JP2024115145A - Cooling Storage - Google Patents

Abstract

To restrain uneven cooling while restraining drying.SOLUTION: A cooling storage cabinet 10 comprises: a storage cabinet body 11 that is a heat insulation box comprising a front opening 11S; a shelf plate 50 provided in the storage cabinet body 11, and on which a stored object is placed; a cooling device 16 for cooling the inside of the storage cabinet body 11; a first cooling pipe 21A constituting a portion of the cooling device 16, and provided in a heat insulation wall part 41 of the storage cabinet body 11; and a second cooling pipe 22 constituting a portion of the cooling device 16, and provided in the shelf plate 50.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

This technology relates to refrigerated storage.

Conventionally, refrigerated showcases that store fresh seafood and other ingredients for sushi are known, and one example is disclosed in Patent Document 1. In refrigerated showcases for this purpose, the ingredients (stored items) are often stored in an exposed state for convenience in cooking. For this reason, if cold air is forcibly circulated using a circulation fan (internal fan) as in a typical refrigerated storage cabinet, there is a concern that the ingredients may dry out or lose their freshness due to contact with the circulating cold air. Therefore, the refrigerated showcase described in Patent Document 1 has a cooling pipe arranged on the back wall of the main body and natural convection of the air inside the cabinet, thereby cooling the ingredients while preventing them from drying out.

JP 2017-15356 A

However, when using natural convection for cooling, the flow of cold air can easily be impeded depending on the arrangement of the stored items. This can easily lead to uneven cooling, making it difficult to maintain a uniform temperature inside the storage unit.

This technology was developed based on the above-mentioned circumstances, and aims to prevent drying while also preventing uneven cooling.

The cooling storage facility related to this technology includes a storage facility main body, which is an insulated box having a front opening, shelves provided within the storage facility main body on which stored items are placed, a cooling device for cooling the inside of the storage facility main body, a first cooling pipe that constitutes part of the cooling device and is provided in the insulated wall of the storage facility main body, and a second cooling pipe that constitutes part of the cooling device and is provided on the shelves.

The first cooling pipe may also be provided in the ceiling wall of the storage body.

The first cooling pipe may also be provided on the bottom wall of the storage body.

Furthermore, the shelf boards may be arranged in a vertical line, and the second cooling pipe may be provided on each of the shelves.

The system may also include a drain pan attached to the shelf to collect condensation water from the second cooling pipe.

The bottom of the drain pan may be inclined so that one end on one side wall of the storage body and the other end on the other side wall facing the one side wall are lower than the center between the one end and the other end.

Furthermore, the one end and the other end may be provided with outlets for defrost water.

The shelf and the drain pan may also be thermally conductive.

The drain pan may also be removably attached to the shelf.

The drain pan may also have multiple mounting holes for mounting to the shelf, and two types of fastening members of different lengths may be used for the multiple mounting holes.

The front opening may also be provided with a door that can be opened and closed, allowing the inside of the storage unit to be viewed.

This technology can prevent drying and uneven cooling.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerated showcase according to a first embodiment; Cross-sectional view of line II in FIG. Cross-sectional view taken along line II-II of FIG. An enlarged cross-sectional view of the upper rail of FIG. An enlarged cross-sectional view of the lower rail area of Figure 3. 3 is a cross-sectional perspective view taken along line III-III in FIG. FIG. 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the right side wall portion of FIG. Bottom view of shelf with cooling pipes attached An exploded perspective view of a shelf, a cooling pipe, a bracket, a drain pan, a shelf bracket, and a shelf bracket holder.

<Embodiment 1>
A refrigerated showcase 10 (an example of a refrigerated storage) according to a first embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1 to Fig. 9. The symbols F, B, L, R, U, and D shown in each figure respectively indicate the front and rear in the front-rear direction of the refrigerated showcase 10, the left and right in the width direction (left-right direction) when viewed from the front, and the top and bottom in the vertical direction (up-down direction).

