US2613510A

US2613510A - Refrigerator

Info

Publication number: US2613510A
Application number: US720330A
Authority: US
Inventors: Evans T Morton
Original assignee: Admiral Corp
Current assignee: Admiral Corp
Priority date: 1947-01-06
Filing date: 1947-01-06
Publication date: 1952-10-14
Anticipated expiration: 1969-10-14

Description

E. T. MORTON Oct. 14, 1 952 REFRIGERATOR 5 Sheet's-Sheet l Filed Jan. 6, 1947 E. T. MORTON Oct. 14, 1952 REFRIGERATOR 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Jan. 6, 1947 E. T. MORTON Oct. 14, 1952 REFRIGERATOR 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Jan. 6, 1947 E. T. MORTON Oct. 14, 1952 REFRIGERATOR 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Jan. 6, 1947 Patented Oct. 14, 1952 Evans T, Morton, 'Ghicago,"ll`l., la'ssigiior lto Ad- `fxnr`al Corporation, Chicago, -Ill., `-'a corporation idf Delaware vApplitation,.Ianiiary's, 194vseria1No. 732.0;'330

(c1. 1oz-103) "s claims.

The present iiiverftion'relates'to refrigerators. The principal object of the present :invention is to provide an improved multi-temperature--rei'i'gerater having ja 'single storage compartment which is v:divided 'into two l"or more spaces which jmay vbe cooled to 'differenttemperatures 4Anci-,her object is to Vvprovideari improvedfrre- 'frigerato'r vhaving a storage compartment liner which isgformedftcreoeive V"a Y: :ooling element.

Another object kis Ato provide an improved `refrigerator having a 'sealed refrigeration System which is readily .removable from-and replaceable into theicatinet.`

A further 'object "ijs `to provide an improved multi-tempera-tnre refrigerator having *astorage compartment which is divided into two storage spaces 'by a shelf, Aa part ci whichis formed by the cooling element.

Still another object is `toprovide yan improved 'multi-temperature *refrigerator having a rstorage compartment divided into vstorage"spaces by Ia refrigerated shelf which 'co'ols both spaces, and having #an insulated 'shieldto restrict the `cooling eiect of the'shelf on 1onen! the-spaces.

And a further-object 'is toprovide'a multi-temperature -refrigererator .having `means for con trolling the refrigeratin'gfsystem `so that theload in the storage compartment is compensated for rapidly to maintain v"the storage compartment tempera-tine `sllbstar'itially vviihifornfl.

Other objects land vac'vaxita'ges will 'become apparent Vfrom the vfollovvii'i'g description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein-2 Fig. 1 is afront elevational view of a'refrigerator embodying the present invention andshovvn with the iront door removed;

Fig". 2 iS lan llllgd ('If''SS- ctit'jl View through the upper-portion of the refrigerator and may be .considered as `being taken substantially on the `line`2 2 of Fi-g. i1, looking in the'diection of the arrows;

Fig. 3 is a front elevational view of the evaporator portion of the Vrei-rig'era-'nt circulating -s'lj'stem;

Fig. 4 is a horizontal cross-secticnal view taken substantallyon the line 4;-4 'of Fig.- 2,'10king in the direction of the-arrows;

Fig. 5 is 'a horizontal crossiseotiorial "view taken substantially on the `line `5 5 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail 'cross-sectional vi'evv taken substantially on 'the line 8--6 of'rjig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows; and

access opening I6.

'L'Ihe refrigerator indicated kgen'erallfyby the reference character I0 ycon'lpri'se's 'a cabinet having a rfood"storage'compartment I2 and va vmacljlinery compartment I4. The 'storage "space I 2 has 'a front access opening I6 which is closed by a heat insulated door I8. The do'o-r I8 may be constructed as disclosed in the copending 'application yof Evans T. Morton, seriaiNo. 719,669, nled January '2, 1947, yand `entitled Refrigerator Cab/- inet Construction, and it comprises 'an outer metallic shell 20 secured to an inner panel 22 of 'a thermally nonconductive material and is provided with a 'peripheral sealing gasket 24. The gasket seals against a flange 26 Ain the front face of the cabinet to 'seal the compartment I2 against theatmosphere.

