DE202024000844U1 - display case with insulating glass - Google Patents

Abstract

Display case with front glass (3) and cover glass (4) made of insulating glass, each consisting of at least two spaced-apart panes with an outer edge bond (6,7), characterized in that the edge bond (6) of the upper cover glass and the edge bond (7) of the front glass in the areas where the two panes adjoin one another consist of a transparent material.

Description

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

Warming display cabinets are equipped with heating in the form of electric heating elements or heat lamps, sometimes also with a circulating air fan and a humidification device. They are made from the DE 20 2020 000 368 U1 and the AT 5153388 A1 known.

In order to prevent windows from fogging up and to save energy, it is state of the art to use insulating glazing for each individual pane of the display case.
In order to clean the inner surfaces, especially the glass, the front glass can usually be folded down or swung upwards. For this purpose, for example, in the DE 10 2008 025 434 A1 a display case attachment with a hinged front glass that is easily accessible for cleaning the interior surfaces is described. However, the solution described here is not suitable for display cases made of insulating glass, as the holes required in the side panes and the upper cover glass are not possible with gas-tight insulating glass.

The EP 34 090 660 A1 shows a refrigerated display case with a special door arrangement. The display case described here is also only made of single glass and cannot be made in a similar way with insulating glass. The holes in the side panes and cover glass required for the corner connectors are problematic. The same applies to the EP 3 090 661 A1 and the DE 20 2019 001 043 U1 .
From the DE 10 2019 130 936 B3 A heated product display is known in which the glass structure is also made of single glass. The front glass can be pushed upwards to clean the inner surfaces. Bolts are mounted on the side panes for this purpose, which engage a guide track attached to the front pane. This also requires drilling holes in the side panes.

Common insulating glass consists of two spaced-apart panes with an aluminum edge seal and a mostly black sealing compound. When insulating glass is used in display cases, the known solutions always result in more or less wide, annoying stripes in the corners due to the edge seals of the insulating glass panes.

From the DE 198 28 333 A1 is a cabinet with a temperature-insulated interior with walls and doors made of glass elements. Here, the edge of the insulating glass is used to mount fittings and is covered with a visual panel. However, this means that the view of the products on display in the edge area of the panes is severely restricted.

From the US 4 660 903 A display case made of insulating glass is known. Here, the spacers of the insulating glass in the corners are covered with special profiles. However, this in turn means that the view of the products on display is restricted. In addition, cleaning the inner panes is relatively complex.

From the GB000002435896A A corner-running insulating glass is known. This could, for example, take on the role of the front glass and the cover glass. This would make the transition between the front glass and the cover glass transparent without an edge seal. However, the manufacture of this glass is relatively complex and access for cleaning the inside of the panes is relatively difficult.

From the WO 2012/163748A1 An interesting refrigerated display case is known in which the glass structure is made of spaced panes. Here, no single flat insulating glass panes with edge seals are used, but two interlocking glass attachments are made, which are then tightly connected to one another at the connection points at the bottom and on the access side using spacer profiles. The important viewing area between the front pane and the cover pane therefore has no edge seal that restricts visibility. This solution is very advantageous in terms of transparency. However, this glass attachment is also very complex to manufacture. In addition, the front pane cannot be opened or closed to clean the inside, for example. The interior surfaces can only be cleaned from the access side. If intermediate edges are added, as is usually the case, cleaning the inside of the windscreen in particular is extremely time-consuming.

Task

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

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

In the case of the display case of the type mentioned, the invention provides for the edge bond of the upper cover glass (6) and the edge bond of the front glass (7) in the areas where the two glasses adjoin one another to be made of a transparent material. Transparent in the sense of the invention means that the material is see-through. A viewer can see the objects arranged behind the layer of material. The material is therefore translucent and preferably has a light transmission in the visible spectrum of at least 70%, particularly preferably of at least 80%. In addition, the material has as little light scattering as possible (haze), i.e. the haze value is less than 40%, preferably less than 20%. The front and/or cover glass can consist of 2 or more spaced-apart panes. The edge bond is the area that connects and seals both panes along the outer cut surfaces of the panes.

