U.S. patent application number 11/175732 was filed with the patent office on 2006-04-20 for apparatus for use in a cold vault.
Invention is credited to Christopher DeMarco, Luanne Dino, David Mann, Dan Riley.
Application Number | 20060082262 11/175732 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 33435157 |
Filed Date | 2006-04-20 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060082262 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
DeMarco; Christopher ; et
al. |
April 20, 2006 |
Apparatus for use in a cold vault
Abstract
An apparatus is provides which includes a frame configured to be
supported by a customer-accessible lower shelf, the lower shelf
being adapted to support a plurality of items, and an upper shelf
supported by the frame at an angle thereto, the upper shelf also
being adapted to support a plurality of items and having an opening
at a lower end thereof, so that an item supported by the upper
shelf drops onto the lower shelf, through the opening, after an
item is removed from the lower shelf.
Inventors: |
DeMarco; Christopher;
(Brookfield, CT) ; Dino; Luanne; (Tarrytown,
NY) ; Mann; David; (Snellville, GA) ; Riley;
Dan; (Hackensack, NJ) |
Correspondence
Address: |
RYNDAK & SURI LLP
200 W MADISON STREET
SUITE 2100
CHICAGO
IL
60602
US
|
Family ID: |
33435157 |
Appl. No.: |
11/175732 |
Filed: |
July 6, 2005 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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10963196 |
Oct 12, 2004 |
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11175732 |
Jul 6, 2005 |
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10838359 |
May 5, 2004 |
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10963196 |
Oct 12, 2004 |
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60468025 |
May 5, 2003 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
312/199 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47F 1/12 20130101; A47F
1/087 20130101; A47F 7/28 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
312/199 |
International
Class: |
A47B 53/00 20060101
A47B053/00 |
Claims
1. An apparatus comprising: a frame configured to be supported by a
customer-accessible lower shelf, the lower shelf being adapted to
support a plurality of items; and an upper shelf supported by the
frame at an angle thereto, the upper shelf also being adapted to
support a plurality of items and having an opening at a lower end
thereof, so that an item supported by the upper shelf drops onto
the lower shelf, through the opening, after an item is removed from
the lower shelf.
2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a gate is disposed
off the lower end of the upper shelf.
3. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the gate comprises a
plurality of panels.
4. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the gate is
vertically slidably and pivotably mounted.
5. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the gate is
vertically slidably mounted.
6. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the gate comprises a
plurality of flaps.
7. An apparatus comprising: a frame; a customer-accessible lower
shelf supported by the frame and disposed at a first angle thereto;
and an upper shelf disposed at a second angle to the frame and
above the lower shelf, wherein the upper and lower shelves are
adapted to support a plurality of items, and wherein the upper
shelf has an opening at a lower end thereof, so that an item
supported by the upper shelf drops onto the lower shelf, through
the opening, after an item is removed from the lower shelf.
8. An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the items are
maintained in a substantially upright position on the upper and
lower shelves.
9. An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the upper shelf
comprises a plurality of tracks formed by an upper guide, the
opening in the upper shelf corresponding to a plurality of openings
in the tracks.
10. An apparatus according to claim 9, wherein each track has a
spring-loaded pusher.
11. An apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the lower shelf has
a corresponding plurality of tracks formed by a visislide.
12. An apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising a rear
guide disposed at an upper end of the lower shelf.
13. An apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising a lower
guide disposed below and toward the rear of the upper guide.
14. An apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising a
plurality of lifters, each lifter pivotably attached to the upper
guide at a lower end of each track.
15. An apparatus according to claim 14, wherein when one of the
lifters is in a locked position, a portion of said lifter forms a
floor which covers a corresponding track opening.
16. An apparatus according to claim 14, wherein when one of the
lifters is in an unlocked position, no floor is formed to cover a
corresponding track opening.
17. An apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising an
adaptor rod disposed at a lower end of the lower shelf, and adapted
to position the items on the lower shelf.
