Abstract:
This container includes an insulating body, a door made of an insulating material, and mechanism for locking the door in the closed position. A multi-component container having a volume adaptable on demand, less heavy and less expensive, whilst having good resistance to wear and to blows. This body is formed by stacking body elements which are made of an insulating material and which are each generally U-shaped, the ends of the wings thereof defining the access opening, the elements being inserted between end elements which, having the same U-shaped cross-section as these but being closed at one side by a bottom, are reinforced by independent metal frames which exert thereon a compressive strength which is produced by metal clamping rods. These extend between the two frames and pass through the body elements and the end elements via holes.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The invention relates to containers for preserving, cold or hot, of various materials. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    In known manner, this kind of container is in monolithic body shaped, vertical with a front door or horizontal with a top door. 
         [0003]    The bodies and the door are usually made separately and composed of a core of insulating material which is inserted either between rigid walls of resin-glass laminates or between roto-molded plastic walls. The lower part is generally provided with castors and the door is provided with closure means, with or without stiffening means. 
         [0004]    For the cold storage, the cold source consists of eutectic plates containing a liquid mixture that can store the negative calories or of a tray receiving dry ice and able to ensure a fresh or frozen storage. 
         [0005]    These containers are to be moved between a starting place, where they are loaded with products to preserve and with cold, and a place of arrival where they their contents are unloaded. This to and from movement between buildings and a transport vehicle involves many manipulations. These are sometimes made without special care by a staff inattentive to the preservation of container. It follows that to obtain containers having a satisfactory lifetime, these are designed to be resistant. The corollary is that they are relatively expensive, and that this extra cost applies to careful users and containers less prone to manipulations. 
         [0006]    The invention therefore relates more particularly isothermal containers comprising:
       a body made of rigid insulating material, substantially parallelepiped, having an cavity divided into a space for receiving the products and foodstuffs to preserve in temperature and in a space for receiving heat exchanging means,   a door made of an insulating material which bears against the edges of the cavity to sealingly close the container,   and means for closing the door by putting it in compression against the supporting means of the body of the container.       
 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0010]    A first object of the invention is to provide lighter and cheaper containers, but with at least the same insulating ability and a very satisfactory service life, with good resistance to wear and to handling impacts and blows. 
         [0011]    Another object of the invention is to provide a multi component container allowing the manufacturer to replace components damaged by shocks and, by modifying the number of identical components, to achieve containers having different capacities. 
         [0012]    In the container according to the invention, the body is formed by stacking body elements A made of insulating material and which are each generally U-shaped, the ends of the wings thereof defining the access opening, said body elements A being inserted between two end elements B. These are likewise with the same U-section thereof, but are closed on one side by a transverse wall and are reinforced by independent metal frames exerting a compressive strength on their transverse walls. This compressive strength is produced by clamping rods extending between the two frames and passing through the body elements A and the end elements B. 
         [0013]    Thus, to increase the interior volume of the container, it is sufficient, during its construction, to increase the number of body elements arranged between the end elements and to use longer clamping rods, subject to use a monolithic door adapted to the opening of the body. 
         [0014]    Moreover, in case of deterioration of one or more body elements leading to a decrease of their strength or a reduction of their insulating ability, the repair can be performed easily by removing the container to replace the defective elements. 
         [0015]    In a preferred embodiment, the door has, in each of its longitudinal edges, spaced bearings in which is disposed a reinforcing metal rod passing through the door along its entire length, said door comprising:
       on the side of its hinged connection on the body and in the space between bearings, connecting rods whose one end is hinged to its reinforcing rod and the other end on a rod of the body, and,   on the other side and in the spaces between bearings, attachment means passing through gaps between bearings of the body to hang on a rod of said body.       
 
         [0018]    This arrangement ensures the plating of the door on the body and the continuity of the preserving qualities of the container. 
         [0019]    Advantageously, the body elements, the end members and the door are monolithic and made of expanded cellular material, for example expanded polypropylene. 
         [0020]    Thus, these elements have a very isolating core protected by a surface skin harder and more resistant to shocks and scratches. 
         [0021]    In addition, the use of a single material to achieve the body and the door of the container, instead of using the traditional design with a complex and formed by glass-resin composite walls between which an expandable insulating foam is injected, facilitates recycling at end of life of the container. 
