The present subject matter relates generally to a protective device for doors to prevent injury to a hand or fingers, and more particularly to a consumer appliance, such as a refrigerator, incorporating such a device.
It is generally appreciated that the operation of doors swinging relative to a stationary frame can create a pinch or crush hazard in the gap that is formed along the hinge side of the door. It is not uncommon for an unwary person or child to place their hand or fingers in this gap wherein, upon closing the door, a serious injury can result.
Various devices have been suggested to address the issue. For example, the published European patent application EP 1988249A describes a door gap guard intended to cover the gap between a door panel and door frame. The guard is an elongated sheet member that is mounted to the door frame along one side. The opposite free side rides against the door panel to cover the gap created when the door moves to an open position. Similarly, the published UK patent application GB 2271134 describes a finger shield that attaches to the door frame with a spring loaded hinge. A free end of the shield is biased against the door.
Refrigerators are not immune to the problem. A crush zone can be created between the hinge side of the refrigerator door and an adjacent cabinet or other article. This is particularly true with flush-mount refrigerators having side-by-side doors that are mounted flush with the front plane of adjacent cabinets. These doors typically require an articulated hinge so that the door can fully open.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,265,954 recognizes that injury can occur when a person places their hand or fingers in the hinge assembly of a refrigerator, particularly between the hinge butt and hinge leaf. These components can create a dangerous scissoring action upon opening and closing the refrigerator door. The '954 patent describes an anti-pinch hinge assembly that incorporates a gap cover with the hinge brackets to minimize the risk of injury at the hinges.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a door for refrigerator with a finger guard assembly that does not require mounting to adjacent cabinets or other devices and that provides protection along the entire length of the door.
Aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the following description, or may be obvious from the description, or may be learned through practice of the invention.
In an exemplary embodiment, a consumer appliance, such as a refrigerator, is provided having a casing that defines one or more internal storage spaces. A door (or doors) is attached to the casing along a hinge side of the door. An elongated finger guard is pivotally mounted to a back surface of the door (for example, to the back of a front panel attached to a door frame) along the hinge side of the door. The finger guard has an extension portion that defines a floating edge. The finger guard is pivotally biased to swing away from the casing so that the floating edge of the extension portion engages against an item adjacent the casing, for example against the side of cabinetry adjacent a flush-mount refrigerator. The extension portion has a transverse width so as to slide along and remain engaged against the item adjacent to the casing in all positions of the door.
These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following description and appended claims. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.
A full and enabling disclosure of the present invention, including the best mode thereof, directed to one of ordinary skill in the art, is set forth in the specification, which makes reference to the appended figures, in which:
Reference now will be made in detail to embodiments of the invention, one or more examples of which are illustrated in the drawings. Each example is provided by way of explanation of the invention, not limitation of the invention. In fact, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. For instance, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment can be used with another embodiment to yield a still further embodiment. Thus, it is intended that the present invention covers such modifications and variations as come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.
The refrigerator 10 includes doors 14 that open relative to a casing 18 (
The finger guard 26 includes an extension portion 28 that may be formed of any suitable material. For example, the extension portion 28 may be a strip of or pliant. The extension portion 28 may be rigid or pliant, a continuous strip of material, or a combination of separate material strips, and so forth. The invention is not limited by any particular type of material used for the extension portion 28. Referring to
The extension portion 28 is attached to the back side of the door 14 by any suitable pivot joint 30, such as a hinge. A biasing element 32, for example a spring, living hinge, and so forth, is configured at the pivot joint 30 to bias the extension portion 28 outwardly against the adjacent cabinet 12. The extension portion 28 includes a floating edge 44 that engages against the cabinet 12 (or any other item adjacent to the refrigerator 10) and, as the door is opened to the position illustrated in
Particularly for flush-mount refrigerators 10 as depicted in
It should be appreciated that various configurations of a pivot joint 30 are within the scope and spirit of the invention for biasing an elongated strip member 28 against the inside surface of an adjacent cabinet 12. For example, in the embodiment of
The embodiment of
The floating edge 44 at the end of the extension portion 28 may frictionally slide against the adjacent cabinet surface 12, as in the embodiment of
In an alternate embodiment depicted in
This written description uses examples to disclose the invention, including the best mode, and also to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the invention, including making and using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scope of the invention is defined by the claims, and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they include structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if they include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from the literal languages of the claims.