WO2000070279A1

WO2000070279A1 - Cooling unit

Info

Publication number: WO2000070279A1
Application number: PCT/NZ2000/000079
Authority: WO
Inventors: Robert Thorne Lawrence; Joy Lawrence
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1999-05-19
Filing date: 2000-05-19
Publication date: 2000-11-23
Anticipated expiration: 2001-11-19
Also published as: AU5257700A

Abstract

The present invention relates to a cooling unit (1) which includes a housing formed from one or more panels (9, 11, 13, 15) incorporating one or more layers of material (5) defining a space (7), wherein part or all of said housing is adapted to exert a cooling effect on said space and thereby said items retained within said space. Preferably one or more of the layers of material (5) used within the housing are adapted to be frozen so that in use these frozen layers can cool articles or items placed within the space defined by the housing. There may be a hinged (21) transparent front panel (19) allowing chilled items to be viewed. There may also be a carry strap (25).

Description

COOLING UNIT

Technical Field

This invention relates to improved cooling units. More particularly, in one embodiment it relates to unpowered, combined display and cool storage units for comestibles typically displayed on shop or restaurant counters. However, this example is given by way of example only as the cooling unit of the present invention is capable of many different embodiments and non-food applications

Background Art

It is common knowledge that degradable comestibles should be refrigerated to delay deterioration and extend shelf life. If the term "refrigeration' is considered to be the maintaining of comestibles in conditions less than ambient temperature then refrigeration can encompass anything so simple as keeping articles in the shade out of direct sunlight through to heavy chilling or freezing in industrial freezer units. In our everyday lives we are familiar with domestic cooler units such as refrigerators and with similar cooler units in shops such as dairies and supermarkets. Such commercial cooling unit units are commonly provided with a transparent glass or perspex door so that shoppers may peruse items displayed within without opening the door and thus reducing chilling efficiency.

Domestic and commercial cooling unit units tend to be permanently positioned in a particular place due to their bulk and the need to be connected to a power source, however portable cooling unit units are also available. In general these include firstly plastic walled or polystyrene chilly bins and softwalled plastic equivalents, such as wine bottle carriers. Such items are commonly used for temporary storage of pre-chilled items during transportation with or without additional cooling from free flow ice, frozen pads, or similar. Such frozen pads are containers of a freezable fluid (liquid or gel) which are generally stored in the freezer compartment of a home refrigerator and then introduced into cooling unit units such as chilly bins to extend the chill time of the items carried therein.

Portable chilly bins (or bags) are of course not powered, the cooling effect arising from the insulated walls of the chilly bin container itself maintaining the chill of pre-chilled items contained therein, the chill time optionally being extended by additional cooling items such as ice cubes or freezer pads.

With chilly bins, it is necessary to remove the lid, or unzip the opening of the chilly bin/bag container to view and access contents. This reduces the chill time of the items contained therein.

It would be desirable to provide a non-powered cooling unit where, rather than relying on insulation maintaining the chill time of pre-chilled items, with the optional incorporation of additional chilled items such as freezer pads or ice cubes, the structure itself of the cooling unit was able to function as the primary cooling unit. That is, where structural components of the cooling unit themselves exert a cooling function. It will be appreciated that the discussion and illustrations contained herein are by way of exemplification only and that many different embodiments are possible and fall within the scope of the present invention.

It would be desirable to provide a non-powered cooling unit able to complement existing means for chilling and insulating goods.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to address the foregoing problems or at least to provide the public with a useful choice.

Further aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the ensuing description that is given by way of example only. It is an object of the present invention to address the foregoing problems or at least to provide the public with a useful choice.

Further aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the ensuing description that is given by way of example only.

Disclosure of Invention

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a cooling unit which includes a housing formed from one or more panels incorporating one or more layers of material defining a space, wherein part or all of said housing is adapted to exert a cooling effect on said space and thereby said items to be retained within said space, wherein one or more of said layers of material are in use adapted to be frozen.