The cabinet is formed by an outer shell 28 which has the double thickness flange 26 formed 'at its forward edge; a second flange 30 is also 'iormedat the jfront of the shell but slightly to the 'rear of the flange 26. At its rear edge the shell 28 has a 'lian-ge 3 2 to Which-'is secured, as by Welding,'a `rear panel 34 which closes the rear of the refrigerator cabinet. rllhe refrigerator is mounted -o'n a base frame 36 'which also-forms the support for the refrigerant liq'uefyng or condensing unit which may be of the motor-compressor type or any other 'suitable type which will condense gasolls or vapoll'zed refrigerant into 'a liquid for cooling the storage compartment I2. That which is dag'raimmatically illustrated comprises 'a inotor-compressor 35 and a coil condenser 31.

A liner 38, ydefining the 'storage-space I2, is secured Within the frame 'and is of a generally boxlike 'shape With its forward side open to define the Around its open side the liler 38 has a forwardly-facing hnge 40 t `Which is Asl'z'llied a plurality of blocks 42. The blocks 42 are secured at their opposite 'side to thea'nge 30,

ing, .if preferred, self-tapping screws. These blocks 42, therefore, mount theliner '3s within the cabinet. The "gap betweith Bange 2G the 3 vices. The juncture between the breaker element 44 and the ange 26 is closed by an ornamental trim piece 48.

The space between the liner 38 and the outer shell is completely filled with thermal insulating material 50 such as Balsa w'ool, Aero felt or rockwool, and may be placed around the liner in any suitable manner.

The food storage compartment |2 is divided into three refrigerated spaces, 52, 54 and 56. Space 52 is separated from the space 54 by a refrigerated shelf 58, and the space 54 is separated from the space 58 by an insulated divider or shield 88 taking the form of a drip tray. These elements will be more fully described hereinafter. The space 58 is used for the storage of food and has a plurality of shelves 64 preferably of Wire or other openwork construction to permit free circulation cf air through the compartment. Lowest shelf 54 may be made of glass to cover trays 66 which are provided for the storage of bulk foods such as lettuce, celery, tomatoes, fruit and the like. An incandescent lamp 68 is mounted on the back wall of the compartment and may be turned on as an incident to the opening of the door I8.

The shield 60 only partially separates or cuts off communication between the

spaces

54 and 56 so as vto allow circulation of air through the space 54 from and into the space 58 to effect cooling of the space SB. The space 52 is further-separated fromthe spaces 54 and58 by a door 10. The door'l' is formed with an outer ornamental face member ,'II made of plastic material to which a handleIS is secured. The rear of the door is closed by a plate 69 and the space between the face member 'H and the plate 69 is filled with suitable insulation 87. A wire hinge 'I2 biases the door-'I0 to the closed position, the movement to the vertical or closed position` being limited by a stop '15.Y The door I0 is ofthe type that pulls vdown `and forms a temporary shelf or support while in the down position and is hinged at its sidesto a suitable bracket 14; the movement to the `horizontal position is limited by a stop 11.

The refrigerator is cooled'by a refrigerating system which includes the previouslymentioned and diagrammatically illustrated liquefying or condensingl unit comprising the compressor 35 and the condenser 3l which is connected to an evaporator or cooling element 'I6 vby means of a capillary tube lil. The outlet from the evaporator leads to-an accumulator80 which is in turn connectedto the compressor 35 by a suction tube 82. rlhe operation of the refrigerating system is controlled by a compensating control which will be described hereinafter.

