Rotary cooler
AssigneeThe Coca-Cola Company
InventorsWilliam S. Credle, Jr., Jason E. Allen
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A cooler has a housing with a plurality of rotatable shelves. The shelves can move from an interior portion of the housing to an exposed exterior portion adjacent a discharge port of the cooler. The cooler is doorless so that access and viewing of the products in the port are unobstructed. An interior storage area is provided in the cooler for replenishment of removed products. An escapement mechanism can automatically load products from the storage area to empty slots on the periphery of the rotating shelf. Efficient cooling of the products is obtained. The shelves of the cooler can be rotated at the same or different speeds and/or directions. This merchandising cooler will not blend in with its surrounding environment to thereby attract a consumer's attention.
Claims22
A cooler comprising:
- a housing with a discharge port, the housing having an interior portion and an exposed portion, the exposed portion being adjacent the discharge port, the exposed portion of the housing being open to ambient environment through the port for unobstructed access to the exposed portion of the housing;
- a movable shelf;
- a drive for moving the shelf between the interior portion of the housing and the exposed portion of the housing;
- a refrigeration device for cooling at least the interior portion of the housing;
- a storage area within the interior portion of the housing;
- an escapement mechanism for loading products on the shelf from the storage area;
- and
- a panel separating the interior portion of the housing from the exposed portion thereof, the panel being movable between an open position and a closed position.
A cooler comprising:
- a housing with a discharge port, the housing having an interior portion and an exposed portion, the exposed portion being adjacent the discharge port, the exposed portion of the housing being open to ambient environment through the port for unobstructed access to the exposed portion of the housing;
- a rotatable shelf;
- a drive that rotates the shelf between the interior portion of the housing and the exposed portion of the housing;
- a refrigeration device that cools at least the interior portion of the housing;
- a storage area within the interior portion of the housing;
- and
- an escapement mechanism that loads products on the shelf from the storage area.
A cooler comprising:
- a housing with a discharge port, the housing having an interior portion and an exposed portion, the exposed portion being adjacent the discharge port, the exposed portion of the housing being open to ambient environment through the port for unobstructed access to the exposed portion of the housing;
- a plurality of movable shelves;
- a drive that moves the shelves between the interior portion of the housing and the exposed portion of the housing, the drive including a shaft within the housing, the shaft passing through each of the shelves;
- a refrigeration device that cools at least the interior portion of the housing;
- a storage area within the interior portion of the housing;
- and
- an escapement mechanism that loads products on the shelf from the storage area.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.