Abstract:
A self-contained floral display unit which allows 360 degree access to the flowers displayed therein, which efficiently cools water in vases containing the flowers using a closed-loop system, which is self contained and easily movable.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE  
       [0001]     The present application claims priority to and benefit of U.S. Provisional Application, Ser. No. 60/739,598, filed Nov. 23, 2005, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     The invention is related to a refrigerated display for cut flowers or other merchandise. More specifically, the invention is related to a floral display case which effectively and efficiently chills containers, such as vases, for storage and display of flowers which may be self contained and portable or may be remote refrigerated for stationary applications, and which may be used in an entirely “open air” environment.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]     Refrigerated display cases are frequently used in markets for presenting merchandise that must be kept cold, such as flowers. In the case of floral merchandisers or display cabinets, there have been a number of open refrigerated display cases proposed, representative examples of which appear in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,608,835, 4,608,776, 4,680,942, and 4,953,363 among others. Most of these patents disclose a cabinet containing refrigeration equipment for chilling the air that circulates around the flowers, and include either a door or an open display portion for allowing consumer access thereto. The open display portion generally contains vases or containers that are seated in openings or receptacles in shelves.  
         [0004]     In the prior art display cases described above, the return air intake grating, being positioned at the base and at the inside of the cabinet, sometimes collects flower petals, dead leaves and other debris, which can affect the operation of the unit, and which may require special cleaning. Additionally, the prior art display cases that include doors which must be opened in order to access the flowers inside may obscure the view of the flowers, thereby making the purchase thereof less likely. Additionally, these types of prior art floral display tend to not be very mobile, thereby limiting the merchandising opportunities for the flowers.  
         [0005]     Other prior art floral displays, such as the ones disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,551,943, 4,958,461, and 5,146,709 overcome some of these deficiencies, but have other deficiencies themselves. In particular, U.S. Pat. No. 4,958,461 discloses a floral display that is self contained and allows easy visual and physical access to the flowers displayed therein. However, given the fact that the display described in that patent does not include any kind of built-in cooling mechanism, it requires significant attention from an employee. In particular, a water solution must continually be replenished to that display in order to feed the flowers placed therein, which can be messy, inconvenient and time consuming.  
         [0006]     U.S. Pat. No. 4,551,943 also discloses a self-contained floral display unit. However, given the way the vases are set-up in that display unit, it can be difficult for consumers to see and access the displayed flowers. Additionally, the flow of cooling liquid to the vases is not as efficient as may be desired in that it uses a “bath” type. Not only is this “bath” type arrangement messy and inconvenient, it requires a substantial amount of fluid to operate effectively. Needless to say, this arrangement requires a substantially larger compressor to cool the fluid which adds to the expense associated with the equipment, both in initial expenditure and operating costs.  
         [0007]     U.S. Pat. No. 5,146,709 discloses a floral display case that is self-contained and which allows full 360 degree display of the flowers displayed therein. However, the display described in that patent utilizes not only a complex, relatively inefficient “cascading” cooling system that puts chilled water in direct contact with the flowers being displayed. This system can result in the easy transmission of bacteria in the water bath, and requires frequent cleaning and sterilizing in order to maintain appropriately.  
         [0008]     Accordingly, it would be desired to have a self-contained floral display unit which allows 360 degree access to the flowers displayed therein, which efficiently cools water in vases containing the flowers using a closed-loop system, which may or may not be self contained and which may or may not be movable.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0009]     The present invention provides a floral display unit that enables a consumer easy access and view of flowers displayed therein. The present invention uses a closed-loop cooling system to effectively and efficiently chill vases which contain the displayed flowers. Preferably, the floral display of the present invention allows 360 degree access to the flowers and is completely self-contained. In some preferred embodiments, the liquid used in the closed-loop cooling system is chilled using a compressor contained in the base of the display case. In other preferred embodiments, the cooling system may be located remotely from the display itself. In this embodiment, the display may be connected to the cooling system utilizing liquid flow lines extending from the cooling system to the display system. In a preferred embodiment, the floral display of the present invention is circular in design and includes at least one second-level tier for the display of flowers.  
         [0010]     In a preferred embodiment of the floral display of the present invention, the heat transfer between the vase holding the displayed flowers and the cooling system includes a thermally conductive vase liner made from, for example, stainless steel, for receiving a vase to hold the flowers for display. A heat exchanger coil, connected to the cooling system, is preferably wrapped around the vase liner in a manner which provides for efficient heat transfer between the vase liner and the coil. The coil is preferably surrounded in an insulative material, such as foamed urethane, to improve the heat transfer efficiency thereof.  
         [0011]     Other embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art and are considered to be within the scope of the invention. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0012]      FIG. 1  shows a front perspective view of a floral display in accordance with the present invention;  
         [0013]      FIG. 2  shows a top plan view of the floral display of  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0014]      FIG. 3  shows a front perspective view of the floral display of  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0015]      FIG. 4  shows a side elevational view of the floral display of  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0016]      FIG. 5  shows a heat exchanger/vase assembly operative for use in connection with a floral display in accordance with the present invention;  
         [0017]      FIG. 6  shows an exploded view of the heat exchanger/vase assembly as shown in  FIG. 5 ; and  
         [0018]      FIG. 7  is a schematic depiction of a cooling system operative for use in connection with a floral display in accordance with the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0019]     As seen best in  FIGS. 1-4 , the present invention provides a floral display unit  10  that enables a consumer easy access and view of flowers displayed therein. In an embodiment of the invention, the floral display  10  includes a base portion  20 , a second tier  30 , and a top display tier  40 . The base portion  20  may be circular in design, although any particular geometric configuration is considered operative and within the scope of the invention. In an embodiment of the invention where the cooling system  150  is provided in the base portion  20 , the base portion  20  may include venting  50  to allow the flow of air around the cooling system  150  condenser  160 . Preferably, the base portion  20  includes discrete heat exchanger assemblies  60 , shaped to receive an otherwise standard vase  90 , arranged around a peripheral edge of the base portion  20 . In a preferred embodiment, the floral display  10  of the present invention is circular in design and includes at least one second-level tier  30  for the display of flowers.  
