Patent Document

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]    This patent application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 60/375,483, entitled “GLORIFIER” that was filed on Apr. 24, 2002, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety as if fully set forth herein. 
     
    
     
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0003]    This invention relates to retail displays, and more particularly to the display of beverage containers in refrigerator cases.  
           [0004]    2. Description of the Related Art  
           [0005]    In the retail environment, beverages are often sold from refrigerator cases. The beverages are typically carried in front to back columns on shelves or shelf glides. This positioning is often less than optimal from the point of view of consumer visibility as relatively far from the hinged or sliding glass door of the case. It is accordingly advantageous to provide some form of rack or glorifier more prominently displaying representative beverage containers (either full or empty). The rack may advantageously be mounted on the interior surface of the glass door so as to be visible through the door. This greatly enhances visibility to the consumer. Because the door is subject to repeated opening and closing, the glorifier must sufficiently retain the containers.  
         BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0006]    A display device is advantageously mounted on the interior surface of a transparent refrigerator case door. The device advantageously holds a side-by-side array of containers. The device also advantageously includes a signage-carrying area. To accommodate the possibility of displaying different containers, the display advantageously includes a main body which may be used to display a variety of sizes of containers (e.g. a variety of characteristic cross-sectional diameters for cans, bottles, and the like). For any particular such size or range of such sizes, there advantageously is provided a corresponding adapter which may be removably installed to the body to maintain the array of the corresponding size (and number) of containers.  
           [0007]    An advantageous signage carrier is unitarily molded with the main body below a floor portion thereof and is at an angle off vertical to improve viewability by a consumer looking downward through the door at the signage.  
           [0008]    The details of one or more embodiments of the invention are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, objects, and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0009]    [0009]FIG. 1 is a view of an assembled display body and adapter.  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 2 is a view of a display body and interchangeable adapters.  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 3 is a rear view of the assembled body and adapter of FIG. 1.  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 4 is a side view of the body and adapter of FIG. 3.  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 5 is a side sectional view of the body and adapter of FIG. 3. 
     
    
       [0014]    Like reference numbers and designations in the various drawings indicate like elements.  
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0015]    [0015]FIG. 1 shows an assembly of a display body  20  and adapter plate  22 . The body  20  and adapter plate  22  advantageously each consist essentially of unitary moldings of plastic material (e.g., polyethylene terephthalate glycol (PET-G)). The material is advantageously transparent and untinted. In another embodiment, the material is tinted or colored for example to suit a particular branded scheme or to improve visibility.  
         [0016]    The body  20  includes a lower wall or floor portion  24 , a front wall portion  26  and left and right sidewall portions  28  and  30 . Along rear edges of the sidewalls  28  and  30 , associated left and right ears  32  and  34  extend laterally outward and have front and rear surfaces. The ears  32  and  34  each include a number of apertures  40  for receiving root ends of suction cups (not shown) for mounting the display to an interior surface of a glass wall of a refrigerator case door (also not shown). It should be appreciated that other means for mounting the display may be employed, for example, a hook, hanger or the like that extends down from a top portion of the refrigerator case door such that the display retains its location adjacent the interior surface of the glass wall.  
         [0017]    When so mounted, the rear surfaces of the ears  32  and  34  are in close facing relationship to the door interior surface. The floor  24 , front wall  26  and sidewalls  28  and  30  cooperate with the door to define an upwardly open compartment for receiving a side-by-side array of containers (not shown).  
         [0018]    The exemplary adapter plate  22  extends rearward from a location proximate the upper edge of the front wall  26 . The a rear edge of the adapter plate  22  has a number of alternating concave surface portions  50  separated by convex surface portions  52 . The exemplary adapter plate  22  has five such concave areas for accommodating an array of five containers. Containers of different sizes may be displayed. If the container diameter is sufficiently smaller than the exemplary five, more containers may be placed in the array. For example, FIG. 2 shows two alternate adapter plates  122  and  222  having concave areas  150  and  250  respectively separated by convex areas  152  and  252 , for accommodating arrays of six and seven containers, respectively. These concave and convex areas are at proportionately smaller pitch than those of the adapter plate  22 . For such smaller containers, the adapter plate  22  is also proportionally deeper (e.g., having a greater span between the adapter front edge and the convex areas and thus the front wall inner surface and containers). This keeps the containers close to or against the door interior surface.  
         [0019]    For mounting the appropriate adapter plate  22 ,  122  or  222  to the body  20 , the body and adapter plates are advantageously provided with complementary mounting features. In the exemplary embodiment along the upper edge of the body front wall and a transition to the sidewall, there is an inwardly directed upper retaining rib  60 . Therebelow and spaced apart by a distance substantially the same as the adapter thickness is a lower rib  62  with a channel  64  for receiving a front edge portion of the adapter plate (e.g., adapter plates  22 ,  122  and  222 ) therebetween. To further support the adapter plate, one or more braces  66  may extend back from the interior surface of the front wall and having upper surfaces coplanar with upper surfaces of the lower rib for supporting the adapter plate&#39;s underside. To positively retain the adapter plate, one or more catches  68  having upwardly directed barbs  70  may extend aft from the front wall. The barbs  70  may be received in complementary compartments  72  extending blindly upward from the underside of the adapter plates.  
         [0020]    For enhanced structural integrity, the ears  32  and  34  may be provided with bracing rib structures  80  for example along their front surfaces (FIGS. 3 and 4). A gusset  82  may connect a lower edge of each sidewall with a lower portion of each associated ear  32  and  34  for further strengthening of the ear. FIG. 4 also shows the floor  24  terminating at a rear edge defined by a convex or bullnose protruberance  84  projecting rearward of the rear surface of the ears  32  and  34 . A signage carrier  86  extends transversely between the gussets  82  and has upper and lower edges  87  and  88  and front and rear surfaces  89  and  90 . At least the rear surface  90  is advantageously at an angle θ (e.g., about 5-30°) off vertical so that the side  90  faces slightly upward to permit graphics thereon (not shown) to be more readily viewed by a consumer through the door with a reduced distortion. For further improved viewing, a lower portion of the signage carrier  86  protrudes rearward of the ear rear surfaces to be in extremely close, if not contacting, proximity with the door interior surface.  
         [0021]    One or more embodiments of the present invention have been described. Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, the needs of particular uses may influence construction. Various ornamental or additional functional details maybe incorporated. In one group of alternate embodiments, the signage carrier may join the floor. For example, the floor may terminate at the signage carrier well ahead of the plane defined by the ear rear surfaces. Accordingly, other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims.

Technology Category: f