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US 6,295,820 B1Granted
Fruit chiller
AssigneeDelta T, LLC
InventorsCharles J. Cauchy, George A. Clark, Mark S. Thompson, Douglas P. Gundlach, Dan M. Bruner
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A chiller for fresh fruit and other perishable food products is cooled with a thermoelectric device and includes a cool air recirculating system that minimizes air flow path lengths and provides uniform cool air distribution throughout a fruit container removably supported above the thermoelectric module. The cooling air flow duct system is formed in part by the bottom wall of the container, thereby enhancing direct cooling air flow contact in minimizing the lengths of the flow paths.
Claims32
A food chiller comprising:
- a supporting base including a housing in which is mounted a temperature control device comprising a Peltier effect thermoelectric module disposed between a cold sink and an opposite heat sink, said housing defining an upwardly opening cooling duct system, including a cool air supply duct receiving cooled air via a flow connection from said cold sink and a return air duct, a cool air circulation fan disposed in the cooling duct system to circulate air therethrough;
- a food container supported on the housing, said container having an upper enclosing side wall above the housing and a lower bottom wall within said housing said bottom wall forming an enclosing top wall for said duct system and having formed therein a plurality of inlet holes communicating with said cool air supply duct and a plurality of outlet holes communicating with said return air duct, one of the ducts positioned to extend along an outer peripheral wall of the housing, and the other of said ducts centrally disposed within said one duct and separated therefrom by a generally vertically extending common dividing wall;
- and,
- said duct system further comprising a cool air duct inlet, a return air duct outlet, and a recirculation passage including said circulation fan and said cold sink and interconnecting said inlet and outlet.
1 more element
A food chiller comprising:
- a housing in which is mounted a cooling device comprising a Peltier effect thermoelectric module disposed between a cold sink and an opposite heat sink, said housing defining an upwardly opening cooling duct system, including a cool air supply duct in heat transfer communication with said cold sink and a return air duct, a cool air circulation fan disposed in the cooling duct system to circulate air therethrough;
- a food container supported on an upper peripheral edge of the housing, said container having an upper enclosing side wall above said peripheral edge and a generally horizontal lower bottom wall within said peripheral edge, said bottom wall forming an enclosing top wall for said duct system and having formed therein a plurality of inlet holes communicating with said cool air supply duct and a plurality of outlet holes communicating with said return air duct, the cool air supply duct positioned to extend along an outer peripheral wall of the housing including said peripheral edge, and the return air duct centrally disposed within said cool air supply duct and separated therefrom by a generally vertically extending common dividing wall;
- and,
- said duct system further comprising a cool air duct inlet, a return air duct outlet, and a recirculation passage including said circulation fan and said cold sink and interconnecting said inlet and outlet.
1 more element
A food chiller comprising:
- a housing in which is mounted a cooling device comprising a Peltier effect thermoelectric module disposed between a cold sink and an opposite heat sink, said housing defining an upwardly opening cooling duct system, including a cool air supply duct in heat transfer communication with said cold sink and a return air duct, a cool air circulation fan disposed in the cooling duct system to circulate air therethrough;
- and,
- a food container supported on an upper peripheral edge of the housing, said container having an upper enclosing side wall above said peripheral edge and a generally horizontal lower bottom wall within said peripheral edge, said bottom wall forming an enclosing top wall for said duct system and having formed therein a plurality of inlet holes communicating with said cool air supply duct and a plurality of outlet holes communicating with said return air duct, said cool air supply duct and said return air duct having a common lower enclosing wall forming a separating wall with a recirculation passage disposed therebelow, and a cool air duct inlet formed in said common separating wall adjacent the outer peripheral wall of the housing, and a return air duct outlet is formed in said common separating wall generally in the center thereof.
A food chiller comprising:
- a supporting base including a housing in which is mounted a temperature control device comprising a Peltier effect thermoelectric module disposed between a cold sink and an opposite heat sink, said housing defining an upwardly opening cooling duct system, including a cool air supply duct receiving cooled air via a flow connection from said cold sink and a return air duct, a cool air circulation fan disposed in the cooling duct system to circulate air therethrough;
- a food container supported on the housing, said container having an upper enclosing side wall above the housing and a lower bottom wall within said housing said bottom wall forming an enclosing top wall for said duct system and having formed therein a plurality of inlet holes communicating with said cool air supply duct and a plurality of outlet holes communicating with said return air duct, one of the ducts positioned to extend along an outer peripheral wall of the housing, and the other of said ducts centrally disposed within said one duct and separated therefrom by a generally vertically extending common dividing wall;
- said duct system further comprising a cool air duct inlet, a return air duct outlet, and a recirculation passage including said circulation fan and said cold sink and interconnecting said inlet and outlet;
- and,
- wherein the plurality of holes formed in the enclosing top wall of the duct that extends along the outer peripheral wall of the housing comprises a hole pattern of increasing hole size with increasing distance from said one of said duct inlet and duct outlet.
2 more elements
A food chiller comprising:
- a supporting base including a housing in which is mounted a temperature control device comprising a Peltier effect thermoelectric module disposed between a cold sink and an opposite heat sink, said housing defining an upwardly opening cooling duct system, including a cool air supply duct receiving cooled air via a flow connection from said cold sink and a return air duct, a cool air circulation fan disposed in the cooling duct system to circulate air therethrough;
- a food container supported on the housing, said container having an upper enclosing side wall above the housing and a lower bottom wall within said housing said bottom wall forming an enclosing top wall for said duct system and having formed therein a plurality of inlet holes communicating with said cool air supply duct and a plurality of outlet holes communicating with said return air duct, one of the ducts positioned to extend along an outer peripheral wall of the housing, and the other of said ducts centrally disposed within said one duct and separated therefrom by a generally vertically extending common dividing wall;
- said duct system further comprising a cool air duct inlet, a return air duct outlet, and a recirculation passage including said circulation fan and said cold sink and interconnecting said inlet and outlet;
- and,
- wherein said pluralities of inlet holes and outlet holes are interrupted to define solid wall portions overlying said cool air duct inlet and said return air duct outlet and covering the same from the ingress of debris.
2 more elements
A food conditioning apparatus comprising:
- a supporting base including a housing in which is mounted a temperature control device comprising a Peltier effect thermoelectric module disposed between a cold sink and an opposite heat sink, said housing defining an upwardly opening air duct system, including a conditioned air supply duct receiving conditioned air via a flow connection from one of said sinks and a return air duct, an air circulation fan disposed in the air duct system to circulate air therethrough;
- a food container supported on the housing, said container having an upper enclosing side wall above the housing and a lower bottom wall within said housing said bottom wall forming an enclosing top wall for said duct system and having formed therein a plurality of inlet holes communicating with said conditioned air supply duct and a plurality of outlet holes communicating with said return air duct, one of the ducts positioned to extend along an outer peripheral wall of the housing, and the other of said ducts centrally disposed within said one duct and separated therefrom by a generally vertically extending common dividing wall;
- and,
- said duct system further comprising a conditioned air duct inlet, a return air duct outlet, and a recirculation passage including said circulation fan and one of said sinks and interconnecting said inlet and outlet.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.