Description A COOLING DEVICE

[1] The present invention relates to a cooling device comprising a storage compartment that provides the storing of the food items placed inside without being deteriorated and containing nitrogen-enriched air produced by a nitrogen generator.

[2] The most suitable medium for the growth and reproduction of microorganisms is the food that is kept uncovered. When the necessary precautions are not taken in storing food, the microorganisms multiply rapidly leading to the deterioration, changing of color and the forming of bad odors due to decaying. Storing food in cooling devices prolong the time period for the deterioration of food, however completely eradicating the microorganisms that decay food is not possible.

[3] There is a considerable effect of the ambient atmosphere on the stored foods. In cooling devices, some bacteria become active within the temperature range of 0 ⁰ C to 5°C, leading to bad odors, deterioration and shortening in the shelf life of foods. In order to prevent this deterioration, there are environmentally insulated storage compartments in cooling devices, particularly for storing fresh food such as fruit and vegetables. In cooling devices utilizing this type of storage compartments, the deterioration time and hence the shelf life of fresh foods is prolonged.

[4] Various environmentally insulated storage compartments with enriched nitrogen gas delivered inside have been devised in the cooling compartments of the cooling devices in order to store food for a longer period of time.

[5] In state-of-the-art United States Patent no. US4961322, a cooling device is described which comprises a storage compartment for storing fresh food that has a box surrounding said storage compartment, a nitrogen-rich gas supplying means, wherein the temperature, humidity and the gas values are controlled.

[6] Another state-of-the-art implementation is described in the Japanese Patent Application no. JP05005585. In this implementation, a storage case in a cooling device is provided with nitrogen-enriched air, the oxygen gas derived during the separation of nitrogen from the air is discharged.

[7] In all these implementations, a nitrogen generator (T) is utilized for producing nitrogen-enriched air. The nitrogen generator (T) comprises a pump for sucking and pumping of the air. The air sucked in by the pump is delivered to the nitrogen generator (T). The nitrogen gas within the content of the air delivered to the nitrogen generator (T) is separated from other gases in the air by various methods and nitrogen- enriched air is produced. The nitrogen enriched air is delivered to the storage compartment (F) by the pump, and the nitrogen depleted air left with a high oxygen content is discharged from the nitrogen generator (T) (Figure 1).

[8] The object of the present invention is to design a cooling device comprising a nitrogen generator with an enhanced efficiency, which provides nitrogen-enriched air for the storage compartment.

[9] The cooling device designed to fulfill the objectives of the present invention, explicated in the first and the respective claims, comprises two separate storage compartment, insulated from their ambient surroundings, containing oxygen and nitrogen enriched air, wherein the air inside the compartments is controlled by monitoring the humidity and gas contents.

[10] When the nitrogen generator is operating, the extracted nitrogen-enriched air is delivered into a storage compartment, and the air containing oxygen is delivered into a second storage compartment. Consequently two storage compartments can be utilized separately wherein the oxygen and nitrogen gasses are collected by using only the nitrogen generator.

[11] While the extracted nitrogen gas is used in the storage compartment utilizing the nitrogen-enriched air, the oxygen gas derived during the extraction of the nitrogen gas, which is discharged out in the state-of-the-art implementations, is delivered to the storage compartment utilizing the oxygen-enriched air. Accordingly, utilizing an oxygen generator is not necessary for the storage compartment wherein the oxygen- enriched air is used or it is utilized with a lower capacity. Consequently the efficiency of the nitrogen generator is enhanced, economizing both energy and time.

[12] Without making any modifications on the nitrogen generator, by only delivering the by product oxygen gas derived during the extraction of nitrogen from the air to the storage compartment wherein the oxygen enriched air will be used, the said storage compartment can be effectively utilized for storing special food items.

[13] Delivering the nitrogen and oxygen gases to both of the storage compartments containing the nitrogen-enriched air and the oxygen-enriched air is provided by a control card, enabling the atmospheric control of these storage compartments.

[14] By way of the present invention, the vegetal food products in the storage compartment containing nitrogen-enriched air, and animal food products in the storage compartment containing oxygen-enriched air can be stored for a long period of time without any discoloration and/ or formation of bad odors.

