BACKGROUND
Blood plasma and other biological liquids frequently need to be frozen in order to be stored for extended periods of time, and to facilitate the transport thereof. In order to preserve the biological integrity of the liquid, the freezing process must occur very rapidly. In the case of blood plasma, the industry provides a standard of cooling the plasma from 70 degrees F. to −30 degrees F. in 10 hours or less. The rapid chilling and freezing of blood plasma is oftentimes referred to as snap freezing, although the term flash freezing is sometimes also used (even though the latter process generally is understood to refer to a process of using a liquid bath of nitrogen or other cryogenic fluid to achieve the rapid freezing process). For purposes of this application, I will use the term snap freezing to refer to the rapid freezing of blood plasma and other biological liquids. The process described herein also can be used for rapid chilling (but not necessarily freezing) of biological liquids.
While flash freezing using a cryogenic liquid is one option for freezing biological liquids (when the biological liquid is contained in a liquid-tight container to prevent contamination of the biological liquid), this process does not lend itself well to use in small scale operations. Specifically, the equipment required to store and use a cryogenic liquid is expensive and maintenance-intensive as compared to a chilled air freezer. Also, handling of cryogenic liquids requires special care and training to prevent accidents. Another option to rapidly freeze biological liquids is to place the liquids (i.e., bottles or containers filled with the liquids) inside of a walk-in type freezer. Such freezers are made to operate at sub-zero temperatures and can provide adequate, but non-uniform, freezing times. Specifically, articles placed at different locations within the walk-in freezer compartment can have significantly different freezing times.
A further method for rapid chilling or freezing of blood plasma and biological liquids is to place containers (e.g., bottles) of the liquids in a separate rack or cabinet, which can then be placed inside of a larger primary freezer (such as a walk-in freezer or cooler). This method, and the accompanying apparatus, are described in my U.S. Pat. No. 6,968,712 B2 (issued Nov. 29, 2005). Since that time, industry standards have changed to decrease or control the allowed time for freezing/cooling of blood plasma, and there is a need to increase the efficiency of my previous design by being able to adjust or set the rate of time to freeze or chill the biological liquids.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is an isometric view of an open frame rapid freeze cabinet as provided for herein.
FIG. 2A is a sectional detail of a product cell used in the rapid freeze cabinet of FIG. 1.
FIG. 2B is the sectional detail of FIG. 2A but showing air flow through the bottle air cell.
FIG. 3 is an isometric schematic diagram depicting a variation on the cold air distribution system of the rapid freeze cabinet of FIG. 1.
FIG. 4 is a partial side view piping diagram depicting a variation on the cold air distribution system of the rapid freeze cabinet of FIG. 1.
FIG. 5 is a sectional plan view of the product drawer used in the rapid freeze cabinet of FIG. 1.
FIG. 6 is a plan view of an alternative product drawer that can be used in the rapid freeze cabinet of FIG. 1.
FIG. 7 is an exploded isometric view depicting a product cell from the rapid freeze cabinet of FIG. 1.
FIG. 8 is a sectional side view of the lower left side of the rapid freeze cabinet of FIG. 1, but using the alternative cold air distribution system of FIG. 3.
FIG. 9 is a left side view of a rapid freeze cabinet using the alternative cold air distribution system of FIG. 3.
FIG. 10 is a front side view of the rapid freeze cabinet of FIG. 9.
FIG. 11 is an isometric view of a restricting flow chill air plenum rapid freeze cabinet as provided for herein.
FIG. 12 is another isometric view of the rapid freeze cabinet of FIG. 11, with selected access doors shown in an open position.
FIG. 13 is a front view of the rapid freeze cabinet of FIG. 11.
FIG. 14 is a top view of the rapid freeze cabinet of FIG. 11.
FIG. 15 is a side view of the rapid freeze cabinet of FIG. 11.
FIG. 16 is another front view of the rapid freeze cabinet of FIG. 11, with all of the access doors open.
FIG. 17 is a partial side sectional view of the rapid freeze cabinet of FIG. 11.
FIG. 18 is a full side sectional view of the rapid freeze cabinet of FIG. 11.
FIG. 19 is a side sectional view of a first variation the rapid freeze cabinet of FIG. 11.
FIG. 20 is a side sectional view of a second variation the rapid freeze cabinet of FIG. 11.
FIG. 21 is a side sectional view of a third variation the rapid freeze cabinet of FIG. 11.
FIG. 22 is a plan schematic view of a freezer system as provided for herein.
FIG. 23 is a side view of a rapid freeze cabinet that can be used in the freezer system of FIG. 22.
FIG. 24 is a side view of another rapid freeze cabinet that can be used in the freezer system of FIG. 22.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Open Frame Embodiment of Rapid Freeze Cabinet.
With reference to the accompanying drawings, FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a first embodiment of a rapid freeze cabinet 100 according to the present disclosure. It will be appreciated that the rapid freeze cabinet 100 can also be used for chilling liquids without freezing them, and so can also function as a rapid chill cabinet. That is, the cabinet 100 of FIG. 1 (and other embodiments as provided for herein) can be described as a rapid freeze/chill cabinet, but for the sake of simplifying the following description will be referred to only as a rapid freeze cabinet. The use of “rapid freeze cabinet” to generally describe the present apparatus should not in any way be understood as limiting the use of the cabinet to freezing only. The rapid freeze cabinet 100 of FIG. 1 includes an open frame structure 102 which has, as structural frame members, vertical front frame members 104, which are spaced apart from one another, and vertical rear frame members 106 which are likewise spaced apart from one another as well from the front frame members 104. (Only one vertical rear frame member 106 can be seen in FIG. 1.) Front frame members 104 and rear frame members 106 are held in spaced-apart relationship from one another by four horizontal lower frame members 108 (only two of which can be seen in FIG. 1), which together form a rectangular lower frame assembly. Likewise, front frame members 104 and rear frame members 106 are held in spaced-apart relationship from one another by four horizontal upper frame members 112 (only two of which can be seen in FIG. 1), which together form a rectangular upper frame assembly. Together, the frame members 104, 106, 108 and 112 form a rectangular parallelepiped which is the open frame structure 102 of the rapid freeze cabinet 100. Of note, preferably the rapid freeze cabinet 100 has no side coverings which would restrict the movement of air outward from the cabinet. More preferably, the rapid freeze cabinet does not have a front or rear covering which would also restrict the movement of air outward from the cabinet. More specifically, each opposing side, and the front and rear, of the open frame structure 102 are constructed such that at least 75% of the area defined by each such side, front and/or rear of the open frame structure is open space (i.e., not inhibited by structural members or surface coverings).
The rapid freeze cabinet of FIGS. 1-10 can be described as an open-frame rapid freeze cabinet, for reasons that will become apparent in the following description. The rapid freeze cabinet 100 of FIG. 1 includes a blower 110 which is supported by the upper frame members 112. It will be appreciated that the rapid freeze cabinet is intended to be placed within a larger main freezer or cooler (typically a walk-in freezer or cooler, not shown in FIG. 1). Accordingly, the rapid freeze cabinet 100 does not itself include a refrigeration unit, since the blower 110 uses cold air from the main freezer/cooler to chill and/or freeze product (as will be described in more detail below). The rapid freeze cabinet 100 can thus be described as an air management system for efficiently using main freezer/cooler cold air to achieve rapid chilling and freezing of product placed within the cabinet 100. While the rapid freeze cabinet 100 can be a fixed unit within the larger main freezer/cooler, it can also include wheels 148 to facilitate moving the rapid freeze cabinet into and out of the main freezer/cooler, as well as around inside the main freezer/cooler.
