US20040255605A1 - Arrangement for directing the defrost water in refrigerators - Google Patents

Arrangement for directing the defrost water in refrigerators Download PDF

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Publication number
US20040255605A1
US20040255605A1 US10/489,038 US48903804A US2004255605A1 US 20040255605 A1 US20040255605 A1 US 20040255605A1 US 48903804 A US48903804 A US 48903804A US 2004255605 A1 US2004255605 A1 US 2004255605A1
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US
United States
Prior art keywords
cabinet
arrangement
evaporator
tray
internal lateral
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Abandoned
Application number
US10/489,038
Inventor
Joan Correa Junior
Alexandre Rucker
Edio Souza Bonelli
Jair Henrique
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Whirlpool SA
Original Assignee
Multibras SA
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Multibras SA filed Critical Multibras SA
Assigned to MULTIBRAS S.A. ELETRODOMESTICOS reassignment MULTIBRAS S.A. ELETRODOMESTICOS ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: BONELLI, EDIO DE SOUZA, HENRIQUE, JAIR CORDOVA, JUNIOR, JOAO ALFREDO CORREA, RUCKER, ALEXANDRE PINTO REBELLO
Publication of US20040255605A1 publication Critical patent/US20040255605A1/en
Abandoned legal-status Critical Current

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    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • F25D21/00—Defrosting; Preventing frosting; Removing condensed or defrost water
    • F25D21/14—Collecting or removing condensed and defrost water; Drip trays
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • F25D2321/00—Details or arrangements for defrosting; Preventing frosting; Removing condensed or defrost water, not provided for in other groups of this subclass
    • F25D2321/14—Collecting condense or defrost water; Removing condense or defrost water
    • F25D2321/142—Collecting condense or defrost water; Removing condense or defrost water characterised by droplet guides

Definitions

  • the present invention refers to an arrangement for directing the water produced by defrost or condensation, to be applied in refrigerators having a single cabinet closed by only one front door and which carries, internally and superiorly, an evaporator with a lateral profile of any general shape provided above a tray for collecting the defrost water.
  • Such drops and streamlets are also formed in the internal lateral walls of the cabinet, between the door and the evaporator, by condensation of the humidity of the external air that infiltrates to the interior of the refrigerator by the region of the door gasket.
  • the collecting tray is dimensioned and positioned to collect all the defrost water coming from the evaporator
  • the water drops and streamlets which are formed on the internal lateral walls of the cabinet in the front region of the evaporator, usually flow down gravitationally along said internal lateral walls, following backwardly inclined trajectories toward the collecting tray, where they are adequately collected, as well as forwardly inclined trajectories outside of the front edge of the collecting tray, flowing down toward the bottom of the cabinet, where they tend to form a small puddle.
  • This non-vertical trajectory of the drops and streamlets results from the surface tension of the water and from the microscopic irregularities of the inner surface of the cabinet.
  • the above-mentioned object is obtained by providing a constructive arrangement to be applied to refrigerators, with a single cabinet and provided with an upper internal evaporator disposed immediately above a defrost water collecting tray.
  • the present arrangement comprises at least one deflecting chute, provided on each of the two internal lateral walls of the cabinet, and which is downwardly backwardly positioned above the mounting plane of the collecting tray, and having an upper end, projecting beyond the vertical projection of the contour of the evaporator, and a lower end, which is back spaced in relation to the front edge of the collecting tray.
  • any water drop or streamlet presenting a forwardly inclined trajectory along the internal lateral walls of the cabinet and coming from the front region of the evaporator will meet the deflecting chute, which will conduct said drop or streamlet by gravity, downwardly and backwardly, to the inside of the collecting tray.
  • the deflecting chutes which can be provided in any number and in the form of recessed grooves, or protruding ribs, assure that all the water from defrost or condensation flowing down by the internal lateral walls of the cabinet will be collected by the collecting tray.
  • FIG. 1 is a front-lateral perspective view of a refrigerator cabinet without the front door, and provided with the arrangement for directing the defrost water of the present invention
  • FIG. 2 is a partial vertical sectional view of the cabined illustrated in FIG. 1;
  • FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the region of the arrangement illustrated in the previous figures.
  • the present arrangement is applied to a refrigerator comprising a single cabinet 10 , provided with internal lateral walls 11 and inside which is superiorly mounted an evaporator 20 , generally of the plate type incorporating the refrigerant fluid tubes and presenting a “C” shaped lateral profile, with an upper wall 21 and a lower wall 22 that are interconnected by a rear wall 23 .
  • the cabinet 10 further receives, internally, a tray 40 for collecting defrost water, provided immediately below the evaporator 20 , and having its front edge 42 projecting slightly beyond the vertical projection of the front edges of the upper wall 21 and the lower wall 22 of the evaporator 20 .
  • the arrangement for directing the defrost water comprises at least one deflecting chute 15 , which is provided on each of the internal lateral walls 11 of the cabinet 10 in a downwardly backwardly inclined arrangement above the mounting plane of the tray 40 , and having an upper end projecting beyond the vertical projection of the contour of the evaporator 20 , and a lower end that is back spaced in relation to the vertical projection of the front edge of the tray 40 .
  • each internal lateral wall 11 of the cabinet 10 may be provided with a set of deflecting chutes 15 , which may be disposed parallel and slightly spaced from each other, with some of them having the upper end disposed inside the vertical projection of the contour of the evaporator 20 .
  • any water drop or streamlet coming from the region of the evaporator 20 , and tending to flow forwardly and outwardly from the tray 40 will be collected by one of the deflecting chutes 15 and directed to the inside of the tray 40 .
  • the deflecting chutes 15 may be formed in different manners, as protruding parts that are affixed or incorporated, as a single piece, to the internal lateral walls 11 of the cabinet 10 , or as parts defined by recessed grooves that are molded in the lateral walls 11 themselves, as illustrated in the appended drawings. Regardless of the form in which they are presented, the deflecting chutes 15 should present a profile and an inclination that allow the gravitational flow of the drops and streamlets along the trajectory defined by the deflecting chute 15 , toward the tray 40 .

