US1900855A - Ventilating means for refrigerators - Google Patents

Description

1 March 7, 1933.

G. A. AYLSWORTH VENTILATING MEANS FOR REFRIGERATORS- Filed Jan. 12, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 @111 "via/11014 A TTORNE Y.

March 7, 1933. v swo -r 7 1,900,855

VENTILATING MEANS FOR REFRIGERATORS Filed Jan. 12, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 A TTORNE Y.

Patented Mar. 7, 1933 v UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GEORGE A. AYLSWOR'IH, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR T0 COLD CONTROL CORPORATION, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION OF MISSOURI VIHVTILATING MEANS FOR REFRIGIEIRATORS Applieatioa filed January 12, 19.31. Serial No. 508,110.'

The present invention relates to refrigerating apparatus, and the primary object in View is to devise means for improving the air condition within the cooling or storage compartment of such apparatus, for the purpose of obtaining not only the proper refrigerating action but also preserving the refrigerated product in a more natural and wholesome condition, and untainted by exposure to other products in the same compartment.

According to my invention, I provide means for maintaining a continuous flow of outside ventilating air through the refrigerating chamber, which is kept otherwise closed to communication with the outside airexcept as it is admitted through the medium of my invention.

In accomplishing this purpose of my invention, I provide a device whereby separate paths are afforded the incoming and outgoing air, one of which paths is maintained at a slightly different thermal state from that of the other path, with the result that there is thus produced a continuous fiow of air into and out of the refrigerating chamber, with the resultant advantages hereinafter described.

With the foregoing general objects in view, as well as various minor objects as will appear in the course of the detailed specification, the invention will now be described by reference to the accompanying drawings illustrating a practical application of my improvement, after which those features and combinations deemed to be novel will be set forth and claimed.

' In the drawings- Figure 1 is a perspective view, with portions broken away, illustrating arefrigerator cabinet having incorporated therein a refrigerating and ventilating construction embodying the present improvement:

Flgure 2 is a vertical sectional view Flgure 3 1s a rear perspective view of the refrigerating unit removed from the cabinet, with a corner portion broken away;

Figure 4 is a horizontal section on the line 4-4 of Figure 2; and

Figure 5 is a perspective detail of the ventilating structure, representing a section on the line 55 of Figure 2.

Referring now to the drawings inldetail, these illustrate the proposed improvement in assembled relation to a refrigerator cabinet of ordinary construction having a door 11 to provide access to the interior of the cabinet,

as well as a top cover member 12 for icing purposes. In the construction illustrated, I

show the use of a dry ice unit of the same general type as illustrated in my copending application Serial Number 497,810, filed November 24, 1930, the ,same being constructed ofsuitable sheet metal to provide an upper refrigerant chamber 13 for storage of solidified CO or dry ice 14, the chamber 13 being provided with a removable closure 15 to provide access to said chamber 13 by way of'the outside cover member 12. At each end of the chamber 13, the unit is provided with a double-walled extension 17 providing a-gas space 18 communicating at its upper end with a chamber 13, these extensions being designed to be positioned adjacent to the interior faces of the corresponding walls of the cabinet 10, as illustrated in Figures 2 and 3. The rear portion of the cabinet is also of double-walled structure, as indicated at 22 and designed to extend across the interior surface of the rear wall of the cabinet, as

- shown in Figure 2, and providing a gas space the bottom opening 24 and thence rise through the space 23 at the rear of the unit, and finally leave by said outlet opening 25.-

For controlling the circulation of the CO, gas, a damper or valve shutter 27 is rotatively mounted at each of the entrances to the gas flow passages 18, and each shutter provided with an operating arm 28 which is pivotally connected, as indicated at 29, to an operating link 30 at the back of the cabinet 10, one end of this link being operatively connected with a suitable thermostat device 32, as shown in Figure 3. The connections are such as to rotate these dampers or valve shutters 27 in op- 5 passages .23, or in response to the changes in temperature in the space around the thermo stat device 32.

For accomplishing the ventilating feature of my invention, I provide a passage 35 which I illustrate as located at the rear margin of one of the extensions 17 where this is joined to the front wall of the rear chamber 18. By this arrangement one side of the passage 35 is formed by the front wall of the space 23, while the other side of said passage is formed by a partition 36 connecting the top and bottom extension walls 17 which enclose the space 18, as shown in Figure 5. As a result of this construction, one side of the passage 35 is obviously subjected to the relatively lower temperature of said space 18 while the other side of the passage is subjected to the relatively warmer temperature prevailing in the space 23, and counter flowing air currents will therefore be established in passage 35, as represented by the arrows in Figure 5. A similar result mi ht be obtained by a multiplicity of tubes an passages 35, but I prefer the single passage arrangement as shown, if made large enough to provide the necessary volume of circulation, for a minimum of friction is established for the air flow, and besides all dead air spaces, such as would result from separated air inlets and outlets, are entirely obviated.