18. An apparatus comprising: a housing; a plurality of
customer-accessible lower shelves supported from top to bottom by
the housing, each lower shelf disposed at a first angle thereto;
and an upper shelf supported by the housing and disposed at a
second angle thereto and above the topmost lower shelf, wherein
both the upper shelf and lower shelves are adapted to support a
plurality of items, and wherein the upper shelf has an opening at a
lower end thereof, so that an item supported by the upper shelf
drops onto the topmost lower shelf, through the opening, after an
item is removed from the topmost lower shelf.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation under 37 C.F.R. .sctn.
1.53(b) of application Ser. No. 10/838,359, filed May 5, 2004, the
entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference,
which in turn claims the benefit of U.S. provisional Application
Ser. No. 60/468,025, filed May 5, 2003.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] This invention relates to various apparatuses used to
increase storage capacity in a cold vault.
[0004] 2. Related Art
[0005] Displaying and storing items for sale is an important aspect
in how stores do business with their customers. Stores display what
is on sale, and customers can then make a choice as to which
product to buy, if any. There are various ways of storing and
displaying items for sale. For example, a convenience store selling
cold drinks in cans, bottles, or other containers will typically
place such items in a refrigerator or cold vault which has a number
of shelves inside for housing the items, as well as a glass door so
that the customer can see the items that are for sale before
opening the door. The customer looks through the glass decides
which item to buy (if any), opens the glass door, and takes the
selected item.
[0006] Of course, cold vaults have to be continually stocked and
re-stocked so that an adequate supply of items is available for
selection and purchase. And it is preferable to have a number of
different selections available to the customer, and to stock enough
of each selection in the cold vault. Moreover, it is important that
the drinks are cold when the customers select them from the cold
vault for purchase.
[0007] Several cold vaults exist today which display and store
items for sale. However, these cold vaults do not provide certain
features that would be helpful to their users in housing and
displaying items for sale. For example, there is a need for more
space in a cold vault for merchandising an expanding portfolio of
new products. There is also a need to increase space-to-sales
inequalities which may result from inadequate space in the cold
vault. There is also a need to reduce labor inefficiencies
associated with existing cold vaults, for example by reducing the
loading time associated therewith. And there is a need for
optimization of "sku" (stock keeping unit) assortment by enabling
consolidation of existing facings to make more room for other sku's
and/or reduce out-of-stocks of existing sku's.
[0008] There exists, therefore, a need for an apparatus which
address these and other drawbacks of prior art cold vaults.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] To overcome the drawbacks associated with the prior art,
various apparatuses are provided for use in cold vaults, or any
other similar storage systems.
[0010] In one aspect of the present invention, an apparatus
includes a frame supporting an upper shelf at an angle thereto. The
frame is configured to be supported by a customer-accessible lower
shelf. Both the upper and lower shelves are adapted to support a
plurality of items. The upper shelf has an opening at a lower end
thereof, so that an item supported by the upper shelf drops onto
the lower shelf, through the opening, after an item is removed from
the lower shelf.
[0011] In another aspect of the present invention, an apparatus
includes a frame supporting a customer-accessible lower shelf
disposed at a first angle thereto, and an upper shelf disposed at a
second angle thereto and above the lower shelf. Both the upper and
lower shelves are adapted to support a plurality of items. The
upper shelf has an opening at a lower end thereof, so that an item
supported by the upper shelf drops onto the lower shelf, through
the opening, after an item is removed from the lower shelf.
[0012] In yet another aspect of the present invention, an apparatus
includes a housing for supporting from top to bottom a plurality of
customer-accessible lower shelves each disposed at a first angle
thereto, and for supporting an upper shelf disposed at a second
angle thereto and above the topmost lower shelf. Both the upper
shelf and lower shelves are adapted to support a plurality of
items. The upper shelf has an opening at a lower end thereof, so
that an item supported by the upper shelf drops onto the topmost
lower shelf, through the opening, after an item is removed from the
topmost lower shelf.
[0013] The items are maintained in a substantially upright position
on the upper and lower shelves. Because of the angles at which the
upper and lower shelves are disposed on the frame or housing, the
items on the upper shelf are tilted downward toward the back of the
cold vault, while the items on the lower shelf or shelves are
tilted downward toward the front of the cold vault.
