US1694147A - Display refrigerator - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 4, 1928.

A. H. SIEBERT DISPLAY REFRIGERATOR Filed Dec. l5. 1926 Patented Dec. l4, 1928.

PATENT OFFICE.

ALFRED E. SIEBERT, OF ST. LOUIS, MISS & HOTEL SUPPLY CO., 0F ST. LOUIS,

OURI, ASSIGNOR T0 SiT. LOUIS BUTCHEBS MISSOURI, A CORPORATION 0F MISSOURI.-

v DISPLAY REFRIGERATOR.'

Application led December 13, 1926. Serial No. 154,391.

M invention relates to improvements in disp ay refrigerators, and has for its primary object a display refrigerator which is so arranged that the air within the refrigerator can be circulated so that a substantially even or uniform temperature will be maintained throughout the refrigerator.

A further object is to construct a refrigerator as aforementioned in which lthe chilled air is delivered into the refrigerator adjacent thetop and, being colder than the air in the refrigerator, descends, forcing the warmer air in the refrigerator upward thus assisting the air circulating means.

' A still further object is to construct a display refrigerator which is provided with an apparatus for artificial refrigeration and in which the refrigerating means and the air circulating means are separately operated and controlled so that one may be placed in operation without affecting the other.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is I'a vertical longitudinal view of 'b the device;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section taken on the line 2--2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a cross section taken on the llne 3-3 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is an enlargedperspective view of the removable deflector.

In carrying out the invent-ion, a casing is employed consisting of sides 4, a top 5, a bottom 6, a front wall 7 and a rear wall 8. It will be noted that the sides 4 andbottom 6 are made hollow so as to enable them to be filled with the usual packing, such as cork, mineral wool, or the like, so as to insulate `the interior of the refrigerator from the at-V mosphere. The front and top are preferably made with sheets of plate glass so that the interior of the refrigerator can be -readily seen. The rear wall is providedwith doors 9 through which access can be had to the interior of the refrigerator.

Supported by the bottom 6 is a container 10, which is designed to have a non-freez-V ing solution placed therein. In the container 10 and submerged in the non-freezing solution is'an expander 11, which is provided with a plurality of pipes 12. These pipes extend longitudinally of the casing and have their free ends secured in headers 13. The

`headers 413 are in turn connected to a pipe 14, which pipe is connected to the suction end of a compressor 15. Connected to the pressure end of t-he compressor are pipes 16.

These pipes are in turn connected to a cool- 1ng coil 17, which coil is connected to thc expander 11 by means of a pipe 18.

Extending lnto the container 10 is a pipe 19 which is connected to the suction end of a pump 20. The delivery end of the pump 20 has connected thereto a pipe 21 to which pipe are connected stand pipes 22. These stand pipes have their -upper ends substantially U shaped (see Fig. 1) and carry spray nozzles 23.

Extending upward from the tank 10 are ducts 24. These ducts have their lower ends 25 immersed in the non-freezin solution so that the same will seal the ower' end of the ducts. The ducts are also rovided with a partition wall 25a into front and rear passageways 26 and 27. The partition wall 25a, however, has its lower end terminating above the level of the nonfreezing solution as illustrated in Fig. 3. The upper end of the passage l26 is closed v means of the closure 28 while the passage 2 is open at all times. The passage 26 is also provided near its upper end with a plurality of louvres or passages 29 by means of whicho air can be discharged from the upper end of the passage.

The upper ends of the ducts 24 are open -at their inner face so as to provide a hood 34 which communicates with the interior of the refrigerator. It will be noted from Figs. 1 and 3 that the spray nozzles extend up into this hood and, in order to prevent any moisture from spraying out through the hood, a removable deflector 35 is employed. This deflector can be readily removed and placed in position. 4

It will also .be noted from Figs. 1 and 3 that each of the stand pipes is provided with a valve 36. The purpose of this valve is to regulate each spray nozzle independently and thus control the circulation of air in the various arts of the refrigerator, In fact if desired, ligmay use only one stand pipe or `I may use two or all of the stand pipes, and Dby reason of the'valves it is also possible to cause one or more of the ducts to have a greater suction therein than in the remainder. In this way the temperature inside of therefrigerator can be controlled to a great extent without in any way changing the operation of the pump or of the refrigerating machine.

, The stand pipes 22 and nozzles 23 are lodividing t e ducts los cated in the passageway 27. This passageway, asl will be observed from Fig. 3, isopen atthe top. The compressor is driven i by'means of a motor 30. This motor is controlled by an automatic switch 31 which is connected to the compressor and operates by the pressure set up therein so that when a predetermined pressure is reached, the switch will automatically open and thus stop the motor 30, while when the pressure drops below a predetermined amount, the switch will again automatically close, placing the compresser in operation. The pump 2O is operated b a motor 32. This motor can be icontrolle in any manner foundiv desirable.

