IMPROVEMENTS IN REFRIGERATORS AND COOLING CHAMBERS
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to De Witt Clinton Smiley, of Brooklyn, in the State of New
York, United States of America, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
REFRIGERATORS AND COOLING CHAMBERS."
Sealed the 14th October 1876, and dated the 21st June 1876.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said De Witt Clinton Smiley at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 21st June 1876.
DE WITT CLINTON SMILEY, of Brooklyn, in the State of New York, United
States of America. "IMPROVEMENTS IN REFRIGERATORS AND COOLING CHAMBERS."
The object of this Invention is to obtain a nearly uniform circulation of air
through the chamber containing the meat, vegetables, or other materials to be
refrigerated, so as to preserve them from injury by atmospheric temperature or
changes, and so that all parts of such cooling chamber will be acted upon uniformly
and an equal or nearly equal temperature obtained.
The chamber itself is of any desired size or shape, with double walls, filled with
non-conducting material, so as to exclude the action of the external atmosphere. The
upper part of the chamber is made double to form a second or air circulating
chamber, and the horizontal partition between the two chambers is perforated with
numerous holes. There is a third chamber containing ice, and an opening through
the partition from the bottom of the ice chamber into the first-named refrigerating
chamber, and there is a blower driven at the proper speed by power, and which acts
to exhaust the air from the upper chamber and pass it into the ice chamber, where
it becomes cool and descends and passes out from the same into the first or refri-
gerating chamber, and, being colder than the atmosphere therein, spreads along the
lower part of such chamber, and gradually rises as the blower exhausts the atmos-
phere from the upper part of such chamber, thereby the circulation of air is main-
tained around through the refrigerating apparatus, no external air is admitted that
can be avoided, hence there is no unnecessary loss from the ice melting, and any
gaseous matters in the atmosphere or vapors from the meat or vegetables condense
upon the ice.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said De Witt Clinton Smiley in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 21st
December 1876.
DE WITT CLINTON SMILEY, of Brooklyn, in the State of New York,
United States of America. "IMPROVEMENTS IN REFRIGERATORS AND COOLING
CHAMBERS."
The object of this Invention is to obtain a nearly uniform circulation of air
through the chamber containing the meat, vegetables, or other materials to be
refrigerated, so as to preserve them from injury by atmospheric temperature or
changes, and so that all parts of such cooling chamber will be acted upon uniformly
and an equal or nearly equal temperature obtained.
The chamber itself is of any desired size or shape, with double walls, filled with
non-conducting material, so as to exclude the action of the external atmosphere.
The upper part of the chamber is made double to form a second or air circulating
chamber, and the horizontal partition between the two chambers is perforated with
numerous holes. There is a third chamber containing ice, and an opening through
the partition from the bottom of the ice chamber into the first-named refrigerating
chamber, and there is a blower driven at the proper speed by power, and which acts
to exhaust the air from the upper chamber and pass it into the ice chamber, where
it becomes cool and descends and passes out from the same into the first or refri-
gerating chamber, and being colder than the atmosphere therein spreads
along the lower part of such chamber, and gradually rises as the blower exhausts
the atmosphere from the upper part of such chamber, thereby the circulation of air
is maintained around through the refrigerating apparatus; no external air is
admitted that can be avoided, hence there is no unnecessary loss from the ice
melting, and any gaseous matters in the atmosphere or vapors from the meat or
vegetables condense upon the ice.
In the Drawing Fig. 1 is a vertical section of the ice chamber, and a portion of
the cooling chamber, and Fig. 2 is a sectional plan of the same.
The bottom a, sides b, and top c of the refrigerator are by preference made double,
and lined with non-conducting material of any usual character, and the refrigerator
or refrigerating apparatus is to be of dimensions suitable to the material to be
received or transported, and to the quantity of ice employed. The ice chamber fis
separated from the cooling chamber g by a partition h, preferably of galvanized
iron. This does not extend to the grating at the bottom of the ice chamber, but
stops sufficiently above it to leave an opening or horizontal mouth n, and there is
a deflector plate m that prevents water or particles of ice passing into the chamberg;
above the cooling chamber g there is a circulating chamber that is separated from g¹
by a perforated plate s, and the blower t that is driven by the shaft and pulley u, or
otherwise, is provided with a suction pipe v from the air space r and a pipe w from
the blower to the ice chamber f, so that the air is caused to circulate around
through the respective chambers, and in the ice chamber a uniform downward
current is produced by the pressure resulting from the supply of air being forced
into the upper part of said ice chamber.
I
What I claim as my Invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent is,―
First. The combination of a cooling chamber 9 and an air distributing and
circulating chamber above it, separated by a perforated partition 8, an air
exhausting and forcing device, an ice chamber, an upper air inlet and a lower air
outlet extending the width, or nearly so, of the ice chamber, substantially as and
for the purposes set forth.
Second. The cooling chamber g and the circulating chamber in the upper part
thereof, separated by the partition 8 that is perforated, in combination with an ice

page_text: chamber and a blower, to exhaust the atmosphere from the chamber », and force the
same into the ice chamber, substantially as set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said De Witt Clinton Smiley, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Tenth day of November, A.D. 1876.
Witnesses,
CHA. H. SMITH, 76, Chambers St., N.Y.
GEO. T. PINCKNEY,
"
"
DE WITT C. SMILEY. (L.S.)