Display case with insulated glass

Abstract

Display case with front glass (3) and cover glass (4) made of insulating glass, each consisting of at least two spaced-apart panes with outer edge seal (6,7), characterized in that the edge seal (6) of the upper cover glass and the edge seal (7) of the front glass in the areas where the two panes abut each other is made of a transparent material.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to display cases, particularly for selling food. These display cases can be additionally equipped with cooling or heating, depending on the type of goods. In a refrigerated display case, it is common to install an evaporator for cooling and a fan for circulating a cool air flow across the display shelves in an insulated tray beneath the lowest shelf. The display case can be open on the rear operating side or have doors or flaps. The sides and the side facing the customer are usually made of glass. The top can also have a glass surface or an insulated lid. Such refrigerated display cases are used, for example, for the sale of food items such as cakes, tarts, sandwiches, and snacks. Such refrigerated display cases are known, for example, from EP 3 090 661 A1, EP 3 090 660 A1, DE 20 2019 001 043 U1 and DE 10 2008 025 434 A1.

[0002] Heated display cases are equipped with internal heating in the form of electric heating elements or radiant heaters, and sometimes also with a fan for air circulation and a humidification system. These are known, for example, from DE 20 2020 000 368 U1 and AT 5153388 A1.

[0003] In order to prevent fogging of windows and to save energy, it is state of the art to equip the individual panes of the display cases with insulating glazing. To facilitate cleaning of the interior surfaces, especially the glass panes, the front glass can usually be folded down or swung upwards. For example, DE 10 2008 025 434 A1 describes a display case attachment with a foldable front glass that is easily accessible for cleaning the interior surfaces. However, the solution described here is not suitable for display cases made of insulating glass, as the required drilling in the side panes and the upper cover glass is not possible with gas-tight insulating glass.

[0004] EP 34 090 660 A1 shows a refrigerated display case with a special door arrangement. The display case described here is also constructed with single-pane glass and cannot be constructed with insulating glass in a similar manner. The holes in the side panes and cover glass required for the corner connectors are problematic. The same applies to EP 3 090 661 A1 and DE 20 2019 001 043 U1. DE 10 2019 130 936 B3 describes a heated merchandise display unit whose glass structure is also made of single-pane glass. To clean the interior surfaces, the front glass can be slid upwards. Bolts are mounted on the side panes for this purpose, which engage a guide track attached to the front pane. This also requires drilling holes in the side panes.

[0005] Common insulating glass units consist of two spaced-apart panes with an aluminum edge seal and a usually black sealant. When insulating glass units are used in display cases, the conventional solutions always result in more or less wide, annoying stripes in the corners caused by the edge seals of the insulating glass units.

[0006] DE 198 28 333 A1 describes a cabinet with a temperature-insulated interior featuring a wall and door made of glass elements. Here, the edge seal of the insulating glass is used for mounting fittings and covered with a privacy screen. However, this severely restricts the view of the displayed products near the edges of the panels.

[0007] A display case made of insulating glass is known from US Pat. No. 4,660,903. Here, the spacers of the insulating glass in the corners are covered with special profiles. However, this in turn limits the view of the displayed products. Furthermore, cleaning the interior panes is relatively complex.

[0008] GB000002435896A discloses a corner-mounted insulating glass unit. This unit could, for example, serve as both the front glass and the cover glass. This would make the transition between the front glass and the cover glass transparent without a seal on the edges. However, the production of this type of glass is relatively complex, and access for cleaning the inside of the panes is relatively difficult.

[0009] WO 2012 / 163748A1 describes an interesting refrigerated display case in which the glass structure is made from spaced-apart panes. Instead of using individual flat insulating glass panes with edge sealing, two nested, tight glass attachments are manufactured, which are then tightly connected to one another at the connection points below and on the access side using spacer profiles. The important viewing area between the front pane and the cover pane therefore does not have an edge seal that restricts visibility. This solution is very advantageous in terms of transparency. However, this glass attachment is also very complex to manufacture. In addition, the front pane, for example, cannot be opened or closed to clean the inside. The interior surfaces can only be cleaned from the access side. If intermediate shelves are added, as is usually the case, cleaning the inside of the front pane in particular becomes extremely complex. Task

[0010] The object of the invention is to design a display case with a thermally insulated glass structure that is as transparent as possible, in which the inner surfaces of the glass top are also easily accessible for cleaning and which can be manufactured cost-effectively.

