The present invention relates to a refrigerating counter, in particular one for the continuous cooling of bottles, cans and similar containers, by means of a forced supply of cooling air, which is brought to flow along the bottles etc. while these are located in at least one bottle outlet in which the bottles are displayed, for sale, in the refrigerating counter.

Such refrigerating counters are known in various embodiments.

From NO publication No. 178 510 is known a refrigerating counter of the initially mentioned kind, in which the refrigerating counter is constructed on a central, upright, uppermost closed supply pipe for cold air, which pipe is surrounded by a concentric shell. Beneath the lower edge of the shell the bottle outlet is defined. The bottle outlet extends 360° about a vertical axis which coincides with the longitudinal axis of said central pipe. Above, the outlet has a thereto arranged magazine for the bottles, cans or

containers, which is defined between the central pipe and the concentric shell, and in which bottles etc. are located, and from where the bottles etc. will slide down into said outlet as bottles etc. are being removed from the outlet.

This known refrigerating counter brings the advantage that the bottles etc. at its outlet are accessible from all sides, i.e. 360 about the central upright supply pipe for cold air. To the shell, which is concentric with the pipe, is arranged an upper, coaxial cap which is vertically displaceable to make said magazine accessible for filling up with bottles, cans or other containers.

A substantial disadvantage of this refrigerating counter is its limited capacity as it is completely unsuitable for a multi-storey configuration.

Multi-storey refrigerating counters are known per se in several embodiments.

One conventional embodiment of a refrigerating counter of a multi-storey configuration which is constructively and functionally built with the aim to ensure continuous cooling of drinks in bottles and cans, is represented by cabinet-like refrigerating counters which typically have a front side with glass door and, behind this glass door, horizontal shelves; so-called refrigerated cabinets. Bottles and/or cans containing drinks stand in an upright position on the shelves, displayed for sale.

A substantial disadvantage of these multi-storey cabinet-like refrigerating counters with fixed shelves

is, i.a., that they are accessible only from one side out of totally four sides, i.e. through 90°, thus one fourth of the initially described refrigerating counter, whose bottle outlet extends through 360° in the horizontal plane. Another disadvantage is that it may be difficult to get a general view of the assortment of bottles and cans in such a cabinet, in which the frontmost bottles and cans hide those behind. The customers will often help themselves to one of the frontmost bottles, i.e. normally the bottle which was put lastly into the cabinet. The shop assistants are required to do the extra work of moving cold bottles etc. from the back of the shelves to the front, and bottles, which are not satisfactorily cooled, from the front to the rearmost part of the shelves.

Another refrigerating counter is disclosed in NO patent application No. 953211 (not published) . This refrigerating counter is, likewise, a multi-storey cabinet-like refrigerating counter whose bottle outlets (pull-out drawers) are of limited extension in the circumferential direction of the cabinet.

The refrigerating counter according to NO patent application No. 953211 has pull-out, specially formed drawers, which ensure adequate circulation of cold air. Each drawer comprises two joinable parts, an upper separate part, on which the bottles etc. rest and which constitutes the outlet, and a lower separate part with an intermediate air-supply/-extraction chamber. By means of a pressure fan the cold air is brought to flow in at the rear, at the centre of the lower part of the drawer, which part is defined by longitudinal partition walls, and is lead forward to the front edge area of the drawer, in which the upper part of the drawer is provided with rearwards directed perforations, so that

the cold air is blown rearwards over the bottles, cans etc. lying, displayed for sale, on top of the forwards sloping upper part of the drawer. Rearmost, the upper part of the drawer has perforations, through which the used cold air, which has taken up heat from the bottles, escapes and is drawn through rear, vertical channels for used air, which have a suction fan arranged thereto, back to the refrigerator aggregate of the refrigerating counter.

This refrigerating counter has a great capacity, and the individual drawers may contain many bottles and/or cans, as the refrigerating counter may easily be configured with five or more drawers along its height.

The object of the present invention was primarily to provide a stand-alone refrigerating counter of great capacity.

The object has been achieved by means of a refrigerating counter which distinguishes itself through the characterizing features which appear from the characterizing part of claim 1.

