WO2000008979A1

WO2000008979A1 - A display deck for merchandise

Info

Publication number: WO2000008979A1
Application number: PCT/NZ1999/000129
Authority: WO
Inventors: Robert John Darroch
Original assignee: Supermarket Services Limited
Priority date: 1998-08-14
Filing date: 1999-08-12
Publication date: 2000-02-24
Also published as: AU5453499A

Abstract

The invention relates to an improved produce display deck (10) for use in produce/product display cabinets of the type typically used in supermarkets and delicatessens and the like. The display deck (10) is comprised of a series of elongate strips (12) pivotally joined together at their longitudinal edges and supported by profiled support elements (18) which may be substituted by alternatively profiled support elements suitable for displaying alternative produce/product lines. The display cabinet may be refrigerated, chilled, heated or standard and may include additional features such as misting devices/humidifiers.

Description

This invention relates to a display deck for merchandise.

This type of deck is usually used in, but not limited to, merchandising equipment and in particular display apparatus comprising chilled/refrigerated or heated display cabinets, and supports produce to be displayed such as fruit and vegetables, meat or fish, cakes/pastries and the like.

The above described display cabinets are typically used in supermarket or self-service restaurants/delicatessen environments. The primary aim of the apparatus is to present the food or produce in the most attractive manner for selection or choice by the customer or consumer. Accordingly, in the case of chilled/refrigerated units, these typically include appropriate lighting to show the produce at its best and include additional features such as humidifiers. Heated units, or those designed to present food in delicatessens and restaurants also include appropriate lighting to display the food at its best and often include glass or plastic front panels to ensure that the environment within remains reasonably sterile.

In all of the above situations, hygiene is of paramount importance. Attractiveness of display is the next most important feature. Reliability and ease of use/maintenance by the staff is also very important.

Typically, display cabinets suitable for use in supermarkets, delicatessen and restaurants are very long and are divided into a number of bays for displaying different varieties of produce or consumer goods. The produce or goods are displayed on decks or trays within each bay and to date these have usually been made of moulded fiberglass or plastics material. The requirements for the various types of produce and goods vary greatly. For example, cabbages require a different profile of tray or deck than apples which are different again to that required for meat or pastries. Accordingly, it has been necessary for the retailer or establishment owner to have on hand a range of different shaped trays or decks that may be substituted as required to accommodate for the different types of product or produce available many of which are seasonal. The stocks of trays or decks are expensive, hard to keep clean in storage and take up much storage space. The aim of the present invention is to provide a product/produce deck that may be easily adjusted to support any desired form of produce or product, is easily cleaned and compact to store thus substantially overcoming the above mentioned problems. The deck is also suitable for supporting a wide range of products that are not limited to the food/restaurant area.

According to a first broad aspect of the invention, there is provided a deck for supporting product/produce for use in a display cabinet , said deck comprising a substantially planar body having a length and a width, and wherein said body is flexible along its longitudinal axis but stiff across its transverse axis.

In a preferred embodiment, said body comprises a series of elongate strips preferably of plastics, fiberglass or metal, wherein adjacently disposed strips are pivotally connected to each other along their longitudinal edges.

The strips are expediently profiled in cross-section, preferably channel shaped and optionally include stiffening ribs.

The terminal ends of each strip are optionally closed by an end cap. Adjacent end caps may be pivotally linked together in a strip like fashion.

Each strip may optionally be provided with a one or more apertures for permitting air circulation therethrough.

In the preferred embodiment, the metal strips are made of extruded aluminium.

According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a profiled support element for supporting the longitudinal edge portion of a deck according to the above aspects, said profiled support element comprising a lower surface adapted for mounting on a support surface within a display cabinet, and wherein said profiled support element includes a profiled upper surface for supporting said longitudinal edge portion of said deck. The profiled support element is preferably made of a plastics material or alternatively from a man made wood based material such as one of the various particle/composite boards or plywood coated with an appropriate coating for ease of cleaning.

According to a third aspect of the invention there is provided a display cabinet incorporating a deck(s) and/or a profiled support element(s) as described in the preceding first and second aspects of the invention.

In further describing the invention by way of a preferred embodiment, reference will be made to the accompanying drawings in which: -

Figures 1 and 3 are perspective views of the deck according to the invention standing alone,

Figures 2 and 4 are side elevations of Figures 1 and 3,

Figure 5 is a side elevation of a portion of the deck in rolled up configuration

Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 5 showing the addition of an end cap,

Figure 7 is a perspective view of Figure 6

Figure 8 is a sectional elevation of a multi-bay display cabinet showing one particular profile of support element, and

Figure 9 is a perspective view of Figure 8.

Referring to figures 8 and 9, a typical display cabinet C is shown in partial view from the side and in perspective. This type of cabinet is usually open fronted if it is intended to display fruit, vegetables or meat products as found in supermarkets, and closed (glass fronted) if used in the self-serve food industry such as delicatessens and self-service restaurants. Such cabinets may be chilled/refrigerated or heated depending on the intended use. Chilled/refrigerated cabinets may also include a humidifier.

The cabinets shown include a produce/product deck 10 according to the invention, but do not show the deck profiled support elements 18 for the purpose of clarity. The deck profiled support elements 18 would be located in the space below the longitudinal side edge of the deck as indicated by arrow 1 1 in figures 8 and 9 of the drawings.