The rapid freeze cabinet 100 houses an array of product drawers 120 which are supported on shelves 114. In the embodiment depicted in FIG. 1, the rapid freeze cabinet 100 includes three such shelves 114, each shelf supporting 8 product drawers 120. The product drawers 120 can be inserted into, and extracted from, the rapid freeze cabinet 100 using drawer pulls 124. One of the drawers 120 is depicted as pulled out (in direction “A”) from the cabinet 100 at the lower right of the front of the cabinet. As can be seen, the extracted drawer 120 includes five product cells 122. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the product (not visible) is stored in bottles “B”, which can be placed in each individual product cell 122. As will be described below, cold air from a main freezer/cooler is passed through the individual product cells 122 in order to achieve chilling and/or freezing of product within the bottles “B”. In order to achieve the desired rapid chilling/freezing, it is desirable that the cold air be passed through the product cell 122 in a rapid and controlled manner, and thus it is further desirable to remove restrictions in the product cell, and the cabinet 100, which could inhibit the flow of air through the product cells 122. To that end, the rapid freeze cabinet 100 is provided with the open frame configuration described above to allow the free flow of air from the product cells 122. Additionally, the shelves 114 are configured to allow the free flow of air from the bottom of the product cells 122, and the cabinet 100 is provided with air outlet openings 138 in the front portion of the cabinet to allow the free exhaust of air from the cabinet 100 to the main freezer/cooler (not shown). The product cells 122 are preferably provided with completely open bottoms (as shown and described in FIG. 2A), with a bottle support rod (144, FIG. 2A) to hold the product bottle “B” in place in the product cell. With further respect to the shelves 114, the shelves can be fabricated from perforated sheet metal or, more preferably, from thin metal rods (e.g., rigid wire, such as chrome plated stainless steel rod of between 1 mm and 5 mm in diameter).
The rapid freeze cabinet 100 provides cold air to the product cells 122 via a cold air distribution system 130, which includes primary cold air supply lines 132 and secondary cold air supply lines 134 (secondary cold air supply lines 132 branching off of the primary cold air supply lines 132 at a ninety degree angle). In FIG. 1 only one of the primary cold air supply lines 132 can be seen. However, it is understood that each vertical array of product drawers 120 is provided with a dedicated primary cold air supply line 132 (thus, in this example, there will be eight primary cold air supply lines running vertically down the back of the rapid freeze cabinet 100). Further, each product drawer 120 is provided with a dedicated secondary cold air supply line 134, such that in the example depicted there will be 40 such secondary cold air supply lines (i.e., one secondary cold air supply line for each of the 40 product drawers). The secondary cold air supply lines 134 provide the cold air to product cell plenums 136, which are arranged to seal against the product cells 122 when the product drawers 120 are inserted into the cabinet 100 (as will be described further below with respect to FIG. 2A). The product supply drawers 120 can be either slidingly fixed within the cabinet 110 (i.e., so that the drawers can be opened for loading and unloading of product bottles “B”), or the product drawers 120 can be removable from the cabinet 100 to allow loading and unloading of product bottles outside of the main freezer/cooler.
Turning now to FIG. 2A, a single product cell 122 of FIG. 1 is depicted in a side sectional detail. This detail depicts a product cell in the lower left rear corner of the rapid freeze cabinet 100 of FIG. 1. In FIG. 2A the product cell 122 is depicted supporting a product bottle “B”. The product bottle “B” is held in place in the product cell 122 by a lower arresting rod 144 which transverses the product cell 122 perpendicular to the plane of the drawing. The product bottle “B” is further held in spaced-apart relationship from the inner side walls of the product cell 122 by spacers 146 which are pins attached to the inner walls of the product cell. Two such spacers 146 are depicted in FIG. 2A. The product cell 122 has at least 3 such spacers 146 to hold the product bottle “B” away from the inner walls of the product cell, to allow even flow of air around the bottle (as will be discussed later). Also depicted in FIG. 2A is the lower part of the primary cold air supply line 132 which provides air to the secondary cold air supply line 134. A “T” (or “tee”) fitting 140 from the secondary cold air supply line 134 passes through the upper surface of the product cell plenum 136 and connects to cold air discharge nozzle 142. The product cell 122 is provided with a resilient seal 150 about the upper periphery of the product cell, the seal 150 sealing against the lower periphery of the cold air plenum 136 when the product cell 122 is positioned beneath the plenum 136. When the product drawer 120 (FIG. 1) with product cell 122 (FIG. 2A) is extracted from the cabinet 100, the cold air plenum 136 (and air discharge nozzle 142) remain in place within the cabinet 100. When the product drawer 120 is placed within the cabinet 100, the bottom of the product cells 122 rest on the shelves 114 (depicted in FIG. 2A as a rigid wire shelf). Below the shelf 114 is the air discharge opening 138, which is also seen in FIG. 1. Although not visible in FIG. 2A, the cold air discharge nozzle 142 can be provided with a plurality of air openings radially disposed about a center point of the nozzle to facilitate distribution of the air to the space between the product bottle “B” and the sidewall of the product cell 122.
Turning now to FIG. 2B, the same detail as in FIG. 2A is shown, but with the addition of airflow lines “AF” so that it can be seen how air flows out of the cold air discharge nozzle 142, down the sides of the product cell 122 and past the walls of the product bottle “B”, and out through the air opening 138. In addition to the air flow arrows “AF” depicted in the plane of the drawing of FIG. 2B, there will also be airflow out of the bottom of the product cells 122 in the directions perpendicular to the plane of the drawing. The product cell 122 configuration, and the arrangement of the cabinet 100, allows the free flow of spent chilling air out of the open bottom of the product cell 122. This arrangement increases the rate at which the cold air can extract heat from the product within the product bottles “B”.
Turning now to FIG. 3, an isometric schematic diagram depicts a variation on the cold air distribution system 130 of the rapid freeze cabinet of FIG. 1. In FIG. 1 the primary cold air supply line 132 is depicted as having a step-wise reduction in diameter as the line 132 descends down the back of the cabinet. This is in recognition of the fact that the volume of air flowing through the primary air supply line 132 is reduced as air is shuttled into the secondary air supply lines 134, and thus smaller diameter lines can be used to transport the air as it moves down the primary cold air supply line 132. It will be appreciated that it is desirable that the amount of cold air flowing from the discharge nozzles (142, FIG. 2A) into the cold air plenums (136) be the same for each product cell 122 (FIG. 2A) so that the rate of chilling/freezing of product in the product bottles “B” be the same for every bottle. To that end, it is desirable to be able to adjust the amount of air moving through the cold air distribution system 130 at various points in order to achieve this equality of flow from all nozzles (142). One arrangement for doing this by the use of valves is depicted in the alternative cold air distribution system 230 of FIG. 3. FIG. 3 depicts in isometric arrangement three primary cold air supply lines 232A, 232B and 232C, each of which are provided with cold air by the blower 110 of FIG. 1. Only one valve arrangement is shown in FIG. 3 for the primary air supply line 232A, but it is understood that similar valving can be provided for primary air supply lines 232B and 232C. (It will also be apparent that additional primary air supply lines 232 can be added to the air supply system 230.) The air supply system 230 is further provided with three secondary air supply lines 234A, 234B and 234C, each of which are provided with air from the primary air supply line 232A. The primary air supply line 232A can be provided with primary air flow line restricting valves 260 between each of the branches to the secondary supply lines 234. Also, each secondary air supply line 234 can be provided with a dedicated secondary air flow line restricting valve 262. Moreover, each “tee” fitting 240 providing air to the cold air plenum 136 for each product cell (122, FIG. 2A) can be provided with a dedicated product cell air flow restricting valve 264. In this way the flow of air through the air supply system 230 can be adjusted at all points of air flow diversion in order to achieve the desired air flow to each product cell 122 in the rapid freeze cabinet 100 of FIG. 1. While in some instances it is desirable that the rate of airflow to each product cell 122 (FIG. 1) be the same, in some instances it is desirable that the air flow rate be different for different product cells (as described below). The various valves described above can be used to adjust the air flow distribution throughout the rapid freeze cabinet and, once that desired airflow is achieved, the valves can be permanently set so that the airflow does not vary due to drifting of the valve settings. One way this can be achieved is if the valves are made from PVC, in which case the valves can be locked to a particular setting by gluing the valve handle or valve stem to the valve body. Other means of locking the valves to a particular setting can also be used, such as set screws, cotter pins, etc.
