Mullion shelf assembly

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6779357
  • Patent Number
    6,779,357
  • Date Filed
    Friday, February 7, 2003
    21 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, August 24, 2004
    20 years ago
Abstract
A mullion shelf assembly is provided that includes a shelf having translucent upper and lower surfaces and contains an insulative medium that resists heat transfer between the surfaces. The mullion shelf assembly may also include a shelf with an upper surface in fluid communication with a sump. The sump is in fluid communication with a drain that remove condensation from the compartment bounded by the mullion shelf assembly.
Description




TECHNICAL FIELD




The present invention is directed generally to refrigerators, and specifically to mullion shelf assemblies for refrigerators.




BACKGROUND




Refrigerators having separate compartments with different temperature zones usually include a mullion separating the compartments. The mullion generally is visible to a user when the refrigerator is open and is composed of an opaque material that is either integrally formed with the walls of the refrigerator or disposed in the refrigerator in such a way as to preclude removal of the mullion without causing some damage to the refrigerator components. Additionally, since mullions generally are integrally formed with the walls of the refrigerator, once a refrigerator is manufactured, the refrigerator's compartments cannot be reconfigured to to alternative sizes and numbers. Each temperature controlled compartment usually includes an evaporator that transfers heat from the compartment to maintain the temperature within the compartment. In compartments in which the temperature is maintained above the freezing point of water, condensation can accumulate on the evaporator and drip down onto the bottom of the compartment. Accumulation of condensation within the compartment can be unsightly and cause articles stored within the compartment to become wet.




Consequently, there is a need for a mullion shelf assembly that serves as the thermal barrier between interior compartments of a refrigerator, allows for reconfiguration of the refrigerator interior, provides visual access into surrounding compartments and/or allows for the removal of condensation from within a refrigerator compartment.




SUMMARY




In one embodiment, the refrigerator and mullion shelf assembly include one or more removable shelves having a sump formed therein. The sump is in fluid communication with a drain that transports condensation away from the shelf. One or more shelves of the mullion shelf assembly have transparent or translucent upper and lower surfaces and an insulative medium that resists heat transfer between the upper and lower surfaces of the shelf. The shelf, therefore, forms a thermal seal with adjacent portions of the refrigerator. The mullion shelf assembly of the present invention may provide a thermal boundary that contributes to the formation of an independently temperature controlled compartment within a refrigerator, such as a wine cooler. The removable shelves of the mullion shelf assembly may be mounted in the refrigerator by fasteners and have foam components that cooperate with the outer edges of the shelves to form thermal seals between the compartments.




The upper and lower surfaces of the shelf are formed by a plate that is transparent or translucent and which is formed of glass, plastic or other suitable material. The plate contains the insulative medium, which may include air, vacuum, polymeric foam or other form of insulation or gas. The sump is formed by a frame which encompasses the plate and is generally disposed below the refrigeration compartment's evaporator where it can receive condensation that falls from the evaporator. A portion of the frame, such as the skirt, bounding the upper surface of the plate prevents liquid spilled on the shelf from flowing off the shelf. The frame may be composed of an upper trim piece and a lower trim piece. The sump is generally formed in the upper trim piece. The lower trim piece may include a light fixture mounting bracket for mounting a light within an adjacent compartment.




In another embodiment, a mullion shelf assembly is comprised of a plurality of shelves disposed within the refrigerator, with at least an upper shelf and a lower shelf. The upper shelf includes an upper sump in fluid and the lower shelf includes a lower sump. Both the upper and lower sumps are in fluid communication with a drain that transports condensate away from the shelves. One or more of the shelves of this mullion shelf assembly includes an insulative medium that resists heat transfer between the upper and lower surfaces of the shelf. The shelves of this mullion shelf assembly may be transparent or translucent and formed of glass so as to provide increased visibility into the adjacent compartments. The upper and lower shelves are removable and may be mounted in various positions within the refrigerator to create compartments of varying size.











When used in a refrigerator, such as a wine cooler, one or more removable shelves of the mullion shelf assembly act as thermal barriers that can be used to create independently controlled temperature zones within the refrigerator. The sump of each shelf may be in fluid communication with the sumps of the other shelves to provide a convenient and efficient route for removing condensation from each mullion shelf within the refrigerator. These and other aspects of the present invention are set forth in greater detail in the detailed description set forth below in the accompanying drawing figures.




BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS





FIG. 1

is a front view of a refrigerator containing a mullion shelf assembly of the present invention.





FIG. 2

is a perspective view of the refrigerator and mullion shelf assembly of FIG.


1


.





FIG. 3

is a perspective view of a shelf of a mullion shelf assembly of FIG.


1


.





FIG. 4

is an exploded perspective view of the shelf of FIG.


3


.





FIG. 5

is a top view of the upper trim piece of the shelf of FIG.


4


.





FIG. 6

is a cut-away view of the upper trim piece of

FIG. 5

taken along lines


6





6


.





FIG. 7

is a rear view of the upper trim piece of FIG.


5


.





FIG. 8

is a bottom view of the trim piece of FIG.


5


.





FIG. 9

is a cut-away view of the trim piece of

FIG. 8

taken along lines


9





9


.





FIG. 10

is an enlarged cut-away view of the portion of the upper trim piece shown in

FIG. 9

delineated by circle C.





FIG. 11

is a top view of the lower trim piece of the shelf shown in FIG.


4


.





FIG. 12

is a cross-sectional view of the lower trim piece of

FIG. 11

taken along line


12





12


.





FIG. 13

is a bottom view of the lower trim piece shown in FIG.


4


.





FIG. 14

is a rear view of the lower trim piece of FIG.


4


.





FIG. 15

is a top view of the plate of the shelf of FIG.


4


.





FIG. 16

is a side view of the plate of FIG.


15


.





FIG. 17

is a cut-away view of the portion of the plate shown in

FIG. 16

delineated by circle D.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION




Referring now in more detail to

FIGS. 1-17

, in which like numerals refer where appropriate to like parts throughout the several views,

FIG. 1

depicts a mullion shelf assembly


10


that includes a plurality of removable shelves mounted within a refrigerator


18


. The refrigerator


18


can comprise, but is not limited to, a wine cooler. As shown in

FIGS. 1 and 2

, the plurality of shelves includes at least an upper shelf


14


and a lower shelf


16


, one or both of which may be removable and adjustably mounted at various positions within the refrigerator by the refrigerator manufacturer to form thermally insulated compartments of varying size within the refrigerator


18


. The mullion shelf assembly


10


includes one or more shelves having transparent or translucent upper and lower surfaces, which allow the user greater visibility into compartments adjacent to that shelf. The upper shelf


14


includes a first upper surface


20


and an upper sump


22


disposed at the rear of the upper shelf


14


and generally below a first evaporator


21


of a first compartment


40


so that the upper sump


22


catches condensate that drips off of first evaporator


21


. Sump


22


, itself, is inclined toward sump nozzle


26


positioned at one end of upper sump


22


. Condensate that has drained to the upper sump


22


flows from the upper shelf


14


through a first drain line


24


, which is attached to upper sump nozzle


26


, formed in the lowest point of the upper sump


22


. The first upper surface


20


is bounded by a skirt


19


that prevents liquid spilled on the first upper surface


20


from flowing off the shelf.




In the embodiment shown in

FIGS. 1 and 2

, the upper sump nozzle


26


extends downwardly from the upper shelf


14


toward the lower shelf


16


. However, the mullion shelf assembly of the present invention also encompasses drains that do not extend directly between adjacent shelves or extend directly downward from the shelf sump that empties into it. The lower end


28


of the first drain line


24


is aligned adjacent and above the lower sump


30


formed in lower shelf


16


, so that liquid exiting the first drain


24


feeds into lower sump


30


. Likewise, the lower sump nozzle


32


formed at one end of and the lowest point of the lower sump


30


is attached to a second drain


34


. As with the upper sump


22


of the upper shelf


14


, the lower sump


30


of the lower shelf


16


is positioned at the rear of the second upper surface


36


of the lower shelf


16


and generally below the second evaporator


31


so as to catch condensate dripping from the surface of the second evaporator


31


. Thus, condensation that has dripped off of the second evaporator


31


flows into the lower sump


30


and away from the lower shelf


16


through the second drain


34


. Also, any liquid draining through first drain


24


feeds into the lower sump


30


and then flows to second drain


34


. The accumulated condensation flowing through the second drain


34


empties into a collection sump


38


that either directs accumulated liquid out of the refrigerator


18


or holds accumulated liquid for later disposal.




