The present invention pertains to a display case for effectively and attractively displaying merchandise. Display cases are manufactured in various sizes and shapes to suit different retail needs. Nevertheless, they all generally include front, top and end panels which are transparent to facilitate easy viewing of the merchandise enclosed within. Further, to favorably highlight the merchandise, lighting fixtures are often provided along the upper front edge.
Lighting fixtures typically include an elongated light assembly, preferably utilizing fluorescent lights, which extends across the entire length of the case. The necessary wiring is fed downwardly through the deck by a fixed channel or tube member located near one end panel. An example of such a construction is disclosed in copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 161,902 filed Feb. 29, 1988, and entitled LIGHTED DISPLAY CASE.
As can be readily appreciated, the panels through use become marred and scratched. In response to this gradual degradation, many retailers periodically replace the panels to continue giving the display cases a fresh, new look. In fact, many retailers install new panels as frequently as every six months.
However, with the construction of past display cases, replacement of the front and end panels requires extensive disassembly of the case. For example, replacement of the front panel will in many instances require removal of the lighting assembly which, in turn, requires removal of the top panel. Furthermore, replacement of the end panel adjacent the wiring channel or tube will often necessitate removal of the front panel in addition to the top panel and lighting assembly. This can be a particularly onerous task if the end panel is the only panel needing replacement.
Also, in use, display cases are frequently arranged end-to-end in a linear or non-linear configuration to make effective use of the available space and/or to more aesthetically arrange a retail area. In any event, display cases are either simply placed into position or coupled together by drilling and bolting adjacent cases. In regard to the former method: gaps are usually present between the cases and thereby reduce the attractiveness of the grouping of cases; individual cases will be less steady than several cases coupled together; and the cases, despite careful planning, invariably become inadvertently shifted or cocked which again reduces the attractiveness of the grouped cases. While bolting the cases together alleviates these problems, it also permanently defaces the ends of the cases and thereafter severely limits the way the cases may be otherwise arranged.