Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6505442
-
Patent Number
6,505,442
-
Date Filed
Thursday, September 27, 200122 years ago
-
Date Issued
Tuesday, January 14, 200321 years ago
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Inventors
-
Original Assignees
-
Examiners
-
CPC
-
US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 049 501
- 049 397
- 052 6569
- 052 6564
- 052 657
-
International Classifications
-
Abstract
A refrigerator door has reinforcing corner brackets that structurally complete the comers of the door. The corner brackets are located at the door corners adjacent vertical and horizontal side walls of the outer door skin of the door. At least one reinforcing member such as a sheet or rectangular collar, or preferably reinforcing cross brace members are connected to the corner brackets. To achieve this connection and restrict heat transfer through the door and or adjacent the inner liner or in-turned flange of the outer door skin, the corner brackets have connecting tab portions that extend into the cavity of the door away from one of the side walls of the door and spaced from the other side wall of the door. The connecting tab portion is also spaced from the outer skin sheet and the inner door liner. As a result, the reinforcing member or members extend substantially across the width of the door spaced from the outer door skin wall and the inner door liner and are connected to the connecting bracket which is connected in heat transfer relation with side walls, horizontal or vertical, of the door. This reduces heat losses from the refrigerator cabinet conducted through the reinforcing member or members of the door.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a door for a refrigerator having load reinforced comer brackets that support with improved thermal performance at least one door reinforcement member extending across the width of the door.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
For several years the trend in domestic refrigerator cabinets has been to increase the size and in particular the width of the food compartments and doors in top or bottom mount refrigerators.
Typically, the refrigerator door is constructed from an outer door panel of sheet steel material having rearwardly extending side walls. The door has an inner liner wall of plastic material attached to the door panel. Foam insulation is injected in the space between the outer panel and the inner liner. The foam expands and cures to thermally insulate and rigidify the door.
In order to conserve costs, the amount of steel used in the manufacture of these doors is optimized. The practice is to use a relatively thin sheet of steel for the outer panel. Often this sheet is in the order of 0.017 inches thick. Consequently, in order for the refrigerator door to maintain it's integrity and support articles or items stored on door mounted shelves, one common approach is to reinforce the door with cross braces located within the space of the door between the inner liner and the outer door panel. More typically, the metal cross braces extend adjacent the inner liner wall. The metal cross braces extend from the comers of the refrigerator outer panel in an X configuration across the width of the door to reinforce the refrigerator door. In some refrigerators, the braces are either attached directly to the outer door panel by being fastened to in-turned flanges that are parallel to and spaced from the outer door panel. In other refrigerators, cross brackets are attached to these in-turned flanges and extend across the door completing the base of a triangle with the door corner. The metal braces are attached to the cross bracket at the middle of the base of the triangle.
Another known approach to rigidify the door is to use a sheet of paper, aluminum foil or cardboard embedded adjacent the inner door liner in the insulation injected into the door cavity. This paper sheet is sufficiently large to cover the inside of the door and is taped to the door to prevent shifting. The sheet improves the rigidity of the door without significantly adding to the weight or cost of the door. Recently, metal sheets have been substituted for paper to improve rigidity. Even more recently, a rectangular shaped metal collar has been attached to the inner liner and a sheet of paper extends across the rectangular opening in the collar adjacent the inner door liner.
While the above described approaches in refrigerator door construction improve the rigidity of the door, these solutions are primarily directed to reinforcing the door outer skin and inner liner. To further strengthen the door outer skin, the comers of the door, formed when the skin is rolled back onto itself to provide a supporting peripheral flange for the door liner, have been welded to strengthen the comers. Alternatively, metal brackets have been inserted into the comers of the door to which vertically extending posts or hollow tubes extending along the vertical wall have been used to strengthen the comers.
