Article retainer assembly for refrigerators

Abstract

An article retainer assembly for a refrigerator shelf includes a pair of support brackets and a retaining member. The support brackets are preferably mounted at opposing side portions of a refrigerator shelf, with the retaining member extending therebetween and across a front edge section of the shelf. The support brackets include corresponding guide tracks having first and second portions adapted to support the retaining member in an upright, lowered or stowed configuration. In the upright position, the retaining member prevents articles resting upon the shelf from moving beyond the front edge section. In the lowered position, unobstructed access is provided to the articles on the shelf and, in the stowed position, the retaining member is held in place below the shelf.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an upper left perspective view of a side-by-side refrigerator illustrating an article retaining assembly constructed in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention positioned across a freezer compartment shelf;

FIG. 2 is an upper left perspective view of the article retaining assembly of FIG. 1, illustrating first and second support brackets and a retaining member of the retaining assembly;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of one support bracket of the article retaining assembly of the first embodiment, illustrating the retaining member in a first or upright position;

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of one support bracket of the article retaining assembly of the first embodiment, illustrating the retaining member shifting towards a second or lowered position;

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of one support bracket of the article retaining assembly of the first embodiment, illustrating the retaining member in the second or lowered position;

FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of one support bracket of the article retaining assembly of the first embodiment, illustrating the retaining member in a final or stowed position;

FIG. 7 is an upper left perspective view of an article retaining assembly constructed in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention, illustrating first and second support brackets and a retaining member of the retaining assembly;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a support bracket of the article retaining assembly illustrated in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a side elevational view of one support bracket of the article retaining assembly of FIG. 7, illustrating the retaining member in a first or upright position;

FIG. 10 is a side elevational view of the support bracket of the article retaining assembly of FIG. 7, illustrating the retaining member shifting towards a second or lowered position;

FIG. 11 is a side elevational view of the support bracket of the article retaining assembly of FIG. 7, illustrating the retaining member in the second or lowered position; and

FIG. 12 is a side elevational view of the support bracket of the article retaining assembly of FIG. 7, illustrating the retaining member in a final or stowed position.

Claims

1. A refrigerator comprising: a cabinet;a liner arranged within the cabinet, said liner having top, bottom and opposing side walls defining, at least in part, a refrigerated compartment;a door pivotally mounted relative to the cabinet for selectively closing the refrigerated compartment;a shelf mounted in the refrigerator compartment for supporting articles to be refrigerated, said shelf including a substantially flat planar portion defined, at least in part, by first and second opposing side sections and a front edge section; andan article retainer assembly including: first and second support brackets mounted to the shelf, each of said first and second support brackets including a guide track; anda retaining member positioned across the front edge section of the shelf between the first and second support brackets, said retaining member including a main body portion having first and second end sections, each of said first and second end sections being provided with a pivot post extending into the guide track of a respective one of the first and second support brackets, said pivot post being adapted to transition along the guide track as the retaining member shifts between three distinct positions including a first position, wherein the retaining member extends above the front edge section of the shelf to block articles on the shelf, a second position wherein the retaining member is lowered to expose articles stored on the shelf, and a third, stowed position wherein the retaining member is maintained in a location assuring unobstructed access to articles stored on the shelf.

2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the guide track of each of the first and second support brackets includes a first portion interconnected to a second portion to define a continuous path.

3. The refrigerator according to claim 2, wherein the pivot post extending from each of the first and second end sections rests within the first portion of a respective said guide track when the retaining member is in its first position.

4. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein each of the first and second support brackets includes multiple tab portions, said first and second support brackets being secured to the shelf through respective ones of the multiple tab portions.

5. The refrigerator according to claim 4, wherein the multiple tab portions of each of the first and second support brackets snap-fittingly connect to the shelf.

6. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second support brackets includes a holding element for selectively maintaining the retaining member in the stowed position.

7. The refrigerator according to claim 6, further comprising: first and second retention channels provided in the first and second support brackets respectively; andfirst and second pegs extending from the retaining member, each of the first and second pegs resting in a respective one of the first and second retention channels when the retaining member is in the first position.

8. The refrigerator according to claim 7, wherein the holding element is constituted by a clip, said clip being adapted to snap-fittingly receive one of the first and second pegs of the retaining member.

9. The refrigerator according to claim 1 wherein, when in the stowed position, said retaining member extends below and substantially parallel to the substantially flat planar portion of the shelf.

10. A refrigerator comprising: a cabinet;a liner arranged within the cabinet, said liner having top, bottom and opposing side walls defining, at least in part, a refrigerated compartment;a door pivotally mounted relative to the cabinet for selectively closing the refrigerated compartment;a shelf mounted in the refrigerator compartment for supporting articles to be refrigerated, said shelf including a substantially flat planar portion defined, at least in part, by first and second opposing side sections and a front edge section; andan article retainer assembly including: a retaining member positioned across the front edge section of the shelf, said retaining member including a main body portion having first and second end sections, each of said first and second end sections being provided with a pivot post, said retaining member being shiftably mounted relative to the shelf to three distinct positions including a first position wherein the retaining member extends above the front edge section of the shelf to block articles on the shelf, a second position wherein the retaining member is lowered to expose articles stored on the shelf, and a third, stowed position wherein the retaining member is maintained in a location assuring unobstructed access to articles stored on the shelf; andmeans for supporting the retaining member in each of the first, second and third positions, said supporting means being mounted to the shelf.

11. The refrigerator according to claim 10, wherein the supporting means includes first and second support brackets mounted to the shelf, with each of the first and second support brackets including a guide track receiving a respective said pivot post.

12. The refrigerator according to claim 11, wherein each of the first and second support brackets includes multiple tab portions, said first and second support brackets being secured to the shelf through respective ones of the multiple tab portions.

13. The refrigerator according to claim 12, wherein the multiple tab portions of each of the first and second support brackets snap-fittingly connect to the shelf.

14. The refrigerator according to claim 11, further comprising: first and second retention channels provided in the first and second support brackets respectively; andfirst and second pegs extending from the retaining member, each of the first and second pegs resting in a respective one of the first and second retention channels when the retaining member is in the first position.

15. The refrigerator according to claim 10, wherein the support means includes a holding element.

16. The refrigerator according to claim 15, further comprising: a peg extending from the retaining member, wherein the peg is snap-fittingly received by the holding element to selectively maintain the retaining member in the third position.

17. The refrigerator according to claim 10 wherein, when in the stowed position, the retaining member extends below and substantially parallel to the substantially flat planar portion of the shelf.

18. A method of operating an article retaining assembly provided across a front edge section of a refrigerator shelf comprising: positioning a retaining member in a first position between first and second support brackets mounted to a refrigerator shelf to prevent articles from shifting beyond a front edge section of the refrigerator shelf;lifting the retaining member, causing peg elements on the retaining member to disengage from retention channels on the first and second support brackets;rotating the retaining member, causing pivot elements of the retaining member to transition along guide tracks defined by the first and second support brackets until the retaining member assumes a second, lowered position; andselectively stowing the retaining member in a third position wherein the retaining member is supported below and substantially parallel to the refrigerator shelf.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the retaining member is snap-fittingly retained in the third position.