Refrigeration insulation panel and structure

Abstract

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, there is provided an air-lock tunnel composed of side and top panels forming a tunnel and swing-hinge-mounted panel doors at each of opposite ends of the tunnel, all panels being refrigeration insulation flexible panels, of which the panel doors are typical in general structure, each panel door being closed-cell rubber sheet sandwiched between sandwiching Nylon sheets each surface-coated with a rubber layer and each rubber-coated Nylon sheet being flexible, having a lower half of the exposed (exterior) surfce of the sandwiching flexible sheets covered by an attached bumper or kick guard sheet of thick Nylon fabric having a polyvinylchloride composition plastic coating and having a cut-out groove spaced-from and following the curcumscribing edge thereof in which twisted Nylon thread follows and is recessed within the cut-out groove in the sewn attachment of the bumper sheet to the exposed surface of the flexible sheet, the door having the sandwiching fabric sheets extending beyond the edges of the sandwiched rubber, with the free edges of the sandwiching sheets turned-under and sewn-together as four layers thereby increasing strength thereof and forming a channel receivable of an upper-end support bar and a hinge-side support bar, the upper and side bars being upright and horizontal legs of a right-angle bar of which the upright bar extends through a spring-biased hinge mechanism for centering the door in a closed position normally, the hinge mechanism and structure being mounted on an upright bar which is a part of a u-shaped support structure mounted on a side wall above a door and serving to extend through fabric loops of the panel structures thereby supporting the panel roof and opposite sides of the tunnel.

We claim: 
     
       1. A refrigeration insulation panel device comprising in combination: a first set of at least two elongated flexible sheets have predetermined toughness sufficient to withstand major impacts without puncturing or tearing, each flexible sheet having opposite substantially planar side faces, said two flexible sheets being aligned and sandwiched with each flexible sheet having one of its planar side faces in opposed and parallel relationship to the other sheet's planar side face; an insulation rubber sheet being sandwiched and anchored between the opposed planar side faces, said insulation rubber sheet being closed-cell rubber, and said flexible sheets each comprising Nylon fabric coated with synthetic rubber, and including a flexible bumper strip attached to and suspended downwardly at said lower end; and a flexible bumper strip attached to and suspended downwardly at said lower end, the flexible bumper strip being mounted on top of an exposed exterior one of said planar side faces on each of said sandwiched flexible sheets covering substantially a lower half of said one of said planar side faces, an exposed side planar face of said flexible bumper strip having a cut-groove spaced from and following the circumscribing edge thereof, said flexible bumper strip being attached to said one of said planar faces by stitching recessed within said cut-groove adapted such that impacting objects onto said exposed side planar face of said flexible bumper strip, is protected against wear and breakage by impact from the impacting objects. 
     
     
       2. A refrigeration insulation panel device of claim 1, including a flexible plastic sheet attached to edges of said sandwiched flexible sheets, adapted to serve as a see-through window. 
     
     
       3. A refrigeration insulation panel device of claim 1, in which edges of said sandwiched flexible sheets extend beyond edges of the insulation rubber sheet sandwiched therebetween, and portions of said sandwiched flexible sheets' edges are turned-under and sewn together adapted such that sewing thread extend through four thicknesses thereof whereby substantial tear strength is added thereto such that the sandwiched flexible sheets are increased in durability against impact of impacting objects. 
     
     
       4. A refrigeration insulation panel device of claim 1, in which a flexible transparent plastic sheet is attached to edges of said sandwiched flexible sheets, adapted to serve as a see-through window. 
     
     
       5. A refrigeration insulation panel device of claim 1, in which said flexible bumper strip comprises comprises Nylon fabric of predetermined major thickness sufficient to absorb substantial amounts of impact, said Nylon fabric of said flexible bumper strip being reinforced with a layer of polyvinylchloride. 
     
