EP1562457B1

EP1562457B1 - Partitioning system for kitchens and its use

Info

Publication number: EP1562457B1
Application number: EP02781511A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Giandonato Disanto
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2002-11-12
Filing date: 2002-11-12
Publication date: 2008-09-10
Anticipated expiration: 2022-11-12
Also published as: WO2004043205A1; ATE407590T1; DE60228893D1; AU2002348888A1; EP1562457A1; ES2314110T3

Abstract

The object of this invention is a system of panels for partitioning work areas in industrial kitchens and in food preparation companies, which can be installed, disassembled and reassembled elsewhere in a different layout quickly, safely and in a versatile manner. It consists of structural elements made up of specially designed self supporting panels (1, 2, 3) which are fitted head on between two vertical supports (12).

Description

Technical description

The object of this invention is a system of panels for partitioning work areas in industrial kitchens and in food preparation companies, which can be installed, disassembled and reassembled elsewhere with a different layout quickly, safely and in a versatile manner. It consists of structural elements made up of specially designed self supporting panels which are fitted head on between two vertical supports. Such a system is known from FR-A-2 705 758 .
When designing and fitting industrial kitchens or food preparation kitchens, of any size or use, division of the different processes is obligatory as laid down by the most elementary hygiene standards, as well as operative ones, but in particular by Italian law 283/62, Pres. Decree 327/80, Legal decree 155/97 (HACCP). The physical elements to ensure that these obligations are actuated must prevent dirty water spray or parts of treated material from reaching different sectors.
According to these hygienic and operative needs for instance, the areas in which the preparation of red meat, white meat, fish, vegetables, cold foods or other food, dish and pan washing, storage of raw material for immediate use, dietary cooking or other operations which may affect overall hygiene are carried out, must be ascertained and isolated from one another.
The physical separation of these areas does not have to be total, but while on the one hand it is necessary to avoid reciprocal contamination, on the other it must not impede the visibility of the whole operative environment, the availability of sufficient space to the individual working areas, although the use of space must be optimised, the movement of people and things, the circulation of air and fume extraction, the dispersion of artificial or natural light from sources spread all over the ceiling and the cleaning of floors.
While the construction of 1m40/1m60 walls helps to obtain the result for the first five aspects, it does not help cleaning the floors where their presence impedes it. Indeed, the partitioning element must be integrated with the floor, be appropriately stable, which means a thickness of no less than 15 cm and be coated with a material which makes it impermeable, non absorbing, easy to wash, shock resistant, even to hard blows, especially on the corners. There must be no risk of forming concave edges which can end up as a place where material can build up and become a source of dirt and thus a breeding place for germs due to the difficulty of cleaning. It must designed for being fitted with water, wastewater, gas, electricity, data transmission utilities and must be aesthetically pleasing even in the logic of a coloured environment.
On the other hand, enclosing the area between walls makes it difficult to wash the floor along the perimeter where machines and working surfaces are normally located. The need to remove water coming from processing or washing from the floor must be satisfied by creating collection grating in each of the designated areas, however the connections between them and the floor are generally critical points for hygiene. Moreover, it is always difficult to give the floor a sufficient slope, especially in areas of limited size.
This problem may be reduced by limiting the number of collection points, but the presence of partition walls stops water from flowing away, actually favouring stagnation areas.
At the current state of engineering and operating implementation, the problems and needs indicated above are satisfied by building 140/160 centimetres high brick walls integrated with the floor, covered in ceramic material appropriate for satisfying the requirements. This technical solution is excessively rigid, which prevents or makes exorbitantly expensive the following: maintenance work on the coating, which is often damaged by being struck by tables or trolleys and/or of the floor, modifying the operative lay-out or the systems present on those walls, as a result of changes in operative or machinery requirements, aesthetical and functional adjustments to the system, prompt preparation of food in places not designed for it, in which a final design is necessary from the preparation phase, without it being possible to make any modifications which might be necessary to satisfy needs coming from the operative practice.
Even the use of wall fittings, in the various areas becomes difficult because of the need to build high walls against the ceiling, however, using this system, the positive aspects of low walls are lost. Then furniture and fittings which are to be backed up against the walls have a series of feet which make that area extremely difficult to clean.
The invention described in this patent application uses a system with which structural elements can be installed and/or disassembled or put up elsewhere quickly, safely and in a versatile manner to eliminate problems caused by fixed brick partitions, satisfying the need for low divisions, while providing a secure fixing to the surrounding structure.
This system can also offer additional solutions to improve the use of the working spaces and the operability inside food production departments or any other business where it is opportune or necessary to physically but not totally partition off rooms.
This solution is also ideal if an immediate variation of lay-out without building work is required and without compromising the conditions of the existing systems.