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Thermal Sciences (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Removal Of Water From Condensation And Defrosting (AREA)

Abstract

An arrangement for directing the defrost water in refrigerators, comprising a single cabinet (10), provided with internal lateral walls (11), in which interior is superiorly mounted an evaporator (20) positioned immediately above a tray (40) for collecting defrost water, comprising at least one deflecting chute (15) provided on each of the internal lateral walls (11) of the cabinet (10), in a downwardly backwardly inclined arrangement above the mounting plane of the tray (40), and having an upper end projecting beyond the vertical projection of the contour of the evaporator (20), and a lower end that is back spaced in relation to the vertical projection of the front edge of the tray (40).

Description

    FIELD OF THE INVENTION
  • The present invention refers to an arrangement for directing the water produced by defrost or condensation, to be applied in refrigerators having a single cabinet closed by only one front door and which carries, internally and superiorly, an evaporator with a lateral profile of any general shape provided above a tray for collecting the defrost water. cl PRIOR ART [0001]
  • During the automatic, semi-automatic, or manual operations of defrosting a refrigerator of the type mentioned above, water drops and streamlets are formed in the regions of the internal lateral walls of the cabinet that are located adjacent to the evaporator. [0002]
  • Such drops and streamlets are also formed in the internal lateral walls of the cabinet, between the door and the evaporator, by condensation of the humidity of the external air that infiltrates to the interior of the refrigerator by the region of the door gasket. [0003]
  • These water drops and streamlets from defrost or condensation tend to flow down gravitationally and slowly along the internal lateral walls of the cabinet, and are collected in the interior of the tray or drawer which collects the defrost water and which is provided immediately below the evaporator. [0004]
  • While the collecting tray is dimensioned and positioned to collect all the defrost water coming from the evaporator, the water drops and streamlets, which are formed on the internal lateral walls of the cabinet in the front region of the evaporator, usually flow down gravitationally along said internal lateral walls, following backwardly inclined trajectories toward the collecting tray, where they are adequately collected, as well as forwardly inclined trajectories outside of the front edge of the collecting tray, flowing down toward the bottom of the cabinet, where they tend to form a small puddle. This non-vertical trajectory of the drops and streamlets results from the surface tension of the water and from the microscopic irregularities of the inner surface of the cabinet. [0005]
  • The accumulation of water resulting from defrost or condensation in places not foreseen in the operational design of the refrigerator is highly undesirable, particularly in cases in which the defrost is automatically processed. [0006]
    • OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
  • Due to the problem mentioned above, it is the object of the present invention to provide an arrangement for directing the defrost water in refrigerators of the type considered herein, presenting a simple construction and without requiring alterations in the design, or even in the dimension of the component parts of the refrigeration appliance, and which further guarantees the conduction, to the collecting tray, of the water drops and streamlets formed on the internal lateral walls of the cabinet, in the front region of the evaporator. [0007]
    • SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
  • The above-mentioned object is obtained by providing a constructive arrangement to be applied to refrigerators, with a single cabinet and provided with an upper internal evaporator disposed immediately above a defrost water collecting tray. [0008]
