SERVICE CART WITH INTEGRAL EVAPORATIVE COOLERFIELD OF THE INVENTIONThis description generally relates to a multi-function service cart, and more particularly to a service cart having a tool chest or toolbox, or beverage cooler.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONIn hot environments, users who use a service cart, toolbox, entertainment center, food or beverage cooler, or other portable cart may experience unpleasant heat levels. It would be beneficial if the users could cool down while using the portable cart. There is a need for a multifunction portable service trolley, which is both capable of cooling ambient air in the immediate surrounding area of the trolley while also being used as a portable beverage cooler (i.e. ), a toolbox or toolbox, or other such uses for a portable service cart.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTIONA service trolley with an integrated evaporative cooling system disposed therein is described, as well as an additional function or feature for theRef. 250647trolley. In certain embodiments of the description herein, the portable service cart includes an insulated box cooler for cooling food and / or beverages or other items to be cooled. The portable service cart also includes an evaporative cooling system integrally disposed below the cooler that is operable to cool the area around the cart. The cart can be used as a portable patio cooler and a cooling / air conditioning unit.
In another aspect of the present invention, the portable service cart includes a tool chest or toolbox integrally disposed above the evaporative cooling system for use in hot or hot work environments that require accessibility to a large toolbox, such as a garage to lock in cars or other vehicles, for example, which would also benefit from the presence of a unit to cool the air. Such a tool chest may have a plurality of drawers for sliding tools, and may include a supply of electrical power and multiple contact, allowing tools with electrical cables or other wired devices or electronics to be connected thereto and therefore receive electric power. Such a tool chest may also include an integrated audio system, such as a functionality of astereo with an AM / FM radio, CD and MP3 player, phone and MP2 charging capacity, and one or more speakers built into a wall of the tool chest.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURESThe present invention is described below in detail with reference to the appended figures, wherein:FIG. 1 is a partial, front cutaway view of a mode of a service cart with an evaporative cooler integrated in a portion of the cart;FIG. 2 is an isometric view of a service cart embodiment with an integrated evaporative cooler; YFIG. 3 is a partial front top isometric view of the service cart with an evaporative cooler of FIG. 2, showing the lid of the service cart in an open position.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTIONAlthough the present description is capable of being modalized in various forms, for simplicity and illustrative purposes, the principles of the description are described by reference to its various modalities. It is understood, however, that the present invention will be considered as an exemplification of the claimed subject, and is not intended to limit the claims appended to the specific embodiments illustrated. It will be evident to aIt is an expert in the art that the description can be practiced without limitation to these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods and structures have not been described in detail so as not to unnecessarily obscure the present disclosure.
Referring to FIGS. 1-3 in general and Figure 1 specifically, there is described a service cart 10 with an integrated evaporative cooler 12. In general, the service cart 10 can be any type of table, cart, counter, or cabinet that can benefit from the inclusion of an evaporative cooler disposed therein. The service cart 10 is generally a closed cabinet 14 comprised of at least a plurality of side walls 16 fixed floor panel 18 and with an interior space 20 for the cabinet defined therein, whose space 20 is divided by means of an internal panel 22 to define at least two separate containers. A first container 24 is configured as an evaporative cooler that contains the components of an evaporative cooling system to generate air that is colder than that of the surrounding immediate environment. A second container 26 can be configured as any number of useful utility compartments, which can be used concurrently with the evaporative cooler of the first container 2.
In one embodiment, the first container 24 forms the outer shell of an evaporative cooling system 28. The first container 24 is formed by the plurality of side walls 30 that are fixed to the floor panel 18 and extend upward therefrom, and inner panel 22 which is fixed to the side walls inside the cart 10, at a distance separated from and above the floor panel 18. The inner panel 22 is fixed inside the service cart 10 in a substantially horizontal form in such a way that the first container 24 is a lower container and the second container 26 is an upper container, each of the containers has a separate chamber defined therein. The panel of the inner wall 22 is both a floor for the upper container 26, and a roof for the lower container 24. The internal panel 22 may be horizontal, or slightly angled with respect to a horizontal plane. In alternative embodiments the inner panel may be vertically or significantly angulated with respect to the horizontal and may divide the cart into two containers that are placed in a side configuration or other configuration of double chamber molded as necessary, without departing from the scope of this description.
