US2498379A - Refrigerator - Google Patents

Description

E. O. SEARS REFRIGERATOR Feb. 21, 1950 Filed May 11, 1946 INVENTOR- Edward O Sears ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 21, 1959 UNITED STATES PAT V REFRIGERATOR Edward Oneal Sears, Oakland, Calif., assignor to June Sears White, Oakland, Calif.

Application May; 11, 1946, Serial No. 669,005

4 Claims.

The present invention relates to improvements in refrigerators, and has particular reference to the construction of a frozen food cabinet, although the principles involved may be usedxin other refrigerators in'which the evaporator is mounted in the side walls of the cabinet. M

More particularly it is proposed to provide a wall construction for a cabinet of the character described in which the evaporator coil may be lowered into a hollow space in the side wall as a unit, and may be held in place by a suitable cement, which can be applied by a simple pouring operation.

It is a further object of my invention to provide a preformed coil made of a single length of tubing which is bent and twisted into the desired shape without any undue bending or twisting stresses, and which may readily be stretched or contracted in the manner of an accordion to provide a desired degree of cooling effect.

It is further proposed to provide a simple method of making a coil of the character de-. scribed.

And finally it is proposed to provide afrozen food cabinet construction which can be assembled by unskilled labor with a minimum of efiort, in which there are no hidden joints, and which can be manufactured economically and in such a manner as to insure perfect heat exchange.

Further objects and advantages of my invention will appear as the specification proceeds, and the new and useful features of my construction will be fully defined in the claims attached hereto.

The preferred form of my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, forming part of this application, in which:

Figure 1 illustrates the first step in making the coil by winding a tube upon a mandrel, the latter being shown in side elevation;

Figure 2 illustrates the same step in end elevation;

Figure 3 shows a portion of the coil in final form;

Figure 4 illustrates one step in the development of the coil;

Figure 5 shows a vertical section through a cabinet made in accordance with my invention, certain portions being broken away;

Figure 6, a horizontal section on a reduced scale taken along line 66 of Figure 5; and I Figure 7, an isometric view of a completed cabinet, of slightly different form, portions being broken away.

2 While I have shown only the preferred form of my invention, it should be understood that various changes or modification may be made within the scope of the claims hereto attached without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Referring to the drawing in detail, my" coil I is made of a single length of tubing, which latter is preferably made of "copper or similar material.

As a first step, I wind the tubing upon a mandrel 2, which is substantially eliptical in cross section, and having parallel side edges 3' and curved or semi-circular upper'and lower edges 4; the total height of the mandrel corresponding substantially to the height of the chamber in which the coil is to be installed, and the width of the mandrel corresponding substantially to the desired spacing between the vertical strands of the finished coil.

After the tubing has thus been wound, in the manner shown in Figures 1 and 2,,the mandrel is removed from within the 'coil.

Next, the operator grips, with one hand, the upper curved end 5 of the first turn, and with the other hand, the lower curved end 6 of the same turn, and revolves the upper end about the intervening vertical strand 1 through an angle of degrees, thereby bringing the upper end into the transverse plane of the lower end, as illustrated in Figure 4. i

The entire turning movement thus takes place in the intervening vertical strand l, which is amply capable of withstanding the twisting stress.

In the second step the operator retains his hold on the lower curved end 5 and, gripping the next upper end with his free hand, revolves the lower end about the second upright strand 8 through an angle of 180 degrees in the reversedirection, thus bringing the upper and lower ends of the first turn into the transverse plane of the upper end of the second turn.

Continuing this operation of alternately revolving the free end of the tubing about the pivotal uprights in opposite directions, the operator finally arrives at the wave shape shown in Figure 3, in which all the curved upper and lower ends 5 and 6 lie in the same plane and all the upright strands 1 and 8 are substantially parallel.

It will be readily understood that the overall. length of the coil, or that of any intermediate section thereof, may be easily expanded or CD11". tracted in the manner of an accordion. Again,

'while originally the entire coil stretches in a single plane, it may be readily turned to any desired box-like shape by again using the vertical strands 1 and 8 as pivot members.

Thus, if the coil is to be used in connection with a rectangular cabinet having a hollow wall, the operator may measure off the lengths of the four walls against the coil, select properly spaced uprights for corner pieces, and turn the coil on these uprights to produce a rectangle similar to that of the cabinet, and adapted to be lowered into the hollow wall as a unit.

In actual manufacturing, these dimensions will, of course, be predetermined, and the coil will be laid out to fit a cabinet; of a ,pre-determined size.

The two ends of the coil should. be made to. emerge from the square formation in adjacent and parallel relation, as shown at l0.

