Reach-in refrigerated merchandiser

• US 6,401,399 B1
• Filed: 09/29/2000
• Issued: 06/11/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hussmann Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Hussmann Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Roche, John M., Rasch, John M., Behr, John A.
• Primary Examiner(s): COHEN, CURTIS A
• Application Number:
  US09/676,541
• Time in Patent Office: 620 Days
• Field of Search: 495/01, 49/70, 495/04, 493/82, 493/86, 362/92, 362/223, 362/260, 362/309, 362/310
• US Class Current: 49/501
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 3/0434 Glass or transparent panels
• CPC Class Codes: E05C 17/24 pivoted at one end, and with the other end running along a guide member
• CPC Class Codes: E05D 11/06 Devices for limiting the opening movement of hinges
• CPC Class Codes: E05D 7/1011 biased by free springs E05D7/1016 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/202 for display cabinets, e.g. for refrigerated cabinets
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/31 for refrigerators
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 3/66366 specially adapted for units comprising more than two panes or for attaching intermediate sheets
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 3/667 Connectors therefor
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 23/028 Details
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 23/087 Sealing strips

Abstract

A refrigerated, reach-in merchandiser having a product display area with a front opening defined by casing means having at least two mullion members, a reach-in door for closing the front opening and being hingedly mounted on one of the mullion members by door control means, said reach-in door having a transparent panel with a molded frame and at least two glass lites, door control means for hingedly mounting the door on said merchandiser, electric means for said merchandiser including lighting means on one of the mullion members for illuminating the display area, said electric means also including heating means for the glass lites of the transparent panel and including a key member for connecting said heating means to said merchandiser. A thermal door and a method for making the same are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A reach-in merchandiser having a refrigerated product display area with a front opening defined by a casing having at least two mullion members, a reach-in door for closing the front opening of said merchandiser and providing access to the product area, a door control hingedly mounting said door on one of the mullion members, said reach-in door having a transparent panel with a molded frame and first and second two glass lites, and a non-metallic spacer having an inner separator body portion with an outer wall forming extended side sealing flanges on each side of the body portion, and said first and second glass lites are assembled on the spacer means with the separator body portion engaging the opposed inner surfaces of the glass lites and the peripheral margins of the lites being captured by the side sealing flanges of the spacer.

2. The merchandiser of claim 1, in which the spacer has opposed free ends and further comprising a key member having a locking section constructed and arranged to connect said opposed spacer ends in a locking relationship accommodating said glass lites to form an unsealed glass panel subassembly.

3. The merchandiser of claim 2, in which said separator body portion has an interior cavity opening at said opposed free ends, and the locking section of said key member includes at least one tab member received in the interior cavity at each of said free ends.

4. The merchandiser of claim 1, in which the separator body portion is bifurcated in two sections separated by a central flange of the outer wall, and a third glass lite is centrally assembled between the two separator body sections in spaced relation with the first and second glass lites and with its peripheral margin engaged with the central flange.

5. The merchandiser of claim 4, in which the first glass lite is located nearest the product display area and the second lite is located farthest from the product display area when the door is closed, one of the three glass lites being formed of low-E glass, and wherein the fist lite has a conductive film on the inner surface of the first lite, the conductive film being connected to an external electrical power source for heating the inner surface, the remaining surfaces of the first, second and third lites being free of connection to the external electrical power source and unheated.

6. The merchandiser of claim 1, in which the outer surface of the outer wall and side sealing flanges is covered with a moisture barrier material applied to peripherally cover the outer wall surface around the glass panel subassembly and also extend inwardly from said outer wall surface around said side flanges to overlap a preselected outer surface area of said first and second lites adjacent to the peripheral margins thereof.

7. The merchandiser of claim 1, in which said molded frame is arranged and molded to surround the peripheral margin of the transparent panel and sealably enclose said lites so that the interior volume of the panel comprises a sealed insulating space, and said inner separator body portion of said spacer has a hollow interior cavity constructed and arranged to contain a desiccant and being in fluid communication with the interior insulating space of the transparent panel.