The side walls 16 and 30, the floor 18, and the internal panel (s) 22 can be fixed directly together to form the lower and upper containers 24and 26 of the cart 10 may be attached to a frame structure (as will be understood by those skilled in the art) without departing from the scope of the description herein. Alternatively, the floor 18 and the side walls 16 and 30 of the trolley can be formed from a single integral body, such as from a single piece mechanically obtained from a metal sheet or other process, similar to the processes used to produce soda cans or plastic cups, coolers, metal cabinets, or the like, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. In still other alternative embodiments, additional manufacturing techniques to form the cart are contemplated herein.
LOWER UTILITARY CONTAINERThe lower container 24 forms a housing for an evaporative cooling system and houses therein at least: an evaporative medium 32; a water distributor 34 for wetting the evaporative medium; a cooling fan or blower 36 for both pulling the external hot air into the housing, and either blowing or extracting the hot air through the wet evaporative medium 32 and returning it to the surrounding environment as cooled air; and a fan motor 38 for driving the blower or blowers 36. In addition, the evaporative cooling system may include a water reservoir 40 for supplying water to the water distributor 34, and a water pump.water 42 for pumping the water from the water reservoir 40 through a water line 44 to the water distributor 34, and an energy supply 46, such as an electric cable or batteries, for energizing the water pump and the fan motor. Additional additional components of the evaporative coolers, such as incoming water supply lines and float valves disposed in the water reservoir to selectively fill the water reservoir, may also be included without departing from the scope of the description herein.
In connection with the lower container 24 which is configured as an evaporative cooling system, at least a first 48 of the plurality of side walls 30 defines an air inlet through which the external hot air is pulled towards the lower container 24. , or the housing of the evaporative cooler, by means of the cooling fan 36. The hot air is forced, either by pushing it or extracting / pushing it, through the evaporative medium 32 that has been moistened by the distributor of water 34, where it is cooled and picks up moisture as it passes through it. The cooled and humid conditioned air is then expelled by the cooling fan or blower 36 from inside the lower chamber (or evaporative cooler housing) 24 back into the surrounding external environment through an air outlet50 defined by a second side wall 52. In this form, the hot outdoor air is pulled into the evaporative cooler where it collects moisture, is cooled and conditioned, and then expelled to the surrounding environment to cool the air from the surrounding environment. Each of the air inlet 48 and the air outlet 52 can be configured to be as simple as a large orifice defined in the respective side wall or floor panel and covered with a grid, or a bidirectional grid, or one or both of the inlets and air outlet can be a series of movable vents or blinds, which help direct the path of air flow in and out of the evaporative cooling system. The evaporative cooler can be configured to supply approximately 84950.53 liters (3,000 cubic feet) of air per minute (CEVI) or other such predetermined air volumes as desired.
The water reservoir 40, from which the water is pumped to the water dispenser 34, can be formed substantially by means of the floor panel 18 having a water-tight seal with the plurality of side walls 30, such that the panel of the floor 18 and the fixed side walls 30 are by themselves the water tank arranged in the bottom of the lower container 24 of the service cart 10. In this form, the water is simply collected in the bottom of the service cart 10.
Alternatively, a separate internal container, such as a plastic bucket, a tray with deep walls, or another container, may be placed to rest on the floor panel within the lower container 24, or otherwise disposed within the lower container.
The water reservoir 40 can be filled manually, by opening the access panel arranged in a side wall 30 of the lower container (or side wall of the evaporative cooling unit housing) and filling the water reservoir 40 through the access panel every time the level of the water tank is lowered. Alternatively, the water reservoir 40 can be automatically filled by connecting a water hose from an external water source to an adapted hose disposed on a side or bottom of the lower container, wherein a float valve in communication with the adapted hose will open and It will allow in incoming flow of water from the water hose in the reservoir when the water in the reservoir drops below a predetermined level. Any known evaporative cooler system can be provided in the cart 10.
