US1337625A - Refrigerator - Google Patents

Description

H. M. TARRAS,

REFRIGERATOR.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 27, 19x9.

Patented Apr. 20, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

H. M. TARHAS.

REFRIGERATOR.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 21. 1919.

Patented Apr. 20, 1920.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2- 392 awumdoz NTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY M. TARRAS, 0F TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF TO ROBERT JOHN GASKIN, 0F TORONTO, CANADA.

rtnrarenanron.

Application filed June 27, 1919.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HARRY M. TARRAs, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Toronto, in the Province of Ontario and Dominion of Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Refrigerators, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to refrigerators, and particularly to iceless refrigerators which are rendered cool by evaporation of water.

The object of the invention is to so construct a refrigerator of this character that after its initial cost there is no expense incidental to its operation.

Another object is to provide a device of this character in the form of a cabinet having a maximum surface exposed to evaporation thereby insuring a maximum cooling effect in the cabinet.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combi nation and arrangementof parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed may be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 represents a perspective view of a refrigerator constructed in accordance with this invention, with the door shown open and the food supporting shelf removed,

Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of another form of the invention,

Fig. 4; is a central transverse section thereof,

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail sectional view taken on line 55 of Fig. 4, and

Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail sectional view through the lower portion oft-he door and the tank below it.

In the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, the refrigerator constituting this invention is constructed in the form of a cabinet 1 composed of galvanized iron or other suitable material, and preferably made airtight throughout, except at its bottom, which is open over its entire area. is

Specification of Letters Patent.

Tatented Apr. 2% 1920.

Serial No. 307,185.

cabinet is supported on suitable legs 2 of a height sufficient to space the bottom of the cabinet from the ground a suitable distance to permit air to pass freely under the cabinet and up through the open bottom thereof. The opening in the bottom is preferablv covered by a foraminous plate 3 composed of any suitable material, preferably of screen wire and which is slidable in and out for cleaning and other purposes.

Arranged around the side walls and bad of the cabinet are water tanks 4 which extend up any desired height, being here shown about one-third of the height of the cabinet, although obviously their size may be varied. The front walls of these tanks 4 have their upper edges grooved as shown at 5 to form seats for shelves, not shown designed to support food and other articles to be placed in the refrigerator. These upper edges are spaced from the walls of the cars ing 1 a suflicient distance to permit the free passage between them and the casing of the absorbent lining 10 presently to be described.

The tanks are equipped with a water inlet in the form of a funnel 6 which projects throu h one side wall thereof and at their bottom have an outlet *4 provided with a controlling valve 8.

.Tandles 9 are shown arranged at opposite sides of the casing 1 for lifting the refrig erator from place to place.

Arranged within the casing 1 is a lining 1O composed of any suitable bibulous or absorbent material, preferably heavy cotton wick loosely woven which is suspende from the center rod 11 equipped with radiating pins 12 adapted to penetrate the lining to hold it in adjuster. position. This center rod 11 is mounted in the front and rear walls of the casing at the top thereof and side rods 13 are arranged at the upper part of the casing adjacent these s de w s as shown clearly in Fig. 2 so that the l u 10 will he held in prop-er vertical relation to said side walls, the ends of said lin ng passing down between the lips or edges 5 of the tanks and the walls of the casing 1 into the tanks 4 where they are thoroughly saturated with the water ontaine in the tanks and the water passes up over the lining by capillary attraction. This rod 11 is provided at it front end with a handle 14: whereby it may be rotated after adjusting he lining 10 to position it properly in relation to the tanks and to vary the area presented for evaporation.

Another lining of similar material is arranged at the back of the casing and supported on a rod 16 mounted in the top thereof, the lower end of said lining dipping into the tank at the back of the casing in the same manner just above described relatively to the lining 10.

