CN110831467B

CN110831467B - Refrigerated merchandiser

Info

Publication number: CN110831467B
Application number: CN201780087307.1A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 德克·库勒; C.瓦莱; T.施塔特米勒
Original assignee: Carrier Corp
Current assignee: Carrier Corp
Priority date: 2017-02-24
Filing date: 2017-02-24
Publication date: 2023-04-04
Anticipated expiration: 2037-02-24
Also published as: CN110831467A; EP3585216A1; EP3585216B1; WO2018153476A1

Abstract

A refrigerated sales furniture (2) comprising a furniture body (3) with left and right side walls (5, 7) and a refrigerated sales space (10) for storing goods to be displayed therein; and at least two door frame sections (12 a, 12 b) arranged in front of the refrigerated sales space (10). At least one of the door frame segments (12 a, 12 b) supports a door (8) such that the door (8) is movable between a closed position in which it closes a respective portion of the refrigerated sales space (10) and an open position in which it allows access to the respective portion of the refrigerated sales space (10). The at least two door frame segments (12 a, 12 b) are movable between a planar arrangement in which the door frame segments (12 a, 12 b) extend in a common plane with a front face of the appliance body (3) and at least one folded arrangement in which the segments extend non-parallel to the common plane.

Description

Refrigerated merchandiser

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a refrigerated merchandiser and a method of changing modes of access to a refrigerated sales space of a refrigerated merchandiser.

Background

A refrigerated sales furniture having at least one refrigerated sales space can be provided with a door, in particular a transparent door, for closing the refrigerated sales space. Such doors thermally isolate the refrigerated sales space from the environment when the refrigerated sales space is closed, in particular reducing the exchange of cold air from the refrigerated sales space with warm ambient air. This minimizes the energy required to cool the refrigerated sales space to the desired temperature, thus improving the energy efficiency of the refrigerated sales furniture.

However, such doors block access to the refrigerated sales space. This can be inconvenient in situations where full access to refrigerated sales items is desired. These conditions may include, among others, "peak hours" (i.e., the time when customers frequently enter the refrigerated sales space to remove items), "item loading times" (where new items are loaded into the refrigerated sales space), "cleaning times" and "maintenance times".

Disclosure of Invention

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a refrigerated sales furniture combining the advantages of an energy-saving configuration in which the door thermally insulates the refrigerated sales space from the environment with the advantages of a "free entry" configuration in which access to the refrigerated sales space is not blocked by the door.

A refrigerated sales furniture according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention comprises a furniture body having a left side and a right side, the furniture body providing a refrigerated sales space for storing goods to be displayed therein; and at least two door frame sections. At least one of the door frame sections supports the door such that the door is movable between a closed position in which it closes a respective portion of the refrigerated merchandising space and an open position in which it allows access to the respective portion of the refrigerated merchandising space. At least two door frame segments are movable between a planar arrangement in which the door frame segments extend in a common plane with the front face of the appliance body between the left and right sides of the appliance body and at least one folded arrangement in which the segments extend in an orientation that is not parallel to the common plane.

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention include a method of providing full access to a refrigerated sales space of a refrigerated sales furniture according to exemplary embodiments of the present invention by moving at least two door frame sections from a planar arrangement in which the door frame sections extend between a left side and a right side of the furniture body in a common plane with a front face of the furniture body to a folded arrangement in which the sections extend non-parallel to the common plane.

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention also include methods of changing a mode of access to a refrigerated sales space of a refrigerated merchandiser according to exemplary embodiments of the present invention by moving at least two door frame segments from a planar arrangement in which the door frame segments extend in a common plane and allow access to the refrigerated sales space through the door to a folded arrangement in which the door frame segments extend non-parallel to the common plane, thereby providing full access to the refrigerated sales space.

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention also include a method of closing a refrigerated sales space of a refrigerated sales furniture according to exemplary embodiments of the present invention, wherein the method comprises moving at least two door frame sections from a folded arrangement in which the door frame sections do not extend parallel to a common plane to a planar arrangement in which the door frame sections extend in said common plane.

