US3489474A

US3489474A - Display cabinet

Info

Publication number: US3489474A
Application number: US659103A
Authority: US
Inventors: Domenico Patriarca
Original assignee: PATRIARCA Mfg Inc
Current assignee: PATRIARCA Mfg Inc
Priority date: 1967-08-08
Filing date: 1967-08-08
Publication date: 1970-01-13
Anticipated expiration: 1987-01-13

Description

4 Sheets-Sheet 1 mvEm-OR. DOMENICO PATRIARCA y r )fda/Mx ATTORNEYS.

1970 D. PATR'ARC* Ju DISPLAY CABINET Filed Aug. 8, 1967 n?! gg. 1:45151 D PATRIARCA DISPLAY CABINET Jan. `13, 1970 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 8, 1967 FIG. 3

:NvfsNmm QQMENCO PATRARC ATTORNEYS .V/ AAAA m MMM/v4 D. PATRIARCA DISPLAY CABINET Jan. 13, 1970 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Aug. e. 1967 INVENTOR BY oMENlco PATRIARCA Mw 'faam ATTORNEYS Jan. 13, 1970 mvENroR. DOMENICO PATR'IARCA FlG. T

By WMM l ATTORNEYS United States Patent O 3,489,474 DISPLAY CABINET Domenico Patriarca, Providence, R.I., assignor to Patriarca Mfg., Inc., Providence, RJ., a corporation of Rhode Island Filed Aug. 8, 1967, Ser. No. 659,103 Int. Cl. A47f 3/06 U.S. Cl. 312-119 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A display cabinet in which a display unit is normally 1ocated in a display position, the display unit including a plurality of vertically stepped shelves that provide for the display of articles thereon in stepped relation, the display unit being movable rearwardly of said cabinet from the display position to an open position for exposing said articles as located on said shelves for removal therefrom.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Although the present invention has application in the display of a variety of articles, it is designed for particular use as a counter display cabinet in a retail establishment for the storage and display of `tobacco products, such as cigars. Heretofore, cigars have been normally displayed in boxes that are located on shelves in a glass encased cabinet. In order to provide for visual access to the contents of the cigar boxes, the covers of the boxes are normally disposed in an open position, wherein they are substantially vertical. Although the cigar boxes and the contents therein were visually accessible to the customer in these prior known display cases, the location f the box covers in the vertical position not only made it dificult for the clerk to see the contents of the boxes from the rear of the cabinet, but further made reaching the contents of the forwardmost boxes difficult unless the boxes were physically removed from their display position. The inaccessibility of the cigar boxes and the contents therein in the prior known display cases was particularly evident in those types of cases wherein the shelves were fixed, and access thereto was through a sliding door arrangement located at the rear of the case. Because of the difficulty in obtaining access to the boxes of the prior known display case, it was notunusual for the interior of the case to become unsightly with disarrayed boxes and cigars strewn about. Not only was it difficult to obtain access to the prior known cigar display cabinets, but because the rear doors were normally open, atmosphere circulated in the cabinet interior; and even though the cigars were individually wrapped, a certain amount of deterioration thereof took place after a period of time. The supplying of humidified air to cigar boxes is recognized as an excellent means for conditioning the atmosphere, but the prior known display cabinets were normally constructed such that introducing conditioned humidified air was either not possible or was impractical to achieve.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The display cabinet of the present invention has particular application in the display of cigars as contained in cigar boxes; and, in order to display the maximum number of cigar boxes within the cabinet, a display unit is provided that includes a plurality of stepped shelves on which the cigar boxes are located in stepped relation. In order to provide for accessibility to the cigar boxes, which are normally displayed with the covers thereof in an open vertical position, the display unit is mounted in the cabinet such that it is slidable rearwardly of the cabinet from a normally closed position to an open position. By provid- ICC ing for sliding movement of the display unit, the forwardmost of the stepped shelves is readily accessible as it moves to the rearmost end of the cabinet.

