EP3531877B1

EP3531877B1 - Refrigerated sales cabinet

Info

Publication number: EP3531877B1
Application number: EP16788693.6A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Stefan Ullrich; Winfried Kern
Original assignee: Carrier Corp
Current assignee: Carrier Corp
Priority date: 2016-10-31
Filing date: 2016-10-31
Publication date: 2021-12-01
Anticipated expiration: 2036-10-31
Also published as: EP3531877A1; WO2018077436A1; CN109982613A; CN109982613B

Description

The invention relates to a refrigerated sales cabinet comprising a night blind.
Refrigerated sales cabinets with night blinds are known in the art. German patent application DE 102 21 604 A1 , for example, shows a refrigerated sales cabinet with shelves and with a shaft which is positioned within the top region of the cabinet in such a way that the night blind fabric wound on it is not, or is only partially visible to the customers. In the nighttime operating position the night blind abuts against the return air grille.
In such refrigerated sales cabinets it has been observed that the energy consumption during the nighttime operation is quite high since warm ambient air enters into the refrigerated sales space and cool air exits from the refrigerated sales space.
DE 299 02 999 U1 discloses a cooling cabinet with an access opening which can be closed by a cover device, wherein the cover device has a first layer of flexible cover film which is designed to close the access opening. The cover device has a second layer of flexible covering film which can be tensioned in the access opening and at a distance from the first layer.
From the US 5,171,076 A , a heat insulating covering is known, which is provided for a cooling shelf unit having a lower goods member, a plurality of intermediate shelf members vertically spaced from the lower goods member and from one another, and an upper cover part. The covering has a blind web adapted to cover a cooling space of the cooling shelf unit between a front edge of the cover part and a parallel front edge of the goods member over a whole horizontal length of the cooling shelf unit, a shade axle adapted to extend over the whole horizontal length of the cooling shelf unit, a lower stabilizing rail, a drive motor connected with the blind axle of the blind web and operative both in a closing direction and in an opening direction of the blind web, spring biased turning arms supporting the stabilizing rail of the blind web and having hinges located between the shade axle and the parallel front edge of the goods member.
DE 10 2011 113 136 A1 shows an cooling shelf unit which has several shelf sections forming a goods presentation space. A ventilator, a vaporizer and a suction grill are provided in lower shelf surface. Cooling air curtains are formed along various planes with respect to the goods presentation space, by circulating the air using the ventilator and the vaporizer.
Accordingly, it would be beneficial to provide a refrigerated sales cabinet with an improved efficiency especially during nighttime operation.
The refrigerated sales cabinet according to the invention is defined in claim 1. According to exemplary embodiments, as described herein, a refrigerated sales cabinet comprises a cabinet body providing a refrigerated sales space for storing goods to be presented therein; the cabinet body comprising a roof portion with a night blind attached to the front of the roof portion, and a bottom front portion extending upwardly from a substantially horizontal base plate; an access area extending between the front of the roof portion and the upper end of the bottom front portion; and a return air grille arranged behind and adjacent to the bottom front portion. The night blind can be moved between a daytime operating position, in which the lower end of the night blind is arranged at a position in front of the roof portion allowing access to the goods from the front through the access area, and a nighttime operating position, in which the lower end of the night blind is arranged at a lower position in front of the return air grille, such that the access area is covered by the night blind. The refrigerated sales cabinet further comprises at least one night blind guiding element positioned on the return air grille and extending, in the direction of width of the refrigerated sales cabinet, over part of the width of the return air grille. The night blind guiding element comprises a night blind receiving section which in connection with the rear face of the upper end of the bottom front portion of the cabinet body forms a night blind receiving gap, whereas the night blind receiving gap is configured to receive the lower end of the night blind therein and to keep the lower end of the night blind at a position in the front region of the return air grille.
In such refrigerated sales cabinet the energy consumption during nighttime operation is significantly reduced.
The inventors have found out that high energy consumption during nighttime operation is often caused by undesired gaps occurring between the bottom front portion, which often includes a bumper, and the lower end of the night blind through which cold air discharges to the environment. Furthermore, the inventors have found out that if the night blind fabric is not stretched good enough, cold air can discharge also through lateral gaps between the left-hand and right-hand edges of the night blind and the left and right sidewalls. Likewise, warm ambient air can enter into the refrigerated sales cabinet through such gaps, whereby condensate forms at cold parts of the refrigerated sales cabinet and particularly in the refrigerated sales space, and whereby the temperature within the refrigerated sales space increases in an undesired fashion.
