Patent Application
20210215416
The present embodiments relate to an adjustable bin integrated into a refrigerator appliance.
Users often use an adjustable bin within a refrigerator appliance between predetermined locations dependent on fixed structure, such as molded in hangers. However, this practice may limit the configurability of the bins/shelves within the refrigerator to accommodate user preferences or the variety of characteristics of the stored goods to be housed therein. Additionally, predetermined shelves do not maximize the space within the door area of the refrigerator. Thus, there is a need to allow flexible positioning of one or more bins/shelves within a refrigerator.
In some embodiments of the invention, for example, a refrigerator appliance may include a housing defining at least one compartment. In various embodiments, the appliance may include at least one door attached to the housing. In addition, in some embodiments, at least one door may include at least one rail disposed about at least one door. In various embodiments, at least one adjustable bin may be moveable along at least one rail between at least one first location and at least one second location, wherein at least one first location may be different from at least one second location. Moreover, in some embodiments, at least one adjustable bin may include at least one through opening slidably receiving at least one rail. In various embodiments, at least one adjustable bin may include at least one actuator positionable between an engaged position securing at least one adjustable bin to at least one rail in at least one first location and a disengaged position allowing at least one adjustable bin to move between at least one first location and at least one second location. Moreover, in some embodiments, at least one adjustable bin may include at least one bushing positioned within at least one through opening positioning at least one adjustable bin from at least one rail.
In some embodiments, at least one bushing may include an upper bushing and a lower bushing. In various embodiments, the upper bushing may be adjacent a top end of at least one through opening and the lower bushing may be adjacent a bottom end of at least one through opening. In some embodiments, at least one adjustable bin may include an outer periphery, wherein the outer periphery may include a lateral receptacle intersecting at least one through opening, and wherein at least one actuator may be positioned in the lateral receptacle. In addition, in some embodiments, at least one adjustable bin may include a biasing member urging at least one actuator towards the engaged position. In various embodiments, at least one rail may extend from a top end of at least one door to a bottom end of at least one door. Moreover, in various embodiments, at least one adjustable bin may include at least one storage bin removable from a carriage. In some embodiments, the carriage may include at least one through opening. In various embodiments, at least one rail may be elongated in cross section transverse to a longitudinal direction of at least one rail.
In various embodiments, an adjustable bin for a door of a refrigerator appliance may include a body having a top side and an opposing bottom side interconnected by a pair of lateral sides. In some embodiments, the adjustable bin may include one or more through openings extending from the bottom side to the top side. Moreover, in various embodiments, the adjustable bin may include one or more actuators positioned adjacent to one or more through openings. In some embodiments, the adjustable bin may include a rail slidably engaging one or more through openings of the body. In various embodiments, the adjustable bin may include one or more actuators. In addition, in some embodiments, one or more actuators may be positioned within a receptacle in at least one lateral side of the pair of lateral sides and may be accessible by a user to releasably engage and/or disengage from the rail to adjust the body relative to the length of the rail.
In addition, in some embodiments, the body may include one or more bushings contacting the rail. In various embodiments, one or more bushings may include an upper bushing adjacent a top end of one or more through openings and a lower bushing adjacent a bottom end of one or more through openings. In some embodiments, the body may include one or more storage bins removable from a carriage. In various embodiments, one or more actuators may be a member having a fixed end attached to the body and a pivoting end, wherein the member may be pivoted about the fixed end between an engaged position with the rail and a disengaged position with the rail. In some embodiments, the adjustable bin may include a biasing member urging one or more actuators into engagement with the rail. Moreover, in various embodiments, one or more actuators may engage the rail between the top side and the bottom side of the body.
In various embodiments, a refrigerator appliance may include a housing defining at least one compartment. In some embodiments, the appliance may include at least one door attached to the housing, wherein at least one door may include at least one adjustable bin moveable along one or more rails between at least one first location and at least one second location, wherein at least one first location is different from at least one second location. In addition, in some embodiments, at least one adjustable bin may include a body having a top side and an opposing bottom side interconnected by a pair of lateral sides. In various embodiments, the adjustable bin may include one or more through openings extending from the bottom side to the top side. In some embodiments, one or more through openings may slidably engage one or more rails. Moreover, in various embodiments, the adjustable bin may include one or more actuators positioned adjacent to one or more through openings. In some embodiments, one or more actuators may be positioned within a receptacle in at least one lateral side of the pair of lateral sides and may be accessible by a user to releasably engage and/or disengage from one or more rails to adjust the body along a length of one or more rails.