UPPER UTILITARY CONTAINERIn one embodiment, the second container 26, or upper container, of the service cart 10 is configured as an insulated box cooler used to contain ice or contain items such as beverages or food.bottled chilled on ice without the need for mechanical refrigeration. In such an embodiment, the plurality of outer walls 16 extends upward from the inner panel 22 that separates the upper container 26 from the lower container 24. The side walls 16 and the inner panel 22 that form the floor of the insulated cooler may be insulated, for example with insulation 56. Such walls and insulated panel can be constructed to be double-walled vacuum insulated walls, or they can be double walls filled with an insulating material, such as rigid foam, or aerosol foam, fiberglass insulation , air or any other insulating material or gas that is capable of being used as an insulating thermal barrier between an exterior environment and an interior space of the upper container 26 of the insulated cooler. In alternative embodiments, each of the side walls 16 and the inner panel 22 can be a single sheet of rigid material and have an insulating layer attached thereto. In still alternative embodiments, the upper container 26 which acts as a beverage cooler may also be an insulated container in which the walls and the floor have individual walls, such as a single wall of stainless steel, aluminum, plastic, or other rigid material as it would be suitable to contain ice cubes, water, beverages or food, or other such articles that are intended to be kept cold when placed in an ice and / or water container.
The cooler may be provided with a bottle cap opener 58 and a capture receptacle 60 for trapping bottle caps. The ice chest can be provided with a drain pipe 62 through which water from the ice melted in the cooler is drained into the water tank 40 in the evaporative cooler. The drain tube 62 can first pass the water on the evaporative medium 32.
Although the upper container 26 can be configured to be an integrated ice chest as described above and as shown in Figure 1, in alternative embodiments it can also be configured to allow the removal of the ice chest 26 from the evaporator cooler 24 of the lower container in such a way that the cooler 26 can be used as a separate independent insulated cooler.
In certain embodiments, the upper container 26 further includes a lid 64 configured to cover an open upper end of the upper container 26. The lid 64 may be a one-piece lid, a split-panel lid, or another multi-piece lid. The lid 64 can be fixed by means of one or more hinges 66 to a single side of the upper container, and configured to be selectively movable between an open or closed position with respect to the open upper end of the upper container. The lid 66 canconfigured to close in a sealed manner against, or within the open upper end of the upper container, thereby preventing hot outdoor air from infiltrating the chilled interior insulated cooler space. In alternative embodiments, the lid may be a gull-wing-type lid, therefore the lid comprises a pair of lids or half-tops that are hinged to each other, or a central lid holder fixed to the walls of the upper container. In a mode where the half caps are fixed to a central support, each of the two half caps are oriented generally in opposite directions relative to the central support in such a way that they rotate in opposite directions around their hinges as they move respectively from a closed position to an open position.
In a modality where the lid 64 is a gull wing lid with half caps connected with hinges to each other, the lid on the contrary is not fixed to the upper container. Rather, in the closed position, a perimeter of the gull-wing cap rests under its own weight on a flange of the complementary perimeter of the upper container that is disposed at the top of the side walls of the upper container. In such an embodiment, the perimeter of the cap and the rim of the upper container can maintain a low friction force adjustment that is easily overcome by a driving force of a user. In such modality, one ofThe panels of the gull-wing cap lid can rotate with the hinges back over the other panel of the gull-wing cap when access is needed to the inner chamber of the upper container.
In still other embodiments, the lid 64 may be a lid with a double panel whereby the separate panels are hinged to the respective opposite side walls of the upper container, similar to that of the French doors. In still further embodiments, the upper container may have any other alternative lid configuration that allows a cap or caps to be selectively closed on or at the open upper end of the upper container, such as, for example, a cap that rotates to a position closed or open around a rotational axis directed through a central area of the opposite side walls.
