U.S. patent application number 09/745056 was filed with the patent office on 2002-06-20 for dipping cabinet.
Invention is credited to Rand, Thomas W., Sanders, Joseph F., Topper, Robert T..
Application Number | 20020073725 09/745056 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 26930514 |
Filed Date | 2002-06-20 |
United States Patent
Application |
20020073725 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Rand, Thomas W. ; et
al. |
June 20, 2002 |
Dipping cabinet
Abstract
A refrigerated cabinet (10) includes a cabinet base (20)
defining an open top compartment having a refrigerated interior for
housing a refrigerated product (50) and a canopy (30) disposed atop
the refrigerated compartment. A transparent glass window in the
front wall of the canopy (30) is extended downwardly to the product
fill line within the refrigerated compartment thereby expanding the
customer view area. The rear wall of the canopy (30) includes a
transparent service door (40) and a framework (42). The service
door (40) may be rotated independently of the framework (42) to an
open position providing service access to the refrigerated
compartment. The service door (40) and the framework (42) may also
be rotated together as a unit to a second open position to provide
access to the refrigerated compartment for cleaning and sanitizing.
A lamp (80) for illuminating the cabinet interior is disposed
externally of the canopy (30).
Inventors: |
Rand, Thomas W.; (Cedarburg,
WI) ; Sanders, Joseph F.; (Conway, AR) ;
Topper, Robert T.; (Heber Springs, AR) |
Correspondence
Address: |
William W. Habelt
Carrier Corporation
P.O. Box 4800
Syracuse
NY
13221
US
|
Family ID: |
26930514 |
Appl. No.: |
09/745056 |
Filed: |
December 20, 2000 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60237279 |
Oct 2, 2000 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
62/246 ;
62/248 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47F 3/001 20130101;
A47F 2003/008 20130101; A47F 3/0404 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
62/246 ;
62/248 |
International
Class: |
A47F 003/04 |
Claims
1. A refrigerated cabinet comprising: a cabinet base having a front
wall, a back wall and end walls defining an open top compartment
having a refrigerated interior for housing a refrigerated product,
said front wall being shorter in height than said back wall; and a
canopy disposed atop said compartment, said canopy having a front
wall having a transparent window through which the cabinet interior
may be viewed, and a back wall having a service door, the service
door moveable between a closed position and an open position to
provide access to the cabinet interior, said canopy front wall and
said transparent window extending downwardly to said front wall of
said cabinet whereby the view of the cabinet is expanded.
2. A refrigerated cabinet as recited in claim 1 wherein said
transparent window of the front wall of said canopy comprises a
tempered glass window.
3. A refrigerated cabinet as recited in claim 1 wherein said
transparent window of said front wall of said canopy comprises a
thermopane glass window having at least a first glass pane and a
second glass pane disposed in spaced relationship with an
insulating gap therebetween.
4. A refrigerated cabinet as recited in claim 3 further comprising
an electroconductive coating deposited on a lower portion of at
least one glass pane of said transparent window of said front wall
of said canopy.
Description
[0001] This application claims benefit of provisional application
serial No. 60/237,279, filed Oct. 2, 2000.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates generally to refrigerated
cabinets of the type used in commercial application for housing
containers of frozen confection to be hand dipped. More
specifically, the present invention relates to an improved canopy
for a dipping cabinet.
[0003] Typically, refrigerated dipping cabinets are horizontal
cabinets having a front wall, a back wall, and end walls, all of
the same height. The four walls define an open compartment for
housing the containers of frozen confection, to be served, for
example not only ice cream, but also frozen yogurt, sherbet, sorbet
and the like. The walls are commonly of the "cold wall" type having
interior and exterior sheet metal skins surrounding a thermally
insulating core wherein refrigerant tubing is mounted to the
reverse side of the inner sheet metal skin. Cold refrigerant is
circulated through the refrigerant tubing to cool the interior
skin, while heat is transferred from the product to the cold
interior skin of the surrounding walls by radiation and conduction
to ensure a stable stratification of cold, dense air is maintained
within the cabinet. This thermal stability, which improves with the
depth of the tank, is essential to maintain the proper consistency
and quality of the frozen product.