[0011] This object is achieved by the display case having the features of claim 1. Advantageous embodiments of the display case according to the invention are the subject of the dependent claims and are also described in the following description, in particular in connection with the figures.

[0012] In the display case of the type mentioned, the invention provides for the edge seal of the upper cover glass (6) and the edge seal of the front glass (7) in the areas where the two glasses adjoin one another to be made of a transparent material. Transparent in the sense of the invention means that the material is see-through. A viewer can see the objects arranged behind the material layer. The material is therefore translucent and preferably has a light transmission in the visible spectrum of at least 70%, particularly preferably at least 80%. In addition, the material has the lowest possible light scattering (haze), i.e. the haze value is less than 40%, preferably less than 20%. The front and / or cover glass can consist of two or more spaced-apart panes. The edge seal is considered to be the area that connects and seals the two panes along the outer interfaces of the panes.

[0013] According to claim 2, a transparent plastic is particularly suitable for the transparent part of the edge seal, as it is easier to process than glass. The required tightness is achieved by bonding.

[0014] Since it cannot ultimately be ruled out that, for example, small amounts of moisture can get into the insulating glass through diffusion processes and lead to a clouding of the view through condensation, it is advantageous to design at least a partial area of ​​the edge seal according to claim 3 as a hollow profile with a desiccant inside and a perforation to the pane space in such a way that the inner pane area is gas-tight with respect to the outer area.

[0015] If the front glass (3) is designed to be pivotable outwards according to claim 4, the front glass (3) can be easily pivoted open to clean the inside.

[0016] If the cover glass (4) can be pivoted upwards according to claim 5, the inside of the cover glass (4) can also be cleaned more easily.

[0017] In a display case mounted in a sales counter, the operating personnel often pass goods over the display case to the customer. Therefore, the upper glass surface should have as few interruptions as possible. At the same time, the transparent edge seals of the front glass (7) and cover glass (6) should be arranged one behind the other, as far as possible, as seen from the customer's perspective. These two points can be achieved if, according to claim 6, the outer pane of the cover glass (9) projects beyond the inner pane of the cover glass (8) toward the customer side (13) by an amount that approximately corresponds to the thickness of the front glass (3).

[0018] If, according to claim 7, the outer pane of the cover glass (4) projects beyond the front glass (3), so that the outer projecting pane of the cover glass (9) can be used as a handle for pivoting the cover glass (4), the installation of an additional handle is not necessary. Furthermore, the pane area is thus significantly more transparent than with an additional handle.

[0019] To prevent the pivotally mounted front glass (3) from falling toward the customer side (13), it can be secured according to claim 8 by a retaining element (23) arranged on the cover glass (4). If the cover glass (4) is pivoted upwards with one hand, the fixation of the front glass (3) is released, and the front glass (3) can be pivoted away with the other hand.

[0020] If, according to claim 9, this holding element (23) is connected to the outer projecting pane of the cover glass (9), the holding element (23) can be advantageously produced as a sheet metal angle with only one bend.

[0021] According to claim 10, the retaining element (23) can be secured to the protruding outer pane of the cover glass (9) via a connecting element. This can, for example, be a nut glued into the outer pane, to which the retaining element (23) is screwed. This allows the position of the retaining element (23) to be finely adjusted during assembly.

[0022] With regard to easy cleaning, it is advantageous to arrange the holding element (23) on the underside of the projecting pane of the cover glass (9) according to claim 11. If it is glued here, the upper side of the cover glass (4) remains seamless and can thus be cleaned more easily.

[0023] If the side glasses (5) according to claim 12 are arranged behind the front glass (3), the side glasses (5) can simultaneously serve as a stop for the pivotable front glass (3) towards the rear.

[0024] If, however, the side glasses (5) are arranged laterally next to the front glass (3) according to claim 13, they can be mounted in such a way that they can be removed from the customer side (13) of the display case for cleaning.

