Storage container with heat storage material that provides heat to shelf included in storage container

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10179686-B2
Application number	US-201314764211-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 5, 2013
Priority date	Feb 1, 2013
Publication date	Jan 15, 2019
Grant date	Jan 15, 2019

Abstract

The present invention is intended to provide a storage container that includes a shelf member holding a heat storage material arranged optimally. In a storage container that preserves an object at predetermined temperature, the storage container includes a storage room in which the object is preserved, and a shelf member disposed within the storage room, the shelf member including a flat portion on which the object is placed, and a heat storage material arranged to the flat portion in a way distributed depending on a temperature distribution near the flat portion within the storage room during steady operation. The heat storage material is arranged to be localized to a region of the flat portion at a relatively low-temperature side depending on the temperature distribution within the storage room.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A storage container that preserves an object at a predetermined temperature, the storage container comprising:
a storage room in which the object is preserved;
a shelf member disposed within the storage room, the shelf member including a flat portion on which the object is placed, and a heat storage material arranged to the flat portion in a way distributed depending on a temperature distribution near the flat portion within the storage room during steady operation; and
an opening/closing door to open and close the storage room; wherein
the heat storage material is arranged to be localized to a region of the flat portion at a low-temperature side with respect to the flat portion at a high-temperature side;
the heat storage material is arranged in the storage room and localized to a region toward a side opposite to the opening/closing door; and
the storage container maintains the predetermined temperature in the storage room by utilizing a latent heat when a phase of the heat storage material changes from a solid phase to a liquid phase during unsteady operation.

2. The storage container according to claim 1 , wherein
the shelf member has optical transparency.

3. The storage container according to claim 1 ,
wherein the heat storage material includes at least one of paraffin, an inorganic salt aqueous solution, an inorganic salt hydrate, and a clathrate hydrate.

4. The storage container according to claim 1 ,
wherein the heat storage material is arranged at a rear surface of the flat portion.

5. The storage container according to claim 4 ,
wherein the rear surface has a corrugated shape.

6. The storage container according to claim 1 ,
wherein the shelf member includes a tray disposed under the flat portion, and
the heat storage material is arranged on the tray.

7. The storage container according to claim 1 ,
wherein the heat storage material is packed with a packaging.

8. A storage container that preserves an object at a predetermined temperature, the storage container comprising:
a storage room in which the object is preserved;
a shelf member disposed within the storage room, the shelf member including a flat portion on which the object is placed, and a heat storage material arranged to the flat portion in a way distributed depending on a temperature distribution near the flat portion within the storage room during steady operation;
an opening/closing door to open and close the storage room; wherein
the heat storage material is arranged in a thickness, measured from the flat portion, increasing from a high-temperature side toward a low-temperature side depending on the temperature distribution;
the thickness of the heat storage material on an opposing side of the opening/closing door is greater than the thickness of the heat storage material on a side of the opening/closing door; and
the storage container maintains the predetermined temperature in the storage room by utilizing a latent heat when a phase of the heat storage material changes from a solid phase to a liquid phase during unsteady operation.

9. The storage container according to claim 8 ,
wherein the thickness of the heat storage material is continuously changed.

10. The storage container according to claim 8 ,
wherein the thickness of the heat storage material is discontinuously changed.

11. The storage container according to claim 8 ,
wherein the shelf member has optical transparency.

12. The storage container according to claim 8 ,
wherein the heat storage material includes at least one of paraffin, an inorganic salt aqueous solution, an inorganic salt hydrate, and a clathrate hydrate.

13. The storage container according to claim 8 ,
wherein the heat storage material is arranged at a rear surface of the flat portion.

14. The storage container according to claim 13 ,
wherein the rear surface has a corrugated shape.

15. The storage container according to claim 8 ,
wherein the shelf member includes a tray disposed under the flat portion, and the heat storage material is arranged on the tray.

16. The storage container according to claim 8 ,
wherein the heat storage material is packed with a packaging.

17. A storage container that preserves an object at a predetermined temperature, the storage container comprising:
a storage room in which the object is preserved;
a shelf member disposed within the storage room, the shelf member including a flat portion on which the object is placed, and a heat storage material arranged to the flat portion in a way distributed depending on a temperature distribution near the flat portion within the storage room during steady operation; and
an opening/closing door to open and close the storage room; wherein
the heat storage material includes a plurality of latent heat storage substances;
respective phase change temperatures of the plurality of latent heat storage substances are different depending on the temperature distribution;
the respective phase change temperatures of the plurality of latent heat storage substances arranged on a side of the opening/closing door is greater than the respective phase change temperatures of the plurality of latent heat storage materials arranged on an opposing side of the opening/closing door; and
the storage container maintains the predetermined temperature in the storage room by utilizing a latent heat when a phase of the heat storage material changes from a solid phase to a liquid phase during unsteady operation.

18. The storage container according to claim 17 ,
wherein the heat storage material includes at least one of paraffin, an inorganic salt aqueous solution, an inorganic salt hydrate, and a clathrate hydrate.

Assignees

• Sharp Kk

Inventors

• Bessho Hisanori
• Kase Tomoko
• Yamashita Takashi
• Ide Tetsuya
• Miyatani Tomohisa
• Sawada Daiji
• Utsumi Yuka

Classifications

• B65D81/18 Primary

  providing specific environment for contents, e.g. temperature above or below ambient (with thermal insulation B65D81/38) · CPC title

• A47B81/00

  Cabinets or racks specially adapted for other particular purposes, e.g. for storing guns or skis · CPC title

• F25D3/04 Primary

  Stationary cabinets · CPC title

• A47B96/021

  Structural features of shelf bases · CPC title

• A47B96/02

  Shelves (movable shelves coupled to doors A47B96/16) · CPC title