OPEN AIR FOOD DISPLAY CASE WITH AUTOMATIC CLOSING MECHANISM

• US 20160249748A1
• Filed: 03/28/2016
• Published: 09/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sandenvendo America Incorporated (Qingdao Huatong State-Owned Capital Operation (Group) Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sandenvendo America Incorporated (Qingdao Huatong State-Owned Capital Operation (Group) Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Kielmeyer, Chad, Dali, Vishal, Hieb, Larry, Winters, Robert Scott
• Granted Patent: US 9,795,228 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 3/0439 Cases or cabinets of the open type A47F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 3/0469 Details, e.g. night covers
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 3/0478 Control or safety arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 47/0004 said core being linearly movable
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 65/0021 for overhead or roll-up doors, e.g. garage doors
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 65/0042 For refrigerators or cold rooms E05B17/0075 takes precedence; magnetic E05C19/16
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/665 for vertically-sliding wings
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/71 responsive to temperature changes, rain, wind or noise
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/202 for display cabinets, e.g. for refrigerated cabinets
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00309 operated with bidirectional data transmission between data carrier and locks
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/02 Alarms for ensuring the safety of persons
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/182 Level alarms, e.g. alarms responsive to variables exceeding a threshold

Abstract

The present invention includes various types of open-air display cases for displaying, storing, and/or vending food, beverages, or other products having a movable barrier that can be automatically positioned over an open front or side of such a unit to prevent access to the products therein when temperatures, component failure, lost power supply, or other variables affect the condition of the items stored in the display case, and methods of using such units.

Claims

8-1. The method of claim 8, wherein said processing unit continues to monitor said temperature sensor data for a pre-determined period after receiving temperature sensor data that is inconsistent with said pre-determined range of acceptable operational condition values, and said barrier is positioned in said closed position after said pre-determined period if said temperature sensor data is inconsistent with said pre-determined range of acceptable temperature sensor data values for the pre-determined period.

16-1. The method of claim 16, wherein said barrier is positioned in said closed position after said pre-determined period if said temperature data is inconsistent with a pre-determined range of acceptable temperature data values for the pre-determined period.

19. (canceled)

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising locking said barrier in said closed position over said open side of said temperature-controlled compartment, wherein said processing unit is in electronic communication with a locking mechanism for locking said barrier in said closed position over said open side.

21. (canceled)

22. (canceled)

23. A method of deterring consumers from removing items from an open-air display unit, comprising:

a. monitoring at least one environmental condition inside a temperature-controlled compartment of said open-air refrigeration unit with at least one sensor for detecting environmental conditions in said open-air refrigeration unit, wherein said at least one sensor is in electronic communication with a processing unit, which collects and analyzes sensor data from said at least one sensor;

b. monitoring at least one operational condition data of at least one component of said open-air refrigeration unit, wherein said processing unit is in electronic communication with said at least component and said processing unit collects and analyzes said at least one operational condition data from said at least one component;

c. said processing unit comparing said sensor data to at least one pre-determined acceptable set of environmental conditions stored in an internal memory of said processing unit;

d. said processing unit comparing said data to at least one pre-determined acceptable set of operational condition data stored in said internal memory of said processing unit; and

e. said processing unit activating a motor mechanically connected to said barrier to move said barrier to a closed position over an open portion of a temperature-controlled compartment when said sensor data is inconsistent with said pre-determined acceptable set of environmental conditions or when said operational condition data is inconsistent with said pre-determined acceptable set of operational condition data.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein said processing unit monitors said operational condition data for a pre-determined period after receiving operational condition data that is inconsistent with said pre-determined range of acceptable operational condition values, and said barrier is positioned in said closed position after said pre-determined period if said operational condition data is inconsistent with said pre-determined range of acceptable operational condition values for the pre-determined period.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising activating said barrier motor to re-position said barrier in an open position in which it is retracted from said open side of said temperature controlled compartment, wherein said processing unit activates said barrier system motor to retract said barrier if said operational condition data becomes consistent with said pre-determined range of acceptable operational condition values during the pre-determined period.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein said at least one component is selected from the group consisting of a temperature sensor, a compressor, and a power supply.

28. The method of claim 23, further comprising sending an error message to a remote computer when said operational condition data is inconsistent with said pre-determined range of acceptable operational condition values.

29. The method of claim 24, further comprising sending an error message to a remote computer when said operational condition data is inconsistent with said pre-determined range of acceptable operational condition values for said pre-determined period.

27. (canceled)

30-45. -45. (canceled)

46. An temperature-controlled open-air unit for displaying items, comprising:

a. a temperature-controlled storage area having an open front for displaying a plurality of items and allowing access to said items;

b. a barrier system comprising

i. a barrier for covering said open front, and

ii. a barrier system motor engaged with said barrier for opening or closing said barrier over said open front; and

c. a processing unit in electronic communication with said barrier system motor and at least one electronic component of said open-air unit, said processing unit operable to receive operational condition data from said at least one electrical component and compare said operational condition data to a pre-determined range of acceptable values, and activating said barrier system motor when said operational condition data is inconsistent with said pre-determined range of acceptable values.

47. The apparatus of claim 46, wherein said processing unit is operable to monitor said operational condition data for a pre-determined period after receiving operational condition data that is inconsistent with said pre-determined range of acceptable operational condition values, and said processing unit is operable to activate said barrier system motor to position said barrier in said closed position after said pre-determined period if said operational condition data is inconsistent with said pre-determined range of acceptable operational condition values for the pre-determined period.

48. The apparatus of claim 46, wherein said at least one electrical component is selected from the group consisting of a temperature sensor, a compressor, and a power supply.

49. The apparatus of claim 46, wherein said processing unit is in electronic communication with a remote computer and is operable to transmit said operational condition data to said remote computer and to send an error message to said remote computer when said operational condition data is inconsistent with said pre-determined range of acceptable operational condition values.

50. The apparatus of claim 46, further comprising a locking mechanism for engaging and locking said barrier in a closed position over said open front of said refrigeration unit, wherein said processing unit is in electronic communication with said locking mechanism and is configured to automatically engage said locking mechanism with said barrier when said barrier is in a closed position over said open front.

51-57. -57. (canceled)