By providing at least one night blind guiding element positioned on the return air grille, the lower end of the night blind is reliably received in the night blind receiving gap at a position in the front region of the return air grille and directly behind the bottom front portion which can include a buffer. Thereby, undesired gaps between the lower end of the night blind and the bottom front portion can reliably be avoided. Both cold air can be prevented from discharging from the refrigerated sales furniture and warm ambient air can be prevented from entering into the refrigerated sales furniture at this position.
By making the depth of the night blind receiving gap small enough, particularly to correspond to the depth of the lower end of the night blind, the lower end of the night blind can touch the bottom front portion, which even more reliably prevents cold air from discharging and warm air from entering at this position. In other words, the at least one night blind guiding element provides for a form fit of the lower end of the night blind with regard to the bottom front portion of the refrigerated sales cabinet.
Moreover, the night blind material may be kept tight such that gaps between the left-hand and right-hand side edges of the night blind and the left and right side walls can be avoided.
As a consequence, a refrigerated sales cabinet according to exemplary embodiments has increased energy efficiency, especially during nighttime operation. An undesired increase of the temperature within the refrigerated sales space and formation of condensate at cold parts within the refrigerated sales furniture can be avoided.
While at least one night blind guiding element can be provided for newly manufactured refrigerated sales cabinets, it is also possible to retrofit existing refrigerated sales cabinets with at least one night blind guiding element.
The at least one night blind guiding element can extend, in the direction of width of the refrigerated sales cabinet, over part of the width of the return air grille.
Although, already one night blind guiding element is sufficient for a safe and complete closing of the refrigerated sales space during nighttime operation, it may be desirable to provide more than one night blind guiding elements distributed over the width of the return air grille. For example, it has been found particularly suitable for refrigerated sales furniture having a width of 2.500 mm or 3.750 mm to provide four night blind guiding elements distributed over the width of the return air grille.
Furthermore, while the night blind guiding elements may have any desired width and height, night blinds having a width of 50-60 mm and a height of 25-35 mm have proven to be particularly suitable.
The night blind guiding element may be made from plastic or metal.
The return air grille can be configured to guide return air into a furniture bottom space located below of and separated from the refrigerated sales space.
The night blind can be moved between the daytime operating position and the nighttime operating position by means of a motor.
According to a first embodiment, the at least one night blind guiding element further comprises an inclined upper guiding section connected with the upper end of the night blind receiving section, the inclined upper guiding section extending towards the refrigerated sales space, particularly enclosing an angle with respect to a horizontal plane of 15 ― 50°.
With such an inclined upper guiding section, the lower end of the night blind is safely guided during movement from the daytime to the nighttime operating positions, such that its lower end is received in the night blind receiving gap in the front region of the return air grille, and immediately behind or even touching the bottom front portion. During such movement, the lower end of the night blind touches the inclined upper guiding section and slides down the same until it is received within the night blind receiving gap.
According to a further embodiment, the at least one night blind guiding element further comprises a base section connected to the lower end of the night blind receiving section, the base section extending in a substantially horizontal plane and forming an end stop of the lower end of the night blind.
According to a further embodiment, the night blind guiding element further comprises a fastening section connected to the base section, wherein the fastening section is arranged between the front of the return air grille and the bottom front portion of the cabinet body.
According to a further embodiment, the night blind guiding element further comprises at least one fastening section, particularly fastening lug, connected to the night blind guiding element, particularly to the underside thereof, wherein the night blind guiding element is fastened with respect to the return air grille by the at least one fastening section engaging with a respective aperture of the return air grille.
According to a further embodiment, the night blind guiding element is fastened to the return air grille by a screw extending through a fastening hole in the night blind guiding element and engaging with a counter piece located underneath the return air grille.
