Background of the Invention Various types of reach-in coolers, refrigerators, and glass door merchandisers are commonly used to present different types of products for sale.

The coolers generally have a transparent door, lid, or other type of entrance such that a consumer can see the products therein. The products are generally placed on shelves within the cooler. As is well known, the consumer opens the door to the cooler and grasps the desired product or products. Such coolers are commonly used to sell products such as bottles or cans of beverages. The beverages may include coffee; tea; water; fruit, vegetable and juice concentrates; fruit, vegetable and juice beverages; isotonic beverages; non-isotonic beverages; milk and milk byproducts; carbonated soft drinks; and soft drink concentrate. The products also may include one or more food brands or other types of consumable items.

Marketing studies have shown that consumers are attracted to products that have the appearance or impression of being cold. The colder a product looks, the more appealing the product may be to the consumer. As a result, cooler manufacturers have attempted to give coolers and the products therein the appearance of being cold regardless of the actual temperature of the products. For example, commonly owned U. S. Patent No. 4,449, entitled"Transparent Refrigerator Doors with Frosted Product Logo Thereon", describes applying films such as a screen, a stencil, a decal, or the like to the glass door or lid of a cooler. The film has a product logo with a cold"frosted"appearance thereon. The frosted logo promotes the impression or feeling of coldness intended to be associated with the beverages positioned within the cooler.

Although the use of the frosted product logo in the cooler window does promote a feeling or impression of coldness, the product logo may obscure the consumer's view of the products within the cooler. What is needed, therefore, is a cooler that provides the feeling or impression of coldness while also properly displaying the products placed therein. The cooler should promote the feeling or

impression of coldness in an unobtrusive manner. Further, the means of promoting this feeling or impression of coldness should be relatively inexpensive and easy to install and maintain.

Summary of the Invention The present invention provides a cooler having a tinted light source and a door. The tinted light source may produce a blue colored light. The door has a frame and a transparent panel. The door panel includes a frost indicator thereon.

The door frame includes frame lights positioned therein. The tinted light source, the frost indicator, and the frame lights combine to provide the appearance of coldness to the cooler.

Specific embodiments of the present invention include a cooler with a vertical or a horizontal orientation. The cooler may have a door that swings or slides open. The door also could be in the form of a lid or other type of entrance. The door panel includes a periphery portion surrounding a central portion. The frost indicators generally are positioned on the periphery portion. The frost indicators may be films, screens, stencils, decals, or other objects applied to the panel. Alternatively, the frost indicators also may include etching, chipping, sandblasting, or similar methods of frosting the panel. The frost indicators may include a blue tint, a multicolor tint, or other colors. The panel may have multiple panes with the frost indicators applied to one or more of the panes. The door lights may a brightness of about twenty (20) to about one-hundred (100) Watts. To produce the blue color, the tinted light source may have a wavelength of about 380 to about 500 nanometers. The tinted light source may use a translucent film or gel to produce the appropriate colored light.

The present invention further provides for a number of products positioned within the cooler. The products may be carbonated soft drinks. The tinted light source is generally positioned behind the products and shines thereon.

The tinted light source, the frost indicator, and the frame lights provide the appearance of coldness to the products.

Brief Description of the Drawings Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a cooler of the present invention with the door open.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a cooler of the present invention with the door closed and products place therein.

Fig. 3 is a side cross-sectional view of a multiple pane door panel of the present invention with etching provided on one pane.

Fig. 4 is an alternative embodiment of the present invention showing a cooler with a plurality of lids positioned thereon.

Detailed Description of the Invention Referring now in more detail to the drawings, in which like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views, Figs. 1 and 2 show a refrigerated cooler 100 for use with the present invention. The refrigerated cooler 100 may be largely of conventional design. The cooler 100 may be in the form of a conventional refrigerator or a glass door merchandiser. The cooler 100 generally has a mechanical refrigeration system (not shown) of conventional design. A preferred cooler 100 is manufactured by the Beverage-Air Company of Spartanburg, South Carolina under the following marks: MM-14; MM-27; MT-Z7; and RAD-15. Other preferred types of coolers 100 are manufactured by the Hussmann Company of St. Louis, Missouri and sold under the following marks: RAD-27; ARE-300; ARV-400; ARE-450; and ARV-650.

The cooler 100 generally includes an insulated shell 110 and an outer door 120. Certain aspects of the invention also may be applicable to coolers 100 with no door 120 at all. When used, the outer door 120 preferably is transparent in whole or in part such that the consumer can see within the cooler 100. The outer door 120 may swing or slide open, or open in any conventional fashion. Further, the cooler 100 may have multiple doors 120. Located within the cooler 100 may be a plurality of shelves 130. The shelves 130 may be of conventional design. The shelves 130 generally have a plurality of products 140 placed thereon for sale to the consumer. The plurality of products 140 may be carbonated soft drinks or the like.

The outer door 120 generally has an outer frame 150 surrounding a transparent panel 160. The panel 160 may be made from single or multiple paned 165 glass or any other type of transparent materials with good insulating capabilities.