Referring particularly to Figs.2 and3, it Will be seen that the capillary tube `|8 is connected to a-tube 84 of slightly larger diameter which connects the capillary tube to anupper evaporator coil 86. The upper evaporator coil 86 is permanently affixed in a suitablemanner, as by welding, to a radiating plate 88 which gives the effect of providing the evaporator coils 86 with The top of the wall of the liner 38 is formed with a recess 90 which is only slightly greater in 'depth'than the combined thickness of the 'evaporator coils 86 and plate 88 and further is formed With'recesses 92 in which are permanently secured threaded sleeves 94. The topv portion of the evaporator is secured in the recess 90 by screws Sli-which are threaded into the sleeves 94. A sealing gasket 98 extends completely around the periphery of the plate 88 and has a portion |00 confined between the upper face of the plate 88 and the threaded sleeves 94 for holding the gasket in place. The plate 88 is provided With an upturned edge |02 which presses the sealing gasket 98 against the upper wall of the recess 90 in vanv airtight manner. The heads of the screws S5 may be covered'by a flat portion |04 of the gasket 98. The gasket 98 seals the space between the plate 88 and the liner to prevent circulation of air between that space and the compartment I2 and to prevent the accumulation of frost on the coils 86.

The plate 88 is formed with a depressed portion |06 which provides for the entrance of the lead-in tube 84which is sealed against the plate 88 by a suitable vsealing grommet made of a rubber-like material. The exit end of the evaporator coil extends through a second suitable sealing grommet |08 and has a downwardly-projecting tube portion H0. y

The lower portion of the evaporator or cooling element 'I6 is formed of a coil H2 similar to the coil 88 which is secured to a radiating plate H4 in a goodheat exchange relation. The inlet to the coil H2 is formed by a generally vertically extending tube H8 which is connected to the tube H0 at ||8,` and this connection is made gastight by weldingor other suitable means. The outlet of the evaporator coil H2 is connected to the accumulator 80.

Both coils 86 and II'2 are arranged to provide maximum adsorption of heat from their respective plates 88 and H4. The configuration of coil H2 is seen in Fig. 4, and coil 86 is similarly formed, the loopscovering the plates in an even and regular manner.

It will be seen from Fig. 2 that the accumulator and the connecting tubing I|0 and IIB are contained within the space 52. They are covered by'a suitable shield |20 extending to the rear wall of the liner and vwhich is secured to the plate H4 by means of a tab |22 struck up from the plate H4 so as to receive screws |24. This shield protects the tubing accumulator from being bumped by ice trays or foods or other items which may be stored in the space 52.

Referring particularly to Figs. 2, 4 and 6, the plate'II4 Withthe attached evaporator tubing H2 is secured to a support or frame |26 which extends around the three sides of the liner 38 and across the front of the storage compartment I2. The frame |26 preferably is made of a molded plastic material so that the plate H4 and coil H2 are separated from the walls of the liner 38 by a thermally nonconducting material. The cross-sectional configuration of the frame |28 can-best be seen in Fig. 6 which shows it to have a flat central portion |28 surrounded by an upstanding ilange |30. The ange |30 extends around and is slightly spaced from the three walls of the liner 38; the flange |30 is bent or turnedtoward the walls at |32. A suitable sealing gasket |34 having a slotted bottom edge |36 is secured over the top of the flange |30 and is biased against the Walls of the liner 33 to seal the space 52 from the space 54 around the three edges of the frame |26. At its inner edge the frame 26 is provided with a depressed flange portion |38 lying parallel to the portion |28. At regular spaced intervals the depressed portion A|38 is raised as at |40 to provide mountings for the plate I I4. The plate H4 has its edge turned back upon itself to provide a peripheral portion |42 of double thickness of metal, and suitable screws |44 passing through the -portion |42 secure the plate I I4 and evaporator coil ||2 to the supporting frame |26. i

The plate I I4 is of such size that it isgslightly smaller than the opening provided by the portion |28 of the frame |26 and is larger than .the opening formed by the inner edge of the'llange |38. A gap |46 is thus provided between the peripheral edge of the plate ||4 and the surface of the frame |26 equal to the height of the mountings |48. This gap serves as a space through which the water .runs during the defrosting operations into the shield 60 which is formed as a drip or moisture receiving tray. The top surface of the flat portion |28 of the frame |26 and the top surface of the plate |I4 lie in the `same plane so as to provide a shelf in the compartment 52'upon which may be placed the trays for making ice cubes and the other foodstuffs which are to be stored in the refrigerator.

