WO1990011711A1

WO1990011711A1 - Refrigerated display cabinet

Info

Publication number: WO1990011711A1
Application number: PCT/GB1990/000517
Authority: WO
Inventors: Keron Brain
Original assignee: A.G. (Patents) Limited
Priority date: 1989-04-04
Filing date: 1990-04-04
Publication date: 1990-10-18
Also published as: GB8907527D0; AU5542090A

Abstract

A refrigerated display cabinet has a display area (2) bounded by an upstanding rear wall (3), a base (4) and a low front wall (6) which allows access to the contents of the cabinet (1) from the front. A fan (11) draws air in through a slotted duct (13) formed behind the front wall (6) and passes it through an air passage (14) formed below the base (4) and over cooling means (10) situated in an airflow passage (12) behind the rear wall (3). The cooled air is exhausted into the display cabinet through louvres or slots (7). Exhaust louvres or slots (7) may be provided at different levels in the rear wall (3) to allow for a multi-level display area.

Description

REFRIGERATED DISPLAY CABINET

This invention relates to refrigerated display cabinets and in particular, but not exclusively, to the type which are commonly used in public houses, wine bars, restaurants and such places to cool bottled and canned beverages such as beers, wines, lagers and soft drinks. These devices are commonly called cooling trays, and they are usually placed beneath shelves behind the bar.

One known design of cooling tray comprises cooling means arranged beneath the base of the tray, with air being circulated across the cooling means and then onto the contents of the tray. This arrangement has several disadvantages. Firstly, the whole construction is quite high and therefore takes up considerable space beneath shelving. This can be a considerable problem as shelving space in, for example,- public houses and bars is quite limited, and it means that valuable display and storage area is wasted. Secondly, the cooling means may obstruct access to other components of the device, such as drains, thereby making maintenance of the device more difficult.

The present invention seeks to overcome the above problems.

The invention provides a refrigerated display cabinet comprising a display area having at least partial frontal access thereto whereby the cabinet can if required be located beneath a shelf or the like, a rear wall extending upwardly behind the display area, cooling means, and means for circulating air over the cooling means and into the display area, wherein the cooling means is arranged in an air flow passage defined behind the rear wall. A cabinet in accordance with the invention will take up less space vertically than previous such devices and this is of particular importance in the field of cooling trays as mentioned above since it will release more shelving space for other purposes. Also maintenance will become easier as the cooling means will not obstruct other components in the base.

In a particularly preferred embodiment, the cooling means may be in thermal contact with the rear wall. This is advantageous in that it provides a direct cooling surface in the cabinet, in addition to the cooling effect of the circulating air. It also has the benefit of increasing condensation on the rear surface which is particularly important if the cabinet is to be used to display foodstuffs, for example, as it raises the humidity in the cabinet and thus discourages drying out of displayed goods. In known cooling trays, if the base surface of the tray is directly cooled then condensation forms and collects on the base which in turn leads to ice formation. This may mean that e.g. bottles arranged in the tray cannot be removed, as they become frozen to the base.

In one embodiment which is intended for use as a bottled or canned beverage cooling tray, the display area is bounded at the front by a relatively low wall which allows good frontal access to the bottles or cans in the tray. Generally in this type of cabinet there is no need for a lid since it will usually be placed under a shelf which then extends over the contents, although a lid may be provided if desired.

The air circulation means may comprise a fan which is situated in an air passage formed beneath the base of the display area, although it can be positioned in any convenient location. Air may be drawn in from any suitable area, but for example in a cooling tray as described above, it is preferably drawn in through a slotted duct arranged immediately behind the front wall of the tray. The air is then drawn past the fan, circulated over the cooling means and then exhausted into the display area, preferably through slots or louvres formed in the rear wall above the cooling means. Advantageously louvres are provided which direct the air downwardly at an angle into the display area.

It is possible that several sets of exhaust openings may be formed at different levels in the rear wall, to allow the display area to hold a shelf or shelves. For example, some cooled air could be exhausted from a first set of lower openings into a lower display area, and further air exhausted from a further set or sets of upper openings into an upper display area. Preferably the shelving used has apertures formed in it to allow the cooled air from the upper area to sink into the lower area.

Two preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a first cooling tray or cabinet particularly suitable for cooling bottled beverages and embodying the invention; Figure 2 is a schematic vertical section through the tray or cabinet shown in Figure 1; and

Figure 3 is a schematic vertical section through a second cooling tray or cabinet for cooling bottled beverages and embodying the invention.

With reference now to Figure 1, a cooling tray or cabinet 1 has a display area 2 bounded by an upstanding rear wall 3, a base 4, side walls 5 and a low front wall 6 which allows access to the contents of the tray (not shown) . Louvres or slots 7 run along the whole length of the rear wall 3. A fluorescent light may be provided behind a diffuser 8 on top the rear wall 3 and may be operated by a switch 9. The tray or cabinet in use will be placed underneath a counter or the like, so there is no need to provide a lid for the tray.