Located above the container or tank 10 is a, false floor 33. This floor is preferably made of sections which are hollow and filled with material so as to insulate the interior of the refrigerator from the non-freezing solution. In fact when the floor is in position, the tank -10 is entirely invisible and in this manner articles placed in the refrigerator are prevented froln falling into the tank or the nonfreezing solution, and furthermore the floor will prevent7 to a great extent, moisture arising from the tank into the refrigerator thus making what is termed in the trade a wet box. f

The operation of my device'is as follows: After the various parts of the device have been assembled, a non-freezing solution is placed inthe tank l0. lThe compressor 15 is charged with a refrigerating solution and thenmotor 30 started. e The compressor will compress the refrigerant and pass it to the cooling coil 17 where it is cooled and passes through the pipe 18 to the expander 11, where it expands, passes through the pipe 12 into the headers 13, and then back through the pipe 14 to the compressor. After the nonfreezing solution has been cooled to the desired degree, the pump 2O is placed in operation drawing the cooled non-freezing solution from the tank 10 through lthe pipe 19 and discharging it through the pipe 21. From there it will be forced up through the stand pipes 22 and discharged 1n a downwardly directed spray into the passage 27. This downwardly directed spray w1ll carry with it air which is in the passage 27 and in so doing set up suction at the upper end of this passage. The air during its passage down becomes cooled through contact with the spray and is forced downward until it strikes the nonfreezing solution, which is in the lower end of the duct. There the passage of the air is reversed and the air passes around the under end of the partition wall 25a and up through the passage 26, and on account of the end of this passage being closed by the wall 28, the cooled air will be discharged through the louvres 29. This air being much cooler than i the air in the box, will sink toward the bottom ,of the refrigerator striking the false floor 33 and in so doingwill displacethe air,which was previously at the bottom of the display chamber and force it upward. A continued spray of non-freezing solution through the passageways 27 will cause the air in the refrigerator to become colder and colder, and after the device has been in operation for a. short time the temperature within the refrigerator is substantially uniform throughout, there only being possibly a' degree or so of difference be-. tween the top ofthe refrigerator and the bottom.

While I have shown my device as employing artificial refrigeration, this feature is not absolutely necessary as it would be possible to use ice to cool the non-freezing solution.

Having fully described my i-nvention, what I claim is z- 1. A display refrigerator comprising a casing, a tank containing a nonfreezing solution located in the bottom thereof, means for chilling said solution without adding to its quantity, a duct located in said casing and extending from" a point near the top of said casing into said tank, its lower end being immersed in said solution,.passageways formed in said duct'and communicating with each other adjacent the level of the solution, a closure for the upper end of one of said passageways, there being a plurality of openings formed in the front wall of said passage below the closure, the other passageway being open at thel top, means for circulating and forcibly spraying said nonfreezing solution downward vertically through saiddast mentioned passageway whereby air is drawn therein from the top of the casing and chilled and then forced upward in the closed passage, said chilled air being redischarged into the casing adjacent its top.

2. A display refrigerator comprising a casing, a tank located in the bottom thereof, ducts located in said casing adjacent one wall thereof, said ducts extending from a point near'the top of the casing into said tank and terminating above the bottom thereof, a nonfreezing solution located in said tank and the lower end of said ducts, refrigerating coils located in said solution, a artition wall in each of said ducts for dividlng the same into passageways front and rear, said partition wall terminating above the nonfreezing solution whereby said passageways communicate with each other at their lower ends only, a closure for the upper end of said front paslos sage, passages formed through the front wall of said front passage below said closure, means for circulating and forcibly spraying a regulated quantity of said nonfreezing solution downward vertically through the rear passage whereby air will be drawn therein, forced upward through the closed passage and be delivered into said casing adjacent its top through the passages in the front wall of the front passage.

3. A display refrigerator comprising a casing, a tank containing a nonfreezing solution located in the bottom thereof, means including al refrigerating system for chilling said solution, a duct located and along one wall of said casing and extending froma point near the top of said casing int-o said tank, its lower end being immersed in Said solution, front and rear passageways formed in said duct and communicating with each other above the level of the solution, a closure for the upper end of said front passageway, the rear passageway being open at the top, means for circulating and forcibly spraying said nonfreezing solution vertically downward through said last mentioned passagewayy whereby air is drawn therein from the top of the casing and chilled and then forced upward in the front passage, the front 'wall' of said front passage having vertically Yspaced passages formed therethrough adjacent its upper end through which said chilled air is redischarged into the casing without escaping from the lower end of the duct, and means for regulating the amount of solution sprayed downward through the passageway whereby the amount of air drawn in from the casing is regulated. v v p 4. A display refrigerator comprising a casing, a tank ,located in the bottom thereof, ducts located in said casing adjacent one wall thereof, said ducts extending from a point near the top of the casingninto said tank and terminating above the bottom thereof, a nonfreezing solution located in said tank and the lower end of saidv ducts, means for chilling.

said solution without adding to its volume, a partition wall in each of said ducts for dividing the salne into front and rear passage- Aways, said partition wall terminating above `into Said casing adjacent i-ts top through the passages in the wall of the duct, means for chilling said nonfreezing solution, means for controlling the circulation of said spray through the rear passageway whereby the circulation of air is controlled, and a removable deflector carried by the upper end 0f said passageway for preventing the spray of nonfreezing solution from entering the container.

In testimony whereof I have aliixed my signature.

` ALFRED H. SIEBERT.

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