[0004] Generally, to comply with safety and health codes, dipping
cabinets are provided with a tent-like canopy supported atop the
four walls of the cabinet. Customers can view the product through a
window provided in the front wall of the canopy on the front, that
is customer side, of the cabinet. Additionally, the canopy has a
rear wall having a service access on the back side, that is server
side, of the cabinet. Generally, these canopies are constructed
with a single pane glass front window and a rear lid of a thermally
formed clear acrylic or polycarbonate-type plastic sheet. The
individual serving the customer accesses the frozen confection for
scooping through the service access provided in the rear wall on
the server side of the canopy. A cover, typically either a hinged
lid or a pair of sliding doors, is provided for closing the service
access when access is not being made to the interior of the
canopied cabinet.
[0005] In low temperature refrigerated cabinets, such as dipping
cabinets, the product fill line is customarily several inches below
the top edge of the cabinet. This open volume is necessary to
provide space for a layer of cold refrigerated air over the top of
the frozen product to protect the product from the warm ambient air
in the store. However, because the product is recessed somewhat
below the top edge of the cabinet, customers can not ready view the
product through the front window in the canopy of the cabinet,
particularly product stored in the front region of the cabinet
interior.
[0006] In operation, a certain amount of moist, warm ambient air
will inevitably enter the cabinet from the store through the
service access when open. Frost formation occurs when this moist,
warm air contacts the cold wall on the cabinet interior,
particularly on the upper portion of the cabinet bounding the space
forming the open volume above the food product. Often, a plurality
of detachable frost shields, comprising substantially planar
panels, are mounted to the upper interior wall of the cabinet to
provide a removal surface on which the frost can collect, rather
than collecting directly on the cabinet interior walls. To defrost
the cabinet, the frost shields are removed from the cabinet and the
frost thereon readily removed, typically by contacting the frost
with hot water.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] It is an object of one aspect of the present invention to
provide a refrigerated cabinet having an improved canopy.
[0008] It is an object of one particular aspect of the present
invention to provide a canopy through which an improved view of the
product within the cabinet may be had.
[0009] It is an object of another particular aspect of the present
invention to provide a canopy with a frost-free glass window
through which the product within the refrigerated cabinet may be
viewed.
[0010] A refrigerated cabinet is provided having a cabinet base
defining an open top compartment having a refrigerated interior for
housing a refrigerated product and a canopy disposed atop the
refrigerated compartment. The cabinet base has a front wall, a back
wall and end walls, the front wall being shorter in height than
said back wall. The canopy has a front wall having a transparent
window through which the cabinet interior may be viewed, and a back
wall having a service door. The service door moveable between a
closed position and an open position to provide access to the
cabinet interior.
[0011] In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, the
front wall of the canopy and the transparent window extend
downwardly to the front wall of said cabinet whereby the view of
the cabinet interior is expanded.
[0012] In accordance with a further aspect of the present
invention, the transparent window of the front wall of the canopy
advantageously is a tempered glass window, and most advantageously
a thermopane glass window having at least a first glass pane and a
second glass pane disposed in spaced relationship with an
insulating gap therebetween. An electroconductive coating may be
deposited on a lower portion of at least one glass pane of the
transparent window of the front wall of the canopy.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] The present invention will be described herein with
reference to the drawing wherein:
[0014] FIG. 1 is a sectional side elevation view of the
refrigerated cabinet of the present invention;
[0015] FIG. 2 is a sectional side elevation view of the
refrigerated cabinet of the present invention with the service door
of the canopy in the open position;
[0016] FIG. 3 is a sectional side elevation view of the
refrigerated cabinet of the present invention with the rear wall of
the canopy in the open position;
[0017] FIG. 4 is an expanded sectional side view of the lower
portion of the front wall of the cabinet base of the refrigerated
cabinet of FIG. 1;
[0018] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the refrigerated cabinet of
the present invention taken generally from the front of the
cabinet;
[0019] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the refrigerated cabinet of
the present invention taken generally from the rear of the
cabinet;
[0020] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the refrigerated cabinet of
the present invention taken generally from the rear of the cabinet
showing the service door in an open position;
[0021] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the refrigerated cabinet of
the present invention taken generally from the rear of the cabinet
showing the service door and framework as a unit in an open
position; and
[0022] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a prior art dipping
cabinet.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0023] The canopied refrigerated cabinet of the present invention
will be described herein in a preferred embodiment as an ice cream
dipping cabinet. It is to be understood, however, that the canopied
refrigerated cabinet of the present invention is generally
applicable in various embodiments as refrigerated display cases
wherein customer viewing and service access are required.
