| United States Patent Application |
20040137213
|
| Kind Code
|
A1
|
|
Kim, Jin Soo
|
July 15, 2004
|
Refrigerator with a finish material containing nanosilver particles
Abstract
A refrigerator of the present invention includes a finish material
constituting the refrigerator. The finish material contains antibacterial
nanosilver particles. Preferably, the nanosilver particles have a size of
about 15.about.300 nm and a concentration of about 1.about.500 ppm. The
finish material may constitute any part of the refrigerator where there
may be caused a generation and multiplication of bacteria. The finish
material may be made from a transparent or opaque resin to which pigment
is added. The nanosilver particles may be coated on a surface of the
finish material.
| Inventors: |
Kim, Jin Soo; (Seoul, KR)
|
| Correspondence Name and Address:
|
David A. Einhorn, Esq.
Anderson Kill & Olick, P.C.
1251 Avenue of the Americas
New York
NY
10020
US
|
| Serial No.:
|
617158 |
| Series Code:
|
10
|
| Filed:
|
July 10, 2003 |
| U.S. Current Class: |
428/323 |
| U.S. Class at Publication: |
428/323 |
| Intern'l Class: |
B32B 005/16 |
Foreign Application Data
| Date | Code | Application Number |
|---|
| Jan 14, 2003 | KR | 10-2003-002291 |
| Jan 14, 2003 | KR | 10-2003-002292 |
| Jan 14, 2003 | KR | 10-2003-002293 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A refrigerator comprising: a finish material constituting any part of
the refrigerator, the finish material containing antibacterial nanosilver
particles.
2. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the nanosilver particles have a
size of about 15.about.300 nm and a concentration of about 1.about.500
ppm.
3. The refrigerator of claim 1 or 2, wherein the finish material is an
interior finish material which constitutes a food storage compartment of
the refrigerator.
4. The refrigerator of claim 1 or 2, wherein the finish material is made
from a transparent or opaque resin to which pigment is added.
5. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the nanosilver particles are
coated on a surface of the finish material.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to a refrigerator with a finish
material containing antibacterial and/or antifungal nanosilver particles;
and, more particularly, to a refrigerator including a finish material
which contains nanosilver particles exhibiting optimal antibacterial
and/or antifungal functions by limiting the size and the concentration of
the nanosilver particles to specific ranges which are practical and
applicable, respectively.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] In general, silver (Ag) is well-known as a common antibacterial
agent.
Colloidal silver is known as being safe and effective against
bacteria, fungi, microbes, virus and the like. Particularly, when silver
ions are absorbed into cells of virus, bacteria, fungi and the like, the
silver ions prevent the operation of enzyme required in respiration
thereof to render them dead. Further, silver ions prevent metabolism of
the bacteria and suppress reproductive function thereof.
[0003] The fine particles of silver can be produced by a physical process
such as electrolysis, liquid phase reduction, and grinding. The
electrolysis has mainly been used hitherto in order to obtain stabilized
nanosilver particles with a high purity. In the electrolysis process,
pure silver (99.99%) is immersed into distilled water; and extremely fine
particulates of silver are obtained by applying a low current at a low
temperature.
[0004] On the other hand, a refrigerator serves to preserve food in a
fresh state for a long period in a food storage compartment by cooling
air in the compartment using a refrigerating cycle. In the refrigerator,
refrigerant gas compressed under a high temperature and a high pressure
by a compressor is condensed into liquid phase in a condenser; and the
liquid is then pressure-reduced through an expansion valve and evaporated
in an evaporator. At this time, the evaporating refrigerant takes heat
from ambient air to cool it. The cooled air is then forced to the food
storage compartment by, e.g., a fan.
[0005] It has been attempted to provide the refrigerator with an
antibacterial function. However, in a conventional antibacterial agent
such as silver-based zeolite inorganic antibacterial agent and silver
powder antibacterial agent with micron-sized particles, the micron-sized
silver particles have a specific surface area per a unit weight less than
that of nano-sized silver particles; and, therefore, a greater amount of
the former is needed than the latter in order to exhibit the same
antibacterial ability. Further, the conventional antibacterial agent is
not smoothly dispersed while being mixed with a resin since the particle
size thereof is large, and is likely to cause scratches to the surface of
an injection mold.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] It is, therefore, a primary object of the present invention to
provide a refrigerator having a finish material containing antibacterial
nanosilver particles.