8. The merchandiser of claim 1 further comprising lighting including an elongated lamp mounted within the display area adjacent to the front opening, and light diffusing means constructed and arranged for covering the lamp and diffusing light therefrom more evenly over the shelves and throughout the display area, said diffusing means including a plurality of opaque light-blocking surfaces to control the refraction of light outwardly of the display area through the front opening.

9. The merchandiser of claim 8, in which the diffusing means has an internally faceted surface for diffusing light from the lamp over a wide range to achieve more uniform lighting of the product area, the facets each comprising first and second surfaces intersecting at an angle, the first surfaces of at least some of the facets being opaque to prevent the transmission of light through such surfaces whereby the opaque surfaces are constructed and arranged to substantially block light from the lamp from being visible through the reach-in door or the front opening to the display area.

10. The merchandiser of claim 9, which the ballast base section includes a light reflective surface underlying said lamp.

11. The merchandiser of claim 10, in which said diffuser base and side walls receive direct light from said lamp and reflective light from said reflecting surface.

12. The merchandiser of claim 11, in which the diffuser side walls extend from the casing mullion so that the base wall is positioned in the display area, and at least one first facet on the inner surface of the diffuser base wall for the refraction of light into the display area.

13. The merchandiser of claim 12, in which at least some of the first facets of said diffuser base wall have substantially equal surface areas on both sides.

14. The merchandiser of claim 12, in which at least some of the first facets of said diffuser base wall have side surfaces that diverge from the apex at substantially equal angles toward said base wall.

15. The merchandiser of claim 12, wherein a series of contiguous first facets are formed to extend from the diffuser base wall at substantially equal angles.

16. The merchandiser of claim 8, in which said lamp has a ballast base section vertically mounted on a mullion of the casing, and said light diffusing means comprises a generally channel-shaped diffuser having an inner base wall and opposed side walls formed to extend substantially perpendicularly away from the base wall to free edge margins constructed for engagement on the ballast base section.

17. The merchandiser of claim 16, in which said ballast base section includes a spring clip, and the free edge margins of the diffuser side walls have a snap-on connection with said spring clip.

18. The merchandiser of claim 16 including a seal disposed between the side wall margins and the ballast base section.

19. The merchandiser of claim 16, in which the diffuser side walls extend substantially normal to the casing mullion so that the base wall is laterally disposed in the display area, and at least one facet on the inner surface of at least one of said diffuser side walls for the refraction of light into the display area.

20. The merchandiser of claim 19, in which at least some of the facets on said one diffuser side wall are saw-toothed with a long side surface and a short side surface.

21. The merchandiser of claim 20, in which said long side surfaces are arranged to refract light from the lamp into the display area.

22. The merchandiser of claim 20, in which said short side surfaces are generally arranged to face outwardly of the display area toward the casing opening and door, and light-blocking means on at least some of said short side surfaces to prevent the full refraction of light therethrough.

23. A low temperature reach-in merchandiser having a product display area with a front opening defined by casing means having at least two mullion members, a reach-in door for closing the front opening, said reach-in door having:

a transparent panel with a glass subassembly having at least two glass lites, an integral one-piece spacer member formed to span across and engage the marginal edges of said glass lites and to maintain a spaced relation therebetween, and a key locking member for maintaining said spacer member assembled in peripheral contact around the glass lites;

a molded frame sealably surrounding the outer periphery of the glass subassembly;

a door control hingedly mounting said door on one of said mullion members; and

electrical means including heating means for heating at least one of the glass lites of the transparent panel and means for connecting said heating means through said key locking member.

24. The merchandiser of claim 23, in which the transparent door panel comprises first and second glass lites and said spacer member is formed of non-conductive bendable material to extend peripherally around the glass lites, said spacer member having opposed and adjacent free ends and said key locking member having a locking section constructed and arranged to connect said opposed spacer free ends in locking relationship to hold said glass lites and form an unsealed glass panel subassembly.

25. The merchandiser of claim 24, in which the spacer member has an inner separator body portion with an outer wall forming side sealing flanges on each side of the body portion, and said first and second glass lites are assembled on the spacer member, with the separator body portion engaging the opposed inner surfaces of the glass lites and the peripheral margins of the lites being captured by the side sealing flanges of the spacer member.