An alternative to the cold air supply system 230 is depicted in a partial side view piping diagram in FIG. 4. The cold air supply system 330 of FIG. 4 uses restricting orifices in place of the various values deployed in the arrangement depicted in FIG. 3. Specifically, primary cold air supply line 332 is provided with restricting orifice plate 360 between the branches to the secondary cold air supply lines 334A and 334B, and each of the secondary cold air supply lines are provided with a restricting orifice plate 362. Further, the lateral branches from the secondary cold air supply line 334A which lead to the cold air plenums 136 (only one of which is shown in FIG. 4) are each provided with a restricting orifice plate 340. (It will be appreciated that the same arrangement is provided for secondary cold air supply line 334B.) In another variation (not depicted in the drawings) the cold air supply system (130, FIG. 1) can be provided with a combination of valves, restricting orifice plates, other types of flow restricting devices, and/or unrestricted lines. Beyond being used to establish homogeneous flow rates in the product cells of the rapid freeze cabinet, the use of valves and/or orifice plates in the cold air distribution system can also be used to establish different cold air flow rates between product cells, as for example to accommodate different sizes of product bottles, or to accommodate different types of products from one cell (or product drawer) to another. The use of valves (described in FIG. 4) within the cold air distribution system also allows sections of the cabinet, or specific product drawers, to be isolated from air flow in the event that the isolated portion of the cabinet is not being used at some specific time. Further, the use of valves in the cold air distribution system allows the rate of cooling of product to be varied. Specifically, certain products need to be chilled to a specific temperature within a certain period of time. If the air flow capacity from the blower (110, FIG. 1) exceeds the required amount of air flow in order to achieve the desired chilling, then the air flow can be throttled using the valves, thus reducing energy consumption of the system. If different products are placed within the cabinet and have different cooling rate requirements, then this can be accommodated using the valves. In this way the cabinet 200 (described below with respect to FIGS. 9 and 10) not only can perform rapid freezing and/or chilling product, but also controlled rapid freezing/chilling of product. This control extends not only to the cabinet as an overall unit, but indeed to each product cell within the overall cabinet.
With reference now to FIG. 5, the product drawer 120 used in the rapid freeze cabinet of FIG. 1 is shown in a sectional plan view. The product drawer 120 includes five product cells 122 which are joined together in a straight line. In this example the product cells 122 are fabricated from square extruded polyvinyl chloride (PVC) tubing, cut into sections of the desired length to hold the product bottles “B” (see FIG. 2A). Each product cell 122 thus has four sidewalls 154, and the product cells can be joined together by gluing or other means. The product drawer 120 further includes a product bottle support rod 144 which passes through all five of the product cells 122 (also see FIG. 2A for positioning of the support rod in the product cell), and the support rod can also be used to join the product cells together in side-by-side arrangement. The support rod 144 can be a metal rod with threaded ends, held in place by fasteners 156 at the opposite ends of the product drawer 120. Each product cell 122 also includes four product bottle spacers 146. The product bottle spacers 146 can be plastic or metal pins inserted through holes drilled in the walls 154 of the product cells 122, and glued or otherwise secured in place. An exemplary bottle “B” is depicted in plan view by phantom lines in the center product cell 122 of the product drawer 120.
FIG. 6 is a plan view of an alternative product drawer 420 that can be used in the rapid freeze cabinet of FIG. 1. The product drawer 420 has five product cells 422, which are circular in cross section. In side view, the product cells 422 of FIG. 6 will be indistinguishable from the square product cells 122 of FIG. 5 (see also FIG. 2A). The product cells 422 of FIG. 6 can be fabricated from round PVC tubing or pipe, cut to the desired length to accommodate the product bottle. The product cells 422 can be joined to one another by the product bottle support rod 444 which runs the length of the product drawer 420 and is disposed near the bottom of the product cells 422, and is secured at each end by product rod fasteners 456. As depicted in FIG. 6, each product cell 422 is provided with three product bottle spacers 446 which are evenly spaced apart in a radial disposition along the inner wall of the product cell. An exemplary bottle “B” is depicted in plan view by phantom lines in the center product cell 422 of the product drawer 420. In one variation the circular product cells 422 can be necked-down in diameter towards the middle of the product bottle “B” to form a venturi-shaped product cell, which will accelerate air within the product cell moving past the product bottle, thus increasing the rate of heat extraction from the bottle by the moving air.
FIG. 7 is an exploded isometric view depicting a product cell 122 from the apparatus of FIGS. 1 and 2A. The product cell 122 includes a main body 155, which here is an extruded PVC segment having a generally square cross section (per FIG. 5) defining four sidewalls 154. The product bottle support rod 144 is inserted through holes 157 on opposite sides of the product cell main body 155 towards the lower end of the main body. The seal 150 fits around the upper periphery of the main body 155 and forms a seal between the main body and the plenum 136. Fitting 140 from the secondary cold air supply line 134 is fitted over an air opening 135 in the upper portion of the plenum 136. Not visible in FIG. 7 is the cold air discharge nozzle 142 inside the plenum (see FIG. 2A). Also depicted in FIG. 7 for reference sake is a product bottle “B” and a segment of the shelf 114 upon which the product cell 122 rests while in the cabinet 100 of FIG. 1.
FIG. 8 is a sectional side view of the lower left side of the rapid freeze cabinet 100 of FIG. 1, but using the alternative cold air distribution system 230 of FIG. 3. Specifically, the primary cold air supply line 232 tees into the secondary air supply line 234 via main tee 233, with secondary air flow line restricting valve 262 disposed between the tee fitting 233 and the secondary line 234. Further, secondary “tee” fittings 240 provide air from the secondary cold air line 234 to the cold air plenums 136 for each product cell 122, with product cell air flow restricting valves 264 disposed between the secondary tees 240 and the cold air discharge nozzles 142. Also depicted in FIG. 8 is the shelf 114 upon which rests the product drawer 120, exemplary product bottles “B”, and drawer pull 124 for extracting the product drawer 120 from the cabinet.
FIGS. 9 and 10 together depict respective left side and front views of a rapid freeze cabinet 200, which uses the alternative cold air distribution system 230 of FIG. 3. In FIGS. 9 and 10 the product cells 222 are depicted in sectional view so that exemplary product bottles “B” can be seen, as well as the cold air discharge nozzles 242. Otherwise, the rapid freeze cabinet 200 is depicted in true side and front views (respectively) in FIGS. 9 and 10. That is, when the cabinet 200 is viewed from the side, there are no sidewalls to obstruct the view of the product drawers (220A, 220B, 220C). This open-sided configuration of the cabinet 200 allows air which is discharged from the bottom of the product cells 222 to freely exit the cabinet (i.e., as per the front view of FIG. 10, from the left side “LS” and the right side “RS” of cabinet 200). The free flow of discharged cooling air from the product cells 222 allows the configuration of the cabinet 200 to achieve rapid freezing (or cooling) of product in the product bottles “B” placed within the product cells 222.