At its front edge the frame |26 has a slightly inclined portion |48 so that any moisture lwhich is formed thereon will run toward the gap |46. There is also provided a stepped-down portion |50 at the front so that when the door is pulled down its rear face will be on approximately the same level as the refrigerated shelf 58. The portion |50 also reduces the air space between the refrigerated shelf 58 and the'shield or` tray 60.

The tray 60 is supported on a wire |62 the shape of which is best seen in Figs. 2, 5 and 6. The wire has a 4horizontal longitudinal portion |64 terminating at its forward end in a short horizontal transverse portion |66 and extends vertically in a loop |68 around the shank of a screw |10 which secures the' forward end of the angle |52 against the liner wall |56. The `rear end of the wire |62 terminates in a short upstanding portion |12 and is bent at right angles to form a short transverse portion |14. The portion 14 is connected to a forwardly `extending portion |16 which has a loop |18 around the shank of a screw |80 which secures the rear of the angle |52 against the wall |56.

Other screws |82 are placed intermediate the screws |10 and |80 further to secure the angle |52 in place. No angle is placed across the back wall of the cabinet so that free access may be had into the compartment I2 for removing and replacing the evaporator 16. The drip tray 60 is formed at its opposite sides with flanges |84 which ride on the top edge of the wires |62,'an d the inward movement of the tray 60 is llimited by the upstanding portion |12 of the wire. lThis positions the tray Within the compartment so that it is spaced from the walls of the compartment |2 on all four sides, the front wall being considered'as the inner panel 22 of the door I8 (Fig. 5).

The tray 60 is formed of a pair. of similarly dish-shaped members |86 and |88 which are spaced apart over their bottoms and sides and which are molded or cemented together attheir outer edges, as at |90. The members |86 and |86 may be made of a moldable plastic material, and, the spacebetween them isffllled with a suitable vheat insulating material |92. At the .sides thefused `portions |90 fform :the .side flanges |84 which `ride upon therails F62 to support the tray 60 `in the cabinet.. At the fronty of the tray the molded Aedges |90fform-the front flange |84'which is fitted `with an ornamental handle |96 by vmeans of which the tray may be removed from and inserted 1into the storage space. vThe ange |94 is slotted at to allow air to circulate from the space 56 into the space y54 as will be explained hereinafter. The top edges of the member|88 are sloped inwardly and downwardly toward the center of the tray 60. The tray 60 is placed below ythe refrigerated shelf 58 so that it receives the water which will flow from the refrigerated shelf 58and through the spaces |46 during defrosting operations and dripping from the coil ||2 during normal operation of the refrigerator. While the refrigerator is operating the plate 88 is ycooled by the coil 86 and a frost forms thereon. During ythe defrosting operation this frost melts'and 4the water runs through Ythe spaces |46 into the tray'60. l

The-refrigerant circulating system is removable Y as `a unit fromthe refrigerator and replaceable thereinto. To this end the liner 38 is provided with a rear opening |98 surrounded bya flange 200. The opening v|68 is closed by a vremovable panel or door -202 Awhich is sealedagainst the flange 22by a gasket204. Suitable screws 206 secure the door 202 `in place. It will be noted that the width of the .opening |98 is somewhat narrower than the evaporator plate ||4 and consequently it is tilted when passed through the door. Actually the plate I I4 is tilted relative to the plate 88; the connecting tubing |I0, `I I6 between the two plates is vbent in order that this be done. The bend is easily made because the tubing is relatively thin-Walled.

A corresponding opening 208 is formed in the rear wall panel 32 and` is surrounded by a recess 2|0. The opening 208 is closed by a pan-shaped panel 2|2 filled with suitable heat insulating material 2|4. A sealing gasket 2|6 is conned between the panels 34 vand2 2, and the .joint ismade secure by suitable metal screws 2 8. The space in the insulated sectionof the refrigerator immediately `behind `the removable door 202 is filled with blankets or pads of insulating material 220 which is readily removable.