Turning to Figure 2, cooling means 10 and an air circulating fan 11 are represented schematically by blocks showing their positions in the device. The cooling means 10, which may be of any conventional type, such as finned evaporator coil, is situated in an air flow passage 12 defined behind the rear wall 6. The cooling means 10 are in thermal contact with the rear wall 6 to provide a vertical, directiy cooled surface in addition to the circulated air cooling. This enhances the cooling in the cabinet. The cooling means 10 need not necessarily be in direct thermal contact with the rear wall 6.

In use, air is sucked in by the air circulating means 11 through a slotted duct 13 which is situated behind the front wall 6 and which runs along the length of the front wall. The slots are formed so as to face back into the display area.

The air then passes through the air circulating fan shown schematically by block 11, which is situated in an air passage 14 under the base of the display area.

The air passage 14 also contains a drain 15 which drains away water which condenses on the cooling means 10. Also, conventional refrigeration components such as an expansion valve can be housed in the passage 14 under the cooling means 10.

From passage 14, the air passes up through the air passage 12 behind the rear wall 6, and is cooled as it passes over the cooling means 10. The cooled air is then exhausted from the upper part of the air passage 12, through^'louvres 7 which angle the air downwards into display area 2. Of course simple slots could of course be provided in place of the louvres. The exterior walls of the cooling tray or cabinet may be insulated as shown schematically by shading 15 by any suitable material such as polystyrene or polyurethane.

Further a thermostat is preferably provided to keep -the temperature of the display area within acceptable limits (commonly S'C-S'C) . A pull down blind (not shown) may also be provided to close the front of the cabinet when it is not in use and so conserve energy. This is in use attached to the counter under which the tray is housed.

Turning now to the embodiment shown in Figure 3, this differs from the embodiment described above in that a two tier display area 2a, 2b is provided, with a shelf 17 running lengthwise of the tray or cabinet forming the base of the upper area 2b. Of course depending on the length of the tray or cabinet, rather than one shelf running the whole length of the tray, several shorter lengths of shelf supported at locations along the tray may be provided. The shelf 17 has apertures 18 which allow cool air to sink to the lower display area 2a.

As with the single tier embodiment shown in Figures 1 and 2, air is drawn in through the duct 13 running the length of the tray behind the front wall 6, past the fan 11, through the duct 14 and then over the cooling means 10, which is again situated in an air passage 12 defined behind the rear wall 6. Some of the cooled air is exhausted through openings 7a in the rear wall 6 into the lower area 2a, while the rest passes out of openings 7b in the rear wall 6 into the upper area 2b. As in the earlier embodiment these openings run the length of the rear wall 6, and may be simple slots or preferably louvres. The number of sets of the openings 7a,7b and their positions are of course merely exemplary and both the number of openings and their position can be varied. In this embodiment the tray or cabinet is provided with a lid 19 with a downwardly facing lip 20. This arrangement is found to improve the circulation of the cooled air within the cabinet which has a relatively large frontal opening. As with the earlier embodiment, a drain 15 is provided in the lower air passage 14. Also, a fluorescent light 21 and night blind 22 are provided in the upper part of the cabinet. It will be appreciated from the above description that in its preferred embodiments the invention provides an improved circulating air cooling cabinet wherein the cooling means is arranged in an air passage defined behind the rear wall of the cabinet. This allows a more compact arrangement than previous designs. Also, the cooling means may be in thermal contact with the rear wall to provide a direct cooling surface in addition to the cooling effect of the circulating cooled air. While the embodiment shown are particularly suitable as coolers for bottled beverages, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to such, and that cabinets embodying the invention may be used to cool a whole variety of goods such as, for example, foodstuffs.

Claims

Claims :

1. A refrigerated display cabinet comprising a display area having at least partial frontal access thereto whereby the cabinet can if required be located beneath a shelf or the like, a rear wall extending upwardly behind the display area, cooling means, and means for circulating air over the cooling means and into the display area, wherein the cooling means is arranged in an air flow passage defined behind the rear wall.

2. A display cabinet as claimed in claim 1 wherein said cooling means is in thermal contact with said rear wall.

3. A display cabinet as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein said display area is bounded at the front by a relatively low wall.

4. A display cabinet as claimed in any preceding claim wherein said air circulation means comprises a fan which is situated in an air passage formed beneath the base of said display area.

5. A display cabinet as claimed in any preceding claim wherein air is drawn in through a slotted duct arranged immediately behind the front wall of the tray.

6. A display cabinet as claimed in any preceding claim wherein air is exhausted into said display area through slots or louvres formed in said rear wall above said cooling means.

7. A display cabinet as claimed in claim 6 wherein said louvres direct the air downwardly at an angle into said display area.

8. A display cabinet as claimed in claim 6 or 7 wherein several sets of exhaust openings are formed at different levels in said rear wall.

9. A display cabinet as claimed in claim 8 wherein some cooled air is exhausted from a first set of lower openings into a lower display area, and further air exhausted from a further set or sets of upper openings into an upper display area.