[0014] The upper shelf may have a plurality of tracks (or upper
guides), the tracks' openings corresponding to the upper shelf's
openings. The tracks are adapted to feed the items positioned on
the upper shelf towards the tracks' openings. The upper shelf's
tracks may use spring-loaded pushers to assist in feeding the items
toward the openings. The lower shelf, positioned below the upper
shelf, may also have a corresponding plurality of tracks (or
visislides). The lower shelf's tracks are adapted to feed the items
towards the front door of the cold vault.
[0015] A gate may be disposed off the lower end of the upper shelf,
in a position such that when the lower shelf is full, there is a
predetermined amount of space between a rearmost item in the lower
shelf (that is, an item positioned closest to the upper shelf's
opening) and the gate, so that an item dropping from the upper
shelf to the lower shelf is wedged between the gate and the
rearmost item of the lower shelf. When an item is subsequently
removed from the lower shelf, the wedged item falls onto the lower
shelf as its (new) rearmost item, and another item from the upper
shelf becomes wedged between the gate and the (new) rearmost item
of the lower shelf.
[0016] The gate may comprise a plurality of panels, each panel
corresponding to a track.
[0017] The gate may be vertically slidably and pivotably mounted to
the cold vault frame, such that in a raised and horizontally
pivoted position, the lower shelf is ready for loading, and in a
lowered and vertically pivoted position the upper shelf is ready
for loading. Alternatively, the gate may be vertically slidably
mounted to the frame, such that in a raised position the lower
shelf is ready for loading, and in a lowered position the upper
shelf is ready for loading.
[0018] The gate may have a handle to raise and lower it.
[0019] The gate may also have a plurality of flaps to align items
dropping from the upper shelf onto the lower shelf in a
substantially vertical position, and to keep the dropping items in
the corresponding tracks of the upper and lower shelves.
[0020] A rear guide may be disposed at an upper end of the lower
shelf to align items dropping from the upper shelf onto the lower
shelf in a substantially vertical position, and to keep the
dropping items in the corresponding tracks of the upper and lower
shelves.
[0021] A lower guide may be disposed below and toward the rear of
the upper guide to align items dropping from the upper shelf onto
the lower shelf in a substantially vertical position, and to keep
the items in the lower shelf in their tracks and in a substantially
upright position. The lower guide may guide items, such as bottles,
in the lower shelf by their caps, by their shoulders, or by
both.
[0022] A lifter may be disposed at a lower end of each upper
guide's track. When the lifter is in a locked position, a portion
of the lifter forms a floor which covers an opening in the upper
shelf, preventing items from falling through the opening. When the
lifter is in an unlocked position, no floor is formed to cover the
opening, allowing items to fall though the opening.
[0023] A pusher may be disposed in each of the upper guide's
tracks, the pusher being biased by a spring, in which the pusher is
adapted to push the items supported by the upper guide towards the
opening.
[0024] An adaptor rod may be disposed at a lower end of the lower
shelf, adapted to position the items on the lower shelf.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0025] The invention will be more clearly understood by reference
to the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments in
conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0026] FIG. 1 illustrates a side view of an apparatus according to
an embodiment of the present invention;
[0027] FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate perspective views of the apparatus
of FIG. 1, with FIG. 2 showing gate 24 in a raised position and
FIG. 3 showing gate 24 in a lowered position;
[0028] FIG. 4 illustrates an apparatus according to an embodiment
of the present invention;
[0029] FIG. 5 illustrates the apparatus of FIG. 4 disposed above a
topmost customer-accessible shelf;
[0030] FIG. 6 illustrates a perspective view of an apparatus
according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0031] FIG. 7 illustrates the apparatus of FIG. 6, with the gate 24
in a raised and horizontally pivoted position;
[0032] FIG. 8 illustrates the apparatus of FIG. 6, with the gate 24
in a lowered and vertically pivoted position;
[0033] FIG. 9 illustrates an apparatus in an embodiment of the
present invention;
[0034] FIG. 10A illustrates a side view of frame 91 of the
apparatus of FIG. 9, and FIGS. 10B-10E illustrate top views of
various width shelves 92/93 (racks) of the apparatus of FIG. 9.
