EP2441356A2 - Show cabinet for retail sales - Google Patents

Abstract

The cabinet (1) has a product base (5) vertically movable in a housing (2), where access to the product base for removal of goods takes place via a front section of the housing. The front section is arranged opposite to a rear wall (16) of the product base. The front section is partially formed as a view front (4) that is provided with a transparent cover. The front section has a removal opening (11) in a portion. The removal opening is formed as a lift gate (7) that is made of transparent material and comprises a lateral guide (10).

Description

The present invention relates to a retail control cabinet.

Retail cabinets are used in the retail sector in a variety of ways, such as the sale of meat, sausage or bakery products. They ensure a space-saving, clear, clean and hygienic presentation. They also offer the opportunity to keep uncooled to frozen goods energy-saving for sale.

So revealed the DE 32 03 519 A1 Goods sales shelves that are lockable by a door as a freezer shelf, alternatively with an open front. A disadvantage in both cases that only certain goods can be arranged in sight and handle height, while others, arranged above or below goods are difficult and accessible only with effort or generally poorly visible.

The goods sales shelf with the open front is only suitable for packaged goods. Unpackaged goods, such as baked goods or fresh meat and sausage products, would, in such a form of offering, be subject to the risk of contamination and hygiene problems.

Known in the prior art are also display counters, such as the example DE 75 34 250 U describes. Here, access to the goods from the customer side is not provided. An operation can be done solely by the sales staff and from the back. Here only the exhibition of the goods offered for inspection is possible and a use in the self-service area or in modern, open Sales forms excluded. A avoidance of the aforementioned disadvantages does not take place by this solution.

The German utility model DE 16 25 243 U contributes to overcoming the disadvantage of vertical positioning of goods outside the sight and reach of customers or staff. Offered here is a sliding store shelves, in which an upper floor overhangs in each case over the floor below it. An upper floor can thus be pulled down and slides back up using a counterweight. In addition, the floors are made of glass or as a grid to ensure a clear view through the floors.
A disadvantage of this solution, however, is that only one floor at a time can be drawn at eye level, while the others remain in their position, which is why the shelf requires a large installation depth or may have only a limited number of shelves.

Overall, the prior art has shelves or cabinets in retail outlets disadvantages in terms of easy accessibility of goods. Furthermore, no possibility is provided to offer certain goods at the same time well visible and still protect against the free access by the customers, either for security reasons or because of the avoidance of pollution and hygienic problems.

The present invention is therefore based on the object to offer a retail control cabinet, in which the goods are presented safely, clearly visible, clean and hygienic and easily removable.

The object of the invention is achieved by a retail control cabinet with a housing, a housing cover and at least one goods floor, wherein the at least one goods floor is arranged vertically movable in the housing and the access to the goods floor via at least one removal opening takes place in a front wall opposite to a goods floor rear wall. Advantageous embodiments of the invention have a plurality of goods trays, which are arranged one above the other. All goods trays are equally suitable for loading with goods, even if the retail control cabinet has a height that is above the reach of staff and customers. Each shelf can be moved to the height of the removal opening, which is located in the region of the optimum handle height. In this case, in a particularly preferred embodiment, the removal opening is chosen to be so large that it covers the entire, ergonomically advantageous area for users of different sizes with regard to favorable grip height. As a result, the goods floor, on which the desired product is located, can be driven exactly upwards, from which the goods can best be removed by the person concerned.

Instead of the goods floors and rods, a succession of hooks or other storage options for the goods are conceivable.

In the embodiments of the retail control cabinet, which are accessible to direct service by the customer, there is a manual positioning of the goods shelves in the position favorable for the direct customer, but preferably a control panel.

In order to facilitate the goods issue by the staff even further, especially with secure access to the goods, the procedure of goods floors is automatically personal. By means of a prior art identification device by which the settings tailored to the employee in question Retail control cabinet are activated, moves the desired goods floor in the handle height, which is optimal for the employee in question from an ergonomic point of view. As a result, work facilitation in particular is created and fatigue or diseases are prevented.

