Climate-controlled cabinet

Abstract

In a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a climate-controlled cabinet. The climate-controlled cabinet comprises a cabinet body including upright gaskets defining respective sealing surfaces. The climate-controlled cabinet further comprises a plurality of drawers closable into and openable out of a climate-controlled volume defined within the cabinet body, each drawer having a drawer front comprising upper and lower edges and side portions. When the plurality of drawers are closed, the plurality of drawers defines a stack of drawer fronts including at least an upper drawer front, a lower drawer front and a drawer interface defined between a lower edge of the upper drawer front and an upper edge of the lower drawer front. Further, when the plurality of drawers are closed, the side portions of the upper and lower drawer fronts seal against the sealing surfaces of the upright gaskets. Further, when the plurality of drawers are closed, at least one drawer gasket extending along the drawer interface effects a seal between the lower edge of the upper drawer front and the upper edge of the lower drawer front, the or each drawer gasket also sealing against the sealing surfaces of the upright gaskets.

Description

[0001] Climate-controlled cabinet

[0002] Technical field

[0003] The present invention relates generally to climate-controlled cabinets and more particularly to a climate-controlled cabinet having a plurality of drawers.

[0004] Background

[0005] Climate-controlled cabinets are used to achieve and maintain a desired environment within the cabinet that is different to an ambient environment outside the cabinet. For example, a climate-controlled cabinet may be configured provide an environment with higher or lower humidity than the ambient environment. Similarly, a climate-controlled cabinet may be configured to provide an environment with a higher or lower temperature than the ambient environment outside the cabinet.

[0006] Climate-controlled cabinets typically include some form of storage compartment in which items, such as foodstuffs, can be stored under desired environmental conditions. In some examples, a climate-controlled cabinet may include drawers to improve functionality and access to the items located in the storage compartment, for example by separating or segregating such items.

[0007] Where, in the closed position, a drawer seals to a cabinet, the usable accessible storage volume decreases significantly, especially where more than one drawer is employed. In existing climate-controlled cabinets, where a plurality of drawers may be desirable for product separation, net usable storage volume is significantly reduced by conventional gasket and mullion solutions.

[0008] For example, in existing solutions, sealing a typical drawer to a cabinet is achieved by a peripheral gasket applied to a peripheral flange of the drawer front sealing to mating flanges or surfaces of the cabinet. Conventional peripheral drawer gaskets have a wide sealing face requiring a matching sealing face on the cabinet. Where a plurality of drawers are employed in a vertical stack, intermediate horizontal mullions are required on the cabinet to receive the peripheral mating flange and gasket of the drawer front. Notably, the space behind the horizontal mullion is therefore excluded from the useable storage volume. Wide gasket sealing faces require deep mullion sealing faces. Additionally, where two vertically-adjacent drawers seal to a horizontal mullion, an ambient air space is usually required between sealing flanges of the upper and lower drawer fronts. Wide gaskets on mullions and gaps between drawer fronts significantly impact usable drawer storage volume. Typically, these geometries are repeated for each drawer in a vertical stack, thus having a multiple impact upon overall useable drawer storage volume. Similar considerations apply to vertical mullions required where drawers are located side by side.

[0009] To summarise, each additional drawer added to a conventionally sealed cabinet significantly reduces the overall usable storage capacity of the gross cabinet volume. It is against this background that the present invention has been developed.

[0010] Summary

[0011] In a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a climate-controlled cabinet. The climate-controlled cabinet comprises a cabinet body including upright gaskets defining respective sealing surfaces. The climate-controlled cabinet further comprises a plurality of drawers closable into and openable out of a climate-controlled volume defined within the cabinet body, each drawer having a drawer front comprising upper and lower edges and side portions. When the plurality of drawers are closed, the plurality of drawers defines a stack of drawer fronts including at least an upper drawer front, a lower drawer front and a drawer interface defined between a lower edge of the upper drawer front and an upper edge of the lower drawer front. Also, when the plurality of drawers are closed, the side portions of the upper and lower drawer fronts seal against the sealing surfaces of the upright gaskets. Further, when the plurality of drawers are closed, at least one drawer gasket extending along the drawer interface effects a seal between the lower edge of the upper drawer front and the upper edge of the lower drawer front, the or each drawer gasket also sealing against the sealing surfaces of the upright gaskets.

[0012] Terms such as upper, lower, upright and horizontal are used herein as relative terms to define the relative orientations of components of the climate-controlled cabinet. Such terms are used to describe the orientation of components relative to one another in relation to an expected / typical “in use” orientation of the climate-controlled cabinet. The terms front and rear may be used to refer to sides or faces of the climate-controlled cabinet with reference to the drawer fronts, with the drawer fronts being located at or near to a front of the climate-controlled cabinet. In some examples, the drawer fronts may be moveable along an opening axis extending between, and perpendicular to, the front and rear faces of the climate-controlled cabinet.

[0013] In some preferred examples, the upper and lower edges of the drawer fronts may extend substantially orthogonally relative to the upright gaskets. As such, the upper and lower edges may be referred to as horizontal edges in some examples. Similarly, the drawer interface defined between the lower edge and adjacent upper edge of the respective upper and lower drawers may be referred to as a horizontal drawer interface. It follows that a drawer gasket extending along the drawer interface may be referred to as a horizontal drawer gasket.

[0014] In some examples, a drawer gasket may be attached to one of the upper drawer front or the lower drawer front. The or each drawer gasket is preferably arranged to overlap at least a portion of the sealing surface of each upright gasket when the respective drawer is closed. In some examples, the drawer gasket may be relatively flexible. The drawer gasket may be attached to the drawer front via a seal carrier, which may be relatively rigid. The seal carrier may be removably attached to the drawer front, for example, such that the drawer gasket may be removable, for example for cleaning or maintenance. In some examples, the drawer gasket may seal against the sealing surfaces of the upright gaskets when the drawers are closed. In some examples, the seal carrier may seal against the sealing surfaces of the upright gaskets when the drawers are closed. Accordingly, in some examples, at least one of the drawer gasket and / or the seal carrier may overlap at least a portion of the sealing surface of each upright gasket.

[0015] The drawer gasket may be a compliant drawer gasket, and may therefore be compressible, resilient and / or conformable. The drawer gasket may, for example, be formed of a flexible, compliant material such as rubber or a polymer foam. In some examples, the seal carrier may be formed of a substantially rigid material, such that the seal carrier has greater rigidity than the drawer gasket. For example, the seal carrier may be formed of a polymer material, such as acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) or high- density polyethylene (HDPE), to name just two of many possible examples. In preferred examples, the seal carrier may be formed of a material with a relatively low thermal conductivity, such as a thermal conductivity of less than 0.3 W / mK.

[0016] In some examples, at least one of the drawer fronts may be configured to form an air plug of substantially stationary air between the drawer front and a respective portion of the cabinet body when the respective drawer is closed. For example, a side of the respective drawer front may be shaped to form an air plug between the side of the drawer front and a portion of the cabinet body. In some examples, each of the drawer fronts may be configured to form a respective air plug. Configuring the or each drawer front to form an air plug of substantially stationary air may advantageously reduce the thermal requirements of the upright gaskets. For example, a significant proportion of the required thermal insulation at the side portion of the drawer front may be achieved by the air plug. Such a configuration may therefore improve the thermal performance of the climate-controlled cabinet whilst also facilitating a reduction in cost and complexity of the upright gaskets.

[0017] To form an air plug between the drawer front and the cabinet body, at least part of a side of a drawer front may be spaced away from the respective portion of the cabinet body by less than 15 mm, preferably less than 10 mm, and more preferably less than 5 mm, and by at least 1 mm, preferably at least 2 mm, or more preferably at least 3 mm, in some examples. The side of a drawer front may comprise a sealing portion arranged to seal against a sealing surface of an upright gasket, and a plug portion shaped to form an air plug between the drawer front and a portion of the cabinet body. In some examples, the sealing portion and the plug portion of the drawer front may be adjacent to one another. In some examples, the sealing portion and the plug portion may be defined by different components of a drawer front sub-assembly.

[0018] In some examples, the air plug may be defined between a side of the drawer front and an opposing side surface of the cabinet body. For example, the side of the drawer front and the opposing side surface of the cabinet body may be spaced apart by at least 2 mm and by less than 10 mm to form the air plug, as described above. In some examples, the upright gasket may be attached to the cabinet body via a cabinet seal carrier. The air plug may be defined at least in part by the upright gasket and the cabinet seal carrier. For example, the cabinet seal carrier may define at least part of the side surface of the cabinet body that is opposed to the side of the drawer front.

[0019] In some examples, at least part of the climate-controlled volume may be defined by thermally-insulated cabinet walls of the cabinet body such that the climate-controlled volume is a thermally-insulated volume. The climate-controlled cabinet may therefore be configured to maintain a given temperature within the climate-controlled volume. In some examples, heat may be supplied to the climate-controlled volume and the cabinet walls may be insulated to retain the heat within the volume to thereby maintain the temperature. In some other examples, the climate-controlled cabinet may include refrigeration apparatus configured to remove heat from the climate-controlled volume and thereby cool the volume. In such an example the cabinet walls may be insulated to maintain a cooled temperature within the climate-controlled volume. The climate- controlled cabinet may therefore be a refrigerated cabinet in some examples.

[0020] In some examples, each drawer front may comprise a trim panel and a thermal insulation panel. Whilst the term panel is used herein in relation to the trim panel and the thermal insulation panel, it should be understood that the term panel may be used interchangeably with piece, block or body, in some examples. For example, the thermal insulation panel may also be referred to as a thermal insulation block. The thermal insulation panel may be arranged between the trim panel and the climate-controlled volume when the respective drawer is closed. Accordingly, a back or rear portion of the thermal insulation panel may define part of the climate-controlled volume. The trim panel may be fastened to a front portion of the thermal insulation panel.

