AU714521B2 - Improved refrigeration apparatus - Google Patents

Description

I P/00/00I1I Reg~ulation 3.2

AUSTRALIA

P'atents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT

ORIGINAL

*0 .9

U

*9* 0* 9* 9* 9 999

S

.0 0 9 0 9 Name of Applicant: Actual Inventor: Address for service Michael Gordon WILLIAMS Michael Gordon WILLIAMS in Inv De Australia: CARTER SMITH BEADLE 2 Railway Parade Camberwell Victoria 3124 Australia 'ention Title: IMPROVED REFRIGERATION APPARATUS tails of Associated Provisional Application: PN7010 filed 6 December 1995 following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us IMPROVED REFRIGERATION APPARATUS The present invention relates to a controlled temperature apparatus for maintaining a desired temperature inside a cabinet. The controlled temperature apparatus may be a refrigerator.

Refrigerators are well known. Domestic refrigerators generally include a cooler compartment for maintaining food at approximately 4 0 C and a separate freezer compartment for freezing items. The freezer compartment generally operates at about -18 0 C. Both the cooler compartment and the freezer compartment are provided with their own doors.

Domestic refrigerators are frequently used in hospitals and laboratories for storing drugs and chemicals. Although usually prohibited by health regulations, it is also common practice for workers in the hospitals and laboratories to store their lunch in those refrigerators, which raises the possibility of cross-contamination between the food and the drugs or chemicals. The present invention provides a solution to this problem.

o In one aspect, the present invention provides a controlled temperature apparatus for maintaining a desired temperature within a cabinet comprising a cabinet having a plurality of separate compartments, each compartment including one or more walls located within the cabinet, said one or more walls sealing the compartment from the inside of the cabinet, each compartment having an opening for access thereto, a closure means associated with each compartment for closing the opening of each compartment, the compartments being arranged such that the only access to any one of the compartments is via its associated closure means, each of said closure means being provided with security means to enable only authorised persons access to the compartment associated with the closure means and *SaS..

temperature control means for maintaining a desired temperature within the cabinet such that the temperature is substantially the same in each compartment.

In one embodiment, the controlled temperature apparatus is a refrigerator.

The controlled temperature apparatus of the present invention includes a cabinet having a plurality of separate compartments. The compartments are GWN:DMA:#19077 12 October 1999 Illllrp Iarranged such that each compartment has its own closure means, such as a door.

The compartments are also arranged such that the only access to any one compartment is via its closure means. Therefore, obtaining access to one of the compartments does not allow access to any of the other compartments and this can provide security for products held in the other compartments.

The apparatus also includes temperature control means for maintaining a desired temperature within the cabinet, which results in the desired temperature being maintained in each of the compartments. The compartments are maintained at substantially the same temperature as each other and this enables a single temperature control means to be utilised, thereby simplifying design and construction of the apparatus, which will reduce its cost.

In the embodiment where the apparatus is a refrigerator, the temperature control means is a refrigeration unit.

Each of the closure means is provided with security means to enable only authorised persons to obtain access to the compartment associated with a closure means. In an especially preferred embodiment, this is provided by the simple expedient of fitting each compartment with a lockable door. Only people who have a key to a particular door will be able to access the compartment associated with that door.

20 The compartments may be sized in accordance with the requirements of the particular application of the apparatus. Each compartment is a fully sealed S"compartment.

.In cases where each compartment is a sealed compartment, the temperature control means controls the temperature in the cabinet and heat transfer through the 25 walls of the compartments maintains the temperature in the compartments at substantially the same temperature as the temperature in the cabinet.

The temperature control means suitable for use in the present invention will be well known to those skilled in the art and will not be described further. The temperature control means may be located inside the cabinet, attached to the exterior of the cabinet or located remote from the cabinet.

GWN:DMA:#I 9077 12 October 1999 The number of compartments in each cabinet and the size and shape of the compartments and the cabinet can be varied without affecting the generality of the present invention.

As mentioned earlier, in preferred embodiments of the present invention, the apparatus is a refrigerator. In this application, it is possible to provide individual refrigeration storage without contamination of products stored in each compartment.

Cross contamination between compartments can be substantially avoided. The following applications are just some of the potential uses for such a refrigeration apparatus: o0 shipping containers having individual compartments for different produce, ie, a compartment for food and vegetables, (ii) a compartment for meat, (iii) a compartment for medical products, and so forth for different produce.

blood storage with different blood groups per compartment. This avoids contamination between blood groups and minimises the risk that an incorrect blood group will be retrieved from the refrigeration apparatus.

