Reach-in door for refrigerated merchandiser

A refrigerated, reach-in merchandiser having a product display area with a front opening defined by casing means having at least two mullion members, a reach-in door for closing the front opening and being hingedly mounted on one of the mullion members by door control means, said reach-in door having a transparent panel with a molded frame and at least two glass lites, a door control for hingedly mounting the door on said merchandiser, an electric member for said merchandiser including a light on one of the mullion members for illuminating the display area, said electric member also including a heating element for the glass lites of the transparent panel and including a key member for connecting said heating element to said merchandiser.

 

What is claimed is:

1. A transparent door that, in use, is movably mounted to provide reach-in access to the lighted interior product area of a refrigerated merchandiser, the door comprising:

an unsealed glass subassembly having first and second spaced apart glass lites with inward and outward facing surfaces, a unitary spacer extending around and in contact with an outer periphery of the glass lites and having a separator section disposed between said glass lites and flanges integrally formed as one piece with the separator section to engage outer peripheral edges of said glass lites, and key locking means cooperatively engaged with said spacer for lockingly maintaining it in peripheral contact around the glass lites; and

a molded frame surrounding the outer periphery of the glass subassembly and sealably encasing said spacer and adjacent marginal edges of said glass lites around the flanges.

2. The door of claim 1, in which said glass subassembly is unsealed against fluid passage, and in which said spacer is formed of thermally insulative material.

3. The door of claim 1, in which said glass subassembly is unsealed against fluid passage, and in which said spacer is formed of electrically insulative material.

4. The door of claim 1, in which said glass subassembly is unsealed against fluid passage, and further includes a moisture barrier constructed and arranged for covering the outer periphery of said spacer around said glass lites.

5. The door of claim 4, wherein said moisture barrier is further constructed and arranged for covering the key locking means at said spacer.

6. The door of claim 4, wherein said moisture barrier covers an outer wall surface of said spacer and extends around the flange thereof to overlap a predetermined outer surface area of said glass lites adjacent to the peripheral marginal edges thereof.

7. The door of claim 6, wherein said moisture barrier is disposed intermediate of said glass subassembly and said molded frame, and said molded frame sealably encloses a greater outer surface area of the glass lites than said moisture barrier.

8. The door of claim 6, in which said moisture barrier is formed of a metal material.

9. The door of claim 8, wherein said moisture barrier material is aluminum.

10. The door of claim 1, wherein said glass lites have angularly related side edges, and said spacer comprises a one-piece strip of flexible, non-conductive material having a continuous base wall member with said flanges forming parallel side portions thereof and together defining a continuous outer wall surface on one side of the spacer, said separator section being formed on the other side opposite to said one side and intermediate to the side flanges, and said separator section being divided into a series of lengths corresponding to the lengths of the respective side edges of the glass lites and being connected together by the continuous base wall member.

11. The door of claim 10, in which said separator section is chamfered between said lengths to accommodate bending and shaping the flexible strip spacer along the angularly related side edges of said glass lites such that the opposed edges of said separator section lengths at the respective chamfers are mated at the corners of the glass lite side edges to form a mitered continuous separator body section in the subassembly.

12. The door of claim 11, in which the outer ends of the strip spacer are free and are disposed in adjacent opposed relationship on one side edge of the glass lites in forming the glass subassembly, and said key locking means is constructed and arranged for mating locking engagement between the free spacer ends to hold them together and complete the peripheral spacer engagement with the marginal edges of the glass lites.

13. The door of claim 12, wherein a locking tab is formed on one of said key locking means and free spacer ends and a tab receiving channel is formed in the other of said key locking means and free spacer end.

14. The door of claim 13, wherein said locking tab and tab receiving channel have cooperative dual snap locking means in the form of a beveled key as one of said dual means and a key opening as the other of said dual means.

15. The door of claim 13, wherein the free ends of said strip spacer have an interior cavity defining said tab receiving channel and said key locking means has a locking body section with said locking tab extending in aligned opposite directions therefrom.

16. The door of claim 15, in which said locking body section is configured to match and mate with said spacer so as to have similar aligned flanges and separator sections for engagement with the glass lites.

17. The door of claim 1, including heating means for heating at least one of said glass lites, and including electrically conductive means constructed and arranged in abutment with said spacer for accommodating an electrical connection to said heating means.

18. The door of claim 17, in which said heating means for said glass lites comprises a conductive transparent film applied to the inwardly facing surface of one of said first and second glass lites, and said electrically conductive means includes bussing means for electrically contacting said film along parallel opposite sides of said one glass lite.

