Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6715311
-
Patent Number
6,715,311
-
Date Filed
Wednesday, September 18, 200222 years ago
-
Date Issued
Tuesday, April 6, 200420 years ago
-
Inventors
-
Original Assignees
-
Examiners
- Doerrler; William C.
- Zec; Filip
Agents
-
CPC
-
US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 062 265
- 062 267
- 062 408
- 062 418
- 062 419
- 062 237
- 062 253
- 062 246
- 062 249
- 160 8405
- 454 195
-
International Classifications
- F25D2302
- F25D1704
- F25D1100
- F25D2500
- F24F1318
- E06B702
-
Abstract
An air distribution bi-folding door assembly of a refrigerated case opens and closes to allow for the loading of refrigerated items in the case. The doors are attached by a hinge. Each door is hollow and includes perforations which allow cool air which flows in the hollow space of the doors to distribute over the refrigerated items in the case. A wheel assembly is attached to the upper outer corner of each door and runs along a track as the doors open and close. An alignment assembly attached to the lower outer corners of each door ensures proper alignment of the doors during opening and closing.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to a refrigerated case including an air distribution bi-folding door assembly including hollow doors with perforations which allow cool air to flow through the perforations to cool refrigerated items in the refrigerated case.
Refrigerated cases are employed to allow shoppers to access groceries and other refrigerated items from the front of the case without the obstruction of a door. The refrigerated items are stocked from the rear of the case to allow restocking of the case without interruption of customer traffic. The National Sanitary Standard requires that the temperature range in the case be between 32° F. and 43° F.
In a prior art refrigerated case, a walk-in cooler adjacent to the rear of the case maintains freshness of the refrigerated items prior to being stocked in the case. A divider, such as a curtain, typically separates the rear of the refrigerated case from the cooler. The divider is typically attached by a plurality of metal hooks which roll across a metal track.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A refrigerated case includes an air distribution bi-folding door assembly which opens and closes to allow for the loading of refrigerated items in the case. A first door and a second door are connected by hinges, which allows the doors to fold together for the loading of refrigerated items in the refrigerated case.
Pressurized air enters a hollow space in each door from an opening at the top of doors and flows through the perforations for distribution over the refrigerated items in the case. A corner bracket is secured in each of the four corners of the first and second doors by attachment members.
A wheel assembly is attached to the upper outer corner bracket by a rod. The wheel assembly includes four wheels which run along an upper track. As the door assembly is opened and closed and the wheels run along the upper track, the rod pivots in the wheel assembly, allowing the doors to pivot and open and close.
An alignment assembly attached to the bottom outer corner bracket keeps the doors in proper alignment during opening and closing. A nylon bushing of the alignment assembly is received in an opening in a lower track to guide the doors and ensure proper alignment.
These and other features of the present invention will be best understood from the following specification and drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The various features and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the currently preferred embodiment. The drawing that accompany the detailed description can be briefly described as follows:
FIG. 1
illustrates a schematic outer perspective view of the door assembly of the present invention in the closed position;
FIG. 2
illustrates a schematic outer perspective view of the door assembly of
FIG. 1
in the open position;
FIG. 3
illustrates a schematic inner view of the door assembly;
FIG. 4
illustrates a schematic perspective exploded inner view of one of the doors of the door assembly;
FIG. 5
illustrates a schematic perspective inner view of the door of
FIG. 3
assembled;
FIG. 6
illustrates a schematic perspective view of a corner bracket;
FIG. 7
illustrates a schematic perspective view of a wheel assembly;
FIG. 8
illustrates a schematic side view of the wheel assembly attached to the upper track; and
FIG. 9
illustrates a schematic side view of the alignment assembly attached to the lower track.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
FIG. 1
schematically illustrates an outside perspective view of the door assembly
20
of the present invention on the rear
22
of a refrigerated case
24
in the closed position. As shown in
FIG. 2
, refrigerated items
26
, such as dairy items, are stocked onto shelves
28
in the case
24
from the rear
22
when the door assembly
20
is in an open position. Customers access the refrigerated items
26
from the front
23
of the case
24
.