Another example of an alternative cover embodiment includes a cover 64 configured as a sliding door, or a pair of sliding doors. The door, or doors, would slide in a lateral manner to either close or open the lid and thereby avoid or provide access to the interior of the upper container. One embodiment with a single sliding door may have a fixed cover panel covering a portion of the upper end pour from the upper container, the sliding door covers the remaining portion of the endUpper open top container. The single sliding door would then be configured to either slide on, under, or within the fixed panel when it is opened to provide access to the interior space of the upper container. In an embodiment with a pair of sliding doors it can be configured in such a way that each door covers one half, or slightly more than half, of the open upper end of the upper container. Still further alternative cover arrangements are contemplated without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.
The lid or covers 64, as the case may be, may include a knob, handle, finger shelf, or other known mechanical device fixed thereto, or integrated therein, to facilitate opening and / or closing the lid of the container higher. The upper container, which can be configured as an insulated cooler, can also contain a bottle cap opener 58 fixed to an outer surface of a side wall of the upper container, and can also include a bottle cap collection container 60 also fixed to the outer surface of a side wall of the upper container, placed directly below the bottle cap opener. In an alternative embodiment, a bottle cap opener may be integrally disposed, or formed, within a bottom side of the cap, such that when the cap is ona closed position the bottle opener is located within the interior space of the upper container.
In addition, the bottle cap opener 58 of the present disclosure can optionally include a magnetic holder disposed with the bottle opener that is magnetically held on the bottle cap after the bottle has been opened. Such a magnetic holder prevents the bottle cap from falling to the ground outside the service cart, or from falling into the container in modalities where the bottle cap opener is disposed in the underside of the lid.
The inner panel 22 of the service cart, which acts as the floor of the upper container 26 and the roof of the lower container, can include a drain hole 62 defined therein, which drain port 62 can be configured to provide the passage from the upper container (insulated cooler) to the lower container (evaporative cooling system). The drain orifice 62 is a water drain port to allow the water resulting from the melted ice to remain in the insulated cooler of the upper container to drain therefrom. The drain hole may have a drain hose therein on the underside thereof located in the inner chamber of the lower container of the evaporative cooler. The drain hose allows the melted water of themelted ice in the upper container pass into the upper end of the drain hose and flow longitudinally into the drain hose where it exits at the lower end of the drain hose inside the evaporative cooler tank. In alternative embodiments, the drain hose may be connected at its lower end to the water distributor, so that the water from the melted ice flows from the insulated cooler of the upper container directly into the water distributor where it is immediately distributed within the medium evaporation of the evaporative cooling system.
The service cart 10 may also include a plurality of wheels or casters 68 fixed to the underside of the frame or the bottom of the floor panel 18 to thereby allow easy movement of the service cart. The wheels 68 can be wheels or casters, wheels or casters, or any other type of wheel, wheel or similar that provides easy movement of the service cart.
In still other alternative embodiments, in contrast to an insulated cooler, the service cart can be configured as a tool chest or toolbox 80 as shown in Figure 2 with an integrated evaporative cooling system 82 disposed therein. In such an embodiment, the upper container 84 canconfigured as a tool chest with a plurality of sliding drawers 86 and / or a hinged top 88, for storing hand tools and small power tools, such as cordless or cordless drills, circular saws, and the like. The tool box 84 may also contain a hinged lid coupled to a side wall of the tool box and / or a locking mechanism in communication with either the lid and / or sliding drawers to lock any of the lid and / or drawers in a closed position. Such a toolbox would be useful for working in a garage, a small store, or similar, where both tools are necessary and a cooled environment is desired.
As with the service cart configured as an insulated cooler previously described, the lower container 82 is configured as an evaporative cooling system. The same or similar characteristics as described above for the evaporative cooler or any known evaporative cooler system can be provided herein. However, in alternative embodiments, the service cart can be divided so that the evaporative cooler can be placed in a parallel configuration with respect to the toolbox (or with respect to the cooler in embodiments where the cooler is the upper container ), or have any otherfractional or positional configuration between the first and second containers without departing from the scope of the present description.
