The present description relates to thermally conditioned display stands, with one or more open display sides. The description has been developed with particular attention paid to display structures for said display stands.
Known to the art are display structures for thermally conditioned display stands with open display sides, i.e., ones in which the sides of the display stand are provided with portions through which the products displayed are visible and accessible from outside.
Possible embodiments comprise display shelves set on top of one another and a supporting column for said shelves, which defines a path for a flow of air and has a series of outlets for the delivery of flows of air over the shelves. The flow of air that reaches the top of the column is deviated according to a descending flow that passes in front of the shelves so as to create a film of air for covering the open display sides.
A solution of this sort is, for example, illustrated in documents
First of all, unless fans are provided also in the top portion of the display structure, the film of air obtained in said display stands is effective mostly in regard to the top shelves, whereas its action is rather weak in regard to the other shelves. Furthermore, irrespective of the presence or otherwise of fans purposely provided for generating the film of air, said film of air presents in itself limits of effectiveness both in its action of covering and in its action of cooling of the shelves.
In addition, display stands of the type referred to above are rather cumbersome, in so far as, all around the open display surfaces, they must have a free space sufficient for passage of the air.
Said display stands are consequently ill-suited for being used for temporary installations, for which handy structures that are easy to transport are instead called for.
In the
However, the solution proposed in said document is extremely complex. In said solution, a central column is in fact provided, which conveys the air to the various shelves, departing radially from which is a plurality of channels designed to provide the various flows over the individual shelves. Said channels are constituted by walls that delimit the shelves, leaving for the latter very restricted spaces. Furthermore, in said solution, the cooling element is set along the column that conveys the air to the shelves, thus complicating considerably the constructional design of the display structure itself and rendering the latter permanently constrained to the cooling system to which it is associated.
The object of the present invention is to provide a display structure that does not present the aforesaid drawbacks.
According to the invention, said object is achieved thanks to a display structure having the characteristics recalled in the ensuing claims.
The claims form an integral part of the technical teaching provided herein in relation to the invention.
In various embodiments, said display structure can envisage a first column defining a first path of flow of the air. The first column can have a series of first outlets for delivery of a flow of air over the shelves, said first outlets delivering air in a first direction of delivery. The display structure can further comprise at least one second column defining a second path of flow of the air, subsequent to and in the opposite direction with respect to said first path. The second column can have a series of second outlets for delivery of a flow of air over shelves, said second outlets delivering air in a second direction of delivery, which is not parallel to the aforesaid first direction.
In various embodiments, the display structure can be constructively very simple, at the same time being able to provide an efficient cooling action on the various shelves. As will moreover emerge more clearly in what follows, in various embodiments the display structure described herein can be easy and fast to install.
In various embodiments, the display structure described herein can be easily uncoupled from the thermodynamic assembly to which it is associated, so that it can advantageously be designed for different interchangeable thermodynamic assemblies.
In various embodiments, thanks to its simplicity, the display structure can also be advantageously made of cardboard.
The invention will now be described, purely by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the annexed drawings, in which:
In the ensuing description, various specific details are illustrated aimed at an in-depth understanding of the embodiments. The embodiments may be provided without one or more of the specific details, or with other methods, components or materials, etc. In other cases, known structures, materials or operations are not illustrated or described in detail so that various aspects of the embodiment will not be obscured.
The reference to "an embodiment" or "one embodiment" in the framework of this description indicates that a particular configuration, structure, or characteristic described in relation to the embodiment is comprised in at least one embodiment. Hence, phrases such as "in an embodiment" or "in one embodiment" that may be present in various points of this description do not necessarily refer to one and the same embodiment. Furthermore, particular conformations, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any adequate way in one or more embodiments.
The references appearing herein are used only for reasons of convenience and hence do not define the sphere of protection or the scope of the embodiments.
In
In various embodiments, an application of such a display stand regards display of products to be kept cold, i.e., to be kept at a temperature lower than room temperature. In said application, the thermodynamic assembly 2 has a cooling system of a conventional type for cooling the conditioning air, which comprises, for example, a compressor, a condenser, a lamination valve, and an evaporator.
In the case of application regarding, instead, display of products to be kept warm, i.e., to be kept at a temperature higher than room temperature, the thermodynamic assembly 2 can present, as an alternative or in addition to the cooling system, a heating system, equipped, for example, with electrical resistors, for heating the conditioning air.
In both cases, the thermodynamic assembly 2 further comprises a fan of any conventional type, for movement of the conditioning air.
The details of construction of the thermodynamic assembly 2 will not, however, be described here in detail in so far as they do not in themselves play a determining role.