[0021] In some examples, the or each drawer gasket may be attached to a respective thermal insulation panel of a respective drawer front. For example, the drawer gasket may be attached to a respective thermal insulation panel via a seal carrier attached to the thermal insulation panel. The thermal insulation panel of the drawer front against which the drawer gasket seals may comprise a lip or ridge extending towards the drawer gasket. Accordingly, the drawer gasket may interface with, and seal to, the lip or ridge. In such an example the lip or ridge may be considered to define an upper or lower edge of the respective drawer front.

[0022] In some examples, the or each drawer gasket may be attached to a respective trim panel of a respective drawer front. For example, the drawer gasket may be attached to a respective trim panel via a seal carrier attached to the trim panel. In some examples, the trim panel of a drawer front against which the drawer gasket seals may extend upwards and / or downwards beyond the thermal insulation panel. Accordingly, the trim panel may define the upper edge and / or lower edge of a respective drawer front, in some examples. The trim panel may be extended to provide clearance for moving the drawers, in particular the drawer fronts, relative to one another, and to provide a protruding portion to positively engage the corresponding drawer gasket and thereby effect the seal.

[0023] In some examples, the thermal insulation panel of each respective drawer front may be located substantially within an access aperture of the cabinet body when the respective drawer is closed. For example, when the drawer is closed, the thermal insulation panel of a respective drawer front may be moved into the access aperture to thereby block or close off at least a portion of the access aperture, restricting access to the climate- controlled volume. In examples including a trim panel, when the drawer is closed, a rear side of the trim panel may be substantially flush with the cabinet body. Alternatively, the drawers and cabinet body may be configured such that the trim panel is recessed into the cabinet body such that, when the drawer is closed, a front side of the trim panel may be substantially flush with the cabinet body.

[0024] In some examples, each drawer front may be configured to form an air plug of substantially stationary air between the thermal insulation panel and a respective portion of the cabinet body when the respective drawer is closed. For example, each side of the thermal insulation panel may be spaced away from the respective portion of the cabinet body by less than 15 mm, preferably less than 10 mm, and more preferably less than 5 mm. In some preferred examples, each side of the thermal insulation panel may be spaced away from the respective portion of the cabinet body by at least 1 mm, preferably at least 2 mm, or more preferably at least 3 mm. The respective portion of the cabinet body may be a sidewall of the cabinet body. In some examples, the respective portion of the cabinet may be an upright mullion located between side-by-side adjacent stacks of drawer fronts, as described later in more detail.

[0025] In some examples, each upright gasket may comprise an inner side defining part of a respective air plug, and an outer side which is exposed to ambient air. In some examples, the inner side and outer side of each upright gasket may be opposing sides of the upright gasket. Accordingly, each air plug may be separated from the ambient air by at least the thickness of a respective upright gasket, when the drawer is closed, in some examples. As described previously, configuring the drawer front to form an air plug of substantially stationary air may advantageously reduce the thermal requirements of the upright gaskets, and may improve the thermal performance of the climate-controlled cabinet.

[0026] In some examples, at a back or rear portion of each thermal insulation panel, each side of the thermal insulation panel may comprise a chamfered portion. At least part of each air plug may be defined between a chamfered portion and the respective portion of the cabinet body, in some examples. In other words, the plug portion of the drawer front may be defined, at least in part, by the chamfered portion of the thermal insulation panel. Accordingly, each air plug may comprise a substantially wedge-shaped portion. Further, the chamfered portions of the thermal insulation panels may be advantageous for guiding the drawer fronts into the access aperture when closing the respective drawer. In some other examples, part of the air plug may be defined by a recessed portion at the back or rear portion of the thermal insulation panel.

[0027] In some examples, configuration of the drawer front to form an air plug may reduce or eliminate the need for an additional thermal insulation panel. For example, the air plug may provide sufficient thermal insulation between the climate-controlled volume and an ambient environment outside the climate-controlled cabinet that a specific thermal insulation panel may not be required. It should be appreciated that the description of the air plug provided previously with reference to the thermal insulation panel is also applicable to air plugs formed without a thermal insulation panel.

[0028] In some examples, the trim panel may extend beyond the thermal insulation panel such that the side portions of the drawer front are defined by the trim panel. Accordingly, the trim panel may interface with, and thereby seal against, the upright gaskets when the respective drawer is closed. In some examples, a vapour seal may therefore be formed between the trim panel and the respective cabinet body by a respective upright gasket when the drawer is closed. In some other examples, the thermal insulation panel may include rebates defining rearwardly-facing ledges which may define at least part of a side portion of the drawer front. In some examples, the rearwardly-facing ledges may be sandwiched between the trim panel and an upright gasket attached to the cabinet body when the drawers are closed.

[0029] In some preferred examples, the trim panel, or a the rearwardly-facing ledges, may extend to cover the respective portions of the upright gaskets against which the drawer gaskets interface and seal when the respective drawer is closed. Such a configuration may provide additional protection for the overlapping drawer gasket and upright gaskets. In examples where the drawer gasket is attached to the trim panel, such a configuration may also result in the trim panel applying a compressive force on the overlapping gaskets, thereby improving the seal, when the drawer is closed.

[0030] In some examples, the upright gaskets and the or each drawer gasket may be vapour seals. Advantageously, the configuration of the climate-controlled cabinet may not require thermal seals to seal the drawer fronts to the cabinet body to maintain the climate, i.e. temperature and / or humidity, in the climate-controlled volume. In particular, the inclusion of an air plug inboard of the vapour seals may provide the primary thermal insulating function, and the upright gaskets and the or each drawer gasket may therefore simply serve to block the movement of air into and out of the climate-controlled volume when the drawers are closed.

[0031] In some examples, the climate-controlled cabinet may be a humidity-controlled cabinet. For example, the combination of upright gaskets and drawer gaskets, and optionally any other gaskets, may provide a vapour seal between each drawer front and the cabinet body such that the climate-controlled volume may be maintained at a different humidity level compared to the ambient air outside of the cabinet. In some examples, the climate- controlled volume may be thermally insulated and humidity-controlled, such that a climate-controlled volume can be maintained at both a different humidity and temperature (i.e. hotter or colder) compared to the ambient air outside of the cabinet.

[0032] In some examples, the upper drawer front and the lower drawer front may be configured to form an air plug of substantially stationary air between the drawer fronts when the respective drawer fronts are closed. For example, a lower portion of the upper drawer front and an upper portion of the lower drawer front may be configured to form an air plug between the drawer fronts. As such, the climate-controlled cabinet may comprise an air plug located at the drawer interface, inboard of the drawer gasket. The air plug may be defined at least in part by a lower portion of the upper drawer front, an upper portion of the lower drawer front, and the drawer gasket. The air plug may extend along the drawer interface in some preferred examples.

[0033] In some preferred examples, the air plug may be formed between thermal insulation panels of the upper and lower drawer fronts. For example, to form an air plug between the thermal insulation panels of the upper and lower drawer fronts, the thermal insulation panels may be spaced apart by less than 15 mm, preferably less than 10 mm, and more preferably less than 5 mm, and by at least 1 mm, preferably at least 2 mm, or more preferably at least 3 mm, in some examples.

[0034] Similar to the description of the air plug and the upright gaskets above, an air plug at the drawer interface may advantageously reduce the thermal requirements of the drawer gasket. For example, a significant proportion of the required thermal insulation at the drawer interface may be achieved by the air plug. Such a configuration may therefore improve the thermal performance of the climate-controlled cabinet whilst also facilitating a reduction in cost and complexity of the drawer gaskets. In particular, the drawer gaskets may be vapour seals because much of the thermal insulation at the drawer interface may be provided by the air plug. In some examples, the plurality of drawers may each comprise a runner arrangement. Each drawer front may be attached to the cabinet body via a respective runner arrangement. Each runner arrangement facilitates opening and closing of the respective drawer. The runner arrangements may help to guide the drawers into the climate- controlled volume when closing the drawers. The runner arrangements may comprise bearings, wheels or pistons to facilitate smooth movement of the drawers. Each runner arrangement transfers the load of items stored in the drawers to the cabinet body. Each runner arrangement may comprise a pair of runners extending into the climate-controlled volume on each side of the drawer. Each runner may comprise at least one runner part attached to the cabinet body and at least one runner part attached to a respective drawer front.

[0035] In some examples, the climate-controlled cabinet may further comprise at least one drawer tray supported by at least one of the upper or lower drawer fronts and / or by the runner arrangement attached to the respective drawer front. The drawer tray could be fixedly supported or removably supported, for example in a lift-out, interchangeable arrangement. In some examples, the drawer tray may be referred to as a drawer back. Where included, the drawer tray is configured to support items within the climate- controlled volume when the respective drawer is closed, and to extend at least partially out of the climate-controlled volume, and thereby support items outside the climate- controlled volume, when the drawer is opened. The drawer tray may be configured to support, i.e. store, items such as bottles, produce and other perishable items.

[0036] A drawer tray may be supported by runners located adjacent to a lower portion of a respective drawer and its drawer front. A drawer volume may therefore extend from the drawer tray to the upper edge of the respective drawer front. In some examples, a drawer tray may comprise a recessed portion configured to store items. Such a drawer tray may be referred to as a drawer pan. In some examples, a drawer pan may be supported by runners located adjacent to an upper portion of a respective drawer and its drawer front. The drawer volume of a drawer pan may extend from an upper edge of the drawer pan and / or the upper edge of the respective supporting drawer front, to a base of the recessed portion of the drawer pan. The drawer pan may be a gastronorm drawer pan. For example, the drawer front and / or the runner arrangement attached to a respective drawer front may be configured to support a gastronorm pan.

