Product depletion indicator for refrigerators

Claim 2

In an article storage structure provided with a normally closed cabinet having an interior space which is hidden from view when the cabinet is closed, the improvement comprising: a pair of electrically conductive, upright, horizontally spaced track elements in said cabinet; a vertically adjustable article storage unit supported by said track elements at a selected height, said unit including a shelf for receiving a plurality of articles for storage in said cabinet, means mounting said shelf for limited movement from an upper position, in which the shelf is in an essentially unloaded, depleted condition, to a lower position under the weight of said articles thereon, and means coupled with said shelf for returning the latter to its upper position when a sufficient number of said articles are removed therefrom to place the shelf in said depleted condition; an electrically operated signaling device for indicating that the shelf is in said depleted condition without opening the cabinet; and an operating circuit connected with said track elements and said device, said mounting means of said unit being provided with a pair of electrically conductive components engaging corresponding track elements at the selected height, and said track elements and said components having mating parts permitting selective vertical positioning of the unit on said track elements, said unit further including an electrical switch coupled with said components for establishing electrical continuity between said track elements when the switch is actuated, and means responsive to movement of said shelf for actuating the switch as the shelf shifts to its upper position under the action of said returning means, whereby the unit is mechanically and electrically independent of said track elements to permit vertical adjustment of the shelf, yet electrical connections to said switch are established through the track elements irrespective of the shelf height selected.

Claim 3

The improvement as claimed in claim 1, wherein said shelf is electrically conductIve and has a pair of rearwardly extending arms at rear corners thereof, and wherein said mounting means of the unit includes a pair of aligned pivot pins adjacent said rear corners and carried by corresponding components for supporting said arms for pivotal movement of the shelf between said positions thereof, said switch being mounted on one of said components and electrically connected with said one component and the associated arm, the other of said arms being electrically connected with the other of said components.

Claim 4

In a refrigerator: a normally closed cabinet having a refrigerated interior space which is hidden from view when the cabinet is closed; a plurality of product storage units; a plurality of electrically conductive support structures in said cabinet, each providing a number of heights at which a corresponding unit may be supported within the cabinet and supporting said unit at a selected height, each of said units including a shelf for receiving a number of consumable products of a particular type for storage in said cabinet, means mounting said shelf for limited movement from an upper position, in which the shelf is in an essentially unloaded, depleted condition, to a lower position under the weight of said products thereon, and means coupled with said shelf for returning the latter to its upper position when a sufficient quantity of said products are removed therefrom to place the shelf in said depleted condition; a plurality of electrically operated signaling devices on the exterior of said cabinet, each operable to indicate that a corresponding shelf is in said depleted condition without opening the cabinet and inspecting the shelf; and a plurality of independent operating circuits, each connected with a corresponding support structure and a corresponding device, said mounting means of each unit being provided with a pair of electrically conductive components engaging the corresponding support structure at the selected height, and the support structure and the components having mating parts permitting selective vertical positioning of the unit on the support structure at the heights provided, each unit further including an electrical switch coupled with the components thereof for establishing electrical continuity between the switch and the associated support structure when the switch is actuated, and means responsive to movement of the shelf for actuating the switch as the shelf shifts to its upper position under the action of said returning means, whereby the units are mechanically and electrically independent of the support structures therefor to permit vertical adjustment of the shelves, yet electrical connections to the switches are established through the support structures irrespective of the shelf heights selected so that the depleted condition of a particular shelf will be indicated.

Claim 5

In a refrigerator: a normally closed cabinet having a refrigerated interior space which is hidden from view when the cabinet is closed; a plurality of product storage units; a plurality of electrically conductive support structures in said cabinet, each providing a number of heights at which a corresponding unit may be supported within the cabinet and supporting said unit at a selected height, each of said units including a shelf for receiving a number of consumable products of a particular type for storage in said cabinet, means mounting said shelf for limited movement from an upper position, in which the shelf is in an essentially unloaded, depleted condition, to a lower position under the weight of said products thereon, and means coupled with said shelf for returning the latter to its upper position when a sufficient quantity of said products are removed therefrom to place the shelf in said depleted condition; a plurality of electrically operated signaling devices on the exterior of said cabinet, each operable to indicate that a corresponding shelf is in said depleted condition without opening the cabinet and inspecting the shelf; and a plurality of independent operating circuits, each connected with a corresponding support structure and a corresponding device, said mounting means of each unit being provided with a pair of electrically conductive components engaging the corresponding support structure at the selected height, and the support structure and the components having mating parts permitting selective vertical positioning of the unit on the support structure at the heights provided, each unit further including an electrical switch coupled with the components thereof for establishing electrical continuity between the switch and the associated support structure when the switch is actuated, and means responsive to movement of the shelf for actuating the switch as the shelf shifts to its upper position under the action of said returning means, whereby the units are mechanically and electrically independent of the support structures therefor to permit vertical adjustment of the shelves, yet electrical connections to the switches are established through the support structures irrespective of the shelf heights selected so that the depleted condition of a particular shelf will be indicated.

Claim 6

In the refrigerator as claimed in claim 3, wherein each of said devices, upon operation thereof, emits visible light of a different color to thereby provide said devices with different recognizable characteristics.

Claim 7

In the refrigerator as claimed in claim 4, further provided with indicia-bearing means on said cabinet exterior proximal to said devices for identifying the product stored on each shelf and, accordingly, represented by each device.