Patent Publication Number: US-2007114232-A1

Title: Show case for food

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of the Invention  
      The present invention relates to a show case for food, and more particularly, to a show case for food, for preventing infiltration of a foreign material such as a dust and facilitating to promptly take out food kept.  
      2. Description of the Related Art  
      In general, in a shop selling food, the food is displayed and exhibited to promote a consumer&#39;s purchase desire. It is in a true circumstance that the food is kept and displayed in a separate show case in order to prevent a foreign material such as a dust from being infiltrated into the displayed food while preventing food smell from being leaked out.  
       FIG. 1  illustrates a conventional show case for food. As shown, the show case  10  mainly includes a lower case  20  having a frame bent at a predetermined height to house the food; and an upper case  30  formed of transparent material, and having a frame placed on a bottom surface of the lower case  20  and having a handle  40  provided on its upper surface.  
      However, in case where a consumer directly selects a displayed food such as confectionary bread, the selected food is put in a separate container and had in a shop, or is packed and distributed. The conventional show case  10  is constructed to simply place the food on the lower case  20 , and cover the food with the upper case  30  for keeping. Therefore, when the consumer intends to take the food out from the show case  10 , he/she should hold the upper case  30  in one hand or put the upper case  30  in a separate space for a while, and put the food in the container or a bag and then back again cover the lower case  20  with the upper case  30 . Accordingly, a considerable inconvenience is caused in taking the food out from the show case  10 , and there is a drawback in that a space for separately putting the upper case  30  should be secured.  
      Further, there is a drawback in that a handle  40  portion formed on an upper surface through protrusion or depression to facilitate to hold the upper case  30  with hands makes it impossible to clearly confirm the internal food due to a deflection of light, for reasons of a characteristic of its bent shape.  
      On the other hand,  FIG. 2  illustrates a conventional another show case  10 ′ for overcoming the above defects. As shown, an opening part  50  is provided at one side of the upper case  30 , and it is constructed to take food out through the opening part  50 . However, the show case  10 ′ has an inconvenience in that the consumer puts hands deeply into or from the show case  10 ′, and has a drawback in that since a foreign material such as a dust is frequently infiltrated through the opening part  50 , a sanitation for the food is deteriorated, and a reliability for a product and a shop is lost.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a show case for food that substantially overcomes one or more of the limitations and disadvantages of the conventional art.  
      One object of the present invention is to provide a show case for food, for preventing infiltration of a foreign material such as a dust and facilitating to promptly take out food kept.  
      Another object of the present invention is to provide a show case for food, for enhancing space utilization.  
      A further another object of the present invention is to provide a show case for food, for greatly improving an acknowledgement quality of kept-in food.  
      Additional advantages, objects, and features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and in part will become apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned from practice of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in the written description and claims as well as the appended drawings.  
      To achieve the above and other objects and advantages, and in accordance with the purpose of the invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, there is provided a show case for food, the show case including: a case having an opening part provided at one side; a door hinge-coupled to the opening part of the case; a carriage installed at an inner bottom of the case; and a carriage unit installed between the case and the carriage such that the carriage opens and closes the door while being slidingly carried inside and outside of the case.  
      The case includes a base plate; and an outer cover fixingly installed at the base plate, and forming a food housing chamber.  
      The door is installed to slant upwardly.  
      The door comprises a cushioning part inside thereof for absorbing and relieving impact resulting from its opening and closing.  
      The carriage includes a slider plate having a catching jaw protruded downward at its front end, and having anti-mobility jaws disposed on its front and rear top surfaces; and opening and closing frames  320  are fixed and installed on both-side top surfaces of the slider plate, respectively, and opening and closing the door  500  depending on a movement of the slider plate.  
      The slider plate includes a handle at its front end for facilitating to hold the drawn-out carriage.  
      The opening and closing frame is rounded at its corner being in a drawn-out direction.  
      The opening and closing frame is slantingly bent at its corner being in a drawn-out direction.  
      The opening and closing frame has a roller installed at its corner being in a drawn-out direction to smooth a surface contact with the door.  
      The show case further includes a link arm rotatably connected to the opening and closing frame and the door at both ends, respectively, to open and close the door at a predetermined angle.  
      The carriage unit includes an outer member fixed to both sides of a bottom surface of the case; a middle member slidably coupled to the outer member; an inner member slidably coupled at its one side to the middle member, and fixed at the other side to a bottom surface of the carriage; and ball bearings provided between the outer member and the middle member, and the middle member and the inner member, respectively, and allowing a smooth sliding.  
