Ethylene filtration system for a refrigerator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025035363-A1
Application number	US-202318358313-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 25, 2023
Priority date	Jul 25, 2023
Publication date	Jan 30, 2025
Grant date	—

Abstract

A refrigerator appliance comprising a fresh food storage chamber and a filter system for ethylene in the fresh food storage chamber is disclosed. The fresh food storage chamber includes a ventilation system comprising a fan assembly fluidly coupled to an air supply vent and an air return vent to urge an air flow along an air flow path. A removable air filter assembly for ethylene gas, the filter assembly including a housing and a chemisorption filter contained in the housing, is removably fixed in the air flow path.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A refrigerator appliance defining a vertical direction, a lateral direction, and a transverse direction, the vertical, lateral, and transverse directions being mutually perpendicular, the refrigerator appliance comprising:
a cabinet comprising a first side wall laterally spaced from a second side wall, a top wall vertically spaced above a bottom wall, and a back wall, the first side wall, second side wall, top wall, bottom wall, and back wall defining a fresh food storage chamber; a fresh food storage chamber ventilation system comprising a fan assembly fluidly coupled to an air supply vent and an air return vent, wherein the fan assembly urges an air flow along an air flow path from the supply vent to the return vent; and a removable air filter assembly comprising a housing and a chemisorption filter media contained in the housing, the filter assembly removably fixed in the air flow path.

2 . The refrigerator appliance of claim 1 , further comprising a drawer slidably mounted within the fresh food storage chamber, the drawer comprising a plurality of walls defining a fresh food storage bin wherein the air flow path includes the fresh food storage chamber.

3 . The refrigerator appliance of claim 2 , wherein the drawer is mounted proximate to and spaced from the bottom wall, wherein the air flow path includes a space between the drawer and the bottom wall.

4 . The refrigerator appliance of claim 3 , wherein the filter assembly is removably fixed to the bottom wall in the air flow path.

5 . The refrigerator appliance of claim 4 , wherein the filter assembly is spaced from the bottom wall such that a portion of the air flow passes between the housing and the bottom wall and a portion of the air flow passes between the housing and the drawer.

6 . The refrigerator appliance of claim 1 , wherein the chemisorption filter media removes one or more plant hormones from the air flow.

7 . The refrigerator appliance of claim 6 , wherein the chemisorption filter media removes at least one of the one or more plant hormones from the air flow through adsorption.

8 . The refrigerator appliance of claim 6 , wherein the chemisorption filter media removes ethylene.

9 . The refrigerator appliance of claim 6 , wherein the chemisorption filter media comprises potassium permanganate.

10 . The refrigerator appliance of claim 9 , wherein the potassium permanganate is embedded in zeolite.

11 . The refrigerator appliance of claim 10 , wherein the chemisorption filter media removes odors through one or more of chemisorption and physisorption.

12 . The refrigerator appliance of claim 6 , wherein the chemisorption filter media is contained within an air permeable sachet within the housing.

13 . The refrigerator appliance of claim 12 , wherein the chemisorption filter media is fixedly contained within the housing.

14 . The refrigerator appliance of claim 1 , wherein the housing comprises one or more walls, at least some of the walls defining perforations such that fluid communication is facilitated between the chemisorption filter media and the air flow.

15 . The refrigerator appliance of claim 1 , wherein the filter assembly is removably fixed in the air flow path proximate to the return vent.

16 . A removable refrigerator air filter assembly comprising:
a housing comprising one or more walls defining an internal volume, at least one of the walls defining a plurality of perforations; and a chemisorption filter media disposed within the volume, the chemisorption filter media secured against removal from the volume;
wherein the perforations facilitate fluid communication between the filter media and an external air flow.

17 . The removable refrigerator air filter assembly of claim 16 , wherein the housing is removably mountable in a refrigerator fresh food compartment.

18 . The removable refrigerator air filter assembly of claim 16 , wherein the chemisorption filter media comprises potassium permanganate.

19 . The removable refrigerator air filter assembly of claim 18 , wherein the potassium permanganate is embedded in zeolite.

20 . The removable refrigerator air filter assembly of claim 18 , wherein the chemisorption filter media is contained within an air permeable sachet within the housing.

Assignees

• Haier Us Appliance Solutions Inc

Inventors

• Vijayan Vineeth
• Kyriacou Stephanos

Classifications

• F25D17/042 Primary

  Air treating means within refrigerated spaces (air conditioning in general F24F) · CPC title

• F25D25/025

  Drawers · CPC title

• F25D2317/041

  by purification · CPC title

• A23B2/721 Primary

  in a controlled atmosphere comprising other gases in addition to CO2, N2, O2 or H2O · CPC title

• A23L3/3445

  Human Necessities · mapped topic