US2135878A

US2135878A - Refrigerating apparatus

Info

Publication number: US2135878A
Application number: US29852A
Authority: US
Inventors: Sr Charles J Sekyra
Original assignee: Nash Kelvinator Corp
Current assignee: American Motors Corp
Priority date: 1935-07-05
Filing date: 1935-07-05
Publication date: 1938-11-08
Anticipated expiration: 1955-11-08

Description

Nov, 8, 1938. c. J. SEKYRA, SR

REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Filed y 1955 ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 8, 1938 UNITED STATES,

REFRIGERATING APPARATUS 7 Charles J. Sekyra, Sr., Troy, Ohio, assignor, by

mesne assignments, of one-half to Nash-Kelvinator Corporation, Detroit, Micln, a corporation of Maryland Application July 5, 1935, Serial No. 29,852

1 Claim. (Cl. 312168) My invention, which is an improvement on the subject matter of my copending patent application Serial Number 743,336 filed September 11, 1934, pertains to refrigerator cabinets and more particularly to an improved arrangement for supporting small articles and conserving the cold air in the'cabinet.

. It is an object of my invention to provide a refrigerator having a cold air shield pivotally mounted in spaced relation between the heat insulating door of the cabinet and the enclosed food storage compartment comprising a rectangular frame of tubular metallic moulding having inturned grooves for supporting an inserted panel presenting an aperture in alignment with the ice cube trays and having spaced hook receiving sockets in the vertical members of the hollow frame moulding for supporting shelves across the face of the panel.

It is a further object of my invention to provide a plate glass panel in a cold-air retaining shelf-supporting shield of the above type whereby the light from a lamp in the refrigerator cabinet is efiectively transmitted through the glass panel to illuminate the articles on the shelves on the outside of the shield.

It is a further object of my invention to provide such a shelf-supporting cold-air shield with an aperture through which the lamp in the cabinet projects when the shield is turned to its closed position for illuminatingthe shelves in the space between the shield. and the door.

The invention itself, however, both as to its organization and its method of operation, to-

'gether with additional objects and advantages thereof, will best be understoodfrom the following description of specific embodiments, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator arranged in accordance with my invention showing the outer door and the cold air shield in open positions;

Fig. 2 is a detail sectional view of the upper front portion of the refrigerator cabinet showing the door and shield closed;

Fig. 3 is an elevational view of the cold air shield and the small shelves carried thereon;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged elevational view showing the corner construction of the frame;

Figs. 5, 6 and 7 are sectional detail views thereof;

Fig. 8 is an elevational view partly broken away and sectioned to show the shelf supporting means on the shield frame;

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of one of the shield supported shelves;

Fig. 10 is a plan view of shield and shelf; and

Fig. 11 is a sectional view of the upper portion of the refrigerator showing a different embodi- 5 ment of the invention.

Referring more particularly to Fig. 1' of the drawing my invention comprises a heat insulating cabinet i enclosing a storage compartment open at one side. A cooling unit 3 is mounted in. 10 the upper portion of the food storage compartment for cooling the same and it provides a freezing chamber for freezing trays 5. The open side of the cabinet is closed by a heat insulating door 1 hinged at one side and latched at the 15 other in the usual manner. The inner and outer surfaces of the refrigerator cabinet and the door may be covered with a sheet metal covering having a protective coating of a hard vitreous enamel such as porcelain to provide a pleasing and sani- 2 tary finish. The food storage compartment is provided with shelves 9 supported between the vertical side walls of the cabinet in the usual manner.

In accordance with the present invention the 25 front edges of the storage shelves 9 in the cabinet are terminated in spaced relation from the door I in its closed position and a cold air shield II is movably mounted in the space thus provided, as shown more clearly in Fig. 2. The cold air 30 shield ii is preferably hingedly mounted in the cabinet for pivotal movement therefrom in a direction opposite tothe opening movement of the door 1. I p

The cold air shield comprises a substantially 35 rectangular frame I3 constructed of a tubular metallic moulding having inturned grooves which are adapted to receive and support a panel I5 of transparent materiaL'quite similar to the construction of automobile Windshields. The panel 40 I 5 is preferably of plate glass and a rubber insert may be provided for equalizing the contact pressure between it and the frame. The elements of tubular moulding which comprise the sides of the frame I3 are mitered at the ends to provide a 45 snug fitting engagement at the corners where the adjacent ends abut together.

For uniting the abutting ends of the side rails of the frame at the corners of the frame, corner irons II are provided, as more clearly shown in 50 Fig. 4. The corner irons may be of cast malleable iron and they are of suitable size and conformation for fitting inside of the pieces of moulding. The legs of the corner irons I! which extend into the ends of the top and bottom rails of the frame 66 I: are secured as by rivets i9, or welding as desired. The legs of the corner irons which extend into the ends of the vertical side rails of the frame are secured by screw bolts 2| passing therethrough whereby the lower frame member may be removed and the frame may be readily opened for inserting or removing glass panels which normally rest upon the corner irons spaced from the outer edges of the frame, as shown. The top and bottom corner irons at one side of the frame I 3 carry extended pivot pins 23 which are adapted to project into sockets provided in suitable pivot plates 25 which are secured to the upper and lower inside walls of the food storage compartment whereby the cold air shield may be conveniently mounted therein.

