General Electric Company

James R Griffin

Robert B Gelbard

Raymond M Schreck

James A White

A refrigerator including two compartments, one of which is maintained at a temperature above freezing and the other of which is maintained at a below freezing temperature. The refrigerator cabinet is divided into the two compartments by a divider that is slidably received in support grooves in the side walls of the cabinet. A self-contained pre-assembled air circulating and cooling module is arranged on the rear wall of the cabinet and the divider installed so that air circulated through the pre-assembled module is proportionally divided between the compartments in amounts sufficient to maintain the compartments at the preselected temperature.

Pre-assembled cooling and air circulating module for a household

A unitary high-side refrigeration system assembly adapted to be installed in the machinery compartment of a domestic refrigerator including a condensate collection support member on which the refrigeration system high-side components including the compressor, condenser and air moving means are mounted.

High-side refrigeration system assembly adapted to be mounted in a

A refrigerator having a freezer compartment on top and a fresh food compartment below with an air duct connecting the two compartments. A temperature control system and method of controlling is provided and includes a temperature sensing element located at the top of the fresh food compartment and shielded from the stream of cold air being directed into the fresh food compartment. The temperature sensing element changes the temperature in both the freezer and fresh food compartments without changing the constant ratio of those respective compartment temperatures. An air flow assembly divides the cold air entering the fresh food compartment through the connecting air duct between the top of the compartment and the bottom. The air flow control assembly is arranged to divide the cold air stream such that the ratio of the difference in the freezer and fresh food compartment temperatures is changed. By this air flow system and method, the interaction between the cold air flow control and the temperature sensing element provides that the temperature in the freezer compartment may be adjusted up or down while the fresh food compartment temperature remains relatively constant.

Household refrigerator air flow control and method

The present invention relates to an air circulating and cooling arrangement for a refrigerator cabinet including a fresh food and freezer storage compartment. A partition dividing the compartments includes a first wall defining the upper wall of fresh food compartment and a second wall defining the lower wall of the freezer compartment. A divider element arranged intermediate the partition walls separates a first passage for circulating air through the fresh food compartment and a second passage for circulating air through the freezer compartment. The evaporator is in heat exchange relation with a portion of the first passage so that air moving through the fresh food compartment contacts colder portions of the divider to remove moisture therefrom prior to passing through the evaporator. The heat leakage from that portion of the divider in heat exchange relation with the evaporator conductively links the evaporator to the fresh food compartment. In effect the present invention links the evaporator to the fresh food compartment conductively as well as convectively.

Household refrigerator with air circulation and cooling arrangement

A refrigerator including two compartments, one of which is maintained at a temperature above freezing for the storage of fresh foods and the other of which is maintained at a temperature below freezing for storage of frozen foods is cooled by air circulated over an evaporator disposed outside the compartments. The evaporator comprises a metal plate having a cooling element mounted thereon in heat exchange relationship. The evaporator is positioned in the cabinet in such a manner that the cooling element is disposed in a first passage and air is circulated over the cooling element and then in proportioned amounts to the aforementioned compartments. To reduce the amount of frost collecting on the cooling element a second passage is provided in the refrigerator cabinet adjacent the opposite side of the plate from that on which the cooling element is mounted. Moist air returning from the fresh food compartment is caused to circulate through this second passage in contact with the aforementioned plate so that a substantial amount of the moisture in this air deposits on the plate as frost before the air reaches the first passage and the cooling element. The plate is spaced from the rear inner wall of the refrigerator to form the second passage between the plate and the inner wall of the refrigerator. The warm air circulating through the second passage, which is disposed adjacent a substantial portion of the rear inner wall of the refrigerator, reduces heat leakage from the exterior of the refrigerator to the interior of the refrigerator.

A household freezer alarm system has a door alarm switch having a holding element that is movable to a position for releasably maintaining an actuating plunger of the switch at a deactivated position. At the deactivated position, the freezer can be cleaned, loaded with food, or other freezer door-open operations performed without sounding a door-open alarm. Means is associated with the holding element for automatically moving the holding element from the holding postion to the free position in response to closing the position door for automatically resetting the alarm system.

Household freezer door alarm switch having an automatic resetting

A natural draft refrigerator includes a condenser holding element which permits the condenser to move between a shipping and storage position, in which the condenser is held closely adjacent the outer rear wall of the refrigerator, and an in-use position, in which the condenser is spaced from the refrigerator rear wall. The refrigerator, therefore, occupies less space during shipping and storage than when in use. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the holding element includes means for biasing the condenser toward the in-use position and the condenser is releasably held in the shipping and storage position by tape so that, upon installation, the installer simply cuts or removes the shipping tape and the condenser automatically moves rearwardly toward the in-use position.

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Louisville, KY, United States of America

James R Griffin