As shown in FIG. 1, the refrigerated showcase 10 is generally rectangular and long, and contains food ingredients (an example of a stored item) in a cooled state. The refrigerated showcase 10 is installed near a counter in the kitchen of a sushi restaurant or the like, and is used for allowing a chef to take out food ingredients and cook them on the counter. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, the refrigerated showcase 10 is roughly equipped with a storage body 11 having a front opening 11S, multiple (four in this embodiment) sliding doors 14 for opening and closing the front opening 11S, a machine room 15 arranged to the side (right in this embodiment) of the storage body 11, and a cooling device 16 for cooling the inside of the storage body 11 (hereinafter, the "inside of the storage body 11" may be referred to as the inside of the storage).

As shown in Figs. 2 to 3 and 6, the storage body 11 is an insulated box, and has a structure in which an outer box 11A and an inner box 11B, which are assembled into a box shape using metal plates such as stainless steel, are filled with an insulating material 11C made of foamed resin (urethane foam, etc.). The inside of the storage body 11 is a refrigerated room for storing food. In the storage body 11, multiple (two in this embodiment) shelves 50 for placing food are provided at intervals in the vertical direction. The shelves 50 divide the storage body 11 into multiple vertical storage levels (three levels in this embodiment). The shelves 50 are arranged with a predetermined gap between the left side wall 43, right side wall 44, and rear wall 45 of the storage body 11 (Fig. 6), so that cold air in the storage body 11 can drop through the gap, and cleaning water from the shelves 50 can drop through the gap during cleaning.

The storage body 11 is composed of a thermally insulated wall portion having a ceiling wall portion 41, a bottom wall portion 42, a left side wall portion 43, a right side wall portion 44, and a rear wall portion 45. As shown in FIG. 3, the inside surface of the bottom wall portion 42 is gently inclined toward the front. A drain outlet 42S is provided at the front of the bottom wall portion 42. Washing water generated when washing the inside of the storage body 11 and the shelves 50, and defrost water that falls from the outlet 65 of the drain pan 60 described later, flow down along the slope of the bottom wall portion 42 and are discharged to the outside from the drain outlet 42S.

As shown in FIG. 1, the sliding door 14 is provided in a sliding manner so as to slide open and close the front opening 11S of the storage body 11. The sliding door 14 slides in the left-right direction (sliding direction). The sliding door 14 is provided at the opening edge of the front opening 11S and is attached to a rail 13 extending along the left-right direction. The sliding door 14 is transparent, and the inside of the storage body 11 can be seen even when it is closed. By using a transparent sliding door 14, the position of the ingredients can be easily seen, and it is easy to secure a space for a cooking counter in front of the front opening 11S. In addition, the sliding door 14 can be removed and washed as described later, and the material is preferably suitable for removal and washing. For example, by using PET (polyethylene terephthalate) resin, a sliding door 14 that is hard to break, lightweight, and chemical resistant can be realized.

As shown in Figures 3 to 5, the rails 13 are composed of an upper rail 13A and a lower rail 13B, which are respectively provided at the upper and lower opening edges of the front opening 11S of the storage body 11. The upper rail 13A and the lower rail 13B are made of, for example, stainless steel. The upper rail 13A has two grooves 13A1 arranged in the front-rear direction into which the upper part 14A of the sliding door 14 is inserted. The lower rail 13B has two grooves 13B1 arranged in the front-rear direction into which the lower part 14B of the sliding door 14 is inserted. The grooves 13A1 and 13B1 are formed in pairs by dividing one recessed groove with protruding walls 13A2 and 13B2. Two sliding doors 14 are inserted into each of the grooves 13A1 and 13B1, and the sliding doors 14 are supported so that they can slide.

The groove depth L13A1 of the groove portion 13A1 of the upper rail 13A is approximately the same as the protruding length of the protruding wall 13A2, as shown in FIG. 4, and is, for example, 12 mm. The groove depth L13B1 of the groove portion 13B1 of the lower rail 13B is approximately the same as the protruding length of the protruding wall 13B2, as shown in FIG. 5, and is, for example, 6 mm. The groove depths L13A1 and L13B1 and the protruding lengths of the protruding walls 13A2 and 13B2 are designed so that when the sliding door 14 is lifted upward and the lower part 14B of the sliding door 14 is positioned above the groove portion 13B1 and the protruding wall 13B2, the lower part 14B of the sliding door 14 can be pulled forward and removed from the rail 13. In addition, in order to prevent the lower part 14B of the sliding door 14 from colliding with the protruding wall 13B2 during attachment and detachment and being damaged, it is preferable that a flexible covering material is provided on the protruding wall 13B2.