[0037] A drawer tray or pan may comprise a lip, ridge, or protrusion, and may be supported by a drawer front and / or the runner arrangement attached to the respective drawer front by the lip, ridge, or protrusion resting on the drawer front and / or runner arrangement. Resting the drawer tray / pan on the supporting components may facilitate simple reconfiguration of the climate-controlled cabinet. As such, the climate-controlled cabinet can be reconfigured dependent on the intended use of the cabinet and the items stored in the climate-controlled volume.

[0038] In some examples, the drawer tray may be supported by one of the upper or lower drawer fronts and / or the respective runner arrangement attached to the respective drawer front. The upper and lower drawer fronts may be attached to one another such that moving one of the lower or upper drawer fronts also moves the other of the lower or upper drawer fronts.

[0039] For example, the drawer tray may be supported by the lower drawer front and / or the runner arrangement attached to the lower drawer front, and the lower drawer front may be attached to the upper drawer front such that moving one of the lower or upper drawer fronts also moves the other of the lower or upper drawer fronts. As such, in some examples, the upper drawer front may not directly support, or be directly attached to a drawer tray. A drawer volume of the drawer tray supported by the lower drawer front and / or lower runner arrangement may therefore have an increased height configuration spanning the height of at least the lower drawer front and the attached upper drawer front.

[0040] In some other examples, the drawer tray may be supported by the upper drawer front and / or the runner arrangement attached to the upper drawer front, and the upper drawer front may be attached to the lower drawer front such that moving one of the upper or lower drawer fronts also moves the other of the upper or lower drawer fronts.

[0041] Accordingly, the lower drawer front may not directly support, or be directly attached to a drawer tray. Instead, the drawer tray may be a drawer pan which extends below the lower edge of the upper drawer front and spans across the height of the upper and lower drawer fronts. The drawer pan may have an increased height configuration that is greater than the height of the upper drawer front.

[0042] Coupling drawer fronts may facilitate storage of taller items in the climate-controlled volume. Coupling drawer fronts may effect load sharing between all linked drawer fronts and the associated runner arrangements such that a single drawer does not necessarily bear all of the load. In particular, coupling the drawer fronts helps to minimise the effects of cantilever loading when a respective drawer supporting items is fully extended. In some preferred examples, the upper and lower drawer fronts may be removably attached to one another to facilitate reconfiguration of the climate-controlled cabinet.

[0043] In some examples, the climate-controlled cabinet may further comprise a plurality of drawer trays. Each drawer tray may be supported by a drawer front and / or the runner arrangement attached to the respective drawer front. As described previously, the drawer trays may be drawer pans, in some examples.

[0044] In some examples, the or each drawer tray may be removably attached to the respective drawer front and / or the runner arrangement attached to the respective drawer front. Attachment may provide a more secure and stable support for the drawer tray. A removable attachment configuration may advantageously facilitate reconfiguration of the climate-controlled cabinet in accordance with the intended use of the cabinet and the items stored in the climate-controlled volume.

[0045] In some examples, each drawer front may be attached to the respective runner arrangement via a support structure configured to support at least part of at least one drawer tray. Such a configuration may facilitate a more robust connection between the drawer front and the respective runner arrangement, and may also simplify manufacture of the climate-controlled cabinet. A multifunctional support structure may additionally increase stability for a drawer tray supported by the respective drawer front and / or runner arrangement. In some examples, the support structure may be configured to support one or more gastronorm pans.

[0046] In some examples, each support structure may be arranged to space the respective drawer tray away from the drawer front to provide an air gap between the drawer tray and the drawer front. Accordingly, a respective drawer tray may be supported by a runner arrangement and one or more support structures, without necessarily being directly supported by the respective drawer front. Configuring the support structure to space the respective drawer tray away from the drawer front advantageously ensures that an air gap is maintained between the drawer tray and the drawer front. This may facilitate complete ventilation or circulation around the entire drawer tray to ensure that the contents of the drawer tray are evenly conditioned by the air within the climate- controlled volume. Additionally, where a plurality of stacked drawers each feature a support structure spacing a drawer tray away from the respective drawer front, the air gaps of the stacked drawers may be linked or vertically aligned to provide a flow path for effective and efficient air circulation around the climate-controlled volume. In some examples, the climate-controlled cabinet may further comprise linkages arranged to couple the upper and lower drawer fronts together. In examples comprising runner arrangements, each of the upper and lower drawer fronts may therefore be attached to the cabinet body via at least two runner arrangements when the drawer fronts are coupled by the linkages. Such a configuration advantageously provides multiple load paths from the drawer fronts to the cabinet body such that loads supported by one or both of the coupled drawer fronts and / or their respective runner arrangements are shared. Such a configuration also helps to brace the upper and lower drawer fronts by constraining the drawer fronts in additional degrees of freedom to increase stability of the coupled drawer fronts.

[0047] In some examples, the linkages may be arranged to releasably couple the upper and lower drawer fronts together. For example, the linkages may comprise a releasable latch arrangement. In some examples, the latch arrangement may comprise a latch and a corresponding latch-receiving component. For example, the latch arrangement may comprise a latch and a strike plate or other formation co-operable with a latch. An example of a formation co-operable with a latch may be a pin or spigot. The latch may be arranged to engage the strike plate or formation to releasably couple the upper and lower drawer fronts to one another. It follows that one of the upper or lower drawer fronts may comprise the latch and the other of the upper and lower drawer fronts may comprise the corresponding strike plate or formation.

[0048] In some examples, the latch arrangement may comprise a retractable latch attached to one of the upper or lower drawer fronts. The latch may be configured to retract into the drawer front when the upper and lower drawer fronts are uncoupled. Accordingly, the latch arrangement may be configured to provide clearance for moving one of the drawer fronts relative to the other drawer front, when the drawer fronts are uncoupled. In particular, the latch arrangement may be configured to prevent contact between the latch arrangement and any seals, such as drawer gaskets, both when coupling the drawer fronts and when the drawer fronts are uncoupled.

[0049] In some examples, the latch may be attached to the lower drawer front and arranged to drop away from the upper drawer front under gravity when the drawer fronts are uncoupled. For example, the latch may be configured to drop into or beside the lower drawer front under gravity when the drawer fronts are uncoupled. Such a configuration may provide a particularly quick and simple method for uncoupling the drawer fronts, and may ensure that a clearance between the drawer fronts is achieved and maintained when these are uncoupled. The latch and the formation may be recessed into a side of the respective drawer front to allow the latch to retract when not coupling the drawer fronts together.

[0050] In some examples, the upper drawer front may comprise an upper thermal insulation panel. The upper thermal insulation panel may comprise a recess in which at least part of the latch arrangement is located. In some examples the lower drawer front may comprise a lower thermal insulation panel. The lower thermal insulation panel may comprise a recess in which at least part of the latch arrangement is located. For example, a latch may be located in a recess in the lower thermal insulation panel and a corresponding formation, such as a spigot may be located in a corresponding recess in the upper thermal insulation panel.

[0051] In some examples, each upright gasket may extend along a respective face of the cabinet body such that the side portions of a plurality of drawer fronts seal against each upright gasket. In some preferred examples, the respective side portions of each drawer front in a given stack seal against the same upright gaskets, i.e. a first side portion of each drawer front in a given stack may interface with a first upright gasket, and a second side portion of each drawer front in the stack may interface with a second upright gasket. In other words, a single upright gasket may be shared by a plurality of drawer fronts in a single stack.

[0052] In some examples, each upright gasket may extend along the respective face of the cabinet body for at least the full height of an aperture providing access to the climate- controlled volume.

[0053] In some examples, the upright gaskets may be attached to inwardly-facing side surfaces of the cabinet body. For example, an upright gasket may be attached to a left side surface of the cabinet body. In some examples an upright gasket may be attached to a right side surface of the cabinet body. The left and right side surfaces of the cabinet body may be substantially parallel, in other words the left and right side surfaces may face one another, in some examples. In some examples, part of the climate controlled volume may be defined by part of the left and right side surfaces. In some examples, a side surface of the cabinet body may be defined by a sidewall of the cabinet body. In some examples, a side surface of the cabinet body may be defined by an upright mullion. Attaching the upright gaskets to the left and / or right side surfaces of the cabinet body may help to protect the upright gaskets from damage and wear in use. The upright gaskets may be substantially wedge-shaped and configured to interface with respective wedge-shaped portions of a drawer front when the respective drawer is closed. The wedge-shaped portion of the drawer front may, for example, be defined by a thermal insulation panel of the drawer front.

[0054] In some examples, the upright gaskets may be attached to exterior faces of the cabinet body. For example, the upright gaskets may be attached to a front face of the cabinet body. The upright gaskets may be compression seals. In some examples, when the respective drawer is closed, each upright gasket may be sandwiched between a drawer front and a respective front face of the cabinet body. For example, an upright gasket may be sandwiched between a trim panel of the drawer front and the front face of the cabinet body. Such a configuration maximises the useable area of an access aperture via which the climate-controlled volume may be accessed, because the upright gaskets do not encroach on, or take up, any of the access aperture. Such a configuration also ensures that the upright gaskets do not interfere with any moving parts of the drawer arrangement, such as drawer runners, for example. In some examples where the upright gaskets are attached to a front face of the cabinet body, each upright gasket may extend along the front face of the cabinet body for a height greater than the full height of the climate-controlled volume or at least greater than the full height of an access aperture in the front face of the cabinet body providing access to the climate-controlled volume. Such a configuration may be advantageous for ensuring that the or each drawer gasket can overlap and thereby seal against the upright gaskets.

[0055] In some examples, an upright gasket may be attached to a cabinet seal carrier. For example, the cabinet body may comprise a cabinet seal carrier. The cabinet seal carrier may define the surface to which the upright gasket is attached. In some examples, a sidewall or upright mullion may therefore comprise a cabinet seal carrier. The cabinet seal carrier may provide an additional thermal break between the climate-controlled volume and environment external to the cabinet. Accordingly, the cabinet seal carrier may be formed of a thermally-insulating material, or at least a material with low thermal conductivity, such a polymer, in some examples. For example, the cabinet seal carrier may be formed of a material with a thermal conductivity of less than 0.3 W / mK.

