WINE COOLER WITH INTERNAL LIGHTING

A refrigeration appliance includes an insulated cabinet forming an interior cavity. A refrigeration system cools the interior cavity. A first light source emits light into the interior cavity along a first illumination axis. A second light source for emits light into the interior cavity along a second illumination axis. A bottle storage rack is located within the insulated cabinet. The bottle storage rack includes a first rung pair, a second rung pair, and a third rung pair. The first illumination axis passes between a rung of the first rung pair and a rung of the second rung pair, and the second illumination axis passes between another rung of the second rung pair and a rung of the third rung pair.

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Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to domestic refrigeration appliances, and more particularly to refrigerated storage cabinets for bottled wine (hereinafter referred to as “wine coolers”).

2. Description of Related Art

Wine coolers may have an internal light source for illuminating the refrigerated wine storage cavity. The light source may be activated whenever a closure panel for the cooler, such as a door, is in the open position. During normal operation, the light source may be partially or wholly obscured by stored wine bottles, which can create undesired shadows within the storage cavity. It would be desirable to provide a wine cooler having a light source that is configured to directly shine light from one side of the storage cavity to another, opposing side of the storage cavity, regardless of whether the wine cooler is fully stocked with wine bottles, partially stocked, or empty.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, provided is a refrigeration appliance. The refrigeration appliance includes an insulated cabinet forming an interior cavity. A refrigeration system cools the interior cavity. A first light source emits light into the interior cavity along a first illumination axis. A second light source emits light into the interior cavity along a second illumination axis. A bottle storage rack is located within the insulated cabinet. The bottle storage rack includes a first rung pair, a second rung pair, and a third rung pair. The first illumination axis passes between a rung of the first rung pair and a rung of the second rung pair, and the second illumination axis passes between another rung of the second rung pair and a rung of the third rung pair.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, provided is a refrigeration appliance. The refrigeration appliance includes an insulated cabinet forming an interior cavity. A refrigeration system cools the interior cavity. A first light source emits light into the interior cavity along a first illumination axis. A second light source emits light into the interior cavity along a second illumination axis. A bottle storage tray is located within the insulated cabinet. The bottle storage tray includes means for supporting a first bottle at a first predetermined lateral position within the interior cavity, means for supporting a second bottle at a second predetermined lateral position within the interior cavity, and means for supporting a third bottle at a third predetermined lateral position within the interior cavity. The first illumination axis passes centrally between the first predetermined lateral position and the second predetermined lateral position. The second illumination axis passes centrally between the second predetermined lateral position and the third predetermined lateral position.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, provided is a refrigeration appliance. The refrigeration appliance includes an insulated cabinet forming an interior cavity. The insulated cabinet includes an upper wall, a lower wall, first and second sidewalls extending between the upper and lower walls, and a hinged door having a window. A bottle storage rack is located within the insulated cabinet. The bottle storage rack includes a first tray that is withdrawable from the interior cavity. The first tray includes a first rung pair for supporting a first bottle, placed onto the first rung pair, at a first predetermined lateral position within the interior cavity, a second rung pair for supporting a second bottle, placed onto the second rung pair, at a second predetermined lateral position within the interior cavity, and a third rung pair for supporting a third bottle, placed onto the third rung pair, at a third predetermined lateral position within the interior cavity. The bottle storage rack further includes a second tray that is withdrawable from the interior cavity. The second tray includes a fourth rung pair, located directly beneath the first rung pair, for supporting a fourth bottle, placed onto the fourth rung pair, at the first predetermined lateral position, a fifth rung pair, located directly beneath the second rung pair, for supporting a fifth bottle, placed onto the fifth rung pair, at the second predetermined lateral position, and a sixth rung pair, located directly beneath the third rung pair, for supporting a sixth bottle, placed onto the sixth rung pair, at the third predetermined lateral position. Each of said rung pairs includes a wide portion for supporting a bottle body and a narrow portion. A refrigeration system cools the interior cavity. A first light-emitting diode (LED) luminaire emits light downward into the interior cavity along a first vertical illumination axis. The first vertical illumination axis passes centrally between the first rung pair and the second rung pair, and passes centrally between the fourth rung pair and the fifth rung pair. A second LED luminaire emits light downward into the interior cavity along a second illumination axis. The second illumination axis passes centrally between the second rung pair and the third rung pair, and passes centrally between the fifth rung pair and the sixth rung pair. The first LED luminaire and the second LED luminaire are configured to directly illuminate the lower wall through the bottle storage rack. A controller is operatively connected to both of the first LED luminaire and the second LED luminaire for automatically dimming the light emissions of said luminaries to a predetermined lighting intensity using a pulse-width modulation technique if the hinged door is moved from an open position to a closed position. A user input device sets the predetermined lighting intensity.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a wine cooler;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a wine cooler;