     
       6. A refrigeration insulation panel device comprising in combination: a first set of at least two elongated flexible sheets having predetermined toughness sufficient to withstand major impacts without puncturing or tearing, each flexible sheet having opposite substantially planar side faces, said two flexible sheets being aligned and sandwiched with each flexible sheet having one of its planar side faces in opposed and parallel relationships to the other sheet's planar side face, the sandwiched flexible sheets having upper and lower ends; and fastening means attached along said upper end for suspending the sandwiched flexible sheets from an overhead support structure; and an insulation rubber sheet sandwiched and anchored between the opposed planar side faces, including additional ones of said sandwiched flexible sheets having joined edges and positioned to form a tunnel having a roof and upright sidewalls and said fastening means being attached to at least one of said side wall. 
     
     
       7. A refrigeration insulation panel device of claim 6, including a flexible bumper strip attached to and suspended downwardly at said lower end. 
     
     
       8. A refrigeration insulation panel device of claim 6, including a flexible transparent plastic sheet attached to edges of said sandwiched flexible sheets, adapted to serve as a see-through window. 
     
     
       9. A refrigeration insulation panel device of claim 4, including additional ones of said sandwiched flexible sheets having joined edges and positioned to form a tunnel having a roof and upright sidewalls, and said fastening means being attached to at least one of said roof and sidewalls. 
     
     
       10. A refrigeration insulation panel device of claim 6, in which said flexible sheets each comprise Nylon fabric coated with rubber. 
     
     
       11. A refrigeration insulation panel device of claim 10, in which said rubber coated on said Nylon fabric is synthetic rubber. 
     
     
       12. A refrigeration insulation panel device of claim 7, in which said flexible bumper strip is mounted on top of an exposed exterior one of said planar side faces on each of said sandwiched flexible sheets covering substantially a lower half of said one of said planar side faces. 
     
     
       13. A refrigeration insulation panel device of claim 12, in which an exposed side planar face of said flexible bumper strip has a cut-groove spaced from and following the circumscribing edge thereof, and said flexible bumper strip being attached to said one of said planar faces by stitching recessed within said cut-groove adapted such that impacting objects impacting onto said exposed side planar face of said flexible bumper strip, is protected against wear and breakage by impact from the impacting objects. 
     
     
       14. A refrigeration insulation panel device of claim 6, in which said fastening means comprises a length of strip material turned-over upon itself and having between lower edge opposing faces thereof said upper end sandwitched therebetween, anchored by stitching and by stud elements adapted thereby to provide high durability and strength, said turnedover strip material thereby forming a open-ended channel open at each of opposite ends of the open-ended channel and thereby receivable therethrough of a support bar. 
     
     
       15. A refrigeration insulation panel device of claim 14, in which an additional one of said fastening means is positioned uprightly along a mounting upright edge of said sandwiched flexible sheets. 
     
     
       16. A refrigeration insulation panel device of claim 15, and a right-angle support structure having a horizontal leg and an upright leg, the horizontal leg being mounted through a channel of the attaching means at the upper end of the sandwiched flexible sheets, and the upright leg being mounted through a channel of the attaching means positioned uprightly, adapted such that said right-angle support structure is mountable as a support structure and as a swing hinge. 
     
     
       17. A refrigeration insulation panel device of claim 16, including a supporting brace extending uprightly with a hinge means thereon including a spring adapted to bias to and fro a mounted door to a central closed-door position, said hinge means mounting said right-angle support structure by said upright leg extending through and being operatively connected to said hinge means. 
     
     
       18. A refrigeration insulation panel device of claim 7, in which said flexible bumper strip comprises Nylon fabric of predetermined major thickness sufficient to absorb substantial amounts of impact, said Nylon fabric of said flexible bumper strip being reinforced with a layer of polyvinyl chloride. 
     
     
       19. A refrigeration insulation panel device of claim 7, in which said lower end includes slit-openings and in which the flexible bumper strip includes slits therein forming insertion-tabs, and one of said insertion-tabs being inserted into one of said slits for each of said insertion-tabs and of said slits, whereby the bumper strip is mounted onto said lower end. 
     
     
       20. A refrigeration insulation panel device of claim 19, including stitching through said lower end and said bumper strip across said tabs. 
     
