IMPROVEMENTS IN REFRIGERATING APPARATUS
Year: 1880

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Holdsworth at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 24th July 1880.
CHARLES HOLDSWORTH, of Kennington, in the County of Surrey. "IMPROVEMENTS
IN REFRIGERATING APPARATUS."
My Invention relates to refrigerators or apparatus for cooling ice safes or rooms
used for the storage of fresh meat, dairy produce, and other perishable articles, and
it has for its object to produce a cool, dry atmosphere in such ice safes or store
rooms without ventilation from the outer air.
My Invention consists in the employment of an open lattice work case or cage
constructed of galvanized iron to hold the ice, the said cage being suspended just
beneath the ceiling of the chamber, and having a few inches beneath it a wooden
tray lined with zinc or other metal to catch the water that drips from the ice,
thereby affording a much larger cooling surface, as the temperature of this water is
only a few degrees above freezing point. The consumption of ice is thereby
economised, and the water absorbs and carries off all impure emanations from the
provisions stored in the chamber. The surplus water in this tray is carried off
through an overflow pipe properly trapped to prevent the entry of air from the
drain or the outer air.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Charles Holdsworth in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 24th
January 1881.
CHARLES HOLDSWORTH, of Kennington, in the County of Surrey. " IMPROVEMENTS
IN REFRIGERATING APPARATUS.'
"
My Invention relates to refrigerating chambers used for the storage of fresh
meat, dairy produce, and other perishable provisions on board ship, in railway
waggons, or in store houses, as well as to portable refrigerators for domestic use;
and it has for its object to produce and maintain a cool, dry atmosphere therein
uncontaminated by impure odors, thereby enabling the refrigerator or chamber to
be closed air-tight, and ensuring a much lower temperature with a smaller con-
sumption of ice than when it is necessary to constantly renew the atmosphere in
the refrigerator by ventilation which occasions a great waste of ice.
My Invention consists in the employment of a cage constructed of galvanised
iron bands to hold the ice, the said cage being suspended just beneath the ceiling
or top of the chamber, and having beneath it a wooden metal lined tray to catch
the water that drips from the ice, the surplus water being carried off by an overflow
pipe properly trapped to prevent the entry of air. The cage being formed of open
work on every side and at bottom, the air to be cooled and purified has free access
to the ice contained in the cage, and thus the maximum cooling effect is obtained
from a given quantity of ice. The outside of the tray beneath the cage being made
of wood no condensation will take place upon it, and by retaining the ice water
a much larger cooling surface is obtained, the temperature of this water being only
a few degrees above freezing point. There being no wood or other absorbent
material in contact with the ice or water, no impure odors are emitted, and the
water in the tray absorbs and carries off any that may emanate from the provisions
stored in the refrigerator.
In the annexed Drawing I have illustrated my Invention as applied in a store
house chamber, but it will be understood that the same construction and arrange-
ment may be adopted in any other description of refrigerator or refrigerating
chamber. A is the cage to hold the ice. It is constructed of galvanised iron
slats a arranged in any suitable manner, so as to leave intervals between them by
which air may circulate freely through the cage and the ice contained therein. In
the example shown the slats run horizontally, but they might be vertical, or
diagonal, and single, or crossed to form lattice work. They are rivetted to vertical
bands bat suitable intervals, and at the ends to corner pieces of L shaped angle
iron' C, also galvanized, by which the four sides are united together. The cage
also suspended by means of the slats b and angle irons c, which extend upward and
are bolted to the beams of the roof of the chamber. Only one side of the cage is
shown in the Drawing, the four sides being alike. In some cases, however, it may
be found necessary to close one or two sides of the ice cage owing to the shape of
the chamber when adapted and not specially built for a cold room, or on account
of the limited space at disposal. The bottom of the cage is made of similar slats
strengthened by cross slats, and rivetted to similar angle irons at opposite sides.
D is the tray to catch the drippings from the ice. It is made of wood lined
internally with zinc or other metal e to prevent contact of the water with the
wood, and is suspended by rods d. E is the over flow pipe to carry off surplus
water from the tray. It is trapped by a D or other trap (not shown) to prevent
the admission of air to the chamber.
Having described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of performing the
same, I declare that what I claim as my Invention to be protected by the herein-
before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
1st. In a refrigerator or refrigerating chamber an ice cage, having open work

page_text: sides and bottom constructed of galvanised iron slats or bars and suspended within
the chamber, substantially as shown and described.
2nd. The combination in a refrigerator or refrigerating chamber of an open
work cage, constructed as herein described, and a metal lined tray beneath the cage
having an overflow pipe, substantially as shown and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Holdsworth, have hereunto set my
band and seal, this Twenty first day of January, A.D. 1881.
CHARLES HOLDSWORTH. (L.S.)