The rapid freeze cabinet 200 is configured with three tiers of product drawers, as indicated by product drawers 220A (top or upper tier), 220B (middle tier), and 220C (bottom or lower tier), as seen in both FIGS. 9 and 10. Further, as depicted in FIG. 10, each tier of the rapid freeze cabinet 200 is provided with eight product drawers (generally, 220). Thus, the cabinet 200 can hold 120 bottles “B” (eight rows of drawers across, by three tiers of drawers, and five bottles per drawer, for a total of 120 bottles) for rapid freezing of product. In FIG. 9 one of the primary cold air supply lines 232 can be seen in side view. As indicated above with respect to FIG. 3, there will be one primary cold air supply line 232 for each row of drawers 220—so in this example there will be eight primary cold air supply lines 232 distributed across the back or rear “R” of the cabinet 200. Also as can be seen in FIG. 9, each primary cold air supply line 232 has three secondary cold air supply lines (234A, 234B and 234 C) attached thereto—i.e., one secondary supply line (generally, 234) for each of the three tiers of the cabinet 200. Thus, in this example there will be twenty four secondary cold air supply lines 234 overall—i.e., one secondary cold air supply line for each product drawer 220 (three tiers of drawers times eight rows of drawers, for a total of 24 drawers). Each secondary cold air supply line 234 is provided with a secondary air flow line restricting valve 262 placed prior to the product cells 222 so that air flow between the three tiers of product drawers 220 can be regulated (as described above with respect to FIG. 3). Also, each secondary cold air supply line 234 is provided with a dedicated product cell air flow restricting valve 264 placed in-line with the cold air discharge nozzle 242 for each product cell (see FIG. 8 for more detail). The product cell air flow restricting valves 264 allow the amount of cold air provided to each product cell 222 within a particular product drawer 220 to be regulated. The rapid freeze cabinet 200 also includes the cold air blower 110 which takes in cold air at the top of the blower and discharges the cold air to the primary cold air supply lines 232. As with the cabinet 100 of FIG. 1, in FIG. 9 the product drawers 220 are supported on shelves 114, which are configured to be open shelves to allow the free flow of air there-through. (In one example the shelves 114 are fabricated from thin metal rods which are welded together to provide sufficient strength to support the product drawers 220.) The spacing between the tiers of drawers 220 provide air outlet openings 238 in the front “F” (and rear “R”) of the rapid freeze cabinet 200 to facilitate the quick and unobstructed flow of discharged air from the product cells 222 to the exterior environment (i.e., outside of the cabinet). It will be appreciated that the left and right sides (“LS”, “RS” respectively) of the rapid freeze cabinet 200 can be referred to as respective “first and second” sides, while the front and rear sides (“F”, “R”, respectively) can be referred to as respective “third and fourth” sides of the cabinet, the third and fourth sides being orthogonal to the first and second sides.
As described above, the rapid freeze cabinet provided for herein can be placed within, and removed from, a main freezer or cooler (e.g., using wheels 148 on the cabinet 100 of FIG. 1). In one variation the rapid freeze cabinet (e.g., cabinet 200 of FIGS. 9 and 10) can be a fixed unit as part of the main freezer/cooler. In this instance, the front of the cabinet (e.g., “F” of cabinet 200 of FIG. 9) can be an exterior surface of the main freezer/cooler, and in order to prevent cold air from the main freezer/cooler escaping from the main freezer via the cabinet 200, the discharge air openings 238 in the front of the cabinet can be sealed. (Or, put another way, to reduce warm air infiltration into the main freezer/cooler via the cabinet 200.) Further, the front of the cabinet 200, and the front portions of the product drawers 220, can be provided with thermal insulation to reduce heat intrusion (warm air infiltration) into the main freezer/cooler via the front of the cabinet 200. This arrangement (of installing the rapid freeze/cooler cabinet as part of a main walk-in freezer or cooler) reduces warm air intrusion into the main freezer/cooler whenever individuals need to place product within, or remove product from, the rapid freeze/cooler cabinet. This arrangement also reduces exposure of workers accessing the cabinet to the extreme cold of the air in the main freezer/cooler (i.e., individuals no longer need to enter the main freezer to access the rapid freeze/cooler cabinet.).
Returning now to FIG. 2A, as described above the cold air discharge nozzle 142 can be configured to facilitate distribution of the cooling air to the space between the product bottle “B” and the sidewall of the product cell 122. A commercially available air nozzle which provides a hollow cone discharge of air, and can be used for the cold air discharge nozzle 142, is manufactured by Bete of Greenfield MA, US, as part of their NCJ product line.
Restricting Flow Chill Air Plenum Embodiment of Rapid Freeze Cabinet.
A further embodiment of a rapid freeze cabinet provided for herein is a restricting air flow chill air plenum rapid freeze cabinet, as depicted in FIGS. 11-18 (with three variations depicted in FIGS. 19-21). FIG. 11 is an isometric view of a restricting flow chill air plenum rapid freeze cabinet 500. As is immediately apparent, the restricting flow chill air plenum embodiment of the rapid freeze cabinet differs from the open frame rapid freeze cabinet 100 of FIG. 1 at least in that the frame of the rapid freeze cabinet 500 is not open, but is covered with panels to generally enclose the cabinet 500. The rapid freeze cabinet 500 of FIG. 11 includes vertical front frame members 504 and vertical rear frame members 506. Frame members 504 and 506 extend through the bottom of the cabinet 500 to form four legs 548. The legs can optionally be provided with wheels (not shown) to allow the cabinet 500 to be more easily moved about. The frame members 504 and 506 are horizontally tied together at the top of the freeze cabinet 500 by upper frame 511, and are further horizontally tied together at the bottom of the cabinet by bottom shelf member 538 (proximate legs 548). In this way the vertical frame members 504, 506, the horizontal upper frame 511, and the horizontal lower shelf 538, form a frame structure (not numbered) as a rectangular parallelepiped. The rapid freeze cabinet 500 includes a plurality of product shelves 538 (four such shelves 538 being depicted in FIG. 11), and the product shelves 538 also form chill air outlets for the cabinet 500 (as described below). The sides of the freeze cabinet 500 are covered by side panels (left, or first, side panel 502, and right, or second, side panel 503), while the top of the rapid freeze cabinet is covered by a top panel 501, and the bottom of the freeze cabinet is covered by a bottom panel (513, FIG. 18). The front of the rapid freeze cabinet 500 (FIG. 11) is covered by a plurality of product access doors 507, which are attached to the product shelves 538 (and for the upper doors, to the top frame 511) in a hinged manner to allow the doors 507 to be swung open (see FIG. 12). (An exemplary hinge 522 which can be used for access doors 507 is depicted in side view in FIG. 17.) The product access doors 507 can be provided with handles 508 to assist in opening the doors. The doors 507 can be held in place in a closed position by a latch (not shown) such as a magnetic latch. Turning to FIG. 12, the rapid freeze cabinet 500 of FIG. 11 is depicted with two of the product doors 507 in an open position. As can be seen in FIG. 12, product bottles “B” are placed in a bottle rack “BR”, and the bottle racks can be placed on the product storage shelves 538. Turning to FIG. 13, the rapid freeze cabinet 500 of FIG. 11 is depicted in a front view. As can be appreciated from FIG. 13, the product storage shelves 538 provide the only means for chill air to exit the cabinet 500 (as described more fully below). Turning To FIG. 14, the rapid freeze cabinet 500 of FIGS. 11-13 is depicted in top view, with a partial sectional view showing product bottles “B” in bottle racks “BR” stored on the upper-most product storage shelf 538 (not shown in FIG. 14, but see FIG. 11).
