U.S. patent application number 10/878938 was filed with the patent office on 2005-02-03 for refrigerators with near-zero compartments.
Invention is credited to Shim, Youngtack.
Application Number | 20050022543 10/878938 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34107890 |
Filed Date | 2005-02-03 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050022543 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Shim, Youngtack |
February 3, 2005 |
Refrigerators with near-zero compartments
Abstract
The present invention generally relates to a refrigerator
including a third compartment arranged to maintain its temperature
at, near or slightly below a freezing point of water so that
aqueous articles stored therein may be cooled down to their
freezing point but not completely frozen. More particularly, such a
refrigerator generally includes a subzero compartment, an overzero
compartment, and a near-zero compartment, where a control unit may
be arranged to control temperatures of the compartments below zero
degree, near (or at zero) degree, and over zero degree,
respectively. Such a near-zero compartment is arranged to be in
fluid communication with a cooling unit and/or subzero compartment
to receive a subzero air stream therefrom, and defines an internal
space which may preferably not be in direct fluid communication
with either of the subzero and overzero compartments so that the
control unit may control the temperature of the near-zero
compartment at least substantially independently of the
temperatures of the subzero and overzero compartments. Such a
near-zero compartment of this invention may be incorporated to any
household refrigerators, freezers, industrial refrigerators and/or
freezers, household or commercial beverage dispensers, and the
like. Such a near-zero compartment may also be manufactured as a
separate console designated to chill beverages containers down to
their freezing points. Furthermore, such a near-zero compartment
may be provided as an add-on unit which may be retrofit into
conventional refrigerators and/or freezers.
Inventors: |
Shim, Youngtack; (Port
Moody, CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Youngtack Shim
155 Aspenwood Drive
Port Moody
BC
V3H 5A5
CA
|
Family ID: |
34107890 |
Appl. No.: |
10/878938 |
Filed: |
June 29, 2004 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60490716 |
Jul 30, 2003 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
62/186 ;
62/441 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F25D 2700/16 20130101;
F25D 17/045 20130101; F25D 2331/805 20130101; F25D 11/02 20130101;
F25D 25/04 20130101; F25D 2400/04 20130101; F25D 2400/16 20130101;
F25D 2700/12 20130101; F25D 2400/06 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
062/186 ;
062/441 |
International
Class: |
F25D 017/04; F25D
011/02 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A near-zero compartment of a refrigerator including at least one
subzero compartment, at least one overzero compartment, at least
one near-zero compartment, at least one cooling unit, and at least
one control unit, wherein said cooling unit is configured to
provide a subzero air stream to at least one of said subzero,
overzero, and near-zero compartments and wherein said control unit
is configured to control an amount of said air stream supplied to
each of said compartments to control temperatures of said subzero,
near-zero, and overzero compartments below zero degree, near zero
degree, and over zero degree, respectively, said near-zero
compartment comprising: a body; and at least one air inlet through
which said air stream is supplied into said body by at least one of
said cooling unit and subzero compartment, wherein said control
unit is configured to control said amount of said air stream
through said air inlet in order to maintain a temperature inside
said body at least one of near, at, and slightly below zero
degree.
2. The near-zero compartment of claim 1, wherein said control unit
is configured to open and to close said air inlet to operatively
isolate said near-zero compartment from said subzero and overzero
compartments.
3. The near-zero compartment of claim 1, wherein said body is
configured to include a plurality of retainers which are configured
to occupy at least a substantial portion of one inner surface of
said body and to at least partially retain fluid containers
therein.
4. The near-zero compartment of claim 3, wherein at least a
substantial number of said retainers are configured to have fixed
dimensions.
5. The near-zero compartment of claim 3, wherein at least a
substantial number of said retainers are configured to have
adjustable dimensions.
6. The near-zero compartment of claim I further comprising at least
one door configured to open and close and to provide an access to
an interior of said body but not to interiors of said subzero and
overzero compartments.
7. The near-zero compartment of claim 1, wherein said body is
configured to define at least one inlet opening configured to
receive a fluid container therethrough.
8. The near-zero compartment of claim 8, wherein said body is
configured to define at least one outlet opening configured to
dispense said fluid container therethrough.
9. The near-zero compartment of claim 1, wherein said control unit
is configured to control said amount of said air stream in order to
maintain said temperature inside said body at least substantially
independently of temperatures inside said subzero and overzero
compartments.
10. The near-zero compartment of claim 9, wherein said control unit
includes at least one control switch which is configured to be
operatively coupled to said control unit and to control said amount
of said air stream.
11. The near-zero compartment of claim 1 wherein said body is
configured to retain a plurality of fluid containers further
comprising: at least one sensor unit configured to be disposed
inside said body, to operatively couple with said control unit, and
to detect freezing of fluid in said fluid containers, wherein said
control unit is further configured to monitor said sensor unit and
to maintain said temperature inside said body over a preset value
to prevent at least one of complete freezing of said fluid, partial
freezing of said fluid beyond a preset extent, expansion of said
containers, and explosion of said containers.
12. The near-zero compartment of claim 11, wherein said sensor unit
is configured to monitor at least one of a dimension of said fluid
container and a change in said dimension.
13. The near-zero compartment of claim 11, wherein said sensor unit
is configured to monitor at least one of a temperature inside said
near-zero compartment and a temperature of a surface of said fluid
container.
14. The near-zero compartment of claim 11, wherein said sensor unit
is configured to monitor an uneven mass distribution inside said
fluid container.
15. A refrigerator having a plurality of compartments, a cooling
unit, and a control unit, said cooling unit configured to supply a
subzero air stream directly to at least one of said compartments
and then indirectly to the rest of said compartments, and said
control unit configured to control amounts of said air streams
supplied to said compartments in order to control temperatures of
said compartments, said refrigerator comprising: at least one
subzero compartment configured to receive said air stream from said
cooling unit; at least one near-zero compartment configured to
receive said air stream from at least one of said cooling unit and
subzero compartment; and at least one overzero compartment
configured to receive said air stream from at least one of said
cooling unit, subzero compartment, and near-zero compartment,
wherein said control unit is configured to control a temperature of
said near-zero compartment at least substantially independently of
temperatures of said subzero and overzero compartments.
16. A method of refrigerating fluid containers by providing an air
stream with a temperature lower than zero degree thereto comprising
the steps of: providing a first compartment including its own air
inlet; supplying said air stream to said first compartment through
said air inlet; and controlling an amount of said air stream to
said first compartment in order to maintain said fluid containers
at least one of near, at, and slightly below zero degree.
17. The method of claim 16, said providing step comprising the step
of: defining in said first compartment a separate internal space
which is not in fluid communication with other compartments.
18. The method of claim 16 further comprising the steps of:
providing a door to said first compartment; and providing an access
to an interior of said first compartment through said door.
19. The method of claim 16 further comprising the steps of:
providing at least one second compartment; and adjusting an amount
of said air stream supplied to said first compartments in order to
maintain a temperature of said first compartment independently of
temperatures of said second compartment.
20. The method of claim 16 further comprising the steps of:
disposing at least one fluid container in said first compartment;
incorporating at least one sensor to said first compartment;
sensing at least one of a temperature of said first compartment and
a physical characteristics of said fluid containers disposed in
said first compartment; and preventing at least one of complete
freezing of fluids in said containers, partial freezing of said
fluids beyond a preset extent, expansion of said containers beyond
a preset extent, and explosion of said containers by controlling
said amount of said air stream supplied to said first compartment.
Description
[0001] The present application claims a benefit of an earlier
filing date of a U.S. Provisional Application bearing a Serial
Number U.S. Ser. No. 60/490,716, which was filed on Jul. 30, 2003,
and which is entitled "Refrigerators with Near-Zero Compartments,"
an entire portion of which is incorporated by reference herein.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention generally relates to a refrigerator
including a third compartment arranged to maintain its temperature
at, near or slightly below a freezing point of water so that
aqueous articles stored therein may be cooled down to their
freezing point but not completely frozen. More particularly, such a
refrigerator generally includes a subzero compartment, an overzero
compartment, and a near-zero compartment, where a control unit may
be arranged to control temperatures of the compartments below zero
degree, near (or at zero) degree, and over zero degree,
respectively. Such a near-zero compartment is arranged to be in
fluid communication with a cooling unit and/or subzero compartment
to receive a subzero air stream therefrom, and defines an internal
space which may preferably not be in direct fluid communication
with either of the subzero and overzero compartments so that the
control unit may control the temperature of the near-zero
compartment at least substantially independently of the
temperatures of the subzero and overzero compartments. Such a
near-zero compartment of this invention may be incorporated to any
household refrigerators, freezers, industrial refrigerators and/or
freezers, household or commercial beverage dispensers, and the
like. Such a near-zero compartment may also be manufactured as a
separate console designated to chill beverages containers down to
their freezing points. Furthermore, such a near-zero compartment
may be provided as an add-on unit which may be retrofit into
conventional refrigerators and/or freezers.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] A conventional refrigerator includes two different
compartments, i.e., a freezing compartment and a refrigerating
compartment. The freezing compartment is typically maintained below
zero degree (0.degree. C.) to keep a variety of articles stored
therein frozen. In some instances, the temperature of such a
freezing compartment must be kept around -15.degree. C. or below to
prevent some articles such as, e.g., an ice cream, from melting.
Therefore, the freezing compartment will now be referred to as a
"subzero compartment" hereinafter. In contrary, the refrigerating
compartment is maintained at or around a few degrees, e.g., from
2.degree. C. to 5.degree. C. to keep stored articles fresh or to
prevent such articles from degrading, decaying or rotten. With the
advent of packaging technologies, various beverages or drinks are
now available in various containers. For example, carbonated drinks
such as cola and cider are packed in metallic cans, plastic
bottles, and/or glass bottles, and carbonated alcoholic drinks such
as beers are also available in metallic cans or glass bottles.
Non-carbonated drinks such as juices may be packed in cans, plastic
bottles, glass bottles, paper packs, and the like.
[0004] In order to chill such beverages and drinks, an user has
only two options, i.e., chill them in the overzero compartment or
in the subzero compartment. When the user takes the first option,
he or she may put the fluid containers in the overzero compartment
and wait for a few hours for the containers to be cooled down to
about 2.degree. C. to 5.degree. C. When the user prefers to cool
the fluid containers below such temperatures or intends to enjoy
slightly frozen drinks, he or she must place the fluid containers
in the subzero compartment, while taking the risk of explosion of
such containers due to expansion of fluids occurring during a phase
change of such fluids.
[0005] Accordingly, there is a need for a refrigerator which
provides a more safe and reliable way to cool beverage containers
close to the freezing point thereof while preventing explosion of
containers due to complete freezing of the fluid contents
thereof.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] The present invention generally relates to a refrigerator
including a third compartment arranged to maintain its temperature
at, near or slightly below a freezing point of water so that
aqueous articles stored therein may be cooled down to their
freezing point but not completely frozen. More particularly, such a
refrigerator generally includes a subzero compartment, an overzero
compartment, and a near-zero compartment, where a control unit may
be arranged to control temperatures of the compartments below zero
degree, near (or at zero) degree, and over zero degree,
respectively. Such a near-zero compartment is arranged to be in
fluid communication with a cooling unit and/or subzero compartment
to receive a subzero air stream therefrom, and defines an internal
space which may preferably not be in direct fluid communication
with either of the subzero and overzero compartments so that the
control unit may control the temperature of the near-zero
compartment at least substantially independently of the
temperatures of the subzero and overzero compartments.