  • According to the invention, the present arrangement comprises at least one deflecting chute, provided on each of the two internal lateral walls of the cabinet, and which is downwardly backwardly positioned above the mounting plane of the collecting tray, and having an upper end, projecting beyond the vertical projection of the contour of the evaporator, and a lower end, which is back spaced in relation to the front edge of the collecting tray. [0009]
  • With the above constructive arrangement, any water drop or streamlet presenting a forwardly inclined trajectory along the internal lateral walls of the cabinet and coming from the front region of the evaporator will meet the deflecting chute, which will conduct said drop or streamlet by gravity, downwardly and backwardly, to the inside of the collecting tray. [0010]
  • The deflecting chutes, which can be provided in any number and in the form of recessed grooves, or protruding ribs, assure that all the water from defrost or condensation flowing down by the internal lateral walls of the cabinet will be collected by the collecting tray.[0011]
    • BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
  • The invention will be described below, with reference to the attached drawings, in which: [0012]
  • FIG. 1 is a front-lateral perspective view of a refrigerator cabinet without the front door, and provided with the arrangement for directing the defrost water of the present invention; [0013]
  • FIG. 2 is a partial vertical sectional view of the cabined illustrated in FIG. 1; and [0014]
  • FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the region of the arrangement illustrated in the previous figures.[0015]
    • DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENT
  • As illustrated, the present arrangement is applied to a refrigerator comprising a [0016] single cabinet 10, provided with internal lateral walls 11 and inside which is superiorly mounted an evaporator 20, generally of the plate type incorporating the refrigerant fluid tubes and presenting a “C” shaped lateral profile, with an upper wall 21 and a lower wall 22 that are interconnected by a rear wall 23.
  • The [0017] cabinet 10 further receives, internally, a tray 40 for collecting defrost water, provided immediately below the evaporator 20, and having its front edge 42 projecting slightly beyond the vertical projection of the front edges of the upper wall 21 and the lower wall 22 of the evaporator 20.
  • According to the present invention, the arrangement for directing the defrost water comprises at least one [0018] deflecting chute 15, which is provided on each of the internal lateral walls 11 of the cabinet 10 in a downwardly backwardly inclined arrangement above the mounting plane of the tray 40, and having an upper end projecting beyond the vertical projection of the contour of the evaporator 20, and a lower end that is back spaced in relation to the vertical projection of the front edge of the tray 40.
  • As illustrated, each internal [0019] lateral wall 11 of the cabinet 10 may be provided with a set of deflecting chutes 15, which may be disposed parallel and slightly spaced from each other, with some of them having the upper end disposed inside the vertical projection of the contour of the evaporator 20. Thus, any water drop or streamlet coming from the region of the evaporator 20, and tending to flow forwardly and outwardly from the tray 40 will be collected by one of the deflecting chutes 15 and directed to the inside of the tray 40.
  • The [0020] deflecting chutes 15 may be formed in different manners, as protruding parts that are affixed or incorporated, as a single piece, to the internal lateral walls 11 of the cabinet 10, or as parts defined by recessed grooves that are molded in the lateral walls 11 themselves, as illustrated in the appended drawings. Regardless of the form in which they are presented, the deflecting chutes 15 should present a profile and an inclination that allow the gravitational flow of the drops and streamlets along the trajectory defined by the deflecting chute 15, toward the tray 40.

