Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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CABINET DOORS
The present invention relates to cabinet doors. In particular, it relates to
cabinet doors for use in a retail display environment.
In recent times there has been a drive for government bodies to restrict
the display of certain products in a retail environment whilst still allowing
for their
sale to a consumer. For example, certain governments are placing limitations
on
the ability for retailers to display tobacco products.
Introduction of such restrictions can cause difficulties for retailers.
Firstly, many have invested heavily in display cabinets for displaying such
products and face the potential need to replace such display cabinets in order
to
meet the requirements of such restrictions.
In addition, restrictions on display can prevent a retailer from being able
to make a consumer aware of new or improved products.
Furthermore, without appropriate cabinet structures in place for the
holding of such products, it can be difficult for the retailer to ensure that
display
of the products is prevented at all times except for when a product is being
obtained for sale to a customer, leaving the retailer at risk of contravening
the
restrictions.
EP 2 565 356 Al discloses a door unit for a display cabinet comprising a
frame for holding two sliding doors, and linking means in the form of a tooth
and
notch arrangement for selectively linking the two doors such that when a first
one of the doors is opened the second one of the doors is pulled open also and
when the second one of the doors is opened the linking means disengages such
that the first door remains closed.
Such a solution proves particularly satisfying in terms of functionality of
the door unit and efficiency in opening/closing the doors to hide products
from
sight. However, the tooth and notch linking mechanism may suffer significant
wear and can become noisy during use. In addition, such a linking mechanism
remains accessible from the exterior of the door unit and can therefore easily
be
altered, not to mention affect the aesthetic character given to the door unit.
The present invention seeks to address the above and other problems.
1
According to the present invention there is provided a door unit for a
display cabinet, the door unit comprising: a frame for holding, in use, at
least an
upper and a lower sliding door; and linking means for selectively linking the
two
doors such that when a first one of the doors is opened the linking means
engages with the second one of the doors to pull it open also and when the
second one of the doors is opened the linking means disengages such that the
first door remains closed, wherein the linking means is configured to be
concealed from a user wherein the linking means comprise abutting members
configured to engage in abutment with each other when the first one of the
1.0 sliding doors is opened to open the second one of the sliding doors
simultaneously and not to engage when the second one of the sliding doors is
opened to leave the first one of the sliding doors closed, characterized in
that the
abutting members are integral with at least a first runner unit attached to
the first
one of the sliding doors and slidably mounted to the frame and at least a
second
runner unit attached to the second one of the sliding doors and slidably
mounted
to the frame. The runner units comprise rollers or wheels mounted to a common
rail in the frame. The rollers or wheels of each of the runner units are
mounted
into a same track of the rail.
The doors may be positioned adjacent to one another and/or arranged
such that they slide in the same direction. The linking means, contrary to the
tooth and notch or crenelated arrangement known from the prior art, is
arranged
with respect to the sliding doors and frame of the door unit such that they
enable
the two doors to engage with one another when the first door is opened and
disengage with one another when the second door is opened, whilst always
remaining concealed from the person actuating the doors on the frame. This has
the particular advantage that the visible areas of the door unit of the
invention
remain plain and free of any visible mechanism at all times, providing a
neater
and cleaner design. It can also reduce the possibility of anything becoming
trapped in the linking means.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the at least upper and lower
sliding doors slide on the frame within the same vertical plane.
In such a preferred embodiment, the linking means may also engage in
the same vertical plane as the sliding plane of the doors. This has the
particular
Date Recue/Date Received 2020-07-29
advantage of providing a very compact door unit, whilst maintaining
functionality,
which does not hinder the storing space within a cabinet equipped with the
door
unit of the invention.
Advantageously, the linking means may be mounted to a back side or
fixed in a longitudinal cross section of the upper and lower sliding doors
respectively such that they are concealed from a user when the door unit is
mounted on a cabinet. Preferably, the linking means may be concealed from the
user in any position of the doors.
Still preferably, the rail has a substantially C-shaped cross-section.
1-0 Still
preferably, the rail has a substantially U-shaped cross-section.
Advantageously, the rail may be provided within a transverse member of the
frame located between the two sliding doors and within the same vertical
sliding
plane as the two sliding doors.
In a further preferable embodiment of the door unit of the invention, the
abutting members of the linking means comprise dampening and/or absorbing
means to absorb shocks and noise upon engagement. Such dampening and/or
absorbing means may preferably comprise rubber or silicon gaskets, pieces or
sleeves or any other soft plastic element that is capable of absorbing shocks
and
that is cheap to manufacture and easy to replace upon wear.
The frame of the door unit of the invention may be arranged such that it
can be retro-fitted over a standard display cabinet.