The at least one night blind guiding element can be provided with one or more of these fastening mechanisms. By using one more of such fastening mechanisms, the night blind guiding element can be reliably fastened to the return air grille.
According to a further embodiment, at least one of the night blind receiving section, the inclined upper guiding section, the base section and the fastening section is plate-shaped. Such a refrigerated sales cabinet is easy to manufacture.
According to a further embodiment, at least one of the night blind receiving section and the inclined upper guiding section is grid-shaped, with substantially upright walls, the upper faces of which respectively form the night blind receiving section and/or the inclined upper guiding section.
According to a further embodiment, the substantially upright walls extend towards the refrigerated sales cabinet, wherein adjacent ones of the substantially upright walls are spaced apart from each other, and/or wherein the substantially upright walls are connected to each other by connection bars extending towards the refrigerated sales cabinet, and/or wherein holes are formed between the substantially upright walls and the connection bars.
According to a further embodiment, the night blind guiding element is fastened to the return air grille, such that its holes align with the respective apertures of the return air grille, and such that its substantially upright walls align with the grille bars of the return air grille.
With the above described embodiments, the air flow into and through the return air grille is not compromised.
According to a further embodiment, the night blind receiving section has a height allowing two or more different nighttime operating positions of the lower end of the night blind within the night blind receiving section. Also in case of two or more refrigerated sales cabinets being placed beside each other, this embodiment can compensate for an offset of adjacent night blinds.
According to a further embodiment, the upper end of the bottom front portion of the cabinet body comprises a bumper. Such bumper protects the bottom front portion.
According to a further embodiment, the uppermost portion of the bottom front portion of the cabinet body or the bumper extends further backwards than the portion beneath the uppermost portion, and/or wherein the night blind receiving section extends in a vertical plane or includes an angle of 1-10° with respect to a vertical plane; and/or wherein the width of the night blind receiving gap is tapering, from bottom to top.
A night blind receiving gap, the width of which tapers from bottom to top has been found to be particularly effective.
According to a further embodiment, the lower end of the night blind comprises a horizontal beam.
According to a further embodiment, in a side view, the front of the roof portion is set back, , with respect to the bottom front portion of the refrigerated sales cabinet, such that the access area includes an angle with respect to a vertical plane of 2 to 15°.
According to a further embodiment, the front of the roof portion and the bottom front portion lie on a vertical plane.
For both kinds of refrigerated sales cabinets described in the two paragraphs above, the at least one night blind guiding element provides for an efficient nighttime operation.
According to a further embodiment, the refrigerated sales cabinet further comprises a motor and a control unit for moving the night blind between the daytime operating position and the nighttime operating position.
According to a further embodiment, the control unit is configured to move the night blind from the daytime to the nighttime operating position in which the lower end of the night blind is received in the night blind receiving gap between the night blind receiving section of the at least one night blind guiding element and the rear face of the upper end of the bottom front portion.
According to a further embodiment, the movement of the night blind from the daytime operating position into the nighttime operating position and vice versa is started automatically, for example time-controlled, or is started by a remote control or a switch.
With the above described embodiments, the night blind can be moved reliably from the daytime to the nighttime operating position and vice versa. The nighttime operating position is defined by the control unit, particularly by the control unit controlling the operating time and operating speed of the motor.
According to a further embodiment, the night blind includes a shaft, onto which the night blind material is wound up and from which the night blind material is unrolled, and a motor for driving the shaft. Such night blind construction is simple but on the other hand very reliable.
According to a further embodiment, the refrigerated sales cabinet further comprises lateral guiding elements, particularly telescopic rods, for the night blind. Such lateral guiding elements are particularly effective for refrigerated sales cabinets where the front of the roof portion is set back with respect to the bottom portion.
Such guiding elements are known to the skilled person and do not have to be explained in further detail here.
In the following, exemplary embodiments of the invention will be described in more detail with reference to the enclosed Figures.