FIG. 3 is an elevation view of a wine cooler;

FIG. 4 is an upper plan view of a wine cooler;

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of a wine cooler; and

FIG. 6 is a schematic block diagram of a control system for a wine cooler.

 DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to domestic refrigeration appliances, such as wine coolers. The present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout. It is to be appreciated that the various drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale from one figure to another nor inside a given figure, and in particular that the size of the components are arbitrarily drawn for facilitating the understanding of the drawings. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. It may be evident, however, that the present invention can be practiced without these specific details. Additionally, other embodiments of the invention are possible and the invention is capable of being practiced and carried out in ways other than as described. The terminology and phraseology used in describing the invention is employed for the purpose of promoting an understanding of the invention and should not be taken as limiting.

FIGS. 1 and 2 provide a perspective view of a refrigeration appliance 1, such as a wine cooler, and FIG. 3 provides a front elevation view of the refrigeration appliance 1. The refrigeration appliance 1 includes an insulated cabinet 2 forming an interior cavity 3, in which articles such as bottles of wine, are stored. The insulated cabinet 2 includes an upper wall 4, a lower wall 5, first and second sidewalls 6, 7 extending between the upper wall 4 and the lower wall 5 and a rear wall 8 (see FIG. 5) that extends between the upper wall 4 and the lower wall 5. The insulated cabinet 2 includes an inner liner and outer body with insulation provided between the liner and body, as is known in the art. The cabinet 2 further includes a closure panel, such as a hinged door 9, that is movable from an open position in which the interior cavity 3 is accessible to a closed position in which the interior cavity is sealed. The door 9 includes a window 10, for example an insulated glass window, to allow the viewing of articles stored within the refrigeration appliance 1. The window 10 can be coated and/or tinted to prevent undesirable light ingress into the interior cavity 3. For example, the window 10 can block ultraviolet (U.V.) rays from passing into the interior cavity 3. It is to be appreciated that the refrigeration appliance 1 is not limited to hinged door-type closure panels, and could include other types of closure panels, such as a sliding door-type closure panel or a horizontally movable (e.g., pull-type) front panel, which could be attached to a drawer or storage tray of the appliance 1.

A conventional refrigeration system 11, shown schematically in FIG. 6, cools the interior cavity 3 to a desired setpoint temperature, as is known in the art. For wine storage, example setpoint temperatures could vary between 40° F. (4° C.) and 65° F. (18° C.). However, higher and lower setpoint temperatures are possible, to accommodate a variety of articles to be stored within the refrigeration appliance 1. The setpoint temperature can be set by a user via a control panel 12 comprising a plurality of input devices 13, such as pushbuttons, capacitive switches, membrane switches, rotary switches, potentiometers, and the like. The control panel 12 further includes visual and/or audible indicator devices 14, such as pilot lights, seven-segment displays, liquid crystal displays, buzzers, and the like. Operational conditions and alarm conditions of the appliance 1, such as current temperature, setpoint temperature, power failure alarm, power failure duration, door open alarm, high temperature alarm, recent high temperature, etc., can be displayed and/or audibly broadcast via the indicator devices 14. The control panel 12 can further display a plurality of setup menus that allow the user to configure various operational parameters of the appliance, such as input the setpoint temperature and input a desired lighting intensity for the cavity 3 (described more fully below). A system controller 15, for example, an electronic controller comprising a microprocessor, is operatively connected to the user input devices 13, the indicator devices 14, and the refrigeration system 11, for control and/or monitoring thereof. The system controller 15 monitors the status of various analog and digital inputs, such as the input devices 13, a temperature thermistor and a door limit switch, and controls various outputs. The system controller 15 controls the operation of the refrigeration system 11 to maintain the desired setpoint temperature within the interior cavity 3.