Since the display case of the present invention is provided for normally displaying articles such as cigars, a separate humidifying unit is located within the display unit and is adapted to supply conditioned air to the interior of the cabinet, and for the purpose of promoting maximum circulation of the humidified air, the display shelves are perforated. The cabinet further includes an additional storage bin for receiving excess inventory, the storage bin being disposed at the bottom of the display cabinet and being slidably removable from the cabinet wherein access thereto is easily obtained.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a display cabinet in which a display unit is slidably mounted and which is formed with a plurality of vertically stepped shelves that provide for display of articles thereon in stepped relation.

Another object of the invention is to provide a display cabinet for the display of articles, such as cigars as contained in boxes, the boxes being normally disposed in an open position wherein the covers are generally vertical, and being .mounted on stepped shelves that are formed as part of a display unit that is movable from a closed display position to an open position at the rear of the cabinet.

Still another object is to provide a cigar display cabinet that includes a humidifier that is mounted in the display unit and is adapted to supply humidified air to the cabinet interior.

Still another object is to provide a display case having a display unit slidably mounted therein and that includes perforated shelves through which humidified air is adapted to be circulated.

Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the description thereof proceeds when considered in connection with the accompanying illustrative drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings which illustrate the best mode presently contemplated for carrying out the present invention:

FIG. l is a perspective View of the display cabinet embodied in the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the display cabinet, wherein the open position of the display unit mounted therein is illustrated in phantom;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken along lines 3 3 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the display that is mounted for slidable movement in the display cabinet;

FIG. 5 is a partial perspective view of the cabinet, with portions broken away, showing the interior of the cabinet with the display unit and storage bin removed therefrom;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a rear portion of the display cabinet showing the humidifier unit as moved to the open position thereof; and

FIG. 7 is a rear elevational view, with portions shown in section, of the humidifier unit illustrated in FIG. 6.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring now to the drawings and particularly to FIG. l, thedisplay cabinet embodied in the present invention is generally indicated at 10 and is of that type that is employed in a retail establishment as a counter unit. As will be described, the display cabinet 10 is designed particularly for use in the display of tobacco products, such as cigars. However, it is contemplated that the broad concept of the invention may be utilized in the display of articles other than tobacco products.

Referring again to FIG. 1 and with reference to FIGS. 2 and 5, the display cabinet 10 includes side Walls 12 and 14, a two-part front wall including a lower nontransparent portion 16 and an upper glass portion 18, a glass top Wall 20, and a bottom wall 22. The rear of the cabinet is exposed for receiving in the upper portion thereof a display unit generally indicated at 24, and for receiving in the lower portion thereof a storage bin generally indicated at 26. The cabinet 10 further includes a recessed base 28 which is conventional in counter-type display cases.

It will be observed from FIGS. 1 and 2 that the glass portion 18 of the front Wall and the solid bottom portion 16 are inclined toward each other so as to provide for optimum visibility within the cabinet and to further form a generally pleasing and modern appearance for the cabinet. The exterior construction of the cabinet further includes marginal trim that extends along the edges of the side walls, top wall, front wall and rear edges of the side walls to further provide for a finished look and ornamental appearance. As indicated in FIG. 2, the interior of the cabinet 10 is essentially separated in an upper compartment in which the display unit 24 is located and a lower compartment in which the storage bin 26 is locatedQAs further illustrated in FIG. 5, spaced

panels

30 and 32 provide partial dividers for the upper and lower compartments.

One of the features of the present invention is the movement of the display unit 24 from the closed or display position within the cabinet to the open position which is indicated in dotted lines in FIG. 2. In order to provide for movement of the display unit 24, spaced tracks 34 are joined to the side walls 12 and 14 and are slightly inclined from rear to front, wherein a positive closing action of the display unit is produced when it is moved within the cabinet 10.

