U.S. patent application number 13/605221 was filed with the patent office on 2012-12-27 for refrigerator vacuum storage system.
This patent application is currently assigned to WHIRLPOOL CORPORATION. Invention is credited to PAUL B. ALLARD, KELLY M. HANSON, DOUGLAS DAVID LECLEAR, KAREN J. QUERFURTH, ANDREW MICHAEL TENBARGE, JOHN J. VONDERHAAR, MICHELE E. WILCOX.
Application Number | 20120326588 13/605221 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 40930490 |
Filed Date | 2012-12-27 |
United States Patent
Application |
20120326588 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
VONDERHAAR; JOHN J. ; et
al. |
December 27, 2012 |
REFRIGERATOR VACUUM STORAGE SYSTEM
Abstract
A vacuum storage system in a refrigerator includes a bin or
drawer unit removably received in a housing. The vacuum storage
system may be utilized in a storage configuration or in a vacuum
sealing configuration to remove air from one or more food
preservation containers having one-way evacuation valves. A switch
on a control interface actuates a vacuum source and a front wall of
the bin or drawer unit seals against the cabinet. Air is drawn from
the storage space via a hose in communication with the vacuum
source and air pressure within the storage space is reduced below
atmospheric pressure, whereby air is simultaneously evacuated from
the containers housed in the storage space. At a predetermined
pressure, a control deactivates the vacuum source and an equalizing
valve is opened to return the storage space to atmospheric
pressure.
Inventors: |
VONDERHAAR; JOHN J.; (SAINT
JOSEPH, MI) ; LECLEAR; DOUGLAS DAVID; (BENTON HARBOR,
MI) ; ALLARD; PAUL B.; (STEVENSVILLE, MI) ;
HANSON; KELLY M.; (EUCLID, OH) ; WILCOX; MICHELE
E.; (STEVENSVILLE, MI) ; TENBARGE; ANDREW
MICHAEL; (SAINT JOSEPH, MI) ; QUERFURTH; KAREN
J.; (COLOMA, MI) |
Assignee: |
WHIRLPOOL CORPORATION
BENTON HARBOR
MI
|
Family ID: |
40930490 |
Appl. No.: |
13/605221 |
Filed: |
September 6, 2012 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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12026870 |
Feb 6, 2008 |
8281606 |
|
|
13605221 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
312/406 ;
312/408 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F25D 17/042 20130101;
F25D 2317/043 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
312/406 ;
312/408 |
International
Class: |
F25D 23/06 20060101
F25D023/06; F25D 23/00 20060101 F25D023/00 |
Claims
1. A refrigerator comprising: a machine compartment; a food storage
compartment; and a vacuum storage system within the food storage
compartment adapted to be utilized in a storage configuration or a
vacuum sealing configuration, said vacuum storage system including:
a cabinet; a bin unit supported for movement between retracted and
extended positions into and out of the cabinet, said bin unit
including a plurality of interconnected walls defining a storage
space, one of the plurality of interconnected walls constituting a
front wall which is adapted to seal against the cabinet when the
bin unit assumes the retracted position; a vacuum source in
communication with the storage space inside of the cabinet for
reducing air pressure within the storage space below atmospheric
pressure during an evacuation event; and a control system for
establishing the evacuation event through activation of the vacuum
source wherein, upon placing one or more vacuum sealing containers
having associated one-way evacuation valves in the bin unit,
sealing the front wall of the bin unit against the cabinet and
actuating the vacuum source, the air pressure in the storage space
is reduced below atmospheric pressure to simultaneously causing air
pressures in the one or more vacuum sealing containers to be
reduced below atmospheric pressure, whereupon de-activation of the
vacuum source enables the pressure in the storage space to increase
while the sealing containers remain under vacuum conditions.
2. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the vacuum source is
located in the machine compartment of the refrigerator.
3. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the vacuum storage system
further includes environmental controls for regulating a desired
temperature within the storage space.
4. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the vacuum storage system
further includes a plurality of vacuum sealing containers each
provide with a one-way valve.
5. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the main control of the
vacuum storage system includes a user control interface having at
least one status indicator for the evacuation event.
6. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the vacuum storage system
further includes a shelf positioned in the bin unit and dividing
the storage space into multiple storage compartments.
7. The refrigerator of claim 6, wherein the shelf includes a
plurality of fluid flow apertures.
8. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the vacuum storage system
further includes a seal located on the periphery of the front wall
of the bin unit.
9. A vacuum storage system for a refrigerator food storage
compartment including: a cabinet; a bin unit slidably supported for
movement between retracted and extended positions into and out of
the cabinet, said bin unit including a plurality of interconnected
walls defining a storage space, one of the plurality of
interconnected walls constituting a front wall which is adapted to
seal against the cabinet when the bin unit assumes the retracted
position; a vacuum source in communication with the storage space
inside of the cabinet for reducing air pressure within the storage
space below atmospheric pressure during an evacuation event; and a
control system for establishing the evacuation event through
activation of the vacuum source wherein, upon placing one or more
vacuum sealing containers having associated one-way evacuation
valves in the bin unit, sealing the front wall of the bin unit
against the cabinet and actuating the vacuum source, the air
pressure in the storage space is reduced below atmospheric pressure
to simultaneously causing air pressures in the one or more vacuum
sealing containers to be reduced below atmospheric pressure,
whereupon de-activation of the vacuum source enables the pressure
in the storage space to increase while the sealing containers
remain under vacuum conditions.
10. The vacuum storage system of claim 9, further including
environmental controls for regulating a desired temperature within
the storage space.
11. The vacuum storage system of claim 9, further including a
plurality of vacuum sealing containers each provide with a one-way
valve.
12. The vacuum storage system of claim 9, wherein the main control
includes a user control interface having at least one status
indicator for the evacuation event.
13. The vacuum storage system of claim 9, further including a shelf
positioned in the bin unit and dividing the storage space into
multiple storage compartments.
14. The vacuum storage system of claim 13, wherein the shelf
includes a plurality of fluid flow apertures.
15. The vacuum storage system of claim 9, further including a seal
located on the periphery of the front wall of the bin unit.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application represents a continuation
application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/026,870 entitled
"Refrigerator Vacuum Storage System" filed Feb. 6, 2008,
pending.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention pertains to the art of refrigerator
preservation systems, and more specifically, to a vacuum storage
system for domestic refrigerators.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] It is well known that exposure to oxygen over time promotes
deterioration of food products. Therefore, packaging food in vacuum
sealed containers aids in preserving food products and extending
their shelf life.
[0006] Various vacuum preservations methods for foods have been
developed, including numerous countertop evacuation appliances and
vacuum-sealed refrigerated drawers. Counter top devices, such as
Foodsaver.RTM. appliances, vacuum-seal thermoplastic bags or
canisters; however, such devices must be stored in cabinets or on
the counter top, taking up valuable counter or storage space. In
addition, these devices must be plugged into an outlet for each use
and may require multiple attempts to seal the bag or canister
properly. Further, when a user wishes to remove food from a
container, he/she is required to proceed with a number of
cumbersome steps in order to reseal the container. Moreover,
sealing wet or liquid foods within flexible bags can be difficult
and messy.
[0007] U.S. Pat. No. 6,148,875 is directed to a refrigerator drawer
for storing fruits and vegetables which plugs into a vacuum source
in a refrigerator to evacuate air therefrom. The drawer contains a
mechanism to release the pressure in order to open the drawer and
retrieve the food. Notably, every time a user opens the drawer to
retrieve food, the vacuum source must be re-activated in order to
evacuate air from the drawer.
[0008] U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2006/0090427 is
directed to a refrigerator including an integral vacuum sealer that
connects to bags and containers via multiple hoses attached to a
vacuum source inside the refrigerator. Multiple hoses within a
refrigerator compartment are inconvenient and bulky. In addition,
when a user desires to evacuate the air from multiple containers,
he/she must plug a separate hose into each container before
switching on a vacuum source. Furthermore, improper positioning of
the hoses with the vacuum ports on the containers may result in
little or no evacuation being achieved.