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention also include methods of accessing a refrigerated sales space by moving at least one door mounted to a respective door frame section from a closed position in which the door closes a respective portion of the refrigerated sales space to an open position allowing access to the respective portion of the refrigerated sales space.

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention allow for easy and convenient changes in the mode of access to the refrigerated merchandiser's refrigerated sales space by selectively moving the door frame sections between the planar arrangement and the folded arrangement.

In a planar arrangement in which the door frame sections extend in a common plane with the front face of the appliance body, a door supported by the door frame sections thermally isolates the refrigerated sales space from the environment. This reduces power consumption and enhances the efficiency of the refrigerated merchandiser, particularly when the demand for access to the refrigerated sales space is low and the door is only occasionally opened.

On the other hand, exemplary embodiments of the present invention allow easy and unobstructed access to the refrigerated sales space when the door frame sections are moved to the folded position. When the demand for access to the refrigerated sales space is high and the door is to be opened frequently, it is beneficial to provide unobstructed access to the refrigerated sales space, especially at "peak hours", "goods loading times", "cleaning times" and "maintenance times".

Thus, exemplary embodiments of the present invention provide the advantages of an energy-saving configuration in which the doors thermally isolate the refrigerated sales space from the environment and the advantages of a "free entry" configuration in which access to the refrigerated sales space is not blocked by any door.

A number of optional features are set forth below. In particular embodiments, these features may be implemented alone or in combination with any other features.

In another embodiment, adjacent door frame segments are pivotally connected to each other. In particular, two adjacent door frame sections are connected to each other by at least one hinge mounted to an edge of an adjacent door frame section. Pivotally connecting adjacent door frame segments allows folding of the door frame segments in an accordion-style zig-zag configuration.

In one embodiment, at least one door is pivotally mounted to a corresponding door frame section. The pivoting door allows for convenient access to the refrigerated sales space. The door frame sections, each supporting a pivoting door, can be easily folded.

In another embodiment, the at least two door frame sections are movable to a folded arrangement in which they are arranged at a side of the appliance body. If multiple appliance bodies are arranged next to each other, the door frame section may be moved to a position between two adjacent appliance bodies. When arranged in this folded arrangement, the door frame sections allow unobstructed access to the refrigerated sales space.

In another embodiment, the door frame segments extend substantially perpendicular to the common plane when in the folded arrangement. Arranging the door frame sections perpendicular to the common plane minimizes the obstruction caused by the door frame sections.

In another embodiment, the door frame section is guided between the planar arrangement and the folded arrangement by at least one front rail, in particular by an upper front rail and/or a lower front rail. The at least one front rail may extend in particular along a front face of the appliance body extending between the front portions of the left and right sides of the refrigerated merchandiser. Such a front guide rail allows for convenient and safe movement of the door frame sections between the flat arrangement and the folded arrangement. In particular, such front guide rails prevent any movement of the door frame segments in undesired directions, which may be dangerous for the operator.

In another embodiment, each door frame section has a rectangular shape including a top side, a bottom side, and two lateral sides extending between the top and bottom sides, respectively. A first lateral side of each door frame section is guided by the at least one front rail, and an opposite second lateral side of each door frame section is movable in a forward direction relative to the at least one front rail, i.e. away from the refrigerated sales space. This allows folding of the door frame segments in an accordion-style zig-zag configuration.

In another embodiment, each door frame segment comprises at least one support pin, in particular an upper support pin and/or a lower support pin. The at least one support pin is guided in the lateral direction by the at least one front rail. The support pins provide a secure connection between the one or more guide rails and the door frame segments.

In another embodiment, at least one support pin is provided with a roller or caster configured to roll along a respective rail. The use of rollers or casters reduces friction as the support pins move relative to the one or more front rails, thus facilitating movement of the door frame segments between the flat arrangement and the folded arrangement.

In another embodiment, two laterally adjacent door frame segments are arranged in pairs of door frame segments. An upper support pin and/or a lower support pin is arranged at the upper left/lower left portion of the left door frame segment and the upper right/lower right portion of the right door frame segment in each pair of door frame segments, respectively. Thus, when moving the pair of door frame segments from the planar arrangement to the folded arrangement, the right portion of the left door frame and the left portion of the right door frame are folded in the forward direction. Such a configuration allows folding of the door frame segments in an accordion-style zig-zag configuration.