         [0022]    This recycling is also facilitated by reducing the number of components and by their assembly method, without glue or large screws, which reduces the time of the dismantling, before the distribution of materials for their recycling. 
         [0023]    In one embodiment, the relative positioning and sealing between the body and end elements assembled, respectively, is ensured by ribs projecting from one wing and the half of the transverse edge of each element, said ribs penetrating into grooves arranged in a wing and the half of the transverse edge of the opposite element, said ribs and grooves being reversely arranged on the opposite sides of each of the body elements. 
         [0024]    During the stacking of the elements, the ribs of the elements penetrate into the grooves of other elements and provide in a simple manner the sealing of the seal surfaces between elements. 
         [0025]    Preferably, the end face of each of the wings of the body elements A and that of the end elements B comprises a rib projecting from the abutment surface for the door, extending parallel to the clamping rods F and having, at each of his ends, a projection adapted to collapse elastically against the projections of the stacked elements to ensure the continuity of the sealing barrier surrounding the opening of the body. 
         [0026]    Advantageously and to ensure the respect in the time of the sealing of the inside cavity, the door comprises, projecting from his face abutting against the edge of the opening of the body, a continuous rib around the sealing barrier formed by juxtaposition of the ribs of the body elements and end elements. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0027]    The invention will be better understood using the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings of an embodiment of a container with side opening and in which: 
           [0028]      FIG. 1  is an exploded perspective view of a vertical container with an average capacity; 
           [0029]      FIGS. 2 and 3  are perspective views from the front and each side of the container of  FIG. 1 , when his door is in the closed position; 
           [0030]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view showing, on an enlarged scale, one embodiment of a body element; 
           [0031]      FIGS. 5 and 6  are views in elevation and on a reduced scale of the body element when viewed respectively from the rear and from the front; 
           [0032]      FIGS. 7 and 8  are respectively perspective and top plan views of an embodiment of the end element; 
           [0033]      FIG. 9  is a view in top plan of an embodiment of the clamping frame; 
           [0034]      FIGS. 10 and 11  are cross-sectional views and on an enlarged scale showing the container when the door is in closing and opening position, respectively, with folding against the container; 
           [0035]      FIG. 12  is a partial and on a greatly enlarged scale cross sectional view showing an embodiment of the attachment means of the door to the body, when these means are being drawing on the closing rod; 
           [0036]      FIG. 13  is a partial view, in perspective and on a greatly enlarged scale, of hooking means of  FIG. 12 , when they are in hooking position; 
           [0037]      FIG. 14  is a front view in elevation of the container when the door is folded against its side wall; 
           [0038]      FIG. 15  is a perspective view of the container door which is opened, not folded. 
           [0039]      FIGS. 16 and 17  are partial sectional views showing on an enlarged scale one embodiment of the sealing means between elements; 
           [0040]      FIG. 18  is a schematic front view of the body of a container showing the reciprocal contact areas of the sealing barriers formed on the body and the door; and 
           [0041]      FIG. 19  is a partial sectional view on an enlarged scale, outside the area of the hinges and bearings, of a door resting against the body. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0042]      FIG. 1  shows that the container is formed by assembling the following components:
       body elements A,   end elements B,   two extrem frames C,   a door D,   connecting rods E of the door to the body   metal rods F for connection by clamping the elements,   attachment means G to lock the door in the closed position on the body.       
 
         [0050]    The body elements A, the end elements B and the door D are made of expanded cellular material, for example expanded polypropylene, which confers them a very good thermal expansion coefficient, and by way of a smooth and hard skin, an abrasive wear resistance, by blows and by the usual attacks during operation. 
         [0051]    As shown in detail by  FIGS. 4-6 , each body element A has a generally lying U-shape with two wings  2 , forming the side walls of the container, and a core  3  forming the rear transverses wall of the containers. The ends of the wings  2  define the access opening  1  to the container and have a abutment surface  4  from which a rib  5  projects from the lower face to the upper face of the element. A bearing  6 , which is vertical in this embodiment, protrudes from the end abutment face of each of the wings  2 . It is arranged substantially at mid-height so as to leave spaces, respectively  7   a  and  7   b,  above and below it. 
