Air return bulkhead
AssigneeJohn Donovan Enterprises-Florida, Inc.
InventorGregory L. Onken
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An air return bulkhead is disclosed which may be adapted to fit on differently-sized trailer walls around differently-sized trailer refrigeration units. The bulkhead includes an upper support panel with ridges or other discontinuities thereon. The discontinuities bound areas sized to accommodate standard refrigeration units, and a cutting tool may be easily guided along these discontinuities to form a space wherein the refrigerator may be fit when the bulkhead is mounted to the trailer wall. Also disclosed is a bulkhead which includes flutes and columns thereon wherein the ends of the flutes and columns may be removed by use of a cutting tool to allow the bulkhead installer to tailor the airflow into the refrigerator inlet as desired.
Claims16
An air return bulkhead for attachment to a wall of a refrigerated trailer in which the bulkhead comprises a floating panel which is spaced from the trailer wall to define a chamber therebetween and an upper support panel that extends in a generally transverse direction from an upper edge of the floating panel to abut the trailer wall, wherein the upper support panel is cut as needed with an opening for a universal fit about any one of a plurality of different refrigeration units having differing widths which may extend into a trailer through the trailer wall.
A method of attaching an air return bulkhead in a refrigerated trailer, the bulkhead having a floating panel and an upper support panel extending along an upper edge of the floating panel, the method comprising cutting the upper support panel to form an opening therein for receiving a refrigeration unit which extends into the trailer through a trailer wall, and attaching the bulkhead to the trailer wall such that the floating panel is spaced from the trailer wall to define a chamber therebetween and the upper support panel extends toward the trailer wall and fits about the refrigeration unit so that air in the chamber is drawn into an inlet of the refrigeration unit, wherein the upper support panel is cut with a hand held cutter.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.