In various embodiments, the display stand 1 comprises a display structure 3, which includes a vertical row of display shelves set on top of one another 4, a first column 5 extending through said row of shelves, which has a series of first outlets 5' for delivery of a flow of conditioned air over the shelves. In various embodiments, the display structure 3 has at least one second column 6 having a series of second outlets 6' for delivery of a flow of conditioned air over each of the shelves 4. Furthermore, the first column 5 and the second column 6 are in fluid communication with one another in such a way as to define successive paths of a flow of conditioned air, along the row of shelves 4, which have directions opposite to one another.
In various embodiments, the display structure 3 is preferably made of cardboard and comprises a panel 8 folded to form a generic tubular shape substantially rectangular in plan view, which defines four display sides. Each side of the panel 8 has an opening 10 corresponding to the shelves 4.
Each second column 6, referred to above, is provided on each of the four internal corners of the panel 8. Said column 6 is in particular formed by a vertical panel 8', on which a series of openings that come to form the second outlets 6' is provided and which is glued across the internal corner portions of the panel 8, so as to join the opposed sides of each portion (see in this connection
In the embodiment considered here, the shelves 4 have a substantially rectangular shape corresponding to the shape of the top plan view of the folded panel 8 and corners 4" chamfered in such a way as to match the triangular cross section of the columns 6.
Furthermore, each shelf has a central opening 4', which, when the structure 3 is in the mounted condition, is traversed by the first column 5. Said opening 4' is delimited by a collar portion 4a via which the shelf is anchored to the column 5.
The column 5 is formed by a vertical panel having four vertical series of openings that come to form the first outlets 5'. Said panel is folded to form a generic tubular shape that identifies four sides present on each of which is one of the aforesaid series of openings.
The top end of the panel 8 is closed by a first lid 9, which has a substantially rectangular shape corresponding to the top plan view of the folded panel 8 and corners 9" chamfered so as to match the triangular cross section of the columns 6. The lid 9 is mounted on the column 5 via a collar portion 9a thereof provided in its central region, which for said purpose is slid into the top end of the column 5. The collar 9 delimits a central opening 9' made in the lid 9 itself.
A second lid 10 is set on top of the first lid 9, to close the panel 8 at the top and obtain a chamber 11, between the first and second lids, which sets the column 5 in fluid communication with the columns 6. In particular, said chamber 11 is in communication with the first column 5, via the opening 9' of the first lid, and with the second columns 6 via the respective passages defined by the chamfered corners 6" of the first lid 9 together with the corresponding internal corner portions of the panel 8.
In various embodiments, the first outlets 5' are oriented so as to deliver air in a first direction, and the second outlets 6' are in turn oriented so as to deliver air in a second direction that is not parallel to the first direction.
The flows delivered by the first and second outlets can have components transverse to the shelves, but they are here neglected for simplicity of treatment.
In various embodiments, the first outlets 5' of the first column 5 are arranged so as to identify a first flow vector K, in a first direction and according to a first sense of delivery of the air. The outlets 6' of the second column 6 are in turn oriented so as to identify a second flow vector L, in a second direction and according to a second sense of delivery of the air.
In various embodiments, the second vector L has a non-zero component transverse with respect to the first vector K in such a way that the flow of air delivered by the second outlets interacts with the flow of air delivered by the first outlets in order to provide a covering of air for the shelves, suitable to prevent entry of air from outside.
In various embodiments, the second vector L moreover has a non-zero component that is parallel to and has opposite sense with respect to the first vector K. In another embodiment, the second vector L has, instead, a non-zero component that is parallel to and has the same sense as the first vector K.
With reference to the substantially rectangular top plan view of the display structure, illustrated in Figure 5, the outlets 6' of the columns 6 substantially face the centre of said rectangle, and the delivery vector L defined by them lies substantially along the diagonals of the latter, whilst the outlets 5' of the column 5 face corresponding sides of said rectangle, and the delivery vector K defined by them lies in directions transverse to said sides.
In various embodiments, the flow of air delivered by the second outlets interacts with the flow of air delivered by the first outlets, thus bringing about on the shelves swirling of air that prevents entry of air from outside.
In various embodiments, for each shelf, the overall section of outflow of the second outlets that give out onto it is smaller than the overall section of outflow of the corresponding first outlets. This enables, on each shelf, a fluid-dynamic configuration of the flows to be obtained designed to favour formation of vortices. In the example illustrated in the figures, the outlets 5' are of a width greater than that of the outlets 6' so that the overall section of outflow of the first outlets 5' is approximately ten times greater than the overall section of outflow of the second outlets 6'.
The display structure 3 described above may be associated to the thermodynamic assembly 2.