[0056] In some examples, an uppermost drawer front in the stack may comprise a drawer gasket extending along its upper edge to effect a seal between the upper edge and an upper wall of the cabinet body when the uppermost drawer is closed. As described previously with reference to other drawer gaskets, the drawer gasket extending along the upper edge of the uppermost drawer preferably seals against the sealing surfaces of the upright gaskets. As such, the drawer gasket preferably extends to overlap at least a portion of each upright gasket. In some examples, the drawer gasket and / or the upper wall of the cabinet body may comprise magnetic elements for attracting the drawer gasket to the upper wall of the cabinet body when the uppermost drawer is closed.

[0057] In some examples, the climate-controlled cabinet may comprise at least one horizontal gasket extending along a face of an upper wall of the cabinet body such that, when an uppermost drawer front in the stack is closed, the horizontal gasket effects a seal between the uppermost drawer front and the upper wall of the cabinet body.

[0058] In some preferred examples, the horizontal gasket extending along the face of the upper wall preferably extends at least partially across the sealing surfaces of the upright gaskets. Particularly for under-counter cabinets, the upper edge of the uppermost drawer front may be most susceptible to wear. Attaching the horizontal gasket to the cabinet body may be advantageous for the uppermost sealing arrangement to reduce damage and wear of the sealing arrangement.

[0059] In some examples, a lowermost drawer front in the stack may comprise a drawer gasket extending along its lower edge to effect a seal between the lower edge and a lower wall of the cabinet body when the lowermost drawer is closed. As described previously with reference to other drawer gaskets, the drawer gasket extending along the lower edge of the lowermost drawer preferably seals against the sealing surfaces of the upright gaskets. As such, the drawer gasket preferably extends to overlap at least a portion of each upright gasket. In some examples, the drawer gasket and / or the lower wall of the cabinet body may comprise magnetic elements for attracting the drawer gasket to the lower wall of the cabinet body when the lowermost drawer is closed.

[0060] In some other examples, the climate-controlled cabinet may comprise at least one horizontal gasket extending along a face of the lower wall of the cabinet body such that, when the lowermost drawer front in the stack is closed, the horizontal gasket effects a seal between the lowermost drawer front and the lower wall of the cabinet body. Such a horizontal gasket preferably extends at least partially across the sealing surfaces of the upright gaskets.

[0061] In some examples, each drawer front may be attached to the cabinet body via a biasing arrangement configured to pull the respective drawer closed into the climate-controlled volume. For example, a drawer front may be attached to the cabinet body via a runner arrangement comprising biasing means.

[0062] In some examples, at the drawer interface, both the upper drawer front and the lower drawer front may comprise respective drawer gaskets which interface with one another when the respective drawers are closed.

[0063] In some examples, the upper and lower drawer fronts may comprise magnetic elements for aligning the opposing drawer gaskets with one another. For example, the interfacing drawer gaskets of the upper and lower drawer fronts may comprise magnetic elements for attracting the opposing drawer gaskets to one another. Such drawer gaskets may be referred to as composite drawer gaskets. Composite drawer gaskets may be advantageous in some examples because, when the drawers are opened and the magnetic elements are not aligned, the composite gaskets may retract to provide clearance for components moving or sliding relative to the gaskets, thereby also protecting the gaskets from accidental damage.

[0064] In some examples, the upper and lower drawer fronts may comprise magnetic elements which pull the upper and lower drawer fronts into mutual alignment such that the opposing drawer gaskets are thereby pulled into mutual alignment.

[0065] It should be appreciated that composite gaskets, being drawer gaskets comprising magnetic elements, may also be applicable to examples of the climate-controlled cabinet in which only one of the upper or lower drawer fronts comprises a drawer gasket at the drawer interface. For example, one of the upper or lower drawer fronts may comprise magnetic elements, and a drawer gasket attached to the other of the upper or lower drawer front may also comprise magnetic elements. In such an example, the drawer gasket may be attracted to the opposing drawer front to thereby effect a seal between the drawer fronts at the drawer interface.

[0066] In some examples, side portions of the upper and lower drawer fronts and / or the corresponding upright gaskets may comprise magnetic elements. Such magnetic elements may attract the side portions of the upper and lower drawer fronts to the corresponding upright gaskets to help seal the side portions against the sealing surfaces of the upright gaskets when the respective drawers are closed. Correspondingly, such magnetic elements may attract the upright gaskets to the side portions of the drawer fronts in some examples. In some examples, the drawer gasket may be a compressible drawer gasket. At the drawer interface, the drawer gasket may be attached to one of the upper or lower drawer fronts. In that case, at least a front portion of a respective lower edge or upper edge of the other drawer front may be shaped to compress the compressible drawer gasket when the drawers are closed. Such a configuration may be advantageous for consistently achieving an effective seal between the drawer gasket and the corresponding edge of the other drawer front.

[0067] In some examples, the drawer gasket may be attached to a trim panel of one of the drawer fronts and the corresponding upper or lower edge of the other drawer front may be defined by the trim panel of the other drawer front. In that case, the trim panel may feature an upper or lower edge that is shaped to compress the compressible member when the drawers are closed.

[0068] In some examples, at least the front portion of the respective lower edge or upper edge may be chamfered. A chamfered front portion of an upper edge may be inclined upwardly and rearwardly. Conversely, a chamfered front portion of a lower edge may be inclined downwardly and rearwardly. In each example, the chamfer may be configured to guide and compress the drawer gasket back towards the drawer front to which it is attached when the drawer front is moved in a rearwards directions when closing the drawers. A chamfered front portion of the edge may help to guide and gradually compress the compressible drawer gasket into its compressed state when the drawer carrying the drawer gasket is moved into a closed position. Such a configuration may reduce wear on the drawer gasket, thereby extending the life of the drawer gasket. Such a configuration may also be advantageous for effecting a consistent and repeatable seal between the drawer fronts. The chamfered front portion may also be substantially planar. This may aid smooth sliding of the drawer gasket on the chamfered front portion, and may further reduce wear on the drawer gasket.

[0069] In some examples, a rear portion of the respective lower edge or upper edge adjacent to the front portion may extend substantially parallel to the drawer gasket to maintain the compressible drawer gasket in a compressed state when the drawers are closed. Accordingly, the drawer front may be shaped to hold the compressible drawer gasket in such a state that a seal is maintained between the drawer fronts until the relative position of the drawer fronts is changed, for example when one or more of the drawers is opened. In some preferred examples the rear portion of the respective edge against which the drawer gasket seals may be substantially planar. A rear portion shaped in this way may help to achieve even and effective sealing along the drawer interface.

[0070] In some advantageous examples, the compressible drawer gasket and the corresponding upper or lower edge of the other drawer front may be configured such that at least a portion of the compressible drawer gasket is pressed backwards against the upright gaskets when the drawer is closed. For example, the drawer gasket may be a tubular seal member that expands in a front to rear direction when compressed in a vertical direction. Pressing the drawer gasket backwards against the upright gaskets may help to maintain an airtight seal around the drawer front when the drawers are closed.

[0071] In some examples, the stack of drawer fronts may comprise at least three drawer fronts, preferably at least four drawer fronts, arranged adjacent to one another such that a drawer interface is defined between corresponding upper and lower edges of each pair of adjacent drawer fronts in the stack. It should be appreciated that the upper and lower drawer fronts described herein may be any pair of adjacent drawer fronts in the stack. In preferred examples, each drawer front in the stack may be configured in accordance with the examples of the upper and / or lower drawer fronts described herein. Accordingly, the climate-controlled cabinet may comprise a drawer gasket extending along the drawer interface between each pair of adjacently stacked drawer fronts. Features of the drawer fronts, drawer gaskets, and upright gaskets are equally applicable to all drawers and drawer fronts in the climate-controlled cabinet, and will not be repeated here in the interest of conciseness.

[0072] In some examples, at least one upright gasket may be attached to a sidewall of the cabinet body and at least one upright gasket may be attached to an opposing sidewall of the cabinet body. As previously described, upright gaskets may be attached to side surfaces of the climate controlled cabinet. Accordingly, in some examples an upright gasket may be attached to a left side surface defined by a sidewall of the climate- controlled cabinet, and an upright gasket may be attached to a right side surface defined by a sidewall of the climate-controlled cabinet. In some other examples, an upright gasket may be attached to a portion of the front face defined by a sidewall of the climate- controlled cabinet, and another upright gasket may be attached to another portion of the front face defined by an opposing sidewall of the climate-controlled cabinet.

[0073] In some examples, the climate-controlled cabinet may have a plurality of stacks of drawer fronts arranged side-by-side. In that case, at least one upright gasket may be attached to an upright mullion located between side-by-side stacks of drawer fronts. For example, an upright gasket may be attached to a side surface defined by the upright mullion in some examples, or in other examples an upright gasket may be attached to a portion of the front face defined by the upright mullion. For example, the climate- controlled cabinet may comprise a first stack of drawer fronts arranged side-by-side with a second stack of drawer fronts. The upright mullion may be located between the first and second stacks.

[0074] In some examples, side portions of one or more drawer fronts in the first stack may seal against the sealing surface of an upright gasket attached to the upright mullion, and side portions of one or more drawer fronts in the second stack may seal against the same sealing surface of the same upright gasket attached to the upright mullion. Accordingly, an upright gasket attached to an upright mullion may be shared by drawer fronts in the first and second stacks, in some examples. In some examples, the runner arrangements attached to the drawer fronts may comprise a runner attached to an upright mullion. In examples where an upright gasket attached to an upright mullion is shared by drawer fronts in the first and second stacks, the upright gasket is preferably attached to a portion of the front face defined by the upright mullion.