The lead-in tube 84 and the suction tube 82 are sealed against the removable door 202 by a suitable grommet 222 Where these tubes pass through the doorand into the insulated space. A similar .grommet is used to seal the capillary tube 18 and the suction tube 82 with the `panel 2| 2 kwhere they pass from the insulated space to go down to the machinery compartment I4.

The evaporatorl is readied for removal from the cabinet -by removing the screws 98 which secure the evaporator plate 88 and tubing 86 in the recess 98v and by removing the screws |44 which secure the plate ||4 and coil ||2 to the supporting frame |26.` The shield |20 is removed by removing the screws |24. It is usually neces- `Sary to remove the shield-so-that the tubing I |0, |46 may be bent Vso that the plate ||4 may be tilted relative to the plate 88. As the frame |26 extends across the opening |98 it must be removed through the front access opening I6; screws |60 securing the .frame |26 to the angle |52 are, therefore, removed.. The rear panel 2|2 is removed as is the insulation 22|) between the panels 2|2 and 202. The insulation 220 is loose or in pads so as to be readily removable and yet be packed around the conduits and control elements present at the rear of the evaporator. The evaporator 16 together with the accumulator and the associated tubing is removed as a unit from the food storage compartment I2. The liquefying or condensing unit is removed from the machinery compartment I4 in a well known manner. It is thus seen that a hermetically sealed refrigerating circulating unit can be used with this refrigerator and be removed from and replaced into the cabinet in a very short time. This permits the repair of the refrigerant circulating system at the place of manufacture of the system and removes the necessity of breaking any of the connections in the refrigerant circulating line or tubing.

The refrigerator of this invention provides a freezing temperature storage space and a compartment for making ice cubes in the space 52. This space is the coldest in the refrigerator since it is confined directly between and cooled by the evaporator coils 86 and II 2. It is possible to refrigerate or cool the space 52 to a temperature of about 12 F. which will give correspondingly desirable temperatures in the remainder of the refrigerator.

'I'he space 52 is effectively separated and insulated from the remainder of the refrigerator by the coating of frostA which forms after a short period of operation between the evaporator plate II4 and the frame |26. This frost, therefore, closes the openings I 46 between the frame |26v and the evaporator plate II4. This coating of frost, furthermore, insulates the space 52 from the space 54. As hereinbefore pointed out, the space 52 is further separated from the other-storage spaces by the door 10 which is at thefront of the refrigerator. This door, however, does not seal either against the frame I26`or the liner 38 because the layer of frost which would form around the periphery of the door would freeze the door shut and there is a smallleakage of cold ai from around the door 10.

The space 54 between the refrigerated shelf 58 and the tray 60 is cooled directly by the coils II2. Because of the proximity of the coil II2 the air in this space would be about 12 F. This space thus may be used for the storage of ice cubes (in the tray 60) and frozen foods. l

The space 56 is cooled by circulation of air through the space 54. Tests which have been made on this refrigerator show that the warm air ascends in the compartment 56 primarily along the front thereof, that is, along the inner panel 22 of the door I 8. The air enters the space 54 through the slots |85 in the flange |84 of the tray 60. It crosses between the evaporator II2 and the tray 60 and spills over the side edges and back edge of the tray 6U into the space 56. Fig. 5 shows the tray or insulated shield 60 to be spaced on all four sides from the walls of the compartment I2 so as to provide for the free circulation of air through the space between the liner and door walls and the edges of the tray or shield 6U.

The space 56 is provided with wire shelves 62 or shelves of equivalent structure so that the'air will circulate freely through the compartment without its path being obstructed or in any way directed by the construction of the shelves. The storage of foodstuffs on the shelves 64 ordinarily does not objectionably obstruct the air circulation as the air passes between and around the stored items. If desired, the glass shelf 64 might be provided with openings along its rear and front 8 edges for a restricted circulation of air through the trays 66.

