Retail and storage unit suited for retail display

Abstract

A cooling apparatus in the form of a point of sale cooler employs a cooling unit, such as a thermoelectric module. Forced cool air deflected upwardly into a storage compartment in which retail merchandise is visible through two transparent walls forming the storage compartment and a transparent door. The door has a pocket receiving merchandise, which expands the volume of the storage compartment. Edge lit images on the transparent walls are illuminated by light emitting diodes to draw the attention of prospective purchasers.

1 . A retail display and refrigeration apparatus comprising:
 a storage compartment formed in part by walls through which merchandise stored in the storage compartment is visible, the walls including two side walls and a door on a third side of the storage compartment, so that the retail merchandise is visible through the two side walls and through the door;   a cooling unit having a cold side and a hot side located on a side the retail display and refrigeration apparatus opposite from the door and between the two side walls, air being circulated up and down in the storage compartment past the cold side and along the walls and the door;   air from outside the storage compartment being drawn, along the side of the retail display and refrigeration apparatus opposite from the door, past the hot side of the cooling unit and exhausted through a vent opening on the exterior of the retail display and refrigeration apparatus.   
   
   
       2 . The retail display and refrigeration apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the cooling unit comprises a Peltier cooling unit 
   
   
       3 . The retail display and refrigeration apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the cooling unit comprises a thermoelectric cooling unit. 
   
   
       4 . The retail display and refrigeration apparatus of  claim 1  including a cold side sink adjacent a thermal electric chip and a hot side sink on an opposite surface from the thermal electric chip. 
   
   
       5 . The retail display and refrigeration apparatus of  claim 1  including a baffle separating the storage compartment from the cooling unit. 
   
   
       6 . The retail display and refrigeration apparatus of  claim 1  wherein air is directed by a fan along the cold side of the cooling unit into lower sections of the storage compartment and deflected upward adjacent the door. 
   
   
       7 . The retail display and refrigeration apparatus of  claim 1  wherein walls along the sides of the storage compartment comprise transparent wall with an illuminated geometric figure being formed on at least one side wall. 
   
   
       8 . The retail display and refrigeration apparatus of  claim 7  wherein the illuminated geometric figure comprises an edge lit figure illuminated by light sources located along one edge of the transparent wall. 
   
   
       9 . The retail display and refrigeration apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the door includes a pocket extending beyond the two side walls to form additional space in the storage compartment. 
   
   
       10 . The retail display and refrigeration apparatus of clam  9  wherein a display rack is located in the storage compartment, the display rack positioning retail merchandise so that a forward article is positioned in the pocket. 
   
   
       11 . The retail display and refrigeration apparatus of  claim 10  wherein the display rack is retractable from the storage compartment through the door so that the display rack can be refilled with retail merchandise. 
   
   
       12 . A point of sale cooler for storing and displaying refrigerated retail merchandise, the cooler comprising:
 a refrigeration device including a thermoelectric cooling unit and a fan for circulating air;   a storage compartment formed in part by transparent walls so that retail merchandise situated within the storage compartment is visible, the storage compartment having a height in excess of the storage compartment's width and depth so that retail merchandise can be stacked in multiple layers in the storage compartment; and   a deflector situated to deflect cooled air upwardly from the bottom of the storage compartment so that cooled air is forced upwardly in the storage compartment so that cooled air may be circulated to the top and throughout the storage compartment.   
   
   
       13 . The point of sale cooler of  claim 12  wherein the deflector comprises a deflector plate angled relative to the one wall. 
   
   
       14 . A device for storing items at a temperature different from ambient temperature, the device comprising:
 a heat exchange unit;   a compartment formed by walls, at least one of the walls being transparent, the transparent wall including a geometric figure formed thereon, and   light emitting diodes located along one edge of the transparent wall, the transparent wall forming a light guide for light emitted by the light emitting diodes, the geometric figure being illuminated by the light emitted by the light emitting diodes so that the geometric figure is visible on the transparent wall of the compartment.   
   
