Refrigerated display cabinet

There is disclosed a refrigerated display cabinet provided with a refrigerating chamber and a mechanical chamber in which the rear wall of the refrigerating chamber and a rear plate that closes the open end of the mechanical chamber are in a common plane spaced from the plane defined by the rear edges of the side walls of the cabinet to provide a space between the cabinet and a wall against which the cabinet is set so that air can be exhausted from the mechanical chamber through said space and directed through a duct onto the transparent panels through which goods in the cabinet are displayed to prevent condensation on said transparent panels.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to a refrigerated display cabinet, and more 
particularly, to improving the outer configuration of the cabinet for 
effectively using the warm air exhausted by the refrigerating unit to 
prevent condensation at the transparent panels through which the 
merchandise is displayed. 
Refrigerated display cabinets that are used in stores for storing and 
dislaying refrigerated products comprise a refrigerating chamber for the 
merchandise and a mechanical chamber that contains the refrigerating 
apparatus. This mechanical chamber is normally in the lower portion of 
cabinet and, in the operation of the refrigerating apparatus, heat is 
generated. To dissipate this heat, the mechanical chamber has a plurality 
of holes in the rear cover to provide for the circulation of air which is 
normally exhausted to the rear of the cabinet. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 
1, there has heretofore been provided a cover plate 2 projecting from the 
rear of the cabinet 1 and having a plurality of holes 2a. Thus, when the 
refrigerated display cabinet 1 is placed near a wall, the projection of 
the cover plate 2 still provides a space for exhausting the warm air from 
the mechanical chamber. 
The usual refrigerated display cabinets have also heretofore been provided 
with refrigerating chambers having an opening covered by glass panels for 
controlling the temperature therein while providing for the display of the 
goods in the cabinet. However, in these refrigerating dislay cabinets, 
condensation sometimes accumulates on the glass panels which must be 
removed in order to maintain the visibility of the goods through the glass 
panels. To remove this condensation, as shown in FIG. 2, warm air 
exhausted from the mechanical chamber has been forced by a blower 6 from 
the mechanical chamber through a duct 3 at the rear and top of the cabinet 
onto the outer surface of the glass panel 5. Devices of this nature have 
the disadvantage that they are complicated and the duct 3 increases the 
size of the cabinets. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
It is a primary object of present invention to provide an improved 
refrigerated display cabinet having a simplified configuration to permit 
more flexibility in the use of the cabinet. 
It is another object of present invention to provide a refrigerated display 
cabinet having a simplified means for effectively exhausting air from the 
cabinet. 
It is still another object of present invention to provide a refrigerated 
display cabinet with improved means for removing condensation from the 
glass panel of the cabinet. 
A refrigerated display cabinet according to the present invention includes 
an upper refrigerating chamber where merchandise is stored and displayed 
and a lower mechanical chamber in which the refrigerating apparatus is 
located. The upper or access opening into the refrigerating chamber is 
covered by transparent panels formed for example of glass. The mechanical 
chamber has an opening at the rear thereof to provide for the circulation 
of air from the interior of the mechanical chamber to the atmosphere, and 
an apertured cover plate disposed over the opening. The refrigerating 
chamber is defined by a front wall and a rear wall, a bottom wall 
connected between the lower portion of the front and rear walls, and pair 
of side walls. The apertured cover plate that closes the rear of the 
mechanical chamber is aligned in the same plane as the rear wall, and this 
plane is spaced forwardly from the plane defined by the rear edges of the 
side walls to provide a space between the rear wall and a wall against 
which the cabinet is set. 
One aspect of present invention is that the opening at the top of the 
refrigerating chamber is partly covered by an upper wall having a duct to 
direct air from the rear of the cabinet to the outer surface of the 
transparent panels. 
