Refrigeration – Cooled enclosure – Plural cooled compartments
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-09
2002-03-05
Doerrler, William (Department: 3744)
Refrigeration
Cooled enclosure
Plural cooled compartments
C062S407000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06351967
ABSTRACT:
REFRIGERATOR WITH A FREEZER COMPARTMENT
The present invention relates to a refrigerator with freezer compartment, which includes a new temperature zone of freezer compartment or a switchable compartment swichable to the new temperature zone of freezer compartment, and a refrigerator with a freezer compartment, which is easy to use, provides space saving and has a compact size.
Conventional refrigerators have a main body formed by an outer casing and an inner casing with a heat insulating material formed and filled therebetween, and have the inside of the main body divided into a plurality of temperature zones to provide a plurality of storage compartments having a temperature suited to each food. Although top freezer type refrigerators which have a freezer compartment
200
at an upper position therein, a refrigerating compartment
100
at a middle position therein and a vegetable compartment
500
at a lower position therein as shown in
FIG. 26
have been dominant, the layout in refrigerators have become recently changed. In
FIG. 27
is shown a mid-freezer type refrigerator which includes a refrigerating compartment
100
with a door at an upper position therein, freezer compartments
200
,
250
with a drawable door provided at upper and lower separate locations at a middle position therein, and a vegetable compartment
500
with a door at a lower position therein as disclosed in, e.g., JP-A-5223431. In
FIG. 28
is shown a middle vegetable compartment type refrigerator, which includes a refrigerator compartment
100
with a door at upper position therein, a vegetable compartment
500
with a door at a middle position therein, and freezer compartments
200
,
250
provided at upper and lower separate locations at a lower position therein as disclosed in, e.g., JP-A9113111. In
FIG. 29
is shown a select type refrigerator, which includes a refrigerator compartment
100
with a door at an upper position therein, an ice storing compartment
600
with a door and a switchable compartment
330
with a door provided on right and left sides at a middle position therein, a vegetable compartment
500
with a door under the ice storing compartment and the switchable compartment, and a freezer compartment
200
with a door at the lowest position therein as disclosed in, e.g., JP-A-11080666. Such various layout have been proposed.
The diversification in the layouts of the conventional refrigerators is reflected by difference in life style in terms of which food users mainly consume. The conventional top freezer type refrigerator is based on a technological principle that the provision of a freezer compartment having the lowest temperature at an upper position is effective since cooled air moves from upward toward downward in free convection because of being heavier than warm air. The latest layout in the refrigerator is that a refrigerating compartment, which has the greatest frequency of use, is provided at an upper position. Without stooping, users can open a door of a refrigerator to take foods in and out of the refrigerator, and he or she can shorten the time required to look for a desired article of food since stored foods are right before his or her eyes.
The mid-freezer type refrigerator is that a freezer compartment with a door is provided at a lower position as an easy-to-use height in the refrigerator since supply of various frozen-foods on the market or an increase in the number of dual-income families has increased the necessity for preservation of food in freeze. On the other hand, the middle vegetable compartment type is suited to users who have frequent access to a vegetable compartment, which is provided at the lowest position in case of the mid-freezer type. Both types are characterized in that foods, which are more frequently consumed next to the foods stored in a refrigerating compartment, are stored at such a height that users can take out foods without stooping. There are, of course, merits and demerits, and the middle vegetable compartment type is difficult to take out ice cubes stored in a freezer compartment.
The select type refrigerator is that an ice storing compartment as a part of a freezer compartment is provided between a refrigerating compartment and a vegetable compartment and that a switchable compartment with a door independent from the ice storing compartment is provided beside the ice storing compartment since the ice storing compartment is not required to have occupy the entire width of the refrigerator. The select type refrigerator can cope with differences in the frequency of use of foods by users since the refrigerator includes the refrigerating compartment, the ice storing compartment and the vegetable compartment at heights to take foods in and out of the compartment without users' stooping, and since the refrigerator also includes the switchable compartment where the temperature therein can be set according to users, desire.
The layouts in the conventional refrigerators have been explained. Next, the preserving temperature zones for foods will be explained. In
FIG. 30
is shown a schematic view of the layout and the paths in a refrigerator disclosed in, e.g. JP-A-11080666. In this Figure, reference numeral
1
designates a refrigerator main body, reference numeral
100
designates a refrigerating compartment, reference numeral
600
designates an ice storing compartment, reference numeral
330
designates a switchable compartment, reference numeral
500
designates a vegetable compartment, and reference numeral
200
designates a freezer compartment. Reference numeral
700
designates an icing temperature compartment, which is provided in the refrigerating compartment
100
.
Cooled air, which has been generated by a cooling device
4
housed behind the vegetable compartment
500
and the freezer compartment
200
in the refrigerator, is supplied to the respective compartments by a fan
5
provided above the cooling device
4
. The cooled air is supplied from the fan
5
directly to the ice storing compartment
600
and the freezer compartment
200
. The cooled air is supplied to the refrigerating compartment
100
through a cooled air supply controller
6
X for the refrigerating compartment provided behind the refrigerating compartment. The cooled air is supplied to the switchable compartment
330
through a cooled air supply controller
6
Y for the switchable compartment provided behind the switchable compartment. With respect to the vegetable compartment
500
, cooling is carried out by an air path arrangement wherein the cooled air that has cooled the refrigerating compartment
100
is circulated in the vegetable compartment
500
and then is returned to the cooling device
4
.
The temperature zones in the respective compartments are determined so that the freezer compartment and the ice storing compartment are set at from −18° C. to −20° C., the refrigerating compartment is set at from 3° C. to 5° C., the icing temperature compartment (chilled compartment or partially freezing compartment) is set at from 0° C. to 3° C. and the vegetable compartment is set at from 3° C. to 7° C., for instance. The temperature zones are determined, mainly considering the storing terms and the kinds of stored food. The switchable compartment can be set at a temperature in each of the temperature zones.
In particular, the icing temperature compartment can provide a longer storing term than the refrigerating compartment or the vegetable compartment to realize about one week of storage. The freezer compartment can realize about one month of storage by freezing articles of food.
Recently, an increase in the number of families with not higher than two persons and an increase in the number of woman workers caused by a decrease in the number of children have demanded a further decrease in housework. From this viewpoint, the icing temperature compartment and the freezer compartment have had an increased frequency of use.
However, the icing temperature compartment, for instance, can not always provide a proper temperature for a long term of food sto
Adachi Takenori
Fujisawa Katuyoshi
Kojima Syunsuke
Kojima Yoshihiko
Nakajima Narumi
Doerrler William
Jones Melvin
Mitsubishi Denki & Kabushiki Kaisha
Oblon & Spivak, McClelland, Maier & Neustadt P.C.
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