AU2007100746B4 - Furniture cooling unit - Google Patents

Description

09/08/2007 14:11 @9/0/207 14:1 1-3-98901337 PATENT ATTORNEY SERV PG 32 PAGE 03/23 o FURNITURE COOLING UIMT Field of the Invention ;Z The present application relates to a piece of furniture having a cooling unit incorporated therein, and in particular, to cabinet-type piece of fbrniture hav ing a cooling unit incorporated into a drawer of the cabinet.

Background of the Invention Thle introduction of refrigerator units and other such cooling devices into home o and commercial environments has greatly altered the manner in which foodstuff and o other perishable items which deteriorate at ambient temperatures are stored. Typically, refrigerator units and cooler devices provide an enclosed environment having a temperature maintained a few degrees above the freezing point of water, in order to ci slow down bacterial growth and other such spoilage.

In most home and commercial environiments, refrigerator units are typically confined to kitchens and other such regions where food is stored and prepared.

Conventional domestic refrigerator units typically have a cooling compartment in which food is maintained a few degrees above the freezing point of water, and a freezer compartment where the temperature is maintained below the freezing point of water.

Most such units employ a vapour-compression cycle to provide such temperature conditions.

A vapour-compression refrigeration system uses a circulating liquid refrigerant, such as Freon, as the medium that absorbs and removes heat from the compartment to be cooled and subsequently rejects that heat elsewhere. As such, common refrigerator units have four main components: a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, and an evaporator. Th-e circulating refrigerant enters the compressor as a saturated vapour and is compressed to a higher pressure, resulting in the liquid also having a higher temperature- The hot vapour is then sent to a condenser where it is cooled and condenised into a liquid by flowing through a coil Or tubes with cool water or cool air flowing across the coil or tubes. The circulating refrigerant then rejects heat from the system and either the water or the air carries the rejected heat away. The condensed liquid refrigerant is then sent to an expansion valve where it undergoes an abrupt reduction in pressure. That pressure reduction results in the flash -evaporation of a part of the liquid refrigerant which lowers the temperature of the liquid and vapour refrigerant mixture such that it is colder than the temperature of the enclosed space to be refrigerated. The cold'mixture is then sent through the coil or tubes in the evaporator and a fan circulates the warm air in the enclosed space across the coil or tubes carrying XXserverdoes~sDecis\1 595 lO0iinn.doc COMS ID No: ARCS-156346 Received by IP Australia: Time 14:16 Date 2007-08-09 og/oe/2007 14:11 09/8/207 4:1 -3-98901337 PATENT ATTORNEY SERY AE 42 PAGE 04/23 2 o the cold refrigerant liquid and vapour mixture. That warm air evaporates the liquid part CA of the cold refrigerant mixture, cooling the circulating air and lowering the temperature of the enclosed space to the desired temperature. To complete the refrigeration cycle, the refrigerant vapour from the evaporator is again a saturated vapour and is sent back into the compressor.

o Due to the various components of the system, most domestic refrigerator units are considerably large and noisy devices. As such, they are typically free standing INC units that require a dedicated space for usage. Attempts have been made at building a refrigerator into the decor of a kitchen, however such attempts have been typically limited by the requirement of ventilation for the unit to operate.

Portable cooler units have also been proposed, such as bar fridges and the like, owhich are incorporated into a cabinet and the like. Such units typically employ a o hinged door to open and close the fridge unit, with sealing provided on the door to ensure that the interior space of the unit is sealed upon opening and closing of the door, A common problem with such units is that over time, the seals deteriorate and the units become inefficient and costly to operate. Further, as such units typically operate on a conventional vapour-compression refrigeration system, they are noisy and do not lend themselves to use in bedrooms and other such quiet areas.

There is therefore a need to provide a cooling unit that can be used in quiet environments and which can be incorporated into a furniture item without requiring significant fit-out and redesign of the item.

Any discussion of documents, acts, materials, devices, articles or the like which has been included in the present specification is solely for the purpose of providing a context for the present invention. It is not to be taken. as an admission that any or all of these matters form part of the prior art base or were common general knowledge in the field relevant to the present invention as it existed before the priority date of each claim of this application.