The display unit 24 is designed to have a maximum number of articles mounted thereon for display and for this purpose is formed with a plurality of stepped shelves, as indicated in FIG. 2 at 36, 38, 40 and 42. The shelves 36-42 extend substantially the length of the display case cabinet and are secured to side walls 46 of the display unit. The forwardmost shelf 36 is slightly inclined from rear to front and is provided with an upwardly turned lip 48 thereon, the inclination of the shelf 36 and the lip 48 acting to locate an article for display, such as a cigar box, indicatedin FIG. 1 at 50, in the forwardmost position in the cabinet 10 when the display unit 24 is enclosed in the cabinet.

In order to provide for slidable movement of the display unit 24 into and out of the cabinet 10, pairs of rollers 52 are mounted on the side walls of the display unit, as indicated in FIG. 3, and are located in rolling engagement on the inclined tracks 24. As seen in FIG. 4, each of the rollers 52 as secured to a side wall of the display unit 24 is offset vertically with respect to the other roller on the same wall so as to be received on the inclined tracks 34, and thus the display unit 24 is normally movable by gravity to the display position within the cabinet. Fixed to the rearmost end of the display unit 24 is a rear panel 54, to which an exterior pull 56 is joined. The panel 54 conforms generally to the coniiguration of the uppermost portion of the rear opening in the cabinet, so that when the display unit 24 is in the display position, the uppermost portion of the opening is sealed by the panel 54. As indicated in FIG. 2, the storage bin 26 is also formed with a rear panel 58 having a pull 60 secured thereto, the panel 58 cooperating with the panel 54 to seal the rear opening of the cabinet when the display unit 24 and the storage bin 26 are in the closed positions thereof. The storage bin 26 is further formed with a front wall 62 that is inclined generally in the same diregtion as the lower front portion 16 of the cabinet, thereby providing for maximum storage capacity ne bis 4t. Mmmm of in@ 49mg@ bin 2@ is acmtated by the use of tracks 64 that are joined to the side walls 12 and 18 of the cabinet, rollers 66 being secured to the side walls of the storage bin and being received on the track 64 in rolling engagement therewith.

Since the articles to lbe displayed within the display case 10 are primarily tobacco products, such as indicated as the cigar boxes 50 in FIG. l, it is desirable to provide for free ow of humidied air within the cabinet in order to prevent drying out of the tobacco. For this purpose, the

shelves

36, 38, 40` and 42 are formed of a perforated material, such as metal or plastic, and provide access for circulating air to the interior of the display unit 24. In order to circulate humidied air within the cabinet 10', a separately movable drawer indicated at 70` in FIG. 6 is provided. The drawer 70 includes a rear panel 72 having an external dra-wer pull 74 secured thereto and is slidably mounted in side brackets 76 that are secured within the side walls of the display unit 24. Positioned within the drawer 70 is a humidifier unit generally indicated at 78, the humidifier unit 78 being of any conventional construction and being operated in any suitable manner to provide for circulation of humidified air within the cabinet. The drawer 70, in which the humidifier unit 78 is disposed, is slidably mounted with respect to the display unit 24 but is further movable therewith, since it is located within the display unit beneath the shelf 42 as indicated in FIG. 4. Thus, the drawer 70 is movable rearwardly of the display cabinet when servicing 0f the humidifier unit 78 is required or supplying of water thereto is necessary. Since the shelves of the display unit 24 are perforated, it is seen that complete circulation of humidiied air within the cabinet 10 by the humidifier unit 78 is facilitated.

In use of the display cabinet, it is usually located in a retail establishment and serves as a counter unit, as is conventional in this general type of merchandiser. Since the top wall 20 and upper forward portion 18 are of a glass material, visual access is provided to the interior of the cabinet, which is also conventional practice. Located on the display shelves 36-42 are the cigar boxes indicated at 50, and, in the position of display, the covers of the boxes are disposed in a generally vertical position, as i1- lustrated in FIG. 1. In this position of the covers of the cigar boxes, it is normally diicult to obtain access to the interiors thereof from the rear 0f the display cabinet.

