US2303137A - Refrigerating apparatus - Google Patents

Description

N0". 24 1942 l. A. PHiLlPP v REFBIGERATING APPARATUS Fle'd Aug. 23, 1940 VINVENTOR Lamps/vec Plym/PP @s ZF 1, Z ILM..

ATTORNEY.

Patented Nov. 24, 1942 lUN11u21) "STATES PATE-Nr anr'moaaamd mantos,

i Lamm A. mum, nem, man., unimo: a A j Nash-Kelvinator Corporation, Detroit` Mieli., a corporation of Maryland Appucsntn'aums z3, 194e, serial Ne'. :sans .i

' :canna (ci. ca -m) This invention relates to refrigerating apparatus, and more particularly to refrigerating apparatus of the householdtype.

' One of the objects of my invention is tol provide an improved arrangement for collecting drip.

water from the refrigerant evaporating element within a food storage compartment of the retrig erator.

Another object, of my invention is to provide for separating the interior of the refrigerator cabinet into two compartments by a horizontally positioned shelf and -to have provisions for supporting the shelf for receiving the drip water from a refrigerant evaporator and for conducting the drip water to wall of the refrigerator.

Another'obiect of my invention is toarrange the aforesaid shelfv in such a manner .that-it is in close proximity to the source of drip water so of a refrigerator cabinet showing features of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary cross sectional view taken along line 2-2 of Fig. l; i Pig. 3 is a fragmentary front elevational view of a modified form of the invention with parts brokenfaway and parts shown in section; and

of the imeiand :ends to 'aow to the lbottom wan of the liner. To get rid of this moisture a drain (not shown herein) isl provided in the bottom wall ofthe liner for conducting thedrip water Y I outside of the food storage compartment. While the drain is not shown herein, such type of drain connection, as well as a full and complete ,disclosure of the refrigerator cabinet and refrigerant evaporating coils, are clearly disclosed inv my copending application, Serial No. 353,924, for Refrigerating apparatus. .filed August 23, 1'940.

The presentv invention deals with the collection and removal of'moisture from the. walls of the casing. and refrigerating coils enclosed thereby.

.This is accomplished by having a horizontally positioned shelf which extends from front to rear and side to side ofthe refrigerator, dividing the interior thereof into upper and` lower compartments and is an improvement over the aforesaid copending application and a divisional application thereof, Serial No. 403,354, filed July` 2l, 1941, for Refrigerating apparatus, which is copending and wherein broad claims to such sub- `iect matter are contained. In one embodiment of my invention I have placed a .shallow pan l V upon the shelf. and in another embodiment I have recessed the horizontalshelf, which is preferably constructed of glass org- .plastiafor co1- lectingthe drip water from the casing and refrigerating coils. Thisshelf and the drip provisionprovided for therewith collects the drip Pig. 4 is a fragmentary cross sectional view taken along line 4 4` of Fig. 3.

In accordance withv my invention I have provided a'refrigerator cabinet wherein a casing is supported for dividing the cabinet into an ice freezing zone and air cooling zone. Refrigerant evaporatingr coils are positioned within the casing and'arranged to cool the walls of the casing so that some cooling of air in the air cooling zone takes place by 'the refrigerating effect of the walls of the casing. The refrigerating coils operate below the freezing point of water and consequently sometimes require defrosting. also, the walls of the casing collect moisture and like the defrost water from the coils must -be collected and removed from the cabinet. I have also arranged for cooling the air cooling section by refrigerant coils secured -to the back wall of the liner from approximately the top to the bottom thereof so that the circulating air is adequately cooled. During such cooling the mois- -ture collects on the interior side therear wail water A,and conducts it to the rear liner where it joins with, the moisture collected thereon and iiows to the bottom wall of the refrigerator and through the drain. By this arrangement a very `shallow drip collector is provided` immediately below the refrigerating unit so that the .spacel therebelow vwhich is lost for the use of storage of foods. etc.,'is minimized.

Illustrated in the drawing is a refrigerator cabinet il of the household type having a foodstorage compartment i2. Access to the-storage compartment i2 is through opening i4 closed by a swingably mounted door I6.

.The cabinet Il comprises an outer. casing 2t 'and an inner shell or liner 22 between which is packed suitable heat insulation material 24 thereby forming the insulated top. bottom and side walls of the cabinet. The liner 22 forms the food storage compartment i2.

