Temperature controlled compartment for a refrigerator

In a refrigerator having a cabinet and cooling means for providing a stream of temperature conditioned air within said cabinet, a temperature conditioned compartment having side walls, a top wall, a rear wall and a bottom wall comprising:

• a movable container having generally imperforate front, side, rear and bottom walls, said container having access means at the top for placing and removing articles to be preserved;
• means to facilitate movement of the container from a retracted article preservation position in said compartment to an extended access position;
• means to direct said stream of air forwardly along an outer surface of one of said container side walls;
• a first aperture in said container adjacent an intersection of said one container side wall and said front wall;
• a second aperture in said container adjacent an intersection of another container side wall and said front wall;
• a gap between a top edge of said container rear wall and said compartment top wall;
• and
• means to direct said stream of air rearwardly along an outer surface of said another container side wall;
• whereby, the stream of conditioned air will wash the outer surfaces of the container side walls and the inner surface of the container front wall and a portion thereof will flow through said container to exit through said gap to produce a minimal temperature gradient inside the container.

A refrigerator comprising:

• a cabinet;
• cooling means for providing a stream of temperature conditioned air within said cabinet;
• a compartment within said cabinet defined by a pair of side walls, a top wall, a bottom wall and a rear wall;
• a container within said compartment having side walls, rear wall, bottom wall and a front wall;
• said container walls being spaced inwardly from said compartment walls to form an airspace therebetween;
• said container being openable to provide access to the interior thereof for the placement and removal of articles to be preserved;
• said container having apertures therethrough to permit said air stream to enter said container;
• means to direct said stream of air in a circuitous path around an outer surface of said side walls, in and out of said apertures and past said cooling means;
• bypass means to prevent a portion of the airstream from flowing past said cooling means;
• and
• sealing means provided between said compartment walls and said container walls when said container is in a closed position to seal said container from the remainder of said refrigerator cabinet;
• whereby the stream of conditioned air will wash the outer surfaces of the container side walls and the interior of the container to produce a minimal temperature gradient inside the container.