The means for controlling the refrigeration system is shown in Fig. 2 and comprises a compensating type thermostatic control 224 which is mounted in the upper rear of the cabinet by a U-shaped bracket 226. The bracket 226 is spotwelded to the rear wall panel 34 and provides a thrust bearing 228 for a control rod 230. The control rod extends to the front of the cabinet and a knob 232 is removably attached to its outer end. The breaker element 44 is recessed at 234, and the recess is covered by an escutcheon plate 236 held in place by suitable fasteners 238.

'I'he thermostatic control 224 is of the bellows type, having a pair of

feeler bulbs

240 and 242. Feeler bulb 240 is removably secured to the evaporator plate I I4 by a bracket 244 and is thus responsive to its temperature. Feeler bulb 242 is removably secured by bracket 246 to the rear face of the panel 202 at the top of the space 56 just below the shield 60 and responds to the temperature of the panel 202 which in turn is affected by the temperature of the air in the space 56. The tubing connecting the bulbs 249 and 242 to the control 224 is flexible and may be bent out of the way during removal or insertion of the evaporator assembly so that the control system will not be damaged.

A compensating bellows type control which may be used in the refrigerator of this invention is shown in Fig. 7. The bulb 248 is connected to a bellows 248 which expands against the force exerted by a loading spring system 250. The shaft 230 is connected to the control 224 by arotatable bracket 252 so that the temperature range within which the refrigerating system operates may be manually regulated. The bellows 248 is connected to the loading spring system 25|)` by a shaft 254 to which a lever 258 is pivoted at 253. One end of the lever 256 bears against the outer end of the short arm of a floating bell crank lever 260, the longer arm of which carries a stop 262 adapted to engage an abutment 264. The lever 260 carries an extension 266 adapted to be engaged by a part of the bracket 252 so that the refrigeration system may be placed in the off condition.

The lever 260 is biased to the position shown in Fig. 7 by a leaf spring 268 which has one end anchored to a bracket 210 and its opposite end secured to the longer arm of the lever 260. The leaf spring 268 also carries an L-shaped arm 212 which actuates an over dead center beam 214 for the vcontact blade 216 of a snap switch 211, the beam 214 having one end pivoted to the contact blade 216 and the other end biased toward the left (Fig. 7) by a spring member 218. A pair of contacts 280 in the compressor motor circuit and which are carried by the blade 216 and the abutment 264 complete the snap switch. The snap switch is of the normally closed type.

At its other end the lever 256 carries a pin 282 against which one arm 284 of a bell crank lever 286 is held by means of a tension spring 288 hooked to arm 290. The bell crank lever 286 is pivoted about a fixed pivot 292 and is movable by expansion and contraction of a compensating bellows 294 connected to the feeler bulb 242.

As the bellows 294 4expands relative to expane sion of the bellows 248 the bell crank lever 286 is pivoted in a clockwise direction about the point 292 and the arm 284 tends to leave the pin 282. However, the lever 256 rotates in a counterclockn wise direction about its pivot 258 by the action amano of the spring member 268 on the lever 2,60. 'I 'his ensures that the snap switch closes with less expansion of the bellowsy 248 or remains closed until the bellows 248 contracts sufficiently, thereby lowering the temperature range within which the control operates. VReverse compensating action takes place when vthe bellows 294 contracts relative to contraction in the bellows 248. When both bellows expand or contract proportionately no compensating action takes place in the control 224. The feeler bulb 240 actuates thev control to start and stop the condensing unit of the refrigeration system. The controlv 224 is set to respondto a temperature differential range on the evaporator plate |14, and by maintaining the plate temperature within this'range, it controis' the air temperatures in the

