Refrigeration – Cooled enclosure – Portable receptacle
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-13
2001-02-27
Doerrler, William (Department: 3744)
Refrigeration
Cooled enclosure
Portable receptacle
C062S371000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06192703
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an improved insulating vacuum panel, a method for manufacturing such insulating vacuum panel, and to a portable refrigerator unit and storage container employing such insulating vacuum panels useful for the transport and storage of temperature-sensitive materials such as body organs, vaccines, antibodies, etc., for long periods of time in locations which lack conventional sources of electrical power. Advantageously, the insulated vacuum panel also contains a phase change material (PCM) in the form of a PCM/silica gel, a PCM/silica dry powder, or a PCM/HOPE/EVA/silica melt mix.
2. Prior Art
In many developing countries, particularly in tropical and desert climates, there is a lack of sufficient refrigeration systems and, in many instances, there are no power capabilities to operate such refrigeration systems even if they were available.
The prior art systems available are based on refrigerator systems that freeze water to provide thermal storage temperatures of 0° C. or below. Exposure of temperature-sensitive medicinals such as vaccines, etc., to these low temperatures frequently results in irreversible damage due to freezing of water which is an essential component to many of these medicinal products. On the other hand, storage of the medicinals at temperatures greater than about 10° C. can also cause irreversible damage to the medicinals. Thus, there is an urgent need for a portable refrigerator system that operates to maintain the temperature within a narrow band above 0° C. and below 10° C. and which can operate where conventional electrical power lines are not available.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In one aspect of the invention there is described an evacuated insulating panel suitable for use in insulating various structures where it is desirable to maintain the interior temperature of the structure at a constant temperature plateau which is different from the temperature outside the structure, such as walls of houses, hotels, motels, office buildings, factories, and warehouses, etc.; appliances such as hot water heaters, ovens, refrigerators, shipping containers, recreational containers such as coolers for carrying drinks and food, heated pouches for hot food deliver, e.g., pizza, Meals-On-Wheels, etc., and cooled pouches for cool or cold food delivery, e.g., dairy or frozen food products; roof panels, side panels and doors of motor vehicles such as cars, buses, trucks, trains, planes, etc.; heating and cooling ducts; and refrigerated cargo areas in trucks, railroad cars, ships, etc. In a particularly preferred manifestation of the invention, the present insulation panels are employed in portable containers for storing and transporting temperature-sensitive materials such as medicinals, e.g., vaccines to remote locations which lack adequate means for providing conventional refrigeration.
In another aspect of the invention, there is described a method for manufacturing the insulating panels.
In yet another aspect of the invention, a portable insulated system is described for storing and transporting temperature sensitive materials at a prescribed temperature for a prolonged period of time. In one embodiment, the system comprises a portable refrigerator unit which comprises a compressor, a source of electrical power, a battery for storing electrical energy from the power source, a housing which provides a low rate of heat transfer, and a thermal energy storage phase changes material which operates at a constant temperature plateau. In another embodiment, the system comprises a highly insulated, light weight, portable container and the phase change material. The refrigerator unit is particularly useful in storing and transporting the temperature-sensitive material to a central location which is remote from any source of energy for conveniently providing power to a conventional refrigeration unit. At this central location, the temperature-sensitive materials can be transferred from the portable refrigerator unit to one or more highly insulated, light weight portable containers along with the thermal energy storage phase change material to maintain the temperature while they are transported to various other remote locations.
This system satisfies an urgent need of the World Health Organization for preservation, storage, and transport of medicinals that is especially valuable in tropical and desert climates in developing countries, where the absence of such capabilities often results in deterioration of the medicinals to the extent that they cannot provide the expected treatment. In vaccines, this may result in vaccinations that are ineffective, or, in some cases, actually harmful when used. The present invention also provides the added advantage of eliminating the energy demand needed to freeze water.
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VAXICOOL Transport and Storage Refrigerator, VacuPanel, Inc. (1993) brochure.
Salyer Ival O.
Wynne Nicholas
Doerrler William
Shulman Mark
Thompson Hine & Flory LLP
VacuPanel, Inc.
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