The shelves


14


and


16


of the mullion shelf assembly


10


divides the interior refrigerator space into compartments. The first compartment


40


is separated from the second compartment


42


by the upper shelf


14


. The upper shelf


14


is mounted in the refrigerator


18


in part by screws


13


disposed in apertures in the rear bracket


11


of the upper shelf


14


and the rear wall


7


of the refrigerator


18


. The upper shelf


14


provides a thermal barrier between the first compartment


40


and the second compartment


42


that resists heat transfer between the two compartments by forming a thermal seal with the adjacent walls and door


17


of the refrigerator


18


. Consequently, the temperature of the first compartment


40


may be independently controlled and varied from that of the temperature of the second compartment


42


. Likewise, the lower shelf


16


is similarly mounted within the refrigerator


18


and provides a thermal barrier and seal between the second compartment


42


and the third compartment


44


, to allow these two compartments to be independently temperature-controlled. The upper shelf


14


and the lower shelf


16


both form thermal seals with the upper and lower doors sealing members


46


and


48


, respectively, mounted on the inside surface of the door


17


of refrigerator


18


. The upper shelf


14


and the lower shelf


16


may be mounted to the sidewalls of the refrigerator by fasteners or fastening systems that may include screws, pins, bolts, catches, brackets and other suitable elements.




The mullion shelf assembly is shown in

FIGS. 3 and 4

. The mullion shelf


50


includes a frame


52


that encompasses a plate


54


. The upper surface


56


of plate


54


serves as the upper surface of the mullion shelf


50


. As shown in

FIGS. 4

,


15


,


16


and


17


, the plate


54


is a multi-paned glass plate that contains an insulative medium


55


positioned and sealed between two panes of glass. The upper surface


56


of the shelf


50


is formed on a first pane


53


of glass, while the lower surface


57


is formed on a second pane


59


of glass. The insulative medium


55


may be air, vacuum, other suitable inert gas, polymeric foam and combinations thereof. The insulative medium


55


is disposed between the first pane


53


and the second pane


59


, which are connected to each other by adhesive and a glass edge


61


. The insulative medium


55


resists the transfer of heat between the first pane and the second pane and, thus, between the upper and lower surfaces of the plate. The plate


54


is supported by the frame


52


which mounts plate


54


within refrigerator


18


. The frame


52


includes an upper trim piece


58


and a lower trim piece


60


. The upper trim piece


58


includes a rear bracket


51


with a series of apertures


49


therein that may receive fasteners that fasten the mullion shelf


50


to the rear wall of a refrigerator. The plate


54


is held between the upper and lower trim pieces


58


and


60


, which are locked together by a series of stops and bosses


66


formed on the trim pieces. A light fixture mounting bracket


64


(

FIG. 13

) may be formed in or attached to the frame


52


for mounting a light fixture for illuminating the interior compartments of the refrigerator


18


.




The frame


52


also includes a sump


62


(

FIG. 6

) disposed at the rear of upper surface


56


of plate


54


. As shown in

FIG. 6

, the sump


62


is formed in the upper trim piece


58


. The sump


62


includes a channel


68


that slopes to the mouth


70


of nozzle


72


. Nozzle


72


extends downwardly from sump


62


. In this embodiment, the sump is disposed along the rear section of the mullion shelf


50


. The inlet


70


of the nozzle


72


is disposed toward the rear left portion of the mullion shelf


50


. The upper trim piece


58


includes a skirt


74


that surrounds the upper surface


56


of plate


54


. The skirt


74


reduces or prevents liquid that has spilled on the upper surface


56


of plate


54


from flowing off the mullion shelf


50


. The skirt


74


allows liquid to be trapped on the upper surface


56


of the mullion shelf


50


, where it then easily removed or cleaned.




The plate


54


may be formed of glass, plastic or other suitable material. Generally, the plate


54


is transparent or translucent to allow a user visual access into adjoining compartments. The frame


52


may be formed of molded plastic, metal or other suitable material. The sides of the frame


52


are generally smooth to allow for the formation of a seal with the walls and door of the refrigerator and/or the sealing members mounted on the walls and door. The frame


50


is generally formed and finished to provide an aesthetic look to the mullion shelf assembly.




It is to be understood that the above embodiments are provided by way of example only and are not to be construed to limit the present invention to only those aspects thereof. The present invention encompasses modifications and alterations made by those of ordinary skill in the art to the disclosed embodiments.