As shown in FIG. 2, the refrigeration appliance 1 includes a bottle storage rack 16 comprising plurality of draw out trays 17 or drawers adapted to store bottles, such as wine bottles, within the interior cavity. Stored bottles 18 are shown in FIGS. 1-3 and schematically in FIG. 5. The trays 17 store the bottles 18 on their sides, substantially horizontally, or at other angles, such as an upward or downward incline, for example. Each tray 17 is adapted to store a number of bottles 18, such as three bottles, four bottles, five bottles, six bottles, seven bottles, eight bottles, nine bottles, ten bottles, eleven bottles, twelve bottles, or additional bottles.

As shown schematically in FIG. 5, successive bottles 18a, 18b can be alternately stored with the bottle body 19a near the door 9 and the neck 20a extending toward the rear wall 8 and, alternately, with the bottle body 19b near the rear wall 8 and the neck 20b extending toward the door 9. However, it is to be appreciated that all of the bottles 18 could be stored while oriented in the same direction.

The bottle storage rack 16 comprises a plurality of vertically-spaced trays 17. The trays 17 are movable along rails and can be withdrawn from the interior cavity 3. Each tray 17 holds bottles 18 at predetermined positions within the interior cavity 3, such as predetermined lateral or side-to-side positions within the interior cavity 3, with the axes of the bottles 18 directed between the rear wall 8 and the door 9 and generally parallel to the sidewalls 6, 7. The trays 17 store bottles 18 at substantially the same predetermined lateral positions within the cavity 3, but at different heights, so that the bottles 18 in each tray are generally aligned with corresponding bottles in other trays. When fully stocked, the bottles in the appliance 1 are orderly arranged along a plurality of horizontal rows and vertical columns, as can be seen in FIG. 3. It is to be appreciated that the bottles 18 could be stored sideways at predetermined front-to-back positions within the cavity 3, with the axes of the bottles 18 directed between the sidewalls 6, 7. As will be described more fully below, the predetermined spacing of the bottles 18 within the trays 17 ensures that light emitted from light sources located above or below the bottle storage rack 16, and between predetermined lateral bottle positions, is able to travel through the rack 16 and illuminate the opposing lower or upper wall of the appliance 1.

As shown in FIGS. 2, 4 and 5, the trays 17 include rungs 21 for supporting bottles laid on their sides on the rungs 21. The rungs 21 support the bottles 18 at the predetermined lateral positions within the interior cavity 3, as discussed above. A bottle body 19a (see FIG. 5) is supported by two adjacent rungs 21a, 21b, which form a rung pair. It is to be appreciated that some rungs 21 are adjacent to two other rungs (a rung on the left and a rung on the right) and, therefore, are members of two rung pairs simultaneously. Other rungs, i.e., end rungs, are adjacent to only one other rung and, therefore, are a member of only one rung pair. Each tray 17 includes a plurality of rungs 21 and, accordingly, a plurality of rung pairs, for supporting bottles 18 thereon.