[0075] In some other examples, the climate-controlled cabinet may comprise a plurality of upright gaskets attached to an upright mullion. For example, side portions of one or more drawer fronts in the first stack may seal against the sealing surface of a first upright gasket attached to the upright mullion, and side portions of one or more drawer fronts in the second stack may seal against the sealing surface of a second upright gasket attached to the same upright mullion. In some examples, first and second upright gaskets attached to the same upright mullion may extend substantially parallel to one another. In examples where multiple upright gaskets are attached to the same upright mullion for sealing to drawer fronts of different stacks, each of the upright gaskets may be attached to any one of the side surfaces defined by the upright mullion or the portion of the front face defined by the upright mullion.

[0076] In some examples, the climate-controlled cabinet may comprise at least three stacks of drawer fronts arranged side-by-side. At least one upright gasket may be attached to an upright mullion located between a first stack and a second stack, and at least one upright gasket may be attached to an upright mullion located between the second stack and a third stack. As described previously, upright gaskets attached to the upright mullions may be shared by drawer fronts in different stacks. For example, drawer fronts in the first and second stacks may share an upright gasket attached to the upright mullion located between the first and second stacks, in some examples. Similarly, drawer fronts in the second and third stacks may share an upright gasket attached to the upright mullion located between the second and third stacks, in some examples. Again, the runner arrangements attached to the drawer fronts may comprise a runner attached to an upright mullion.

[0077] In some examples, the plurality of drawers may comprise at least one transparent, or at least translucent, drawer front. For example at least one of the upper drawer front or the lower drawer front may be transparent, or at least translucent. Such a configuration may provide visibility into the climate-controlled volume. This may mean that a user is able to select a drawer to open more accurately, thereby reducing the overall time that one or more drawers are open, which reduces the time for ambient air to enter the climate- controlled volume. Further, in some examples the cabinet body may comprise one or more transparent, or at least translucent, cabinet walls for the same advantages.

[0078] The climate-controlled cabinet may comprise climate control apparatus, or may be in communication with such apparatus positioned remotely or outside the cabinet. For example, the climate control apparatus may include any one or more of a condenser, a filter, a pump, a humidifier, a dehumidifier, a heat exchanger, heating apparatus or refrigeration apparatus, to name a few possible examples of climate control apparatus. The climate control apparatus may be located in a lower portion of the cabinet. For example, the climate control apparatus may be located beneath the or each stack of drawers. The climate control apparatus may be located within a service void defined by the cabinet body, and the service void may be located beneath the climate-controlled volume defined within the cabinet body.

[0079] In some examples the climate control apparatus may be located in or on a service tray. The service tray may be accessible from a front of the climate-controlled cabinet and / or a rear of the climate-controlled cabinet. In some preferred examples, the service tray may be a pull-out service tray. For example, the service tray may be at least partially extractable from the service void. In some preferred examples, the service tray may be fully extractable from the service void. In some examples, the service tray may be extractable from a front of the service void. In some examples the service tray may be extractable from a rear of the service void. In some preferred examples, the service tray may be extractable from both the front and rear of the service void. In some examples, the service tray may be supported on one or more runners attached to the cabinet body to facilitate smooth extraction and reinsertion of the service tray. The service tray may advantageously facilitate unhindered access to the climate control apparatus from above, when the service tray is pulled out, and thereby extracted, from the service void.

[0080] For the avoidance of doubt, the term ‘drawer’ is used herein to refer to a drawer assembly. In some examples, a drawer may include a drawer front in accordance with the examples described previously. The drawer front may itself be an assembly including a thermal insulation panel and a trim panel in some examples. In some examples the drawer front assembly may include the drawer gasket. A drawer may include a runner arrangement, or a part of such an arrangement, via which a respective drawer front is attached to the cabinet body. Further, in some examples a drawer may include a drawer tray. In some examples a drawer may include a support structure. In each example, the term drawer is used to refer to a subassembly comprising at least a drawer front.

[0081] The invention is directed to enabling the use of a plurality of drawers in a single stack or a plurality of side-by-side stacks with minimal loss of usable drawer storage volume.

[0082] For example, each drawer front need not have a peripheral flange and gasket or intermediate horizontal mullion. The absence of these conventional features increases the useable volume within the cabinet, but presents the challenge of how to seal air leakage at each of the drawer front corners and between upper and lower drawer front edges.

[0083] For example, air sealing at each drawer corner and between upper and lower drawer fronts is achieved by a novel gasket sealing arrangement when the drawers are in the closed position. The sealing arrangement may include substantially continuous vertical gaskets fixed to forward faces of the cabinet structure to seal against the left and right hand sides of drawer fronts, in some examples. This arrangement eliminates gaps between gaskets and potential air leaks at the vertical edges of the drawer fronts.

[0084] For example, horizontal sealing of the top and bottom edges of drawer fronts may be achieved by gaskets applied to one or both edges to seal against mating drawer fronts or the cabinet structure. The horizontal gaskets may extend partially or wholly into the side vertical gaskets. This arrangement eliminates gaps between gaskets and potential air leaks at the horizontal edges of the drawer fronts.

[0085] In the vertical plane, it is desirable for the sealing faces to be arranged in the form of a mating flange on the drawer front sealing to a continuous gasket located on the cabinet structure, in some examples. For example, on the sides of the cabinet, the or each vertical gasket fitted to it preferably does not encroach into the storage space by more than the static portion of a drawer runner fixed to the side of the cabinet. Thus, enabling a moving portion of the drawer runner to slide freely and not bind against the fixed gasket.

[0086] For example, where vertical stacks of drawers are located side by side within a cabinet, the vertical gasket and mullion should preferably be no greater than the static portion of the back-to-back drawer runners fixed to an intermediate runner support structure. This enables the moving portion of the drawer runners to slide freely and not bind against the fixed gasket and mullion.

[0087] These arrangements maintain a clear access to the interior of the drawer storage space without limiting the open throat access to the storage space. Therefore, usable storage volume is maximised and not limited by features encroaching into the open throat area of the drawer access space.

[0088] Alternatively, continuous vertical seals may be arranged with gaskets fitted to the side of the cabinet or intermediate vertical mullion to seal against the side mating surfaces of the drawer fronts, in some examples. The gasket can be designed to have minimum impact on the clear width of the drawer access space.

[0089] The path of the temperature gradient though the joint between the drawer fronts and cabinet is substantially inside the cabinet, and substantially horizontal rather than vertical.

[0090] It is desirable for the faces opposed about the path of the temperature gradient of the joint to be as close as possible to benefit from the insulating effect of boundary air conditions and to form a plug of still air between the surfaces.

[0091] Gaskets may provide a thermal and vapour barrier between the storage space and an ambient exterior environment. Gaskets may be located to benefit from ambient air exposure to normalise the sealing faces of the thermal vapour barrier close to ambient air temperature. In some examples, the gaskets may be of a soft compression type, desirably held in place by self-closing drawer runners, or of a magnetic type which expands slightly when attracting surfaces are in mutual alignment and contracts when they are not mutually aligned. In some examples, the absence of horizontal mullions or other obstructions enables vertically aligned drawers to be joined together to provide flexible storage depths to cater for upright bottle storage, for example.

[0092] Another aspect of the invention resides in a climate-controlled cabinet. The climate- controlled cabinet comprises a cabinet body defining a climate controlled volume. The climate-controlled cabinet further comprises a plurality of drawers closable into and openable out of the climate-controlled volume. Each drawer has drawer front attached to the cabinet body via a respective runner arrangement. When the plurality of drawers are closed, the plurality of drawers defines a stack of drawer fronts including at least an upper drawer front and a lower drawer front. The climate-controlled cabinet further comprises linkages arranged to couple the upper and lower drawer fronts together.

[0093] As described previously, the linkages may comprise a retractable latch attached to one of the upper or lower drawer fronts, in some examples. The latch may be configured to retract into the drawer front when the upper and lower drawer fronts are uncoupled. For example, the latch may be attached to the lower drawer front and may be arranged to drop into the lower drawer front under gravity when the drawer fronts are uncoupled.

[0094] In some examples, the upper drawer front may comprise an upper thermal insulation panel comprising a recess in which at least part of the latch arrangement is located. In some examples the lower drawer front may comprise a lower thermal insulation panel comprising a recess in which at least part of the latch arrangement is located.

[0095] It should be appreciated that all features of the climate-controlled cabinet described previously with reference to the first aspect of the invention are also applicable, individually or in any combination, to the climate-controlled cabinet of the second aspect of the invention. Accordingly, any features of the first aspect of the invention may be combined with any features of the second aspect of the invention.

[0096] Brief description of drawings:

[0097] Examples of the present invention will now be described by way of non-limiting example only, with reference to the accompanying figures, in which:

[0098] Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of a climate-controlled cabinet comprising a cabinet body and a plurality of drawers;

[0099] Figure 2 is a schematic perspective view of the cabinet body; Figure 3 is a schematic perspective view of a drawer front;

[0100] Figure 4 is a side view of a pair of stacked drawer fronts and a drawer interface between the drawer fronts;

[0101] Figure 5 is a cross-sectional plan view through a drawer gasket at the drawer interface;

[0102] Figure 6 is a cross-sectional plan view through a drawer front;

[0103] Figure 7 is a schematic perspective view of a drawer sub-assembly;

[0104] Figure 8 is a detailed view of a support structure of the drawer sub-assembly;

[0105] Figure 9 is a side view of a plurality of drawer fronts coupled together;

[0106] Figure 10 is a side view of a plurality of uncoupled drawer fronts;

[0107] Figure 11 is a cross-sectional side view of interfaces between drawer fronts and upper and lower walls of the cabinet body; and

[0108] Figure 12 shows another example of a gasket arrangement on the cabinet body.

