US2096481A

US2096481A - Refrigerator

Info

Publication number: US2096481A
Application number: US69802A
Authority: US
Inventors: Frykdahl Carl Edward Harry
Original assignee: COOLERATOR Co
Current assignee: COOLERATOR Co
Priority date: 1936-03-20
Filing date: 1936-03-20
Publication date: 1937-10-19
Anticipated expiration: 1954-10-19

Description

Oct. 19, 1937. c. E. H. FRYKDAHL 2,096,481

REFRIGERATOR Filed March 20, 1956 Patented Oct. 19, 1937 UNITE STATES- PATENT OFFlCE 2,096,481 REFRIGERATOR Carl Edward Harry Frykdahl, Duluth, Minn., as-

signor to The Coolerator Company, Duluth, Minn, a corporation of Minnesota Application March 20, 1936, Serial no. 9,302

s Claims. (01. 62 46 This invention relates to ice refrigerators and it is particularly intended and adapted for that type of ice refrigerator in which the circulation ice cake and promote level. melting; to prevent condensation on the front rail of the refrigerator between the food compartment door and the ice 15 compartment door; and to prevent drippings and ice chips from passing into the food compartment.

Further objects are to provide a water cooler in the cooling Zone of the refrigerator and adapt 23 ed to be filled with water and to dispense water at the front of the food compartment; to support the water cooler in the drip pan beneath the.

ice so that drippings will fall upon the top of the water cooler and assist in cooling the water there- S in; to enable the drip pan and water cooler to be easily removed from the refrigerator and re-v placed therein; and to enable the Water coolerto.

be separated from the drip pan easily and without disconnecting any parts. 1 With these and other objects in view I have illustrated the invention in a selected embodiment in the accompanying drawing and referring thereto Fig. l is a front elevation of the refrigerator 5 with the door to the food compartment and the door to the ice compartment open;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view through that part of the refrigerator which includes the top portion of the food compartment and the bot.- 43 tom portion of the ice compartment;

Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of the water cooler;

Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of the drip pan; and

45 Fig. 5 is a detail view partly in section showing the filling spout for the water cooler in extended position.

Referring to the drawing, Bindicates generally the cabinet which may be of different sizes 59 and shapes and made of suitable material with desired insulation, and varied to meet differentconditions. The refrigerator has a food come partment l at the bottom and an ice compartment 8 at the top. A front ledge 9 is supported in the side walls of the refrigerator adjacent the into'the food compartment.

cross rail l6 which is located in the front wall between the food compartment door I! and the ice compartment door l2. An inner rail I3 is mounted on the front ledge 9 and spaced like the front ledge from the front rail Ill. The front ledge, 5 the front rail and the inner rail are preferably made of wood; and the inner rail has a sheet metal facing 14 thereon which extends down over theinner edge of the front ledge. The lower edge I 5 of the facing I4 hangs free to provide a drip edgedirectly above the water cooler and drip pan to prevent any water of condensation ron i" dripping into the food compartment. The space Hi between the front rail and the inner rail and front'ledgeis narrow and is covered at the top by the sill ll of the door to the ice compartment which prevents anything from dropping through this space into the food compartment. This space provides an air space between the front rail and the inner rail which affords sufli- 2'0 c ient insulation for the front rail to prevent the metal facing I0 thereon from sweating. It is not strictly a dead air space because it is open at the top and bottom and there may be some movementof the air'but it is not an air circulation space andcontribut es nothing to the air circulation cycle in the food compartment. The front ledge 9 extends inwardly from the front Wall of the refrigerator and between the two compartments and forms a shelf upon which the front of the ice rack rests. The facing I4 is hooked over the" upper outer edge of the inner rail l3 at M and a keeper I 4 fastened above the drip edge l5 or the facing is arranged to hook under the inner edge ofthe front ledge 9 whereby the facing is-held'inplace on the inner rail and front 1 1: a

