초록 ▼

An automatically adjustable swing seal for a rack-aisle freezing and chilling system extends, for example, from the top horizontal frame member of a racking structure and defines an intake opening along with side seals and a bottom seal. The swing seal is positioned at a height such that a product s

An automatically adjustable swing seal for a rack-aisle freezing and chilling system extends, for example, from the top horizontal frame member of a racking structure and defines an intake opening along with side seals and a bottom seal. The swing seal is positioned at a height such that a product stack having a top edge positioned at any point along the face of the swing seat creates a seal between the intake opening and the stack via the swing seal, the side seals, and the bottom seal. Thus, stacks of varying heights may automatically be accommodated. Further, the bottom edge of the swing seal may be beveled, such that if a product stack is not evenly stacked a portion of the uneven stacking will not catch against the swing seal when the stack is pulled away from the opening.

대표청구항 ▼

1. An installation for warehousing palletized product, comprising: a pallet racking assembly comprising: a pallet receiving space sized and configured to receive a pallet assembly including a pallet and a plurality of vertically stacked rows of cases disposed on the pallet and providing an airflow p

1. An installation for warehousing palletized product, comprising: a pallet racking assembly comprising: a pallet receiving space sized and configured to receive a pallet assembly including a pallet and a plurality of vertically stacked rows of cases disposed on the pallet and providing an airflow pathway through the vertically stacked rows of cases;an airflow chamber including an air inlet and an air outlet;a fan positioned to direct air into the airflow chamber from the air inlet and exhaust air from the airflow chamber through the air outlet;a wall disposed between the pallet receiving space and the airflow chamber, the wall having an airflow opening defining an opening periphery, the airflow opening sized and positioned to be engaged by the pallet assembly when the pallet assembly is pressed against the opening periphery; anda swing seal disposed over a portion of the airflow opening and hingedly connected to the wall about a horizontal axis, the swing seal having a movable portion at least partially protruding into the pallet receiving space in an at-rest position, such that the movable portion of the swing seal is positioned to be yieldably moved into the airflow chamber when the pallet assembly is pressed against the opening periphery,the swing seal including: a front panel having an exterior surface facing into the pallet receiving space; andside panels disposed at respective side peripheral edges of the front panel and having a thickness,the front panel protruding into the pallet receiving space at a distance corresponding to or less than the thickness of the side panels, whereby the side panels prevent air passage past the front panel as the swing seal yieldably moves away from the at-rest position;whereby air at a desired air temperature is induced by the fan to pass into the airflow pathway of the pallet assembly when the pallet assembly is pressed against the opening periphery and engaged with the swing seal, such that heat is transferred between the product and the air. 2. The installation of claim 1, in combination with the pallet assembly received in the pallet receiving space and sealingly engaged with the airflow opening. 3. The installation of claim 2, wherein the pallet assembly includes a spacer disposed between and abutting respective vertically stacked rows of cases, the spacer providing the airflow pathway by separating respective ones of the plurality of vertically stacked rows of cases from one another. 4. The installation of claim 2, wherein the air inlet comprises the airflow opening in the wall such that, when the pallet assembly is sealingly engaged with the airflow opening, air received through the air inlet is drawn through the airflow pathway of the pallet assembly. 5. The installation of claim 1, wherein the air inlet comprises the airflow opening in the wall. 6. The installation of claim 5, wherein the fan is disposed at the air outlet. 7. The installation of claim 1, further comprising a warehouse defining a warehouse space set to the desired air temperature and housing the pallet racking assembly, the pallet racking assembly disposed in the warehouse space. 8. The installation of claim 7, further comprising an air conditioner operably connected to the warehouse space to deliver conditioned air to the warehouse space, the conditioned air providing the desired air temperature. 9. The installation of claim 8, wherein the air conditioner comprises a chiller producing freezing air, whereby the freezing air can through the airflow pathway of the pallet assembly to thereby quickly freeze the product contained in the vertically stacked rows of cases. 10. The installation of claim 1, wherein the pallet racking assembly further comprises peripheral seals disposed about respective sides of the opening periphery and positioned to engage respective sides of the pallet assembly, the peripheral seals cooperating with the swing seal to avoid leakage of air around the sides and top of the pallet assembly to induce passage of the air at the desired air temperature primarily through the airflow pathway of the pallet assembly. 