[0109] Detailed description

[0110] Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of a climate-controlled cabinet 10. The cabinet 10 includes a plurality of drawers 12 configured to store items within a climate-controlled volume 14 of the cabinet 10. As described by way of background, the useable volume within existing climate-controlled cabinets is significantly restricted where such cabinets include a plurality of drawers. In particular, horizontal mullions located between stacked drawers are required in existing climate- controlled cabinets to provide surfaces for fronts of the drawers to seal against when the drawers are closed. However, the space behind the mullions must be maintained as free space to facilitate movement of the drawers for opening and closing, and the horizontal mullions thereby significantly reduce the useable volume inside existing cabinets.

[0111] Examples of a climate-controlled cabinet 10 which includes a plurality of drawers 12 will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Notably the climate- controlled cabinet 10 may be configured to provide significantly more useable space in the climate-controlled volume 14 than is possible in existing climate-controlled cabinets having drawer access and comparable external dimensions. With reference to Figures 1 and 2, the climate-controlled cabinet 10 includes a cabinet body 16 and a climate-controlled volume 14 defined within the cabinet body 16. The climate-controlled cabinet 10 may be a humidity-controlled cabinet in some examples. Additionally or alternatively, the cabinet 10 may be a refrigerated cabinet, or a heated cabinet in some examples. Accordingly, the cabinet body 16 may include thermally- insulated cabinet walls 18, and these walls 18 may define at least part of the climate- controlled volume 14. The climate-controlled volume 14 may therefore be a thermally- insulated volume 14.

[0112] The cabinet 10 includes a plurality of drawers 12 that can be closed into, and opened out of the climate-controlled volume 14. The drawers 12 each include a drawer front 20, and an example of a drawer front 20 is shown in the schematic perspective view of Figure 3. The drawer front 20 has an upper edge 22, a lower edge 24 and side portions 26. In some examples, the upper edge 22 or lower edge 24 may be chamfered, as described later in more detail. In some examples, the drawer front 20 may include a trim panel 28 and a thermal insulation panel 30. The trim panel 28 may, for example, extend beyond the thermal insulation panel 30 on a left side and a right side of the drawer front 20. In other words, the thermal insulation panel 30 may be narrower than the trim panel in plan view. Accordingly, in some examples the side portions 26 of the drawer front 20 may be defined by the trim panel 30.

[0113] In some examples, the thermal insulation panel 30 may include a main body portion 31 and a front portion 33. The front portion 33 may be wider than the main body portion 31 , when viewed in plan view. In some examples, the thermal insulation panel 30 may therefore include rebates defining rearward ly-faci ng ledges which may define at least part of a side portion 26 of the drawer front 20. In some examples, the rearward ly-faci ng ledges may be sandwiched between the trim panel 28 and an upright gasket 48 attached to the cabinet body 16 when the drawers 12 are closed. In some examples, the drawer front 20 may include one or more recesses 88 configured to house linkage components 74, as described later in more detail with reference to Figures 9 and 10. The or each recess 88 may be defined in the thermal insulation panel 30 of the drawer front 20 in some examples.

[0114] The drawer front 20 may be configured such that, when the drawer 12 is closed, the thermal insulation panel 30 may be arranged between the trim panel 28 and the climate- controlled volume 14. The trim panel 28, which may be exposed to an ambient environment external to the cabinet 10, may therefore be substantially thermally isolated from the climate-controlled volume 14 by the thermal insulation panel 30.

[0115] With brief reference also to Figure 2 and the cross-sectional plan views in Figures 5 and 6, the thermal insulation panel 30 may be configured to at least partially close an access aperture 32 of the cabinet body 16 when the respective drawer 12 is closed. As such, the insulation panel 30 may be located substantially within the access aperture 32 when the respective drawer 12 is closed.

[0116] When the drawers 12 are closed, as shown in Figure 1 for example, the drawers 12 define a stack 34 of drawer fronts 20. In some examples, as here, the climate-controlled cabinet 10 may include a plurality of stacks 34 of drawer fronts 20 arranged side-by-side. A stack 34 includes at least an upper drawer front 20a and a lower drawer front 20b. In the examples shown in the accompanying drawings, the stack 34 includes four drawer fronts 20. The stack 34 may therefore be described as having three pairs of vertically adjacent drawer fronts 20, where each pair has an upper drawer front 20a and a corresponding lower drawer front 20b. For each pair of vertically adjacent drawer fronts 20, a drawer interface 36 is defined between a lower edge 24 of the upper drawer front 20a and an upper edge 22 of the lower drawer front 20b. The side view in Figure 4 shows the drawer interface 36 in greater detail.

[0117] In some examples, the climate-controlled cabinet 10 may be configured with a drawer gasket 38 that extends along the drawer interface 36 and seals across the drawer interface 36 between the upper and lower drawer fronts 20a, 20b. Advantageously, such a configuration eliminates the need for horizontal mullions between the vertically adjacent drawers 12, thereby significantly increasing the useable volume within the climate-controlled cabinet 10.

[0118] In particular, Figure 4 shows an example where the drawer interface 36 is defined between the lower edge 24 of the upper drawer front 20a and the upper edge 22 of the lower drawer front 20b. The drawer gasket 38 may be attached to one of the upper drawer front 20a or the lower drawer front 20b. For example, with reference to the example of Figure 4, the drawer gasket 38 may be attached to the upper drawer front 20a, such as to the trim panel 28 of the drawer front 20a. In some examples, the drawer gasket 38 may be attached to the drawer front 20 via a seal carrier 42.

[0119] Referring still to Figure 4, when the drawers 12 are closed, the drawer gasket 38 effects a seal between the lower edge 24 of the upper drawer front 20a and the upper edge 22 of the lower drawer front 20b. For example, a drawer gasket 38 attached to the lower edge 24 of the upper drawer front 20a may seal against the upper edge 22 of the lower drawer front 20b. In some preferred examples, the edge 22, 24 against which the drawer gasket 38 is configured to seal may be shaped to improve the sealing performance or longevity of the gasket 38.

[0120] For example, the drawer gasket 38 may be a compressible drawer gasket 38, and a front portion 44 of the edge 22, 24 may be shaped to compress the compressible drawer gasket when the drawers 12 are closed. As shown in Figure 4, in some examples the front portion 44 of the edge 22 against which the drawer gasket 38 seals may be chamfered. A rear portion of the same edge 22 may extend substantially parallel to the drawer gasket 38. As such, the chamfered front portion 44 may guide the drawer gasket 38 into a compressed state when closing the drawer 12, and the rear portion may hold the drawer gasket 38 in the compressed state whilst the drawer 12 is closed.

[0121] In addition to sealing across the drawer interface 36, the drawer gasket 38 may be configured to seal against an upright gasket 48 of the cabinet body 16. For example, with additional reference to Figure 2 and the cross-sectional view of Figure 5, the cabinet body 16 may include upright gaskets 48 that define respective sealing surfaces 50.

[0122] When the drawer 12 is closed, the drawer gasket 38 may extend horizontally to an extent sufficient to overlap and bear against at least a portion of the sealing surfaces 50 of the upright gaskets 48. For example, as shown in Figure 5 the drawer gasket 38 may be compressed against the sealing surface 50 of the upright gaskets 48. Such a configuration stops air leaking into or out of the climate-controlled volume 14 at corners of the drawer fronts 20.

[0123] In some examples an upright gasket 48 may be attached to a sidewall 18a of the cabinet body 16. Another upright gasket 48 may be attached to an opposing sidewall 18b of the cabinet body 16. In examples where the cabinet 10 features a plurality of adjacent stacks 34 of drawer fronts 20, an upright gasket 48 may be attached to an upright mullion 52 located between side-by-side stacks 34 of drawer fronts 20. Each upright gasket 48 preferably extends along a respective face of the cabinet body 16 for at least the full height of the access aperture 32. As shown in Figures 2 and 5, the upright gaskets 48 may be front-facing gaskets, and may be attached to a front face 54 of the cabinet body 16. With additional reference to the cross-sectional view in Figure 6, when the drawers 12 are closed, the side portions 26 of the upper and lower drawer fronts 20a, 20b preferably seal against the sealing surfaces 50 of the upright gaskets 48. The upright gaskets 48 may be shared by a plurality of drawer fronts 20. For example, the upright gaskets 48 may each extend along the respective faces 54 of the cabinet body 16 to allow the side portions 26 of a plurality of drawer fronts 20 seal against each upright gasket 48.

[0124] In some examples the climate-controlled cabinet 10 may be configured such that the conditioned environment in the climate-controlled volume 14 can be maintained with vapour seals for the upright gaskets 48. In other words, thermal seals may not be required for maintaining a heated or cooled environment within the cabinet 10, as will now be described with reference to the examples of Figures 5 and 6.

[0125] As shown in the cross-sectional views, and in particular in the enlarged detail section of Figures 5 and 6, in some examples a drawer front 20 may be configured to form an air plug 56 of substantially stationary air. The air plug 56 may be formed between the drawer front 20 and a respective horizontally-opposed portion of the cabinet body 16 when the drawer 12 is closed. For example, an air plug 56 may be formed between the insulation panel 30 of each drawer front 20 and a respective portion of the cabinet body 16. For example, the air plug 56 may be defined between a side of the drawer front 20 and a side surface of the cabinet body, such as a side surface 92 defined by a sidewall 18 or an upright mullion 52.

[0126] In some examples, the upright gaskets 48 may be attached to cabinet seal carriers 60 of the cabinet body 16. For example, a sidewall 18 or upright mullion 52 may comprise a cabinet seal carrier 60 that defines the surface of the cabinet body 16 to which the upright gasket 48 is attached. For example the cabinet seal carrier 60 may define part of a front face 54 of the cabinet body. The cabinet seal carrier 60 may provide an additional thermal break between the climate-controlled volume 14 and the ambient environment external to the cabinet 10. The cabinet seal carrier 60 may also define at least part of the air plug 56 adjacent to the upright gasket 48. Accordingly, in some examples an air plug 56 may be defined between a thermal insulation panel 30 and a cabinet seal carrier 60.