Such a solution is particularly suitable for providing free access to the shop equipment, as is the case with a resolved sales concept and free sales design, nevertheless areas which are at the same time well visible but nevertheless, for hygienic reasons for example, not free access for the customers should be opened. Customers are thus offered a relaxed shopping and the ability to make seasonal or action-dependent transformations, not limited.

The inventive concept can serve as a basis for further advantages of an automated sales process. Thus, for example, it is provided that a correspondingly equipped with technical means shopping cart or a shopping basket communicates as identification of the customer with the retail control cabinet and the data of the removed goods in a memory of the shopping cart or shopping basket is stored for later payment at an automatic cash register.

Advantageously, the front of the housing is at least partially designed as a front view. The transparent front panel allows the user, customer or employee, to get an overview of which goods are in stock in the relevant retail control panel and select the desired goods floor, which is to drive in a convenient position. Furthermore, the front view offers the opportunity to attach advertising information behind it. It is equally favorable if the front of the housing is at least partially formed as a door. In order to enable efficient loading of the goods floors, a door is provided for this purpose, via which a plurality of goods floors can be achieved at the same time. This avoids loading the retail control cabinet so that each individual floor of the product must first be moved to the gripping position in order to be loaded. It is particularly advantageous if the door is arranged below the removal opening.

Particular advantages result from the fact that the removal opening is designed as at least one removal flap. By a removal flap is a mechanically very simple, by a hinge movably connected to the housing removal opening feasible. A flap is also light and wear-resistant, closed and securable.

Furthermore, it has proved to be advantageous if a removal flap pivoting upward and a removal flap designed to pivot down and both removal flaps are connected to the front of the housing via hinges. By using two removal flaps, each individual flap can be kept smaller, so that a higher mechanical stability can be achieved and yet a sufficiently large removal opening can be realized. Other types of closure are contemplated, such as e.g. a vertically or horizontally movable slider.

A particularly advantageous embodiment is that the lower take-off flap is designed as a shelf. For this purpose, the hinge of the take-off flap must be such that it holds the take-off flap in a horizontal position. The arrangement of the hinge on the flap prevents it from automatically moving back into the vertical position. This allows the selected and off goods removed from the bottom of the goods must first be inspected on the shelf, packed if necessary, and transported to the shopping cart.

Further advantages result from the fact that the removal opening is designed as at least one lifting door. By a lifting door is a mechanically very simple, connected to the housing removal opening feasible. A lifting door is also robust, locks tightly and can easily be provided with a drive. Particularly preferably, the lifting door is made of a transparent material such as glass or plastic. As a result, the goods can be viewed unhindered even when the lift door is closed. A particularly safe movement of the lifting door is possible if it is guided laterally. As a result, tilting in the guide is avoided even with a small height of the lift door. A preferred embodiment of the lifting door has a drive element which acts on one of the side edges of the lifting door, particularly preferably on both side edges at the same time, in order to avoid tilting of the lifting door. Preferably, the drive element is designed as a cable, as well as other embodiments are provided, such as a chain drive or with a spindle drive.

It has proved to be particularly favorable if the at least one shelf is designed to be pivotable about at least one axis. Particularly preferred is a pivoting about an axis that runs along the rear wall of the retail control panel. For this purpose, the goods bottoms receive a separate drive in the area of the pivot axis. Alternatively, however, other, simplified solutions are provided. Thus, the goods trays hang in the normal position in an inclined position, are brought manually if necessary, for example during the removal or loading process, in the horizontal position and rest there. With a renewed movement of the respective goods floor over the Carrier up or down the catch is automatically released in the horizontal position and the bottom of the goods slides back into the oblique position. Other possibilities of pivoting, eg with laterally arranged pivot axis, are provided.

By pivoting in the oblique position, it is possible to lower the bottom of the goods in the front. Over the lowered goods floor, the goods slide forward in the direction of the front, so that a good visibility and removability is always guaranteed even when not completely filled goods floor. For the loading, however, it is advantageous if the bottom of the goods is moved to a horizontal position, possibly also bevelled towards the rear wall in order to feed easier from the front.