         [0052]    The core  3  of the element A forming the rear transverse wall of the container comprises, in its face towards the space defined between the wings  2 , spaced slots  8  extending vertically. Its back is provided with slots  9 , while it comprises, in each of its two rear outer angles, at least a recess  10  which, in this embodiment, is facing up. 
         [0053]    Each body element A still presents relative positioning and sealing means of the junction between superposed elements. In the embodiment shown, said means consist firstly of ribs  12   h  projecting upwardly from the upper edge of a wing  2  and the half of the core  3 , and secondly of ribs  12   b  projecting downwardly from the underside of the opposite wing  2  and the other half of the core  3 . 
         [0054]    These ribs  12   h  and  12   b  are designed to cooperate with grooves  13   h  and  13   b  coming respectively from the upper and lower faces of the element, and in the extension of the ribs. 
         [0055]    Finally, each element A is traversed vertically by four vertical chimneys  14  arranged in its rear angles and in the bearings  6 , bounding the opening provided. 
         [0056]    Each end member B differs from the body elements A by the presence of a bottom  15  closing the space between the wings  2  and a return  16 , forming a threshold or cap for the door D. The bottom  15  has slots  17  parallel to its wings  2  and which are arranged to coincide with the slots  8  formed in the part of its core  3  facing the inside of the container. 
         [0057]    This element also includes ribs  12   h  and grooves  13   h,  but only on its side opposite to the bottom  15 . 
         [0058]    The return  16  extends to the front over a distance enabling it to protect the entire thickness of the door abutting against the shoulder  4   a  which it is provided. 
         [0059]    The element B also comprises four chimneys  14  for the passage of clamping metal rods F. 
         [0060]    The end element B may be arranged with its central cavity upwardly opening, as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 7 , or downwardly opening, as shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         [0061]    The end element B can be arranged with its central cavity upwardly opening, as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 7 , or downwardly opening, as shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         [0062]    As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 9 , each frame C is formed by welded metal profiles  18  forming a reinforced frame adapted to rest against the elements B, by complying their contour. It is crossed by four holes  19  having the same distribution as the chimneys  14  of elements A and B. The lower frame is provided with castors  20 . 
         [0063]    In an alternative embodiment, the upper frame consists of two U-shaped metal profiles to dispose instead of the frame stringers shown in  FIG. 9 . The stiffening function is the same, but the aesthetic appearance of the container is improved. 
         [0064]    The construction of a container is very quick and easy since it consists of superimposing a number of body elements A, three in the example shown, disposing this stack between two end elements B reinforced by their frames C, then engaging the metal rods F in the holes  19  and chimneys  14 , by taking care to set up the connecting rods E described below. The final connection is provided by screwing nuts  22  ( FIG. 1 ) on the threaded ends of each of the four rods F. This screwing engages the ribs  12  and  12   b  in the grooves  13   h  and  13   b  of the elements and not only ensures the positioning of the elements, but also the connection between elements and the sealing of their joint planes. 
         [0065]    It will also be notes that to perfect this peripheral sealing, the length of the rib fragment  12   h  projecting from the core of elements A and B is slightly larger than the length of the groove for receiving it. Thus, during assembly of the elements A and B, the end of the rib projecting from the upper member abuts against the projecting end of the one projecting from the lower element, to form by elastic deformation a continuity in the sealing barrier between elements. 
         [0066]    It is the same for the ribs  5  which have, as shown in  FIGS. 16 and 17 , at each of their ends a projection  5   a  forming a small protrusion extending from the joint plane between elements. During the tightening of the elements A and B stacked, these projections elastically collapse against the facing projections to ensure the continuity of the sealing barrier  50  that the ribs  5  form around the opening of the body  1 . 
         [0067]      FIGS. 4 and 7  show that each body element A and each end element B is internally bounded, near its joint plane with another element, and along its wings  2  and it core  3 , by a shoulder  23  forming, with the shoulder of the opposite element, a slider  24  for the storage shelves for foodstuffs and products to be preserved, as shown more particularly in  FIG. 14 . 
         [0068]    The upper slider  24   a  separates in the body the space  41  for preserving materials and the space  42  for receiving the heat exchanging means. This slider is used for the introduction of the heat exchanging means being constituted by a eutectic plate, by a drawer containing dry ice . . . 
