Foods and beverages: apparatus – Subjecting food to an enclosed modified atmosphere – Automatic control or time means
Reexamination Certificate
2000-08-29
2001-07-03
Simone, Timothy F. (Department: 1761)
Foods and beverages: apparatus
Subjecting food to an enclosed modified atmosphere
Automatic control or time means
C099S470000, C099S483000, C099S486000, C062S117000, C062S197000, C165S091000, C165S206000, C435S286100, C435S289100, C435S300100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06253668
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a compound type kimchi storage device, and in particular to a compound type kimchi storage device that can separately store a variety of foods according to the user's preference, by including an upper storage tank of an upper open/shut type and a lower storage tank of a front slide open/shut type as storage tanks for storing foods, and by respectively controlling an inside temperature of the storage chambers.
2. Description of the Background Art
In general, a kimchi storage device includes a cooling device and a heating device. In order to ripen kimchi, a temperature in a storage chamber is raised by operating a heater that is the heating device. Accordingly, kimchi stored in the storage chamber is ripened.
When kimchi is suitably ripened, the operation of the heater is stopped, and at the same time the cooling device starts to be operated. Thus, a temperature of the storage chamber is adjusted so that taste and freshness of kimchi can be maintained for an extended period of time.
FIG. 1
is a perspective view illustrating a conventional kimchi storage device, and
FIG. 2
is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A′ in FIG.
1
.
As illustrated in
FIG. 1
, a door
13
is provided to be opened and shut at an upper portion of a kimchi storage device
10
, and a casing
11
composing a main body is disposed below the door
13
. The casing
11
includes a storage tank for storing foods. An operating unit
14
is provided at the one-side upper portion of the kimchi storage device
10
.
As shown in
FIG. 2
, the kimchi storage device
10
includes: the outer casing
11
; an inner tank
11
disposed at the inside of the casing
11
for providing a storage chamber
12
a
for refrigerating foods, an insulating material
21
being positioned between the casing
11
and the inner tank
12
; the door
13
rotatably disposed at the casing
11
for opening and shutting the storage chamber
12
a
; and the operating unit
14
adhered to a front surface of the casing for controlling the operation of the kimchi storage device
10
. On the basis of a sidewall
15
, the inner tank
12
for storing foods is provided at the upper portion of the kimchi storage device
10
, and a driving chamber
17
where a compressor
22
is installed is provided at the lower portion thereof.
An evaporator pipe
18
extended from the driving chamber
17
is coiled around the outer circumferential surface of the storage tank
12
. Low temperature refrigerants for cooling the air in the storage chamber
12
a
flow through the evaporator pipe
18
winding around the upper portion of the outer circumferential surface of the storage tank
12
. A heater
19
is coiled around the lower portion of the evaporator pipe
18
.
On the other hand, a temperature sensor
20
for sensing a temperature in the storage chamber is provided to the evaporator pipe
18
or the outer circumferential surface of the storage tank
12
.
In addition, the insulating material
21
is filled between the storage tank
12
and the casing
11
in order to prevent a heat loss of the evaporator pipe
18
winding around the outer portion of the storage tank
12
and the heater
19
positioned therebelow.
A control unit for controlling the whole operation of the kimchi storage device
10
and the compressor
22
driven by a control signal from the control unit for compressing the refrigerants are provided in the driving chamber
17
which is positioned below the sidewall
15
. The refrigerants from the compressor
22
are cooled in a condenser
23
through heat exchange with the ambient air, and supplied to the evaporator pipe
18
. On the other hand, the temperature sensor
20
disposed at the outer portion of the inner tank
12
is coupled with the control unit.
In the thusly-constituted kimchi storage device
10
, in the case that the temperature of the storage chamber
12
a
sensed by the temperature sensor
20
rises over a reference value due to the internal heat loss or external heat, the control unit transmits the control signal to the compressor
22
according to the signal from the temperature sensor
20
. Accordingly, the low temperature refrigerants are provided to the evaporator pipe
18
winding around the outer circumferential surface of the storage tank
12
, thereby lowering the temperature of the storage chamber
12
a.
As described above, the control unit drives the compressor
22
according to the input signal from the temperature sensor
20
, and thus maintains the storage chamber
12
a
at a constant temperature. In order to ripen foods, the control unit generates heat by transmitting the control signal to the heater
19
. As a result, the temperature of the storage chamber
12
a
is raised, and kimchi starts to be ripened.
However, in the conventional kimchi storage device, for example, when the user intends to store kimchi according to its ripening level after ripening it according to his/her taste, the user has little choice because there are only one or two storage chambers. In addition, it is necessary to store kimchi in the different storage chamber to maintain its ripening state. However, there are few storage chambers, and thus kimchi is stored with other foods. It cannot satisfy the demand of the users. Moreover, the noise is discharged from the compressor in the driving chamber to the front surface of the casing. Also, the noise generated at the time of driving the compressor in the driving chamber is discharged to the front, thereby causing the serious noise.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a kimchi storage device which can separately store kimchi ripened according to the user's taste and reduce the noise discharged from a driving chamber at the time of driving the device by a storage tank disposed at the front portion of the driving chamber, by further including the storage tank opened and shut toward the upper portion of the device and the front slide open/shut type storage tank sliding toward the front portion of the device.
In order to achieve the above-described object of the present invention, there is provided a kimchi storage device for ripening and storing foods such as kimchi by selectively operating a compressor and a heater, including: a casing composing an outward form of the device; at least one upper storage tank disposed at the inside of the casing for providing at least one upper storage chamber, an insulating material being filled between the casing and the storage tank; a door disposed at one side of the casing for opening and shutting the upper storage chamber; a drawer-type lower storage tank disposed below the upper storage tank for providing a lower storage chamber, a sidewall being positioned between the upper and lower storage tanks; and a driving chamber positioned adjacently to the lower storage tank, a compressor being installed in the driving chamber.
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patent: 5477915 (1995-12-01), Park
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patent: 5699674 (1997-12-01), Lee et al.
Fish & Richardson P.C.
Mando Climate Control Corporation
Simone Timothy F.
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