The refrigerating counter according to the present invention shows the following features in combination:

- a multi-storey arrangement of the outlets for bottles, cans etc., and

- a 360° access in the horizontal plane to each outlet.

A multi-storey refrigerating counter in which the bottle outlet of each storey has a 360° access in the

horizontal plane, is ,according to the present invention, constructed on a centrally air-leading, hollow column, known in itself, and which may in itself be constructed of joined coaxial tubular sections. The hollow column is surrounded by a concentric tube, which may, likewise, be constructed of joined shorter tubular sections, which may each be assembled from e.g. four 90° circumferential parts having two axial delimiting edges (which are vertical during application) and two opposite directed, quarter-circularly arc-shaped terminal edges.

In a first embodiment the central hollow column is closed at the bottom, beneath which is arranged a pressure fan, which draws in air from the surroundings through slots in the side wall of the bottom area of the refrigerating counter, and brings the air to cool in the refrigerator aggregate of the refrigerating counter, before being brought into upward flow. The hollow column is, as mentioned, closed at the bottom in this embodiment and provided with radial inlet pipe sockets which correspond with inflow holes (for radial flow from outside/inwards) formed in said outer, concentric tube, which inflow holes communicate with the upper bottle receiving chamber of each bottle outlet which is provided with a double bottom and receives used cooling air from the bottle outlet and transfers it to the vertical cavity of the central column, through said radial pipe sockets of the hollow column. To the upper open end of the hollow column is arranged a suction fan, which is arranged in a central bore in an upper cap, and which effects a forced axially directed flow of used cooling air away from the refrigerating counter. In this embodiment, in the central hollow column with the radially directed pipe sockets, only this unidirectional flow of used air from

below/upwards takes place. Said outer concentric tube has, likewise, outflow holes for cold air in a lower part of each outlet defining one storey, the outflow holes in the outer concentric tube constituting inflow holes in the lower chamber in the respective storey, i.e. in the cavity between the lower bottom (belonging to said lower part) of the outlet and the intermediate bottom (belonging to said upper part) . Cold air entering the room defined between the two parts of the outlet, flows radially forwards to radial inward holes of the upper part and out through these, to cool bottles, cans etc. lying on said intermediate bottom. At the 360° circularly running outer edge of each storey/outlet, the upper part is formed with radially inwards directed supply holes for cold air for the supply of flowing cold air, flowing in between the bottles etc. and passing in a heat-exchanging contact with the side surfaces.

A main embodiment of the refrigerating counter according to the invention distinguishes itself through a central, elongate, upright, column-shaped hollow body which has several parallel, mutually separate air-flow- channels, of which at least one channel leads fresh cold air to the bottle outlets of the respective storeys, while at least one other channel, separate from the first one, leads used cooling air, first said channel(s) having a lower pressure fan arranged thereto, while the channel(s) for used air has (have) an upper suction fan arranged thereto, enabling blowout of the used air which has been cooling bottles, cans or similar containers while passing these in the respective outlets. The outlet in the respective storey is, in this main embodiment, in principle the same as that of the embodiment first described, but may be constructed of two or more segments, each constituting

a quarter of each outlet, and said lower part has vertical, radial, delimiting walls, which are mutually perpendicular and which are formed to allow joining to adjacent segments. These delimiting walls replace said partition walls of the former embodiment. Each outlet segment supports, at the radially inner terminal edges of the delimiting walls, a quarter, i.e. 90°, of an outer pipe-section concentrically surrounding the central, column-shaped hollow body, and having a lower hole for the supply of fresh cold air in beneath the intermediate bottom, which fresh cold air - as in the first embodiment - flows out of radial inward holes, and flows in between bottles, cans etc. and cools them, and an upper hole for the outflow of used cold air from the upper part of the outlet, the intermediate bottom forming a supporting shelf for bottles, cans etc. Fresh cold air is supplied to each quarter segment from one or more mutually separate, vertically running channels in the central, column-like hollow body of the refrigerating counter, which extends through all storeys of the refrigerating counter, corresponding to the number of bottle outlets. Used air is received by at least one corresponding channel in the column-like hollow body from each quarter outlet segment, and is blown out at the top of the central, column-like hollow body.

