Patent Application
20190360741
The present disclosure relates generally to refrigerator appliances.
Refrigerator appliances generally include a cabinet that defines chilled chambers for receipt of food items for storage. One or more insulated, sealing doors are provided for selectively enclosing the chilled food storage chambers. Consumers generally prefer chilled chambers that facilitate visibility and accessibility of food items stored therein.
In certain refrigerator appliances, commonly referred to as side-by-side style refrigerator appliances, the fresh food chamber is positioned next to the freezer chamber within the cabinet. Such a configuration can permit easy access to food items stored on doors of the refrigerator appliances. However, the cabinet can be deep and narrow such that accessing food items at a back of the fresh food chamber and/or freezer chamber is difficult. Also, side-by-side refrigerators typically provide a fresh food chamber which is significantly larger, e.g., about fifty percent larger or more, than the freezer chamber. For example, the fresh food chamber may occupy about sixty percent or more of the cabinet width and the freezer chamber may occupy only forty percent or less. Such configurations can be difficult to accommodate larger frozen items.
In other refrigerator appliances, commonly referred to as bottom mount refrigerator appliances, the freezer chamber is positioned below the fresh food chamber in the cabinet. Such a configuration can provide a relatively wide fresh food chamber and/or freezer chamber, e.g., as compared to the side-by-side configuration. However, the depth of the fresh food chamber and the freezer chamber can make accessing food items at a back of the refrigerator appliance difficult.
Accordingly, a refrigerator appliance with features for assisting with accessing food items stored therein would be useful.
Aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the following description, or may be apparent from the description, or may be learned through practice of the invention.
In an exemplary embodiment, a refrigerator appliance is provided. The refrigerator appliance defines a vertical direction, a lateral direction and a transverse direction. The vertical, lateral and transverse directions are mutually perpendicular. The refrigerator appliance also includes a cabinet that extends from a top to a bottom along the vertical direction. The cabinet also extends from a left side to a right side along the lateral direction. The cabinet defines a chilled chamber. The chilled chamber extends along the vertical direction between the top and the bottom of the cabinet, along the lateral direction between the left and right sides of the cabinet, and along the transverse direction between a front portion and a back portion. The front portion of the chilled chamber defines an opening for receipt of food items. A door is rotatably mounted to the cabinet at the front portion of the chilled chamber such that the door rotates between a closed position where the door sealingly encloses at least a portion of the chilled chamber and an open position to permit access to the chilled chamber. The door includes an outer casing having a thermally insulated wall and a mullion positioned within the outer casing. A first flexible chamber is defined by the outer casing and the mullion. A second flexible chamber is also defined by the outer casing and the mullion. A front panel is rotatably mounted to the outer casing of the door such that the front panel of the door permits access to the first flexible chamber and the second flexible chamber.
In another exemplary embodiment, a refrigerator appliance is provided. The refrigerator appliance defines a vertical direction. The refrigerator appliance includes a cabinet that extends from a top to a bottom along the vertical direction. The cabinet defines a chilled chamber. The chilled chamber extends along the vertical direction between the top and bottom of the cabinet. The chilled chamber also extends between a front portion and a back portion. The front portion of the chilled chamber defines an opening for receipt of food items. A door is rotatably mounted to the cabinet at the front portion of the chilled chamber such that the door rotates between a closed position where the door sealingly encloses at least a portion of the chilled chamber and an open position to permit access to the chilled chamber. The door includes an outer casing having a thermally insulated wall and a mullion positioned within the outer casing. A first flexible chamber is defined by the outer casing and the mullion. A second flexible chamber is also defined by the outer casing and the mullion. A front panel is rotatably mounted to the outer casing of the door such that the front panel of the door permits access to the first flexible chamber and the second flexible chamber.
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.
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.
As used herein, the terms “first,” “second,” and “third” may be used interchangeably to distinguish one component from another and are not intended to signify location or importance of the individual components. Terms such as “inner” and “outer” refer to relative directions with respect to the interior and exterior of the refrigerator appliance, and in particular the food storage chamber(s) defined therein. For example, “inner” or “inward” refers to the direction towards the interior of the refrigerator appliance. Terms such as “left,” “right,” “front,” “back,” “top,” or “bottom” are used with reference to the perspective of a user accessing the refrigerator appliance. For example, a user stands in front of the refrigerator to open the doors and reaches into the food storage chamber(s) to access items therein.
As used herein, terms of approximation such as “generally,” “about,” or “approximately” include values within ten percent greater or less than the stated value. When used in the context of an angle or direction, such terms include within ten degrees greater or less than the stated angle or direction, e.g., “generally vertical” includes forming an angle of up to ten degrees in any direction, e.g., clockwise or counterclockwise, with the vertical direction V.
As may be seen in
In some embodiments, the chilled chamber 118 may be a single continuous chamber, e.g., a fresh food storage chamber 118 as shown in
As shown for example in
Refrigerator doors 126 and 128 are rotatably mounted, e.g., hinged, to an edge of housing 120 for selectively accessing the chilled chamber 118 within the housing 120. Refrigerator doors 126 and 128 may be mounted to the housing 120 at or near a front portion 134 of the chilled chamber 118 such that the doors 126 and 128 rotate between a closed position (
As may be seen in
Discharging outlet 144 and actuating mechanism 146 are an external part of dispenser 142 and are mounted in a dispenser recess 150. Dispenser recess 150 is positioned on an exterior side of one of the refrigerator doors 126 and 128, e.g., left door 128 as in the illustrated example embodiment, at a predetermined elevation convenient for a user to access ice or water and enabling the user to access ice without the need to bend-over and without the need to open doors 126 and 128. In the exemplary embodiment, dispenser recess 150 is positioned at a level that approximates the chest level of a user.
