US2388746A - Cabinet for foods or the like - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 13, 1945 a KN PP 2,388,746

CABINET FOR FOODS OR THE LIKE Filed Jan. 20, 1945 l T T J6 E 8 I 3 H I 4-J Z 4 I F7613 Wyn/r 1? WITNESS:

; HWY w Patented Nov. 13, 1945 CABINET FOR FOODS OR THE LIKE Shepherd Knapp, Jenklntown, Pa. v Application January 20, 1943, Serial No. 472,92!

1 Claim.

This invention relates to the provision of a cabinet for maintaining foods or the like in drycondition, the cabinet being associated with a refrigerator in such fashion as to utilize the heat available in thev refrigerant cooling coils or system.

At the present time, foods are very carefully packaged in such fashion as to insure their delivery to the purchaser in moistureproof condition, which, in many cases, is very essential to the maintenance of the quality of the food. However, ordinarily, very shortly after the package is opened, since there is no provision made for effective rescaling, moisture from the atmosphere will permeate the contents, frequently making them tough or soggy, and also frequently permitting spoiling due to the growth of insects or molds therein.v It has, of course, been appreciated that such detrimental effects of moisture may be prevented by maintaining the opened packages under conditions of exposure to warmth so that moisture would tend to be evaporated from the contents into the atmosphere rather than the reverse. In all such arrangements of which I am aware, there is either the necessity for special automatic control or the food, if stored, for example, in spaces in a stove or the like, is subject to overheatingat one time and, in th case of modern stoves such as gas or electric ranges, is, over extended periods, unheated, so that moisture may enter.

In accordance with the present invention, there is contemplated the use of the heat available from the refrigerant cooling coils of a household refrigerator for the purpose of maintaining foodstuffs or the like in a dry, slightly heated atmosphere. The heat thu available is normally wasted, in any event, and utilization is made of the normal periodic operation of the refrigerating system to insure that the proper heated and dry atmosphere is presented to the foodssubstantially continuously. In accordance with the preferred embodiments of the invention, warm air is trapped in the food compartment during the operation of the refrigerating unit. During a subsequent period of non-operation, this warm and dry air remains trapped, so that at substantially all times the food is slightly warmer than the surrounding atmosphere of the room, giving rise to a slightly higher vapor pressure at the food whereby it may repel the absorption of moisture which would otherwise occur.

The above and other objects of the invention, particularly relating to details of construction,

will become apparent from the following descrip tion, read in coniunctionwith the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the upper portion of the refrigerator and the cabinet associated therewith, the refrigerator being of a type having the refrigerant cooling coil located on the top thereof.

Figure 2 is a vertical section taken through the cabinet inside the doors thereof;

Figure 3 is a diagrammatic perspective view showing the application of the invention to the type of refrigerator in which the cooling coil is located at the bottom thereof; and

Figure 4 is a diagrammatic section taken on the plane indicated by the traces t-t in Figure 3 Referring first to the modification of Figures 1 and 2, there is indicated at f a refrigerator provided with the so-called monitor top a, the latter embodying the cooling coil for the refrigerant which is compressed by a motor-compressor arrangement. The cooled refrigerant, of course, after expansion, circulates in the freezing coils within the refrigerator. During the operation of this type refrigerator, the refrigerant cooling cell t becomes substantially warmer than the surrounding atmosphere, and there are set up warm convection currents of air rising from the coil. In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a cabinet, indicated generally at 6, located above the coil d and supported by suitable legs 8 secured to the top of the refrigerator. This cabinet t comprises closed top, side and back walls, indicated at iii, if, M and it, and with one or more front doors indicated at It, through which access may be had to the interior of the cabinet. The bottom 20 of the cabinet is, however, perforated, as indicated at 22, and may consist, for example, of perforated sheet metal. The interior of the cabinet may be sub-divided if desired in any suitable fashion, as, for example, by an unperforated vertical partition 2i and a horizontal shelf it, perforated as indicated at 28.

While forming no part of the invention, the cabinet may be completed for practical commercial purposes by the provision outside the end walls l2 and It of perforated walls so through which warm air may pass to dry towels or the like supported on racks 32.

In the operation of the arrangement described, foods or other substances may be located in the cabinet, the doors of which will normally be closed. Desirably, these doors are fairly well fitted, so that, except for the perforations in the bottom of the cabinet, the cabinetis' well closed. Whenever the refrigerating system is operatlng, the

