1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to appliances utilizing glass paneled doors such as beverage refrigerators, wine coolers, ovens and, more particularly, to a decorative door for such appliances.
2. General Background and State of the Art
In recent years, it has become popular to equip appliances such as beverage refrigerators, wine coolers, ovens and others with doors that incorporated a glass panel through which the interior and its contents could be viewed. Conventionally, a metal frame could be employed in which a glass pane could be installed. The frame could be polished and reflective or could be non reflective with a brushed textured surface.
Some appliances have employed a glass door, eliminating the metal frame. In such embodiments, the glass was thick enough to be structurally sound and also sufficiently insulative as to maintain the temperature differentials between the interior and exterior of the appliance. However, the aesthetics of a reflective frame are lost when the glass door is used without the metal frame.
According to the present invention, a glass door is provided with a mirror coating which occupies the areas that would normally be covered by a reflective metal frame. In one embodiment, the mirroring can be on an external surface of an inner pane and a clear glass pane serves as outer pane to protect the inner pane and, incidentally, add to the insulative qualities of the resultant glass door.
In alternative embodiments, the mirror coating can be applied to an inner surface of a glass pane so that it is protected from exterior elements and is not affected when the exterior of the pane is cleaned or subjected to potentially harmful encounters. In this embodiment, a second pane can be adjacent the mirrored surface to further protect the mirroring.
The mirroring can be applied in several ways. It can be a foil or polyester film that is adhered to the glass. It can be vapor deposited on the glass surface. It also can be applied as a coating to the glass through techniques such as magnetron sputtering. The mirroring is applied to the surface adjacent the edges so that a frame effect is achieved. Yet another technique is the application of a reflective coating using silk screen printing; Where displays are provided that are to be viewed through the door, the mirroring can be absent over the displays.
While less desirable, the mirror surfacing can be applied to an exterior surface. This would subject the mirror to potential environmental hazards as well as the potentially destructive hazards of cleaning or polishing the door.
In preferred embodiments, double panes are utilized to enhance the insulative qualities of the resulting structure. Which surface provides the reflective effect can be a matter of aesthetics and design choice. Moreover, it is elementary that a pane with a mirror coating applied to a surface can be an inner pane with a clear outer pane cover or an outer pane with the coating on the inner surface.
The novel features which are characteristic of the invention, both as to structure and method of operation thereof, together with further objects and advantages thereof, will be understood from the following description, considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which the preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated by way of example. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for the purpose of illustration and description only, and they are not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention.
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Through the glass pane 18, the contents of the cabinet can be seen, here a plurality of wine bottles 20 resting on shelves 22. A control panel 24 is located in the upper portion of the frame 16. In the embodiment shown, the control panel 24 is used to set temperature and other parameters of the interior environment to maintain the wine at acceptable levels of temperature and humidity for optimum wine storage and preservation.
Similar doors can be provided to other appliances in which it is desirable to view the interior of the appliance. This could include wine refrigerators, ovens and others. The prior art metal frame can have a mirror finish to satisfy aesthetic desires.
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It is also possible to apply the mirrored surface to the back surface of an interior pane or the front surface of an exterior pane. The placement of the mirrored surface is dependant upon the thickness and clarity of the glass panes and is chosen with the goal of most closely resembling a prior art door in appearance. The panels 34, 36 are held together with u-shaped band 38 that surrounds them. A hinge 40 permits the door 30 to open and close.
The pane 50 can be an interior pane or an exterior pane. The mirroring 52 can be on an interior or exterior surface of the interior pane or the exterior pane. In some applications, it is preferable that the mirroring be on the interior surface of an exterior pane with the reflective surface adjacent the pane so that it is visible through the pane at the exterior surface.
Other applications could have the mirroring 52 on the exterior surface of an interior pane to be viewed through the exterior pane. Less desirable would be placement of the mirroring on the interior surface of the interior pane or on the exterior surface of an exterior pane. For the former, the thickness of the glass could attenuate the reflectivity while the latter places the mirroring in greater danger of damage.
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While the specification describes particular embodiments of the present invention, those of ordinary skill can devise variations of the present invention without departing from the inventive concept.
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Entry |
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First Office Action of State Intellectual Property Office of China and Search Report, Application No. 2014101006645, dated Apr. 12, 2017, in 13 pages. |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20150101587 A1 | Apr 2015 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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61890786 | Oct 2013 | US |