It will therefore be apparent that the circulation of air will be produced within the various refri crating compartments 40, substantially as lndicated by the arrows in Figure 2, from the passage 35 and back again through the same passage, or to and from the space 16 around the chamber 13 in the top of the cabinet 10. Since the cover 12 may admit a small quantity of air around its edges and is also removed from time to time for replenishing the ice 14, this will in most cases afford ample vent capacity for the air, although if deemed necessary a suitable vent opening to the exterior may be provided at any desired point. This supply of air and circulation of the same through the refrigerating compartment 40 is the essential feature which is required for keeping the interior air from becoming stale and unwholesome, and furnishing the necessary humidity for preserving the freshness and crispness of the foods which tend to lose their moisture content if the air is allowed to become too dry. Then again the ventilating air current supplies the moisture necessary to absorb the various odors given off by the different foods, thereby preventing one food product from becoming tainted with the odor of another food, which commonly happens with the prevailing type of unventilated refrigerating chambers. Another lVith the described construction food ar-1 ticles may be preserved in a practically ideal state without becoming tainted by circulated vapors or odors, and kept in this refrigerated state for any desired period.

While I have illustrated and described what is now regarded as the preferred form of construction for embodying my present improvements, the other features of which are explained in my aforesaid copending application, I desire to be understood as reserving the right to make whatever changes or modi: fications may fairly fall within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. Refrigerating apparatus comprising a closed refrigerating chamber, a refrigerating unit in communication with said chamber, and means providing a single passageway constituting a combined air inlet and outlet to said chamber, said passageway being contained entirely within the apparatus and having air-contacting surfaces partially exposed to the chilling effect of the refrigerating unit for maintaining different thermal states along the passageway and thereby inducing a continuous flow of ventilating air into and out of said chamber.

2. Refrigerating apparatus comprising a closed refrigeratin chamber, a refrigeratin unit in communicat on with said chamber, an m ans providing a single passageway constituting a combined air inlet and outlet to said chamber having various portions of said passageway maintained at different thermal states for inducing a continuous flow of ventilating air into and out of the chamber.

3. Refrigerating apparatus comprising a closed refrigerating chamber, a refrigerating unit in communication with said chamber, and means providing a passage having one of its sides maintained at a different thermal state from the other side of said passage for inducing a continuous flow of ventilating air into and out of the chamber.

4. Refrigerating ap aratus comprising a closed refrigerating chamber, a refrigerating unit in communication with said chamber, and means providing a passage having one side thereof subjected to the cooling influence of said refrigerating unit and the other side of the passage subjected to the relatively higher temperature of said chamber for maintaining a continuous flow of exterior air into and out of said chamber.

5. Refrigerating a paratus comprising a closed refrigerating c amber, a refrigerating unit in communication with said chamber,

ventilating and means providing a vertical passage in communicationwith the top of said chamber, one side of said passage being subjected to the cooling influence of said refrigerating umt and the other side of the passage being subjected to the relatively higher temperature of said chamber for maintainn a continuous flow of exterior ventilating air into and out of said chamber.

6. A dry ice refrigerating unit comprising a casing structure providing an upper refrigerant chamber and outflow gas extensions of tubular-sheet form communicating with the bottom of said chamber and an upflow gas extension of tubular-sheet form communicating with the bottom of said first extensions, and means providing an air ventilating passage having the sides thereof subjected to the influence of diflerent temperatures as exerted by the refrigerating medium in difierent parts of said casing structure.

7 A dry ice refrigerating unit comprising a casing structure providing an upper refrigerant chamber and a cooling compartment partially enclosed by a pair of outflow extensions of hollow-sheet form communicating with the bottom of said chamber and an upflowf gas extension of hollow-sheet form hetween saidfirst extensions and communicating with the lower ends thereof, and means providing an air'ventilating p having one side thereof sub'ected to the coo influence of one of sai outflow extensions and the other side of the passage subjected to the influence of the temperature in said upflow gas extension.

8. Adry ice refrigerating unit comprising a casing structure providing an upper refrigerant chamber and outflow gas extensions of tubular-sheet form communicating with the bottom of said chamber and an outflow gas extension of tubular-sheet form communicating with the bottom of said first extensions, and means providing an air ventilating passage having a portion of said upflow extension forming one side of said p and a I partition element forming the o posite side of said passage and se arating t e same from the interior of one 0 said outflow extensions.

In witnesswhereof I hereunto aflix my signature.

GEORGE A. AYLSWORTH.

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