Patent ID: 9322578
Filing Date: 2016-04-26
CPC Classification: F25B,F25D,Y02B

Claim Text:
1. A food refrigeration appliance comprising: a refrigerated cabinet; a thaw/chill compartment located within the refrigerated cabinet, the thaw/chill compartment comprising a thaw/chill surface configured to be selectively heated or cooled by a magneto-caloric element adjacent the thaw/chill surface in order to thaw or chill food placed on the thaw/chill surface within the thaw/chill compartment, wherein the magneto-caloric element is configured to give off heat when exposed to a magnetic field and absorb heat when the magnetic field is removed; and a controller electrically coupled to the magneto-caloric element for selectively operating the thaw/chill compartment to thaw or to chill food within the thaw/chill compartment by engaging the magneto-caloric element to heat the thaw/chill surface or disengaging the magneto-caloric element to cool the thaw/chill surface.