[0035] FIGS. 11A-F illustrate various views of pusher 100 of the
apparatus of FIG. 9.
[0036] FIGS. 12A-D illustrate various views of rear guide 96 of the
apparatus of FIG. 9.
[0037] FIGS. 13A-D illustrate various views of lower guide 99 of
the apparatus of FIG. 9.
[0038] FIGS. 14A-D illustrate various views of upper guide 94 of
the apparatus of FIG. 9.
[0039] FIGS. 15A-F illustrate various views of lifter 95 of the
apparatus of FIG. 9.
[0040] FIGS. 16A-C respectively illustrate a locked and unlocked
lifter 95 of the apparatus of FIG. 9, as well as the guidance of a
bottle by lower guide 99.
[0041] FIGS. 17A-B respectively illustrate front and rear views of
the apparatus of FIG. 9.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0042] The invention will next be described in connection with
certain exemplary embodiments; however, it should be clear to those
skilled in the art that various modifications, additions, and
subtractions can be made without departing from the spirit or scope
of the claims.
[0043] The apparatuses of the present invention allow for more
space to be utilized in a cold vault and to merchandise an
expanding portfolio of products. For example, the storage capacity
of each cold vault can be increased by as much as 20% or more.
Consequently, the present invention may:
[0044] (a) increase space-to-sales inequalities which may result
from inadequate space in pre-existing cold vaults;
[0045] (b) improve labor efficiency in reducing the time needed to
load the cold vault;
[0046] (c) optimize sku assortment by enabling consolidation of
existing facings to make room for other sku's and/or reduce
out-of-stocks of existing sku's;
[0047] (d) increase the number of sales of the products stored and
displayed in a cold vault; and
[0048] (e) keep more products cold for the customers.
[0049] As shown in FIG. 4, one apparatus of the present invention
includes a frame that holds an extra ("drop rotation") shelf to
occupy the traditionally dead space above the topmost customer
accessible (shopable) shelf of a cold vault, the topmost shelf
supporting the apparatus, as shown in FIG. 5. Items, such as
beverage cans and bottles, are stored on the drop rotation shelf,
and product gravity and/or a spring-loaded track feeds these items
down onto the topmost shelf through one or more openings in the
drop rotation shelf, as space becomes available on the topmost
shelf when items are removed therefrom. In this way, the capacity
within a cold vault can be increased by at least one entire shelf.
The increased capacity in the cold vault can accommodate an
increased number of items for storage and sale, and can accommodate
increased sku needs and flexibility. Moreover, the extra shelf can
enhance product rotation and improve upon stocking efficiency,
since more items can be stocked at once, thereby reducing the
frequency at which the cold vault needs to be re-stocked.
Back-stock inventory can be reduced as well, and labor costs can be
reduced by virtue of reduction in product handling. Further, the
present invention is particularly advantageous in that it re-fills
automatically the topmost shelf, which is often the most shopped
shelf. Existing cold vaults can be modified (retrofitted) with the
present invention, or new cold vaults can be manufactured with the
present invention.
[0050] In particular, FIG. 4 shows the drop rotation shelf 18
positioned on wire stand or frame 20, which in turn is supported by
and straddles the top customer-accessible shelf 16. The drop
rotation shelf 18 has spring-loaded tracks which operate in
conjunction with gravity to push the bottles back toward the gate
24, after which they drop onto the uppermost customer-accessible
shelf 16 as space becomes available on that shelf. Dividers (or
upper guide) 26 are provided to divide the shelf into tracks, and
are adjustable to allow for differently sized bottles, cans, or
other containers or items which are positioned on the tracks. FIG.
5 illustrates the drop rotation shelf 18 of FIG. 4 disposed above
the top customer-accessible shelf 16.
