US1688125A - Samuel a - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 16, 1928. LGSSZS s. A. MEGEATH REFRIGERATOR BASKET Filed June l5, 1927 ATTORNEY Patented @et lo, i928.

SAMUEL A. LVIEGEATH, OF NEW' YORK, N. Y.

nnrnrefnae'ren easunr.

Application filed .Tune 15, 1927. Serial No. 199,049.

The object of this invention is7 to supply a more convenient, efficient and sanitary refrigeratorv basket than those heretofore obtainable.

Nearly all baskets of this type are supplied Y with one or more compartments for ice,l and one or more compartments for food, game, or fish, and so far as I am aware, none of them are yprovided with convenient means whereby the water produced by the meltingof the ice may be drained or otherwise emptied from the ice chambers.

' Heretofore, it has been necessary to open the basket and pour this water out. and very often, in so doing, it has also been necessary to remove the contents of the food compartment; this is not only very inconvenient. but many times. owing to the conditions under which such baskets musJr he used, it is .also unsanitary, neutralizes the refrigeration and is wasteful ofziee.. Furthermore, it is particularly necessary to the proper preservation of the meat, graine. fish or other food which forms the contents of the food chamber, th at they be i ke t as dr as ossible. hence the ice com art.-

ment should be kept sufciently free from water that it will not be likely to splash into the food chamber or forma humid atmospherel within the basket.

ln order to provide a refrigerator basket which shall be as free as possible from objectionable features mentioned and to attain the desirable: features set forth ll. have devised the basket shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig'. l is a plan view of the open basket with the foodreceptacle removed therefrom-handles shown.

Fig. 2 isa plan view of a basket having a sli ehtly modified form of bottom. and -wit the food chamber in position with its cover removed-handles not shown.

3 is a central. vertical. longitudinal section of my complete basket. the cover tothe basket, and the: cover to the food container both being shown in position but not in section. v

Fie'. 4 is fragment of the bottom portion l i n of the basket. having` the itorm of botto-in shown i El the in opening and we closure er bein? .lawn .in seetiona Fie'. 5 is a half-plan view of the seat member of a drain-valve which may be substituted for the Fig. el form.

F (i is central. vertical section of the complete drain-valve of which Fig. 5 forms the seat and mounting member.

ln detail, the construction shown in said drawings is substantially as follows:

in superficial form. outline and construction my improved basket may be of the usual type having' the splint. jacket 1, the inner liningl of metal 2 andthe intermediate insulation 3. A suitably constructed cover 4 is also provided; handles 5 are indicated in Fig. l. Two locator-rods 6. 6 are provided which extend across the interior of the basket, in proximity to the top thereof, and preferably positioned equi-distant from the ends of the basket. Said locator-rods are for the purpose of positioning and retainingr the removable food container compartment .7 centrally-or preferably so-within the basket. Said food compartment is provided with a suitably constructed lid or cover 8.Y y

Those'portions of the interior of the basket adiacent each end thereof and indicated by the reference ordinal 9 are for the reception of ice for refrigeration purposes.

The bottom metal liningr 2 of the basket is provided with upwardly-extending' ribs 10 or bosses ll, upon which the bottom of the food container rests: these features l0 and 11 serve as spacing means whereby the adjacent faces of said metal liningr 2 and thev bot-tom face of the food container are spaced apart, as indicated by the'referenee ordinal l2, in Figs. stand 6. thus forming' a free passage for water underneath said food container for a purpose presently to be set forth.

Located `centrally of the bottom of the basketor preferably at that position ,-and extending therethrough is a drain port 18. which is adapted to be normally closed by any suitable device, such as a removable screwthreaded cap 14 as shown especially at Fig. el, or by means of a valve 15 shown in 5 and G.

he closure device for said 'drain-port 13 shown in Fig. 4l comprises the well-known' form of cooperating screw-f.1 at 4d nozzle f. cap le; whs-r the water is to be drained from the interior of the basket said cap 1/1 is removed, thus permitting the outiow of water th rough the drain port.