26. The merchandiser of claim 25, in which the separator body portion is bifurcated in two sections separated by a central flange of the outer wall, and a third glass lite is centrally assembled between the two separator body sections in spaced relation with the first and second glass lites and with its peripheral margin engaged with the central flange.

27. The merchandiser of claim 26, which one of the glass lites is formed of low-E glass.

28. The merchandiser of claim 25, in which the outer surface of the spacer member outer wall and side sealing flanges is covered with a moisture barrier material.

29. The merchandiser of claim 28, wherein said moisture barrier material is applied to peripherally cover the outer wall surface around the glass panel subassembly and also extends inwardly from said outer wall surface around said side flanges to overlap a preselected outer surface area of said first and second lites adjacent to the peripheral margins thereof.

30. The merchandiser of claim 25, in which said molded frame is formed of a polymeric material and is arranged and molded to surround the peripheral margin of the transparent panel and sealably enclose said lites so that the interior volume of the panel comprises a sealed insulating space.

31. The merchandiser of claim 30, in which said inner separator body portion of said spacer member has a hollow interior cavity constructed and arranged to contain a desiccant and being in fluid communication with the interior volume of the transparent panel.

32. The merchandiser of claim 23 wherein the heating means is disposed on an inner surface of one of the first and second glass lites.

33. The merchandiser of claim 32 herein the one glass lite having the inner surface heating means is disposed on the outer side of the door remote from the product merchandiser.

34. The merchandiser of claim 33 wherein the other of the first and second glass lites is formed of low-E glass.

35. The merchandiser of claim 34 wherein the glass subassembly has three glass lites captured and spaced by the spacer member and of which the middle glass lite is the other glass lite.

36. The merchandiser of claim 32 wherein the one glass lite having the inner surface heating means is located on the inner side of the door nearest to the product merchandiser.

37. The merchandiser of claim 23, wherein said glass lites have angularly related side edges, and said spacer member comprises a strip of flexible, non-conductive material having a continuous base wall with side flanges forming parallel side portions thereof and together defining an outer wall surface on one side of said spacer member, said separator section being centrally formed on the other side between the side flanges, and said separator section being divided into a series of lengths corresponding to the respective side edges of the glass lites and being connected together by the base wall member.

38. The merchandiser of claim 37, in which said separator section is chamfered between said lengths to accommodate bending and shaping the flexible strip spacer member along the angularly related side edges of said glass lites such that the opposed edges of said separator section lengths of the respective chamfers are mated at the comers of the glass lite side edges to form a mitered continuous separator body section in the subassembly.

39. The merchandiser of claim 38, in which the outer ends of the spacer member are free and are disposed in adjacent opposed relationship on one side edge of the glass lites in forming the glass subassembly, and said key locking member is constructed and arranged for mating locking engagement between the free spacer ends to hold them together and complete the peripheral spacer engagement with the marginal edges of the glass lites.

40. The merchandiser of claim 39, wherein a locking tab is formed on one of said key locking member and free spacer end and a tab receiving channel is formed in the other of said key locking member and free spacer end, said locking tab and tab receiving channel having cooperative dual snap locks in the form of a beveled key as one of said dual locks and a key opening as the other of said dual locks.

41. The merchandiser of claim 40, wherein the free ends of said spacer member have an interior cavities defining said tab receiving channel, and said key locking member has a locking body section with said locking tab extending in aligned opposite directions therefrom, said locking body section being configured to match and mate with said spacer member so as to have similar aligned side flanges and separator body portions.

42. The merchandiser of claim 23, in which said heating means for said glass lites comprises a conductive transparent film applied to the inwardly facing surface of one of said glass lites, and said means for connecting includes busses in electrical contact with said film along parallel opposite sides of said one glass lite.

43. The merchandiser of claim 42, in which said means for connecting comprises another electrical conductor extending along a remote inward side of the other of said glass lites and a crossover electrical connector laterally extending across said glass subassembly for connecting the busses of said one glass lite to the electrical conductor at the other glass lite.