Turning to FIG. 16, the rapid freeze cabinet 500 of FIG. 11 is depicted with the product doors 507 (FIG. 11) removed, so that is can be appreciated how product bottles “B”, in bottle racks “BR”, can be stored on the product storage shelves 538. The interior of the freeze cabinet 500 is sectioned into four product storage cells-515A, 515B, 515C and 515D. Beneath each product storage shelf 538 in product storage cells 515A, 515B and 515C is a respective product compartment panel 514A, 514B and 515C, while beneath product storage cell 515D is lower cabinet panel 513. As can be seen in FIG. 16, the bottle racks “BR” rest on top of the product storage shelves 538, such that an exit air passageway is formed beneath each of the bottle racks. Thus, chill air from each of the product storage cells 515A-515D can only exit the storage cell through the front of the respective product storage shelf 538 on which the bottle racks “BR” are supported.
As indicated in FIGS. 11 and 12, attached to the back of the frame structure of the freeze cabinet 500 is a restricting flow chill air plenum 520. The restricting flow chill air plenum 520 includes at least one chill air blower 510 (although three such blowers 510 are depicted in FIG. 11). The chill air blowers 510 move chill air “CA” (see FIG. 18, for example) into the rapid freeze cabinet 500. The chill air can be provided from a larger storage freezer in which the rapid freeze cabinet 500 can be disposed. In one variation the blowers 510 can be replaced with a refrigeration unit to provide the chill air. Turning to FIG. 15, a side view of the rapid freeze cabinet 500 shows the distinction between the restricting flow chill air plenum 520 of the cabinet (to the left of the dashed vertical line) and the product storage section of the cabinet (to the right of the vertical dashed line). The dashed vertical line in FIG. 15 is not representative of any structural feature, but is merely provided to show the distinction between the two parts of the cabinet (i.e., the restricting flow air plenum 520 section and the product storage section). A back panel 509 on the restricting flow plenum 520 forms the back of the rapid freeze cabinet 500. Accordingly, the rapid freeze cabinet is an essentially closed cabinet, enclosed by rear panel 509, side panels 502 and 503 (FIG. 1), top panel 501, bottom panel 513, and product access doors 507. And as described with respect to FIG. 16, the interior of the rapid freeze cabinet 500 is further segmented into closed product storage cells 515A through 515D by product compartment panels 514A-514C and bottom panel 513. Preferably, the top panel 501, the left (or first) side panel 502, the right (or second) side panel 503, the bottom panel 513 (FIG. 16), the rear panel (509, FIG. 17) and the product access doors 507 are fabricated from continuous sheet material (such as sheet plastic, sheet metal or wood panels) such that the only openings through which chill air can exit the interior of the cabinet 500 (when the blowers 510 are in operation) is through the gap under the product shelves 538 (as described more fully below with respect to FIG. 17) at the front of the cabinet. Likewise, preferably the product compartment panels 514A-514C are fabricated from continuous sheet material without any openings such that the chill air does not pass from one product storage cell 515 to another. As can be seen in FIG. 15, the restricting flow chill air plenum 520 narrows in width from the top of the freeze cabinet 500 to the bottom of the freeze cabinet. It is this narrowing of the restricting flow chill air plenum 520 that provides (at least in part) the restriction of the chill air, as described more fully below.
FIG. 17 is a partial side sectional view of the freeze cabinet 500 of FIGS. 11-16, depicting the upper portion of the restricting flow chill air plenum 520 and the upper-most product storage cell 515A. The restricting flow air plenum 520 defines an interior chill air volume 525. The restricting flow air plenum 520 includes a chill air deflector 530 which is an extension off of the back of the bottle rack 538 of the first product storage cell 514A. The product storage cell 515A is enclosed on the top by top panel 501, and on the bottom by product compartment panel 514A. Product access door 507 closes off the front of the product storage cell 515A, except for the gap at the bottom of the door which allows chill air to escape from the front of the storage shelf 538 through an exhaust air outlet, as described in more detail with respect to FIG. 18 (below). Product storage shelf 538 is preferably an open shelf or rack such that air can move freely through the shelf (i.e., from the top of the shelf to the bottom of the shelf, and vise-versa). Accordingly, the shelf 538 can be fabricated from steel wire or rod material (e.g., 543, FIG. 17) which can be welded together to provide a supporting structure for product to be stored in the rapid freeze cabinet 500. The product storage shelf 538 can include a vertical spacer 541 (FIG. 17) attached to the product support bars or rods 543, and the spacer can rest on the product compartment panel (e.g., 514A). This configuration creates an airspace 545 beneath the product storage shelf 538, which increases airflow around the product stored on the shelf.
FIG. 18 is a full side cross sectional view of the rapid freeze cabinet 500 of FIGS. 11-18, depicting how the restricting flow chill air plenum 520 directs chill air to the four product storage cells 515A-515D. In FIG. 18 the chill air deflector 530 of FIG. 17 is replaced with the chill air deflector 526A, and additional chill air deflectors 526B-526C are added. Each chill air deflector (or diverter) 526A-526C can be fabricated from a horizontal strip of continuous sheet material (such as stainless steel sheet or the like). The chill air deflectors 526A through 526C direct chill air to respective product storage cells 515A through 515C as indicated by respective air flow arrows “AF1” through “AF3”, and rear panel 509 directs chill air to product storage cell 515D as indicated by chill air flow “AF4”. Chill air deflectors 526A-526C are depicted in FIG. 18 as being extensions of product storage shelves 538. Alternately, chill air deflectors 526A through 526C can be extensions of respective product compartment panels 514A through 514C. Each chill air deflector 526A-526C is provided with an upturned free end 529 (see FIG. 17) which assists in directing the chill air to the product storage cells 515A-515C. The chill air directed into each of the product storage cells 515A-515D exits the product storage cell as respective exhaust air flows “EA1” through “EA4” (FIG. 18) though the front of the associated product storage shelf 538. Each of the chill air flows “AF1” through “AF4” provided to the respective product storage cells 515A-515D is preferably the same (i.e., equal flow rate) as one another to achieve the same rate of cooling of the product bottles “B” in the rapid freeze cabinet 500. This is accomplished by the design of the restricting flow chill air plenum 520—specifically, by the shape of the plenum and by the sizing and positioning of the chill air deflectors 526A-526C. In FIG. 18 each of chill air deflectors 526A-526C extends outward into the interior 525 of the restricting flow chill air plenum 520 and towards the back wall (back panel) 509 of the chill air plenum. In FIG. 18, each chill air deflector 526A-526C extends to maintain a constant distance between the terminal end of the chill air deflector and the rear panel 509 of the chill air plenum 520. In one variation the distance between the terminal end of the chill air deflectors 526A-526C and the rear panel 509 of the chill air plenum 520 increases from the top deflector 526A to the bottom deflector 526C.
