Door for a refrigerated merchandiser

Abstract

A refrigerated merchandiser including a case defining a product display area and a door coupled to the case to provide access to the product display area. The door includes a glass panel assembly including a glass panel, and a conductive coating applied to the glass panel and defining a serpentine conductive path on the glass panel. The merchandiser also includes a power supply in electrical communication with the conductive coating to heat the glass panel along the serpentine conductive path.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A refrigerated merchandiser comprising:
 a case defining a product display area;   a door coupled to the case to provide access to the product display area, the door including:
 a glass panel assembly including a glass panel; 
 a conductive coating applied to the glass panel and defining a serpentine conductive path on the glass panel; and 
   a power supply in electrical communication with the conductive coating to heat the glass panel along the serpentine conductive path.   
     
     
         2 . The merchandiser of  claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of gaps formed in the coating and defining the serpentine conductive path between adjacent gaps, and wherein a distance between adjacent gaps on the glass panel varies along the glass panel to vary the amount of heat applied to different areas of the glass panel. 
     
     
         3 . The merchandiser of  claim 2 , wherein the gaps extend horizontally and vertically along the glass panel. 
     
     
         4 . The merchandiser of  claim 2 , wherein a portion of the serpentine conductive path has a zigzag profile adjacent a lower area of the glass panel. 
     
     
         5 . The merchandiser of  claim 2 , wherein the distance between two adjacent gaps located on a lower area of the glass panel is relatively narrow, and wherein the distance between two adjacent gaps located on an upper area of the glass panel is relatively wide. 
     
     
         6 . The merchandiser of  claim 1 , wherein the serpentine conductive path extends a distance that is greater than a length of the glass panel. 
     
     
         7 . The merchandiser of  claim 1 , wherein the glass panel assembly has an interior glass panel and an exterior glass panel, and the conductive coating is applied to one of the interior glass panel and the exterior glass panel. 
     
     
         8 . A door for a refrigerated merchandiser, the door comprising:
 a glass panel;   a conductive coating applied to the glass panel and defining a serpentine conductive path on the glass panel.   
     
     
         9 . The merchandiser of  claim 8 , further comprising a plurality of gaps formed in the coating and defining the serpentine conductive path between adjacent gaps, and wherein a distance between adjacent gaps on the glass panel varies along the glass panel to vary the amount of heat applied to different areas of the glass panel. 
     
     
         10 . The merchandiser of  claim 9 , wherein the gaps extend horizontally and vertically along the glass panel. 
     
     
         11 . The merchandiser of  claim 9 , wherein a portion of the serpentine conductive path has a zigzag profile adjacent a lower area of the glass panel. 
     
     
         12 . The merchandiser of  claim 9 , wherein the distance between two adjacent gaps located on a lower area of the glass panel is relatively narrow, and wherein the distance between two adjacent gaps located on an upper area of the glass panel is relatively wide. 
     
     
         13 . The merchandiser of  claim 8 , wherein the serpentine conductive path extends a distance that is greater than a length of the glass panel. 
     
     
         14 . A door for a refrigerated merchandiser, the door comprising:
 a glass panel;   a conductive coating applied to the glass panel and having a first gap defined in the coating along a periphery of the conductive coating, a second gap connected to and extending inward from the first gap disposed adjacent a first side of the glass panel toward a central area of the glass panel, and a third gap connected to and extending inward from the first gap disposed adjacent a second side of the glass panel toward a central area of the glass panel.   
     
     
         15 . The door of  claim 14 , wherein the second gap extends from the first side of the glass panel without intersecting the first gap disposed adjacent the second side of the glass panel. 
     
     
         16 . The door of  claim 15 , wherein the third gap extends from the second side of the glass panel without intersecting the first gap disposed adjacent the first side of the glass panel to direct a current in a zigzag profile along the glass panel. 
     
     
         17 . The door of  claim 14 , further comprising a plurality of second gaps and a plurality of third gaps. 
     
     
         18 . The door of  claim 14 , wherein at least one of the second gap and the third gap extends at a non-zero angle relative to a vertical axis and a horizontal axis. 
     
     
         19 . The door of  claim 14 , wherein at least one of the second gap and the third gap extends substantially horizontally across the glass panel. 
     
     
         20 . The door of  claim 19 , further comprising a fourth gap extending substantially vertically along the glass panel.