US3542208A - Storage and feeding rack or shelf for refrigerated beverage containers - Google Patents

Description

1/1962 Parker.........................

United States Patent Ora Lee Miner Santa Ana, California [21] App]. No. 807,676

March 17, 1969 [45] Patented Nov. 24, 1970 John Kllssen Midway City, California [72] inventor [22] Filed [73] Assignee ABSTRACT: A storage and feeding rack or shelf for refrigerated beverage containers, such as six-packs of beer and soft drinks. The rack is adapted to be mounted horizontaliy in a refrigerator in a supermarket, liquor store, etc. incorporated in the rack' are rail means which are spaced apart the distance between edge portions of a six-pack, for example, so that such rail means prevent the six-packs from cocking during forward movement toward the customer in response to actuation by spring-reel devices. Such devices include spring reels mounted on the forward portion of the rack, and which are connected through cords to clip members adapted to seat behind a row of six-packs in order to actuate the same forwardly. In addition, the clip members are adapted to hook over the inner edge portions of the rack during loading by a stacker at the grocery or liquor store.

uw n awwww R MW H NUHHH 1 1 1111] ms 32222 F A 9 LM mm m W A m m RM m m m m m m m m cc o AE e RG n" "M u GM MS mu... m m E m m m M T 0 mm m m m a a um E n Tm b m m m m m mmw c m R m sHsHh N mh in r mwwnuw n mm uwwwww mmm m J wuuwu o a hm 996Wn SR7 U .mF MWWMHOQM 1 1 ll 1 umnmu 1 STORAGE 'AND FEEDING RACK OR SHELF FOR REFRIGERATED BEVERAGE CONTAINERS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to the field of storage devices adapted automatically to effect forward feeding of a row of refrigerated beverage or food containers in response to removal of the forward ones of such containers by a customer.

2. Description of the Prior Art Storage devices which feed food and merchandise forwardly have previously been devised, for example as taught by U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,750,049; 2,893,596; 3,018,149; 3,083,067; and 3,104,137. However, such apparatus was characterized by various defects including, particularly when the beverages or merchandise were heavy, the need for inclined shelves instead of horizontal shelves. It is emphasized that inclined shelves may not be sold as replacementshelves for the numerous shelves now present in the refrigerators in liquor stores and supermarkets throughout the country, unless such refrigerators are largely rebuilt in a manner which is not economic.

The prior-art apparatus was also characterized by difficulty of operation, high cost of construction and installation, etc. A primary defect of prior-art storage devices was that the amount of space taken up in the refrigerator was excessive, particularly at regions adjacent the front doors where display space is of the essence.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention comprises a horizontal shelf or rack for refrigerated containers such as milk bottles, pop bottles, or six-packs of beer or beer or soft drinks, the shelf including rail. means to guide the containers during forward actuation.

Mounted at the forward portion of the shelf (relatively 'adjacent the customer) are a plurality of spring-reel devices. A cord extends rearwardly from each such device to a clip member adapted to be seated at the inner end of a row of containers. The clip member is also adapted to hook over the rear edge of the shelf during periods when the shelf is being loaded by an attendant. Only one spring reel is required for each row of containers, such reel being mounted beneath the forward portion of the shelf and in a horizontal plane so that aminimum of space is consumed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS DETAILED DESCRIPTION Stated generally, and referring particularly. to FIG. 1, the storage shelf or rack comprises a braced support or subframe 10 including a rectangular perimeter element 11 and various brace elements 12. Such subframe 10 is adapted to be mounted in a commercial refrigerator, etc., as a replacement for the frames now present therein.

Secured to the upper portion of the subframe 10 is a slide, stop and rail means 13, the manner of attaching being, for example, by spot welding. The means 13 incorporates a substantial number of parallel slide rods or bars 14 adapted to support six-packs (or eight-packs) 15 of beer or soft drinks while creating a minimum of friction. Rods or bars 14 may also be adapted to slidably support individual bottles or cans of beverages, milk, food, etc.

.rail rods 16 which are parallel to each other, and parallel to slide rods 14, being spaced apart sufficiently far that edge portions of six-packs 15 will nest therebetween. For example, the two rail rods 16a and 16b shown in FIG. 3 are spaced suffciently far apart that the first row 17 of six-packs 15 will nest between such rails 16a and 1619 instead of being supported thereon. All support for the row 17 is provided instead by the slide rods 14a, 14b and 14c which are arranged between rails 16a and 16b and parallel thereto. Thus, rails 16a and 16b prevent cocking of any individual six-pack 15 in such row 17. Correspondingly, the remaining two rows 18 and 19 (FIG. 2) of six-packs incorporate slide rods and rail rods corresponding to those described in detail above.

- Where individual bottles or cans are to be supported, the rail rods are disposed much closer to each other than in the illustrated embodiment.