The additional applications also resolve and ease numerous problems regarding: the positioning of numerous working surfaces and machines against the wall, removing the rear rests on the floor, the positioning of wall fittings or equipment hanging on the walls, making them immediate and simple to fit and remove, the installation at any moment without it being necessary for building work of water service systems, discharge systems, gas, electric systems, data transmission along the partitions, with the possibility of connection from both sides of the dividing wall and at any point along its length, with simple and quick operations and without having to use special tools, the removal of the walls immediately and easily, without having to carry out work on the floor or on the connecting wall and with simple operations on the utilities, the immediate reuse of the removed elements, adding them if necessary to others that may be stored in the same company, taking up little space and with little deterioration, the creation of partitions immediately and in any part of rooms, even away from the walls, the possibility of giving the partition the shape that is most appropriate to the specific needs of the moment and any other work that the company might require.
This invention is also extremely useful in all those applications in which the area regarding a specific type of operation has to be isolated, without reducing the space in which the operator works.
The invention in this exemplified but not limiting technical solution avails of appropriate self-supporting panels with an indicative thickness of 4 cm and a height of 90/120 cm and a length that can be adapted to the needs, according to an economically viable production modularity, which are fitted head up between two vertical supports (the perimeter wall of the premises, a pillar, a riser positioned between the floor and the ceiling or a horizontal supporting structure, vertical stays without rigid elements) with the lowest part at a height of approximately 40-50 cm from the floor.
The possibility of installing panels between two independent and thin risers allows them to also be used to make partitions in the middle of the room, against which the various equipment can be backed, for instance sink and frying machine or cooker, without the risk of water being sprayed into the boiling oil, thus giving the workers more safety and peace of mind when working.
The panels can also be equipped, without having to modify them at all and then returned to their original state. For instance by using a series of accessories, piping for the technical utilities necessary for the equipment located along the wall on both sides can be put in the lower part. This is easily accessible and easy to modify at any moment. It is also possible to fit shelves for holding objects and to position electric service panels for connecting mobile equipment for use on the work surfaces, to position lighting directly on the working surface, to provide hooks for tabletop tools, to position removable panels for protection against heat and other things.
Another example is that of applying appropriate brackets on the top of the panels to hold grids, shelves, containers and anything else necessary, thus making the panel an all purpose wall for a wide range of uses.
Moreover, in order to prevent the heat produced by cooking equipment backed up against the panel from damaging it, there are special panels made of heat resistant material which can be hung from the top of the panel in the vicinity of the cooking area, and can be removed whenever necessary, making it easy to clean but at the same time providing a complete protection for the panel.
A further additional accessory in the invention is represented by appropriate meshed frames the same modular size as the panels, placed between the vertical elements supporting them, but higher than them, which can be installed with the same type of system as that used for the panels, for holding wall fittings and open shelves, leaving a space between high part of the blind panel and the lower part of the wall fitting.
The suspended installation of the wall fittings eliminates the risk of creating confined spaces, moreover, allowing very small spaces to be used, limited to what is strictly necessary for the operator's activity and movement, without running the risk of creating working areas of volumes less than the admitted limits, since they are open areas towards a larger room.
Finally, below the panels, amongst the terminal elements supporting them and still using the same type of connection parts and the same dimensional modularity, box sections the same thickness as the panel but of an appropriate height can be inserted. Simple and specific omega shaped spanning supports are inserted on them with one or two flanges according to necessity. The rear parts of the tables or the furniture to be backed against the wall can then be rested and fixed if necessary with simple strikers. By allowing the rear feet of the equipment to be eliminated, this application removes the obstructing elements so that the floor of that area can be cleaned.
The invention may be made up of any material capable of guaranteeing qualitative stability in time, as well as surface resistance, aesthetical look, mechanical resistance, washability and hygiene, safety for the operators, easy assembly and disassembly and compact weight.
As a non-limiting example AISI 304 stainless steel is considered ideal for this invention. According to this illustrative but non limiting example, the panels can be made from a stainless steel drum frame with 6-8 mm sheets of MDF, on which sheets of AISI 304 stainless steel of a thickness of 0.4 - 1 mm will be stuck on both sides, with the edges appropriately folded and seam welded. The panels can be made of pre-painted sheet steel, when requirements of colour ambient painting are to be satisfied. The brackets for fastening to the fixed elements (walls, pillars, etc.) are made of cast aluminium or of steel. The pillars are made of AISI 304 stainless steel of an appropriate thickness for the installation conditions. Parts not visible are made of stainless or galvanised steel section bars.
To complete the description of the invention there follows an analysis of a preferential but not limiting example of construction referring to PICTURES 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7.

