US830342A - Refrigerator. - Google Patents

Description

PATENTED SEPT. 4, 1906.

J. W. MACDONALD.

REFRIGERATOR.

APPLICATION FILED APR-27,1905.

(Hair-ran sirafrns PATENT, Carrion Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 4, 1906.

Application filed April 27. 1905. Serial No. 257.745.

and useful Im rovements in Refrigerators,

of which the i lowing is a specification.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple, practical, and highly-eflicient device for preserving articles by means of a body-or running stream of cold or cool water; and the invention consists in certain peculiaritiesin the construction and arrangement of parts and in certain novel combinations of elements, substantially as hereinafter described, and particularly pointed out in the subjoined claims.

In carrying the invention into practice the cooling-chamber of the device is immersed in a body of water which, when practicable, is

obtained from a source of supp y under pressure and is of natural temperature. This water is caused to circulate around the cooling-chamber in a water-space formed by mounting said cooling-chambcr in a box or water-receptacle of sufiiciently greater size than the cooling-chamber as to leave said space between them. This coolir1gcha2nber and box or receptacle form the cooling portion of the apparatus, the former containing the articles to be preserved and the latter the water which modifies the temperature to a preservative degree. Extending through said water-space and immersed in the water therein are a serian of air-passages, the innerends of which into the interior of said cooling-chamber while their outer ends open outside the outer surface or wall of the waterspace. Means are provided by which said air-passages have communication with the outer air, whereby the air in the apparatus may be chan ed. Thus the contents of the coolin -cham er may be economically pre served and by proper attention to the air-suply none of the articles in said chamber Wlll be contaminated by the presence of the others." The air in said cooling-chamber may be changed with the fre ucncy necessary to prevent the tainting o such articles as milk and butter, for example, which are very liable toabsorb the odors of meats, &c., without increasing to a dangerous extent the temperature of the cooling-chamber, for the reason that the air in its assagc to the interior of said cooling-chain )cr is cooled bythe body oi water 111 the water-space. .More

' degree.

. over, the walls of the cooling-chamber and water-receptacle and the air tubes or passages are all made of sheet metal of as li ht weight as practicable, so that said walls and tubes will receive to a maximum degree the temperature which the body of water is capable'otimparting and will similarly in a maximum degree communicate said temperature to the air in contact therewith. Again, the outer wall of the water-receptacle is encircled by an air space or chamber into which the outer ends of said tubes open, and it is through this airspace or chamber in 'the preferred embodiment of the invention that the several tubes have communication with the outer air, which'communication is made controllable by valved means. Thus the air is cooled first in the outer air-chamber by the temperature of the Walls of the same, and finally in t is coolingchamber by the walls of the latter, each of which walls are in direct contact with the cool liquid. Furthermore, it is practicable by the use of the air-tubes shown in the accompanying drawings to dispense with other means for supporting the coolingchamber within said water-receptacle and from'the' walls of the latter.

Although a rctri erator embracing the foregoing features of construction will utilize to a maximum degree the cooling pro .erties of a body or running stream of water 0 natural temperature conditions may be present to meet which it may prove to be necessary or desirable to reduce by artificial means the temperature of the body of Water within the water receptacle or space. Therefore the wall of the water-receptacle, which is continued above thecoohng-chamber so as to form, with the top of the latter, a water-space above said chamber, also forms with said top a chamber, or space of sufiicient dimensions to receive enough ice to lower the temperature of the water in the water-space to the desired To support the ice in said chamber or space free from contact with the walls thereof, which it would be liable to ru ture, a

grating of basket-like form is provide ,Which grating will be sus ended within said chamer or space and W1 1 not impede the access of the water from said space a ove the top side of the cooling-chamber to the s ace around the other sides of the same and rom the latter to the former spaces. It will be understood that when ice is used itwill be undesirable to employ a stream of water continuously flowing from a source of supply into and fromthe water-space of the refrigerator, and for said reason if said water-space is connected with a source of water-supply under 'pressure'the connection should be such that if ice is to be used at any time the supply of water can be cut off when ice is used except to replace that which hasbeen drawn off for drinkingor other urposes. It will also be understood that W en ice is used it will itself tend to create a' circulation of water within the water-space, "the cool water descending and rgplacing the warmer, which is thereby cause to rise and be lowered in temperature when it, descends, and so on. When for any reason temporary or otherwise it is not practicable to utilize a running stream of cold water as the cooling medium, a very small quantity of ice will act on the body of water within the water-space to reduce the temperature thereof sufliciently to maintain a preservative temperature within the cooling-chamber.

The ice-retaining basket or grating may be readily lifted out of the refrigerator when its use is not desired.

The water-receptacle and the cooling-chain.- her in the form hereinbefore described form a single self-contained structure, which in prac tice is mounted in an outer casing so constructed as to insulate the same from the influences of the outside temperature and is suspended within said casing by flanges which are formed at the upper edge of thewatcr-receptacle and rest upon heads at the upper end of the outer casing, whereby said water-receptacle and cooling-chamber may be lifted from said outer casing when it is desired to clean or repair them.