According to claim 2, a transparent plastic is particularly suitable for the transparent part of the edge seal, as it is easier to work with than glass. The required tightness is achieved by gluing.

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

If the front glass (3) is designed to be pivotable outwards according to claim 4, the front glass (3) can be easily pivoted open for cleaning the inside.

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

In a display case that is installed in a sales counter, the operating staff often pass goods over the display case to the customer. Therefore, the upper glass surface should have as few interruptions as possible. At the same time, the transparent edge connections of the front glass (7) and cover glass (6) should be arranged one behind the other as far as possible when viewed from the customer. These two points can be achieved if, according to claim 6, the outer pane of the cover glass (9) on the customer side (13) projects beyond the inner pane of the cover glass (8) by a dimension that corresponds approximately to the thickness of the front glass (3).

If, according to claim 7, the outer pane of the cover glass (4) projects beyond the front glass (3), so that the outer projecting pane of the cover glass (9) can be used as a handle for pivoting open the cover glass (4), it is not necessary to install an additional handle. In addition, the pane area is thus significantly more transparent than with an additionally installed handle.

In order to prevent the pivotably mounted front glass (3) from falling towards the customer side (13), it can be fixed according to claim 8 using a holding element (23) which is arranged on the cover glass (4). If the cover glass (4) is pivoted up with one hand, the fixation of the front glass (3) is released and the front glass (3) can be pivoted away with the other hand.

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

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

For easy cleaning, it is advantageous to attach the retaining elements (23) to the underside of the protruding pane of the cover glass (9) according to claim 11. If it is glued here, the upper side of the cover glass (4) remains seamless and can thus be cleaned more easily.

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

However, if the side panes (5) are arranged laterally next to the front pane (3) according to claim 13, they can be mounted in such a way that they can be removed from the customer side (13) of the display case for cleaning.

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

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

If the edge connection of the cover glass (4) and the edge connection of the front glass (3) according to claim 16 on the left and right sides of the display case are also transparent, this also results in less restriction of visibility.

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

If, according to claim 18, the side pane (5) has a holding element (26, 27) in the upper area or in the rear area, which is also open towards the customer side (13) of the display case, the side pane (5) can be pulled out towards the customer side (13) without tools. This also makes it possible to arrange several display cases directly next to each other. If the adjacent side panes (5) then become dirty, they can simply be pulled out of the display case to the front for cleaning.

If the display case according to claim 19 includes means for cooling (15, 16), it can be used as a refrigerated display case.
It is then advantageous to arrange the means for cooling (15) and the means for circulating the cooled air (16) below the lowest shelf (10). The goods area thus remains transparent and as free as possible from technology that restricts visibility.

According to claim 21, the display case can contain means for heating. It can thus be used as a display case for keeping things warm. However, it is also possible to provide both means for cooling (15, 16) and means for keeping things warm, so that cooling or heating can be switched on optionally via switches.

A heater can advantageously be arranged under the lowest shelf (10) according to claim 22. The heater is then also not visible to the customer and does not disrupt the transparent appearance of the display case.

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

The lateral visibility restriction caused by the support frames (12) can be reduced if the support frames (12) according to claim 24 each contain two stands arranged at a distance. The stands can be made very slim and still bear a high load. The upper shelves (11) can be attached directly to these stands or placed on shelf supports which can be hung in recesses on the stands, for example.

It is also advantageous for a transparent appearance if the support frames (12) according to claim 25 are set back from the edge of the upper goods shelves (11) located on the front customer side (13). This means that the goods are in the foreground and not the support frames (12).

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

If the cover glass (4) according to claim 27 rests on at least one support frame (12), the cover glass (4) can be placed back on the support frame after lifting and opening the front glass (3). The folded-down front glass (3) can now be easily cleaned. The side windows (4) can also now be easily pulled out for cleaning, as the cover glass (4) does not rest on the side windows (5).

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

The drawings illustrate a suitable embodiment.

