Retainer for refrigerator shelf

• US 3,893,739 A
• Filed: 10/24/1974
• Issued: 07/08/1975
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/1974
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: James A. Bernard
• Original Assignee: James A. Bernard
• Inventors: Bernard, James A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gilliam, Paul R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Grosz, Alex
• Application Number:
  US05/517,455
• Time in Patent Office: 257 Days
• Field of Search: 312/138A 211/74,184 248/311
• US Class Current: 312/321.5
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 57/585 with connection means slidable in a rail
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 23/04 with special compartments, e.g. butter conditioners
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2331/803 Bottles

Abstract

A shelf front or guard for a refrigerator has vertically opposed longitudinally extending grooves on the inner face thereof for slidably receiving a torsion overcenter hinge spring of an article retainer assembly. The retainer assembly includes a finger-like member pivotally supported on the torsion spring for movement from a downwardly extending retracted slidable position to a fixed horizontally extending position to prevent tall containers from tipping over when the door is closed.

Claims

1. In a refrigerator door of the type having a recess therein for the storage of foodstuffs, a shelf construction comprising a horizontal surface for supporting objects, a shelf guard extending across the recess above the shelf surface;

said shelf guard having vertically opposed longitudinally extending upper and lower grooves on the inner surface thereof facing said recess, a retainer assembly mounted on said guard, said assembly including a finger member and an integral wire hinge and torsion spring having a generally inverted U-shaped configuration, said spring having its lower portion disposed in said bottom groove and its upper portion disposed in said upper groove, said spring including a cross bar resiliently biased to a first overcenter position outward from the inner face of said guard, the upper portion of said U-shaped spring bent inwardly to provide axially aligned opposed pintles, said finger member having aligned bores in one end receiving respective pintles so as to rotatably support said finger member for substantially right-angled pivotal movement about a horizontal axis from a downwardly extending vertical retracted position to a horizontal position extending normally from the rear face of said shelf guard, said finger member having a transverse groove formed in the under surface thereof receiving said cross bar, whereby said U-shaped retainer assembly being slidably movable in said grooves when said retainer is in its retracted position snapping said cross bar to a second overcenter position adjacent the guard inner face, and whereupon said finger member being rotated to its horizontal position said cross bar is snapped to its first overcenter position biasing said finger member into contact with said upper return flange such that said finger member is retained in its horizontally extending position adjacent a tall container to prevent same from tipping over when the door is closed.

2. In a refrigerator door of the type having a recess therein for the storage of foodstuffs, a shelf construction comprising a horizontal surface for supporting objects, a shelf guard extending across the recess above the shelf surface;

said shelf guard having a generally I-beam cross-section provided with horizontal top and bottom flanges integral with a vertical web, said top flange having a downwardly extending return flange and said bottom flange having an upward extending return flange to provide vertically opposed longitudinally extending upper and lower grooves along the inner face of the vertical web, wherein the improvement comprising a retainer assembly including a finger member and an integral wire hinge and torsion spring having a generally U-shaped configuration providing a pair of vertically extending spaced parallel legs, with the lower extremity of each such leg having a curved knee portion disposed in said bottom groove, said knee portions having their other ends terminating in a pair of opposed V-shaped portions having respective upper ends, interconnected by a cross bar resiliently biased to a first overcenter position substantially in the plane of said return fLanges, the respective upper ends of said legs terminating in respective U-shaped hairpin portions disposed in said top groove, the extremities of the hairpin portions bent inwardly to provide axially aligned opposed pintles, said finger member having aligned bores in one end receiving respective pintles so as to rotatably support said finger member for substantially right-angled pivotal movement about a horizontal axis from a downward vertical retracted position to a horizontal position extending normally from the rear face of said shelf guard, said finger member having a transverse groove formed in the under surface thereof receiving said cross bar, whereby said retainer assembly may be slidably moved in said grooves when said retainer is in its retracted position snapping said cross bar to a second overcenter position adjacent the guard inner face, and whereupon said finger being rotated to its horizontal position said cross bar is snapped to its first overcenter position with said retainer member in a horizontally extending position adjacent a tall container to prevent same from tipping over when the door is closed.