Refrigerated display case

• US 4,077,228 A
• Filed: 08/16/1976
• Issued: 03/07/1978
• Est. Priority Date: 08/16/1976
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Delaware Capital Formation Incorporated (Dover Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Emhart Industries, Inc. (Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.)
• Inventors: Schumacher, Neal P., Ghosh, Shyamol K.
• Primary Examiner(s): King, Lloyd L.
• Application Number:
  US05/714,722
• Time in Patent Office: 568 Days
• Field of Search: 62/256, 62/237, 62/255, 62/257, 62/253, 62/458, 62/259, 62/260, 62/246, 62/249, 98/33 R, 98/36, 165/53, 165/56
• US Class Current: 62/256
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 2003/066 with movable or removable trolley for easy restocking
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 3/0447 with air curtains
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 17/06 by forced circulation
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2400/20 Carts specially adapted for transporting objects to be cooled
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 25/00 Charging, supporting, and discharging the articles to be cooled

Abstract

A refrigerated display case of the type having an open-front air curtain design to allow direct access by shoppers to the goods displayed within the refrigerated environment therein, including a stationary display fixture which defines a refrigerated enclosure therein and which presents an open-front section having at least one air curtain extending thereover, the display case including upper outlets and lower inlets adjacent the single or multiple air curtains extending over the open-front section, further including at least one movable display cart adapted to transport goods into the interior of the display case and adapted to remain in this location upon the floor of the case for display of the goods thereon, the fixture including a lower air return duct extending from the front edge of the fixture below the case floor to the rear section of the case to provide a flat case floor at approximately the same level as the surrounding store floor to facilitate movement of the display carts into and out of the stationary display fixture.

Claims

1. In a refrigerated food product display case of the type that comprises a stationary display fixture having a vertical back wall, an open front through which a customer is permitted unimpeded access to the interior of the case and across which an air curtain extends to isolate the displayed products from a surrounding store area, a rear duct extending downwardly along said back wall, and an upper duct in communication with the rear duct and projecting forwardly from the back wall, said upper duct having a discharge opening at its forward end through which air is discharged at the front of the case to form the air curtain, said case further comprising a product display cart rollable into and out of said fixture, the improvement that comprises:

a. a recessed floor surface formed in and opening upwardly into the store area directly below the fixture and generally coextensive with the fixture from front to back thereof; and

b. a base for said fixture in the form of a horizontal plate therein that defines the bottom of the fixture and cooperates with the back wall, upper duct, and the front of the fixture to define the interior of the case, said plate providing a surface upon which the cart is directly supported, the plate covering said recessed floor surface to define therebetween a lower duct bounding and disposed wholly outside the case interior below the surrounding floor area of the store, the plate being level with the floor area of the store surrounding said recessed floor surface, said plate intersecting with the lower extremity of the back wall and said lower and rear ducts extending into communication with each other at the intersection of the base plate and the back wall, one at least of the back wall and the front of the case having a cart passage extending fully to the floor level surrounding the recessed floor surface to define an opening through which the cart may be rolled into and out of the case.

2. In a refrigerated food product display case, the improvement of claim 1 wherein said back wall and base plate intersect forwardly of the rear extremity of the lower duct, the rear duct being disposed at least partially rearwardly of the back wall, whereby said recessed floor surface opens upwardly directly into the rear duct at a location outside of and bounding the interior of the case.

3. In a refrigerated food display case, the improvement of claim 1 wherein the cart passage is at the front of the case and the lower duct has an inlet at the bottom end of the cart passage, in the form of a grating level with the top surface of the plate.

4. In a refrigerated food product display case, the improvement of claim 1 wherein the cart passage is at the back of the case in communication with a refrigerated room area into and out of which the cart is rollable through said passage, said upper and lower ducts having vertically aligned inlet and outlet ends, respectively, opening into said room area at the top and bottom ends, respectively, of the cart passage.

5. In a refrigerated food product display case, the improvement of claim 1 wherein the cart passage is at the back of the case, and at least one door mounted on the back of the case for movement from a normal position closing the cart passage to an open position permitting movement of the cart into and out of the case, said rear duct being mounted at the back of the case adjacent the door at a location defining a side of the cart passage.