Refrigeration – Automatic control – Refrigeration producer
Reexamination Certificate
2002-08-09
2004-03-02
Norman, Marc (Department: 3744)
Refrigeration
Automatic control
Refrigeration producer
C062S259100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06698222
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a food support element in a refrigerator, in accordance with the introduction to the main claim. The term “refrigerator” used herein means both refrigerated cabinets in which the temperature is normally higher than 0° C., and freezers in which the temperature is maintained below 0° C.
In a refrigerator (static or forced-air) it is very important to correctly determine the temperature of each of its preservation or freezer compartments in order to obtain optimum preservation of the foods contained therein.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various devices are known for enabling said determination, these devices generally measuring said temperature in correspondence with a wall of said compartment or in correspondence with a conduit through which air is fed into the compartment (in the case of a forced-air refrigerator), or indirectly by measuring the evaporator temperature. Although enabling functional monitoring of the temperature in the refrigerator compartment, these devices do not enable the actual temperature within the compartment to be measured or to be maintained at the desired optimum value within the compartment on the basis of the foods present therein. In this respect, this temperature is set by the user by operating an appropriate control associated with a structural part of the refrigerator (compartment wall or door, for example), this setting being maintained by measuring the obtained temperature using the aforesaid known devices, this measurement never however being taken directly at a point in the interior of said compartment, i.e. between its walls where the foods are present, with obvious drawbacks (for example measurement inaccuracies or the need for complex systems for processing the temperature information obtained for example in proximity to a wall in order to define the temperature present within the compartment).
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is therefore to provide a removable refrigerator element of the aforesaid type which enables a temperature to be set, or enables a class of foods to be set to which a determined temperature range corresponds, and which is to be obtained and possibly maintained within the refrigerator compartment or within a particular region thereof.
Another object is to provide an element which is reliable and easy to use.
A further object is to provide an element which, in a refrigerator or in a forced-air freezer, enables a particular temperature to be maintained within that particular region of the refrigerator compartment in which the element is positioned, on the basis of the type of food positioned on the element.
These and further objects which will be apparent to the expert of the art are attained by an element in accordance with the accompanying claims.
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Braggion Davide
Sanna Salvatore
Colligan John F.
Krefman Stephen
Norman Marc
Rice Robert O.
Whirlpool Corporation
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