Slide out door bin

• US 10,168,095 B2
• Filed: 10/04/2017
• Issued: 01/01/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Original Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Inventors: Haney, Trevor, Haque, Niyaz Ul, Kadu, Bhushan Chandrakant, Myers, John Jay, Powade, Amit Prakash
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Hanh V
• Application Number:
  US15/724,801
• Publication Number:
  US 20180142943A1
• Time in Patent Office: 454 Days
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 11/00 Self-contained movable devices, e.g. domestic refrigerators
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 23/028 Details
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 23/04 with special compartments, e.g. butter conditioners
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2323/023 Door in door constructions
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 25/021 combined with trays
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 25/024 Slidable shelves
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 25/025 Drawers

Abstract

A refrigeration appliance door bin assembly that includes: a refrigeration appliance door bin having a substantially planar main base portion, at least one upwardly extending wall that is free of an indentation, apertures or recesses extending upward from the main base portion and a downwardly extending perimeter lip portion where the main base portion and the downwardly extending lip portion define a downwardly facing door bin frame engagement space, the door bin engagement space engages a door bin frame of a refrigerator spaced within the door of a refrigerator such that the downwardly extending lip portion surrounds an exterior portion of the door bin frame and prevents substantial movement of the door bin when the door bin is engaged with the door bin frame caused by a refrigeration appliance door opening force or a refrigeration appliance door closing force; and a refrigeration appliance door bin bottom surface cover.

Claims

1. A refrigerator comprising:

a cabinet;

a door attached to the cabinet, the door having a first upwardly extending wall and a second upwardly extending wall that define an interior volume of the door;

a sliding mechanism slidably coupled to the first upwardly extending wall and the second upwardly extending wall;

a frame removably attached to the sliding mechanism and having a bottom perimeter edge and an upstanding exterior portion offset within and above the bottom perimeter edge, and a horizontal lip connecting the bottom perimeter edge to the upstanding exterior portion;

a storage bin removably attached to the frame, the storage bin comprising;

a base with a perimeter and a ledge having a top and a bottom;

an upstanding wall extending upwardly from and flush with the bottom perimeter edge and having a height, with a substantially rectangular cross-section along the height;

a bottom surface cover that rests on the top of the ledge;

wherein the bottom of the ledge rests on the upstanding exterior portion when the storage bin is installed in the door.

2. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the frame is removable from the sliding mechanism without the use of tools.

3. The refrigerator of claim 2, wherein the sliding mechanism further comprises a frame engaging tab.

4. The refrigerator of claim 3, wherein the frame further comprises a frame tab that corresponds to the frame engaging tab through a snap fit.

5. The refrigerator of claim 1 further comprising a second door that shares an axis with the door.

6. The refrigerator of claim 5, wherein the second door is openable without opening the door.

7. The refrigerator of claim 6, wherein the storage bin is slidable toward a user without opening the door.

8. The refrigerator of claim 7, wherein the storage bin is slidable away from the second door when the door is open.

9. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the refrigerator is a French-door bottom mount refrigerator.

10. A refrigerator comprising:

a cabinet having an interior;

a first door rotationally attached to the cabinet about an axis and providing selective access to the interior of the cabinet, the first door having an inboard wall, an outboard wall, a top wall, and a bottom wall defining an interior portion of the first door;

a second door rotationally attached to the cabinet and providing selective access to the interior portion;

a sliding mechanism slidably coupled to the inboard wall and the outboard wall;

a door bin frame removably attached to the sliding mechanism and having a bottom perimeter edge and an upstanding exterior portion offset within and extending above the bottom perimeter edge, a horizontal lip connecting the bottom perimeter edge to the upstanding exterior portion, and a side frame with a width;

a storage bin removably attached to the door bin frame, the storage bin comprising;

a base with a perimeter and frame engagement space defined by a ledge on the top, a frame retaining wall extending downwardly from the perimeter, and inside retaining walls extending downwardly on an inboard side of the ledge;

an upstanding wall extending upwardly from and flush with the bottom perimeter edge;

a bottom surface cover that rests on the top of the ledge;

wherein the door side frame fits inside the frame engagement space.

11. The refrigerator of claim 10, wherein the sliding mechanism is configured to allow movement of the storage bin into the refrigerator 80% and out of the refrigerator 100%.

12. The refrigerator of claim 10, wherein the door bin frame is removable from the sliding mechanism without the use of tools.

13. The refrigerator of claim 12, wherein the sliding mechanism further comprises a frame engaging tab and the side frame is substantially rectangular shaped.

14. The refrigerator of claim 13, wherein the door bin frame further comprises a frame tab that corresponds to the frame engaging tab through a snap fit at a first end of the door bin frame and a screw fastener at a second end of the door bin frame, wherein the frame tab and the screw fastener securely fasten the door bin frame to the sliding mechanism.

15. The refrigerator of claim 10 wherein the second door that shares an axis with the first door.

16. The refrigerator of claim 15, wherein the second door is openable without opening the first door.

17. The refrigerator of claim 16, wherein the storage bin is slidable toward a user without opening the first door.

18. The refrigerator of claim 17, wherein the storage bin is slidable away from the second door when the first door is open.

19. The refrigerator of claim 10, wherein the refrigerator is a French-door bottom mount refrigerator.

20. A refrigerator door assembly comprising:

a cabinet;

a door for providing selective access to the interior of the cabinet and having a volume defined by a top wall, a bottom wall and two side walls;

a refrigeration appliance door bin comprising;

a substantially planar main base portion, at least one upwardly extending wall extending upward from the substantially planar main base portion surrounding and thereby defining a substantially rectangular cuboid interior volume of the refrigeration appliance door bin wherein the interior volume is sized to fit within a sub-volume within the volume of the door; and

a downwardly extending perimeter lip portion; and

wherein the main base portion and the downwardly extending lip portion define a downwardly facing door bin frame engagement space and the main base portion establishes a door bin frame cavity upper surface and the downwardly extending lip portion establishes an exterior surface of the door bin frame engagement space;

the door bin engagement space engages a door bin frame of a refrigerator spaced within the door of a refrigerator such that the downwardly extending lip portion rests on an outwardly protruding ledge that extends from and surrounds an exterior portion of the door bin frame and prevents substantial movement of the door bin when the door bin is engaged with the door bin frame caused by a refrigeration appliance door opening force or a refrigeration appliance door closing force, wherein the door bin frame further comprises a perimeter portion offset outwardly from the exterior portion and remains visible to a user when the door bin is installed; and

a refrigeration appliance door bin bottom surface cover removably engaged with the refrigeration appliance door bin'"'"'s substantially planar main base portion and spaced within the interior volume of the refrigeration appliance door bin and wherein the refrigeration appliance door bin bottom surface cover is removable by hand and without the use of tools from the interior volume of the substantially planar main base portion and wherein the refrigeration appliance door bin bottom surface cover covers at least one recess or aperture on a bottom of the refrigeration appliance door bin and the refrigeration appliance door bin bottom surface cover is engaged with at least a portion of the substantially planar main base portion.