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US 4,899,554 AGranted
Refrigerator with plural storage chambers
AssigneeSanden Corporation
InventorsIsao Kato, Mamoru Sunaga
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A refrigerator for use on vehicles and having a storage chamber horizontally divided into a plurality of spaces by shelves, each of which is preferably adjustable to provide for adjustment of the spaces. An air passage means is defined in the refrigerator to form a closed air circulation passage in each of the spaces with refrigerating means associated with each air circulation passage whereby the temperature in each of the spaces can be independently control.
Claims26
A refrigerator comprising:
- a cabinet including a substantially planar bottom member and side members extending vertically therefrom, said cabinet further comprising storage chamber means for storing items to be refrigerated, said storage chamber means having a front opening and a normally closed door hingedly associated therewith to provide access to said storage chamber means, said storage chamber means also having at least one shelf extending between said side members and horizontally dividing said storage chamber means into at least two discrete storage spaces;
- refrigeration means for refrigerating air, said refrigeration means comprising means for forcing circulation of said refrigerated air through at least two discrete air circulation paths;
- and
- at least two non-communicating discrete air flow conduits, each conduit being associated with a storage space and forming a portion of one of said circulation paths, each conduit being closed from an inlet to an outlet thereof and comprising means for directing said refrigerated air from said outlet to said inlet in a substantially horizontal path relative to said at least one shelf, wherein by controlling the temperature of air within each conduit, each storage space may be maintained at a different temperature.
1 more element
A refrigerator comprising:
- a cabinet including a substantially planar bottom member and side members extending vertically therefrom, said cabinet further comprising storage chamber means for storing items to be refrigerated, said storage chamber means having a front opening and a normally closed door hingedly associated therewith to provide access to said storage chamber means, said storage chamber means also having at least one shelf extending between said side members and horizontally dividing said storage chamber means into at least two discrete storage spaces;
- refrigeration means for refrigerating air, said refrigeration means comprising means for forcing circulation of said refrigerated air through at least two discrete air circulation paths;
- and
- at least two non-communicating discrete air flow conduits, each conduit being associated with a storage space and forming a portion of one of said circulation paths so that by controlling the temperature of air within each conduit, each storage space may be maintained at a different temperature, each conduit also being closed from an inlet to an outlet thereof and including means for directing said refrigerated air substantially only along an outer boundary of said storage means adjacent said front opening from the conduit outlet to the conduit inlet in a substantially horizontal path relative to said at least one shelf, thereby forming a discrete air curtain between each conduit outlet and inlet to prevent the incursion of warm air through said front opening into said discrete storage spaces when said door is pivoted to an open position.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.