Snap together insulated panels
AssigneeWorldwide Refrigeration Industries, Inc.
InventorMario Montes
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A refrigeration panel system is provided having a first panel and a second panel. Each of the panels has an insulated core and a top and bottom metal skin attached to the insulation core. The first panel includes a groove at an end of the insulation core of the first panel. The second panel includes a tongue formed on the end of the insulation core of the second panel. The groove is adapted to receive and surround the tongue. Interlocking engagement members are disposed inside the groove and along the tongue, and provide a biasing force that pulls and holds the end of the first panel and the end of the second panel together, after the tongue is inserted into the groove and pushed past a predetermined point.
Claims19
A refrigerator panel system comprising:
- a first panel and second panel, each of said panels having an insulation core, said first panel having a groove in a first end of said insulation core, said groove having a first ledge and a second ledge, and said second panel having a tongue formed on a second end of said insulation core, said tongue having a first surface and a second surface, said groove being adapted to receive and surround said tongue;
- and
- cooperating resilient engagement means disposed inside said groove and along said tongue for releasably locking said tongue and said groove together when said tongue enters said groove, said engagement means providing a biasing force that resiliently holds said first end and said second end together in a manner that prevents play between said first panel and said second panel once joined, and provides a heat seal between said first end and said second end after said tongue is inserted into said groove past a predetermined point;
- said engagement means comprising:
- a top metal skin and a bottom metal skin attached to said insulation core of said first panel and wrapped around said insulation core of said first panel into said groove, said top and bottom metal skin being bent to form a space between said skin of the surface of said groove to form a first part of said resilient engagement means;
- and
- a top metal skin and a bottom metal skin attached to said insulation core of said second panel and wrapped around said insulation core of said tongue said top and bottom metal skin being bent to form a space between said skin and said first surface and said second surface of said tongue to form a second part of said resilient engagement means for cooperating with said first part of said resilient engagement means to resiliently compress the respective skins into the respective spaces.
A refrigeration panel system comprising:
- a first panel and a second panel, each of said panels having an insulation core and a top and a bottom metal skin attached to said insulation core, said first panel having a groove in an engaging end of said insulation core forming a first ledge and a second ledge, each ledge having an edge and an inner surface, said second panel having a tongue extending from its engaging end, said tongue having a first surface and a second surface, said groove being adapted to receive said tongue;
- a first pair of mating engagement members disposed on the inner surface of said first ledge and the inner surface of said second ledge;
- a second pair of mating engagement members disposed outwardly on the first surface and second surface of said tongue with a space resulting therebetween where said mating engagement members may be compressed each of said first and second pair of engagement members being formed from one end of the metal skins, wherein said first pair of mating engagement members engages said second pair of mating engagement members when said groove receives said tongue and said first and second pairs of engagement members resiliently hold said engagement ends of said first and second panels together and forms a heat seal between said first and second panel, after said tongue is inserted into said groove past a predetermined point.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.