Making the sliding door 14 detachable from the rails 13 in this way allows the sliding door 14 to be easily cleaned. As previously mentioned, the refrigerated showcase 10 is expected to be placed near the kitchen counter, with food items stored exposed. It is also expected that the sliding door 14 will be opened and closed more frequently than in a typical refrigerated storage unit. For this reason, dirt easily adheres to the sliding door 14, and it can be kept clean by removing it and cleaning it.

As shown in FIG. 1, the sliding door 14 can be temporarily stored in a door holder 47 provided on the outer surface of the left side wall 43 for the purpose of drying after cleaning, etc. The door holder 47 is attached to support the lower part 14B and one side part 14C of the removed sliding door 14. The door holder 47 consists of a first door holder 47A that supports the lower part 14B of the sliding door 14, and a second door holder 47B that supports one side part 14C of the sliding door 14. The first door holder 47A is attached to the lower part of the outer surface of the left side wall 43 (the surface opposite the machine room 15) so as to extend in the front-to-rear direction and incline downward as it approaches the rear. The second door holder 47B is attached to the rear part of the outer surface of the left side wall 43 so as to extend in the up-down direction and incline forward as it approaches the bottom. By providing the door holder 47 in this manner, the sliding door 14 can be easily and stably stored in the door holder 47, and water that adheres during cleaning can be dried (water drained off). The door holder 47 may be provided somewhere other than the left side wall portion 43, and may be provided, for example, on the outer surface of a panel 15A (described later) of the machine room 15.

As shown in FIG. 3, the first cooling pipes 21A and 21B that generate a cooling effect are embedded in the ceiling wall 41 and the bottom wall 42, respectively. The first cooling pipes 21A and 21B are attached and fixed with a tape-like member to the outer surface (surface on the outer box 11A side) of the inner box 11B that constitutes the ceiling wall 41 and the bottom wall 42. As a result, the ceiling wall 41 and the bottom wall 42 function as cooling walls that cool the air on the ceiling surface side and the bottom surface side in the storage body 11, respectively. The cross-sectional shape of the first cooling pipes 21A and 21B is a horizontally elongated ellipse. As a result, the contact area with the inner box 11B can be increased compared to when the pipes are formed in a circular shape, and the cooling effect can be improved. The first cooling pipes 21A and 21B are arranged in a serpentine shape throughout the entire ceiling wall 41 and the bottom wall 42, respectively, and both ends thereof are drawn into the machine room 15 through the right side wall 44.

As shown in FIG. 9, the shelf 50 is in the form of a shallow tray that opens downward. The shelf 50 has a main body 51 and a frame 52. The main body 51 has a planar shape (in this embodiment, a horizontally long rectangular shape) that conforms to the internal space of the storage body 11, extends horizontally, and is the part on which food ingredients are placed. The frame 52 is a frame-shaped part that protrudes downward from the outer periphery of the main body 51. The frame 52 is composed of a front frame 52A, a rear frame 52B, a left frame 52C, and a right frame 52D. The front frame 52A and the rear frame 52B each have a plurality of insertion holes 55 (four in this embodiment). Screws 70 (an example of a fastening member) for attaching the drain pan 60 to the shelf 50 are inserted into the insertion holes 55. The left frame 52C and the right frame 52D each have a plurality of notches 56 (two in this embodiment). The cutouts 56 are cutouts for hooking the shelf boards 50 from above onto the shelf brackets 49 of the storage cabinet main body 11. As shown in Figures 6 and 7, two shelf brackets 49 are provided on the left side wall 43 and the right side wall 44 for each shelf board 50. In this embodiment, the shelf brackets 49 are cylindrical, and the cutouts 56 are approximately semicircular so as to hook onto the upper part of the cylindrical shelf brackets 49.

