Abstract: A refrigerated case includes a body having a left and a right side, a top, and a back. A refrigerated compartment is located within the body. A number of shelves are within the refrigerated compartment. A base compartment is below the refrigerated compartment. A dividing wall separates the base compartment from the refrigerated compartment. A refrigeration module is located within the base compartment. A support member intermediate to the left and right sides supports the shelves. A transverse beam supports the support member.

Abstract: A dispenser (20) for consumable products is disclosed. The dispenser (20) uses a single motor (40) to both drive a spinner (75) to mix the product and move a valve assembly (42) to open and close the dispenser (20). The valve assembly (42) is axially aligned with the motor shaft (44) to avoid any undesirable moments associated with prior art offset valve actuators. The valve assembly (42) may be opened and closed by fixing an externally threaded shaft (46) on a drive shaft (44) extending from the motor (40) and then rotatably mounting an internally threaded flywheel (50) on the threaded shaft (46). A valve stem (64) may then be fixedly attached to the flywheel (50). When the motor (40) energizes, the inertia of the flywheel (50) causes it to accelerate more slowly than the nut (46), thus causing the flywheel (50) and valve stem (64) to axially translate along the nut (46) to open the valve assembly (42).

Abstract: A grill includes a lower portion and a pivotably attached upper platen each having a grilling surface. A lift/latch mechanism lifts the upper platen relative to the lower portion without the use of a motor. The upper platen can be manually lifted by grabbing the handle. An arm is pivotably attached to an upper pivotable portion at an upper pivot and is pivotably attached to a lower pivotable portion at a lower pivot. When the upper platen is lifted, a heavy resilient member biases the upper platen to a raised position. When the upper platen is lowered, a light resilient member bias the upper platen to a lowered position. When a solenoid is actuated, projection engages the arm to move the arm and lift the upper platen.

Abstract: A grill includes a lower portion and an upper platen pivotably attached to the lower portion each having a grilling surface. An adjustment mechanism adjusts a dimension of the gap between the grilling surfaces between a large dimension and a small dimension. The adjustment mechanism includes a rotatable bar having a handle and a cam surface. The upper grilling surface is suspended by two cables. The cam surface is received between arms rotates the bar to move the position of the cam surface relative to the arms to adjust the gap between the grilling surfaces. This lengthens or shortens the cables to move the suspended upper grilling surface to adjust the gap between the grilling surfaces.

Abstract: A refrigerated case (20) has a housing containing an interior volume (36) for storing items. Along an air flow path (510) through the case, a refrigerant-to-air heat exchanger (60) has an evaporator section (112) and a reheat section (114). A preconditioning section (110) may be upstream of the evaporator section (112) and the evaporator section is upstream of the reheat section (114). Along a refrigerant flow path (520), the reheat section (114) is downstream of the preconditioning section (110) (if any) and upstream of the evaporator section (112) and an expansion device (62) is between the reheat (114) and evaporator (112) sections.

Abstract: A bottle cooler system includes means for using atmospheric water condensate from the evaporator to draw heat from the condenser.

Abstract: A refrigerated display case has a body (72), at least one door (28; 32) coupled to the body, and an internal refrigerated compartment (24). The case includes a lighted sign apparatus (32) mounted to the body. The apparatus includes a bulb (64), a housing (60), and an at least partially transparent and/or translucent sign (62) carried by the housing. A number of extractable snap fasteners (120) extend through associated holes (150) in the housing and engage the sign to retain the sign in an installed condition.

Abstract: A brewing system (20) may utilize first (24) and second (26) structurally different funnels. The first funnel (24) has surfaces (31, 37) positioned for carrying an upwardly open first filter element (28) containing a first solid beverage material (30). The second funnel (26) has second surfaces (152) adapted for carrying a closed second filter element (144) containing a second solid beverage material (146). A brewer unit (22) has a funnel-receiving area (54) sized to receive as an installed funnel, one at a time, both the first funnel and the second funnel. The unit has a water inlet (70). A heater (72) is coupled to the water inlet for heating received water. A water outlet (74) is coupled to the heater to deliver heated water to the installed funnel.

Abstract: An expensive expansion device may be eliminated in favor of a less expensive pressure regulator in a CO2 vapor compression system such as is used in a bottle cooler or small-capacity air conditioner, refrigerator, or other system.

Abstract: A refrigeration system includes a compressor for driving a refrigerant along a flow path in at least a first mode of system operation; a first heat exchanger along the flow path downstream of the compressor in the first mode; a second heat exchanger along the flow path upstream of the compressor in the first mode; and an expansion device in the flow path downstream of the first heat exchanger and upstream of the second heat exchanger in the first mode, wherein the second heat exchanger includes a combined header and accumulator for collecting liquid and vapor refrigerant.

Abstract: A refrigeration system includes a compressor for driving a refrigerant along a flow path in at least a first mode of system operation; a first heat exchanger along the flow path downstream of the compressor in the first mode; a second heat exchanger along the flow path upstream of the compressor in the first mode; and a pressure regulator or expansion device in the flow path downstream of the first heat exchanger and upstream of the second heat exchanger in the first mode, wherein the first heat exchanger comprises a plurality of heat exchanger components arranged along a flow path of heat exchange fluid for the first heat exchanger. The heat exchanger components can be positioned in smaller available areas within the unit and thereby use space more efficiently.

