Refrigerated display stand for retail shops, particularly for foods

Abstract

 The refrigerated stand comprises an insulated trough (10) covered at its top by a window (18, 20, 22), a shelf (24) at an intermediate height in the trough, and a cell (36) beneath the shelf. At transversely opposite ends of the shelf, respective openings (32, 34) are defined which establish communication between the area of the trough above the shelf and the area beneath the shelf. The cell is defined by a vertical wall spaced from the bottom of the trough so that a space is defined in communication with a first of said openings, and by a horizontal wall spaced from the shelf so that a gap (41) is defined in communication with both the space and the second of the openings. In the space, a heat exchanger (46) and fans (50) are installed which generate an air flow running through the gap, spreading above the shelf through the second of said openings, and returning to the space through the first of said openings.

Description

[0001] This invention is concerned with a refrigerated stand for the display of goods particularly for food retail shops, supermarkets and the like.

[0002] In food retail shops, refrigerated stands are universally used nowadays, which comprise an insulated trough closed by a display window, and extending before a scale counter. The space inside the window is refrigerated by a heat exchanger placed longitudinally to the stand in the upper section of the window, on the side opposite the customers, and supplied by a remote compressor. In the lower section of the insulated trough beneath the shelf supporting the goods displayed in the window, a supplemental cell is usually provided, which is separated from the window by a metal plate having a first slot near the heat exchanger and a second slot near the opposite end of the cell. A cold air circulation is thus generated, in that the air falls down into the cell through the first slot, is warmed up in the cell and flows out through the second slot and back to the heat exchanger via the window.

[0003] However, the static refrigeration of the above type of stand has the drawback, well known to the person skilled in the art, that temperatures are established having several degrees difference between areas near and areas remote from the heat exchanger. On the other hand, the needs and rules increasingly prevailing in the field of food retailing require a uniform, controlled temperature all over the stand area.

[0004] Another drawback of the above stand is the bulk of the heat exchanger, which reduces the display area in the back section of the window.

[0005] In order to obviate the drawbacks of static refrigeration, display stands with forced ventilation have been proposed, though in such stands the cell is provided in a separate insulated trough, placed beneath the main trough, and having its own heat exchanger. However, the provision of a second trough and a second heat exchanger makes these stands considerably more expensive than conventional ones.

[0006] The main object of the invention is therefore to provide a refrigerated stand having forced ventilation, with a stock cell, having a cost comparable to the cost of a static refrigeration stand. Another object is to provide such stand with a display area larger than in a conventional stand.

[0007] Another object is to provide such stand so that merchandise that has been recently placed in the display area of the stand is subjected to a quicker cooling.

[0008] The invention achieves the above and other objects and advantages, such as will appear from the following disclosure, by providing a refrigerated stand for retail shops, particularly for foods, comprising an insulated trough covered at its top by a window, a shelf at an intermediate height in the trough, and a cell beneath the shelf, characterized in that at transversely opposite ends of the shelf respective openings are defined which establish communication between the area of the trough above the shelf and the area beneath the shelf; that the cell is defined by a vertical wall spaced from the bottom of the trough so that a space is defined in communication with a first of said openings, and by a horizontal wall spaced from the shelf so that a gap is defined in communication with both said space and with the second of said openings; and that in the space heat exchangers means and fan means are installed which generate an air flow running through the gap, spreading above the shelf through the second of said openings, and returning to the space through the first of said openings.

[0009] The invention will now be disclosed in more detail, with reference to a few preferred embodiments, shown in the attached drawings which are given by way of nonlimiting example, and wherein:

Fig. 1 is a view in transverse cross-section of a first embodiment of a refrigerated stand according to the invention; e

Fig. 2 is a view in transverse cross-section of a second embodiment of a refrigerated stand according to the invention.

[0010] With reference to Fig. 1, a trough 10, insulated by means of polyurethane foaming or other similar material, resta on a frame 12 and is shaped with an upper counter 14 for scales and the like. The trough is closed at its opposite ends by shoulders such as 16. Trough 10 is closed at its top by a window comprising glass plates 22 hinged to a longitudinal member 18 so that they can be upturned, as well as transparent side walls 20.