19. The door of claim 18, in which said electrically conductive means comprises another electrical conductor extending along an inwardly facing side of the other of said first and second glass lites disposed opposite to a third side of the one glass lite which is perpendicular to the parallel opposite sides thereof.

20. The door of claim 19, in which said electrical conductor and bussing means are received in side wall channels of said separator section of said spacer and disposed against the adjacent inner surfaces of the opposed lites so as to be entirely covered by the spacer.

21. The door of claim 19, including crossover electrical connectors laterally extending across said glass subassembly to connect the bussing means of said one glass lite to the electrical conductor at the opposite other glass lite.

22. The door of claim 21, wherein said spacer includes notched kerfs to accommodate said crossover connectors.

23. The door of claim 18, in which said key locking means includes an electrical connector section constructed and arranged to receive electrical power from an exterior source and being constructed and arranged for connection thereof to said electrically conductive means on said spacer.

24. The door of claim 23, in which said electrical connector section of said key locking means is formed integrally with a locking section thereof, said locking section having externally located electrical leads in contact with the electrically conductive on said spacer means, and means internally of said electrical connector and locking sections for forming the electrical power connection to said electrical leads.

25. The door of claim 24, wherein there are two electrical leads extending externally of said locking section and being turned to extend in opposite directions away from each other along the spacer, one of said glass lites having an electrically conductive film on an inward surface thereof, and said electrically conductive means extending along selected portions of said spacer to connect said electrical leads to said conductive film.

26. The door of claim 25, in which said electrically conductive means comprises connector strips in electrical contact with the electrical leads and extending therefrom along a side wall of the spacer to the outer ends thereof, said side wall being in contact with the inward surface of the other glass lite and in spaced relation with the conductive film on said one glass lite.

27. The door of claim 26, in which said connector strips are disposed along a vertical side wall of the spacer to extend to the upper and lower corners thereof against the other of said glass lites, said electrically conductive means further comprises conductor means for extending along the upper and lower horizontal edges of said spacer in contact with the conductive film on said one glass lite, and crossover connectors connecting said connector strips and conductor means.

28. The door of claim 1, including door control means adapted for hingedly mounting said door on the casing of a refrigerated merchandiser, said door control means comprising upper and lower hinges accommodated by upper and lower bushings positioned in said molded frame.

29. The door of claim 28, including a horizontally extending structural reinforcement secured to at least one of said bushings.

30. The door of claim 29, in which the one bushing and its structural reinforcement are molded into said frame, and bearing means is received in said one bushing for pivotally mounting a hinge therein.

31. The door of claim 28, including spring means for biasing said upper hinge in an upward direction.

32. The door of claim 28, in which the lower hinge is mounted for relative movement in a bearing sleeve accommodated by the lower bushing, and the lower end of said lower hinge being adapted for non-turning engagement in casing of the refrigerated merchandiser.

33. The door of claim 28, in which said door control means comprises torsion means constructed and arranged for twisting action during opening and closing of the door on the casing, said torsion means being elongate and having one fixed relative to the door and the other end secured, in use, to the refrigerated merchandiser casing.

34. The door of claim 33, including torque adjustment means secured to the one end of said torsion means and being constructed with gearing means for selectively applying a twisting force whereby the door is biased, in use, toward a self closing position on the refrigerated merchandiser.

35. The door of claim 34, in which said torque adjustment means is located in the hinging margin of the molded door frame, and includes means for operating said gearing means to vary the degree of twisting force on said torsion means.

36. The door of claim 1, in combination with a door frame casing on which the door is movably mounted, including door control means comprising upper and lower hinges accommodated by the molded door frame.

37. The door of claim 36, in which the door control means also includes torsion means constructed and arranged for twisting action during opening and closing of the door relative to the casing.

38. A transparent door that, in use, is movably mounted to provide reach-in access to the lighted interior product area of a refrigerated merchandiser, the door comprising:

a transparent panel with a glass subassembly having at least two glass lites, an integral one-piece spacer member formed to span across and engage the marginal edges of said glass lites and to maintain a spaced relation therebetween, and a key locking member for maintaining said spacer member assembled in peripheral contact around the glass lites;

a molded frame sealably surrounding the outer periphery of the glass subassembly;

door control means for hingedly mounting said door; and

electrical means including heating means for heating at least one of the glass lites of the transparent panel and means for connecting said heating means through said key locking member.

39. The door of claim 38, in which the transparent door panel comprises first and second glass lites and said spacer member is formed of non-conductive bendable material to extend peripherally around the glass lites, said spacer member having opposed and adjacent free ends and said key locking member having a locking section constructed and arranged to connect said opposed spacer free ends in locking relationship to hold said glass lites and form an unsealed glass panel subassembly.