Claims (3)

1. An arrangement for directing the defrost water in refrigerators, comprising a single cabinet (10) provided with internal lateral walls (11) and in which is superiorly mounted an evaporator (20) positioned immediately above a tray (40) for collecting defrost water, characterized in that at least one deflecting chute (15) is provided on each of the internal lateral walls (11) of the cabinet (10), in a downwardly backwardly inclined arrangement above the mounting plane of the tray (40), and having an upper end projecting beyond the vertical projection of the contour of the evaporator (20), and a lower end that is back spaced in relation to the vertical projection of the front edge of the tray (40).
2. The arrangement as set forth in claim 1, characterized in that each internal lateral wall (11) of the cabinet (10) is provided with a plurality of deflecting chutes (15), some of them having the upper end disposed inside the vertical projection of the contour of the evaporator (20).
3. The arrangement as set forth in claim 1, characterized in that each deflecting chute (15) takes the form of a recessed groove that is molded in the respective internal lateral wall (11) of the cabinet (10).
US10/489,038 2001-09-05 2002-09-05 Arrangement for directing the defrost water in refrigerators Abandoned US20040255605A1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
BR8102363-4U BR8102363U (en) 2001-09-05 2001-09-05 Defrost water directing arrangement in refrigerators
MU8102363-4 2001-09-05
PCT/BR2002/000127 WO2003021169A1 (en) 2001-09-05 2002-09-05 Arrangement for directing the defrost water in refrigerators

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US20040255605A1 true US20040255605A1 (en) 2004-12-23

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US10/489,038 Abandoned US20040255605A1 (en) 2001-09-05 2002-09-05 Arrangement for directing the defrost water in refrigerators

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US (1) US20040255605A1 (en)
EP (1) EP1423650A1 (en)
BR (1) BR8102363U (en)
CA (1) CA2459281A1 (en)
MX (1) MXPA04002100A (en)
WO (1) WO2003021169A1 (en)

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US11859375B2 (en) 2009-12-16 2024-01-02 Kohler Co. Touchless faucet assembly and method of operation

Families Citing this family (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
ITMI20060132U1 (en) * 2006-04-07 2007-10-08 Whirlpool Co ARRANGEMENT FOR QUICKLY REMOVING THE WALL CONDENSATION AT LESS TEMPERATURE OF A COMPARTMENT AT 0 ° C IN A REFRIGERATOR
CN104215023B (en) * 2013-05-30 2017-01-18 海尔集团公司 Rack edging

Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5784896A (en) * 1996-10-18 1998-07-28 White Consolidated Industries, Inc. Freezer or refrigerator construction suitable for food service use
US5953931A (en) * 1997-03-19 1999-09-21 Brittain; Stephen G. Portable upright cooler
US6478083B1 (en) * 1999-11-22 2002-11-12 Calsonic Kansei Corporation Automotive air conditioning unit
US6574979B2 (en) * 2000-07-27 2003-06-10 Fakieh Research & Development Production of potable water and freshwater needs for human, animal and plants from hot and humid air

Family Cites Families (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE874144C (en) * 1951-10-14 1953-04-20 Rudolf Schmitz Drainer for cooling systems
DE4438103A1 (en) * 1994-10-25 1996-05-02 Bosch Siemens Hausgeraete Freezer

Patent Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5784896A (en) * 1996-10-18 1998-07-28 White Consolidated Industries, Inc. Freezer or refrigerator construction suitable for food service use
US5953931A (en) * 1997-03-19 1999-09-21 Brittain; Stephen G. Portable upright cooler
US6478083B1 (en) * 1999-11-22 2002-11-12 Calsonic Kansei Corporation Automotive air conditioning unit
US6574979B2 (en) * 2000-07-27 2003-06-10 Fakieh Research & Development Production of potable water and freshwater needs for human, animal and plants from hot and humid air

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US11859375B2 (en) 2009-12-16 2024-01-02 Kohler Co. Touchless faucet assembly and method of operation

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
WO2003021169A1 (en) 2003-03-13
EP1423650A1 (en) 2004-06-02
CA2459281A1 (en) 2003-03-13
BR8102363U (en) 2003-07-08
MXPA04002100A (en) 2004-06-07

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Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
AS Assignment

Owner name: MULTIBRAS S.A. ELETRODOMESTICOS, BRAZIL

Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:JUNIOR, JOAO ALFREDO CORREA;RUCKER, ALEXANDRE PINTO REBELLO;BONELLI, EDIO DE SOUZA;AND OTHERS;REEL/FRAME:014591/0188

Effective date: 20040318

STCB Information on status: application discontinuation

Free format text: ABANDONED -- FAILURE TO RESPOND TO AN OFFICE ACTION