The unit may further be provided with one or more door closing
mechanisms to enable automatic closing of the one or more doors. The closing
mechanism may comprise one or more of a hydraulic closing mechanism,
biased weight closing mechanism, weighted pulley, spring and ratchet, or
coiled
spring-driven mechanism.
Preferably the doors are formed from an opaque material.
The unit and/or the frame and/or the doors may be arranged such that
advertising or display orientated material can readily be fixed thereto.
3
Date Recue/Date Received 2020-07-29
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With the unit of the present invention it is possible for a retailer to
selectively display alternative products to a user on an automatic basis while
obtaining the product requested by the consumer. In addition, it is possible
for
the retailer to meet display restriction requirements without having to
install
completely new cabinets through the retro-fitting of a unit of the present
invention.
It is also possible for the retailer to ensure that, through the automatic
closing of the doors, the product is only displayed when being accessed, such
that no door can inadvertently be left open and products left on continuous
display.
According to the present invention, there is also provided a display
cabinet comprising a housing containing one or more shelves and further
comprising a unit of any preceding claim retained on the housing.
Examples of the present invention will now be described with reference to
the accompanying drawings, in which:
Figure 1 is a front view of a unit according to the present invention
including two upper and two lower sliding doors;
Figures 2A and 2B show opening positions of vertical pairs of upper and
lower doors of the unit of figure 1;
Figure 3A and 3B show a back view of the door unit in the opening
positions as shown in figure 2A and 2B respectively;
Figure 4 shows an enlarged view of the linking mechanism between
upper and lower doors of the unit in the opening positions of figure 3;
Figure 5 shows a back view of the unit of figure 1 with the doors in closed
positions; and
Figure 6 shows an enlarged view of the linking mechanism between
upper and lower doors of the unit in the closed positions of figure 1;
Figures 7 and 8 show a front and back view of the door of figure 1
respectively in the opening position of only one of the doors, the other door
being closed.
Referring to figure 1, a door unit 1 according to the present invention
comprises a frame 2 formed from top, intermediate and bottom transversal rail
members 3, 4, 5 and vertical side members 6, 7 connected to the ends of the
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transversal rail members 3, 4, 5. The door unit 1 may be attached, in use, to
a
cabinet frame which is shipped as a unit or may alternatively be configured to
be
retro-fitted around an existing display cabinet which has already been
installed.
Two upper doors 8, 9 are slidably mounted onto the top and intermediate
transversal rail members 3, 4 and two lower doors 10, 11 are slidably mounted
onto the intermediate and bottom transversal rail members 4, 5. Preferably,
the
upper and lower doors are made out of an opaque material, for example, plain
or
reconstituted wood or from extruded or moulded hard plastic material such as
polyvinylchloride, PEEK, polyurethane or the like.
According to the invention, the upper and lower doors 8, 9, 10, 11 are
mounted onto the transversal rail members 3, 4, 5 in pairs consisting of one
upper and one lower door. Each pair of doors 8, 10; 9, 11 slides in respective
vertical sliding planes P1, P2 offset from one another. Accordingly, as shown
in
figures 1 and 2A, a first pair made of upper and lower doors 9, 11 is slidably
mounted in a first or front sliding plane P1 while, as shown in figures 2B and
3A,
a second pair made of upper and lower doors 8, 10 is slidably mounted in a
second or back sliding plane P2. As is readily understandable from figures 1
and
2, vertical sliding planes P1 and P2 are parallel and offset such that the
upper
sliding doors 8, 9 can slide simultaneously along the top and intermediate
transversal rail members 3, 4 in their respective sliding plane P1, P2.
Similarly,
the lower doors 10, 11 are allowed to slide on the intermediate and bottom
transversal rail members 4, 5 in their respective planes P1, P2. This is
preferably
achieved by the transversal rail members 3, 4, 5 each comprising two sliding
tracks, one first or front track 3a, 4a, 5a, for example of a classic C-shaped
cross
section, to support doors 9, 11 in the front sliding plane P1 and one second
or
back track 3b, 4b, 5b for example, of a classic C-shaped cross section and
symmetrical to the front track to support doors 8, 10 in the back sliding
plane P2.
The sliding doors 8, 9, 10, 11 slide on the transversal rail members 3, 4,
5 between closed positions, as shown in figure 1, and open positions shown in
figures 2A and 2B. When in the closed position and when the door unit 1 has
been fitted onto a cabinet, contents of the cabinet to which the frame 2 is
attached are not visible to a consumer.
