Patent Application
20180055247
The present invention relates generally to refrigerated enclosure systems and more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to energy efficient refrigerated enclosure systems.
It is sometimes desirable to refrigerate goods that are for sale. For example, beverages such as milk need to be refrigerated in order to extend the milk's shelf-life. Some foods need to be frozen in order to preserve them until they are ready to be cooked. In a commercial setting, refrigerated goods are often stored in refrigerated enclosures that have transparent doors that allow the products within the refrigerated enclosure to be seen without opening the door, thereby increasing product visibility.
Compared to refrigerated enclosures without transparent doors, refrigerated enclosures with transparent doors can be more complicated to operate. For example, the refrigerated enclosures with transparent doors can sometimes have problems with condensation formation on a frame that secures the doors to the refrigerated enclosure. Condensation sometimes forms on the frame due to a temperature difference between a back side of the frame and a front side of the frame. The back side of the frame is generally exposed to the cold, refrigerated space of the refrigerated enclosure and the front side of the frame is generally exposed to warmer ambient air surrounding the refrigerated enclosure.
Condensation formation is sometimes prevented by installing heating elements into the frame to heat the frame to a temperature above a dew point. The dew point is the atmospheric temperature below which water droplets begin to condense from the air. While the use of heating elements is sometimes effective for limiting or preventing condensation, it adds complexity to the refrigerated enclosure system. For example, the use of heating elements requires the use of additional electricity to power the heating elements and decreases safety of the system because electrical components are placed in proximity to people adding or removing goods to the refrigerated enclosure. The use of heating elements also results in the frame itself becoming bulky and heavy. In some refrigerated enclosure designs, the heating elements and other electrical components are integrated into an interior of the frame. Placing the heating elements and other electrical components inside the frame makes servicing the heating elements and other electrical components extremely difficult.
A refrigerated enclosure system includes an enclosure with an interior region defined between a top portion and a bottom portion. A top rail is attached to the top portion and includes an upper hinge mount. A bottom rail is attached to the bottom portion and includes a lower hinge mount. A central axis of the lower hinge mount is positioned relative to a central axis of the upper hinge mount to enable a door secured to the upper hinge mount and the lower hinge mount to open and close relative to an opening of the enclosure. The refrigerated enclosure system also includes a first insulating layer positioned on a back side of the top rail and within the interior region and a second insulating layer positioned on a back side of the bottom rail and within the interior region. The first and second insulating layers inhibit a transfer of heat into the enclosure.
A door-mounting system includes a top rail that is securable to an upper portion of a structure, such as, for example, a refrigerated enclosure. The top rail includes a first mounting face oriented downwards and a first hinge mount associated with the first mounting face. The door-mounting system also includes a bottom rail that is securable to a lower portion of the structure. The bottom rail includes a second mounting face oriented upwards towards the first mounting face and a second hinge mount associated with the second mounting face. A central axis of the second hinge mount is positioned relative to a central axis the first hinge mount to enable a door secured to the first hinge mount and the second hinge mount to pivot relative to the top rail and the bottom rail. A first insulating layer is positioned on a back side of the top rail and a second insulating layer positioned on a back side of the bottom rail. The first and second insulating layers inhibit heat transfer from an area in front of the top rail and the bottom rail to an area behind the top and the bottom rail.
For a more complete understanding of the present invention and for further objects and advantages thereof, reference may now be had to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
Various embodiments of the present invention will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. The invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein.
In commercial settings, refrigerated products are often displayed in refrigerated enclosures that include transparent doors that allow the refrigerated products within the refrigerated enclosure to be seen without needing to open the transparent doors. As with most refrigeration devices, power consumption and energy efficiency are considerations that impact the cost of operation. Safety is another important consideration. Furthermore, some refrigerated enclosures include transparent doors with lighting components and heating elements attached to or secured within a frame to which the transparent doors of the refrigerated enclosure are attached. In order to power the lighting components and heating elements secured within the refrigerated enclosure, it is necessary to provide electrical power to the frame. Powering the heating elements not only uses more electricity, but also adds complexity to the design of the refrigerated enclosure and further adds safety concerns. For example, running electrical power to the heating elements creates the possibility of electric shock to a user opening the door if the wiring associated with the heating elements were to fail. Securing a lighting component to the frame also adds to the possibility of electric shock to the user using the refrigerated enclosure. The exemplary systems described herein eliminate the bulky, heavy, and complicated frame of prior refrigerated enclosure systems in favor of a smaller, lighter, and simpler rail mounting system that does not require the use of heating elements. Elimination of the heating elements reduces energy consumption of the refrigerated enclosure by up to 40%. Elimination of the frame reduces the cost to manufacture the refrigerated enclosure by up to 50%.