Summanry of the Invention According to a first aspect, dlie present invention provides a cooling unit for installation in an item of furniture comprising: a body mountable within a space provided in the item of furniture said body defining a cooling space; a tray configured to receive one or more items to be cooled thereon, said tray being slidably mounted to said body and movable between a first position wherein the k\server~docessteasx1 i51iOinn.dor.

COMS ID No: ARCS-156346 Received by 113 Australia: Time 14:16 Date 2007-08-09 09/08/2007 14:11 09/9/007 1411 61-3-9B01337 PATENT ATTORNEY SERV PG 52 PAGE 05/23 3 o fray is sealed wvithin said cooling space and a second position wherein said tray is remote from said cooling space; and ;Z a refrigeration unit mounted to said body to cool said, cooling space.

In one embodiment, a panel is mounted to the tray and includes a handle that is gripped by a user to move the tray between said first and second positions. The panel may be configured such that when the tray is in the first position said panel cooperates wit the body to seal said cooling space. The panel may have an outer surface that is substantially consistent with the decor of the item of furniture such that when the tray is in the first position the body of the cooling unit is substantially concealed.

o) 10 A container may be removably supported on the tray to receive the one or more items therein. The container may be removed from said tray when the tray is in the o second position. One or more handles may be provided on the container for gripping 0 by a user to facilitate removal of the container from the tray. The tray may be a box having an open top through which the one or more items to be cooled are received.

The refrigeration unit may be a thermoelectric or Peltier cooling devicc. The thermoelectric refrigeration unit may be mounted to the body such that it is at least partially contained within the body. The -refrigeration unit may comprise a cold plate positioned within the cooling space to cool said cooling space, a heat sink located external from the cooling space to dissipate heat from the unit, and a thermoelectric module thermally coupled to the cold plate and the heat sink to transfer heat energy therebetween, The heat sink may he located adjacent a rear surface of the body.

In one embodiment, a base of the body is mountable within the space provided in the item of' furniture. The base of the body may comprise one or more internally threaded boles formed therein that align with one or mote holes formed in a base of the item of furniture, to receive one or more threaded bolts therethrough to secure the body in position.

According to a second aspect, the present invention provides a furniture unit comprising: a body having one or more storage areas for storing one or more items; anid a cooling unit mountable within a space provided in said body, said cooling unit inctvding: a cooling space; a tray configured to receive one or more items to be cooled thereon, said tray being slidably mounted to said cooling unit and movable between a first position wherein the fray is sealed within said cooling space and a second position wherein said tray extends from said cooling space; and \\server\docs~speda\X1 5951 OOinn.doc COMS ID No: ARCS-156346 Received by IP Australia: Time 14:16 Date 2007-08-09 MAR.03.2009 16:09 #1669 P.005 /007 a 4 a refrigeration unit mounted to said cooling unit to cool said cooling space.

In one embodiment of the second aspect of the present invention, the one or more storage areas include one or more drawers slidably received within the body. In another embodiment, the one or more storage areas include one or more recesses bnformed in the 0 boxdy, nl yet another embodiment, the one or more storage areas include one or more surfaces of the body upon which one or more items can be supported.

ID In another aspect, there is provided a furniture unit comprising: a body having a plurality of storage compartments formed therein; and O at least one cooling unit, the or each cooling unit being mountable within one of 0 said plurality of storage compartments so as to be substantially isolated firom each other storage compartment, the or each cooling unit having: O a body defining a space therein; a cooling means for cooling said space; a tray configured to be slidingly received within the space so as to be movable between a closed position and an open position that provides access to said space, the tray having a substantially upright panel member adapted to substantial ly seal the space when the tray is in the closed position; and an outer panel member attached to an outer surface of the substantially upright panel member and configured to have an appearance that substantially conforms with the overall appearance of the furniture unit such that when the tray is in the closed position, the or each cooling unit is substantially contained within the corresponmding storage compartment of the furniture unit.

Throughout this specification the word "comprise", or variations such as "comprises" or "comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps, but not the exclusion of any other clement, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps.