[0011] Within the stand, a display shelf 24 extends longitudinally at an intermediate height, resting forwardly on spacers 26 and backwardly on a longitudinal bracket 28, which is attached to hangers 30. At the front, spacers 26 also maintain in position a shaped grid 32. At the back, a honeycomb grid 34 extends between bracket 28 and shelf 14. The area of the stand above shelf 24 is therefore completely separate from the area beneath the shelf, and is in communication with it only through grids 32 and 34.

[0012] Under shelf 24, an L-shaped metal plate 36 defines a stock cell, which is accessible through an opening 38 made in trough 10 and closed by an insulated door 40. The horizontal portion of metal plate 36 is spaced from shelf 24 so that it defines a gap or passage 41. In the bottom of the cell, the plate has an upper slot 42 and a lower slot 44.

[0013] In the space between the wall of trough 10 and the bottom of cell 36, a heat exchanger 46 is longitudinally arranged, which is supplied with a refrigerating fluid from a compressor not shown. An oblique partition 48 divides the space of heat exchanger 46, of grid 32 and of the lower slot 44 from the space of gap 41 and of the upper slot 42. Partition 48 has several longitudinally spaced openings, where respective fans such as 50 are installed.

[0014] When fans 50 are in operation, a main air flow is generated which flows through gap 41, flows up along bracket 28, and spreads above shelf 24 through honeycomb grid 34, as shown by the arrows. The air flows back beneath shelf 24 through grid 32, crosses exchanger 46 and flows back to fans 50.

[0015] A secondary air flow (also shown with arrows) is further established which enters cell 36 through the upper slot 42 and flows back to the exchanger through the lower slot 44.

[0016] It can thus be seen that the invention provides the ventilated refrigeration of both the window and the cell, with equipment costs only moderately higher than the costs of a traditional stand with static refrigeration. Moreover, due to the peculiar placement of the heat exchanger, the area adjacent to honeycomb grid 34, which in traditional stands was occupied by the heat exchanger, is also available for merchandise display.

[0017] Moreover, it can be seen that the air flow running through gap 41 and along the lower side of shelf 24 gives rise to a strong cooling of the shelf. This has the beneficial consequence that any merchandise that is in turn placed on the shelf from outside the window is strongly cooled by heat conduction, and therefore it attains more quickly the final temperature prevailing in the display area.

[0018] A second embodiment of the stand is shown in Fig. 2, where the reference numbers are the same as in Fig. 1. This stand differs from the previous one only in that heat exchanger 48 is placed downstream from fans 50, rather than upstream as shown in Fig. 1. Moreover, the lower slot in the cell has been replaced by a slot 46 in the top wall of the cell. With this arrangement, the air flow in the narrow gap 41 draws air from inside the cell by Venturi effect, thus giving rise to a degree of ventilation in the cell.

[0019] The operation is otherwise similar to the operation of the stand of Fig. 1.

[0020] A few preferred embodiments of the invention have been described, which have been given by way of example only and are capable of modifications and changes which are functionally equivalent, and which should be regarded as falling within the scope of the inventive idea.

Claims

1. A refrigerated stand for retail shops, particularly for foods, comprising an insulated trough (10) covered at its top by a window (18, 20, 22), a shelf (24) at an intermediate height in the trough, and a cell (36) beneath the shelf, characterized in that at transversely opposite ends of the shelf respective openings (32, 34) are defined which establish communication between the area of the trough above the shelf and the area beneath the shelf; that the cell is defined by a vertical wall (36) spaced from the bottom of the trough so that a space is defined in communication with a first (32) of said openings, and by a horizontal wall spaced from the shelf so that a gap (41) is defined in communication with both said space and with the second (32) of said openings; and that in the space heat exchangers means (46) and fan means (50) are installed which generate an air flow running through the gap, spreading above the shelf through the second of said openings, and returning to the space through the first of said openings.

2. The refrigerated stand of claim 1, characterized in that the wall of said cell has a first slot (42) adjacent said gap.

3. The refrigerated stand of claim 2, characterized in that the wall of said cell has a second slot (44) lower than said first slot.

4. The refrigerated stand of claim 2, characterized in that the wall of said cell has a second slot (46) along said gap (41).

Drawing