Further objects, features, and other aspects of present invention will be 
understood from the following detailed description of the preferred 
embodiments of this invention referring to the attached drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, a refrigerated display cabinet 10 in accordance 
with the present invention is shown. The refrigerated display cabinet 10 
has a refrigerating chamber 20 and a mechanical chamber 21 in the upper 
and lower portions thereof respectively. Refrigerating chamber 20 is 
suitably secured within a cabinet 11 and has a bottom insulated wall 12 
disposed above the base of the cabinet 11 and defining the top of the 
mechanical chamber 21. Refrigerating chamber 20 has an insulated front 
wall 13 and an insulated rear wall 14 terminating at its upper end in an 
overhanging upper wall 15 which extends forwardly to partly cover the 
upper or access opening of the refrigerating chamber 20. The ends of the 
refrigerating chamber 20 are closed by insulated end walls 16. 
The upper or access opening of the refrigerating chamber 20 is covered by 
two transparent glass panels 30 that are slidably supported at their edges 
on the upper wall 15 and front wall 13 through guide rail mechanisms 31a 
and 31b respectively. The details of these guide rail mechanisms will be 
explained hereinafter. The interior of the refrigerating chamber 20 is 
illuminated by an illuminating means 32 to display the merchandise therein 
more effectively. 
Mounted on the bottom plate 17 of the cabinet 11 in the mechanical chamber 
21 are various elements of the refrigerating apparatus other than the 
evaporator, such as a compressor 211 and condenser 212. In the usual 
manner, gaseous refrigerant is compressed by compressor 211 and is then 
passed through the condensor 212 where it is cooled and condensed to a 
liquid. Air is drawn over the condenser 212 by a blower 213 to remove 
heat. 
A front plate 171 is integral with and extends upwardly from the front end 
portion of the bottom plate 17 to cover the front of the mechanical 
chamber 21. The rear of the mechanical chamber 21 is closed by a lower 
rear plate 18, the lower edge of which is affixed to the rear edge of 
bottom plate 17. The upper edge of the lower rear plate 18 is formed with 
a V-shaped depression 181, one side of which is affixed to a beveled 
portion 141 of the rear wall 14 by rivets 19. Holes H1 are formed through 
the lower rear plate 18 including holes H1 in the other side 181b of the 
V-shaped depression 181 to provide for the circulation of air 
therethrough. 
In the construction of the refrigerated display cabinet, the outer plate 
142 of the rear wall 14, and the lower rear plate 18 are in the same 
vertical plane L1, as shown in FIG. 4, which is displaced from the 
vertical plane L2 defined by the rear edge of the side walls 16 to define 
a gap G between the planes L1 and L2. Since the rear of the cabinet 11 
thus consists of a flat surface defined by the wall 14 and plate 18, it is 
sufficiently attractive to permit freestanding use of the cabinet as well 
as use against a wall. Furthermore, when the display cabinet is placed 
with the rear edge of the end walls 16 against a wall, an exhaust air duct 
is not required since the warm air from the blower 213 is exhausted 
through the holes H1 into the space 23 defined by the gap G between the 
outer plate 142 of the rear wall 14 and the wall against which the cabinet 
is set. 
By directing the warm air exhausted by the blower 213 upwardly through the 
space 23 onto the surface of the transparent panels 30, this exhaust air 
may be used to prevent condensation on the transparent panels 30. To 
direct the exhaust air onto the transparent panels 30, the upper wall 15 
is provided with an air duct 40 between the upper plate 151 and the 
insulating element 152 within the upper wall 15. The air duct 40 has an 
outlet end 401 opening along the upper portion of the guide rail mechanism 
31a onto the transparent panels 30 and an inlet end 402 communicating with 
the space 23 through inlet holes H2 formed through an upper plate 153 that 
may be integral with the upper wall 15 and forms a smooth continuation of 
the outer plate 142 of the rear wall 14. As shown in FIG. 4, the rear 
portion of the insulating element 152 is formed with a gradually 
increasing thickness toward the front opening 401 and conversely, the 
depth of the air duct 40 is gradually decreased toward the front opening 
401. A blower 41 is supported on a plate 43 at the inlet end 402 adjacent 
the holes H2 and functions to draw air from the space 23 through the holes 
H2 and forces it into the air duct 40 toward the outlet end 401 and thus 
to circulate it onto the outer surface of the transparent panels 30 and 
thereby prevent condensation on the surface of the transparent panels 30. 