Abstract: A refrigeration system (20) includes a pressure addition relief valve (62) in parallel with an expansion device (63).

Abstract: A refrigeration system includes 0 compressor for driving 0 refrigerant along flow path in at least a first mode of system; a first heat exchanger along the flow path downstream of the compressor in the first mode; a second heat exchanger along the flow path upstream the compressor in the first mode; and a pressure regulator or expansion device in the flow path downstream of the first heat exchanger and upstream of the second heat exchanger in the first mode, wherein at least one of the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger comprises a flat tube heat exchanger.

Abstract: A bottle cooler system (20, 70, 100) includes a compressor (22), a first heat exchanger (24) and a second heat exchanger (28). In a cooling mode of operation, the second heat exchanger is downstream of the first heat exchanger and upstream of the compressor to cool contents of an interior volume. In a defrost mode of operation, refrigerant in the second heat exchanger is used to defrost an ice build-up on the second heat exchanger.

Abstract: A refrigeration system includes a compressor for driving a refrigerant along a flow path in at least a first mode of system operation; a first heat exchanger along the flow path downstream of the compressor in the first mode; a second heat exchanger along the flow path upstream of the compressor in the first mode; and a pressure regulator or expansion device in the flow path downstream of the first heat exchanger and upstream of the second heat exchanger in the first mode, wherein the first heat exchanger is positioned within a housing which defines a flow path for heat exchange fluid and the housing defines a zone of reduced flow area along the flow path, and wherein the first heat exchanger is positioned in the zone of reduced flow area.

Abstract: A system and method for calibrating fluid detects an actual fluid dispensing characteristic, such as dispensing speed, and automatically adjusts the dispensing characteristic to match an ideal dispensing characteristic. The adjustment is conducted by a controller that controls fluid dispensing based on a function that correlates dispensing speed, a dispensed volume, and a dispensing time. The function allows calibration to occur automatically by converging system operation to the ideal dispensing characteristic, without requiring a user to calibrate the system through manual iterative methods.

Abstract: A condenser coil for a refrigerated beverage and food service merchandiser includes a plurality of parallel fins or V-shaped fins between adjacent tubes. In order to reduce the likelihood of fouling by the bridging of fibers therebetween, the spacing of the fins is maintained at a distance of 0.4 to 0.8 inches apart. In one embodiment, the coil includes a plurality of flat multichannel tubes, with no fins therebetween, and the spacing between the multichannel tubes is maintained in the range of 0.4 to 0.8 inches. In one embodiment, the coil includes at least one serpentine shaped, multichannel tubes, with no fins therebetween, and the spacing between flat, parallel segments of the multichannel tubes is maintained in the range of 0.4 to 0.8 inches.

Abstract: A frozen carbonated beverage apparatus includes a freezing cylinder that stores and freezes a low Brix frozen carbonated beverage. A beater including a helical member is moveable about an axis, and a stationary baffle is received within the beater. As the beater rotates, a scraper blade scrapes against the wall of the freezing cylinder to remove any frozen product from the wall. The helical member moves the frozen product within the freezing cylinder. The baffle prevents the mass of the product from collecting in the center of the helical beater and just rotating with the beater, assisting the blending of the frozen carbonated beverage and increasing the quality of the final product.

Abstract: A refrigeration system is employed to cool a refrigerated compartment in a kitchen or restaurant. An electronic refrigeration controller controls various aspects of the refrigerated compartment, including temperature. When a push button is pressed, a “sleep-mode” is activated to safely shut the refrigeration system down and turn the evaporator fan off. An employee can then stock or remove inventory from the refrigerated compartment without cool air blowing on the employee. After a predetermined amount of time, the sleep-mode ends and cool air blows into the refrigerated compartment.

Abstract: A banquet cart includes a heater received in an opening in the bottom panel of the banquet cart. Plates of food are loaded into the interior compartment of the banquet cart in the kitchen. The heater includes a central heater unit and two heat retention material heating panels. The central heater unit heats the interior compartment of the banquet cart for twenty minutes. The central heater unit is turned off, and smaller heaters are turned on to heat the heat retention material heating panels for forty minutes. The smaller heaters are turned off and the banquet cart is rolled from the kitchen to a hallway proximate to the dining area for serving the plates of food to guests. The heated heat retention material heating panels can maintain the temperature of the air in the interior compartment of the banquet cart warm for approximately two hours and forty minutes, keeping the food in the banquet cart warm.

Abstract: A composition for fiber-reinforced polyurethane resin, which comprises a long-fiber mat and a polyurethane composition, said polyurethane composition comprising:(a) an organic polyisocyanate,(b) a polyether polyol having a molecular weight of from 300 to 700, and having three or more functional groups,(c) ethylene glycol and/or 1,3 butanediol,(d) an imidazole represented by the general formula (1), as a curing catalyst, ##STR1## where m is an integer of from 1 to 4, and n is an integer of from 1 to 4.