Both main embodiments have advantageous individual parts and components for rational production of the respective refrigerating counter. At the bottle outlet of each storey, said intermediate bottom, which is supported by the upper part of the bottle-supporting shelf, has a downward sloping supporting shelf portion in a radial outward direction, which downwards sloping shelf portion of the intermediate bottom passes into an upwards sloping shelf portion in a radial outward

direction. The downward shelf portion ensures that bottles, cans etc. slide on the sloping surface radially outwards, towards the most common outlet for bottles cans etc., namely the radially outermost portion of the supporting shelf (intermediate bottom) , which portion tapers upwards in a radially outward direction, thus stopping the sliding movement of the bottles, cans etc.

In another main embodiment of the invention which comprises more modified subordinate embodiments, in which the central, tubular column is closed at its upper end, and at its lower open end passes into one or more laterally directed branch pipes having downwards facing, open lower end, the upper end of this (these) branch pipe(s) "closing" the lower end of the central, tubular column to the surroundings under complete internal air communication between said branch pipe(s) and the tubular column. In this group of embodiments, the central tubular column likewise serves as a used- air-leading pipe, but here the used air is transported in the opposite direction compared to the other main type of embodiments, namely downwards, partly because of the still cold air's greater weight than that of the ambient air, partly because of displacement by continuously supplied recently cooled cold air through the outer concentric pipe. In this embodiment and in modified embodiments the used air is recycled in a circuit. Such embodiments are energy saving, because less energy is required for the further cooling of cold used air which will normally have a lower temperature than the ambient air.

In a somewhat modified embodiment there may, in the transition portion between the central, tubular column and the therefrom extending and radially

outwards/downwards running branch-pipe(s) , be arranged a fan or similar suction/blowing device to effect a forced flow of the used air.

In an embodiment alternative to this latter embodiment, the fan in said transition portion is left out; instead the lower end portion of the branch pipe or of each branch pipe has a fan or similar blowing/suction device arranged thereto.

Examples of embodiments of refrigerating counters in accordance with the present invention will be explained in detail in the following with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which

Figs. 1 - 5 illustrate a first embodiment while figs. 6 - 8 show a second embodiment, and more specifically

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an assembled, five- storey refrigerating counter according to a first embodiment;

Fig. 2 shows a vertical axial section of the refrigerating counter in fig. 1;

Fig. 3 corresponds to fig. 2, but illustrates through arrows the air flows, i.e. the flow paths for the fresh cold air, the unused cooling air and the flow paths for used air;

Fig. 4 shows the bottle outlet in one storey of the refrigerating counter of figs. 1 - 3 and a section of a central, column-like hollow body extending through all storeys of the refrigerating counter;

Fig. 5 is an perspective split view, showing the individual parts which may constitute the bottle outlet according to fig. 4;

Fig. 6 shows a perspective axial section of a refrigerating counter according to a second embodiment, in which the flow path for fresh cold air, respectively used air, is indicated for a quarter segment of a bottle outlet through two vertical, mutually separate channels formed in the central, column-like element;

Fig. 7 shows a perspective split view of the configuration of one outlet by separate components;

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a quarter segment for constructing a bottle outlet according to fig. 7.

Fig. 9 corresponds to fig. 2, but shows a further embodiment in which the upper end of the central, tubular column is closed, and in which, based on this feature and a special configuration of the lower end portion of the column pipe, recycling of used air has been established, without any particular additional fan;

Fig. 10 corresponds to fig. 3, but shows a modification of the embodiment of fig. 9, in which there is arranged, in the lower portion of the central, tubular column, at the point where the latter internally passes into at least one branch pipe extending radially outwards and downwards, a fan for used air, to establish and maintain a forced flow in the used air back to the refrigerating aggregate;

Fig. 11 corresponds to fig. 10, but shows a modification of the latter consisting in omitting the used-air-fan from the lower end area of the tubular column, and instead providing the branch pipe, respectively each branch pipe with a separate fan organ.

