Shelf Beverage Identification Tiles to Prevent Refrigerated Air Loss
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Solution Overview
Problem
Alcoholic beverage storage devices, such as wine closets, require consumers to open the refrigerated compartment to read bottle labels, leading to energy loss and inconvenience.
Innovation Solution
A beverage identification tile system is integrated into the shelf, featuring a sheet of material with beverage type identifiers printed on its edges, allowing consumers to view the type of beverage without opening the compartment, as the tile is mounted to slide into slots on the shelf, keeping the refrigerated air inside.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If the consumer opens the wine closet to read the bottle label, then the consumer can identify the beverage type, but refrigerated air is lost and electricity is wasted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a copy of the beverage identification information by placing identification tiles on the shelf that display beverage type indicators. These tiles replicate the essential information from bottle labels, allowing consumers to identify beverages without opening the closet door, thus preventing refrigerated air loss while maintaining information accessibility.
2Loss of information
If the consumer opens the wine closet to read the bottle label, then the consumer can identify the beverage type, but time and energy are wasted
Solution Approach 1:
The identification tiles are pre-positioned on the shelf to display beverage type information before the consumer needs to access it. This preliminary arrangement of information allows immediate identification upon opening the closet, eliminating the time required to physically examine bottle labels and reducing the frequency of door openings.
3Reliability
If bottles are stored horizontally to prevent cork drying, then the cork is protected, but the bottle label is not readily visible
Solution Approach 1:
The patent separates the beverage identification function from the bottle itself by using independent identification tiles placed on the shelf. This segmentation allows bottles to remain in their optimal horizontal storage position for cork protection while the separate tiles provide the identification information that would otherwise require vertical bottle positioning or label visibility.
Data Source
AI summary
A beverage identification tile is provided that includes a sheet of material and a plurality of beverage type identifiers. The sheet of material has a first face and a second face which have a polygonal shape defined by a plurality of edges. A different beverage type identifier of the plurality of beverage type identifiers is printed along each edge of the plurality of edges of the first face and of the second face. A shelf labeling system includes a shelf, a plurality of slots, and the beverage identification tile. The shelf includes a front wall, a back wall, and a base mounted between the front wall and the back wall. The sheet of material is sized to slide into a slot of the plurality of slots formed in the front wall along an edge of the front wall with a beverage type identifier visible above the edge.