Household refrigerator air flow control and method

Claim 1

In a refrigerator having a freezer compartment on top and a fresh food compartment below the freezer compartment and being separated by a partition, an air flow system comprising: (a) an air duct connecting the freezer compartment and the fresh food compartment to introduce a stream of cold air into the fresh food compartment, (b) a temperature sensing element located at the top of the fresh food compartment and shielded from the stream of cold air being directed into the fresh food compartment, said temperature sensing element being utilized to change the temperature in both the freezer and fresh food compartments without changing the constant ratio of those respective compartment temperatures, (c) an air flow control assembly to divide the stream of cold air entering the fresh food compartment between the top of the compartment and the bottom, the assembly including: (i) a chamber for receiving the stream of cold air, (ii) a first opening for directing a portion of the stream of cold air into the top of the fresh food compartment, (iii) a first air passage from the chamber to the first opening, (iv) a second opening for directing a portion of the stream of cold air downwardly into the bottom of the fresh food compartment, (v) a second air passage from the chamber to the second opening, (vi) an air flow control having first and second dampers and means for rotating the dampers in unison, the dampers being spaced from each other such that when the first damper blocks the first air passage, the second damper blocks the second air passage, whereby rotation of the dampers will divide the cold air stream being directed to the first and second openings and change the ratio of the temperatures in the freezer and fresh food compartments.