-A back ledge I 8 is fastened to the back and sidewalls of the refrigerator and is preferably made of wood provided with a sheet metal facing I8; The inneredgeof the back ledge l8 projects over the drip' pan and the rear end of the water cooler so that any drippings fromthe ledge will"? be received in thepan and not drop into'the food compartment. The lower face of the front ledge 9 is preferably inclined'inwardly and downwardly to assist in changing the direction of the flow of air'in the circulation up behind the food compartn entdoor l l rearward overthewater cooler and drip pan and the lower face of the back ledge I8 is inclined inwardly and downwardly so that any water of condensation thereon will flow'to theinn'er lower edge of the ledge and drop upon the" water cooler. and the drip panand not drop An ice rack i9 of suitable construction is removably supported upon the ledges 9 and [8. This ice rack may have a plurality of parallel bars l9 extending between front and back of the refrigerator and provided with depending sides or flanges iii if desired; and one type of such ice rack is illustrated in Patent 1,864,212, June 21, 1932. A sheet metal front rail is fastened to the underside of the front ends of the rack bars and extends upward alongside the inner rail I3 and projects at an angle above said rail and has its upper edge turned down to provide a rounded hooked upper end 29' which is located inward of the sill ll of the ice compartment door. The ice rack front rail is bent to form a bead 2| which preferably extends transversely of the rack beneath the front edge thereof to rest upon the inwardly projecting end portion of the front ledge. The purpose of the bead is to reduce the area of contact between the rack and the shelf formed by the ledge 9 to a line contact and correspondingly reduce the heat conductance through this line contact and thereby prevent the ice from melting unduly and irregularly. The outwardly projecing part of the ice rack front rail, and its upper rounded hooked end, forms a shield between the ice cake 22 and the metal faced inner rail 83 and front ledge 9 and assists in protecting the front rail 69 .and its facing from sweating. The rounded upper end 29' of the ice rack front rail projects slightly above the sill l! of the door to the ice compartment and indicates, when the top of the ice is substantially in the same horizontal plane as therounded top of the ice rack front rail, that the refrigerator should be re-iced; and this rounded top provides .a skid rail over which the new ice cake is pushed into the ice compartment and protects the sill ll of the door. A spacer 23 fastened to the: underside of the rail 23 is arranged to engage the rail [3 and support the rail 23 against collapsing upon the rail I3 under the weight of an ice cake.

An ice rack back rail 24 is fastened to the rear ends of the rack bars I9 and is bent to form a bead 25 and then extends upwardly behind. the rack and rearwardly at 24' with its upper edge engaging the back wall 26 of the refrigerator. The bead-29 is provided for the same reasons that the bead 2% is provided as herein explained. Keepers 2? are fastened to the back wall of the refrigerator and keepers 28 are fastened to the ice rack back rail behind the ice rack to engage the fixed keepers 21. These keepers not only serve to position the ice rack on the shelves formed by the

ledges

9 and 18 but the keepers 28 are arranged beneath the keepers 2! to prevent the rear end of the rack from tilting upward when a cake of ice is skidded into the ice compartment over the front rail 23. The

keepers

21, 28 space the ice rack back rail from the back wall of the refrigerator and the inclined upper part 24 of the rail provides a shield for the spacers and also serves as a centering device to cooperate with the inclined front rail 23 for centering the ice cake in the ice chamber and also to prevent the ice cake from resting against the rear wall or the front wall of the ice compartment. Hangers 29 are suspended from the back ledge l 8 to removably support a screen 30 which bridges a part of the space between the back ledge and the top of the water cooler or the bottom of the drip pan and serves to prevent chips that may be separated from the ice cake from falling into the food compartment.

The drip pan, Fig. 4, has a bottom 3!, sides 32, a low front 33 and a low back 34." The pan is located at the top of the food compartment 1 and extends from side wall to side wall of the refrigerator. The pan is supported on hangers in the food compartment beneath the rack and the ice cake. There are slots 35 in the rear edges of the drip pan sides which engage the hangers 36 fastened to the side walls of the food compartment and there are forwardly and upwardly projecting hangers 31 fastened to the front ends of the sides of the drip pan to engage swinging hangers 38 pivotally mounted on the side walls of the food compartment (Fig. 5). When the door i is open the drip pan is placed in the food compartment until the slots 35 engage the hangers 39 and then the hangers 38 are swung down to engage the hangers 31 and the drip pan is then suspended in the food compartment at the top thereof. The back 34 is of sufiicient height to prevent any drip water from flowing thereover and falling into the food compartment and the front 33 is also of sufficient height to prevent any water in the drip pan from fiovving thereover and falling into the food compartment when the pan is being removed from the refrigerator. A small extension 39 at the back of the drip pan is provided with a tubular discharge 39' which enters the drain pipe 40 whereby the drip water and any water of condensation that may be received in the drip pan is conveyed directly to the drain pipe. The drip pan has a slot 4| therein extending forward from the extension 39 and this slot is covered by a shield 42 on the bottom of the pan. The slot 4| extends beyond the front end of the shield 42 and the forward end of the slot is. protected by an upstanding flange 43 forming a rim which prevents water in the pan from flowing through the slot into the food compartment. The drip pan is suspended in an inclined position downwardly from the front to the rear and there will be a constant drain from the pan and the shield rearwardly through the extension 39 to the drain pipe. The front edge 42' of the shield is bent upward to prevent the accidental escape of water at this end of the shield.