     
       21. A refrigeration insulation panel device of claim 17, in which said supporting brace is mountable on and suspendable from a face of an upright rigid wall in juxtaposition to a door jamb, and including additional ones of said sandwiched flexible sheets having joined edges and positioned to form a tunnel having a roof and upright sidewalls all mounted by said fastening means to said supporting brace. 
     
     
       22. A refrigeration insulation panel device comprising in combination: a first set of at least two elongated flexible sheets having predetermined toughness sufficient to withstand major impacts without puncturing or tearing, each flexible sheet having opposite substantially planar side faces, said two flexible sheets being aligned and sandwiched with each flexible sheet having one of its planar side faces in opposed and parallel relationship to the other sheet's planar side face; and fastening means attached along an upper end-portion only of an upright side edge of said sandwiched flexible sheets, for suspending the sandwiched sheets from a laterally positioned support structure; and an insulation rubber sheet sandwiched and anchored between the opposed planar side faces including additional ones of said sandwiched flexible sheets having joined edges and positioned to form a tunnel having a roof and upright sidewalls and said fastening means being attached to at least one of said side wall. 
     
     
       23. A refrigeration insulation panel device of claim 22, including additional ones of said sandwiched flexible sheets having joined edges and positioned to form a tunnel having a roof and upright sidewalls, and said first fastening means suspending an edge of said first set from at least one of said roof and said sidewalls at one of opposite ends of said tunnel. 
     
     
       24. A refrigeration insulation panel device of claim 23, including a second one of said first set, and a second fastening means suspending an edge of said second one from at least one of said roof and said sidewalls at a remaining other one of said opposite ends. .Iadd. 25. A flexible insulation-strip-panel door comprising (1) a door-jamb-type rigid support element at least partially circumscribing and forming doorway-space located adjacent the rigid support element, the rigid support element being anchored as a support structure, and (2) a free-swinging flexible and bendable panel free of rigid inflexible structure and the free-swinging flexible and bendable panel having sufficient flexibility as to have unsecured portions thereof pushed aside when subjected to a moving impacting object from either direction passing through said doorway-space, said free-swinging flexible and bendable panel being attached to and free-swinging from said rigid support element into said doorway-space, said free-swinging flexible and bendable panel consisting essentially of (a) a first set of at least two elongated flexible resilient fabric sheets having predetermined toughness sufficient to withstand major impacts without puncturing or tearing, each flexible sheet having opposite substantially planar faces, said two flexible sheets each having one of its planar faces in opposed and substantially parallel and spaced-apart relationship to the other sheet's opposing planar side face; and (b) a flexible core consisting essentially of a flexible insulation sheet, said flexible core being sandwiched and anchored between the opposing parallel planar faces, thereby forming said free-swinging flexible and bendable panel; and (c) fastening means flexibly securing the free-swinging flexible and bendable panel in a free-swinging manner onto said rigid support element leaving at-least one unsecured lower corner portion of the free-swinging flexible and bendable panel. .Iaddend..Iadd. 26. A flexible insulation-strip-panel door of claim 25, in which said door-jamb-type rigid support element has at-least a portion of its structure located at an elevated overhead location relative to said doorway-space, when in an anchored state, and in which said free-swinging flexible and bendable panel is secured to said overhead portion by said fastening means, with said free-swinging flexible and bendable panel swinging downwardly into said doorway space. .Iaddend. .Iadd. 27. A flexible insulation-strip-panel door of claim 26, in which a flexible transparent plastic sheet is attached to edges of said sandwiched flexible sheets, adapted to serve as a see-through window. .Iaddend..Iadd. 28. A flexible insulation-strip-panel door of claim 27, in which each of said sandwiched flexible sheets is a fabric sheet having a surface coating of synthetic rubber. .Iaddend..Iadd. 29. A flexible insulation-strip-panel door of claim 26, in which each of said sandwiched flexible sheets is a Nylon fabric sheet having a surface coating of synthetic rubber. .Iaddend. .Iadd. 30. A flexible insulation-strip panel door of claim 26, in which said insulation sheet comprises closed-cell rubber. .Iaddend.