Advantageously, the at least one bottom of the goods is arranged on the at least one drive device, at least one deflection roller having and the goods floor rear wall forming carrier oillool. The goods trays are all attached to the back of the goods floor. This, in turn, forms part of a driving axle, a material web which extends over the entire width of the retail control cabinet and through it, preferably along the inside of the housing wall. The entrainment panel is moved by a drive which is arranged at a favorable position in the retail control cabinet, preferably in the floor area. The deflection of the driving ring is done via pulleys.

As a result of the movement of the driving wheel in this way, the goods trays attached to it are also moved up or down in the retail control cabinet.

Instead of a takeaway blind, other possibilities for moving the goods trays are provided. For example, it is provided to arrange at the lateral ends of the goods trays each have a chain drive on which the goods trays are attached and this moves up or down.

In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the goods floor rear wall and / or at least a part of the front on a roll-off advertising on. The advertisement informs about the offered product and is quickly exchangeable over a role, on which several advertising information are prepared.

Particular advantages result from the fact that the at least one vertically movable goods floor can be operated via at least one operating element. In the embodiments of the retail control cabinet, which are accessible to direct operation by the customer, there is a manual positioning of the goods shelves in the position favorable for the customer, preferably via the operating element. The control element allows the movement of the goods floor up or down so that the goods can always be viewed or removed at an optimum height. It is particularly advantageous if the operating element is mounted in handle height on the control cabinet housing. However, there are also other attachments of the control provided, such as a detachable from control cabinet housing control, which is designed as a remote control. Particularly preferably, the operating element in each case has partial operating elements for the upward and downward movement.
An advantageous embodiment provides contact switches for the sub-operating elements which can be operated, for example, with the back of the hand.

Advantages are also due to the fact that the housing has at least one inspection opening and / or an underbody. to facilitated cleaning, for example, fallen down crumbs of baked goods, an inspection opening is provided. This is preferably arranged in the lower area. Most preferably, the debris is first collected on a subfloor having an easy to clean surface.

• Fig. 1: eine schematische Seitenansicht einer Ausführungsform eines erfindungsgemäßen Einzelhandelsbedienschranks mit Entnahmeklappen bei geöffneter Seitenwand und
• Fig. 2: eine schematische Seitenansicht einer Ausführungsform eines erfindungsgemäßen Einzelhandelsbedienschranks mit Hubtür bei geöffneter Seitenwand.

Further details, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following descriptions of two embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. Show it:

• Fig. 1 : A schematic side view of an embodiment of a retail control cabinet according to the invention with removal flaps with the side wall open and
• Fig. 2 : A schematic side view of an embodiment of a retail control cabinet according to the invention with a lift door with the side wall open.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic side view of an embodiment of a retail control cabinet 1 according to the invention with the side wall open, whereby several goods trays 5 are visible. All goods trays 5, except for the goods floor 18 in the horizontal position and the goods floor 19 in low position, are in an inclined position. The goods trays 5 can switch between horizontal position and inclined position, whereby they are connected via a corresponding joint with the goods floor rear wall 16. The joint in which FIG. 1 not shown in detail, in the particularly preferred embodiment has its own drive, alternatively to rest options that allow secure fixation both in the horizontal position and in an inclined position.

The goods floor rear wall 16 is part of the driving wheel 13, which is fixed to the carrier 21 and the pulleys 15th deflected in the housing 2 of the retail control panel 1 runs. The drive of the entrainment roller 13 is effected by the drive device 14, which is arranged in the particularly preferred embodiment in the bottom region of the housing 2.

The front 6 of the retail control cabinet 1, shown in the figure on the right, has the removal opening 11. This is formed by two removal flaps 7, 8 in the particularly preferred embodiment of the invention. Both removal flaps 7, 8 are connected by hinges 9, 10 with the housing 2 and pivotally held in this. As a result, the upper removal flap 7 can be folded upwards and, in the particularly preferred embodiment, holds in this position. The lower removal flap 8, however, is moved via the hinge in a horizontal position and serves in this position at the same time as a shelf.

