Food storage and cooling apparatus

Claim 2

An improved refrigerator and freezer food storage assembly comprising a housing defining a cavity therein, the cavity having an opening from the housing along the extent of one side thereof, door means releasably engageable with the housing across the one side of the cavity for closing the cavity opening, sealing means Cooperating between the door means and the housing for providing an essentially airtight seal between the door means and the housing in the closed position of the door means relative to the housing, thermal insulation material carried by the housing and the door means for fully enclosing the cavity in the closed position of the door means relative to the housing, thermal insulating partition means in the housing for subdividing the cavity into first and second chambers, receptacle means for receiving a predetermined quantity of solidified carbon dioxide, means mounting the receptacle means in the first chamber in operative thermal association therewith, the mounting means and the receptacle cooperating for removability of the receptacle means from the first chamber through said cavity opening, thermal insulation material operatively associated with the partition means over the entire extent of the partition means between the first and second chambers, said predetermined quantity of solidified carbon dioxide in conjunction with the thermal insulation material being sufficient to maintain the first chamber at a temperature below 0* C. and the second chamber at a temperature above but approaching 0* C. for a predetermined time when a predetermined ambient temperature exists outside the housing.

Claim 3

Apparatus according to claim 1 comprising a thermally insulated openable container removably disposed in the cavity in an upper portion thereof and defining said first chamber therein and the partition means, the receptacle means comprising a pan removably disposed in the container and dividing the first chamber into an upper coolant compartment and a lower frozen food storage compartment.

Claim 4

Apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the container has a body defined principally of a unitary mass of rigid closed pore synthetic foam material.

Claim 5

Apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the housing and the door means therefor comprise an insulated icebox for recreational vehicles and the like.

Claim 6

Apparatus according to claim 4 wherein the cavity has opposing side wall surfaces configured to define support means for an ice shelf transversely of the cavity at substantially the midheight of the cavity, and means coupled between the container and the support means for positioning the container in the cavity in the absence of engagement of an ice shelf with the support means.

Claim 7

Apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the insulation and configuration of the container is defined with relation to the housing thermal insulation material and the heat transfer characteristics of the housing to provide a thermal response characteristic in the second chamber of substantially 3* F. temperature change for each 5* F. temperature change in ambient temperature through an ambient temperature range of from about 60* F. to about 100* F. when solidified carbon dioxide is present in the receptacle means.

Claim 8

Apparatus according to claim 6 wherein the container and housing heat transfer characteristics are defined to provide a steady state temperature of substantially 40* F. in the second chamber when ambient temperature is substantially 78* F. and solidified carbon dioxide is present in the receptacle.

Claim 9

In an icebox for recreational vehicles and the like including an insulated housing defining a cavity therein and an insulated door hinged to the housing for movement into and out of a closed position across an open side of the cavity, the improvement in an insert unit mountable in the icebox cavity for converting the icebox to a refrigerator-freezer, the insert unit comprising a body defined principally of a thermally insulating material and defining a chamber therein which is fully closed except for being open to the exterior of the body across a side of the cavity, a thermally insulated door connected to the body for movement into and out of a closed position across the open side of the cavity, a receptacle removably disposed in an upper portion of the chamber for receiving a predetermined quantity of solidified carbon dioxide, the remainder of the chamber being adapted to receive foodstuffs, and means for mounting the insert body in the upper portion of the icebox cavity, the body and the door therefor being sized to be disposed in the icebox cavity in the closed position of the icebox door, the insulative characteristics of the body and of the door therefor being proportioned relative to the insulative characteristics of the icebox for creating and maintaining in the cavity outside the body a temperature of about 40* F. under ambient temperature conditions of about 78* F. when solidified carbon dioxide is received in the receptacle.

Claim 10

In an icebox for recreational vehicles and the like including an insulated housing defining a cavity therein and an insulated door hinged to the housing for movement into and out of a closed position across an open side of the cavity, the improvement in an insert unit mountable in the icebox cavity for converting the icebox to a refrigerator-freezer, the insert unit comprising a body defined principally of a thermally insulating material and defining a chamber therein which is fully closed except for being open to the exterior of the body across a side of the cavity, a thermally insulated door connected to the body for movement into and out of a closed position across the open side of the cavity, a receptacle removably disposed in an upper portion of the chamber for receiving a predetermined quantity of solidified carbon dioxide, the remainder of the chamber being adapted to receive foodstuffs, and means for mounting the insert body in the upper portion of the icebox cavity, the body and the door therefor being sized to be disposed in the icebox cavity in the closed position of the icebox door, the insulative characteristics of the body and of the door therefor being proportioned relative to the insulative characteristics of the icebox for creating and maintaining in the cavity outside the body a temperature of about 40* F. under ambient temperature conditions of about 78* F. when solidified carbon dioxide is received in the receptacle.