A refrigerating counter configured in accordance with figs. 1 - 5 comprises five storeys of 360° accessible supporting shelves 10a - lOe forming receiving compartments and outlets for not shown bottles, cans etc. The refrigerating counter has a lower hollow base 12 for receiving the refrigerating aggregate, and in whose wall there is formed through slots 14 for drawing in air for cooling, and slots 14* for blowing out warm air from the refrigerating aggregate. In figs. 9 - 11 there are only ventilating slots 14' in a lower chamber of the hollow base 12, in a tightening manner separate from an upper chamber having no such slots.

In fig. 1 reference numeral 16 indicates an upper cap with a central, vertical through hole 18 for the blowout of used air. Moreover, vertical, supporting and rigidizing partition walls 20 are shown, which in the exemplary embodiment according to figs. 1 - 5 divide the supporting shelf 10a - lOe of each bottle outlet into four 90° segments. Reference numeral 22 indicates vertically flush sleeves in the form of tubular sections for the construction of an outer pipe which concentrically surrounds an elongate, upright, central, column-like hollow body, which is not visible in fig. 1, but which corresponds with the vertically through hole 18 in the cap 16.

At the radially outer, upwards sloping circumferential portion of each bottle supporting shelf 10a - lOe of each storey of the refrigerating counter, there is formed a great number of radially inward holes 24 which are located and spaced along a horizontal circle, corresponding to the circumferential form of the supporting shelf.

Reference is now made to figs. 2 and 3:

It appears that a base 12 of the refrigerating counter is divided at about half its height by means of a horizontal plate 26 which is tight and is connected in a tightening manner by its circumference to the inner mantle surface of the base 12. The plate 26 divides the base 12 into two chambers 28 and 28'. In the lower chamber 28' is positioned a compressor 30, an electronics box 32 and a fan housing 34 for a not shown fan. It appears that the elongate, horizontally extending, through slots 14, 14' are present both in the upper camber 28 and in the lower chamber 28*.

In the upper chamber 28 the reference numeral 36 indicates an evaporator, and 38 an underlying fan device which is arranged to draw in air radially from the surroundings and blow it - the cooling effect through evaporation having been exploited - axially, vertically upwards.

Between the compressor 30 and the evaporator 36 a first pipeline 40 leads through the plate 26, and a second pipeline 42 from the evaporator through the plate 26 to the fan housing 34, in which the not shown fan is arranged to blow supplied warm air out through the slots 14' .

The refrigerating counter according to the embodiment of figs. 1 - 5 comprises, as mentioned, a central, elongate, upright, column-like hollow body 44 which is concentrically surrounded by an outer pipe 22, as can partly be seen from fig. 1. The outer pipe 22 may be constructed of coaxial pipe sections arranged on top of each other, ref. fig. 4.

Each of the bottle supporting shelves 10a - lOe of the refrigerating counter are divided through the radial partition walls 20 into four 90° segments, each of which has at least one lower supply opening 46 for fresh cold air and at least one upper outlet opening 48 for used cooling air, arranged thereto. Said lower supply openings 46 are formed in the outer concentric pipe 22, while said blowout openings 48 are each formed by en opening 48' in the outer concentric pipe 22 and a corresponding radial, through bore in a radially outwards directed pipe socket 50 on the central, column-like hollow body 44, which through a lower end wall 44' is tight at the bottom.

The central, upright, column-like hollow body 44 has uppermost an open end, and has in the immediate vicinity above this opening a suction fan 58 arranged thereto, which is arranged in the vertical through hole 18 of the cap 16.

The bottle/can supporting shelf lOa - lOe in each of the five outlets, one in each storey of the refrigerating counter, is, besides the thereto arranged tubular section of the outer concentric pipe 22, and the four radially arranged, through 90° angular displacement distributed partition walls 20, essentially constructed from an underlying, dish-

shaped, unitary part 54 having a central hole 54' through which it may be passed down onto the upright, column-like hollow body 44, ref. fig. 5, and four abovelying segments 56a, 56b, 56c and 56d of an upper bottle supporting shelf part which together with the four partition walls 20 and the pipe section of the outer concentric pipe 22 constitute one supporting shelf for one outlet defining one of the five storeys of the refrigerating counter.

