General Electric Company

Adam C Kennedy

Martin Mitchell Zentner

John Keith Besore

Bruce L Ruark

Jerry C Martin

Thomas M Benton

A refrigerator cabinet includes a storage compartment defined by encased walls including inner metal panels and corresponding breaker panels forming a peripheral edge surface surrounding the access opening. A door is hingedly mounted adjacent one edge and includes a resilient sealing gasket to seal the opening. A resilient flap is formed on the breaker panel so that an auxiliary seal is formed separate from the gasket against the liner panel of the door upon closing. An extended dead air space is provided between the flap, gasket and the opposed panels so that heat transfer from the area of the gasket into the compartment is substantially eliminated. The elongated body of the flap is approximately 70 Shore A Durometer hardness of a suitable plastic, such as polyvinylchloride. In the preferred embodiment, the cross-section of the body takes the form of a spike in cross-section with a convergent 5.degree. angle from the base. The flaps extend at included angles of approximately 45.degree. to the panels.

Refrigerator cabinet with combination sealing arrangement including

A refrigerator has a compartment to be refrigerated and a refrigerant evaporator normally operable at frost producing temperatures to refrigerate the compartment. The evaporator includes an elongated tube to receive refrigerant with an elongated spine fin ribbon of heat exchange material including an elongated base wound in an open spiral about and in intimate heat exchange contact with the tube. A continuous series of fingers project outwardly of the tube along each edge of the base and the distal ends of the fingers are bent to extend generally perpendicular to the root portions of the fingers.

Refrigerator with spine fin evaporator

A side by side refrigerator has a vertical evaporator formed from an elongated tube wrapped with a ribbon of material having spine fins extending substantially perpendicular from the elongated tube. The elongated tube has elongated straight runs joined by return bent ends to define a vertically extending evaporator having a generally oval spiral or configuration. In one embodiment, the elongated straight runs are spaced from each other throughout the vertical length of the evaporator to provide a space of constant area for air flow. In other embodiments, the lower end of the evaporator has the elongated straight runs spaced from each other to provide an entrance passage for air with the remainder of the evaporator having some of the elongated straight runs at predetermined locations on at least one side of the evaporator offset inwardly towards the other side of the evaporator so that the fins on the offset elongated straight runs overlap the fins on the elongated straight runs on the other side of the evaporator to enhance 'mixing' of the air flow around the various runs of the evaporator. The evaporator may have one of the elongated straight runs on one side of the evaporator moved into vertical alignment with adjacent elongated straight runs on the other side of the evaporator to which they are connected to provide a space intermediate the length of the evaporator for a defrost heater.

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Louisville, KY, United States of America

Adam C Kennedy