COMS ID No: ARCS-225753 Received by IP Australia: Time 16:15 Date 2009-03-03 MAR.03.2009 16:09 #1669 P.006 /007 4a Brief Description of the Drawings fBy way of example only, the invention is now described with reference to the accompanying drawings: FIG. I shows a perspective view of a furniture unit in accordance with a first O embodiment of the present invention; FIGS. 2A and 21 show front. perspective and top views respectively of the m frniture unit ofFIG. I with the cooler tray in an open position; FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of a furniture unit in accordance with a second 0 embodiment of the present invention; 0 FIGS. 4A and 4B show front perspective and top views respectivcly of the furniture unit of FIG. 3 with the cooler tray in an open position; 0 IIS, 5A -5C show perspective, front, and side views respectively of one embodiment of a cooler unit of the present invention with cooler tray in an open position; FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of a lid member of the cooler unit of FIGS. 5A FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of an insulation member of the cooler unit of FIGS. 5A FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of one embodiment of a refrigeration unit for use with the cooler unit of FIGS. 5A FIG. 9 is perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a cooler unit in accordance with the present invention; and FIG. 10 is a side view of the cooler unit of FIG. 9 installed in a furniture unit in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

COMS ID No: ARCS-225753 Received by IP Australia: Time 16:15 Date 2009-03-03 09/08/2007 14:11 09/8/207 14:1 1-3-98901337 PATENT ATTORNEY SERV PG 72 PAGE 07/23 Detailed Description of an Exemplary Embodiment of the Invention Referring to FIG. 1 there is shown a furniture unit 10 in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. The furniture unit 10 is in the form of a common chest of drawers that may be found. in bedrooms and other such rooms of a house.

0 The unit 10 comprises a body 11, which is able to be located on a floor of a room. A number of storage compartments 12, 13 are provided in the body 11I for storing various items, such as clothes and/or mnanchester. The storage compartments 12 are in the form of sliding drawers having a handle 1 2a that can be gripped by a user to slide the drawers from the body I I to access the stored items. The storage compartments 12 may each be mounted on conventional runners to facilitate easy o sliding of the drawers, although it will be appreciated that the compartments 12 could o be mounted to the body 11I in a variety of ways and still fall within the spirit of the present invention.

A cooler unit 14 is incorporated into the body 11 of the furniture unit 10 and is sized to fit a space provided in the furniture unit 10. The cooler unit 14 ftnctions as a drawer having a handle 14a which can be gripped by a user to slide open a cooler tray or box 16 to access goods 15 stored thereinz as is shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B. In the embodiment as shown the cooler tray 16 in the form of a box having an open top through which the user accesses the stored goods 15. As the user accesses the goods from above the cooler fray 16, there is no need for the user to bend down to view and select specific goods 15, as is common with floor positioned bar fridges, with front opening doors.

As will be discussed in more detail below, the cooler tray 16 is slidingly mounted within a frame 17 that is fixed to a space provided in the furniture unit The cooler tray 16 has a front panel 18 mounted to the front surface thereof such that when the cooler tray 16 is in a closed position as shown in FIG, 1, it resembles the other storage compartments or drawers 12 of the firniture unit Referring to FIG. 3, an alternative embodiment of the present invention is shown. Furniture unit 20 functions in the same manner as furniture unit 10, however, in the embodiment as shown, furniture unit 20 is adapted to be used as a bedside table/dresser. The unit 20 has an upper surface 21 that can be used to support a bedside lamp (not shown) and the like, and has a storage compartment 22 for storing clothes and other such goods as is common with such units.

A cooler unit 24 is incorporated into the unit 20 in the same manner as cooler unit 14 discussed above. As shown in FIG. 4A, the cooler unit 24 functions as a sliding Aserverkdoos*apecisMi5951 O0inn.doc COMS ID No: ARCS-158346 Received by IP Australia: lime (I-tm) 14:16 Date 2007-08-09 ag/oe/2007 14:11 09/9/0071411 61-3-9B901337 PATENT ATTORNEY SERV PG 92 PAGE 08/23 6 o drawer, having a handle 24a which can be gripped by the user to slide open a cooler 0 tray 23 to access the goods 25 stored therein. The coaler tray 23 is in the formn of a box having an open top through which the user accesses the stored goods It will be appreciated that both fiurniture units 10 and 20 can be readily fanned to accommodate the cooler units 14 and 24 respectively through the creation of a o suitable space within die framework of the units 10, 20. In this regard, the cooler units 14, 24 can be made to one or more standard sizes that can be easily assembled within a INC funiture unit, thereby enabling freedom of design of the furniture units.

