Movable or removable closures – Panel with closure feature
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-30
2001-02-27
Redman, Jerry (Department: 3634)
Movable or removable closures
Panel with closure feature
Reexamination Certificate
active
06192630
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a door for a refrigerator that has door corner epaulet covers.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
For several years the trend in domestic refrigerator cabinets has been to increase the size and in particular the width of the food compartments and doors in top or bottom mount refrigerators.
Typically, the refrigerator door is constructed from an outer door panel of sheet steel material having rearwardly extending side walls. The door has an inner liner wall of plastic material attached to the door panel. Foam insulation is injected in the space between the outer panel and the inner liner. The foam expands and cures to thermally insulate and rigidize the door.
In order to conserve costs, the amount of steel used in the manufacture of these doors is optimized. The practice is to use a relatively thin sheet of steel for the outer panel. Often this sheet is in the order of 0.017 inches thick. Consequently, in order for the refrigerator door to maintain it's integrity and support articles or items stored on door mounted shelves, the most common approach to reinforce the door has been to use cross braces located within the door cavity between the inner liner and the outer door panel. The metal cross braces extend from the corners of the refrigerator outer panel in an X configuration to reinforce the refrigerator door.
To further strengthen the door outer skin, the corners of the door formed when the skin is rolled back onto itself to provide a supporting peripheral flange for the door liner, have been welded. However, this welded corner results in the corner hinge bearing the door load and transferring loading stresses across the outer door skin. Further, the welding of the door outer skin at the corners does not permit the use of a pre-painted door outer skin for door manufacture since the skin paint at the corners is effected by the weld. Also, the welding of the corners fixes the corner shape so that minor changes in door construction must be accounted for during door manufacture. Clearly, there is a need for a refrigerator door corner construction that eliminates the problems associated with welding the outer skin door corners, reduces the load transfer from the door onto the relatively thin steel outer skin wall of the refrigerator door and does not have an unpleasant finish.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a refrigerator door that transfers reduced door corner stresses onto the outer skin of the door without having a detrimental effect on the appearance of the refrigerator door.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a refrigerator door that has corners that do not require welding to complete the door corner.
The present invention relates to a door for a refrigerator appliance comprising an outer door panel having an outer skin sheet with rearwardly extending peripheral vertical and horizontal side walls. The side walls form corners at a location adjacent and between the horizontal and vertical side walls. The horizontal side walls each have an open section that may formed by the manner in which the vertical side wall of the door is formed or, preferably as a cut-out section located adjacent where the door is normally mounted through hinge pins to the refrigerator appliance. A corner supporting bracket is located within the door for receiving the door hinge pins. By having an open section or a removed cut-out section in the horizontal side wall of the door skin, there is a reduction of door loading stresses transferred from the corner of the door to the outer door skin. The removed edge section creates a sharp exposed edge in the side walls adjacent the corner. The exposed edge extends along any one of, and preferably all of, the outer door skin, the vertical side wall, and the horizontal wall. Of course, depending on the construction of the refrigerator door, in-turned flanges formed from further extensions of the vertical and horizontal side walls may also provide an exposed edge extending along the cut-out or open section. Further, it is envisaged that the cut-out or open section may not extend completely across the depth of the horizontal wall, or may be spaced from the vertical wall by a remaining portion of the horizontal side wall. In the present invention, a door epaulet covers the removed cut-out or open section and the exposed edges of the side walls. The epaulet cover does not assume any of the loading forces carried by the reinforcing corner bracket and, consequently, does not distribute such loading forces onto the outer door skin of the refrigerator door.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention there a door for a refrigerator appliance comprising an outer door panel having an outer skin sheet with rearwardly extending peripheral vertical and horizontal side walls. The door panel has a plurality of corners located between adjacent horizontal and vertical side walls. The door has an inner door liner secured to the outer door panel spaced from the outer door skin sheet to define a cavity between the inner liner and the sheet. At least one cut-out or open section is removed from one of the horizontal side walls adjacent one of the corners to define at least one exposed edge extending along at least one of the vertical side wall, horizontal side wall and outer skin sheet of the door. A reinforcing corner bracket is positioned within the cavity adjacent the at least one cut-out or open section of the one horizontal side wall. The reinforcing corner bracket extends along and is secured to at least one of the one horizontal side wall and the adjacent vertical side wall. The door includes an epaulet cover extending over a portion of the one horizontal side wall, the one cut-out or open section and the at least one exposed edge. The epaulet cover has at least one first fastener for securing the epaulet cover tightly over the at least one exposed edge.
The reinforcing corner bracket preferably has a horizontal plate extending in abutting relation to the horizontal side wall, a load bearing portion recessed in spaced relation from the horizontal side wall and extending across the at least one cut-out or open section of the one horizontal side wall to engage the vertical side wall inwardly of the at least one exposed edge. The bracket has a first central opening in the recessed load bearing portion. The epaulet cover preferably has a second central opening aligned with, and of larger diameter than, the first central opening. The door further includes a thimble member having an elongate shaft inserted though the first central opening of each reinforcing corner bracket. The thimble member has a stepped flange head resting on the load bearing portion of the corner bracket for supporting a hinge pin on the stepped flange head within the second central opening of the epaulet cover.
The epaulet cover preferably has a flange depending therefrom and adapted to overlay an outside surface portion of at least one of the outer door skin and the vertical side wall. The first fastener preferably comprises a plurality of ribs extending from the epaulet cover adjacent the flange for engaging inside surface portions of at least one of the outer door skin and the vertical side wall.
The epaulet cover preferably includes at least one second fastener extending from the epaulet cover towards the reinforcing corner bracket for engagement thereto. The second fastener comprises an extension having a hook shaped end. The reinforcing corner bracket includes a corresponding slotted aperture through which the extension of the second fastener passes permitting the hook shaped surface to engage a rear side or underside of the reinforcing corner bracket. The slotted aperture in the bracket is sized larger than the extension of the second fastener to permit lateral movement of the epaulet cover relative to the reinforcing corner bracket as the epaulet cover is secured over the at least one exposed edge.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3042780 (1962-07-01), Gursahaney
patent: 30
Adamczyk Richard
Banicevic Nedo
Estravillo Arnold
Camco Inc.
Redman Jerry
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