Abstract:
Example panel assemblies with frost inhibiting seal members are disclosed herein. Some example panel assemblies disclosed herein are particularly suited for creating a blast freezer (for food and other products) by using the panels in cordoning off a relatively small quick-freeze area within a larger freezer room. In some examples disclosed herein, a touch-and-hold fastener (e.g., VELCRO) connects two or more insulated flexible panels along their adjoining vertical edges to span the width of a supporting frame that is wider than a width of a single panel. To seal the joint and/or inhibit frost from developing along the joint, some example panel assemblies disclosed herein include a seal member with touch-and-hold elements plus sealing edges extending laterally in opposite directions. In some examples disclosed herein, the touch-and-hold elements couple two panels together while the sealing edges (e.g., foam strip or double looped sheet of material) block air from flowing through the touch-and-hold elements.

Description:
FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     This patent generally pertains to insulated doors and curtains and, more specifically, to frost inhibiting joints for insulated panels and curtains. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Food manufacturers and distributors have a need to freeze food products quickly in order to maintain food product freshness and safety. Within a larger freezer room, a smaller area is cordoned off and is used as a blast freezer. The blast freezer performs this quick freeze using a high level of airflow at below freezing temperatures. In order to remove a stack of food products from the blast freezer and load the next stack quickly, a large sliding curtain wall or panel opens and closes by sliding on a track and trolley system. These sliding walls are insulated and can be up to 30 feet tall and 25 feet wide or larger. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic top view of an example panel assembly constructed according to the teachings disclosed herein. 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic top view of another example panel assembly constructed according to the teachings disclosed herein. 
         FIG. 3  is a schematic top view of yet another example panel assembly constructed according to the teachings disclosed herein. 
         FIG. 4  is a front view of  FIG. 3 . 
         FIG. 5  is a front view similar to  FIG. 4  but showing the example panel assembly of  FIG. 4  moved to an open position. 
         FIG. 6  is a back view of an example panel assembly constructed according to the teachings disclosed herein. 
         FIG. 7  is an exploded cross-sectional view of an example panel assembly constructed in accordance with  FIGS. 6 and 8  and other teachings disclosed herein. 
         FIG. 8  is a cross-sectional view taken along line  8 - 8  of  FIG. 6 . 
         FIG. 9  is an exploded cross-sectional view of another example panel assembly constructed according to the teachings disclosed herein. 
         FIG. 10  is a cross-sectional view similar to  FIG. 8  but showing the example panel assembly of  FIG. 9 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       FIGS. 1-10  show various example panel assemblies that can be used to provide a blast freezer within a larger freezer room. However, the panel assemblies may be used in other applications as well. The panel assemblies comprise at least first and second panels that, in some examples, are joined along their vertical edges to make one wider assembled panel. To reduce (e.g., prevent) frost from developing along the joint, various example seal members seal the joint. In some examples, two or more of the wider assembled panels are arranged to provide or create a blast freezer. 
       FIG. 1 , for instance, shows an example panel assembly  10  comprising a seal member  12  joining a first panel  14  to a second panel  16 . Similar panel structures  18  and  20  are assembled to separate a first chilled area  22  from a second chilled area  24 , thereby providing or creating a blast freezer  26  within a freezer room  28 . For example, the first chilled area  22  may have an area (e.g., a square footage area) that is less than an area of the second chilled area  24 . Air conditioning system  30  (one or more air conditioners) cools areas  22  and  24  to temperatures below freezing. 
     To rapidly freeze product  32  within blast freezer  26  in preparation for transferring product  32  to the freezer room&#39;s chilled area  24 , air conditioning system  30  cools the blast freezer&#39;s chilled area  22  to a first freezing temperature (e.g., −45 degrees Celsius) that is significantly lower than a second freezing temperature (e.g., −20 degrees Celsius) of the main freezer room&#39;s chilled area  24 . To further expedite freezing, in some examples, air conditioning system  30  provides greater air circulation in the blast freezer&#39;s chilled area  22  than in the freezer room&#39;s chilled area  24 . In other words, the average air velocity in area  22  is greater than the average air velocity in area  24 . 
       FIG. 2  shows another example panel assembly  34  comprising seal member  12  joining panels  14  and  16 . In this example, the panels  14  and  16  are arranged to provide a blast freezer  36  at alternate location within freezer room  28 . 
