US2108876A - Refrigerating apparatus - Google Patents

Description

Fel 22, 1938 B. J. VANDOREN REFRIGERATING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet l4 Filed Jan. 25, 1935 lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll INVENTOR, Esame rf lmpara/Y.'

. BYv l H/s ATTORNEYS.

Feb. 22, 1'938. B. J. vANDoREN l REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 23, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 MWI 4,@ nu WVM. u .fm mb, NM .NW mi 1M m M/WWW/ N\ NW. un B "Jawmw 1P k uw man. em.\ mwN. CN fl um; l wx 51%.. \N.\ Q A. m/ Nu. mv.

//S ATTORNEYS.

Patented Feb. 22, 1938 UNITED STATES REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Bernard J. Vandoren, Dayton, Ohio, assignor to General Motors Corporation, Dayton, Ohio, a corporation of Delaware Application January 23, 1935, Serial No. 3,121

i 2 Claims. (Cl. 6289.5)

This invention relates to refrigerating apparatus and particularly to mechanically refrigerated cabinets of the display or showcase type.

One of the objects of the invention is` to provide an improved method of cooling the interior of, and food productsvstored in, a refrigerator cabinet having a plurality of transparent walls.

Another object of the presenty invention is to provide a refrigerator cabinet of the display or showcase type in which the food products stored therein are visible from the exterior of the cabinet while at the same time being isolated from air circulated over a cooling element or evapoemployed description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein a preferred form of the present invention is clearly shown.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a refrigerator cabinet of the vdisplay type having my invention embodied therein;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view of the cabinet taken on the lines 2-2 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional View of the cabinetv shown in Fig. 1 and taken on the lines 3-3 thereof disclosing a refrigerating system diagrammaticallyV connected with a cooling element installed in the cabinet. v'Referring to the drawings, for the purpose of illustrating the invention, there is shown in Fig. 1 thereof a refrigerator cabinet generally designated by the reference character I0. The cabinet Ill is of the so-called display orshowcase variety in which food products such as meats, iish, etc., are refrigerated while being displayed for sale and which cabinet may be supported upon any suitable display or supporting device indicated 0 at II. It is well-known that such cabinets usu'- ally include a plurality of windows or transparent glass through which the food products may be viewed. In the present disclosure the cabinet I0 includes a chamber formed by an insulated bottom wall I2, a back wall I3. a front wall I4. top

invention will be apparent from the following the bottom of the cabinet.

wall I5 and end walls I6 and I'I respectively. The back wall I3 of cabinet I0 includes a vertically extending non-transparent insulated wall portion I8 and an inclined portion I9 having the transparent windows 20 either pivotally or slidably secured to cabinet IIJ to afford access to thefood compartment 2I. The front wall of cabinet Ill is similar to thev rear Wall I3 thereof and includes a non-transparent insulated vertical portion 22 and an inclined insulated wall portion 23 comprising a plurality of spaced apart and stationarily mounted transparent glass plate members 24 extending substantially throughout the length of the cabinet. Top wall I5 of cabinet I6 also comprises a plurality of spaced apart and members 25 extending 'substantially throughout the length of the cabinet. The method of mount'- ing the transparent glass plates 24 and 25 and spacing same apart so that they form a dead air or insulating space therebetween is well-known to those skilled in the 'art of providing a transparent insulated cabinet wall section. 'I'he food storage compartment 2| provided in the charn-` berformed by the cabinet Walls is isolated from a passage which extends entirely around the cabinet parallel to and adjacent certain Wallsthereof in which passage an evaporator or cooling unit 21 of a refrigerating system is disposed. The evaporator 21 is adapted to cool air Within the passage and a fan or blower device 28 may be employed for causinga positive circulation of air over th e evaporator and around certain walls of compartment 2I. A refrigerated air passage 29 adjacent the cabinet bottom wall I2 is formed by a plate member 30 and extends entirely across The loops or turns of the conduit forming the evaporator 2'l of the refrigerating system are secured to the plate member 30. This plate member 30 is spaced by the angle iron members 3| a suitable distance from the surface of the bottom wall I2 of cabinet I0 so as to provide an air circulating zone below compartment 2| and the evaporator 21 in passage 29. lThe cabinet bottom wall I2 is depressed as at 32 to provide space in the passage 29 for the Ymounting of a motor 33, utilized for operating the blower or fan 28, and for positioning a suitable means to control ilovv` of refrigerant to the evaporator. 1t wiube nted (see Figa) that the passage 29 formed by the plate 30 and the angle iron members 3| extends over substantially the full length and width of the cabinet I0. At the ends I6 and II of cabinet III I provide upright Vplate members 34 and 35 respectively lil) ' from the inner surface of the cabinet 'walls I6 and I1 to form the vertical passages 31 and 38. 'I'he lower ends of the plate members 34 and 35 may be secured to the plate 30 and the upper ends thereof may be secured at the top of the cabinet I to the inner lining of the cabinet to seal the passages 31 and 38 in communicative relation with the passage 29. The passages 31 and 38 may be of the same configuration as the ends |6 and I1 of cabinet I0 and the members 34l and 35 forming same are Aprovided at the top thereof with a plurality of openings formed by perforating the plate members 34 and 35 as indicated at 4|. Below the transparent .glass plates 25 located in and forming the top insulated wall I of cabinet I0 I mount a pair of transparent glass plates42 which are stationarily secured in spaced apart relation and sealed at their edges in any suitable manner well-known to those l skilled in the art. The space between these glass element or evaporator 21.

plates 42 provides or forms the passage 43 and this passage communicates at its ends with the passages 31 and 38 by means of the openings formed by the reticuiations or perforations 4| in the members 34 and 35. The inclined portion 23 of front wall I4 f cabinet Ill-is also provided with a passage which extends the length thereof adjacent the glass plate members 24. I mount a pair of transparent glass plates 45 which are secured in spacedapart relation and sealed at their edges, in any suitable and Well-known manner, to provide the passage 46. Passage 46 is adjacent and parallel to the inner glass plate 24 and extends throughout substantially the full length of the cabinet I0. The ends-of passage 46 communicate with the vertical passages 31 and 38 by means Aof openings, formed by perforated portions 41,

passages are formed by the transparent glass' plates 42 and 45.

