Portable cooled merchandizing unit with customer enticement features

• US 7,934,384 B2
• Filed: 02/20/2007
• Issued: 05/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: General Mills Incorporated
• Original Assignee: General Mills Incorporated
• Inventors: Tuskiewicz, George A., Bedard, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Ali; Mohammad M
• Application Number:
  US11/676,719
• Publication Number:
  US 20070193280A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,533 Days
• Field of Search: 62/36, 622/46, 621/26, 621/35, 624/579, 62/32, 622/64, 624/40, 624/571, 220/915.1, 220/915.2, 220/592.02
• US Class Current: 62/3.2
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 3/0404 Cases or cabinets of the closed type A47F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 21/02 using Peltier effect; using Nernst-Ettinghausen effect
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 17/062 in household refrigerators
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2400/361 Interactive visual displays
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 29/00 Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices

Abstract

A portable cooled merchandising unit including a product container assembly, a door assembly, a cooling assembly, a customer enticement device, and a power unit. The product container assembly defines an interior region for containing products. The cooling assembly is connected to the product container assembly and includes a powered cooling device to cool the interior region. The enticement device is adapted to encourage customer interest in the merchandising unit and includes a powered component. The power unit includes a power supply electrically connectable to an external power source, with each of the powered cooling device and the power component of the enticement device being electrically coupled to the power supply. With this configuration, the common power supply serves to power both the cooling assembly as well as the customer enticement device. In some embodiments, the cooling assembly includes a thermoelectric device.

Claims

1. A portable cooled merchandizing unit comprising:

a product container assembly defining an interior region for containing products;

a door assembly connected to the product container assembly and including a movable door to permit selective access to the interior region;

a cooling assembly connected to the product container assembly, the cooling assembly including a powered cooling device and configured to cool the interior region;

a housing within which the product container assembly and the cooling assembly are disposed, the housing defining a portion of an exterior of the merchandizing unit;

a first powered customer enticement device maintained relative to the product container assembly and adapted to encourage customer interest in the merchandizing unit, the powered customer enticement device including an enticement device frame separate from the housing and maintaining a powered component and display panel configured to display an image, wherein a visual effect of the displayed image changes with operation of the powered component, and further wherein the first powered customer enticement device is disposed outside of the housing; and

a power unit maintained relative to the product container assembly and including a common power supply electrically connectable to an external power source, wherein each of the powered cooling device and the powered component of the customer enticement device are electrically coupled to the common power supply.

2. The portable cooled merchandizing unit of claim 1, wherein the first powered customer enticement device includes a header assembly forming the frame to be removably mounted to a back panel module attached to the door assembly, the back panel module including a control board configured to control operation of the powered component upon mounting of the header assembly to the back panel module.

3. The portable cooled merchandizing unit of claim 1, wherein the display panel is a lenticular panel incorporating a series of different individual graphic layers, and further wherein the powered component is a motion mechanism operable to cause the individual graphic layers to move relative to one another.

4. The portable cooled merchandizing unit of claim 1, wherein the powered customer enticement device is provided as part of a back panel module carried by the door assembly, the door assembly resting on an upper surface of the housing.

5. The portable cooled merchandizing unit of claim 4, wherein the display panel is selected from the group consisting of an LCD, an OLED, and an electroluminescent light source.

6. The portable cooled merchandizing unit of claim 1, further comprising a second powered customer enticement device includes a plurality of LED light sources visible from an exterior of the merchandizing unit.

7. The portable cooled merchandizing unit of claim 1, wherein the door assembly includes a transparent window through which the interior region is visible, and further wherein the merchandizing unit further includes a second powered customer enticement device comprising a plurality of light sources positioned to illuminate the interior region, each of the light sources being operable to emit red, green, and blue colored light, and further wherein the light emitted by the light sources is visible from an exterior of the merchandizing unit via the window.

8. The portable cooled merchandizing unit of claim 1, further comprising a second powered customer enticement device includes a light source disposed along an exterior of the housing.

