Patent Application
20090001861
1. Field of the Invention
This invention is related to a retail refrigeration and storage unit for storing merchandise that should be cooled or heated. This invention is also related to a display unit that can employ a thermoelectric or Peltier cooling unit. This invention is also related to a retail refrigeration and storage unit which can be positioned in a cabinet in which related or competitive merchandise, that may not require refrigeration, may be displayed.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Retail merchandise that must be or should be cooled or chilled in an establishment, such as a grocery or convenience store, is normally placed in a conventional refrigeration unit. These typical refrigeration units are typically large units that may be open so that prospective customers can easily remove merchandise, or if necessary can have glass doors where items, such as frozen foods, must be kept at a lower temperature. These large units, are however, intended for storing a wide variety of competitive items. Representative examples of such refrigerated merchandisers are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,499,513 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,584,192. Such refrigeration units are normally intended for use in storing food and beverages, and are normally not suitable for storing nonfood items. This lack of storage space is one factor preventing the effective retail distribution of items, which if refrigerated or heated, could offer improvements to the prospective purchaser.
There are situations in which a smaller cooler that can be dedicated to the storage and display of a single item or a single family of merchandise is desirable. For example, a small, dedicated cooler that could be mounted on a counter would provide a means for attracting the attention of a shopper or prospective purchaser. One such version of a merchandising cooler with a small footprint is suggested by US Patent Application Publication 2005/0109040 A1. This device employs a thermoelectric array for either heating or cooling an insulated container. One advantage of the thermoelectric array is its relatively small size. However, one apparent disadvantage of this device is the relatively small area of windows or doors that would allow inspection of the product or merchandise in the insulated container. Furthermore there is no suggestion of means for drawing a prospective purchaser's attention to the product. Of course, it would be possible to make the majority of the insulated container transparent, assuming that the loss of thermal efficiency would be compatible with the desired application. However, even such a totally transparent, insulated storage container would only make the product or merchandise visible. It would still rely primarily on the appearance of the product to draw the attention of the prospective purchaser.
Thermoelectric cooling elements are used for applications other than point of sale refrigeration units. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,769,260 discloses the use of a thermoelectric cooling element for storing cosmetics. A thermoelectric unit can also employed in a humidifier as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,007,242.
The instant invention is intended for use in a cabinet or shelf alongside other items in a retail establishment, such as a supermarket, a convenience store or a restaurant. This retail in-cabinet refrigeration and storage apparatus can be placed in a section where other items need not be cooled, and it can be positioned on an existing shelf or counter. For example, this retail in-cabinet refrigeration and storage apparatus can be placed with competitive items to draw the attention of prospective customers. It can also be placed near related items, which would attract a prospective customer with the same interests. However, this retail in-cabinet refrigeration and storage apparatus is intended to be used with products that either must be maintained at a lower temperature than nearby items, or it can be used where lower temperature storage could offer some advantage or attract a prospective customer's attention. However, this retail in-cabinet refrigeration and storage apparatus cannot be allowed to overheat and air must be circulated around a hot side sink on a thermoelectric cooling unit. In this invention, air is circulated into and out of the refrigeration and storage apparatus through the front so that hot air will be exhausted through the front and will not affect surrounding product. The retail in-cabinet refrigeration and storage apparatus must employ an intake and exhaust that will not be susceptible to obstruction by nearby items or structures.
A retail in-cabinet refrigeration and storage apparatus according to this invention is used for storing retail sales items at a lower than normal temperature. A storage compartment has a door opening on the front of the storage compartment so that retail items stored therein can be withdrawn or replenished though an opening at the front of the storage compartment. A thermoelectric cooling unit is located at the rear of the storage compartment to cool air and retail items in the storage compartment. A duct includes an intake on one side of the door at the front of the in-cabinet refrigeration and storage apparatus and a exhaust on an opposite side of the door at the front of the in-cabinet refrigeration and storage apparatus. The duct is thermally separated from the storage compartment. The intake and exhaust of air, maintaining the temperature of the thermoelectric cooling unit, will not be obstructed when the in-cabinet refrigeration and storage apparatus is positioned on a shelf of in a cabinet near other items. Items on the sides and on the top and bottom of this unit will not be affected by the air flow or the heat transferred by this moving air.
Although not limited to reliance upon thermoelectric or TE modules for temperature control, these devices provide an effective method of pumping heat for use in this invention, and a brief discussion of these modules is appropriate prior to discussion of a first embodiment of this invention. Thermoelectric modules are the basis of efficient solid state heat pumps or heat exchangers for both heating and cooling. Thermoelectric modules are based on the Peltier effect, which recognizes that current passed through two dissimilar electrical conductors will cause heat to be either emitted or absorbed at the junction of the two conductors. A typical thermoelectric module consists of bismuth telluride semiconductor P/N doped pellets with pairs of P/N pellets electrically in series, but thermally in parallel. Thermoelectric modules of this type function as heat pumps and are especially suited for units of small size in which the temperature differential between the exterior and the refrigerated interior is on the order of 30-50° F. for example.