The refrigerating system connectedJ to the evaporator 21 includes a compressor 5| (see Fig. 3) which compresses the refrigerant. of the igefrigerating system and forwards the compressed refrigerant through a conduit 52 to a condenser 53 which is cooled in any suitable and well-known manner. Cooling of the condenser causes the compressed refrigerant to be liquefied and the liquid refrigerant is collected in the receiver 54.`

Liquid refrigerant is forwarded from receiver 54 through the supply conduit 55 to the cooling Liquid refrigerant in evaporator 21 vaporizes, because of the absorption of heat from the refrigerator cabinet I0, and is returned to or drawn into the compressor 5| through the refrigerant return con-` duit 5 6. An electric motor 51, connected through a suitable belt and pulley means 58 is e loyed for driving the compressor 5I. Operation f the electric motor 51 and compressor 5I connected therewith is controlled by a switch means 59'actuated by changes in pressurein the -low pressure portion of the refrigerating system. The flow of refrigerant to evaporator 21 is controlled by an expansion valve .or device 6I interposed in the conduit 55 which leads to evaporator 21. The valve or device 6| is actuated by pressure in a thermostatic bulb 62mounted on and responsive to the temperature of the outlet conduit 56 leading from the evaporator; The valve 6| stops flow of refrigerant to evaporator 21 when the temperature of the evaporator reaches a predetermined low limit and the switch 53 will thereafter open the circuit to motor51 to stop operation of the motor and compressor 5I.

The fan or blower 28, located inthe passage 29, provided in the cabinet I8, is employed t0 cause forced circulation of air from passage 23 to passage 35 and through the passages 45A and 46 to passage 31 and thence back to the inlet end of passage 29 and over the evaporator 21. Themotor 33 employed to operate fan 28 may be connected with a source of electrical supply through the switch means 53 so as to operate only when the refrigerating apparati operates or it may be connected with the source of electrical supply so as to operate continuously. If desired a temperature responsive switch or a manually actuated switch may be provided in the power line leading to the fan motor 33 for automatically or manually controlling its operation. In either event it is to be understood that the fan 28 forces the air, cooled by the refrigerating effect produced by evaporator 21, across and parallel tofcertain walls of the refrigerator cabinet I0, through the passages enumerated, to cool the entire interior of the food compartment 2| by conduction through theinner walls of the passages. 'I'he outer -walls of the air passages about the cabinet walls pick up heat tending to enter the cabinet and dissipate this heat to the cold air in the passage which in turn gives up heat to the evaporator-` 21 from where it is carried away from the cabinet I0 by the refrigerating system. ' I'he passages 23, 35, 43, 46 and 31 are constructed and arranged to prevent the air cooled by the evaporator 21 and circulated 'by the fan 28 from entering the food storage compartment 2| of cabinet ||l. The refrigerated air', which is dried by its circulation over the evaporator 21 in the well-known manner, does not come in contact with food products stored in the compartment 2| of the cabinet and therefore this dry air cannot cause dehydration of the products. The compartment 2| and food products stored therein are refrigerated by conduction of cold, produced by the evaporator 21, through the metal ,plate 30 which forms the bottom. wall of comvided adjacent and along transparent walls or windows thereof for preventing the transference of heat therethrough to the food compartment without impairing the visibility of food products in the compartment. 'Ihe provision of the cold air passages in the walls of myimproved display cabinet or showcase causes air within the isolated food compartment to circulate and the formation of warm air pockets or zones in the upper portion o f the food compartment is prevented. The movement of air within the isolated food compartment insures that products stored therein will be uniformly cooled.

While the formof embodiment ofthe invention as herein disclosed, constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted, all coming within the scope of the claims which follow. What is claimed is as follows:

.'1. A refrigerating apparatus comprising in combination, a cabinet having a plurality of insulated Walls'forming a chamber therein, means cooperating with said walls to form a food stor- `age compartment Within said chamber, said means being constructed and arranged to extend to he traversed by air flowing around saidJcompartment in said closed path of flow the e'for.

2. A refrigerating apparatus comp ising in combination, a cabinet having a plurality of insulated walls forming a chamber therein, at least a portion of one of said cabinet walls being transparent, means cooperating with said walls to form a food storage compartment within said chamber, said means being -constructed and arranged to extend continuously around at least four sides of said-food compartment, said means providing a closed path for .the ow `of air around said compartment and having a portion thereof forming a support for food adapted to be stored in said compartment, said means also including a transparent portion disposed' adjacent to and in alignmentwith said transparent portion of said one cabinet wall, a cooling element of a refrigerating system positioned in said chamber and isolated -by said means from the interior of said compartment, and said cooling element extending along and lying against the food supporting portion of said means and being arranged in position to be traversed by air flowing around said compartment in said closed path of ilow therefor.

BERNARD J. VANDOREN.

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