Returning to
FIG. 1
, the door assembly
20
includes a first door
30
and a second door
32
. Preferably, both doors
30
and
32
are made of metal. A handle
34
is secured to one of the doors
30
and
32
by attachment members
36
to allow for opening and closing of the door assembly
20
. Although the handle
34
is shown attached to the first door
30
in
FIG. 1
, the handle
34
can also be attached to the second door
32
. In one example, the attachment members
36
are screws. A brush strip
38
attached to the upper edge
40
of the from
23
of the case
24
prevents leakage of cooled air from the case
24
. The brush strip
38
is attached to a brush holder
160
secured to the case
24
by an attachment member
162
(shown in FIG.
8
). Preferably, the attachment member
162
is a screw.
FIG. 3
schematically illustrates an inside view of the door assembly
20
in the closed position. The doors
30
and
32
are connected by hinges
42
which allows the doors
30
and
32
to fold together in the open position of
FIG. 2
for the loading of refrigerated items
26
. Although three hinges
42
are illustrated and described, it is to be understood that any numbers of hinges
42
can be employed. Preferably, the hinge
42
is a piano hinge.
FIGS. 4 and 5
illustrate a perspective inner view of the first door
30
. The first door is described and illustrated in
FIGS. 4 and 5
. Although the second door
32
is not specifically illustrated and described, it is to be understood that the second door
32
is the mirror image of the first door
30
and includes the same features.
FIG. 4
illustrates an inner exploded view of the first door
30
. The first door
30
includes a boxed door panel
44
and a flat perforated panel
46
. The boxed door panel
44
includes a flat panel
48
, a bottom portion
50
, an outer side portion
52
, and an inner side portion
54
. Preferably, the portions
50
,
52
,
54
are perpendicular to the flat panel
48
. The portions
50
,
52
and
54
each include a flange
56
,
58
and
60
, respectively, having a plurality of attachment holes
62
.
The flat perforated panel
46
includes a plurality of attachment holes
64
which align with the attachment holes
62
of the boxed door panel
44
when the flat perforated panel
46
is positioned on the boxed door panel
44
. Attachment members
66
pass through the aligned holes
62
and
64
to secure the flat perforated panel
46
to the boxed door panel
44
, creating a hollow space
68
between the boxed door panel
46
and the flat perforated panel
44
(shown in FIG.
5
). In one example, the attachment members
66
are screws. The number of holes
62
and
64
and attachment members
66
employed are sufficient to secure the flat perforated panel
46
to the boxed door panel
44
.
A gasket
70
(shown in
FIG. 5
) adhered to one of the side portions
52
and
54
prevents air leakage. In one example, the gasket
70
is made of foam rubber and has a D-shaped cross section. The gasket
70
is attached to the first door
30
by an adhesion member, such as double sided tape.
FIG. 5
illustrates the first door
30
after assembly of the flat perforated panel
46
to the boxed door panel
44
. Pressurized air enters hollow space
68
from an opening
72
at the upper edge
74
of first door
30
, allowing cool pressurized air to flow through the hollow space
68
and through a plurality of air holes
76
in the flat perforated plate
32
for distribution over the refrigerated items
26
in the case
24
. The plurality of air holes
76
are located in a pattern to provide cooling over the refrigerated items
26
in the case
24
.
A corner bracket
78
is secured in each of the four corners
80
of the first door
30
. An upper outer corner bracket
78
a
and a lower outer corner bracket
78
b
are secured in the upper outer corner
80
a
and lower outer corner
80
b
, respectively, of the first door
30
. An upper inner corner bracket
78
c
and a lower inner corner bracket (not shown) are secured in the upper inner corner
80
c
and lower inner corner
80
d
, respectively, of the first door
30
.