Claims
  • 1. A mullion shelf assembly for a refrigerator comprising:a removable shelf having an upper surface and a lower surface spaced from said upper surface, an insulative medium that resists heat transfer positioned between said upper surface and said lower surface of said shelf, wherein said shelf forms a thermal seal with adjacent portions of the refrigerator that contact said shelf; a sump formed in said shelf; and, a drain in fluid communication with said sump.
  • 2. The mullion shelf assembly of claim 1, wherein said upper surface and said lower surface of said shelf are translucent.
  • 3. The mullion shelf assembly of claim 2, wherein said upper surface and said lower surface of said shelf are formed of glass.
  • 4. The mullion shelf assembly of claim 1, wherein said insulative medium is selected from the group consisting of air, vacuum, polymeric foam, and combinations thereof.
  • 5. The mullion shelf assembly of claim 1, wherein said shelf further comprises a frame encompassing said upper surface.
  • 6. The mullion shelf assembly of claim 5, wherein said sump is formed in said frame.
  • 7. The mullion shelf assembly of claim 5, wherein said frame comprises a light fixture mounting bracket formed thereon.
  • 8. The mullion shelf assembly of claim 1, wherein said sump comprises a nozzle connected to said drain.
  • 9. A mullion shelf assembly for a refrigerator comprising:a removable shelf having an upper surface formed in a first pane of translucent material and a lower surface formed in a second pane of translucent material, an insulative medium positioned between said first pane and said second pane, wherein said insulative medium resists heat transfer between said upper surface and said lower surface of said shelf, and wherein said shelf forms a thermal seal with portions of the refrigerator adjacent said shelf.
  • 10. The mullion shelf assembly of claim 9, wherein said first pane and said second pane are formed of glass.
  • 11. The mullion shelf assembly of claim 9, wherein said insulative medium is selected from the group consisting of air, polymeric foam, vacuum and combinations thereof.
  • 12. The mullion shelf assembly of claim 9, further comprising a sump formed in said shelf.
  • 13. The mullion shelf assembly of claim 12, further comprising a drain in fluid communication with said sump.
  • 14. The mullion shelf assembly of claim 9, wherein said shelf further comprises a frame encompassing said upper surface.
  • 15. The mullion shelf assembly of claim 14, further comprising a sump formed in said frame.
  • 16. The mullion shelf assembly of claim 15, further comprising a drain in fluid communication with said sump.
  • 17. The mullion shelf assembly of claim 16, wherein said sump comprises a nozzle formed therein and connected to said drain.
  • 18. The mullion shelf assembly of claim 14, wherein said frame comprises a light fixture mounting bracket formed thereon.
  • 19. A mullion shelf assembly for a refrigerator comprising:plurality of removable shelves disposed within a refrigerator, said plurality of shelves comprising an upper shelf and a lower shelf, said upper shelf comprising a first upper surface and an upper sump, said lower shelf comprising a second upper surface and a lower sump; and, a first drain in fluid communication with said upper sump and said lower sump.
  • 20. The mullion shelf assembly of claim 19, wherein at least one of said plurality of removable shelves comprises a first pane connected to a second pane with an insulative medium disposed between said first pane and said second pane, wherein said insulative medium resists heat transfer between said first pane and said second pane.
  • 21. The mullion shelf assembly of claim 20, wherein said insulative medium is selected from the group consisting of air, vacuum, polymeric foam and combinations thereof.
  • 22. The mullion shelf assembly of claim 20, wherein said first pane and said second pane are translucent.
  • 23. The mullion shelf assembly of claim 22, wherein said first pane and said second pane are formed of glass.
  • 24. The mullion shelf assembly of claim 19, wherein at least one of said plurality of shelves forms a thermal seal with portions of the refrigerator adjacent said shelf.
  • 25. The mullion shelf assembly of claim 19, wherein said first drain comprises a lower end aligned adjacent and above said lower sump of said lower shelf.
  • 26. The mullion shelf assembly of claim 19, wherein said upper shelf comprises a frame in which a light fixture mounting bracket is formed.
  • 27. The mullion shelf assembly of claim 19, further comprising a second drain in fluid communication with said lower sump.
  • 28. The mullion shelf assembly of claim 27, further comprising a collection sump in fluid communication with said second drain.
  • 29. The mullion shelf of claim 28, wherein said collection sump is in fluid communication with said upper sump and said first drain.
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