11. The installation of claim 1, wherein the wall of the pallet racking assembly comprises a first wall on a first side of the airflow chamber such that the pallet receiving space comprises a first pallet receiving space at the first side of the airflow chamber, the pallet racking assembly further comprising: a second pallet receiving space at a second side of the airflow chamber opposite the first side, the second pallet receiving space sized and configured to receive the pallet assembly; anda second wall on the second side of the airflow chamber, the second wall disposed between the second pallet receiving space and the airflow chamber, and having a second airflow opening sized and positioned to be sealingly engaged by the pallet assembly. 12. The installation of claim 1, wherein the pallet racking assembly comprises: a plurality of the pallet receiving spaces arranged in vertically spaced horizontal rows; andthe wall includes a plurality of the airflow openings respectively disposed at each of the plurality of the pallet receiving spaces, whereby the pallet racking assembly is configured to accommodate a plurality of pallet assemblies each exposed to the air at the desired air temperature via the airflow chamber of the pallet racking assembly. 13. An installation for warehousing pallets of product, comprising: a plurality of pallet assemblies, each pallet assembly comprising: a pallet; anda plurality of vertically stacked rows of cases disposed on the pallet and providing an airflow pathway through the vertically stacked rows of cases containing the product; anda pallet racking assembly comprising: a plurality of pallet receiving spaces each sized and configured to receive a respective one of the plurality of pallet assemblies along a loading direction;an airflow chamber including an air inlet and an air outlet;a fan positioned to direct air into the airflow chamber from the air inlet and exhaust air from the airflow chamber through the air outlet; anda wall disposed between the plurality of pallet receiving spaces and the airflow chamber, the wall having an airflow opening disposed at each of the plurality of pallet receiving spaces, each airflow opening defining an opening periphery sized to be sealingly engaged by a first portion of a respective pallet assembly;a swing seal disposed at each airflow opening and pivotable about a horizontal axis transverse to the loading direction, the swing seal having a portion disposed within the adjacent pallet receiving space and positioned to engage an upper edge of the plurality of vertically stacked rows of cases when the pallet assembly is advanced along the loading direction into engagement with the opening periphery. 14. The installation of claim 13, further comprising a warehouse defining a warehouse space set to a desired air temperature and housing the pallet racking assembly, whereby air at the desired air temperature can pass into respective airflow pathways of the plurality of pallet assemblies to thereby simultaneously transfer heat between the product of the respective vertically stacked rows of cases and the air at the desired air temperature. 15. The installation of claim 14, further comprising an air conditioner operably connected to the warehouse space to deliver conditioned air to the warehouse space, the conditioned air providing the desired air temperature. 16. The installation of claim 15, wherein the air conditioner comprises a chiller producing freezing air, whereby the freezing air can flow through respective airflow pathways of the plurality of pallet assemblies to thereby quickly freeze the product contained in respective vertically stacked rows of cases. 17. The installation of claim 13, wherein the plurality of pallet assemblies comprises: a first pallet assembly having a first plurality of vertically stacked rows of cases disposed in sealing engagement with a first one of the airflow openings, the first plurality of vertically stacked rows of cases having a first top edge disposed against a first one of the swing seals to rotate the first swing seal about its horizontal axis, the first swing seal cooperating with a periphery of the first airflow opening to create a first seal around the first airflow opening,a second pallet assembly having a second plurality of vertically stacked rows of cases disposed in sealing engagement with a second one of the airflow openings, the second plurality of vertically stacked rows of cases having a second top edge disposed against a second one of the swing seals to rotate the second swing seal about its horizontal axis, the second swing seal cooperating with a periphery of the second airflow opening to create a second seal around the second airflow opening, andthe first pallet assembly having a first height causing the first swing seal to rotate by a first amount, and the second pallet assembly having a second height different from the first height and causing the second swing seal to rotate by a second amount different from the first amount. 18. The installation of claim 13, wherein the air inlet comprises the airflow openings in the wall. 19. The installation of claim 18, wherein the fan is disposed at the air outlet.