A refrigerator includes a cabinet, a door, the door, and a transparent display covering an opening of the door through which an inner space of the refrigerator is visible. The transparent display assembly includes a front panel, a rear panel, an outer spacer defining a circumferential surface of the transparent display assembly and a sealed space between the front panel and the rear panel, a display disposed inside the sealed space, a light guide plate, a display light configured to emit light to an end of the light guide plate, and a first spacer mounted on a rear surface of the front panel and configured to support the light guide plate and maintain a predetermined distance between the light guide plate and the front panel.

A refrigeration bin is disclosed. The bin includes a product display area defined by four side walls, a floor, and an access opening. Also included are an air supply vent on each of a first opposing set of the side walls, and an air return vent near each of a second opposing set of the side walls, in which the second opposing set of the side walls are adjacent to the first opposing set of the side walls. There is a return air duct, a first end of the return air duct in air flow communication with the air return vent, and a supply air duct, the first end of the supply air duct in air flow communication with the air supply vent, allows air flow in the display area. A cooling device is included for cooling air before it enters the supply air duct. The refrigeration bin can be useful to showcase foodstuffs in grocery stores and the like.

Disclosed is a system for real-time measurement of inventory on shelves. The system uses light sensors placed in association with the inventory and the shelves to measure in real-time the removal/replacement of inventory from the shelves. When inventory is on the shelves, less light reaches the light sensors. As inventory is removed from shelves, the light sensors receive more light. The difference in light received generates as signal that can be measured, thereby allowing for determining inventory levels on each shelf. The system may be retro-fitted to existing shelving systems, thereby avoiding the cost of purchasing new shelving systems. The system can work on any shelving system, including gravity-feed roller shelf (GRS), flat shelves, and spring loaded pusher shelves, and is unaffected by usual temperatures found in retail establishments and can thus work in both refrigerated and unrefrigerated systems. Also disclosed are related methods.

A bracket (100) for clamping an aerofoil to a shelf (102) of a refrigerator is described. Bracket (100) comprises a mounting portion for holding part of an aerofoil in use, an upper jaw (104) configured to engage the forward lip (106) of shelf (102) and a lower jaw member (108) configured to engage a lower lip (112) on the underside (110) of refrigerator shelf (102). The bracket (100) may also comprise clamping means shown generally by (114) configured to enable the upper jaw member (104) and the lower jaw members (108) to be drawn towards one another to clamp the bracket (100) on the refrigerator shelf (102).

Provided is a refrigerator. The refrigerator is characterized by enabling at least a part of a refrigerator door to be selectively transparent by a user's operation, such that the user sees through an inside of the refrigerator while the refrigerator door is closed.

The provides disclosure describes a method for configuring an open display refrigerator, the method comprises: a measuring an initial temperature difference between the warmest temperature recorded by an array of temperature sensors and the coldest temperature recorded by the array of temperature sensors; coupling an air guide to at least one shelf; adjusting the distance between the air guide and the edge of the shelf for the at least one shelf; measuring a final temperature difference associated with the distance, the final temperature difference being the temperature difference between the warmest temperature recorded by the array of temperature sensors and the coldest temperature recorded by the array of temperatures sensors after coupling an air guide to the at least one shelf; selecting a distance from the plurality of distances that gives rise to at least a threshold temperature difference, or selecting the distance from the plurality of distances wherein the difference between the initial temperature difference and the associated final temperature difference is greatest.

A refrigerated merchandising cabinet comprises an insulated casing, an interior of which forms a product display chamber. Refrigeration apparatus for generating and delivering a cold airstream through the product display chamber to cool the product display chamber is mounted on top of the casing. Access doors are mounted at a front of the casing to provide access to the product display chamber. Each access door is mounted on the casing by means of an inner frame forming an integral part of the casing and defining an access opening at the front of the casing and a complementary outer frame which is demountably engaged with the inner frame. Each door is hingedly mounted on the outer frame.

Information and passive biometric capture systems and methods. The information system includes a housing having a cavity configured to receive tangible items therein. A transparent, touch-sensitive display device is positioned over the cavity and configured such that in response to pixels of the display being black, the tangible items behind the black pixels are visible through the transparent display. A controller is programmed to receive from a remote server an alarm signal, and in response thereto, cause the display to change its state to indicate an alarm condition on the display. In response to receiving an input from the touch-sensitive display, a keypad is displayed, and inputs thereon are communicated to the remote server. The display can also display personal photographs stored in the memory device. A passive biometric capture system includes a chair with pressure-sensitive sensors embedded within areas contacted by a person sitting in the chair to form a unique passive biometric signature for each person and thereby differentiate among different people who sit in the same chair.

A method for reducing sweating in a temperature-controlled display device includes receiving values of an ambient temperature, a door frame temperature, and relative humidity. The method can also include estimating a value of a dewpoint temperature using the values of the ambient temperature and the relative humidity. The method can also include determining control decisions for a door frame heater of the temperature-controlled display device using the value of the dewpoint temperature and the door frame temperature, and transitioning the door frame heater between an on-state and an off-state using the control decisions to maintain the value of the door frame temperature at or above the value of the dewpoint temperature.

A display case includes multiple walls that define an inner volume, a door, a door actuator, a gesture sensor, and a controller. The door is transitionable between an open position for access to the inner volume and a closed position. The door actuator is configured to transition the door between the open position and the closed position. The gesture sensor is configured to detect a gesture performed by a user. The controller includes a processing circuit configured to obtain sensor data from the gesture sensor that indicates the gesture performed by the user. The processing circuit is further configured to determine if the user has performed a reference gesture using the sensor data. The processing circuit is further configured to operate the door actuator to transition the door between the open position and the closed position in response to determining that the user has performed the reference gesture.