초록 ▼

A merchandiser includes a front door or wall portion which forms a barrier between an exterior side and an interior side of the merchandiser. The front door or wall portion holds a first display panel in a relatively fixed manner so that an exterior side of the first display panel forms at least a p

A merchandiser includes a front door or wall portion which forms a barrier between an exterior side and an interior side of the merchandiser. The front door or wall portion holds a first display panel in a relatively fixed manner so that an exterior side of the first display panel forms at least a portion of the exterior side of the merchandiser. An access port (such as a slot) is included in the front door or wall portion, and is dimensioned and oriented so as to allow a replaceable graphics display panel to be passed, for example, from the interior side to the exterior side of the merchandiser, so as to be placed in juxtaposition with an interior facing side of the first display panel. In a preferred embodiment, the first display panel is affixed to the front door or wall portion in a manner so as to have an exterior facing convex shape, and said replaceable graphics display panel is placed in juxtaposition with the interior side of the first display panel by passing it through said access port from the interior side of said merchandiser, and pressed against the interior facing side of the first display panel by mechanical urging means which causes a press-fit of the replaceable display panel against the first display panel.

대표청구항 ▼

The invention claimed is: 1. A merchandiser (10), comprising: a cabinet (12) defining an enclosure including an article storage area (216) and a dispensing arrangement in its interior, said cabinet having a door (14) forming at least one portion of said enclosure, and a display portion (14, 18) of

