U.S. patent application number 11/354859 was filed with the patent office on 2006-10-05 for adjustable climate control auxiliary box for cooling a container, vessel, box or chamber.
Invention is credited to Albert S. Elias.
Application Number | 20060218963 11/354859 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 36917033 |
Filed Date | 2006-10-05 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060218963 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Elias; Albert S. |
October 5, 2006 |
Adjustable climate control auxiliary box for cooling a container,
vessel, box or chamber
Abstract
An auxiliary box placed in an insulated chamber, vessel or
container to produce a controlled temperature. The auxiliary box
receives a coolant, such as dry ice (CO.sub.2), and is constructed
to allow controlled escape of the coolant into the chamber, vessel
or container at a predetermined rate thereby controlling and
maintaining the temperature ranges in the chamber, vessel or
container to be cooled at a substantial constant temperature.
Inventors: |
Elias; Albert S.; (Miami,
FL) |
Correspondence
Address: |
JACOBSON HOLMAN PLLC
400 SEVENTH STREET N.W.
SUITE 600
WASHINGTON
DC
20004
US
|
Family ID: |
36917033 |
Appl. No.: |
11/354859 |
Filed: |
February 16, 2006 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60653109 |
Feb 16, 2005 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
62/457.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F25D 3/125 20130101;
F25D 2331/804 20130101; F25D 2600/04 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
062/457.1 |
International
Class: |
F25D 3/08 20060101
F25D003/08 |
Claims
1. An auxiliary cooling box for positioning in a product receiving
space in an insulated container for maintaining said space at a
constant selected low temperature, a quantity of dry ice CO.sub.2
coolant in said cooling box, said cooling box including peripheral
wall areas provided with different porosity characteristics to vary
the flow of coolant into said product receiving space, and a
closure for selective porosity areas in the peripheral wall of said
cooling box to maintain a predetermined temperature in said product
receiving space in said insulated container.
2. The cooling box as claimed in claim 1, wherein said peripheral
wall of the cooling box includes a removable to enable a selected
quantity of dry ice to placed in the cooling box to maintain a
selected low temperature in the product receiving space in the
insulated container for a predetermined time period to facilitate
use of the insulated container as a self-contained
refrigerator.
3. The cooling box as claimed in claim 1, wherein said closure for
selective porosity areas includes imperforate panels positioned in
closing relation to selective porosity areas.
4. The cooling box as claimed in claim 2, wherein said removable
lid on said cooling box includes a support for dry ice coolant for
discharge of coolant downwardly into said cooling box to reduce
temperature stratification in said cooling box.
5. In combination with an insulated container having a product
receiving space provided with a removable closure to provide access
to said space, an auxiliary cooling box dimensioned to be placed in
said space, a quantity of dry ice CO.sub.2 coolant in said
auxiliary box, said auxiliary box having a porous wall area for
discharging gaseous coolant into said space at a selective rate to
lower the temperature in said product receiving space to a constant
selected temperature for a predetermined time interval.
6. The combination as claimed in claim 5, wherein said porous wall
area includes areas having selective porous characteristics that
are selectively used to enable variation in the temperature in said
product receiving space.
Description
[0001] This application is entitled to and hereby claims the
priority of co-pending U.S. provisional application, Ser. No.
60/653,109, filed Feb. 16, 2005.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention generally relates to an auxiliary box
which can be placed in a chamber, vessel or container to produce a
controlled temperature. The auxiliary box can be made of Styrofoam
or any insulated material which can house a coolant, such as dry
ice (CO.sub.2), and is constructed to allow the escape of the
coolant into the chamber, vessel or container at a predetermined
rate thereby controlling the temperature ranges in the chamber,
vessel or container to be cooled at a substantial constant
temperature.
[0004] 2. Description of the Prior Art
[0005] Various types of product cooling devices are well known to
maintain the interior of a container within certain adjustable
temperature ranges such as refrigerators and freezers which require
the input of energy, such as electrical energy, to operate and
control the refrigeration system incorporated into the
refrigerator, freezer or the like. Also, portable coolers, such as
picnic coolers are well known in which water ice is placed in the
chamber to cool products in the chamber too or near the temperature
of the water ice as the water ice melts into water. Picnic coolers
of this type do not have the capability of varying the temperature
range within the picnic cooler at a constant selective level for
long periods of time, are rather heavy and cumbersome to transport
and retain a quantity of water therein which must be disposed
of.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] The invention is in the form of an auxiliary box capable of
being placed in a larger chamber, vessel or container with the
auxiliary box including a quantity of coolant, such as dry ice
(CO.sub.2) and allows coolant to escape at a predetermined constant
rate thereby providing a control to maintain the constant but
variable temperature range in the chamber, vessel or container
being cooled.
[0007] Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to
provide an auxiliary coolant box containing a quantity of dry ice
(CO.sub.2) with the auxiliary box enabling coolant to escape at a
predetermined rate to provide controlled low temperature ranges in
the chamber, vessel or container to be cooled without the input of
electrical energy or other types of energy thereby rendering the
auxiliary box and the chamber, vessel or container fully portable
and capable of maintaining a constant temperature within the
chamber, vessel or container.