The problem with most of the door reinforcement that extends across the width of the door to rigidify the door is that some portion of the reinforcement is attached to an inside flange of the outer door shell where the liner periphery is attached closely adjacent the refrigeration cavity and or, the reinforcement is in heat transfer relation with the inner door liner that faces the refrigeration cavity when the door is closed. As a result, the a portion of the door reinforcement to the refrigeration cavity provides a heat conducting transfer medium that fluctuates in temperature as the door is opened and closed. Furthermore, a heat transfer path from the inside of the refrigeration cavity through the door reinforcement and door is present.
Clearly there is a need for a refrigerator door reinforcement that rigidifies the door, supports the comers of the door and at the same time restricts heat transfer through the inner door liner to the reinforcement and out through the door.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a refrigerator door construction having door comer brackets and one or more door reinforcement members attached to the brackets and extending across the width of the door that rigidities the door and limits heat transfer through the door.
The present invention relates to a refrigerator appliance and, in particular, a door for a refrigerator appliance where the door includes reinforcing corner brackets that structurally complete the comers of the door. The corner brackets are located at the door corners adjacent vertical and horizontal side walls of the outer door skin. The brackets structurally support the horizontal and vertical side walls immediately adjacent the comer with a thicker, stronger material, such as, for example, metal or steel, so that loading normally transferred to the outer door skin through the horizontal side wall at this comer location is instead transferred directly to the brackets mounted in the door. In addition, the present invention connects at least one reinforcing member such as a sheet or rectangular collar, for example, or preferably reinforcing cross brace members to the corner brackets. To achieve this connection and restrict heat transfer through the door or adjacent the inner liner or in-turned flange of the outer door skin, the corner brackets have connecting tab portions that extend into the cavity of the door away from one of the side walls of the door and spaced from the other side wall of the door. The connecting tab portion is also spaced from the outer skin sheet and the inner door liner. As a result, the reinforcing member or members extend substantially across the width of the door spaced from the outer door skin wall and the inner door liner and are connected to the connecting bracket which is connected in heat transfer relation with side walls, horizontal or vertical, of the door. This reduces heat losses from the refrigerator cabinet conducted through the reinforcing member or members of the door.
In accordance with an aspect of the present invention there is provided a door for a refrigerator appliance comprising an outer door panel having an outer skin sheet with rearwardly extending peripheral vertical and horizontal side walls and four corners positioned between adjacent horizontal and vertical side walls. The door further comprises an inner door liner secured to the outer door panel spaced from the sheet to define a cavity between the inner liner and the sheet. The door comprises reinforcing corner brackets positioned within the cavity adjacent respective ones of the comers. The comer brackets each have a base wall extending substantially flush with, along and secured to at least one of the horizontal and vertical side walls to reinforce the corners. The base wall has a connecting tab member extending from the base wall and inwardly from the corresponding one of the horizontal and vertical side walls. The connecting tab member is spaced from the outer skin sheet and the inner door liner. The door further includes a pair of diagonally extending cross braces. Each cross brace has opposing end portions connected within the cavity to the connecting tab of diagonally opposed comer brackets and extending substantially across the door width within the cavity in spaced non-contacting thermal relationship from the outer skin sheet and the inner door liner to reinforce the door.
The horizontal side walls may have an open section adjacent the vertical side walls whereby the horizontal side wall ends at the open section. The brackets may each include a land section with an opening extending across the open section in the horizontal side wall for receiving a hinge pin in the opening of the land section.
The base wall of the bracket preferably extends along the horizontal side wall and the connecting tab member is spaced from the vertical side wall and extends into the cavity from the horizontal side wall. Alternatively, the base wall of the bracket extends along the vertical side wall and the connecting tab member is spaced from the horizontal side wall and extends into the cavity from the vertical side wall. Preferably, the base wall of the comer brackets is secured by toggle lock connection to a corresponding one of the horizontal and vertical side walls.
