Abstract:
Walk-in refrigerator/freezers and walk-in refrigerator/wine coolers for home use include walk-in refrigerator sections, reach-in freezer sections, pullout pantries and pullout refrigerated drawers, and wine cooler/humidor sections that may include one or two separate interior temperature-controlled sections.

Description:
This invention relates to walk-in refrigerator/freezer units intended for use in homes and other non-commercial venues. These units preferably include a walk-in refrigerator section, a reach-in freezer section, a pullout pantry and one or more pullout refrigerated drawers. The cold air curtain will be available not only at the walk-in refrigerator door but also on the freezer exterior as well as the interior doors in order to help maintain better interior temperatures as the various door are used. This invention also relate to walk-in wine cooler/humidors that may include at least two separate, interior, temperature-controlled sections. 
   The walk-in refrigerator/freezer section units and the wine-cooler/humidor units may include one or more of the following: a walk-in refrigerator section; a reach-in freezer section; a pull-out pantry section; one or more pull-out refrigerator drawers; an entry door, preferably a glass door, for entrance into the walk-in refrigerator section; one or more doors, preferably glass doors, for entry into reach-in freezer sections; exposed front mullions; an exterior size and shape that fits into kitchen cabinet-sized spaces in homes and other non-commercial venues; cam-type pivot door hinges; large capacity, e.g., at least about 100-pound, drawer slides, preferably stainless-steel drawer slides; a plurality of freezer drawers, preferably stainless-steel freezer drawers; a freezer door and exterior drawers, preferably a stainless-steel freezer door and exterior drawers; food pans in the exterior drawers, preferably stainless-steel food pans; exterior and interior surfaces, preferably made of stainless-steel; an entry ramp into the walk-in refrigerator section; a freezer section with an ice maker; a pantry-style drawer system inside the walk-in refrigerator section; sliding doors, preferably glass doors, for access to the freezer section from the interior of the walk-in refrigerator section; storage shelving, preferably stainless-steel shelving, inside the walk-in refrigerator section; interior halogen spotlighting; interior martini rails, interior stem martini glass rails, or both, for storage of bottles and glasses inside the freezer section; a dual temperature control system; a refrigerator storage capacity of at least about 60 cubic feet; a freezer storage capacity of at least about 20 cubic feet; an integrated dual refrigeration system; digital temperature displays and electronic controllers; air curtain cooling systems that form a cold air barrier, e.g., at the entrance to the walk-in refrigerator section, and that help to maintain uniform air temperature in the interior of the walk-in refrigerator section, and/or in the freezer exterior and/or at one or more interior doors to help maintain desired temperatures at these locations; an evaporator coil with variable speed fan; a hot gas defrost system; an expansion valve in the evaporator to allow rapid recovery; an evaporator coil system positioned atop the unit in a housing section; an internal motion sensor and/or a pressure sensitive ramp that actuate a safety lock for the door to the walk-in refrigerator section to prevent the door from closing; a shutdown safety system activated by time sensors and/or internal sensors with manual override; an UV-C air sanitizer in the walk-in refrigerator section to preserve product freshness and eliminate odors; interior wine storage racks, preferably made of wood such as mahogany, and preferably including a decorative arch; a built-in humidor in the walk-in refrigerator section; slide-out wine storage shelves in the reach-in sections; and a plurality of temperature-controlled, reach-in wine cooler sections. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The walk-in refrigerator/freezer and walk-in wine-cooler/humidor can better be understood by reference to the drawings in which: 
       FIG. 1  shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the walk-in refrigerator/freezer; 
       FIG. 2  shows a front view of the walk-in refrigerator/freezer shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 3  shows a profile view of the walk-in refrigerator/freezer shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 ; 