FIG. 6
schematically illustrates the corner bracket
78
. Each corner bracket
78
includes a first portion
82
having a hole
88
and two side portions
84
and
86
each having a hole
92
and
94
, respectively. A corner bracket
78
is positioned in each corner
80
of the door
30
such that one of the side portions
84
and
86
contacts the flat outer panel
48
and the other of the side portions
84
and
86
contacts one of the side portions
52
and
54
of the boxed door panel
44
. When a corner brackets
78
is positioned in each of the four corners
80
, the holes
92
and
94
align with holes
98
in the four corners
80
. Attachment members
100
pass through the aligned holes
92
,
94
and
98
to secure the corner brackets
78
to the first door
30
. Preferably, the attachment members
100
are screws. A hex nut
156
(shown in
FIG. 8
) is tack welded over the aperture
88
on the inner surface of each of the corner brackets
78
, allowing the corner brackets
78
to be interchangeable between the upper corners
80
a
and
80
c
and the lower corners
80
b
and
80
d.
Returning to
FIG. 4
, a wheel assembly
102
is secured to the upper outer corner bracket
78
a
. As shown in
FIG. 7
, each wheel assembly
102
includes four wheels
104
attached to a wheel housing
108
. In one example, the wheels
104
are made of nylon. Two of the wheels
104
a
and
104
c
are rotatably attached to a first side
106
of a wheel housing
108
and two of the wheels
104
b
and
104
d
are rotatably attached to a second side
110
of the wheel housing
108
.
As shown in
FIG. 8
, the wheels
104
of the wheel assembly
102
run along an extruded aluminum upper track
118
mounted to the air intake housing
120
. The aluminum upper track
118
has an I-shaped cross section and has an upper portion
122
attached to the air intake housing
120
, a middle portion
122
and a bottom portion
124
. The wheels
104
a
and
104
c
are positioned on a first side
126
of the middle portion
122
, and the wheels
104
b
and
104
d
are positioned on a second side
128
of the middle portion
122
such that the wheel assembly
102
hangs from the upper track
118
. As the door assembly
20
is opened and closed, the outer surface
130
of the wheels
104
run along the bottom portion
124
of the upper track
118
.
An end of a threaded rod
132
is received in a bushing
174
in the wheel housing
108
, securing the rod
132
to the wheel housing
108
. The bushing
174
is inserted in the wheel housing
108
through a slot
178
(shown in FIG.
7
). As the door assembly
20
is opened and closed and the wheels
104
travel along the upper track
118
, the rod
132
pivots in the bushing
174
, allowing the doors
30
and
32
of the door assembly
20
to open and close.
An upper internally threaded nut
172
, a lower internally threaded nut
134
, and a middle lock nut
158
are positioned on the rod
132
. The upper nut
172
is positioned over an aperture
176
of the wheel housing
108
, and the lower nut
134
is positioned over the aperture
88
of the upper corner bracket
78
a
. The upper nut
172
and the lower nut
134
retain the wheel assembly
102
and the corner bracket
78
, respectively, in place during opening and closing of the door assembly
20
.
If the rod
132
is to be removed from the wheel assembly
102
, the upper nut
172
is loosened to allow removal of the rod
132
from the wheel assembly
102
. The middle lock nut
158
on the rod
132
is used to adjust the height of the doors
30
and
32
. As the middle lock nut
158
is turned, the rod
132
turns and translates, adjusting the height of the doors
30
and
32
. If the height of the doors
30
and
32
is adjusted, the lower nut
134
is loosened first to allow for the adjustment. After the height is adjusted, the lower nut
134
is then retightened.
FIG. 9
illustrates the alignment assembly
136
attached to the lower outer corner bracket
78
b
to maintain the first door
30
in proper alignment during opening and closing of the door assembly
20
. A threaded shoulder screw
138
is received in the aperture
88
(shown in
FIG. 6
) of the lower outer corner bracket
78
b
. An internally threaded nut
140
secures the shoulder screw
138
to the lower outer corner bracket
78
b.