Therefore, it is to be understood that the present invention and
the various aspects thereof are not limited to the embodiments
illustrated in the drawing.
[0024] Referring now to the drawing, the refrigerated cabinet 10 is
depicted as an ice cream dipping cabinet. In the depicted
embodiment, the cabinet 10 includes a refrigerated base 20 and a
canopy 30 supported upon the base 20. The refrigerated base 20
includes an outer shell 12 and an interior refrigerated liner 14
disposed in spaced relationship and capped by a trim member 16. So
constructed, the base 20 defines a box-like enclosure having a
front wall 13, a rear wall 15 and side walls 17, a floor and an
open top. Typically, the walls and floor of the liner 14 are each
formed of a metallic, conventionally stainless steel, support sheet
with a vinyl layer coated on the observe side thereof. The liner 14
encloses a refrigerated volume 23 in which refrigerated product 50
is stored, usually up to the product fill line 21. In the case of
an ice cream dipping cabinet, the refrigerated product 50 may, for
example, constitute hard ice cream, frozen yogurt, sorbet, sherbet
or other frozen confection.
[0025] The outer shell 12 surrounds the liner 14 in spaced
relationship about the four side walls and floor thereof. An
insulating material 18, for example a foamed in place polyurethane
material, disposed in the space between the outer shell 12 and the
liner 14 thermally isolates the refrigerated liner 14 from the
outer shell 12, which is exposed to room temperature, and adds
structure integrity to the cabinet. The liner 14 is cooled in a
conventional manner by means of evaporator tubing 22 mounted to or
otherwise disposed in heat exchange relationship with the back
surface of the liner 14. The evaporator tubing is part of a
conventional refrigeration circuit (not shown) wherein compressed
refrigerant from a compressor is expanded via a thermal expansion
devise, passed through the evaporator tubing, thence through a
condenser before returning to the compressor. As the refrigerant,
for example R-22, R-404a or other commercially available
refrigerant, passes through the evaporator tubing, the refrigerant
evaporates upon absorbing heat through the liner 14 from the air
within the refrigerated volume, thereby cooling the air and the
product to maintain a desired temperature. In this manner, a layer
of cold air is maintained in the volume 25 above the product 50,
which as noted before normally fills the refrigerated enclosure up
to the product fill line 21.
[0026] The refrigerated base 20 of the cabinet 10 as described
hereinbefore and depicted in FIG. 1, is of the conventional "cold
wall" construction. For further discussion of this construction,
reference may be made to co-pending U.S. patent application Ser.
No. 09/639,467, filed Aug. 9, 2000, the entire disclosure of which
is hereby incorporated herein by reference. It is to be understood,
however, that the particular construction of the base 20 or the
particular method of refrigerating the base 20 is not germane to
the present invention. For example, the cabinet base 20 may be
constructed with cold refrigerated air circulating through an open
passage between an outer wall and an inner wall as disclosed in
copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/016,824, filed Jan.
20, 1998, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated
herein by reference.