These devices can be used for cooling or for heating depending upon the direction of current flow through the semiconductor junction. Thermoelectric modules can also be employed for power generation, although this application is not relevant to the instant invention. A discussion of thermoelectric modules and the Peltier Effect can be found in “Thermoelectric Materials: Principles, Structure, Properties, and Applications”, Encyclopedia of Materials: Science and Technology, © 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd., incorporated herein by reference. A thermoelectric cooling unit is preferred for use in this application for a number of reasons, such as the absence of moving parts reducing maintenance, and the absence of coolants that must be replenished. Other components of cooling unit will be subsequently discussed in further detail. It should be understood, that while thermoelectric modules are especially suited for use in small coolers of the type described herein, this invention is not limited to the use of thermoelectric or solid state cooling units.
The principal application of a thermoelectric module relevant to a first embodiment of this invention is its use for cooling the contents of a storage compartment. It should be understood that alternative embodiments in which heat is delivered to the contents of the storage compartment are also possible in addition to the point of sale cooler or retail refrigeration and storage apparatus 50, comprising a representative and preferred embodiment of the invention, described herein.
The storage compartment 52 of this in-cabinet refrigeration and storage apparatus 50 provides space for storage of individual retail items 54 in one or more merchandise pusher tracks 3, which is suitable for holding multiple rows of sales items 54. As shown in
The storage compartment 52 is accessible through a door 2, which extends over most of the front. The door 2 is hinged to a front panel 1 by a hinge pin 15 located on the bottom of front panel 1 so that the top of door 2 rotates downward when grasped by a handle located at the top of the door 2. A gasket 5 extends around the edge of the door 2, and when the door 2 is closed, the gasket 5 will engage front panel 1 to close off the opening in the front panel 1. A rare earth magnet 6 will retain the door 2 in a closed position. When the in-cabinet refrigeration and storage apparatus 50 is placed on a shelf or in a cabinet, the door 2 may be the only face that is visible, so information stickers 19 can be placed on the exterior of the door 2. The door 2 may also be transparent so that prospective customers can view merchandise in the storage compartment 52.
As shown in
The thermoelectric cooling unit 7 is located at the rear of the storage compartment 52, and thermoelectric cooling unit 7 maintains this compartment and the items 54 stored therein at a desired temperature below the normal exterior temperature. Details of the thermoelectric cooling unit 7 of the type used herein are shown in
The thermoelectric cooling element 100, the heat sinks 80 and 90 and the barrier wall 102 are surrounded by a housing formed by a front housing wall 104 that is secured to a rear housing wall 106 by conventional fasteners, such as screws. The front housing wall 104 has an opening 112 through which the fins 82 of the cold side sink 80 extend. A circulating fan 110 is attached to the wall 104 above the cold side sink 80 to circulate air in the storage compartment 52 over the fins 82 to keep the air in the storage compartment appropriately cooled. An inclined surface 114 on front wall 104 extends beyond the opening 112 and beyond the circulating fan 110 so that air drawn into close proximity with the cold side sink fins 82 by the circulating fan 110 will be returned back to the cooled storage compartment 52. Since the fan 110 is offset from the center of the storage compartment 52 a steady circulation will be maintained around the storage compartment 52.
A blower unit 120 is located between the barrier wall 102 and the rear housing wall 106. This blower unit 120 is located within a shroud 122, which includes inclined vents 124. The blower unit 120 is in communication with the ducts 62 and 72 so that blower unit can draw air through the intake slot 70 and duct 72, and through inclined vents 124 past the hot side heat sink 90. After air drawn from one side of the front of the refrigeration and storage unit 50 passes over the hot side sink 90, the heated air then passes through the exhaust duct 62 and the slot 60 and is exhausted on the front of the unit 50 on the opposite side of the door 2. Thus air is taken in and exhausted on the front of the unit 50, where there will be no interference with adjacent items on that same shelf, and it is not necessary to be sure that the top and bottom of the unit are free from obstruction. Thus a continuous flow of air can be maintained without damaging the thermoelectric cooling unit or merchandise near the refrigeration and storage unit 50. Since the top and bottom surfaces of the apparatus 50 are relatively flat, multiple refrigeration and storage units 50 can also be stacked, one of top of another, without obstructing cooling air flow or damaging neighboring merchandise.
This application claims the benefit of prior co-pending U.S. Provisional Patent Application 60/937,716 filed Jun. 30, 2007 entitled Retail In-Cabinet Refrigeration and Storage Unit.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60937716 | Jun 2007 | US |