40. The door of claim 39, in which the spacer member has an inner separator body portion with an outer wall forming side sealing flanges on each side of the body portion, and said first and second glass lites are assembled on the spacer member with the separator body portion engaging the opposed inner surfaces of the glass lites and the peripheral margins of the lites being captured by the side sealing flanges of the spacer member.

41. The door of claim 40, in which the separator body portion is bifurcated in two sections separated by a central flange of the outer wall, and a third glass lite is centrally assembled between the two separator body sections in spaced relation with the first and second glass lites and with its peripheral margin engaged with the central flange.

42. The door of claim 41, in which one of the glass lites is formed of low-E glass.

43. The door of claim 40, in which the outer surface of the spacer member outer wall and side sealing flanges is covered with a moisture barrier material.

44. The door of claim 43, wherein said moisture barrier material is applied to peripherally cover the outer wall surface around the glass panel subassembly and also extends inwardly from said outer wall surface around said side flanges to overlap a preselected outer surface area of said first and second lites adjacent to the peripheral margins thereof.

45. The door of claim 40, in which said molded frame is formed of a polymeric material and is arranged and molded to surround the peripheral margin of the transparent panel and sealably enclose said lites so that the interior volume of the panel comprises a sealed insulating space.

46. The door of claim 45, in which said inner separator body portion of said spacer member has a hollow interior cavity constructed and arranged to contain a desiccant and being in fluid communication with the interior volume of the transparent panel.

47. The door of claim 38, wherein said glass lites have angularly related side edges, and said spacer member comprises a strip of flexible, non-conductive material having a continuous base wall with side flanges forming parallel side portions thereof and together defining an outer wall surface on one side of said spacer member, said separator section being centrally formed on the other side between the side flanges, and said separator section being divided into a series of lengths corresponding to the respective side edges of the glass lites and being connected together by the base wall member.

48. The door of claim 47, in which said separator section is chamfered between said lengths to accommodate bending and shaping the flexible strip spacer member along the angularly related side edges of said glass lites such that the opposed edges of said separator section lengths of the respective chamfers are mated at the corners of the glass lite side edges to form a mitered continuous separator body section in the subassembly.

49. The door of claim 48, in which the outer ends of the spacer member are free and are disposed in adjacent opposed relationship on one side edge of the glass lites in forming the glass subassembly, and said key locking member is constructed and arranged for mating locking engagement between the free spacer ends to hold them together and complete the peripheral spacer engagement with the marginal edges of the glass lites.

50. The door of claim 49, wherein a locking tab is formed on one of said key locking member and free spacer end and a tab receiving channel is formed in the other of said key locking member and free spacer end, said locking tab and tab receiving channel having cooperative dual snap locking means in the form of a beveled key as one of said dual means and a key opening as the other of said dual means.

51. The door of claim 50, wherein the free ends of said spacer member have an interior cavity defining said tab receiving channel, and said key locking member has a locking body section with said locking tab extending in aligned opposite directions therefrom, said locking body section being configured to match and mate with said spacer member so as to have similar aligned side flanges and separator body portions.

52. The door of claim 38, in which said heating means for said glass lites comprises a conductive transparent film applied to the inwardly facing surface of one of said glass lites, and said means for connecting includes bussing means in electrical contact with said film along parallel opposite sides of said one glass lite.

53. The door of claim 52, in which said means for connecting comprises another electrical conductor extending along a remote inward side of the other of said glass lites and a crossover electrical connector laterally extending across said glass subassembly for connecting the bussing means of said one glass lite to the electrical conductor at the other glass lite.

54. The door of claim 38, in which said key locking member includes an electrical connector section constructed and arranged to receive electrical power from an exterior source and being formed integral with a locking section for said spacer member, said locking section having externally located electrical leads and means internally of said connector and locking sections for forming an electrical power connection there through to said electrical leads.

55. The door of claim 36, in which the door control means is adapted for hingedly mounting said door on the casing of a refrigerated merchandiser and includes upper and lower hinges accommodated by upper and lower bushings within said molded frame.

56. The door of claim 55, including a horizontally extending structural reinforcement secured to at least one of said bushings, and in which the one bushing and structural reinforcement are molded into said frame, and another bearing means received in said one bushing for pivotally mounting one of the hinges therein.

57. The door of claim 56, in which said upper hinge freely turns in said bearing and is biased in an upward direction by a spring, and in which the lower hinge is mounted for relative movement in a lower bearing accommodated by the lower bushing with its lower hinge end being adapted for non-turning engagement relative to the casing of the refrigerated merchandiser.