[0051] As seen from these figures, two angularly-related shelves
are adapted to hold beverage bottles or other items in a
substantially vertical position with a gate 24 disposed at the rear
of the two shelves (that is, the topmost customer accessible shelf
16 and the drop rotation shelf 18). When the topmost shelf 16 is
filled, there is a sufficient space between the rearmost bottle in
that shelf and the gate 24 so that a bottle from the upper shelf
will fall and be "wedged" between the gate 24 and the rearmost
bottle (this will occur on a track-by-track basis). When a bottle
is removed from the front of the topmost shelf 16, for example, by
a consumer, the bottles feed downwardly in the topmost shelf toward
the front, and the "wedged" bottle falls into the topmost shelf,
becoming the new rearward bottle. Another bottle from the drop
rotation shelf 18 falls into a wedged position between the new
rearward bottle and the gate 24.
[0052] FIG. 1 illustrates a side view of the apparatus of FIG. 4
inside a cold vault 10. Customers open front door 12 of the cold
vault 10, which contains numerous shelves 14, 16, and 18 supporting
plastic bottles for sale. Of course, although plastic bottles are
used in this embodiment, the apparatuses of the present invention
are intended to support other well-known containers (cans, cartons,
glass bottles, etc.), products (soda, juice, beer, etc.), and sizes
(12 oz., 16 oz., 20 oz., 2 liters, etc.). Further, the cold vault
10, may have multiple columns of shelves and corresponding front
doors 12, each column of shelves having a corresponding apparatus
as described herein.
[0053] Shelves 14 and 16 are accessible through the front door to
the customer, and are angled downward towards the front door 12.
Shelf 14, and similar shelves below shelf 14, operate in a
conventional manner. As the customer takes a bottle from shelf 14,
gravity forces the remaining bottles on the shelf 14 to move one
spot closer to the front door 12, thus filling the space created by
the removed bottle.
[0054] The operation of shelves 16 and 18 will now be discussed. As
shown in FIG. 5, stand 20, which is preferably wire but could also
be made from plastic or from another suitable material, sits on the
topmost customer-accessible (shopable) shelf 16. Stand 20 straddles
shelf 16 and supports a drop rotation shelf 18, which is configured
at an angle generally opposite to that of shelf 16; that is, the
drop rotation shelf 18 is angled downward and toward the back of
the cold vault, rather than downward toward the front of the cold
vault as are shelves 14 and 16. The absolute angles (with respect
to the horizontal plane) of shelves 16 and 18 may differ. The drop
rotation shelf 18 is preferably made out of metal, but of course
other suitable materials could be used.
[0055] The drop rotation shelf 18 in this embodiment has a
plurality of tracks (glides), which may be plastic injection-molded
glides, but of course other suitable materials may be used. The
glides gravity-feed bottles supported by the drop rotation shelf 18
in the general direction from the front door 12 to the back of the
cold vault, and each bottle discharges through a corresponding
opening in the rear of the drop rotation shelf 18, in a manner that
will be described in further detail below, as space opens up below
on shelf 16. Thus, the glides help transfer the bottles from the
drop rotation shelf 18 to shelf 16. A spring-loaded mechanism can
also be incorporated into the drop rotation shelf 18 to further
assist the movement of bottles from front to back toward the track
opening.
[0056] As shown in FIG. 1, gate 24 functions as a backstop to keep
the bottles from toppling out of the shelves as they are being
transferred, and assists in guiding bottles from the drop rotation
shelf 18 to shelf 16. The gate 24 can also be, for example, raised
and lowered to allow for product loading. The gate 24 may be
vertically slidably mounted, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, or
vertically slidably and pivotably mounted, as shown in FIGS. 6-8,
on the cold vault housing. Other gate mountings are within the
scope of the art, such as a hinged mounting (not shown). The gate
24 may be made of metal, plastic, or other suitable material.
[0057] FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate perspective views of the cold vault
10. In these figures, the gate 24 is made up of integrated,
individual cylindrical panels corresponding to each shelf track. In
order to load bottles onto shelf 16, the gate 24 is slid up into a
raised position, and then the topmost customer accessible shelf 16
is loaded with items from the cold vault's interior, as shown in
FIG. 2. In order to load bottles onto the drop rotation shelf 18,
also from the cold vault's interior, the gate 24 is slid down into
a lowered position, as shown in FIG. 3.