      The case and the door are formed of a transparent material.  
      It is to be understood that both the foregoing summary and the following detailed description of the present invention are merely exemplary and intended for explanatory purposes only.  
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      The accompanying drawings, which are included to aid in understanding the invention and are incorporated into and constitute a part of this application, illustrate embodiment(s) of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention. In the drawings:  
       FIG. 1  is an exploded perspective view illustrating a conventional show case for food;  
       FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view illustrating a conventional another show case for food;  
       FIG. 3  is a perspective view illustrating a show case for food according to the first embodiment of the present invention;  
       FIG. 4  is a perspective view illustrating an operation state of a show case for food according to the first embodiment of the present invention;  
       FIG. 5  is a side view illustrating an operation state of a show case for food according to the first embodiment of the present invention;  
       FIG. 6  is a perspective view illustrating a carriage according to the first embodiment of the present invention;  
       FIG. 7  is a sectional view taken along line C-C′ of  FIG. 6 ;  
       FIG. 8  is a side view illustrating a show case for food according to the second embodiment of the present invention;  
       FIG. 9  is a side view illustrating a show case for food according to the third embodiment of the present invention;  
       FIG. 10  is a side view illustrating a show case for food according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention; and  
       FIG. 11  is a side view illustrating a show case for food according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
      Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numerals will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.  
     First Embodiment  
       FIG. 3  is a perspective view illustrating a show case for food according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and  FIGS. 4 and 5  are a perspective view and a side view illustrating an operation state of the show case for the food according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown, the inventive show case  100  mainly includes a case  200 , a carriage  300 , a door  500 , and a carriage unit  400 .  
      The case  200  is to cover the food housed within the show case  100 . In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the case  200  includes a base plate  210  forming a bottom surface, and an outer cover  220  forming an opening part functioning as an inlet/outlet port at a front side is fixingly installed at the base plate  210 , and guides for a sliding movement of the carriage  300 .  
      A door  500  is installed and coupled with an upper end of the opening part of the outer cover  220 , using a hinge  510 , such that, as the carriage  300  moves, the door  500  is rotated about the hinge  510  while being opened and closed. The case  200  and the door  500  are formed of a transparent material such that a user can clearly check the kept-in food and also, the food itself can appear to be remarkable.  
      It is desirable that the door  500  is installed to slant upward. That is why the door  500  is coupled to both slant surfaces  222  of the outer cover  220  in a slant state, thereby allowing the door  500  to be opened and closed with more easiness and quickness and, in addition, the case  200  can be maintained to be in an airtight contact state by a self weight of the door  500 , thereby preventing the door  500  from getting loose and causing a gap.  
      It is desirable that a cushioning part  520  is provided at an inner frame of the door  500 . This is to sufficiently absorb and relieve an impact sound generated when the door  500  is closed by the self weight and collided with the outer cover  220 , such that the door  500  can be opened and closed stably and quietly.  
      The carriage  300  is slidingly moved to the front to allow the food put on the carriage  300  to be easily taken out from the case  200 . In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the carriage  300  includes a slider plate  310  having a catching jaw  312  protruded downward at its front end, and having anti-mobility jaws  314  disposed on its front and rear top surfaces. Opening and closing frames  320  are fixed and installed on both-side top surfaces of the slider plate  310 , respectively, such that the door  500  can be opened and closed depending on a movement of the slider plate  310 .  
      The opening and closing frame  320  is bent at a right angle to provide bent portions at both sides, and includes a reinforcing frame  322  connecting the bent portions and reinforcing the opening and closing frame  320 . Accordingly, the food put on the slider plate  310  is prevented from being moved and escaped with aids of the anti-mobility jaw  314 , the opening and closing frame  320 , and the reinforcing frame  322 . When the slider plate  310  is pushed into, the catching jaw  312  can be caught at a front end of the base plate  210  of the case  200 , thereby securing a stable operation of the slider plate  310 .  
      The slider plate  310  is quickly pulled out from the case  200  depending on a user&#39;s pulling operation to be in an opened state. Therefore, even the food put on and deep inside of the, slide plate  310  can be taken out with no difficulty without interruption. It is desirable that the slider plate  310  includes a handle- 330  in its front so that the carriage  300  can be quickly drawn and inserted with no difficulty.  
