US1951305A - Refrigerator - Google Patents

Description

March 13, 1934. HIIHQFFIBERGER 1,951,365

REFRIGERATOR Filed Feb. 13, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet l 6 ll J7 REFRIGERATOR Fiied Feb. 1a,, 1933 R 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 SKcW Fatenteoi Mar. 13, 1934 LBSLWE REFRIIGERA'EOR Jacob H. Hofiberger, Baltimore, Md, assignor to 'ilhe 8. llilofiberger ()ompany, Baltimcre, Md, a corporation of Maryland Application February 13, 1933, Serial No. 656.5741

1 Claim.

This invention relates to refrigerators, particularly those employing ice, either dry or water ice, as the source of refrigeration, and is more particularly concerned with refrigerators in which temperature regulation control is desirable to maintain substantially uniform temperatures therein.

In the prior art considering refrigerators having the usual type of ice compartment, circulation of air through the ice compartment has always been sought first to cool or refrigerate the air be-- fore it passes back into the food compartment,

and also because some washing effect is obtained for purifying the air which thus circulates in the refrigerator.

Such priorart refrigerators have been relatively inefficient due to the large consumption of ice,

and also because substantially uniform temperature is not maintained therein, the temperature varying materially with the quantity of ice in the refrigerator.

Among the objects and advantages of the present invention are to be found refrigerator structures in which the temperature may be kept substantially uniform while requiring minimum con sumption of ice for this purpose.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention include refrigerator structures in which as a preferred embodiment, circulation of the air from the food chamber into the ice compartment is prevented.

Other objects and advantages will appear from the more detailed description set forth below, it being understood, however, that this more de tailed description is given by way of illustration and explanation only, and not by way of limitation, since various changes may be made therein by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention.

In connection with that detailed description there is shown in the accompanying drawings, in

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view through an ice refrigerator constructed in accordance with the present invention; in V Figure 2 a fragmentary sectional view along the lines 2--2 of Figure 1; in

Figure 3 a detail view of the temperature regulator employed; in

Figure 4 a detail view of another perature regulator; and in Figure 5, an ice refrigerator equipped with the temperature regulator of Figure 4 in one manner of utilization thereof.

In carrying out the present invention, a refrigerator of the usual ice compartment type is emform of tem- (en. ta i6 ployed, but the ice compartment is sealed against any substantial entry of air from the food com= partment, so that there is no substantial circula= tion of air from the food compartment into the. ice compartment, nor from the ice compartment fill into the food compartment. This use of a sub= stantially sealed ice compartment, sealed against any substantial entry of air, is utilized in order to control more efficiently, the temperature main tained in the refrigerator with a minimum consumption of ice. I

The invention may be employed in connection with any type of ice compartment refrigerator and is illustrated in the drawings by that type of refrigerator having an ice compartment stationed iii above the food compartment. In this form of refrigerator, illustrating the present invention, the refrigerator is represented generally by the numeral 1, having the usual doors 2- and 3 respectively opening into the ice compartment A M and the food compartment B.

In the invention illustrated herein, the ice compartment A is sealed against any substantial entry of air from the food compartment. For this purpose a plate P serves as the floor of the ice comso partment, and preferably consists of a continu ous metallic element as shown in Figure 3. The plate P may simply rest on supporting shoulders 5, 6, 7 and 8 extending completely around the inner walls of the refrigerator, so that the cones tinuous metallic plate P by resting on the continuous ledges 5, 6, 7 and 8, substantially seals the ice compartment A against any entry of air from the food compartment B. Of course, any other means of supporting the plate to constitute the so floor of the ice compartment may be employed.

This metallic plate P constituting the floor of the ice compartment acts as a temperature regulator. It may consist of a -flat metallic plate, but is desirably provided with depending fins F as angularly disposed with respect to the face of the plate P, and extending toward the food compartment. These fins Fdesirably of metal, serve to increase the metallic surfaces cooled by the ice in the compartment A, and exposed to the air in lilo the food compartment B. As shown, these depending fins F may be distributed over the undersurface of the plate P any desirable number being employed, depending on the temperature tained rearwardly of the ice compartment than forwardly thereof. This feature particularly combined with the plate P mounted in a slightly inclined manner as shown in Figure 1, with the plate P slanting downwardly toward the rear wall of the ice compartment, serves to retain any block of ice toward the rear portion of the refrigerator. Furthermore, by having a somewhat greater cooling effect located along one portion of the undersurface of the plate by the structure as shown herein, a circulation of air within the food compartment and up against the fins otthe plate and into contact with the plate itself is more efiiciently obtained. The plate P may desirably be supplied with one or more waste water outlets 9 and 10, carrying lips 11 and 12 for directing any waste water which forms by melting of the ice, onto the waste water'drain pan 13, the latter directing such waste water into the usual waste water outlet 14.

Considering the structure set forth in the draw: ings and described above, it will be noted that the ice compartment A is substantially sealed against the entry of air from the food compartment B. By thus sealing the ice compartment against entry of air from the food compartment, it has been found that a more efiicient control of temperature may be secured with a minimum consumption of ice, whether dry or water ice, placed in the ice compartment A. The air from the food compartment B circulates within the food compartment into contact with the forward end of the plate P, and thence along the underside of the plate P, also into contact with the dependent fins F, descending then along the rearward portion of the food compartment B. In this way, substantial circulation of the air within the food compartment B is obtained, the air coming into contact with the chilled surfaces of the plate P and any dependent fins F, becoming refrigerated, and then cooling the food in the food compartment B. Very efiicient control of the temperature in the refrigerator is thus maintained, and it has been found very substantially the consumption of ice therein.