In another embodiment, one lateral side of at least one of the door frame sections is fixed to the appliance body, in particular to a column and/or a side wall of the refrigerated sales appliance, thereby preventing lateral movement of the at least one of the door frame sections. Securing one of the door frame sections to the appliance body allows the door frame section to be conveniently transitioned between a flat arrangement and a folded arrangement.

In another embodiment, one of the door frame sections, in particular the door frame section arranged opposite to the door frame section fixed to the appliance body, may be locked to the appliance body, in particular to a column and/or a side wall of the refrigerated sales appliance, in order to prevent any accidental or unauthorized movement of the door frame section.

In another embodiment, the door frame segments are movable to a parked position when arranged in a folded arrangement. The door frame section is movable in particular in a direction towards the rear wall of the refrigerated sales space, i.e. in a direction perpendicular to the common plane. The refrigerated sales furniture can in particular be a refrigerated cabinet, wherein the refrigerated sales space is accessible from the front; or a refrigerated merchandiser wherein the refrigerated sales space is accessible from above. Thus, the common plane may be a vertical plane extending in front of the refrigerated sales space of the refrigerated cabinet or a plane extending on top of the refrigerated sales space of the refrigerated case. The common plane may extend horizontally or in an inclined orientation.

The door frame section is movable to a lateral position adjacent one of the sides of the refrigerated sales space. The door frame section can be accommodated in particular in a side portion of the refrigerated sales space or in a separate parking space provided next to the refrigerated sales space. A wall may separate the separate parking space from the refrigerated sales space. Moving the door frame section to such a lateral position further improves access to the refrigerated merchandiser because the door frame section does not occupy any space in front of the refrigerated merchandiser.

In another embodiment at least one of the door frame sections is guided by at least one guide rail extending perpendicular to the upper and lower front guide rails so as to allow moving the door frame section in a direction perpendicular to the common plane.

In another embodiment, at least one of the door frame sections is mounted to a carriage of the same type, wherein the carriage is movable in particular in a direction oriented perpendicular to the common plane. This facilitates the movement of the door frame section and in particular avoids undesired tilting and/or blocking of the door frame section.

In another embodiment, the carriage is guided by at least one guide rail extending perpendicular to the front rail so as to allow movement of the carriage in a direction perpendicular to the common plane.

In another embodiment, the carriage is provided with at least one roller or caster to reduce friction when moving the carriage.

In another embodiment, a method according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention includes moving a door frame segment to a parked position by moving the door frame segment in a direction perpendicular to the common plane. This movement reduces the space occupied by the door frame sections in front of the refrigerated sales cabinet or above the refrigerated storage, thus further improving access to the refrigerated sales space.

Drawings

Hereinafter, a refrigerated sales cabinet according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 depicts a perspective view of a refrigerated sales cabinet according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, wherein the door frame sections are arranged in a planar arrangement and the doors are arranged in their respective closed positions.

Figure 2 depicts a horizontal cross-sectional view through the front and door section of the refrigerated sales cabinet shown in figure 1.

Figure 3 depicts a perspective view of a refrigerated sales cabinet according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, wherein the door frame sections are arranged in a planar arrangement and the door is arranged in an open position, respectively.

Figure 4 depicts a perspective view of a refrigerated sales cabinet according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, wherein the door frame sections are arranged in a partially folded arrangement.

Figure 5 depicts a horizontal cross-sectional view through the front and door section of the refrigerated sales cabinet shown in figure 4.

Figure 6 depicts a perspective view of a refrigerated sales cabinet according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, wherein the door frame sections are arranged in a fully collapsed arrangement.

Figure 7 depicts a horizontal cross-sectional view through the front and door section of the refrigerated sales cabinet shown in figure 6.

Fig. 8 depicts a perspective view of a refrigerated sales cabinet according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, wherein the door frame sections arranged in a fully collapsed arrangement are moved to a parking position.