Picture 1/7: overall view of the system of partitioning panels
Picture 2/7: Panels with the bushings indicated
Parts 1,2,3,4,5
Picture 3/7: Pins, brackets on pillar, foot and head of the pillar
Parts 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15
Picture 4/7: Meshed frame for wall fittings
Parts 17,18,19
Picture 5/7: Traverse for supporting fittings
Parts 21,22,23
Picture 6/7: Bracket for clamping pipes (part 16)
Bracket for supporting wall fittings (part 20)
Bracket for supporting fittings (part 24)
Picture 7/7: Shelf supporting bracket (part 25)
Bracket for distribution panels (part 26, 27)

In this example the height of the panels is 960 mm; the width is 309 mm (1), 619 (2), 964 (3) and 1964; the overall thickness is 41 mm. The various modular panels are joined until the required length is obtained.
The following system for instance may be used in order to join the various panels, to join the panels and the clamping brackets to the cylindrical terminal pillars or to the rectangular intermediate ones and the wall, to join the panels and the pipe support brackets and in general for any other requirement: during the laying stage, holes with a left-handed thread on one vertical side and a right-handed one on the other vertical side and on the lower one are tapped on the structural fames of each panel. The parts are joined using special pins, for instance made of stainless steel or brass, with a hexagonal central shape and double screw thread, left and right handed, on the two studs (6), or normal stainless steel or brass pins (7). By rotating the pins, the elements can be brought together and tightened. During the assembly phase a seal made of neoprene or another appropriate material as long as it is alimentary is fitted along the whole length of the opposed parts, by expanding due to the compression effect, this must seal the gap.
The brackets for fixing the panels, the frames for the wall fittings and the furniture supports to the pillars may consist of a fixed part made of cast aluminium or steel (8). The contact surface with the panel is flat and it is joined with threaded pins (7) which must be screwed into the tapped holes made on the panel in the manufacturing phase. The contact surface with the pillar is of a cylindrical shape according to a diameter of 81 mm and has a pin of 9 mm in diameter which is positioned in an appropriate hole made in the pipe/pillar in the laying phase (9). The bracket is capable of housing, fixing and blocking a stainless steel tie (10) 25 mm high and 1 mm thick, with appropriate holes and slots. The "tie" is tightened around the plate and the two parts blocked (11) by means of a drilled stainless steel pawl and a pin with a cap nut.
For greater safety, once functioning, the "tie" is fixed to the pillar with a self-threaded screw, passing through a 5 mm diameter hole on the tie itself (12), and is screwed into a tapped hole which is made on the pillar during the laying phase.
The centre-room supporting pillars (12) are made of tubular elements 80 mm in diameter, made of 3 mm thick stainless steel. A stainless steel or brass socket is inserted in the upper part of the tubular element with a cylindrical part 100 mm long (13) and with a diameter of 70 mm which is inserted into the pillar (12); the base of the socket, which rests on the pillar, is made of a disc welded to the external surface of the cylindrical part of the socket, is 5 mm thick and has an external diameter of 85 mm; in the centre of it towards the outside there is a taper pin which protrudes for an overall length of 10 mm and has a maximum diameter of 10 mm.
The lower part of the pillar ends with a cylindrical socket (14), whose thickness is 3 mm, its diameter 72 mm and its height 100 mm, which enters inside it. The lower edge of the socket consists of a welded ring of a thickness of 20 mm, which protrudes from the pillar by 10 mm and has two parallel opposing spot marks on the circumference, such that the reciprocal distance is 85 mm. A 20 mm diameter and 100 mm long pin is welded on the base of the 10 mm thick socket towards the inside.
The base resting on the floor (15) is, for instance, made up of a foot consisting of a 10 mm thick stainless steel disc with a diameter of 150 mm, and a bevelled edge making it almost non existent; a cylinder 3 mm thick, 150 mm long and with an external diameter of 64 mm is welded to the centre of the disc; the cylinder is closed at the top with a 64 mm in diameter and 10 mm thick disc. The centre of the disc is pierced and in the external part a bolt is welded which screws up on the pin at the bottom of the socket.
The service piping for gas, electricity, data transmission or telephone lines, hot and cold water for the utilities on the furniture backed up against the panels is positioned under the panels and supported by brackets consisting of two 2 mm thick, 30 mm wide and 200 mm maximum length galvanised steel semi-brackets with 90° folded ends for fixing and a series of 4 mm diameter holes at a reciprocal distance (centre distance) of 13.5 mm on the long part (16). The two semi-brackets are fixed to one another mirror-like with a bolt (6) to the lower part of the panel in the tapped holes there. The space between the two semi-brackets is designed to hold the piping which will rest on the pins passing through the holes present along the vertical stretch of the brackets laid. More space will be left in the lower part of this support for the water discharge piping from the sinks. This space is reserved for guaranteeing the required slope. If the number of pipes to be housed was less than the maximum foreseen, the unnecessary part of the bracket may be cut in the construction phase.