In the examples of embodiment illustrated, for said purpose, the panel 8 defines, in a position corresponding to its bottom end, a space designed to receive the thermodynamic assembly 2. In said embodiment, a panel 12 of the thermodynamic assembly 2 defines a bottom surface of the display space, and has a central outlet 13 that, in the condition where the assembly is associated to the structure 3, is slid into the bottom end of the column 5 so as to set the fan of the thermodynamic assembly 2 in fluid communication with the entire air-distribution system of the structure 3.
It is, however, evident that the first column 5 can be connected in any simple and fast way to the outlet of a thermodynamic assembly 2, given that it can on the other hand be uncoupled therefrom just as easily and as fast. In view of this, the display structure could be advantageously designed for operating with different interchangeable thermodynamic assemblies.
Illustrated in
The air that has been conditioned by the thermodynamic assembly 2 is sent into the column 5. Part of the air that flows through the column 5, is progressively delivered over the various shelves 4, through the outlets 5', according to the delivery vector K identified thereby.
The remaining part of air, after having traversed the entire column 5 in the direction of delivery, reaches the chamber 11 and is re-distributed in the columns 6, in the direction of return to the thermodynamic assembly 2. The air that traverses the columns 6 is then progressively delivered over the various shelves 4, through the outlets 6', according to the delivery vector L identified thereby.
As mentioned previously, the flow of air delivered by the second columns 6' interacts with the flow of air delivered by the column 5' so as to obtain a covering of air of the shelves designed to prevent entry of warm air from outside. As may be seen in
As may be seen in the figures, the shelves 4 have further openings 4b, arranged laterally with respect to the central openings 4', which, when the structure 3 is in the mounted condition, are corresponding to one another so as to enable the air delivered over the shelves to return to the thermodynamic assembly 2, in the chamber where the fan (not illustrated in the figures) is located.
It should be noted that the solution illustrated in the figures represents only one example of embodiment of the teachings of the present invention.
Various embodiments can in fact envisage a different number of second columns and/or further first columns according to a mutual arrangement different from the one illustrated in
In various embodiments a plurality of second columns can be provided, each having a respective series of second outlets, and the first column can have multiple series of first outlets. The various series of first outlets are designed to interact with a respective series of second outlets. In one embodiment, the first column occupies a central position with respect to the shelves, and the second columns are arranged around the first column.
In various embodiments, the shelves have in top plan view one of the following shapes: triangular, rectangular, square, pentagonal, hexagonal, etc., with the first column at the centre, and a second column at each vertex.
In various embodiments, a second column can have one or more series of second outlets and a first column can have one or more series of first outlets.
In various embodiments, a series of second outlets interacts with just one series of first outlets, or else a number of series of second outlets interacts with just one series of first outlets, or again, a number of series of first outlets interacts with just one series of second outlets.
In various embodiments, the display structure comprises a first panel folded to form a generic tubular configuration, defining four open display sides, in which each second column is formed by a second vertical panel, on which a series of openings is made that come to form the second outlets and which is glued on an internal corner portion of said first panel so as to join the opposed sides of said portion. In said example of embodiment, a first lid and a second lid set on top of one another close the top end of said first panel to obtain a chamber that sets the first column and at least one second column in fluid communication. Furthermore, in said embodiment, the first column is formed by a third vertical panel, which has four vertical series of openings that come to form the first outlets and is folded to form a generic tubular shape that identifies four sides, present on each of which is one of the aforesaid series of openings, the first column passing through a central opening of said shelves.
The arrangement described above is particularly advantageous in so far as it enables adequate cooling of each shelf, even in conditions in which the shelves are completely occupied by the goods being displayed.
In the display structure considered herein, the successive flows in opposite directions that are created along the row of shelves, in the first and second column, enable uniformity, between the shelves, of the cooling action of the conditioned air. In fact, the shelves that receive from the column 5 colder air as compared to the other shelves, in so far as they are closer to the thermodynamic assembly 2, receive from the columns 6 warmer air, heated during the path along the column 5 and along the stretch traversed in the column 6. The present applicant has found that such a distribution of flows of air further favours formation of vortices on the shelves and guarantees an efficient cooling effect along the entire row of the shelves.
Of course, without prejudice to the principle of the invention, the details of construction and the embodiments may vary, even significantly, with respect to what has been illustrated herein purely by way of non-limiting example, without thereby departing from the scope of the invention, as defined in the annexed claims.
This list of references cited by the applicant is for the reader's convenience only. It does not form part of the European patent document. Even though great care has been taken in compiling the references, errors or omissions cannot be excluded and the EPO disclaims all liability in this regard.