Fig. 9 shows a vertical sectional view through a door section of a refrigerated sales cabinet according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 10 depicts an enlarged perspective view of the lower portion of the door frame section in a fully collapsed arrangement.

Fig. 11 depicts a detail enlargement of fig. 10.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1, 3, 4, 6 and 8 depict perspective views of a refrigerated sales cabinet (refrigerated sales furniture) 2 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Figures 2, 5 and 7 depict horizontal cross-sectional views through the front of the refrigerated sales cabinet 2 shown in figures 1, 4 and 6 respectively.

A refrigerated sales cabinet 2 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention comprises an appliance body 3 having a base 16, a top 18 and a rear wall 4. The rear wall 4 extends vertically along the rear side of the appliance body 3 between a base 16 and a top 18. The appliance main body 3 may further include a left side wall 5 (see fig. 2, 4, and 5 to 8) and a right side wall 7. The

side walls

5, 7 are provided at the side ends of the appliance body 3 and extend vertically between the base 16 and the top 18 of the appliance body 3. In order to allow unobstructed viewing of the refrigerated sales cabinet 2, the right side wall 7 is not shown in fig. 1, 3, 4, 6 and 8. If a plurality of appliance bodies 3 are arranged adjacent to one another, typically only the two outermost appliance bodies 3 are provided with

side walls

5, 7, respectively; and the side of the appliance body 3 facing the adjacent appliance body 3 is left open.

The base 16, top 18, rear wall 4 and

side walls

5, 7 define a forwardly open refrigerated sales space 10. A plurality of horizontally extending shelves 14 configured to hold items to be displayed within the refrigerated merchandiser 10 are disposed in the refrigerated merchandiser 10.

Four

door frame sections

12a, 12b are provided in front of the refrigerated sales space 10. The

door frame segments

12a, 12b in combination constitute a door frame which frames the front of the refrigerated sales space 10.

Each of the

door frame sections

12a, 12b supports the door 8 such that the door 8 is movable, in particular pivotable, between a closed position in which it closes a respective portion of the refrigerated sales space 10 (see fig. 1 and 2) and an open position in which it allows access to the respective portion of the refrigerated sales space 10 (see fig. 3).

When arranged in its respective closed position, the door 8 prevents cold air from flowing out of the refrigerated sales space 10 and warm ambient air from flowing into the refrigerated sales space 10. As a result, the energy required to cool the refrigerated sales space 10 to the desired temperature is reduced and the refrigerated sales cabinet 2 can operate more efficiently.

However, since the door 8 may be considered an obstacle for customers who wish to access the refrigerated sales space, it may be desirable to provide complete and unobstructed access to the refrigerated sales space, for example during "peak hours", i.e. when customers frequently access the refrigerated sales space 10 to remove items.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the

door frame segments

12a, 12b are movable between a planar arrangement in which the

door frame segments

12a, 12b extend between the left and right sides or

side walls

5, 7 in a common vertical plane with the front of the appliance body 3 and at least one folded arrangement in which the segments extend substantially perpendicular to said common plane. Examples of partially folded arrangements of the

door frame segments

12a, 12b are shown in fig. 4 and 5, and fig. 6-8 depict fully folded arrangements of the

door frame segments

12a, 12b.

In order to allow the

door frame segments

12a, 12b to move between the planar arrangement and the at least one folded arrangement, adjacent

door frame segments

12a, 12b are pivotally connected to each other. Two adjacent

door frame sections

12a, 12b are connected to each other, in particular by at least one hinge 9. Each hinge 9 allows adjacent

door frame segments

12a, 12b to pivot relative to each other about a vertical axis extending parallel to the rear wall 4 of the appliance body 3. Such a configuration allows folding of the

door frame segments

12a, 12b in an accordion-style zig-zag configuration, as shown in fig. 4 and 5.

The

door frame segments

12a, 12b may be arranged in pairs of left and right

door frame segments

12a, 12b, wherein the right portion of each left door frame segment 12a and the left portion of each right door frame segment 12b move in a forward direction, i.e. away from the refrigerated sales space 10, when the

door frame segments

12a, 12b are moved from a planar arrangement (see fig. 1 and 2) to a folded arrangement (see fig. 4 and 5).

