The present invention generally relates to refrigerators. More particularly, the present invention relates to a latching arrangement for a refrigerator door. In one particular form, the present invention relates to a latching arrangement for a refrigerator door that includes a primary latch and a storage latch.
Vehicles including but not limited to recreational vehicles (“RVs” in the United States and “Caravans” in Europe), tractor trailers, airplanes, boats, trains, and the like often incorporate refrigerators for the comfort and convenience of the occupants. Such refrigerators conventionally include magnets for retaining the door in a closed position. In addition, some known refrigerators incorporate manually operated latches to further prevent unintended opening of the door during periods of vehicle travel, for example.
While such conventional latching arrangements for refrigerator doors have proven to be satisfactory for their intended use, they are all associated with limitations. For example, most known latching arrangements must be manually actuated and thereby may not always be used. Additionally, many known latching arrangements are not conveniently located and require undesired motion to activate. Furthermore, known latching arrangements do not allow for the door to be secured in an ajar position so as to facilitate proper ventilation during periods of non-use.
Accordingly, it remains a need in the pertinent art to provide a refrigerator door latching arrangement that overcomes the limitations associated with the prior known arrangements, including but not limited to those disadvantages discussed above.
It is a general object of the present invention to provide a latching arrangement for a refrigerator door which includes a first latch arm for securing the door in a closed position and a second latch arm for securing the door in an ajar position.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a latching arrangement for a refrigerator door that automatically latches the door to a cabinet upon closing of the door.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a latching arrangement having a latch arm which is conveniently positioned to facilitate ergonomically efficient unlatching of the door.
In one particular form, the present invention provides a latching arrangement for a refrigerator having a door and a main body. The latching arrangement includes a striker unit, a first latch arm and a second latch arm. The striker unit is secured to the main body. The first latch arm is interconnected to the door for pivotal movement about a generally horizontal axis between a latched position and an unlatched position. In the latched position, the first arm releasably engages a first striker portion of the striker unit. The second latch arm is interconnected to the door for pivotal movement about a generally vertical axis between a latched position and an unlatched position. In the latched position, the second latch arm releasably engages a second striker portion of the striker unit.
Additional advantages and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description and appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
Further areas of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating the preferred embodiment of the invention, are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.
The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:
The following description of the preferred teachings of the present invention are merely exemplary in nature and are in no way intended to limit the invention, its application, or uses.
With initial reference to
The refrigerator 10 includes a control panel 18 which carries a plurality of refrigerator controls 20. The control panel 18 upwardly extends from the cabinet 16 and is secured to the cabinet 16 with fasteners or in any other manner well known in the art. In a conventional manner, wiring (not shown) for the plurality of control 20 extends across an upper surface of the cabinet 16 and down the backside of the cabinet 16.
The door assembly 14 is mounted to the cabinet 16 for pivotal movement about an pivot axis 22 (identified in
The door assembly 14 generally includes a main body portion 26 and a cap or upper portion 28. The main body portion 26 includes a height and a width generally corresponding in size to the cabinet height and the cabinet width, respectively. The cap portion 28 is secured to and upwardly extends from the main body portion 26 of the door assembly 14. The cap portion 28 functions to substantially conceal the plurality of controls 20 when the door assembly 14 is articulated to its closed position but maintains a small access for fingers to open the door. This access is symmetrical to allow for right-hand or left-hand hinging of the door assembly 14. The construction of the door assembly 14 is further described in commonly assigned U.S. Ser. No. 60/314,984, filed Aug. 24, 2001. U.S. Ser. No. 60/314,984 is hereby incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.
With continued reference to
The latch unit 30 includes a base member 34 mounted within a recess 36 defined by the door assembly 14. As shown, the latch unit 30 is mounted to the right hand side of the door assembly 14. As particularly illustrated in
The latch unit 30 further includes a latch member 40. The latch member 40 is pivotally mounted to the base 34 for rotation about a pivot axis defined by a pin 42. The latch member 40 includes a handle portion 44 and a first or primary latch arm 46. The latch member 40 may be pivoted between a first or latched position (shown for example in
The handle portion 44 of the latch member 40 upwardly extends from the pivot axis 42. In the embodiment illustrated, the handle portion 44 curves rearwardly as it extends upwardly. In this manner, the handle portion 44 is generally parallel to an adjacent portion of the cap portion 28 of the door assembly 14 and in relative close proximity thereto. To facilitate opening of the door assembly 14, the handle portion 44 of the latch member 40 can be grasped in an ergonomically-efficient manner and drawn towards the cap portion 28 of the door assembly 14. Operation of the latch member 40 is effectively transparent to the user as the handle portion 44 is conveniently located immediately adjacent the cap portion 28 of the door assembly 12.
The first latch arm 46 of the latch member 40 rearwardly extends relative to the handle portion 44. The first latch arm 46 includes an undercut portion 49 (see
The striker unit 32 is shown specifically in
The latch unit 30 is further illustrated to include a second latch arm or storage strap 64. The second latch arm 64 is secured to the base 34 with a fastener 66 (see, for example,
The second striker portion 70 of the striker unit 30 is shown to comprise a generally L-shaped member having a downwardly extending leg 72. The downwardly extending leg 72 is preferably shown to include a rear surface with a narrowed central portion (perhaps shown most clearly in
In certain applications, it may be desirable to establish a break-away attachment between the second latch arm 64 and the second striker portion 70. To facilitate such applications, the second striker arm 64 is constructed of plastic or other suitable material which will sufficiently yield to permit a distal end 76 (see
Turning now to
In a manner similar to the striker unit 32, the striker unit 80 is integrally formed to include a mounting portion defining a pair of mounting apertures 84. These mounting apertures 84 again receive threaded fasteners for securement to the cabinet 16. The striker unit 80 also similarly defines a first striker portion 86 for cooperating with the first latch arm 46.
The striker unit 80 primarily differs from the striker unit 32 in the construction and operation of a second striker portion 88 for engaging the second latch arm 82. The second striker portion 88 includes a pair of cylindrical extensions 90. The cylindrical extensions 90 are oriented and configured to be alternatively received within an opening 92 defined by the second latch arm 82.
In a manner similar to the second latch arm 64, the second latch arm 82 rotates between a latched and an unlatched position. The axis about which the second latch arm 82 rotates is defined by a fastener (not specifically shown with respect to
The latch arm is preferably made of an elastomeric material. One suitable material is a thermoplastic rubber commercially available under the trademark Santiprene®. Such a material facilitates a break-away connection with the striker unit 80. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that other materials may be incorporated.
The description of the invention is merely exemplary in nature and, thus, variations that do not depart from the gist of the invention are intended to be within the scope of the invention. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention.
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
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PCT/US02/33658 | 10/21/2002 | WO | 00 | 4/22/2004 |
Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
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WO03/036203 | 5/1/2003 | WO | A |
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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2227144 | Krause | Dec 1940 | A |
2268741 | Dall | Jan 1942 | A |
2269537 | Krause | Jan 1942 | A |
2270053 | Hill et al. | Jan 1942 | A |
2286739 | Krause | Jun 1942 | A |
3161923 | Crain | Dec 1964 | A |
3244830 | Bates | Apr 1966 | A |
3621684 | Horvay et al. | Nov 1971 | A |
3690708 | Worley et al. | Sep 1972 | A |
3924085 | Stone | Dec 1975 | A |
4930818 | Gerhardsson | Jun 1990 | A |
5988709 | Lee et al. | Nov 1999 | A |
6550824 | Ramsauer | Apr 2003 | B1 |
6616199 | Tokach et al. | Sep 2003 | B1 |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20040189015 A1 | Sep 2004 | US |