[0007] In one aspect of the present invention, refrigerators may be
provided to include various near-zero compartments. Such a
refrigerator generally includes multiple compartments, a cooling
unit, and a control unit, where such a cooling unit is arranged to
provide a subzero air stream directly to at least one of such
compartments and then indirectly to the rest of such compartments,
while the control unit is arranged to control an amount(s) of the
air stream(s) supplied to one or more of such compartments to
control temperatures of such compartments. Such a refrigerator may
include at least one subzero compartment, at least one overzero
compartment, and at least one near-zero compartment.
[0008] In one exemplary embodiment, such a subzero compartment is
in fluid communication with the cooling unit and has at least one
first air inlet through which the air stream is supplied thereto
from the cooling unit. The near-zero compartment is in fluid
communication with the cooling unit and/or subzero compartment and
has at least one second air inlet which is independent of (or
operates independently of) the above first air inlet and through
which the air stream is supplied thereto from the cooling unit
and/or subzero compartment. The overzero compartment is in fluid
communication with the cooling unit, near-zero compartment, and/or
subzero compartment, and has at least one third air inlet which is
independent of (or operates independently of) the first and second
air inlets and through which the air stream is supplied thereto
from the cooling unit and/or subzero compartment. In such an
embodiment, the subzero compartment may be arranged to receive the
air stream from the cooling unit, while the overzero compartment
may be arranged to receive the air stream from the cooling unit
and/or subzero compartment and, optionally, from the near-zero
compartment. The near-zero compartment may be arranged to receive
the air stream from the cooling unit and/or subzero compartment.
The exemplary refrigerator further includes multiple pathways which
are arranged to be controlled by the control unit to close and open
so as to stop and allow flow of the air stream therethrough,
respectively, between at least two of the cooling unit and the
compartments. The near-zero compartment may particularly be
arranged to define an internal space therein which is not in
(direct) fluid communication with either of the subzero and
overzero compartments, except through the pathway(s) which may
couple the near-zero compartment to the subzero compartment and/or
overzero compartment.
[0009] In another exemplary embodiment, such a subzero compartment
is arranged to receive the air stream from the cooling unit, the
near-zero compartment is arranged to receive the air stream from
the cooling unit and/or subzero compartment, while the overzero
compartment is arranged to receive the air stream from the cooling
unit, subzero compartment, and/or near-zero compartment. In
addition, the refrigerator may include one or more air pathways
which are arranged to be controlled by the control unit to
respectively close and open to stop and allow flow of the air
stream therethrough between at least two of the cooling unit and
various compartments. More particularly, the near-zero compartment
is arranged to define an internal space which is not in (direct)
fluid communication with either of such a subzero and overzero
compartments except through one or more of the air pathways
arranged to couple the near-zero compartment to the subzero and/or
overzero compartments.
[0010] In another exemplary embodiment, the subzero compartment
receives the air stream from the cooling unit, while the near-zero
compartment is arranged to receive the air stream from the cooling
unit and/or subzero compartment. The near-zero compartment further
includes one or more retainers which are arranged to occupy at
least a substantial portion of one inner surface or plane of the
near-zero compartment and to at least partly or partially retain
one or more metal, glass, and/or plastic fluid containers therein.
The overzero compartment is arranged to receive the air stream from
the cooling unit, subzero compartment, and/or near-zero
compartment. In another related exemplary embodiment, the subzero
compartment is arranged to receive the air stream from the cooling
unit, and has a first door arranged to provide an access to an
interior thereof. The near-zero compartment is arranged to receive
the air stream from the cooling unit and/or subzero compartment and
includes a second door which is typically independent of (or
operates independently of) the first door and provides an access to
an interior of the near-zero compartment. The overzero compartment
is arranged to receive such an air stream from the cooling unit,
subzero compartment, and/or near-zero compartment and includes a
third door which is independent of (or operates independently of)
the first and second doors and arranged to provide an access to an
interior of the overzero compartment.
[0011] In another exemplary embodiment, such a subzero compartment
is arranged to receive the air stream from the cooling unit. The
near-zero compartment is rather arranged to receive the air stream
from the cooling unit and/or subzero compartment, and also includes
at least one opening arranged to receive and/or dispense a fluid
container(s) therethrough. The overzero compartment is arranged to
receive the air stream from the cooling unit, subzero compartment,
and/or near-zero compartment. In a related exemplary embodiment,
the subzero compartment is arranged to receive the air stream from
the cooling unit, and the near-zero compartment is arranged to
receive the air stream from the cooling unit and/or subzero
compartment. The near-zero compartment also includes at least one
inlet opening arranged to receive a fluid container therethrough
and at least one outlet opening which is generally independent of
(or works independently of) the inlet opening arranged to dispense
the fluid container therethrough. The overzero compartment is
arranged to receive the air stream from the cooling unit, subzero
compartment, and/or near-zero compartment.
[0012] In yet another exemplary embodiment, the subzero compartment
is arranged to receive the air stream from the cooling unit, the
near-zero compartment is arranged to receive the air stream from
the cooling unit and/or subzero compartment, and the overzero
compartment is arranged to receive the air stream from the cooling
unit, subzero compartment, and/or near-zero compartment. The
control unit is also arranged to control the amounts of the air
streams provided to such compartments and to control a temperature
of the near-zero compartment (at least substantially) independently
of temperatures of the subzero and overzero compartments. In yet
another related exemplary embodiment, the subzero compartment is
arranged to receive the air stream from the cooling unit and has a
first control switch which operatively couples to the control unit
and defines a first range of temperature. The near-zero compartment
is arranged to receive the air stream from the cooling unit and/or
subzero compartment and includes a second control switch which is
also operatively coupled to the control unit and defines a second
range of temperature which is typically arranged to be higher than
the foregoing first range. The overzero compartment is further
arranged to receive the air stream from the cooling unit, subzero
compartment, and/or near-zero compartment and includes a third
control switch having a third range of temperature which is
typically arranged to be higher than the foregoing second
range.
[0013] In yet another exemplary embodiment, the subzero is
compartment arranged to receive the air stream to maintain its
temperature below zero degree, whereas overzero compartment is
arranged to receive the air stream to maintain its temperature
above zero degree. The near-zero compartment is arranged to receive
the air stream to maintain its temperature near (or at, slightly
below) zero degree (or at as low a temperature as possible or,
alternatively, above that of the subzero compartment and below that
of the overzero compartment). The near-zero compartment retains
multiple fluid containers as well. The refrigerator includes at
least one sensor which is placed in the near-zero compartment,
operatively coupled to the control unit, and configured to detect
freezing of fluid in the fluid containers. More particularly, such
a control unit is arranged to monitor the sensor and to control the
temperature of the near-zero compartment over a preset value so as
to prevent, e.g., complete freezing of such a fluid, partial
freezing of the fluid beyond a preset extent, expansion of the
containers beyond a preset extent by freezing of the fluid,
explosion of the containers due to freezing of the fluid, and the
like.
[0014] In another aspect of the present invention, refrigerators
having other near-zero compartments may also be provided. For
example, the refrigerator may include at least one subzero
compartment, at least one overzero compartment, and at least one
near-zero compartment, a cooling unit, and a control unit. The
cooling unit may be arranged to provide a subzero air stream
directly to at least one of such compartments and indirectly to the
rest of such compartments. The control unit is arranged to control
an amount(s) of the air stream(s) supplied to such compartments so
as to control a temperature of the subzero and overzero
compartments below zero degree and above zero degree, respectively.
Such a near-zero compartment may be provided according to various
exemplary embodiments.
[0015] In one exemplary embodiment, the foregoing near-zero
compartment is arranged to be in fluid communication with the
cooling unit and/or subzero compartment and has at least one air
inlet through which the air stream may be supplied thereto from the
cooling unit and/or subzero compartment. The control unit is
arranged to control the amount of the air stream to the near-zero
compartment so as to maintain a temperature of the near-zero
compartment near (or at, slightly below) zero degree (or at as low
a temperature as possible or, alternatively, higher than or above
that of the subzero compartment and lower than or below that of the
overzero compartment). In another exemplary embodiment, such a
near-zero compartment is arranged to define an internal space and
to have at least one air inlet and at least one air outlet, where
the control unit is arranged to open and close the air inlet and/or
air outlet to isolate the near-zero compartment from the subzero
and overzero compartments.
[0016] In another exemplary embodiment, such a near-zero
compartment may be arranged to receive the air stream from the
cooling unit and/or subzero compartment and include multiple
retainers which is arranged to occupy at least a substantial
portion of one inner surface or plane of such a near-zero
compartment to at least partly (or partially) retain fluid
containers therein (or thereby). In yet another exemplary
embodiment, such a near-zero compartment is arranged to receive the
air stream from the cooling unit and/or subzero compartment and to
include an own door arranged to provide an access thereto or to an
interior thereof but not to (or to interiors of the subzero and
overzero compartments. In yet another embodiment, the near-zero
compartment is arranged to receive the air stream from the cooling
unit and/or subzero compartment and includes at least one opening
arranged to receive and/or to dispense a fluid container(s)
therethrough. In yet another exemplary embodiment, such a near-zero
compartment is arranged to receive the air stream from the cooling
unit and/or subzero compartment, includes at least one (container)
inlet opening arranged to receive a fluid container therethrough,
and also includes a (container) outlet operating which is
independent of (or operates independently of) the inlet opening and
arranged to dispense the fluid container therethrough.
[0017] In another exemplary embodiment, the near-zero compartment
receives the air stream from the cooling unit and/or subzero
compartment, where the control unit is arranged to control a
temperature of the near-zero compartment (at least substantially)
independently of temperatures of the subzero and overzero
compartments. In yet another exemplary embodiment, such a near-zero
compartment is arranged to receive the air stream from the cooling
unit and/or subzero compartment and to include a control switch
which is arranged to control a temperature thereof but not
temperatures of the subzero and overzero compartments. In yet
another exemplary embodiment, such a near-zero compartment is
arranged to receive the air stream to keep its temperature near (or
at, slightly below) zero degree (or at as low a temperature as
possible or, in the alternative, higher than that of the subzero
compartment and lower than that of the overzero compartment). The
near-zero compartment may be arranged to receive (or retain)
multiple fluid containers therein. The refrigerator also includes
at least one sensor which is arranged to be placed in the near-zero
compartment, operatively coupled to the control unit, and to detect
freezing of fluid in the fluid containers. The control unit may be
arranged to monitor the sensor and to control the temperature of
such a near-zero compartment over a preset temperature to prevent
complete freezing of the fluid, partial freezing of the fluid
beyond a preset extent, expansion of the containers beyond a preset
extent due to freezing of the fluid, explosion of the containers
due to freezing of the fluid, and the like.
[0018] Embodiments of the foregoing aspects of the present
invention may include one or more of the following features.
[0019] The foregoing near-zero compartment may be disposed in
almost any desirable location in, on or around the refrigerator.
For example, the near-zero compartment may be disposed in a top
portion, a middle portion or a bottom portion of the refrigerator.