When the ten individual parts according to the perspective split view in fig. 5 are assembled, the 360° circularly running supporting shelf is achieved, as shown in fig. 4, but whose internal configuration can best be seen from figs. 2 and 3.

The underlying, dish-shaped shelf part 54 has a mainly horizontal bottom part, while the abovelying shelf part slopes downwards in a radially outward direction, so that the bottles, cans or similar containers will seek to slide radially outwards, i.e. towards the natural outlet at the front (radially outer) portion of each upper ring-shaped supporting shelf part, which portion has an upward slope in a radially outward direction, in order to stop too violent sliding of bottles towards the front portion of the outlet.

Between the horizontal bottom of the underlying dish- shaped supporting shelf part 54 and the downward tapering bottom of the abovelying 90° shelf segments 56a - 56d, together forming an upper shelf part, a cavity 60 is created in each storey, which cavity 60 has the supply of cold air arranged thereto, through the supply openings 46 of the outer concentric pipe 22. Due to the mutual configuration and adapted forms of

the lower and upper shelf parts, the supplied cold air flows to the radially inwards directed outflow openings 24 in the outer circumferential part of the upper shelf part 56a - 56b. Because of the suction fan 58 above the, at the upper end open, column-like hollow body 44, which has a closed lower end, a negative pressure is created in the cavity of the upright column 44, whereby used cooling air is drawn in radially through the radial pipe sockets 50 of the hollow column 44, out of the outlet, to which new cold air is supplied.

The air flows are shown in detail in fig. 3. The peripheral, radially inwards directed outlets 24 for cold air are located at a higher level in each storey than the outlet openings 48' in the outer concentric pipe 22. This difference in height gives rise to a favourable downwards sloping flow of the supplied cold air, in between bottles, cans or similar lying on the respective supporting shelf 10a - lOe, displayed for sale.

Reference is now made to figs. 6 - 8 showing a second embodiment which has all the main features of the already described first embodiment according to figs. 1 - 5.

In the embodiment according to figs. 6 - 8, parts which are identical or functionally equivalent to corresponding parts of the embodiment according to figs. 1 - 5, have been given the same reference numerals and an additional capital letter A for parts of a certain constructional difference. Thus, the refrigerating counter according to figs. 6 - 8 likewise comprises five main outlets formed by supporting shelves 10a - lOe and arranged storeywise. Each

supporting shelf 10a - lOe, in the assembled state, essentially corresponds to the embodiment in figs. 1 - 5, even though the construction itself differs somewhat. The base 12 of the refrigerating counter is formed with through, circular holes 14A corresponding to the elongate, horizontal slots 14, 14' in figs. 1 - 5. An abovelying evaporator 36 with an underlying fan device 38 drawing in air radially and feeding it out axially, is arranged in the first, upper chamber 28 of the base 12, while the compressor 30, electronics box 32 and fan housing 34 are in the same locations and have the same functions as before. A horizontal plate 26 divides the cavity of the base 12 into upper and lower chambers 28, 28', respectively.

Instead of the central, upright, column-like hollow body in figs. 1 - 5, the embodiment in figs. 6 - 8 has a central upright column 62 with longitudinal channels 63a, 63b, 63c, 63d, 63e, 63f, 63g and 63h, fig. 7, which are defined between radial, axially extending partition walls (with no reference numerals) .

Every second longitudinal channel, for example 63a, 63c ... is closed at its lower end by means of transversal plates 66A, 66C ..., but is open at its upper end, while the other, intermediate longitudinal channels, for example 63b, 63d, 63h ... are closed at their upper ends by means of transversal plates 68b, 68d, 68h ... , but are open at their lower ends.

Each pipe section, 22 in figs. 1 - 5, is in the embodiment according to figs. 6 - 8, constituted by four 90° segments, each being formed with a lower and an upper hole 46A, 48A respectively, corresponding to

the holes 46 and 48 in the pipe sections constituting the outer concentric pipe.