For convenience only, the cooling unit will hereinafter be referred to as a cooling unit.

In a preferred embodiment the housing of the cooling unit may be adapted to exert a cooling effect by being freezable. Although the housing may include or incorporate any number of different compositions of varying densities that may be freezable it is envisaged that the freezable nature of the housing may derive from its incorporating a fluid. The freezable fluid may be any presently known in the art as being suitable for exerting a cooling effect on goods when frozen or defrosting, ranging from water through to a variety of liquids and gels. One such freezable fluid that may be particularly suitable is the Rubbermaid Blue Ice ™ freezable fluid with which those skilled in the art will be familiar. Other proprietary fluids as may be developed from time to time and capable of being frozen and exerting a chilling effect are also within the scope of the present invention. In another embodiment Rubbermaid Blue Ice™ may not be used as the freezable fluid incorporated into the cooling unit. For example, in one alternative embodiment cellulose paste mixed with a measured amount of water may be used to form a gel incorporated as the freezable fluid used. The density or concentration of the cellulose paste to water used may be varied to modify both the weight of freezable fluid added to the cooling unit and also its chilling or insulative effect on articles placed within the cooling unit. For example, if the cooling unit is to store meat kept between 0°-4° Celsius the density of the gel formed may be higher than in the instance where the cooling unit is to store dairy products kept at between 2°-10° Celsius.

In a preferred embodiment at least one panel used to form the housing of the cooling unit may incorporate a layer of fluid. The layer of fluid may be retained by any material considered suitable, but preferably by a material that is relatively thin yet strong so that once frozen the cooling effect of the frozen fluid is not unduly prevented from emanating from the frozen fluid layer.

In a preferred embodiment the housing incorporates an absorbent material to retain the freezable fluid, wherein the absorbent material is capable of maintaining its structure irrespective of whether the freezable fluid is frozen or melted.

In one embodiment the material retaining the fluid may also be relatively stiff such that it is capable of maintaining its structure whether the retained fluid is frozen or melted. However, it is also envisaged that a retaining wall or walls for the fluids and/or the fluid itself may further include structure reinforcements. In one embodiment the structure reinforcements for the fluid envisaged might be any cellular product capable of absorbing the fluid. Any absorbent material product would be suitable but a particular preferred material is Dacron™ polyester fibre due to its easy availability, low cost and satisfactory tensile strength. This material will be familiar to those skilled in the art. It will be appreciated that other natural or synthetic materials capable of evenly absorbing fluid also fall within the scope of the present invention.

Alternatively, a retaining wall or walls for the fluid may include a supportive design such as a cellular matrix or any other shape or configuration capable of lending additional support to the frozen and melted retained fluid. For example, in one embodiment a retaining wall may be formed from or include any type of foamed product which can absorb the freezable fluid used. It will be appreciated the ability of the absorbent material to evenly distribute the cooling unit fluid and thus reduce weight of cooling unit fluid by replacing fluid volume with the absorbent material lends the housing structural integrity and whilst minimising weight and melt-time of the retained fluid. The absorbent material used within the sides or walls of the cooling units is adapted to ensure that the entire surface of a wall or side is filled and covered with the freezable fluid while minimising the amount of freezable fluid that is required to achieve this aim.

Those skilled in the art should also appreciate that the chilling effect provided by the cooling unit may also be varied by changing the amount or density of the freezable fluid incorporated into the cooling unit. For example, to achieve this aim, the density or amount of absorbent material incorporated into the walls of the cooling unit may also be increased, thereby increasing the amount of freezable fluid which may also be introduced and held within the walls of the cooling unit.

