Kitchen appliance having floating glass panel

• US 20070188059A1
• Filed: 02/15/2006
• Published: 08/16/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Maytag Corporation (Whirlpool Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Maytag Corporation (Whirlpool Corporation)
• Inventors: Freesmeier, Jon, Rotter, Chad, Ertz, Lawrence, Tuller, Barry, Haring, Steven, Davis, Norman
• Granted Patent: US 7,770,985 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 312/265.600
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 3/7001 Coverings therefor; Door leaves imitating traditional raised panel doors, e.g. engraved or embossed surfaces, with trim strips applied to the surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: F24C 15/045 being dismountable, e.g. giving access for cleaning
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 23/02 Doors; Covers F25D23/08 takes precedence locks or fastenings E05B65/0042
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2400/18 Aesthetic features
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining

Abstract

A kitchen appliance includes a door having an outer panel portion and an inner panel portion, with a plurality of mounting members being spaced about the outer panel portion of the door. A glass panel assembly, including a glass panel and a plurality of mounting elements, is detachably mounted to the door through the interengagement of the plurality of mounting elements with the plurality of mounting members. The mounting elements are adhesively secured to the glass panel. Neither the plurality of mounting members nor the plurality of mounting elements are readily visible normally when viewing the kitchen appliance such that the glass panel appears to float relative to the door.

Claims

1. A kitchen appliance comprising:

a support body;

a compartment supported by the support body, said compartment having a frontal opening;

a door supported by the support body and shiftable relative to the compartment so as to selectively close the frontal opening, said door including an inner panel portion and an outer panel portion;

a plurality of mounting members spaced about the outer panel portion of the door; and

a glass panel assembly including a glass panel and a plurality of mounting elements, said plurality of mounting elements being adhesively secured to the glass panel and inter-engaging with the plurality of mounting members such that the glass panel is mounted to the door with the glass panel being spaced from, yet substantially, completely covering, the outer panel portion wherein, when the kitchen appliance is normally viewed, neither the plurality of mounting elements nor the plurality of mounting members is exposed such that the glass panel appears to float relative to the door.

2. The kitchen appliance according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of mounting elements interengage with the plurality of mounting members through vertical shifting of the glass panel relative to the door.

3. The kitchen appliance according to claim 1, wherein the door is provided with a base member, said base member securing a bottom edge section of the glass panel to the door.

4. The kitchen appliance according to claim 1, wherein the door includes a plurality of edge sections, said plurality of mounting members being mounted to the door spaced inward from the plurality of edge sections.

5. The kitchen appliance according to claim 4, wherein the glass panel includes a plurality of edge portions, said plurality of mounting elements being mounted to the glass panel spaced inward from the plurality of edge sections.

6. The kitchen appliance according to claim 5, wherein each of the plurality of mounting members includes a base section that extends to a first out-turned section which terminates in a second out-turned section.

7. The kitchen appliance according to claim 6, wherein the base section is secured to the outer panel portion such that the first and second out-turned sections are cantilevered and establish a spring clip.

8. The kitchen appliance according to claim 5, wherein each of the plurality of mounting elements includes a base section extending to an outer section which leads to an in-turned section prior to terminating at an angled section, said base section being adhesively secured to the glass panel.

9. The kitchen appliance according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of mounting members is constituted by a keyhole-shaped opening formed in the outer panel portion.

10. The kitchen appliance according to claim 5, wherein each of the plurality of mounting elements includes a main body having a base section and an outer section, said outer section being provided with a tab member that establishes an L-shaped hook.

11. The kitchen appliance according to claim 10, wherein the door is provided with a base member, said base member being constituted by a bracket mounted adjacent a lower edge section of the outer panel portion.

12. The kitchen appliance according to claim 11, further comprising:

an upper trim piece; and

a plurality of crown elements mounted at an upper edge portion of the glass panel, said upper trim piece being secured to the door and the glass panel through the plurality of crown elements.

13. The kitchen appliance according to claim 5, wherein the glass panel is bowed.

14. The kitchen appliance according to claim 5, wherein the glass panel includes an upper edge portion and at least two laterally spaced openings arranged adjacent the upper edge portion.

15. The kitchen appliance according to claim 14, wherein the door is provided with a handle, said handle being adapted to be secured to the glass panel by mechanical fasteners the extend through the at least two laterally spaced openings.

16. The kitchen appliance according to claim 15, wherein the outer panel portion is provided with at least two laterally spaced mechanical fasteners positioned adjacent the upper edge section, said at least two laterally spaced mechanical fasteners being adapted to secure an upper trim piece to the door.

17. The kitchen appliance according to claim 5, wherein the plurality of mounting members are integrally formed in the outer panel portion.

18. The kitchen appliance according to claim 17, wherein each of the plurality of mounting members is constituted by a depressed region that establishes an opening formed in the outer panel portion, said depressed region having a central opening.

19. The kitchen appliance according to claim 18, wherein each of the plurality of mounting elements includes a main body having a base section and an outer section, said outer section being provided with a tab member that establishes an L-shaped hook, said tab member extending into the opening constituted by the depressed region.

20. The kitchen appliance according to claim 19, wherein the tab member includes a first section that extends substantially, perpendicularly from the main body and a second section that extends substantially perpendicularly from the first section, said second section being provided with a threaded opening.

21. The kitchen appliance according to claim 20, wherein the glass panel is secured to the door by at least one mechanical fastener that passes through the central opening into the threaded opening thereby engaging the second section.

22. The kitchen appliance according to claim 1, wherein the kitchen appliance constitutes a refrigerator.

23. The kitchen appliance according to claim 1, wherein the kitchen appliance constitutes a dishwasher.

24. The kitchen appliance according to claim 1, wherein the kitchen appliance constitutes an oven.

25. A method of mounting a glass panel to a door of a kitchen appliance comprising:

providing a plurality of mounting members on an outer panel portion of a door of a kitchen appliance, with said plurality of mounting members being spaced inward from outer edge sections of the door;

attaching a plurality of mounting elements to an inner panel portion of a glass panel, with said plurality of mounting elements being spaced inward from an outer edge portion of the glass panel; and

slidingly inter-engaging the mounting elements with the mounting members to secure the glass panel to the door, said glass panel being spaced from, yet substantially completely covering, the door with neither the mounting members nor the mounting elements being readily visible when the kitchen appliance is viewed from front or angled side views thereby providing an illusion that the glass panel appears to float relative to the kitchen appliance.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the mounting elements are adhesively secured to the glass panel.

27. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

securing the glass panel to the door with a plurality of mechanical fasteners.