The outer door panel preferably has in-turned flanges extending from the horizontal and vertical side walls generally parallel to the outer skin sheet. The reinforcing comer brackets preferably each include a side flange that extends along an inside surface of the in-turned flanges of the horizontal and vertical side walls adjacent a respective corner. Preferably, portions of the side flange of the corner brackets extend beyond the in-turned flanges for connection to the inner door liner.
In an alternative embodiment, the reinforcing braces are replaced by a reinforcing metal sheet having connecting portions connected within the cavity to the connecting tabs of the corner brackets and extending substantially across the door width within the cavity in spaced non-contacting thermal relationship from the outer skin sheet and the inner door liner to reinforce the door. The reinforcing sheet may be continuous or form a rectangular frame or collar with a sheet of paper spanning the sheet.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
For a better understanding of the nature and objects of the present invention reference may be had to the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying diagrammatic drawings wherein:
FIG. 1
is a perspective view of a top mount refrigerator appliance having top and bottom doors constructed in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 2
is a sectional view taken at lines
2
—
2
of
FIG. 1
showing the construction for a refrigerator door;
FIG. 3
is a perspective view showing the outer door skin from an inside view with the corner reinforcing brackets mounted to top and bottom side walls of the door outer skin and assembled with the reinforcing braces extending substantially across the door width within the door cavity away from the door inner liner;
FIG. 4
is a perspective view of the bracket utilized in the lower left hand and upper right hand corners shown in
FIG. 3
;
FIG. 5
is a perspective view showing the outer door skin from an inside view with the corner reinforcing brackets mounted to side walls of the outer door skin and assembled with the reinforcing braces extending substantially across the door width within the door cavity away from the door inner liner; and,
FIG. 6
is a perspective view showing the outer door skin from an inside view with the corner reinforcing brackets mounted to top and bottom walls of outer door skin and assembled with a metal reinforcing sheet extending substantially across the door width within the door cavity away from the door inner liner.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
Referring to
FIG. 1
there is shown a refrigerator
10
comprising a cabinet
12
, a top door
14
and a lower door
16
. Each of doors
14
and
16
are shown in a closed position. The top door
14
is typically adapted to close the freezer food compartment
18
and the lower door
16
typically closes the fresh food compartment
20
. It is to be understood that the position of the freezer compartment
18
relative to the fresh food compartment
20
could be reversed as in a bottom mount refrigerator, or alternatively, the invention has application in side-by-side refrigerator doors.
In
FIGS. 1
to
3
the preferred construction of door
16
is shown. Door
16
has an outer metal panel
22
. Door panel
22
has a sheet or an outer skin sheet
24
with upstanding or rearwardly extending curved vertical side walls
26
and flat horizontal side walls
27
. The vertical side walls
26
and horizontal side walls
27
extend towards each other and meet at corners
29
. A cut-out or open section
64
is cut out from the horizontal side wall
27
at the corner
29
so that the horizontal side wall does not meet or join the vertical side wall
26
. The vertical and horizontal side walls
26
,
27
each further include in-turned flanges
28
that preferably extend parallel to the outer skin sheet
24
and overlap at the corners
29
.
Referring to
FIG. 2
an inner door liner
30
preferably of plastic material is mounted on top of the in-turned flanges
28
of the door panel
22
. Liner
30
is spaced from the generally flat outer skin sheet
24
of the outer door panel
22
to define a cavity
32
. The liner
30
has dyke side walls
36
and an interior vertical wall
30
. Shelf supports
41
are integrally molded to walls
36
and
38
. The shelf supports
41
carry shelves
43
which in turn carry articles (not shown). The liner
30
includes a peripheral edge or flange
44
secured by suitable screw fasteners (not shown) to the in-turned flanges
28
of the outer door panel
22
. Mounted over the liner flange
44
and door panel flange
28
is a gasket
47
which seals the door in an airtight fashion with the refrigerator appliance
10
. Foamed insulation
48
fills the cavity or space
32
defined between the liner
30
and the outer panel
22
.
