Improvements in Refrigerators or Cooling Safes.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Feb., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 15th Nov., 1890-Accented, 20th Dec., 190
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Refrigerators or Cooling Safes.
I, WILHELM MUELLER, of 15 Vordere Vorstadt, Königsberg, Prussia, in the
Empire of Germany, Master-tinman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
:-
In the refrigerators or cooling safes heretofore employed a comparatively great
quantity of ice is used, considerably more than is necessary for the object to be fulfilled.
The reason for this is that the ice is placed immediately upon the bottom of the box,
and as this bottom consists of sheet metal, which constitutes a very good conductor of
heat, the ice will melt very rapidly, and must, as a rule, be renewed in one or two
days. By reason of the good conduction of heat through the sheet metal a great
amount of cold is transmitted directly to the outside through the walls of the safe, and
is not usefully employed.
In the refrigerator or cooling safe constructed according to my invention the ice
does not at all come in contact with the bottom of the box, but is placed in a wooden
frame whose bottom consists of net-work, and it is moreover covered with a cloth.
Accordingly the ice is quite enclosed in bad conductors of heat that retard the melting
of the same to such an extent that it will last a long time. However the ice will melt
with sufficient rapidity to keep the temperature of the safe as low as is needed for the
objects in view. As the direct transmission of the cold to the walls of the safe is
thereby prevented, the consumption of ice is considerably less than hitherto, whilst
the effect is not diminished.
The improved refrigerator or cooling safe is made of two parts. It has on each
side compartments for the reception of the substances which are to be cooled, and
carries in its upper part the ice-box. The bottom of the latter consists of several
sheet-metal strips whose edges are bent upwards, these strips being placed in an
inclined position and terminating in a common channel. At the lowest point of this
channel is arranged a pipe which leads to a receptacle for the dripping-water, which
can be let off through a cock. Above the openings between the aforesaid sheet-metal
strips are arranged other strips of sheet metal, which, like the former, extend obliquely
from the front wall to the back wall of the ice-box, and their edges are bent down-
wards, that is to say in the opposite direction to those of the sheet-metal strips below,
for the purpose of preventing the dripping-water falling directly upon the substances
placed in the safe. The pieces of ice are placed in a frame formed of slats and having
a bottom of net-work. To produce this net-work in a simple manner a long string or
the like may be passed through holes in the said slats to and fro between the front
wall and rear wall and between the two side walls so that a great number of square
meshes are produced. The entire frame is supported upon small pieces of sheet metal
which are secured in the four corners of the ice-box a short distance above the upper
sheet-metal strips.
After the pieces of ice have been placed upon the aforesaid net-work they are com-
pletely covered with a cloth or other bad conductor of heat. The above-mentioned
compartments of the safe are then in communication with the interior of the ice-box
through the openings between the sheet-metal strips above described, and are thus
always sufficiently cooled. In this case no piece of ice will come in contact with any
part of the sheet metal. The water which in the melting of the ice drips from the
net-work falls upon the lower sheet-metal strips either directly or by running along
the upper strips and then flows through the common channel and pipe into a receptacle
which may be arranged at the bottom of the cooling safe.
1000

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Refrigerators or Cooling Safes.
I, WILHELM MUELLER, of 15, Vordere Vorstadt, Königsberg, Prussia, in the Empire
of Germany, Master-tinman, 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:-
In the refrigerators or cooling safes heretofore employed a comparatively large
quantity of ice is used, that is to say, a quantity which is considerably more than is
necessary for the object to be fulfilled.
The reason for this is, that the ice is placed immediately upon the bottom of the
box, and as this bottom consists of sheet metal, which constitutes a very good con-
ductor of heat, the ice will melt very rapidly, and must, as a rule, be renewed in one
or two days. By reason of the good conduction of heat through the sheet metal a
great amount of cold is transmitted directly to the outside through the walls of the
safe, and is not usefully employed.
In the refrigerator or cooling safe constructed according to my invention the ice
does not come in contact with the bottom of the box, but is placed in a wooden frame
the bottom of which consists of net-work, and it is moreover covered with the cloth.
Accordingly the ice is entirely enclosed within bad conductors of heat which retard
the melting of the same to such an extent that it will last a long time. The ice
will however melt with sufficient rapidity to keep the temperature of the safe as low
as is needed for the objects in view. As the direct transmission of the cold to the
walls of the safe is, thereby prevented the consumption of ice is considerably less than
hitherto, whilst the effect is not diminished.
In the accompanying drawing,
Figure 1 is a vertical section of the improved refrigerator or cooling safe.
Figure 2. is a section of the same on the line X X, Figure 1.
Figure 3 illustrates an upper view of the frame.
Figure 4 is a vertical section of the ice-box with the frame.
Figure 5 is a vertical longitudinal section, and
Figure 6 a vertical transverse section of a modification of the invention.
The improved refrigerator or cooling safe, as shown in Figures
to 4, is made
of two parts. It has on each side three compartments A B C for the reception of
the substances which are to be cooled, and carries in its upper part the ice-box I)..
The bottom of the latter consists of several sheet-metal strips d whose edges are
bent upwards (Figure 1) these strips being placed in an inclined position as shown
in Figure 2 and terminating in a common channel e which is inclined on either
side toward the centre of the safe. At the lowest point of this channel is arranged
a pipe which leads to a narrow receptacle g for the dripping-water, which can be
drawn off through a cock a. Above the openings between the aforesaid sheet-metal
strips d are arranged other strips of sheet metal h, (Figure 1,) which like the former,
extend obliquely (Figure 2) from the front wall D to the back wall of the ice-box
and their edges are bent downwards that is to say, in the opposite direction to those
of the sheet-metal strips d for the purpose of preventing the dripping-water falling
directly upon the substances placed in the safe.
The pieces of ice are placed in a frame E (Figure 3) formed of four slats i and
having a bottom k of net-work. To produce this net-work in a simple manner a
long string or the like may be passed as shown in Figure 3 through boles in the said
siats i to and fro between the front and rear walls and between the two side walls so
that a great number of square meshes are produced. The entire frame E is supported
upon four small pieces of sheet metal which are secured in the four corners of the ice-
box D or a short distance above the upper sheet-metal strips H.
A
After the pieces of ice have been placed upon the aforesaid net-work k as illustrated
in Figures 1, 2 5 and 6 they are completely covered with a cloth m or other bad
conductor of heat. The above-mentioned compartments A. B, C of the safe are then