In the configuration shown in the figures, the rightmost door frame segment 12b located near the right side or sidewall 7 is fixed to the appliance body 3 such that it can pivot about a vertical axis but cannot move (offset) in a lateral direction.

At least one of the other

door frame segments

12a, 12b, in particular the leftmost door frame segment 12a, may be locked to the appliance body 3, in particular to the left side wall 5 of the appliance body 3. When the

door frame segments

12a, 12b are arranged in their planar arrangement, at least one lockable

door frame segment

12a, 12b may be locked to the appliance body 3 in order to avoid accidental and/or unauthorized movement of the

door frame segments

12a, 12b from the planar arrangement to the folded arrangement.

A lock (not shown) for locking the at least one lockable

door frame segment

12a, 12b may be located in at least one of the upper and lower front rails 20, 22.

In an alternative configuration not shown in the figures, the leftmost door frame segment 12a arranged next to the left side or side wall 5 can be fixed to the appliance body 3, in particular to the left side or side wall 5 of the appliance body 3, and the rightmost door frame segment 12b can be locked to the appliance body 3, in particular to the right side or side wall 7 of the appliance body 3.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that not only may one of the

door frame segments

12a, 12b be lockable, but that a locking function may be provided to either of the

door frame segments

12a, 12b.

The

door frame segments

12a, 12b are movable to a fully collapsed arrangement, as shown in fig. 6 and 7. In the fully folded arrangement, the

door frame segments

12a, 12b are arranged parallel to each other side by side at one side of the appliance body 3, in particular adjacent to the left and right sides or one of the

side walls

5, 7. In this configuration, the door frame segments extend substantially parallel to the sides or

sidewalls

5, 7 and perpendicular to the common plane. When arranged in the fully collapsed configuration, the

door frame sections

12a, 12b provide free access to the refrigerated sales space 10.

When moving between the planar arrangement and the folded arrangement, the

door frame segments

12a, 12b are guided by the upper front rail 20 and the lower front rail 22. An upper front rail 20 is located at the top of the refrigerated sales space 10 below the top 18 of the appliance body 3 and extends horizontally between the left and right sides. A lower front rail 22 is located on top of the bottom 16 of the appliance body 3 at the bottom of the refrigerated sales space 10 and extends horizontally between the left and right sides.

The upper front rail 20 and the lower front rail 22 are particularly mounted to the lower side of the top 18 and the upper side of the bottom 16 of the appliance body 3, respectively.

In each pair of

door frame sections

12a, 12b comprising a left door frame section 12a and a right door frame section 12b, the left part of the left door frame section 12a and the right part of the right door frame section 12b are guided by

front guide rails

20, 22, while the opposite side of each

door frame section

12a, 12b is movable in a forward direction, as described above with reference to fig. 4 and 5.

Fig. 9 showsbase:Sub>A vertical cross-section through the front of the refrigerated merchandiser 2, including the door frame section 12base:Sub>A, along the linebase:Sub>A-base:Sub>A depicted in fig. 2.

Fig. 9 depicts, inter alia, a door frame segment 12a having a door 8 and upper and lower front rails 20, 22, which upper and lower front rails 20, 22 are mounted to the base 16 and top 18, respectively, of the appliance body 3. The refrigerated sales space 10 is located on the left side of fig. 9.

The door frame section 12a is guided along front rails 20, 22 extending perpendicular to the plan view of fig. 9 by upper and lower rollers or

casters

26, 28. The rollers or

casters

26, 28 are mounted to the door frame segment 12a by upper and lower support pins 34, 36, respectively.

The door 8 comprises a glass frame 32 supporting a glass pane 30, in particular the glass pane 30 being made of insulating glass or acrylic glass. The glass frame 32 is pivotally supported by upper and lower hinges 38, 40 mounted to the door frame section 12a. The upper and lower hinges 38, 40 are configured to allow the door 8 to be opened by pivoting the glass frame 32 and glass pane 30 relative to the door frame section 12a, as shown in fig. 3.