[0127] With reference in particular to the detailed views in Figures 5 and 6, part of the air plug 56 may be defined by an inner side 62 of the upright gasket 48, and an outer side 64 of the upright gasket 48 may be exposed to ambient air. The air plug 56 may provide a thermally-insulating break between the climate-controlled volume 14 and the upright gaskets 48, and may thereby reduce the temperature gradient through the upright gasket 48. Accordingly, the insulating requirements of the upright gaskets 48 are reduced, and simpler or more cost-effective upright gaskets 48 can be used whilst still maintaining the desired environment within the cabinet 10. The air plug 56 may also help to maintain the outer side 64 of the upright gasket 48 above the dew point of the external environment, thereby preventing condensation from forming on the outer side 64 of the drawer gasket 38.

[0128] In some examples, the upper and lower drawer fronts 20a, 20b may be configured to form an air plug 56 at the drawer interface 36. For example, with reference again to Figure 4, the thermal insulation panels 30 of the upper and lower drawer fronts 20a, 20b may be configured to form an air plug 56 of substantially stationary air between the insulation panels 30. An air plug 56 at the drawer interface 36, inboard of the drawer gasket 38, may provide significant thermal insulation such that the temperature gradient through the drawer gasket 38 to the ambient environment is reduced. An air plug 56 at the drawer interface 36 may therefore help to prevent condensation on the drawer gasket 38. As described with reference to the upright gaskets 48 and the air plug 56, in some examples an air plug 56 at the drawer interface 36 may facilitate the use of a vapour seal for the drawer gasket 38 because the air plug 56 performs a thermal insulating function. In some examples, air plugs 56 at the upright gaskets may be connected to air plugs 56 at the drawer interfaces 36 to form a connected or continuous volume of substantially stationary air at the access aperture 32 when the drawers 12 are closed.

[0129] Referring now to Figures 7 and 8, each of the drawers 12 may include a runner arrangement 66 via which the respective drawer front 20 is attached to the cabinet body 16. A runner arrangement 66 facilitates smooth, supported forward and backward movement of the respective drawer front 20. Whilst not shown in the accompanying drawings, in some examples a drawer front 20 may be attached to the cabinet body 16 via a biasing arrangement that is configured to pull the respective drawer 12 closed into the climate-controlled volume 14.

[0130] A drawer 12 may also include a drawer tray 68 for storing and separating items within the climate-controlled volume 14. For example, the drawer tray 68 may be a gastronorm pan in some examples. Whilst a single drawer tray 68 is shown in the example of Figure 7, it should be appreciated that the climate-controlled cabinet 10 may include any number of drawer trays 68, and indeed each drawer 12 may include any number of separate drawer trays 68. A respective drawer tray 68 may be supported by at least one of the upper or lower drawer fronts 20a, 20b, and / or by the runner arrangement 66 attached to a drawer front 20. The drawer tray 68 may be removable from the drawer assembly 12, for example a drawer tray 68 may be removably attached to a drawer front 20 and / or to the respective runner arrangement 66. In some examples at least part of the drawer tray 68 may be supported by a support structure 70, which is shown most clearly in Figure 8. For example at least part of the drawer tray 68 may be rested on the support structure 70 in some examples.

[0131] With reference in particular to Figure 8, the support structure 70 may provide multiple functions. For example, in addition to supporting a drawer tray 68, the support structure 70 in some examples may also be arranged to space the respective drawer tray 68 away from the drawer front 20. For example, as shown in Figure 8 where the dashed line 71 indicates the position of a front edge 73 of a drawer tray 68 supported on the support structure 70, the support structure 70 may therefore provide an air gap 72 between the drawer tray 68 and the drawer front 20, which can improve circulation of conditioned air throughout the climate-controlled volume 14. Additionally, the drawer front 20 may be attached to the respective runner arrangement 66 via the support structure 70.

[0132] A side view of the upper and lower drawer fronts 20a, 20b is shown in Figure 9. In some examples the climate-controlled cabinet 10 may include linkages 74 that are arranged to couple the upper and lower drawer fronts 20a, 20b together. Coupling the drawer fronts 20a, 20b facilitates load sharing between the drawers 12. For example, if only one of the drawers 12 includes a drawer tray 68, then coupling the drawer fronts 20 helps to share the load supported by the drawer tray 68 between the drawer fronts 20 and respective runner arrangements 66 of all coupled drawer fronts 20. In some examples this may facilitate storage of heavier or larger items in the climate-controlled cabinet 10, whilst maintaining drawer access to the items.

[0133] The linkages 74 may be releasable such that the stack 34 of drawer front 20 can be reconfigured in accordance with a storage requirement. For example, the linkages 74 may include a retractable latch 76 attached to one of the upper or lower drawer fronts 20a, 20b. In some examples, the latch 76 may have an upright slot 78. A respective drawer front 20 may include a pin 80 that is received in the upright slot 78. As such, the latch 76 may be attached to the drawer front 20 via the pin 80. The drawer fronts 20 may also include a formation 82, such as a spigot, configured for engagement with the latch 76. For example, a latch 76 attached to the lower drawer front 20b may have a hook 84 that is co-operable with the spigot 82 of the upper drawer front 20a. Engaging the hook 84 of a latch 76 with the spigot 82 of an upper drawer front 20a may couple the upper and lower drawer fronts 20a, 20b together.

[0134] The latch 76 may have a tab 86 that is configured to be grasped to manipulate the latch 76. As such, the latch 76 may be configured for simple and ergonomic use, and advantageously may not require sight of the latch 76 for operation to couple the drawer fronts 20a, 20b. The latch 76 may be pivotable about and slidable relative to the pin 80 to allow the hook 84 to engage and disengage the spigot 82.

[0135] In preferred examples the latch 76 may be configured to retract into the respective drawer front 20 when not engaged to couple the drawer fronts 20, as shown in Figure 10. For example, the latch 76 may be attached to the lower drawer front 20b and may be arranged to drop away from the upper drawer front, such as into or beside the lower drawer front 20b, under gravity when the drawer fronts 20a, 20b are uncoupled. Therefore, when the drawer fronts 20a, 20b are not coupled, the latch 76 may be stored out of the way to allow unhindered movement of the drawer fronts 20a, 20b relative to one another. The drawer fronts 20a, 20b may include recesses 88, and at least part of the latch arrangement may be located in such a recess 88. For example, a recess 88 housing part of the latch arrangement may be defined in a thermal insulation panel 30 in examples where the drawer fronts 20 include such a panel 30.

[0136] Reference is now made to Figure 11 , which shows a cross-sectional view of an upper wall 18c of the cabinet body 16 and a lower wall 18d of the cabinet body 16. In some examples, the cabinet 10 may include a horizontal gasket 90 extending along a face of the upper wall 18c. For example, when an uppermost drawer front 20c in the stack 34 is closed, the horizontal gasket 90 may effect a seal between the uppermost drawer front 20c and the upper wall 18c of the cabinet body 16. The horizontal gasket 90 may extend to overlap at least a portion of the upright gaskets 48 to prevent air leaks at the upper corners of the uppermost drawer front 20c. Providing the horizontal gasket 90 on the cabinet 16 and not the uppermost drawer front 20c may reduce wear on the gasket 90 which could otherwise be damaged when the uppermost drawer front 20c is pulled out into an open position. The horizontal gasket 90 may be attached to the cabinet body via a cabinet seal carrier 60 as described previously with reference to the upright gaskets 48. With reference still to Figure 11, in some examples the lowermost drawer front 20d may be sealed to the lower wall 18d of the cabinet body 16 when the lowermost drawer front 20d is closed. For example, a drawer gasket 38 may extend along the lower edge 24 of the lowermost drawer front 20d to effect a seal between the lower edge 24 and the lower wall 16d of the cabinet body 16 when the drawer front 20d is closed. The drawer gasket 38 may be configured in the same way as described previously with reference to the drawer gasket 38 extending along a drawer interface 36. In particular, the drawer gasket 38 may seal against the upright gaskets 48 to prevent air leaks at the lower corners of the lowermost drawer front 20d when the lowermost drawer front 20d is closed.

[0137] Referring to the upright gaskets 48, the examples shown throughout Figures 1 to 11 include front-facing gaskets, such as upright gaskets 48 attached to the front face 54 of the cabinet body 16. With reference to the cut-away cross-sectional plan view in Figure 12, in some other examples, the upright gaskets 48 may be attached to side surfaces 92 of the cabinet body 16. For example, such upright gaskets 48 may be attached to side surfaces 92 defined by a cabinet wall 18 or by an upright mullion 52. Whilst not shown, the upright gaskets 48 may be attached to the cabinet body 16 via cabinet seal carriers 60 as described previously. The upright gaskets 48 that drawer fronts 20 in a given stack 34 interface with may be mutually-opposed in some examples. As such, the climate- controlled cabinet 10 may include a left-facing upright gasket 48 and a right-facing upright gasket 48. Left and right-facing upright gaskets 48 attached to side surfaces 92 of the cabinet body 16 may be wedge-shaped in some examples. Such a configuration may help to guide the drawer fronts 20 as well as effect a seal between the cabinet body 16 and drawer front 20 when the drawer front 20 is moved rearwards to close the drawer 12 into the climate-controlled volume 14.

