Display case door with transparent LCD panel

Abstract

A display case door for a product storage device includes a transparent unit through which products within the product storage device are visible. The transparent unit includes a transparent LCD panel configured to present visual media content. The display case door further includes an electrical hinge pin rotatably coupling the display case door to the product storage device and one or more electrical conductors extending through the electrical hinge pin. The electrical conductors deliver the visual media content to the transparent LCD panel from a remote data source.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A display case door for a product storage device, the display case door comprising:
 a transparent unit through which products within the product storage device are visible, the transparent unit comprising a front panel, a rear panel, and a transparent LCD panel positioned between the front panel and the rear panel, wherein the transparent LCD panel is configured to present visual media content;   a light guide positioned within the transparent unit between the transparent LCD panel and the rear panel, the light guide comprising a front surface facing toward the transparent LCD panel, a rear surface facing toward the rear panel, and a side surface extending between the front surface and the rear surface; and   a lighting element positioned within the transparent unit between the transparent LCD panel and the rear panel and configured to emit light through the side surface of the light guide in a direction substantially parallel to the transparent LCD panel;   wherein the light guide is configured to redirect the light emitted by the lighting element through the front surface toward the transparent LCD panel and through the rear surface toward the products within the product storage device.   
     
     
       2. The display case door of  claim 1 , wherein the visual media content comprises at least one of product information, pricing information, nutritional information, advertising content, and store layout information. 
     
     
       3. The display case door of  claim 1 , wherein the transparent LCD panel is configured to receive data from a remote data source comprising a media player located outside the display case door and connected with the transparent LCD panel via one or more electrical conductors;
 wherein the media player is configured to control the visual media content presented via the transparent LCD panel.   
     
     
       4. The display case door of  claim 3 , wherein the media player provides visual media content to a plurality of transparent LCD panels distributed across a plurality of display case doors. 
     
     
       5. The display case door of  claim 1 , wherein the lighting element is configured to provide lighting for the transparent LCD panel and for the products within the product storage device. 
     
     
       6. The display case door of  claim 1 , wherein the light guide is configured to transition between an opaque state in which the light guide provides backlighting for the transparent LCD panel and a transparent state in which the light guide allows the products within the product storage device to be viewed through the transparent LCD panel. 
     
     
       7. The display case door of  claim 1 , further comprising a touch screen configured to receive touch-based input from a user;
 wherein the visual media content presented by the transparent LCD panel is in response to user input received via the touch screen.   
     
     
       8. The display case door of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a speaker configured to present audio media content; and   one or more electrical conductors configured to deliver the audio media content to the speaker from a remote data source.   
     
     
       9. The display case door of  claim 1 , wherein the light guide comprises a phosphorescent embedded material configured to redirect the light emitted by the light guide toward the transparent LCD panel and toward the products within the product storage device. 
     
     
       10. A display system for a product storage device, the display system comprising:
 a display case door comprising a transparent LCD panel configured to present visual media content and through which products within the product storage device are visible;   a light guide positioned behind the transparent LCD panel, the light guide comprising a front surface facing toward the transparent LCD panel, a rear surface facing toward the products within the product storage device, and a side surface extending between the front surface and the rear surface; and   a lighting element configured to emit light through the side surface of the light guide in a direction substantially parallel to the transparent LCD panel;   wherein the light guide is configured to redirect the light emitted by the lighting element through the front surface toward the transparent LCD panel and through the rear surface toward the products within the product storage device.   
     
     
       11. The display system of  claim 10 , wherein the transparent unit further comprises a front panel and a rear panel;
 wherein the transparent LCD panel is positioned between the front panel and the rear panel.   
     
     
       12. The display system of  claim 10 , wherein the visual media content comprises at least one of product information, pricing information, nutritional information, advertising content, and store layout information. 
     
     
       13. The display system of  claim 10 , wherein the lighting element is configured to provide lighting for the transparent LCD panel and for the products within the product storage device. 
     
     
       14. The display system of  claim 10 , wherein the light guide is configured to transition between an opaque state in which the light guide provides backlighting for the transparent LCD panel and a transparent state in which the light guide allows products within the product storage device to be viewed through the transparent LCD panel. 
     
     
       15. The display system of  claim 10 , further comprising a controller configured to cause the light guide to transition between the transparent state and the opaque state and coordinate presentation of the visual media content via the transparent LCD panel with a state of the light guide. 
     
     
       16. The display system of  claim 15 , wherein the controller:
 causes the light guide to transition into the opaque state when the visual media content is presented via the transparent LCD panel; and   causes the light guide to transition into the transparent state when the visual media content is not presented via the transparent LCD panel.   
     
     
       17. The display system of  claim 15 , wherein the controller provides visual media content to a plurality of transparent LCD panels distributed across a plurality of display case doors. 
     
     
       18. A display case door assembly comprising:
 a transparent unit comprising a transparent LCD panel configured to present visual media content;   a light guide positioned behind the transparent LCD panel, the light guide comprising a front surface facing toward the transparent LCD panel, a rear surface facing away from the transparent LCD panel, and a side surface extending between the front surface and the rear surface; and   a lighting element configured to emit light through the side surface of the light guide in a direction substantially parallel to the transparent LCD panel;   wherein the light guide is configured to redirect the light emitted by the lighting element through the front surface toward the transparent LCD panel and through the rear surface away from the transparent LCD panel.   
     
     
       19. The display case door assembly of  claim 18 , wherein the visual media content comprises at least one of product information, pricing information, nutritional information, advertising content, and store layout information. 
     
     
       20. The display case door assembly of  claim 18 , further comprising:
 a power supply located outside the display case door and configured to provide power for the transparent LCD panel; and   one or more electrical conductors configured to deliver the power from the power supply to the transparent LCD panel.   
     
     
       21. A method comprising:
 receiving, through a communication interface associated with a display case door, media content for display on a display panel of the display case door;   presenting the media content on the display panel of the display case door; and   controlling operation of a light guide positioned with a transparent unit of the display case door by:
 applying a voltage or current to the light guide, thereby, causing light guide to transition into a transparent state; and 
 removing the voltage or current from the light guide, thereby, causing the light guide to transition to an opaque state, 
   wherein the light guide is positioned between a transparent LCD panel and a rear panel, the light guide being spaced apart from the LCD panel by a spacer disposed there between, and the light guide comprising a front surface facing toward the transparent LCD panel, a rear surface facing toward the rear panel, and a side surface extending between the front surface and the rear surface.   
     
     
       22. The method of claim 21, wherein presenting the media content comprises coordinating display of the media content on display panels of a series of display case doors. 
     
     
       23. The method of claim 22, wherein the display panel is a first display panel and the display case door is a first display case door, and
 wherein coordinating display of the media content on display panels of series of display case doors comprises coordinating display of a first portion of the media content on the first display panel of the first display case door and coordinating display of a second portion of the media content on a second display panel of a second display case door.   
     
     
       24. The method of claim 21, wherein the media content includes at least one of product information, pricing information, nutritional information, advertising information, and store layout information. 
     
     
       25. The method of claim 21, further comprising receiving, through the communication interface, sensor data from a visual recognition camera attached to the display case door, the visual recognition camera being configured to capture visual images of a person in front of the display case door. 
     
     
       26. The method of claim 25, wherein the images indicate whether the person in front of the display case door is a man or a woman, and the media content is selected from stored media content based on whether the person in front of the display case door is the man or the woman. 
     
     
       27. The method of claim 25, further comprising adding a time stamp to the sensor data.