More particularly, the near-zero compartment may be disposed above
or below the subzero (or overzero) compartment, between the subzero
and overzero compartments, or inside the subzero (or overzero)
compartment. When such a refrigerator may include multiple subzero
or overzero compartments, the near-zero compartment may be provided
between such multiple subzero (or overzero) compartments. The
near-zero compartment may include a separate exterior door which
provides an access to an interior thereof. Alternatively, the
near-zero compartment may not include the separate exterior door,
but share an exterior door with the subzero or overzero
compartment. In such an embodiment, the near-zero compartment may
include a separate interior door to provide an access to an entire
or only a preset portion of the near-zero compartment. In the
latter embodiment, optional selectors may also be incorporated into
the near-zero compartment to provide an access to its entire
portion.
[0020] When desirable, the refrigerator may also include multiple
near-zero compartments which may (or may not) be in fluid
communication with each other. In the alternative, the near-zero
compartment may include multiple sub-compartments which may be
arranged to receive the air stream individually (i.e., in a
parallel mode) from the cooling unit and/or subzero compartment or
in a serial mode (i.e., the air stream flows from one
sub-compartment to another). Therefore, the control unit may be
arranged to control temperatures of such sub-compartments at the
same temperature or different temperatures. The near-zero
compartment may include multiple (second) air inlets through which
the air stream may be supplied thereto from the cooling unit and/or
subzero compartment. Such plural arrangements may be beneficial in
providing the air stream to multiple regions of the near-zero
compartment for a uniform temperature distribution therethrough, in
facilitating more precise temperature control of the near
zero-compartment by supplying various air streams from, e.g., the
cooling unit (i.e., the coldest air stream), subzero compartment
(i.e., the colder air stream), overzero compartment (i.e., a warmer
air stream), and so on. The air path may include two opposing ends
one of which is connected to the cooling unit, while the other of
which is connected to the air inlet of one of the compartments.
Alternatively, one end of the air path may be connected to the air
inlet of one compartment, whereas the other end may be connected to
another air inlet of another compartment. Such an inter-compartment
air path offers a benefit of precisely controlling the temperature
of the near-zero compartment as discussed above. In the
alternative, the air path may further include three or more ends
each of which may be connected to, e.g., the cooling unit and/or
one of such compartments.
[0021] The near-zero compartment may have a fixed dimension, i.e.,
a fixed height, width, and height. Such a dimension may be the same
as or less than that of the refrigerator or may be greater than,
the same as or less than that of the subzero (or overzero)
compartment. In the alternative, the near-zero compartment may be
arranged to have an adjustable dimension as well. For example, a
mobile divider and/or door may be arranged to move (manually or by
the control unit) to define an adjustable internal space of the
near-zero compartment. The mobile divider or door may be arranged
to adjust a height, a width, and/or a depth of the near-zero
compartment to accommodate fluid containers having different shapes
and/or sizes. Any residual spaces not recruited by such a mobile
divider and/or door may be arranged to join and to operate as the
subzero or overzero compartment. The near-zero compartment may also
include one or more identical or different retainers arranged to
receive identical or different fluid containers. When desirable,
such retainers may be arranged to have fixed shapes and/or sizes or
adjustable shapes and/or sizes.
[0022] The cooling unit may be arranged to provide the air stream
to various compartments according to various arrangements. In one
embodiment, the cooling unit may be arranged to provide such an air
stream separately or individually to each of the subzero,
near-zero, and overzero compartments such that it may directly
control the temperature of each compartment separately or
individually. In another embodiment, the cooling unit may be
arranged in such a way that the air stream is first supplied to the
subzero compartment, then to the near-zero compartment from the
subzero compartment, and then to the overzero compartment from the
near-zero compartment. Other in-between embodiments are also
plausible. For example, any of such compartments may receive a
first air stream from the cooling unit and a second air stream from
other compartments, i.e., such a compartment may include at least
two air inlets connected to different sources of the air stream.
Similarly, the air pathway from the cooling unit or such
compartments may include multiple intake inlets and/or multiple
discharging outlets so that a single air pathway may deliver one
(or multiple) air stream(s) from one or multiple sources to one or
multiple compartments.
[0023] The refrigerator may also include one or more sensors
arranged to detect a change in a state of fluids contained in the
fluid containers such as, e.g., freezing and/or melting of such
fluids. Such sensors may be disposed in the internal space (or
interior) of the near-zero compartment to sense the temperature of
the internal space (or interior) thereof or to sense the change of
states of such fluids. Examples of such sensors may include, but
not be limited to, temperature sensors, infrared sensors, volume
sensors, mass detection sensors, and so on. For example, pure
temperature sensors may be disposed inside the internal space and
arranged to sense the temperature of the internal space of the
near-zero compartment. Alternatively, such temperature sensors may
also be disposed on a surface of the fluid containers (or inside
thereof) to sense the temperature of fluids in the containers.
Various conventional infrared sensors may be disposed inside the
near-zero compartment in order to measure the surface temperature
of the fluid containers. Various volume sensors may be arranged to
detect a change in a dimension (e.g., a length, width, height,
radius, and/or diameter) and/or volume of the fluid container. Such
volume sensors may be arranged to contact opposing ends of the
container along its dimension and to measure such a dimension or,
alternatively, to sense such a dimension at a distance without
directly contacting the fluid containers, e.g., by an ultrasonic
sensor, an image sensor, and so on. Various mass detection sensors
may further be disposed below the fluid container to measure a mass
distribution of the fluid container. More particularly, such mass
detection sensors are arranged to sense an uneven distribution of
the fluid in the fluid container due to partial or complete
freezing of such a fluid. Thus, the mass detection sensors may
typically be accompanied with other mechanisms to tilt or move the
fluid container as will be described in greater detail in the
detailed description.
[0024] The refrigerator may include at least one selector unit
arranged to move fluid containers inside the near-zero compartment
so that an user may position a specific fluid container in a preset
location inside such a compartment. Such an embodiment offers a
benefit of providing access to almost all of the fluid containers
disposed in the near-zero compartment without having to open a door
thereof. In addition, at least one image unit may be incorporated
such that the user may identify a fluid container disposed in front
of or beside a container opening without having to open the door of
the near-zero compartment. Examples of such image units may
include, but not be limited to, mirrors, prisms, lenses, optical
fibers, optoelectric imaging equipment, and the like. The
refrigerator may also include at least one mixer arranged to at
least partly mix contents of the fluid containers. Such a mixer may
enhance cooling of the fluids in the container by removing any
temperature gradients and/or thermal boundary layers inside the
fluid container.
[0025] In another aspect of the present invention, various
near-zero compartments may be provided to a refrigerator having at
least one subzero compartment, at least one overzero compartment,
at least one near-zero compartment, a cooling unit, and a control
unit. The cooling unit is arranged to provide a subzero air stream
to at least one of such compartments, and the control unit is
arranged to control an amount of the air stream supplied to at
least one (or each) of the compartments in order to control
temperatures of the subzero, near-zero, and overzero compartments
below zero degree, near or at zero degree, and over zero degree,
respectively. Various near-zero compartments may be provided
according to various exemplary embodiments.
[0026] In one exemplary embodiment, the near-zero compartment
includes a body and at least one air inlet through which such an
air stream is supplied into the body from the cooling unit and/or
subzero compartment. The control unit is particularly arranged to
control the amount of the air stream through the air inlet to
maintain a temperature inside the body near (or at, slightly below)
zero degree (or at as low a temperature as possible or,
alternatively, above or higher than that of the subzero compartment
and below or lower than that of the overzero compartment). In
another exemplary embodiment, such a near-zero compartment includes
a body, at least one air inlet arranged to receive the air stream
into the body therethrough, and at least one air outlet arranged to
discharge the air stream out of the body therethrough. The control
unit is arranged to open and close the air inlet and air outlet to
operatively isolate the near-zero compartment from the subzero and
overzero compartment, and also to control the amount of the air
stream to maintain a temperature inside the body near (or at,
slightly below) zero degree (or at as low a temperature as possible
or, in the alternative, higher than that of the subzero compartment
and lower than that of the overzero compartment).
[0027] In another embodiment, the near-zero compartment has a body
and at least one air inlet. Such a body has multiple retainers
arranged to occupy at least a substantial portion of an inner
surface (or plane) of the near-zero compartment and to at least
partially (or partly) retain various fluid containers therein (or
thereby). The air inlet is arranged to receive the air stream
therethrough from one or both of the cooling unit and/or subzero
compartment, and the control unit is arranged to control the amount
of the air stream to maintain a temperature inside the body near
(or at, slightly below) zero degree (or at as low a temperature as
possible or, in the alternative, higher than that of the subzero
compartment and lower than that of the overzero compartment). In
another exemplary embodiment, the near-zero-compartment may include
a body, at least one air inlet, and at least one door. The air
inlet is arranged to receive the air stream supplied into the body
from the cooling unit and/or subzero compartment, and the door is
arranged to provide an access to an interior of the body but not to
interiors of the subzero and overzero compartments. The control
unit is then arranged to control the amount of the air stream so as
to maintain a temperature inside the body near (or at, slightly
below) zero degree (or at as low a temperature as possible or, in
the alternative, higher than that of the subzero compartment and
lower than that of the overzero compartment).
[0028] In another exemplary embodiment, the near-zero compartment
includes a body, at least one air inlet through which the air
stream may be supplied into the body from the cooling unit and/or
subzero compartment, and at least one opening arranged to receive a
fluid container therethrough. The control unit is arranged to
control the amount of the air stream so as to maintain a
temperature inside the body near (or at, slightly below) zero
degree (or at as low a temperature as possible or, in the
alternative, higher than that of the subzero compartment and lower
than that of the overzero compartment). In a related exemplary
embodiment, the near-zero compartment has a body, at least one air
inlet through which the air stream may be supplied into the body
from the cooling unit and/or subzero compartment, at least one
container inlet arranged to receive at least one fluid container
therethrough, and at least one container outlet operating
independently of the container inlet and arranged to dispense the
fluid container therethrough. The control unit is then arranged to
control the amount of the air stream so as to maintain a
temperature inside the above body near, at or slightly below zero
degree (or at as low a temperature as possible or, in the
alternative, higher than that of the subzero compartment and lower
than that of the overzero compartment).
[0029] In another exemplary embodiment, the near-zero compartment
includes a body and at least one air inlet through which the air
stream is supplied into such a body from the cooling unit and/or
subzero compartment. The control unit is arranged to control the
amount of the air stream in order to maintain a temperature inside
the body (at least substantially) independently of temperatures
inside the subzero and/or overzero compartments. In another
exemplary embodiment, the near-zero compartment has a body, at
least one air inlet through which the air stream is supplied into
the body from the cooling unit and/or subzero compartment, and at
least one control switch arranged to operatively couple with the
control unit in order to control a temperature inside the body of
the near-zero compartment but not to control temperatures of the
subzero and overzero compartments. In another exemplary embodiment,
the near-zero compartment has a similar body arranged to retain at
least one fluid container, at least one air inlet through which the
air stream is supplied into the body from the cooling unit and/or
subzero compartment, and at least one sensor arranged to be
disposed inside the body, to operatively couple with the control
unit, and to detect freezing of fluid in the fluid containers. The
control unit is arranged to monitor the sensor and to maintain the
temperature inside the body over or above a preset value to prevent
complete freezing of the fluid, partial freezing of the fluid
beyond a preset extent, expansion of the fluid containers by
freezing of the fluid, explosion of the fluid containers due to
freezing of the fluid, and the like.
[0030] Various embodiments of such an aspect of this invention may
also include one or more of the features which have been described
heretofore and/or which are to be described in conjunction with
other aspects of this invention.
