Waterless keep-alive apparatus and refrigeration appliance provided with the waterless keep-alive apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10653122-B2
Application number	US-201515523403-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 28, 2015
Priority date	Jan 7, 2015
Publication date	May 19, 2020
Grant date	May 19, 2020

Abstract

The present invention provides a waterless keep-alive apparatus and a refrigeration appliance having the same. The waterless keep-alive apparatus is provided in an inner tank of a refrigeration appliance, and comprises: a keep-alive box allowing pulling inward and outward; a temperature controlling module and a humidity controlling module which are connected with the keep-alive box; and an air controlling module having an air hole provided on a side wall of the keep-alive box and an air duct fixed on the inner tank of the refrigeration appliance. The air duct is hermetically connected with the air hole when the keep-alive box is pushed into the inner tank of the refrigeration appliance. The air duct is disconnected from the air hole when the keep-alive box is pulled out. The waterless keep-alive apparatus realizes convenient article fetching while the oxygen concentration in the keep-alive box can meet the survival needs of aquatic products.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A waterless keep-alive apparatus, provided in an inner tank of a refrigeration appliance and comprising:
a keep-alive box allowing pulling inward and outward;
a temperature controlling module and a humidity controlling module which are connected with the keep-alive box; and
an air controlling module having an air hole provided on a side wall of the keep-alive box and an air duct fixed on the inner tank of the refrigeration appliance;
wherein the air duct is hermetically connected with the air hole when the keep-alive box is pushed into the inner tank of the refrigeration appliance, and the air duct is disconnected from the air hole when the keep-alive box is pulled out.

2. The waterless keep-alive apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the air hole includes an air inlet and an air outlet, and the air duct includes an air intake duct and an air exhaust duct, wherein the air intake duct and the air exhaust duct are hermetically connected with the air inlet and the air outlet respectively when the keep-alive box is pushed into the inner tank of the refrigeration appliance, and the air intake duct and the air exhaust duct are respectively disconnected from the air inlet and the air outlet when the keep-alive box is pulled out.

3. The waterless keep-alive apparatus of claim 2 , wherein both the air inlet and the air outlet are provided on the same side wall of the keep-alive box and a setting position of the air inlet is higher than a setting position of the air outlet in a vertical direction.

4. The waterless keep-alive apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the air inlet and the air outlet are disposed along a diagonal line on the same side wall of the keep-alive box.

5. The waterless keep-alive apparatus of claim 2 , wherein a protruding block extending along a direction of pulling the keep-alive box is provided at a location corresponding to the air outlet in the keep-alive box, a through slot penetrating through the protruding block is provided in the protruding block, and the through slot communicates with the air outlet to facilitate discharge of air in the keep-alive box slot.

6. The waterless keep-alive apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the air outlet is provided on a rear wall of the keep-alive box, the protruding block extends from the rear wall of the keep-alive box to a front side of the keep-alive box, and the through slot is provided at the front side of the keep-alive box.

7. The waterless keep-alive apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the air duct comprises a fixing portion fixed on the inner tank of the refrigeration appliance and a docking portion extending outward from an end of the fixing portion so as to dock with the air hole, and
a diameter of the docking portion is decreased gradually from the end of the fixing portion so that a cross-section of the air duct roughly has a bullet shape.

8. The waterless keep-alive apparatus of claim 7 , wherein:
a connecting portion whose diameter is larger than a diameter of the fixing portion protrudes at a location close to the fixing portion on the docking portion;
the air duct further comprises a sealing member clamped on the connecting portion and a part of the docking portion so as to hermetically connect the air hole and the air duct when docking with the air hole, and
a receiving slot is provided in the sealing member for receiving the connecting portion.

9. The waterless keep-alive apparatus of claim 8 , wherein a groove is formed at an outer side of the sealing member by depression so as to receive an inner side wall of the air hole when hermetically connecting the air hole.

10. A refrigeration appliance comprising an inner tank, a waterless keep-alive apparatus provided in the inner tank, wherein the waterless keep-alive apparatus comprises:
a keep-alive box allowing pulling inward and outward;
a temperature controlling module and a humidity controlling module which are connected with the keep-alive box; and
an air controlling module having an air hole provided on a side wall of the keep-alive box and an air duct fixed on the inner tank of the refrigeration appliance;
wherein the air duct is hermetically connected with the air hole when the keep-alive box is pushed into the inner tank of the refrigeration appliance, and the air duct is disconnected from the air hole when the keep-alive box is pulled out.

11. The refrigeration appliance of claim 10 , wherein the air hole includes an air inlet and an air outlet, and the air duct includes an air intake duct and an air exhaust duct;
wherein the air intake duct and the air exhaust duct are hermetically connected with the air inlet and the air outlet respectively when the keep-alive box is pushed into the inner tank of the refrigeration appliance, and the air intake duct and the air exhaust duct are respectively disconnected from the air inlet and the air outlet when the keep-alive box is pulled out.

12. The refrigeration appliance of claim 11 , wherein both the air inlet and the air outlet are provided on the same side wall of the keep-alive box and a setting position of the air inlet is higher than a setting position of the air outlet in a vertical direction.

13. The refrigeration appliance of claim 12 , wherein the air inlet and the air outlet are disposed along a diagonal line on the same side wall of the keep-alive box.

14. The refrigeration appliance of claim 11 , wherein a protruding block extending along a direction of pulling the keep-alive box is provided at a location corresponding to the air outlet in the keep-alive box, a through slot penetrating through the protruding block is provided in the protruding block, and the through slot communicates with the air outlet to facilitate discharge of air in the keep-alive box slot.

15. The refrigeration appliance of claim 14 , wherein the air outlet is provided on a rear wall of the keep-alive box, the protruding block extends from the rear wall of the keep-alive box to a front side of the keep-alive box, and the through slot is provided at the front side of the keep-alive box.

16. The refrigeration appliance of claim 10 , wherein:
the air duct comprises a fixing portion fixed on the inner tank of the refrigeration appliance and a docking portion extending outward from an end of the fixing portion so as to dock with the air hole, and
a diameter of the docking portion is decreased gradually from the end of the fixing portion so that a cross-section of the air duct roughly has a bullet shape.

17. The refrigeration appliance of claim 16 , wherein:
a connecting portion whose diameter is larger than a diameter of the fixing portion protrudes at a location close to the fixing portion on the docking portion;
the air duct further comprises a sealing member clamped on the connecting portion and a part of the docking portion so as to hermetically connect the air hole and the air duct when docking with the air hole; and
a receiving slot is provided in the sealing member for receiving the connecting portion.

18. The refrigeration appliance of claim 17 , wherein a groove is formed at an outer side of the sealing member by depression so as to receive an inner side wall of the air hole when hermetically connecting the air hole.

Assignees

• Qingdao Haier Joint Stock Co Ltd

Inventors

• Lu Riyong
• Wang Jing

Classifications

• B65D85/50 Primary

  for living organisms, articles or materials sensitive to changes of environment or atmospheric conditions, e.g. land animals, birds, fish, water plants, non-aquatic plants, flower bulbs, cut flowers or foliage · CPC title

• F25D2331/804

  Boxes · CPC title

• F25D25/025

  Drawers · CPC title

• F25D23/12

  Arrangements of compartments additional to cooling compartments; Combinations of refrigerators with other equipment, e.g. stove · CPC title

• A01K63/02 Primary

  Receptacles specially adapted for transporting live fish · CPC title