58. The door of claim 55, in which said door control means comprises torsion means constructed and arranged for twisting action during opening and closing of the door, said torsion means being elongate and having one end fixed relative to the door and the other end secured, in use, to the refrigerated merchandiser.

59. The door of claim 58, including torque adjustment means secured to the one end of said torsion means and being constructed with gearing means for selectively applying a twisting force whereby the door is biased, in use, toward a self closing position on the refrigerated merchandiser.

60. The door of claim 59, in which said torque adjustment means is located in the hinging margin of the molded door frame, and includes means for operating said gearing means to vary the degree of twisting force on said torsion means.

61. The door of claim 38, in combination with a door frame casing on which the door is movably mounted, including door control means comprising upper and lower hinges accommodated by the molded door frame.

62. The door of claim 61, in which the door control means also includes torsion means constructed and arranged for twisting action during opening and closing of the door relative to the casing.

63. A transparent door that, in use, is movably mounted to provide reach-in access to the lighted interior product area of a refrigerated merchandiser, the door comprising:

a glass subassembly having first and second spaced apart glass lites with inward and outward facing surfaces, an integral one-piece strip spacer formed to extend peripherally around and engages the glass lites and having an inner separator body portion with an outer wall forming side sealing flanges on each side of the body portion, said first and second glass lites being assembled on the strip spacer with the separator body portion engaging the opposed inner surfaces of the glass lites and the side sealing flanges overlying the peripheral edges margins of the lites;

a molded frame surrounding the outer periphery of the glass subassembly and sealably encasing said strip spacer, said strip spacer being constructed and arranged for blocking frame molding material from entering between the first and second glass lites during molding assembly.

64. The door of claim 63 wherein the outer wall extends continuously from side flange to side flange thereby forming an unbroken barrier to the frame molding material.

65. The door of claim 63 wherein the separator body portion includes at least one sealing lip extending from the separator body portion and further engages an inner surface of one of the glass lites for inhibiting ingress of frame molding material between the glass lites.

66. The door of claim 65 wherein the separator body portion comprising two sealing lips, a first of the lips extending from the separator body portion and engaging an inner surface of the first lite and a second of the lips extending from the separator body portion and engaging an inner surface of the second lite, the outer wall and sealing lips inhibiting ingress of frame molding material between the glass lites.

67. The door of claim 63, in which the separator body portion is bifurcated into two sections separated by a central flange of the outer wall, and a third glass lite is centrally assembled between the two separator body sections in spaced relation with the first and second glass lites and with its peripheral margin engaged with the central flange.

68. The door of claim 63, in combination with a door frame casing on which the door is movably mounted, including door control means comprising upper and lower hinges accommodated by the molded door frame.

69. The door of claim 68, in which the door control means also includes torsion means constructed and arranged for twisting action during opening and closing of the door relative to the casing.

70. A transparent door that, in use, is movably mounted to provide reach-in access to the lighted interior product area of a refrigerated merchandiser, the door comprising:

an unsealed glass subassembly having first and second glass lites assembled in spaced relation on a peripheral one-piece strip spacer said spacer extending around and engaging an outer peripheral edges of each of said glass lites;

a molded frame sealably encasing the glass subassembly and having a vertical inner hinge margin and transverse upper and lower ends;

a first hinge pin at one of the upper and lower ends of the frame for its pivotal connection to the refrigerated merchandiser, the first hinge pin being constructed and arranged for turning connection in the frame whereby the frame pivots with respect to the first hinge pin; and means for seating the end of the first hinge pin for non-turning movement on the refrigerated merchandiser;

an elongate torsion rod having a first end fixedly connected to the first hinge pin and another end fixedly connected to the frame such that, in use, swinging movement of the door in an opening direction relative to the merchandiser will twist the torsion rod about its longitudinal axis whereby the torsion rod applies a spring force opposing the opening direction for biasing the door toward a closed position;

a first gear mounted on said other end of the torsion rod for conjoint movement therewith about the longitudinal axis of the torsion rod; and

a second gear mounted within the door frame and engageable with the first gear for selectively rotating the first gear to preadjust the torsional spring force of the rod.

71. The reach-in door of claim 70 wherein the inner hinge margin of the molded door frame is constructed and arranged so that the second gear is accessible for selective rotation to adjust the spring force of the torsion rod.

72. The door of claim 70, in combination with a door frame casing on which the door is swingably mounted, including door control means comprising said first hinge pin and another second hinge pin accommodated by the molded door frame.