Accordingly, in one embodiment the cooling unit of the present invention may include a housing of retained freezable fluid such that to exert a cooling effect the housing of retained fluid is frozen and thus items retained within the housing are themselves kept cool without the housing needing to be powered or to rely on their own insulatory properties to maintain pre-chilled food in a chilled condition. In this embodiment, the housing may include one or a plurality of sheets of retained fluid held together in any desired manner so as to define a number of panels which form a housing. The edges of the sheets or panels may be sealed to trap or hold the freezable fluid in place. The edge of the panels may be sealed either through heat crimping or through using a solvent such as MEK (methyl ethyl ketone).

The wall or panels of the housing fluid may also be permanently bonded together in a housing structure or may be collapsible. For example, in one embodiment the panels of the housing may be collapsibly attached to one another to allow the housing to be collapsed to a relatively small volume when it is not in use.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a cooling unit substantially as described above wherein a panel used to construct the housing is formed from a plurality of layers of material, said layers of material including:

an inner layer which incorporates a freezable fluid,

at least one outer layer adapted to provide an insulative effect.

In one embodiment the walls or layers of retained fluid (hereinafter referred to as inner walls) may be supported by and within one or more additional layers of material to form a panel. Such additional layers of material may be defined as outer layers. The one or more additional layers of material may perform a support and insulatory function for the frozen retained fluid. Any material capable of achieving these functions falls within the purpose of the present invention although in a preferred embodiment a lightweight, low cost, easily available insulatory material such as polystyrene sheet may be used. The polystyrene sheet may itself be further covered by a bonded or non-bonded additional insulatory or protective layer such as thermocoated plastic or a separate wipeable durable plastic slipcover. For example, any outer layer configured in accordance with the present invention may also be provided with a protective covering which is adapted to provide a support or strengthening effect. Those skilled in the art should also appreciate the use of polystyrene sheet material only in this application should in no way be seen as limiting. For example in other embodiments layers of PVC material may also be incorporated to achieve the same aim as polystyrene and reference to the above only should in no way be seen as limiting.

In this further embodiment the cooling unit of the present invention may be a portable and collapsible version particularly suitable for chilling and display purposes.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a cooling unit including a housing, wherein part or all of said housing is adapted to exert a cooling effect on said space to be cooled and any items retained therein, the housing including a number of panels incorporating one or more layers of material, said panels being adapted to form a base, a top and walls, of the housing wherein one or more of panels may be constructed from or include a transparent material.

Preferably the panel formed from or including a transparent material may be the front wall panel or face of the cooling unit. The front wall and/or another wall, preferably the back wall, may provide access to the inside of the cooling unit.

In such a preferred embodiment the transparent material used to form the front wall or panel of the cooling unit may also exhibit or provide insulative properties. For example, in one embodiment the transparent front panel may be a single or double glazed sheet of clear plastic or any other suitable transparent material adapted to form a window in the housing. If desired to be accessed, the display front may further be provided with opening means such as a hinge on one edge thereof and a handle on the other.

Those skilled in the art should appreciate that providing a hinged and transparent front wall to the cooler allows the contents of the cooler to be inspected without the need for the interior of the cooler to be accessed which will reduce the chilling effect of the cooler.

It will be appreciated that the cooling unit may achieve any number of different shapes and configurations depending on its desired use and function. For example, the walls, bases and tops may be made to simple geometric patterns or formed to suit commercial purposes, eg to mimic a brand name or typical product shape. The cooling units may be flat or three dimensionally curved and may include a single internal compartment or several. Where there are several internal compartments, they may be separated by partitions that may be made of freezable retained fluid or of non-freezable material as desired.

It will also be appreciated that the cooling unit of this embodiment that includes at least one layer of retained fluid and one outer insulatory layer may also include additional insulation or cosmetic layers or additional functional extensions as may be required.

The panels of the cooling unit may be retained together permanently or collapsibly depending on user requirements. In one preferred embodiment the outer walls and inner retained fluid walls may be constructed in separate flat sheets sealed with an edging strip or moulded three dimensionally to form sealable rims all round. Any means of retaining the base, top and wall panels, together to form an insulating support structure for the inner layer of retained fluid is within the scope of the present invention. Alternatively, a matrix with imperviously coated surfaces or a purpose made composite of foam/fibre with fully sealed sheet surfaces may be used as a panel with the present invention.