       FIGS. 3 ,  4  and  5  show an example panel assembly  38  having two assembled panels  40  and  42  that are suspended from a track structure  44  and arranged to separate a first chilled area  46  from a second chilled area  48 , thereby providing or creating a blast freezer  50  within a freezer room  52 . Each of the assembled panels  40  and  42  includes a seal member  12  joining, coupling and/or attaching a first panel  54  to a second panel  56 . To provide access to products  32  within blast freezer  50 , at least one assembled panel  40  can travel along track structure  44 .  FIG. 4 , for example, shows blast freezer  50  closed with panel  40  at a first travel position, and  FIG. 5  shows blast freezer  50  in at least a partially open position with panel  40  at a second travel position. 
     Although the structural details of the panel assemblies disclosed herein may vary, an example construction is illustrated in  FIGS. 6 ,  7  and  8 . In this example, a panel assembly  58  includes a tubular metal frame  60  having two subframes  62  that are joined by some suitable means, e.g., via a fastener, welding, screws  64 , clips  67 , etc. In examples where frame  60  has a frame width  66  that is at least fifty percent greater than a single panel width  68 , at least a first panel  70  and a second panel  72  are mounted to frame  60  by some suitable means, e.g., via mechanical and/or chemical fasteners such as, for example, screws, snaps, clips, adhesive, clamps, etc. In some examples, a third panel  74  is also attached to frame  60 , as shown in  FIG. 6 . As viewed in  FIG. 6 , upper, lower and left peripheral edges of first panel  70  are fastened to frame  60  by way of screws and/or some other suitable means. Upper and lower peripheral edges of second panel  72  are fastened to frame  60 . Further, upper, lower and right peripheral edges of third panel  74  are fastened to frame  60 . Seal  12  joins, couples and/or seals the right edge of first panel  70  to the left edge of second panel  72 . Similarly, another seal  12  joins couples and/or seals the right edge of second panel  72  to the left edge of third panel  74 . 
     In some examples, panel assembly  58  is lightweight so that panel assembly  58 , when used for access to blast freezer  50 , can be opened and closed rapidly. In some examples, panel assembly  58  has high thermal resistance to reduce (e.g., minimize) the load on air conditioning system  30 . To achieve such benefits, in some examples, frame  60  is made of steel for rigidity but is hollow to reduce (e.g., minimize) weight. To further reduce (e.g., minimize) weight while providing sufficient thermal insulation, in some examples, each panel  70  and  72  includes a lightweight core of insulation  76  (e.g., polyester batting, polyurethane foam, etc.) sandwiched between two outer sheets  78  made of a pliable material (e.g., vinyl sheeting, vinyl fabric, coated nylon fabric, cloth fabric with vinyl coating, cloth fabric with other coating, neoprene sheeting, coated polyester fabric, etc.). The term, “pliable” as used in this patent to describe a sheet of material means the sheet is sufficiently flexible to be folded over onto itself and subsequently unfolded without appreciable permanent damage. In some examples, for each individual panel  70  and  72 , insulation  76  is contained within the panel  70  and  72  by having the panel&#39;s outer sheets  78  joined along their perimeters by some suitable means. Examples of such means include, but are not limited to, sewing, thermal bonding, gluing, chemical adhering, etc. 
     To provide a sealed joint (e.g., a vertical or lateral joint) between adjacent panels  70  and  72 , in some examples, seal member  12  has a sheet of material that includes a first loop  12   a  sealingly touching or engaging first panel  70  and a second loop  12   b  sealingly touching or engaging second panel  72 . In some examples, loops  12   a  and  12   b  are formed by folding a single sheet material of seal member  12  back over onto itself from either direction and sewing the resulting two loops in place. Examples materials of seal member  12  include, but are not limited to, chlorosulfonated polyethylene synthetic rubber or CSM or CSPE (also known as HYPALON, which is a registered trademark of DuPont of Wilmington, Del.); canvas duck; rubber-impregnated fabric; coated or uncoated nylon, polyester or vinyl fabric; other fabric materials, neoprene sheeting, vinyl sheeting, other flexible polymeric sheeting, etc. 