A nylon bushing
142
mounted on the body
144
of the shoulder screw
138
is received in an opening
146
of a formed steel lower track
148
, ensuring proper alignment of the door assembly
20
during opening and closing. The lower track
148
preferably has a C-shaped cross-section and is assembled to a sheet metal bracket
150
by an attachment member
152
. Preferably, the attachment member
152
is a screw. The sheet metal bracket
150
is preferably secured to the support uprights
154
of the refrigerated case
24
by welding. In one example, the sheet metal bracket
150
has a U-shaped cross section. As the door assembly
20
is opened and closed and the bushing
142
travels in the opening
146
of the lower track
148
, the lower bracket
78
b
pivots about the shoulder screw
138
, ensuring proper alignment of the door assembly
20
.
As further shown in
FIG. 8
, cool air from a refrigeration source
164
flows into the hollow space
68
of the doors
30
and
32
. When the door assembly
20
is closed, the cool air is prevented from entering the interior of the refrigerated case
24
from the refrigeration source
164
by a metal chute
168
. When the door assembly
20
is closed, a foam gasket
166
secured to the metal chute
168
by an attachment member
170
contacts the doors
30
and
32
to prevent entry of the cool air in the interior of the refrigerated case
24
. Preferably, the attachment member
170
is double sided tape.
When the doors
30
and
32
are to be installed in the refrigerated case
24
, a short section, such as six feet, of the upper track
118
is removed. The bushing
146
of the door
30
is inserted into the opening
146
of the lower track
148
. The door
30
is pushed up to the vertical position to align the wheel assemblies
102
in the upper track
118
. The door
30
is then slid horizontally. The door
32
is installed in the same manner. After the doors
30
and
32
have been installed, the section of upper track
118
is reinstalled.
The height of the doors
30
and
32
are adjusted by repositioning the lock nut
158
of the threaded rod
132
(shown in FIG.
8
). Each wheel assembly
102
can be raised or lowered by moving the lock nut
158
to make the distance between each of the doors
30
and
32
and the upper track
118
are equal.
The foregoing description is only exemplary of the principles of the invention. Many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. The preferred embodiments of this invention have been disclosed, however, so that one of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that certain modifications would come within the scope of this invention. It is, therefore, to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described. For that reason the following claims should be studied to determine the true scope and content of this invention.
Claims
- 1. A refrigerated case comprising:a door assembly including a first door and a second door moveable between an open position and a closed position, said first door and said second door each having a hollow interior, an inner panel, and a plurality of holes on said inner panel; and a cooling system to produce cool air, and said cool air enters said hollow interior and flows through said plurality of holes for entry into the refrigerated case.
- 2. The refrigerated case as recited in claim 1 wherein said first door and said second door are metal.
- 3. The refrigerated case as recited in claim 1 wherein said first door and said second door are connected by at least one hinge, and said first door pivots relative to said second door to move said door assembly between said open position and said closed position.
- 4. The refrigerated case as recited in claim 1 wherein said first door and said second door each include a boxed door panel, and said boxed door panel includes an outer panel, a bottom portion, an outer side portion and an inner side portion, and said inner panel is attached to said boxed door panel to define said hollow interior therebetween.
- 5. The refrigerated case as recited in claim 4 further including a gasket adhered to at least one of said outer side portion and said inner side portion of said first door and said second door.
- 6. The refrigerated case as recited in claim 1 wherein said first door and said second door each include an upper outer corner, an upper inner corner, a lower outer corner, and a lower inner corner, and a bracket is secured to each of said upper outer corner, said upper inner corner, said lower outer corner, and said lower inner corner of said first door and said second door.
- 7. The refrigerated case as recited in claim 6 further including a wheel assembly attached to said bracket at said upper outer corner of each of said first door and said second door.
