Door molding for a walk-in food chilling compartment

Abstract

A door molding for use with doors closing openings into food-chilling compartments, and the like, is aligned to a horizontal edge of the door and extends from one vertical side of the door to the opposite vertical side. The door molding has a back surface adjacent to the door and a convex outer surface. An elongated side surface near the horizontal edge of the door is substantially perpendicular to the door and extends from the back surface to the convex outer surface. A beveled surface opposite to the elongated side surface extends from the back surface to the convex outer surface. Rounded sides near the vertical sides of the door extend from the back surface to the convex outer surface. A plurality of cavities in the base extend from the back surface into the base toward the convex outer surface. A method of fabricating the door molding is also disclosed.

1 .  1 . A door molding for a food-chilling compartment door comprising: 
 a) a back surface for mounting on a face of a door;    b) a front surface opposite the back surface;    c) a first elongated side surface extending between the back surface and the front surface and inclined at an acute angle with respect to the back surface; and    d) a second elongated side surface opposite the first elongated side surface and extending between the back surface and the front surface.    
     
     
         2 . The door molding of  claim 1  further comprising first and second shortened side surfaces, each extending between the back surface and the front surface and having a gradual transition to the front surface.  
     
     
         3 . The door molding of  claim 2  wherein the front surface and the first elongated side surface join at a corner forming a convex arc wherein the convex arc has a radius of curvature, and wherein the radius of curvature becomes smaller at the first and second shortened side surfaces.  
     
     
         4 . The door molding of  claim 2  wherein the front surface, the first and second elongated side surfaces and the first and second shortened side surfaces comprise textured surfaces.  
     
     
         5 . The door molding of  claim 1  wherein the second elongated side surface forms a right angle with the back surface.  
     
     
         6 . The door molding of  claim 1  wherein the front surface comprises a dome-shaped surface.  
     
     
         7 . The door molding of  claim 1  wherein the first and second shortened side surfaces comprise rounded surfaces curved in a direction from the back surface toward the front surface.  
     
     
         8 . The door molding of  claim 1  further comprising a plurality of interior walls extending from the back surface into an interior region of the door molding wherein a plurality of interior walls define cavities within the door molding.  
     
     
         9 . The door molding of  claim 8  wherein each of the cavities comprises funnel-shaped indentations in the back surface.  
     
     
         10 . The door molding of  claim 1  wherein the door molding comprises a thermoplastic material.  
     
     
         11 . The door molding of  claim 10  wherein the door molding comprises a blow molded thermoplastic material.  
     
     
         12 . The door molding of  claim 10  wherein the thermoplastic material comprises a copolymer of acrylonitrile, butadiene, and styrene.  
     
     
         13 . In combination, a door of a walk-in cooler and a door molding mounted on the door, the door molding comprising: 
 a) a rectangular base having two elongated sides and two ends;    b) a domed front surface opposite the rectangular base;    c) a beveled surface extending between one of the elongated sides to the domed front surface;    d) rounded end surfaces extending between the ends to the domed front surface; and    e) an elongated side surface extending between the other of the elongated sides to the domed front surface.    
     
     
         14 . The combination of  claim 13  wherein the domed front surface, the beveled surface, the elongated side surface, and the rounded end surfaces comprise textured surfaces.  
     
     
         15 . The combination of  claim 13  wherein the molding in mounted adjacent to either a top end or a bottom end of the door, and the beveled surface comprises a flat surface inclined in a direction from the rectangular base toward the domed front surface and toward the end of the door on which the molding is mounted.  
     
     
         16 . The combination of  claim 13  wherein the domed front surface and the beveled surface join at a corner forming a convex arc wherein the convex arc has a angle of curvature, and wherein the angle of curvature becomes greater at the rounded end surfaces.  
     
     
         17 . The combination of  claim 13  wherein the door comprises an inner and outer panel with an insulation material therebetween.  
     
     
         18 . The combination of  claim 13  wherein the door molding is located in proximity to an upper edge of the door and the beveled surface faces toward a lower edge of the door.  
     
     
         19 . The combination of  claim 13  wherein the door molding is located in proximity to a lower edge of the door and the beveled surface faces toward an upper edge of the door.  
     