• 1: 3D-Ansicht einer Kühlvitrine im Betriebszustand
• 2: 3D-Ansicht der Kühlvitrine im Reinigungszustand
• 3: Schnitt durch eine Kühlvitrine im Betriebszustand
• 4: Detail Eckbereich Vorderglas-Deckglas
• 5: Schnitt durch die Kühlvitrine im Reinigungszustand

They show:

• 1 : 3D view of a refrigerated display case in operating condition
• 2 : 3D view of the refrigerated display case in cleaning state
• 3 : Section through a refrigerated display case in operating condition
• 4 : Detail corner area front glass cover glass
• 5 : Cross-section of the refrigerated display case during cleaning

1 . shows a 3D view of a refrigerated display case in operation. The tub (1) contains the means of cooling. Above the tub (1) is the lower shelf (10). The support frame (12) holds the upper shelves (11). The goods area is limited by the glass structure (2). A lamp (21) is arranged above each shelf.

2 . shows a 3D view in the cleaning state. Here, the cover glass (4) is being lifted so that the holding elements (23) attached to the cover glass (4) release the front glass (3). The front glass (3) can then be swiveled away and the cover glass (4) can now be placed back on the support frame (12).
The inside of the front glass (3) can now be easily cleaned.
The side glasses (5), which are located at the bottom in a U-shaped guide rail (24) that is open towards the front, are held at the top by a holding element (26) and at the back by a U-shaped rear holding element (27), can now be pulled out to the front for cleaning when the front glass (3) is open. The stop elements (25) glued to the side glasses (5) are now located above the folded-down front glass.

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

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

4 shows the connection area between the front glass (3) and the cover glass (4) in detail. The cover glass (4) consists of the inner pane (8) and the outer pane (9). In the connection area to the front glass, these two panes are kept at a distance via the transparent edge seal (6).
The outer pane (9) is longer than the inner pane (8) in the connection area, so that it extends beyond the front glass. This creates a continuous surface on the top without slots.
The front glass also consists of an inner pane and an outer pane, which are kept at a distance by a transparent edge composite (7).
The tiltable front glass (3) is held in the closed position of the glass structure (2) by the stop element (25) and the holding elements (23). The stop element (25) is made of transparent plastic, for example, and is glued to the side pane. The holding elements (23) are kept relatively narrow and are glued to the underside of the protruding outer pane (9) of the cover glass in the outer corners of the cover glass (23).

5 shows a section through the refrigerated display case in the open cleaning state. By lifting the cover glass (4), the holding element (23) releases the front glass (3) so that it can be swung away via the lower tilting bearing (28). The cover glass (4) can now be swung back down and placed on the support frame (12) or on the height-adjustable element (30).
The tilting bearing profile (28) contains a stop so that the front glass has reached a stable position in the position shown. The inside of the front glass can now be easily cleaned. The inner side glass of the display case is now also easily accessible from the customer side.

list of reference symbols

1

tub

2

glass structure

3

front glass

4

cover glass

5

side glass

6

edge seal cover glass

7

edge seal front glass

8

inner pane cover glass

9

outer pane cover glass

10

lower shelf

11

upper shelf

12

support frame

13

customer side

14

operator side

15

vaporizer

16

fan

17

tub floor

18

gas pressure spring

19

Sequence

20

temperature controller

21

lamp

22

sliding door

23

holding element

24

U-shaped guide rail

25

stop element

26

upper holding element

27

rear retaining element

28

tilting bearing profile

29

swivel joint

30

height-adjustable element

QUOTES INCLUDED IN THE DESCRIPTION

This list of documents listed by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA accepts no liability for any errors or omissions.

Cited patent literature

• EP 3 090 661 A1 [0001, 0004]
• EP 3 090 660 A1 [0001]
• DE 20 2019 001 043 U1 [0001, 0004]
• DE 10 2008 025 434 A1 [0001, 0003]
• DE 20 2020 000 368 U1 [0002]
• AT 5153388 A1 [0002]
• EP 34 090 660 A1 [0004]
• DE 10 2019 130 936 B3 [0004]
• DE 198 28 333 A1 [0006]
• US 4 660 903 [0007]
• GB 000002435896A [0008]
• WO 2012/163748A1 [0009]

Claims (28)

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

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