GB2241157A - Food display and serving cabinet - Google Patents

Abstract

A food display and serving cabinet comprises a first surface (4) for displaying food and a second surface (6) by which food may be passed to customers, the second surface (6) being mounted above the first surface in such a manner as to be pivotable from a higher operative position to a lower storage position, the overall height of the cabinet being substantially less when the second surface is in the storage position thereof than when the second surface is in the operative position thereof. <IMAGE>

Description

FOOD DISPLAY AND SERVING CABINET This invention relates to a food display and serving cabinet, for example of the type used in bars.

Typically, cabinets of this type will comprise a display surface which incorporates refrigeration to keep food displayed thereon fresh and safe from bacterial growth, or heating to maintain hot food at serving temperature, with a glass screen to the customer's side to permit the food to be viewed, but to prevent it from being touched, other than by the person serving. A serving surface is provided by a shelf mounted above the display surface at a height sufficient to permit easy access to the display surface by the person serving. Such a shelf conveniently carries lights on its underside to illuminate the food displayed on the display surface beneath.

A problem with this arrangement is that the height of the serving surface is substantially greater than the conventional height of the adjacent counter or bar, and when food is not being served, the cabinet serving surface is not convenient for use as additional counter or bar surface.

To overcome this problem, an arrangement has been used in which the upper shelf is provided with hydraulic lifting means permitting it to be lifted to the desired height for serving food and then lowered to below conventional bar height when it is not required, enabling a counter or bar top to be placed over the cabinet to conceal it and permit the space it occupies to become part of the bar or counter.

This arrangement introduces further problems, however. Firstly, the hydraulic lifting means occupies space beneath the display surface which would otherwise be available for storage, and secondly, the additional cost of incorporating the hydraulic system is very substantial.

The present invention overcomes these problems by providing an arrangement by which the serving surface can be pivoted from its operative position to a lower position, so that a bar top can be placed over the cabinet when it is not in use.

Accordingly, the invention provides a food display and serving cabinet, comprising a first surface for displaying food and a second surface by which food may be passed to customers, the second surface being mounted above the first surface in such a manner as to be pivotable from a higher operative position to a lower storage position, the overall height of the cabinet being substantially less when the second surface is in the storage position thereof than when the second surface is in the operative position thereof.

Preferably, the first surface extends between two side panels at a position such that a portion of each of the panels extends above the first surface, the second surface being mounted on a support which is pivotally mounted on the side panels with the pivot axis adjacent to the upper edge of each panel. The cabinet may comprise cooling means for reducing the temperature of the first surface. The second surface may carry lights on the underside thereof.

A third surface may be mounted beneath the second surface in such a manner as to pivot therewith. This may be used to display hot food and may be provided with heating means, for example electric heating elements incorporated beneath the surface.

Spring means may be provided, arranged substantially to counter balance the weight of the second surface during pivoting thereof. Preferably, a counter balance force is applied by a spring to a lever arm fixed to a spindle attached to the rotating second surface.

Reference is made to the drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a cabinet in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 is an enlarged view of a portion of the cabinet, showing the pivoting and latching arrangements; Figures 3, 4 and 5 are sectional elevations of the cabinet shown in Figure 1, illustrating in three stages the pivoting of the second surface; Figure 6 is a perspective view illustrating how the cabinet shown in Figure 1 may be concealed beneath a bar or counter when not in use; Figure 7 is a partially cut away perspective view of a cabinet according to another embodiment of the invention; and Figures 8 and 9 are partially cut away end elevations of the cabinet shown in Figure 7, illustrating successive stages in pivoting the upper shelf to its storage position.

Referring to Figure 1, the cabinet has front 1 and side 2 and 3 panels, with the rear (not shown) being provided with doors permitting access to storage space and to refrigeration equipment. The side panels 2 and 3 extend upwardly above a horizontal display surface 4, which may conveniently be tiled with ceramic tiles. A glass screen 5 prevents access to the surface 4 from the front, but the display surface 4 may be freely accessed from the rear by the person serving food therefrom. A shelf 6 is mounted over the display surface 4 to provide a serving surface upon which the person serving may place plates of food, for example, for collection by the customer. The shelf 6 is carried by a support consisting of two end frames 7 and 8 each of which is pivotally mounted on the respective side panel 2 and 3, as hereinafter described in more detail with reference to Figure 2.A light 9 (Figure 6) is mounted beneath the shelf 6 to illuminate the display surface 4.

Electrical power for the light is supplied via a plug and socket arrangement on the side panel 3, as may seen in more detail in Figure 2. A glass screen 5a, extending between the end frames 7 and 8 at the front thereof, continues the screen 5.

Figure 2 shows a portion of one side panel 3 with one end frame 8 mounted thereon. Each frame is formed from square section steel or aluminium tubing, with the exception of the lower member 8a (or 7a) thereof, which is an L-section member, shown for convenience partially cut away. A pin 10 extends from the top frame member 11 of the side panel 3.

A nylon two-piece bush 12 is mounted on the L-section member 8a and receives the pin 10, thereby forming the pivot for the end frame 8. The pivot is positioned off centre of the frame 8 so that it tends to pivot forwards of the cabinet.

A stop 13 extends from the frame member 11 between the pivot and the front of the cabinet, the lower member 8a resting on this stop 13 when in the operative position as illustrated.