A door 17 is hinged to one side of the casing and closes the entire front thereof, being provided at its lower end with a tank a similar to the tanks f, the upper edge of which is provided with a grooved edge to form a shelf seat and which is spaced from the door to permit the lower end of a lining 18 carried by the door to dip into said tank. This lining 18 is mounted on a rod 19 sup ported at the upper end of door 17 on its inner face as is shown clearly in Fig. 1. A handle 20 is carried by the door and is preferably made in the form of a latch adapted to engage a catch 21 secured to the casing at one side of the door opening as is shown clearly in Fig. 1 and as is usual in apparatus of this character.

From the above description it will be obvious that the casing 1 which embodies one form of the invention is air-tight througlr out, except at the bottom, which is open and screened to permit air to enter throughout and to contact with the saturated linings 10, 15 and 18, thereby causing evaporation and producing a maximum cooling effect within the cabinet so that a low temperature will be maintained therein and render the cabinet eflicacious as a refrigerator.

A water gage 6 is preferably provided on the tank as shown for showing the depth of water in the tank.

In the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 3 to 6, a cabinet 21 is shown, similar to the cabinet 1 shown in the other figures, except that the water tank 24 extends entirely around the lower portion of the cabinet and the door 27 thereof at the front of the cabinet is hinged to the upper edge of the tank to open downwardly as is shown clearly in Fig. 3. This cabinet 21 is supported on suitable legs 22 of a height suflicient to space the bottom of the cabinet from the ground a suitable distance to permit air to pass freely under the cabinet and a plate 23 is mounted on said legs at a point spaced below the bottom of the tank 24:. A foraminous covering, preferably of screen wire 25 spans the space between the lower edge of the tank 24c and the plate 23 so as to exclude dust, insects and the like from the interior of the refrigerator, and yet permit the free passage of air thereinto.

The tank 24 has the usual filling spout 26, water gage 26, and drain cock 28, and the cabinet is equipped at opposite sides with handles as 29 to facilitate lifting thereof when it is desired to change its location.

The inner wall of the tank 24 is grooved as shown at 24t similar to the tank 4 of the other figures to form seats for shelves, not shown, the tank being open at its upper end inside the refrigerator for the passage into the tank of the linings or moisture absorbing elements to be described.

The absorbent linings used in connection with this refrigerator are here shown in the form of endless aprons, one of which is mounted on the door-27 and numbered 31 and passes over rollers 30 and 32 carried respectively by the door 27 and the front wall of the tank. This apron 31 is composed of any suitable absorbent material, preferably heavy cotton wick, loosely woven. The roller 32 is ournaled in longitudinally extending slots 33 or brackets 3 1 carried by the front wall of the tank as is shown clearly in Fig. 6 so that ample space will be provided for the opening of the door 27, it being understood that the journals of the roller ride up in the slot when the door is opened and under the weight ofthe roller drop down when the door is closed.

A pair of parallel rollers 35 and 36 extend from the front to the rear of the top of cabinet 21, being arranged one above the other with their ends journaled in the front and rear walls of the cabinet. These rollers have fixed th reto intermeshing cog wheels 37 and 38 and the upper rolleris provided with a crank handle 39 projecting from the front wall of the cabinet as is shown clearly in Figs. 3 and 4t so that the turning of this handle will operate through the cogs to turn both rollers 35 and 36 for a purpose now to be described. An endless absorbent apron or lining 41 is mounted on these rollers, the upper stretch of the apron passing over the top roller and the lower stretch between the rollers 35 and 36 so that when said rollers are rotated .one stretch of the apron will move in one direction and the other in the opposite direction. This apron 4E1 also passes over rods as 42 mounted at opposite sides of the cabinet as is shown clearly in Figs. 3 and l and the opposite ends of the apron depend into the tank 24 at opposite sides of the cabinet and are engaged with rollers, not shown, similar to those over which the apron 31 passes.

The rollers 35 and 36 are provided with a plurality of radiating pins or spurs 40 which are designed to penetrate the apron and take hold thereof to insure the movement of the apron on the turning of the rollers.