With further reference to FIG. 18, the restricting flow chill air plenum 520 is defined by a width “W”, which decreases from the top of the plenum (proximate the top panel 501 of the rapid freeze cabinet 500) to the bottom of the plenum (proximate bottom panel 513 of the cabinet 500). The restricting flow chill air plenum 520 is also defined by a length, which spans between the left and right rear frame members 506 (see FIG. 14). The restricting flow chill air plenum 520 is further defined by a depth, which spans between the top of the plenum (proximate the top panel 501 of the rapid freeze cabinet 500) and the bottom of the plenum (at the bottom panel 513 of the cabinet 500). In FIG. 18 the restricting flow chill air plenum 520 in side view is thus a right triangle having an area equal to the depth of the plenum times the width of the plenum (i.e., width at the top of the plenum) divided by 2—i.e., area A=(W×D)/2, and the volume of the interior 525 of the plenum is thus this area times the length of the plenum—i.e., volume V=A×L. Further, at any given depth of the chill air plenum 520 (i.e., between the top of the plenum and the bottom of the plenum) the plenum is defined by a horizontal cross sectional area AH which is calculated as a function of the depth D of the plenum, which is measured from the bottom of the plenum 520 to the top of the plenum—i.e., W=f(D). Thus the horizontal cross sectional area AH of the plenum 520 at any given point of depth D is the width Wf(D) of the plenum at that point of depth, times the length L of the plenum (i.e., the distance between the left and right frame members 506-FIG. 14) such that AH=Wf(D)×L. Accordingly, the horizontal cross sectional area AH of the plenum 520 at any given point of depth D of the plenum increases as a function of the depth of the plenum (as measured starting from the bottom of the plenum).
Turning now to FIG. 19, a cross sectional view of a rapid freeze cabinet 500A is shown, with a restricting flow chill air plenum 520A that is a first variation of the chill air plenum 520 of FIG. 18. The restricting flow chill air plenum 520A of FIG. 19 is generally rectangular in side cross sectional view, unlike the generally triangular side cross section of the chill air plenum 520 of FIG. 18. Besides the difference in the chill air plenums (520, 520A) of the rapid freeze cabinets 500 and 500A, the product storage section of each cabinet—i.e., the section of the cabinet to the right of the chill air plenum—is essentially the same for both cabinets in all relevant ways. The chill air plenum 520A of FIG. 19 includes chill air deflectors 626A, 626B and 626C, which function to direct chill air to the respective product storage cells 515A through 515C. The chill air plenum 520A further includes a plenum bottom panel 627 which directs chill air to the product storage cell 515D. The chill air deflectors 626A, 626B and 626C intrude further into the interior space 525A of the chill air plenum 520A (i.e., closer to the rear panel 509A of the cabinet 500A) as the deflectors increase in distance from the plenum bottom panel 627. That is, the highest chill air deflector 626A intrudes furthest into the chill air plenum 520A, while the lowermost chill air deflector 626C intrudes the least into the plenum. It is this feature which renders the chill air plenum 520A a restricting flow plenum. That is, the further-intruding higher chill air deflectors (626A, 626B) restrict the flow of chill air to the upper product storage cells 515A and 515B, thus ensuring a sufficient chill air supply is available for the lower product storage cells 515C and 515D.
Another variation of the restricting flow chill air plenum 520 of FIG. 18 is depicted in FIG. 20 as restricting flow chill air plenum 520B of rapid freeze cabinet 500B. Besides the difference in the chill air plenums (520, 520B) of the rapid freeze cabinets 500 (FIG. 11) and 500B (FIG. 20), the product storage section of each cabinet—i.e., the section of the cabinet to the right of the chill air plenum—is essentially the same for both cabinets (500, 500B) in all relevant ways. Rather than using chill air deflectors (such as 526A-526C of chill air plenum 520, FIG. 18), the chill air plenum 520B of FIG. 20 includes a stepped chill air diverter 527 disposed within the interior space 525B of the plenum. The chill air plenum 520B is essentially rectangular in side view cross section, and includes a plenum bottom panel 533 which is disposed at a right angle to the rear panel (back panel) 509B of the cabinet 500B. The stepped chill air diverter 527 includes three chill air deflector surfaces 529A, 529B and 529C, which deflect chill air to respective product storage cells 515A, 515B and 515C. (Plenum bottom panel 533 deflects air to product storage cell 515D.) Deflector surfaces 529A and 529B are separated by vertical air guide 531A, while deflector surfaces 529B and 529C are separated by vertical air guide 531B. Similarly, vertical air guide 531C guides chill air between deflector surface 529C and plenum bottom panel 533 into product storage cell 515D. The narrowing of the interior space 525B of the chill air plenum 520B provided by the stepped chill air diverter 527 provides the restricting air flow nature of the chill air plenum. That is, the stepped chill air deflectors 529A through 529C intrude further into the interior space 525B of the air plenum 520B as the plenum increases in depth from the top of the plenum (proximate top panel 501) towards the plenum bottom panel 533.
A further variation of the restricting flow chill air plenum 520 of FIG. 18 is depicted in FIG. 21 as restricting flow chill air plenum 520C of rapid freeze cabinet 500C. Besides the difference in the chill air plenums (520, 520C) of the rapid freeze cabinets 500 and 500C, the product storage section of each cabinet—i.e., the section of the cabinet to the right of the chill air plenum—is essentially the same for both cabinets in all relevant ways. The chill air plenum 520C basically uses the chill air deflectors 526 of chill air plenum 520 (numbered for chill air plenum 520C as chill air deflectors 726A through 726C), as well as the rectangular side section of chill air plenum 520B (FIG. 20). That is, chill air plenum 520C includes rapid freeze cabinet rear panel 509C (as chill air plenum back panel), and plenum bottom panel 533, defining plenum interior space 525C. It will be appreciated that the design of chill air plenum 520C will provide different chill air distribution than the chill air plenum 520 of FIG. 11, and specifically will allow more chill air to reach the lower product storage cells (515C, 515D). This can be a desirable feature if different products are storage in the different product storage cells (515A-515D) requiring different cooling rates. From FIG. 21 it is apparent that the geometry of the chill air plenum in a side cross section (as for example chill air plenum 520 as depicted in FIG. 18), and/or the extension of chill air deflectors (e.g., 526A-526C, FIG. 18) can be modified to achieve a specifically desired distribution of chill air to the individual product storage cells (515).
In one variation one or both of the rapid freeze cabinet (500) sides panels (left side panel 502 and right side panel 503, FIG. 11) can be provided with one or more doors to allow product bottle racks to be loaded and/or removed from the rapid freeze cabinet. The side door (or doors) are limited to the product storage area of the rapid freeze cabinet (i.e., to the portion of the cabinet to the right of the dashed line in FIG. 15 depicting the separation of the product storage portion of the cabinet 500 from the chill air plenum section 520). That is, side doors preferably do not open into the chill air plenum. The use of one or more side doors allows chilled product to be removed from within a larger storage freezer, while unchilled product is loaded through front doors (507, FIG. 11) through an opening in a freezer wall (which typically will be located in an antechamber to reduce warm air intrusion into the main storage freezer). A side door can be a single door allowing access to all of the product storage cells (e.g., 515A through 515D, FIG. 16). Alternately, a plurality of side doors can allow access to individual product storage cells (similar to the plurality of front product access doors 507 in FIG. 11). The side doors can be side hinged (e.g., along the line separating the product storage section of the rapid freeze cabinet from the chill air plenum section), or top hinged similar to front product access doors 507.