In a preferred embodiment the thickness of the panels of the cooling unit may also be varied or controlled depending on whether they are used to form a top, bottom or sides of the cooling unit. For example, in a preferred embodiment the thickest panel used in the cooling unit may be formed or incorporated as its top with its next thickest panel being used as the bottom of the cooling unit. Thinner panels may then be used to form the sides of the cooling unit. This configuration of the invention provides a maximum insulative effect for the cooling unit. Convection air currents will shift the warmest air within the cooling unit up to the top panel which can provide a strong cooling effect to substantially chill this air. Furthermore, the relatively thick base panel may also insulate the interior of the cooling unit from any heat being transferred from the surface which the cooling unit is resting on.

In a further preferred embodiment these features of the invention may be incorporated into a cooling unit which has a top panel 24 millimetres thick, side panels 12 millimetres thick, and a bottom panel 18 millimetres thick.

Handling means may be provided for the cooling units, such as fixed handles or recesses, or alternatively a carry strap passing right around the cooling unit structure and keeping it rigid in transit.

In a further embodiment a cooling unit constructed in accordance with the present invention may be used to complement existing chilling means. For example, a cooling unit may be used to line a chilly bin, instead of or in addition to using ice or gel pads as is customary. An advantage may be that the contents of the chilly bin are then enclosed by the cooling unit, rather than merely having ice or a gel pad lying on or by the contents. Although items contained within the cooling unit housing have typically been exemplified herein as comestibles, clearly the cooling unit of the present invention is applicable to chilling any kind of goods eg medical supplies, blood, vaccines, animal artificial insemination samples and so on.

It will be appreciated that any configuration of the cooling units of the present invention may be utilised as long as a freezable fluid capable of exerting a cooling effect on items contained within the housing includes part of the structure of the housing.

The present invention may provide many advantages over existing prior art systems. The present invention does not necessarily need a power source to effectively chill food or other articles requiring chilling. The configuration of the cooling unit described above also allows the cooling unit to be readily transported and used wherever required.

Furthermore, the cooler can provide a significant cooling effect on any food or other articles placed within it. The applicants have found that in some instances food initially at room temperature placed within the cooler can actually be frozen by the cooler before the frozen fluid within the walls of the cooler starts to thaw.

Brief Description of Drawings

Further aspects of the present invention will become apparent from the ensuing description which is given by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a cooling unit as configured in one embodiment of the present invention; and

Figure 2 is a front view of the embodiment of Figure 1 ; and Figure 3 is a side view of the embodiment of Figure 1 , and

Figure 4 is a sectional view of a cooling unit wall according to one aspect of the present invention;

Best Modes for Carrying out the Invention

Referring to Figure 1 there is illustrated a cooling unit generally represented by the arrow 1 comprising a housing of one or more panels 11 defining a space to be cooled 7 wherein part or all of said housing is adapted to exert a cooling effect on said space to be cooled 7 and thereby said items to be retained therein (not shown).

In Figure 1 the panels 11 include an inner layer of retained fluid 5 and an outer insulating layer 3.

Figure 1 generally illustrates a preferred embodiment of one aspect of the present invention being a portable, collapsible cooling unit. The structure of the cooling unit 1 generally includes a number of panels which form a base 9, sides 11 and 13 and top 15 and back wall generally indicated by the arrow 17. A front panel 19 is also provided, in this case being made of a transparent material such as perspex or glass, permitting the inner space 7 to be viewed whilst the items retained therein (not shown) are maintained in a chilled state. Also shown are hinges 21 and handle 23 permitting the opening of front panel 19 about the hinges to enable access to the inner space 7.