Because of the offset of the pivot, the shelf 6 and its support tend to rest in the operative position, but to ensure that accidental pivoting does not take place, the stop 13 is provided with a hole into which a latch 14 is biassed by a spring 15. A lever 16 extending through a slot 17 in the member 8a enables the latch to be disengaged to permit the shelf 6 and its support to be pivoted to the storage position thereof (see Figures 3, 4 and 5). The side panel 3 carries a standard electrical power socket 18 connected to the power supply for the cabinet (not shown). The light 9 (Figure 6) is connectable to this socket via a lead 19, concealed for part of its length inside the tubing forming the frame 8, and a plug 20. When the shelf 6 and its support are to be pivoted, the plug 20 is removed from the socket 18.The construction of the frame 7 and its pivot is essentially the same as described for the frame 8, with the exception of the latch and the electrical power connections, which are present only on the frame 8 and panel 3.

In an alternative arrangement, the pin 10 and the nylon bush 12 are replaced with a stainless steel block having spindle extending therefrom. The spindle extends through the L-section member 8a and is received in a bearing mounted on the top end of the side panel 3.

As may be seen from Figures 3, 4 and 5, the cabinet is conveniently provided with castors 21, permitting it to be readily moved, if necessary. When the shelf 6 and support are pivoted to the storage position thereof, as shown in Figure 5, the upper edges of the side panels 2 and 3 represent the highest level in the cabinet.

Figure 6 shows a typical location for the cabinet of the invention, between bar sections 60 and 61. A matching panel 62 extends between these sections 60 and 61 to screen the front 1 of the cabinet, and a removable top section 63 can be placed over the cabinet when the shelf 6 is in the storage position thereof, as shown. The top section 63 may conveniently rest on the side panels 2 and 3 of the cabinet, and completely disguises the presence of the cabinet when food is not being served.

The embodiment illustrated in Figures 7, 8 and 9 is particularly suitable for use when the end frames 7 and 8 support between them an electrically heated lower shelf beneath the shelf 6. Such an arrangement adds substantially to the weight of the pivoting assembly, in turn adding to the effort required to pivot the assembly from the storage position, as shown by broken lines in Figure 9, to its operative position, as shown in Figure 7. To assist in this a spring mechanism may be installed within each side panel 2 and 3, since these are conveniently formed as steel frames with thin closing panels over them.The spring mechanism consists of a helical tension spring 70 secured at one end to an anchorage point 71 at the lower part of the side panel 2 or 3, and at the other end to a cable 72, which passes over a pulley 73, mounted on the upper part of the panel 2 or 3, and is attached to a lever 74. The lever 74 is fixed to a spindle 75 which extends through a bearing (not shown) attached to the frame of the side panel 2 or 3 and into a mounting block secured to the respective end frame 7 or 8.

The assembly comprising the end frames 7 and 8 and the shelf 6, with any additional located shelf, thus pivots about the spindles.

In the position illustrated in Figure 7, the springs 70 are relaxed, and the shelf assembly 6, 7 and 8 is locked into position as hereinbefore described. To move the assembly 6, 7, 8 to its storage position, it is first unlocked, and then pivoted rearwardly about the spindles 75. An intermediate position is shown in Figure 8. It will be seen that as the assembly 6, 7 and 8 pivots, the levers 74 also pivot, pulling on the cables 72. The tension in the cables 72 is transferred via the pulleys 73 to the springs 70, which begin to extend, thereby storing energy. The weight of the assembly 6, 7 and 8 may be matched against the force of the springs 70 such that motion of the assembly in either direction requires the minimum of effort.

Figure 9 shows the assembly in broken lines in its storage position, with the springs 70 at their fullest extension. To return the assembly 6, 7 and 8 to its operative position, a small force is required to start rotation of the levers 74 to a position where the torque due to the spring force can begin to assist in the movement.

To reduce the magnitude of this small force, an alternative arrangement is also shown in Figures 7, 8 and 9 in chain-dotted lines. Here, second pulleys 76 may be mounted such that, as the lever 74 moves from the position shown in Figure 7 through that shown in Figure 8 to that shown in Figure 9, the cables 72 are passed over the second pulleys 76, thus ensuring that some residual torque is present on the levers 74 when the assembly 6, 7 and 8 is in the storage position shown in Figure 9.

Claims (10)

1. A food display and serving cabinet, comprising a first surface for displaying food and a second surface by which food may be passed to customers, the second surface being mounted above the first surface in such a manner as to be pivotable from a higher operative position to a lower storage position, the overall height of the cabinet being substantially less when the second surface is in the storage position thereof than when the second surface is in the operative position thereof.

2. A cabinet according to Claim 1, wherein the first surface extends between two side panels at a position such that a portion of each of the panels extends above the first surface, the second surface being mounted on a support which is pivotally mounted on the side panels with the pivot axis adjacent to the upper edge of each panel.

3. A cabinet according to Claim 1 or 2, comprising cooling means for reducing the temperature of the first surface.

4. A cabinet according to Claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the second surface carries on the underside thereof means for illuminating the first surface.

5. A cabinet according to Claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein a third surface is mounted beneath the second surface in such a manner as to pivot therewith.

6. A cabinet according to Claim 5, comprising heating means for heating the third surface.

7. A cabinet according to Claim 5 or 6, comprising lighting means mounted on the underside of the second surface for illuminating the third surface.

8. A cabinet according to any preceding claim, comprising latching means for selectively preventing pivoting of the second surface from the operative position thereof.

9. A cabinet according to any preceding claim, comprising spring means arranged substantially to counterbalance the weight of the second surface during pivoting thereof.

10. A food display and serving cabinet, substantially as described with reference to the drawings.