Fig. 1 shows a schematic side view of a refrigerated sales cabinet according to an embodiment of the present invention, with a night blind in the nighttime operating position;
Fig. 2 shows an enlarged view of section A of the refrigerated sales cabinet of Fig. 1, showing in addition a first night blind guiding element positioned on the return air grille;
Fig. 3 shows a schematic perspective view onto the bumper, onto the return air grille and onto the night blind guiding element of the refrigerated sales cabinet of Fig. 1, taken from a position at the left hand side slightly above the return air grille;
Fig. 4 shows an enlarged view of section A of the refrigerated sales cabinet of Fig. 1, showing in addition a second night blind guiding element positioned on the return air grille;
Fig. 5(a) shows a schematic perspective view of the second night blind guiding element, Fig. 5(b) shows a schematic side view of the second night blind guiding element, and Fig. 5(c) shows a plan view onto the second night blind guiding element; and
Fig. 6 shows a plan view onto section A of the refrigerated sales cabinet of Fig. 1, with a second night blind guiding element being fastened to the return air grille.

Fig. 1 shows a schematic side view of a refrigerated sales cabinet 2 with a night blind in the nighttime operating position.
For ease of illustration, the left sidewall of the refrigerated sales cabinet 2 is removed in Figure 1. It can clearly be seen that the refrigerated sales cabinet 2 comprises a cabinet body 4 providing a refrigerated sales space 6 in which goods to be presented therein can be stored and placed on respective racks. In the present embodiment, the refrigerated sales space 6 comprises a lowermost rack and three intermediate racks onto which goods are stored. The refrigerated sales space 6 is defined by the lowermost rack, a preferably perforated rear wall, and a ceiling.
The cabinet body 4 includes a substantially horizontal base plate 20, a substantially vertical rear wall and a substantially horizontal roof portion 8. A bottom front portion 22 extends upwardly from the base plate 20. The bottom front portion 22 is provided with a bumper 24 located in front of and on top of the bottom front portion 22, in order to protect the same. Whenever the bottom front portion 22 is mentioned in the following description it should be understood that it can be equipped with such bumper 24.
The refrigerated sales cabinet 2 is of the door less type and has an access area which extends between the front of the roof portion 8 and the upper end of the bottom front portion 22, 24.
The space between the lowermost rack and the base plate 20 can be equipped with at least one evaporator and further elements of a vapor compression cycle, in a conventional manner. The space between the refrigerated sales space rear wall and the cabinet body rear wall 4, and between the refrigerated sales space ceiling and the cabinet body roof portion 8 can be provided with one or more air guiding channels.
A supply air grille 10 to supply fresh refrigerated air to the refrigerated sales space 6 is arranged between the front end of the refrigerated sales space ceiling and the front end of the cabinet body roof portion 8.
Likewise, a return air grille 26 is arranged between the front portion of the lowermost rack and the bottom front portion 22 through which return air is guided out of the refrigerated sales space 6 and to the evaporator (not shown) that is located in the space between the lowermost rack and the cabinet body base plate 20 of the refrigerated sales cabinet 2.
A cooling air curtain extends from the supply air grille 10 to the return air grille 26.
Furthermore, fresh refrigerated air can enter into the refrigerated sales space 6 through the perforated rear wall.
In relation to the bottom front portion 22, 24, he front of the roof portion 8 is set back by a distance X such that the access area is angled with respect to a vertical plane.
In an alternative embodiment, which is not shown here, the front of the roof portion 8 and the bottom front portion 22, 24 lie on one vertical plane.
A night blind 12 is attached to the front of the roof portion 8, and it comprises a shaft 14 driven by a motor (not shown), a control unit for the motor (not shown), a night blind material/night blind fabric 16, which can be wound up on the shaft 14 and unrolled from the same. The night blind material 16 is equipped at its lower end with a horizontal beam 18.
In Fig. 1 the night blind 12 is in the nighttime operating position in which the horizontal beam 18 is arranged at a lower position in front of the return air grille 26, such that the access area of the refrigerated cabinet 2 is covered.
During daytime operation of the refrigerated sales furniture the night blind 12 is in the daytime operating position in which the night blind material 16 is wound onto the shaft 14, and in which the horizontal lower beam 18 is positioned between the refrigerated sales space ceiling and the shaft 14 such that the access area is free for a customer to access the goods displayed within the refrigerated sales space 6.
During nighttime, for example when the supermarket or facility containing the refrigerated sales cabinet is closed, the night blind is in the nighttime operating position in which the night blind material 16 is unrolled from the shaft 14 and the entire access area is closed, and in which the lower horizontal beam 18 is positioned at a lower position in front of the return air grille 26, as will be described in more detail below. The night blind material 16 also closes the access area in relation to the left and right side walls.
The motor and the control unit of the night blind 12 are configured to move the night blind 12 between the daytime operating and the nighttime operating positions in an automated manner. For example, by means of a remote control, by a clock control or by means of an external switch.
Section A as indicated in Fig. 1 by dashed lines and including the return air grille 26, the lowermost portion of the night blind material 16 with the lower horizontal beam 18, the bottom front portion 22 and the bumper 24, is explained in more detail by enlarged views in Figs. 2 and 4.
The night blind guiding element positioned on the return air grille 26, is not shown in Fig 1, and will be explained in further detail below.
Fig. 2 shows an enlarged view of section A of the refrigerated sales cabinet 2 of Fig. 1, showing in addition a first night blind guiding element 28 positioned on the return air grille 26.