'I'he storage compartment i2 is refrigerated by passage of refrigerant in coils 2l whichextend substantially from top to bottom of the rear wail. of liner 22, Secured within compartment i2 is a casing Il forming chamber 3| within which are I casing provided suitable freezing units 32 for maintaining freezing and below freezing temperatures. Access to chamber II may be hadby opening of door 33. The units ll cool the walls of the casing to some extent and thereby aid in cooling the air .in the compartment I2. Preferably frost does not "collectron ther exterior surfaces of the casing.

Securedto each of the opposite side walls of compartment I2 are supports 34 for supporting` therebetween a sheet 'type shelf 35 preferably formed of glass, plastic, metal or the like. The

net having a liner arranged to. form walls of shelf 35 is positioned beneath and in close proximity to the bottom of casing 20. Set on shelf as beneath easing :ii/1s a my 4o provided with a downwardly depending drain lip II 'which is adapted to overhang and terminate over a ledge or protuberance 42' formed by pressing inwardly a portion of of the compartment adapted t6 engage the rear edge to provide a stop to prevent forward sliding of tray.

During the period of use of the refrigerator some moisture of the circulating air within. the storage compartment tends to form on the cooled sides of casing SII. Also frost collects on the freezing unit within chamber 3|. Periodically this frost is melted off to drain into the tray or pan I0. The melted frost from vchamber 3l draining through opening 4I provided in the .bottom wall of casing 3h into .the tray l0. The water collected in the tray ows rearwardly owing over the drain lip 4I onto the ledge l2 from where ii; flows down along the rear wall of the hner to a drain (not shown) provided in the bottom of the food storage compartment.

In the modified form shown -in Figs. 3 and 4 a sheet type shelf l0 preferably of glass, plastic or the like is supported on brackets B2 secured to each of the opposite side walls of the compartment. The shelf Bl is formed with a recess or trough I2 in' the :section that lies beneath the III to receive the melted frost therefrom. The recess or trough I2 is formed with a rearwardly extending downward slope to drain the collected water rearwardly onto the ledge I2 pro- I2. The drain lip 4I 'is also of 'the shelf 25 the vided on the rear wall of the compartment I2.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred form of my invention I do notvwish to limit myself to the precise details as shown but wish to avail myself oi' auch variations and modications as may come-within the scope of the appended claims. I claim: 1. Refrigerating apparatus comprising a cabinet having a liner arranged to form walls of a food storage compartment, a refrigerant evaporating element positioned in said compartment,

and means supported by side walls of -said liner and positioned horizontally below said element and having provisions for collecting drip water from said element and conducting it to said liner,-

said means and said liner being so arrangedwith the liner 22 forming the rear wall a food storage compartment, said liner having a: protuberance,` a refrigerant evaporator above said protuberance and means supported by side walls of'said liner and positioned below said evaporator for collecting the .drip water therefrom and having provisions for'conducting it to said protuberance. 3. Refrigerating apparatus comprising a cabi- -net having a food storage compartment, a refrigerant evaporating element positioned -in said compartment. and a" solid glass shelf having a dished out portion for receiving the drip water. from said element, said shelf extending substantially from one side to the other of said compartment and carried by the side walls of the cabinet `below said element and in close -proximity thereto.

4. Refrigerating apparatus comprising a cabinet having a food storage compartment,-a refrigerant evaporator positioned in said compartment and an imperforate horizontally positioned article supporting and moisture collecting one piece shelf extending substantially from front to rear Y and side to side ,of said compartment in close proximity to said element and having provisions for collecting the drip water from said element.

5. Refrigerating apparatus comprising a cabinet having a food storage compartment. a refrigerant evaporator positioned in said compartment and an imperforate horizontally positioned one piece shelf extending substantially from front to rear and side to side of said compartment in close proximity to said element and having provisions for collecting the drip water from said element and for conducting the drip water to-a -wali `ci said compartment, said shelf and saidwall being so arranged with respect to each other that said drip water'is discharged from said' shelf on to said-wall.

6. Refrigerating apparatus comprising a cabinet, an imperforate one piece shelf dividing said cabinet into upper and lower compartments, and a refrigerant evaporating element in said upper compartment, said shelf being positioned for re.

ceiving the drip water from said element and' having provisions for conducting said water to the lowercompartment.

7. Refrigerating apparatus comprising a cabl inet, animperforate one piece shelf dividing the interior of said cabinet into upper and lower compartments, a refrigerant evaporating element vpositioned in said upper compartment, and a drip collector positioned between said shelf and said element for collecting the drip water therefrom and for conveying said water to a wall of said upper compartment. said wall being adapted to vreceive and conduct said water to said lower compartment.

. LAWRENCE A. PHIIJPI.

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