page_text: in communication with the interior of the ice-box through the openings between the
sheet-metal strips d and h above described are thus always sufficiently cooled. In this
case the ice cannot come in contact with any part of the sheet metal. The water
which in the melting of the ice drips from the net-work k falls upon the lower sheet-
metal strips d either directly or by running along the upper strips and then flows
through the common channel e and pipe finto the receptacle arranged at the bottom
of the cooling safe.-
Referring to Figures 5 and 6 the dripping-water from the ice-box falls in the first
place into a receptacle a in which bottles, or other closed vessels are kept for the
purpose of cooling them by direct action. This dripping-water serves a double
purpose, namely, for cooling the interior air by the drops falling down and also for
cooling the bottles.
The refrigerator shown in Figures 5 and 6, is provided with double walls with an
intermediate packing which is a non-conductor of heat.
The said refrigerator
consists on either side of three compartments A B C for the reception of articles to
be kept cool, and the aforesaid receptacle a. Into this receptacle a is conducted the ice-
water produced in the box b. This ice-water falls in drops into the receptacle, or is
conveyed through the roof into the same. A pipe c conveys the water from the
bottle cooler to a receptacle y from which it can be drawn off from time to time by a
cock. The outlet pipe c is fixed to the bottom or somewhat higher, to the side of
the receptacle Y, according as it is desired that the water is to remain for a time in
the receptacle a, or that only the falling drops are to act to keep the bottles cool.
The ice-box badapted to be inserted in the refrigerator is furnished with a pervious
bottom through which the water falls down in drops. In order to cause the ice to
melt more slowly it can be enclosed in a sack of thick cloth placed in the receptacle.
Cloth being a non-conductor of beat, it retains the temperature of the ice. The same
effect is produced by the box D if the bottom of the box consists of woollen cloth f, and
the ice is put directly upon it. A felt cover d precludes the transmission of heat
upwards. The bottom f, if made of ordinary cloth, would easily bulge by reason of
the weight of the ice, and then the water would drop down only from the deepest point
of the said bulge. . To obviate this inconvenience the cloth bottom is made of strips of
woollen cloth plaited. The ice-box is supported upon four brackets or projections g
which are soldered to the four corners of the safe. The pieces of ice are put in the
ice-box which may be taken out when desired for cleaning and filling the said
pieces of ice being placed upon the cloth bottom and covered with cloth or felt.
One half a¹ of the compartment allows the cooling air to enter through the wire
work ; Figure 5 and through the openings in the bottom made of rods. Between
the other compartments the open air shaft and also the openings which are left
between the sheet-metal strips of the several compartments cause the active circulation
of the cooled air. The cooling devices contained in the upper part of the safe in
immediate contact with the interior air of the same effect a continual cooling of the air
current.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what 1
claim is :-
First. In refrigerators or cooling safes, for the reception of the pieces of ice a non-
metallic frame E placed in the box D and provided with a bottom which is perforated
or pervious to water and constitutes a bad conduction of heat, so that the pieces of
ice cannot come in contact with the sheet metal-parts of the safe which are good
conductors of heat.
Second. In ice-boxes, for the purpose of enabling the ice to give off cold slowly,
the filling of the ice into a sack or between the bottom f of a wooden box ; which
can be inserted in the safe this bottom being a non-conductor of heat and consisting
of pervious material and a cover d of cloth or felt, the water for the better utilization
thereof running in drops through the bottom and being moreover conducted into a

page_text: special cooling receptacle a with the object of giving off the cold directly to the
contents of this receptacle a.
Dated this 15th day of November 1890
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.