Patent Application
20080168792
The present invention relates to a chilled food storage area for a refrigerated appliance. The present invention further relates to a food storage area that is chilled by cold humid air taken from near the evaporator.
Appliances having one or more refrigerated compartments (e.g., refrigerator compartment for fresh foods, freezer compartment for frozen foods, etc.) are generally known. It is also generally known to provide an additional chilled food storage area (e.g., “crispers”) to such appliances. Known chilled food storage areas are typically located in a refrigerator compartment (for fresh foods) and receive chilled air from a freezer compartment so that the food storage area is maintained at a temperature less than the rest of the refrigerator compartment. However, such chilled food storage areas have several disadvantages including the use of dry air from the freezer to cool fresh foods such as vegetables, or use of complex multi-housing arrangements intended to keep the dry freezer air from directly contacting the food within the food storage area. Also, known refrigerators typically provide the food storage drawers at the bottom of the refrigerator compartment, and typically introduce the chilled air at the top of the refrigerator compartment. In such known arrangements, the air that ultimately cools the crisper drawers has an increased in temperature from when the evaporate first cooled it.
Accordingly, it would be advantageous to provide an appliance that has separate refrigeration and air circulation systems for the refrigerator and freezer compartments so that a food storage area can be provided chilled humid air rather than dry chilled air. It would also be advantageous to provide a chilled food storage area that receives air directly from the evaporator so that it was cooler than air that it would otherwise receive from the main air supply duct. It would be desirable to provide a chilled food storage area for refrigerator having one or more of these or other advantageous features. To provide an inexpensive, reliable, and widely adaptable chilled food storage area that avoids the above-referenced and other problems would represent a significant advance in the art.
The present invention relates to an appliance comprising a first compartment; a refrigeration system for cooling air; an air circulation system for circulating the cooled air about the first compartment; a storage assembly located in the first compartment; and a secondary air circulation system for circulating a portion of the cooled air in the storage assembly.
The present invention also relates to an appliance comprising a refrigerated compartment; a main air duct extending along at least a portion of the refrigerated compartment; an evaporator to cool air in the main air duct; a first fan coupled to the main air duct and configured to circulate between the main air duct and the refrigerated compartment; a storage assembly located in the refrigerated compartment; and a secondary duct coupled to the main duct and configured to allow air flow between the main duct and the storage assembly. A portion of the air cooled by the evaporator is supplied to the storage assembly through the secondary duct and the remainder of the air cooled by the evaporator is supplied to the refrigerated compartment by the fan.
The present invention further relates to an appliance comprising a refrigerated compartment; a first drawer located in the refrigerated compartment; a second drawer located in the refrigerated compartment below the first drawer; a main air duct extending substantially the length of the refrigerated compartment; an evaporator to cool air in the main air duct located at least partially in the main air duct and adjacent the first drawer and second drawer; and a secondary air duct in communication with the chilled air near the evaporator in the main duct. A portion of the chilled air is supplied directly to the refrigerated compartment near the first drawer and the second drawer through the secondary duct and the remainder of the air cooled by the evaporator is supplied to the refrigerated compartment away from the first drawer.
The present invention further relates to various features and combinations of features shown and described in the disclosed embodiments. Other ways in which the objects and features of the disclosed embodiments are accomplished will be described in the following specification or will become apparent to those skilled in the art after they have read this specification. Such other ways are deemed to fall within the scope of the disclosed embodiments if they fall within the scope of the claims which follow.
Before explaining a number preferred, exemplary, and alternative embodiments of the invention in detail it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the details of construction and the arrangement of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments or being practiced or carried out in various ways. It is also to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
Refrigerator 10 further includes a refrigerator door 20 and a freezer door 22, which are pivotally attached to refrigerator body 12 such that each may be moved between a closed position and a variety of open positions. Doors 20, 22 may include one or more storage shelves 24, 26 having varying heights and widths and being adjustable along the height of the doors. Shelves 24 extend across substantially the entire width of the doors; shelves 26 extend only partially across the width of the door to provide a variety of storage and functional options.
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Upper drawer 66 is generally open to the refrigerated compartment 14 and is located just below fixed shelf 38. Preferably, fixed shelf 38 includes a transparent plate (e.g., glass or a clear polymer) so that the interior cavity of the upper drawer is visible.
Middle drawer 68 is located below upper drawer 66. Middle drawer 68 is separated from upper drawer 66 by a plate 78 coupled to sidewalls 30 by a pair of retaining channels 80. Plate 78 is preferably transparent (e.g., glass or a clear polymer). The interior cavity of middle drawer 68 is substantially, if not entirely, sealed from the chilled air flow by a gasket 82 mounted to a front edge of plate 78 that engages a front panel 84 of middle drawer 68 and a gasket 86 extending from a rear portion of plate 78 that engages a rear panel 88 of middle drawer 68.
Lower drawer 70 is generally open to the refrigerated compartment 14 and is located just below middle drawer 68.
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Referring to FIGS. 2 and 4-6, ducts 90 provide a conduit or passage for air to travel from supply duct 46 into storage assembly 52.
Referring to FIGS. 2 and 4-6, fans 92 draw a portion of the chilled air from supply duct 46 through an opening in the cold plate, and ducts 90 direct (e.g., guides, diverts, etc.) the portion of chilled air into storage assembly 52. This portion of the chilled air passes around and/or in through drawers 66, 68, 70 to provide direct or indirect cooling. According to an exemplary embodiment, fans 92 operate during the refrigerator compressor “on” cycle (i.e., when refrigeration and circulation system is operating). According to a particularly preferred embodiment, fans 92 are 12 Volt (V) DC fans mounted within duct 90. Alternatively, any of a variety of fans may be provided (e.g., quantity, powersource, capacity/power, etc.).
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It is important to note that for purposes of this disclosure, the term “coupled” shall mean the joining of two members directly or indirectly to one another. Such joining may be stationary in nature or movable in nature. Such joining may be achieved with the two members or the two members and any additional intermediate members being integrally formed as a single unitary body with one another or with the two members or the two members and any additional intermediate member being attached to one another. Such joining may be permanent in nature or alternatively may be removable or releasable in nature. Such joining may also relate to mechanical, fluid, or electrical relationship between the two components.
It is also important to note that the construction and arrangement of the elements of the refrigerator chilled food storage area as shown in the preferred and other exemplary embodiments are illustrative only. Although only a few embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail in this disclosure, those skilled in the art who review this disclosure will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible (e.g., variations in sizes, dimensions, structures, shapes and proportions of the various elements, values of parameters, mounting arrangements, materials, colors, orientations, etc.) without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of the subject matter recited in the claims. For example, it should be understood that the embodiments and teachings disclosed herein with respect to only one of compartments extend to both of compartments according to various alternative embodiments. According to various alternative embodiments, the refrigerator may be a “top-bottom” style refrigerator, a “chest” style refrigerator, and so on. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims. The order or sequence of any process or method steps may be varied or re-sequenced according to alternative embodiments. In the claims, any means-plus-function clause is intended to cover the structures described herein as performing the recited function and not only structural equivalents but also equivalent structures. Other substitutions, modifications, changes and/or omissions may be made in the design, operating conditions and arrangement of the preferred and other exemplary embodiments without departing from the spirit of the present invention as expressed in the appended claims.