spaces

52, 54 and t; l

Should the load in the space 56 be increased, ordinarily it would not be responded to immediately or rapidly by the refrigerated shelf 58 land the rate of circulation of air through the space 5d would not be appreciablyv increasedbecause the cooling effect of the coil H2 and plate Il4 would remain unchanged. However, the feeler bulb 242, secured to the rear face of the lpanel M2 responds to the panel temperature, which in turn is affected by the temperature of the air in the space 56. With this increase iniload, the feeler bulb 242 operates the control 224 to reset the upper and lower limits of the temperature range on the plate ll4 downwardly by -the same amount so that the range differential remains the same. The resetting of theselimits in a downward direction causes the evaporator'coil i i4 to increase its rate of absorption of heat from the air circulating through the space 54 and thus increases the rate of circulation. With this control, therefore, the rate of circulation of air through the space 54 is increased by two factors, the increase in load in the space 5B, and the increase in absorption of heat by the evaporator. With the increased rate of air circulation and the increased rate of heat absorption, `the air temperature in the space 56 is rapidly cooled to normal.

As the temperature in the space jisbrought to the desired or normal range of temperatures, the feeler bulb 242, responding `to this temperature change, resets the control 224 to raise the upper and lower limits of thetemperaturerange to which the feeler bulb -240' on the plate |l4 is responsive and thus return therefrigeration s ystem to normal operation.

If the air temperature inthe Vspace z52 is'gabout 12 F. the `temperature in the space 56 will be maintained approximately within the range of 38-46" F. because the circulation of air through the space '54 is restricted by the passages provided by the slots |95 and the space between the side and back edges of the tray 6D and the liner Sil. Furthermore, cooling by direct absorption of heat from the air or other material contained within the space 5'5 is minimized by the insulating characteristics of the shelf 6B, it being made of plastic material which is thermally nonconductive and the space between the plastic walls being filled with a heat insulating material.

From the foregoing description it is apparent that the objects of this invention have been attained and that the refrigerator provides for a low cost construction multi-temperature refrigerator having some of the advantages of a multitemperature refrigerator wherein the compart- 10 ments are isolated or insulated from each other and, are. Separately 'COOld- While a single modification of the present invention has been shown (and described, it will be apparentV toA those skilled in the artthat numerous modifications and departures may be made therefrom without departing from the spirit and scope of the'present invention. lWhat, therefore,l is claimed as new and desired to be secnredby Letters Patent is: f

l, ln a refrigerator, a compartment defining linen/thermal insulationv surrounding said liner, yaJ portion of the upper wall of said liner being formed to provide a recess open to the interior of such compartment, a cooling element located in. said recess substantially flush with the inner surface of said liner adjacent vsaid recess, and sealing means for preventing air circulation between the'main space inside of said liner' and the space between saidcooling element andthe recessed portion of said liner thereby to prevent an objectionable accumulation of frost in the last mentioned space.

l2. ln a refrigerator, means defining a compartment', a partition dividingjsaid compartment intoa pair of lrefrigerated spaces, said partition including a' frame having an opening therethrough, and an evaporator element positioned so as substantially to close said opening and forming with said frame a gap through which moisture may flow, said evaporator serving to effect cooling of both s aid'spaces, and an insulated tray positioned below and adjacent said evaporator to receive the moisture from said evaporator and said gap and to restrict the cooling of thelower space by said evaporator.

'3. In a refrigerator, a cabinet including means .defining acompartment, a removable refrigerating system installed in said cabinet, a plurality of wall openings in said cabinet, a removable insulated wall section closing one of said openings .and removable with `said refrigeratingsystem, said .system including a pair of horizontally disposed vertically spaced evaporator sections located with said'compartment ,and interconnected'by tubularmeans, a horizontally disposed frame gaf-'thermally non-conductive material Vsecure'd to opposite walls of said wallcompartment fdening n'leans, .said frame having a central opening therethrough, and means removably securing one of v(said evaporator sections in said frame opening'substantially to close the latter thereby to ,deflnea wallrdividing said compartment into a pair of refrigeratedspaces, said evaporator sections being removable through the opening closed by said removable insulated wall section.