- 8. The refrigerated case as recited in claim 7 further including an upper track, and wherein said wheel assembly further includes four wheels, and said four wheels travel along said upper track as said door assembly moves between said open position and said closed position.
- 9. The refrigerated case as recited in claim 8 wherein said wheel assembly further includes a threaded rod and said upper corner bracket further includes an aperture, and said threaded rod is received in said aperture in said upper corner bracket to secure said wheel assembly to said door, and said threaded rod pivots in said aperture as said door assembly moves between said open position and said closed position.
- 10. The refrigerated case as recited in claim 6 further including an alignment assembly attached to said lower outer corner of each of said first door and said second door.
- 11. The refrigerated case as recited in claim 10 further including a lower track, and wherein said alignment assembly includes a bushing, and said bushing travels in said lower track as said door assembly moves between said open position and said closed position to maintain alignment of said door assembly.
- 12. The refrigerated case as recited in claim 11 further including a shoulder screw, and said lower corner bracket further includes an aperture, and said shoulder screw is received in said aperture in said lower corner bracket to secure said alignment assembly to said first door and said second door, and said shoulder screw pivots in said aperture as said door assembly moves between said open position and said closed position.
- 13. A refrigerated case comprising:a door assembly including a first door and a second door connected by at least one hinge and said first door pivots relative to said second door as said door assembly moves between an open position and a closed position, each of said first door and said second door including a hollow interior, an inner panel, and a plurality of holes on said inner panel of said first door and said second door, and said first door and said second door each include a boxed door panel having an outer panel, a bottom portion, an outer side portion and an inner side portion, and said inner panel is attached to said boxed door panel to define said hollow interior therebetween; and a cooling system to produce cool air which enters said hollow interior and flows through said plurality of holes for entry into the refrigerated case.
- 14. The refrigerated case as recited in claim 13 wherein said first door and said second door each include an upper outer corner, an upper inner corner, a lower outer corner, and a lower inner corner, and a bracket is secured to each of said upper outer corner, said upper inner corner, said lower outer corner, and said lower inner corner of said first door and said second door.
- 15. The refrigerated case as recited in claim 14 further including an upper track and a wheel assembly having four wheels, and said four wheels travel along said upper track as said door assembly moves between said open position and said closed position and is attached to said upper outer corner bracket of each of said first door and said second door.
- 16. The refrigerated case as recited in claim 15 wherein said wheel assembly further includes a threaded rod and said upper corner bracket further includes an aperture, and said threaded rod is received in said threaded rod is received in said aperture in said upper corner bracket to secure said wheel assembly to said door, and said rod pivots in said aperture as said door assembly moves between said open position and said closed position.
- 17. The refrigerated case as recited in claim 13 further including a lower track and an alignment assembly having a bushing, and said bushing travels in said lower track as said door assembly moves between said open position and said closed position to maintain alignment of said door assembly, and said alignment assembly is attached to said lower outer corner of each of said first door and said second door.
- 18. The refrigerated case as recited in claim 17 further including a shoulder screw, and said lower corner bracket further includes an aperture, and said shoulder screw is received in said aperture in said lower corner bracket to secure said alignment assembly to said first door and said second door, and said shoulder screw pivots in said aperture as said door assembly moves between said open position and said closed position.
- 19. A door assembly comprising:a first door having first hollow interior, a first inner flat panel, and a plurality of first holes on said first inner flat panel; and a second door having a second hollow interior, a second inner flat panel, and a plurality of second holes on said second inner flat panel, and said first door and said second door are moveable between an open position and a closed position.
- 20. The refrigerated case as recited in claim 1 wherein the refrigerated cases defines a chamber, and said cool air enters said chamber through said plurality of holes.
- 21. The refrigerated case as recited in claim 1 wherein said inner panel is flat.
US Referenced Citations (7)