The upper container 84 forming the tool box includes one or more drawers 86 for storing tools and other articles. The drawers 86 may include a plurality of sliding drawers disposed between the sides of the drawers and the interior of the tool box to facilitate easy sliding or sliding of the drawers between an open and closed position with respect to an external enclosure of the box of tools. The tool box can also include a foldable, retractable or removable shelf to be used as a work surface with the toolbox.
In addition, in embodiments with a power source 90 necessary to energize the evaporative cooling system 82, the tool box can further include an integral multiple contact 92 disposed in one of its side walls 94. The multiple contact 82 can be disposed in the either outer or inner surface of a side wall, or the multiple contact can be arranged in a defined slot through a side wall of the upper container that forms the cabinet of the tool box. In embodiments wherein the multiple contact 92 is fixed to the surface of a side wall of the toolbox,the multiple contact 92 can be configured in such a way that the electrical receptacles disposed therein are accessible from either the outside of the toolbox or the inside of the toolbox, depending on the placement of the multiple contact. In embodiments where the multiple contact 92 is placed in a groove in the side wall of the toolbox cabinet, the multiple contact can selectively be rotated to face inward or outward relative to the toolbox to provide access to the electrical receptacles of either the interior or exterior of the toolbox. Switches 96 for multiple contact 94 and / or for evaporative cooler 82 may be provided in the cart, such as in multiple contact 92.
As shown in Figure 3, the toolbox 100 may include an integrated audio system 102, such as a stereo system, disposed there, and one or more integrated speakers 104 arranged in a side wall or one of its covers, both energized either by the energy source that energizes the evaporative cooling system, or a second alternative energy source. The stereo system 102 may include a radio component 106 having an AM / FM radio and / or satellite radio functionality and a CD player, as well as several connections or integrated docking ports, such as for USB, firewire,MP3 players, Bluetooth, or other wired or wireless connection, to allow MP3 playback from any dedicated MP3 player, computer, smart phone, or other electronic device. The tool box 100 may further include the load capacity for a telephone, MP3 player, computer or other such electronic device by USB or other wired or wireless connection, either directly from the multiple contact 110 or from an alternative connection directly to the stereo system.
The tool chest or toolbox 100 has drawers 112 for storing tools such as wrenches, screwdrivers, or other tools that can be used while the user is listening to music or other entertainment of the audio system. The lower portion of the tool box, indicated in abbreviated form in this view, contains the evaporative cooler 114 for cooling the area around the tool box and the audio system.
In either the modes of the tool box or the cooler described herein, or any other alternative mode, the service cart may also be operated by remote control. For a service cart mode configured as a toolbox, a remote control can be used to control all the functional aspects of the stereo, such as turning off / on the stereo, selecting the input of theaudio source, adjust the stereo volume, change the parameters of the audio equalizer, and any other functionality associated with the stereo. For any and all embodiments herein, described or contemplated, the remote control can control any / all operational aspects of the evaporative cooling system. Such controllable aspects may include, but are not limited to: selectively changing the complete evaporative cooler system to "on / off"; independently change the fan / blower or the water circulation pump to "on / off"; adjust the fan / blower speed in the system, therefore changing the volume of air flow and / or air outlet temperature of the system; and any other operational aspect of the evaporative cooler system described herein. In operation the complete evaporative cooling system can be activated by the remote control. Alternatively, the water pump can be operated first to pre-soak the evaporative medium before operating the entire system. In addition, the fan / blower can be activated without the water pump being operated, in order to use the system as a typical fan to obtain air flow, as opposed to the generation of evaporative cooled air flow.
In still other alternative modalities, theThe upper container can be divided so as to be either an insulated beverage cooler as previously described herein, as well as a tool box as previously described herein, with an evaporative cooling system still being arranged in the lower container, without depart from the scope of the present description.
In still other alternative modalities, the service cart can be configured as a gardening cart, with the second container (or upper container), being configured to carry, hold or deploy a plurality of gardening tools and / or consumables. In one embodiment, the upper container may have a plurality of drawers, pull-down trays, hooks and tool holders, and / or deep containers for supporting tools, plants, and consumable supplies.
It is noted that in relation to this date, the best method known to the applicant to carry out the aforementioned invention, is that which is clear from the present description of the invention.