REFRIGERATOR WITH TANDEM EVAPORATORS

MANISH R. MAURYA B-(75)

ABSTRACT:

A refrigerator and method utilize a pair of

tandem evapo rators to provide cooling for
both a compartment and an ice making system
of a refrigerator . An upstream evaporator in
the pair of tandem evaporators provides cooling
for a compartment such as a freezer , fresh food
, flexible cooling , or quick cooling compartment
, while a downstream evapo rator is in fluid
communication with the upstream evaporator
to receive a portion of the air cooled by the
upstream evaporator and further cool the
received portion for use in cooling one or more
components of the ice making system.

BACKGROUND:

Residential refrigerators generally include both

fresh food compartments and freezer
compartments , with the former maintained at
a temperature above freezing to store fresh
foods and liquids , and the latter maintained at
a temperature below freezing for longer - term
storage of fro zen foods . For many years , most
refrigerators have fallen in to one of two
categories . Top mount refrigerators , for
example , include a freezer compartment near
the top of the refrigerator , either accessible via
a separate external door from the external door
for the fresh food compartment , or accessible
via an internal door within the fresh food com
partment . Side - by - side refrigerators , on the
other hand , orient the freezer and fresh food
compartments next to one another and
extending generally along most of the height of
the refrigerator .
SUMMARY:

The herein - described embodiments address

these and other problems associated with the
art by providing a refrigerator and method that
utilize a pair of tandem evapo rators to provide
cooling for both a compartment and an ice
making system of a refrigerator . An upstream
evaporator in the pair of tandem evaporators
provides cooling for a compartment such as a
freezer , fresh food , flexible cooling , or quick
cooling compartment , while a downstream
evapo rator is in fluid communication with the
upstream evaporator to receive a portion of the
air cooled by the upstream evaporator and
further cool the received portion for use in
cooling one or more components of the ice What is claimed is :
making system .
1 . A refrigerator , comprising : a cabinet with a
Therefore , consistent with one aspect of the freezer compartment and a fresh food
inven tion , a refrigerator may include a cabinet compartment defined therein.
with a freezer compartment and a fresh food
2 . The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the
compartment defined therein , a door coupled
door is a first fresh food door , and wherein the
to the cabinet adjacent an opening of the fresh
refrigerator further com prises a second fresh
food compartment and configured to provide
food door adjacent the opening of the fresh
access to the fresh food compartment , an ice
food compartment and arranged in a side - by -
maker mold configured to produce ice , an ice
side relationship with the first fresh food door.
dispenser disposed on the door and configured
to dispense ice produced by the ice maker mold 3 . The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the
, a first evaporator in fluid communication with door is a fresh food door , wherein the fresh
one of the freezer compartment and the fresh food compartment is disposed above the
food compartment to cool air received thereby freezer compartment , and wherein the
and supply a first portion of the cooled air to refrigerator further comprises a freezer door
the one of the freezer compartment and the adjacent an opening of the freezer
fresh food compartment , and a second compartment and below the fresh food door
evaporator in fluid communica tion with the
first evaporator to receive a second portion of REFERENCE:
the cooled air and further cool the second
United States Patent Application Pub . No . : US
portion of the cooled air and supply at least a
2019 / 0003758 A1 Scalf et al . Pub . Date : Jan .
portion of the further cooled.
3 , 2019 REFRIGERATOR WITH TANDEM
EVAPORATORS