[0031] In another aspect of the present invention, various methods
may be provided for refrigerating different articles at different
temperatures using an air stream having a temperature lower than
zero degree. Such methods may be provided according to various
embodiments.
[0032] An exemplary method may include the steps of providing a
first compartment including at least one first air inlet, supplying
the air stream to the first compartment through the first air inlet
to maintain a temperature thereof substantially (or well) below
zero degree or above zero degree, providing a second compartment
with at least one second air inlet; and independently supplying the
air stream to the second compartment through such a second air
inlet in order to maintain its temperature near (or at, slightly
below) zero degree (or at as low a temperature as possible).
Another exemplary method includes the steps of providing a first
compartment, supplying the air stream into the first compartment to
maintain its temperature well (or substantially) below zero degree
or above zero degree, providing a second compartment separately
from the first compartment, and then supplying the air stream to
the second compartment so as to maintain its temperature near (or
at, slightly below) zero degree (or at as low a temperature as
possible).
[0033] Another exemplary method may include the steps of providing
a first compartment, supplying the air stream into the first
compartment to maintain its temperature well (or substantially)
below zero degree or above zero degree, providing a second
compartment, providing at least one retainer on at least a
substantial portion of one inner surface (or plane) of the second
compartment, and supplying the air stream to the second compartment
so as to maintain its temperature near (or at, slightly below) zero
degree or at as low a temperature as possible. Another exemplary
method may also include the steps of providing a first compartment
having a first door arranged to provide an access to an interior
thereof, closing such a first door of the first compartment, then
supplying the air stream into the first compartment so as to
maintain its temperature well or substantially below zero degree or
above zero degree, providing a second compartment having a second
door independently of the first door so as to provide an access to
an interior thereof, closing the second door of the second
compartment, and supplying the air stream to such a second
compartment to maintain its temperature near (or at, slightly
below) zero degree (or at as low a temperature as possible).
Another exemplary method may include the steps of providing a first
compartment, supplying the air stream into the first compartment so
as to maintain its temperature substantially (or well) below zero
degree or above zero degree, providing a second compartment having
at least one opening, receiving or dispensing at least one fluid
container through the opening, and supplying the air stream to the
second compartment to control a temperature thereof near (or at,
slightly below) zero degree (or at as low a temperature as
possible).
[0034] Yet another exemplary method may further include the steps
of providing a first compartment, supplying the air stream into the
first compartment so as to maintain its temperature substantially
(or well) below zero degree or above zero degree, providing a
second compartment, and then supplying the air stream to the second
compartment to control a temperature thereof near (or at, slightly
below) zero degree (or at as low a temperature as possible). Yet
another exemplary method may include the steps of providing a first
compartment, supplying the air stream to the first compartment to
maintain a first temperature of such a first compartment
substantially (or well) below zero degree or above zero degree,
providing a second compartment, installing at least one sensor to
the second compartment, measuring a temperature of said second
compartment and/or a physical feature of a fluid container disposed
in the second compartment, and supplying the air stream to the
second compartment so as to maintain a second temperature of the
second compartment near (or at, slightly below) zero degree or at
as low a temperature as possible independently of the first
temperature of the first compartment, while preventing complete
freezing of a fluid in the fluid container, partial freezing of the
fluid beyond a preset extent, expansion of the container beyond a
preset extent, explosion of the container, and so on.
[0035] Various embodiments of such methods of this invention may
further include one or more of the features which have been
described heretofore and/or which are to be described in
conjunction with other aspects of this invention.
[0036] In another aspect of this invention, various methods are
provided to refrigerate fluid containers near, at or slightly below
zero degree with an air stream having a temperature lower than zero
degree thereto. Such methods may be provided according to various
embodiments.
[0037] An exemplary method may include the steps of providing a
compartment with its own air inlet, supplying the air stream to
such a compartment through the air inlet, and adjusting an amount
of the air stream to the compartment to maintain the fluid
containers near (or at, slightly below) zero degree (or at as low a
temperature as possible). Another exemplary method may include the
steps of providing a compartment having its own internal space,
supplying the air stream to the compartment, and adjusting an
amount of the air stream to the compartment to keep the fluid
containers near (or at, slightly below) zero degree (or at as low a
temperature as possible).
[0038] Another exemplary method may include the steps of providing
a compartment, incorporating at least one retainer onto at least a
substantial portion (or part) of one inner surface (or plane) of
such a compartment, supplying the air stream to the compartment,
and adjusting an amount of the air stream to such a compartment to
maintain the fluid container near (or at, slightly below) zero
degree (or at as low a temperature as possible). Another exemplary
method may also include the steps of providing a compartment having
its own door to provide an access to an interior thereof, closing
the door of such a compartment, supplying the air stream to the
compartment, and adjusting an amount of the air stream to the
compartment to maintain the fluid containers near, at or slightly
below zero degree (or at as low a temperature as possible). In
addition, another exemplary method may include the steps of
providing a compartment having at least one opening, receiving
and/or dispensing a fluid container through such an opening,
supplying the air stream to the compartment, and adjusting an
amount of the air stream to the compartment to maintain the fluid
containers near (or at, slightly below) zero degree (or at as low a
temperature as possible).
[0039] Yet another exemplary method may also include the steps of
providing multiple compartments, supplying the air stream(s) to the
compartments, and adjusting an amount of the air stream supplied to
at least one of the compartments to maintain a temperature of such
a compartment near (or at, slightly below) zero degree (or at as
low a temperature as possible) (at least substantially)
independently of temperatures of the rest of such compartments.
Another exemplary method may include the steps of providing a
compartment, installing at least one sensor to the compartment,
measuring or monitoring a temperature of the compartment and/or a
physical characteristics of the fluid containers disposed in the
compartment, supplying the air stream to the compartment, and then
adjusting an amount of the air stream to the compartment to
maintain the temperature of the compartment near (or at, slightly
below) zero degree (or at as low a temperature as possible), while
preventing complete freezing of a fluid in the fluid container,
partial freezing of the fluid beyond a preset extent, expansion of
the fluid container beyond a preset extent, explosion of the fluid
container, and the like.
[0040] Various embodiments of such methods of this invention may
further include one or more of the features which have been
described heretofore and/or which are to be described in
conjunction with other aspects of this invention.
[0041] In another aspect of the present invention, various methods
may provide refrigerators having multiple compartments and capable
of maintaining different temperatures in such compartments. Such
methods may be provided according to various embodiments. An
exemplary method may include the steps of generating an air stream
having a temperature below zero degree, supplying the air stream to
multiple compartments, controlling an amount of the air stream
supplied to a first compartment of such compartments to maintain a
temperature of such a first compartment substantially (or well)
below zero degree, then controlling an amount of the air stream
supplied to a second compartment of the above compartments to
maintain a temperature of the second compartment near (or at,
slightly below) zero degree (or at as low a temperature as
possible), and controlling an amount of the air stream supplied to
a third compartment of such compartments so as to maintain a
temperature of the third compartment above zero degree. Another
related exemplary method may include the steps of generating a
similar air stream having a temperature below zero degree,
supplying the air stream to multiple compartments, and controlling
an amount of the air stream supplied to at least one of such
compartments to maintain its temperature at, near or slightly below
zero degree (or at as low a temperature as possible).
[0042] Various embodiments of such methods of this invention may
further include one or more of the features which have been
described heretofore and/or which are to be described in
conjunction with other aspects of this invention.
[0043] In another aspect of the present invention, various methods
may be provided to keep different articles at different
temperatures in different compartments of a refrigerator. Such
methods may also be provided according to various embodiments. For
example, one exemplary method may include the steps of generating
an air stream having a temperature below zero degree, placing a
first article in a first compartment, supplying the air stream
directly to such a first compartment in an amount enough to
maintain or keep a first temperature of the first compartment
substantially (or well) below zero degree, disposing a second
article in a second compartment, supplying the similar air stream
to such a second compartment in another amount enough to maintain a
second temperature of the second compartment near (or at, slightly
below) zero degree (or at as low a temperature as possible) but
above a preset minimum temperature to prevent complete freezing of
the second article, partial freezing of the second article over a
preset extent, expansion of the second article beyond a preset
extent, explosion of the second article, and so on, placing a third
article in a third compartment, and supplying the air stream to the
third compartment in yet another amount enough to maintain or keep
a third temperature of the third compartment over zero degree.
Another exemplary method may include the steps of disposing a fluid
container in at least one of such compartments, supplying the air
stream to such a compartment, and controlling an amount of the air
stream, thereby maintaining a temperature of such a compartment
near (or at, slightly below) zero degree or at as low a temperature
as possible while maintaining or keeping the temperature above a
preset minimum, thereby preventing complete freezing of the fluid
container, partial freezing of such a container over a preset
extent, expansion of the container beyond a preset extent,
explosion of such a container, and the like.
[0044] Various embodiments of such methods of this invention may
further include one or more of the features which have been
described heretofore and/or which are to be described in
conjunction with other aspects of this invention.
[0045] In another aspect of the present invention, various methods
may be provided to keep different articles at different preset
temperatures. One exemplary method may include the steps of
disposing an article in a compartment, supplying an air stream
having a temperature below zero degree to such a compartment, and
maintaining a temperature of such a compartment near (at or
slightly below) zero degree (or at as low a temperature as
possible) but above a preset minimum temperature to prevent
complete freezing of the article, partial freezing of the article
beyond a preset extent, expansion of the article beyond a preset
extent, explosion of the article, and the like.
[0046] Unless otherwise defined in the following specification, all
technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as
commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which
the present invention belongs. Although the methods or materials
equivalent or similar to those described herein can be used in the
practice or in the testing of the present invention, the suitable
methods and materials are described below. All publications, patent
applications, patents, and/or other references mentioned herein are
incorporated by reference in their entirety. In case of any
conflict, the present specification, including definitions, will
control. In addition, the materials, methods, and examples are
illustrative only and not intended to be limiting.
[0047] Other features and advantages of the present invention will
be apparent from the following detailed description, and from the
claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
[0048] FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram of a refrigerator having an
exemplary near-zero compartment disposed between a pair of subzero
compartment according to the present invention;
[0049] FIG. 1B is a schematic diagram of a refrigerator having an
exemplary near-zero compartment disposed inside an overzero
compartment according to the present invention;
[0050] FIG. 1C is a schematic diagram of a refrigerator having an
exemplary near-zero compartment disposed beside an overzero
compartment according to the present invention;
[0051] FIG. 1D is a schematic diagram of a refrigerator having an
exemplary near-zero compartment disposed inside an overzero
compartment according to the present invention;
[0052] FIG. 2A is a front view of a refrigerator having a
side-by-side configuration and having various exemplary near-zero
compartments in various regions thereof according to the present
invention;
[0053] FIG. 2B is a front view of a refrigerator having a
side-by-side configuration and having various exemplary near-zero
compartments extending in various directions according to the
present invention;
[0054] FIG. 2C is a side view of a refrigerator including various
exemplary near-zero compartments in various regions thereof
according to the present invention;
[0055] FIG. 2D shows a front view of a refrigerator having a
vertical configuration and having various exemplary near-zero
compartments in various regions thereof according to the present
invention;
[0056] FIG. 3A is a block diagram of exemplary paths of subzero air
streams independently supplied directly to multiple compartments of
a refrigerator according to the present invention;
[0057] FIG. 3B is a block diagram of exemplary paths of subzero air
streams sequentially supplied to multiple compartments of a
refrigerator according to the present invention;
[0058] FIG. 3C is another block diagram of exemplary paths of
subzero air streams sequentially and independently supplied to
multiple compartments of a refrigerator according to the present
invention;
[0059] FIG. 3D is a block diagram of exemplary paths of subzero air
streams independently and partly sequentially supplied to multiple
compartments of a refrigerator according to the present
invention;
[0060] FIG. 4A denotes a schematic diagram of an exemplary selector
unit according to the present invention;
[0061] FIG. 4B is a schematic diagram of an exemplary selector unit
with a four-by-eight configuration and moving in a first pattern
according to the present invention;
[0062] FIG. 4C is a schematic diagram of an exemplary selector unit
with a four-by-eight configuration and moving in a second pattern
according to the present invention;
[0063] FIG. 4D is a schematic diagram of an exemplary selector unit
with a four-by-eight configuration and moving in a third pattern
according to the present invention;
[0064] FIG. 4E is a schematic diagram of an exemplary selector unit
with a movable container opening and a mirror according to the
present invention.
