There are many situations and industries involving the collected movement of a number of people and their equipment across a number of locations, often over a number of distant locations, such as music tours, film location work, and indeed any and all outside catering events where non-static refrigeration applications are needed.

To feed and cater for such people, there can be local catering provided, but there is usually at least some catering provided as part of the group of people. Whilst local food and produce can be sought for the majority of the food required for such catering, there is usually at least some food that is desired to be relocated and transported each time with the people. Food requires to be kept chilled at or below 4.4°C and/or below -18°C for freezing for when not in use to meet known health regulations etc., as well as to avoid wastage.

To enable transportation of such food, usually thermal insulated boxes are currently used. However, such boxes are usually very small and only hold a small amount of food to be carried between locations.

A common alternative is to buy a 'standard' static fridge or fridge freezer, which are easily obtainable in most locations, and which are obviously immediately available to provide cooling or chilling of food. However, such standard fridges or fridge- freezers are not designed for transportation, but to stay in one location. This is especially as movement of such static fridges significantly upsets the settled cooling gas therein, and could also lead to breakage of the usually delicate pipework therein. Thus, the transport of standard fridges or fridge freezers is not generally recommended, and if carried out, requires significant packaging to avoid damage, and would not be as easily storable and transportable in conjunction with other standard flight cases used for the transportation of other items such as musical instruments, speakers, etc. In addition, such standard fridges, etc., are not designed to prevent the movement of food therein during transportation.

Transportable cabinets and containers are known such as those described in US 5749234 and US 6751963. However, such a cabinet and container are still primarily focused on refrigeration rather than ease of transport.

It is an object of the present invention to provide apparatus to maintain correct temperature control for food and other items, and to be more easily transportable within the confines of standard flight cases.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a standard flight case adapted to include one or more self-powered cooling elements for non-static refrigerated food preservation.

Flight cases are well known in the art, and are generally formed with a structure, size, shape and design that is easily transportable and robust, so as to achieve greatest ease of transportation, and of packaging and/or storage during transportation, whilst maintaining effective protection of contents therein during transportation and storage handling.

Such flight cases are generally formed with an outer robust surface, typically with steel reinforcement along each outside edge, and with at least a minimum amount of insulation around the internal surface.

Such flight cases generally include a number of wheel elements, such as wheel- casters, in particular rotatable casters, generally comprising at least one such wheel element at each corner of the flight case. Different wheels are known in the art for flight cases for different purposes, such as hard nylon wheels. Shock loading and/or shock absorbers can also be included. Flight cases can also include suitable recesses to accommodate the wheels or other projections of neighbouring cases and so assist close packing of a number of cases together during transportation.

Such flight cases also usually involve one or more handles located on and/or in the sides of the flight case. Certain flight cases are within ATA 300 Category specifications set by the IATA in Washington DC, USA. In particular, ASA 300 Cat 1 flight cases are designed to withstand 100 trips, and Cat 2 cases are designed to withstand at least 10 trips.

Thus, the term 'standard' as used herein in relation to flight cases relates to an ATA 300 Category 2 specification.

Flight cases are sometimes also termed "road cases" or "ATA case". They are shipping containers specifically built to protect musical instruments and equipment when it must be moved, and is often roughly handles by baggage personnel.

It is highly desirable for flight cases to have a standard 'size' to best enable their compact fitting and transportation in vehicles, especially trucks and airplanes, whilst still being deliverable to their intended destination, usually through one or more doors having a standard width.

Thus, as many transport vehicles have a 'standard' loading width of 8'4" (2.54m), it is preferred that the flight cases of the present invention have either this width, or a simple fraction thereof, especially half or a quarter, i.e. 4'2" (1.27m) or 2Ί" (0.635m). Some tolerance of these dimensions is expected, such as +/- 10% or 5% or less, such that a width dimension of 1200mm ±10mm or +5mm is still sufficiently 'standard' for the present invention. In this way, an integral number of such flight cases can be loaded into a standard truck or vehicle container fitting with the other flight cases being transported and carrying other equipment.

Preferably, the flight case of the present invention includes a lidded protective outer casing, which is impermeable when closed and/or locked. The lid may include or incorporate one or more smaller lids therein to provide multiple forms of access.

Preferably, the flight case includes a minimum insulation around each inner surface of 50mm.

Non-static refrigerated food products requiring preservation in a robust environment during transportation, especially away from a mains electricity supply, can include any types of foods and food products, liquids such as alcohols, as well as organs, in particular for human organ transplants, and medicines and the like. Dedicated flight cases could be provided for dedicated items such as particular foods or particular beer brands.

Cooling elements able to provide a degree of cooling to food to provide food preservation may comprise any number of parts, apparatus, units, devices, etc. Generally, such cooling elements include at least a cooling motor, generally involving at least a pump and a compressor, and one or more pipelines or other pathways for the conveyance of a cooling fluid within the flight case.