4. In a refrigerator, a compartment dening liner insulated from the atmosphere and provided with an access opening at one side thereof, a refrigerated shelf dividing the compartment into a pair of refrigerated spaces, said refrigerated shelf comprising a generally horizontally arranged frame having four sides to define an opening therethrough, three sides of said frame closely paralleling the walls of said liner and the fourth side extending across said access opening, said frame being made of a material having low thermal conductivity, means sealing said frame against the walls of said liner, an evaporator element having a shelf forming plate at the upper side thereof secured to said frame substantially to close the opening formed therein and to be supported thereby, and means below said shelf' and spaced from the walls of said liner to restrict the cooling effect of said evaporator element whereby the temperature in the space occupied by said last-mentioned means is substantially higher than that in the other space.

5. In a refrigerator, a compartment defining liner insulated from the atmosphere and provided with an access opening at one side thereof, a refrigerated shelf defining thereabove with said liner a space apart from the remainder of the space in the compartment, said refrigerated shelf comprising a generally horizontally arranged frame having four sides to define an opening therethrough, three sides of said frame closely paralleling the walls of said liner and the fourth side extending across said access opening, said frame being made of a material having low thermal conductivity, means sealing said frame against the walls of said liner, and an evaporator element having a shelf forming plate at the upper side thereof secured to said frame substantially to close the opening formed therein and to be supported thereby, and a door substantially closing the access opening to said first named space, said door and said shelf serving substantially to prevent circulation of air from said space to the remaining space in the compartment.

6. In a refrigerator, a compartment defining liner insulated from the atmosphere and provided with an access opening at one side thereof, a refrigerated shelf defining thereabove with said liner a space apart from the remainder of the space in the compartment, said refrigerated shelf comprising a generally horizontally arranged frame having four sides to define an opening therethrough, three sides of said frame closely paralleling the walls of said liner and the fourth side extending across said access opening, said frame being made of a material having low thermal conductivity, means sealing said frame against the walls of said liner, and an evaporator element having a shelf forming plate at the upper side thereof secured to said frame substantially to close the opening formed therein and to be supported thereby, a door substantially closing the access opening to said first named space, said door and said shelf serving substantially to prevent circulation of air from said space to the remaining space in the compartment, and an insulating shield positioned below said shelf and spaced from the walls of said liner to limit the cooling effect of said evaporator element on the remaining space, whereby the temperature of ture of said first named space.

7. In a multi-temperature refrigerator, a cabinet having a storage compartment defining liner therein, said liner having a shallow downwardly opening recess formed in the ceiling thereof, a removable refrigerating system installed in said cabinet, a plurality of wall openings in said cabinet to provide access to said storage compartment, a removable insulated wall section closing one of said openings and removable with said system. a horizontally disposed frame in said compartment, said frame being made of a material having low thermal conductivity, means securing said frame to opposite side walls of said liner, said frame having a central opening therethrough, said system including a pair lof spaced apart generally parallel evaporator sections, means removably securing one of said sections in said recess, a plate secured to the other of said evaporator sections, means removably securing said other of said sections to said frame so that said plate substantially closes the opening therethrough, and tubular means interconnecting said evaporator sections, said evaporator sections being removable through said one opening when one is tilted relative to the other by bending said tubular means.

8. The combination claimed in claim 7, wherein said plate is so located in said frame opening as to form with said frame a gap therebetween through which moisture may drain, and a thermally insulating tray removably positioned below said frame and said other evaporator section so as to receive moisture draining through said gap, said tray limiting the cooling effect of said other evaporator on the space below said tray.

EVANS T. MORTON.

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

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,693,357 .Vassar Nov. 27, 1928 2,000,787 Philipp May 8, 1935 2,080,239 Summers May 11, 1937 2,132,836 Summers Oct. 11', 1938 2,240,178 Brace Apr, 29, 1941 2,289,078 Schellens July 7, 1942 2,330,917 Philipp Oct. 5, 1943 2,345,453 Brace Mar. 28, 1944 2,345,505 Siedle Mar. 28, 1944 2,361,792 Philipp Oct. 31, 1944 2,400,191 Coons May 14, 1946 2,470,956 Savidge May 24, 1949 2,489,752 Coons Nov. 29, 1949