The movement of the removal flaps 7, 8 is particularly preferably realized by a motor drive. This drive is connected to a control device which can be influenced by a control panel on the housing 2. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, however, this control panel can be locked for free operation by customers; instead, an employee is identified by prior art identification technology. After identification, the stored profile of the corresponding employee is activated in the retail control panel 1 and the goods floor 5 selected by the employee is moved into the area of the removal opening 11. There, the bottom of the goods 5 is moved to exactly the position that is optimal from an ergonomic point of view for the employee concerned. This results in special work relief for the sales staff, health risks due to one-sided burden are avoided.

A viewing front 4 in the upper area of the retail control cabinet 1 allows a clear view of the goods. Around the lower portion of the retail control cabinet 1, there is disposed a door for easily and quickly loading the retail control panel 1 with goods. An advertiser roll 20 is located above the front of the view.

In the lower part of the retail control panel 1, shown on the right side of the FIG. 1 , This is the access opening 12 through which the base of the retail control panel 1 is accessible and it can, for example, fallen goods are removed and carried out a cleaning of the subsoil 17. Particularly preferably, the underbody 17 is provided with a CNS display for easy cleaning.

The goods floors 5 can also be replaced by rods or by a series of hooks. These embodiments depend on the goods offered.

Furthermore, it is conceivable that the rear wall of the retail control cabinet 1 is designed only as a frame and the filling of the goods shelves 5 is done from the back.

Out FIG. 2 is the basic mechanical structure in side view of an embodiment of a retail control cabinet 1 according to the invention with the side wall open, whereby several goods trays 5 are visible, recognizable. All goods trays 5, except for the goods floor 18 in the horizontal position and the goods floor 19 in low position, are in an inclined position. The goods trays 5 can switch between horizontal position and inclined position, whereby they are connected via a corresponding joint with the goods floor rear wall 16. The joint in which FIG. 2 not shown in detail, has in the particularly preferred embodiment a own drive on, alternatively locking options that allow secure fixation in both horizontal position and in an inclined position.

The goods floor rear wall 16 is part of the driving axle 13, which is fixed to the carrier 21 and deflected over the deflection rollers in the housing 2 of the retail control cabinet 1 runs. The drive of the entrainment roller 13 is effected by the drive device 14, which is arranged in the particularly preferred embodiment in the bottom region of the housing 2.

The front 6 of the housing 2 of the retail control cabinet 1 is covered by a face 4, in the preferred embodiment, a transparent glass. However, alternative embodiments provide a completely or partially opened front 6, in which the cover is dispensed with through a front face 4. This embodiment is used in particular where either customers have no access or exclusively packaged goods are offered.

The front 6 of the retail control cabinet 1 in which FIG. 2 shown on the right side, has the removal opening 11, which makes it possible to get through the viewing front 4 through to the goods. The removal opening 11 is designed to be closed by a lifting door 22 in the particularly preferred embodiment of the invention. The lifting door 22, preferably also transparent, performs in the preferred embodiment of the invention for opening the removal opening a vertical upward movement. The lifting door 22 is guided on both sides in the guide 25 and held in the open position. In the illustrated position, the lifting door 22 is opened to about a quarter and continues to move in the direction of arrow in the open position.

In the guide 25, the drive element 24 of the lift door 22 is particularly preferably arranged. This consists in the embodiment shown on both sides of the lifting door 22 arranged spindles, which move the lifting door 22 vertically during its rotation. Alternatively, drive elements 24 are provided in other ways, for example, designed as chain or cable drive. The drive elements 24 each comprise a motor drive.

This drive is connected to a control device, which can be influenced by a particularly preferably arranged on the housing 2 control element 23. An alternative embodiment provides, however, to arrange the operating element 23 in a different manner, for example as a remote control outside the retail control cabinet 1 and spaced therefrom. An advantageous development allows control of the retail control cabinet 1 by touching the control element 23, for example with the back of the hand, so that even in hygienically sensitive areas a trouble-free operation is possible. Preferably, the operating element 23 has two sub-operating elements, one of which is provided for the control of the upward, the other for the control of the downward movement of the lifting door 22.

