Vertically mounted dry ice cooling compartment applied to a galley cart for temperature gradient reduction

• US 9,446,847 B2
• Filed: 04/29/2013
• Issued: 09/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Richardson, Marcus K., Wu, Tateh, Horstman, Raymond H., Schalla, James P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Flanigan, Allen
• Assistant Examiner(s): Zec, Filip
• Application Number:
  US13/872,958
• Publication Number:
  US 20140318156A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,240 Days
• Field of Search: 623/88, 62/56
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 31/02 with heating, cooling or ventilating means
• CPC Class Codes: B62B 2202/67 Service trolleys, e.g. in aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: B62B 2204/04 comprising a cooling unit
• CPC Class Codes: B62B 2204/06 comprising insulating materials
• CPC Class Codes: B62B 3/005 Details of storage means, e.g. drawers, bins or racks
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/0007 Devices specially adapted for food or beverage distribution services
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/04 Galleys

Abstract

A case for a galley cart defines a cavity with at least two dividers positioned within the cavity, each having a first end edge and an opposing second end edge, with the dividers defining at least two chambers within the cavity. A door is movably attached to the case having a first position in which the cavity is accessible and a second position in which the cavity is substantially sealed. The door incorporates a housing having at least one cooling puck corresponding to at least a first one of the chambers and a second cooling puck corresponding to a second one of the chambers. At least one sealing member is coupled to the housing in the door and configured to compress against the first end edges of the dividers and to provide flow communication between the first cooling compartment and the first chamber and between the second cooling compartment and the second chamber when the door is in the second position.

Claims

1. A cooling system comprising:

a case defining a cavity;

at least one upper and one lower divider positioned within the cavity, the at least one upper and one lower dividers each having a first end edge and an opposing second end edge, wherein the at least one upper and one lower dividers define at least one upper chamber and one lower chamber within the cavity;

a door movably attached to the case, the door having a first position in which the cavity is accessible and a second position in which the cavity is substantially sealed, the door comprising;

a housing having at least one partition segregating the housing into cooling compartments corresponding to the one upper chamber and one lower chamber, each cooling compartment configured to receive at least one cooling puck; and

at least one sealing member coupled to the housing of the door, the at least one sealing member configured to compress against the first end edges of the at least two dividers to prevent flow communication between the at least one upper chamber and at least one lower chamber thereby preventing stratification of cooling gas in the cavity and said at least one sealing member adapted to provide flow communication between a first cooling compartment and the at least one upper chamber and between a second cooling compartment and the at least one lower chamber when the door is in the second position.

2. The cooling system as defined in claim 1 wherein the sealing member is foam.

3. The cooling system as defined in claim 1 wherein a wall of the case opposing the door includes a second sealing member that contacts the second end edges of the dividers.

4. The cooling system as defined in claim 1 wherein the door further comprises baskets vertically distributed in the door housing, the baskets configured to support the cooling pucks.

5. The cooling system as defined in claim 1 wherein the dividers are trays.

6. The cooling system as defined in claim 1 wherein the trays are removable from the cavity.

7. The cooling system as defined in claim 1 wherein the cooling pucks are in fluid communication with more than one cavity chamber.

8. The cooling system as defined in claim 1 wherein the cooling pucks contain dry ice.

9. The cooling system as defined in claim 1 wherein the door is hinged to the case.

10. The cooling system as defined in claim 1 wherein the at least one partition is removable to vary configuration of the cooling compartments.

11. The cooling system as defined in claim 1 wherein the door further comprises at least one orifice through the sealing member in each cooling compartment.

12. The cooling system as defined in claim 11 wherein the at least one orifice has an area of between 0.005 square inches and 0.012 square inches.

13. The cooling system as defined in claim 11 wherein an area of the at least one orifice can be adjusted.

14. The cooling system as defined in claim 4 wherein the baskets are formed from non-conductive material.

15. The cooling system as defined in claim 1 wherein the case is on casters.

16. The cooling system as defined in claim 13 further comprising an adjustable orifice fitting inserted into the orifice, said fitting having an adjustment knob rotatable to reduce the orifice area.

17. The cooling system as defined in claim 13 further comprising a plug adapted to be received in the orifice and selected from the set of a threaded plug to be received in mating threads in the orifice or a plug with a resilient barbed fitting engaged within the orifice.

18. A method for cooling a galley cart comprising:

inserting cooling pucks selectively vertically distributed in a housing of a door of a cart;

engaging dividers in the cart with insulating sealing members on the door and an opposite end of the cart to create cooling chambers within a cavity of the cart, said sealing members preventing fluid communication between the cooling chambers to prevent stratification;

inserting partitions to segregate the door housing into cooling compartments corresponding to the cooling chambers; and

,

cooling convectively through the insulating sealing member, if porous, or through orifices in the sealing members to evenly cool the chambers in the cart.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising vertically distributing baskets to receive cooling pucks within the door housing.

20. The method of claim 18 further comprising adjusting an area of the orifices to increase or decrease cooling capacity and ensure uniform temperature.