Refrigerator door structure

• US 4,248,489 A
• Filed: 07/10/1979
• Issued: 02/03/1981
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/1979
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Louis F. Barroero, Socrates Dekas
• Original Assignee: Louis F. Barroero, Socrates Dekas
• Inventors: Barroero, Louis F., Dekas, Socrates
• Primary Examiner(s): Nunberg, Casmir A.
• Application Number:
  US06/056,163
• Time in Patent Office: 574 Days
• Field of Search: 312/138 R, 312/139, 312/199, 312/257 R, 312/294-296, 312/350, 49/70, 49/386, 49/402
• US Class Current: 312/296
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 3/043 Doors, covers A47F3/0434 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 23/02 Doors; Covers F25D23/08 takes precedence locks or fastenings E05B65/0042
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2400/40 Refrigerating devices characterised by electrical wiring

Abstract

A refrigerator door structure comprising a door hingedly mounted on a mullion is disclosed, one or more of which may be mounted in a suitable opening through the wall of a refrigerator compartment without a frame and with or without a starter mullion to close such opening while providing access therethrough. The door and mullion are designed to be inverted to provide for either right-hand or left-hand opening of the door. The packaging of the door structure with appropriate shelving elements is described.

Claims

1. In a rectangular opening through the wall of a refrigerator compartment having a substantially flat exterior surface, said opening bounded by substantially horizontal upper and lower structural members spaced from each other a given vertical distance and by substantially vertical side structural members;

a. a starter mullion having a length slightly less than said given vertical distance and mounted substantially vertically along one side structural member of said opening by mounting means at each of its ends rigidly fixing said ends of said starter mullion to said upper and lower structural members of said opening;

b. a plurality of door structures individually mounted in said opening and each of said door structures comprising a mullion and a rectangular door hingedly mounted on said mullion, said rectangular door of each door structure having sides of common length greater than said given vertical distance and being of given common width with one side extending overlappingly along said mullion in alignment therewith, said mullion of each of said plurality of door structures having a length slightly less than said given vertical distance and having means at each of its ends rigidly fixing said ends thereof to said upper and lower structural members of said opening with said mullion in a substantially vertical position within said opening, said mullion of a first one of said plurality of door structures being mounted in said opening adjacent said starter mullion and spaced therefrom a distance less than said given common width of said doors whereby the other side of said door of said first one of said plurality of door structures overlaps said starter mullion with the ends of said door overlapping said flat exterior surface of said refrigerator compartment in the closed position thereof, and the mullion of the remaining ones of said plurality of door structures being each serially mounted in turn along said upper and lower structural members of said opening spaced from the mullion of the preceding door structure a distance less than said given common width of said doors whereby the other side of said door of each of said door structure overlaps the mullion of said preceding door structure with the ends of each door overlapping said exterior surface of said refrigerator compartment; and

c. each of said door structures including a torsion rod means acting solely between said mullion and said door thereof to urge said door and mullion to the closed position thereof with respect to each other;

whereby said starter mullion may be mounted along either end of said opening and said door structures individually inverted for either right-hand or left-hand hinged movement of said door thereof with respect to said mullion thereof.

2. In a rectangular opening through the wall of a refrigerator compartment as claimed in claim 1;

d. a captive shelf support post removably attached to said starter mullion and a free standing shelf support post associated therewith;

e. a plurality of captive shelf support posts each removably attached to a mullion of a different one of said plurality of door structures and a plurality of free standing shelf support posts each associated with a different one of said plurality of captive shelf support posts; and

f. a plurality of generally rectangular shelves each having a first corner supported on one of said plurality of captive posts, a second corner supported on a different one of said plurality of captive posts, a third corner supported on one of said plurality of free standing posts and a fourth corner supported on a different one of said plurality of free standing posts.

3. In a rectangular opening through a side wall of a refrigerator compartment having a substantially flat exterior surface, said opening being bounded by substantially horizontal upper and lower structural members spaced from each other a given distance in a common plane and by substantially vertical side structural members in said common plane;

a plurality of individually mounted door structures, each of said door structures comprising;

a. a mullion having a length slightly less than said given vertical distance and having means at each of its ends rigidly fixing said ends thereof to said upper and lower structural members of said opening with said mullion in substantially vertical position within said opening;

b. a rectangular door having a given length greater than said vertical distance and a given width with one side thereof extending overlappingly along said mullion in alignment therewith;

c. hinge means mounting said one side of said door on said mullion for swinging movement with respect thereto; and

d. torsion rod means acting solely between said door and said mullion biasing said door and mullion to their closed position with respect to each other, whereby each of said plurality of door structures may be mounted for either left-hand or right-hand hinging movement of said door thereof with respect to said mullion thereof.

4. In a rectangular opening through a side wall of a refrigerator compartment a plurality of individually mounted door structures as claimed in claim 3, wherein said mullion of each of said door structures has a flat surface which is overlapped by said door of said door structure and wherein said means at each of the ends of said mullion of each of said door structures rigidly fixing said ends thereof to said upper and lower structural members includes mounting means engaging said flat exterior surface of said refrigerator compartment for aligning said flat surface of said mullion therewith.

5. In a rectangular opening through a side wall of a refrigerator compartment, a plurality of individually mounted door structures as claimed in claim 3, wherein said mullion of each of said door structures has a generally U-shape cross-section having a generally flat bottom with the legs of said U-shape extending away from said door, and including a backing member of generally U-shape cross-section made of resilient material with the legs of said backing member adapted to be removably received and compressively held between the legs of said mullion.

6. In a rectangular opening through a side wall of a refrigerator compartment, a plurality of individually mounted door structures as claimed in claim 5, wherein electrical circuitry is mounted on each said backing member with an electrical connection cord extending from about the middle of the length of said backing member to a point beyond one end thereof.

7. In a rectangular opening through a side wall of a refrigerator compartment, a plurality of individually mounted door structures as claimed in claim 6 wherein electrical elements are included in each said door and electrically connected to said electrical circuitry mounted on said backing member associated therewith by means of an electrical connection cord.

8. In a rectangular opening through a side wall of a refrigerator compartment, a plurality of individually mounted door structures as claimed in claim 3, wherein said mullion of each of said door structures has a generally U-shape cross-section having a generally flat bottom with the legs of said U-shape extending away from said door, and including a backing member of generally U-shape cross-section made of resilient material having low heat conducting properties adapted to be compressively mounted on said legs of said mullion and wherein said backing member is filled with a thermal insulating material.

9. In a rectangular opening through a side wall of a refrigerator compartment, a plurality of individually mounted door structures as claimed in claim 7 wherein said electrical circuitry mounted on each said backing member includes an elongated fluorescent lighting tube aligned therewith.