Variable position air damper for a refrigerator

摘要

A refrigerator, including a cabinet having top, bottom, rear and opposing side walls that collectively define a freezer compartment and a fresh food compartment, employs a cooling system and an air plenum to deliver a cooling air flow into the freezer and fresh food compartments. The air plenum includes a variable position air damper having a first, substantially straight portion and a second arcuate portion that forms an air scoop. The air damper is slidably mounted within the air plenum between first and second positions. The variable position air damper is selectively arranged in the first position to efficiently deliver a volume of the cooling air flow into the freezer compartment, the second position to deliver the cooling airflow into the fresh food compartment or in an infinite number of intermediate positions to deliver the cooling airflow into both compartments.

主权项

1. A refrigerator comprising:
a cabinet having top, bottom, and opposing side walls that collectively define a freezer compartment and a fresh food compartment; a cooling system for developing and delivering a cooling air flow for the freezer and fresh food compartments; an air plenum interconnecting the cooling system, freezer compartment and fresh food compartment; a fresh food plenum including an inlet portion, an outlet portion and an intermediate portion, said outlet portion leading to the fresh food compartment; and an air damper slidably mounted for linear movement within the air plenum, said air damper including an arcuate portion defining an air scoop, said air scoop constituting the inlet portion of the fresh food plenum and being slidably re-positionable to selectively: enable the cooling air flow into the freezer compartment while blocking the cooling air flow from entering the fresh food plenum and the fresh food compartment in a first position; block the cooling air flow from entering the freezer compartment while redirecting the cooling air flow along the air scoop and into the fresh food compartment in a second position; and enable the cooling air flow to be delivered into both the freezer compartment and the fresh food compartment in at least one position between the first and second positions.