In addition to the slide rods 14 and rail rods 16, the means 13 comprises forward and rear transverse rods 21 and 22 which are secured (as by spot welding) to'the ends of the rods 14 and 16. The forward transverse rod 21 is disposed above slide rods 14 and is adapted to act as a stop for the front end of each six-pack row 17-19. The rear transverse rod 22, also mounted above the slide rods, is adapted to serve as a support for clip members 23 (described hereinafter) during loading of the shelf with the six-packs 15.

The rail rods 16 are secured to the upper edges of transverse rods 21 and 22, in contrast to the slide rods 14 which are secured to the lower edges of such rods. The central portions of the rail rods (or other rail or guide elements) may be caused to be spaced-substantial distances above the slide rods.

A plurality of spring-biased reel assemblies 25 are provided, one for each of the three rows 17-19. As best shown in FIG. 5, each assembly 25 comprises a generally disc-shaped housing 26 (resembling a shallow cup) which is suitably secured to a support plate 27, the latter being mounted (as by welding) on slide rods 14 toward the forward end of each row.

Included in each housing 26 is a spring-biased reel 27a adapted to exert a constant pressure tending to wind thereon a cord 28 which extends through an opening in the housing 26 and is connected to a center portion of an associated transverse or clip member 23. The axis of reel 27a is vertical. The reel 27a is biased by a suitable spring strip wound in a spiral, one end of the spring being suitably anchored and the other end being connected to the reel 27a. The reel assemblies may be in' accordance with one or more of U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,128,007; 2,256,205; 2,304,175; 2,304,176; and 2,450,078.

The shallow housings 23 are mounted in a horizontal plane, and beneath theslide rods 14. Sliding of the containers is therefore not interfered with. Furthermore, and very importantly, display and storage space at the front of the refrigerator is conserved.

Each cord 28 extends above the brace elements 12 of the subframe, thus permitting the transverse or clip members 23 to be extended back to the rear transverse rod 22 as illustrated in FIG. 1 at the upper portion thereof.

Transverse or clip members 23 are preferably channel elements and are adapted to hook over the rear transverse rod 22, as illustrated, during loading of the shelf with six-packs 15. After a row 17-19 of six-packs is disposed on the shelf, one row between each set of rail rods 16, the operator unhooks the associated transverse member 23 from rod 22 and permits such member 23 to engage the rear surface of the rearmost six-pack 15.

The tension created by the spring-biased reel 27a in the cord 28 then pulls thesix-pack row forwardly until the forward surface of the front six-pack 15 engages the stop transverse rod 21. When a customer removes the front six-pack in any row, the reel operates through cord 28 and transverse member 23 to pull the remaining six-packs in the row forwardly until the stop transverse rod 21 is again engaged.

The present storage shelf or rack has been found to be highly satisfactory in actual operation, despite the fact that the six-packs 15 are relatively heavyand despite the fact that the shelf is not inclined. The amount of beverage containers which can be stored and displayed in a particular refrigerator is substantially increased by use of the present invention. Very importantly, beverage containers are always close to the customer, where he can readily see and remove them.

lclaim:

1. A storage and feeding shelf for refrigerated beverage containers and the like, which comprises:

a horizontal shelf adapted to slidably support the containers to be stored and fed, first and second rails mounted fixedly on said shelf, said rails being parallel to each other and being spaced apart a distance generally correspond ing to a horizontal dimension of the containers to be fed;

a spring-biased cord reel mounted on said rack relatively adjacent the forward edge portion thereof, said reel being disposed on the underside of said shelf whereby to prevent interference with movement of containers thereover, said reel being disposed generally in a horizontal plane with the axis of said reel generally vertical;

:1 container-engaging actuating element connected to the end of the cord on said reel, said actuating element being adapted to be seated on the container farthest from said forward edge portion of said shelf whereby to urge said containers forwardly in response to the tension created by said reel;

stop means at said forward edge portion of said shelf to prevent excessive forward movement of the containers thereon; and

means at the rear edge portion of said shelf and adapted to cooperate with said actuating element to hold the latter adjacent said rear portion during loading of said shelf with containers.

2. The invention as claimed in claim 1, inwhich said actuating element is a hook adapted to hook over the rear edge portion of said shelf to thus effect said holding of said hook adjacent said rear edge portion during loading of said shelf with containers,

3. The invention as claimed in claim l, in which said rails are spaced apart sufficiently far to receive therebetween sixpacks of beer or the like, a horizontal dimension of each of said six-packs being only slightly less that the spacing between said rails.

4. The invention as claimed in claim 1, in which at least part of said reel is between said rails.

5. The invention as claimed in claim 1, in which said shelf includes spaced and parallel slide rods to slidably support said containers.

6. The invention as claimed in claim l, in which a plurality of rails, reels, etc., are disposed side by side in order to store and feed parallel rows of beverage containers.

7. The invention as claimed in claim 1, in which said stop means at said forward portion of said shelf comprises a front edge element of said shelf. 7

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