[0027] The canopy 30 has a top wall 32, a front wall 34 on the
customer side of the cabinet 10, side walls 36, and a rear wall 38
on the service side, i.e. the backside, of the cabinet 10. The top
wall 32 is supported upon and extends between the side walls 36 and
the front wall 34. The front wall 34 comprises a transparent window
35, made of a transparent material, supported in a frame 37. The
window 35 provides a customer view area through which a customer
may view the product 50 stored within the refrigerated volume 23.
The side walls 36 may be made of stainless steel or other metal,
molded plastic, or, if desired, of a support frame and a panel of a
transparent material mounted within the frame.
[0028] In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, the
transparent front wall 34, including its window 35, is extended
downwardly toward the product fill line 17, and most advantageously
down to the product fill line 17, thereby increasing the customer
view area. As depicted in the drawing, to accommodate the downward
extension of the transparent front wall 34 of the canopy 30, the
front wall 13 of the cabinet base 20 is foreshortened to a height
that is lower than the height of the rear wall 15 and side walls 17
of the cabinet base 20. Generally, in the refrigerated cabinet of
the present invention, the front wall 13 will be several inches,
for example about six inches, shorter than the side walls and rear
wall of the cabinet base 20. The lower portion of the front wall 34
of the canopy 30, with its window 35, extends downwardly to meet
and seal with the trim member 16 capping the front wall 13 of the
cabinet base 20. By extending the front wall 34 and its window 35
downwardly, the view area is increased and children are now able to
see the various ice cream flavors within the refrigerated cabinet,
as best illustrated in FIG. 5.
[0029] The window 35 in the front wall 34 of the canopy 30 may be
formed as a single piece, flat or arcuate, of molded, transparent
plastic or Plexiglas material. However, more advantageously, the
window 35 is a multi-pane thermal window having two or more panes
disposed in spaced relationship thereby forming an insulating air
space therebetween. Most advantageously, the window 35, whether
flat or arcuate, comprises such a thermal window with a pair of
spaced glass panes 35' and 35".
[0030] As the lower portion of the window 35 bordering the
refrigerated volume 27 will come in direct contact with moisture
entering the cabinet base 20 when the service door is open, it is
advantageous to heat this lower portion of the window 35 to prevent
frost formation. Frost would obscure the view of the product 50
through the frosted portion of the window 35. According, as
illustrated in FIG. 4, an electroconductive coating 70 may be
applied to at least the lower portion of one of the panes, for
example to the inside surface of the lower portion of outside pane
35'. Busbars (not shown) in contact with the electroconductive
coating an connected to a power supply provide a means of supplying
electric current across the electroconductive coating. Electrical
current is selectively passed through the electroconductive coating
to heat the window sufficiently to maintain the window at a
temperature above the local dew point thereby precluding frost
formation on the inside surface of the inside panel 35" or
condensation on the outside surface of the outside panel 35', but
avoiding undesirable heating of the product 50 in the refrigerated
cabinet 10.
[0031] The rear wall 38 of the canopy 30 comprises a transparent
service door 40 carried on a framework 42. Although the service
door 40 may be made of a transparent plastic material or Plexiglas,
as in conventional dipping cabinets, most advantageously, the
service door 40 is a panel of flat, tempered glass. Tempered glass
is considerably stronger than plastic materials and has greater
structural rigidity. Further, tempered galss is not as easily
marred, scratched or broken.
[0032] The service door 40 and the framework 42 are carried on a
support system 60 comprising hinges 41 and two sets of paired gas
springs 62 and 64 and adapted to pivot about different respective
centers of rotation as best seen in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3. Each gas
spring 62 connects at its distal end to a hinge 41 mounted to the
framework 42 and at its proximal end to a support bracket 63
mounted on the respective side wall 36. The service door 40 pivots
about a first center of rotation through a pivot pin 65 in each
hinge 41. Each gas spring 64 connects at its distal end to the
framework 42 and its proximal end to a support bracket 67 mounted
on the side wall 36. The framework 42 pivots about a second center
of rotation through the pivot pins 69 supported on the respective
side wall 36. A set of support brackets 63 and 67 and pivot pin 69
are provided in each of the side walls 36.
