US2463658A - Self-service refrigerated meat display case - Google Patents

Description

March 8 1949. s THRASHER 2,463,658

SELF-SERVICE REFRIGERATED MEAT DISPLAY CASE Filed Feb. 23, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 March 8, 1 4 H. s. THRASHER SELF-SERVICE REFRIGERATED MEAT DISPLAY CASE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 23, 1946 Inventor eys m M M r rv e M W M m N T x [MW QM 0 m x j Patented Mar. 8, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SELF-SERVICE REFRIGERATED MEAT DISPLAY CASE 1 Claim. 1

The present invention relates to the retail merchandising of food products and more particularly to the display and the self-service sale of meats and similar food products which require refrigeration.

An important object of the present invention is to provide a self-service meat display case embodying a plurality of refrigerated compartments from which customers may select and obtain wrapped cuts of meats of various kinds and by means of which a large number of customers may be simultaneously served without interference with each other and without exposing the contents of the several compartments while an article is being selected and removed from one of the compartments.

A further object of invention is to provide a self-service meat display case of this character embodying a. plurality of individual compartments each having a glass door providing access thereto and arranging a price-tag holder extending along the front of the group of compartments, so that each compartment may be provided with an individual price tag.

A further object of invention is to provide a device of this character of simple and practical construction, which is neat and attractive in appearance, relatively inexpensive to manufacture, and otherwise well adapted for the purposes for which the same is intended.

Other objects and advantages reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view.

Figure 2 is a transverse sectional view.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially on a line 3-3 of Figure 2, and

Figure 4 is a group perspective view of the price tag holder and one of the price tags carried thereby.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, wherein for the purpose of illustration I have disclosed a preferred embodiment of invention, the numeral 5 designates an elongated case including a front wall 6, bottom I and rear wall 8. The rear wall 8 is higher than the front wall 6, as shown to advantage in Figure 2 of the drawings, and a metal tray 9 is positioned in the upper portion of the case 5, the tray having its front edge open and with the bottom of the tray supported substantially on a horizontal plane with the upper edge of the front wall 6. The tray 9 is provided with a plurality of vertical partitions in separating the tray into a plurality of compartments II The top of the tray is provided with a glass cover l2 supported by a frame l3, mounted on the upper edge of the case and the front of each of the compartments I l is provided with a glass door It hinged at its lower edge as indicated at i5 at the upper edge of the front wall 6, the door being secured in its closed position by a conventional form of catch device 16. The doors M are swingable outwardly and downwardly in front of the case as shown by the dotted lines in Figure 2 of the drawings.

A refrigerating unit I! is mounted in the lower portion of the case and includes a refrigerating coil l8 supported on a rack l9 immediately below the tray 9.

A shelf 20 extends lengthwise of the front wall 6 of the case slightly below the upper edge of the front wall 6 and secured on top of the shelf along its rear edge is a channel shaped price tag holder 2|, the price tag holder being secured in an inclined position so that the price tags 22 positioned in the holder will face upwardly at the rear edge of the shelf 20 and immediately below the doors I 4 of the several compartments. One of the price tags or cards 22 is positioned immediately in front of each of the doors It for the respective compartments in which the meat or other food product is displayed.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that wrapped cuts of meats or other packaged food products may be placed on the tray 9 in the several compartments II and access thereto is afforded by way of doors [4 at the front of the compartments, so that customers may select the desired article and remove the same from the compartments by opening the door.

In view of the foregoing description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings it is believed that a clear understanding of the construction, operation and advantages of the device will be quite apparent to those skilled in this art. A more detailed description is accordingly deemed unnecessary.

It is to be understood, however, that even though there is herein shown and described a preferred embodiment of the invention the same is susceptible to certain changes fully comprehended by the spirit of the invention as herein described and the scope of the appended claim.

What I claim is:

A self-service show case comprising a cabinet structure having a transparent top, a tray in the cabinet under the top and having spaced parallel partitions forming a plurality of compartments in the tray, a refrigerating unit below the tray, a downwardly opening door in the front wall of the cabinet for each compartment, and a shelf 4 supported on the front wall of the cabinet to extend forwardly beneath the doors when opened.

HOYT S. THRASHER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,723,630 Platten Aug. 6, 1929 1,932,694 Gray Oct. 31, 1933 2,248,286 Sanders July 8, 1941

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