44. The merchandiser of claim 23, in which said key locking member includes an electrical connector section constructed and arranged to receive electrical power from an exterior source and being formed integral with a locking section for said spacer member, said locking section having externally located electrical leads and means internally of said connector and locking sections for forming an electrical power connection therethrough to said electrical leads.

45. The merchandiser of claim 44 wherein the key locking member includes electrical contacts for plug-in connection to the exterior electrical power source, the electrical connector section has separate, outwardly facing openings and the electrical contacts being located in respective ones of the outwardly facing openings.

46. The merchandiser of claim 45 further comprising a capillary tube in fluid communication with the space between adjacent lites for equalizing pressure with ambient, the capillary tube being received in an opening in the electrical connector section.

47. The merchandiser of claim 44 further comprising a sealant located generally around the key locking member for sealing the key locking member with the door frame.

48. The merchandiser of claim 23, in which the door control is adapted for hingedly mounting said door on the casing of a refrigerated merchandiser and including upper and lower hinges accommodated by upper and lower bushings within said molded frame.

49. The merchandiser of claim 48, including horizontally extending structural reinforcement secured to at least one of said bushings, and in which the one bushing and structural reinforcement are molded into said frame, and another bearing received in said one bushing for pivotally mounting one of the hinges therein.

50. The merchandiser of claim 49, in which said upper hinge freely turns in said bearing and is biased in an upward direction by a spring, and in which the lower hinge is mounted for relative movement in a lower bearing accommodated by the lower bushing with its lower hinge end being adapted for non-turning engagement relative to the casing of the refrigerated merchandiser.

51. The merchandiser of claim 48, in which said door control comprises torsion means constructed and arranged for twisting action during opening and closing of the door, said torsion means being elongate and having one end fixed relative to the door and the other end secured, in use, to the refrigerated merchandiser.

52. The merchandiser of claim 51, including torque adjustment means secured to the one end of said torsion means and being constructed with gearing means for selectively applying a twisting force whereby the door is biased, in use, toward a self closing position on the refrigerated merchandiser.

53. The merchandiser of claim 52, in which said torque adjustment means is located in the hinging margin of the molded door frame, and includes means for operating said gearing means to vary the degree of twisting force on said torsion means.

54. The merchandiser of claim 51, including torque adjustment means comprising a ratchet secured to one end of said torsion means and a ratchet opening in the refrigerated merchandiser, the ratchet being received in the ratchet opening for holding the torsion means in a twisted configuration when the door is closed for pre-tensioning the torsion means.

55. The merchandiser of claim 51 wherein an end of the torsion means is received in a housing member in the molded door frame.

56. The merchandiser of claim 55 wherein the housing member comprises a receptacle portion receiving the end of the torsion means and an anchor portion extending outwardly from the receptacle portion for anchoring the housing member in the door frame.

57. The merchandiser of claim 55 wherein the torsion means comprises a torsion rod, the end of the torsion rod received in the housing member having a greater effective width than a central portion of the rod for facilitating holding the upper end from twisting movement about a longitudinal axis of the torsion rod.

58. The merchandiser of claim 57 wherein the upper end of the torsion rod is bent back upon itself generally in the shape of a hook.

59. A low temperature reach-in merchandiser having a product display area with a front-opening defined by a casing having at least two mullion members, a reach-in door for closing the front opening, said reach-in door having:

a transparent panel with a glass subassembly having at least two glass lites, a spacer member formed to span across and engage the marginal edges of said glass lites and to maintain a spaced relation therebetween, a first of the glass lites being located nearest to the product area and a second of the glass lites being located outwardly of the first lite, the second glass lite being formed of low-E glass and the first glass lite having a heat conductive film thereon;

a molded frame sealably surrounding the outer periphery of the glass subassembly;

a door control for hingedly mounting said door on one of the mullion members; and

electrical means including the heat conductive film for heating the first glass lite of the transparent panel and means for connecting the heat conductive film to an exterior electrical power source.

60. The merchandiser of claim 59 wherein the heat conductive film is formed on the interiorly facing surface of the other of said lites.

61. The merchandiser of claim 59 wherein the glass subassembly includes a third glass lite located outwardly of the first and second glass lites.