cabinet  402  on surface  410 , video projector  426  may project a stored video image  412  along vertical path  430  onto a mirror  428  positioned at an angle transverse to the vertical axis of cabinet  402  such that video image  412  is deflected through an opening  436  in the rear of cabinet  402 . From mirror  428 , video image  412  may be projected along path  432  at a rear reflective film  434  that may be adhered to the interior surface of surface  410 . Video projector  426  may comprise any rear projection video known in the art, such as the specific exemplary projectors identified above. Further, rear reflective film  434  may comprise any transparent reflective film that may be laminated onto a transparent surface, such as plastic or glass, for use as a rear projection screen, including the specific exemplary rear reflective films identified above. 
         [0046]    Video projector  426  may be configured to receive video image for playback via an SD card, thumb drive or via a network connection such as a direct Ethernet connection or wireless network connection, as described above. In addition, video projector  426  may communicate with and be controlled by a microcontroller, internal or otherwise (not shown) and may be configured to continuously play one or more selected video images, or may be configured to begin playback or end playback based on an external event. For instance, as described above, cabinet  402  may comprise proximity sensors (not shown in figures) configured to communicate with video projector  426 , or a microcontroller in communication with video projector  426 , such that proximity data received by video projector  426  from such proximity sensors may trigger projector  426  to begin or pause playback. In yet another embodiment contemplated herein, video projector  426  may be configured to pause playback when a cabinet door (not shown), or other opening, is opened by a consumer for product retrieval, as described above in relation to  FIGS. 3 and 3A . 
         [0047]      FIGS. 5A and 5B  illustrate front views of another embodiment of an exemplary product merchandiser  500  incorporating a video display  512  on a front surface of door  516  of the merchandiser  500 . Similar to the embodiments described above, merchandiser  500  may comprise an external cabinet  502  that may enclose and define one or more interior areas, such as a product display area  506  as can be seen through the merchandiser door  516  in  FIG. 5B . The merchandiser  500  may comprise an opening such as cabinet door  516  for retrieval of one or more products  518  displayed within a product display area. 
         [0048]    As described above, video display  512  may be positioned on a transparent surface, such as glass door  516  of merchandiser  500 , or any other surface capable of displaying video image  512  projected from a video projector contained within, or proximate to the video display. External cabinet  502  may also comprise motion sensors or proximity sensors  514  for detecting the presence of a consumer. Motion/proximity sensors  514  may operate as described above in relation to the embodiments of  FIGS. 1-4A . 
         [0049]    Similar to the embodiments described above, the exemplary merchandiser of  FIGS. 5A and 5B  may further comprise one or more light(s)  524  for illuminating products contained in the merchandiser  500 . As seen in  FIG. 5A , and described in more detail above, when the presence of a consumer is detected by proximity or motion sensors  514 , video display  512  may be paused by a video display control mechanism, as described above. Such a mechanism may comprise a microcontroller configured to communicate with a video projector  526  and other components of merchandiser  500 , such that when a consumer approaches (as detected by proximity sensors  514 ) or opens door  516  of the merchandiser, the microcontroller signals the video projector to pause. When the door is subsequently closed, the controller may signal the video projector to resume video display  512 . Proximity sensors  514  and/or door  516  may further control a switch for interior light(s)  524  such that either the presence of a consumer or the opening of door  516  causes light(s)  524  to illuminate, as understood in the art. With respect to the example depicted in  FIGS. 5A and 5B , it should be understood that video display projector  526  may also be controlled manually or by other techniques as disclosed herein, and the present disclosure should not be interpreted as limited to the specific examples described herein. 
         [0050]      FIG. 6  illustrates yet another exemplary embodiment of a product merchandiser  600  incorporating a video display  612 , according to aspects described herein. The exemplary merchandiser  600  depicted in  FIG. 6  comprises a beverage dispenser, with a plurality of beverage dispensing mechanisms  602 . The beverage dispenser depicted in  FIG. 6  may comprise a plurality of dispensing mechanisms  602  as well as a beverage dispensing area  604 , as known to those skilled in the art. As can be seen, the merchandiser  600  may comprise a video display area  612 , implemented according to techniques previously described herein. The product merchandiser  600  of  FIG. 6  is depicted to further illustrate the breadth of the claims that follow. 
         [0051]    While aspects of the disclosure have been described with respect to specific examples including presently preferred modes of carrying out the invention, those skilled in the art will appreciate that there are numerous variations and permutations of the above described systems and methods. For example, while the current disclosure has been directed to product merchandisers such as cooler merchandisers and beverage dispensers, those skilled in the art will recognize that the techniques described herein may be implemented on a variety of product merchandisers including vending machines or product dispensers not specifically described herein. Further, those skilled in the art will recognize that there are numerous configurations for product merchandisers and the various components of a merchandiser may be situated at different locations within a merchandiser cabinet/housing and still fall within the scope of the disclosure. For example, it is contemplated that the video display components, as described herein, may be situated proximate the opening of the merchandiser such that a video image is projected on a transparent surface comprising the opening, such as a door. Thus, the spirit and scope of the invention should be construed broadly as set forth in the appended claims.