COVER FOR COOLING BOXES

Abstract: A rollable cover for freezing compartments and cooling cabinets used in supermarket stores etc., which covers the boxes/cabinets when not open for removal of goods or display. It comprises a pliable, thermal insulating material which can be rolled on to the compartment to cover its opening, and rolled up after being used. The base material (13) is a laminate of plastic sheets enclosing air bubbles (14), with an exposed light reflecting surface. The base material (13) is provided with reinforcing bars (16A-D) which are attached with tapes adhered or welded to the base material. At least one edge of the base material (13) is bordered with a reinforcing tape (18) for supporting the rolled up cover when stored.

Description: Cover for cooling boxes This invention relates to a reliable cover for freezing boxes and cooling cabinets used in supermarket stores etc , as stated in the introductory part of claim 1 , which covers such boxes/cabmets in periods when the goods are not to be displayed and which allows ior filling and removal Background On displaying cooled goods, particulary frozen products, the transfer of thermal energy to the environment will causes an energy loss Further, the goods in an open, exposed freezing box will have a higher temperature than in a closed freezing compartment This will be a disadvantage to the storage life of the goods Additionally. open cooling compartments will have increased condensation and require more frequent deicing It is known to prepare coveπng blankets of foam plastic and similar thermal insulating sheet mateπal which are rolled over the opening of box and cabinet shaped cooling compartments These known covers have however been relatively heavy and expensive In some cases, condensed water from the surrounding air has been deposited on the upper face, reducing the thermal insulating capacity Object The main object of the invention is to provide a cover for the cooling compartments of supermarket stores, which is lighter and less expensive than known covers Preferably, it should be easy to roll out and to remove Further it is an object to provide a cover which will drain condensed water and reduce the deicing frequency The invention The invention is described in claim 1 Such a cover, in the following called a "thermal cover", can be manufactured of an inexpensive raw material in a simple manner The closed surface of the cover and its structure will allow water to drain when stored as a roll. The reflecting surface reduces the heat absorbed from incident light. Thus the condensation of water, on both sides of the thermal cover, is reduced, Further advantageous features are stated in claims 2-4. Example The invention is described in the following with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of a freezing box with a thermal cover according to the invention, Fig. 2 shows a part of the lower side of the thermal cover according to Fig. 1 , while Fig. 3 shows a section along line Ill-Ill of Fig. 2. In fig. 1 a freezing box 1 1 with an upward opening is shown. Covering this opening is a thermal cover 12 according to the invention, the edges of which are placed at the sides and ends of the freezing box. The thermal cover 12, which shown in detail in Fig. 2 and 3, has a base material 13 of plastic sheets enclosing air bubbles. The material consists of a cover layer 13A (best illustrated in Fig. 3), which is a laminate of a polyester layer with an outer metallic covering, and an inner plastic layer, the "bubble layer" 13B welded to said first layer to enclose voids or "bubbles" 14 of air, and a second covering layer 13C. The plastic part of the cover layer 13A, the bubble layer 13B and the second covering layer 13C are made from polyethylene in this example. It may be possible to develop other basic materials with corresponding structure and corresponding weight-, costs- and thermal properties. To reinforce the thermal cover 12, it is provided with reinforcing bars 16A-D (Fig. 1 ) which extends crosswise to the longitudinal axis of the thermal cover, each a short distance longer than the inner width of the freezing box 11. It has been found suitable to attach the reinforcing bars 16A-D to the second covering layer 13C of base material 13 as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, in stead of incorporating them into the base material 13 during the manufacturing. Figs. 2 and 3 show the attachment of the reinforcing bars 16A-D with tapes 17 attached to the base material 13 on each side of the reinforcing bars. The tape 17 may be of a known type with a textile base and an adhesive layer attaching permanently to said second covering layer 13C The reinforcing bars 16A-D are slightly shorter than the w idth of the thermal cover 12, to allow the ends of the reinforcing bars to be completel} covered by the ends of the tape, which is attached adjacent to the end of the reinforcing Additionally the side and end edges of the thermal cover are covered by an edge tape 18 similar to tape 17 The purpose of the edge tape 18 is twofold Firstly its object is to protect the edge of the thermal cover 12 against teaπng dunng rolling in and out Further it facilitates upright storage of thermal cover rolls, without damage The purpose of the upπght storage will be descπbed hereinafter The edge tape 18 will protect also the laminated base mateπal from being contaminated Tapes 17 and 18 may alternatively be of a material which can be welded to the base material 13 The reinforcing bars 16A-D of the example are plastic tubes, e g tubes of similar construction as tubes in electπcal installations Such tubes combines low weight, high elasticity and the necessary strength Additionally, such tubes are easy to arrange A corresponding thermal cover as in the example can also be used for cooling cabinets It will then be convenient to attach a "Velcro" tape on the top of the cooling cabinet and provide the thermal cover with a corresponding tape The thermal cover is attached at the top and is rolled down in front of the cabinet opening When used, 1 e at closing the store in which the theπnal covers are used, the covers are rolled out to cover the openings of freezing boxes and cooling cabinets With the thermal cover applied the refrigeration or freezing temperature of the compartment is better maintained and so the power consumption will decrease In some cases, a reduction of 25% to 35% in power consumption in the period of applying the thermal cover has been achieved The favourable properties are assumed to be based on the combination of the mateπal used, with reflecting surface, and the use of reinforcing bars as provided by the invention This can be achieved with a low weight and low cost mateπal When the thermal cover is removed from a freezing box at the opening of a store, condensed water will be deposited, mainly on the upper face Due to the closed but structured face, this water will keep on the surface, particularly on a hoπzontal freezing box Dunng the day, the rolled up thermal covers are stored upπght The water will thus drain and the thermal cover 12 will be dried for the next use box During the day, the rolled up thermal covers are stored upπght The water will thus drain and the thermal cover 12 will be dried for the next use Claims 1 A Tollable cover for freezing compartments and cooling cabinets used in supermarket stores etc , which covers the boxes/cabmets when not open for removal ol goods or display, comprising a layer of pliable, thermal insulating mateπal which can be rolled on to the compartment to cover its opening, and rolling up after being used, and which m rolled out condition covers the opening by engaging the four edges of the opening, the thermal insulating mateπal consisting of a porous matenal, characterized in - that the base mateπal (13) is a laminate of plastic sheets enclosing air bubbles (14), with an exposed light reflecting surface, - that the base mateπal (13) is provided with reinforcing bars (16A-D) which are attached with tapes adhered or welded to the base mateπal, and - that at least one edge of the base mateπal (13) is bordered with a reinforcing tape (18) for supporting the rolled up cover when stored 2 The Tollable cover according to claim 1 , characterized in that the reinforcing bars (16A-D) are plastic tubes 3 The rollable cover according to claim 1 oi 2, characteπzed in that the reinforcing bars (16A-D) are shorter than the width of the base mateπal 4 The Tollable cover according to anyone of the claims 1-3, characterized in that a surface layer is a metallic foil, particularly an aluminium foil, which is laminated in a manner known per se to a plastic layer

