Refrigerator-freezer with fast chill arrangement

Claim 2

In a refrigerator-freezer: a freezer compartment; a refrigerator compartment; cooling means including an evaporator and main fan means for recirculating air over said evaporator and through said freezer compartment; inlet passage means for admitting a portion of said recirculating air to said refrigerator compartment; outlet passage means for returning air from said refrigerator compartment to said cooling means; second fan means in major communication with said refrigerator compartment and in minor communication with said inlet passage for drawing air from both said inlet passage and said refrigerator compartment and discharging said drawn air into said refrigerator compartment for promoting the chilling of articles placed in said compartment adjacent the discharge of said second fan means; and manually operated means for controlling the periods of operation of said second fan means independently of operation of said main fan means, and independently of temperature variations in said refrigerator compartment, so that said second fan means can be operated regardless of whether or not said main fan means is operating.

Claim 3

In a refrigerator-freezer according to claim 1: said control means for said second fan means includes adjustable timer means.

Claim 4

In a refrigerator-freezer according to claim 1 including: thermostatically controlled damper means for said inlet passage means; and means for selectively changing the control of said damper means in accordance with operation of said second fan means.

Claim 5

In a refrigerator-freezer according to claim 1 wherein: said second fan means is located in the upper portion of said refrigerator compartment.

Claim 6

In a refrigerator-freezer: a freezer compartment; a refrigerator compartment; cooling means including an evaporator and main fan means for recirculating air to said refrigerator compartment; outlet passage means for returning air from said refrigerator compartment to said cooling means; second fan means for circulating air in said refrigerator compartment independently of operation of said main fan means, said second fan means being in communication with both said refrigerator compartment and said inlet passage, said communication with said refrigerator compartment being to a substantially greater extent than with said inlet passage so that the temperature of said independently circulating air in the absence of operation of said cooling means is approximately the temperature of said refrigerator compartment, and during the operation of said cooling means is reduced in accordance with the ratio of air admitted through said inlet passage to air drawn from said refrigerator compartment space; and manually operated means for controlling the periods of operation of said second fan means independently of operation of said main fan means, and independently of temperature variations in said refrigerator compartment, so that said second fan means can be operated regardless of whether or not said main fan means is operating.

Claim 7

In a refrigerator-freezer: a freezer compartment; a refrigerator compartment; cooling means including an evaporator and main fan means for recirculating air to said refrigerator compartment; outlet passage means for returning air from said refrigerator compartment to said cooling means; second fan means for circulating air in said refrigerator compartment independently of operation of said main fan means, said second fan means being in communication with both said refrigerator compartment and said inlet passage, said communication with said refrigerator compartment being to a substantially greater extent than with said inlet passage so that the temperature of said independently circulating air in the absence of operation of said cooling means is approximately the temperature of said refrigerator compartment, and during the operation of said cooling means is reduced in accordance with the ratio of air admitted through said inlet passage to air drawn from said refrigerator compartment space; and manually operated means for controlling the periods of operation of said second fan means independently of operation of said main fan means, and independently of temperature variations in said refrigerator compartment, so that said second fan means can be operated regardless of whether or not said main fan means is operating.

Claim 8

In a side-by-side refrigerator-freezer of the frost-free type and having cooling means associated with the freezer compartment and including an evaporator and main fan means for recirculating air mainly through said freezer compartment and to a lesser extend through an iNlet to said refrigerator compartment when said cooling means is operating, the improvement comprising: a housing for a second fan means in said refrigerator compartment to receive air admitted to said refrigerator compartment from said freezer compartment; second fan means in said housing; said housing having an outlet for said second fan means for directing air upon articles placed in the upper part of said refrigerator compartment, said housing being sufficiently open to the air in said refrigerator compartment, relative to its communication with the inlet from said freezer compartment, that the temperature of the air circulated by said second fan means in the absence of operation of said cooling means is approximately the temperature of the air in said refrigerator compartment, and during operation of said cooling means is reduced in accordance with the increased quantity of air drawn from said inlet passage; and manually operated means for controlling the periods of operation of said second fan means independently of operation of said main fan means, and independently of temperature variations in said refrigerator compartment, so that said second fan means can be operated regardless of whether or not said main fan means is operating.

Claim 9

In a side-by-side refrigerator-freezer of the frost-free type and having cooling means associated with the freezer compartment and including an evaporator and main fan means for recirculating air mainly through said freezer compartment and to a lesser extend through an iNlet to said refrigerator compartment when said cooling means is operating, the improvement comprising: a housing for a second fan means in said refrigerator compartment to receive air admitted to said refrigerator compartment from said freezer compartment; second fan means in said housing; said housing having an outlet for said second fan means for directing air upon articles placed in the upper part of said refrigerator compartment, said housing being sufficiently open to the air in said refrigerator compartment, relative to its communication with the inlet from said freezer compartment, that the temperature of the air circulated by said second fan means in the absence of operation of said cooling means is approximately the temperature of the air in said refrigerator compartment, and during operation of said cooling means is reduced in accordance with the increased quantity of air drawn from said inlet passage; and manually operated means for controlling the periods of operation of said second fan means independently of operation of said main fan means, and independently of temperature variations in said refrigerator compartment, so that said second fan means can be operated regardless of whether or not said main fan means is operating.

Claim 10

In the refrigerator-freezer according to claim 6: said control means for said second fan means includes adjustable timer means for setting the duration of operation of said second fan means.