Refrigeration system

A refrigeration system for a catering truck includes a reservoir of ice cubes. A food compartment is provided for storing food under refrigeration and includes a cooling section adjacent thereto. Ice cubes are fed from the reservoir to the cooling section. A blower circulates cool air from the cooling section through the food compartment.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
(1) Field of the Invention 
The field of art to which the invention pertains includes the field of 
catering truck refrigeration systems, particularly with respect to a 
refrigeration system utilizing a minimum of electrical power. 
(2) Description of the Prior Art 
Conventional catering trucks provide a mobile field food system in places 
where no fixed facilities exist. Typically, such trucks have been found 
extremely useful in the construction industry where the construction 
employees must be fed and no conventional eating facility exists. The 
catering trucks also have been found to be useful where large numbers of 
people must be fed such as at conventions and parades or the like. The 
popularity of the catering truck has derived from the fact that the truck 
can provide hot as well as cold food and thus meeting the needs of a wide 
range of people. Health care standards have been set up to be certain that 
the refrigerated foods are kept at a certain minimum temperature slightly 
above freezing to prevent spoilage. 
Conventional catering truck refrigeration facilities are normally provided 
by utilizing a compresser which operates off the catering truck motor. 
These compressers require that the catering truck motor be operational 
when the compresser is operating and such a system utilizes large amounts 
of power. In addition, it has been found that the compresser, which is the 
heart of the refrigeration system, constantly breaks down and must be 
repaired or continuously replaced. These compressers are relatively 
expensive and thus have increased the costs of food supplied by a catering 
truck. In addition, once the compresser fails, the food in the catering 
truck spoils if not refrigerated after a short period of time. 
The present invention provides a relatively foolproof refrigeration system 
which eliminates the need for catering truck compressers and does not 
require that the catering truck motor be operational. A minimum amount of 
power is consumed when the refrigeration system is in operation. In 
addition, the entire system is relatively inexpensive and can be easily 
installed in conventional catering trucks. 
Known prior art includes U.S. Pat. Nos. 189,958; 2,988,901; 1,805,809; U.S. 
Pat. No. Re. 21,849; U.S. Pat. No. 171,591; 190,416; 718,606; 1,952,981; 
and 1,909,261. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
A refrigeration system for a catering truck for enabling food to be kept at 
a relatively cool temperature. A food compartment is provided for storing 
the food under refrigeration. The food compartment includes a cooling 
section adjacent thereto with ice cubes from a reservoir being fed into 
the cooling section. A blower is provided for circulating the cool air 
from the cooling section throughout the food compartment. 
The advantages of this invention, both as to its construction and mode of 
operation, will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better 
un-erstood by reference to the following detailed description when 
considered in connection with the accompanying drawings in which like 
reference numerals designate like parts throughout the Figures.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
Referring now to the drawings, there is shown in FIG. 1 a catering truck 12 
having the refrigeration system of the present invention mounted therein. 
Typically, the catering truck contains a conventional cab 14 and a body 16 
mounted on the rear portion of the truck chassis. The catering truck 12 
normally contains a hot food section 18 at the rear end thereof and a 
refrigerated section 22 on one side. Of course, alternative arrangements 
are also possible as can be readily seen. 
Referring not to FIG. 2 there is shown a top plan view of the food layout 
of a conventional catering truck. As previously mentioned, hot food and 
coffee urns normally are placed in the rear hot food section with access 
being obtained via a lift up door 23 (FIG. 1). The refrigerated section 22 
includes a refrigerated food compartment 24 on the right truck side 
adjacent the truck cab 14 and a cooling section 26 directly adjacent and 
behind the refrigerated food compartment 24. Between the hot food section 
18 and the refrigerated compartment cooling section 26 there is normally a 
non-refrigerated food section 28 where foods such as potato chips and 
other items which need not be refrigerated or heated are displayed. The 
right side of the truck normally also has access by means of a lift up 
door 32 (FIG. 1). 
