[0001] The present invention refers to a refrigerated display counter of the type comprising:
- an insulated body in which there is defined at least one product display compartment
and at least one accessory compartment intended to receive means for cooling and force
circulating cooled air in said counter,
- a display shelf removably mounted in said body and delimiting said display compartment,
- at least one cooled air distribution conduit below said display shelf for cooling
the same, said conduit being extended from said cooling means.
[0002] A display counter including the aforesaid characteristics is known from British Patent
No. 1414743 in the name of the German Company Linde Aktiengesellschaft.
[0003] The subject display counter of this prior patent has a display shelf essentially
tray-like in shape, which can be inserted or removed from the insulated body according
to specific demands.
[0004] This counter has the undoubted advantage of enabling cooling of the products both
by forced ventilation with cold air from above, that is with a stream of cooled air
which sweeps past the products above the display shelf, and by direct thermal exchange
with the display shelf because the surface of the same is cooled by the cold air stream
which circulates below it.
[0005] With this refrigeration system one partly avoids drawbacks typical of refrigerated
display counters in which the products are cooled solely by the cold air stream which
circulates above the display shelf.
[0006] For example, these counters particularly suit the treatment of non-packaged products
in that they allow the surface drying of the goods on display to be limited owing
to the lower temperature of the products for the same relative humidity of the circulating
air.
[0007] On the other hand these known counters have the drawback of a comparatively difficult
maintenance of the evaporators and the means for forced circulation of cooled air
and involve some difficulty to clean the accessory compartment and the corresponding
walls of the body.
[0008] The object of the invention is to provide a refrigerated display counter structured
to ensure optimum preservation of the products and at the same time having such a
structure as to facilitate maintenance and cleaning the accessory compartment as well
as the means intended for cooling and forcibly circulating cooled air.
[0009] This object is achieved by a display counter including the characteristics mentioned
initially and characterized in that said display shelf constitutes removable closure
of said accessory compartment so that said accessory compartment and said cooling
means are accessible following removal of said display shelf.
[0010] The characteristics arid advantages of the invention will be better appreciated from
the detailed description that follows of two preferred but not exclusive embodiment
forms thereof, shown by way of illustration and not of limitation, with reference
to the accompanying drawings in which:
- Figure 1 is a schematic view in cross-section of a refrigerated display counter embodying
this invention;
- Figure 2 is a perspective view to an enlarged scale and in partial section of a detail
of the counter of Figure 1;
- Figure 3 is a schematic view in cross-section of a variation of the counter of this
invention.
[0011] In Figures 1 and 2, generally denoted by 1 is a refrigerated display counter embodying
this invention.
[0012] The counter 1 comprises an insulated unitized body 2, supported on a bed 3 and overlaid
by a display window 4 of a structure conventional per se.
[0013] The unitized body 2 has a substantially tray-like configuration with walls marked
by the references 2a, 2b, 2c and 2d. The walls 2a and 2d are substantially perpendicular
to the wall 2b which constitutes the bottom of the tray-like structure; the wall 2c
is inclined for connection between the walls 2b and 2d. In the wall 2a there is formed
a plurality of openings 5 closed removably by insulated doors 6. In the wall 2b there
is formed a header 7 intended for collecting and draining off the condensation and/or
defrosting water.
[0014] Along the wall 2c, inside the tray-like structure, there is anchored and supported
an evaporator 8 belonging to a refrigerating circuit not shown and conventional per
se. Such an evaporator 8 is disposed in an air suction conduit 8a, delimited between
the wall 2c and a case 9. Said case 9 has a plurality of openings 10 with each of
which there is associated an electric fan 11 with such an arrangement that the air
sucked in by the electric fans 11 is preliminarly cooled by the evaporator 8.
[0015] The case 9 is also a closure wall of a tubular box 12, intended for distributing
the cooled air as better explained hereinafter. In the box 12 there are identified
two walls 13, 14 substantially square to each other and both provided with groups
of through-openings identified with 16, 17 and 18. The openings 16 and 17 are associated
with refrigerated air feed-in conduits whilst the openings 18 are associated with
air recovery conduits 18a placed at the bottom wall 2c of the unitized body 2.
[0016] A plurality of shelves, all indicated at 19, are supported side-by-side in the unitized
body 2 so as to identify a display shelf of the refrigerated counter. The shelves
19 comprise a metal plate 20 whose juxtaposed longitudinal edges 21, 22 are folded
upwards, in the direction of the display window 4 and whose juxtaposed transverse
edges 23 are folded to an "L" downwards to define juxtaposed brackets between which
a panel 24 is supported and secured.
