U.S. patent number 3,754,408 [Application Number 05/251,150] was granted by the patent office on 1973-08-28 for domestic wine cooler.
Invention is credited to Robert L. Littleton.
United States Patent |
3,754,408 |
Littleton |
August 28, 1973 |
DOMESTIC WINE COOLER
Abstract
A modular, refrigerated cabinet having a removable, portable
wine rack on its interior, with means to support the rack.
Inventors: |
Littleton; Robert L. (Ann
Arbor, MI) |
Family
ID: |
22950690 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/251,150 |
Filed: |
May 8, 1972 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
62/302; 62/77;
62/419 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F25D
25/02 (20130101); F25D 17/06 (20130101); F25D
2317/0651 (20130101); F25D 2331/803 (20130101); F25D
2317/0683 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
F25D
17/06 (20060101); F25D 25/02 (20060101); F25d
023/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;62/77,298,302,448,449,450,419 ;211/74 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Wye; William J.
Claims
Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by
Letters Patent is:
1. A wine cooler comprising a refrigerated upper module, and a
lower module opened at one end, each of which modules is made of
fiberglas, and a third module consisting of a metal wine rack,
removably supported in said first module, said wine rack having a
plurality of angular pigeon-holes therein, said first two modules
being supported one above the other by a plurality of legs, said
modules and said legs being secured together by a plurality of
machine bolts, which are accessible from the interior of said first
module.
2. The structure of claim 1, in which said second module is in the
form of an inverted box, and has housed therein parts of a
mechanical refrigeration system.
3. The structure of claim 1, in which said second module is in the
form of an inverted box having at least one wall removed, there
being a removable tray therein with parts of a mechanical
refrigerating system supported on said tray.
Description
This invention relates to domestic appliances and has particular
reference to a small, compact device for storing and cooling
wines.
More and more people are becoming connoisseurs and collectors of
fine domestic and imported wines and storing the wines under the
proper conditions and having them ready to serve to guests and
family upon short notice and properly chilled, has become a
problem, particularly in the confined areas of modern living.
It is therefore an object of this invention to obviate the
foregoing difficulties and to provide a wine cooler and cabinet,
which may readily become a part of interior decor of a home or
small apartment.
Another object of the invention is to provide a device of the
character indicated, which is made up of several modules, which are
easily separated from one another to permit the cleaning of the
interiors.
Another object of the invention is to provide a device of the
character indicated, in which the principal working parts of the
refrigeration system are mounted on a slidable tray, positioned at
the bottom of the device.
Another object of the invention is to provide a device of the
character indicated, in which the several modules are supported by
detachable legs.
FIG. 1, is a front perspective view, with parts broken away and
with one of the two front doors open, of a device embodying the
invention.
FIG. 2, is a rear view of the device with the back wall and
pigeon-hole dividers removed, and the side walls in section.
FIG. 3, is a bottom plan view of the device.
Referring now more particularly to the drawing, it will be
understood that in the embodiment herein disclosed, the reference
character 7 indicates, in general, the outer module, which consists
of insulated walls 8 & 9, a rear wall 10, a top 11, a bottom
wall 10A, and a pair of doors 12 & 13, all of which are
preferably made of opaque fiberglass. The doors 12 & 13 are
provided with hinges (not shown) and locking handles 14 and 15. One
of the side walls has a tunnel like opening 8A, therein, which
permits cold air to be forced upwardly by the fan 28, to the top,
where it enters the module 7 through apertures 8B. The cold air
then decends by gravity through the interior and through the
apertures in the members 10A and 22.
A second module 16 is positioned on the inside of the module 7, and
is divided into a plurality of compartments or pigeon holes 17,
each of which is arranged to receive a bottle of wine. The module
16 is preferably made of chrome plated metal and has corner support
posts 18.
A third module 21, also made of fibreglass, is open at the bottom
and at the rear and consists of a top 22, a front wall 23, and side
walls 24 and 25. The member 10A and the top 22 are perforated to
permit the circulation of air through the modules 7 and 21. The
three modules 7, 16, and 21 are supported by four legs 26. The legs
26 are provided with threaded, internal, bores which are arranged
to receive machine screws 27, which extend through the members 11A,
22, and L-shaped brackets 27A, which are secured to the uprights
18, by welding or other suitable means. This permits the module 16
to be removed from the module 7 by simply removing the machine
screws 27, so that the inside of the module 7 may be readily
cleaned. The machine screws 27 serve to tie the three modules
together.
The module 21 serves as a housing for the refrigerating equipment
28A and 28B, which is mounted on a tray 29, which is slidable
through the open back of the module 21. A cooling coil (not shown)
is supported on the back wall 10 of the outer module 7, by any
suitable means, and a thermostatic control 31 is mounted on the
interior of the module 7 near the bottom. The refrigeration
controls are set to maintain a temperature of approximately
55.degree.F on the interior of the module 7.
The refrigeration unit is connected to any suitable electrical
power source as in conventional practice. The refrigeration
equipment 28 may be reached for servicing by sliding out the tray
29.
The module 16 may be removed from the module 7 and the module 21
may be separated from the module 7, simply by removing the machine
screws 27 from the legs 26. Thus, it will be seen that the device
may be readily disassembled for moving or storing when not in
use.
It is believed that the operation of the device is obvious from the
foregoing description.
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