One embodiment of a cooler unit 30 of the present invention is shown in FIGS.

810 5A 5C. As previously discussed and as is clearly shown in FIG. 5A, the cooler unit 30 consist of a cooler tray 32 which is slidingly received within a frame 38. A pair of runners or slides 33 are mounted to the sides 31 of the cooler tray 32 which mate with o corresponding runners or slides 34 provided on the inside sidewalls of the frame 38 to Cl facilitate sliding movement of the cooler fray 32 with respect to the frame 38. The runners or slides 33, 34 may be in the form of rollers that are received within tracks such that smooth sliding is facilitated and the position of the cooler tray 32 with respect to the frame is controlled during such movement. Various other sliding arrangements are also envisaged, as would be appreciated by those ski]lled in the art The cooler tray 32 is in the form of an open box having an inner liner 35, which may be removable, made from plastic or PVC into which the goods to be cooled are received. Such a liner enables simple cleaning of the inside of the cooler tray 32, in the event of goods being spilt during storage. The inner liner 35 is insulated with a layer of insulating material, such as polyurethane, which is then covered by an outer skin 36.

The outer skin 36 may be a coated metal or plastic which protects the insulating layer and also enables an outer panel to be mournted to the front surface of the tray 32 with holes 32 a provided to receive a handle. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the cooler fray 32 could be made from a variety of suitable materials and still fall within the spirit of the present invention.

In one embodiment, the cooler tray 32 has a width Yx of around 400 mm, a height of around 360 mm, and a depth Yz of around 360 mm. Such dimensions provide a storage volume that it sufficient for most storage needs. It will also be appreciated that the dimensions can be readily varied to cater for a variety of storage requirements.

The frame 38 is formned from coated steel sheets and is fixedly secured to an internal space provided in the furniture unit. A lid member 41 is mounted between the \kserver~docsspeoiskis 951 Ooinn. doe COMS ID No: ARCS-156346 Received by P1 Australia: Time 14:16 Date 2007-08-09 09/08/2007 14:11 09/8/007 1411 61-3-98901337 PATENT ATTORNEY SERV PG 92 PAGE 09/23 7 o internal walls of the frame 38 such that the frame 38 is divided into a lower (N compartment 40 and an upper compartment 42.

The lower compartment 40 is shaped to slidingly rccivc the cooler tray 32 in ;Z the manner as shown. The size of the lower compartment 40 is such that the cooler fray 32 is snugly received and retained therein when in the stored position. When the cooler o tray 32 is in such a stored position, the upper lip of the open cooler tray 32 contacts the underside of the lid member 4 1, sealing the internal storage space of the cooler tray 32.

INC In. this regard, a seal may be provided on either or both of the lid member 41 and the upper lip of the waoler tray 32 to aid in. sealing. To facilitate such sealing engagement between the cooler tray 32 and the lid member 41 when the cooler tray 32 is in the stored position, the rnners 33, 34 may be configured such they impart a vertical force o to the cooler tray 32 when it is fully retracted into the frame 38. Such a vertical force o upon storing the fray 32 presses the upper lip of the cooling fray 32 against the undersurface of the lid member 41. This way of sealing the internal storage space of the cooler tray 32 substantially ameliorates sliding friction between the upper lip of the tray 32 and the underside of the lid member 41 that could cause the surfaces to wear and erode and hence reduce their sealing effectiveness over time.

The upper compartment 42 of the frame 3 8 is a substantially open space adapted to house the refrigeration unit 50 of the cooler unit 30. In a preferred form, the refrigeration unit 50 is a thermoelectric refigeration. unit that utilises thie Peltier effect to cool the internal storage space of the cooler tray 32.