A combination of magnetic/metallic elements 33 may be attached to the glass frame 23 and the door frame section 12a in order to hold the door 8 in the closed position. In an alternative embodiment, special hinges may be used to lock the door 8 in its respective closed position within the

door frame segments

12a, 12b, 12c, 12 d.

When the

door frame segments

12a, 12b are arranged in a fully folded arrangement next to one of the sides of the appliance body 3 (see fig. 6 and 7), the

door frame segments

12a, 12b can be moved to the parking position by moving the

door frame segments

12a, 12b backwards, i.e. in a direction towards the rear wall 4 of the appliance body 3. The

door frame sections

12a, 12b are movable in particular in a direction perpendicular to the common plane into a parking position in or near the refrigerated sales space 10.

Fig. 8 shows a configuration in which the

door frame segments

12a, 12b have been moved to the parking position. Moving the

door frame sections

12a, 12b into such parking positions, in particular into positions in which the

door frame sections

12a, 12b are arranged within the refrigerated sales space 10 or laterally next to the refrigerated sales space 10, avoids the folding

door frame sections

12a, 12b occupying the space in front of the refrigerated sales cabinet 2 and blocking access to the refrigerated sales space 10.

Fig. 10 depicts an enlarged perspective view of the lower portion of

door frame segments

12a, 12b (see fig. 8) arranged in a fully collapsed arrangement proximate the right side of appliance body 3, and fig. 11 depicts an enlarged detail of fig. 10.

A plurality of rear guide rails 24 extend perpendicular to the upper and lower

front guide rails

20, 22 to allow movement of the

door frame sections

12a, 12b in a direction perpendicular to the common plane.

The rear rail 24 is shown in fig. 10 and 11 at the bottom of the refrigerated sales space 10. However, they may be provided at the bottom and/or top of the refrigerated sales space 10, as depicted in fig. 1, 3, 4, 6 and 8.

At least one of the

door frame segments

12a, 12b, in particular the rightmost door frame segment 12b, may be supported by a carriage 42, said carriage 42 being guided by at least one of the rear guide rails 24. The use of the bracket 42 allows for smooth movement of the

door frame segments

12a, 12b. The use of the bracket 42 particularly reduces the risk of the

door frame sections

12a, 12b tilting and locking, particularly when transitioning from the transverse front rails 20, 22 to the rear rail 24 and vice versa.

To reduce friction when moving the carriage 42 along the rear rail 24, the carriage 42 may be provided with at least one roller or caster 44.

While four

door frame segments

12a, 12b and a door 8 are shown in the figures, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the exemplary embodiments of the present invention are not limited to a corresponding configuration. Rather, the number of

door frame sections

12a, 12b and doors 8 may be selected at will according to the actual needs, in particular depending on the width of the refrigerated sales cabinet 2.

At least some components of the refrigeration circuit (not shown), in particular at least one evaporator, may be provided within the base 16 and/or rear wall 4 of the appliance body 3 in order to cool the refrigerated sales space 10 to a desired temperature.

The refrigerated sales cabinet 2 can be a stand-alone refrigerated sales cabinet 2 comprising a complete refrigeration circuit comprising at least one compressor, at least one condenser, at least one expansion device and at least one evaporator.

Alternatively, only the at least one expansion device and the at least one evaporator may be provided within the refrigerated sales cabinet 2, while the other components of the refrigeration circuit are located in other parts of the building, in particular in separate machine rooms. The condenser of the refrigeration circuit may be arranged outside the building, for example on the roof of the building, in order to allow efficient transfer of heat to the ambient air.

While the invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiments disclosed, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.