coil 4 will become warm, and warm air will rise therefrom through the perforations 22 in the bottom of the cabinet entering the same and displacing downwardly and outwardly the cooler air which may be therein. After the cabinet is filled with warm air at substantially the temperature of that rising from the coil 4, and the walls and contents of the cabinet have been heated to this same temperature, there will no longer be any substantial circulation of air within the cabinet, but rather, it will then contain a fairly quiescent atmosphere of warm air which will be maintained warm by the warm air reaching the bottom of the cabinet so long as the refrigerator operates. This condition will continue so long as the refrigerating system operates. When the refrigerant is no longer circulating, the coil 4 will still remain warm for a substantial period, and the convection currents of warm air will continue to reach the bottom of the cabinet. As the coil cools oil, however, it will be noted that, due to the closed top and sides of the cabinet, the warm air therein will be retained due to its being slightly lighter than the surrounding atmosphere, and even after cooling takes place substantially to the room temperature, the atmosphere within the cabinet will continue to be that which entered during the period when the coil was warm. While the relative humidity of this atmosphere may then rise to some extent, it will be evident that in the next operation, when that air is cooler than the warm air rising from the coil 4, it will be displaced, again by warm air, carrying with it, in general, some moisture evaporated from the food, or at any rate, with the net result, for overall operation, that at least no moisture will be condensed on the food. Thus through repeated cycles of operation, the food tends repeatedly to lose, rather than to gain, moisture without, however, being'subjected to over-heating or such over-drying as might also tend to spoil its palatabillty.

While, if the refrigerator were turned off com- .pletely over an extended period of time, it would be obvious that, due to diffusion, the air in the cabinet would become identical with that of the indicated at 40, and .the warm air, after passing over the coils, leaves through an opening such as 42 to enter a stack 44, which normally extends to the'top of the refrigerator. In the present instance, the stack 44 terminates below the top of the refrigerator, and in the particular arrangement shown, is confined in its width for the pur-- pose hereafter described.

The food compartment equivalent to that previously described, is illustrated at 46. It comprises closed top and side walls and is provided with a door or doors of suitable type similar to those shown at l8 in Figure 1, but not illustrated in this modification. The inside of the cabinet may be partitioned in any suitable fashion, and as illustrative of a partitioning arrangement, there is illustrated a shelf 48 of perforated metal. The bottom of the food cabinet, indicated at 50, is in this case unperforated and may, in fact, be the top wall of the refrigerator compartment.

At the rear of the food cabinet, there are openings 52 and 54, respectively provided for the entry of warm air and the escape of cooler air. The

entrance opening 52 has substantial vertical height. The exit openings, on the other hand, are located near the bottom of the cabinet and are of reduced type. With the entrance opening 54, there communicates a passage 56 located immediately above the open end of the stack 44, but preferably spaced slightly therefrom so that excess warm air may freely flow to the atmosphere and thereby cause no impeding of the flow of cooling air over the refrigerant cooling coils. Located on opposite sides of the conduit 56 are conduits 5B defined from the conduit 55 by unperforated walls 50, though conveniently the exterior surfaces of the conduits may be of the same sheet material. Desirably the conduits 58 extend down well below the bottom 50 of the food compartment opening at the side or sides of the warm air stack or surrounding atmosphere, so long as a refrigerator is in normal operation, its cycles will repeat at greater or less intervals, depending upon the opening of the refrigerator, or the difference in temperature between its interior and the surrounding atmosphere. It is found in practice that these cycles under ordinary conditions repeat themselves with suillcient regularity so that the above described effects occur, overcoming any tendency toward entry of unheated moist air into the cabinet to such extent that foods are kept in good dry condition, without their over-heating or over-drying.

The invention is equally applicable to the type of refrigerator in which the cooling coil or system is hidden and cooling is effected by the provision of a stack, usually at the rear of the refrigerator, through which a draft of cooling air is caused to flow over the refrigerant cooling coils.

Referring to Figures 3 and-i, there is indicated at 34 in diagrammatic fashion, the refrigerator food compartment containing in the usual fashion the refrigerating coils (not shown). Below this, in the compartment 35, there is located the refrigerant handling mechanism, generally indicated at 31 and comprising among other elements the refrigerant cooling coils diagrammatically indicated at 38. The airffor cooling these coils generally enters the lower portion of the mechanism chamber through some opening such as flue 44.

The operation in the case of this modification is substantially that previously described. The' warm air produced during operation of the refrigerating unit and passing up the stack 44 enters the conduit 56 and displaces from the food compartment the cooler air which may pass downwardly through the conduits 55. When the maximum temperature is attained in the food compartment, this circulation-and displacement of air substantially ceases, and, as in the case of the previous modification, there remains trapped in the food compartment the warm air which has entered during the operation of the refrigerating unit. During the period of non-operation, this air may cool down to approach the room temperature, but immediately upon re-operation of the refrigerating unit, it will, in turn, be displaced by warm air to effect the drying action previously described. a

While the above description has referred primarily to the mechanical compressor type of refrigerator, it will be evident that the invention is applicable to the gas type from which the air carrying the products of combustion may be caused to enter the food compartment; or better,

such warmed air may be caused to heat an air.

might have slight taste or odor.

It will be obvious that the invention is susceptible of other embodiments than those described within the scope of the appended claim.

assay i '3 said warm air to the interior of the chamber by reason of convective flow thereof without cutting off the free flow of air from the cooled mechanism to the atmosphere, said chamber being substantially closed at its top and sides to provide a trap for said warm air.

' SHEPHERD

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