US1180174A - Refrigerator-alarm. - Google Patents

Description

w I. MOON & D. HACKMANN. REFRIGERATOR ALARM.

APPLICATION FILED NOV- 28, 1914. 1,180,174. Patented Apr. 18, 1916.

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REFRIGERATOR ALARM.

APPLICATION FILED NOV- 28 I914. 1,180,174. Patented Apr. 18,1916.

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REFRIGERATOR-ALARM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 18, 1916.

Application filed November 28, 1914. Serial No. 874,500.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, WVILLIAM I. Moon and DIETRICH HACKMANN, citizens of the United States, residing at Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented new and useful Improvements in Refrigerator- Alarms, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to refrigerator alarms, being especially designed for rnd1- eating a certain predetermined level of water in the drip pan usually placed under a refrigerator, ice box or the like and which will also facilitate the removal of the dr 1p pan and the return of the drip pan touts receiving position after it has been emptied, without requiring any attention on the part of the operator who does not need to touch the alarm controlling mechanism.

A further object of the invention is to provide means of the character referred to whereby the alarm is silenced by continu ng the upward movement of the controlling fioat and its lever above a predetermined position at which the alarm is sounded.

Another object of the invention is to provide means whereby the alarm controlling mechanism may be returned to its initial position without again sounding the alarm. With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts, as herein described, illustrated and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings; Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view through the lower portion of a refrigerator showing the its normal position and the alarm mechanism of this invention in its relation thereto. Fig.2 is a similar view showing the position assumed by the parts when the water has reached a predetermined level in the pan so as to sound the alarm. Fig. 3 is a fragmentary section taken at right angles to Fig. 2 showing the hinged flap door for the pan compartment. Fig. 4: is a section similar to Figs. 1 and 2 showing the position assumed by the parts when the hinged flap door is raised to remove the pan. Fig. 5 is a view taken at right angles to Fig. 4 showing the parts in the same position. Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary elevation partly broken away of the terminal contacts and circuit breaking means, show-.

ing said parts in the position corresponding with Fig. 1. Fig. 7 is a similar view with the parts in the position corresponding with Fig. 2. Fig. 8 is a similar view with the parts corresponding with the position shown in Fig. 4;. Fig. 9 is a similar view showing the position of the parts in the return movement of the float and lever. Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the segregated parts actuated by the float lever. Fig. 11 is an enlarged cross section through the supporting bracket, showing the parts immediately supported thereby.

Referring to the drawing A designates generally a refrigerator or ice box provided at the bottom thereof with the usual drip pan space or compartment 1 in which the drip pan 2 is placed, 3 designating the floor of the box or refrigerator.

In carrying out the present invention I employ a float lever 4 which carries at its free end a float 5 of any suitable description the same by preference being pivotally connected'to the end of the float lever at 6 so that it may assume a pendant hanging position as shown in each of the several sectional views. The main section of the lever has a jointed connection at 7 with a circuit breaking arm or sector 8 which in reality forms an extension of the lever 4 as clearly shown in Figs. 6 to 9 inclusive, the members 4 and 8 being connected together by a bolt 9 provided with a thumb nut 10 to enable the members 4 and 8 to be clamped together in fixed relation and also permitting one of said members to be adjusted to any angular relation to the otherrnember. 11 designates a shoulder bearing against the head of the bolt 9 to prevent said bolt from turning as the nut 10 is tightened and loosened.

The sector or circuit breaking arm 8 is provided with an arcuate edge or face 12 which is adapted to uphold or support a downwardly extending lip 13 on a terminal contact 14 shown in the form of a spring arm one end of which is connected to a binding post 15. The free extremity of the arm 14 is preferably bent downwardly so that it may be brought into contact with the projecting portion 16 of acontact plate or strip 17 connected to another binding post 18. The binding posts 15 and 18 are connected to the attaching base 19 of a supporting bracket which comprises in addition to said base 19 a pair of arms 20 extending downwardly therefrom, the base 19 being ordinarily fastened to the bottom of the refrigerator floor 3 as shown, for example, in Fig. 1. The circuit breaking arm or sector 8 is journaled to oscillate on a sup porting bolt or pivot 21 which connects the arms 20 of the bracket as best illustrated in Fig. 11. Therefore, as the sector or circuit breaking arm 8 turns on the pivot 21, being actuated .by the lever 4: which is in turn actuated by the float 5, the face 12 supports the lip 13 and maintains an open circuit by keeping the terminal contacts 1 1 and 16 separated as shown in Fig. 6. WVhen the float 5 reaches a predetermined position as shown in Fig. 2, the arm or sector 8 has moved sufficiently to permit the lip 13 to pass out of engagement with the face 12 and it therefore springs downwardly allowing the contact terminals to touch and thereby closing the circuit which includes the wires 22 and 23, battery 24 and bell or other form of alarm 25, it being understood that the battery and bell may be supported by the refrigerator or ice box at any convenient point either interiorly or exteriorly or on any other support adjacent thereto.