[0138] In examples including an upright mullion 52 located between side-by-side stacks 34 of drawer fronts 20, the upright mullion may define left and right side surfaces 92 that face away from one another. For example a left side surface 92 of an upright mullion may face towards a first stack 34 of drawer fronts 20, and a right side surface 92 of the upright mullion may face towards a neighbouring stack 34 of drawer fronts 20. The climate-controlled cabinet 10 may include upright gaskets 48 attached to each side surface 92 defined by the upright mullion. Therefore, in some examples the upright mullion 52 may be shared by neighbouring stacks 34, but each stack 34 may interface separately with a respective upright gasket 48 attached to a respective side surface 92 of the upright mullion 52. It should be appreciated that whilst aspects of the invention have been described by way of example with reference to accompanying figures, the invention is defined by the accompanying claims.

[0139] Whilst not shown in the examples of the accompanying drawings, in some other examples a drawer gasket 38 could be attached to a thermal insulation panel 30 of a respective drawer front 20 instead of the trim panel 28. Similarly, whilst the horizontal gasket 90 is shown attached to the upper wall 18c of the cabinet body 16 in Figure 11 , in some other examples an uppermost drawer front 20c in the stack 34 may feature a drawer gasket 38 extending along its upper edge 22. Such a drawer gasket 38 may similarly effect a seal between the upper edge 22 and the upper wall 18c of the cabinet body 16 when the uppermost drawer front 20c is closed.

[0140] In the examples described above, the drawer gasket 38 is attached to one of the upper or lower drawer fronts 20a, 20b and the other drawer front 20a, 20b provides an edge 22, 24 against which the drawer gasket 38 seals. However, in some other examples, both the upper drawer front 20a and the lower drawer front 20b may include a respective drawer gasket 38 at the drawer interface 36. Such corresponding drawer gaskets 38 may interface with one another when the respective drawer fronts 20a, 20b are closed. For example, the opposing drawer gaskets 38 may be aligned with one another by magnetic elements of the upper and lower drawer front 20a, 20b in some such examples.

Claims

Claims1. A climate-controlled cabinet comprising: a cabinet body including upright gaskets defining respective sealing surfaces; a plurality of drawers closable into and openable out of a climate-controlled volume defined within the cabinet body, each drawer having a drawer front comprising upper and lower edges and side portions; wherein, when the plurality of drawers are closed, the plurality of drawers defines a stack of drawer fronts including at least an upper drawer front, a lower drawer front and a drawer interface defined between a lower edge of the upper drawer front and an upper edge of the lower drawer front; the side portions of the upper and lower drawer fronts seal against the sealing surfaces of the upright gaskets; and at least one drawer gasket extending along the drawer interface effects a seal between the lower edge of the upper drawer front and the upper edge of the lower drawer front, the or each drawer gasket also sealing against the sealing surfaces of the upright gaskets.

2. The climate-controlled cabinet of claim 1 , wherein the at least one drawer gasket is attached to one of the upper drawer front or the lower drawer front.

3. The climate-controlled cabinet of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein at least east one drawer front is configured to form an air plug of substantially stationary air between the drawer front and a respective portion of the cabinet body when the drawer is closed.

4. The climate-controlled cabinet of claim 3, wherein the air plug is defined between a side of the drawer front and an opposing side surface of the cabinet body.

5. The climate-controlled cabinet of claim 4, wherein the side of the drawer front and the opposing side surface of the cabinet body are spaced apart by at least 2 mm and by less than 10 mm to form the air plug.

6. The climate controlled cabinet of claim 4 or claim 5, wherein the upright gasket is attached to the cabinet body via a cabinet seal carrier, and wherein the air plug is defined at least in part by the upright gasket and the cabinet seal carrier.

7. The climate-controlled cabinet of any of claims 3 to 6, wherein each upright gasket comprises an inner side defining part of a respective air plug, and an outer side which is exposed to ambient air.

8. The climate-controlled cabinet of any preceding claim, wherein the upper and lower drawer fronts are configured to form an air plug of substantially stationary air extending along the drawer interface when the drawers are closed.

9. The climate-controlled cabinet of claim 8, wherein the air plug is defined at least in part by a lower portion of the upper drawer front, an upper portion of the lower drawer front, and the drawer gasket.

10. The climate-controlled cabinet of claim 8, wherein the air plug extends along the drawer interface such that part of the air plug is defined by the upright gaskets.

11. The climate-controlled cabinet of any preceding claim, wherein at least part of the climate-controlled volume is defined by thermally-insulated cabinet walls of the cabinet body such that the climate-controlled volume is a thermally-insulated volume.

12. The climate-controlled cabinet of any preceding claim, wherein each drawer front comprises a trim panel and a thermal insulation panel, the thermal insulation panel being arranged between the trim panel and the climate-controlled volume when the respective drawer is closed.

13. The climate-controlled cabinet of claim 12, wherein the or each drawer gasket is attached to a respective thermal insulation panel of a respective drawer front.

14. The climate-controlled cabinet of claim 12, wherein the or each drawer gasket is attached to a respective trim panel of a respective drawer front.

15. The climate-controlled cabinet of any of claims 12 to 14, wherein the thermal insulation panel of each respective drawer front is located substantially within an access aperture of the cabinet body when the respective drawer is closed.

16. The climate-controlled cabinet of any of claims 12 to 15, wherein each drawer front is configured to form an air plug of substantially stationary air between the thermalinsulation panel and a respective portion of the cabinet body when the respective drawer is closed.

17. The climate-controlled cabinet of any of claims 12 to 16, wherein the trim panel extends beyond the thermal insulation panel such that the side portions of the drawer front are defined by the trim panel.

18. The climate-controlled cabinet of any preceding claim, wherein the upright gaskets and the or each drawer gasket are vapour seals.

19. The climate-controlled cabinet of any preceding claim, wherein the plurality of drawers each comprise a runner arrangement, and wherein each drawer front is attached to the cabinet body via a respective runner arrangement.

20. The climate-controlled cabinet of claim 19, further comprising at least one drawer tray supported by at least one of the upper or lower drawer fronts and / or by the runner arrangement attached to the respective drawer front.

21. The climate-controlled cabinet of claim 19 or claim 20, wherein the or each drawer tray is removably attached to the respective drawer front and / or the runner arrangement attached to the respective drawer front.

22. The climate-controlled cabinet of any of claims 19 to 21 , wherein each drawer front is attached to the respective runner arrangement via a support structure configured to support at least part of the at least one drawer tray.

23. The climate-controlled cabinet of claim 22, wherein each support structure is arranged to space the respective drawer tray away from the drawer front to provide an air gap between the drawer tray and the drawer front.

24. The climate-controlled cabinet of any preceding claim, further comprising linkages arranged releasably to couple the upper and lower drawer fronts together.

26. The climate-controlled cabinet of claim 24, wherein each linkage comprises a retractable latch attached to one of the upper or lower drawer fronts.

27. The climate controlled cabinet of claim 26, wherein the latch is attached to the lower drawer front and is arranged to drop away from the upper drawer front under gravity when the drawer fronts are uncoupled.

28. The climate-controlled cabinet of claim 26 or claim 27, wherein at least one of the drawer fronts supports a latch and a formation co-operable with a latch of an adjacent drawer front in the stack.

29. The climate-controlled cabinet of claim 28, wherein the latch and the formation are recessed into a side of the at least one drawer front.

30. The climate-controlled cabinet of any preceding claim, wherein each upright gasket extends along a respective face of the cabinet body such that the side portions of a plurality of drawer fronts seal against each upright gasket.

31. The climate-controlled cabinet of claim 30, wherein each upright gasket extends along the respective face of the cabinet body for at least the full height of an aperture providing access into the climate-controlled volume.

32. The climate-controlled cabinet of any preceding claim, wherein the upright gaskets are attached to inwardly-facing side surfaces of the cabinet body.

33. The climate-controlled cabinet of any of claims 1 to 31, wherein the upright gaskets are attached to a front face of the cabinet body.

34. The climate-controlled cabinet of any preceding claim, wherein an uppermost drawer front in the stack comprises a drawer gasket extending along its upper edge to effect a seal between the upper edge and an upper wall of the cabinet body when the uppermost drawer is closed.

35. The climate-controlled cabinet of any of claims 1 to 33, further comprising at least one horizontal gasket extending along a face of an upper wall of the cabinet body such that, when an uppermost drawer front in the stack is closed, the horizontal gasket effects a seal between the uppermost drawer front and the upper wall of the cabinet body.

36. The climate-controlled cabinet of any preceding claim, wherein a lowermost drawer front in the stack comprises a drawer gasket extending along its lower edge to effect a seal between the lower edge and a lower wall of the cabinet body when the lowermost drawer is closed.

37. The climate-controlled cabinet of any preceding claim, wherein, at the drawer interface, both the upper drawer front and the lower drawer front comprise respective drawer gaskets which interface with one another when the respective drawers are closed.

38. The climate-controlled cabinet of claim 37, wherein the upper and lower drawer fronts comprise magnetic elements for aligning the opposing drawer gaskets with one another.

39. The climate-controlled cabinet of any of claims 1 to 36, wherein at the drawer interface, an upper or lower edge of a drawer front comprises a front portion shaped to compress a drawer gasket attached to an adjacent drawer front of the stack when the drawers are closed.

40. The climate-controlled cabinet of claim 39, wherein at least the front portion of the respective lower edge or upper edge is chamfered.

41. The climate-controlled cabinet of any preceding claim, wherein the stack of drawer fronts comprises at least three drawer fronts, preferably at least four drawer fronts, arranged adjacent to one another such that a drawer interface is defined between corresponding upper and lower edges of each pair of adjacent drawer fronts in the stack.

42. The climate-controlled cabinet of any preceding claim, wherein at least one upright gasket is attached to a sidewall of the cabinet body and at least one upright gasket is attached to an opposing sidewall of the cabinet body.

43. The climate-controlled cabinet of any of any preceding claim, having a plurality of stacks of drawer fronts arranged side-by-side.

44. The climate-controlled cabinet of claim 43, wherein at least one upright gasket is attached to an upright mullion located between side-by-side stacks of drawer fronts.

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