[0065] FIG. 4F is a schematic diagram of an exemplary selector unit
having a fixed container opening according to the present
invention.
[0066] FIG. 5A is a schematic diagram of an exemplary sensor unit
for detecting dimensional changes due to freezing of fluid in a
fluid container according to the present invention;
[0067] FIG. 5B is a schematic diagram of a modified embodiment of
the exemplary sensor unit of FIG. 5A according to the present
invention;
[0068] FIG. 5C is a schematic diagram of an exemplary sensor unit
in its inactive position for detecting uneven distribution of fluid
in a fluid container according to the present invention;
[0069] FIG. 5D is a front view of the sensor unit of FIG. 5C
according to the present invention;
[0070] FIG. 5E is a schematic diagram of the exemplary sensor unit
of FIG. 5C in its active position for detecting uneven distribution
of fluid in a fluid container according to the present invention;
and
[0071] FIG. 5F is a front view of the sensor unit of FIG. 5E
according to the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0072] The present invention generally relates to a refrigerator
including a third compartment arranged to maintain its temperature
at, near or slightly below a freezing point of water so that
aqueous articles stored therein may be cooled down to their
freezing point but not completely frozen. More particularly, such a
refrigerator typically includes at least one near-zero compartment,
where a control unit may be arranged to control temperatures of
such a compartment near, at or slightly below zero degree. Such a
near-zero compartment is arranged to be in fluid communication with
a cooling unit and/or a subzero compartment (i.e., a freezing
compartment) to receive a subzero air stream therefrom, and defines
an internal space which is preferably not in direct fluid
communication with other compartments such that the control unit
may control an amount of the air stream and, thereby, the
temperature of the near-zero compartment at least substantially
independently of the temperatures of other compartments. Such a
near-zero compartment of the present invention may be incorporated
to any household refrigerators, freezers, industrial refrigerators
and/or freezers, household or commercial beverage dispensers, and
the like. Such a near-zero compartment may also be manufactured as
a separate console designated to chill beverages containers down to
their freezing points. Such a near-zero compartment may also be
provided as an add-on unit to be retrofit into conventional
refrigerators and/or freezers.
[0073] In one aspect of the present invention, a near-zero
compartment is provided to a conventional refrigerator. FIGS. 1A to
1D denote schematic diagrams of refrigerators with various
exemplary near-zero compartments according to the present
invention.
[0074] FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram of a refrigerator having an
exemplary near-zero compartment disposed between a pair of subzero
compartment according to the present invention. For example, a
refrigerator 10 has a side-by-side configuration, where a pair of
subzero compartments 20A, 20B are disposed on its left side (when
viewed from front) and a single overzero compartment 30 disposed on
its right side. A control unit (not shown in the figure) is
generally arranged to maintain a temperature of the subzero (or
freezing) compartment substantially or well below zero degree
(e.g., below -5.degree. C. or in some cases below -15.degree. C. or
-20.degree. C.), whereas a temperature of the overzero compartment
over zero degree (e.g., about 2.degree. C. too 5.degree. C.). Such
a refrigerator 10 further includes a near-zero compartment 40 which
is disposed between the vertically disposed subzero compartments
20A, 20B and includes its own exterior door. FIG. 1B is a schematic
diagram of a refrigerator including an exemplary near-zero
compartment disposed inside an overzero compartment thereof
according to the present invention. A refrigerator 10 also has the
side-by-side configuration and includes a subzero compartment 20
and an overzero compartment 30. The near-zero compartment 40 is
disposed as a separate chamber inside the overzero compartment 30.
Therefore, the near-zero compartment 40 of this embodiment does not
have an exterior door but rather includes its own interior door
which provides an access to an interior thereof.
[0075] FIG. 1C is a schematic diagram of a refrigerator having an
exemplary near-zero compartment disposed beside an overzero
compartment according to the present invention. Contrary to the
side-by-side embodiments of FIGS. 1A and 1B, a refrigerator 10 of
this figure has a vertical configuration, where a subzero
compartment 20 is disposed on top of an overzero compartment 30. A
near-zero compartment 40 is provided on the right side of the
refrigerator 10 beside the overzero compartment 30 and includes its
own exterior door. FIG. 1D shows a schematic diagram of a
refrigerator having an exemplary near-zero compartment disposed
inside an overzero compartment according to the present invention.
Such a refrigerator 10 is also of the vertical configuration and
includes an interior door like the one of FIG. 1B.
[0076] In another aspect of the present invention, a near-zero
compartment may be incorporated into almost any region of a
refrigerator and in almost any shape and/or size. FIGS. 2A to 2D
are schematic diagrams of various near-zero compartments disposed
in various regions of exemplary refrigerators according to the
present invention. For example, FIG. 2A shows a front view of a
refrigerator having a side-by-side configuration and having
exemplary near-zero compartments in various regions thereof
according to the present invention. A near-zero compartment 40TS,
40MS, 40BS may be respectively incorporated into a top portion, a
middle portion, and a bottom portion of a subzero compartment 20.
In the alternative, the near-zero compartment 40TO, 40MO, 40BO may
also be respectively incorporated into a top portion, a middle
portion, and a bottom portion of an overzero compartment 30. Such a
near-zero compartment 40 may be arranged to extend length-wise to
cover an entire portion of the subzero or overzero compartments 20,
30 or to cover only a portion of the compartments 20, 30.
Alternatively, near-zero compartments may further be arranged to
extend across both of the subzero and overzero compartments 20, 30.
For example, FIG. 2B is a front view of another refrigerator with a
side-by-side configuration and including various exemplary
near-zero compartments extending in various directions according to
the present invention. For example, a near-zero compartment 40HT,
4OHM, 40HB may be arranged to horizontally extend across an entire
length (or width) of the refrigerator 10 and disposed in a top
portion, a middle portion, and a bottom portion of the refrigerator
10, respectively. A near-zero compartment 40VA may be arranged to
vertically extend across an entire height of the refrigerator 10
or, in the alternative, such a compartment 40VT, 40VB may be
arranged to vertically extend along only a portion of the height of
the refrigerator 10 and disposed in a top portion and a bottom
portion of the refrigerator 10, respectively.
[0077] Near-zero compartments may be arranged to extend along
various depths into subzero and/or overzero compartments of a
refrigerator. FIG. 2C shows a side view of a refrigerator having a
side-by-side configuration and including various exemplary
near-zero compartments into various depths of the refrigerator
according to the present invention. Such a subzero compartment
40DT, 40DM, 40DB may be arranged to extend into an entire depth of
the refrigerator 10 (or its compartments 20, 30) and respectively
disposed in a top portion, a middle portion, and a bottom portion
of the refrigerator 10 (or its compartments 20, 30). Alternatively,
a subzero compartment 40ST, 40SM, 40SB may be arranged to be
shallow to extend into only a portion of the depth of the
refrigerator 10 (or its compartments 20, 30) and to be disposed in
a top portion, a middle portion, and a bottom portion of the
refrigerator 10 (or its compartments 20, 30). It is appreciated
that the foregoing subzero compartments 40 described in conjunction
with FIGS. 2A through 2C may be arranged to have any desirable
height. For example, a subzero compartment 40SA may be arranged to
be shallow to extend into only a portion of the depth of the
refrigerator 10 (or compartments 20, 30 thereof) and to be disposed
along an entire or only a portion of a height of the refrigerator
10 (or its compartments 20, 30).
[0078] The foregoing near-zero compartments may be incorporated
into refrigerators having vertical configurations as well. FIG. 2D
shows a front view of a refrigerator having a vertical
configuration and including various exemplary near-zero
compartments in various regions thereof according to the present
invention. For example, a near-zero compartment 40TS, 40MS, 40BS
may be disposed in a top portion, a middle portion, and a bottom
portion of a subzero compartment 20 or, in the alternative, a
near-zero compartment 40TO, 40MO, 40BO may be disposed in a top
portion, a middle portion, and a bottom portion of an overzero
compartment 30. As described above, these near-zero compartments 40
may be arranged to extend along an entire length or only a portion
of such a length or width of the refrigerator 10 (or its
compartments), and/or to extend into an entire depth or only a
portion of such a depth thereof.
[0079] Configurational or operational variations or modifications
of the exemplary embodiments shown in FIGS. 2A to 2D also fall
within the scope of the present invention. First, any of the above
near-zero compartments may have any exterior shapes and/or sizes,
and define an internal space therein which may have any shapes
and/or sizes. Thus, the exterior and/or interior of the near-zero
compartments may horizontally extend along any length (or width)
and into any depth and vertically extend along any height.
Secondly, any of the foregoing near-zero compartments may be
arranged to be accessed by an user either directly or indirectly.
For example, such a near-zero compartment may include its own
exterior door as exemplified in FIGS. 1A and 1C. Alternatively,
when the near-zero compartment may be disposed inside the subzero
or overzero compartment, it may only include an interior door so
that the user can access the interior of the near-zero compartment
by opening a door for the overzero or subzero compartment and
thereafter opening such an interior door of the near-zero
compartment. In addition, the near-zero compartment may be disposed
horizontally or vertically between the subzero and overzero
compartments as exemplified in FIG. 1A. Furthermore, the near-zero
compartment may be incorporated into a front or a back of a door
for the subzero or overzero compartment so that the inclusion of
the near-zero compartment does not necessarily reduce or sacrifice
any internal space of the subzero or overzero compartment.
[0080] The foregoing near-zero compartment may also be arranged to
have a length, width or height enough to retain fluid containers of
specific or preset dimensions. When the near-zero compartment is
arranged to receive and to retain metal can-type containers such as
aluminum cans for carbonated beverages, such a compartment may have
a height slightly greater than that of the cans when such cans are
to be retained upright or may have a width slightly greater than
that of the cans when such cans are to be retained sideways. The
near-zero compartment may also have dimensions to fit glass bottles
for, e.g., carbonated beverages, wine, milk, and/or juices, to fit
plastic containers or laminated paper containers for, e.g., drinks
and/or juices. When desirable, the near-zero container may include
retainers arranged to at least partially hold such containers,
where the shapes and/or sizes of such retainers may vary. In
addition, such retainers may be arranged to have mobile parts which
may be manually moved to adjust dimensions of receiving spaces
thereof. The near-zero compartment may be arranged to have an
adjustable exterior and/or interior dimensions as well. In this
embodiment, the near-zero compartment includes at least one mobile
wall or divider, in which the internal space of the near-zero
compartment may be determined by a spatial position of the mobile
wall. For example, such a mobile wall may be movably disposed to
connect the near-zero compartment to one of the subzero or overzero
compartment. When the user moves the mobile wall (or divider) away
from the near-zero compartment, the mobile wall recruits a space
from the subzero or overzero compartment and adds such a space to
the near-zero compartment, thereby increasing the internal space of
the near-zero compartment. Conversely, when the user moves the
mobile wall toward the near-zero compartment, the mobile wall gives
up the recruited space from the near-zero compartment, thereby
decreasing the internal space of the near-zero compartment.