An apron, 43, similar to the apron 31 is arranged at the back of the cabinet and ex tends over rollers 44 and 45 located respectively at the top of the cabinet and the bottom of the tank at the rear thereof as is shown clearly in Fig. l.

The door 27 is preferably provided with an ordinary catch 27 for holding it in closed position.

The operation of this cabinet is the same as that shown in Figs. 1 and 2, except that endless aprons are employed in this form of the invention, instead of the single members used in the other form.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the advantages of the construction and of the method of operation will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention appertains and while I have described the principle of operation of the invention together with the device which I now consider to be the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that the device shown is merely illustrative and that such changes may be made as are within the scope of the claimed invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an iceless refrigerator, a cabinet having a ventilating opening, a water tank arranged around said cabinet, a roller extending transversely across the top of the cabinet and through one wall thereof, a handle on said end, liquid absorbent lining suspended over said roller, said lining dipping into said tank and movable by the turning of said roller to vary its position in the cabinet.

2. In an iceless refrigerator, a cabinet closed air-tight except at its bottom, a water tank arranged around said bottom, a roller extending transversely across the top of said cabinet and extending through one wall thereof, a handle on said end, pins radiating from said roller, a liquid absorbent lining suspended over said roller and engaged by said pins, said lining dipping into said tank and movable by the turning of said roller to vary its position in the cabinet.

3. In iceless refrigerator, a cabinet closed air-tight except at its bottom, a water ank arranged around said cabinet at its ower end and opening at its top within said nbinet. parallel rollers extending trans ersely across the top of the cabinet one hove he other and having radiating spurs, internieshing cogs carried by said rollers, means for urning one of said rollers whereby the other is rotated, and an endless apron having the stretches thereof, one passing over the top roller and the other between the rollers, rollers in the tank at opposite sides of the cabinet around which said apron passes.

an iceless refrigerator, a cabinet, a

water tank arranged around said cabinet at its lower end and opening at its top within said cabinet, parallel rollers extending trans versely across the top of the cabinet, intermeshing cogs carried by said rollers, means for turning one of said rollers whereby the other is rotated, and bibulous mate rial supported by said roller and movable on the turning thereof.

In an iceless refrigerator, a cabinet, a water tank arranged around said cabinet at its lower end and opening at its top within said cabinet, said cabinet having a ventilating opening, parallel rollers extending transversely across the top of the cabinet, intermeshing cogs carried by said rollers, means for turning one of said rollers, whereby the other is rotated, a bibulous material supported by said roller and movable on the turning thereof, and rollers in the tank at opposite sides of the cabinet with which said material is engaged.

6. In an iceless refrigerator, a cabinet having a ventilating opening, a water tank arranged around said cabinet, a roller extending across the top of said cabinet, a liquid absorbent lining suspended over said roller and dippin into said tank, means for turning said roller to vary the position of the lining in the cabinet, a door for said cabinet, a bibulous lining on the inner face of said door, and a tank into which said lining dips.

7. In an iceless refrigerator, a cabinet havin a ventilating opening, a Water tank arranged around said casing, a roller ex tending across the top of said cabinet, a liquid absorbent lining suspended over said roller and dipping into said tank, means for turning said roller to vary the posiion of the lining in the cabinet, a door hinged to open downwardly, rollers mounted one on the door and one in the tank, and an endless apron of bibulous material passing over said rollers.

S. In an iceless refrigerator, a cablnet having a ventilating opening, a water tank arranged around said casing, a roller extending across the top of said cabinet, a liquid absorbent lining suspended over said roller and dipping into said tank, means for turning said roller to vary the position of the lining in the cabinet, a door hinged to open downwardly, rollers mounted one on tl e door and one in the tank, one of said rollers being vertically movable, and an endless apron of bibulous material passing over said rollers.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HARRY M. TARRAS. Witnesses ROBERT J. GASKIN, J. D. KENOHEL.

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