[0033] In the closed position, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 6, the
rear wall 38 is held at a nominal 45 degree angle with its lower
end in sealing contact with the trim member 16 on the rear wall 15
of the cabinet base 20 and with its upper end in sealing contact
with the top wall 32 of the canopy 30. The sides of the rear wall
38 of the canopy 30 are in sealing contact with the respective side
walls 36 of the canopy 30. Most advantageously, the sealing
function is accomplished by gaskets carried on one or more of the
edges of the rear wall 38, the top wall 32, or the side walls 36.
Additionally, in the closed position, the service door 40 is
pressed against the framework 42 and held in that position by the
action of the gas springs.
[0034] In a further aspect of the present invention, a lamp 80,
most advantageously a fluorescent light, is mounted to the top wall
32 of the canopy 30 at a position external to the canopy interior
when the rear wall is in its closed position as best illustrated in
FIG. 6. Conventional dipping cabinets typically have a lamp mounted
to the top wall of the canopy but positioned within the cabinet
interior. So positioned within the canopy, the heat energy radiated
from the lamp is trapped within the refrigerated interior of the
cabinet 10, thereby increasing the cooling load on the
refrigeration system and potentially warming and softening the ice
cream product. Also, high-energy wavelengths from the lamp tend to
break down the product chemistry causing discoloration. By
positioning the lamp exteriorly of the cabinet 10 in accordance
with the present invention, the heat energy form the lamp is
dissipated to the environment outside the refrigerated cabinet.
Also, the high-energy wavelength light may be reflected by the
service door 40, while only the lower energy wavelength light
passes through the transparent service door 40 to illuminate the
interior of the refrigerated cabinet 10. The tempered glass panel
forming the service door 40 in the preferred embodiment may be
coated with an appropriate material to enhance blocking of the
high-energy wavelength light from entering the refrigerated
cabinet. If desired, the tempered glass panel forming the service
door 40 may be coated with an electroconductive film whereby
electrical current may be applied to the coating to selectively
heat the glass panel to prevent fogging from condensation and/or
frosting.
[0035] To access the interior of the refrigerated cabinet 10 for
dipping the ice cream product 50, the service attendant merely
pushes the service door 40 inward. Pushing downwardly on the lower
portion of the service door 40 causes the service door 40 to rotate
inwardly about the first center of rotation 63 together with the
gas spring hinges 62 which pivot within their respective support
brackets 65. The service door 40 rotates forward to rest against
one or more stops in its open position, as best illustrated in
FIGS. 2 and 7. When opened, the service door 40 affords easy access
to the product 50 within the interior of the refrigerated cabinet
10, while not obstructing the customer's view.
[0036] In the depicted embodiment of the cabinet 10, the service
door 40 and framework 42, which together form the rear wall 38 of
the canopy 30, move upwardly and outwardly, about the second center
of rotation 67, thereby facilitating cleaning of the interior of
the refrigerated cabinet 10. Lifting the lower portion of the
service door 40 causes the service door 40 and framework 42 to
pivot together as a single unit through a nominal angle of about
ninety degrees to an open position, as best illustrated in FIGS. 3
and 8. The gas spring hinges 64 function to hold the service door
40 and framework 42 in place in the open position and also assist
in lifting this unit to the open position. Latches are provided at
the lower corners of the service door 40 that are selectively
engaged to lock the service door 40 to the framework 42 so that the
service door 40 and framework 42 form a unit that may be rotated
upwardly and outwardly to access the interior of the cabinet 10 for
cleaning and sanitizing. When the latches are disengaged, the
service door 40 may be rotated inwardly independently of the
framework 42 to provide service access to the product 50.
[0037] Various modifications and adaptations of the embodiments of
the refrigerated cabinet of the present invention as hereinbefore
described may be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that
may be made without departure from the spirit and scope of the
present invention, the scope of which is defined in the appended
claims.
* * * * *