[0081] In another aspect of the present invention, a refrigerator
includes at least one cooling unit and a control unit, where the
cooling unit generates subzero air streams and the control unit is
arranged to distribute (or supply) the subzero air streams directly
and/or indirectly to multiple compartments of the refrigerator
through various paths or pathways for the air streams. FIGS. 3A
through 3D show block diagrams of exemplary paths of subzero air
streams of refrigerators and exemplary control schemes of control
units according to the present invention.
[0082] FIG. 3A is a block diagram of exemplary paths of subzero air
streams independently supplied directly to multiple compartments of
a refrigerator according to the present invention. In addition to
the above subzero, overzero, and near-zero compartments 20, 30, 40,
an exemplary refrigerator 10 also includes a cooling unit 50, a
control unit 60, multiple air paths or pathways 11, and a variety
of control valves 21, 31A, 41A. Such a cooling unit 50 includes a
coolant compressor arranged to compress or liquefy coolant by
applying energy thereto, a coolant evaporator for evaporating the
liquefied coolant, and a heat exchanger in which the evaporating
coolant absorbs heat from an ambient air to generate an subzero air
stream having a temperature typically below zero degree. The
cooling unit 50 is in fluid communication with various compartments
20, 30, 40 through the air pathways 11 through which the subzero
air stream is supplied to various compartments 20, 30, 40. The
control unit 60 is arranged to control or adjust an amount of the
subzero air stream flowing through the air pathway 11 by opening,
closing or metering the control valves 21, 31A, 41A. Because the
pathways 11 directly connects the cooling unit 50 to each of the
subzero, overzero, and near-zero compartments 20, 30, 40, the
control unit 60 of this embodiment may be able to individually
control the temperatures of each compartment 20, 30, 40.
[0083] In operation, an user sets a preset target temperature for
each of the subzero, overzero, and near-zero compartments 20, 30,
40. As described above, the cooling unit 50 provides the subzero
air stream and supplies such through the air pathway 11. The
control unit 60 monitors the temperatures of the compartments 20,
30, 40, and supplies the subzero air stream to a compartment(s) of
which the temperature is higher than its preset target temperature
by, e.g., opening or metering a corresponding control valve which
connects the cooling unit 50 thereto. When the temperature of the
compartment reaches the preset temperature, the control unit 60
closes the corresponding valve and may also turn off the cooling
unit 50 when the temperatures of all compartments 20, 30, 40
respectively reach their preset temperatures. When the temperature
of any compartment increases, the control unit 60 turns on the
cooling unit 50 and opens the corresponding control valve to supply
the subzero air stream to such a compartment, thereby maintaining
the temperatures of all compartments 20, 30,40 at or below their
preset temperatures.
[0084] The refrigerators of the present invention may be provided
with other air pathways according to various embodiments. For
example, FIG. 3B shows a block diagram of exemplary paths of
subzero air streams which are sequentially supplied to multiple
compartments of a refrigerator according to the present invention.
In contrary to the air pathways 11 of FIG. 3A which individually
connect the cooling unit 50 to each compartment 20, 30, 40, air
pathways 11 of FIG. 3B connects the cooling unit 50 to the subzero
compartment 20, couples the subzero compartment 20 to the near-zero
compartment 40, and then couples the near-zero compartment 40 to
the overzero compartment 30. Therefore, the subzero air stream
generated by the cooling unit 50 flows in the order of the subzero,
near-zero, and overzero compartments 20,40, 30. Similar to the
embodiment shown in FIG. 3A, various control valves 21, 31B, 41B
are disposed along the air pathways 11, and the control unit 60 may
open, close or meter each of such valves 21, 31B, 41B to adjust
amounts of the subzero air streams through each air pathway 11.
[0085] In operation, an user sets a preset target temperature for
each of the subzero, overzero, and near-zero compartments 20, 30,
40. The cooling unit 50 provides the subzero air stream and
supplies such a stream through the air pathway 11, while the
control unit 60 monitors the temperature of each of the
compartments 20, 30, 40. When the temperature of the subzero
compartment 20 falls below its preset target temperature, the
control unit 60 turns on the cooling unit 50 and opens the control
valve 21 while closing other valves 31B, 41B so that the subzero
air stream is supplied from the cooling unit 50 to the subzero
compartment 20, thereby cooling the subzero compartment 20 but not
the near-zero or overzero compartment 40, 30. When the temperature
of the near-zero compartment 40 falls below the preset temperature
but not the temperatures of the other compartments 20, 30, the
control unit 60 opens the control valves 21, 41B while closing the
other valve 31B such that the subzero air stream is delivered to
the near-zero compartment 40 through the subzero compartment 20.
Alternatively, when the temperature of the overzero compartment 30
falls below the preset temperature, the control unit 60 opens all
control valves 21, 31B, 41B such that the subzero air stream is
delivered to the overzero compartment 30 through the subzero and
near-zero compartments 20, 40. When the temperatures of all
compartments reach their preset target temperatures, the control
unit 60 closes all valves 21, 31B, 41B, and turns off the cooling
unit 50, while maintaining the temperatures of all compartments 20,
30, 40 at or below their preset temperatures.
[0086] The refrigerators of this invention may include
combinational embodiments of the air pathways shown in FIGS. 3B and
3C. For example, FIG. 3C is a block diagram of exemplary paths of
subzero air streams sequentially and independently supplied to
multiple compartments of a refrigerator according to the present
invention, where air pathways 11 connect the cooling unit 50 to
each compartment 20, 30, 40 and connect one compartment to the
other as well. The refrigerator 10 further includes various control
valves 21, 31A, 31B, 41A, 41B each of which is individually opened
and closed by the control unit 60. Accordingly, the control unit 60
may deliver the subzero air stream to one compartment either
directly from the cooling unit 50 or through other compartments. In
another example, FIG. 3D is a block diagram of exemplary paths of
subzero air streams independently and partly sequentially provided
to multiple compartments of a refrigerator according to the present
invention. The embodiment of FIG. 3D is similar to that of FIG. 3C,
except that the one of FIG. 3D does not include the air pathway
connecting the subzero and near-zero compartments 20, 40.
[0087] Configurational or operational variations or modifications
of the exemplary embodiments shown in FIGS. 3A to 3D also fall
within the scope of the present invention. First of all, the
refrigerators of the present invention may employ a variety of
cooling mechanisms and/or control mechanisms as long as they can
maintain a temperature inside the near-zero compartment at a preset
temperature which may be at, near or slightly below zero degree.
Therefore, detailed configurations of the cooling and control units
are not material to the scope of the present invention. Secondly,
the above cooling units of FIGS. 3A to 3D may be substituted by
various functionally equivalent cooling mechanisms. For example,
the cooling unit may generate the subzero air stream may have a
temperature varying over a wide range, e.g., from a few degrees
above zero degree down to -20.degree. C. or so, although it is
desirable to lower the temperature of the air stream as low as
possible to facilitate heat transfer by as great a temperature
gradient as possible, i.e., unsteady heat transfer. Instead of the
above forced convection mechanism of providing the subzero air
stream, other cooling medium may also be employed. For example,
such a cooling unit may be arranged to circulate a coolant by,
e.g., compressing the coolant, evaporating the coolant, supplying
such a coolant directly to the subzero, near-zero, and overzero
compartments, and circulating such a coolant to the compressor for
a next compression. Alternatively, coolant pathways may be provided
through each compartment and the subzero coolant may be arranged to
flow inside the coolant pathways. Then, the subzero coolant may
absorb heat energy in the compartment not by convectional heat
transfer but by conductive heat transfer. Combination of the
foregoing conduction and forced convection mechanisms may also be
employed. Thirdly, the above air pathways may also be arranged to
provide different fluid communications among the cooling unit and
compartments and/or among such compartments. For example, the air
pathway may have more than one inlet and/or more than one air
outlet so that the subzero air stream may be delivered to multiple
compartments and/or be collected from multiple compartments.
Fourthly, an air stream having a higher temperature may also be
provided to the compartment of which an internal temperature is
lower than such an air stream. For example, the control unit may be
arranged to supply, when desirable, the ambient air to the
near-zero compartment or the subzero air stream from the overzero
compartment to the near-zero compartment. This embodiment offers a
benefit of instantly increasing the temperature of the near-zero
compartment and preventing over-freezing of fluids in the fluid
containers placed therein.
[0088] In another aspect of the present invention, a refrigerator
may include at least one selector unit arranged to move fluid
containers inside the foregoing near-zero compartments. Such an
embodiment offers a benefit of providing capabilities of selecting
a specific fluid container regardless of where the fluid container
is disposed inside the near-zero compartment. FIGS. 4A to 4F are
schematic diagrams of exemplary selector units for moving fluid
containers according to the present invention.
[0089] FIG. 4A shows a schematic diagram of a first exemplary
selector unit according to the present invention. A selector unit
70 includes multiple holders 71 each of which forms an opening 72
which is arranged to at least partly retain a fluid container
therein or thereby. The holders 71 are mechanically coupled to each
other by couplers 73 so that a motor or other actuating units may
move such holders 71, e.g., in a counterclockwise direction,
similar to conventional conveyor belts used in baggage claim
sections in airports. Accordingly, an user may move the holders 71
along a preset direction and then position a specific holder 71 in
a preset location inside the near-zero compartment.
[0090] FIG. 4B is a schematic diagram of an exemplary selector unit
with a four-by-eight configuration and moving in a first pattern
according to the present invention. Contrary to the above selector
unit 70 having a double-row arrangement (i.e., a front row and a
back row of holders 71), a selector unit 70 shown in FIG. 4B
arranges twenty-four holders 71 in a four by six formation, where
each holder 71 is mechanically coupled to two other adjacent
holders 71. A motor or actuating unit is arranged to move the
holders 71 such that the holder 71, e.g., disposed in a right lower
corner, moves from right to left along a bottom row to a left lower
corner, to a left upper corner therefrom along a first left column,
to a right upper corner therefrom along a top row, one row downward
therefrom, from right to left along a second top row, one row
downward again therefrom, from left to right along a third top row,
and to its original position therefrom. Therefore, the user may
move any holder 71 of the selector unit 70 and position the
specific holder 71 in a preset location inside the near-zero
compartment. FIG. 4C shows a schematic diagram of another exemplary
selector unit with a four-by-eight configuration and moving in a
second pattern according to the present invention. A selector unit
70 of this figure is identical to the one of FIG. 4B, except that
holders 71 move along a different second pattern. For example, the
holder 71 disposed in a right lower corner moves from right to left
along a bottom row to a left lower corner, to a left upper corner
therefrom along a first left column, to right into an adjacent slot
of a second left column, downward therefrom by two slots to a third
top row, to right to an adjacent slot of a third left column, and
upward therefrom by two slots to a top row. Such a holder 71
continues the downward and upward movements until it is positioned
in the right upper corner. The holder 71 then moves back to its
original position downward along a right-most column. FIG. 4D shows
a schematic diagram of yet another exemplary selector unit having a
four-by-eight configuration and moving in a third pattern according
to the present invention. A selector unit 70 of FIG. 4D is
identical to those of FIGS. 4B and 4C, except that holders 71 are
arranged to move along another third pattern. Therefore, the holder
71 disposed in a right lower corner may move from right to left
along a bottom row to a left lower corner, to a left upper corner
along a first left column, to right by two slots along a top row
therefrom to a third left column, downward therefrom by one slot to
a second top row, to left by two slots along a second top row
therefrom, downward therefrom by one slot to a third top row, then
from left to right along the third top row to a second right
column, upward therefrom by one slot to the second top row, to left
by two slots to a third right column therefrom, upward therefrom by
one slot again to the top row, then to a right upper corner along
the top row, and finally downward along a right-most column to its
original position.