73. A transparent door that, in use, is movably mounted to provide reach-in access to the lighted interior product area of a refrigerated merchandiser, the door comprising:

a glass panel having first and second generally rectangular spaced apart lites having peripheral edges, the first lite having an inner surface formed with electrically conductive film thereon;

an integral one-piece spacer of electrically insulating material disposed generally between the lites and engaging the peripheral edges of the lites;

a molded frame surrounding the peripheral edges of the first and second lites and encasing the one-piece spacer, the door being constructed with heating means for heating the electrically conductive film to clear condensation on the glass panel during use of the door on the merchandiser;

said heating means including a first flat, elongate bus bar disposed between the spacer and the first lite along one of the peripheral edges of the first lite, the first bus bar engaging the inner surface of the first lite to permit electrical conduction between the first bus bar and the electrically conductive film thereon;

a second flat, elongate bus bar disposed between the spacer and the first lite along an opposed peripheral edge of the first lite opposite to the first bus bar, the second bus bar engaging the inner surface of the first lite to permit electrical conduction between the second bus bar and the electrically conductive film on the inner surface;

the first and second bus bars being constructed and arranged for connection to an electrical power source external of the door thereby to permit an electrical current to flow in the electrically conductive material on the inner surface of the first lite for generating heat on said inner surface.

74. The transparent reach-in door of claim 73, wherein the spacer has an inner separator body with side wall surface for contacting the inner surface of the first lite, and wherein the first and second bus bars are covered by the spacer side wall surfaces.

75. The transparent reach-in door of claim 74, wherein the molded frame is made of a polymeric material molded onto the spacer and around the first and second lites, the first and second bus bars being confined to a spacer area contained within the molded frame whereby the bus bars are shielded from incidental contact in the event of breakage of the first lite.

76. The transparent reach-in door of claim 75, wherein the first and second bus bars are foil adhered to one of the spacers and the inner surface of the first lite.

77. The transparent reach-in door of claim 74 further comprising at least one conductor disposed between the spacer and the inner surface of the second lite along one of the peripheral edges of the second lite, the spacer and second lite electrically insulating the conductor.

78. The transparent reach-in door of claim 77, wherein the molded frame is made of a polymeric material molded onto the spacer and around the first and second lites, the conductor being confined to a spacer area contained within the molded frame whereby the conductor is shielded from incidental contact in the event of breakage of the second lite.

79. The transparent reach-in door of claim 77 further comprising crossover connectors extending transversely through the spacer between said first and second lites and electrically connecting the conductor to the first and second bus bars.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

(a) Field of the Invention

This invention relates generally to the commercial refrigeration art, and more particularly to improvements in glass front product merchandisers (so-called "reach-ins") which hold and display medium and low temperature foods, including specifically doors for such reach-in merchandisers.

(b) Description of the Prior Art

Frozen food merchandisers are designed with the primary objective of maintaining product temperatures in the display area at about 0.degree. F. for frozen food and -10.degree. F. for ice cream, which in the past have required evaporator coil temperatures in the range of -10.degree. F. down to -35.degree. F. Medium temperature merchandisers maintain fresh product temperatures generally in the range of 30.degree. F. to 40.degree. F.

Multi-shelf reach-in merchandisers for storage and display of fresh and frozen food products (including ice cream) provide a generally vertical display of the product for greater visibility and product accessability to shoppers. In order to prevent the escape of cold air into the shopping arena, the display area of the merchandiser is closed by a glass front door. Glass is a poor thermal insulator so the doors are conventionally formed by two or three spaced apart panes of glass, defining one or two air spaces to increase the thermal insulation of the door.

The air spaces must be sealed for maximum insulating effect, and to prevent entry of moisture into these air spaces. Moisture in the air space condenses on the cold glass and obscures viewing of the product in the merchandiser. In the past, sealing of the air space has been accomplished by forming a an "insulating glass unit" or "IG unit"(sometimes called a "glass pack") which consists of opposing glass panes (called "lights" or "lites") separated by a metallic spacer secured by a suitable polymer (e.g., polysulfide, polyisobutylene, etc.). The glass pack is placed in a metal frame to complete the door. Thus, the door assembly process involves two separate steps of forming sealed air spaces, followed by forming a metal frame. Metal is most typically used in the frame and in the spacers because it has a good strength-to-weight ratio. In addition, metal is an excellent moisture barrier and when used as a spacer seals the air space from moisture for many years. However, metal has two important drawbacks when used in reach-in doors. The first is that metal is a poor thermal insulator, and the second is that metal is an excellent electrical conductor.

Conventional attempts to attenuate thermal conduction through the metal in the door generally involve placing barriers in the path of thermal conduction. Others have attempted to partially or entirely replace the metal frame with a polymeric material having a substantially lower thermal conductivity. Examples of such doors are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,097,642 and 5,228,240. However, it will be noted that in these prior art attempts to reduce the metal used in the doors have not eliminated the metallic spacers, nor have they replaced the need for sealing glass lites before forming the frame.