The invention claimed is: 1. A merchandiser (10), comprising: a cabinet (12) defining an enclosure including an article storage area (216) and a dispensing arrangement in its interior, said cabinet having a door (14) forming at least one portion of said enclosure, and a display portion (14, 18) of said cabinet formed on at least one portion of said door, said display portion including: a slot (308) forming a passageway through said door near an edge thereof, and an exterior display panel (18) fixedly attached to an exterior side of said door (14) of said cabinet, said exterior display panel (18) including a display area (408) having an edge which overlaps the portion of said door having said slot (308) formed therethrough, wherein said slot has a length dimensioned for passing therethrough, from the interior side of said door, a replaceable graphic display panel (410), so as to position the replaceable graphic display panel (410) against an inside facing side of said exterior display panel (18), and wherein said door (14) includes an urging means (9) for securing the replaceable graphic display panel (410) against said display panel (18). 2. The merchandiser of claim 1, wherein said door (14) includes: a lock (36) for preventing unauthorized access to the interior of said merchandiser, and a cover releaseably secured to the interior side of said door in juxtaposition with said slot (308) so as to block unauthorized entrance to the interior of said cabinet from said exterior. 3. The merchandiser of claim 2, wherein said cover is lockable. 4. The merchandiser of claim 2, wherein said slot is accessible from the exterior of said cabinet, and said cover is releaseably secured to the exterior side of said door so as to block unauthorized entrance to the interior of said cabinet from said exterior. 5. The merchandiser of claim 1, wherein said exterior display panel (18) includes a clear portion (408) thereon, and said slot (308) is positioned adjacent said clear portion so that a replaceable graphics display panel can be passed therethrough and placed in juxtaposition with said clear portion. 6. The merchandiser of claim 1, wherein said urging means ( 320) releaseably engages an edge of said replaceable graphic display panel (410) for providing a force to said edge so as to urge said replaceable graphics panel into a tension fit against the inside facing side of said exterior display panel (18). 7. The merchandiser of claim 6, wherein said urging means ( 320) is arranged along said slot and accessible on the interior side of said door. 8. The merchandiser of claim 7, wherein said urging means ( 320) is pivotable between a first position during which it receives said edge of said replaceable graphics panel, and a second position during which it provides said urging force. 9. The merchandiser of claim 6, wherein said urging means ( 320) includes a plurality of spring clips arranged along said slot and a correspondingly plurality of spring clips arranged in an opposed manner at a portion of said display panel 18 which is opposed to said slot, the distance between said opposed spring clips being determined so as to provide to said edges of said replaceable graphics panel said urging force. 10. A display face, comprising: a first display panel (18) for forming substantially the entire exterior of said display face, at least a portion of said first display panel being clear, a second display panel (410) including display graphics thereon, said second display panel comprising a first sheet ( 516) including holding means (518) for releaseably holding at predetermined positions on said first sheet replaceable supplemental graphics cards (520) representative of articles stored in said merchandiser, urging means (320) for releaseably engaging an edge of said second display panel so as to urge said second display panel into a tension fit against an interior side of said first display panel and aligned with the clear portion (408) of said first display panel. 11. A display face of claim 10, wherein: said display face forms an exterior display portion of an automatic merchandiser, and said second display panel (410) includes display graphics thereon representative of articles stored in said merchandiser. 12. The display face of claim 10, wherein the clear portion of said first display panel comprises substantially the entire display face for said article merchandiser. 13. The display face of claim 10, wherein the clear portion of said first display panel comprises a sub-portion of the display face for said merchandiser. 14. The display face of claim 10, wherein said first sheet also includes holding means for holding a further graphics card representative of one of a selection identification or a price far a particular article stored in said merchandiser. 15. The display face of claim 10, wherein said second display panel (410) includes a second sheet (510) having substantially the same shape as said first sheet and includes preprinted graphics (510, 514) positioned thereon, so as to supplement the cards held on said first sheet when said first and second sheets are positioned one on top of another. 16. The display face of claim 15, wherein said preprinted graphics of said second sheet comprise one or more of: a border (512), a unique selection identifier (514), and a price (514) for a replaceable graphic card (520) of said first sheet (516) representative of a particular article stored in said merchandiser. 17. The display face of claim 10, wherein holding means of said first sheet (516) comprises slots (518) formed in said first sheet. 18. The display face of claim 17, wherein the slots in said first sheet are positioned to receive corners of said cards (520) so as to hold said cards at a predetermined position thereon. 19. The display face of claim 17, wherein the slots in said first sheet (516) are positioned to receive the width portion of said cards so as to hold said cards at a predetermined position thereon. 20. The display face of claim 17, further including a tension sheet (522) having substantially the same shape as said first sheet, for being positioned on one side of said first sheet so as to protect said cards from movement with respect to said first sheet and to act as a stiffener to the assembly of said first, second and tension sheets of the second display panel (410). 21. The display face of claim 17, further including a second sheet having substantially the same shape as said first sheet, said first sheet including preprinted graphics positioned thereon and for being positioned on an other side of said first sheet, so as to supplement the cards held on said first sheet when said first and second sheets are positioned one on top of another. 22. The display face of claim 21, wherein means (rivets) are provided for securing said first, second and tension sheets together. 23. The display face of claim 22, wherein said means for securing comprises tab portions on one of said first and tension sheets which releasably engage receiving portions in the other of said first and tension sheets which are aligned with said tab portions. 24. The display face of claim 23, wherein said tab portions releasably engage said receiving portions using a friction-fit. 25. A method for controlling the display face of the merchandiser, comprising the following steps: providing a merchandiser having mounted on an exterior side thereon in a substantially permanent maimer, a first display panel ( 18) for Conning an exterior portion of said display face, at least a portion (408) of said first display panel being clear, providing a replaceable second display panel (410) which includes display graphic cards (520) thereon representative of articles stored in said merchandiser, said second display panel comprising a first sheet (516) including holding means (518) for replaceably bolding at predetermined positions on said first sheet replaceable supplemental graphics cards (520), said second display panel being dimensioned so as to align with the clear portion of said first display panel, and releaseably engaging opposed edges of said second display panel so as to urge said second display panel into a tension fit against an interior side of said first display panel and aligned with the clear portion (408) of said first display panel, so as to form a display face in which said display graphics (520) are visible to a user of the merchandiser. 26. The method of claim 25, wherein the merchandiser includes a cabinet having a display portion including a slot therein near an edge thereof, wherein said providing step comprises: passing said second panel through said slot, from the interior side of the display portion to an exterior side of said display portion, so as to position said second panel in juxtaposition with the clear area of said first display panel. 27. The method of claim 25, wherein said step of providing a replaceable second display panel comprises: providing as said second display panel a first flexible sheet (510) and a second flexible sheet (516), said first flexible sheet (510) having preprinted graphics thereon representative of one or more of a border, a unique selection identifier, or a price, for a replaceable graphic card (520) representative of a particular article stored in said merchandiser, and said second flexible sheet (516) being in juxtaposition with said first flexible sheet and holding said replaceable graphics cards. 28. The method of claim 27, including a further step of: providing a third flexible sheet (522) so as to sandwich said second flexible sheet between said first and third flexible sheets. 29. A display face for forming a convexly curved exterior display portion of an automatic merchandiser, said display face comprising: a first display panel (18) for forming a convexly curved portion of the exterior of said display face, at least a sub-portion of said first display panel being clear, a second display panel (410) including display graphics thereon, and urging means (320) for releaseably engaging an edge of said second display panel so as to urge said replaceable graphics panel into a tension fit against an interior side of said first display panel, with the display graphics of the second display panel (410) being aligned with the clear portion (408) of said first display panel, wherein said second display panel comprises: a first sheet (510) having preprinted graphics (510, 514) positioned thereon, the first sheet (510) being aligned in its tension fit wit the first display panel so that at least some of the preprinted graphics of the first sheet are visible through the clear portion of the firs display panel, and a second sheet (516) including holding means for holding replaceable supplemental graphics cards (520) representative of articles stored in said merchandiser, the second sheet (516) also being aligned in its tension fit with the first display panel so as to supplement the preprinted graphics on said first sheet when viewed through the clear portion of said first display panel. 30. The display face of claim 29, wherein said second sheet (516) holds said cards (520) thereon using slots (518 ) formed in said second sheet. 31. The display face of claim 30, wherein the slots in said second sheet are positioned to receive corners of said cards (520) so as to hold said cards at a predetermined position thereon. 32. The display face of claim 30, wherein the slots in said second sheet (516) are positioned to receive the width portion of said cards so as to hold said cards at a predetermined position thereon. 33. The display face of claim 29, further including a tension sheet (522) having a size at least as large as said second sheet, for being positioned on a side of said second sheet which is opposite said first display panel, so as to protect said cards from movement with respect to said second sheet and to act as a stiffener to an assembly of said first, second and tension sheets of the second display panel ( 410).