[0091] In operation, the selector unit 70 is either horizontally or
vertically installed inside the near-zero compartment. The user
opens a door of the near-zero compartment 40 and disposes fluid
containers inside each opening 72 of the selector unit 70. As the
user closes the door of the compartment 40, a control unit 60 turns
on a cooling unit 50 and provides a subzero air stream into the
compartment 40 while maintaining a temperature in the compartment
40 at, near or slightly below zero degree and/or at other preset
temperatures. When the user wants to take a fluid container out of
the compartment 40, he or she opens the door and selects one
container therefrom. When the container to be selected is disposed
deep inside the compartment 40, the user may actuate the selector
unit 70, move the holders 70, positions the container in a front
row of the selector unit 70, and takes out the container.
Similarly, the user may use the selector unit 70 to place fluid
containers to the holders 71 of the front row and to move them to
back rows of the selector unit 70, thereby utilizing all available
space of the near-zero compartment 40.
[0092] As described above, the control unit 60 of the refrigerator
of this invention is arranged to keep the temperature of the
subzero compartment 20 substantially below zero degree and the
temperature of the overzero compartment 30 a few degrees above zero
degree. Accordingly, the temperatures of such subzero and overzero
compartments 20, 30 may deviate a few degrees higher or lower
without causing any serious problems in keeping various articles
frozen or fresh. It is appreciated, however, that the temperature
of the near-zero compartment 40 may be controlled with a higher
resolution, for lowering the temperature of such a compartment 40
may freeze fluids of the fluid containers, resulting in rupture
and/or explosion of such containers. One embodiment for
facilitating a precise temperature control of the near-zero
compartment 40 may be to minimize a heat influx into such a
compartment 40 while loading or dispensing fluid containers into or
out of the compartment 40, respectively. For this purpose, the
near-zero compartment 40 of a first embodiment may include a narrow
auxiliary door in addition to an exterior or interior door. The
user then opens the exterior or interior door and opens the
auxiliary door to dispose or dispense the fluid container. By
arranging such an auxiliary door to slide to open and to close,
heat loss may further be minimized. The near-zero compartment 40 of
a second embodiment may include a narrow opening for disposing and
dispensing the fluid containers instead of conventional exterior or
interior doors. Following FIGS. 4E and 4F describe two exemplary
selector units for such a second embodiment.
[0093] FIG. 4E is a schematic diagram of a selector unit with an
exemplary movable container opening and an exemplary mirror
according to the present invention, where a selector unit 70 shown
in FIG. 4E is identical to that of FIG. 4B. The near-zero
compartment 40 is arranged to retain the selector unit 70 therein
and bound by a fixed exterior body 74. The near-zero compartment 40
is also arranged such that its internal space may be accessible
through a movable container opening 75 which is arranged to open
and close by rotating about a pivot 76. A separate motor or
actuator is incorporated to move the holders 71 of the selector
unit 70 along the first pattern so that the user may not only
dispose but also dispense the fluid containers disposed inside the
near-zero compartment 40. In order to facilitate the selection of
the fluid containers, a mirror 77 or other imaging unit is disposed
beside or next to the movable opening 75 such that the user may
identify whether the fluid container disposed next to or in front
of the movable opening 75 is what he or she wants. FIG. 4F
represents a schematic diagram of a selector unit having an
exemplary fixed container opening according to the present
invention, where a selector unit 70 of FIG. 4F is identical to that
of FIG. 4A. The near-zero compartment is arranged to retain the
selector unit 70 therein and bound by a fixed exterior body 74
which forms a fixed container opening 78 through which the user
disposes and dispenses the fluid containers. An additional cover
may be movably disposed in front of the fixed opening to minimize
heat transfer therethrough.
[0094] In operation, the user installs the selector unit 70
horizontally or vertically inside the near-zero compartment 40,
opens the movable opening 75 of the near-zero compartment 40, and
disposes fluid containers inside each opening 72 of the selector
unit 70 by moving the holders 71 one after the other through the
opening 75. As the user finishes loading the fluid containers and
closes the opening 75, a control unit 60 turns on a cooling unit 50
and provides a subzero air stream into the compartment 40 to
maintain a temperature inside the compartment 40 at, near or
slightly below zero degree or at another preset temperature. When
the user wants to dispense a fluid container out of the compartment
40, he or she identifies through the mirror 77 which container is
disposed in front of the movable opening 75. When such a container
is what the user wants, he or she opens the opening 75 and
dispenses such a container therethrough. However, when the
container disposed in front of the opening 75 is not the one to be
selected, the user moves the holders 71 one by one until he or she
finds the desirable fluid container in front of or beside the
opening 75. The user then opens the opening 75 and dispenses the
fluid container. The user may use the movable opening and mirror to
dispose the fluid containers into empty holders 71. For example,
the user moves the holders one by one until he or she finds an
empty holder 71. The user opens the movable opening 75 and loads a
fluid container therein, and so on.
[0095] Configurational or operational variations or modifications
of the exemplary embodiments shown in FIGS. 4A to 4F also fall
within the scope of the present invention. As described
hereinabove, such selector units may be either horizontally or
vertically disposed inside the near-zero compartment. The fluid
containers may be correspondingly placed either horizontally or
vertically in the openings of such holders depending upon a height
and/or width of the near-zero compartment. The selector units may
also be arranged to include any number of rows and/or columns as
long as the motor or actuator may be able to move each holder of
the selector units in an appropriate pattern. Therefore, the
selector units may arrange the holders in order to form a
rectangle, a square, a diamond, a triangle, a circle, an oval, and
the like, where the holders may be disposed at vertices, along
sides, and/or in an interior of such configuration. Contrary to the
exemplary embodiments shown in FIGS. 4A to 4D, the holders of the
selector units may be divided into two or more groups, and the
holders which belong to the same group are connected to each other
by the couplers but not to the holders of the other groups. In such
an embodiment, the motor or actuator moves the holders of each
group separately without any inter-group movements. The selector
units may also be arranged to include multiple layers each of which
has multiple holders arranged in one of the foregoing
configurations. In such an embodiment as well, the holders of
different layers may be connected by appropriate couplers such that
the holders may move from one region of one layer to different
regions of different layers. Alternatively, the holders of
different layers may not be coupled to each other such that the
holders may move from one region to different regions of the same
layer but not to regions of other layers. In this embodiment, each
layer may be provided with a separate movable or fixed opening to
provide an access to the user.
[0096] The holders and/or openings thereof of the foregoing
selector units may be arranged to have fixed dimensions which fit
preselected containers such as metal cans, plastic bottles,
laminated paper containers, and so on. The holders and/or openings
thereof may also be arranged to have adjustable dimensions such
that they may retain a variety of containers having different
dimensions. A variety of couplers may also be used to connect
various holders of the selector units. In order to accommodate
curvilinear movements of the holders in various movement patterns,
the couplers may be arranged to allow translation or rotation of
such holders therealong or therearound. Any conventional mechanical
holders may be employed to movably couple the couplers. The holders
of such selector units may be arranged to be moved manually by the
user or, alternatively, to be moved by an electric motor or other
conventional actuators as well. At least one control switch may be
incorporated so that the user may start and stop movements of the
holders whenever he or she positions a desirable fluid container in
a preset location around the selector unit. As described in FIG.
4E, the near-zero compartment may also include imaging units
arranged to provide visual images of fluid containers disposed in
front of or next to the fixed and/or movable container opening. In
addition to the mirrors of the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 4E,
such a see-through window may be disposed in a front row of the
selector units such that the user may identify the fluid containers
disposed in such a row. A micro-camera may also be used to provide
images of the fluid containers disposed in front of or beside the
fixed or movable container opening and/or fluid containers adjacent
such an opening. Other conventional imaging equipment may also be
used to provide the foregoing images.
[0097] It is appreciated that not all near-zero compartments of
this invention may require the foregoing selector units. For
example, when the near-zero compartment defines an internal space
which has a height and/or a width enough to allow the user to reach
the fluid containers disposed in any portion of the internal space,
such a compartment may not require any selector unit at all. When
the near-zero compartment defines a limited internal space,
however, it is crucial to economically utilize a real estate of
such a compartment. Accordingly, when the user may not be able to
access the fluid containers disposed in the back of the near-zero
compartment, the above selector unit may then be incorporated into
such a compact near-zero compartment in order to allow the user to
select any fluid container he or she wants. The above selector
units may also prove useful regardless of the size of the internal
space of the near-zero compartment. In one exemplary embodiment,
the air pathway to the near-zero compartment may be localized in
one region of such a compartment, which may result in an uneven
temperature distribution. By incorporating the above selector
units, all or at least a substantial portion of the fluid
containers may be cooled down to the same or at least a
substantially similar temperature, thereby avoiding overcooling or
freezing of the fluid containers in one region of such a
compartment. In another exemplary embodiment, the selector unit may
be utilized to mix the fluids of the containers to facilitate heat
transfer. When the fluid container at room temperature is disposed
inside the near-zero compartment, the fluid begins to lose its
thermal energy because of a huge temperature gradient therebetween.
As the heat transfer ensues, the temperature of the fluid disposed
near the container wall may drop to that of the compartment, while
the temperature of the core fluid remains at the room temperature,
thereby developing a thermal boundary layer and hindering heat
transfer. To break such a thermal boundary layer, the selector unit
may be arranged to at least minimally shake or tilt the fluids of
the containers such that the fluids near the container wall may be
mixed with the core fluids. In yet another exemplary embodiment and
as will be described in greater detail below, the refrigerator of
the present invention may include at least one sensor unit arranged
to detect a partial and/or complete freezing of the fluids in the
containers. When such a sensor unit is disposed only in one region
of the near-zero compartment, the selector unit may be used to
manually or automatically move the selected containers to the
sensor unit so that the sensors of the sensor unit may monitor the
temperatures of fluids in different fluid containers.
[0098] In another aspect of the present invention, a refrigerator
may also include at least one sensor unit arranged to monitor a
temperature of a fluid container and/or phase change of fluids
contained in the fluid container inside the foregoing near-zero
compartments. FIGS. 5A to 5F represent schematic diagrams of
exemplary sensor units for detecting freezing of fluid in fluid
containers according to the present invention.
