Air curtain guides for refrigerators

Abstract

An air curtain guide mounting kit for attaching an air curtain guide to an open-display refrigerator, the kit comprising: an arm adapted to be mounted to the refrigerator; and a bracket comprising an engagement section adapted to be connected to an air curtain guide, and a mounting section connected to the engagement section and adapted to form a hinged connection with the arm.

1 .- 34 . (canceled) 
     
     
         35 . An apparatus, comprising:
 an arm configured to be coupled to a refrigerator;   a bracket coupled to the arm via a hinge and configured to dispose an air curtain guide in an air curtain of the refrigerator;   a lock configured to reversibly fixedly couple the arm to the bracket such that when the lock is in a first state the bracket and the arm are prevented from moving relative to one another and when the lock is in a second state the bracket can move relative to the arm via the hinge,   an actuator configured to move the lock from the first state to the second state.   
     
     
         36 . The apparatus of  claim 35 , wherein the lock includes a protrusion movably disposed in a socket. 
     
     
         37 . The apparatus of  claim 35 , wherein:
 the lock includes a protrusion movably disposed in a socket; and   the actuator is configured to depress the protrusion to allow the hinge to move.   
     
     
         38 . The apparatus of  claim 35 , wherein:
 the hinge includes a first protrusion rotatably disposed within a first socket; and   the lock includes a second protrusion disposed in a second socket when the lock is in the first state, the actuator configured to remove the second protrusion from the second socket to allow the first protrusion to rotate within the first socket.   
     
     
         39 . The apparatus of  claim 35 , wherein:
 the hinge includes a first protrusion rotatably disposed within a first socket and a second protrusion rotatably disposed within a second socket; and   the lock includes a third protrusion disposed in a third socket when the lock is in the first state, the actuator configured to remove the third protrusion from the third socket to allow the first protrusion and the second protrusion to rotate within the first socket and the second socket.   
     
     
         40 . The apparatus of  claim 35 , wherein the hinge includes a circular protrusion disposed in a round hole. 
     
     
         41 . The apparatus of  claim 35 , wherein the lock includes a beveled protrusion disposed in a socket. 
     
     
         42 . The apparatus of  claim 35 , wherein the lock includes a beveled protrusion, a back surface of the beveled protrusion engaging a socket when the lock is in the first state to prevent the bracket from moving relative to the arm. 
     
     
         43 . The apparatus of  claim 35 , wherein the lock includes a protrusion, a beveled surface of the protrusion configured to depress the protrusion when the lock is moved from the second state to the first state. 
     
     
         44 . The apparatus of  claim 35 , wherein:
 the hinge includes a circular protrusion disposed in a round hole; and   the lock includes a beveled protrusion disposed in a socket.   
     
     
         45 . The apparatus of  claim 35 , wherein:
 the bracket includes an engagement section configured to be coupled to the air curtain guide.   
     
     
         46 . The apparatus of  claim 35 , wherein:
 the bracket includes an engagement section configured to be coupled to the air curtain guide; and   the arm and the bracket are configured to be disposed in the refrigerator and position the bracket in front of a product pusher cassette disposed within the refrigerator.   
     
     
         47 . The apparatus of  claim 35 , wherein:
 the bracket is configured to dispose the air curtain guide in the air curtain when the bracket is in a first configuration relative to the arm; and   the hinge is configured to allow the bracket to move between the first configuration and a second configuration to provide access to a portion of the refrigerator that was obstructed by the air curtain guide in the first configuration.   
     
     
         48 . The apparatus of  claim 35 , wherein the arm is configured to be coupled to a back portion of a refrigerator that contains a pusher cassette but does not contain shelves. 
     
     
         49 . The apparatus of  claim 35 , wherein:
 the hinge is formed by a first protrusion and a second protrusion of the bracket being disposed in a first socket and a second socket of the arm; and   the bracket is flexible such that the bracket can be coupled to the arm by inserting the first protrusion and the second protrusion into the first socket and the second socket, respectively, without any additional fixings.   
     
     
         50 . A method, comprising:
 manipulating an actuator to move a lock from a first state to a second state;   rotating a bracket and air curtain guide coupled to an arm disposed in a refrigerator after manipulating the actuator, the lock preventing the bracket from rotating relative to the arm while in the first state, rotating the bracket and the air curtain guide moving the air curtain guide to provide access to a portion of the refrigerator that was obstructed by the air curtain guide prior to the bracket and the air curtain guide being rotated.   
     
     
         51 . The method of  claim 50 , wherein manipulating the actuator depresses a protrusion disposed within a socket to prevent rotation of the bracket relative to the arm when the lock is in the first state. 
     
     
         52 . The method of  claim 50 , wherein the air curtain guide is configured to guide an air curtain of the refrigerator prior to rotating the bracket and the air curtain guide. 
     
     
         53 . The method of  claim 50 , further comprising:
 sliding a product pusher cassette disposed within the refrigerator forward after rotating the bracket and the air curtain guide, the air curtain guide impeding movement of the product pusher cassette prior to rotating the bracket and the air curtain guide.   
     
     
         54 . The method of  claim 50 , wherein the bracket and the air curtain guide are in a first position with the air curtain guide disposed in an air curtain of the refrigerator prior to rotating the bracket and the air curtain guide, the method further comprising:
 sliding a product pusher cassette disposed within the refrigerator forward after rotating the bracket and the air curtain guide, the air curtain guide impeding movement of the product pusher cassette prior to rotating the bracket and the air curtain guide;   restocking the product pusher cassette after sliding the product pusher cassette forward;   returning the product pusher cassette into the refrigerator after restocking; and   rotating the bracket and the air curtain guide back into the first position after returning the product pusher cassette into the refrigerator.