The first night blind guiding element 28 comprises, from top to bottom, an inclined upper guiding section 30, a substantially vertical night blind receiving section 32, a substantially horizontal base section 34 and an inclined fastening section 36.
The base section 34 rests on the fore front of the return air grille 26, and the fastening section 36 is arranged and clamped or otherwise fastened between the front end of the return air grille 26 and the bumper 24 of the cabinet body 4.
As can further be seen in Fig. 2 the rearward portion of the uppermost end of the bottom front portion 22 of the cabinet body 4 is also inclined and is parallel to the fastening section 36 and to the bent front end of the return air grille 26.
Further, it can be seen that the bumper 24 substantially has the form of an inverted L, with its horizontal leg resting on the end face of the bottom front portion 22 of the cabinet body 4 and with its vertical leg abutting on the outer face of the bottom front portion 22 of the cabinet body 4.
The rear face of the bumper 24, in particular its horizontal leg, has a stepped shape the uppermost end of which extends further backwards than the portion beneath it.
A night blind receiving gap 38 is formed by the night blind receiving section 32, by the base section 34 of the night blind guiding element 28, and by the rear face of the bumper 24. Such night blind receiving gap 38 is located in the front region of the return air grille 26 and particularly in front of the apertures therein. The width of the night blind receiving gap 38 is tapered from bottom to top.
The horizontal lower beam 18 is shown in a position between the night blind receiving section 32 of the night blind guiding element 28 and the rear face of the bumper 24.
The inclined upper guiding section 30 forms an angle of about 60° with respect to a vertical plane. The inclined upper guiding section 30 ensures that the horizontal lower beam 18 is guided into the night blind receiving gap 38.
Fig. 3 shows a perspective view onto the bumper 24, onto the return air grille 26 and onto the night blind guiding element 30 of the refrigerated sales cabinet of Fig. 1, taken from a position at its left hand side slightly above the return air grille 26.
The return air grille 26 has a plurality of longitudinal apertures 66 extending in the direction of depth of the refrigerated sales cabinet, wherein adjacent longitudinal apertures 66 are separated from each other by longitudinal grille bars 64. The return air grille 26 is inclined with respect to a horizontal plane about an angle of about 10°, such that its front end is lower than its rear end. Furthermore, the bumper 24 forming part of the bottom front portion 22 is shown adjacent to the front end of the return air grille 26.
The night blind guiding element 30 can be seen and it is understood that the fastening section 36 is clamped between the return air grille 26 and the bumper 24. The base portion 34 extends substantially in horizontal direction and rests upon the return air grille 26. The night blind receiving section 32 is connected with the rear end of the base section 30 and extends substantially in a vertical direction. The inclined upper guiding section 32 is connected with the upper end of the night blind receiving section 32 and has an angle with respect to a vertical plane of about 45 degrees.
It can well be seen that the sections 30, 32 and 34, and likewise the fastening section 36 of the night blind guiding element are plate-shaped and have the same width, respectively. The width corresponds to only part of the width of the return air grille 26. In the present embodiment the width of the night blind guiding element 28 and its sections 30, 32, 34 and 36 is about 50 to 60 mm.
In another embodiment (not shown) more than one night blind guiding element 28b may be provided, whereas the plurality of night blind guiding elements may be evenly distributed along the length of the of the return air grille 26.
It is also well understood that the depth of the night blind receiving gap 38 between the night blind receiving section 32 and the rear face of the bumper 24 is such that the lower horizontal beam 18 fits well therein, and that the lower horizontal beam 18 can touch the rear face of the bumper 24 when being received within the night blind receiving gap 38.
It is further well understood that the depth of the night blind receiving gap 38 is such that it allows for different end positions of the lower horizontal beam 18 therein.
When the night blind 12 is moved, by means of a motor and a control unit, from the daytime operating position into the nighttime operating position, the lower horizontal beam 18 is guided on the surface of the inclined upper guiding section 30 to slide into the night blind receiving gap 38. The movement of the night blind 12 is stopped as soon as the lower horizontal beam 18 reaches the desired end position in front of the return air grille 26. This particularly is controlled by the control unit of the motor.
Since the lower horizontal beam 18 is reliably guided into and received within the night blind receiving gap 38, it is ensured that the lower horizontal beam 18 and the lower end of the night blind material 16 are located in front of the apertures in the return air grille 26. Thus, undesired gaps between the lower horizontal beam 18 and the bottom front portion 22, 24 through which cold air can discharge from the refrigerated sales space and warmer ambient air can enter into the same, can reliably be avoided.
In addition, undesired gaps that might occur between the night blind and the side walls of the refrigerated sales cabinet 2 can be avoided.
Fig. 4 shows an enlarged view of section A of the refrigerated sales cabinet 2 of Fig. 1, showing in addition a second night blind guiding element 40 positioned on the return air grille 26.
The second night blind guiding element 40 is generally grid-shaped as can well be seen in Figs. 5 and 6. Again, the second night blind guiding element 40 only extends over part of the width of the return air grille 26, and a plurality of the second night blind guiding elements 40 may be arranged on the return air grille 26.
In the side view of Fig. 4, the second night blind guiding element 40 has a rear section 42, an inclined upper guiding section 44, a substantially vertical night blind receiving section 46, and a base section 48. The second night blind guiding element 40 can be affixed to the return air grille 26 in different ways, wherein for ease of illustration the fastening elements are not depicted in Fig. 4.