In making the cabinet, the operator proceeds as follows:

.I-Ie first places a rectangular or square frame ll. on the floor or any other supporting. surface, the frame beingpreferably made. ofv wood-. A

second frame I2;.is. then placed ontop of the first d frame so as to leave an inside ledge l3 and. an outside. ledge M, the second frame being. of much smaller cross-section.

Next, the operator places a rectangular shell l5 ofsheet metal on the inner ledge, the; bottom. edge of the shell fitting against the frame. L2 and being securedthereto. A second shell .ot. slightly larger dimensions is. telescoped. over the first shell to rest on the frame I2, and is. provided. with a bottom flange H- which may be. nailed tov the frame.

The two shells thus form a hollow wall, the spacing between the shells being. slightly inex.- cess of thethickness of thetube-to be used.. The upper end of the outer shell. p'rojectsv slightly beyond that of the inner shell; asindicated in dotted. lines at I8.

The @011 I, having previously. been. made...in.-the manner hereinabove described, isfthen lowered into the square or chamber between theLtwo. shells,.as in the position shown. in. Figure. ,5, with the two ends l0. projecting upward.

Next cement is applied.-'to. fill in the. space. around, the. coil.. This. cementshould be-prepared. to have. heat-conducting properties, becausea. certain amount will work in.betwe.enthecoiL and. the inner shell. Itmay'beeasily applied by pouring, since the. projecting upper, end. ofthe. outer shell vservesas a retaining walL.

After the chamber 'or space containing, the. coil has. been. filled. with cement, and. the latter hasset, the projections l8, are turned. dowrn on the chamber so astoform a cover for. thecemht, asshown.

Thereupon,. a. third shell 20,. of. considerably. larger dimensions, and preferably made oflst'ain less. steel, is telescoped over the assemblythus. far described, and. is secured upon the outside of the. frame. ll.

This shell -forms.a. Wide rectangular .cham her. 2], with the shell. structure. previously. described. and. also, projects upward1y,.beyondf the shell. structure a considerable distance. .All' of. the; space is filled with suitable insulating mate rial 22, and finally. atop-sheet Z3 is securedupon. the rim of the outer shell to cover the insulating, material, the two ends I 0.0f the;coil beingmade to extend through the topsheet- .The. entire structure shown. in.Figure,5. isthen. turned upside.. down..and is..placed 011a suitable supporting frame 24 in which the refrigerating apparatus (not shown) is housed, the two ends l0 of the evaporator coil extending into thesupporting frame ready for connection with the refrigeration circuit.

It will be noted that all of the operations herein described; the winding of the tube on the mandrel, the opening of the windings into wave-shape, as shown in Figure 3, the bending of the coil into a square or rectangle, and the lowering of the completed coil into the shell structure, are simple in character, require no skilled labor, and can be. carried out at little expense.

The bending and twisting stresses involved are such as to be readily assumed by the material, and there are nojoints in the entire evaporator.

The number of turns of coil necessary for the size of the cabinet will depend upon desired heat exchange effects, but it will be readily seen that the coil may be easily contracted or expanded to meet desired condition-s.

In most operations, the coilfwill, of course, be properly dimensioned to fit intothe shell structure, with upright strands occupying the corners of the. shell structure, as shown.

I claim:

1. A. structure for a. refrigerator, comprising a flat bottom frame having a rectangular opening, a second frame superimposedthereon and dimensionedI to. recede. from the inner and outer edges ing a door opening for the structure When the,

latter. is turned. upside down.

2. A structure. as defined in .claim. 1,. in which the coil' is made in one piece and shaped for lowering into the. first. chamberasa unit.

3'. Astructure asdefined. in claim 1,. in. which. the coil-is made in one piece andshapedfor lower-- ingintothe first chamber as a unit,.ancl haspar allel ends projecting upward. from the chamber. in closely spaced relation so as to. extend downwardlyupon r'eversingthe structure. 1

4. Astructure as defined. in claim 1, in whichthecoilcomprises a single tubebent' to. present a. continuous. wave formation. with verticalstretches alternating with curved top and bot-- tom stretches. and with selected vertical stretches disposed. in the. corners of. the. chamber.

' EDWARD ONEAL.v SEARS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references: are of record inthe fileof this. patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date-:

865.;? Row Sept. 10; 119.07 1,663,481 Peck Mar..20,.1'928: 1,817,498 Smith .Aug. 4,, 1931 1,824,158- Kleist .Sept. 22,1931 1,879,241 I-Iill Sept.;2 7.,,1932i 2,124,110 Hall July 19,- 1 .938 2,276,811. Ward .Mar. 17; 19.42 2,281,207 Schoen Apr. 28,1942 2,377,557.- Johnson .June 5,. 1945 McGufiey F u s, 194a

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