[0008] Another object of the invention is to provide an auxiliary
box receiving a quantity of dry ice (CO.sub.2) having removable and
interchangeable areas with perforations or small passages to enable
the rate of passage of coolant from the auxiliary box into the
chamber, vessel or container to produce a controlled and constant
temperature in the chamber, vessel or container.
[0009] A further object of the invention is to provide an auxiliary
box in accordance with the preceding objects which can be of any
size or form with the perforated areas or porous areas providing a
selective temperature range so that the chamber, vessel or
container becomes a mobile refrigerator inasmuch as no batteries,
electrical power or mechanical moving parts are required.
[0010] Additional objects and advantages of the invention include
an auxiliary box that can be placed in a chamber, vessel or
container to produce a controlled temperature from about 65.degree.
F. to about -90.degree. F. The auxiliary box can be built into a
chamber, vessel or container such as a cooler of insulating
material as a permanent part thereof to enable reuse but also may
be made of disposable inexpensive material to be used with various
chambers, vessels or containers and can be cooled by CO.sub.2
pellets, dry ice blocks or chemical coolants. The auxiliary box can
be built into a part of the chamber, vessel or container such as
into a removable lid to enable insertion of the coolant for
discharge into the auxiliary box for passage through the perforated
areas or porous panels.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] The drawings are intended to illustrate the invention, but
are not necessarily to scale.
[0012] FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a chamber, vessel or container
with the auxiliary box of the present invention positioned
therein.
[0013] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the auxiliary box
illustrating interchangeable panels or areas having different size
perforations or porosity.
[0014] FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the auxiliary box illustrating
further structural details of the interchangeable panels and the
association with the quantity of coolant within the auxiliary
box.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0015] In describing a preferred embodiment of the invention
illustrated in the drawings, specific terminology will be resorted
to for the sake of clarity. However, the invention is not intended
to be limited to the specific terms so selected, and it is to be
understood that each specific term includes all technical
equivalents which operate in a similar manner to accomplish a
similar purpose.
[0016] FIG. 1 illustrates the structure of the chamber, vessel or
container 10 which may be of any size, shape or configuration and
provided with an insulated space or volume 12 occupying a major
portion of the chamber 10. A closure lid 13 will be provided for
the chamber 10 which may be in the form of a removable lid
sealingly engaging the top edge of the chamber 10 in a manner
similar to a lid used in a conventional picnic cooler.
[0017] The auxiliary box 14 containing the coolant is placed
interiorly of the space or volume 12 at any point of the periphery
of the chamber including in the lid. The auxiliary box 14 allows
coolant to escape at a predetermined rate for controlling the
temperature ranges in the space or volume 12 of the chamber 10.
[0018] As illustrated, the auxiliary box 14 includes a plurality of
panels or areas 16, 18 and 20 forming a portion of the periphery of
the auxiliary box with the panels 16, 18 and 20 having perforations
therethrough or a different porosity with the upper panel 16
controlling passage of coolant to maintain a warmer temperature in
the space 12 whereas the panel 18 includes larger perforations or
greater porosity to provide a colder temperature within the space
12 and the lower most panel 20 has the largest perforations or
porosity and maintains a freezing or below freezing temperature in
the space 12.
[0019] The coolant within the auxiliary box is illustrated in FIG.
3 and may be in the form of a solid block of dry ice CO.sub.2 22 or
dry ice pellets or other chemical coolant which changes into a
gaseous phase for passages through the perforations or porous areas
formed by the panels 16, 18 and 20. This controls the temperature
in the space 12 at a constant temperature depending upon the number
and porosity or size perforations in the panels. This enables
adjustment in the temperature within the space 12 and maintains the
temperature by interchanging panels and by using a selected panel
with perforations or porosity and other panels of solid
construction to maintain a relatively warm temperature or using
multiple panels with larger perforations or greater porosity to
maintain constant lower temperatures. Also, imperforate panels 24
may be mounted against the interim surface panels 16, 18 and 20
thereby providing further control of the temperature by space
12.
[0020] As illustrated, auxiliary box 14 has no moving parts, no
batteries or electrical connections, no attachments and may be of
any size, shape or configuration and the panels may be selectively
used to expose different areas of perforations or porosity at any
one time to determine the quantity of coolant entering the chamber
space 12.
[0021] As illustrated in FIG. 3, a solid block of dry ice 22 may be
used in the auxiliary box 14. Alternatively, pieces of solid
CO.sub.2, CO.sub.2 pellets or other types of chemical coolants may
also be used. The auxiliary box 14 can maintain adjustable
temperatures for a long period of time depending on the size of the
space 12 and the frequency of refilling the space 12 with products
to be cooled.
[0022] The foregoing description should be considered as
illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Since
numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those
skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the
exact construction and operation shown and described, and,
accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be
resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.
* * * * *