In order to provide an aperture in the cold air panel through which access to the freezing trays may be had with the shield in its closed, cold air conserving position, a cross-piece 21 is provided which is secured between the side rails of the frame in any suitable manner as by welding for example. The cross piece 21 is provided with panel receiving grooves on opposite sides thereof and, as shown in Fig. 7, the lower groove may re-- ceive the upper edge of the glass panel l while the upper groove may receive the lower edge of a small sheet metal panel 29 for closing the space in the shield adjacent the cooling unit. A small piece of moulding 3| may be inserted vertically between the cross piece 21 and the upper rail of the frame for receiving the edge of the metal panel 29 adjacent the cooling unit. The edges of the sheet metal panel 29 may be turned to provide a thick edge portion 33 for fitting into the grooves of the frame l3.

The sheet metal panel 29 is also provided with an aperture 35 through which an incandescent electric lamp bulb 31 partially projects as the cold shield ii is turned to its closed position.

The incandescent bulb 31 is supported in a socket 39 depending from the upper wall of the compartment and is energized through a switch 4| controlled by the refrigerator door 1 in the usual manner. In accordance with applicant's novel arrangement the lamp 31 provides light for illuminating the inside of the compartment, which is visible through the glass panel l5, and also for simultaneously illuminating a series of open work shelves 43 which are supported upon the outer surface of the shield.

The small shelves 43 carried by the shield are of a size suitable for supporting small food articles in the space between the refrigerator door 1 and the shield Ii and they are preferably of open wire work having terminal hooks 45 adapted to fit into vertically spaced hook receiving sockets 41 provided along the vertical side rails of the frame as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. Each shelf 43 is provided at one end with a flat panel engaging portion SI for supporting the shelf from the adiacent hook 45 whereby the shelf 43 does not strike the corner of the cabinet as the shield swings outwardly therefrom. The hook receiving sockets 41 pass through only one wall of the tubular moulding, which is hollow, and the hooks 45 fit readily therein whereby the shelves may be conveniently mounted or removed.

Small food articles in frequent demand are stored in the small shelves and it is only necessary to open the outer door for access thereto. The cold air shield ll remaining closed conserves-the cold air and prevents the entrance of warm air while such articles are removed from or placed upon the small shelves, or the freezing trays I are moved from the cooling unit. It is only necessary to swing the cold air shield to one side in order to remove larger food articles from the larger shelves within the storage compartment, and by looking through the transparent panel l5 it is possible to locate the positions of the desired articles before opening the shield. The incandescent bulb 31 provided with a suitable reflector 53 projects light downwardly for simultaneously illuminating the shelves on both sides of the cold air shield through which the bulb is partially projected.

In accordance with .another embodiment of my invention the metal panel 29 is omitted and a glass panel is substituted therefor or the glass panel i5 is extended upwardly therethrough, as shown in Fig. 11. In this arrangement the incandescent bulb 31 is mounted in spaced relation inside of the closed position of the shield. In this arrangement the bulb directly illuminates the interior food storage compartment and the light which is transmitted through the glass panel simultaneously illuminates the small shelves 43 on the outside of the cold shield.

In either embodiment of my invention it is only necessary to open the outside door 1 of the refrigerator cabinet to obtain ice cubes from the freezing trays 5 or small articles from the small shelves 43 the cold air shield remaining in closed position to conserve the cold air and prevent the entrance of warm air. When larger food articles are required from the food storage compartment, it is only necessary to swing the cold air shield aside. During either operation the automatic lamp 31 provides an effective illumination on the shelves on both sides of the cold air shield. Also it is possible to look through the transparent cold air shield for ascertaining the location of the articles on the large shelves before opening the cold air shield which still further conserves the cold air.

Aside from the specific embodiments of the invention herein shown and described, it will be understood that numerous details of the construction may be altered or omitted without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as disclosed and claimed, and that I do not desire to limit the invention to the exact constructions herein set forth.

I claim as my invention:

In combination in an illuminated refrigerator,

' a heat insulated cabinet enclosing a storage compartment open at one side, a heat insulated door for closing the open side of said cabinet, a cooling unit mounted in said storage compartment, a freezing chamber for receiving freezing trays in said unit, a transparent cold air shield movably supported in the open side of said cabinet in spaced relation between said compartment and the heat insulating door and presenting an aperture in alignment with said freezing chamber, said shield being arranged in spaced relation to said door for forming an auxiliary storage compartment, article supporting shelves supported on said shield in said auxiliary storage compartment, said shield having a lamp receiving orifice therein and a lamp mounted in said cabinet for projection at least partially through said orifice when the shield is moved to its closed position in the open side of the cabinet for illuminating both compartments.

CHARLES J. SEKYRA, 8:.