The water cooler, Fig.3, comprises a tank 44 which hasan upstanding bead 45 all about its upper edge. This tank is adapted to be assembled with the drip pan and together inserted into the food compartment. A pipe 46 having a discharge valve 41 at its front end communicates at its inner end with the bottom of the water cooler 44at the back thereof. In the form of themvention shown in the drawing the pipe is horizontal, the valve is located below the front of the tank and the back end of the pipe is fastened to the bottom of the tank near the back wall thereof. The pipe may rest upon. the flange 42' at the front of the shield and it is preferably held in a hanger 48 secured to the bottom of the tank. The discharge valve is located just inside of the door II at the top of the food compartment where it is readily accessible or it can be extended through a wall of the refrigerator for dispensing cold water which will flow by gravity from the tank. A filling nozzle ,49 having a cap 53 is swivelled in an elbow 5! which is fastened in the front wall of the tank. This nozzle is located at one side of the tank and it can be swung forward sufficiently to enable the filling operation to be conducted without spilling water into the food compartment. The tank is supported by the drip pan slightly above the bottom thereof by the hanger 48 and by the rib 43 so that water in the pan may flow freely on the bottom thereof from front to back of the pan and into the extension 39- to be discharged into the drain pipe. The tank is arranged in tilted position, like the bottom of the drip pan, and the bead 45 at the back of the tank has one or more recesses 45'- to permit water on top of the tank to flow over the rear end thereof and into the drip pan.

In the ordinary use of a refrigerator embodying my invention the ice will melt level so that a fresh cake of ice can be readily inserted upon the reduced cake in the ice compartment. The ice melts at the bottom of the cake and to no material extent at the front or back, sides or top, and also melts slowly, and the front rail 20 forms a convenient gauge to indicate time for re-icing. The fresh ice cake is skidded over the rounded upper end of the rail 20 onto the top of the reduced cake in the ice compartment and this facilitates re-icing and protects the sill H, which may be made of a breakable material, from damage. The front rail 20 and that part 24 of the back rail 24 of the ice rack are inclined inwardly and downwardly and serve to center .the fresh cake of ice on the rack as the reduced cake melts away. The beads 21 and 25 of the ice rack have line contact with the supporting ledges 9 and I8 and reduce the heat transfer between the ice cake and the supports and promote the level melting of the ice cake. The inner rail I3 and the air space I6, and to some extent the ice rack front rail 20, reduce heat transfer through the front rail l0 and prevent condensation on the facing l0.

The water cooler provides a simple and convenient means for dispensing cold water for drinking purposes. This .water cooler is arranged at the top of the food compartment immediately below the ice cake, and the tank and the drip pan which supports the tank are arranged in a downwardly inclined position from front to rear which assists the circulation of air in the food compartment up at the front of the compartment and over the top of the tank from front to back thereof and down at the back of the compartment. Thus the air circulates in a cooling zone between the water tank and drip pan and the ice cake and the drippings from the ice cake and thewater on top of the cooler tank make this cooling zone also a humidifying zone; The air in the food compartment is thus kept moist and it absorbs the odors and gases given off by the food while it is circulating in the food compartment, and as the air passes through the cooling and moisture zone it is washed and purified, the odor and gases being carried off by the water and down the drain pipe. The screen 30 is arranged to prevent chips or chunks of ice which may fall from the ice compartment from passing over the rear end of the cooler tank and the drip pan and falling into the food compartment.

I have shown the invention in a selected'embodiment adapted for commercial use in one model of household refrigerator but I do not restrict the invention to this particular embodiment and reserve the right to make all such changes and alterations in the form, construction and arrangement of parts which may be desirable for any purpose and within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. An ice refrigerator having an ice compartment, a door opening and a door therefor, and

a rail arranged in the ice compartment adjacent the bottom of the door opening forming a insidethe ice compartment and above the level of said sill over which a cake of ice may be skidded into the compartment without damaging the sill. i I

3. An ice refrigerator having an ice compartment, a door opening and a door therefor, an ice rack at the bottom of the ice compartment to receive a cake of ice, and a rail connected to the ice rack and arrangedat the front of the ice compartment to form a skid on which a cake of ice may be skidded into the. compartment.

4. An ice refrigerator having an ice comparte ment, a door opening and a door therefor, ledges at the bottom of said compartment, an ice rack supported on said ledges, and a front rail'on said ice rack at the front edge thereof, said rail being shaped to form a head for line contact with one of said ledges and also being extended to form a rail on which a cake of ice may be skidded into the icecompartment.