In a further preferred embodiment of the invention, however, the control element 23 can be locked for free operation by customers; instead, an employee is identified by prior art identification technology. After identification, the stored profile of the corresponding employee is activated in the retail control panel 1 and the goods floor 5 selected by the employee is moved into the area of the removal opening 11. There, the bottom of the goods 5 is moved to exactly the position that is optimal from an ergonomic point of view for the employee concerned. This results in special work relief for the sales staff, health risks caused by one-sided burden are avoided.

A viewing front 4 in the upper area of the retail control cabinet 1 allows a clear view of the goods. Around the lower part of the retail control cabinet 1, in a preferred embodiment, there is a door 6 for the simplified and quick loading of the retail control cabinet 1 with goods. A role for advertising is located above the front of the screen.

In the lower part of the retail control panel 1, shown on the right side of the FIG. 2 , This is the access opening 12 through which the base of the retail control panel 1 is accessible and it can, for example, fallen goods are removed and carried out a cleaning of the subsoil 17. Particularly preferably, the underbody 17 is provided with a CNS display for easy cleaning.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1

Retail control cabinet

2

casing

3

housing cover

4

front view

5

were ground

6

front

7

Take-off flap above

8th

Removal flap below

9

Hinge removal flap below

10

Hinge removal flap above

11

removal opening

12

inspection opening

13

Take Rollo

14

Drive device Take-down hatch

15

idler pulley

16

Were ground back wall

17

underbody

18

Goods floor horizontal position

19

Stock bottom low position

20

Role for advertising

21

Carrier for take-away olo

22

Lift Door

23

operating element

24

Drive element lifting door

25

guide

Claims (15)

Retail control cabinet with a housing, a housing cover and at least one goods floor,
characterized,
in that the at least one goods base (5) is arranged to be vertically movable in the housing (2) and access to the goods floor (5) takes place via at least one removal opening (11) in a front front (6) arranged opposite a goods floor rear wall (16). Retail control cabinet according to claim 1,
characterized,
that the front face (6) of the housing (2) is at least partly as provided with a transparent cover front view (4). Retail control cabinet according to claim 1 or 2,
characterized,
that the front (6) of the housing (2) is at least partially formed as a door. Retail control cabinet according to one of the preceding claims,
characterized,
is that the removal opening (11) as at least one removal flap (7, 8) and / or lift door (22) is formed. Retail control cabinet according to claim 4,
characterized,
that a removal flap (7, 8) and / or lift door (22) is made of a transparent material Retail control cabinet according to claims 4 or 5,
characterized,
that a removal flap (7) upward pivoting and the removal flap (8) downwards executed pivotally and both removal flaps (7, 8) with the front face (6) of the housing (2) via hinges (9, 10) are connected. Retail control cabinet according to claims 4 or 5 or 6,
characterized,
that the lower removal flap (8) is designed as a shelf. Retail control cabinet according to claim 4 or 5,
characterized,
that the lift door (22) has a lateral guide (25) and at least one side of the lift door (22), a drive member (24) is arranged. Retail control cabinet according to one of the preceding claims,
characterized,
in that the at least one bottom of the goods (5) is pivotable about at least one axis. Retail control cabinet according to one of the preceding claims,
characterized,
in that the at least one goods base (5) is arranged on the driving roller (13) which has at least one drive device (14), at least one guide roller (15) and forms the goods floor rear wall (16). Retail control cabinet according to one of the preceding claims,
characterized,
in that the at least one vertically movable goods floor (5) can be operated via at least one operating element (23). Retail control cabinet according to claim 11,
characterized,
that the operating element (23) consists of at least two partial controls. Retail control cabinet according to claim 11,
characterized,
that the operating element (23) touch switch having. Retail control cabinet according to one of the preceding claims,
characterized,
in that the goods floor rear wall (16) and / or at least a part of the front front (6) have an advertisement that can be unrolled from a roll (20). Retail control cabinet according to one of the preceding claims,
characterized,
that the housing (2) at least an inspection opening (12) and / or a sub-base (17).

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