Claim 11

Apparatus according to claim 8 wherein the icebox cavity has opposing side walls defining aligned projections adapted for receiving and supporting an ice shelf, and wherein the means for mounting the insert body in the cavity comprises means cooperating between the body and said projections.

Claim 12

A conversion unit for converting a wet ice food cooler, having a unitary ice and food receiving cavity and an ice support shelf removably supported on projections extending from side walls of the cavity for supporting a quantity of ice in an upper portion of the cavity, to a refrigerator and freezer food storage device, the conversion unit comprising a housing defining therein a chamber having permanently closed top, bottom, back and side surfaces and a front opening, door means releasably engageable with the housing for closing the chamber front opening, gasket means cooperating between the door means and the housing for providing an essentially airtight seal between the housing and the door means in the closed position of the door means relative to the housing, a quantity of thermal insulation material in the door means and in the housing around the closed surfaces of the chamber, receptacle means removably disposed in the chamber in an upper portion thereof and occupying only a portion of the volume thereof for receiving a predetermined quantity of solidified carbon dioxide, the housing with the door means therefor being sized to be disposed wholly within the cavity of the cooler in an upper portion of the cavity, said predetermined quantity of solidified carbon dioxide in conjunction with said thermal insulation material being sufficient to maintain the chamber and contents thereof at a temperature below 0* C. for a predetermined time when a predetermined ambient temperature exists outside the housing, the insulation associated with the housing being defined and proportioned with respect to the insulation of the cooler sufficiently that said predetermined quantity of solidified carbon dioxide is effective to maintain the portion of the cooler cavity not occupied by the housing, when the housing is disposed in the cavity, at a selected temperature above but approaching 0* C. for said predetermined time when said predetermined ambient temperature exists, and means engageable with the housing for cooperation with the cooler ice shelf support projections for supporting the housing in the uppermost portion of the cavity.

Claim 13

A conversion unit for converting a wet ice food cooler, having a unitary ice and food receiving cavity and an ice support shelf removably supported on projections extending from side walls of the cavity for supporting a quantity of ice in an upper portion of the cavity, to a refrigerator and freezer food storage device, the conversion unit comprising a housing defining therein a chamber having permanently closed top, bottom, back and side surfaces and a front opening, door means releasably engageable with the housing for closing the chamber front opening, gasket means cooperating between the door means and the housing for providing an essentially airtight seal between the housing and the door means in the closed position of the door means relative to the housing, a quantity of thermal insulation material in the door means and in the housing around the closed surfaces of the chamber, receptacle means removably disposed in the chamber in an upper portion thereof and occupying only a portion of the volume thereof for receiving a predetermined quantity of solidified carbon dioxide, the housing with the door means therefor being sized to be disposed wholly within the cavity of the cooler in an upper portion of the cavity, said predetermined quantity of solidified carbon dioxide in conjunction with said thermal insulation material being sufficient to maintain the chamber and contents thereof at a temperature below 0* C. for a predetermined time when a predetermined ambient temperature exists outside the housing, the insulation associated with the housing being defined and proportioned with respect to the insulation of the cooler sufficiently that said predetermined quantity of solidified carbon dioxide is effective to maintain the portion of the cooler cavity not occupied by the housing, when the housing is disposed in the cavity, at a selected temperature above but approaching 0* C. for said predetermined time when said predetermined ambient temperature exists, and means engageable with the housing for cooperation with the cooler ice shelf support projections for supporting the housing in the uppermost portion of the cavity.

Claim 14

A conversion unit according to claim 10 wherein the housing with the door means therefor has an overall volume less than the volume of the cooler cavity above the ice shelf projections and wherein the means engageable with the housing for supporting the housing is arranged for supporting the housing above the cooler ice shelf support projections whereby, when the housing is supported in the cavity from said projections, the cavity below the housing defines a greater food storage capacity than when the ice support shelf is supported on said projections.

Claim 15

A conversion unit according to claim 10 wherein said selected temperature is about 40* F. and said predetermined ambient temperature is about 78* F.

Claim 16

A conversion unit accordinG to claim 12 wherein said predetermined time is on the order of 3- 1/2 to 4 days.

Claim 17

A conversion unit according to claim 12 wherein the insulation associated with the housing is proportioned and defined relative to the insulation of the icebox such that the temperature in the cavity outside the housing changes about 3* F. for each change of about 5* F. in the ambient temperature.