In fig. 6 is shown only one such pipe section segment 22A whose inlet hole 46A is located in the channel 63h, which is open at its lower end, in order to lead the flow of cold air in the channel 63h into the space 60 between the lower and upper supporting shelf parts, and from there, out through the radially inwards directed outflow holes 24, in between bottles, cans etc. to let these be swept with cold air for cooling purposes, before the used cold air flows out through the outflow opening 48A in the pipe section segment 22A into the in the upper part open channel 63f for forced discharge through the central, through hole 18 of the cap 16. The cap 16 is closed at its bottom by a horizontal lower plate 16'. The outflow of used air is effected by means of the suction fan 58 in the same way as in the first embodiment. Arrows illustrate the upward flow of cold air from the lower end of the channel 63h to the inlet opening 46A, from there on, radially outwards in the space 60 between the bottom of the lower shelf part and the bottom (the intermediate bottom) of the upper shelf part, and from the circumferential openings 24 in respective supporting shelf lOe, whose orifices are directed radially inwards, preferably somewhat downwards sloping, towards the outlet opening 48A and, from there on, into the channel 63f.

Figs. 7 and 8 show the more exact constructive configuration of the individual annular bottle supporting shelves 10a - lOe in fig. 6.

Each self is divided into four 90° segments 56A - 56D. The lower part 54A here supports the radial, vertical

partition walls 20A, of which every second one is provided with an upper edge flange 64, by which the lower part 54A can be hitched to the upper edge portion of the adjacent partition wall of another lower part of the respective supporting shelf. The 90° segment 22A of the pipe section is, according to fig. 8, supported by the radially inner edges of the partition wall 20A. The segment 22A has two parallel upright strips 70, whose spacing corresponds to the thickness of the radial, axially running walls (with no reference numerals) , defining the longitudinal channels 63a - 63h, and through which the segments 22A and thus the lower shelf part 54A (with the loose upper self part lying on top) may be pressed into engagement with the central upright column 62 which is formed with the longitudinal channels 63a - 63h.

Each fully assembled, ring-shaped bottle supporting shelf 10a - lOe has the same fundamental configuration and the same functions as the annular shelves 10a - lOe in figs. 1 - 5, i.e. with an underlying space 60 allowing the cold air to be fed from the channels in the central upright column element 62 to the peripheral, radially inwards directed outflow openings 24.

In both embodiments, the four upper annular supporting shelves 10b - lOe, may, at a peripherally underlying portion (of the lower shelf part 54; 54A) , have downward openings (not shown) , through which an insignificant amount of could air escapes, in order to let the hand, seeking a cold bottle in the underlying annular shelf 10a - lOd, feel the pleasing flows of cold air.

Figs. 9 - 11 show three variants, comprised by another main embodiment. A common feature of these three variants is that the upper end 44" of the central tubular column 44 is closed, while the lower end thereof is open and has a special branch pipe device 72, 74 arranged thereto. These features of the central, tubular column 44, which, besides, is provided with radially projecting pipe sockets 50, extending through the wall of the column 44 and corresponding with holes 48' in said outer, concentric pipe 22 for drawing in used cooling air to the hollow column 44.

The lower open end of the central, tubular column 44 is internally in air-flow communication with for example four branch pipes 72 which close the lower end of the tubular column 44 to the surroundings, and extend radially outwards and then downwards, so that their end opening 74 are facing downwards and are positioned at a certain distance from the main fan 38 of the refrigerating counter, which draws in the recycled used air when it has been cooled again in the refrigerating aggregate of the refrigerating counter, as in previous embodiments.

The embodiment according to fig. 10, in which the air¬ flow patterns are illustrated by arrows, distinguishes itself in the main from fig. 9 by the fact that in the lower portion of the central, tubular column 44 a fan or similar suction/blowing device 76 is arranged, to ensure the flow of the used air for recycling and establish a closed circuit for air.

The embodiment according to fig. 11 distinguishes itself form fig. 10 mainly by the fact that the fan 76 has been omitted from the lower end area of the

central, tubular column 44. On the other hand, the radially outward-downward branch pipes 72, at their lower open end portions 74, each have a fan 78 arranged thereto.