[0009] Based on the above, there remains a need in the art for a
refrigerator vacuum sealing and storage assembly that permits the
simultaneous evacuation of numerous containers without multiple
connection steps, and that does not require activation of a vacuum
source every time a user desires to remove food from the
assembly.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0010] The present invention is directed to a refrigerator vacuum
storage system and method of use. The vacuum storage system
includes a cabinet and a bin, such as a drawer unit, which is
mounted in the cabinet to define a removable storage space for food
products. An optional shelf having air flow apertures therein may
be utilized to divide the storage space into separate storage
compartments. The bin or drawer unit can be used to store food in a
conventional manner, or may be utilized to remove air from
containers to enhance food preservation within the containers. To
this end, a vacuum source in a machine compartment of the
refrigerator is placed in communication with the storage space.
When desired, containers to be evacuated are placed into the
storage space and the vacuum source is actuated via a control
interface on the cabinet. Air pressure within the storage space is
reduced, thereby evacuating air from within each of the containers.
After a predetermined pressure is attained, or upon actuation of a
stop switch, the vacuum source is shut off and an equalizing valve
is opened which returns the storage space to atmospheric pressure,
while vacuum conditions are retained in the containers.
[0011] With this system, a consumer is provided with a food storage
bin or drawer that may be shifted between an extended or opened
position and a retracted or closed position with ease, but which
also may be utilized to simultaneously evacuate air from one or
more containers, depending on a consumer's needs. Additional
objects, features and advantages of the present invention will
become more readily apparent from the following detailed
description of a preferred embodiment when taken in conjunction
with the drawings wherein like reference numerals refer to
corresponding parts in the several views.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a side by side refrigerator
showing the inside of a freezer compartment including a vacuum
storage system of the present invention;
[0013] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the vacuum storage system of
FIG. 1 with the bottom wall of the freezer compartment removed;
and
[0014] FIG. 3 is a schematic depiction of the vacuum storage system
of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0015] With initial reference to FIG. 1, a refrigerator is
indicated at 2. Refrigerator 2 includes a cabinet 4 having a
freezer compartment 6 and a fresh food compartment 8. In the
embodiment shown, refrigerator 2 is constituted by a side-by-side
refrigerator. However, as will become more fully evident below, the
present invention is equally applicable to other types of
refrigerators. As illustrated, freezer compartment 6 can be
selectively accessed through a freezer door 10, while fresh food
compartment 8 can be selectively accessed through a fresh food door
12. As is known in the art, freezer compartment 6 is defined in
part by back wall 20, bottom wall 22 and opposing side walls 24 and
25. A set of rails 28 is provided on back wall 20 for supporting
various, vertically spaced shelf units 32. Freezer door 10 also
includes numerous bins 34 incorporated therein. In a manner known
in the art, refrigerator 2 also includes a kick plate 36 arranged
at a bottom portion thereof, in front of a machine compartment 38
for housing various components, such as a compressor and condenser,
of a refrigeration system for the refrigerator in a manner known in
the art.
[0016] In accordance with the present invention, a vacuum storage
system 50 is located within refrigerator 2. Although depicted as
residing in freezer compartment 6, it should be readily understood
that vacuum storage system 50 could be located within fresh food
compartment 8. In the preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 2, vacuum
storage system 50 includes a control interface 54 and a storage
assembly 58 comprising a cabinet 60 and a slide-out drawer unit 64.
Cabinet 60 includes top, bottom, back and opposing side walls
66-70. Likewise, drawer unit 64 includes front, back, bottom and
opposing side walls 74-78 defining a storage space 80. Drawer unit
64 may optionally include a shelf 82 within storage space 80 to
divide storage space 80 into multiple storage compartments. Control
interface 54 is located on top wall 66 of cabinet 60 and is in
communication with a main control 83 (FIG. 3) via wires 84. Main
control 83 also communicates with a vacuum source or pump 86, which
is in fluid communication with storage space 80 via a hose 88. In a
preferred embodiment of the invention, vacuum pump 86 is located in
machine compartment 38 as depicted in FIG. 2. Advantageously, the
placement of vacuum pump 86 within machine compartment 38 reduces
the noise level of vacuum storage system 50 during an evacuation
event. Storage containers 90-92, which are adapted to be utilized
in conjunction with vacuum storage system 50, include respective
one-way evacuation valves 96-98 that only allow air to be removed
from the containers 90-92. As will be discussed more fully below, a
user may selectively evacuated air from drawer unit 64 utilizing
control unit 54, thereby simultaneously vacuum sealing storage
containers 90-92.