In light of the portable nature of this preferred embodiment, a combination shape retention and carry strap 25 is provided enabling extra rigidity and portability to be lent to the cooling unit 1. Referring to Figure 2 there is shown the embodiment of the cooling unit of Figure 1 showing end on optional removable shelf 27, in this case retained in position by being slid into retaining ridges 29. Removable shelf 27 may be of any desired material but may preferably be capable of being frozen and also exerting a chilling effect on items contained within space 7.

Referring to Figure 3 there is shown a side view of the embodiments of the cooling unit shown in Figures 1 and 2 showing primarily the simple structure of the cooling unit 1 of the present invention such that all componentry thereof may be removable and collapsible and capable of easy reassembly.

Referring to Figure 4 there is a sectional view of the inner wall or layer of retained fluid generally indicated by arrow 5 comprising fluid (not specifically shown) absorbed into a cellular absorbent product 31 (eg Dacron™ polyester fibre). In this embodiment the absorbent fibre 31 is shown retained within a rigid wall 33 which lends the retained planar section of fluid 5 rigidity and support for handling and assembling of the cooling unit 1. Shown spaced apart from inner wall 5 by spacers 35 is the outer wall of insulating and protective material 3, such as polystyrene.

It will be appreciated that the dimensions of cooling unit 1 of the present invention may be tailored to suit a particular product, package or location and furthermore modular units of cooling units may be linked together to form multiple displays.

One preferred use of the cooling unit 1 of the present invention is to store prepackaged food items such as sushi packs and in this application the cooling unit 1 will be dimensioned according to commonly used sushi packs, eg 300 mm high on a base of 400 mm x 250 mm externally. In use, the inner freezable layers of retained fluid 5 are placed in refrigeration until all of the fluid retained and absorbed within the absorbent fibre 31 has frozen. It will be appreciated that extra structural vessels and chill pads may be frozen as "stand-by" cooling units to extend the time over which the cooling unit 1 is required to be in use.

The cooling units 1 are then assembled according to the particular construction of the cooling unit 1. For example, if an exterior rigid slip case is used in place of interlocking components is the main structural support then the inner freezable layers 5 are simply placed in the outer slip case in the appropriate position without the need for fastening means such as joints or clips.

If a single structural layer of freezable fluid 5 is used to form the cooling unit 1 then appropriate fastening means are used to join the layers 5 together to form the cooling unit 1, such as inter engaging male and female slots or additional clips, braces or velcro fasteners being used.

Once the structure, whether comprising a single layer, inner layer of freezable of material 5 or within an additional insulatory layer 3 is assembled, shelves 27, any additional internal partitions (not shown) and doors 19 are slid or clipped into place by means such as grooves 29.

Where the cooling unit of the present invention is used in a retail application, the cooling unit 1 is then placed prominently in a desired position such as on a counter or stand so as to give the maximum exposure of the cooling unit 1 during a targeted sales period.

Shelves 27 are stocked with pre-chilled goods (not shown), which in use should ideally be packed as close together as possible to reduce air space. It will be appreciated that vacant shelf space may be used for additional chill pads (not shown) and if stock is sold chill may be extended by adding fresh chill pads (not shown).

Once the user no longer wishes to use the cooling unit 1, or if the storage time or temperature parameters are exceeded, the cooling unit 1 is simply disassembled, cleaned, stacked flat and placed back in a freezer or otherwise stored.

It can be seen that the preferred embodiment of the cooling unit of the present invention is ideally intended for use as an unpowered combined display stand and cool storage unit for foods and beverages needing counter exposure at reduced temperatures (eg 4-10°C being an optimum temperature range for sales periods of up to two hours). Likely contents include cold prepared foods such as sushi, sandwiches, dairy products and fresh fruits and salads to be sold during meal breaks, special events or outdoor occasions. Unlike conventional cooling unit units such as refrigerators or chilly bins, the stand is able to be chilled, stocked, placed prominently without need for connection to a power source and then easily disassembled for re-chilling and storage until its next desired use. Because the cooling unit 1 can be used as a temporary display a retailer can place it centrally eg beside a till and remove when sales are complete so that other permanent items such as candy displays are not blanked out.