9. The portable cooled merchandizing unit of claim 1, further comprising a second customer enticement device configured to emanate a scent from the merchandizing unit.

10. The portable cooled merchandizing unit of claim 1, wherein the housing includes a frame, the unit further comprising a second powered customer enticement device including a side display panel assembled to the frame.

11. The portable cooled merchandizing unit of claim 10, wherein the side display panel is a lenticular display panel.

12. The portable cooled merchandizing unit of claim 10, wherein a powered component of the second customer enticement device is a light source positioned behind the side display panel upon final assembly.

13. The portable cooled merchandizing unit of claim 10, wherein the frame includes at least two vertical rails forming opposed slots sized to slidably receive the side display panel.

14. The portable cooled merchandizing unit of claim 1, further comprising a second powered customer enticement device including a sound system.

15. The portable cooled merchandizing unit of claim 14, wherein the sound system includes a sensor, a control board and a speaker, the control board programmed to prompt the speaker to generate an audio effect corresponding with product contained in the interior region in response to customer interaction with the sensor.

16. The portable cooled merchandizing unit of claim 1, wherein the door includes first and second transparent panes and a graphics layer having an image and positioned between the panes.

17. The portable cooled merchandizing unit of claim 1, wherein the cooling assembly includes a thermoelectric device.

18. The portable cooled merchandizing unit of claim 17, wherein the cooling assembly further includes a fan for generating airflow to the thermoelectric device, and further wherein the thermoelectric device, the fan, and the powered component of the customer enticement device are all electrically connected to the common power supply.

19. The portable cooled merchandizing unit of claim 18, wherein the power unit further includes a single power cord extending from the housing for electrical connection to an external power source, the single power cord serving as the only power input to the common power supply.

20. The portable cooled merchandizing unit of claim 17, wherein the merchandizing unit further comprises:

a collapsible air chute assembled to a bottom plate of the housing and about an air outlet opening formed in the bottom plate for directing airflow from the outlet opening in a direction away from an intake opening in the bottom plate.

21. A portable cooled merchandizing unit comprising:

a product container assembly defining an interior region for containing product;

a door assembly connected to the product container assembly and including a movable door to permit selective access to the interior region;

a cooling assembly connected to the product container assembly, the cooling assembly including a powered cooling device and configured to cool the interior region; and

a housing within which the product container assembly and the cooling assembly are maintained, the housing including;

a plurality of extruded vertical rails each forming a slot,

a plurality of panels, respective ones of which are slidably mounted to a corresponding pair of the rails.

22. A method of displaying consumable products to a customer at a place of business, the method comprising:

providing a portable cooled merchandizing unit including;

a product container assembly defining an interior region,

a light source arranged to illuminate the interior region,

a door assembly connected to the product container assembly and including a movable door to permit selective access to the interior region,

a cooling assembly connected to the product container assembly, the cooling assembly including a powered cooling device and configured to cool the interior region,

a powered customer enticement device associated with the product container assembly and adapted to encourage user interaction with the merchandizing unit, the powered customer enticement device carried by the door assembly and including a powered component and a display panel displaying an image,

a power unit including a single power cord extending from the merchandizing unit and a common power supply electrically connected to the power cord;

moving the merchandizing unit to a desired location at the place of business;

electrically connecting the power cord to an electrical outlet;

placing a plurality of products in the interior region;

operating the cooling assembly to cool the products within the interior region;

operating the light source to illuminate the interior region; and

operating the customer enticement device to encourage customers to approach the merchandizing unit;

wherein operating the cooling assembly, the light source and the customer enticement device includes powering the powered cooling device, the light source and the powered component of the customer enticement device via the common power supply.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the merchandizing unit further includes a housing within which the product container assembly and the cooling assembly are disposed, the housing including a frame slidably maintaining a plurality of panels, the method further comprising:

removing a first one of the panels from the frame; and

slidably mounting a second panel to the frame as a replacement for the first panel.