In addition, in some embodiments, the body may include one or more bushings positioned within one or more through openings and contacting one or more rails. In various embodiments, one or more bushings may include an upper bushing and a lower bushing. In some embodiments, one or more actuators may be positioned between the upper bushing and the lower bushing. In various embodiments, one or more actuators may be a member having a fixed end attached to the body and a pivoting end, wherein the member may be pivoted about the fixed end between an engaged position with one or more rails and a disengaged position with one or more rails. In addition, in some embodiments, one or more rails may be a single rail adjacent each one of the lateral sides of the pair of lateral sides. Moreover, in various embodiments, each one of the single rails may be positioned adjacent a back side of the body.
These and other advantages and features, which characterize the embodiments, are set forth in the claims annexed hereto and form a further part hereof. However, for a better understanding of the embodiments, and of the advantages and objectives attained through its use, reference should be made to the Figures and to the accompanying descriptive matter, in which there is described example embodiments. This summary is merely provided to introduce a selection of concepts that are further described below in the detailed description, and is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used in limiting the scope of the claimed subject matter.
In the drawings, like reference characters generally refer to the same parts throughout the different views. Also, the drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead generally being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention.
Numerous variations and modifications will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art, as will become apparent from the description below. Therefore, the invention is not limited to the specific implementations discussed herein.
The embodiments discussed hereinafter will focus on the implementation of the hereinafter-described techniques and apparatuses within a residential refrigerator appliance such as refrigerator appliance 10, such as the type that may be used in single-family or multi-family dwellings, or in other similar applications. However, it will be appreciated that the herein-described techniques and apparatuses may also be used in connection with other types of refrigerator appliances in some embodiments. For example, the herein-described techniques may be used in commercial applications in some embodiments. Moreover, the herein-described techniques may be used in connection with various refrigerator appliance configurations. Implementation of the herein-described techniques within side-by-side refrigerators, bottom freezer refrigerators, top freezer refrigerators, wine refrigerators and beverage centers, compact refrigerators, etc. would be well within the abilities of one of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the instant disclosure, so the embodiments are not limited to a french door refrigerator implementation discussed further herein.
Turning now to the Figures,
As shown in the one embodiment in the Figures, a refrigerator appliance 10 may include one or more adjustable bins 20. Referring to
In some implementations, the adjustable bin 20 or portions thereof may include a body 21 (e.g. storage bins and/or carriage, etc.). The body 21 may include a top side 21a and an opposing bottom side 21b. A pair of lateral sides or walls 21c may interconnect the top and bottom sides 21a, 21b. As shown in the one embodiment, the body 21 may include one or more removable storage bins/portions 20a removeable from the carriage or base 20b. The body 21, carriage 20b, or other portions of the adjustable bin 20 may include one or more through openings 22. The bin 20, carriage 20b, body 21, and/or one or more through openings 22 may slidably receive or engage the one or more rails 30. The through opening 22 may extend from the top side 21a to the bottom side 21b of the body 21. The through opening 22 and/or one or more rails 30 may be located adjacent a back side 21d of the body 21 and/or carriage 20b, opposite from a front side 21e. The lateral sides 21c may include the one or more actuators 40 in some embodiments as shown. Each one of the lateral sides 21c may include the actuator 40, respectively. The actuators 40 may be accessible to the user on an outer periphery 20c of the adjustable bin 20 and/or outside of the lateral sides 21c. Alternatively, in some embodiments, the one or more actuators may be positioned and/or accessible on the inner periphery of the bin or portions thereof, top side, bottom side, front side, back side, etc. One or more lateral receptacles 22a within the lateral side 21c may positon or receive the one or more actuators 40. The receptacle 22a may be defined by the body 21 (e.g. carriage 20b and/or storage bin 20a), rail 30, and/or through opening 22. The receptacle 22a of the lateral side 21c and/or carriage 20b, as shown in the one embodiment, may intersect the one or more through openings 22 and/or be adjacent the rail 30. The receptacle 22a may have an outwardly facing opening in the outer periphery 20c and/or lateral sides 21c.
In various embodiments, the adjustable bin 20 may include one or more rails/guides 30. The one or more rails 30 may be a variety of lengths, orientations, and positions within the appliance 10 or door 12. For example, a pair of rails 30 may extend from adjacent a top 12a and a bottom 12b of the inside or liner of the door 12. In other embodiments not shown, the rails may extend for one or more portions of the height of the door or compartment. The embodiments of the adjustable bin may further include one or more end plates or members 35 (e.g. top and/or bottom plates). The rails 30 may be spaced outwardly from the door liner (e.g. by the end plates). The one or more end plates 35 may be adjacent to and/or extend from the top 12a and bottom 12b of the door 12. The one or more rails 30 may extend between the one or more end plates 35, if used. The ends of one or more rails 30 may be secured to the one or more end plates 35. Further, two rails 30 may be used for one or more adjustable bins 20 as shown in the one embodiment. However one rail and/or three or more rails may be used. Moreover, one rail may be used in common with two or more additional/parallel rails to create adjacent pairs of rails or separate/parallel tracks for bins. One or more adjustable bins may be used/shared between a variety/plurality of rail systems (e.g. pairs of rails, single rails, etc. or combinations thereof) to create a variety of patterns or spacing with the appliance. The rails may be elongated tubes as shown in the one embodiment. The tubes may be non-circular or elongated in cross-section in various embodiments. In the one embodiment shown, the rails/guides may be made of stainless steel or another material.
