US2064412A - Refrigerated storage compartment - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 15, i936.

W. E. CARPENTER REFRIGERATED STORAGE CCMPARTMENT 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet Filed March 4 ATTORNEYS Dec. l5, 1936. w. E. CARPENTER 2,064,412

REFRIGERATED STORAGE CCMPARTMENT Filed March 4, 1955 2 sheets-sheet 2 Olli;

I INVENTOR ATTORNEYS Patented Dec. 1'5, 1936` PATENT OFFICE REFRIGERATED stromenooMrAaTMEN'r Walter E. Carpenter, Belmar, N. J., assigner to The Dickerson Company, Newark, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application March 4, 1935, Serial No. 9,l88-

I Claims.

While my present invention is'well suited for embodiment in many types of storage structures, compartments or cabinets, where comestibles or other materials are'to be maintained at low temperatures, it finds one of its preferred embodiments in an ice cream storage cabinet of the type in which the cream is maintained frozen and dispensed from the cabinet in bulk or in packages, An object of the invention is to reduce the rate of heat transfer through the insulated cabinet walls without increasing the thickness of the walls or otherwise altering the conventional nature of the installation employed. la Another object is to prevent sweating or freezing of the outside surface of the cabinet under all external temperature conditions.

Another object is to substantially reduce. the electrical power required for operating `the re- 0 frigerating mechanism as compared with the cost of refrigerating other cabinets having comparable storage space with similar refrigerating mechanism.

A feature of the invention is the sub-division 25 of a storage cabinet into a plurality of storage spaces by one or more thin partition forming evaporators which are maintained out of contact with the walls of the cabinet. The air space or other insulation between the evapora- '30 tors and the inside cabinet walls, serves to substantially reduce the temperature differential between the inside and outside walls of the cabinet with the pendant reduction of heat exchange through these walls and with more ei- 35 cient refrigeration of thestored products.

Another object of the invention is to provide a storage cabinet of simplapractical, rugged, durable construction having means to facilitate the connection of refrigerant ducts to the parti- 4 40 tion forming evaporator and for concealing the connecting valves and ducts from View while yrendering themreadily accessible for purpose of inspection or repair.

The invention may be more fully understood 45. from the following description in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:-

- Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional-view through an ice cream storage cabinet embodying the invention with the usual cans for the storage of ice cream omitted,

Fig. 2 is a sectional plan View of the cabinet showing the cans in place,

Fig. 3 is a somewhat reduced perspective -view 55 of the cabinet with parts broken away,

Fig. 4 is an enlarged transverse sectional de-E tail on the line i-t of Fig. 3, and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged transverse sectional detail through the juncture of certain of the partition forming evaporator sections.

My improved cabinet includes top, bottom and side walls, all of which are heat insulating. Preferably the cabinet includes a metallic outer casing or shell lll and an inner metallic shell o r liner il, the spaces between these shells being 10 filled with insulating material l2 of any conventional character such for instance as cork or kapok. The use of a wooden plate ill just under the top of the outer shell i0 to strengthen the construction is conventional as is the provision of a cover B8 of stainless, sanitary material.

The cabinet is adapted for lthe storage and dispensing of ice cream and is provided with any suitable number of hatches or openings i3 in its top equipped with removable heat insulatinghatch covers lli. These cabinets are usually provided with one or more pairs of.l hatches or holes and While the cabinet shown is of the six hole type, obviously cabinets of two, four, eight or more holes may be constructed in -accordance with the invention.

Arranged under each hatch or hole twelve (Fig. 2) is a removable can or similar container l5 of conventional character adapted to contain ice cream or other comestible material (normally liquid at body temperature) in bulk or package form.

'A feature of the invention is the use of a partition forming evaporator indicated generally at i9. This evaporator includes a plurality of ver- 35 tically extending internally connected thin hollow plate like sections. Typically one section 20 of the evaporator extends longitudinally of the cabinet vbetween the two rows of these cans and transversely disposed evaporator sections 2i ex- 40 tend between the cans of each row.

Preferably each hollow plate, like the evaporator section (and incidentally all of the sections are preferably integrally united and intercommunicating) consists of a pair of closely 4,5 spaced sheet metal members 22, 22 having their edges welded together and each formed with a staggered series of complementary indentationsl 23 (Fig. 5) which abut and are spot welded together. The purpose of connecting 50 the two sheets at a plurality of points is to Vadequately strengthen `the relatively thin gauge 'sheets against relative separation under the internal gas pressures t which the evaporator sections are subjected.

A1: ,the rear wan of the cabinet the insulation I3 is omitted or cut away to afford space for a box 24 of wood or the like preferably havmay be briefly illustrated as follows.

ing a metallic back 25 lying against inner shell Il and preferably terminating iiush with the outer shell I0.

Inletl and outlet valves 26 and- 21v (Fig. 3) through which a volatile liquid refrigerant flows into the evaporator and through which evolved gases `are drawn from the evaporator are mounted in the box 24. This valve box is concealed from view by a removable plate 28 which permits ready access to the valves at all times.

It will be understood of course that the evaporator is of the flooded type, the inlet and outlet valves 26, 21 being customarily connected by conduits 29, 30 to the condenser and compressor respectively of a standard refrigerating unit (not shown).

