Frost management system for a refrigerated cabinet

Abstract

A frost management system for use in a refrigeration cabinet having a base and sidewalls defining an opening to provide access into the refrigeration cabinet. A heating member is positioned proximate to the opening exterior of the sidewalls for heating of frost accumulated on the sidewalls. The first heating member may be activated for a time to cause accumulated frost to be melted, thereby permitting the resulting liquid to flow down the sidewalls toward the base and be refrozen. For full defrost operation of the device, there may be a second heating member positioned proximate to the base of the refrigeration cabinet. The second heating member may be activated to heat a portion of the ice to enable its removal. There is also disclosed a method for managing frost in a refrigeration cabinet.

1 . A frost management system for use in a refrigeration cabinet having a base and sidewalls defining an opening to provide access into the refrigeration cabinet, the sidewalls being conductive for heat transfer through the sidewalls, comprising:
 a first heating member positioned proximate to the opening and exterior of the sidewalls for heating of frost accumulated on an interior of the sidewalls; and   a first activator for the first heating member,   wherein the first heating member is activated for a time to cause accumulated frost to be melted, thereby permitting the resulting liquid to flow down the sidewalls toward the base and be refrozen.   
   
   
       2 . The frost management system of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a second heating member positioned proximate to the base of the refrigeration cabinet and exterior of the sidewalls for heating of ice accumulated on the interior of the sidewalls; and   a second activator for the second heating member, the second heating member being activated for a time to melt a portion of the ice adjacent the sidewalls to enable its removal.   
   
   
       3 . The frost management system of  claim 1 , wherein the first heating member comprises a foil heater having a first conductive sheet, a second conductive sheet having a surface adhered to a surface of the first conductive sheet, and a wire heater located between the first conductive sheet and second conductive sheet for heating the first conductive sheet and second conductive sheet. 
   
   
       4 . The frost management system of  claim 3 , wherein the foil heater has an adhesive surface for adhering to the sidewalls. 
   
   
       5 . The frost management system of  claim 3 , wherein the wire heater is positioned in a serpentine configuration between the first conductive sheet and second conductive sheet. 
   
   
       6 . The frost management system of  claim 1 , further comprising a cooling member located exterior the sidewalls for cooling the interior of the sidewalls through heat transfer through the sidewalls. 
   
   
       7 . The frost management system of  claim 6 , further comprising a controller for automatically effecting a predetermined cycle of operation for the cooling member and the first activator at predetermined intervals. 
   
   
       8 . The frost management system of  claim 6 , wherein the predetermined intervals are regular intervals. 
   
   
       9 . The frost management system of  claim 7 , wherein the regular intervals are 12-hour intervals. 
   
   
       10 . A method for managing frost on a refrigeration cabinet having a base and sidewalls defining an opening to provide access into the refrigeration cabinet, including the step of:
 heating a region on the sidewalls proximate to the opening for melting frost accumulated on an interior of the sidewalls into a liquid, thereby permitting the resulting liquid to flow down the sidewalls toward the base and be refrozen.   
   
   
       11 . The method of  claim 8 , including the step of:
 heating a region on the sidewalls for melting a portion of ice accumulated on the interior of the sidewalls to enable its removal; and   removing the ice from the refrigeration cabinet.   
   
   
       12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the step of heating a region on the sidewalls proximate to the opening is on a predetermined cycle of operation at predetermined intervals. 
   
   
       13 . The frost management system of  claim 12 , wherein the predetermined intervals are regular intervals. 
   
   
       14 . The frost management system of  claim 13 , wherein the regular intervals are 12-hour intervals. 
   
   
       15 . The frost management system of  claim 2 , wherein the first heating member comprises a foil heater having a first conductive sheet, a second conductive sheet having a surface adhered to a surface of the first conductive sheet, and a wire heater located between the first conductive sheet and second conductive sheet for heating the first conductive sheet and second conductive sheet.