      The carriage unit  400  is to allow the carriage  300  to be slidingly moved. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the carriage unit  400  employs a slide rail. As shown in  FIGS. 6 and 7 , the slide rail  400  includes an outer member  410  fixed to a top surface of the base plate  210 ; a middle member  420  slidably coupled to the outer member  410 ; and an inner member  430  slidably coupled at one side to the middle member  420 , and fixed at the other side to the bottom surface of the slider plate  310 .  
      Ball bearings  440  are restrained by a retainer  450  and provided at both sides between the outer member  410  and the middle member  420 , and the middle member  420  and the inner member  430 , respectively, thereby reducing a frictional resistance and making the sliding motion smooth. Stoppers  460  are provided at both ends of the outer member  410 , the middle member  420 , and the inner member  430 , respectively, to prevent mutual separation. Accordingly, the carriage  300  is easily and quickly drawn or inserted through a stable and smooth sliding motion of the slide rail  400  without being separated from the case  200   
     Second Embodiment  
       FIG. 8  is a side view illustrating a show case for food according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The same reference numerals will be used to refer to the same or like parts as the first embodiment of the present invention, and their duplicate descriptions will be omitted. As shown, an opening and closing frame  320  constituting a carriage  300  is rounded at its front and top corner. This is to allow a more smooth opening and closing operation of a door  500 , together with a movement of the carriage  300 , by smoothly rounding the front and top corner of the opening and closing frame  320  being in contact with the door  500 .  
     Third Embodiment  
       FIG. 9  is a side view illustrating a show case for food according to the third embodiment of the present invention. The same reference numerals will be used to refer to the same or like parts as the first embodiment of the present invention, and their duplicate descriptions will be omitted. As shown, an opening and closing frame  320  constituting a carriage  300  is slantingly bent at its front and top corner. This provides a similar effect with that of the second embodiment of the present invention and therefore, its detailed description will be omitted.  
     Fourth Embodiment  
       FIG. 10  is a side view illustrating a show case for food according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. The same reference numerals will be used to refer to the same or like parts as the first embodiment of the present invention, and their duplicate descriptions will be omitted. As shown, a roller  324  is installed at a corner of an opening and closing frame  320  being in the direction where a carriage  300  is drawn, to allow a smooth surface contact with the door  500 . By doing so, a sliding friction occurring when the opening and closing frame  320  is in contact with the door  500  is changed into a rotation friction, thereby greatly reducing resistance against a motion. Accordingly, the door  500  can be opened and closed more stably and smoothly.  
     Fifth Embodiment  
       FIG. 11  is a side view illustrating a show case for food according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention. The same reference numerals will be used to refer to the same or like parts as the first embodiment of the present invention, and their duplicate descriptions will be omitted. As shown, a link arm  326  is installed at an opening and closing frame  320  constituting a carriage  300 . The link arm  326  is rotatably connected at both ends to the opening and closing frame  320  and the door  500 , respectively, such that the door  500  can be opened and closed at a predetermined angle. By doing so, the opening and closing frame  320 , which is reciprocatively carried together with a slider plate  310 , can be changed from a straight-line motion into a rotation motion.  
      In other words, the link arm  326  connected to the opening and closing frame  320  resultantly pushes up or pulls down the door  500  about a hinge  510  depending on drawing and inserting operations of the′ slider plate  310  such that the door  500  is rotated while being opened and closed. Therefore, the carriage  300  can be more smoothly drawn and inserted since interference of such as a frictional resistance generated when the opening and closing frame  320  is in contact with the door  500  can be remarkably reduced.  
      The present invention is outstandingly applicable to a shop displaying and selling the foods such as confectionary bread, in particular, to a place where a consumer can directly select and have or pact the displayed foods.  
      As described above, the above-constructed inventive show case can be installed inside of the case housing the food, and the food can be displayed and kept on the carriage slidingly carried through the slide rail while being drawn and inserted. Accordingly, the present invention has a very useful effect in that the foreign material such as the dust is not only prevented from being infiltrated into the food, but also the kept food can be easily and promptly taken out from the case.  
      Further, the present invention has an effect in that since the carriage upwardly opens and closes the door while exposing the food seated on the carriage, outside of the case, the show case can be maximized in space efficiency depending on its installation.  
      Furthermore, the present invention has an effect in that the door installed at the opening part of the case for taking out the food is opened and closed at the same time of the movement of the carriage, thereby making a separate handle for opening the case unnecessary. Accordingly, there is an effect in that, since a deflection phenomenon of light is prevented from being generated due to a bent shape of a protrusion or a depression for forming the handle on the case, the acknowledgement quality of the food kept inside of the show case can be greatly improved.  
      While the present invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.