[0058] In FIGS. 6-8, gate 24 is vertically slidable and pivotable
mounted on the cold vault's frame. FIG. 7 shows the gate 24 in a
raised and horizontally pivoted position, which allows the topmost
customer accessible shelf 16 to be loaded with items from the cold
vault's interior. FIGS. 6 and 8 shows gate 24 in a lowered and
vertically pivoted position, which allows the drop rotation shelf
18 to be loaded from the cold vault's interior. In this embodiment,
gate 24 is flat, and has a handle 24c attached thereto for raising
and lowering it. The gate has two pins 24a and 24b located on its
sides which, when the gate is in the lowered position, rest against
frame 25 to limit the gate's forward movement toward shelf 16 as
shown. Pins 24e in slots 24d (a pin/slot pair on each side of the
gate) allow the gate when it is raised to pivot and slide forward
toward the front door 12 at a predetermined frame location.
[0059] FIGS. 6 and 7 also show flaps 28 on gate 24, which help keep
the bottles in line as they drop from the drop rotation shelf 18 to
the shelf 16. FIG. 6 also shows the "visislide" guide 38, which
provides a plurality of tracks in the topmost shelf. 16. The tracks
38 feed the items toward the front door of the cold vault.
[0060] FIG. 9 illustrates another embodiment of the present
invention. Front and views of this apparatus are also shown
respectively in FIGS. 17A and 17B. A frame 91 rests upon an
existing wire shelf 90. The frame 91 supports both a lower
(customer accessible) shelf (or "rack") 92 and an upper drop
rotation shelf (or "rack") 93. The lower shelf 92 has plastic
"visislides" 97, and the upper shelf 93 has plastic upper guides
94, which provide tracks for each shelf. The tracks support, for
example, bottles 98. When a customer takes bottle 98c from a
visislide track 97 of the lower shelf 92, gravity operates to move
each bottle on that track forward, including bottle 98b, to close
the space where bottle 98c was. As that happens, bottle 98a drops
down onto the visislide track 97 of the lower shelf 92 to fill the
space where bottle 98b was. Meanwhile, bottle 98d in upper guide 94
of the upper shelf 93, as acted upon by spring-biased pusher 100
and gravity moves into the space previously occupied by bottle 98a,
and so on.
[0061] In particular, while gravity operates to feed the bottles on
the lower shelf 92, the bottles on the upper shelf 93 are assisted
by negator springs (not shown) disposed on each upper guide track
94 of the upper shelf 93. The negator springs are preferably made
of spring steel, and bias each track's pusher 100 toward the rear
of the upper shelf 93. Thus, resting bottles 98 in each track of
the upper shelf 93 have a potential energy caused by the negator
spring force and gravity, while resting bottles in the lower shelf
92 have a potential energy caused by gravity. When a customer takes
away bottle 98c, for example, the potential energy for each bottle
98 in that bottle's track changes to kinetic energy, and the
bottles are fed one drop rotation. Once movement is complete (new
bottle 98c reaches and is stopped by the end of the visislide 97),
the forces acting on each bottle revert to potential energy.
[0062] The downward angle of the upper shelf 93 (as compared to
horizontal) is less than the downward angle of the lower shelf 92
(as compared to horizontal), in this embodiment, to reduce the
space the upper shelf 93 occupies in the cold vault. However,
because the gravity component in the direction of the upper shelf's
downward angle is lesser at this smaller angle, the tracks of the
upper shelf 93 preferably use the negator spring-loaded pushers 100
to assist in feeding the bottles 98 positioned on the upper shelf
93 to the lower shelf 92. The downward angle of the upper shelf 93
is preferably greater than zero (that is, non-horizontal), because
otherwise the gravity component in that direction would be zero and
the negator springs would have to provide the entire force for
feeding the bottles along the upper shelf 93. This could create a
problem, in that the force of the pusher 100 required to move the
bottles on the upper shelf 93 might be so great that it would pin
bottle 98a against the rear wall of the upper guide 94 and not
allow bottle 98a to drop to the lower shelf 92. FIGS. 11A-F
illustrate various views of pusher 100 of the apparatus of FIG.
9.
[0063] A graphic panel or point-of-sale panel (not shown) may be
attached to the front of the lower guide 99 to display
advertisements or product/company labeling.
[0064] (see, for example, FIG. 17A).
