Household refrigerator air flow control assembly

Patent 4241589 Issued on December 30, 1980. Estimated Expiration Date:

August 30, 1999. Estimated Expiration Date is calculated based on simple USPTO term provisions. It does not account for terminal disclaimers, term adjustments, failure to pay maintenance fees, or other factors which might affect the term of a patent.

Abstract Claims Description Full Text

Patent References

3108455

3126721

3339377

3364694

3373576

3473345

3600905

3638717

3656314

3866437

Inventors

Assignee

General Electric Company

Application

No. 06/071206 filed on 08/30/1979

US Classes:

62/265, COMPARTMENT ACCESS OR USE AND AIR BLOCKING62/382, Drawer, tray or track-guided type; horizontally movable62/408, With adjustable gas flow controller62/441Plural cooled compartments

Examiners

Primary: King, Roy V.

Attorney, Agent or Firm

International Classes

F25D 17/04 (20060101)
F25D 17/06 (20060101)

Abstract

An air flow control assembly in a refrigerator having a freezer compartment on top and a fresh food compartment on the bottom separated by a partition and interconnected by an air duct located at the rear of the compartments. The air duct has an air inlet opening in the freezer compartment and an air outlet opening in the fresh food compartment. A movable damper opens and closes the air duct outlet opening and a storage pan is located in air flow communication with the air duct outlet opening. The storage pan has a stationary cover. There is a movable control mechanism located at the front of the storage pan, a push rod linkage member cooperating at one end with the damper to open and close the air duct outlet opening upon movement of the push rod linkage member and the other end is connected to the control mechanism for moving the push rod linkage member. With this arrangement, the user of the refrigerator may move the control mechanism to control the amount of cold air flowing around the pan and, thus, control the temperature inside the pan.