For example, polycarbonate, ABS, or other suitable materials may be used. The panel 160 generally has a periphery portion 170 surrounding a central portion 180.

Positioned about the periphery portion 170 may be one or more frost indicators 190. The frost indicators 190 may be films, screens, stencils, decals, or the like applied to the periphery 170 of the panel 160. The frost indicators 190 also may be made by etching, chipping, sandblasting, or similar methods used to produce an "icy", or a"cloudy", or a frosted appearance in the panel 160. As such, the frost indicators 190 do not provide a"frost"per se, but an appearance, a chipping, or a chemical application that looks like frost or ice. As is shown in Fig. 3, the frost indicators 190 may be applied to one pane 165 of a multiple paned panel 160.

Alternatively, the frost indicators 190 may be applied to multiple panes 165 of the panel 160. Applying the frost indicators 190 to more than one pane 165 of the panel 160 may provide a three-dimensional frosted appearance. The frost indicators 190 are preferably placed around the periphery 170 of the panel 160 so as to allow a consumer to view the plurality of products 140 through the central portion 180 of the panel 160. The frost indicators 190 of the invention thus provide the cooler 100 and the products 140 within the cooler 100 with a feeling or impression of coldness.

The present invention further provides for the use of one or more door lights 200. Traditionally, a cooler 100 would have interior lighting positioned only along one side of the cooler 100. The door lights 200 of the present invention are preferably placed along the outer frame 150 of the door 120. The door lights 200 generally are positioned on the inside of the frame 150 so as to face and shine upon the products 140. The door lights 200 are preferably conventional fluorescent tubes or other types of conventional lighting devices. The door lights 200 may have a brightness of about twenty (20) to about one-hundred (100) Watts or more depending upon the size of the door 120 and the cooler 100. The door lights 200 are preferably concealed from the direct view of the consumer when the door 120 is closed.

The door lights 200 served to illuminate the plurality of products 140 within the cooler 100 and also to illuminate the frost indicators 190 positioned on the door panel 160. This illumination of the products 140 and the frost indicators 190 by the door lights 200 further enhances the feeling or impression of coldness provided by the frost indicators 190.

The present invention also provides for one or more interior lights 210. The interior lights 210 are preferably a blue tint in color. The use of this blue color provides the consumer with a further feeling or impression of coldness.

Specifically, the interior lights 210 may have a wavelength of about 380 to about 500 nanometers in the visual spectrum as viewed directly or through the door panel 160.

Other colors and wavelengths or combinations of colors and wavelengths may be used. The interior lights 210 may be any type or combination of conventional light sources. Examples include conventional fluorescent light sources such as compact fluorescent, electrodeless light sources and black light; incandescent/halogen light sources; HID-high density lighting such as metal halide, mercury vapor; high pressure sodium, and low pressure sodium; or other types of conventional lighting devices including but not limited to neon; cold cathode; fiber optic; L. E. D.; electroluminescent tape; and microwave sulfur lighting. The glass or the outer layer of the interior lights 210 may be dyed the blue color described above or a translucent film, gel, or other covering with the blue color described above may be used in

combination with the interior lights 210. A preferred gel is sold by Rosco of Stamford, Connecticut under the designations of gel # 60 through gel #385.

The interior lights 210 are preferably positioned in the back of the cooler 100 behind the plurality of products 140. One interior light 210 may be positioned behind or on top of one of the shelves 130. More than one interior light 140 may be used within the cooler 100. Preferably, one interior light 210 may be used with about every two (2) to four (4) shelves 130. The interior lights 210 illuminate the plurality of products 140 and the frost indicators 190 with the blue light so as to provide the feeling and impression of coldness. Particularly when the products 140 are bottles containing carbonated soft drinks or other types of beverages, the interior lights 210 provide a significant connotation of coldness and refreshment to the consumer. In other words, the blue-tinted light shinning upon the beverage bottles enhances the feeling and impression of coldness and refreshment to the consumer when viewed through the central portion 180 of the panel 160 of the door 120.

This combination of the frost indicator 190, the door lights 200, and the interior lights 210 provides the improved cooler 100 of the present invention. By promoting the connotation of coldness with the products 140, the products 140 become more desirable to the consumer and hence sales of the products 140 should increase.

As an alternative embodiment, the same or a similar blue color as described above with respect to the interior lights 210 also can be added to the frost indicators 190. In other words, the frost indicator 190 also would have a blue tint.

This addition of the blue appearance to the frost indicator 190 further increases the appearance of coldness of the cooler 100 and the products 140 therein. The frost indicator 190 also may include a multicolor tint or other colors.

As a further alternative embodiment, Fig. 4 shows a cooler 220 with a horizontal orientation and a plurality of lids 230 thereon. It is understood that the invention is equally applicable to the cooler 220 with the transparent lids 230 or any other type of entrance. Likewise, the frost indicators 190, the door lights 200, and the interior lights 210 are equally applicable to the cooler 220 with a horizontal orientation.