[0025] This is particularly simple if the side windows (5) are located at the bottom according to claim 14 in a U-shaped guide device (24) which is open towards the front.

[0026] Since, in an embodiment according to claim 13 or 14, the side pane (5) can no longer serve as a stop for the front pane (3), it is advantageous, according to claim 15, to provide a stop element (25) for the pivotable front pane (3) on the side pane (5). This can be, for example, a transparent plastic block, which is advantageously arranged in the upper pane area. This also prevents the stop element (25) from colliding with the open front pane when the side pane (5) is pulled out.

[0027] If the edge seal of the cover glass (4) and the edge seal of the front glass (3) according to claim 16 are also transparent on the left and right sides of the display case, there is also less restriction of vision here.

[0028] If the side glass (5) is also made of insulating glass and then here according to claim 17 the edge seal facing the front glass (3) and the edge seal facing the cover glass (4) are also transparent, there is no longer any restriction of visibility to the sides due to the glass attachment.

[0029] If, according to claim 18, the side panel (5) has a retaining element (26, 27) in the upper or rear area, which is also open toward the customer side (13) of the display case, the side panel (5) can be pulled out toward the customer side (13) without the need for tools. This also allows for the arrangement of several display cases directly next to one another. If the adjacent side panels (5) become dirty, they can simply be pulled forward out of the display case for cleaning.

[0030] If the display case according to claim 19 includes means for cooling (15, 16), it can be used as a refrigerated display case. It is then advantageous to arrange the cooling means (15) and the means for circulating the cooled air (16) below the lowest merchandise shelf (10). This keeps the merchandise space transparent and as free as possible from view-restricting technology.

[0031] According to claim 21, the display case may contain heating means. Thus, it can be used as a warming display case. However, it is also possible to provide both cooling means (15, 16) and warming means, so that either cooling or heating can be selectively activated via switches.

[0032] A heater can advantageously be arranged under the lowest shelf (10) according to claim 22. Then, the heater is not visible to the customer and does not interfere with the transparent appearance of the display case.

[0033] If the cover glass (4) can be swung open, the front glass (3) can be swung down, and the side panels (4) can be removed, a support frame (12) is required to support the various display case components. In this case, it is advantageous to provide the support frame (12) according to claim 23 to the side of the upper display shelves (11). This does not hinder the insertion of goods and does not restrict the view from the customer side (13).

[0034] The lateral visibility restriction caused by the support frames (12) can be reduced if the support frames (12) according to claim 24 each comprise two spaced-apart uprights. The uprights can be very slim and yet still support a high load. The upper shelves (11) can be attached directly to these uprights or placed on shelf supports, which can be suspended, for example, in recesses in the uprights.

[0035] It is further advantageous for a transparent appearance if the support frames (12) according to claim 25 are set back from the edge of the upper product shelves (11) located on the front customer side (13). This places the goods in the foreground, not the support frames (12).

[0036] In addition to the side glass (4) according to claim 26, the support frames (12) can also include several support devices for the upper shelves (11). Since no other supports are required, the transparent appearance is further improved.

[0037] If the cover glass (4) rests on at least one support frame (12) according to claim 27, the cover glass (4) can be placed back on the support frame after the front glass (3) has been lifted and opened. The folded front glass (3) can now be easily cleaned. The side panes (4) can also now be easily pulled out for cleaning, since the cover glass (4) is not resting on the side panes (5).

[0038] In order to easily compensate for manufacturing tolerances in the manufacture of the support frames and the glasses, it is advantageous if the support frames according to claim 28 include a height-adjustable element (30) for supporting the cover glass (4).

[0039] The drawings illustrate a suitable embodiment.

[0040] They show: Fig. 1: 3D view of a refrigerated display case in operating condition Fig. 2: 3D view of the refrigerated display case in cleaning state Fig. 3: Section through a refrigerated display case in operating condition Fig. 4: Detail corner area front glass cover glass Fig. 5: Section through the refrigerated display case in cleaning condition

[0041] Fig. 1. shows a 3D view of a refrigerated display case in operation. The tub (1) contains the cooling means. Above the tub (1) is the lower shelf (10). The support frame (12) holds the upper shelves (11). The display space is defined by the glass structure (2). A lamp (21) is located above each shelf.