     In the illustrated example, a first touch-and-hold fastener  80  and a second touch-and-hold fastener  82  connect seal member  12  to first panel  70  and second panel  72 , respectively. The term, “touch-and-hold” fastener refers to means for connecting two parts together, wherein the two parts become connected upon simply forcing one part up against the other. A VELCRO hook-and-loop fastener is one example of a touch-and-hold fastener, (VELCRO is a registered trademark of Velcro USA Inc. of Manchester, N.H.). While air can pass through an unsealed VELCRO connection, loops  12   a  and  12   b  sealingly engaging panels  70  and  72  inhibit air from bypassing or flowing through seal member  12 . Restricting (e.g., preventing) the colder air from the first chilled area  46  of blast freezer  50  from flowing through seal member  12  to the second chilled area  48  of the less cold freezer room  52  reduces (e.g., minimizes) heat loss and helps reduce (e.g., prevent) frost from developing on the freezer room  52  side of seal member  12 . 
     In some examples, panel assembly  58  includes first panel  70  having a first core of insulation  76   a  sandwiched or otherwise positioned between a first warmer sheet  84  and a first cooler sheet  86 . The terms, “warmer sheet” and “cooler sheet” do not necessarily pertain to temperature but are used merely for distinguishing one sheet from the other based solely on the orientation or the direction the sheets face. For example, a warmer sheet and a cooler sheet face in opposite directions. In some examples, panel assembly  58  also includes second panel  72  having a second core of insulation  76   b  sandwiched or otherwise positioned between a second warmer sheet  88  and a second cooler sheet  90 . Warmer sheets  84  and  88  face in one direction (e.g., away blast freezer  50 ), and cooler sheets  86  and  90  face in the opposite direction (e.g., toward blast freezer  50 ). In other words, warmer sheets  84 ,  88  are positioned in fluid communication with the freezer room  52  and cooler sheets  86  and  90  are positioned in fluid communication with the blast freezer  50 . Seal member  12 , as shown in  FIG. 8 , sealing touches or engages first cooler sheet  86  and second warmer sheet  88 . 
     First touch-and-hold fastener  80  has a first engaging piece  80   a  and a first mating piece  80   b . The first engaging piece  80   a  is attached and/or (directly or indirectly) coupled to first cooler sheet  86 , and the first mating piece  80   b  is attached and/or (directly or indirectly) coupled to seal member  12 . The terms, “engaging” and “mating” refer to the two connecting pieces of a touch-and-hold fastener. In the example of a VELCRO hook-and-loop fastener, the engaging piece can refer to the hook piece or the loop piece. In examples where the engaging piece refers to the hook piece, the mating piece refers to the loop piece. In examples where the engaging piece refers to the loop piece, the mating piece refers to the hook piece. 
     Second touch-and-hold fastener  82  has a second engaging piece  82   a  and a second mating piece  82   b . The second mating piece  82   b  is attached and/or (directly or indirectly) coupled to the second warmer sheet  88 , the second engaging piece  82   a  is attached and/or (directly or indirectly) coupled to seal member  12 . With such an arrangement of engaging and mating pieces, pieces  80   a  and  80   b  mate to fasten seal member  12  to first panel  70 , and pieces  82   a  and  82   b  mate to fasten seal member  12  to second panel  72 , as shown in  FIG. 8 . Alternatively, in some examples, first engaging piece  80   a  mates with second mating piece  82   b  to fasten first panel  70  directly to second panel  72  without the intervening seal member  12 . In some examples, existing blast freezer installations originally assembled without seal members  12  can later be retrofit by adding seal members  12 . 
     In the example shown in  FIGS. 9 and 10 , a seal member  92  is made of a material different than a sheet of material folded to provide two sealing loops. Seal member  92  is illustrated to represent any sealing structure  94  that in combination with first and second touch-and-hold fasteners  80  and  82  can join, attach, couple and/or seal panels  70  and  72 . Examples of sealing structure  94  include, but are not limited to, a vertically elongate foam pad or strip, a vertically elongate flexible strip of material (e.g., rubber, polyurethane, HYPALON, flexible PVC) and a vertically elongate rigid strip of material (e.g., rigid PVC, aluminum). In some examples, sealing contact between sealing structure  94  and panels  70  and  72  is provided in various ways, examples of which include, but are not limited to, the sealing structure&#39;s compliance to panels  70  and  72 , the panels&#39; compliance to sealing structure  94 , and/or a sealingly contoured shape of sealing structure  94 . 
     Although certain example methods, apparatus and articles of manufacture have been described herein, the scope of the coverage of this patent is not limited thereto. On the contrary, this patent covers all methods, apparatus and articles of manufacture fairly falling within the scope of the appended claims either literally or under the doctrine of equivalents.