MOUNTING SYSTEMS FOR REFRIGERATION DEVICES

• US 20190331405A1
• Filed: 04/26/2019
• Published: 10/31/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Marmon Foodservice Technologies Incorporated (Berkshire Hathaway Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Prince Castle LLC (Berkshire Hathaway Incorporated)
• Inventors: Bialas, Gwen, Pollpeter, Eric
• Granted Patent: US 10,962,278 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 45/00 Devices for fastening or gripping kitchen utensils or crockerykitchen cabinets with provisions for attachment of kitchen implements or utensils A47B77/00
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 23/067 Supporting elements
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2323/021 French doors
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 25/00 Charging, supporting, and discharging the articles to be cooled
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 25/02 by shelves

Abstract

A mounting assembly for securing an accessory to a food service apparatus includes a mounting bar having a primary cavity, an open interior, a lip, a projection, and a partition wall that extends between the lip and the projection and separates the primary cavity and the open interior. An anchor bar is received in the open interior and secures the mounting bar to the food service apparatus. A mechanical interface has a projection received into the primary cavity such that the mechanical interface is secured to the mounting bar. The mounting bar prevents rotation of the projection out of the primary cavity, and the mechanical interface is configured to be secured to the accessory such that the accessory is secured to the food service apparatus.

Claims

1. A mounting system for a food service apparatus, the mounting system comprising:

a unitary wall of the food service apparatus, the unitary wall comprising an upper wall and a lower wall planar to the upper wall and defining a channel between the upper wall and the lower wall, the channel defined by a channel top, a channel back, and a channel bottom formed of the unitary wall;

a mounting bar secured to the unitary wall within the channel; and

a mechanical interface coupled to an accessory and releasably engaged with the mounting bar to support the accessory on the unitary wall.

2. The mounting system of claim 1, wherein the mounting bar engages at least two of the channel top, the channel back, and the channel bottom.

3. The mounting system of claim 2, wherein the mounting bar has a top wall and a bottom wall and at least one of the top wall and the bottom wall engage one of the channel top and the channel bottom of the unitary wall.

4. The mounting system of claim 3, wherein the mounting bar has opposing arms that extend inwardly toward each other from the top wall and the bottom wall.

5. The mounting system of claim 4, wherein the opposing arms engage the channel back.

6. The mounting system of claim 4, wherein an open interior of the mounting bar is defined by the top wall, the bottom wall, and the opposing arms.

7. The mounting system of claim 6, further comprising an anchor bar that extends within the open interior and secures the mounting bar to the unitary wall.

8. The mounting system of claim 7, wherein the mounting bar slides relative to the anchor bar to receive the anchor bar within the open interior of the mounting bar.

9. The mounting system of claim 7, further comprising a threaded fastener that secures the anchor bar to the channel back and places a compressive force on the anchor bar that compresses at least one of the opposing arms against the channel back.

10. The mounting system of claim 3, wherein the mounting bar comprises a primary cavity defined by a partition wall of the mounting bar that extends between the top wall and the bottom wall, and the primary cavity configured to receive a projection of the mechanical interface to engage the mechanical interface with the mounting bar.

11. The mounting system of claim 10, wherein the primary cavity is further defined by a lip of the mounting bar that extends downwardly from the top wall at an end of the partition wall and the projection of the mechanical interface, when received in the primary cavity, simultaneously engages the lip and the partition wall.

12. The mounting system of claim 11, wherein the mounting bar resiliently deforms to releasably engage the projection of the mechanical interface within the primary cavity.

13. The mounting system of claim 10, wherein the top wall engages the channel top and the bottom wall is spaced apart from the channel bottom thereby defining a secondary cavity between the bottom wall and the channel bottom.

14. The mounting system of claim 13, wherein the mechanical interface further comprises a tab spaced apart from the projection of the mechanical interface, wherein when the mechanical interface engages the mounting bar, the tab is received within the secondary cavity.

15. The mounting system of claim 14, wherein when received in the secondary cavity, the tab simultaneously engages the bottom wall and the channel bottom.

16. The mounting system of claim 15, wherein the mechanical interface further comprises an engagement arm that extends generally perpendicular to the tab, and when the mechanical interface engages the mounting bar, the engagement arm engages the lower wall of the unitary wall.

17. The mounting system of claim 14, wherein one of the bottom wall and the tab resiliently deforms when the tab engages the bottom wall.

18. The mounting system of claim 1, wherein the food service apparatus is a refrigerator.

19. The mounting system of claim 1, wherein the accessory is a shelf.

20. The mounting system of claim 1, wherein the mechanical interface is a first mechanical interface and further comprising a second mechanical interface, and wherein the accessory extends between the first mechanical interface and the second mechanical interface.