[15] The cooling device designed to fulfill the objectives of the present invention is illustrated in the attached figures, where:

[16] Figure 1 - is the schematic view of a prior state-of-the-art cooling device.

[17] Figure 2 - is the sideways schematic view of a cooling device.

[18] Figure 3 - is the schematic view of another embodiment of the present invention.

[19] Elements shown in figures are numbered as follows:

[20] 1. Cooling device

[21] 2. Nitrogen-enriched storage compartment

[22] 3. Oxygen-enriched storage compartment

[23] 4. Nitrogen generator

[24] 5. Pump

[25] 6. Nitrogen chamber

[26] 7. Oxygen chamber

[27] 8. , 18. Transmission pipe

[28] 9. , 19. Valve

[29] The cooling device (1) of the present invention comprises a nitrogen-enriched storage compartment (2) containing nitrogen-enriched air, an oxygen-enriched storage compartment (3) containing oxygen-enriched air, and a nitrogen generator (4) that delivers the nitrogen-enriched air derived as a result of the extraction of nitrogen from the aspirated air to the nitrogen-enriched storage compartment (2) and the oxygen- enriched air derived as a result of the extraction of nitrogen from the aspirated air to the oxygen-enriched storage compartment (3) (Figure 2).

[30] The nitrogen generator (4) comprises a pump (5) that provides the suction of air, a nitrogen chamber (6) containing the nitrogen extracted from the air, a transmission pipe (8), one end of which extends to the nitrogen-enriched storage compartment (2) and the other end to the nitrogen chamber (6) providing to deliver the nitrogen gas to the nitrogen-enriched storage compartment (2), and an oxygen chamber (7) containing the oxygen gas derived during the process of extracting nitrogen gas from the sucked air.

[31] The nitrogen gas is extracted from the sucked air by means of the operation of the pump (5) in the nitrogen generator (4), the extracted nitrogen gas is collected in the nitrogen chamber (6) to be delivered to the nitrogen-enriched storage compartment (2) when necessary. The oxygen gas derived during the extraction of nitrogen gas from the air is collected in the oxygen chamber (7) and when necessary is delivered to the oxygen-enriched storage compartment (3).

[32] The nitrogen generator (4) comprises a transmission pipe (18), one end of which extends to the oxygen chamber (7) and the other end to the oxygen-enriched storage compartment (3), providing to deliver the oxygen gas derived during the extraction of nitrogen from the sucked air to the oxygen-enriched storage compartment (3) (Figure 2).

[33] By way of using the transmission pipe (18), one end of which extends to the oxygen chamber (7) and the other end to the oxygen-enriched storage compartment (3), the gasses necessary for the nitrogen- enriched storage compartment (2) and the oxygen- enriched storage compartment (3) can be provided by only utilizing a nitrogen generator (4) without the need for utilizing an oxygen generator. The air circulation in

the oxygen-enriched storage compartment (3) is provided by a check- valve (not shown in figures) that opens or closes in response to the pressure value in the compartment (3).

[34] In another embodiment of the present invention, the cooling device (1) comprises a valve (9) situated on the transmission pipe (8) that delivers the nitrogen gas collected in the nitrogen chamber (6) to the nitrogen-enriched storage compartment (2), providing the controlled delivery of nitrogen and a second valve (19) situated on the transmission pipe (18) that delivers the oxygen gas collected in the oxygen chamber (7) to the oxygen-enriched storage compartment (3), providing the controlled delivery of oxygen (Figure 3).

[35] When the gas concentration in the nitrogen and oxygen enriched storage compartments (2 and 3) is detected not to be within predetermined values, both of the valves (9, 19) are opened or closed by a control card that controls the electrical functions, providing the atmospheric control of the nitrogen and oxygen enriched storage compartments (2 and 3).

[36] By way of the present invention, vegetal food products such as fresh vegetables, fruit etc. can be stored in the nitrogen-enriched storage compartment (2), and animal food products such as fresh meat, fish etc. can be stored in the oxygen-enriched storage compartment (3) and the shelf lives of these food products can be extended.