Reference numerals

2. Refrigerated sales furniture/refrigerated sales cabinet

3. Appliance body

4. Rear wall

5. Left side wall

7. Right side wall

8. Door with a door panel

10. Refrigerated sales space

12a left door frame segment

12b right door frame section

14. Shelf

16. Base of appliance body

18. Top of the main body of the apparatus

20. Upper front guide rail

22. Lower front guide rail

24. Rear guide rail

26. Upper roller/caster for door frame segments

28. Lower roller/caster for door frame sections

30. Glass pane

32. Glass frame

33. Magnetic/metal element

34. Upper support pin

36. Lower support pin

38. Upper hinge

40. Lower hinge

42. Bracket

44. Roller/castor for carriages

Claims

1. A refrigerated sales furniture (2) comprising:

an appliance body (3) providing a refrigerated sales space (10) for storing goods to be displayed therein, wherein the refrigerated sales space (10) is defined by a base (16), a top (18), a rear wall (4) and two sides of the appliance body (3);

at least two door frame segments (12 a, 12 b) disposed in front of the refrigerated sales space (10);

wherein at least one of said door frame segments (12 a, 12 b) supports at least one door (8) such that said at least one door (8) is movable between a closed position in which it closes a respective portion of said refrigerated sales space (10) and an open position in which it allows access to said respective portion of said refrigerated sales space (10);

wherein the at least two door frame segments (12 a, 12 b) are movable between a planar arrangement in which the door frame segments (12 a, 12 b) extend in a common plane and a folded arrangement in which the segments extend perpendicular to the common plane and substantially parallel to the side of the appliance body (3); and is provided with

Wherein all adjacent door frame segments (12 a, 12 b) are pivotally connected to each other by at least one hinge (9), respectively, for allowing the mutually adjacent door frame segments (12 a, 12 b) to pivot relative to each other about a vertical axis extending parallel to the rear wall (4) of the appliance body (3) for folding the door frame segments (12 a, 12 b) in an accordion-like zigzag configuration,

wherein the door frame segments (12 a, 12 b) are movable when arranged in the folded arrangement, wherein in the folded arrangement in which the door frame segments (12 a, 12 b) are movable towards the rear wall (4) of the refrigerated sales space (10), at least one of the door frame segments (12 a, 12 b) is supported on a carriage (42), and wherein the carriage (42) is movable in a direction perpendicular to the common plane.

2. Refrigerated sales furniture (2) of claim 1, wherein the at least two door frame sections (12 a, 12 b), when moved into the folded arrangement, are arranged at the sides of the furniture body (3) to allow unobstructed access to the refrigerated sales space (10).

3. Refrigerated sales furniture (2) of claim 1 or 2, wherein the door frame section (12 a, 12 b) is guided between the planar arrangement and the folded arrangement by at least one front rail (20, 22) extending along a front face of the furniture body (3).

4. Refrigerated sales furniture (2) of claim 3,

wherein each door frame segment (12 a, 12 b) comprises at least one supporting pin (34, 36), wherein the at least one supporting pin (34, 36) is guided in a lateral direction by the at least one front rail (20, 22).

5. Refrigerated sales furniture (2) of claim 3, wherein a first side of each door frame section (12 a, 12 b) is guided by the at least one front rail (20, 22) and an opposite second side of each door frame section (12 a, 12 b) is movable relative to the at least one front rail (20, 22) away from the refrigerated sales space (10).

6. Refrigerated sales furniture (2) of claim 3,

wherein two laterally adjacent door frame segments (12 a, 12 b) are arranged in pairs of door frame segments (12 a, 12 b),

wherein upper and lower support pins (34, 36) for guiding the respective door frame segments (12 a, 12 b) are arranged at an upper left and lower left portion of a left door frame segment (12 a) and an upper right and lower right portion of a right door frame segment (12 b) of a pair of door frame segments (12 a, 12 b), respectively, such that the right portion of the left door frame segment (12 a) and the left portion of the right door frame segment (12 b) are folded in a forward direction when moving the pair of door frame segments (12 a, 12 b) from the planar arrangement to the folded arrangement.

7. Refrigerated sales furniture (2) of claim 1 or 2, wherein one side of at least one of the door frame sections (12 a, 12 b) is fixed to the furniture body (3).

8. Refrigerated sales furniture (2) of claim 1 or 2, wherein one side of at least one of the door frame sections (12 a, 12 b) is lockable to the furniture body (3).

9. Refrigerated sales furniture (2) of claim 1, wherein the door frame sections (12 a, 12 b) are movable to a parking position towards the rear wall (4) of the refrigerated sales space (10).