One embodiment of a refrigeration unit 50 is shown in FIG. 8. The unit comprises a cold plate 58, a thermoelectric module 56 and a heat sink 52. Each of these components are connected together by way of a screws 51 that are received in pre-tapped holes 53 formed in the heat sink 52 and the cold plate 58. Such an arrangement ensures that the thermoelectric mnodule 56 is provided between the heat sink 52 and the cold plate 58.

To function, the cold plate 58 is arranged so as to extend into the sealed internal storage space of the cooler tray 32. The thermoelectric module 56 comprises both ptype (deficiency of electrons) semiconductor elements and n-type (excess of electrons) semiconductor elements connected in series. As current is provided to the thermoelectric module 56 through wires 54, heat is transferred from the internal storage space of the cooler fray 32 via the cold plate 58 to the heat sink 52. At the junction between the cold plate 58 and the thermoelectric module 56, electrons absorb heat as they pass from the p-type semiconductor elements to the n-type semiconductor ,elemnents thereby removing heat from the internal storage space of the cooler tray 32.

serverldocs\specis\1 5951 O0inn .doc COMS ID No: ARCS-i 56346 Received by IP Australia: Time 14:16 Date 2007-08-09 09/08/2007 14:11 08/0/0071411 61-3-98901337 PATENT ATTORNEY SERtVAE 02 PAGE 10/23 At the junction between the thermoelectric module 56 and the heat sink 52, energy is c-I expelled to the heat sink 52 as the electrons move from the n-type semiconductors to Oil) the p-type semiconductors, thereby heating the heat sink 52. The provision of cooling ;Z fins 55 on the heat sink 52 helps dissipate the heat from the heat sink 52 into the environment.

o As shown in FIG. 5B, in one embodiment, the refrigeration unit 50 is mounted in the upper compartment 42 such that the cooling fins 55 of the heat sink 52 are INC exposed allowing air to freely pass through the fins 55 to dissipate heat away from the heat sink 52. Whilst not shown, a fan could be positioned within the upper compartment 42 to assist in circulating air past the cooling fins As shown in FIG. 6, the lid member 41 is provided with a cut-out region 43 through which the cold plate 58 of the refrigeration unit 50 passes so as to extend into the internal storage space of the cooler tray 32. To provide insulation between the heat sink 52 and the lid member 41 so as- to prevent the heat sink 52 heating the lid 41, insulation member 44 (FIG. 7) is provided to extend over the lid member 41. A cut-out region 45 is also provided in the insulation member 44 through which the cold plate 58 passes.

Fasteners such as screws and the like (not shown) can be used to secure the refrigeration unit 50 in position on the lid member 41.

An alternative embodiment of a cooler unit 60 of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 9 and 10. In this embodiment, the cooler unit 60 comprises a body or housing 62 which is configured to be received within a space provided in a furniture unit 10, The housing 62 has a rear portion 61 that houses the refrigeration unit (not shown). The refrigeration unit is preferably a thermoelectric unit as described above, however to dissipate heat more effectively, a static convection air condenser may also be employed together with a fan. The rear portion 61 of the housing 62 is vented as shown, to facilitate heat dissipation from the housing 62.

The refrigeration unit cools an internal space 63 of the unit 60. A tray 64 is slidingly received within the internal space 63 and forms a horizontal surface for supporting a storage box or container 65 for storing items to be cooled by the cooler unit 60. Such items may include drinks, foodstuff and other such consumables, as well as medications and the like, which require storage in a cool environment.

The container 65 includes handles 65a that provide for removal of the container from the unit 60 in the manner as shown in FIG. 9. In this arrangement, the container 65 can be readily removed to access the goods stored therein or for removal and/or replacement and cleaned where appropriate. Due to the sliding arrangement of \\servertdocslsvecis\1 5951 O0inn.doc COMS ID No: ARCS-156346 Received by IP Australia: lime 14:16 Date 2007-08-09 09/08/2007 14:11 S9/B/2@7 14:1 1-3-98901337 PATENT ATTORNEY SERV PG 12 PAGE 11/23 9 0 the tray 64, there is no need for a user to bend down and reach into the internal space of the unit 60 to access the goods stored therein, as the goods, and/or the container 65, can Of) be merely lifted from the tray 64.