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As shown in figures 3 to 5, in a preferred embodiment of the door unit 1 of
the invention, the sliding doors 8, 9, 10, 11 are each slidably mounted to the
transversal rail members 3, 4, 5 by means of two upper and two lower runner
units 12. Each one of the runner units 12 can be identical, as shown in the
figures, and comprise a mounting plate or body 121 fastened by any suitable
means (screws, nails or the like) to a back surface of a door that supports a
roller/wheel 122 that engages with and is preferably housed in one of the
front or
back rail tracks 3a, 4a, 5a; 3b, 4b, 5b of the transversal rail members 3, 4,
5. As
is more clearly shown in figures 5 and 8, showing a back view of the door unit
1
in a closed position of all sliding doors 8, 9, 10 ,11, the runner unit 12
connected
to doors 9, 11 sliding within the same front sliding plane P1 has its wheels
122
lodged into the front track 3a, 4a, 5a of the transversal rail members 3, 4, 5
while
the runner unit 12 connected to doors 8, 10 sliding within the same front
sliding
plane P2 has its wheels 122 lodged into the back track 3b, 4b, 5b of the
transversal rail members 3, 4, 5.
It must be understood that the runner units 12 may have a different
shapes and/or structures than that described and shown in the figures. For
example, the wheels or rollers 122 could be fixed on runner units 12 fitted
into a
housing made into or within the cross-section of each of the door to improve
the
compactness of the system and prevent the runner units from contacting the
goods stored in the cabinet while the doors slide.
According to the present invention and as represented in details in figures
4 and 6, the door unit 1 further comprises linking means 13 for selectively
linking
the paired upper and lower doors 8, 10 and 9, 11 in each of the back and front
sliding planes P1, P2. In a preferred embodiment represented in the figures
the
linking means 13 is advantageously part of and integral with at least one of
the
runner units 12 of each doors and comprises abutting members or stoppers 123
extending in front of the wheel 122 of the runner units 12 (or otherwise on
the
side of the runner unit, which may contact another runner unit while the doors
slide). To absorb shocks and noise upon abutting of the linking means 13 of
the
upper and lower doors of a pair sliding in a same plane P1, P2 the abutting
members are equipped with dampening means 14 preferably comprise rubber or
silicon gaskets, pieces or sleeves or any other soft plastic element.
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To ensure selective engagement between upper and lower doors sliding
in the same plane P1, P2 at least one runner unit 12 of each upper door 8, 9
sliding in the intermediate transverse rail member 4 and at least one runner
unit
12 of each lower door 10, 11 sliding in the intermediate transverse rail
member 4
must be mounted to the corresponding door such that their abutting members
123 engage with each other in abutment in the closed position of the doors
(see
figures 3A and 5).
Because of the linking means 13 of the invention, and as can be seen in
figures 3A to 8 in particular, when a first one of the doors, i.e. a lower
door 10,
11 as shown in the figures, is opened the linking means 13 engages with the
second one of the doors, i.e. the upper doors 8, 9, to pull it open.
Conversely,
when one of the upper doors 8, 9 is opened (see figures 7 and 8) the linking
means 13 disengages such that the lower door 10, 11 of the corresponding pair
remains closed. Advantageously according to the invention the linking means 13
are configured to be concealed from a user in any position of the doors 8, 9,
10,
11 to prevent any alteration thereof and provide a plain visible front surface
for
the doors 8, 9, 10, 11.
It should also be appreciated that the linking means between the two
doors may be configured in an alternative arrangement to that shown in the
figures, such that the lower door always opens, even when the upper door is
opened.
Further, means may be provided on one or more of the sliding doors to
ensure that the doors close automatically when not being accessed. With
reference to figures 3A to 8 example arrangements that could be used to
achieve this can be a trail mechanism 15 fixed to the back surface of door 8
with
a rope or cable tensed over a pulley 16 on the edge of the door 8 with the
free
end thereof connected to the closest edge of the second upper door 9 in the
closed position of the doors. Such a configuration ensures that when any of
the
upper doors 8, 9 are opened this pulls the rope connected to the trail 15,
which
automatically rewinds the rope once the opened door is released free or closed
by a user. Similar arrangements may also be used for automatically reclosing
the lower doors 10, 11 of the door unit 1.
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Other examples of closing mechanisms may include a hydraulic piston
arranged by a sliding door in a closed position or a pivoting weight
configuration
which, again, biases the sliding door towards a closed position.
As will be appreciated from the above description, the present invention
provides a set of cabinet doors that enables a retailer to simply and
effectively
meet changing legislation in respect of the display of certain products. It
also
enables a retailer to position products in the most appropriate and consistent
manner for gantry and stock management and enables the retailer to monitor the
content throughout the cabinet.
8
