Carbonated liquid refrigeration system
First Claim
1. Apparatus in a home refrigerator for dispensing a chilled carbonated liquid, said refrigerator having a freezer compartment and at least one external door mounted on the refrigerator, comprising:
- heat exchanger means for cooling a carbonator and including a heat absorber and a heat dissipator;
said heat dissipator being thermally coupled to the interior of the freezer compartment, said freezer compartment thereby providing a heat sink for said heat dissipator;
said carbonator being located in said door and being thermally coupled to said heat absorber and being chilled thereby;
means for supplying a liquid to be carbonated to the carbonator;
means for feeding a carbonating gas to said carbonator; and
means coupled to said carbonator and being located in said door for dispensing a carbonated liquid therefrom.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A separate refrigeration system in a conventional refrigerator for dispensing a chilled carbonated liquid such as water or a beverage from the front door of the refrigerator and is comprised of a refrigerator having a freezer compartment wherein there is located a condenser. The condenser is interconnected with a combined evaporator-carbonator unit located in the front door. The freezer compartment accordingly acts as a heat sink for the condenser. The evaporator unit being integral with the carbonator, operates to chill the carbonator. When desirable, the condenser and evaporator can be replaced by a liquid heat transfer system having a heat absorbing coil assembly located in the carbonator and a heat dissipating coil assembly in the freezer compartment or by a constant temperature heat pipe having its heat dissipating end located in the freezer compartment while its heat absorbing end is located in the carbonator.
57 Citations
15 Claims
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1. Apparatus in a home refrigerator for dispensing a chilled carbonated liquid, said refrigerator having a freezer compartment and at least one external door mounted on the refrigerator, comprising:
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heat exchanger means for cooling a carbonator and including a heat absorber and a heat dissipator; said heat dissipator being thermally coupled to the interior of the freezer compartment, said freezer compartment thereby providing a heat sink for said heat dissipator; said carbonator being located in said door and being thermally coupled to said heat absorber and being chilled thereby; means for supplying a liquid to be carbonated to the carbonator; means for feeding a carbonating gas to said carbonator; and means coupled to said carbonator and being located in said door for dispensing a carbonated liquid therefrom. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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Specification