Improvements in Ice Safes or Refrigerators.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Aug., 1899-Accepted, 30th Sept., 1899
Improvements in Ice Safes or Refrigerators.
I, WILHELM BACHNER, of 15, Friedrichstrasse, Stuttgart, in the Empire of
Germany, Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement:-
This invention has for its object the creation of an extraordinarily powerful
circulation of air in ice safes or refrigerators more particularly immediately after
the closing of the doors which have been opened.
Numerous experiments with ice safes undertaken by me have shown that a
much more vigorous circulation of air is obtained if the ice container lies higher
than the safe, and therefore the lowest level of the ice should be at least at an
equal height with the highest zone of the safe. A better cooling and stronger
circulation is also obtained if during the opening of the safe, both the inlet as
well as the outlet openings of the air from the ice container to the safe are entirely
closed.
In my former Patents Nos. 11996 and 18227 of 1898, the ice container was
placed in the chamber of the safe itself, and further the openings for admitting
air to the ice container were not closed on the opening of the safe doers, whereby
much cold air escaped from the upper part of the ice container into the open air.
In the improved arrangement of the present invention this is avoided, and in
the container a still larger space is provided below the ice for accumulating
cold air during the period when the doors are open, and as no air can pass during
this time into the ice containing chamber, the latter becomes filled with very
cold air, which on the closing of the doors rapidly descends through the re-
establishment of the communication between the ice container and the safe because
the major part of the same lies higher than the safe and a strong circulation
of air and vigorous cooling is produced in the safe immediately the doors are
closed.
In the accompanying drawings,
Figures 1 and 2 are vertical sections; and
Figures 4 and 5 horizontal sections; whilst
Figure 3 is a vertical front elevation of this improved ice safe or refrigerator,
the horizontal sections in Figures 2 and 4 being made on the lines X-X and y-y
of Figure 1.
The addition 6 forming the ice container is here shown as an example situated
permanently or removably directly on the refrigerating or ice safe a. The ice
container may however be arranged at any other suitable place, and be placed in
communication with the safe by means of pipes or other suitable passages. The
higher the ice container is placed the better will be the circulation obtained.
In the ice container c a grating f is inserted which divides the space of the
container into two parts, the upper part of which containing the ice communicates
by passages c and d with the uppermost part of the refrigerating safe, whilst the
under part of the ice container communicates by means of pipes and h with
the under part of the refrigerating safe. The passages d may have their lower
1
and on stored be moone of wolves which cuided in ning 1 fixed in hars

page_text: of the valve seats are raised or lowered by the turning of a spindle p by means
of cranks v mounted thereon. The passages d may thus be closed or opened,
and by placing springs u on the cranks c, which springs press against the valves t,
an
elastic pressure of the valves may be obtained. The closing of
the pipe through which the cold air reaches the refrigerating safe
from the ice container is effected by means of a bell which may
be raised or lowered by means of a connecting chain n through the elbow
lever o also mounted on the spindle p. On the lowering of the bell kit dips
with its lower edge into a vessel which is filled with the water caused by the
melting of the ice, the said water flowing away automatically from the said vessel
by means of an overflow pipe .
The bell after being immersed in the water rests on a washer ring i which
lies on a ring h¹ arranged at the bottom of the pipe and thereby causes a tight
joint between the bell and the pipe h and shuts off the ice containing chamber
from the refrigerating chamber when immersed in the water. The simultaneous
closing or opening of the valve t and bell k on the opening or closing of the doors
of the refrigerating safe is effected in the following manner on turning the
spindle p.
Two elbow levers o are connected by their vertical arms with the ends of a
fork q¹ the fork rod 9 of which is bent at an angle and is carried through the
front wall of the ice safe and at its outer end carries a stud or knob g³ in which a
rod w horizontally adjustable in elbow pieces wo¹ is held fast. The adjustment of
the rod w and the fork bar q is effected on the closing of the doors z by loop
pieces z¹ attached to said doors encountering the rod w in such a way that this rod
is pushed against the refrigerating safe and thereby the elbow levers & are so turned
that the bell k and the valve t are opened.
On opening the doors of the refrigerator the curved pieces 2¹ of said doors release
the arm w of the fork bar q and this latter together with the arm w is pressed
outwards by means of arms located on the spindle p and provided with
weights. The forked rod q is further supported in this action by flat springs y
arranged on the front of the safe, the free ends of which engage under the knob q²
of the fork rod 7 and tend to press the latter outwardly. On the fork rod q
moving forward, the spindle » together with levers o and vis turned, and the
bell and the valves close the communication openings from the ice holder to
the ice safe or refrigerator.
In order that the overflow pipe 7 for the water (caused by the melting of the ice)
may not be stopped by the sand, dirt, or the like, usually adhering to the ice, a
dirt cover or cap m is placed over the same.
The ice container c is closed above by a removable cover e. By the arrangement
of shutting off entirely the ice container from the ice safe on the opening of the
doors of the latter, no cold air escapes from the ice container into the open air
and a considerable quantity of such cold air accumulates at a suitable height over
the refrigerator or safe until the doors are again closed. As the temperature in
the safe when the doors are open of course rises somewhat immediately on the
closing of said doors, there takes place an extremely vigorous circulation of air
through the descent of the cold air from the ice container into the ice safe, which
essentially assists to prevent the formation of damp deposits on the articles to be
preserved, and enables the latter to be kept fresh and usable for a considerably
longer time. The consumption of ice is less because no cold air can escape from
the ice container during the opening of the doors of the safe.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is: -
1. A refrigerator or ice safe with a circulation of air influenced by the opening
and closing of the doors, characterised by an ice container, which is provided with
a large cold air chamber being situated higher than the refrigerating safe, and

page_text: by both being connected with one another in such a way that both the upper and
under parts of the ice container and refrigerating safe are connected by means
of pasages or the like, the mouths of which are automatically closed or opened on
the opening or closing of the doors of the safe in such a way that when the safe
is opened, the ice container is entirely closed against the outside air, and after
the closing of the doors, a rapid cooling of the safe takes place with a vigorous
circulation by the rapid discharge or emptying of the higher placed cold air
storage chamber substantially as hereinbefore described.
2. In an ice safe such as described, an arrangement for automatically opening
and closing all means of communication between the ice container and the ice safe
on the closing or opening of the doors, consisting of a shaft or spindle (p)
revolubly mounted in the safe, which on the opening or closing of the doors is
adapted to be turned by means of elbow pieces (21) mounted on said doors, a fork
rod (9) and an elbow lever (o) in one or other direction, whilst on the opening of
the doors (2) the air inlet passages (d) are closed by means of valves and the
cold air passage pipe (h) by means of a bell (k), said valves (t) and bell (k) being
again opened on the closing of the doors substantially as described.
Dated this 20th day of Ino 1800
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Agents for the Applicant.