Patent ID: 8042355

Claim:
A distributed refrigeration appliance system constructed and arranged for use in a residential kitchen and other locations associated with a dwelling comprising: a plurality of separate refrigeration appliance modules each having: an insulated cabinet having an opening for access to the interior of the cabinet; at least one insulated door for covering and uncovering an opening in the insulated cabinet; and an apparatus for receiving a cooling medium to cool the interior of the refrigeration appliance module; a temperature selector and a temperature sensor; a central cooling unit to remove heat from the cooling medium; a controller and a control circuit connecting the controller, the central cooling unit and the temperature selectors and temperature sensors of the plurality of separate refrigeration appliance modules; a cooling medium circuit connecting the central cooling unit and the plurality of refrigeration appliance modules to supply cooling medium from the central cooling unit to the plurality of refrigeration appliance modules, and to return cooling medium to the central cooling unit from the refrigeration appliance modules; a plurality of cooling medium flow control devices connected in the cooling medium circuit and through the control circuit to the controller to control flow of cooling medium to each of the refrigeration appliance modules to provide the selected temperature for the respective refrigeration appliance modules; and at least one refrigeration/storage module located adjacent to a first one of the plural refrigeration appliance modules arranged to selectively provide conditioned storage space or unconditioned storage space including: at least one insulated air duct connecting the refrigeration/storage module with the first one of the plural refrigeration appliance modules; a temperature selector and a temperature sensor, and; at least one flow controller connected to the temperature sensor to selectively permit circulation of chilled air through the at least one insulated air duct from the first one of the plural refrigeration appliance modules to the refrigeration/storage module and to return air from the refrigeration/storage module to the first one of the plural refrigeration appliance modules depending on the setting of the refrigeration/storage module temperature selector and the temperature sensed by the refrigeration/storage module temperature sensor and operate the refrigeration/storage module as a conditioned storage space and to prevent circulation of chilled air through the at least one insulated air duct to operate the refrigeration/storage module as an unconditioned storage space.