The electrical conductivity of metal is a hindrance because electrical power is used to heat one or more surfaces of the glass lites in the door. Heating is needed in order to prevent condensation from collecting and obscuring vision through the glass panes of the door. For instance, the moisture in the relatively warm ambient air of the store readily condenses on the outside of the door if it were not heated. Also, when the door is opened moisture condenses on the cold inside glass surface. Without heating, this condensation would not clear quickly and so the view of the product in the merchandiser would be obscured. Typically, heating is achieved by placing a semi-conductive film (e.g., tin-oxide) on the inner surface of the outer glass lite in the door. Bus bars along opposing edges of the lite provide an electrical potential causing a current to flow through the film and produce heat. It is presently necessary to keep the wiring and bus bars supplying the electric power carefully insulated and isolated from the outer metal door frame and the inner metal spacer. This means that a portion of the heating film had to be eliminated at the edge margin where there would be contact with metal. The primary danger occurs when a glass lite is shattered thus exposing the wiring to human contact and electrical shock. Conventionally, expensive electrical circuit breakers, such as ground fault interrupts and fused links, have been used to prevent accidental electrical shock in case of glass breakage.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention is embodied in a refrigerated, reaching merchandiser having a product display area with a front opening defined by casing means having at least two mullion members, a reach-in door for closing the front opening and being hingedly mounted on one of the mullion members by door control means, said reach-in door having a transparent panel with a molded frame and at least two glass lites, door control means for hingedly mounting the door on said merchandiser, electric means for said merchandiser including lighting means on one of the mullion members for illuminating the display area, said electric means also including heating means for the glass lites of the transparent panel and including a key member for connecting said heating means to said merchandiser. The invention is further embodied in a transparent door for a refrigerated enclosure having a molded frame, and a method of making the same.

A principal object of the present invention is to provide a reach-in product display merchandiser having door and casing improvements providing thermal insulation, better low-glare lighting, safer electrical isolation, secure door hinging and closure features and improved manufacturing.

A more specific object is to provide a reach-in door having low thermal conductivity in which air spaces between glass lites of the doors are effectively sealed upon formation of the molded door frame.

Another object of the invention is to provide a reach-in door which maintains a barrier to moisture entering the air spaces between glass lites.

Another object is to provide a reach-in door which is more thermally insulated and therefore more energy efficient.

Another object is to provide a reach-in door incorporating electrically insulating means simplifying the construction and installation of the door necessary to permit heating of one or more glass lites of the door and to reduce the risk of accidental shock in case of breakage of the lites.

Another object is to provide a reach-in door with a simplified torsion adjustment feature.

Another object is to provide a reach-in merchandiser having improved non-glare interior lighting for viewing of product in the merchandiser.

These and other objects and advantages will become apparent hereinafter.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the accompanying drawings which form a part of this specification and wherein like numerals refer to like parts wherever they occur:

FIG. 1 is an perspective view of a refrigerated reach-in merchandiser;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of reach-in doors and associated door casing of the merchandiser;

FIG. 3 is a greatly-enlarged fragmentary sectional view of a three lite reach-in door taken in the plane of line 3--3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary edge-on elevational view of a spacer member for the reach-in doors, laid out flat and showing a metal moisture sealing tape exploded above the spacer;

FIG. 4A is an enlarged view of a corner section of the spacer member configured for receiving a crossover electrical connector through the spacer;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view from a corner of the spacer as installed on the glass lites, and partially exploded to illustrate the assembly of the spacer ends by an electrical plug-in and spacer locking key for the door;

FIG. 5A is a fragmentary perspective view from the opposite side from FIG. 5;

FIG. 6 is a side elevation of the electrical plug-in and spacer locking key of the spacer;

FIG. 6A is a greatly enlarged fragmentary view of the electrical plug-in and spacer locking key taken from the right side of FIG. 6;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary perspective view of an upper corner of a reach-in door partly broken away to illustrate an upper hinge reinforcement;

FIG. 7A is a fragmentary perspective view of a lower corner of the reach-in door partly broken away to illustrate a lower hinge reinforcement;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary elevational view of the hinging margin of the reach-in door with parts broken away to reveal a torsion bar, as referenced by line 8--8 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary elevational view of the upper corner of the reach-in door and door casing, with parts broken away to show details of construction;

FIG. 9A is a fragmentary elevational view of the lower corner of the reach-in door and door casing, with parts broken away to show details of construction;