         [0020]     As seen best in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , discrete heat exchanger assemblies  60  in accordance with the present invention include a vase liner  80  for receiving a vase  90  to hold the flowers (not shown) for display. The vase liner  80  may be made of any suitable thermally conductive material including metals, such as stainless steel. A heat exchanger coil  100 , connected to the cooling system  150 , is preferably wrapped around, or more preferably, thermally bonded around the vase liner  80  in a manner which provides for efficient heat transfer between the vase liner  80  and the coil  100 . The coil  100  is preferably surrounded in an insulative material  110 , such as foamed urethane, to improve the heat transfer efficiency thereof. In an embodiment of the invention, the insulative material  110  is surrounded by an outer shell  120 . The outer shell  120  may be made of any suitable material including, for example, stainless steel or another corrosion resistant material. In a preferred embodiment the heat exchanger assemblies  60  include a bottom disc  130  that is shaped and sized to collect condensate and has a nipple  140  attached to a condensate collection system (not shown) in order to prevent pooling of condensate at the bottom of the heat exchanger assemblies  60 .  
         [0021]     In a preferred embodiment of the invention, a cooling system  150 , as best shown schematically in  FIG. 7 , is provided. The cooling system  150  may be any closed-loop, liquid cooling system as is well-known to those of ordinary skill in the art. As such, the following description is provided is merely an exemplar of a system which is operative in connection with the present invention and is not meant to limit the invention in any manner. In particular, the cooling system  150  may include a condenser  160 , a compressor  170 , and an evaporator  180 . The condenser  160  preferably is comprised of a heat exchanger  200  and a fan  210 , and is located adjacent a heat sink (not shown) through air vents  50 . The evaporator  180  may be of any type conventionally known in the art including, but not limited to, plate-type, coil-type, fin-type, etc. The evaporator  180  preferably operates as a heat exchanger between a cooling fluid, such as food-grade glycol, and a compressible fluid, such as freon or some other known fluid conventionally used for such purposes. As is well known in the art, the compressible fluid enters the evaporator  180  from a liquid receiver  220  as a liquid. The compressible fluid is evaporated in the evaporator  180 , thereby cooling the cooling liquid as desired. The compressible fluid, in the form of evaporated gas, returns to the compressor  170  and, through the condenser  160 , is converted back into a liquid where it is received in the liquid receiver  220 . The compressible fluid is then returned to the evaporator  180  and the entire process is repeated. After the cooling fluid is cooled in the evaporator  180 , it is circulated to the individual heat exchanger assemblies  60  through a closed-loop  230  using the circulator pump  190 . These individual heat exchanger assemblies  60  may be connected in straight series, if only a few are being utilized, a modified “daisy chain” series (as shown in  FIG. 7 ), by using a parallel or manifold-type configuration, or by using any other type of connections that are well-known by those of ordinary skill in the art.  
         [0022]     Through this process, the heat exchangers  60  are able to cool the floral vases  90  and any fluid located therein, thereby extending the product life of the flowers displayed in the display  10 . Preferably, the cooling system  150  as described herein operates to keep the vases  90  and the fluid therein at a steady temperature of approximately 34°-48° F., and more preferably between 36°-38° F. In this manner the product life of the displayed flowers may be extended from approximately 3-4 days to as much as 7-8 days or more. As may be desired, the display  10  may be entirely self-contained, having all of the cooling system  150  located in the base  20  thereof. Alternatively, the cooling system  150  may be located remotely from the base  20  of the display  10 , and may be connected only through a portion of the closed-loop  230 . The base  20  may be of any desired shape and or size which provides a pleasing display for flowers and which allows access thereto by consumers. Non-limiting examples of shapes considered operative and within the scope of the present invention include circles, ovals, rectangles, trapezoids, parallelograms, stars, hearts, triangles, etc. Also, while the embodiment show includes a two-tier design, it is to be understood that 1 tier, 3 tier, 4 tier, etc. designs are possible and considered within the scope of the invention.  
         [0023]     Following from the above description and invention summaries, it should be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that, while the methods and apparatuses herein described constitute exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the invention contained herein is not limited to this precise embodiment and that changes may be made to such embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the claims. Additionally, it is to be understood that the invention is defined by the claims and it is not intended that any limitations or elements describing the exemplary embodiments set forth herein are to be incorporated into the interpretation of any claim element unless such limitation or element is explicitly stated. Likewise, it is to be understood that it is not necessary to meet any or all of the identified advantages or objects of the invention disclosed herein in order to fall within the scope of any claims, since the invention is defined by the claims and since inherent and/or unforeseen advantages of the present invention may exist even though they may not have been explicitly discussed herein.