       FIG. 4  shows a front elevation view of the walk-in refrigerator/freezer shown in  FIGS. 1 ,  2  and  3 , with the door to the walk-in refrigerator open to show some interior features; 
       FIG. 5  shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the walk-in wine cooler/humidor; 
       FIG. 6  shows a front view of the walk-in wine cooler/humidor shown in  FIG. 5 ; 
       FIG. 7  shows a profile view of the walk-in wine cooler/humidor shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 ; 
       FIG. 8  shows a front elevation view of the walk-in wine cooler/humidor shown in  FIGS. 5 ,  6  and  7 , with the door to the walk-in refrigerator section open to show some interior features; 
       FIG. 9  shows a safety and control flow chart for the walk-in refrigerator/freezer shown in  FIGS. 1-4 , and for the walk-in wine cooler/humidor shown in  FIGS. 5-8 ; 
       FIG. 10  shows safety and control flow charts for the drawer area and freezer section of the walk-in refrigerator/freezer shown in  FIGS. 1-4 ; and 
       FIG. 11  shows the safety and control flow charts for the outside drawer section of the walk-in wine cooler/humidor shown in  FIGS. 5-8 . 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     FIGS. 1 ,  2 ,  3 , and  4  show refrigerator/freezer unit  35  includes stainless-steel body  12 . Body  12  includes glass door  8 , attached to front panel  36  of body  12 , by hinges  14  that are side/front mounted. Glass door  8  includes pull handle  15 . Glass door  8  opens into the walk-in refrigerator section of unit  35  (see  FIG. 4 ). Unit  35  includes an internal freezer section with a stainless-steel freezer door  6 , having pull handle  15  and side/front mount hinges  14 . The freezer section of unit  35  also includes refrigerator drawers  7  with pull handles  15 . Atop unit  35  are front air intake panel  1 , front air exhaust panel  2 , removable top air intake panel  3 , and removable top air exhaust panel  4 . Replaceable air intake filter  5 , pleated for high efficiency, forms the entryway to front air intake opening  1 . Unit  35  also includes foot switch  16 , which automatically opens glass door  8  when touched. Access ramp  17  permits ease of entry into the refrigerator section of unit  35 . 
     FIG. 3  shows refrigerator section  38  in unit  35 . Inside refrigerator section  38  are a main panel with controls  18  for temperature adjustment, temperature monitoring digital indicators  11  (see  FIG. 1 ), and indicators of temperature and other conditions within the refrigerator/freezer. Atop unit  35  are a compressor, a fan, a condenser coil, and an evaporation area  19 . Within section  38  are adjustable shelving  21 , pantry slide out cabinet system  22 , a circulation fan system for drawer section  23 , air return channel  24 , water purification system  25 , humidification system  26 , presence sensor  27 , evaporator and fan area for the freezer/refrigerator  28 , UV-C air sanitizing system  29 , automatic door opening mechanism  30 , urethane foam core installation  31 , and glass rail  32 . 
     FIGS. 5 ,  6  and  7  shows walk-in wine cooler/refrigerator unit  50  for home use. Unit  50  includes four stainless-steel walls,  55 , 51  and  52  and  53 , with glass wine access glass door  56  mounted on front panel  51  with side/front mount hinges  14 . At the left of front panel  51  is glass wine access door  58 , mounted thereto by side/front-mounted hinges  14 . Each of doors  56  and  58  has a pull handle  15  to grasp and open these doors. Inside walk-in refrigeration section  54  are master control panel  18 , including temperature adjustment switches/dials and status indicators. Wine racks  70  are located in walk-in section  54 . Also in panel  51  are temperature monitoring digital indicators  11 . Inside chamber  54  are access ramp  17 , wine racks  60  on stainless-steel tracks, and humidor section  62 . Atop unit  50  are front air intake  1 , front air exhaust  2 , removable top air intake panel  3 , removable top air exhaust panel  4 , and air intake filter  5 . 
   As  FIG. 7  shows, unit  50 , includes an interior space  54  slide out with wood or metal shelves  20 , humidor slide-out cabinet system  64 , circulation fan system for red wine/humidor area  66 , air return channel  68 , water purification system  25 , humidification system  26 , presence sensor  27 , evaporator and fan area  28 , UV-C air sanitizing system  29 , automatic door opening mechanism  30 , and urethane foam core insulation  31 . 