However, since the entire display unit 24 is movable rearwardly of the cabinet, access to the cigar boxes 50 is easily available, and individual cigars may be removed from the boxes as required without fumbling and without upsetting the appearance of the boxes and cigars aS contained therein. The cigars as contained in the boxes 50l are further maintained in a fresh condition, regardless of the period of time of display in the display cabinet since humidiiied air is circulated through the cabinets by the humidifier unit 78, the perforated shelves 36-42 aiding in the free circulation of the humidifed air.

It is seen that the display unit 24 as described herein provides for maximum visual display of the cigar boxes thereon since the unit is located such that the rearmost boxes are positioned adjacent to the top wall 20 (see FIGS. 2 and 4). In effect, the entire display unit is located more closely to the eye of the customer, which in prior known display cases was not possible, because of the space requirement at the top of the display case that was necessary to provide access to the forwardmost boxes. Not only are the cigar boxes more visible to the customer because they are located at the top of the cabinet, but more storage space is provided at the bottom thereof. Further, stooping and bending by the clerk are avoided, which enables the clerk to maintain visual contact with the customer at all times.

While there is shown and described herein certain specific structure embodying the invention, it will be manifest to those skilled in the art that various modifications and rearrangements of the parts may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the underlying inventive 4concept and that the same is not limited to the particular forms herein shown and described.

What is claimed is:

1. In a display cabinet having a front wall, side walls, top wall, bottom Wall and an opening at the rear thereof exposing the interior of said cabinet, a display unit nor- `mally located in said cabinet in a display position' and including a plurality of vertically stepped shelves that -provide for display of articles thereon in stepped relation, said articles as displayed being boxes having pivotally mounted covers that are normally located in an open position in which the covers are generally vertical, the contents of said boxes being tobacco products, means ymounted in said display unit for humidifying the air in said cabinet for preserving the freshness of said tobacco products, said humidifying means including a drawer located at the rearmost end of said display unit and movable independently of said display unit so as to provide access thereto while said display unit is located in a display position thereof, and means providingy for slidable movement of said display unit rearwardly of said cabinet from the display position to an open position for exposing said articles as located on said shelves for removal therefrom as required, said last-named means including tracks secured to said side walls and being downwardly inclined from rear to front, said display unit having rollers located on the sides thereof in spaced relation and beingr receivable on said tracks, the weight of said display unit and the inclination of said tracks causing said display unit to normally move to the closed or display position thereof.

2. In a display case as set forth in claim l, a storage bin located in said cabinet and ldisposed below said display unit, said storage bin being movable rearwardly from the interior of said cabinet to an open position. wherein article stored therein are exposed for removal.

3, In a display cabinet having a front wall, side walls,

top Wall, bottom wall and an opening at the rear thereof exposing the interior of said cabinet, a display unit normally located in said cabinet in a display position and including a plurality of vertically stepped shelves that provide for display of articles thereon in stepped relation, said article as displayed being boxes having pivotally mounted covers that are normally located in an open posifion in which the covers are generally vertical, the contents of said boxes being tobacco products, means mounted in said display unit for humidifying the air in said cabinet for preserving the freshness of said tobacco products, said humidifying means including a drawer located at the rearmost end of said display unit and movable independently of said display unit so as to provide access thereto while said unit is located in the display position thereof, said shelves being perforated to provide for the circulation of humidified air Within said display unit when it is located in the display position thereof, and means Iproviding for slidable movement of said display unit rearwardly of said cabinet from a display Iposition to an open position for exposing said articles as located on said shelves for removal therefrom as required, said last-named means including track and roller means for causing said display unit to normally move to the closed or display position thereof.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 398,605 2/1889 Ganter 312-122 919,545 4/1909 Davidson 312-131 1,261,455 4/1918 Stallings 312-119 3,104,142 9/1963 Knape et al. 312-333 BOBBY R. GAY, Primary Examiner I. L. KOHNEN, Assistant Examiner