Each rung pair includes a wide portion 22 (see FIG. 4), which supports the bottle body 19a, 19b. The rungs 21 of the rung pair extend generally parallel with each other along the wide portion 22. Each rung pair further includes a narrow portion 23, along which the rungs 21 of the rung pair extend generally parallel with each other. Each rung pair further includes an offset portion 24 that joins the wide portion 22 and the narrow portion 23, and along which the rungs 21 of the rung pair converge/diverge. When viewed from above, the rung pairs have a shape that, to an extent, mimics the profile of a typical wine bottle. That is, the rung pairs have a wide portion 22 corresponding to a bottle body 19a, 19b and a narrow portion 23 corresponding to a bottle neck 20a, 20b.

The rungs 21 can have a generally cylindrical cross section or another shape, such as a square cross section, for example. Successive bottles 18a, 18b are alternately stored on the rung pairs with the bottle body 19a near the door 9 and the neck 20a extending toward the rear wall 8 and, alternately, with the bottle body 19b near the rear wall 8 and the neck 20b extending toward the door 9. Further, only a portion of successive stored bottles 18a, 18b lie side-by-side, which occurs at and near the necks 20a, 20b of the bottles (see FIG. 5).

The refrigeration appliance includes a plurality of light sources 25 for illuminating the cavity 3 and objects within the cavity 3, such as the bottles 18. The light sources 25 can be located along or recessed within the upper wall 4 and emit light downward into the cavity 3. The light sources 25 could be located at various heights within the cavity 3, or configured to direct light upward into the cavity 3. For example, the light sources 25 could be located along or recessed within the lower wall 5 and emit light upward into the cavity 3.

The light sources 25 can include a light-emitting diode (LED) luminaire having an LED lamp comprising one or more LEDs, for generating and emitting light into the cavity. LED luminaires can include white LEDs or colored LEDs, such as red, blue and/or green LEDs, to produce light of various colors. The light sources 25 can also include other types of luminaires, such as incandescent luminaires, fiber optic illuminators, and the like.

Each light source 25 emits light along an illumination axis 26 (shown schematically in FIG. 3). The light sources 25 can be positioned and aimed so that their respective illumination axes 26 pass centrally between rungs of two rung pairs in a tray, and any bottles 18 which are stored on the rung pairs in the tray. In FIG. 3, for example, each illumination axis 26 passes centrally between two vertical columns of stored bottles. Each light source 25 can be located on the upper wall 4, positioned centrally between rungs of two rung pairs in each tray, and aimed to emit light downward along the illumination axis 26. At least some of the light emitted from each light source 25 is able to travel vertically along the illumination axis 26 unimpeded, directly through the trays 17 of the rack 16 and through successive rows of stored bottles 18 between two vertical columns of stored bottles 18, to illuminate the opposing lower wall 5 of the appliance. However, some emitted light illuminates the stored bottles 18 so that the stored bottles 18 can be viewed through the window 10. Such a lighting approach reduces undesirable shadows within the cavity 3, which could hinder the viewing of stored bottles 18 through the window 10.

It is to be appreciated that the illumination axes 26 of each light source 25 can be vertical (i.e., plumb) or at some other angle, such as angled toward the rear wall 8 of the cabinet 2. Furthermore, the illumination axes 26 can be parallel or not parallel. The light sources 25 can be configured to emit light in a circular right or oblique cone shape, an elliptical right or oblique cone shape, or other shapes as desired.

As shown schematically in FIG. 6, electrical power for each light source 25 is controlled by a lighting controller 27, such as an LED driver/power supply. The lighting controller 27 controls the electrical voltage and/or current delivered to each light source 25, to control the brightness or lighting intensity of each light source 25 and protect the light sources from an overvoltage or overcurrent condition. The lighting controller 27 can be implemented using discrete components or can include an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

A lighting control signal 28, which is an output signal from the system controller 15, controls operations of the lighting controller 27. The lighting control signal 28 can be an analog signal or a digital signal. The lighting controller 27 controls brightness or lighting intensity of each light source 25 based on the lighting control signal 28 from the system controller 15. Therefore, the system controller 15 controls the lighting level of the cavity 3 via the lighting control signal 28. In an embodiment, the lighting control signal 28 is a pulse-width modulated (PWM) signal, and the system controller 15 modulates the duty cycle of the lighting control signal 28 to control the lighting level of the cavity 3. It is to be appreciated that the lighting control signal 28 could be a signal other than a PWM signal, such as a digital serial communications signal or an analog voltage or current signal, for example. Furthermore, the functionality of the lighting controller 27 could be provided directly within the system controller 15, eliminating the need for a separate lighting controller 27.