   
       15 . The device of  claim 14 , wherein the device comprises a cooler and the heat exchange unit comprises a refrigeration apparatus. 
   
   
       16 . The device of  claim 15  wherein the geometric figure comprises grooves formed in the transparent wall. 
   
   
       17 . The device of  claim 16  wherein the light emitting diodes are positioned in a linear array. 
   
   
       18 . The device of  claim 16  wherein the grooves are formed on an interior face of wall of the transparent wall. 
   
   
       19 . The device of  claim 15  wherein the transparent wall extends from a base of the compartment to a top of the compartment so that items in the compartment are visible through the transparent wall. 
   
   
       20 . The device of  claim 15  including opposite transparent walls each including a geometric figure illuminated by light emitting diodes located along an edge of the corresponding transparent wall. 
   
   
       21 . The device of  claim 15  wherein the compartment comprises a storage compartment for storing items comprising retail merchandise, and the geometric figure comprises advertising matter. 
   
   
       22 . The device of  claim 21  including a storage rack in the storage compartment, items of retail merchandise being positionable on the storage rack and being visible through the transparent wall. 
   
   
       23 . The device of  claim 14  wherein the transparent wall is formed by two transparent panels with an air gap located between the transparent panels. 
   
   
       24 . A point of sale cooler for storing and displaying retail merchandise, the cooler comprising:
 a thermoelectric refrigeration apparatus;   a storage compartment in which merchandise is stored and displayed, the storage compartment communicating with the refrigeration apparatus so that cool air may be introduced into the storage compartment, the storage compartment including an opening through which merchandise may be removed from the storage compartment;   a rack in the storage compartment, the rack comprising means for supporting merchandise in the storage compartment, the rack including pusher means for advancing merchandise toward the opening in the storage compartment; and   a door mounted on the storage compartment, the door closing the opening in the storage compartment when closed to reduce loss of cool air, the door including a sealing surface extending around the opening when the door is closed, the door also including a pocket extending beyond opening to create additional space extending beyond the opening.   
   
   
       25 . The point of sale cooler of  claim 24  wherein the rack has multiple tracks so that multiple rows of merchandise may be stored and independently advanced toward the opening so that when merchandise on one track is removed, merchandise in other tracks will block portions of the opening when the door is open to lessen the area through which cool air may flow when the door is open. 
   
   
       26 . The point of sale cooler of  claim 25  wherein cool air is introduced into the storage compartment along a wall of the storage compartment spaced from the opening. 
   
   
       27 . The point of sale cooler of  claim 26  wherein the refrigeration device includes a fan for forcing cool air in the storage compartment. 
   
   
       28 . The point of sale cooler of  claim 24  wherein the door is formed of a transparent material so that merchandise is visible through the door. 
   
   
       29 . The point of sale cooler of  claim 24  wherein the storage compartment has a height exceeding the storage compartment width and depth and the door has a height exceeding the door width and depth. 
   
   
       30 . The point of sale cooler of  claim 24  wherein storage compartment side walls flanking the opening comprise transparent walls through which merchandise in the storage compartment is visible. 
   
   
       31 . A retail refrigeration apparatus comprising:
 a storage compartment in which merchandise can be stored for sale;   four walls surrounding the storage compartment, one of the walls including a door and a wall on the opposite end of the storage compartment from the door comprising a baffle forming an interior barrier of a cool air duct extending from adjacent a top of the storage compartment to adjacent a bottom of the storage compartment;   a thermoelectric cooling unit being located on the opposite side of the cool air duct and including a cold side sink extending into the cool air duct and a hot side sink on the opposite side of the thermoelectric cooling unit, which includes a thermal electric chip between the cold side sink and the hot side sink;   a hot air duct extending upwardly from a base below the storage compartment to vents located on top of the retail refrigeration apparatus; and   a deflector located on the bottom of the storage compartment for deflecting cool air exiting the cool air duct to flow along side walls of the storage compartment.   
   
   
       32 . The retail refrigeration apparatus of claim  41  wherein the deflector comprises edges on an insulation panel, wherein the edges diverge toward the door.