In some implementations, the adjustable bin 20 (e.g. carriage 20b) may include one or more bushings 23. The one or more bushings 23, if used, may slidably engage or contact one or more rails 30. As shown in the one embodiment, two bushings 23 may be used on a single rail 30. Alternatively, a single bushing 23 may contact the rail. The adjustable bin 20 may include an upper bushing 23a adjacent the top side 21a of the adjustable bin 20 or top end 22b of the though opening 22. Moreover, in some embodiments, the adjustable bin may include a lower bushing 23b adjacent the bottom side 21b of the adjustable bin or bottom end 22c of the through opening 22. The upper and lower bushings 23a, 23b may be received in a receptacle adjacent the through opening 22 in the top and bottom sides 21a, 21b, respectively. The one or more actuators 40 may be positioned in releasable engagement with the rail 30 between the upper and lower bushings 23a, 23b. The bushing 23 may be positioned in the body 21 or carriage 20b within the through opening 22 and engages the outer periphery of the rail 30. The bushing 23 may position the adjustable bin 20, body 21, or carriage 20b away from the rail 30. The bushing 23 may be made of Acetyl or other material with high lubricity in some embodiments. The one or more bushings 23 carried by the body/carriage may be the only or reduced point of sliding contact between the rail and the remainder of the adjustable bin or portions thereof (e.g. body 21, carriage 20b, storage bin 20a, etc.). This may reduce binding when moving the adjustable bin 20 between different elevations or positions/locations (e.g. first location, second location different from the first location, etc.) along the length of the one or more rails 30. The bushing 23 may be arcuate in shape and surround the entire or portions of the outer periphery of the rail 30 in some embodiments. Although the bushing 23 is shown to surround the rail (e.g. 365 degrees) in the one embodiment, the one or more bushings may not make continuous contact or surround the rail in one or more horizontal planes. For example, the bushing may contact one or more portions of the rail less than 360 degrees about its circumference (e.g. 270 degrees, 90 degrees, two 90 degree portions spaced from each other equidistantly about the rail, etc.). The one or more bushings 40 may include one or more flanges. As shown in the one embodiment, at least one flange may be positioned extending outwardly from one end of the bushing.
In various embodiments, the adjustable bin 20 may include one or more actuators 40. The actuator 40 may be positionable between an engaged position (
In some implementations, the one or more actuators 40 may be one or more members/plates 40a releasably engaging/disengaging from at least one rail 30. The member may include a pivoting or free end 41 and an opposing fixed end 42. The member 40a, pivoting end 41, or portions thereof pivots about the fixed end 42 to engage/disengage (e.g. lock and/or unlock) from the rail 30 to adjust the height of the adjustable bins 20. The fixed end 42 of the member 40a may be attached to the body 21 and/or carriage 20b. The pivoting end 41 or member 40a may pivot upwardly to a first pivot position (
It should be understood that the rails, bushings, actuators, body, plate members, etc. may be a variety of shapes, sizes, quantities, and constructions and still allow the adjustable bin or portions thereof to adjust between a plurality of positions. For example, the rail (e.g. outer periphery), bushing (e.g. through opening), body (e.g. through opening), and/or actuator (e.g. through opening) are shown in the one embodiment as elongated in cross section (e.g. oval, race-track, arcuate, and/or oblong in shape) transverse to the longitudinal direction of the rail, however the structure may be a variety of shapes/sizes and still allow for releasable engagement and adjustability of the one or more adjustable bins.
In use to raise/lower an adjustable bin 20, the user may squeeze or depress each of the actuators 40 on the opposing lateral sides 21c while forcing the adjustable bin 20 on both sides to a higher/lower elevation. Once the adjustable bin is in the desired elevation/location, the user may release both of the actuators/triggers 40 to reengage or lock with the rails 30.