Through the input devices 13 on the control panel 12, a user of the appliance 1 can set one or more desired lighting levels for the cavity 3 and, therefore, set predetermined lighting intensities for the light sources 25. In an embodiment, the user can select a desired lighting level from among several available lighting levels, such as ten available lighting levels. It is to be appreciated that fewer or greater than ten available lighting levels can be provided. The lighting level selection can be made via a menu selection provided at the control panel 12. Alternatively, the user can set a desired lighting level via an infinitely variable or apparently infinitely variable input device, such as a potentiometer. The lighting intensity of each light source 25 can be individually controlled by the user, or controlled collectively via a group lighting level setting.

The control panel 12 and system controller 15 allow the user to set different cavity 3 lighting levels for different operating conditions. For example, the system controller 15 monitors the state of a door switch 29, and the user can set a lighting level for a “door open” condition and another lighting level for a “door closed” condition. It is to be appreciated that the “door open” and “door closed” lighting levels can be set to the same level and can be set to OFF (i.e., no light output).

When the door is moved from the open position to the closed position, the system controller 15 automatically changes the lighting intensity of the light sources 25 from the “door open” lighting intensity to the “door closed” lighting intensity via the lighting control signal 28. The change in intensity can be made abruptly, rapidly or gradually. For example, the system controller 15 can automatically gradually ramp or dim the light sources 25 from the “door open” lighting intensity to the “door closed” lighting intensity when the door is moved from the open position to the closed position. Similarly, the system controller 15 can automatically change lighting intensity of the light sources 25 when the door is moved from the closed position to the open position.

The appliance 1 can be configured to provide a bright lighting intensity when the door 9 is in the open position, so that the stored bottles 18 can be readily seen. A dimmer lighting intensity can be provided when the door 9 is in the closed position, which would still provide some illumination of the bottles 18 for viewing through the window 10. Alternatively, the light sources 25 can be completely turned OFF when the door 9 is in the closed position. The transition from a bright lighting intensity to a dimmer lighting intensity or OFF condition can be made abruptly, rapidly or gradually via the lighting control signal 28. It is to be appreciated that the transition from a dim lighting intensity or an OFF condition to a brighter lighting intensity can also be made abruptly, rapidly or gradually.

It should be evident that this disclosure is by way of example and that various changes may be made by adding, modifying or eliminating details without departing from the fair scope of the teaching contained in this disclosure. The invention is therefore not limited to particular details of this disclosure except to the extent that the following claims are necessarily so limited.

Claims

1. A refrigeration appliance, comprising:

an insulated cabinet forming an interior cavity;
a refrigeration system for cooling said interior cavity;
a first light source for emitting light into the interior cavity along a first illumination axis;
a second light source for emitting light into the interior cavity along a second illumination axis; and
a bottle storage rack within the insulated cabinet, the bottle storage rack including: a first rung pair; a second rung pair; and a third rung pair;
wherein the first illumination axis passes between a rung of the first rung pair and a rung of the second rung pair, and wherein the second illumination axis passes between another rung of the second rung pair and a rung of the third rung pair.

2. The refrigeration appliance of claim 1, wherein the insulated cabinet includes a closure panel that is movable from an open position to a closed position, and wherein the refrigeration appliance includes a controller operatively connected to both of the first light source and the second light source for automatically dimming the first light source and the second light source if the closure panel is moved from the open position to the closed position.

3. The refrigeration appliance of claim 2, wherein the first light source and the second light source are dimmed to a predetermined lighting intensity, and wherein the refrigeration appliance includes a user input device for setting the predetermined lighting intensity.

