IMPROVEMENTS IN REFRIGERATORS
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Melville Clark, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN REFRIGERATORS." A communication from abroad by Jacob Lorillard, of
New York City, United States of America.
Sealed the 18th June 1878, and dated the 20th February 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Melville Clark at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 20th February 1878.
ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Patent Agent. "IMPROVEMENTS IN REFRIGERATORS." [A communication from
abroad by Jacob Lorillard, of New York City, United States of America.]
This Invention is more particularly designed for large refrigerators for storing
meats for the use of provision dealers and meat-packing establishments, but it is
applicable to refrigerators for domestic use.
The Invention consists of a series of upright ice-holding, water-conducting, and
air-circulating tubes arranged opposite to each other near the side walls of a
refrigerator casing, and opening at their upper ends into longitudinal chambers
from which project lateral passages opening at their inner ends into the chamber of
the refrigerator, as will hereafter be more fully described.
The body of the refrigerator is either made of non-conducting material or its walls
are made hollow and filled with non-conducting material in any of the ordinary
ways of constructing the bodies of refrigerators, and it is preferably lined with sheet
zinc in the ordinary way.
'
On the inside near the walls of the body are placed the vertical ice-holding, water-
conducting, and air-circulating tubes, the upper ends of which are attached to and

page_text: open into the chambers which are covered by hinged lids at opposite sides of the
cover of the refrigerator, which lids may be opened to fill the tubes with ice without
opening the body of the refrigerator. The lower ends of the tubes extend into,
but are not attached to troughs at the bottom of the inside of the refrigerator,
said troughs being provided with outlet or discharge orifices for the water.
Communicating with the chambers and attached to the under side of the cover
are passages through which, when the cover is placed in position, the warmer air
in the refrigerator enters the chambers and the tubes; said passages are made wider
at their inner parts than at the parts which enter into and connect with the
chambers in order to permit the free entrance of the warmer air which rises in the
centre of the refrigerator.
When the cover is in position, the passages, chambers, and tubes act as a series of
continuous flues through which the circulation of air is maintained when ice is
placed in the tubes.
The ice is broken into fragments which are loosely placed in the upright tubes
and chambers, and which may be mixed with salt when a lower temperature is
required than that which can be obtained by using ice alone. By this construction
and arrangement the air circulates in the same direction as the water from the
melting ice flows, downward through the tubes, and through the interstices of the
ice fragments, the water aiding the passage of the air, and the air is brought rapidly
and very thoroughly into immediate contact with the cooling material, the circulation
increasing or diminishing in rapidity precisely as needed for the effective cooling of
the substances inclosed in the refrigerator.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Alexander Melville Clark in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
20th August 1878.
"
ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Patent Agent.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN REFRIGERATORS." A communication from
abroad by Jacob Lorillard, of New York City, United States of America.
This Invention is more particularly designed for large refrigerators for storing
meats for the use of provision dealers and meat-packing establishments, but it is
also applicable to small refrigerators for domestic use.
The Invention consists of a series of upright ice-holding, water-conducting, and
air-circulating tubes, arranged opposite to each other near the side walls of a
refrigerator casing, and opening at their upper ends into longitudinal chambers
from which project lateral passages opening at their inner ends into the chamber of
the refrigerator, as will be inore fully herein-after described, with reference to the
accompanying Drawing, in which,-
1
Figure 1 is a vertical, longitudinal, and central section of a refrigerator constructed
according to this Invention.
Figure 2 is a top view of the same with a portion of the cover removed.
Figure 3 is a section on line x-x in Figure 1.
The body A of the refrigerator is either made of non-conducting material or its
walls are made hollow and filled with non-conducting material in any of the ordinary
ways of constructing the bodies of refrigerators, and it is preferably lined with sheet
zinc in the ordinary way.
On the inside near the walls of the body A are placed the vertical ice-holding,
water-conducting, and air-circulating tubes B, whose upper ends are attached to
and open into chambers E which are covered by hinged lids D at opposite sides of
the cover C of the refrigerator, which lids may be opened to fill the tubes B with
ice without opening the body of the refrigerator, to which access is had by door I.
The lower ends of the tubes B extend into, but are not attached to troughs F at
the bottom of the inside of the refrigerator provided with outlet or discharge
orifices G.
Communicating with the chambers E and attached to the under side of the
cover C are passages H through which, when the cover is placed in position, as
shown in Figures 1 and 2, the warmer air in the refrigerator enters the chambers E
and the tubes B; said passages H are made wider at their inner parts than at
the parts which enter into and connect with the chambers E, in order to permit
the free entrance of the warmer air which rises in the centre of the refrigerator.
When the cover C is in position, as shown in Figure 2, the passages й, chambers
E, and tubes B act as a series of continuous flues through which a circulation of air
is maintained when ice is placed in the tubes B.
The ice m, Figure 3, is broken into fragments which are loosely placed in the
upright tubes B and chambers E, and which may be mixed with salt when a lower
temperature is required than that which can be obtained by using ice alone. By
this construction and arrangement the air circulates in the same direction as the
water from the melting ice flows, downward through the tubes B, and through the
interstices of the ice fragments, the water aiding the passage of the air, and the
air is brought rapidly and very thoroughly into immediate contact with the cooling
material, the circulation increasing or diminishing in rapidity precisely as needed
for the effective cooling of the substances inclosed in the refrigerator.
Having described the nature of the Invention and the manner of performing the
same, I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be protected by the herein-
before in part recited Letters Patent is,―
1st. The combination with a refrigerator body A of the cover C, horizontal
passages H opening at the inner end into the chamber of the refrigerator, the

page_text: chamber E at right angles to the said passages, and the series of upright tubes B
having their upper ends opening into the chamber E, substantially as and for the
purpose described.
2nd. The combination of the series of upright tubes B secured near the opposite
walls of the refrigerator casing, the longitudinal chambers E, E, above the same
and into which the upper ends of the tubes open, and the lateral passages H, H,
extending from the passages E and opening at their inner widened ends k into the
chamber of the refrigerator, substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Melville Clark, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twentieth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-eight.
A. M. CLARK. (L.S.)