US2074870A

US2074870A - Refrigerator

Info

Publication number: US2074870A
Application number: US354A
Authority: US
Inventors: Raymond H Starr; Masters Clarence
Original assignee: KOCH BUTCHERS SUPPLY Co
Current assignee: KOCH BUTCHERS SUPPLY Co
Priority date: 1935-01-04
Filing date: 1935-01-04
Publication date: 1937-03-23
Anticipated expiration: 1954-03-23

Description

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 R. H. STARR E1- AL REFRIGERATOR Filed J'an, 4, 1935 l l| u 1 www@ 4? l/l//ll/ k, f "5J `x. IIHHIHIIIHHIIIIII n l x y. l

March 23, 1937.

lNvENTo Hag/naad H 5B agar ATTORN EY March 23, 1937. R. H. STARR ET AL 2,074,870

- y REFRIGERATOR y Filed Jan. 4, 1935 2 sheets-sheet 2 INVENTORS Rayma/MH .57 rg, 00m/ire Ms 5:

Patented Mar. 23, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE REFRIGERATOR tion of Missouri Application January 4, 1935, Serial No. 354

4 Claims.

This invention relates to refrigerators, and more particularly to a door construction for refrigerated display cases and has for its principal objects to provide a door construction giving better access to the interior of the case, to provide for semi-automatic operation of the door to and from closing position, to provide a door which does not interfere with operation of an adjacent door or with location of shelves or other accessories attached to the door side of the case, to provide a door which, when in open position, does not interfere with the display of merchandise in the case, and to protect the glass of the door when in open position from direct effect of the refrigerating element in the case.

It is also an important object of the invention to provide a substantially balanced door construction to prevent slammingthereof when moving to and from closed position.

In accomplishing these and other objects of the invention, as hereinafter pointed out, I have `provided improved details of structure, the preferred form of which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerated display case equipped with doors constructed in accordance with the present invention and showing one of the doors in open position to permit access to the interior of the case.

Fig. 2 is a vertical cross section through the display case on the line 2-2, Fig. 1, showing the door in closed position.

Fig. 3 is a detail section through the door portion of the case on the line 3-3, Fig. 2.

` Fig. 4 is a fragmentary section through the door and portion of the case with the door in open position, the section being taken on the line 4 4, Fig. 5.

Fig. 5 is a cross section through the upper portion of the case similar to Fig. 2, but showing the door in open position.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of the case, particularly illustrating the door stops and showing the door in open position.

` Fig. 7 is a detail section on the line '1 -l, Fig. 5.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary perspective view of one set of door tracks particularly illustrating their suspension from the shelf supporting rack,

Referring more in detail to the drawings:

I designates a refrigerated displaycase including a transparent paneled front wall 2, a rear wall 3 having a series of door openings 4, end walls 5 and E, and a counter top 1. In the illustrated instance, the upper portion of the front l and rear walls converges toward the counter top (Cl. S12-189) l to promote visibility and access to the merchandise on display in the case. Suspended or otherwise supported below the top I is a conventional refrigerant expansion element 8 to give the desired refrigerating effect within the case. 5

Supported Within the case at a point substantially midway the height of the door openings is a shelf supporting rack including front and rear angles 9 and I0 connected at points between the door openings by pairs of spaced angle bars II 10 and I2 to form a substantial rectangular support for a tray I3 upon which merchandise is displayed within the view of a customer through the transparent panels 2.

To promote visibility of the merchandise, the 15 support thus described is preferably inclined downwardly toward the panels 2 and is` braced from the rear of the case by rods I4 as best illustrated in Figs. 2 and 8. Located below the shelf supporting frame in substantial alignment with 20 the lower edges of the door openings is a second display shelf I5 which is accessible through the lower portion of the door openings and visible through the panels 2.

The construction thus far described is repre- 25 sentative of a conventional type display case to illustrate my improved door construction and mounting as now to be described.

In the illustrated instance, the door openings 4 are of rectangular shape and include upper and 30 lower jambs lG-Il and side jambs Ill-I3 forming an integral part of the case and in which the doors 2U are mounted.

The doors 20 comprise upper and lower rails 2| and 22 connected by

end stiles

23 and 24 to form 35 a frame of suitable dimensions to be snugly received within the door openings 4. The stiles and rails thus described carry a series of spaced

transparent panels

25 and 26 having their edges sealed to the inner edges of the rails and stiles by 40 means of stops 2l as in conventional refrigerator door construction. Projecting from the edge face 23 of the

stiles

23 and 24 in downward spaced relation with the center of the door are studs 29 and 3l] mounting rollers 3l and 32 on which the 45 doors are trunnioned for swinging and sliding movement under the shelf supporting frame.

Formed in the side jambs I8 and I9 of the case in line with the rollers are rectangular grooves 33 of suicient depth to accommodate the width of 50 the rollers and of suitable height to accommodate the diameter of the rollers and an end of the

roller tracks

34 and 35 that are supported therein. The

tracks

34 and 35 comprise angle members having vertical flanges 36 to form rails on which .55

frs

the rollers operate, and horizontal flanges 31 arranged with the outer ends thereof seating in the bottom of the grooves 33. The opposite ends of the tracks are suspended by hangers 38 attached to the inner ends of bars 39 which, in turn, are fastened to the shelf support between the pairs of angles I l and I 2 as best illustrated in Fig. 8.

The hangers 38 between adjacent doors include depending leg portions 40 and 4I having the lower ends 42 thereof welded or otherwise secured to the vertical flanges of the angles to cooperate with the grooved portions of the jarnbs in rigidly supporting the tracks in suspended spaced relation with the shelf rack Il. The hangers 43 at the ends of the case have but a single leg sincey it is obvious that they need to support only a single track. The hangers 38 areof sufficient length to support the inner ends of the tracks at a lower level than their outer ends so that the rails are inclined to provide gravity operation of the doors when they are being moved to open position.