[0042] Fig. 2. shows a 3D view during cleaning. Here, the cover glass (4) is being lifted, releasing the retaining elements (23) attached to the cover glass (4). The front glass (3) can then be swung away, and the cover glass (4) can now be placed back on the support frame (12). The inside of the front glass (3) can now be easily cleaned. The side panels (5), which are positioned at the bottom in a U-shaped guide rail (24) that is open at the front, are held at the top by a retaining element (26) and at the rear by a U-shaped rear retaining element (27), can now be pulled out forward for cleaning with the front panel (3) open. The stop elements (25) glued to the side panels (5) are now located above the folded-down front panel.

[0043] Fig. Figure 3 shows a section through a refrigerated display case in operation. The fans (16) force the air through the evaporator (15), where it is cooled. The cooled air is blown upwards at the rear of the sliding door (22) and over the product shelves (10, 11). The front glass (3) is pivotally mounted at the bottom via a tilting bearing profile (28). At the top, it is held in place by the stop element (25) at the rear and by the holding element (23) at the front. The cover glass is connected to the support frame (12) at the rear via a pivot joint (29). It rests on the height-adjustable element (30). The edge seal of the front glass (7) and the edge seal of the cover glass (6) lie one behind the other in front of the customer side (13), so that the visual impairment is kept to a minimum. The upper outer pane of the cover glass (4) is continuous on the top side so that when goods are handed over the display case, no impurities can fall into the display case through the slots between the front glass (3) and the cover glass (4).

[0044] The corner area marked with a circle at the top left of the drawing is in Fig. 4 is shown again in an enlarged form.

[0045] Fig. Figure 4 shows the connection area between the front glass (3) and the cover glass (4) in detail. The cover glass (4) consists of the inner pane (8) and the outer pane (9). In the connection area to the front glass, these two panes are held apart by the transparent edge seal (6). The outer pane (9) is longer than the inner pane (8) at the connection point, so that it extends beyond the front glass. This creates a continuous surface on the upper side without any slits. The front glass also consists of an inner pane and an outer pane, which are kept at a distance by a transparent edge seal (7). The tiltably mounted front glass (3) is held in the closed position of the glass assembly (2) by the stop element (25) and the retaining elements (23). The stop element (25) is made of transparent plastic, for example, and is glued to the side glass. The retaining elements (23) are relatively narrow and are glued to the underside of the protruding outer glass pane (9) of the cover glass, in the outer corners of the cover glass (23).

[0046] Fig. Figure 5 shows a section through the refrigerated display case in the open cleaning state. Lifting the cover glass (4) releases the retaining element (23) to release the front glass (3), allowing it to be swung down via the lower tilting bearing (28). The cover glass (4) can now be swung down again and placed on the support frame (12) or the height-adjustable element (30). The tilting bearing profile (28) includes a stop so that the front glass reaches a stable position in the position shown. The inside of the front glass can now be easily cleaned. The interior side glass panels of the display case are also now easily accessible from the customer side. List of reference symbols 1 tub 2 Glass structure 3 Front glass 4 Cover glass 5 side glass 6 Edge seal cover glass 7 Edge seal front glass 8 inner pane cover glass 9 outer pane cover glass 10 lower shelf 11 upper goods floor 12 Support frame 13 Customer side 14 Operator side 15 evaporators 16 fans 17 Tub bottom 18 Gas spring 19 Procedure 20 temperature controllers 21 Lamp 22 sliding door 23 Holding element 24 U-shaped guide rail 25 stop element 26 upper holding element 27 rear retaining element 28 Tilting bearing profile 29 Swivel joint 30 height-adjustable element QUOTES CONTAINED IN THE DESCRIPTION

[0000] This list of documents submitted by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the convenience of the reader. This list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature

