US2502076A - Display cabinet - Google Patents

Description

March 28, 1950 H. R. DENTON 2,502,076

DISPLAY CABINET Filed Feb. 8, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. AMMVEV A. DENTQIV March 28,1950

H. R. DENTON DISPLAY CABINET 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 8, 1946 BY 7. M

Patented Mar. 28, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 7 DISPLAY CABINET Harvey R. Denton, Oakland, Calif. Application February 8, 1946, Serial No. 646,262

This invention relates to an improved display case for refrigerated food.

The main object of the invention is the provision of an improved display cabinet for fresh produce that will maintain the same relatively fresh while permitting the produce to be handled.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the description and in the drawings.

Fig; 1 is a perspective view of part of a display cabinet.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged plan viewof one of the recesses and frames in said cabinet.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 33 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

In Figs. 1 to 4 the cabinet ilustrated comprises sidewalls I that include upper side wall portions 3 that extend slantingly upwardly toward each other and to a top wall 5. End walls '1 may close the ends.

The lower side Wall portions below the slanted portions 3, may be formed with openings closed by hinged glass doors 6, which doors are preferably of double glass panes 1 (Fig. 4) to provide a heat insulation air layer between them and to prevent objectionable frosting of the glass. A bottom wall 8 is also provided.

The inclined portions 3 are each formed with a horizontal row of recesses 9 that open outwardly of the portions 3. The open sides of these recesses are coplanar with the portions 3 and the sides of said recesses extend inwardly into the cabinet at right angles to the portions 3, each recess being provided with a bottom 10. The recesses preferably are rectangular in shape for receiving a rectangular carton ll therein and which carton carries the liner l2 that is of material impervious to the passage of air and the produce (not shown) is carried in the carton within the liner (Fig. 3).

In Figs. 3, 4 the carton is shown as terminating at its free edges substantially flush with the walls 3 that surround said openings and the free edges of the liner are even with the edges of the carton. It is to be understood that in these views the carton and liner have had one side removed to expose the produce through the open side of the carton and through the open side of each 2 Claims. (Cl. 62-.89.5)

are adapted to extend into the carton and liner 5 along each side for yieldably forcingthem out-5 wardly and for holding the frame in position.

These members l4 also hold the sides of the,

tional cooling coils l5 (Fig. 4) from a conventional refrigeration unit l6 (Fig. 1) and some ofsaid coils may extend below the recesses as at ll. These coils. preferably extend from end to.

end of the cabinet and all walls of the cabinet, exclusive of the sides and bottoms of, recesses 3.. are provided with, heat insulation material. In the case of the doors the air gap between the. glass panes provides the material while the. material indicated at 18 may be on all other walls. p

The sides of adjacent recesses in each row are, spaced apart to permit flow of air between them and spaced braces l9 between the recesses of the pair of rows function to brace the recesses and to hold them from sagging.

In the space in the cabinet below the recesses ample room is provided for storage of extra sealed cartons 20 filled with produce. These may be withdrawn from the storage space as deemed necessary and may be substituted as units for the empty cartons in the recesses or else produce from the said cartons may be dumped into the recesses in which latter instance there need be no cartons in the recesses. Preferably the recesses and the cartons 20, where th latter are used, are of corresponding size and shape so that the cartons will fit the recesses and the walls of the recesses will not be exposed to the atmosphere.

By the foregoing method and cabinet fresh produce on the market will remain fresh even in the hottest weather and without enclosing the produce in cabinets and the customers can get delivery of any amount from a single unit to any number. Also the customers can inspect and handle the produce in the usual manner.

Preferably the top of the cabinet is extended as at 25 to form horizontally projecting refiectors and shades for conventional tubular fluorescent or cold lighting elements 26 below such reflectors. These reflectors do not project out so far as to in any way interfere with the replacement of cartons or produce but they are still relatively close to the recesses and rays therefrom are reflected into the recesses and onto the produce. The downwardly curved shield portion 1. A display cabinet having a top wall, side walls and a bottom wall, one of said side walls including a portion extending slantingly downwardly and outwardly from said top wall, a horizontal row of recesses in said portion having their sidesextending slantingly downwardly into said cabinet and opening outwardly through said por- 2. In a cabinet of the character described having a side wall provided with an outwardly opening rectangular recess therein for receiving therein a container of similar size and contour, container within said recess of said size and contour having an open side corresponding with the open side of said recess and with the edges defining said open side being along the edges of said side wall defining the open side of said recess, a continuous rectangular frame extending over the said edges of said container and over the marginal portion of said side wall around the open side of said recess, separate yieldable elements on said frame respectively carried by two oppo site sides thereof projecting inside said container from said frame in yieldable engagement with tion, refrigeration means within said cabinet ineluding cooling coils for a refrigerant disposed below said top wall and above the side walls of said-recesses, the adjacent sides of adjacent re' cesses in said row being spaced apart for circulation of air between said sides, and the walls of said cabinet other than the side walls and botlight tube over said open sides and for reflecting light from said tube into said open sides, said light tube being disposed relatively. close to the upper ends of the open sides of said recesses and to one side of the outwardly projected areas of.

said recesses respectively whereby produce may be loaded into said recesses and removed therefrom free from interference with said light tube.

the inner sides of said container adjacent said elements for yieldably urging said sides of said container outwardly toward the sides of said re cess and for yieldably holding said frame on said container.

HARVEY R. DEN'ION.

.- file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 290,387 Beatty Dec. 18, 1883 1,443,207 Blount Jan. 23, 1923 1,708,253 Bell et al Apr. 9, 1929 1,721,132 Orthwine July 16, 1929 1,861,112 Christian May 31, 1932 1,895,319 Grande Jan. 24, 1933 1,961,337 Cornell June 5, 1934 2,252,237 Stiles Aug. 12, 1941 2,271,103 Sherman Jan. 27, 1942 2,371,985 Freiberg Mar. 20, 1945

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