As shown in Figs. 8 and 9, the second cooling pipe 22 is attached to the underside of the main body 51 of each shelf 50 by a bracket 23. This allows the shelf 50 to directly cool the food on the shelf 50 and also function as a cooling plate that cools the air near the shelf 50. In order to enhance the cooling effect, the shelf 50 is preferably made of a thermally conductive material, such as a metal material (stainless steel, aluminum, etc.). The second cooling pipe 22 is arranged in a serpentine shape over the entire underside of the main body 51, and both ends of the second cooling pipe 22 penetrate the right side wall 44 and are drawn into the machine room 15. The cross-sectional shape of the second cooling pipe 22 is a horizontally elongated ellipse. In this way, the contact area between the shelf 50 and the main body 51 can be increased compared to when it is formed in a circular shape, and the cooling effect can be enhanced.

As shown in Figs. 7 and 8, it is preferable that a flexible rubber grommet 48 (auxiliary device) is attached to the through holes 44S of the first cooling pipes 21A, 21B and the second cooling pipe 22 in the right side wall portion 44. This makes it possible to prevent moisture and cold air from inside the storage body 11 from leaking into the machine room 15 through the through holes 44S. In addition, by providing the grommet 48, the impact applied to the shelf board 50 when storing or removing ingredients is less likely to be transmitted to the insertion parts of the through holes 44S of the first cooling pipes 21A, 21B and the second cooling pipe 22, improving their durability.

As shown in FIG. 8, the bracket 23 is attached so as to cover from below the portion of the second cooling pipe 22 that extends in the left-right direction. The second cooling pipe 22 according to this embodiment has multiple portions (six in this embodiment) that extend in the left-right direction, and six brackets 23 are attached accordingly. The brackets 23 are fixed to the shelf board 50, for example, by spot welding. However, the second cooling pipe 22 may also be fixed directly to the shelf board 50, for example, by soldering, without using the brackets 23.

As shown in FIG. 3, a drain pan 60 is attached from below to each shelf plate 50 to which the second cooling pipe 22 is attached. The drain pan 60 covers the second cooling pipe 22 from below and receives condensation water from the second cooling pipe 22. As shown in FIG. 9, the drain pan 60 is in the shape of a shallow tray that opens upward, and is attached removably. The drain pan 60 has a bottom 61 and a protruding portion 62 that protrudes upward from the outer periphery of the bottom 61.

The bottom 61 of the drain pan 60 has a planar shape (horizontally elongated rectangular shape in this embodiment) following the shelf 50, and has a planar size slightly smaller than that of the shelf 50. Condensed water from the second cooling pipe 22 drips onto the bottom 61. As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 9, the bottom 61 is formed in an inverted V-shape in cross section, with the central portion 61A in the left-right direction as the apex, and gradually inclined downward from the central portion 61A to the right and left, respectively. In other words, the bottom 61 of the drain pan 60 is inclined so that one end (one side) 61B on the left side wall 43 side and the other end (other side) 61C on the right side wall 44 side are lower than the central portion 61A between them. And, the one end 61B and the other end 61C in the left-right direction of the bottom 61 are provided with a defrost water outlet 65. There are four outlets 65, one at each corner of the bottom 61, which is rectangular in plan view. In this embodiment, one protrusion 62 is formed on each side of the bottom 61, and the outlets 65 are formed as gaps between adjacent protrusions 62.

By forming the drain pan 60 in this manner, the defrost water received at the bottom 61 of the drain pan 60 flows down along the slope of the bottom 61 and falls from the outlet 65 onto the bottom wall 42 of the storage body 11. It is then discharged to the outside through the drain outlet 42S of the bottom wall 42, so that the defrost water received in the drain pan 60 can be properly drained without dripping onto the food ingredients.

As shown in FIG. 9, the drain pan 60 is placed from below inside the shelf plate 50 to which the second cooling pipe 22 is attached. The drain pan 60 is slightly smaller than the shelf plate 50, and the protruding portion 62 of the drain pan 60 is adjacent to the inside of the frame portion 52 of the shelf plate 50. The protruding portion 62 of the drain pan 60 has a plurality of mounting holes 63 (eight in this embodiment) at positions overlapping with the insertion holes 55 of the frame portion 52 of the shelf plate 50. The screws 70 are attached one by one to the insertion holes 55 of each pair of overlapping shelf plates 50 and the mounting holes 63 of the drain pan 60, so that the drain pan 60 is suspended from the shelf plate 50. Two types of screws 70 with different lengths are used, and hereinafter, when distinguishing between these, the longer screw 70 is referred to as a long screw 70A and the shorter screw 70 is referred to as a short screw 70B.

