US 12,135,161 B2
Defrosting system for a cold plate and method of defrosting a cold plate
Praveen Kumar Nooli, Coram, NY (US); John Michael Hartney, Cross River, NY (US); Gurmeet Singh Bhutani, Gurgaon (IN); Andrew Hoffman, Prosper, TX (US); Joseph E. Stapleton, Cheshire, CT (US); and Atul Tripathi, Chappaqua, NY (US)
Assigned to PepsiCo, Inc., Purchase, NY (US)
Filed by PepsiCo, Inc., Purchase, NY (US)
Filed on May 20, 2019, as Appl. No. 16/417,382.
Prior Publication US 2020/0370816 A1, Nov. 26, 2020
Int. Cl. F25D 21/00 (2006.01); F25D 21/02 (2006.01); F25D 21/08 (2006.01)
CPC F25D 21/008 (2013.01) [F25D 21/02 (2013.01); F25D 21/08 (2013.01); F25D 2600/02 (2013.01); F25D 2700/122 (2013.01)] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A cooler, comprising:
a cabinet comprising a door and a plurality of interior walls defining a storage area for storing a perishable product, the door configured to move between an open position and a closed position;
a cold plate disposed on a first interior wall of the plurality of interior walls of the cabinet, wherein the cold plate comprises a jacket enclosing a phase-change material and a tube configured to circulate a refrigerant, wherein the cold plate is configured to absorb heat within the cabinet; and
a defrosting system comprising:
a sensor configured to detect a presence of frost on a surface of the cold plate;
a heating element affixed to the surface of the cold plate configured to at least partially melt frost on the cold plate; and
a control unit configured to selectively activate and deactivate the heating element when the presence of frost is detected by the sensor and configured to activate the heating element when the cold plate absorbs heat within the cabinet,
wherein the sensor is arranged on the surface of the cold plate, and the surface is an interior facing surface of the first interior wall of the storage area,
wherein the door comprises a transparent portion such that the cold plate and heating element are visible through the transparent portion when the door is in the closed position,
wherein the heating element comprises a heating wire arranged in a serpentine pattern in a single plane.