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US 2020/0164987 A1Published application
Optimally configured air-flow galley cart
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorsMichael J. Burgess, James P. Schalla
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A galley cart has a rear wall with an inlet port and an outlet port. A first divider has a first edge, wherein a first distance is defined between the first edge and a front wall. A second divider has a second edge, wherein a second distance is defined between the second edge and the front wall. The second distance is less than the first distance for control of the flow of cooling air.
Claims20
A galley cart comprising:
- a closed housing with an inlet port in a rear wall in fluid communication with a first volume and an outlet port;
- a plurality of removable dividers of even length including a first divider forming a bottom of the first volume and having a first front edge and a first rear edge, wherein a first distance is defined between the first front edge and a door forming a first channel in fluid communication with a second volume and a second divider forming a bottom of the second volume and having a second front edge, wherein a second distance is defined between the second front edge and the door, and said second divider having a second rear edge spaced from the rear wall of the housing, the second rear edge forming a second channel in fluid communication with the second volume, wherein dividers in the plurality of dividers successively lower from the first and second dividers have front edges and rear edges forming communicating openings, each successively lower divider forming a successive volume, said front edges constrained for openings proximate the door and the rear edges constrained for openings proximate the rear wall thereby controlling flow from the first volume to the second volume and to each successive volume;
- stops mounted to side walls to engage the second rear edge and rear edges of at least a portion of the successively lower dividers;
- and,
- a bumper or feelers mounted to the door and contacting the front edges of at least a portion of the dividers to urge the dividers against the stops.
2 more elements
A method for uniform distribution of cooling air flow in a galley cart, the method comprising:
- inserting a plurality of removable dividers of even length in a closed housing, the housing having a door and a rear wall with a triangular bumper attached to the door, with an inlet port in the rear wall and an outlet port to discharge a flow, said inlet port providing flow into a first volume between a top wall and a first divider in the plurality of dividers;
- spacing a front edge of the first divider at a distance from the door by contacting the bumper with the door in a closed position forming a first channel;
- and,
- spacing a front edge of a second divider in the plurality of removable dividers at a lesser distance from the door by contact with the bumper to control flow from the first volume into a second volume between the first divider and the second divider.
1 more element
A method for uniform distribution of cooling air flow in a galley cart, the method comprising:
- inserting a plurality of removable dividers of even length in a closed housing, the housing having a door and a rear wall with feeler probes attached to the door, with the inlet port in the rear wall, said inlet port in fluid communication with a first volume and an outlet port to discharge a flow, said inlet port providing flow into the first volume between a top wall and a first divider in the plurality of dividers, said first divider having a first front edge and a first rear edge, wherein a first distance is defined between the first front edge of the first divider and the door forming a first channel in fluid communication with a second volume, and a second divider in the plurality of dividers forming a bottom of the second volume, said second divider having a second front edge and a second rear edge, said second front edge engaging the door in a closed position, wherein a second distance is defined between the second rear edge and the rear wall;
- evenly staggering front edges of odd ones of the plurality of dividers spaced downward from the second divider at the first distance from the front wall and evenly staggering rear edges of even ones of the plurality of dividers at the second distance from the rear wall to provide a serpentine path for flow of the cooling air through the succeeding lower volumes to the outlet port;
- and,
- contacting the forward edge of the first and odd alternating dividers with the feeler probes attached to the door, said feeler probes urging the first and odd alternating trays against the rear wall with the door in a closed position.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.