Claims: Claims 1. A rollable cover for freezing compartments and cooling cabinets used in supermarket stores etc., which covers the boxes/cabinets when not open for removal of goods or display, comprising a layer of pliable, thermal insulating material which can be rolled on to the compartment to cover its opening, and rolling up after being used, and which in rolled out condition covers the opening by engaging the four edges of the opening, the thermal insulating material consisting of a porous material, characterized in - that the base material (13) is a laminate of plastic sheets enclosing air bubbles (14), with an exposed light reflecting surface, - that the base material (13) is provided with reinforcing bars (16A-D) which are attached with tapes adhered or welded to the base material, and - that at least one edge ofthe base material (13) is bordered with a reinforcing tape (18) for supporting the rolled up cover when stored. 2. The rollable cover according to claim 1, characterized in that the reinforcing bars (16A-D) are plastic tubes. 3. The rollable cover according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the reinforcing bars (16A-D) are shorter than the width of the base material. 4. The rollable cover according to anyone of the claims 1-3, characterized in that a surface layer is a metallic foil, particularly an aluminium foil, which is laminated in a manner known per se to a plastic layer.

Inventors: MARSTRAND TRYGVE B, MARSTRAND, TRYGVE, B.
Applicants: MARSTRAND TRYGVE B, MARSTRAND, TRYGVE, B.
Application year: 1997
Main classification: A47F3
IPC codes: A47F3, B32B3