         [0069]    This same  FIG. 14  shows that the slots  8  formed in the cores  3  of elements A and B, and these in the back wall of the container obtained by assembling these elements A and B, and these  17  formed in the bottoms  15  of elements B, coincide with those  25  formed in the inner face of the door D, visible in  FIG. 15 , to form annular air circulation channels. These facilitate the movements of the convection thermal currents between the upper part and the lower part of the container, improving the homogenization of the temperature of the preserving space  41  without use of any additional means, mechanical or electrical. 
         [0070]    Finally, the  FIG. 10  shows that the clearances  10  arranged at the rear and outside of the body elements A enable to manually catch each of the rear rods F, for example to move the container, loaded or not. This arrangement is done at no extra cost and without changing the insulation qualities of the container. 
         [0071]    The door shown in  FIGS. 1 to 3 and 10 to 15  is monolithic and presents, by molding and on its two longitudinal edges, spaced bearings  31  and  32  respectively on its hinged edge on the body and on the other side. These bearings  31  and  32  each receive a reinforcement metal rod, respectively  33  and  34 , extending over the height of the door and not beyond. 
         [0072]    The connecting rods E are arranged on the door in spaces between bearings  31 , and on the body in the gaps formed by juxtaposition of the spaces  7   a  and  7   b  between bearings  6 . One end thereof is freely rotatably mounted on the rod  33  of the door, while their other end is freely rotatably mounted on the rod F connecting the wings  2  of the elements A and B. The shape of the rods E allows to fold the door D against the side wall of the container, as shown in  FIG. 11 . 
         [0073]      FIG. 13  shows that in the spaces between bearings  32  of the door are arranged hooks  35  of the attachment means G, means also comprising, in the embodiment shown, the rod  34  on which said hooks are fixed and a lever  36  rotating the rod  34 . 
         [0074]    Obviously, the longitudinal and transverse edges of the door are defined and molded according to the shape of the walls against which they will be applied at the closing of the door. 
         [0075]    Thanks to this, and as shown in  FIG. 12 , when the door is brought back against the container opening, its inner face  38  come closer to the peripheral sealing rib  5 , while the hooks  35  in engagement with the rod F of the body pull the door until it rests against the edge of the opening, as shown in  FIG. 10 . 
         [0076]      FIG. 1  shows that the door D is provided with a magnet  39  projecting from its front face and that the body element A which is the highest is provided with a metal plate  40  embedded in a recessed housing  43 . With these magnetic means, when the door D is folded against the container wall, as shown in  FIG. 11 , the magnet  39  is stuck to the plate  40  and ensure the holding of this door.  FIG. 14  shows that in this position, and thanks to its opening at 270 degrees, the door D is compact and does not obstruct the loading or unloading of the container, and thus is less subject to shocks and frictions which can worsen it. 
         [0077]    In the embodiment shown in  FIGS. 18 and 19 , the sealing barrier  50 , formed by the ribs  5  and projections  5   a  is reinforced by a rib  52  projecting from the inner face  38  of the door D and disposed thereon so as to surround the barrier  50 . Thus, in the normal sealing conditions, the two barriers  50  and  52  form an air channel  53  opposing the heat transfers with the outside, and in case of sealing loss in the barrier  50 , the rib  52  alone ensures the sealing and the product storage conditions in the container. 
         [0078]    The ribs  5  and  52  are formed by the constitutive material of the elements A and B and the door D, which has the advantage of avoiding to use seals to be reported and increasing the cost and manufacturing time. 
         [0079]    These ribs resiliently collapse against their abutment surfaces under the action of attachment means bringing back forcefully the door D against the abutment surfaces of the container. 
         [0080]    It is specified that these hooking closure means may have any other shape, provided that at the closure, they approach the door D of its supports. 
         [0081]    It follows from the foregoing that the container according to the invention:
       is composed of inexpensive elements and whose assembly requires little additional metallic elements, such as bolts and miscellaneous hardware, or glue or hazardous solvent;   uses a reduced number of components easily and quickly assembled by screwed rods providing the rigidity of the construction;   implements light but resistant cell materials, enabling to save about 40% by dry weight, reducing the load capacity and the consumption of container transport means;   and provides a thermal insulation at least equal to that of the containers of the prior art.