OPEN AIR FOOD DISPLAY CASE WITH AUTOMATIC CLOSING MECHANISM
First Claim
1. An open-air unit for displaying food and beverages, 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 comprisingi. a barrier for covering said open front, andii. 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 storage area; 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.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
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.
6 Citations
26 Claims
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1. An open-air unit for displaying food and beverages, comprising:
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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 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 storage area; 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. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. An open-air display unit, comprising:
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a. a temperature-controlled compartment having an open portion for displaying items and allowing access to said items; b. a barrier system comprising a barrier for covering said open portion, a barrier collection member connected to said barrier, and a barrier system motor engaged with said barrier collection member; c. a locking mechanism for engaging said barrier when said barrier member is in a closed position covering said open portion of said temperature-controlled compartment; d. at least one sensor comprising a 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 when said internal temperature of said temperature-controlled compartment is inconsistent with a pre-determined range of acceptable temperature values. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A method of automatically locking an open-air display unit, comprising:
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a. monitoring a temperature inside a temperature-controlled compartment with one or more temperature sensors, wherein 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 an open 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; and d. locking said barrier in a 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. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A method of deterring consumers from removing items from an open-air display unit, comprising:
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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 data from said at least one sensor; 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 said barrier to move said barrier to a closed position over an open portion of said temperature-controlled compartment when said data is inconsistent with said pre-determined acceptable set of environmental conditions. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26)
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Specification