US1550961A - Refrigerator - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 25, 1925. l 1,550,961

W. J. HAWKINS REFRIGERATOR Filed Dec. 12, 1919 ffl INVENTOR www mmf/(m5 WM ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 25, 1925.

- bastati WILFORD J7. HAWKINS, OF .'LVIONTCLAIB., NEW JERSEY.

REFRIGERATOR.

Application x'iled December 12, 1919. Serial No. 344,393.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, lVrnroIm J. HAW- KINs, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Montclair, Essex County, and State of New Jersey, have in-` vented certain new and useful Improve ments in Refrigerators, of which the following isa specification, reference beingl had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

This invention relates to refrigerators, and its object is to provide a self-contained refrigerator and cooling plant of simple and inexpensive construction which is suitable for household use. Another object is to improve upon the heat insulating properties of refrigerators, and more specifically to provide in combination with a storage receptacle a surrounding chamber for cooling Huid with another Vacuum space for preventing the heat of the surrounding air from raising' the temperature within the refrigerator.

These and other objects of the invention will appear in the following specification in which I will describe the invention and the novel features of which will be set forth in appended claims.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a sectional front elevation of a refrigerator which is made according to and embodies this invention together with a refrigerating apparatus.

Figure 2 is a sectional plan view of the refrigerator.

Figure 3 is a sectional elevation of a pump used as a part of the cooling plant and showing more particularly an auxiliary pump constructed as a part thereof.

Like characters of reference designate coi'- responding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

10 designates a substantially rectangular boX preferably of sheet metal which forms a receptacle for food or other desired material. Surrounding this box but spaced therefrom is another wall 11 which with the wall of the receptacle 10 forms an enclosed space for a cooling fluid. A third wall 12 spacedy from the wall 11 and surrounding it forms with the wall 11 a vacuum space for heat insulation.

The part of the receptacle which is constructed to form an opening is bent back as shown at 13 and welded to a part 14 of the middle wall 11. The middle wall is also bent over, as shown at 15, and welded to a part 16 of the outer wall 12. Between the parts 14 and 16, a strip 17 of wood or other non-conducting material is interposed.

20 designates the door, the hinges and fastenings for which may be aiiixed to the insulating strips 17. All of the parts i11- cluding the door may be constructed of sheet metal, in which case, the door may be hollow and preferably filled with a suitable insulator. Un top of the refrigerator is a refrigerating plant 30.

This may be of any desired form or construction, such for example, as that which is fully described in the application for patent filed by me herewith, the serial number of which is Serial N o. 344,394, filed December 12, 1919.

Briefly, it comprises an electric motor 3l automatically controlled by a thermostatic switch 32 within the receptacle 10. The shaft of this motor is connected with a pump and with a fluid pressure motor 34. 35 is a fan on the motor shaft. These parts are enclosed within a space between the base 36, radiators 37, 38 and a cover 39.

The intake of the pump is connected by a pipe 40 with the upper part of the space between the walls of the receptacle 10 and the wall 11. Its discharge is connected by a pipe 41 with the upper part of radiator 37. rlhe lower part of this radiator is connected with the upper part of radiator 38 by a pipe 42. A pipe 43 leads from the lower part of radiator 38 to the intake of the fluid pressure motor 34 which exhausts through a pipe 44 into the lower part of the space between the walls 10 and 11. 45 is a drain cock from this space.

rlfhe upper part of the pump 33 is shown in Figure 3 and comprises a piston 50 arranged for a reciprocatory and oscillatory movement. It is sometimes desirable in connection with such apparatus as that disclosed herein to have an auxiliary pump arranged for the purpose or maintaining the vacuum in the space betwen the walls 11 and 12. It may-be done in the simple manner shown in Figure 3 by providing a special cylinder head 51 for the pump 33 which special cylinder head is constructed to form a cylinder and aflixing to the piston 50 a piston extension 52.

|The cylinder head 51 is constructed with an intake port 53 connected by a pipe 54 with the vacuum space. 55 is a check Valve in this pipe. The cylinder head is also provided with an exhaust port 56 open to the air. In the piston extension 52 is a port and passage 57 which communicate alternately with the intake and exhaustports in this auxiliary cylinder and with the upper end of this cylinder. y

The refrigerator shown herein is especially eliicient in that the vacuum chamber between the walls l1 and l2 form a highly effective insulating means. The hinges and fastenings for the door 2O are carefully designed to prevent any heat radiation through them. Even when no cooling fluid isused between the walls l0 and 1l, the separation of these walls forms a dead air space which is also a non-conductor of heat.

It is especially desirable, however, to have a cooling fluid from which the heat is abstracted by the refrigerating apparatus 30 surround the receptacle itself in the manner which is disclosed herein. Furthermore, this whole arrangement is simple and inexpensive.

The particular arrangement described is shown for the purpose of illustrating one of the ways of utilizing this invention, but many modifications of construction and arrangement of parts may be made within the spirit and scope of the invention, and I intend no limitations other than those imposed by the appended claims.

vWhat I cla-im is:

l. A refrigerator comprising a plurality of nested shells in spaced relation forming spaces between said shells, unitary automatic means for circulating a cooling medium through certain of said spaces and for evacuating other of said spaces.

2. A refrigerator constructed of a sheet metal wall arranged to form a receptacle with a door opening, a second sheet metal wall surrounding but spaced from the wall of the receptacle arranged to form therewith an enclosed space for a cooling medium, and a third sheet metal wall surrounding but spaced from the. second wall, arranged to form with the second wall a vacuum space, combined with a pump for circulating a cooling medium in the space between the receptacle wall and the second wall, and an auxiliary pump for maintaining a vacuum in the space between the second and third walls and mganrsrespon iveto the temperatitn1e..in 1;hfewreceptaclefr'` controlling the operation of said pumps.

3. A refrigerator constructed of a sheet metal wall arranged to form a receptacle with a door opening, a second sheet metal wall surrounding but spaced from the wall of the receptacle arranged to forni therewith an enclosed space for a cooling` medium, and a third sheet metal wall surrounding hut spaced from the second wall, arranged to form with the second wall a vacuum space, heat insulating material interposed between the walls near the door opening, and a door secured to said material, combined with a pump for circulating a cooling medium in the space between the receptacle wall and the second wall, and an auxiliary pump for maintaining a vacuum in the space between the second and third walls and temperature responsive means within thc receptacle for controlling the operation of said pumps.

-ll Means for preserving goods at a temperature unlike-the temperature of the atmosphere comprising a receptacle, a structure constructed to form a vacuum space around the receptacle, a second structure constructed to form a second space around the receptacle, means for circulating a medium through the second space for maintaining a desired temperature therein, means responsive to temperature changes in the receptacle for operating the circulating means, and means operated simultaneously with the circulating means for evacuating the vacuum space.

5, Means for preserving goods at a temperature unlike atmospheric temperature comprising a receptacle, means for circulating a medium having the non-atmospheric temperature, a structure forming a vacuum space for insulating the receptacle, means for evacuating said space, and temperature responsive means adapted to control the operation of both the circulating means and the evacuating means.

G. ln combination, a receptacle, a structure arranged to form a vacuum space around the receptacle, means for changing the ten'iperature within the receptacle, means for exhausting the vacuum space and temperature responsive means in the receptacle for controlling the operation of said eX- hausting means, and said temperature changing means.

ln witness whereof, I hereunto set my hand this 9th day of December, 1919.

VILFORD J. HAWKINS.

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