[0065] FIG. 10A illustrates a side view of frame 91 of the
apparatus of FIG. 9. The frame 91 is preferably constructed of 11
gauge crs steel wire, but other known sizes and materials may be
used. A bracket 91a, preferably made of 16 gauge sheet metal and
welded or otherwise attached to the rear of the frame 91 as shown,
is used to support the lower shelf 92 on the frame 91, and to
maintain the lower shelf 92 at a proper downward angle. The frame
has various substantially cross members and vertical members, in
the relationship shown, to provide sufficient strength to support
loaded lower and upper shelves.
[0066] FIGS. 10B-10E illustrate top views of various width shelves
92/93 (racks) attached to the frame 91. For example, FIG. 10B shows
an "8 wide" rack, FIG. 10C a "7 wide" rack, FIG. 10D a "9 wide"
rack, and FIG. 10E a "5 wide" rack. These racks may used for the
upper shelf 93 or lower shelf 92, or both.
[0067] FIGS. 12A-D illustrate various views of rear guide 96 of the
apparatus of FIG. 9. Rear guide 96 is disposed at an upper end of
the lower shelf 92 to align items dropping from the upper shelf 93
onto the lower shelf 92 in a substantially vertical position, and
to keep the dropping items in the visislide track 97 that
corresponds to upper guide's track 94 from which the item dropped.
The rear guide 96 has a curved component 96a which attaches to the
rear of the lower shelf 92 and the visislide 97.
[0068] FIGS. 13A-D illustrate various views of lower guide 99 of
the apparatus of FIG. 9. Lower guide 99 is disposed below and
toward the rear of the upper guide 94 to align items dropping from
the upper shelf 93 onto the lower shelf 92 in a substantially
vertical position, and to keep the items in the lower shelf 92 in
their tracks 97, also in a substantially upright position. For each
track 97, a pair of relatively short vertical members 99a extending
downward from the lower guide 99 and more than halfway down the
track 97 (that is, the length of the lower guide 99), guide bottles
98 in the lower shelf's tracks by their caps. The caps ride between
the pair of short vertical members 99a, preventing the bottles from
tipping. The short vertical members 99a eventually taper outwards
to meet vertical members 99b, as shown in FIG. 16C. In addition,
also for each track 97, a pair of relatively longer vertical
members 99b extending downward from the lower guide 99 and more
than halfway down the track 97 (that is, the length of the lower
guide 99), guide bottles 98 in the lower shelf's tracks by their
shoulders, as also shown in FIG. 16C. When combined with the
guidance provided to the bottle's bottoms by the visislide track
97, the bottle are well-guided in a substantially upright position
down the lower shelf 92 to the front door of the cold vault. The
lower guide also has a flap 99c, which guides the bottles when they
first drop onto the lower shelf 92, prevents the falling bottles
from tipping over, and ensures that the falling bottle's cap and
shoulders are positioned within the guides 99a and 99b.
[0069] FIGS. 14A-D illustrate various views of upper guide 94 of
the apparatus of FIG. 9. Upper guide 94, via barriers 94c, provides
a plurality of tracks 94a to carry the bottles 98. At the front of
each track is a spring-biased pusher 100 (which in operation moves
from the front toward the rear), and at the rear of each track is a
lifter 95. Also at the rear of each track is an opening 94b. As
shown in FIGS. 14A-D, the upper shelf 93 does not extend as far to
the rear as the openings 94b of the upper guide 94. Consequently,
there is no upper shelf 93 below the openings 94b, so that the
bottles 98 may freely drop through the openings to the lower shelf
92.
[0070] FIGS. 15A-F illustrate various views of a hook-shaped lifter
95 of the apparatus of FIG. 9. Each lifter 95 is pivotably attached
by lifter pins 95b to slots 94e of the upper guide 94, so that it
may pivot between a locked position (see FIG. 16A) when pushed
toward the upper guide and an unlocked position (see FIG. 16B) when
pulled away from the upper guide. When the lifters are in the
locked position, the upper guide 94 can be loaded with bottles 98.
The lifter may be molded in the shape and dimensions shown in FIGS.
