US2606424A

US2606424A - Two-temperature refrigerator construction

Info

Publication number: US2606424A
Application number: US46300A
Authority: US
Inventors: Russell W Ayres
Original assignee: Seeger Refrigerator Co
Current assignee: Seeger Refrigerator Co
Priority date: 1948-08-26
Filing date: 1948-08-26
Publication date: 1952-08-12
Anticipated expiration: 1969-08-12

Description

R. W. AYRES TWO-TEMPERATURE REFRIGERATOR CONSTRUCTION Aug. 12, 1952 Filed Aug. 26, 1943 I ll .1 ll

I I 0 I. 1 hr I Patented Aug. 12, 1952 TWO-TEMPERATURE REFRIGERATOR CONSTRUCTION Russell W. Ayres, St. Paul, Minn., assignor to Seeger Refrigerator Company, St. Paul, Minn.

Application August 26. 1948, Serial No. 46,300

My invention relates to an improvement in two temperature refrigerator construction wherein it is desired to provide a refrigerator having a relatively high humidity and high temperature compartment, and a relatively low humidity and low temperature freezing compartment.

In recent years it has been somewhat common practice to provide a refrigerator coil on the exterior surface of the metallic lining of a refrigerator to cool the interior of the refrigerator inwardly of this lining. The refrigerant in the coil acts to cool the metallic lining which in turn cools the compartment interior. This procedure has in some instances led to certain difilculties. If the space between the inner liner and the outer shell of the refrigerator is not hermetically sealed the reduction in temperature of the coils below the dew point of the air between the shells causes condensation of moisture from the air. This moisture is often trapped between the inner and outer refrigerator walls, reducing the eifieiency of the refrigerator and tending to rust or corrode the metallic shells.

I have found that much of the difliculty previousl yexperienced with condensation between the inner and outer refrigerator walls can be eliminated by departing from the usual attempt to seal the space between the liners hermetically and forming air passages through the refrigerator lining leading into a relatively colder portion of, the refrigerator. The moisture vapor within the" refrigerator walls tends to move toward the coldest spot of the refrigerator and will be transmitted into the refrigerator through the lining thereof.

An object of the present invention lies in the provision of a refrigerator having a relatively high temperature coil between the inner and outer shells of the refrigerator and in providing apertures through the refrigerator lining communicating with a portion of the refrigerator which is colder than the coils. As a result moisture vapor within the refrigerator walls will be drawn into the interior of the refrigerator, thus avoiding the difficulty often experienced with moisture trapped between the inner and outer shells. v

A feature of the present invention lies in the provision of a refrigerator having an inner metallic liner which defines a relatively high temperature compartment and a relatively low temperature compartment. These two compartments are separated by suitable baflle means. A freezing compartment is supported within the relatively low temperature compartment in spaced relation to the liner walls. This freezing compartment forms a separate enclosure within the 9 Claims. (Cl. 62-103) 2 outer enclosure and may be used for the storage of frozen foods as well as for the freezing thereof.

A feature of the present invention lies in the provision of a two temperature refrigerator having a liner divided into two compartments and having an evaporator coil secured to the exterior surface of the liner adjacent the relatively high temperature chamber. Vents are provided through the liner leading from the space between the liner and the outer shell and the relatively cold compartment encircling the freezing chamber so that moisture will be drawn from the space between the shells and into the relatively low temperature compartment.

These and other objects and novel features of my invention will be more clearly and fully set forth in the following specification and claims' In the drawings forming a part of my specification:

Figure l is a vertical sectional view through my refrigerator cabinet showing the construction thereof.

Figure 2 is a front elevational View, partly in section, showing the refrigerator of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a detail view of a vent used within the refrigerator compartment.

Figure 4 is a sectional view through the vent, the position of the section being indicated by the line 4-4 of Figure 3.

The refrigerator A illustrated in Figures 1 and 20f the drawings is provided with an outer shell l0 and an inner liner II. The outer shell includes a back panel l2, a top panel I3, a bottom panel .14, and opposed side wall panels l5 and IS. The front of the outer shell is open and the top, bottom, and side walls are provided with inturned flanges I! along the marginal edges thereof, these flanges being generally coplanar.

The inner lining l 1 includes a back panel [9, a top panel 20, a bottom panel 2|, and

side wall panels

22 and 23. The front of the liner is open and the edges of the top and bottom walls 20 and 2| and the

side walls

22 and 23 are providedwith out-turned marginal flanges 24. The flanges 24 are arranged in substantially coplanar relation to the inturned flanges ll of the outer covering, and breaker strip means 25 are provided between the inner and outer covers to form a heat insulating element connecting the coverings as-the liner H and covering H) are usually formed of metal.