Referring to
FIGS. 3 and 4
reinforcing corner brackets
60
are shown positioned within the cavity
32
adjacent to the corners
29
. Each bracket
60
comprises a plate
62
that extends across a removed or cut-out section
64
from the horizontal wall
27
at the corner
29
adjacent the vertical side wall
26
. Plate
62
has two hinge pin receiving apertures
65
adapted to receive one hinge pin or an epaulet cover. The apertures
65
are of differing diameter to allow the brackets
60
to be used on different sizes of doors. The width of the bracket
60
is chosen to be substantially the width of the door
16
adjacent the horizontal wall
27
so that the bracket snugly fits into the door corners
29
. The brackets
60
have a base wall
68
. Base wall
68
has crimped openings
100
that are secured to the horizontal walls
27
in a toggle lock connection. The base wall
68
extends in abutting relation adjacent the horizontal side wall
27
. The corner bracket plate
62
also performs the function of a load bearing land section or surface portion at
70
that is recessed in spaced relation from the horizontal wall
27
. The load-bearing portion
70
extends across the removed horizontal wall section
64
to engage in abutting relation the inside surface
71
of the vertical side wall
26
.
The bracket plate
60
includes opposite side flanges
72
,
73
and an end flange
74
which depend from the bracket plate
60
towards the interior cavity
32
of the door. The opposite side flanges
72
,
73
respectively abut inside surfaces of the outer door skin
24
and the in-turned flange portions
28
associated with the horizontal side walls
27
. Further flange
73
has portion
75
that abuts an inside surface of the in-turned flange
28
associated with the vertical side walls
26
. Flange
73
is provided with fastener receiving holes
77
that are positioned inwardly of the in-turned flanges
28
to receive inner door liner securing fasteners so that the door liner is secured to these brackets
60
adjacent corners
29
.
In accordance with the present invention, the reinforcing corner brackets
16
each include a connecting tab member
84
which depends from the base wall
68
. The connecting tab member
84
extends from base wall
68
inwardly of the horizontal side wall
27
. The connecting tab member
84
is spaced from both the outer skin
24
and the inner door liner
30
so as to be placed approximately within the center distance between these two surfaces
24
and
30
.
To stabilize the door
16
, a pair of diagonally extending cross braces
86
are shown in FIG.
3
. Each cross brace
86
has opposing end portions
88
that are connected to openings
90
in the connecting tab members
84
by means of a weld joint. Referring to
FIG. 4
, there is shown two additional apertures
92
in the tab member. Additional apertures
92
are utilized for permitting a foam piece of insulation
96
to be placed above the connecting tab member
84
on top of the base wall
68
within the flanges
72
and
73
. It should be understood that the foam insulation piece
96
is shown schematically and has a greater thickness than that shown to permit it to extend into or be connected with extra pieces that extend into slots
92
to hold in place relative to bracket
60
.
The vertical cross braces
86
extend substantially across the width of the door
16
within the cavity
32
in spaced non-contacting thermal relationship from the outer skin sheet
24
and the inner door liner
30
. The cross braces
86
have a V-shaped cross section to provide further strength in these metal cross braces. By connecting cross braces
86
through their end portions
88
with the connecting tab member
84
spaced from the outer door skin wall or sheet
24
and inner door liner
30
, the thermal path through or along braces
86
is not in contact with an inner surface of the door that would either face, touch or abut the refrigerator compartment.
Referring to
FIG. 5
, like numerals are used for the reinforcement of the door
16
wherein the cross braces
86
are connected to tab members
84
in the similar fashion as described for FIG.
3
. However the brackets
60
are located with the substantial part of the base wall
68
extending flush and along the vertical side walls
26
such that the tab members
84
extend outwardly or inwardly into the cavity
32
away from the vertical side wall
26
and spaced from the horizontal side walls
27
.
