Reach-in refrigerated display case with ambient air defrost

Abstract

A refrigerated display case, of the reach-in type having a door normally closing a customer access opening, utilizes ambient air for defrost purposes by channeling it through an inlet conduit at the bottom of the case. The air is introduced into the normal air circulation pattern that obtains during the refrigerating cycle of the case, at the intake sides of the otherwise conventional primary circulating fan and its adjacent evaporator coil. The arrangement avoids reversal of the normal air circulation pattern and maintains a small but noticeable air flow, during a defrost cycle, through the product display area and along the inside of the glass door surface. The inflow of ambient defrost air is directed into the case through a defrost air inlet conduit having at its outlet end a continuously open air supply port, which opens into the primary air duct to provide for said introduction of defrost air into the normal air pattern. Common to different forms of the invention are defrost air inlet and exhaust dampers that are normally closed during refrigeration cycles, but open together and remain open throughout each defrost cycle of the case.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.