Frozen Product Display Using Passive Cooling in Chill Cabinets
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing solutions for displaying and dispensing frozen edible products in catering or retail outlets face challenges such as limited space, inadequate temperature maintenance, and visibility issues, as counter-top freezers require power and are bulky, while insulated boxes with passive refrigeration do not maintain low temperatures for extended periods.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus comprising a chill cabinet with active cooling and an insulated container equipped with passive cooling means, such as eutectic materials, is used to display and store frozen products, allowing for extended display times without occupying large space, by leveraging existing chill cabinet infrastructure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If counter-top freezers are used to display frozen products, then products can be kept frozen, but they require large space and connection to power source
Solution Approach 1:
The insulated container with passive cooling means is placed inside the existing chill cabinet, creating a nested configuration where the smaller frozen product display unit is housed within the larger chill environment. This allows frozen products to be displayed without requiring a separate counter-top freezer space.
Solution Approach 2:
Passive cooling means (such as gel packs or phase change materials) are introduced as an intermediary between the active cooling system and the frozen products. These passive cooling elements maintain freezing temperatures without requiring direct connection to power sources, enabling frozen product display in locations where electrical outlets are unavailable.
2Volume of moving object
If insulated boxes with passive refrigeration are used, then space requirements are reduced, but products cannot be kept at sufficiently low temperatures for sufficiently long times
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges passive cooling (insulated container with cooling means) and active cooling (chill cabinet) systems into a hybrid configuration. The active cooling cabinet provides periodic cooling to replenish the passive cooling means, extending the duration for which frozen products can be maintained at appropriate temperatures.
Solution Approach 2:
The passive cooling means are pre-chilled to freezing temperatures before being placed in the insulated container with frozen products. This preliminary cooling action ensures that the passive cooling elements are ready to maintain low temperatures immediately when products are placed, extending the effective display time without active power consumption.
3Temperature
If frozen products are stored in back-of-house freezers, then products remain frozen, but they are not visible or accessible to customers at point of sale
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the frozen product storage function from the back-of-house freezer and relocates it to a point-of-sale display unit. By using passive cooling means that can maintain freezing temperatures without requiring large freezer infrastructure, frozen products can be displayed and accessed directly at the customer service location.
Solution Approach 2:
The insulated container with passive cooling means is designed to be self-sufficient for maintaining frozen temperatures during display periods. Serving staff or customers can directly access and serve frozen products from the display unit without requiring staff to repeatedly retrieve products from back-of-house freezers, improving service efficiency.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution enables the display and dispensing of frozen products for 6 hours or more with minimal space requirements, maintaining temperatures below -5°C for extended periods, improving quality control and reducing space constraints in retail environments.
Implementation Method 1
passive cooling means, such as eutectic materials
Implementation Method 2
insulated container equipped with passive cooling means
Implementation Method 3
chill cabinet maintained at a temperature of from 0 to 10°C by means of active cooling
Data Source
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AI summary
An apparatus for displaying and dispensing frozen edible products (4) is provided, comprising a chill cabinet (10) inside which is situated an insulated container (1) equipped with passive cooling means (2), and which contains one or more frozen edible products (4). A method for displaying an dispensing frozen edible products (4) from the apparatus is also provided.