[Claim 1] (Currently Amended)

A refrigerator comprising:

a refrigerator main body;

a first detection unit configured to detect a change in an outside environment in a periphery of said refrigerator;

a second detection unit configured to detect a change in an internal environment of said refrigerator;

a control unit configured to control the operation of a current-consuming component provided in said refrigerator main body by automatically switching, based on an output signal from said first detection unit, to power-saving operation that suppresses or stops the operation of the current-consuming component; and

a storage unit configured to accumulate information indicated by an output signal from said second detection unit,

wherein said control unit is further configured to determine a pattern of the power-saving operation, the pattern being a pattern of suppressing or stopping the operation of the current-consuming component, in accordance with the information accumulated in said storage unit, and control the current-consuming component so that the current-consuming component operates according to the determined pattern.

[Claim 2] (New)

The refrigerator according to Claim 1,

wherein said control unit is further configured to determine a usage state of said refrigerator for each of time periods, based on the information accumulated in said storage unit, and determine the pattern so as to cause the current-consuming component to carry out the power-saving operation, for a time period in which it has been determined that said refrigeration is not in a state of use.

[Claim 3] (Currently Amended)

The refrigerator according to Claim 1,

wherein said control unit is configured to determine an activity state of a user based on the output signal from said first detection unit and switch to the power-saving operation in the case where it has been determined that the user is not in an active state.

[Claim 4] (Currently Amended)

The refrigerator according to Claim 1,

wherein said first detection unit is an illumination sensor that detects illumination in the periphery of said refrigerator.

[Claim 5] (Currently Amended)

The refrigerator according to Claim 1,

wherein said first detection unit is a human sensor that detects movement of a person in the periphery of the refrigerator based on an amount of change in infrared light emitted from the person.

(Canceled) (Canceled)

[Claim 6] (New)

The refrigerator according to one of Claim 1 and Claim 2,

wherein, when the current-consuming component is being caused to carry out the power-saving operation according to the determined pattern, said control unit is configured to switch from the power-saving operation to normal operation in the case where it has been determined that a user is in an active state based on the output signal from said first detection unit.

[Claim 7] (Currently Amended)

The refrigerator according to Claim 1,

wherein said second detection unit is a door opened and closed state detection unit that detects a door opened and closed state of said refrigerator.

[Claim 8] (Currently Amended)

The refrigerator according to Claim 1,

wherein said second detection unit is an interior temperature detection unit that detects an interior temperature of said refrigerator.

[Claim 9] (Currently Amended)

The refrigerator according to Claim 1,

wherein said storage unit is further configured to accumulate information indicated by the output signal from said first detection unit, and

said control unit is further configured to determine the pattern of the power-saving operation, in accordance with the information accumulated in said storage unit, and control the current-consuming component so that the current-consuming component operates according to the determined pattern, the information being indicated by the output signal from said first detection unit and the output signal from said second detection unit.

[Claim 10]

The refrigerator according to Claim 1, further comprising

a notification unit configured to allow a user of said refrigerator to recognize that the power-saving operation is being carried out in the case where the current-consuming component is carrying out the power-saving operation.

[Claim 11]

The refrigerator according to Claim 10,

wherein said notification unit includes a first notification unit that operates during a predetermined period following the start of the power-saving operation and a second notification unit that operates after the predetermined period has passed.

[Claim 12]

The refrigerator according to Claim 1,

wherein said refrigerator main body includes an insulating main body having a storage compartment, a door that covers the opening of the storage compartment in a freely openable and closable state, and a compressor, a condenser, a decompressor, and an evaporator that configure a refrigeration cycle, and

said compressor is an inverter electric motor that is driven at multiple rotational frequencies including a rotational frequency that is lower than a rotational frequency of a commercial power source; and

said control unit is configured to:

control said compressor so that said compressor operates in an energy conservation mode that operates at a rotational frequency that is lower than the rotational frequency of the commercial power source during normal cooling, where an outside temperature is in the vicinity of 25°C and said door is not opened and closed; and

control said compressor so that said compressor operates in a high-load cooling mode that operates at a rotational frequency that is greater than or equal to the rotational frequency of the commercial power source only in the case of the high-load cooling mode that requires a high load due to said door being opened and closed or the intrusion of warm air.

[Claim 13]

A compressor, installed in the refrigerator according to Claim 12, comprising a compression chamber and a piston that moves reciprocally within said compression chamber,

wherein a cylinder volume, which is the volume of the space in which compression operations are carried out by said piston moving reciprocally within said compression chamber, is of a size that enables said compressor to be driven at a rotational frequency that is lower than the rotational frequency of the commercial power source even during normal cooling in the case where the outside temperature is in the vicinity of 25°C and said door is not opened and closed.

[Claim 14]

A compressor, installed in the refrigerator according to Claim 12, comprising a compression chamber and a piston that moves reciprocally within the compression chamber,

wherein a diameter of said piston is greater than a stroke, the stroke being the distance of the reciprocal movement of said piston.