rille construction and operation of the drain device shown in 6 is as follows: Into the bottom of the interior lining EZ of the basket is inserted and firmly secured the disk-like seat and carrying member 16 of this device. Said member lo has Aon its upper face tile seat portion 1'? for the seating 'thereon of the knife-edge peripheral portion of Athe valve 15 within said seat portion o f said disk, A plurality of outlet ports 18 are provided for ,the outflow of water from the ice chamber of the basket; the center of said seatdisk is provided with a hole 19 for the pas? Sage and longitudinal movement of the valve stein 19, The under side of said seat ,member is provided with a centrally positioned, tubular portion 2 0, into which said stem 19 projects. The lower end of said valvestem is threaded for the reception of a spring-compressing nut 21. Between said nut and the 'adjacent face of said seat member is inten posed a compression spring 22 the reactive force of which may be so regulated by said nut as to hold the knife edge portion of the valve 15 into firm contact with its seat so as to form a leak-'tight joint thereat. lVhen water is to be drained from the icc chamber this drainsvalve is opened by an upward pressure ofthe linger on the nut 21, so as to unseat the valve and permit water to flow therethrough. The function of the tubular portion 2010i said valve organization is, yto form guard for the stem 19, and its cooperating 'nut 21 whereby accidental ,opening of the valve is provided against. The knifeblade seating edge of this valve is provided so that'it may be cheaply, quickly and eas' ily ground to a perfect seat and for the further pnrpose of providing a narrow seat that v is not likely'tobe prevented, by sediment and the like, from making a perfect seat upon and joint with its co-.operating seat 1.6.

Another object of providing spacing features 1l, ofthe elongated shape shown in Fig. 2 is to guide the water to the drain hole 13, when the basket is rocked or tilted, for .the purpose of more eifectually causing the drainage of water from the basket.

Reverting to the Fig, 4 form of this drain port, it will bc noted that the lower face of he cap 14 when in its closed position is above the lower face of the oor-tlmt is., .the bot'- tGra-ot the basket; the object Ot this Gonstruction is t-wofolchnamely to provide an even face lfor the bottom of the basket so that it will set firmly upon a licor., table or the like; also to form a Iguard for' said cap to prevent accidental displacement 0f 0r derrithereto, Y Heretofore, refrigerator baskets have been Constructed With a permanent food chainbcl1 and a removable ice chamber, and with such a construction it is necessary to remove the ice chamber in order to empty the water therefrom, so as to prevent an excess of humidity of the air within the basket; such rrinoial very lmaterially lowers the refrigerating efficiency of the basket, increases the ice consumption and often necessitates the trouble and ,annoyance of removing a portion of the contents of the food chamber.

l claim the following:

1. A refrigerator basket, a portion of the inte-rior chamber of which is adapted for the rece tion of ice, a drain-port leading through the Vottom of said basket, ribs formed in the door of said basket and radially disposed relative to said port so as to direct the flow of4 water thereto, and a food compartment removably positioned within said chamber having its lower face spaced from the bottom of said chamber bv said ribs for the passage of ported upon said ribs, and a closure member for said port actuable to its open position for the drainage of water from said port,

3. In a refrigerator basket provided with a closely fitting cover; the combination therewith of a food container vwithin and positioned` centrally of said basket so as to form a plurality of ice chambers about said container also an Vintervening water s ace between the juxtaposed faces of t e floor of said container and said basket, a normallyclosed drain device extending andY projectingr through the floor of said basket whereby water may be drained at will from said space, there being a .countersunk housing in the floor wall of said basket surrounding the projecting portion of said drain device for the purpose set forth.

' 4. In a refrigerator basket, the combination of a removable food compartment positioned within the basket so as to form an ice chamber upon two ,opposite sides of said compartment also an intervening drainage space between the juxtaposed faces of the bottomoi said food compartment and the floor of the basket chamber, adrain port in the floor of' said basket in communication with said space, a drain device in said portv rojecting `exteriorly' of the basket, and a liousing formed about the projecting portion of said device for the purposes specified.

5, In Va refrigerator basket, the combina tion of a removable food compartment posi toned within the basket so as to form a cham space, a drain-Valve organization n said port ber for ice upon two Sides of said food comprojectng through the Hoor, and a housing partment also an intervening space between formed by said floor about the projecting por- 10 the adjacent 'faces ot' the bottom of said food tion of Said organization, for the purposes 5 compartment and the floor of the basket, specified.

there being a drain port through the floor In testimony whereof I aix my signature. of the basket in Communication wthsa-d SABEL AMEGEATH.

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