In another variation, rather than venting exhaust chill air (“EA”-see FIG. 18) from the air space 545 at the bottom of the product storage rack 538 (see FIG. 17), the exhaust air can be exhausted through one or more openings formed in the front product access doors (507, FIG. 11). In this case the product storage racks can be eliminated, and the product bottle racks “BR” can be placed directly on the product compartment panels 514A through 514C, and bottom panel 513.
It will be appreciated that the above description allows for at least a rapid freeze cabinet having a frame structure which includes a horizontally disposed rectangular upper frame (511, FIG. 16), a horizontally disposed rectangular lower frame (lower-most product storage shelf 538), two vertically disposed front frame members (504, FIG. 11) connected to the upper frame and the lower frame, and two vertically disposed rear frame members (506, FIG. 11) connected to the upper frame and the lower frame, to thereby form the frame structure as a rectangular parallelepiped. The cabinet further includes a plurality of spaced apart product storage shelves (538) disposed within the frame structure between the upper frame (511) and the lower frame (lower-most shelf 538, FIG. 11). A restricting air flow chill air plenum (520, FIG. 15) is attached to the frame structure at the rear frame members (506). The restricting air flow chill air plenum defines an interior chill air volume (525, FIG. 17), and the chill air plenum includes at least one blower (510) which is configured to blow chill air into the interior chill air volume. The chill air plenum (520) further includes a plurality of chill air deflectors (526A-526C, FIG. 18), each chill air deflector extending from a rear of an associated product storage shelf (538) into the interior chill air volume (525) of the chill air plenum. The rapid freeze cabinet (500) additionally includes panels (as follows) to enclose the rapid freeze cabinet: a top panel (501) secured to the rapid freeze cabinet proximate the upper frame (511), the top panel extending from the front of the rapid freeze cabinet to the back of the rapid freeze cabinet (at rear panel 509); a bottom panel (513) secured to the rapid freeze cabinet proximate the lower frame (lower-most shelf 538), the bottom panel extending from the front of the rapid freeze cabinet to the back of the rapid freeze cabinet; a first side (left side) panel (502) secured to a first side (left side) of the rapid freeze cabinet, the first side panel extending from the front of the rapid freeze cabinet to the rear panel of the rapid freeze cabinet; a second side (right side) panel (503) secured to a second side (right side) of the rapid freeze cabinet opposite the first side (left side) of the rapid freeze cabinet, the second side panel extending from the front of the rapid freeze cabinet to the rear panel of the rapid freeze cabinet; and at least one product compartment panel (514A, FIG. 17) horizontally disposed between the top panel (501) and the bottom panel (513), and beneath at least one of the product storage shelves (538), to thereby segregate the rapid freeze cabinet into at least two product storage cells (e.g., 515A, 515B, FIG. 18). The rapid freeze cabinet (500) also includes a plurality of product access doors (507, FIG. 11) secured to the front of the rapid freeze cabinet, each product access door being associated with a respective product storage cell (e.g., 515A, FIG. 18). A gap is defined at a lower edge of each product access door 507 (see FIG. 11) to thereby define an exhaust air outlet to allow chill air (e.g., “EA1”, FIG. 18) to escape from the front of the rapid freeze cabinet. Each chill air deflector (e.g., 526A-526C, FIG. 18) can be fabricated from a horizontal strip of sheet material (such as stainless steel) having an upturned end section 529 (see chill air deflector 530, FIG. 17) disposed within the interior chill air volume (525) of the rapid freeze cabinet. In one variation, in side view (as per FIG. 18) the chill air plenum (520) describes a right triangle, with a short side of the right triangle proximate the top panel (501) of the rapid freeze cabinet (500), and the rear panel (509) of the rapid freeze cabinet defining the hypotenuse of the fight triangle.
Freezer System.
FIG. 22 is a schematic plan view of a freezer system 600 which can use either of the two rapid freeze cabinets provided for herein, as well as other known or future rapid freeze cabinets. For purposes of the following discussion, the rapid freeze cabinet used in the freezer system 600 of FIG. 22 will be a modified version of the restricting chill air plenum rapid freeze cabinet 500 (described above), numbered in FIG. 22 as rapid freeze cabinets 500D and 500E. The freezer system 600 is specifically configured to reduce warm air intrusion into (and likewise, chilled air loss from) a freezer in which product (such as blood plasma) is being frozen and stored. The freezer system 600 includes a main freezer 602 which includes, and is defined in part by, main freezer exterior walls 604 (depicted here in plan view as being arranged in a rectangular pattern). The main freezer exterior walls 604 define a main freezer interior space 606. It is understood that the main freezer 602 further includes a floor and a ceiling to fully enclose the interior space 606. Disposed within interior space 606 are interior walls 612, which define within the interior space an anteroom 610. In FIG. 22 the anteroom 610 bifurcates the main freezer interior 606 into left and right segments, although in other configurations the anteroom can be located at one end or the other of the main freezer 602. The anteroom 610 is isolated from the main freezer interior space 606 by the interior walls 612 and doors 616 and 614 (which are described more fully further below). Chill air is provided to the main freezer interior spaces 606 by at least one chill air unit 629, while the anteroom 610 does not necessary include a separate chill air unit. The main freezer 602 includes a primary personnel access door 608 which is disposed within the exterior wall 604 and leads into the anteroom 610. In this way personnel can enter and leave the freezer 602 via the primary personnel access door 608 with little loss of chilled air from the main freezer interior space 606. Disposed within the interior walls 612 is at least one secondary (or interior) personnel access door 616 (two of which are depicted in FIG. 22), which allow personnel access to the main freezer interior space 606 via the anteroom 610. Further disposed within the interior walls 612 is at least one product cabinet access door 614 (two of which are depicted in FIG. 22), which allow personnel to access the rapid freeze cabinets 500D which are disposed within the main freezer interior space 606.
As indicated above, the freezer system 600 further includes at least one rapid freeze cabinet (e.g., 500D, 500E) which is disposed within the main freezer interior space 606. In FIG. 22 rapid freeze cabinets 500D are depicted as being placed juxtaposed to product cabinet access doors 614 such that product can be loaded into the rapid freeze cabinets 500D via the anteroom 610 (as described further below). In FIG. 22 two additional rapid freeze cabinets 500E are depicted as being placed within the main freezer interior space 606, each cabinet 500E being positioned in a serial relationship to a respective cabinet 500D. In addition to rapid freeze cabinets being placed proximate to the product cabinet access doors 614, additional rapid freeze cabinets, or other product storage cabinets or shelves (not shown) can be placed within the main freezer interior space 606. Preferably the product cabinet access doors 614 are positioned beneath the evaporator (not shown) of the chill air unit 629 in order to maximize heat removal from the rapid freeze cabinets 500D and 500E.
The rapid freeze cabinet 500D of FIG. 22 is depicted in side view in FIG. 23. Except for the changes described below, the rapid freeze cabinet 500D can be essentially the same as rapid freeze cabinet 500 described above with respect to FIGS. 11-18. The primary distinction between the rapid freeze cabinet 500D and the rapid freeze cabinet 500 is that in rapid freeze cabinet 500D (FIG. 23) the first side panel 502 (of freeze cabinet 500) is replaced with first side panel 500D (of freeze cabinet 500D). Side panel 500D of rapid freeze cabinet 500D includes four product ingress openings (549A through 549D) disposed therein, each defined by a product ingress opening periphery (e.g., 546 of opening 549A). As can be seen in FIG. 23, the product ingress opening 549A through 549D allow access to respective product storage shelves 538A through 538D, such that product (e.g., in bottles “B”) can be passed through the openings and placed on an associated shelf (538A-538D). More specifically, and referring back to FIG. 22, the product ingress opening 549A through 549D in rapid freeze cabinet 500D allow product to be inserted into the cabinet via product cabinet access doors 614. Preferably, product cabinet access doors 614 can be a vertically arranged gang of product cabinet access doors, each product cabinet access door in the gang being aligned adjacent to a corresponding product ingress opening (549A-549D, FIG. 23) in rapid freeze cabinet 500D when the rapid freeze cabinet is placed proximate the product cabinet access doors 614 (as depicted in FIG. 22). In this way product can be placed into the rapid freeze cabinet 500D by personnel within the anteroom 610, without the need to enter the main freezer interior space 606. This arrangement significantly reduces the loss of chilled air from the main freezer interior space 606, as well as intrusion of warm air from outside of the main freezer 602 into the main freezer interior space 606.