A number of blowers 41 are used over the width of the cabinet as required, 
there being two blowers 41 and the cooperating air ducts 40 and holes 42 
in the illustrated cabinet. 
To distribute the air uniformly over the surface of the transparent panels 
30, the air ducts 40 may not only decrease in depth toward the outlet 
opening 401, but, as shown in FIG. 5, may also be formed partly in the 
upper wall 15 and diverge from the inlet opening 402 toward the outlet 
opening 401. With two blowers 41 and cooperating ducts 40 and air inlet 
holes H2, each of the ducts 40 at their outlet openings 401 cover half of 
the length of cabinet. In this manner, air drawn into the air duct 40 
through holes H2 is uniformly distributed on the surface of the 
transparent panels 30 through the outlet end 401 of the air duct 40. 
With the blower slanted relative to the air path in the duct 40, as shown 
in FIG. 4, there is resistance to the flow of air through the duct 40 and 
thus a reduction in the amount of the air delivered by the blower 41. To 
decrease the resistance to the flow of air, there is shown in FIG. 6, an 
air duct 40' formed along the inner surface of the upper rear plate 153 
and the upper plate 151, and a blower device 41' disposed transversely 
within the air duct 40'. 
Referring to FIGS. 4 and 7, the guide rail mechanisms 31a and 31b for the 
transparent panels 30 comprise rail elements 311a and 311b respectively 
fixed to walls 15 and 13 and frames 312 attached to the edge of each of 
the transparent panels 30. The rail element 311a is fixed on the front end 
portion 155 of the upper plate 151 of upper wall 15 through support frame 
33 by screws 34 and provided with a horizontal flat running surface 313 
for each of the transparent panels 30. The rail element 311b is fixed on 
the top of the front wall 13 and provided with a dual railway 315. The 
frames 312 rotatably support wheels 314 which run on the running surfaces 
313 of the rail element 311a and the railway 315 of the rail element 311b 
whereby the transparent panels 30 are adapted to be moved relative to each 
other longitudinally of the cabinet. 
A plurality of holes 156, 331 are formed through the front end portion 155 
of the upper plate 151 and the support frame 33 for passage of the air, 
and the upper end portion of the support frame 33 has a flange portion 332 
extending horizontally to cover the edge of the transparent panels 30 and 
directing the warm air flowing from the outlet opening 401 toward the 
outer surface of transparent panels 30. However, since the guide rail 
mechanism 311a has no sealing, some of the warm air flowing from the 
outlet opening 401 tends to enter into the refrigerating chamber 20 
through the guide rail mechanism 311a. To avoid this, the guide rail 
element 311a has an air guide element 36 extending horizontally from the 
upper end thereof over the frames 312 and the wheels 314 carried thereby 
to form with the flange portion 332 of the support frame 33 a passageway 
for the air. 
Illuminating means 32 is affixed on the front end of the upper wall 15 
below the guide rail element 311a and comprises a series of flurorescent 
lamps 321 and three-part cover frames 322 consisting of an upper cover 
plate 322a, a lower cover plate 322b and a connecting element 322c. Upper 
cover plate 322a is attached on the front end of the upper wall 15 and 
provided with a plurality of holes 323 (as shown in FIG. 7). These holes 
323 are adjacent the flat running surface 313 of the rail element 311a, 
whereby the rail element 311a is heated by the lamp 321 to prevent 
condensation without influencing the merchandise stored in the cabinet. 
This invention has been described in detail in connection with the 
preferred embodiments, but these embodiments are merely for example only 
and this invention is not restricted thereto, It will be easily understood 
by those skilled in the art that other variations or modifications can be 
easily made within the scope of this invention, as defined by the appended 
claims.