[0007] It is another object of the present invention to provide a
refrigerator with an appropriate antibacterial function by limiting the
size and the concentration of the nanosilver particles to specific ranges
which are suitable for the optimal antibacterial action, respectively,
thereby increasing the satisfaction of users.
[0008] In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, there is
provided a refrigerator including: a finish material constituting the
refrigerator, the finish material containing nanosilver particles.
[0009] Preferably, the nanosilver particles have a size of about
15.about.300 nm and a concentration of about 1.about.500 ppm. More
preferably, the concentration of the nanosilver particles ranges about
50.about.500 ppm.
[0010] The finish material may be an interior finish material which
constitutes a food storage compartment of the refrigerator.
[0011] The finish material may be formed from a transparent or opaque
resin to which pigment is added.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] The above and other objects and features of the present invention
will become apparent from the following description of preferred
embodiments given in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
[0013] FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a finish material of
the present invention wherein nanosilver particles are added thereto;
[0014] FIGS. 2A and 2B represent antibacterial test results of used test
isolates;
[0015] FIGS. 3A and 3B show test results of MacConkey agar medium
cultivation of bacterial in a tangerine in a vessel made of a finish
material containing nanosilver particles in accordance with the present
invention and a conventional vessel made of a finish material without
nanosilver, respectively; and
[0016] FIGS. 4A and 4B show test results of MacConkey agar medium
cultivation of bacterial in meat in a vessel made of a finish material
containing nanosilver particles in accordance with the present invention
and a conventional vessel made of a finish material without nanosilver,
respectively.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0017] A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be
described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0018] FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a finish material 1
of the present invention wherein nanosilver particles 2 are added
thereto.
[0019] The inventor has studied for employing the nanosilver particles so
as to provide a refrigerator with an antibacterial function. In other
words, by incorporating nanosilver particles into a finish material
constituting any part of the refrigerator where there may be caused a
generation and multiplication of bacteria, such as an interior finish
material constituting a food storage compartment of the refrigerator, a
storage vessel, a pocket and a part constituting an air circulation duct,
the finish material comes to have the antibacterial function.
[0020] As shown, the nanosilver particles 2 may be contained in the finish
material 1, e.g., the interior finish material constituting the food
storage compartment of the refrigerator. Alternatively, the nanosilver
particles 2 may be coated on a surface of the finish material 1 of the
refrigerator.
[0021] In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the size of
the nanosilver particles 2 is limited to about 15.about.300 nm in
consideration of the current manufacturing technique and the efficiency
of specific surface area per a unit weight.
[0022] Further, the concentration of the nanosilver particles 2 added to
the finish material 1 is limited to a range of about 1.about.500 ppm by
weight such that the expensive nanosilver can efficiently be used and a
target antibacterial ability can be obtained. As the concentration of the
nanosilver is increased, the antibacterial ability is raised; however, as
can be seen from the test results in FIGS. 2A and 2B, in the range of
50.about.500 ppm, there is no significant difference of the antibacterial
ability. In addition, in the above concentration range of the nanosilver,
the sterilization or bacteriostasis can be performed stably and
efficiently.
[0023] FIGS. 3A and 3B show test results of MacConkey agar medium
cultivation of bacterial in a tangerine and FIGS. 4A and 4B indicate test
results in meat. As can be seen from the results, the multiplications of
bacteria in the tangerine and the meat are suppressed in a vessel made of
the finish material containing nanosilver particles in accordance with
the present invention more significantly than in a conventional vessel
made of a finish material without nanosilver.
[0024] In addition, the finish material 1 may be made from a transparent
or opaque resin to which pigment is added.
[0025] While the invention has been shown and described with respect to
the preferred embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the
art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing
from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following
claims.