Power for the cooling elements, in particular a motor, may be provided in both AC and DC form, so that either 'mains' power can be used where the flight cases in a static location close to mains power, or it can be switched to an on-board battery or batteries when not so located, especially during transportation on the road, rail, air, sea, etc. The power source may be varied to suit different voltages used in different locations, especially different countries.

The flight case may comprise one or more cooling compartments for the location of food therein to be cooled by the one or more cooling elements. The flight case may include one large compartment. Preferably it includes a plurality of compartments, optionally having the same or different sizes. With a plurality of compartments, one or more compartments may be particularly adapted for particular foods, such as bottled liquids/cheeses/meat, etc.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, one or more of said compartments may be cooled to a different temperature than one or more other compartments. Thus, the flight case of the present invention may include one or more cooling and/or chilling and/or freezing compartments.

The flight case of the present invention may further include one or more drawers, chambers, pockets etc., without limitation to the number, size, shape or design thereof.

The flight case of the present invention may also include one or more baffles between one or more said compartments, drawers, etc., adapted to regulate and/or control air flow thereinto, so as to allow for closer control of the temperature of one or more compartments, especially different temperature control in different compartments.

Control of the one or more cooling elements in the flight case may be provided by one or more control elements or systems known in the art, generally comprising at least one temperature sensor communicating with the power source and/or motor able to provide the cooling ability to the one or more cooling elements. Optionally, there is at least one temperature sensor per compartment, drawer, pocket, etc. Power for the cooling elements, in particular a motor, may be provided in both AC and DC form so that either 'mains' power can be used where the box is in a static location close to mains power or power from the one or more on-board batteries.

The mains power source may be varied to suit different voltages used in different locations, especially different countries.

When powered by the on-board battery or batteries, especially during

transportation on the road, by rail, air, or sea, said batteries may be recharged via mains power and/or a solar panel, which may or may not be integral to the unit, or other generation means.

When fully charged, the battery or batteries can preferably maintain a constant temperature within the refrigerated compartment at the required temperature for tens of hours, especially over 96 or 100 hours.

For one example, a single 110 Amp Hours (AH] battery has been found to maintain the temperature envelope for over 40 hours. For another example, two 135 AH batteries have been found to maintain the temperature envelope for over 100 hours. The skilled man can see that it is possible to use different numbers, sizes, types, and powered batteries to achieve the present invention, depending upon the

requirements of the user and the physical characteristics of the respective compartments. The present invention is not limited by the number and nature of the batteries.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example only, and with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a side view of a first standard flight case according to one embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 is a top down internal view of the flight case of Figure 1; and

Figure 3 is an end view of the flight case of Figure 1; Figure 4 is a schematic representation of a flight case according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 5 is a partial cut away view of the flight case of Figure 4; Figure 6 is a top view of the flight case of Figure 4;

Figure 7 is a further elevation of the flight case of Figure 4;

Figure 8 is a top down transparency view of the flight case of Figure 4;

Figure 9 is a graph of time versus temperature indicating the ability of the present invention to maintain a temperature below 8 degrees centigrade at the top of a refrigerated compartment; Figure 10 is a second graph of time versus temperature recording conditions at the bottom of a refrigerated compartment; and

Figures 11-14 show front perspective, back perspective, front part open perspective and further front open perspective views of a second standard flight case according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 shows a side view of a first standard flight case 2 adapted to include one or more cooling elements for food preservation. The first flight case 2 shown in Figure 1 has a series of dimensions by way of example only, and includes two side handles, and also two locking clasps for securing the insulated lid 4 with the remaining part of the flight case 2. The flight case 2 also includes a set of rotary caster wheels 6.

The dimensions shown for the flight case 2 in Figure 1 are well known in the art of manufacturing flight cases, and may be particularly adapted to be in line with flight cases used for the transportation of other items, such as musical instruments and accompanying equipment for music tours.

In this way, the flight case of the present invention does not have a significantly dissimilar shape, and preferably has the same shape, as at least a number of other flight cases used in the transportation of equipment for an event or tour, such that the flight case 2 of the present invention has the required similarity of size and shape that it can most easily be stored alongside other such flight cases, in particular for the most convenient packaging and storage for transportation purposes. This is especially important where transportation costs are or can be high, and it is preferred to have the most convenient packaging and storage arrangement of flight cases for transportation in the space provided for the transportation, such as one or more lorries or trucks, or in a pre-defined space in an airplane. Figure 2 shows a top down view of the flight case 2, providing further dimensions for the flight case by way of example only. Within the flight case 2 there is a food preservation area 10 having the non-limiting dimensions 900mm x 640mm. This compartment 10 may be divided and/or sub-divided into a number of smaller compartments, etc., so as to provide embodiments relating to a plurality of compartments as described hereinabove.

Figure 2 also shows a second compartment 12 for the location of a fridge motor and one or more batteries separate from the compartment 10, the batteries being provided to run the fridge motor when mains power is not available so as to maintain the cooling ability of the flight case. Figure 3 shows an end view of the flight case 2, having two more handles, a louvered panel for an air vent for the compartment 12 having the fridge motor, and a recessed male power inlet for the provision of mains power. Figure 4 shows a second flight case 22 adapted to include one or more cooling elements for food preservation.

