# US 9,924,833 B2 · Self-contained trolley for temperature conditioning and distribution of meal trays

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- Number: US 9,924,833 B2
- Document ID: US9924833B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 14/361,766
- Filed: 2012-12-21
- Published: 2015-01-29
- Granted: 2018-03-27
- Earliest claimed: 2011-12-27
- Assignees: Coldway
- Applicants: Coldway
- Inventors: Laurent Rigaud; Francis Kindbeiter
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9924833B2

## CPC

- A47J 39/006: {for either storing and preparing or for preparing food on serving trays, e.g. heating, thawing, preserving}
- F25B 29/006: {of the sorption type system}
- F25D 3/125: {Movable containers}
- F25D 31/005: {Combined cooling and heating devices}
- F25D 2400/20: Carts specially adapted for transporting objects to be cooled
- A47J: KITCHEN EQUIPMENT; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; APPARATUS FOR MAKING BEVERAGES
- F25B: REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS
- F25D: REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR (refrigerated showcases A47F3/04; thermally-insulated vessels for domestic use A47J41/00; refrigerated vehicles, see the appropriate subclasses of classes B60 - B64; containers with thermal insulation in general B65D81/38; heat-transfer, heat-exchange or heat-storage materials, e.g. refrigerants, or materials for the production of heat or cold by chemical reactions other than by combustion C09K5/00; thermally-insulated vessels for liquefied or solidified gases F17C; air-conditioning or air-humidification F24F; refrigeration machines, plants, or systems F25B; cooling of instruments or comparable apparatus without refrigeration G12B)

## Abstract

The present invention relates to a self-contained trolley for temperature conditioning and distribution of meal trays (13) comprising two compartments separated by an insulating wall (11), namely a compartment for heating, called the hot compartment, and a compartment for chilling, called the cold compartment, receiving at least one stack of meal trays arranged so that one part of each meal tray (13) is located in the hot compartment and the other part thereof is located in the cold compartment, wherein the heating of the hot compartment and the chilling of the cold compartment are simultaneously obtained by means of a thermochemical system. This trolley is characterized in that said reactor (15) and the evaporator of the thermochemical system are respectively and exclusively arranged in the hot compartment and in the cold compartment and in that the reactive material used in the thermochemical system consists of a compacted mixture of manganese chloride and expanded natural graphite (ENG), and the gas consists of ammonia.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A self-contained trolley for temperature conditioning and distribution of meal trays, comprising two compartments separated by an insulating wall, namely a heating compartment, called hot compartment, and a cooling compartment, called cold compartment, said trolley comprising two opposing stacks of meal trays, respectively a first stack and a second stack, one part of each meal tray of said first stack being placed in said hot compartment, another part of each meal tray of said first stack being placed in said cold compartment and one part of each meal tray of said second stack being placed in said hot compartment, another part of each meal tray of said second stack being placed in said cold compartment; and,
wherein the heating of the hot compartment and the chilling of the cold compartment are obtained simultaneously by means of a thermochemical system of the type comprising at least one reactor, containing a solid reactive material and at least one reservoir associated with an evaporator that contains a liquefied gas in which, when the reactor and the reservoir are placed in communication, the liquid gas contained in the reservoir is vaporized, which absorbs a certain amount of heat, with the result that cold is produced on the evaporator side, and this gas is absorbed by the reactive material thus generating an exothermic absorption chemical reaction, so that the reactor is the source of a release of heat, and wherein, once the reaction is ended, when a product formed by the reaction between said reactive material and said gas which is contained in the reactor is heated, the gas absorbed by said reactive material is released and is then condensed in the evaporator, wherein the reactor and the evaporator of the thermochemical system are respectively and exclusively arranged in the hot compartment and in the cold compartment, the reactor and the evaporator being arranged in a space between said two opposing first and second stacks, respectively in the hot compartment and in the cold compartment and the reactive material comprises a compacted mixture of manganese chloride and expanded natural graphite, and the gas comprises ammonia.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The trolley according to claim 1, wherein the apparent density of the expanded natural graphite is between 50 kg/m3 and 150 kg/m3.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The trolley according to claim 1, wherein the proportion by weight of manganese chloride to the expanded natural graphite is between 50% and 90%.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The trolley according to claim 1, the reactor includes mechanisms capable of preheating it prior to the start of the thermochemical reaction, which mechanisms comprise a power-regulated electric heating collar arranged around it.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The trolley according to claim 1, comprising a power regulated electric heating collar for preheating the hot compartment before initiating the thermochemical reaction.

### Claim 6 (depends on 4)

The trolley according to claim 4, wherein the thermochemical system uses several reactors and the power-regulated electric heating collars of said reactors are managed by control mechanisms that enable the operation of all or some of said reactors to be controlled.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The trolley according to claim 1, wherein the reactor is cylindrical in shape and is arranged vertically between the opposing stacks of meal trays.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The trolley according to claim 1, wherein the insulating wall between the hot compartment and the cold compartment is arranged so that the surface area of the tray placed in the hot compartment is at least twice the surface area placed in the cold compartment.

### Claim 9

A self-contained trolley for temperature conditioning and distribution of meal trays, comprising:
a hot compartment and a cold compartment separated from the hot compartment by an insulating wall;
a first stack for meal trays and a second stack for meal trays, wherein one part of each meal tray of the first stack is located in the hot compartment and another pert of each meal tray of the first stack is located in the cold compartment, and wherein one part of each meal tray of the second stack is located the hot compartment and another part of each meal tray of the second stack is located in the cold compartment; and
a thermochemical system configured to heat the hot compartment and to cool the cold compartment simultaneously, the thermochemical system comprising a reactor containing a solid reactive material and a reservoir associated with an evaporator containing a liquefied gas; the reactor and the reservoir are in communication and the thermochemical system is operational so that the liquefied gas contained in the reservoir is vaporized, absorbing heat and resulting in a reduction of temperature on the evaporator side, and the gas is absorbed by the reactive material thus generating an exothermic absorption chemical reaction, so that the reactor is a source of a heat released, and wherein, after the reaction ends, when a product formed by the reaction between the reactive material and the gas contained in the reactor is heated, the gas absorbed by the reactive material is released and is then condensed in the evaporator, wherein the reactor and the evaporator of the thermochemical system are respectively and exclusively located in the hot compartment and in the cold compartment and in a space between the first stack of meal trays and the second stack of meal trays, so that the one part of each meal tray of the first stack and the one part of the meal tray of the second stack share and are heated by the same reactor located in the space between the first stack of meal trays and the second stack of meal trays, and so that the another part of each meal tray of the first stack and the another part of the meal tray of the second stack share and are cooled by the same evaporator located in the space between the first stack of meal trays and the second stack of meal trays; and
wherein the reactive material comprises a mixture of manganese chloride and natural graphite, and the gas comprises ammonia.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The trolley according to claim 9, comprising a heater for preheating the hot compartment before initiating the thermochemical reaction.