The drain pan 60 is preferably made of a material having thermal conductivity, such as a metal material (stainless steel, aluminum, etc.). This allows the cooling action of the second cooling pipe 22 to be transmitted not only to the shelf plate 50, but also to the drain pan 23. As a result, the air near the drain pan 60 is cooled, and the cold air can be allowed to fall below the drain pan 60. In order to enhance the cooling effect, the drain pan 60 is preferably made of a material having thermal conductivity, such as a metal material (stainless steel, aluminum, etc.).

Next, the method of attaching the shelf board 50 and the drain pan 60 will be described in detail. First, with the shelf board 50 in a state where the second cooling pipe 22 is fixed, screws 70 are inserted into the insertion holes 55 on the rear wall portion 45 side. At this time, two long screws 70A and two short screws 70B are inserted into each of the four insertion holes 55. More specifically, the long screws 70A are inserted into the insertion holes 55 located at both ends in the left-right direction, and the short screws 70B are inserted into the insertion holes 55 located in the center in the left-right direction. Then, the shelf board 50 in this state is hooked from above onto the shelf bracket 49.

Next, the drain pan 60 is placed on the shelf 50 from below, and the two long screws 70A and two short screws 70B inserted in the shelf 50 are inserted into the mounting holes 63 on the rear wall 45 side of the drain pan 60. At this time, by first inserting (hooking) the long screws 70A into the two mounting holes 63, a part of the drain pan 60 can be held on the shelf 50. Then, by inserting the short screws 70B into the remaining two mounting holes 63, the drain pan 60 can be easily attached. In other words, by using two types of screws 70 of different lengths in this manner, the installation work of the drain pan 60 can be made easier.

Next, the insertion hole 55 on the front opening 11S side of the shelf 50 and the mounting hole 63 on the front opening 11S side of the drain pan 60 are aligned, and two long screws 70A and two short screws 70B are inserted into each of them and fastened. This allows the drain pan 60 to be attached in a suspended state to the shelf 50. Then, the shelf bracket holder 75 is screwed from below to both the left and right ends of the bottom 61 of the drain pan 60. Finally, the shelf bracket holder 75 is hooked onto the shelf bracket 49. By using the shelf bracket holder 75, even if the notch 56 of the shelf 50 comes off the shelf bracket 49, it is possible to prevent the shelf 50 and the drain pan 60 suspended therefrom from falling off the shelf bracket 49.

The method for removing the drain pan 60 is basically the reverse of the installation method described above. When removing it, the two long screws 70A and the two short screws 70B on the rear wall 45 side can remain attached to the shelf board 50. The shelf support holder 75 can also remain attached to the drain pan 60, making it easy to remove the drain pan 60.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the machine room 15 is disposed on the side of the storage body 11 opposite the door holder 14 (on the right in this embodiment). The machine room 15 is a space surrounded by the right side wall 44 and the panel 15A. The panel 15A covers the upper, front, rear, back, and right sides of the machine room 15. As shown in Fig. 6, the machine room 15 houses a compressor 17, a condenser 18, a condenser fan 19, an expansion valve, a distributor, a receiver tank, and a control device that constitute the cooling device 16. The control device includes a circuit for controlling the operation of the refrigerated showcase 10 and supplying power. The cooling device 16 includes a compressor 17, a condenser 18, an expansion valve, a distributor, first cooling pipes 21A and 21B, two second cooling pipes 22, and a receiver tank, which are connected by piping to circulate the refrigerant, forming a known refrigeration circuit (refrigeration cycle).

The compressor 17 uses a motor as a power source to draw in and compress the refrigerant gas, and discharges the high-temperature, high-pressure refrigerant gas. The condenser 18 cools and liquefies the refrigerant gas compressed by the compressor 17 using air blown by the condenser fan 19. The distributor reduces the pressure of the refrigerant liquid from the condenser 18 using an expansion valve, and then distributes it evenly to four cooling pipes (first cooling pipes 21A, 21B, and two second cooling pipes 22) connected in parallel. The cooling pipes 21A, 21B, and 22 vaporize the reduced-pressure refrigerant liquid, providing a cooling effect through the heat of vaporization. The refrigerant gas from the cooling pipes 21A, 21B, and 22 is returned to the compressor 31 after the amount of fluctuation in the refrigerant gas due to load fluctuations is absorbed in the receiver tank. The cooling operation is performed by operating the compressor 17 and the condenser fan 19.