[0000] EP 3 090 661 A1 [0001, 0004] EP 3 090 660 A1

[0001] DE 20 2019 001 043 U1 [0001, 0004] DE 10 2008 025 434 A1 [0001, 0003] DE 20 2020 000 368 U1

[0002] AT 5153388 A1

[0002] EP 34 090 660 A1

[0004] DE 10 2019 130 936 B3

[0004] DE 198 28 333 A1

[0006] US 4 660 903

[0007] GB 000002435896A

[0008] WO 2012 / 163748A1

[0009]

Claims

[1] Display case with front glass (3) and cover glass (4) made of insulating glass, each consisting of at least two spaced panes with outer edge seal (6,7), characterized by that the edge seal (6) of the upper cover glass and the edge seal (7) of the front glass in the areas where the two panes adjoin each other consist of a transparent material. [2] Display case according to claim 1, characterized by that the transparent edge seal (6,7) consists essentially of a transparent plastic. [3] Display case according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the edge seal of the cover glass (6) and the edge seal of the front glass (7) are each designed at least in a partial area as a hollow profile with a drying agent in the interior and a perforation to the pane space and the inner pane area is gas-tight with respect to the outer area. [4] Display case according to one of the preceding claims, characterized bythat the front glass (3) can be swung outwards. [5] Display case according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the cover glass (4) can be swung upwards. [6] Display case according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the outer pane of the cover glass (4) projects beyond the inner pane of the cover glass (4) towards the customer side by an amount which corresponds approximately to the thickness of the front glass (3). [7] Display case according to claim 4 and 5 and 6, characterized by that the outer pane of the cover glass (9) on the outside of the display case projects beyond the front glass (3), so that the outer projecting pane of the cover glass (9) can be used as a handle for pivoting open the cover glass (4). [8] Display case according to one of claims 4-7, characterized bythat the cover glass (4) has at least one holding element (23) which, when the cover glass (4) is closed, fixes the front glass (3) in the closed position. [9] Display case according to claim 8, characterized by that the holding element (23) is connected to the outer projecting pane of the cover glass (9). [10] Display case according to claim 9, characterized by that the holding element (23) is connected to the projecting outer disc (9) via a connecting element. [11] Display case according to claim 9, characterized by that the holding element (23) is glued to the underside of the protruding disc (9). [12] Display case according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the side glasses (5) are arranged behind the front glass (3). [13] Display case according to one of claims 1-11, characterized by that the side glasses (5) are arranged next to the front glass (3). [14] Display case according to claim 12, characterized bythat the side glasses (5) are each located at the bottom in at least one U-shaped guide device (24) which is open towards the customer side (13). [15] Display case according to one of claims 4-14, characterized by that at least one side window (5) contains a stop element (25) for the pivotable front glass (3). [16] Display case according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the edge connection of the cover glass (6) and the front glass (7) on the left and right side of the display case is also transparent. [17] Display case according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the side glasses (5) each consist of two spaced-apart insulating glasses with edge seals, wherein the edge seal facing the front glass (3) and the edge seal facing the cover glass (4) are each also transparent. [18] Display case according to claim 14, characterized bythat the side glasses (5) have a holding element (26, 27) in the upper area or in the rear area, which is also open towards the customer side (13) of the display case. [19] Display case according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the display case contains means for cooling (15, 16). [20] Display case according to claim 19, characterized by that the means for cooling (15) are arranged below the lowest shelf (10) together with means for circulating cooled air (16). [21] Display case according to one of claims 1-19, characterized by that the display case has heating facilities. [22] Display case according to claim 21, characterized by that at least one heater is arranged under the lowest shelf (10). [23] Display case according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that a support frame (12) is arranged to the side of each of the upper shelves (11). [24] Display case according to claim 23, characterized bythat the support frames (12) arranged to the side of the goods shelves (11) each contain two spaced-apart stands. [25] Display case according to one of claims 23-24, characterized by that the support frames are set back from the edge of the upper shelves (11) on the front customer side. [26] Display case according to one of claims 23-25, characterized by that the support frames (12) contain support devices for the upper goods shelves (11). [27] Display cabinets according to claims 23-26, characterized by that the cover glass (4) rests on at least one support frame (12). [28] Display case according to claim 27, characterized by that at least one support frame (12) includes a height-adjustable element (30) for supporting the cover glass (4).

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