Due to the circulation of the air within the food compartment B along the undersurface of the plate P and into contact with the fins F, some condensation of moisture is produced, which moisture falls onto the waste water pan 13 and is carried into the'usual outlet 14. The air circulating between the pan 13 and the plate P comes into contact with this moisture and is sufiiciently washed, thereby carrying off any odors, etc.

The plate P has been found to ma ntain the desired refrigeration without any necessary use of the fins F, although the latter may be employed, and may actually be utilized to control the degrees of temperature by increasing the number of fins or decreasing such number, or varying the size or depth of them. Variation of the thickness of the plate P may be used as a means of temperature control. Desirably the plate P and dependent fins F may be made of some metal of high heat conductivity, such as aluminum alloy 38, or copper alloy, although any desired metallic composition may be employed for this purpose.

Very efiicient temperature control is thus maintained. Even when the quantity of ice in the ice compartment is substantially reduced, as long as there is some substantial quantity of ice therein, the contact of that ice with the metallic plate P maintains a substantially uniform temperature in the food compartment B. even though the quantity in the ice compartment may vary over relatively wide This results because of the use of the substantially continuous metallic plate as the fioor of the ice compartment wherein the ice contacts with that plate.

The plate P may be made a rigid immovable element or floor of the ice compartment, but desirably is shown as a removable fioor restingon the supporting ledges. Such form of the device enables it to be readily utilized in the usual type of refrigerator and also permits removal readily for cleaning, etc.

In Figure 4 another type of temperature regu-= later is shown in which instead of flat fins F as shown in Figure 3, the depending lugs may take the form of small pipes F welded or otherwise attached to the plate P, the latter again preferably being a continuous metallic element. The temperature regulator of the form shown in Figure 4 with the lugs in the form of small pipes projecting preferably at right angles to the undersurface of the plate P, may be utilized in the structure shown in Figure 1 in lieu of the plate P with depending fins F. In this event, the plate will be of a size so that when resting on the ledges 5, 6, 7 ands, the plate P will constitute the fioor of the ice compartmententirely sealing the same against the entry of air from the food compartment B. 7 1

As indicated above," in carrying out the present invention, the use of an ice compartment sealed against the entry of air from the food compartment isthe most desirable form of the invention. In such a structure where the entry of air from the food compartment into the ice compartment is prevented, there is a minimum consumption of 1,10 ice. And while as stated, this is the most desirable form of the invention, these temperature regulators in various forms, such as those illustrated in Figures 3 and 4, may be employed in ice compartments without sealing the ice compartment against the entry of air from the food eompartment. This form of the invention is illustrated in Figure 5, which shows an ice box type of refrigerator in which the temperature regulator of Figure 4 provided with legs L, L' is adapted to rest on the fioor 10' of the ordinary refrigerator. In this event, as noted, the plates P or P' are desirably provided with legs L, L' as shown in Figure 4, so that the legs support the plate P or P' above theusual air inlet opening 12' in the floor of the ice compartment. In this form of the invention, temperature regulation is again obtained due to the contact of the ice in the ice compartment with the metal plate P, the air coming directly in contact with the underface of the plate 13) P and the depending lugs F by which the air is substantially cooled before it even enters the ice compartment. The air then circulates into contact with the ice in the ice compartment where it is washed, andthen passm in the usual way to the upper portion of the food compartment. In such structures where the ice compartment is not sealed against the entry of air from the food compartment, lower temperatures can be obtained with the same types of structures than in those cases where the ice compartment is sealed against the entry of air from the food compartment; but these lower temperatures thus obtained are ob-' tained with a. greater consumption of ice than that consumed when the ice compartment Is sealed against the entry of any substantial amount of air from the food compartment.

. The form of the invention where the ice compartment is completely sealed against the entry of air from the food compartment is, therefore,

menace the preferred form, because the temperature is satisfactorily maintained at the low degree de' sired for ordinary refrigeration, with a we coption of ice.

it will be understood that where the plate with dependent fins or iugs is utilized without sealing the ice compartment against the entry of air from the food compartment, the plate will desirably he provided with legs as indicated in Figure 4 to support the plate at the distance above erator cars on railroads, or in refrigerating trucks and automobiles used for transporting perishable articles of food, etc, or in any other desired structure. When employed in refrigerator cars or automobile trucks, the temperature regulator in the form of the plate device illustrated herein,

wilrusually constitute the iioor of a bunker compartment in the refrigerating structure.

Where dry ice is used in the refrigerators in connection with the present invention, particularly in the home type of refrigerator, thermostatic control of the temperature may be utilized in order to maintain the temperature in the food compartment at the desired point.

Having thus set forth my invention, I claim:

A removable and replaceable temperature regulator for refrigerators having the usual ice com= partment, said regulator comprising a metallic plate for directly and substantially sealing said ice compartment against the entry of air from the food compartment, said plate carrying metalvlic fins angularly disposed with respect thereto for increasing the radiating surface of said plate,

the metallic fins'being exposed toward the food compartment, the metallic plate in size corresponding with the cross section of a fioor opening of the ice compartment with which it is to be used, so that when placed in position, the plate seals the ice compartment against entry of air from the food compartment, but said plate may thereby be removed when desired from the ice compartment of the refrigerator in which it is placed.

JACOB H. HOFFBERGER.

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