Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
  • A47F—SPECIAL FURNITURE, FITTINGS, OR ACCESSORIES FOR SHOPS, STOREHOUSES, BARS, RESTAURANTS OR THE LIKE; PAYING COUNTERS
  • A47F3/00—Show cases or show cabinets
  • A47F3/04—Show cases or show cabinets air-conditioned, refrigerated
  • A47F3/0439—Cases or cabinets of the open type
  • A47F3/0443—Cases or cabinets of the open type with forced air circulation

Definitions

• the invention relates to refrigerator cases. More particularly, the invention relates to structural integration of insulated panels in walls of such cases.
• Refrigerator cases are used in a variety of commercial situations. One key use is for retail display and vending. Many such cases include a closed rear wall and either an open front or a glass door front.
• Insulation of the compartment of such cases relative to their external structure is important for a number of reasons. In addition to basic efficiency concerns, insulation may be appropriate to avoid or control condensation on components external to the compartment. This may be motivated by sanitary considerations in addition to refrigerator case longevity.
• modularity has been a relevant consideration. It is advantageous to be able to use at least some of the same components when producing a variety of sizes and/or configurations of case. Configurations have been developed that include combinations of external and internal structural components.
• one aspect of the invention involves a refrigerated case having a base and a number of supports extending upward from the base.
• a refrigeration apparatus is positioned to cool an interior of the case.
• the rear supports are positioned to permit a back-to-back positioning of a pair of such refrigerated cases. When so-positioned, the left end of each case is substantially aligned with the right end of the other case and the rear supports of each case are in a nested relationship with the rear supports of the other case.
• FIG. 1 is a view of a refrigerator case.
• FIG. 2 is a partially schematic side sectional view of the case of FIG. 1.
• FIG. 3 is a transverse horizontal sectional view of the case of FIG. 2.
• FIG. 4 is a back view of the case of FIG. 1.
• FIG. 5 is a transverse horizontal sectional view of a group of cases of FIG. 1.
• FIG. 1 shows a refrigerator case 20 having a front 22, a back 24, and left and right ends 26 and 28.
• the case includes a base structure 30, a rear wall structure 32, and a top structure 34.
• the case has a cooled interior volume or compartment 36.
• the exemplary case has a series of vertical groups of shelves 38.
• the exemplary case is a closed case having a sliding or hinged glass door front structure 40 and patch end or partition structures 42 and 44. Partitions are used where cases are arrayed side-by-side; patch ends are used at the two ends of the array. Alternative cases are open-front.
• the exemplary base 30 includes front and back transverse rails 50 and 52 for supporting the remainder of the base and, therethrough, the remainder of the case atop a ground/floor surface.
• the exemplary base 30 contains the refrigeration equipment (e.g., , an evaporator, and the like shown schematically as 60 in FIG. 2).
• the evaporator may be connected to a central compressor and condenser elsewhere in the facility.
• the case equipment could be self-contained.
• FIG. 2 further schematically shows an air flowpath having a first portion 510 carrying cooled air from the equipment 60 to a rear air flowpath section or duct 62. A second portion 512 flows upward through the rear duct 62.
• FIG. 3 shows further details of the rear duct 62.
• the duct 62 is segmented by a series of interior uprights including a left upright 70, a right upright 72, and a series of intermediate uprights 74.
• the duct segments are each bounded by an associated duct panel 80 (e.g., mounted by fasteners 81 to side portions of forward flanges 82 of the adjacent two uprights).
• each shelf 38 may be mounted to these uprights (e.g., a single width shelf spanning and mounted to exactly two adjacent such uprights via mounting apertures in root portions of the flanges 82).
• the duct segments are collectively bounded by the forward surfaces of panels of an insulated panel assembly 84.
• FIG. 2 shows the panel assembly 84 as including an upper panel 86 and a lower panel 88.
• each brace 90 Mounted to and extending upward from a rear end portion of each brace 90 is a rear external support 91; 92; 93. In the exemplary case there are a leftmost support 91, a rightmost support 92, and a plurality of intermediate supports 93. Eacli support 91 ; 92; 93 has a lower end 94 mounted to the rear end portion 96 of the associated brace 90 and has an upper end 98.
• the panel assembly 84 is sandwiched between the uprights 70, 72, and 74 aloxig the front and the supports along the rear.
• FIG. 3 shows the upper panel 86 as including an insert 100 along a lower edge.
• the insert 100 is of a relatively rigid polymeric material (e.g., cellular PVC) between fore and aft face sheets 104 and 1O6 (e.g., steel).
• the panel 86 includes a foam core (e.g., of expanded polyurethane).
• FIG. 3 shows the left 70 and right 72 uprights as approximately inwardly-open C-sectioned members having a single fastener 110 extending through their rear flanges 12O.
• Exemplary intermediate uprights 74 are generally I-sectioned, having a pair of screws 110 extending through a rear flange 122 generally on opposite sides of a central web or leg 124.
• the supports 91; 92; 93 have a generally rearwardly-open C-section and each have a pair of the screws 112 extending through their central forward web/leg 126.
• Other sheet metal screws 127 may each, extend into one of the panel face sheets from either the uprights 74 or supports 92.
• the exemplary uprights and supports are out of phase with eacJi other so that each upright is transversely offset from the adjacent supports (or vice versa).
• the transverse upright spacing may correspond to a shelf width/pitch.
• the exemplary uprights, supports, and braces are unitarily formed of a metal such as steel.
• FIG. 4 shows the leftmost support 91 positioned a different distance from the left end 26 than the rightmost support 92 is from the right end 28. This difference, in view of title support side-to-side width, is effective to permit aligned back-to-back positioning of adj accent cases 20 with their supports intermeshed.
• FIG. 5 shows a group of such cases arrayed in two back-to-back rows ⁇ v ⁇ L02. The cases 20 of each row 200 and 202 are aligned end-to-end with a small spacing (e.g., 2cm or less) or contacting. Similarly, the left end of each case 20 is closely aligned with the right end of the adjacent case in the other row (e.g., within 2cm and preferably essentially exact).
• the intermediate supports 93 are also positioned to avoid interference with the supports of the adjacent case of the other row. In the exemplary case, this may be achieved by substantially evenly spacing the intermediate supports 93 (FIG. 4) and one of the leftmost and rightmost supports (e.g., the leftmost support 91 in the example). The other of the left and right supports (e.g., the rightmost support 92 in the example) is at a smaller on-center spacing from the adjacent intermediate support 93. In the exemplary configuration, this support 92 is spaced from the associated end 28 by a first distance less than the support width.
• the other support 91 is spaced from its associated end 26 by a second distance greater than the support width combined with the first distance.
• the back-to-baclc nesting of FIG. 5 can save precious retail floox space. Although the supports of the cases of each row may contact the cases of the other row, they may be slightly spaced apart therefrom. Nevertheless, exemplary nesting advantageously provides at least half of the space savings that would be achieved if there was such contact relative to a non-nested arrangement. [0023] One or more erribodiments of the present invention have been described.

Landscapes

• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Thermal Sciences (AREA)
• Devices That Are Associated With Refrigeration Equipment (AREA)
• Assembled Shelves (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=37215036

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (4)

Families Citing this family (5)

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• 2005
  • 2005-04-27 US US11/911,112 patent/US20080252184A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2005-04-27 EP EP05740553A patent/EP1879481A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2005-04-27 CN CNA2005800496129A patent/CN101166449A/zh active Pending
  • 2005-04-27 WO PCT/US2005/014624 patent/WO2006115500A1/en active Application Filing

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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