Refrigerator vacuum storage system

A vacuum storage system for a refrigerator food storage compartment including:

• a cabinet;
• a drawer unit slidably supported for movement between retracted and extended positions into and out of the cabinet, said drawer unit including a plurality of interconnected walls defining a storage space, one of the plurality of interconnected walls constituting a front wall;
• one or more vacuum sealing containers each provided with a one-way evacuation valve;
• a vacuum source in communication with the storage space inside of the cabinet reducing air pressure within the storage space below atmospheric pressure during an evacuation event;
• a control system establishing the evacuation event through activation of the vacuum source wherein, upon placing the one or more vacuum sealing containers in the drawer unit and actuating the vacuum source, the air pressure in the storage space is reduced below atmospheric pressure simultaneously causing air pressures in the one or more vacuum sealing containers to be reduced below atmospheric pressure, whereupon the control system automatically deactivates the vacuum source upon establishing a reduced air pressure within the drawer unit and enables the pressure in the storage space to increase while the sealing containers remain under vacuum conditions;
• and an equalizing valve in communication with the storage space automatically returning the storage space to atmospheric pressure after the evacuation event.

A method of vacuum preserving food in a refrigerator utilizing a vacuum storage system including a cabinet and a drawer unit removeably disposed therein, the method comprising:

• inserting one or more containers each having a one-way evacuation valve into a storage space defined by the drawer unit;
• closing and sealing the drawer unit;
• actuating through a control system a vacuum source in communication with the storage space to reduce an air pressure within the storage space to a pressure below atmospheric pressure during an evacuation event, wherein air is simultaneously drawn out of the one or more containers via a respective said one-way evacuation valve;
• and automatically de-activating the vacuum source through said control system upon establishing a reduced air pressure within the drawer unit to allow the air pressure within the storage space to increase while the one or more containers remain under vacuum conditions.