Referring to
FIG. 6
, there is shown a reinforcing sheet
110
, preferably of a thin gauge of metal, that has corner portions
112
that are connected to the connecting tab members
84
by riveting or welding which are part of the corner bracket
60
located in the door in a similar fashion as described with respect to FIG.
3
. This embodiment illustrates an alternate rigidifying feature that can be used. The continuous sheet
110
may comprise a collar or frame
118
having a central opening with a sheet of paper
120
secured to the frame
110
and extending across the central opening.
As is apparent from the foregoing disclosure, various other embodiments and alterations and modifications which may differ from the embodiments disclosed may be readily apparent to a person skilled in the art. It should be understood that the scope of the patent shall be defined by the claims and those embodiments which come within the scope of the claims that follow.
Claims
- 1. A door for a refrigerator appliance comprising:an outer door panel having an outer skin sheet with rearwardly extending peripheral vertical and horizontal side walls, and four corners positioned between adjacent horizontal and vertical side walls; an inner door liner secured to the outer door panel spaced from the sheet to define a cavity between the inner liner and the sheet; reinforcing corner brackets positioned within the cavity adjacent respective ones of the corners, the corner brackets each having a base wall extending substantially flush with, along and secured to at least one of the horizontal and vertical side walls to reinforce the corners, and the base wall having a connecting tab member extending from the base wall and inwardly from the corresponding one of the horizontal and vertical side walls, the connecting tab member being spaced from the outer skin sheet and the inner door liner; and, a pair of diagonally extending cross braces, each cross brace having opposing end portions connected within the cavity to the connecting tab member of diagonally opposed corner brackets and extending substantially across the door width within the cavity in spaced non-contacting thermal relationship from the outer skin sheet and the inner door liner to reinforce the door.
- 2. The door for a refrigerator appliance of claim 1 wherein the cross braces have a V-shaped cross-section.
- 3. The door for a refrigerator appliance of claim 1 wherein the horizontal side walls have an open section adjacent the vertical side walls whereby the horizontal side wall ends at the open section.
- 4. The door for a refrigerator appliance of claim 3 wherein the brackets each include a land section with an opening extending across the open section in the horizontal side wall for receiving a hinge pin in the opening of the land section.
- 5. The door for a refrigerator appliance of claim 1 wherein the base wall of the bracket extends along the horizontal side wall and the connecting tab member is spaced from the vertical side wall and extends into the cavity from the horizontal side wall.
- 6. The door for a refrigerator appliance of claim 1 wherein the base wall of the bracket extends along the vertical side wall and the connecting tab member is spaced from the horizontal side wall and extends into the cavity from the vertical side wall.
- 7. The door for a refrigerator appliance as claimed in claim 1 wherein the outer door panel includes in-turned flanges extending from the horizontal and vertical side walls generally parallel to the outer skin sheet, and the reinforcing corner brackets each including a side flange that extends along an inside surface of the in-turned flanges of the horizontal and vertical side walls adjacent a respective corner.
- 8. The door for a refrigerator of claim 7 wherein portions of the side flange of the corner brackets extend beyond the in-turned flanges for connection to the inner door liner.
- 9. The door for a refrigerator appliance of claim 1 wherein the base wall is secured by toggle lock connection to a corresponding one of the horizontal and vertical side walls.
- 10. The door for a refrigerator appliance of claim 1 further including foam insulation in the cavity extending around the cross braces and the connecting tab members of the corner brackets.
- 11. The door for a refrigerator appliance as claimed in claim 1 further including a door sealing gasket extending over the in-turned flange of the side walls of the door.
Priority Claims (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
2350419 |
Jun 2001 |
CA |
|
US Referenced Citations (57)
Foreign Referenced Citations (4)
Number |
Date |
Country |
46-10595 |
Mar 1971 |
JP |
59-9032 |
Mar 1984 |
JP |
1-200184 |
Jan 1989 |
JP |
2-040482 |
Feb 1990 |
JP |