FIG. 9B is a top plan view of a hinge plate as taken along line 9B--9B of FIG. 9;

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary sectional view taken in the plane of line 10--10 of FIG. 8 and shows a torsion bar adjustment feature of the door;

FIG. 11 is a view of the spacer as assembled around the glass lites, and illustrates electrical conductors on the spacer;

FIG. 12 is a view of the spacer and glass lites from the side opposite to FIG. 11 and illustrates bus bars on the spacer;

FIG. 13 is a fragmentary sectional view of the spacer taken in the plane including line 13--13 of FIG. 12;

FIG. 14 is a fragmentary perspective view of a bottom corner portion of the spacer and illustrates a crossover connector;

FIG. 15 is a section taken in the plane including line 15--15 of FIG. 2 with the reach-in door removed and showing the lighting means; and

FIG. 16 a is greatly enlarged fragmentary portion of a side wall section of the diffuser of FIG. 15.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention concerns improvements in reach-in merchandisers for medium and low temperature operation, and includes particularly improvements to thermal-type doors for such merchandisers. Referring to the drawings, and in particular to FIG. 1, a low temperature reach-in merchandiser is indicated generally at M for disclosure purposes. The merchandiser has an outer insulated cabinet having a front opening 11 (FIG. 2) defined by a cabinet casing C and closed by doors D hingedly mounted on the casing C. Multiple shelves 12 are selectively provided in the cabinet to hold and display product in the refrigerated interior product zone 13. As shown in FIG. 2, the doors D are opened by handles H to access the refrigerated zone 13 inside the merchandiser where product is held for display. The refrigerated zone 13 is illuminated by lighting L mounted on mullions 14 of the door casing C. These lights L are covered by diffusers 15 (only one of which is shown in FIG. 15) which spread the light within the merchandiser display area 13 as will be described more fully hereinafter.

The reach-in doors D of the present merchandiser are transparent and have a finished molded door frame F of a suitable material, such as a reaction injection molded polyurethane, and do not require a metal frame or covering of any type. In the preferred embodiment, the framing material is polyurethane which has low thermal conductivity for minimizing thermal losses through the door frame, in addition to which it molds with a smooth, hard, glossy or textured surface finish. Referring to FIG. 3, the low temperature door further includes three panes or lites G of glass, namely an inner lite 17, a middle lite 18 and an outer lite 19 that are assembled and held together by the molded frame F. The precise number of lites may be other than described herein without departing from the scope of the present invention, but at least two lites would be used in the door. In an alternate embodiment, the middle lite is made of low-emissivity glass. A flexible magnetic strip holder 20 is attached to the frame F on an inside surface. The strip 20 has a continuous ridge 20a which is received in a channel 20b extending around the frame. Typical magnetic strips (not shown) are received in a pocket 20c of the magnetic strip holder 20. As known, the magnetic strips 20c releasably attach to metal plates 20d (FIG. 15) on mullions 14 of the door casing C to seal the door D against the casing C when the door is closed.

The glass lites are held in parallel spaced apart, generally face-to-face positions relative to each other by a spacer S to form a basic glass panel subassembly preliminary to molding the frame. Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the spacer is made of polypropylene, or other suitable material, which has low thermal and electrical conductivity. In a three lite door, two separator or spacer body portions 21 of the spacer S are inwardly disposed between adjacent pairs of the glass lites (i.e. 17,18 and 18,19), and these portions 21 are joined together by an integral, unitary outer wall portion 22. The number of separator portions depends upon the number of glass lites to be spaced by the separator portions. Each separator or spacer body portion 21 has a generally D-shaped or rectangular configuration with spaced side walls 21a connected by a free inner wall 21b opposite to the outer wall member 22. The side walls 21a are engaged in surface contact with respective glass lites (17,18 or 18,19) adjacent to the free edge margins 23 thereof. In addition, sealing lip 23a is provided along the juncture of the outward side wall and free wall (21a,21b) of each spacer body 21 as an additional assurance of continuous sealing engagement of the spacer bodies 21 with the respective inner surfaces 17a,19a of the outermost glass lites 17,19. Continuous sealing contact of the spacer all the way around the lites is necessary to prevent molded material from encroaching the closed off air spaces 23b between adjacent lites during formation of the door frame F. The sealing lips 23a, as shown in FIG. 3, are deflected from their resting positions when the separator portions are installed between adjacent glass lites.