Returning to FIG. 23, the rapid freeze cabinet 500D can include a second side panel which is opposite side panel 502D (e.g., similar to second side panel 503 of freeze cabinet 500, FIG. 13). The second side panel of rapid freeze cabinet 500D (not shown in FIG. 23) can be provided with product ingress openings in the same manner as side panel 502D, described above. This arrangement (i.e., of having product ingress openings disposed in both side panels of the rapid freeze cabinet 500D) allows the configuration depicted in FIG. 22, where two rapid freeze cabinets (500D, 500E) are placed in series with one another. In this instance (i.e., the depiction of FIG. 22) the rapid freeze cabinet 500D has product ingress openings defined in both side panels, and the rapid freeze cabinet 500E will have product ingress openings defined in at least the side panel which is juxtaposed to rapid freeze cabinet 500D. In this way as product (in bottle racks, for example) is extracted from rapid freeze cabinet 500E, additional product can be added to rapid freeze cabinet 500D, and product previously inserted into rapid freeze cabinet 500D can be pushed out of rapid freeze cabinet 500D and into rapid freeze cabinet 500E.
While rapid freeze cabinets 500D and 500E (FIG. 22) can include front access doors (e.g., front product access doors 507 of rapid freeze cabinet 500, FIG. 13) to allow product to be extracted from the rapid freeze cabinets (500D, 500E) within the interior space 606 of main freezer 602, in one variation at least rapid freeze cabinet 500E does not include front product access doors, but rather includes side product access doors. Specifically, with respect to FIG. 24, a rapid freeze cabinet 500F is depicted in side view, showing the second side of the rapid freeze cabinet (i.e., opposite the side of rapid freeze cabinet 500D depicted in FIG. 23). The rapid freeze cabinet 500F of FIG. 23 is essentially the same as the rapid freeze cabinet 500D of FIG. 22, except as noted below. Specifically, the rapid freeze cabinet 500F includes second side panel 503F which has disposed therein product egress opening 547A through 547D. The product egress opening 547A-547D correspond to the product ingress openings 549A-549D in the first side panel (side panel 502D, FIG. 23). One or more of product egress openings 547A-547D (FIG. 24) can be covered with a side product access door 548 (as is depicted in FIG. 24, with door 548 being mounted over product egress opening 547C). As further depicted in FIG. 24, the side product egress door 548 is mounted to side panel 503F by hinges 552, and includes side door handle 550 allowing the door 548 to be opened outward, and product to be extracted from the cabinet 500F. In one variation the side product access door provided for the rapid freeze cabinet 500F can be a removable door, such as removable side product access door 548A. Removable side door 548A can be mounted on modified hinges 552A. In this way (i.e., by providing removable side doors 548A) an end user of the rapid free cabinet 500F can configure the cabinet as either a pass-through cabinet (such as cabinet 500D of FIG. 22), or as an end cabinet in a series of rapid freeze cabinets (e.g., as cabinet 500E, FIG. 22). That is, a pass-through rapid freeze cabinet (e.g., 500D) will have product ingress/egress openings (e.g., 549, FIG. 23, 547, FIG. 24) in both (respective) side panels of the cabinet, allowing product (e.g., in bottle racks) to be pushed along shelves 538 out of the pass-through cabinet and into an immediately adjacent cabinet in the series (such as cabinet 500E, FIG. 22). Likewise, an end cabinet (such as 500E) will have product ingress openings (e.g., 549, FIG. 23) in the (first) side panel of the cabinet which is juxtaposed to the pass-through cabinet (500D), but will have a closed (or closable) second side panel which is opposite the first side panel. The end cabinet can allow for product to be extracted either through front doors (such as doors 507 of cabinet 500, FIG. 12), or through side doors (such as doors 548 and 548A of FIG. 24). While FIG. 22 depicts only two rapid freeze cabinets in series (i.e., cabinets 500D and 500E are in series with one another) it will be appreciated that additional pass-though cabinets can be inserted into the series before the end cabinet 500E. Further, while FIG. 22 depicts the freezer system 600 as including series rapid freeze cabinets 500D and 500E, it will be apparent that only a single rapid freeze cabinet can be placed adjacent to each of the product cabinet access doors 614 of FIG. 22, in which case product can be extracted from the cabinet either by front doors (e.g., 507, FIG. 12) or side doors (e.g., 548, FIG. 24). Further, a pass-through cabinet (e.g., 500D) does not need to be provided with front doors (e.g., 507, FIG. 12), nor does an end cabinet (e.g., 500E) if side doors (548) are provided in the cabinet.
It will be appreciated that the above description allows for at least a freezer system (e.g., 600, FIG. 22) including a main freezer (602) having main freezer exterior walls (604), a floor, and a ceiling. The exterior walls, floor and ceiling together define a main freezer interior space (606). The main freezer includes at least one interior wall (612) disposed within the main freezer interior space to thereby define an anteroom (610) within the main freezer. The main freezer also includes a chill air unit (629) to provide chill air to the main freezer interior space, and a primary personnel access door (608) disposed within the main freezer exterior wall to thereby provide personnel access to the anteroom. The main freezer further includes: an interior personnel access door (616) disposed within the interior wall to thereby allow personnel access to the main freezer interior space via the anteroom; and a product cabinet access door (614) disposed within the interior wall. The freezer system includes a rapid freeze cabinet (500D) disposed within the main freezer interior space and adjacent the product cabinet access door. The rapid freeze cabinet includes a frame structure formed as a rectangular parallelepiped (see for example FIG. 14, where frame members 504 and 506 form the frame structure of cabinet 500). The rapid freeze cabinet includes the following panels, which are supported by the frame structure: a cabinet first side panel (502D, FIG. 23) which is adjacent to the product cabinet access door (614, FIG. 22); a cabinet second side panel (503, FIG. 14) which is opposite the first cabinet side panel; a cabinet front panel (which can replace doors 507 of FIG. 12) and an opposite cabinet rear panel (509, FIG. 15); and a cabinet top panel (501, FIG. 14) and an opposite cabinet bottom panel (513, FIG. 16). The rapid freeze cabinet includes a plurality of spaced apart and horizontally disposed product storage shelves (538A through 538D, FIG. 23) disposed within the frame structure, and a blower (510, FIG. 16) disposed proximate the cabinet top panel and configured to blow chill air across the product storage shelves. The cabinet first side panel has one or more product ingress openings (549A-549D, FIG. 23) defined therein proximate at least one of the product storage shelves (538A-D), and proximate the product cabinet access door (614, FIG. 22).
The preceding description has been presented only to illustrate and describe exemplary methods and apparatus of the present invention. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure to any precise form disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the following claims.
Patent Application
20250075960