;Z In order to seal the internal space 63 of the unit 60 when the tray 64 is in the stored position, a panel 66 is attached to the distal end of the tray 64. The panel 66 oextends substantially vertically from the fray 64 such that when the trny is slidingly refracted into die internal space 63 the panel 66 is positioned flush with the opening of the internal space 63, thereby sealing the internal space 63. The inner surface of the Panel 66 may include seals (not shown) extending around th eiee fthe panel6 to facilitate a sealing engagement of the panel 66 about the opening of the internal space63 As is shown in FIG, 10, when the cooling unit 60 is finted into a furniture unit o 10, 20, an outer panel 67 may be mounted to the panel 66. The outer panel 67 is typically selected in accordance with the decor of the unit 10, 20, in the manner as discussed previously. In this regard, the outer panel 67 may resemble other drawers of the funiture unit 10, 20, such that at least the front surface of the furniture -unit 10, has the appearance of a regular furniture unit.

As is shown in FIG. 10, the housing 62 of the unit 60 is mounted within the furniture unit 10, 20. To facilitate mounting of the unit 60 within the furniture unit 20, the base of the housing 62 may be provided with a plurality of internally threaded holes (not shown). The base of the furniture unit 10, 20 is also provided with holes (not shown) which align with the internally threaded holes provided in the base of the housing 62 when the unit 60 is positioned therein. One or more threaded bolts 68 may then be passed through the holes formed in the base of the furniture unit 10, 20 to be threadingly received in the internally threaded holes provided in the base of the housing 62 to secure the unit 60 in position. In the Secured position, the rear of the housing 62 may be exposed to the atmosphere to facilitate heat dissipation therefrom.

In each of the embodiments described above, the cooling unit 30, 60 is a "dropin" device. As such, all the components of the cooler unit are housed within the frame 38 or housing 62. In this regard, a standard furniture unit can be readily convented into a combined cooling unit by merely securing the frame 38 or housing 62 to the furniture unit. Such an arrangement overcomes the need to substantially alter the design of existing furniture units.

It will also be appreciated that the refrigeration unit 50 of the present invention does not require conventional refrigeration components, such as pumps, compressors, and the like which are typically associated with conventional vapour-compression \erver\doos-\SDeds\I 59-51 O0innxuoc COMS ID No: ARCS-I 56346 Received by IP Australia: Time 14:16 Date 2007-08-09 09/08/2007 14:11 61-3-98901337 PATENT ATTORNEY SERV PAGE 12/23 0 Va 0 0 refrigeration systems. As such, a furniture unit incorporating a cooling unit of the present invention is substantially silent when running, enabling such furniture units to used in bedrooms and other such quite places.

The ability to provide a cooling function with traditional bedroom furniture has 5 a variety of benefits. In particular, it allows the safe storage of personal items and pharmaceutical products that require cold storage and use during the night in close proximity to the individual's bed, and not in a remote location such as a kitchen. This makes the bedroom a more functional and practical environment for recovery from illness, injury and the like, and has considerable application to hospital and aged care environments.

It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that numerous variations and/or modifications may be made to the invention as shown in the specific embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as broadly described. The present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive.

\serverdocssoecis\1 595 lOOinn.doc COMS ID No: ARCS-156346 Received by IP Australia: Time 14:16 Date 2007-08-09

Claims (3)

1. 2. A furniture unit according to claim I, wherein the furniture unit is in the tbnn of cabinetry, a chest of drawers or a bedside table and the plurality of storage compartments are substantially isolated from each other.
2. 3. A furniture unit according to claim I or claim 2, wherein the outer panel member has one or more handles provided thereon to facilitate movement of the tray between the closed position and the open position.
3. 4. A furminiture unit according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the substantially upright panel member has one or more scaling members provided on an innmer surface thereof (o facilitate sealing of the space when the tray is in the first closed position. A hlumriture unit according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein a container is removably supported on the tray to receive one or more items thereon for cooling. COMS ID No: ARCS-225753 Received by IP Australia: Time 16:15 Date 2009-03-03