Referring to figures 1 to 7 of the drawings, the deck 10 is shown in different views from different perspectives. Referring in particular to figures 1 and 3, it can be seen that the deck is generally planar in configuration and is comprised of a series of elongate strips 12 pivotally joined together at their longitudinal edges. The deck is capable of being rolled into a cylinder much like a garage roller door.

In the preferred embodiment, each strip 12 comprises a length of extruded aluminium section. One longitudinal edge includes a semi-circular recess 13 intended to accept a complementary shaped projection 14 formed into the other longitudinal edge of the strip. Each strip also includes two stiffening ribs 15. Extrusion 19 is optional and is intended to form a lip that is intended to keep the lower edge of the deck at a spacing from the base B of the cabinet. This extrusion includes a semi-circular recess 13 that pivotally engages projection 14 in the same manner as the coupling between adjacent strips. Each strip may optionally include a series of apertures along its length particularly for those intended for use with chilled/refrigerated display cabinets.

Referring to figure 6 of the drawings, in order to fix adjacent strips 12 in permanent position with respect to each other, an end cap arrangement is provided. Each individual cap 16 is pivotally coupled to an adjacent cap to form a flexible chain. A projection on each cap engages within the recess 17 formed by the semi-circular projection 14.

It will be appreciated that each strip 12 could be made of a stiff plastics or fiberglass extrusion. It will also be appreciated that the deck could take any other form of material that is flexible along the longitudinal direction but stiff across its width. It is envisaged that there would be many quite satisfactory plastic extrusions that could fill this criteria, such extrusions either forming the whole length of the deck or alternatively coupled together to form the desired length.

Referring to figures 1 and 3 of the drawings, each profiled support element 18 comprises a profiled substantially planar length of material such as plastics; plastics coated particle/composite board or plywood or the like with the profile chosen to suit the particular product to be displayed. Certain products such as meats might require no profile whatsoever, i.e. straight edged or possibly a wedge shape.

It is. of course, possible or even likely that many different profiles of profiled support element would be required particularly in a long display cabinet. It is envisaged that the average width of the deck would be in the vicinity of 1 metre (a "bay"). Accordingly, in a long display cabinet (5 to 7 metres) different support element profiles may be chosen for each section or bay. Accordingly, a large cabinet may have seven or more bays. In these instances it is desirable that each bay be separated from its neighbour. This can be easily achieved by placing plastic flexible spacers between each bay so that product from one bay does not spill over into an adjacent bay.

In use. the deck 10 is rolled out over a pair of spaced apart similarly profiled support elements 18 substantially as shown in figures 1 or 3 of the drawings. The arrangement shown in these views is, of course, located within the interior of the display cabinet. Because the deck 10 is flexible, it perfectly conforms to the shape of the profiled surface of each profiled support element 18. The rear edge of the deck may clip onto a suitable fitting at the rear of the profiled support element 18 or to a suitable point on the rear of the cabinet. The product/produce may then be placed onto the deck 10 in a conventional manner.

If it is desired to clean the interior of the cabinet then this is easily achieved by removing the remaining product from the deck 10 and merely rolling (much like the action of a roller door) it to the rear of the cabinet and thus out of the way. Alternatively, the deck 10 could be undipped completely and removed from the cabinet for cleaning purposes. The profiled support elements 18 may also be removed for cleaning purposes.

If it becomes necessary to display a different product/produce then this can also easily be achieved by removing the deck from the cabinet and then removing and substituting alternatively shaped profiled support elements 18 into the place of those removed.

It will be appreciated that the procuring and storage of alternative profiled support elements (which are cheap and store easily and compactly) whilst retaining the use of the support deck is considerably cheaper and more convenient than having on hand a large stock of different shaped trays/decks as is conventionally required.

The above description is by way of preferred embodiment only and it will be appreciated that the deck and guide is open to obvious modification without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A deck for supporting product/produce for use in a display cabinet, said deck comprising a substantially planar body having a length and a width, and wherein said body is flexible along its longitudinal axis but stiff across its transverse axis.

2. A deck as claimed in claim 1 wherein said planar body comprises a series of elongate strips, wherein adjacently disposed strips are pivotally connected to each other along their longitudinal edges.

3. A deck as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein the elongate strips are profiled in cross- section.

4. A deck as claimed in claim 3 wherein the elongate strips are channel shaped and optionally include stiffening ribs.

5. A deck as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 4 wherein the longitudinal edges between adjacent strips comprise a semi-circular recess along the edge of one of the strips and a complementary shaped projection along the mating edge of the adjacent strip.

6. A deck as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 5 wherein the elongate strips are made of metal, fiberglass or plastics material.

7. A deck as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the terminal ends of each strip are closed by an end cap.

8. A deck as claimed in claim 7 wherein adjacent end caps may be pivotally linked together in a strip like fashion.

9. A deck as claimed in any one of the preceding claims 2 to 8 wherein each strip is provided with one or more apertures for permitting air circulation therethrough.

10. A deck as claimed in any one of the preceding claims 2 to 9 wherein the strips are made from extruded aluminium.

1 1. A profiled support element for supporting the longitudinal edge portion of a deck according to any one of the preceding claims, said profiled support element including a lower surface adapted for mounting on a support surface within a display cabinet, and wherein said profiled support element includes a profiled upper surface for supporting said longitudinal edge portion of said deck.

12. A profiled support element as claimed in claim 1 1 wherein the profiled support element is made of a plastics material; or a man made wood based material, particle/composite board, or plywood coated with an appropriate coating for ease of cleaning.

13. A display cabinet incorporating a deck(s) and/or a profiled support element(s) according to any one of the preceding claims.