4. The refrigeration appliance of claim 1, wherein the first light source emits light downward along the first illumination axis and between the rung of the first rung pair and the rung of the second rung pair, and wherein the second light source emits light downward along the second illumination axis and between said another rung of the second rung pair and the rung of the third rung pair.

5. The refrigeration appliance of claim 4, wherein the first illumination axis is substantially vertical and is centrally located between the first rung pair and the second rung pair, and wherein the second illumination axis is substantially vertical and is centrally located between the second rung pair and the third rung pair.

6. The refrigeration appliance of claim 5, wherein the insulated cabinet includes:

an upper wall;
a lower wall;
a first sidewall extending between the upper wall and the lower wall;
a second sidewall extending between the upper wall and the lower wall;
a rear wall extending between the upper wall and the lower wall; and
a closure panel that is movable from an open position to a closed position, and further wherein the bottle storage rack includes: a first tray comprising the first rung pair, the second rung pair, and the third rung pair, wherein the first tray is withdrawable from the interior cavity; and a second tray located beneath the first tray and comprising additional rung pairs, wherein the second tray is withdrawable from the interior cavity, and wherein the first illumination axis passes centrally between two of said additional rung pairs and the second illumination axis passes centrally between two of said additional rung pairs, and further wherein the first light source and the second light source are configured to directly illuminate the lower wall through the bottle storage rack.

7. The refrigeration appliance of claim 6, wherein each of said rung pairs includes a wide portion for supporting a bottle body and a narrow portion.

8. The refrigeration appliance of claim 6, further comprising a user input device for setting a lighting intensity of at least one of the first light source and the second light source.

9. The refrigeration appliance of claim 6, further comprising a controller operatively connected to both of the first light source and the second light source for automatically dimming the first light source and the second light source if the closure panel is moved from the open position to the closed position.

10. The refrigeration appliance of claim 9, wherein the first light source and the second light source are dimmed to a predetermined lighting intensity, and wherein the refrigeration appliance includes a user input device for setting the predetermined lighting intensity.

11. A refrigeration appliance, comprising:

an insulated cabinet forming an interior cavity;
a refrigeration system for cooling said interior cavity;
a first light source for emitting light into the interior cavity along a first illumination axis;
a second light source for emitting light into the interior cavity along a second illumination axis; and
a bottle storage tray within the insulated cabinet, the bottle storage tray including: means for supporting a first bottle at a first predetermined lateral position within the interior cavity; means for supporting a second bottle at a second predetermined lateral position within the interior cavity; and means for supporting a third bottle at a third predetermined lateral position within the interior cavity; wherein the first illumination axis passes centrally between the first predetermined lateral position and the second predetermined lateral position, and wherein the second illumination axis passes centrally between the second predetermined lateral position and the third predetermined lateral position.

12. The refrigeration appliance of claim 11, wherein the insulated cabinet includes a closure panel that is movable between an open position and a closed position, and wherein the refrigeration appliance includes a controller operatively connected to both of the first light source and the second light source for automatically dimming the first light source and the second light source if the closure panel is moved from the open position to the closed position.

13. The refrigeration appliance of claim 12, wherein the first light source and the second light source are dimmed to a predetermined lighting intensity, and wherein the refrigeration appliance includes a user input device for setting the predetermined lighting intensity.

14. The refrigeration appliance of claim 11, wherein

said means for supporting a first bottle at the first predetermined lateral position includes a first rung pair, wherein
said means for supporting a second bottle at the second predetermined lateral position includes a second rung pair, and wherein
said means for supporting a third bottle at the third predetermined lateral position includes a third rung pair.

15. The refrigeration appliance of claim 14, wherein each of said rung pairs includes a wide portion for supporting a bottle body and a narrow portion.

16. The refrigeration appliance of claim 11, wherein first illumination axis is substantially vertical and the first light source emits light downward along the first illumination axis, and wherein the second illumination axis is substantially vertical and the second light source emits light downward along the second illumination axis.