15 A-F, or manufactured and sized in any known equivalent
manner.
[0071] When the lifter is pushed, a "false floor" is created by the
bottom 95a of the lifter over the opening 94b through which the
bottles fall in normal operation (see FIG. 16A). The floor allows
the corresponding track 94a of the upper guide 94 to be loaded
without the bottles falling through the opening 94b. The bottom of
the first bottle 98 loaded onto the track 94a rests on the floor
and against the pusher 100, and then is pushed forward along the
track 94a as the next bottle 98 is loaded, and so forth. This is
advantageous because typically the upper guide 94 will be high off
the ground (e.g., 7 feet), and with this configuration, a person
more easily may load the upper guide 94. Upon unlocking the lifter
95 by pulling it (see FIG. 16B), placing the lifter into its normal
operation position, the floor is removed on that track 94a, thereby
uncovering the corresponding opening 94b. The rearmost bottle in
the track (e.g., bottle 98a) then settles partly down into the
opening 94b.
[0072] When a lifter 95 is unlocked and the rearmost bottle (e.g.,
bottle 98a) settles into position partly down the opening 94b, the
bottle 98a may come to rest in a particular resting position.
Specifically, it is preferable for bottle 98a and bottle 98b to be
sitting "bottom to cap"; that is, the bottom of bottle 98a should
preferably be resting on the cap of bottle 98b. This is preferable
to the bottom of bottle 98a resting on the shoulder of bottle 98b,
because in that case bottle 98a's potential energy will be lower.
The lower potential energy may prevent the bottle 98a from being
able to fall all the way down to the visislide 97 of the lower
shelf 92, and might instead fall and rest upon, disadvantageously,
only as far as the hip of bottle 98b. Bottle 98a will thus be out
of alignment in the visislide 97 and lower guide 99. This situation
may require servicing to re-align the bottles properly. Flap 99c of
the lower guide 99 and rear guide 96, both discussed above, helps
guide the bottles 98a and 98b to the preferred "bottom to cap"
position.
[0073] An adaptor rod (not shown) may also be included in the
apparatus of the present invention. The adaptor rod may be
positioned at the front of the lower shelf 92, between existing
supporting rod 89 (extending into the drawing figure) and the
bottles. The adaptor rod can further assist in creating the
preferred "bottom to cap" alignment between dropping bottle 98a and
the bottle 98b below, by pushing the bottles 98 on the lower shelf
92 towards the rear guide 96, so that the dropping bottle 98a may
rest on the bottle 98b below in the preferred "bottom to cap"
alignment. The adaptor rod may or may not be used, depending on
such factors as the ambient temperature of the cooler, the
barometric pressure, whether the beverage is carbonated or
non-carbonated, etc. For example, carbonated bottles tend to
expand, while non-carbonated bottles do not, and so the adaptor rod
might be used with non-carbonated bottles. Of course, this is just
an example, and may not apply to all situations. Essentially, the
alignment may (or may not) be altered slightly by factors such as
those mentioned, and the adaptor rod may (or may not) be used. The
adaptor rod is preferably made out of metal, though other suitable
materials are envisioned.
[0074] Components that are not steel may be injection-molded
plastic. For example, the rear guide 96, the lower guide 99,
visislide 97 and upper guide 94 are preferably made of
polypropylene, while lifter 95 and pusher 100 are preferably made
of polyurethane. It is noted that upper guide 94 and visislide 97
may be configured for the various sized racks (e.g., 9-wide,
8-wide, 7-wide, 5 wide etc.). In addition, the dimensions shown in
the drawing figures are generally representative of apparatuses
used to support 20 ounce beverage bottles, as shown in FIGS. 17A
and 17B. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, other
dimensions may be used for other container types and sizes.
[0075] The various configurations permit the apparatus of the
present invention to be retrofitted to existing cold vaults. The
apparatus may also be integrated in the manufacture of a cold
vault, including a cold vault frame, a drop rotation shelf, and a
plurality of lower (customer-accessible) shelves.
[0076] While the invention has been particularly shown and
described with respect to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be
understood by those skilled in the art that changes in form and
details may be made therein without departing from the scope and
spirit of the invention.
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