Mobile cabinet with insulation
View Patent ↗A mobile cabinet may include a cabinet body, a door, a heating or refrigeration module, and at least one attachable insulation panel. The insulation panel may be a single panel, or a plurality of panels, to provide insulation for the cabinet. The insulation panel may include a hinge to couple multiple wall sections that can be attached to different walls of the cabinet and integral hand holds.
1. A mobile cabinet comprising:
a cabinet body including a front, first and second side walls and a back wall, each of the first and second side walls having a depth, and the back wall having a width;
a door attached to the front of the cabinet body; and
two insulation panels attachable to the cabinet body;
wherein each of the insulation panels includes a side wall section, a back wall section, a hinge comprising a first hinge portion and a second hinge portion connecting the side wall section and the back wall section, and a flange that projects perpendicularly from a front edge of a respective side wall, opposite the hinge;
wherein the side wall section includes an angled surface proximate to the first hinge portion and the back wall section includes an angled surface proximate to the second hinge portion; and
wherein the side wall section and the back wall section of each of the insulation panels is, respectively, folded about the first hinge portion and the second hinge portion in an L-shape and each insulation panel wraps the cabinet body over a portion of the front of the cabinet body that is proximate to the door, a depth of one of the first and second side walls and a portion of the width of the back wall, and the respective angled surfaces of the side wall section and the back wall section are spaced apart by a distance;
wherein the flange extends beyond a front end of the respective side wall and wraps around the front corner to cover a portion of the front of the cabinet body that is proximate to the door; and
wherein the insulation panel comprises a rounded seamless surface on an exterior side of the insulation panel at the hinge.
2. The mobile cabinet of claim 1 , wherein each insulation panel includes at least one hand hold integrally formed in the side wall section.
3. The mobile cabinet of claim 1 , wherein the hinge in each insulation panel is integrally formed with the side wall section and the back wall section.
4. The mobile cabinet of claim 1 , wherein the side wall section, the back wall section, and the hinge of each insulation panel are integrally formed, and
wherein each of the side wall section and the back wall section defines a cavity that is filled with an insulating material.
5. The mobile cabinet of claim 4 , wherein the hinge, the side wall section, and the back wall section are formed by a one of a blow molding process and a rotational molding process.
6. The mobile cabinet of claim 1 , wherein the back wall section of each insulation panel includes a flange that projects from a side of the back wall section opposite the hinge.
7. The mobile cabinet of claim 1 , wherein the hinge is an integrally molded section attaching the side wall section to the back wall section so as to space apart the side wall section and back wall section from each other when the insulation panel is laid flat.
8. The mobile cabinet of claim 7 , wherein the first hinge portion and the second hinge portion are connected by a web portion
wherein the the rounded seamless surface on the exterior side of the insulation panel comprises the web portion.
9. The mobile cabinet of claim 8 , wherein the first hinge portion and second hinge portion enable the side wall section and the back wall section to move independently from one another and in a direction perpendicular to one another when the insulation panel is folded in the L-shape.
10. A mobile cabinet comprising:
a cabinet body including a front, a side wall and a back wall;
a door attached to the front of the cabinet body; and
at least one insulation panel attachable to the cabinet body for covering at least a portion of both the side wall and the back wall of the cabinet body, the insulation panel comprising a side wall section, a back wall section, and a double living hinge integrally formed with, disposed between and connecting the side wall section and the back wall section;
wherein the hinge comprises a first hinge portion and a second hinge portion that are connected by an intermediate web portion, wherein the first hinge portion the second hinge portion and the web portion cooperatively enable independent movement of the side wall section in a direction parallel to the side wall and the back wall section in a direction parallel to the back wall while attaching the insulation panel to the cabinet body;
wherein an exterior surface of the insulation panel at the hinge comprises a rounded seamless surface comprising the web portion; and
wherein the insulation panel further comprises means for preventing burns to a user located at the front of the cabinet body proximate to the door.