[0017] With reference to FIG. 2, a user may choose to utilize
drawer unit 64 in a conventional manner to store food products
and/or may choose to evacuate air from containers. More
specifically, in a standard storage configuration, drawer unit 64
may be opened or closed as needed to access food products stored in
storage space 80. When a user wishes to use the food preservation
aspect of vacuum storage system 50, the user simply inserts one or
more vacuum sealing storage containers, such as containers 90-92
including one-way valves 96-98, into storage space 80, closes
drawer unit 64, and actuates a vacuum sealing event utilizing
switch 100 (best seen in FIG. 3). Although hard containers 90-92
are depicted, it should be understood that any type of one-way
valve container may be utilized with the present invention,
including bags.
[0018] When vacuum storage system 50 is in an evacuation
configuration, a seal if formed between the front wall 74 of drawer
unit 64 and side walls 66-70 of cabinet 60, and air is removed from
storage space 80 via hose 88, lowering the pressure within storage
space 80 below atmospheric pressure. Preferably, a deformable seal
102 is incorporated around the periphery of front wall 74 of drawer
unit 64. Alternatively, a seal (not shown) may be incorporated
about the periphery of cabinet 60, or the construction of drawer
unit 64 and cabinet 60 may be conducive to maintaining an adequate
seal there between during an evacuation event without a separate
seal. When shelf 82 is utilized, fluid flow apertures 104 in shelf
82 allow for airflow between the established, multiple storage
compartments. One-way valves 96-98 of respective containers 90-92
allow air to simultaneously leave the containers as air is
evacuated from storage space 80. When storage space 80 reaches a
set atmospheric pressure, main control 83 turns off vacuum pump 86
and an equalizing valve 106 is opened to allow storage space 80 to
equalize to atmospheric pressure, such that drawer unit 64 can be
readily opened by a consumer. Alternatively, a stop switch 108 may
be utilized to cancel an evacuation event or the evacuation event
may be stopped after a predetermined time period has elapsed.
[0019] Control interface 54 preferably has a number of indicators,
such as light emitting diodes (LEDs) 110-112, to communicate the
status of an evacuation event to a consumer. Control interface 54
is in communication with a power source 120 through main control
83, which is utilized to power LEDs 110-112. Additionally, control
interface 54 may include environmental controls for further
controlling the conditions within storage space 80. For example, if
vacuum storage system 50 is positioned within fresh food
compartment 8, environmental controls such as the ones employed by
U.S. Pat. No. 6,170,276, hereby incorporated by reference, may be
utilized.
[0020] Advantageously, the vacuum storage system 50 of the present
invention can be utilized as a pull-out storage drawer that can be
accessed in a standard manner, or as a vacuum inducing drawer to
evacuate air from one or more storage containers. More
specifically, storage space 80 can be opened numerous times by a
consumer without the need to utilize the vacuum features of the
system every time storage space 80 is accessed. Additionally,
vacuum storage system 50 may be utilized to vacuum seal only one
vacuum seal container (90-92), or multiple containers
simultaneously, depending on a consumers needs.
[0021] Although described with reference to a preferred embodiment
of the invention, it should be readily understood that various
changes and/or modifications can be made to the invention without
departing from the spirit thereof. For instance, although only one
vacuum storage system 50 is depicted, it should be readily
understood that two or more systems may be positioned within one or
more compartments of refrigerator 2. In addition, a compartment
incorporating the vacuum storage system 50 could be made readily
movable between multiple locations within the refrigerator such
that the height and lateral location could be customized by the
consumer. Furthermore, although the preferred embodiment discussed
has vacuum storage system 50 incorporating a bin in the form of a
drawer, other types of storage bins, such as pivoting bins, could
be employed. In general, the invention is only intended to be
limited by the scope of the following claims.
* * * * *