[0017] The shelves 19 are made to rest in a removable way in the counter 1 and supported
such that one longitudinal end of the panels 24 rests on a bracket 25 running along
the wall 2a, above the openings 5, the juxtaposed end of the panels rests on the box
12 and the part proximate to the edge 21 rests, substantially sealed by the provision
of a strip 26, along the upper corner edge of the case 9 where this partly encloses
the evaporator 8. In this way, the shelves 19 help to delimit the air suction conduit
8a.
[0018] Said shelves 19 also help to constitute a conduit 27 for distributing cooled air
below the display shelf. That conduit 27 is extended between the openings 16 and an
outflow opening defined on the free end of the edge 21 at which there is provided
a so-called "air brake", perforated plate labyrinth device 30. The conduit 27 is delimited
between the plate 20, on the one side, and the case 9, wall 14, panel 24 and wall
2a of the unitized body 2, on the other side.
[0019] The above-described structural elements and in particular the unitized body 2, display
window 4, shelves 19 and box 12 delimit three discrete compartments in the counter
1. The first of them, the so-called display compartment 31, is identified between
the display shelf defined by the shelves 19 and the display window 4. The second is
an accessory compartment indicated at 32 and delimited below the shelves 19 between
the wall 2c and the box 12. That compartment 32 is intended as mentioned to contain
the counter components intended for cooling and circulating the air. The third compartment,
indicated at 33, is defined below the shelves 19 between the walls 2a and 13 and is
intended for stowing the stock of products intended to be disposed on the display
shelf.
[0020] Notice that by removing the panels 19, both the compartment 32 housing the "technical"
components of the counter, and the stock stowage compartment 33 are fully accessible
for maintenance and/or cleaning making the operation of the counter 1 particularly
simple and sanitary.
[0021] In Figure 3 there is shown a second example of the counter of this invention. The
counter of this example is indicated generally at 40 and similar items are identified
with the same reference numerals as in the previous example.
[0022] The counter 40 is provided with a display compartment 31, a well-shaped accessory
compartment 32 containing the evaporator 8, the means 9, 10 and 11 intended for forced
circulation of the cooled air whilst absent is the stock stowage compartment. The
accessory compartment is divided by the case 9 into two volumes, the one to contain
the evaporator 8 and identifying the suction conduit 8a and the other to contain the
electric fans 11 and belonging to the distribution conduit 27.
[0023] As for the display shelf, this is defined by a plurality of shelves 41 disposed side-by-side
and each comprising a plate 42 whose longitudinally juxtaposed ends are folded upwards
to define two juxtaposed longitudinal edges 43, 44 and whose juxtaposed transverse
ends are folded to an "L" downwards to define, like in the previous example, two juxtaposed
transverse edges 45.
[0024] The cooled air distribution conduit 27 is delimited, at the air suction conduit 8a,
between the plate 20 and an eave 46 extended between the edges 45 from the rest area
of the shelf on the evaporator 8. The eave 46 is shaped into a nozzle 47 so as to
limit the flow rate of cooled air issuing therefrom into the conduit 8a. The same
suction conduit is delimited, between the evaporator 8 and the wall 2a of the unitized
body, between the plate 20 and the longitudinal edge 43, on the one side, and the
walls 2a, 2e and 2f of the unitized body 2, on the other side. The shelves are made
to rest removably on the case 9, where this encloses the upper corner edge of the
evaporator, and on the wall 2f of the unitized body.
[0025] This different embodiment of the invention also allows of easy cleaning and maintenance
of the accessory compartment and the air refrigerating means contained in it.
1. Refrigerated display counter (1) comprising:
- an insulated body (2) in which there is defined at least one product display compartment
(31) and at least one accessory compartment (32) intended to receive means for cooling
and force circulating cooled air in said counter,
- a display shelf (19) removably mounted in said body and delimiting said display
compartment (31),
- at least one cooled air distribution conduit (27) below said display shelf (31)
for cooling the same, said conduit (27) being extended from said cooling means, characterized
in that said display shelf (19) constitutes removable closure of said accessory compartment
(32) so that said accessory compartment (32) and said cooling means are accessible
following removal of said display shelf (19).
2. Refrigerated display counter according to Claim 1 comprising a further stock storage
compartment (33), removably closed by panels (24) rigid with corresponding shelves
(19) which define said display shelf (19).
3. Refrigerated display counter according to Claim 2, wherein said cooling means include
cooled air feed-in conduits into said storage compartment and recovery conduits (18a)
from said compartment.
4. Refrigerated display counter according to Claim 2, wherein each panel (24) is attached
to the corresponding shelf (19) in spaced relationship therewith and wherein said
panel (24) delimits over at least some length said distribution conduit (27) and constitutes
wall of said storage compartment (33).