On the wall, the piping connection to the relevant mains must be made using flexible piping after fitting: seal valves for the pressurised fluids, running trap with inspection for the discharges, junction box for the electric utilities and data transmission.
The meshed frames used to support wall fittings or open shelves on one or both sides are preferably, but not limitedly made of 40 x 40 x 3 mm stainless steel box sections. The frames can be of two heights: 500 mm, for the wall cabinets or for several rows of shelves and 250 mm for a single row. The length is the same as that chosen for the panels below (17, 18, 19).
The wall fittings or open shelves are fixed to the frames with "H" shaped press folded elements made of galvanised sheet steel (20), inserted on the frame traverses with a thickness of 3 mm, width 80 mm and an overall height of 100 mm for the two vertical stretches to be fixed to the frame and to the back of the wall fittings and 41 mm for the resting part.
The furniture supporting bar consists of box sections; preferably, but not limitedly made of galvanised steel measuring 40 x 100 x 3 mm (21, 22, 23).
The length of the modular elements is the same as that determined for the panels.
The bar sections are closed at the headpiece with a very thick steel plate on which two tapped holes have been previously made to receive the double shank pins necessary for connecting with the other elements (6).
The brackets for supporting the furniture (24) are preferably but not limitedly of an OMEGA shape, with one or two horizontal terminals according to whether furniture has to be rested on one or both sides. They are preferably made of 5 mm thick and 80 mm wide press folded galvanised sheet steel.
The length of the vertical parts is 80 mm, the horizontal one for resting the furniture is 80 mm with a hole in the middle for inserting the check pin to put on the base of the furniture; the part resting against the traverse has an internal length of 41 mm. If the descending part facing the resting part of the furniture as described above is used, it must be symmetrical otherwise it will only be made up of the vertical part 80 mm long.
The brackets for positioning the service tables in the high part of the partitioning panel (25) are preferably but not limitedly of an "F" shape with the long side to be fitted horizontally making up the resting part for the table while the two short sides go down along the panel and provide the fixing. They are preferably made of 2 mm thick and 60 mm wide press-folded stainless steel. The individual sections respectively measure: 200 mm horizontal side, including the part above the panel, 150 mm external vertical side, 200 mm internal vertical side. The distance between the two vertical sides is 41 mm.
The brackets are made by joining two identical press folded squares: the first (which we shall call "square A") is made up of the external vertical side (150 mm long) and the horizontal side (200 mm long), the second (which we shall call "square B") consists of the internal vertical side (200 mm) and a second horizontal side (150 mm long); the latter is joined by welding or rivets from underneath on the horizontal side of "square A", reinforcing it.
The brackets for positioning the electric panels (26) for the bench equipment services preferably but not limitedly consist of 2 mm thick press folded stainless steel sheets.
The brackets are 150 mm wide and are "C" shaped with long vertical sides of 250 mm in length and the short horizontal side in the resting area of 41 mm
The position of the electric panels must be connected to laying an appropriate cableway (27) consisting of box sections measuring 25 x 40 x 2 mm, to be positioned in the high part of the panel and fixed with appropriate pins (6), to the threaded bushings present there. At the time of laying, having determined the position for fixing, two holes will be made on the horizontal side of the profile, the first on the upper face for passing through the head of the bolt and the T key for fixing it, the second, on the lower face in contact with the panel just for the shank. Plastic caps are provided to close the holes on the external side. A dielectric flexible cable holder must be inserted inside the section bar. If the section bar is used for electric cable feeding, it must extend the whole length of the partitioning panel because it provides a support for the brackets of the shelves or other accessories. A notch is made in the under bracket passage area, on the sides of the section bar and on corresponding areas of the high part of the same instrument panel bracket to allow the flexible pipe to come out. This pipe, after having passed through the bracket from a hole made in the upper part of it, goes into the instrument panel on which the electrical equipment is fixed and cabled.
The instrument panel will be fixed to the bracket by means of small through bolts in holes to be made in the required point when laying is performed; the 3 mm bolts will have a nut inside the instrument panel. If the instrument panels are more than 150 mm wide, several brackets can be put together.
The brackets for the lighting equipment, are for instance made up of two rider brackets 80 mm wide, vertical sides 200 mm and height of the vertical sides 200 mm and resting side 41 mm; a through coupling is foreseen on the resting side to support a 30 mm diameter steel pipe whose height is variable according to local needs, the upper end of the vertical pipe has a plastic coupling for fixing an IP 55 ceiling lamp of the required length.