Having thus in a general way set forth the invention and several of its important structural features, I will next proceed to describe more in detail the best means for carrying the invention into practice, promising, however, with the statement that changes in the details riiay be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. I

In the accompanying drawings, illustrat ing the invention, and in whih like letters and numerals of reference designate like parts throughout the several views, Fi e 1 a perspectlve view of a refrigerator em od ing my improvements with the .front of t e casing partly broken away andthe top of said casing part1 in section to show the in-, ternai'parts of t e refrigerator. Fig. 2 is adetail viewof the cooling portion of the apparatus, partly broken away to show some of as the air assages or tubes. Fig. 3 is a section on the e 3 3 of Fig. 2-. Fig. 4 is a view of the metal ice-sup orting grat A designates t e outer ingifiating-casing, which is preferably formed of wood and comof a series of sheet-meta "ing portion of the apparatus is suspended -flow into the space 6 it will circulate around prises the outer wall 1 and inne r wall 2,

I spaced apart to leave an intermediate charm ber packed with mineral'wool or other suitable insulating material. This casing has adoor (not shown) for access to the coolingchamber and a lid or door 'for access to the ice chamberor grating, which doors, forming no art'of the invention, need not be furj ther re erred to.

.C designates the cooling portion ofthe re frigerator and comprises the inner casing or. cooling-chamber 3 and the outer box or wator-receptacle 4, both of which are formed of suitable slieet metal. They are of such sizes that when placed one within the other awater-space 5 will be left between the sides and bottom parts,thereof and an open space or I I I chamber 6 will be formed above the cooling; chamber. The smaller casing-'i. e., thecooling-chamber 3is held in position by means tubes ,7 passing through the-sheet metal formingthe sides of said cooling-chamber and waterereceptacle and ex ended in.place to form rigid oints. Thew ,ole is then dipped in melted tin pr galvanizing material to make all seams and joints water-tight and prevent rusting. The top of the box or wateraeceptagle 4 is worked out to form the flanges 8, by which said coolwithmthe casing A upon the beads 9, and is provided withbpenings 10 and 11 to receive valved water su ply and outlet ipes 10 and 11*. The woo casing A shou d be of'such interior size as to dpermit the box or receptacle 4 to be place inside of it and leave beoo tween the outside wall of said box and the inside wall of the outer casing'an air-chamber 12, into which the tubes 7 open. This chamber 12 has communication with the air outside the casing through one or more valvecontrolled air-passages 12. In the form herein shown airis admitted to the chamber 12 from outside the refrigeratorby means of a single pipe 12, and the supply of said air is regulated by a shutter placed upon the outer end of said pipe. The water-outlet pipe 11 is passed through said casing- .A and screwed into the o 'ening 11 near the bottom of the box i, an said pipe is provided with an upward extension or overflow-pipe 14, which projects to the level it is desired to maintain in the water-space,,and is further provided with a spigot 14, which may be opencd'to withdraw water from said s ace. It will be seen that it due water be flowed through the opening 10 it will pass down into the space .5 and rise up in the space .6 until it reaches the height of the outlet of the overflow-pipe 14, and as the water continues to the chamber 3 on its course to said'outl'et and will. cool said chamber. Fresh air will flow from the pipe'12 in o the chamber 12 and will be cooled by contact with the cold surface of thgsides of the-box4- and flowing 13o A fill the space 6. becomes cold it will gravitate toward the botcontact with the walls of the same in its pas-f sage to said chamber 3.

When ice is to be used, the metal grating 15 'of basket-like form is dropped into the open space 6 to support said ice, and water is then supplied to fill the space and to nearly As the water in the space 6 tom of the space 5 and act to cool the air flowing intofthe cooling ch 'amber 3 in the me manner as when a stream of cold water ws around said chamber. is to be renewed as much water may be drawn off through the spigot or cook 14 as the ice will displace. Said grating 15 is removably supported in place in the space 6 by;

means of its flanges 16, which rest upon'a suitable support provided for. The several walls in the cooling portion of the refrigerator are preferablyflat in order to afford a maximum amount of cooling-surface forthe space occupiedand to permit the use of lain sheets of metal without the expense of s aping the same.

From the above it will be seen that I have provided a refrigerating means of simple and inexpensive construction which is thoroughly sanitary and effectively preserves perishable articles placed in the cooling-chamber at little or no expense for ice.

Having thus described the inv ention, What I believe to be new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, and what I therefore claim, 1s-

1. Arefrigerating means com rising a series of walls relatively arrange to form an inner cooling-chamber, e water-space aroun When the ice supply said cooling-chamber and an air-chamber around said water-space, tubes extending ace and opening into sai cooling-chambe and air-chamber, and means through which shid air-chamber has cominunicaticn with the outer ail.

2.- In a refrigerating means, a casing, a receptacle, flanges dn said receptacle, said receptacle and spaced therefrom by said flanges thereby forming an air-space, an inner receptacle spaced from the first-named receptacle forminga water-space, means establishing communication between the said air-space and interiorof said inner receptacle, and an icerece tacle supported from said flanges and over ying said inner receptacle and water chamber.

3; In a refrigerating means,', an outer receptacle, an inner rece tacie, and an inter mediate receptacle, sai inner receptacle being open at its front face and rigidly connected. to the intermediate receptacle to forn1- a unitary member, said receptacles forming a central air-chamber, an outer airchamber, and an intermediate water-chamber, means by which air is introduced into said outer air-chamber, and air-conduits extending from said outer air-chamber through the water-chamber and into the central airchamber.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two subscribing witnesses;

Emms'r W. BEAcH, A. W. Sonmnme.

being arranged within said caslng.

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