A frame 26 is provided beneath the bottom wall M of the outer shell and an enclosing sheathing 21 encircles the frame to enclose the same. Insulation 28 is provided between the inner and outer shells II and Ill to insulate one from the other' while the enclosure 2'! encloses the re- 3 frigerant circulating and compressing means and may also enclose the condenser. A removable panel 29 is provided forwardly of the enclosure 21 so as to enclose the forward side of the bottom chamber of the refrigerator. Access to the refrigerator mechanism may be obtained by removing this panel 29. A door 30 is hingedly connected to the forward side of the cabinet body in any suitable manner. The door 3|) usually includes an outer metallic covering 3| having an inturned marginal flange 32 thereon. The inner metallic covering 33 includes a marginal flange which is coplanar with the inturned flange 32. A breaker strip 34 may be provided between the inner and outer coverings and insulating material 35 may be provided between the coverings to decrease the flow of heat through the door.

The motor compressor and condenser unit 36 is illustrated within the lower part of the refrigerator and this unit delivers refrigerant to a feed pipe 31 leading to the relatively high temperature coil 39. The high temperature coil 39 encircles the upper portion of the liner II and acts to cool this liner and thereby to cool the interior of the upper portion of the refrigerator body. A suitable restriction is provided between the condenser and the evaporator coil 39, to produce the desired pressure within the evaporator coil. This coil is usually maintained at a tem perature of approximately 26 to 35 degrees F. in order to maintain a temperature somewhat above freezing in the upper portion of the refrigerator body.

The outlet of'the evaporator coil 39 is connected by a refrigerant tube 40 to the expansion valve 4|, the outlet of which is connected to relatively

low temperature coils

42 and 43. These

coils

42 and 43 are preferably connected in series and the outlet of the coils is connected to an accumulator 44, the outlet of which is connected through conduit 45 to the refrigerant circulating, compressing, and condensing unit 36.

A series of article supporting shelves 46 are provided within the upper chamber 41 of the refrigerator, this upper chamber forming the relatively higher temperature high humidity chamber in which products are stored somewhat above freezing temperature. A pair of food trays 49 for storting vegetables and the like are supported at the lower end of the main food chamber 41. A removable drip pan is supported by the walls of the refrigerator beneath the trays 49 and the drip pan is supported by supports having downwardly and inwardly inclined inner surfaces to accumulate moisture draining down the walls of the main food compartment 41 so as to prevent this moisture from draining into the lower temperature portion of the refrigerater therebeneath.

A freezing compartment 5| is supported within the low temperature compartment 52 beneath the drip pan 50. This freezing compartment includes a rear wall 53 spaced from the rear wall I!) of the liner II, a bottom panel 54 spaced from the bottom panel 2| of the liner, and a top panel 55 beneath the removable drip pan 50. The freezing compartment also includes

side wall panels

56 and 51 which are spaced inwardly from the

side walls

22 and 23 of the liner Suitable supporting means support the various walls of the freezing compartment from the inner walls of the liner A partition panel 59 is provided-spaced from the top panel 55 sufficiently to provide a space for ice trays 30 between the partition panel 59 and the top panel 55. The partition panel 59 may comprise a wire shelf or may comprise a solid metallic covering. The coil 42 overlies the partition panel 59 and contacts the same, while the coil 43 overlies the bottom panel 54 and contacts the same. The space between the bottom panel 54 and the partion panel 59 forms a storage space for frozen foods or a chilling chamber for freezing foods.

A chiller tray 6| is slidably supported beneath the coil 43 and above the bottom panel 2| of the refrigerator liner. This tray 9| is capable of supporting food to be chilled to a low temperature. The entire lower portion of the refrigerator forms a relatively cold portion of the refrigerator, the low temperature chamber 52 being separated from the upper part of the refrigerator and the main food chamber 41 by the drip pan 50. This drip pan substantially fills the space between the walls of the refrigerator and may be provided with a forwardly extending handle or lip 62 which extends into contact with a gasket member 63 on the refrigerator door 39.

A series of apertures are provided in the walls of the liner to accommodate vents 64. These vents lead from the interior of the cold compartment 52 to the space between the outer shell I0 and the liner The vents may be in any desirable form and are shown comprisinga ring shaped element 65 for supporting a screen 66. Tongues 61 extend from the ring shaped element 65 through the wall apertures 69 to hold the vents in place. The screen prevents the insulating material 29 between the inner and outer shells from being accessible through the openings 69 and still permitting free flow of air through the vents.

The forward open side of the freezing compartment 5| is normally closed by a pair of oppositely hinged doors 10 which are preferably transparent in part so that the contents of the freezing compartment may be viewed without opening the doors. These doors 10 prevent the spilling of the cool air from the freezing compartment each time the outer door 30 of the refrigerator is open. At the same time the entire interior of the freezing compartment is readily accessible when the doors 10 are opened.

The operation of my refrigerator is believed obvious from the foregoing description. The refrigerant is compressed and condensed to liquid form and is then supplied to the relatively high temperature coil 39. Proper pressure is maintained in the evaporator coil 39 to hold the temperature of the refrigerant in this coil at about the freezing point or slightly below. As a result the interior of the food chamber 41 is cooled to a temperature somewhat above freezing for the storage of various products at this temperature.

The refrigerant leaving the evaporator coil 39 passes through the pressure differential valve 4| and into the relatively low temperature coils 42 and 43 arranged in series. The refrigerant then passes through the accumulator 44 and returns to the compressor for recirculation.