17. The refrigeration appliance of claim 16, wherein the insulated cabinet includes:

an upper wall;
a lower wall;
a first sidewall extending between the upper wall and the lower wall;
a second sidewall extending between the upper wall and the lower wall;
a rear wall extending between the upper wall and the lower wall;
a closure panel movable between an open position and a closed position; and
another bottle storage tray including: means for supporting a fourth bottle beneath the first bottle at the first predetermined lateral position; means for supporting a fifth bottle beneath the second bottle at the second predetermined lateral position; means for supporting a sixth bottle beneath the third bottle at the third predetermined lateral position, wherein the first light source and the second light source are configured to directly illuminate the lower wall through the bottle storage trays.

18. The refrigeration appliance of claim 17, further comprising a user input device for setting a lighting intensity of at least one of the first light source and the second light source.

19. The refrigeration appliance of claim 17, further comprising:

a controller operatively connected to the first light source and the second light source for automatically dimming the first light source and the second light source to a predetermined lighting intensity if the closure panel is moved from the open position to the closed position; and
a user input device for setting the predetermined lighting intensity.

20. A refrigeration appliance, comprising:

an insulated cabinet forming an interior cavity, the insulated cabinet including: an upper wall; a lower wall; a first sidewall extending between the upper wall and the lower wall; a second sidewall extending between the upper wall and the lower wall; a rear wall extending between the upper wall and the lower wall; and a hinged door having a window;
a bottle storage rack within the insulated cabinet, the bottle storage rack including: a first tray that is withdrawable from the interior cavity and includes: a first rung pair for supporting a first bottle, placed onto the first rung pair, at a first predetermined lateral position within the interior cavity; a second rung pair for supporting a second bottle, placed onto the second rung pair, at a second predetermined lateral position within the interior cavity; and a third rung pair for supporting a third bottle, placed onto the third rung pair, at a third predetermined lateral position within the interior cavity; and a second tray that is withdrawable from the interior cavity and includes: a fourth rung pair, located directly beneath the first rung pair, for supporting a fourth bottle, placed onto the fourth rung pair, at the first predetermined lateral position; a fifth rung pair, located directly beneath the second rung pair, for supporting a fifth bottle, placed onto the fifth rung pair, at the second predetermined lateral position; and a sixth rung pair, located directly beneath the third rung pair, for supporting a sixth bottle, placed onto the sixth rung pair, at the third predetermined lateral position, wherein each of said rung pairs includes a wide portion for supporting a bottle body and a narrow portion;
a refrigeration system for cooling said interior cavity;
a first light-emitting diode luminaire for emitting light downward into the interior cavity along a first vertical illumination axis passing centrally between the first rung pair and the second rung pair and passing centrally between the fourth rung pair and the fifth rung pair;
a second light-emitting diode luminaire for emitting light downward into the interior cavity along a second vertical illumination axis passing centrally between the second rung pair and the third rung pair and passing centrally between the fifth rung pair and the sixth rung pair, wherein the first light-emitting diode luminaire and the second light-emitting diode luminaire are configured to directly illuminate the lower wall through the bottle storage rack;
a controller operatively connected to both of the first light-emitting diode luminaire and the second light-emitting diode luminaire for automatically dimming the light emissions of said luminaires to a predetermined lighting intensity using a pulse-width modulation technique if the hinged door is moved from an open position to a closed position; and
a user input device for setting the predetermined lighting intensity.
Patent History
Publication number: 20090178427
Type: Application
Filed: Jan 10, 2008
Publication Date: Jul 16, 2009
Applicant: Electrolux Home Products, Inc. (Cleveland, OH)
Inventor: Jay E. Eichman (Campobello, SC)
Application Number: 11/971,970
Classifications
Current U.S. Class: Combined (62/331); With Particular Internal Element Support (62/465)
International Classification: F25D 23/12 (20060101); F25D 25/02 (20060101);