[0099] FIG. 5A is a schematic diagram of an exemplary sensor unit
for detecting dimensional changes due to freezing of a fluid in a
fluid container according to the present invention. An exemplary
sensor unit 80 has a first arm 81, a second arm 82, and a movable
arm 84. The first arm 81 is generally fixed to a body or wall of
the near-zero compartment 40, and the second arm 82 is movably
coupled to the first arm 81 by a pivot 83 and to rotate thereabout.
The movable arm 84 is arranged to translate along the second arm 82
and biased toward the first arm 81. Therefore, when a fluid
container is disposed between the first arm 81 and movable arm 84,
the sensor unit 80 monitors a distance and/or a change therein
between the first and movable arms 81, 84.
[0100] In operation, an user selects a fluid container to be
monitored by the sensor unit 80. The user rotates the second arm 82
(along with the movable arm 84) to provide a space for the fluid
container, places the fluid container therein upright or sideways
while abutting the first arm 81, and rotates the second arm 82
toward the fluid container back to its original position. The user
translates the movable arm 84 and then abuts an opposite side of
the fluid container thereby. The sensor unit 80 monitors a distance
between the first and movable arms 81, 84 and detects a change
thereof. When the sensor unit 80 detects an increase in the
distance which is caused by freezing of the fluids in the
container, it generates and sends a control signal to the control
unit 80 which in turn shuts down the supply of the subzero air
stream to the near-zero compartment 40 and/or which In turn
supplies a warmer ambient air thereto.
[0101] FIG. 5B is a schematic diagram of a modified embodiment of
the exemplary sensor unit of FIG. 5A according to the present
invention. A sensor unit 80 of FIG. 5B is similar to that of FIG.
5A, except that the former unit 80 does not include a second arm.
The sensor unit 80 of FIG. 5B rather includes a first arm 81
similar or identical to that of FIG. 5A, and a movable arm 84 which
is arranged to translate along an opening 85 provided on a wall or
body of the near-zero compartment 40. The movable arm 84 is also
arranged to be biased toward the first arm 81 so that the sensor
unit 80 monitors a distance and/or a change therein between the
first and movable arms 81, 84 when the fluid container is placed
therebetween. Operational characteristics of the sensor unit 80 of
FIG. 5B are at least substantially similar or identical to those of
FIG. 5A.
[0102] FIG. 5C is a schematic diagram of an exemplary sensor unit
in its inactive position for detecting uneven distribution of fluid
in a fluid container and FIG. 5D is a front view of the sensor unit
of FIG. 5C according to the present invention. In addition, FIG. 5E
denotes a schematic diagram of the exemplary sensor unit of FIG. 5C
in its active position for detecting uneven distribution of fluid
in a fluid container and FIG. 5F is a front view of the sensor unit
of FIG. 5E according to the present invention. As shown in the
figures, a sensor unit 80 includes a movable or tiltable actuator
86 arranged to receive the fluid container thereon. Such an
actuator 86 is arranged to rotate or tilt about a pivot 89, and/or
otherwise move between an inactive position (FIGS. SC and 5D) and
an active position (FIGS. 5E and 5F). Such an actuator 86 includes
a flat part 87 on one end and a curved part 88 on an opposite end,
where the flat part 87 is generally arranged to be flush with a
bottom surface of the near-zero compartment 40 and the curved part
88 is slightly raised thereover in the inactive position, and where
the flat part 87 is raised over the bottom of the compartment 40
and the curved part 88 is lowered to be generally flush with the
bottom surface of the compartment 40 in the active position.
[0103] In operation, the actuator 86 is disposed in its inactive
position such that its flat part 87 is flush with the bottom
surface of the near-zero compartment 40. A fluid container is then
disposed over the actuator 86, more particularly, on the flat part
87 or between the flat and curved parts 87, 88 thereof as shown in
FIGS. 3C and 5D. As the control unit 60 begins to provide the
subzero a stream into the near-zero compartment 40, the sensor unit
80 initiates a series of steps to detect uneven distribution of
mass of fluids in the fluid container. For example, the sensor unit
80 rotates or tilts the actuator 86 form its inactive position to
its inactive position, e.g., by raising the flat part 87 of the
actuator 86 while lowering the curved part 88 thereof. Such a
change in contour renders the fluid container roll down along the
actuator 86 from the flat part 87 toward the curved part 88 as
described in FIGS. 5E and 5F. When the contents of the container
are not frozen, they remain in a liquid state and are redistributed
in the container so that a meniscus 13 of the fluid is defined on a
top of the container as shown in FIGS. 5D and 5F. When the contents
are completely frozen, the meniscus 14 of the fluid also rotates
along with the container and disposed at an angle as shown in FIG.
5F. Because of such an uneven mass distribution, the container
tends to roll back to its original position. The sensor unit then
detects such a rolling of the container and sends a control signal
to the control unit which then terminates the supply of the subzero
air stream to the near-zero compartment 40 or which supplies an
ambient air thereto in order to prevent bursting of the container.
Thereafter, the sensor unit 80 may move the actuator 86 back to its
inactive position for a next detection procedure. In the
alternative, the actuator 86 may be kept in its active position
until the next detection procedure during which the actuator 86 is
moved to its inactive position and the sensor unit 80 determines
whether or not the fluid is evenly distributed in the fluid
container.
[0104] Configurational or operational variations or modifications
of the exemplary embodiments shown in FIGS. 5A to 5F fall within
the scope of the present invention. Various conventional sensors
may be used to monitor the temperature of the fluid in the
container and/or to detect the phase change of such fluid in the
container, partial or complete freezing of the fluid, and so on.
First of all, any conventional sensors for measuring dimensions may
be employed into the sensor units of the present invention to
measure, e.g., lengths of the fluid containers, widths thereof,
diameters or perimeters thereof, and so on, and to detect the phase
change or freezing therefrom. Such sensors may be mechanical
sensors or electrical sensors, where the electric sensors may be
arranged to monitor electric voltage, current, resistance,
capacitance, and/or inductance, changes thereof, and so on. Such
dimensional sensors may be utilized to monitor volumes of the fluid
containers and/or their changes and to detect the phase change of
the fluids or freezing thereof. Secondly, pure temperature sensors
may be used to directly or indirectly measure the temperature of
the fluid container and/or fluid itself. Such sensors may be
disposed on a surface of the container or, when desirable, inside
the container. Thirdly, conventional infrared sensors may be
utilized to measure the surface and/or internal temperature of the
containers. It is noted, however, that the infrared sensors are
generally prone to sense the surface temperature but not that of
the fluid inside the container. In order to increase accuracy of
such measurement, any mixing mechanisms may be incorporated into
the sensor unit so that the surface temperature of such a container
approximates an average temperature of the fluids inside the
container. In addition, such mass distribution detection sensor
units described hereinabove may be provided in various modified
embodiments. For example, the actuator may be arranged to have a
U-shaped cross-section or a V-shaped cross-section, to receive the
fluid container therein, and to only slightly tilt the container
from one side to the other to detect the uneven mass
distribution.
[0105] Contrary to the foregoing embodiments where the preset
target temperature of the near-zero compartment is determined based
on the phase change and/or freezing of the fluids in the
containers, the sensor units may also be arranged to determine the
preset target temperature of such a near-zero compartment a priori
by types of fluids of the fluid containers. For example, the sensor
unit may have an input panel with which the user may select a
proper type of the fluids such as, e.g., carbonated beverages,
fruit juices, wine, beer, and so on. The sensor unit may also be
arranged to count a total number of containers or their total mass
disposed in such a compartment, and the control unit may be
arranged to control the amount of the subzero air stream supplied
thereto. When the sensors of such sensor units need a reference
point for temperature measurement, the sensor unit may divert a
small amount of tap water which is supplied to, e.g., an ice maker
of the refrigerator, measure the freezing point of water, and use
such a point as the reference.
[0106] The foregoing exemplary refrigerators of the present
invention and near-zero compartments of such refrigerators may be
substituted by their functional equivalents or modified according
to various embodiments. For example, the refrigerator may
incorporate multiple similar and/or asimilar near-zero
compartments. In the alternative, a single near-zero compartment
may be arranged to define multiple sub-sections. The cooling and/or
control units may be arranged to maintain the same temperature for
all of such compartments and/or sub-sections or to maintain
different temperatures in at least two of such compartments and/or
sub-sections.
[0107] The foregoing near-zero compartment of the refrigerators of
this invention may be arranged to be equipped with a quenching
mechanism with which fluid containers disposed therein may be
cooled at a faster speed. In such an embodiment, the control unit
is arranged to vary the temperature inside the near-zero
compartment based on a preset temperature profile including, e.g.,
an initial fast cooling period during which the temperature inside
such a compartment is maintained well below zero degree and a final
soaking period during which the temperature inside the compartment
is maintained near, at or slightly below (or even above) zero
degree. During the initial cooling period, the fluids near the wall
of the fluid container may be cooled well below zero degree (and
frozen), while the fluids away from and in a core of the container
retain most of their thermal energy. During the final soaking
period, the fluids near the wall and those away from the wall are
allowed to approach an equilibrium and to attain a relatively even
temperature distribution. Alternatively, the refrigerator may
include a quenching unit which may be incorporated into the
near-zero compartment or provided as a separate unit. In such an
embodiment, the near-zero compartment is arranged to maintain a
constant target temperature, while the quenching unit is generally
arranged to have a temporally varying temperature profile to cool
fluid containers at a higher speed. In all of the foregoing
embodiments, the control unit may be arranged to calculate or to
estimate an amount of thermal energy taken away from the fluid
containers based on various sensors capable of measuring an amount
of heat transfer, temperature changes, etc.
[0108] It is appreciated that the foregoing near-zero compartments
may be manufactured as individual units which may be retrofit to
existing refrigerators and/or freezers. For example, a
retrofittable near-zero compartment may be provided as a sealed
compartment having at least one inlet and at least one outlet and
arranged to be fitted either into the subzero compartment and/or
overzero compartment. In either embodiment, a first air inlet may
be arranged to be in fluid communication with an interior of the
subzero compartment, whereas a second air inlet may be arranged to
be in fluid communication with an interior of the overzero
compartment or with ambient air. A control unit is also
incorporated into the retrofittable compartment and arranged to
open and close the first and second air inlet to maintain the
temperature of the retrofittable compartment at, near or slightly
below zero degree, e.g., by supplying the subzero air stream to
decrease its temperature and by further supplying the less colder
air stream from the overzero compartment or ambient air to increase
its temperature.
[0109] It is also appreciated that the foregoing near-zero
compartments may be incorporated into any household and/or
industrial equipment designed to keep various articles at preset
temperatures and/or at temperatures other than the room temperature
or ambient temperature. Accordingly, the near-zero compartment of
this invention may be incorporated into conventional refrigerators
having subzero (or freezing) compartments and overzero (or fresh)
compartments, conventional freezers having one or multiple subzero
compartments, conventional compact refrigerators with the overzero
compartments and optional subzero sections which are generally open
to the overzero compartments, conventional portable refrigerators
or freezers, conventional vegetable refrigerators with one or more
overzero compartments and no subzero compartment, and the like,
regardless of whether such refrigerators or freezers may be of an
upright American style or a flat European style.
[0110] It is to be understood that, while various aspects and/or
embodiments of the present invention have been described in
conjunction with the detailed description thereof, the foregoing
description is intended to illustrate and not to limit the scope of
the invention, which is defined by the scope of the appended
claims. Other embodiments, aspects, advantages, and modifications
are within the scope of the following claims.
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