     
         20 . The combination of  claim 13  wherein the door molding comprises a thermoplastic material.  
     
     
         21 . The combination of  claim 20  wherein the door molding comprises a blow molded thermoplastic material.  
     
     
         22 . The combination of  claim 20  wherein the thermoplastic material comprises a copolymer of acrylonitrile, butadiene, and styrene.  
     
     
         23 . A molding mounted on a door that closes an opening into a food chilling compartment, the molding comprising: 
 a) a base substantially parallel to a horizontal edge of the door and extending from one vertical side of the door to the opposite vertical side, the base having a back surface adjacent to a door face;    b) a convex outer surface;    c) an elongated side proximate to the horizontal edge of the door and substantially perpendicular to the door face and extending from the base to the convex outer surface;    d) a beveled side opposite the elongated side and extending from the base to the convex outer surface;    e) rounded sides adjacent to the vertical sides of the door and extending from the base to the convex outer surface; and    f) a plurality of interior walls in the base extending from the back surface toward the convex outer surface.    
     
     
         24 . The molding of  claim 23  wherein the door molding comprises a thermoplastic material.  
     
     
         25 . The molding of  claim 24  wherein the door molding comprises a blow molded thermoplastic material.  
     
     
         26 . The molding of  claim 24  wherein the thermoplastic material comprises a copolymer of acrylonitrile, butadiene, and styrene.  
     
     
         27 . The molding of  claim 23  wherein the plurality of interior walls define a plurality of cavities extending from the back surface into an interior region of the door molding.  
     
     
         28 . The molding of  claim 27  wherein each of the plurality of cavities comprises funnel-shaped indentations in the back surface.  
     
     
         29 . A walk-in cooler door molding having a cross-sectional configuration comprising: 
 a) a back surface and an elongated side surface intersecting the back surface at substantially a right angle;    b) a beveled side surface inclined toward the back surface and intersecting the back surface at an acute angle; and    c) a convex outer surface intersecting the top surface and the beveled side surface.    
     
     
         30 . A door molding comprising a rectangular base of two opposed elongated side surfaces intersecting two opposed shortened side surfaces and a front side having a convex surface opposite the base and joining the two opposed elongated side surfaces and the two opposed shortened side surfaces wherein one of the two opposed elongated side surfaces is inclined toward the convex surface.  
     
     
         31 . The door molding of  claim 30 , wherein the door molding is mounted to a door closing an opening into a structure selected from the group consisting of a tool compartment, a food storage compartment, and a warehouse.  
     
     
         32 . The door molding of  claim 30 , wherein the door molding comprises a molding that extends across a portion of a face surface of a door.  
     
     
         33 . The door molding of  claim 30 , wherein the door molding comprises a plurality of door molding sections arranged across a face surface of a door.  
     
     
         34 . A method of fabricating a door molding for a walk-in food chilling compartment, where the door molding includes a rectangular base of two opposed elongated side surfaces intersecting two opposed shortened side surfaces and a front side having a convex surface opposite the base and joining the two opposed elongated side surfaces and the two opposed shortened side surfaces wherein one of the two opposed elongated side surfaces is inclined toward the convex surface and a plurality of cavities in the base, the method comprising: 
 a) providing a mold having a cavity that is configured to form the door molding;    b) providing a thermoplastic material; and    c) flowing the thermoplastic material into the mold.    
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 34  wherein flowing the thermoplastic material comprises blow molding.  
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 35  wherein providing a thermoplastic material comprises providing a copolymer of acrylonitrile, butadiene, and styrene.  
     
     
         37 . In combination a door and two door moldings mounted on the door wherein each of the door molding comprises a rectangular base of two opposed elongated side surfaces intersecting two opposed shortened side surfaces and a front side having a convex surface opposite the base and joining the two opposed elongated side surfaces and the two opposed shortened side surfaces wherein one of the two opposed elongated side surfaces is inclined toward the convex surface.  
     
     
         38 . The combination of  claim 37  wherein two door moldings are mounted on the door such that the elongated side surface that is inclined toward the convex surface of each door molding face each other.