Because the unit is collapsible, the freezable components of the cooling unit 1 such as inner freezable layer 5, are neatly stacked in a freezer and minimise freezer space during pre-chilling, which can be done overnight or during off-peak intervals. The cooling unit 1 is then re-erected and stocked. Numbers of knocked down cool stands may also be transported pre-chilled to other locations that will be of particular applicability during one off events such as fairs and galas. Alternatively, fully stocked and chilled cool stands may be delivered to an outlet and the previous empty ones taken away for replenishment to allow fast rum around courier servicing of large numbers of outlets.

It will be appreciated that the unique feature of the structure of a chilling device itself exerting a cooling effect on items contained therein without requiring to be connected to a power source, and that the stmcture may furthermore be easily assembled and disassembled, provides many potential applications, of which the above primarily discussed retail display application is merely one.

Aspects of the present invention have been described by way of example only and it should be appreciated that modifications and additions may be made thereto without departing from the scope thereof as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

WHAT I CLAIM IS:

1 A cooling unit which includes a housing formed from one or more panels incorporating one or more layers of material defining a space, wherein part or all of said housing is adapted to exert a cooling effect on said space and thereby items retained within said space, wherein one or more of said layers of material are in use adapted to be frozen.

2 A cooling unit as claimed in claim 1 wherein the housing includes a layer of freezable fluid.

3 A cooling unit as claimed in claim 2 wherein the housing incorporates an absorbent material to retain the freezable fluid, wherein the absorbent material is capable of maintaining its stmcture irrespective of whether the freezable fluid is frozen or melted.

4 A cooling unit as claimed in claim 3 wherein the absorbent material is polyester fibre.

5 A cooling unit as claimed in claim 3 wherein the absorbent material is formed from any cellular matrix or foamed product.

6 A cooling unit as claimed in any one of claims 3 to 5 wherein the absorbent material is adapted to spread the freezable liquid over entire area of one side or face of the cooling unit.

7 A cooling unit as claimed in claim any one of claims 3 to 6 wherein the density of the freezable fluid and/or absorbent material incorporated into the housing is modified to adjust the cooling effect of the cooling unit. A cooling unit as claimed in any previous claim wherein the cooling unit includes a number of panels incorporating one or more layers of material, said panels being adapted to form a base, top and the walls of the housing wherein one or more of the panels may be constructed from or include a transparent material.

A cooling unit as claimed in claim 8 wherein the front face of the cooling unit includes or is formed from a transparent material.

A cooling unit as claimed in any one of claims 8 or 9 wherein the transparent material has insulative properties.

A cooling unit as claimed in any one of claims 8 to 10 wherein the transparent material forms a single or double glazed window within the housing.

A cooling unit as claimed in any previous claim wherein the thickness of the panels used to form the housing is varied depending on the location of the panel within the housing.

A cooling unit as claimed in claim 12 wherein the top panel is the thickest panel incorporated into the housing, and the base panel is thicker than any wall panels incorporated in the housing.

A cooling unit as claimed in any previous claim wherein the panels used to form the housing are collapsibly attached to one another.

A cooling unit as claimed in any previous claim wherein a panel used to construct the housing is formed from a plurality of layers of material, said layers of material including

an inner layer which incorporates a freezable fluid, and at least one outer layer adapted to provide an insulative effect.

A cooling unit as claimed in claim 15 wherein an outer layer is formed from or includes polystyrene.

A cooling unit as claimed in any one or claims 15 or 16 wherein an outer layer incorporates a protective covering adapted to provide a support or strengthening effect.

A cooling unit as claimed in any previous claim wherein the cooling unit includes a handling means.

A cooling unit substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated by the accompanying drawings and/or examples.

A method of manufacturing a cooling unit substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated by the accompanying drawings and/or examples.