10. Refrigerated sales furniture (2) of claim 1, wherein the door frame sections (12 a, 12 b) are movable perpendicular to the common plane when arranged in the folded arrangement.

11. Refrigerated sales furniture (2) of claim 2, wherein the at least two door frame sections (12 a, 12 b), when moved into the folded arrangement, are arranged at the sides of the furniture body (3), adjacent to one of the left and right sides of the furniture body (3), to allow unobstructed access to the refrigerated sales space (10).

12. Refrigerated sales furniture (2) of claim 3, wherein the door frame sections (12 a, 12 b) are guided between the planar arrangement and the folded arrangement by an upper front rail (20) and a lower front rail (22).

13. Refrigerated sales furniture (2) of claim 12, further comprising a rear guide rail (24) extending perpendicular to the upper and lower front guide rails (20, 22) for allowing movement of the door frame sections in a direction perpendicular to the common plane.

14. Refrigerated sales furniture (2) of claim 4, wherein each door frame section (12 a, 12 b) comprises an upper support pin (34) and a lower support pin (34).

15. Refrigerated sales furniture (2) of claim 4, wherein at least one support pin (34, 36) is provided with a roller or caster (26, 28), the roller or caster (26, 28) being configured for rolling in the lateral direction along the respective front rail (20, 22).

16. Refrigerated sales furniture (2) of claim 7, wherein one side of at least one of the door frame sections (12 a, 12 b) is fixed to a column or side wall (5, 7) of the refrigerated sales furniture (2).

17. Refrigerated merchandiser (2) according to claim 8, wherein one side of at least one of the door frame sections (12 a, 12 b) is lockable to a column or side wall (5, 7) of the refrigerated merchandiser (2).

18. Method of providing full access to a refrigerated sales space (10) of a refrigerated sales furniture (2) of any of claims 1 to 17,

wherein the method comprises the steps of:

moving the at least two door frame segments (12 a, 12 b) from a planar arrangement in which the door frame segments (12 a, 12 b) extend in a common plane to a folded arrangement in which the segments extend perpendicular to the common plane and substantially parallel to a side of the appliance body (3),

wherein moving the at least two door frame segments (12 a, 12 b) comprises pivoting adjacent door frame segments (12 a, 12 b) relative to each other about a vertical axis extending parallel to a rear wall (4) of the appliance body (3).

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the method further comprises moving the door frame segments (12 a, 12 b) to a parking position towards a rear wall (4) of the refrigerated sales space (10).

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the method further comprises moving the door frame segments (12 a, 12 b) perpendicular to the common plane to a parking position towards a rear wall (4) of the refrigerated sales space (10).

21. Method of changing the mode of entering a refrigerated sales space (10) of a refrigerated sales furniture (2) of any of claims 1 to 17,

wherein the method comprises the steps of:

moving the at least two door frame segments (12 a, 12 b) from a folded arrangement in which the door frame segments (12 a, 12 b) extend perpendicular to a common plane and substantially parallel to a side of the appliance body (3) to a planar arrangement in which the door frame segments (12 a, 12 b) extend in the common plane; and

moving at least one door (8) supported by a respective door frame segment (12 a, 12 b) from a closed position in which the door (8) closes a respective portion of the refrigerated sales space (10) to an open position in which the door (8) allows access to the respective portion of the refrigerated sales space (10), wherein moving the at least two door frame segments (12 a, 12 b) comprises pivoting adjacent door frame segments (12 a, 12 b) relative to each other about a vertical axis extending parallel to a rear wall (4) of the appliance body (3).

22. Method of closing a refrigerated sales space (10) of a refrigerated sales furniture (2) of any of the claims 1 to 17,

wherein the method comprises moving the at least two door frame segments (12 a, 12 b) from a folded arrangement in which the door frame segments (12 a, 12 b) extend perpendicular to a common plane and substantially parallel to a side of the appliance body (3) to a planar arrangement in which the door frame segments (12 a, 12 b) extend in the common plane, wherein moving the at least two door frame segments (12 a, 12 b) comprises pivoting adjacent door frame segments (12 a, 12 b) relative to each other about a vertical axis extending parallel to a back wall (4) of the appliance body (3).