lVoi-king in conjunction with the circuit breaking arm or sector 8 is a circuit breaking detent or dog 26 which is mounted to oscillate on the same pivot'21 as the arm 8. This detent 26 is provided with a projecting finger 27 which extends laterally and intersects the arm 8, the latter being provided with a notch 28 of greater width than the width of the finger 27 for the purpose of admitting of a certain amount of relative turning movement between the members 8 and 26. The provision of the notch 28 forms two shoulders 29 and 30 arranged in spaced relation to each other and adapted to contact with the opposite sides of the finger 27. hen the parts have reached the position shown in Fig. 7, the terminal contacts have closed the circuit. YVhen the float and lever are raised above said point, the lip 13 is acted upon by a cam face 31 of the detent 26 and later is supported by an arcuate face 32 of said detent. This effects a lifting of the finger 13 and the terminal contact arm 14 so that the contacts are again separated as shown in Fig. 8.

In the return or downward movement of the float and lever, the shoulder 30 comes in contact with the finger 27 and causes the detent 26 to assume the position shown in Fig. 9. This closes the gap between the members 8 and 26 so that in the whole re turn movement of the float and its lever, the lip 13 is supported sufliciently high to pre vent the terminals 14 and 16 from coming in contact with each other. Therefore, the parts may be restored to their initial position shown in Fig. 1 without sounding the alarm. By means of the adjustable joint at the point 7, the float 5 may be arranged to sound the alarm at different levels according to the depth of the drip pan.

In the preferred embodiment of this invention, the lever 4 is lifted from the position shown in Fig. 2 to the position shown in Figs. 4 and 5 automatically by merely opening the hinged flap or door 33 of the under the refrigerator, the flap or door 33 is moved to its fully open position. This lifts the float and its lever to a sufficient height to admit of the insertion of the pan without interference. The flap or door 33 is then closed which results in lowering the float and its lever into the empty pan, the parts assuming the position shown in Fig. 1. hen the water reaches a predetermined level in the pan as shown in Fig. 2, the circuit breaking arm 8 has moved from the position shown in Fig. 6 to the position shown in Fig. 7, permitting the lip 13 to spring downwardly and allow the terminal contacts to touch each other. The alarm is immediately sounded notifying any person in the vicinity that the pan should be emptied. The operator in opening the flap or door 33 moves the float and its lever from the position shown in Fig. 2 to the position shown in Fig. 1. This permits the pan to be withdrawn, emptied and returned to its receiving position. Thereupon the operator closes the door 33 and the parts are returned to the position shown in Fig. 1. In this return movement of the mechanism, the dog or detent 26 is moved from the position shown in Fig. 8 to the position shown in Fig. 9, closing the gap between the members 8 and 26 so that the terminal contacts are held separated and the alarm is not sounded during the return movement of the parts to their initial position. The entire operation is automatic outside of the mere opening and closing of the door or flap 33.

What we claim is 1. An electric circuit closer for'the drip pan of a refrigerator and the like, comprising a float lever pivoted above the level of the top of the pan, a float carried by the free end of said lever, and arranged to close the circuit when said float and lever have moved upwardly to a predetermined position, and mechanical means for raising said float and lever comprising a hinged flap on the refrigerator, and a connection between said flap and lever.

2. An electric circuit closer for the drip pan of a refrigerator and the like, comprising a float lever'pivoted above the level of the top of the pan, a float carried by the In testimony whereof We afii x our signafree end of said lever, and arranged to close tures in presence of two Witnesses.

the circuit When said float and lever have moved upwardly to a predetermined posi- 5 tion, and mechanical means for raising said float and lever comprising a hinged flap on Witnesses: the refrigerator, and a flexible connection JOHN 'A. WILLIAMS, Jr., between said flap and lever. ANTHONY STEMMER.

Copies of this patent may he obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0."

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