In a typical embodiment, each of the plurality of doors 104 includes a transparent panel 105 and is thermally insulated from the enclosure 102. In a typical embodiment, the transparent panel 105 is made from various materials such as, for example, glass, acrylic, and the like. In some embodiments, the plurality of doors 104 may be removed from the system 100 to convert the system 100 into a doorless, open system. The open system may include, for example, a cold-air vent that directs cold air from an upper area of the enclosure 102 towards a lower area of the enclosure 102.
In a typical embodiment, the top rail 208 is secured to a top portion of a structure and the bottom rail 210 is secured to a bottom portion of the structure. The structure may be any of a variety of enclosures such as, for example, the enclosure 202. As shown in
The top rail 208 and the bottom rail 210 each include a font side that is positioned near an outside region 222 of the enclosure 202 and a back side that is positioned near an interior region 224 of the enclosure 202. In a typical embodiment, the interior region 224 of the enclosure 202 is refrigerated and is colder than the outside region 222 of the enclosure 202. Because the top rail 208 and the bottom rail 210 are continuous pieces, a temperature differential exists between front and back sides of each of the top rail 208 and the bottom rail 210. In order to reduce the amount of heat transferred into the interior region 224, the top rail 208 and the bottom rail 210 can be fitted with, for example, an insulating layer 220. In a typical embodiment, the insulating layer 220 acts as a layer of insulation that reduces or inhibits heat transfer between the top rail 208 and the bottom rail 210, respectively, with the interior region 224. In a typical embodiment, the insulating layer 220 is made of expanded PVC insulation. In other embodiments, other insulating materials may be used. In typical embodiment, insulation materials with a U-Value of approximately 0.460 BTU/(hr-ft2-° F.) or lower are used. The U-value is a measure of how much heat is lost through a given thickness of a particular material. Insulating the top rail 208 and the bottom rail 210 helps prevent temperatures of the front sides of the top rail 208 and the bottom rail 210 from reaching the dew-point temperature, thus reducing an amount of condensation formed on surfaces of the top rail 208 and the bottom rail 210.
In a typical embodiment, the system 200 includes a bracket 228 that is adapted to have a lighting system 230 secured thereto. In a typical embodiment, the bracket 228 extends along an entire length of the top rail 208. The lighting system 230 is adapted to illuminate products within the enclosure 202. In a typical embodiment, the lighting system 230 extends along an entire length of the top rail 208. In other embodiments, the lighting system 230 may include multiple separate lighting components that are secured to the bracket 228. Because the lighting system 230 is secured to the bracket 228 and not within a frame, the lighting system 230 is easily accessible for servicing and replacement. In some embodiments, the lighting system 230 may include additional lighting components that are secured to other portions of the system 200. For example, lighting components may be secured to the vertical supports 212 (e.g., see
Conditional language used herein such as, among others, “can,” “might,” “may,” “e.g.,” and the like, unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understood within the context as used, is generally intended to convey that certain embodiments include, while other embodiments do not include, certain features, elements and/or states. Thus, such conditional language is not generally intended to imply that features, elements and/or states are in any way required for one or more embodiments or that one or more embodiments necessarily include logic for deciding, with or without author input or prompting, whether these features, elements and/or states are included or are to be performed in any particular embodiment.
While the above detailed description has shown, described, and pointed out novel features as applied to various embodiments, it will be understood that various omissions, substitutions, and changes in the form and details of the devices illustrated can be made without departing from the spirit of the disclosure. As will be recognized, the processes described herein can be embodied within a form that does not provide all of the features and benefits set forth herein, as some features can be used or practiced separately from others. The scope of protection is defined by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. All changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.