In view of the difficulty of maintaining the space between the inner and outer metallic coverings hermetically sealed, I provide the vents B4 in the low temperature compartment 52. The moisture vapor tends to move toward this cold area and as a result little or no condensation takes place on the coil 39. The provisionof vents 64 in the location stated is believed novel. This structure is economical to build and efiicient in operation.

In accordance with the patent statutes, I have described the principles of construction and operation or my two temperature refrigerator construction, and while I have endeavored to set forth the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that obvious changes may be made Within the scope of the following claims without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

1. A two temperature refrigerator including a cabinet having a door opening, a door normally closing said opening, said cabinet having a heat conductive lining, said cabinet being vertically divided by a partition member, a relatively high temperature evaporator coil encircling said heat conductive lining above said partition, a plurality of wall panels defining a freezing compartment within the lower portion of said cabinet beneath said partition, said wall panels of said freezing compartment each spaced from the walls of said liner and from said door, said freezing compartment having an opening therein and doors for normally closing said opening.

2. The structure described in claim 1 in which the partition comprises a drip pan.

3. A refrigerator including a refrigerator cabinet having a. door opening, a door for closing said opening, said cabinet including inner and outer shells, the inner shell being formed of material of high heat conductivity, a drip pan supported by the walls of the inner shell to divide the cabinet into upper and lower chambers, a pair of food trays supported above said drip pan and a plurality of wall panels defining a freezing compartment, said freezing compartment being supported below said drip pan and each of its wall panels being in spaced relation to the walls of the inner shell.

4. A two temperature refrigerator including a cabinet having a door opening, a door normally closing said opening, said cabinet having a heat conductive lining, said cabinet being vertically divided by a partition member, a relatively high temperature evaporator coil encircling said heat conductive lining above said partition, a freezing compartment within the lower portion of said cabinet beneath said partition, said freezing compartment being substantially spaced from all of the Walls of said liner and from said door, said freezing compartment having an opening therein and doors for normally closing said opening, and said lining including vents therethrough communicating with the portion of said cabinet beneath said partition and exterior of said freezing compartment.

5-. A two temperature refrigerator including a cabinet having a door opening, a door normally closing said opening, said cabinet having a heat conductive lining, said cabinet being vertically divided by a partition member, a relatively high temperature evaporator coil encircling said heat conductive lining above said partition, a freezing compartment within the lower portion of said cabinet beneath said partition, said freezing compartment being substantially spaced from all of the walls of said lining and from said door, said freezing compartment having an opening therein and doors for normally closing said opening, and air passageways between the space exterior of said lining and the portion of the cabinet below said partition and exterior of said freezing compartment.

6. A two temperature refrigerator including a cabinet having a door opening, a door normally closing said opening, said cabinet having a heat conductive lining, said cabinet being vertically divided by a drip pan forming a partition member, and means on the liner walls for directing moisture from the walls into said drip pan, a relatively high temperature evaporator coil encircling said heat conductive lining above said partition, a freezing compartment within the lower portion of said cabinet beneath said partition, said freezing compartment being substantially spaced from all of the walls of said lining and from said door, said freezing compartment having an opening therein and doors for normally closing said opening.

7. A refrigerator including a refrigerator cabinet having a door opening, a door for closing said opening, said cabinet including inner and outer shells, the inner shell being formed of material of high heat conductivity, a drip pan supported by the walls of the inner shell to divide the cabinet into upper and lower chambers, a pair of food trays supported above said drip pan and a freezing compartment supported below said drip pan in spaced relation to the walls of the inner shell, and a chiller tray positioned below said freezing compartment.

8. A refrigerator including a refrigerator cabinet having a door opening, a door for closing said opening, said cabinet including inner and outer shells, the inner shell being formed of material of high heat conductivity, a drip pan supported by the walls of the inner shell to divide the cabinet into upper and lower chambers, a pair of food trays supported above said drip pan and a freezing compartment supported below said drip pan in spaced relation to the walls of the inner shell, a relatively high temperature evaporator coil encircling the portion of the liner above the drip pan, and vents in said liner below said drip pan.

9. A two temperature refrigerator comprising a cabinet including inner and outer shells, the inner shell being formed of material of high heat conductivity, refrigerating means intermediate said shells and contiguous the inner shell, partition means separating the interior of the inner shell into two compartmental sections, portions of one of said sections being provided with substantially vertical Walls, said vertical walls contain ng a plurality of spaced vents leading into said one of said sections, and additional refrigerating means within one of said sections and spaced from the inner shell, whereby a cold zone is produced in said one of said sections having a lower temperature than that of said inner shell or the zone intermediate said inner and outer shells.

RUSSELL W. AYRES.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,019,194 Munters Oct. 29, 1935 2,292,405 Reeves Aug. 11, 1942 2,309,797 Stickel Feb. 2, 1943 2,314,657 Norris Mar. 23, 1943 2,319,522 Schweller May 15, 1943 2,330,917 Philipp Oct. 5, 1943 2,361,792 Philipp Oct. 31, 1944 2,432,042 Richard Dec. 2, 1947 2,509,610 Philipp May 30, 1950 2,515,212 Gifford July 18, 1950 2,515,892 Philipp July 18, 1950