.0 caravan park and camps sites tenants can be provided with access to one compartment to allow them to store their food in a refrigerated environment. This allows security of storage and avoids the necessity for the tenants to bring their own refrigerators.

hospital wards individual patient food storage to cater for particular 5 dietary or medical requirements.

in microbiological laboratories, the separate compartments could be used for growing and storing separate bacterium. This allows, for example, separation of pathogenic and non-pathogenic bacterium.

morgue refrigeration individual storage may allow for the protection 0 of morgue staff. For example, HIV positive cadavers may be stored in separate compartments.

*4 0 0 040 9* 0.

a4 0.

9 12 October 1999 industrial food storage for snack food manufacturers, ie nuts, fruit, meat, chemicals, may be stored securely in separate unit.

defence force field refrigeration food and medical storage may safely take place in the same compartment.

navy on ship refrigeration for food and medical storage.

chemical industry storage of individual chemicals without crosscontamination.

(11) domestic refrigerations storage.

(12) supermarket and other commercial displays by providing transparent doors, fruit and vegetables, meat, small goods and diary products may be stored and displayed in a single cabinet.

(13) cool room applications.

(14) quarantine storage for imported products.

The apparatus of the present invention may be a stationary apparatus or a mobile apparatus, as is indicated by the potential uses listed above.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying Figures in which: *6 Figure 1 is a partly cross-sectional perspective view of a refrigeration unit in accordance with the present invention; Figure 2 is a cross-section taken along lines 2 to 2 of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a cross-section taken along lines 3 to 3 of Figure 1; and Figure 4 is a cross-section taken along lines 4 to 4 of Figure 2.

The refrigeration apparatus of the present invention includes a cabinet having a plurality of compartments C formed therein. Each compartment C is ~25 provided with a door 12 for closing an external opening of the compartments. In the embodiments shown in Figures 1 to 4, the cabinet 10 is provided with ten •separate compartments. Each compartment C is fully sealed when its door 12 is closed. As best shown in Figures 1 and 2, the walls 18, 20, 22 of each compartment C are located within the cabinet and are solid walls (ie no perforations or other openings). Therefore, each compartment C is sealed from the internal volume of the cabinet.

GWN:DMA:#19077 12 October 1999 Cabinet 10 is also provided with a refrigeration unit 14 of a type that is known to those skilled in the art. Refrigeration unit 14 cools the air in the interior space 16 of the cabinet 10. The cool air in interior space 16 of the cabinet contact the walls of the compartments C and heat transfer through the walls of the compartments C ensures that the compartments C are maintained at substantially the desired temperature. The walls of cabinet 10 are provided with insulation 18 to minimise heat loss therefrom. The particular type of insulation to be used and the thickness of the insulation will be able to be readily determined by the skilled addressee.

The doors 12 of the refrigeration unit shown in Figures 1 to 4 may be provided with separate locking mechanisms so that only people with a key to a particular door will have access to the compartment associated with that door.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention described therein may be subject to many variations and modifications. It will be appreciated that the invention encompasses all such variations and modifications that fall within its spirit and scope.

S

S.

*oos GWN:DMA:#19077 12 October 1999

Claims (6)

1. A controlled temperature apparatus for maintaining a desired temperature within a cabinet comprising a cabinet having a plurality of separate compartments, each compartment including one or more walls located within the cabinet, said one or more walls sealing the compartment from the inside of the cabinet, each compartment having an opening for access thereto, a closure means associated with each compartment for closing the opening of each compartment, the compartments being arranged such that the only access to any one of the compartments is via its associated closure means, each of said closure means being provided with security means to enable only authorised persons access to the compartment associated with the closure means and temperature control means for maintaining a desired temperature within the cabinet such that the temperature is substantially the same in each compartment.

2. A controlled temperature apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the security means comprises a lockable door. .9 9. A controlled temperature apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the apparatus is a refrigerator. 9

4. A controlled temperature apparatus as claimed in claim 3 wherein the temperature control means comprises a refrigeration means.

5. A controlled temperature apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the temperature control means is located inside the cabinet. °°oe

6. A controlled temperature apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 99 9.

999- to 4 wherein the temperature control means is attached to the exterior of the cabinet. 7. A controlled temperature apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein the temperature control means is located remote from the cabinet. 12 October 1999 8. A controlled temperature apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying Figures. DATED: 12 October 1999 CARTER SMITH BEADLE Patent Attorneys for the Applicant: MICHAEL GORDON WILLIAMS S *.t S C S S C.. S S. S 5*SS S S S S S S C C *555 S S CS S S* S S. .5 S C C C S S GWvN:DMA:#19077 12 October 1999