In order to retain the door rollers on the tracks and prevent lateral movement of the doors, the rollers are preferably provided with spaced

side anges

44 and 45 that engage opposite sides of the rails as best shown in Fig. 4.

The inner ends of the tracks are also provided with stops 46 that are attached to and project upwardly from the vertical flanges of the rails to engage the rollers and stop movement of the door on the track when the doors are completely opened, as hereinafter described. The opposite ends of the tracks are provided with stops 41 comprising blocks 48 fitted into the outer ends of the grooves 33.

When the doors are in closed position within the door openings, the rollers form trunnions about which the upper and lower portions of the doors swing at the time the door is moved to and from closing position. For example, the upper rail 2| of the door swings outwardly and downwardly and the lower rail 22 swings inwardly and upwardly until the door is in parallel relation with the tracks at which time the weight of the door causes movement thereof down the tracks until the rollers engage with the stops 46.

To seal the side edges of the door in the opening, the inner sides of the jambs are provided above the rollers with stops 49 extending from a plane tangential to the upper portion of the rollers to the top jamb I6 and along the top jamb as best illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2. The outer side of the door opening is provided with similar stops 50 extending from the bottom of the tracks and across the lower jamb l1 to engage the lower portion of the door. In order to further enhance the seal of the door in the opening, the outer side thereof above the rollers is preferably provided with a sealing strip 5l having contact with the adjacent faces of the door jambs as shown in Fig. 3.

To facilitate opening and closing of the doors, the upper rails 2| are provided with suitable handles 52. A block 54 is attached to the stiles of the door adjacent the grooves to assist in closing the space between the terminal ends of the door stops. Filler blocks 55 are also inserted between rail flanges 36 of the tracks and the bottomsy of the grooves to retard leakage through the door.

In operating one of the doors constructed and assembled as described, the operator grasps the handle 52 to swing the upper portion of the door outwardly and downwardly in an arc until that portion of the door passes the vertical plane extending through the axis of the rollers. Then, due to the preponderating weight at the upper part of the door, the door continues to swing outwardly until the lower rail 22 engages the horizontal flanges 53 of the angles Il and l2. Then, due to the inclination of the tracks the door will roll along the tracks by gravity until the rollers engage the stops 46 and into the position as shown in Fig. 5. In this position, the door is located directly under the shelf rack and does not interfere with access to either of the upper or lower shelves, nor does it interfere with the view of the customer or merchant. The shelf also affords protection of the glass to direct effect of the refrigerating element. Attention is also called to the fact that by swinging the top of the door outwardly and the bottom of the door inwardly, the outer or warm glass panel 25 is at the bottom and is not apt to be chilled by direct contact of the air currents circulating around the expansion element 8. 'I'hen when the door is moved to closed position, formation of moisture on the outer surface is reduced to a minimum.

To close the door, the operator will grasp the handle 52 to withdraw the door causing the rollers to move along the track until engaged by the stop blocks 48 at the outer ends of the tracks.

The door is then in line with the opening and ready to 'be swung to closed position by lifting on the upper rail 2| and swinging it toward the upper jamb of the opening. As soon as the upper portion of the door has passed the vertical plane of the roller axis, the door will be moved by gravity to seating engagement with the

stops

49 and 50.

From the foregoing, it is apparent that due to the fact that the doors swing within the case, they are not in the way of removal of the merchandise from the shelves, nor do they interfere with operation of adjacent doors, or with the shelves I3, or other accessories attached to the rear of the case.

What we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A refrigerating cabinet having a rectangular shaped door opening and provided with a cooling element spaced from one horizontal edge of the door opening, a door normally closing said opening and having inner and outer panels, trunnions on opposite side edges of the door, trunnion guides in the cabinet, and means supporting the trunf nions for pivoting the door whereby the horizontal edge adjacent the cooling element swings outwardly and the opposite edge inwardly to alignment with the plane of said guides for sliding support thereon and to present the inner panel to direct contact with the cold air circulating about the cooling element and the outer panel out of direct contact with said cold air when the door is opened and slid into the cabinet on said guides.

2. In a ease having a wall provided with door jambs forming a door opening and having a shelf extending across the opening at a point intermediate top and bottom sides of the opening and having grooves extending across the faces of said jambs, a door for said opening, trunnions mounted on the door and positioned within said grooves when Vthe door is closed and whereon the door pivots to bring the inner side thereof below the plane of the shelf, tracks for said trunnions having one of their ends mounted in said grooves, and brackets suspending the other ends of the tracks to support the door below said shelf when the trunnions are moved along said tracks.

3. In a case having a Wall provided with a door opening, a door for the opening, trunnions carried on the door below the horizontal center line of said door to form pivots on which the door is adapted to swing for bringing the inner side of the door uppermost, tracks extending laterally into the case for mounting the trunnions to guide the door during movement to and from open position, stops in said opening for engaging the inner side of the door above said tracks, and stops l0 engaging the outer side of the door below said tracks.

4. In a case having a Wall provided with a door opening, door guide means supported within the case at a point intermediate the top and bottom 15 sides of the opening, a door for closing said opening, rollers carried on the sides of the door whereon the door is adapted to swing to bring the inner side of the door uppermost and to provide for rolling support of the door on said guide means, upper and lower stops mounted at the sides of the door opening to respectively engage the inner and outer faces of the door, said upper and lower stops being spaced apart at said door guide means n to form passageways for the door when the door is moved on said guide means, and means on the door covering said passageways when the door is closed.

CLARENCE MASTERS. RAYMOND H. STARR.