While several embodiments have been described and illustrated herein, those of ordinary skill in the art will readily envision a variety of other means and/or structures for performing the function and/or obtaining the results and/or one or more of the advantages described herein, and each of such variations and/or modifications is deemed to be within the scope of the embodiments described herein. More generally, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that all parameters, dimensions, materials, and configurations described herein are meant to be exemplary and that the actual parameters, dimensions, materials, and/or configurations will depend upon the specific application or applications for which the teachings is/are used. Those skilled in the art will recognize, or be able to ascertain using no more than routine experimentation, many equivalents to the specific embodiments described herein. It is, therefore, to be understood that the foregoing embodiments are presented by way of example only and that, within the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereto, embodiments may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described and claimed. Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to each individual feature, system, article, material, and/or method described herein. In addition, any combination of two or more such features, systems, articles, materials, and/or methods, if such features, systems, articles, materials, and/or methods are not mutually inconsistent, is included within the scope of the present disclosure.
All definitions, as defined and used herein, should be understood to control over dictionary definitions, definitions in documents incorporated by reference, and/or ordinary meanings of the defined terms.
The indefinite articles “a” and “an,” as used herein in the specification and in the claims, unless clearly indicated to the contrary, should be understood to mean “at least one.”
The phrase “and/or,” as used herein in the specification and in the claims, should be understood to mean “either or both” of the elements so conjoined, i.e., elements that are conjunctively present in some cases and disjunctively present in other cases. Multiple elements listed with “and/or” should be construed in the same fashion, i.e., “one or more” of the elements so conjoined. Other elements may optionally be present other than the elements specifically identified by the “and/or” clause, whether related or unrelated to those elements specifically identified. Thus, as a non-limiting example, a reference to “A and/or B”, when used in conjunction with open-ended language such as “comprising” can refer, in one embodiment, to A only (optionally including elements other than B); in another embodiment, to B only (optionally including elements other than A); in yet another embodiment, to both A and B (optionally including other elements); etc.
As used herein in the specification and in the claims, “or” should be understood to have the same meaning as “and/or” as defined above. For example, when separating items in a list, “or” or “and/or” shall be interpreted as being inclusive, i.e., the inclusion of at least one, but also including more than one, of a number or list of elements, and, optionally, additional unlisted items. Only terms clearly indicated to the contrary, such as “only one of” or “exactly one of,” or, when used in the claims, “consisting of,” will refer to the inclusion of exactly one element of a number or list of elements. In general, the term “or” as used herein shall only be interpreted as indicating exclusive alternatives (i.e. “one or the other but not both”) when preceded by terms of exclusivity, such as “either,” “one of,” “only one of” or “exactly one of” “Consisting essentially of,” when used in the claims, shall have its ordinary meaning as used in the field of patent law.
As used herein in the specification and in the claims, the phrase “at least one,” in reference to a list of one or more elements, should be understood to mean at least one element selected from any one or more of the elements in the list of elements, but not necessarily including at least one of each and every element specifically listed within the list of elements and not excluding any combinations of elements in the list of elements. This definition also allows that elements may optionally be present other than the elements specifically identified within the list of elements to which the phrase “at least one” refers, whether related or unrelated to those elements specifically identified. Thus, as a non-limiting example, “at least one of A and B” (or, equivalently, “at least one of A or B,” or, equivalently “at least one of A and/or B”) can refer, in one embodiment, to at least one, optionally including more than one, A, with no B present (and optionally including elements other than B); in another embodiment, to at least one, optionally including more than one, B, with no A present (and optionally including elements other than A); in yet another embodiment, to at least one, optionally including more than one, A, and at least one, optionally including more than one, B (and optionally including other elements); etc.
It should also be understood that, unless clearly indicated to the contrary, in any methods claimed herein that include more than one step or act, the order of the steps or acts of the method is not necessarily limited to the order in which the steps or acts of the method are recited.
In the claims, as well as in the specification above, all transitional phrases such as “comprising,” “including,” “carrying,” “having,” “containing,” “involving,” “holding,” “composed of,” and the like are to be understood to be open-ended, i.e., to mean including but not limited to. Only the transitional phrases “consisting of” and “consisting essentially of” shall be closed or semi-closed transitional phrases, respectively, as set forth in the United States Patent Office Manual of Patent Examining Procedures, Section 2111.03.
It is to be understood that the embodiments are not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Unless limited otherwise, the terms “connected,” “coupled,” “in communication with,” and “mounted,” and variations thereof herein are used broadly and encompass direct and indirect connections, couplings, and mountings. In addition, the terms “connected” and “coupled” and variations thereof are not restricted to physical or mechanical connections or couplings.
The foregoing description of several embodiments of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise steps and/or forms disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 16720893 | Dec 2019 | US |
| Child | 17215854 | US |
