Low temperature display merchandiser

A refrigerated merchandiser having a cabinet with an open front product display area, primary air system means including evaporator cooling means constructed and arranged for refrigerating primary air to low refrigeration temperatures and primary air circulating means for circulating the refrigerated primary air from said evaporator cooling means to maintain a substantially uniform low temperature throughout the display area, said display area including a lower well zone with a product supporting deck means, a portion of said deck means being a deck panel movable to a vertical front wall forming position, said primary system means including a plurality of vertically spaced shelves, each of which is constructed and arranged in said display area above the lower well zone to channel low temperature primary air therethrough and to discharge such air downwardly in a series of shelf-to-shelf primary air curtains immediately adjacent to the open front of the display area as part of the primary air circulating means, the primary air circulating means also discharging at least one other primary air curtain downwardly from the top of the merchandiser across the open front of the display area outwardly of the shelf-to-shelf primary air curtains, the air flow of said primary air curtains being the only positive air movement in said display area, and at least one other air system means constructed and arranged for forming another air curtain across the open front of the display area outwardly of said primary air curtains.

A refrigerated merchandiser having a cabinet with an open front product display area, primary air system means including evaporator cooling means constructed and arranged for refrigerating primary air to low refrigeration temperatures and primary air circulating means for circulating the refrigerated primary air from said evaporator cooling means to maintain a substantially uniform low temperature throughout the display area, said primary system means including a plurality of vertically spaced shelves, each of which is constructed and arranged to channel low temperature primary air therethrough and to discharge such air downwardly in a series of shelf-to-shelf primary air curtains immediately adjacent to the open front of the display area as part of the primary air circulating means, the primary air circulating means also discharging at least one other primary air curtain downwardly from the top of the merchandiser across the open front of the display area outwardly of the shelf-to-shelf primary air curtains, the air flow of said primary air curtains being the only positive air movement in said display area, and at least one other air system means constructed and arranged for forming another air curtain across the open front of the display area outwardly of said primary air curtains, said primary air system means having a normal display area refrigerating cycle in which said primary air curtains are downwardly formed at the open front of the display area, and defrost means for periodically defrosting the evaporator cooling means of said primary air system means including means for reversing the direction of said primary air circulation through the evaporator cooling means to thereby interrupt the formation of the downward primary air curtains, and in which the one other air system means comprises means for recirculating non-refrigerated air through the cabinet outwardly of said primary air system means to form a secondary air curtain, and maintaining said secondary air curtain across the open front of the display area during both the refrigerating and defrost cycles of the primary air system means.