patent · US5488801
Solar appliances
6 February 1996
Page 1 — bibliographic record
United States Patent (19) 11 Patent Number: 5,488,801 Nix 45) Date of Patent: Feb. 6, 1996
54). SOLAR APPLIANCES 5,048,171 9/1991 Bidwell .................................. 29,401 5,222,287 6/1993 Cooper ................................... 29/401.1 76 Inventor: Martin E. Nix, P.O. Box 95173, FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS
1087.116 4f1984 U.S.S.R. . ... 47.60 EC 21 Appl. No.: 207,850 1279563 12/1986 U.S.S.R 47/60 EC 22 Filed: Mar. 9, 1994 21755 11/1993 WIPO M. 47/17 RL (51) Int. Cl. .................................. AOG 3/00 Primary Examiner-Henry E. Raduazo 52 U.S. Cl. ................................... 47/60; 47/17; 29/401.1 57) ABSTRACT 58 Field of Search ........................ 29/401.1; 47/60 NL, 47/60 EC, 17 RL Designed is a system for recycling abandoned appliances as refrigerators, for conversion into solar applications.
56) References Cited Designed is a converted refrigerator into a solar greenhouse, thus extending the growing season in cold climates. Illus
4,184,479 1/1980 Ratliff .................................. 47/17 RL a door window, screen to provide an insect barrier and a 4,242,833 1/1981 Maes .................................... 47/17 RL recycled refrigerator.
4,251,104 2/1981 Holt ....................................... 29,401.
4,333,680 6/1982 Wolf....................................... 29,401 5 Claims, 2 Drawing Sheets
Page 2
Drawing sheet — no readable text.
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Drawing sheet — no readable text.
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SOLARAPPLIANCES freon (11) are removed and recycled, thus the entire refrig erator is lighter weight. The insulated shell of the refrigera
FIELD OF INVENTION tor (10) is then cut for installation of a skylight (8) at the top Illustrated is an improvement in the art of the use of more of the refrigerator (10) roof. A window (2) for admission of recycled materials and an improvement in the art of solar Whilelight (1) is cut into the refrigerator door or side (10). an adjustable solar reflector (9) reflects sunlight (1) energy utilization. downwards through the skylight (8). Adjustable straps (12) SUMMARY OF INVENTION move the solar reflector (9) for optimal seasonal adjustment. The existing handle(14) is kept for closing and opening the
There is a strong need to reduce the amount of materials 10 door for access to the interior plant (6). So as to keep the thrown away resulting in environmental destruction. Many potted plant cool and supplied with outdoor air a photovol applicances as used hot water heaters, ovens and refrigera tors each year end up in land fills, but these appliances can taic A powered fan (7)(13) operates during sunny conditions.
solar cell (13) provides electrical power to a fan (7).
be usefully recycled into solar appliances.
15 During night or cloudy conditions a moveable panel (5)
It is an object to use photovoltaic powered fans for closes and stops the exchange of outdoor air to the interior. ventilation and movement of air. At both the air inlet and outlet are screens (4) so as to keep It is an object to install screens on a converted refrigerator unwanted insects out and wanted insects inside. The net for insect control. result is a thermally functional greenhouse capable of grow It is an object to remove unwanted compressors and ing plants even in cold climates as Alaska. exchangers and recycle them. I claim:
It is an object to remove and recycle freon. 1. A method of converting a conventional refrigerator into It is an object to install a solar skylight at the top of a a growing chamber for plants comprising the step of pro recycled refrigerator. viding a conventional refrigerator having a door and insu 25 lated walls including sidewalls a top wall and floor which
It is an object to install a window on the front of a define an interior and exterior, removing a portion of said converted refrigerator for viewing the plant on the interior. insulated walls, replacing said removed portion with a It is an object to install a solar reflector above the solar transparent or translucent cover capable of admitting sun skylight so as to reflect sunlight into the skylight and light, and providing a reflector on or adjacent said removed downwards towards the plant. 30 portion to directlight into said refrigerator and thus adapting It is an object to recycle appliances for solar applications it for use as a growing chamber for plants. and to improve environmental quality. 2. The method of claim 1 further including the step of
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
removing a portion of said door and replacing said removed portion with a window means permitting viewing the inte
FIG. 1A is a cross sectional view of the interior and the 35 rior of said growing chamber.
functioning components of the converted refrigerator. 3. The Method of claim 1 further including the step of FIG. 1B is a frontal elevation of the converted refrigera bending or curving said reflector whereby light reflected into
said growing chamber is evenly distributed to the interior of said growing chamber.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED 40 4. The method of claim 1 further including the step of EMBODIMENTS providing an opening into said interior, and further including the step of providing said opening with a fan means for
Illustrated in FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B is a converted refrig circulation of cooling air into said interior. erator (10) to become a thermal insulated greenhouse. Illus 5. A growing chamber formed by the method of claim 1. trated is an interior cross section with for comparison a frontal elevation. The exchanger and compressor along with is is k k :
Provenance
- Collection
- Cited prior art
- Original PDF
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- Filed
- 1994-03-09
- Pages
- 4
- Method
- pdftotext (the PDF's own text layer) + pdftoppm 300dpi page scans
- Source
- Google Patents bibliographic record
- Granted
- 1996-02-06
- Inventors
- Martin E. Nix
- Transcribed from
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