Refrigeration – Portable – commodity-containing
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-13
2001-10-02
Doerrler, William (Department: 3744)
Refrigeration
Portable, commodity-containing
C062S457200, C062S530000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06295829
ABSTRACT:
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
(i) Field of the Invention
The invention relates to trolleys used for preserving and distributing perishable foodstuffs, particularly in aircraft.
These trolleys used for distributing meal service trays during air trips are produced in the form of a thermally insulated aluminum or light-alloy structure provided with a front door and delimiting a particular number of rails, on which the trays are arranged. A removable tank arranged in the upper part of the trolley makes it possible to load a reserve of a refrigerating or cooling agent intended for ensuring that the transported foodstuffs are maintained at a good temperature.
(ii) Description of Related Art
It has been found, then, that, in the known trolleys, the refrigerating agent lacks efficiency. The meal service trays located in the upper part of the trolley are too chilled, whilst those arranged in the lower part are not chilled sufficiently. Moreover, where long trips are concerned, the temperature of the meal service trays as a whole may become too high.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The main object sought after here is to improve the efficiency and uniformity of chilling in the entire volume of the trolley and also to improve the operating conditions and operating costs.
To achieve this, the main subject of the invention is a trolley for preserving and distributing foodstuffs, in particular for distributing meal service trays in aircraft, comprising a metallic structure of general parallelepipedic shape provided with a door in its front wall and delimiting, on the one hand, a receptacle in its upper part for receiving a removable tank designed to contain a refrigerating agent and, on the other hand, a compartment, in which the foodstuffs are arranged, characterized in that at least the two side walls of the metallic structure comprise two metal plates separated by a layer of insulating material, gas circulation ducts being delimited between the inner metal plate and the insulating material, said gas circulation ducts being open in their upper and lower parts and opening respectively into the upper receptacle, in which the tank containing the refrigerating agent is located, and into the low part of the compartment in which the foodstuffs are arranged.
According to other characteristics:
the receptacle and the compartment are separated by a partition forming a thermal shield;
the layer of insulating material comprises ribs which are in contact with the inner plate and which delimit said ducts between them;
vertical battens are provided between the inner plate and the layer of insulating material;
the lower edges of the inner plate and of the layer of insulating material are spaced from the bottom wall of the compartment;
the trolley comprises two compartments for receiving the foodstuffs and two receptacles, each receiving a tank containing the refrigerating agent, these various compartments and receptacles being separated by partitions forming a thermal shield.
Another subject of the invention is an installation for reloading tanks with refrigerating agent, characterized in that it comprises a stand, a source of liquid refrigerating agent, means of distributing this agent, comprising an injection nozzle, control means for metering the quantity of agent introduced into the tank, a container designed for receiving a tank and for positioning it relative to the injection nozzle, a shutoff member for closing the tank during the injection phase, and a circuit for discharging the gases which are released during this same injection phase.
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Burns Doane Swecker & Mathis L.L.P.
Doerrler William
Jones Melvin
L'Air Liquide, Societe Anonyme pour l'Etude et l'
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