The rear section 42 extends in a straight manner from the plane of the return air grille 26 to the highest point of the second night blind guiding element 40. The inclined upper guiding section 44 is connected to the rear section 42 and the upper end of the night blind receiving section 46. The inclined upper guiding section 44 includes an angle with respect to a vertical plane of about 70°.
The night blind receiving section 46 extends substantially in a vertical direction and forms in connection with the substantially horizontal base section 48 and with the rear side of the bumper 24 a night blind receiving gap 50 which receives the lower end, particularly the horizontal lower beam 18, of the night blind 12 therein, in the nighttime operating position. Such night blind receiving gap 50 is located in the front region of the return air grille 26, and particularly in front of the apertures therein.
The bumper 24, the bottom front portion 22, and the return air grille 26 are substantially identical to Fig. 2.
Fig. 5(a) shows a schematic perspective view of the second night blind guiding element 40, Fig. 5(b) shows a schematic side view of the second night blind guiding element 40 and Fig. 5(c) shows a plan view onto the second night blind guiding element 40.
In Fig. 5(a) it can well be seen that the second night blind guiding element 40 has four upright walls 52 that extend towards the refrigerated sales cabinet.
The substantially upright walls 52 are connected to each other by connection bars 54 that extend towards the refrigerated sales cabinet. The first, foremost connection bar 54 connects the lowermost front sections of the upright walls 52 behind the lowermost portion of the night blind receiving section 46. The second, intermediate connection bar 54 connects the upright walls 52 at an intermediate position, particularly at a position roughly in the middle of the inclined upper guiding section 44. The second, intermediate connection bar 54 has the shape of an upright wall, and it extends from a base plane of the second night blind guiding element 40 to a position directly underneath the inclined upper guiding section 44, as can well be seen in Figs. 5(a) and (b). The third, rearmost connection bar 54 that can well be seen in Figs. 5(b) and (c) connects the lowermost rearward portions of the upright walls 52. In Fig. 5(b) it can well be seen that the height of the first and third connection bars 54 is significantly lower than the height of the second connection bar 54.
The second night blind guiding element 40 as depicted in Figs. 5 and 6 differs from the second night blind guiding element 40 of Fig. 4 in that it comprises fastening sections 60, in that the night blind receiving section 46 is not substantially vertical, but rather includes an angle with respect to a vertical plane of about 20 degrees, in that the angle between the inclined upper guiding section 44 and a horizontal plane is about 15 degrees, and in that the rear section 42 is not angled, but rather substantially vertical.
The depth of the first, foremost connection bar 54 is greater between the second and third upright walls 52, so as to provide a fastening hole 58 therein. A screw (not shown) can extend through such fastening hole 58 and can fasten the second night blind guiding element 40 reliably to the return air grille 26 by way of a counter piece (not shown) provided with a thread and positioned underneath the return air grille 26. The screw can engage with such thread in the counter piece. The second and third upright walls 52 end at a position in front of the section around the fastening hole 58, so as to facilitate inserting and turning the screw.
The second night blind guiding element 40 further comprises two front fastening lugs 60 and two rear fastening lugs 60 that extend respectively between the first and second upright walls 52 and between and the third and fourth upright walls 52. The two front fastening lugs 60 are attached to the front portion of the underside of the first connection bar 54, make a bend and extend in a forward direction therefrom. Likewise, the two rear fastening lugs 60 are attached to the rear portion of the underside of the third connection bar 54, make a bend and extend in a rearward direction therefrom. These fastening lugs 60 engage with a respective longitudinal aperture of the return air grille 26 and thereby allow fastening the second night blind guiding element 40 reliably to the return air grille 26. Particularly, the fastening lugs 60 can engage with the front and rear edges of the respective grille apertures 66 that align with the portions between the first and the second upright walls 52 and the third and fourth upright walls 52 (see Fig. 6).
Fig. 6 shows a plan view onto section A of the refrigerated sales cabinet 2 of Fig. 1, with a second night blind guiding element 40 fastened to the return air grille 26.
The second night blind guiding element 40 is arranged in a way on the return air grille 26 such that the upright walls 52 align with the grille bars 64 of the return air grille 26 and such that the six rectangular holes 56 that are formed between the substantially upright walls 52 and the connection bars 54 align with the respective longitudinal grille apertures 66 of the return air grille 26.
Furthermore, the screw head of the screw 62 can well be seen which has been inserted from above through the fastening hole 58. This screw 62 engages with its thread into a thread of a counter piece which rests from underneath against the two grille bars 64, with which the second and third upright walls 52 align. With this arrangement, the second night blind guiding element 40 can be fastened with respect to the return air grille 26.
The second night blind guiding element 40 is shown without fastening lugs 60
Further, it can well be seen that the night blind receiving gap 38 is formed at a front region of the return air grille 26. If the lower end, particularly the horizontal lower beam 18 of the night blind 12 is moved into its nighttime operating position, it will be guided by means of the inclined upper guiding section 44 into the night blind receiving gap 50 where it is safely received and kept at a position in the front region of the return air grille 26. Thus, undesired gaps through which cool air could get out of the refrigerated sales space and warm ambient air could flow in are reliably avoided.
While the invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition many modifications may be made to adopt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed, but that the invention include all embodiments falling within the scope of the claims.