The planar-outer wall 22 forms one wall of each spacer body 21 and has a connecting web 22a between the spacer bodies and also projects laterally outwardly to form flanges 22b at the outer longitudinal edges of the spacer. The laterally projecting flange portions 22b abut against the outer peripheral edge margins 23 of the inner and outer lites 17,19 in the door for additional sealing and also to maintain the spacer in position under frame molding pressure. Still referring to FIG. 3, the spacer bodies 21 are hollow (24), but filled with a suitable material for trapping moisture, such as a desiccant 24a (e.g., activated alumina). The inner wall 21b of each spacer body 21 has suitable holes or slots 24b spaced along its length to permit any moisture inside the air spaces 23b between adjacent lites to enter the hollow interior 24 and be trapped by the desiccant.

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 4A, the spacer S is fabricated as a flat extruded strip with four angle-cut notches 25 being formed in the spacer body 21 at locations corresponding to the four corners of the basic glass panel for the door D. The spacer S forms an outer peripheral covering for the three lites 17, 18, 19 by coming together at the corners (in the fashion of a miter joint) when the spacer is assembled around the lites so that the spacer segments mate and extend continuously along the sides and through the chamfered corners. The spacer S is constructed with five sequential segments identified in FIG. 4 as 26a-26e, and being interconnected at the angle cuts 25 by the continuous outer wall 22. Clearly, when the spacer S is folded or bent during assembly with the glass lites, the two alternate short segments 26b and 26d will be in opposed relation and form the short horizontal top and bottom walls of the panel. The long segment 26c will define the long vertical wall margin of the panel that will become the outer free (unhinged) handle margin of the door, and the two remaining segments 26a and 26e at the free ends 25a of the strip will close the inner hinged vertical margin of the panel, as now described.

The free ends 25a of the spacer strip S are joined together by a unique electrical plug-in and spacer locking key 30, shown best in FIGS. 5, 5A, 6, 6A and 11-13. The key 30 has a main assembly or locking body section 31, and an electrical connector section 32 to be described later. The main body section 31 is constructed and arranged to mate with and join the free ends 25a of the spacer S, and it is configured with spaced separator bodies 31a and a connecting wall 31b with outer flanges to match the configuration of the spacer 21. Connector blocks or keys 31c project longitudinally from both ends of the separator bodies 31a, and these are sized to fit into the hollow cavities 24 of the spacer bodies 21 (FIGS. 5, 5A and 6A). In addition, the inner wall 21b of the spacer bodies 21 have an orifice 31d adjacent to their free edge 25a, and each key 31c has a chamfered locking detent 31e to snap lock into these holes 31d and form a secure interlock therewith. The spacer S is free of a bonded seal connection to the respective glass lites 17-19 except through the final molded door frame F, as will be described.

An important feature of the invention is the aluminum tape 33 which is applied to the outer surface of the outer wall 22 and flange 22b. Referring to FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, the aluminum foil tape 33 has a main body 33a that covers the entire outer wall 22 of the spacer S and an edge wrap that extends around the outer flange segments 22b and, preferably, onto the adjacent outer surfaces of the inner and outer lites 17,19. Thus, as shown in FIG. 4, the aluminum foil tape 33 may be provided as a unitary one-piece main body sheet 33a with integral edge wrap portions (33b) or as a series of main body sheets 33a corresponding to the five sections 26a-26e of the spacer strip 21. The foil sheets 33a may be applied to cover the outer wall 22 throughout its length so that the spacer is foil covered before it is assembled with the glass lites 17-19. In that event, the width of the aluminum tape would be only slightly greater than the width of the outer wall 22. The tape may wrap around and under the flanges 22b and would be in contact with the peripheral edge of the outer lites 17,19 when installed. The electrical plug-in and locking key 30 is also covered with the aluminum tape 33c. The aluminum tape 33 provides a non-structural moisture barrier to inhibit significant transfer or migration of water vapor into the spaces 23b between the lites for many years. It is to be understood that other materials having the appropriate moisture barrier properties could also be used for the tape, in particular other metals. It is possible to manufacture a door which has no such tape, but the lifetime of the door would be shortened by moisture ingress unless other materials for the spacers or the molded door frame with sufficiently low moisture permeability can be identified.

As indicated, the basic glass panel with assembled lites, spacer and metal foil tape is encased in the outer molded door frame F. As shown in FIG. 3, this frame F has a main body portion 35 that surrounds the periphery of the glass panel subassembly, and has an outer wall margin 35a and side walls 35b that extend inwardly and capture the outer glass surface margins (35c) of the inner and outer lites 17,19.

The reach-in door D is mounted on the door casing C of the refrigerated merchandiser M for swinging motion between a closed position in which the door covers the front opening 11 in the cabinet 10 (center door in FIG. 2), and an open position for access to the refrigerated display zone 13 within the cabinet (left door in FIG. 2). Referring to FIGS. 7, 7A, 9 and 9A, the