Abstract:
An automatic defrost timer including a spiral cam coacting with switch contacts is provided with a pawl means for engagement with a ratchet wheel mechanism having an eccentric cam and ratchet wheel advance cam follower imparting rotation to an indicating wheel visual indication means in the form of coded segments thereon, wherein each segment is associated with a certain predetermined warranty time interval indicating the elapsed time during which a refrigerator has been in service. The rotating indicator wheel, when viewed through a window in the timer switch housing, has, for example, a first colored segment indicating the refrigerator is operating during a first period of its warranty, a second colored segment indicating that a second period of the warranty is in effect while a third colored segment is designed to be permanently visible when the total warranty period has expired.