Next, the effects of the refrigerated showcase 10 configured as described above will be described. The refrigerated showcase 10 includes the first cooling pipes 21A and 21B provided on the heat-insulating wall portion (more specifically, the ceiling wall portion 41 and the bottom wall portion 42) of the storage body 11, and the second cooling pipe 22 provided on the shelf 50. In this way, the food can be cooled by both air cooling (indirect cooling by cold air) and direct cooling. More specifically, the air inside the storage body 11 can be cooled by the first cooling pipes 21A and 21B. In addition, by cooling the shelf 50 by the second cooling pipe 22, the food on the shelf 50 can be directly cooled, and the cooling of the air inside the storage can be promoted by cooling the air near the shelf 50. As a result, even if the air cooling by the first cooling pipes 21A and 21B is hindered by the arrangement of the food, the second cooling pipe 22 can suppress uneven cooling. In addition, the use of a circulation fan (internal fan) allows for cooling without forcibly circulating cold air inside the cabinet, preventing food from drying out.

Of the first cooling pipes 21A and 21B, it is preferable that the refrigerated showcase 10 has at least the first cooling pipe 21A provided in the ceiling wall portion 41. Since cold air descends, providing the first cooling pipe 21A in the ceiling wall portion 41 can effectively achieve air cooling by the descending cold air. Also, by further providing the first cooling pipe 21B in the bottom wall portion 42, it becomes possible to cool the bottom wall portion 42 side, which is difficult for cold air to reach, and uneven cooling can be more easily suppressed.

<Other embodiments>
The present technology is not limited to the embodiments described above and illustrated in the drawings, and for example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present technology.

(1) This technology can be applied to general refrigerated storage units other than the refrigerated showcase 10. A swinging door may be provided instead of the sliding door 14.

10: Refrigerated showcase (cooling storage), 11: Storage body, 11S: Front opening, 14: Sliding door, 16: Cooling device, 21A, 21B: First cooling pipe, 22: Second cooling pipe, cooler, 41: Ceiling wall (insulated wall), 42: Bottom wall (insulated wall), 43: Left side wall (one side wall), 44: Right side wall (other side wall), 50: Shelf, 60: Drain pan, 61: Bottom, 61A: Center, 61B: One end, 61C: Other end, 63: Mounting hole, 65: Outlet, 70: Screw (fastening member)

Claims (11)

A storage body which is an insulated box having a front opening;
A shelf board provided in the storage body on which stored items are placed;
A cooling device for cooling the inside of the storage body;
A first cooling pipe that constitutes a part of the cooling device and is provided in a heat-insulating wall portion of the storage body;
A cooling storage facility comprising: a second cooling pipe that constitutes part of the cooling device and is provided on the shelf. The cooling storage unit according to claim 1, wherein the first cooling pipe is provided in the ceiling wall of the storage unit body. The cooling storage container according to claim 2, wherein the first cooling pipe is further provided on the bottom wall of the storage container body. The shelf boards are provided in a plurality of rows in the vertical direction,
The cooling storage facility according to claim 1 , wherein the second cooling pipe is provided on each of the shelves. The cooling storage unit according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a drain pan attached to the shelf plate for receiving condensation water from the second cooling pipe. The cooling storage container according to claim 5, wherein the bottom of the drain pan is inclined so that one end on one side wall of the storage container body and the other end on the other side wall facing the one side wall are lower than the center between the one end and the other end. The cooling storage facility according to claim 6, wherein the one end and the other end are provided with outlets for defrosted water. The cooling storage facility according to claim 5, wherein the shelf and the drain pan are thermally conductive. The cooling storage facility according to claim 5, wherein the drain pan is removably attached to the shelf. The cooling storage facility according to claim 9, wherein the drain pan has multiple mounting holes for mounting to the shelf, and two types of fastening members of different lengths are used for the multiple mounting holes. The cooling storage facility according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a door that opens and closes the front opening and allows the interior of the storage facility to be viewed.

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