Refrigerator doors 126, 128 are shown in the closed position in
In various embodiments, fresh food storage chamber 118 or fresh food portion 122 may be operable within a temperature range above the freezing point of water and below room temperature, such as between approximately thirty-three degrees Fahrenheit (33° F.) and approximately sixty degrees Fahrenheit (60° F.). Also by way of example, the freezer chamber 116 or freezer portion 124 may be operable within a temperature range including temperatures below the freezing point of water, e.g., less than thirty-two degrees Fahrenheit (32° F.), such as between approximately thirty degrees Fahrenheit (30° F.) and approximately zero degrees Fahrenheit (0° F.). For example, a temperature of the fresh food storage chamber 118 or the fresh food portion 122 may be about forty degrees Fahrenheit (40° F.) or about forty-five degrees Fahrenheit (45° F.) and a temperature of the freezer chamber 116 or freezer portion 124 may be about fifteen degrees Fahrenheit (15° F.) or about twenty-five degrees Fahrenheit (25° F.). In various embodiments, a thermally insulated partition 200 may be provided within the cabinet 120, e.g., between the fresh food chamber 118 and the freezer chamber 116 (
The flexible chambers 300 and 302 may be selectively operable as either fresh food storage chambers or freezer chambers, e.g., within one of a first temperature range and a second temperature range. For example, the first and second flexible chambers 300 and 302 may be operable as fresh food storage chambers wherein the chambers 300 and 302 each provide an internal temperature within one or more of the fresh food storage temperature ranges described above, e.g., above the freezing point of water and below room temperature, such as between approximately thirty-three degrees Fahrenheit (33° F.) and approximately sixty degrees Fahrenheit (60° F.). The flexible chambers 300 and 302 may also be selectively operable to provide internal temperatures below the freezing point of water, e.g., between approximately thirty degrees Fahrenheit (30° F.) and approximately zero degrees Fahrenheit (0° F.), as described above.
The flexible chambers 300 and 302 may be operable at distinct temperatures. For example, when both flexible chambers 300 and 302 are operating as fresh food storage chambers, the first flexible chamber 300 may be operable at a relatively warm temperature, such as about fifty degrees Fahrenheit (50° F.), e.g., for chilling wine, and the second flexible chamber may be operable at a relatively cool temperature, such as about thirty-seven degrees Fahrenheit (37° F.), e.g., for storing produce. As another example, when both flexible chambers 300 and 302 are operating as freezer chambers, the first flexible chamber 300 may provide a soft freeze, e.g., may be operable at a temperature such as about twenty-five degrees Fahrenheit (25° F.), and the second flexible chamber may provide a deep freeze, e.g., may be operable at a temperature such as about fifteen degrees Fahrenheit (15° F.) or less, such as about ten degrees Fahrenheit (10° F.) or less, such as about zero degrees Fahrenheit (0° F.) or less. In such examples, the deep freeze chamber may also provide a quick freeze, e.g., for rapidly freezing fresh-picked produce or fresh meat, etc. In yet another example, one of the flexible chambers 300 and 302 may be operated as a fresh food storage chamber, e.g., within a temperature range above the freezing point of water and below room temperature, as described above, while the other of the flexible chambers 300 and 302 is operated as a freezer chamber, e.g., within a temperature range including temperatures below the freezing point of water, as described above.
In various embodiments, the freezer chamber 116 or freezer portion 124 may also be selectively operable as a fresh food storage chamber. For example, when both flexible chambers 300 and 302 are operating as freezer chambers, the freezer chamber 116 or freezer portion 124 may be operated as a fresh food storage chamber.
One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the various chambers or portions may be chilled by a sealed refrigeration system, such that, e.g., the first flexible chamber 300 and the second flexible chamber 302 may be operable at or about the temperatures described above by providing chilled air from the sealed system. The structure and function of such sealed systems are understood by those of ordinary skill in the art and are not described in further detail herein for the sake of brevity and clarity.
As best seen in
The first flexible chamber 300 and the second flexible chamber 302 may be vertically arranged within the outer casing 121, e.g., with the first flexible chamber 300 above the second flexible chamber 302. For example, the mullion 304 which at least partially defines the flexible chambers 300 and 302 may be horizontal, e.g., the mullion 304 may extend along a plane perpendicular to the vertical direction V, such as a plane defined by the lateral direction L and the transverse direction T, whereby the flexible chambers 300 and 302 defined on opposite sides of the horizontal mullion 304 are vertically arranged. As mentioned above, the flexible chambers 300 and 302 may be generally coextensive along the vertical direction V with the door 126. For example, the flexible chambers 300 and 302 may collectively extend along the vertical direction V from a bottom 152 of the door 126 to a top 154 of the door 126. As illustrated, e.g., in
As mentioned above, the front panel 127 may selectively sealingly enclose the first and second flexible chambers 300 and 302. For example, the front panel 127 may be rotatable between an open position (e.g.,
Providing access to the flexible chambers 300 and 302 via the front panel 127 of the door 126 may advantageously increase accessibility of food items stored in the flexible chambers 300 and 302. For example, smaller food items such as a bag of frozen vegetables or a single-serving beverage container may be stored in the flexible chambers 300 and 302 to prevent or reduce such items from being obscured under or behind larger items such as a frozen turkey, frozen pizza, gallon of milk, etc., as compared to when only a single chamber or portion of the refrigerator appliance 100 is provided for storing fresh food or frozen items.
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.