5. An ice refrigerator having an ice compartment and a back wall therefor, ledges at the bottom'and at the front and back-of said compartment, and an ice'rack supported on said ledges, said ice rack having a back'rail and said back rail having a bead at thebottom thereof to form line contact with the back ledge and said back rail being also extended up behind the rack and inclined against the back 'wall of the ice compartment.

6. An'ice refrigerator having an ice compartment at the top and a food compartment at the bottom, ledges between said compartments and at the front and back thereof, an-ice rack supported on said ledges, said front ledge being inclined inwardly and downwardly at its bottom, a drip pan at the top of the food compartment, and

av sheet metal facing on the front ledge having 7. An ice refrigerator having an ice comparts ment at the top and a food compartment at the bottom, ledges between said compartments and at the front and back thereof, an ice rack supported on said, ledges, a drip pan at the top of the food compartment, the back ledge being inclined inwardly and downwardly at its bottom, a sheet metal facing on said back ledge, and means suspended from said back ledge to discharge drippings from the ice and water of condensation on the bottom of the back ledge into the drip pan.

8. An ice refrigerator having an ice compartment at the top and a food compartment at the bottom, side walls for the food compartment, a drip pan, means for supporting said drip pan at the back thereof, keepers on the front of the drip pan, and swinging keepers on the side walls of the food compartment to engage said keepers on the drip pan for supporting the front part of the drip pan.

9. An ice refrigerator having an ice compartment and a food compartment below the ice vice and a filling device comprising a swingable nozzle on said tank, both of said devices being located at the front of the tank in an accessible position for use when the food compartment door is open.

10. An ice refrigerator having an ice compartment and a food compartment below the ice compartment, a ledge between saidcompart a compartment, an ice rack in the ice compartment for supporting a cake of ice therein, a water cooler comprising a tank supported in the top of the food compartment beneath the rack, said tank being inclined downwardly toward the rear of said refrigerator, a dispensing device comprising a discharge valve and a pipe connecting said valve with the lowermost portion of said tank, said valve being not higher than the lowermost portion of said tank, a door for the food compartment, and a filling device on said tank, both of said devices being located at the front of, the tank in an accessible position for use when the food compartment door is open.

12. An ice refrigerator having an ice compartment and a food compartment below the ice compartment, an ice rack in the ice compartment for supporting a cake of ice therein, a water cooler comprising a tank supported in the top of the food compartment beneath the rack, a door for the food compartment, a dispensing device, and a filling device comprising an elbow fastened in the front wall of the tank and an elongated swingable nozzle pivotally mounted in said elbow and adapted to be swung within the food compartment when the food compartment door is closed and to be swung out of the doorway of the food compartment when the food compartment door is open to render the nozzle accessible for filling the tank.

top of the food compartment and below the ice rack, and a water cooler comprising a tank arranged in said drip pan, said drip pan and tank being spaced from the front and back walls of the food compartment and from the ice rack and being inclined downwardly from front to back whereby a circulation of air is induced from the front to the back of the food compartment between the top of the cooler tank and the bottom of the ice rack and an ice cake thereon whereby substantially all the ice meltage will occur at the bottom of an ice cake placed on the ice rack.

14. An ice refrigerator having an ice compartment and a food compartment below the ice compartment, an ice rack in the ice compartment for supporting a cake of ice therein, a drip pan supported at the top of the food compartment below the ice rack, and a water cooler comprising a tank supported in said drip pan, said drip pan and tank being inclined inwardly and downwardly from front to back of the food compartment and forming a cooling zone at the top of the food compartment and below the ice rack and an ice cake thereon through which cooling zone the air in the food compartment is caused to circulate from front to back thereof whereby substantially all the ice meltage will occur at the bottom of an ice cake placed on the ice rack.

1-5. An ice refrigerator having an ice compartment at the top and a food compartment at the bottom, a ledge between said compartments, an ice rack supported on said ledge, said ledge being inclined inwardly and downwardly at its bottom, a drip pan at the top of the food compartment, and means suspended from said ledge and depending therefrom above the drip pan to discharge drippings from the ice and water of condensation on the bottom of said ledge into the drip pan.

16. An ice refrigerator having an ice compartment at the top and a food compartment at the bottom, ledges between said compartments, an ice rack supported on said ledges, said ledges being inclined inwardly and downwardly at the bottomsthereof, a drip pan at the top of the food compartment, and means suspended from said ledges and depending therefrom above the drip pan to discharge drippings from the ice and water of condensation on the bottom of said ledges into the drip pan.

CARL EDWARD HARRY FRYKDAHL.