   Referring now to  FIG. 9 , schematic  100  shows that the control system for the walk-in refrigerator/freezer, shown in  FIGS. 1-4 , queries, at block  101 , whether the door to the walk-in section of the refrigerator is open. If the response is “yes,” this signal passes on line  102  to internal sensors system block  103 . If the sensors are tripped, a signal passes from block  103  on path  104  to door open system block  105 . System  105  passes a signal on path  106  to delay block  107 , here, a five-second delay, and, on path  108 , passes a signal to sensor block  103  to respond to queries at block  103  as to whether the door is open. After the delay at block  107 , a signal passes on path  109  to close-door block  110 , which passes a signal on path  111  to block  101  so indicating. If the query of door open block  101  generates a “no” signal on path  112 , that signal passes to blocks  113  and  114 , which generate turnoff signals for the lights and the fan booster of the unit. 
   If the internal sensors are not tripped, a “no” signal passes on path  115  to block  116 . After an appropriate delay, here 30 seconds, block  116  passes a signal on path  117  to alarm block  118  to generate a door ajar alarm. A “no” signal also passes on path  119  to send a reset signal to the delay block  107 . A “yes” signal on path  104  passes on paths  120  and  121  to controls  122  and  123  to turn the lights and fan booster on. If a signal appears from block  105  on path  124 , this signal passes to block  125  that generates a delay, here 90 seconds, and then passes a signal on path  126  to systems shutdown pre-alarm block  127 . A signal from delay block  125  also appears on path  128  to alarm override block  129 . 
   If alarm override block  129  generates a “yes” signal, this signal passes on path  130  to delay block  125 . A “no” signal from alarm override block  129  passes on path  131  to delay block  132 . Delay block  132  generates a loop check signal on path  133  and a shutdown signal on path  134 . The shutdown signal passes to shutdown block  135 , which passes a signal on path  136  to flashing light block  137 . System shutdown block  135  also passes a signal on path  138  to shutdown alarm  139 , to indicate that the system is OFF and shutdown. System shutdown block  135  also passes a signal on path  140  to system reset block  141 . If the system is reset, a “yes” signal passes on path  142 , to restart block  143  to restart the system. The “yes” signal also passes on path  144  to door open block  101 . A “no” signal from system reset  141 , if any, appears on path  145 , and passes to shutdown alarm  139 , which also indicated that the refrigerator/freezer system is shutdown. 
   Referring now to  FIG. 10A , drawer open block  200  may, when queried, pass a “yes” signal on paths  201  and  202  to turn on the drawer lights at block  203  and to generate a delay at delay block  204 . After the delay, a signal passes on path  205  to alarm block  206  to generate a drawer open alarm. If the drawer is not open when block  200  is queried, a “no” signal passes on path  207  to the lights-off block  207 , which turns off the lights in the drawer section, and passes a signal on path  208  to the drawer open block, so indicating. 
   Referring now to  FIG. 10B , where door open block  300 , may, when queried, pass a “yes” signal on paths  301 ,  302 ,  303  and  304  to turn on the lights at block  305 , turn on the fan booster at block  306  and to generate a delay at delay block  307 . After the delay, a signal passes on paths  308  and  309  to door ajar alarm block  310  and lights off block  311 , generating an alarm and turning off the lights, respectively. A “no” signal from door open block  300  passes on paths  312 ,  313  and  314  to turn off the lights at block  315  and turn off the fan booster at block  316 . Signals pass on paths  317  and  318  back to door open block  300 , indicating that the lights and the fan booster have been turned off. 
   Referring now to  FIG. 11 , where door open block  400 , when queried, generates a “yes” signal, this signal passes on paths  401 ,  402 ,  403  and  404  to lights on block  405 , fan booster on block  406  and delay block  407 , turning on the lights and fan booster, and generating a delay signal, e.g., 60 seconds. After the delay, a signal passes on paths  408  and  409  to door-ajar alarm block  410  and to the lights off block  411  to raise an alarm and to turn off the lights within the cooler drawer section. A “no” signal on block  400  passes on paths  412 ,  413  and  414  to lights off block  415  and to fan booster off block  416  to turn off the lights and fan booster. Signals pass on paths  417  and  418  back to door open block  400 , to start the query sequencing over again.