Specialty Equipment Companies, Inc.

Ralph A Fuhrmann, Jr

Michael A Branz

Harry A Brancheau

Dan G Hopkins

A food preparation table includes a cabinet with a food preparation surface and a heat-insulated food storage compartment. An evaporator and a fan are disposed inside the cabinet so that air moves through the evaporator upon operation of the fan. In one embodiment, a temperature controller operates the evaporator fan only during operation of the refrigeration equipment in the cooling mode. A condiment plenum is disposed adjacent to the preparation surface and includes at least one condiment plenum wall that defines a complex structure. At least one open top condiment pan is received by the condiment plenum. A cool air supply system, which can include an auxiliary fan, one or more baffles, and air flow dams and guides, efficiently distributes cool air from a localized site, to widely dispersed locations, some of which being inside the storage compartment and some of which being exposed to the ambient atmosphere. A return air system efficiently collects relatively warmed air from widely dispersed locations and returns it to a localized site where the air can be efficiently recooled.

Food preparation table with open air food storage

A frozen merchandiser has a plurality of single pane, cylindrically curved, glass lids which are slidably counterbalanced with springs. Front and back plastic extrusions block the passaage of air, and the front extrusion provides a mounting surface for a handle. A refrigerated compartment has a fin-and-tube evaporator disposed in the upper portion thereof and against the rear wall thereof. The compartment has an access opening that is defined by a free edge of the front wall of the compartment and is disposed at a relatively low height above the floor on which the merchandiser rests. The mechanical components of the refrigeration system are mounted on a board that is slidable into and out of a housing which is heat insulated from the refrigerated compartment. The tubes carrying the refrigerant are disposed around and against the exterior of the compartment walls and held thereagainst by foamed heat insulation that surrounds the walls of the refrigerated compartment. A fan moves air across the compressor and condenser and up through a channel disposed in front of the compartment front wall and between the front wall and the cabinet. The channel has an exit slot defined by the free edge of a front edge member that is configured to direct air exiting the slot to attach to the exterior surface of each of the curved glass lids when they are enclosing any portion of the compartment access opening. The free edge of the front edge member is disposed at a relatively low height from the floor on which the merchandiser rests.

Growing community of inventors

Spartanburg, SC, United States of America

Ralph A Fuhrmann, Jr