Open air food display case with automatic closing mechanism

• US 9,295,345 B2
• Filed: 03/26/2014
• Issued: 03/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sandenvendo America Incorporated (Hisense Home Appliances Group Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sandenvendo America Incorporated (Hisense Home Appliances Group Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Winters, Robert Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Phung
• Application Number:
  US14/226,692
• Publication Number:
  US 20150272347A1
• Time in Patent Office: 734 Days
• Field of Search: 340/593, 340/539.23, 340/545.1, 340/546.6, 340/691.6, 621/27, 621/29, 621/56
• 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: 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 or other conditions reach unacceptable levels, and methods of using such units. Embodiments of such units may include a temperature-controlled compartment having an open front or side for displaying items, an automatic barrier system that includes a barrier for covering the open portion, a motor engaged with the barrier for closing or opening the barrier, at least one sensor for measuring at least one internal condition (e.g., temperature) of the temperature-controlled compartment, and a processing unit in electronic communication with the sensor and the motor, in which the processing unit may receive data from the sensor, compare the data to a pre-determined range of acceptable values, and activate the motor to close the barrier when the data is inconsistent with the pre-determined range of acceptable values.

Claims

1. An open-front unit for displaying food, beverages, and other items, comprising:

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

b. a barrier system comprising

i. a barrier for covering said open front, and

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

c. at least one sensor for measuring at least one internal condition of said temperature-controlled compartment; and

d. a processing unit in electronic communication with said at least one sensor and said motor, for receiving data from said at least one sensor, comparing said data to a pre-determined range of acceptable values, and activating said barrier system motor when said data is inconsistent with said pre-determined range of acceptable values,

wherein said barrier is maintained in an open position during normal operation and said barrier is closed by activation of said barrier system motor when said data is inconsistent with said predetermined range of acceptable values.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a locking mechanism for engaging and locking said barrier in a closed position over said open front of said temperature-controlled compartment.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said locking mechanism is positioned at or near a receiving surface at a bottom of said open front of said temperature-controlled compartment, and said receiving surface has a shape that is complementary to a bottom edge of said barrier.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, 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 said closed position over said receiving surface.

5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said barrier includes a receiver for receiving a locking member of said locking mechanism.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein said processing unit is in electronic communication with said locking mechanism to automatically activate said locking mechanism to engage said locking member with said receiver when said barrier is in said closed position over said receiving surface.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said barrier comprises a flexible curtain.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said barrier comprises a sectional door having rigid sectional members.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a barrier collection member, wherein said motor is mechanically connected to said barrier collection member.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said barrier collection member comprises a spool for collecting the barrier.

11. An open-front display unit, comprising:

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

b. a barrier system comprising a barrier for covering said open front side, a barrier collection member connected to said barrier, and a barrier system motor engaged with said barrier collection member, wherein said barrier is maintained in an open position during normal operation;

c. a locking mechanism for engaging said barrier when said barrier is in a closed position covering said open front side of said temperature-controlled compartment;

d. at least one sensor for measuring an internal temperature of said temperature-controlled compartment; and

e. a processing unit in electronic communication with said at least one sensor and said barrier system motor, said processing unit configured to receive internal temperature data from said at least one sensor and to activate said barrier system motor to close said barrier over said open front side when said internal temperature of said temperature-controlled compartment is inconsistent with a pre-determined range of acceptable temperature values.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising a track running along at least one side of said open front side of said temperature-controlled compartment.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said barrier comprises a rigid distal member engaged with said track.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said rigid distal member comprises a receiver for receiving a locking member from said locking mechanism when said barrier is in said closed position over the open front side of the temperature-controlled compartment.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein said locking mechanism is in electronic communication with said processing unit, and said processing unit is operable to activate said locking mechanism to engage said locking member with said receiver.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein said barrier system motor is also operable to position said barrier in an open position such that the open front side of said temperature-controlled compartment is exposed.

17. A method of automatically locking an open-front display unit, comprising:

a. monitoring a temperature inside a temperature-controlled compartment having an open front side that allows access to a plurality of items stored and displayed therein, wherein said temperature is monitored with one or more temperature sensors and said temperature sensors are in electronic communication with a processing unit which collects and analyzes temperature data from said one or more temperature sensors;

b. comparing said temperature data to a pre-determined range of acceptable temperature values, wherein said processing unit compares said temperature data to said pre-determined range of acceptable temperature values stored in an internal memory of said processing unit;

c. positioning a barrier over said open front side of said temperature-controlled compartment by said processing unit activating a barrier system motor to move said barrier when said temperature is inconsistent with said pre-determined range of acceptable temperature values, wherein said barrier is maintained in an open position when said temperature is within said pre-determined range of acceptable temperature values; and

d. locking said barrier in a closed position over said open front 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.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising transmitting said temperature data to a remote computer.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein said barrier system motor is connected to an encoder that provides data regarding the position of said barrier to the processing unit, allowing said processing unit to determine when said barrier is in said closed position over said open front side of said temperature-controlled compartment and in proximity to said locking mechanism.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein a proximity sensor is located near said locking mechanism and is in electronic communication with said processing unit, and said proximity sensor sends proximity data to said processing unit when said barrier is in close proximity to said locking mechanism.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein said processing unit automatically activates said locking mechanism when it receives said proximity data from said proximity sensor.

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

a. monitoring at least one environmental condition inside a temperature-controlled compartment of said open-front display unit with at least one sensor for detecting environmental conditions in said open-front display unit, wherein said at least one sensor is in electronic communication with a processing unit, which collects and analyzes data from said at least one sensor, and said open-front display unit has an open front side that allows access to a plurality of items stored and displayed in said temperature-controlled compartment;

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

c. said processing unit activating a motor mechanically connected to a barrier to move said barrier to a closed position over said open front side of said temperature-controlled compartment to close said temperature-controlled compartment when said data is inconsistent with said at least one pre-determined acceptable set of environmental conditions, wherein said barrier is maintained in an open position allowing access to said temperature-controlled compartment when said data is consistent with said at least one pre-determined acceptable set of environmental conditions.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising the step of said processing unit activating a locking mechanism to lock said barrier in said closed position.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein said motor is connected to an encoder that provides position data regarding the position of said barrier to the processing unit, allowing said processing unit to determine when said barrier is in said closed position and in proximity to said locking mechanism.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein a proximity sensor is located near said locking mechanism and is in electronic communication with said processing unit, and said proximity sensor is triggered and sends proximity data to said processing unit when said barrier is in close proximity to said locking mechanism.

26. The method of claim 25, comprising the additional step of said processing unit automatically activating said locking mechanism when it receives said proximity data from said proximity sensor.