The right side of the truck and the left side of the truck are normally 
divided by means of a central partition 34 which extends from the cab end 
directly up to the hot food compartment 18. Behind the refrigerated food 
section 24 on the left side of the catering truck there is normally a 
storage section 36 wherein foods for future sale as well as other supplies 
can be kept. Adjacent the cooling section 26 and directly behind the 
storage section 36 there is placed an ice storage bin 38 whose function 
will be described hereinafter and which provides ice to the cooling 
section 26 as needed. Adjacent the non-refrigerated food section 28 and 
directly behind the ice storage bin 38 there is additional storage space 
42 which also has mounted therein a conventional fan 44 which supplies air 
to the cooling section 26 and enables the cool air to circulate throughout 
the refrigerated food compartment 24 as will be explained in greater 
detail hereinafter. 
FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of the refrigeration system utilized in 
the present invention. In FIG. 3 the ice storage bin 38 has a central top 
opening 46 into which ice cubes 48 are placed. The ice cubes are fed from 
the ice storage bin 38 into the cooling section 26 through an aperture 52 
which is formed at the bottom of the ice storage bin 38 in the divider 
wall 34. 
The fan 44 draws air from the refrigerated food compartment 24 through a 
exhaust pipe 54, the air then circulates back through an intake pipe 56 to 
the cooling section 26. The air then circulates through the cooling 
section 26 and into the refrigerated food section 24 and the cycle is 
repeated. A temperature sensor 58 is placed in the exhaust air pipe 54 to 
determine the temperature of the air in the refrigerated food compartment 
24. Normally it is desirable to keep the temperature of the air in the 
food compartment at approximately 40 degrees or below. The temperature 
sensor 58 senses this temperature and actuates the fan 44 when the 
temperature in the food compartment 24 rises. Thus, the fan 44, which 
normally operates off the truck battery, does not have to be continuously 
operated. 
Referring now to FIG. 4, the intake pipe 56 is shown connected to the 
bottom of the cooling section 26. A flared transition 62 interconnects the 
end of the pipe 56 with the bottom wall 64 of the cooling section 26. Air 
circulates from the transition section 62 through apertures 66 formed in 
the bottom wall 64 of the cooling section 26. Apertures 68 are formed in 
the dividing wall 72 between the cooling section 26 and the refrigerated 
food compartment 24 where the food is stored. These apertures enable the 
air to flow over the ice cubes, cool and then circulate to the 
refrigerated food compartment 24. It should be understood that additional 
apertures could be formed where desired to enable the cooled air to pass 
over the ice cubes and into the refrigerated food compartment. 
Additionally, cool air flows over the top of the cooling section 26 as 
shown by the arrows into the food compartment 24. 
FIG. 5 illustrates the transportation of the ice from the ice storage bin 
38 into the cooling section 26. As can be readily seen, the bottom wall 74 
of the ice storage bin 38 angles downwardly so that the ice can flow 
toward the aperture 52 interconnecting the ice storage bin 38 and the 
cooling section 26. At the aperture 52, the bottom wall 74 of the ice 
storage bin 38 is integral with the bottom edge of the aperture 52. Once 
the ice cubes fall into the cooling section 26, the circulating air is 
cooled as it passes over the cubes. 
As the ice in the cooling section 26 melts, water passes through the 
aperture 66 in the bottom wall 64 and tends to accumulate in intake pipe 
56. A drain pipe 76 (FIG. 3) coupled to the lower surface of the intake 
pipe 56 provides a removal path for this water to a storage bin 78 and 
thus enables air to circulate through intake pipe 56. 
Normally, the ice storage bin 38 is enclosed by a cover (not shown) and 
insulation can be provided so as to minimize melting of the ice and 
heating of the circulating air. In addition, the pipes 54 and 56 can also 
be wrapped in insulation so as to keep the air flowing therein from being 
heated by the surrounding environment. The present invention provides a 
relatively simple, inexpensive and safe method of cooling food in a 
refrigerated catering truck. Costs are minimized as no compresser need be 
replaced and only a minimum of energy is used to drive the blower fan 44.