Reference Numerals

2: refrigerated sales cabinet
4: cabinet body
6: refrigerated sales space
8: roof portion
10: supply air grille
12: night blind
14: shaft
16: night blind material
18: horizontal lower beam
20: base plate
22: bottom front portion
24: bumper
26: return air grille
28: first night blind guiding element
30: inclined upper guiding section
32: night blind receiving section
34: base section
36: fastening section
38: night blind receiving gap
40: second night blind guiding element
42: rear section
44: inclined upper guiding section
46: night blind receiving section
48: base section
50: night blind receiving gap
52: upright walls
54: connection bars
56: holes
58: fastening hole
60: fastening lugs
62: screw
64: grille bars
66: grille apertures

Claims

Refrigerated sales cabinet, comprising:
a cabinet body (4) providing a refrigerated sales space (6) for storing goods to be presented therein, the cabinet body (4) comprising a roof portion (8), with a night blind being attached to the front of the roof portion (8), and a bottom front portion (22) extending upwardly from a substantially horizontal base plate (20);

an access area extending between the front of the roof portion (8) and the upper end of the bottom front portion (22); and

a return air grille (26) arranged behind and adjacent to the bottom front portion (22);

the night blind (12) being movable between a daytime operating position, in which the lower end of the night blind (12) is arranged in front of the roof portion (8) allowing access to the goods through the access area, and a nighttime operating position, in which the lower end of the night blind (12) is arranged at a lower position in front of the return air grille (26), such that the access area is closed;