The flight case shown in Figure 4, by way of example only, includes two side handles and two locking clasps for securing the insulated lid 24 with the remaining part of the flight case 22. The flight case 22 also includes a set of rotary caster wheels 26.

The dimensions indicated in Figure 4 are standard in the art of manufacturing flight cases, and may be particularly adapted to be in line with flight cases used for the transportation of other items, such as musical instruments and accompanying equipment for music tours.

In this way, the flight case of the present embodiment does not have a significantly dissimilar shape, indeed preferably has the same shape, as at least a number of other flight cases used in the transportation of equipment for an event or tour, such that the flight case of the present embodiment has the required similarity of size and shape that it can most easily be stored alongside other such flight cases, in particular for the most convenient packaging and storage for transportation purposes. This is especially important where transportation costs are or can be high. It is preferred that a most convenient packaging and storage arrangement of flight cases for transportation is provided in spaces such as those of lorries or trucks, or that of an aeroplane.

Figure 5 shows a partial cut away view of the flight case of figure 4, revealing a compartment for the location of a fridge motor 27 and two batteries 26 separate from the compartment 30. The batteries of the present embodiment, rated at 135

Amp-hours, can power and maintain cooling for a sustained period of over 96 hours. Figure 6 shows a top down view of the flight case providing further dimensions by way of example only. Within the flight case 22 there is a food preservation area 30 having the non-limiting dimensions 900mm x 640mm. This compartment 30 may be divided and/or sub-divided into a number of smaller compartments, etc., so as to provide embodiments relating to a plurality of compartments as described herein.

A second compartment 32 for the location of a fridge motor and one or more batteries separate from the compartment 30 is shown, the batteries providing power to run the fridge motor when mains power is not available so as to maintain the cooling ability of the flight case.

Figure 8 shows an end view of the flight case 22, having two more handles, a panel 24 for an air vent for the compartment 32 having the fridge motor, and a recessed male power inlet for the provision of mains power 35.

Figure 8 shows, in outline, the power components providing further dimensions for the flight case by way of example only.

Figures 9 and 10 show the ability of the example of the present invention shown in Figure 1 to maintain a constant temperature for up to 127 hours. Two probes, one at the top and one at the bottom respectively of the main compartment 30, were used to measure the temperature at these locations to establish the length of time the flight case 22 was able to continue after charging of the battery 36. As can be seen from the graphs of Figures 9 and 10, the temperature in the compartment 30 was maintained for over 96 hours in both locations, confirming the ability of the present invention to maintain required temperature envelope to preserve food therewithin between battery charges or mains powerage. Figures 11-14 show various views of a second standard flight case according to the present invention, again adapted to include one or more self-powered cooling elements for non-static refrigerated food preservation. Figure 11 shows a front perspective of the second flight case 40 having front and side handles 42, front locks 44 for a lid 46, and wheels 48. Figure 11 also shows a front vent 50.

Figure 12 shows a rear perspective view of the second standard flight case 40; also showing handles 42 on the back and other side, and hinges 52 for the lid 46.

The second standard flight case 40 is 1275mm long, 750mm wide, and has an overall height including wheels of 1009mm, and height from its top to the lower end of the casing of 884mm. As mentioned hereinabove, these dimensions can be considered are "standard" dimensions that match those of flight cases used for other purposes, and which relate to an ATA 300 Category 2 specification. In particular, the second standard flight case 40 has a "standard" approximate width of 1275mm, otherwise also termed 4'2", which allows it to be loaded on transport vehicles with other such standard flight cases, for ease of transportation.

Figure 13 shows lifting of the lid 46 after opening of the locks 44, to reveal two compartments. The first compartment 54 is a cooling compartment, having a lid 58. Figure 14 shows lifting of the hinged lid 58 to access the interior of the cooling compartment 54.

The second compartment 56 comprises the power and control elements for the self- powered cooling elements required to achieve refrigerated food preservation of food in the first compartment 54. Compartment 56 is not shown in any detail, but includes at least one rechargeable battery, able to provide power to run a fridge motor when mains power is not available (i.e. during transportation) so as to maintain the cooling ability of the flight case, with an easily accessible display and control panel 60.

Figure 14 shows the first compartment 54 generally having the dimensions 820mm by 620mm, and able to fit two baskets 62 therein which preferably have handles, and could have a depth of for example 270mm, so as to provide easy sub- compartments within the first compartment 54 whilst not occupying all its space.

The hinged lid 46 protects the lid of the first compartment 54, as well as the display and control panel 60, whilst providing easy access thereto when required. Overall, the second standard flight case 40 has the strength, robustness and particularly the dimensions to fit with other standard flight cases ready for transportation.

The present invention provides a more convenient solution to the problem of providing cooling for food preservation, whilst also balancing the need for cooling against the need for ease of storage and transportation, most especially in conjunction with a number of other flight cases transporting other equipment or products.