Claims

Self supporting system of panels (1,2,3) providing partitions between working areas in industrial kitchens and in food preparation companies, being easy to install, disassemble and/or reassemble in another place even with a different layout, quickly and in a stable manner, comprising panels (1,2,3) which can be adapted to modular requirements and vertical supports (12), said panels (1,2,3) being fitted head on between two said vertical supports (12) and installed with the lower part at a suitable distance from the floor, whereby said vertical supports (12) are mullions, which are bucked between the floor and the ceiling or the floor and a horizontal supporting structure, or two uprights , each of them without rigid transversal elements, characterised in that the upper part and the lower part of said vertical supports (12) end with sockets (13,14), said sockets being inserted inside said vertical supports (12), the socket (13) in the upper part of the vertical support (12) having a disc which rests on the support (12) which disc has centrally and towards the outside a taper pin.
System as described in claim 1 characterised by containing pipes for technological systems in the lower part or between the panels, said pipes being necessary for operating all the installable equipment.
System as described in claim 2 characterised by pre-fitted piping, already installed on the panels, whose connection to equipment or to fixed plants is limited to simple connecting pieces of any shape, type and material.
System as described in claim 1 also characterised by the presence of shelves for objects used in the normal working practice, said shelves being fitted with simple rider brackets or with another type of connection and/or support.
System as described in claim 1 also characterised by the presence of one or more electric distribution panels for fixing electric sockets for tools and table-top appliances fitted with simple rider brackets or with another type of connection and/or support.
System as described in claim 1 also characterised by the presence of lighting elements, which illuminate the working area either backed up to the panel or not, said lighting elements fitted with simple rider brackets or with another type of connection and/or support.
System as described in claim 1 also characterised by the presence of grids, shelves, containers and any other accessories to make the panel an all purpose wall, said grids, shelves and containers being fitted with simple rider brackets or another type of connection and/or support.
System as described in one of the previous claims, the panels of which can be heat insulated by hanging protective panels from the upper part of the panel itself in the vicinity of the cooking area or any other area to be protected, this protection can also be easily removed, guaranteeing the possibility of easy cleaning.
System as described in claim 1 also characterised by the presence of grid framers, which are fixed between the vertical elements supporting the panels, but at a higher location than the panels, and which hold up cupboards or shelves on one or both sides, there being an empty space between said panels and said cupboards or shelves.
System as described in claim 1 also characterised by the addition of metal box section bars, against which the rear parts of tables or furniture to be backed against the wall can be rested and/or fixed with simple connections and/or supports.
System as described in one of the previous claims, whose visible parts are made of stainless steel or pre-painted sheet steel .
Use of a partitioning system according to one of the previous claims inside buildings, wherein, when installing the system, existing structures of the buildings may be used as support of the panels, said existing structure being perimeter walls, pillars and the like.