characterized by further comprising at least one night blind guiding element (28; 40) positioned on the return air grille (26) the at least one night blind guiding element (28; 40) comprising a night blind receiving section (32; 46) which in connection with the rear face of the upper end of the bottom front portion (22) of the cabinet body (4) forms a night blind receiving gap (38; 50), whereas the night blind receiving gap (38; 50) is configured to receive the lower end of the night blind (12) therein and to keep the lower end of the night blind (12) in a position in the front region of the return air grille (26) in the nighttime operating position.
Refrigerated sales cabinet according to claim 1, wherein the at least one night blind guiding element (28; 40) further comprises an inclined upper guiding section (30; 44) connected to the upper end of the night blind receiving section (32; 46), the inclined upper guiding section (30; 44) extending towards the refrigerated sales space (6), particularly enclosing an angle with respect to a horizontal plane of 15 - 50°.
Refrigerated sales cabinet according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the at least one night blind guiding element (28) further comprises a base section (34) connected to the lower end of the night blind receiving section (32), the base section (34) extending in a substantially horizontal plane and forming an end stop of the lower end of the night blind (12).
Refrigerated sales cabinet according to claim 3, wherein the night blind guiding element (28) further comprises a fastening section (36) connected to the base section (34), wherein the fastening section (36) is arranged between the front of the return air grille (26) and the bottom front portion (22) of the cabinet body (4).
Refrigerated sales cabinet according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the night blind guiding element (40) further comprises at least one fastening section (60), particularly a fastening lug wherein the night blind guiding element (40) is fastened to the return air grille (26) by the at least one fastening section (60) engaging with a respective aperture (66) of the return air grille (26).
Refrigerated sales cabinet according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the night blind guiding element (40) can be fastened to the return air grille (26) by a screw (62) extending through a fastening hole (58) in the night blind guiding element (40) and engaging with a counter piece located underneath the return air grille (26).
Refrigerated sales cabinet according to any of the preceding claims, wherein at least one of the night blind receiving section (32), the inclined upper guiding section (30), the base section (34) and the fastening section (36) is plate-shaped.
Refrigerated sales cabinet according to any of claims 1 to 6,
wherein at least one of the night blind receiving section (46) and the inclined upper guiding section (44) is grid-shaped, with substantially upright walls (52), the upper faces of which respectively form the night blind receiving section (46) and/or the inclined upper guiding section (44);

wherein the substantially upright walls (52) in particular extend towards the refrigerated sales cabinet (2), wherein adjacent ones of the substantially upright walls (52) are spaced apart from each other, and/or wherein the substantially upright walls (52) are connected to each other by connection bars (54) extending into the direction of width of the refrigerated sales cabinet (2), and/or wherein holes (56) are formed between the substantially upright walls (52) and the connection bars (54); and

wherein the night blind guiding element (40) can in particular be fastened to the return air grille (26), such that the holes (56) of the night blind guiding element (40) align with the respective apertures (66) of the return air grille (26), and such that the substantially upright walls (52) of the night blind guiding element (40) align with the grille bars (64) of the return air grille (26).
Refrigerated sales cabinet according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the night blind receiving section (32; 46) is configured to allow for two or more different nighttime operating positions of the lower end of the night blind (12) within the night blind receiving section (32; 46).
Refrigerated sales cabinet according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the upper end of the bottom front portion (22) of the cabinet body (4) comprises a bumper (24).
Refrigerated sales cabinet according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the lower end of the night blind (12) comprises a horizontal beam (18).
Refrigerated sales cabinet according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the front of the roof portion (8) is set back in relation to the bottom front portion (22) of the cabinet body (4), such that the access area has an angle with respect to a vertical plane of 2 to 15°, or wherein the front of the roof portion and the bottom front portion lie in one vertical plane.
Refrigerated sales cabinet according to any of the preceding claims,
further comprising a motor and a control unit for moving the night blind (12) between the daytime operating position and the nighttime operating position;

wherein the control unit is in particular configured to move the night blind (12) from the daytime operating position into the nighttime operating position, in which the lower end of the night blind (12) is received in the night blind receiving gap (38; 50) between the night blind receiving section (32; 46) of the at least one night blind guiding element (28; 40) and the rear face of the upper end of the bottom front portion (22) of the cabinet body (4); and

wherein the movement of the night blind (12) from the daytime operating position into the nighttime operating position and vice versa is in particular started automatically, for example time-controlled, or is started by a remote control or a switch.
Refrigerated sales cabinet according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the night blind (12) includes a shaft (14), onto which the night blind material (16) is wound up and from which the night blind material (16) is unrolled, and a motor for driving the shaft (14).
Refrigerated sales cabinet according to any of the preceding claims, further comprising lateral guiding elements, particularly telescopic rods, for the night blind (12).