It is in most cases desirable to have. this refrigerating machinery located in the cellar or concealed from view and a feature of the present invention is the manner in which the unsightly pipes or conduits 29, 43l) are concealed from view. A tunnel 3| (Fig. 4) in the insulating material opens at its upper end into the box 24 and at its lower end through the bottom of outer shell I0, so that concealed pipes may be led through a hole in the floor to the refrigerating apparatus located in the cellar. To

facilitate the installation of these pipes the tunnel 3| is arranged under a slot 32 in the outer,

shell I0 and a removable slide plate or key member 33 closes the slot. This slide maybe slid upwardly to completely displaced ordetached position when box lcover 28 is removed.

Similar horizontal tunnels 34 formed in the insulating material of the back wall of the cabinet connect valve box 24 to the end walls of the cabinet to permit the refrigerant pipes to be ledv through these walls if desired. These latter tunnels may if desired be rendered more accessible by the use of slide plates corresponding to plate 33.

A feature of the invention is the fact that all sections of the partition forming evaporator terminate short of the side walls of liner shell Il and also of the top wall of the liner shell and are supported by feet 35 (preferably of heat insulating material) above the bottom of the liner shell so that the evaporator is insulated against thermal conductive contact with this liner. 'I'he air space between the evaporator edges and the liner serve effectively as insulators although other types of insulation might be used if desired.

The important point about this arrangement Assume that the stored ice cream is to be held at a temperature of 20 F. Standard practice would require the evaporator temperature to be roughly 0 F. Assume the room temperature to be 70 F. The heat differential between the inner and outer the container and extend substantially the full height of the storage compartment.

'I'he result is that much less lheat transfer occurs through the box walls and the cost of refrigeration (measured .most conveniently in terms of electrical energy consumed in running the refrigerating apparatus) is far less than the cos-t of maintaining standard yor known storage cabinets of comparable volume at a similar temperature. Sweating and frosting of the outer surface of the cabinet is completely eliminated. 1

It will thusl be seen that there is herein described apparatus in which the several features of this invention are embodied, and which apparatus in its action attains the various objects of the invention and is well suited to meet the requirements of practical use.

As many changes could be made inthe above construction and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended 4that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompany- Ving drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

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

1. A refrigerated storage cabinet including a heat insulating box having openings in its top and insulating covers forE s'aid openings, a thin hollow plate like partition' forming evaporator disposed within the box and between the openings, said box having a tunnel concealed within the wall thereof in which conduit connections to the evaporator are concealed, the outer wall of said tunnel constituting a slidably removable plate adapted to expose the conduits within the tunnel. g

2. A refrigerated storage structure including an insulated housing member having a metallic lining, a thin hollow sheet metal partition forming evaporator arranged withinsaid housing and with all of its edges disposed closely adjacent to but out of contact with the inner metal wall of the housing, said evaporator dividing the housing into a plurality of storage compartments and openings in the housing through which articles may be inserted into or removed from said compartments said evaporator resting upon the bottom of the box and extending substantially the full height thereof. I

3. A refrigerated storage structure including an insulated housing member having a metallic 1ining, a thin hollow sheet metal partition forming evaporator arranged within said housing and with all of its sides disposed closely adjacent to but out of contact with the inner m'etal wall of the housing, said evaporator dividing the housing into aplurality of storage compartments and openings in the housing through which articles may be inserted into or removed from said compartments, the wall of said housing having a tunnel therein in which refrigerant conduits are adapted to be concealed,l said tunnel being arranged adjacent the outer wall of the housing and such outer housing wall including a slidably removable section to expose said conduits.

4. As a. new article of manufacture a. refrigerated storage cabinet including an insulated box having openings in the top thereof through which material may be inserted or removed, an evaporator unit disposed within the box and subdividing the box into a plurality of compartments registering with said openings, said evaporator meansd for supplying refrigerant to and unit including a plurality of thin plate like partition-forming evaporator sections, each section being hollow throughout and extending vertically of the box and substantially from the -top to the bottom thereof, means providing communication between said' evaporator vsections and wi hdrawing refrigerant from said unit. 5. As a new article of manufacture a refrig erated storage cabinet including an insulated box having openings in the top thereof through which material may be inserted or removed, an

evaporator unit disposed within the box andsubdividing the box into a plurality of compartments registering with said openings, said evaporator unit including a plurality of thin plate like partition-forming evaporator sections, each section being hollowthroughout and extending vertically of the box and substantially from the top to the bottom thereof, means providing cornmunication between said evaporator ,sections and means for supplying refrigerant to and withdrawing refrigerant from saidV unit, all edges of said sections being out of contact with thebox walls whereby to inhibit direct transfer of heat vbetween the sections and the outer air through the box walls.

6; As a new article o! manufacture a refrigerated storage cabinet including an insulated box having openings in the top thereof through which material may be material may be inserted or removed, aY selfsustained evaporator unit disposed within the box and subdividing the box into a plurality of compartments registering with said openings, said evaporator unit including a plurality of transversely disposed platelike partition-forming evaporator sections hollow throughout and extending vertically of the box and substantially from the top to the bottom thereof, and means rigidly connecting said sections and aiording communication between them.

7. As a new article of manufacture a refrigerated storage cabinet including an insulated box having openings inthe top thereof through which inserted or removed. a selfsustained evaporator unit disposed within the box and'subdividing the box into a plurality of compartments registering with said openings,-

said evaporator unit including aA plurality oi transversely disposed plate like partition-forming evaporator sections hollow throughout and extending vertically of the box and substantially from the top to the bottom thereof, andmeans rigidly connecting said sections and aording communication@ between them, the connecting means comprising similar plate like sections dis` posed at rightangles to the transverse sections and vcommunicating freely with them.

WALTER E. canarini'rari.4

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