Showcase including transparent display panel, and showcase system including same

• US 9,480,345 B2
• Filed: 11/08/2012
• Issued: 11/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Lee, Ki Young, Han, Sung Wook, Kim, Jun, Lee, Young Jun, Han, Jae Min, Park, Joon Young
• Primary Examiner(s): DZIERZYNSKI, EVAN P
• Application Number:
  US14/357,162
• Publication Number:
  US 20150002747A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,454 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 11/06 Means for bringing about special optical effects
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 11/10 Arrangements of light sources
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 3/001 Devices for lighting, humidifying, heating, ventilation
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 3/005 with glass panels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/025 LAN communication management
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/36 using liquid crystals

Abstract

A showcase including a plurality of frames including a front frame and an upper frame defining a showroom; a transparent display panel placed at the front frame among the frames, the transparent display panel displaying an image; and a light source unit configured to emit light into the showroom, wherein the light source unit is located between an opaque upper portion of the front frame surrounding the transparent display panel and the upper frame, and wherein the light source unit includes a plurality of lamps at each corner of the showcase and is obliquely arranged in a direction from the front frame to the upper frame, and positions of the plurality of lamps are increased in height with an increasing distance from the front frame to the upper frame.

Claims

1. A showcase comprising:

a plurality of frames including a front frame and an upper frame defining a showroom;

a transparent display panel placed at the front frame, the transparent display panel displaying an image; and

a light source unit configured to emit light into the showroom,

wherein the light source unit is located between an opaque upper portion of the front frame surrounding the transparent display panel and the upper frame, and

wherein the light source unit includes a plurality of lamps at each corner of the showcase and is obliquely arranged in a direction from the front frame to the upper frame, and positions of the plurality of lamps are increased in height with an increasing distance from the front frame to the upper frame.

2. The showcase according to claim 1, wherein the height of a bottom surface of the showroom is reduced with increasing distance from the front frame or decreasing distance to a rear frame among the frames.

3. The showcase according to claim 1, wherein a rear face of the showroom has at least one oval structure convexly protruding toward a rear frame among the frames.

4. The showcase according to claim 1, further comprising a display stand tilted in the showroom in a direction from a rear frame to a lower frame among the frames.

5. The showcase according to claim 4, further comprising multiple shelves detachably attached to the display stand.

6. The showcase according to claim 5, wherein the multiple shelves are increased in length in a downward direction of the showroom.

7. The showcase according to claim 1, wherein the front frame takes the form of a front door configured to be opened and closed.

8. The showcase according to claim 7, wherein the front door includes the transparent display panel and doorframes surrounding the transparent display panel.

9. The showcase according to claim 8, further comprising:

a timing controller installed in a first doorframe among the doorframes, the timing controller supplying a drive signal to the transparent display panel; and

a cable transmitting the drive signal from the timing controller to the display panel.

10. The showcase according to claim 9, wherein the first doorframe located at one side of the transparent display panel has a greater size than that of a second doorframe, the second door frame being located opposite to the first door frame about the panel.

11. The showcase according to claim 7, wherein the light source unit is turned off when the front door is open or closed.

12. The showcase according to claim 7, wherein the front door includes:

a first door glass attached to the transparent display panel;

a second door glass spaced apart from the first door glass; and

an adhesive member attaching the first door glass and the second door glass to each other.

13. The showcase according to claim 1, further comprising a signal processing unit installed in the upper frame among the frames, the signal processing unit processing an input image signal.

14. The showcase according to claim 13, wherein the signal processing unit includes:

an external device interface unit configured to receive a video signal from an external device; and

a controller configured to process the received video signal and to output the processed video signal.

15. The showcase according to claim 1, wherein the transparent display panel is a liquid crystal panel including a first substrate provided with a pixel electrode, a second substrate provided with a common electrode, and a liquid crystal layer formed between the first substrate and the second substrate.

16. A showcase system comprising:

a signal processing device configured to output a video signal; and

a showcase including a plurality of frames including a front frame and an upper frame defining a showroom, a transparent display panel placed at the front frame, the transparent display panel displaying an image corresponding to the video signal, and a light source unit configured to emit light into the showroom,

wherein the light source unit includes a plurality of lamps at each corner of the showcase and is obliquely arranged in a direction from the front frame to the upper frame among the frames, and positions of the plurality of lamps are increased in height with an increasing distance from the front frame to the upper frame.

17. The showcase system according to claim 16, wherein the showcase includes a plurality of showcases, and

wherein a first showcase among the plurality of showcases further includes a signal receiver configured to receive the video signal from the signal processing device and to distribute the received video signal to each showcase.