Temperature-controlled display case systems and methods
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Solution Overview
Problem
Refrigerated display case doors with embedded electronic displays are costly and difficult to maintain, and their weight can cause structural issues and interfere with the alignment of other doors in continuous lineups.
Innovation Solution
A temperature-controlled display case system featuring a support structure with a bottom and top support assembly that includes thermal breaks and adjustable leveling legs, allowing for easy maintenance and alignment of electronic displays without altering the door configuration or spacing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If electronic displays are embedded in refrigerated display case doors, then advertising effectiveness is improved, but manufacturing cost and maintenance difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The display system is segmented into separate components: the electronic display is mounted on the door surface rather than embedded within the door structure. This allows the display to be independently installed and replaced without manufacturing custom embedded door assemblies, thereby reducing manufacturing cost while maintaining advertising effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
A mounting structure acts as an intermediary between the door and the electronic display. This intermediary component enables the display to be attached to the door without requiring expensive custom manufacturing of embedded door assemblies, while still achieving the advertising effect.
2Adaptability or versatility
If electronic displays are embedded in refrigerated display case doors, then advertising effectiveness is improved, but maintenance ease deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The display system is divided into separable components where the electronic display is independently mounted on the door. This segmentation allows the display to be easily removed and replaced without affecting the door structure or requiring complex disassembly procedures, thereby improving maintenance ease while preserving advertising effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The electronic display is extracted from the door structure and mounted on its surface using a separate mounting mechanism. This extraction allows the display to be independently maintained and replaced without damaging or modifying the door, significantly improving maintenance ease while maintaining advertising effectiveness.
3Adaptability or versatility
If heavy electronic displays are mounted on doors, then advertising effectiveness is improved, but door alignment and structural stability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting structure incorporates support elements that distribute the weight of the electronic display across multiple attachment points on the door frame. This weight distribution counteracts the potential destabilizing effect of the heavy display, preventing door misalignment and maintaining structural stability while preserving advertising effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The mounting structure serves multiple functions: it attaches the electronic display to the door, distributes the display weight across the door frame, and provides structural reinforcement. This multi-functionality allows the system to handle heavy displays without compromising door alignment or stability, while maintaining advertising effectiveness.
4Stability of the object's composition
If thick door structures are used to support heavy electronic displays, then structural stability is improved, but interference with adjacent doors in continuous lineups increases
Solution Approach 1:
The support structure is segmented into thin, strategically placed mounting elements attached to the door frame, rather than requiring a uniformly thick door structure. This segmentation provides structural stability at the mounting points while keeping the overall door thickness minimal, preventing interference with adjacent doors in continuous lineups.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of increasing door thickness in the primary dimension, the mounting structure utilizes the three-dimensional space around the door frame, attaching support elements to the frame's depth dimension. This approach provides structural stability without increasing the door's protrusion into the space occupied by adjacent doors.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution provides a cost-effective and maintainable display case system that allows electronic displays to be easily replaced and maintained, maintaining a thin profile to prevent interference with adjacent doors, while ensuring stability and alignment in continuous lineups.
Implementation Method 1
the sill cover including a thermal break
Data Source
AI summary
A temperature-controlled display case includes an enclosure that includes a plurality of insulated panels, the enclosure configured to sit on a support surface; a door frame secured within the enclosure; a door hingeably coupled to the door frame and including an electronic display; and a bottom support assembly coupled to at least one of the enclosure or the door frame and configured to bear and transfer at least a portion of a weight of the door to the support surface.