Refrigerator door frame with insulated mullion
First Claim
1. A refrigerator door assembly mountable within the opening in the wall of a refrigerated cabinet at its front comprisinga door mounting frame having an outer peripheral portion mountable within said cabinet opening,a plurality of insulated doors mounted for pivotal movement on said frame, said doors each having sealing gasket means adjacent an outer peripheral side thereof,said frame including at least one mullion spanning between top and bottom sides of said frame with the outer periphery thereof being remote from said cabinet wall for establishing a stop for a pair of doors when said doors are in a closed condition,said mullion including a metallic structural frame member having an elongated cross sectional configuration with a long side thereof facing the front of said cabinet, a sealing plate mounted forwardly of said structural frame member for engagement by the gasket means of said pairs of doors when in a closed condition,insulating and retaining means for supporting said sealing plate in parallel spaced-apart, thermally isolated relation to a front side of said structural frame member with an air insulating space between said sealing plate and said structural frame member, andsaid insulating and retaining means includes means defining first plastic non-metallic walls which encompass the outer periphery of said structural frame member and means defining second plastic non-metallic walls which together with said first walls define an air insulating space about a rear and opposite lateral sides of said structural frame member.
11 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A refrigerator door assembly having a door mounting frame with at least one mullion that includes a metallic structural frame member and a magnetically attractable sealing plate mounted forwardly on the mullion for defining a stop and sealing surface for the swinging ends of pivotably mounted doors. The mullion includes an insulating and sealing plate retaining assembly which supports the sealing plate in thermally isolated relation to the structural member and which defines an air insulating space completely about the structural frame member. The illustrated insulating and sealing plate retaining assembly includes a plastic channel shaped member having a front wall disposed in closely adjacent relation to a front side of the structural frame member and side walls extending in rearwardly directed fashion therefrom. A cover plate is releasably engagable with the rearwardly extending side walls for completely encapsulating the structural frame member. The magnetically attractable sealing plate is supported by the channel shaped plastic member in forwardly spaced relation to the structural frame member. Various metallic accessory items are supportable on the mullion in substantially thermally isolated relation to the structural frame member.
51 Citations
22 Claims
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1. A refrigerator door assembly mountable within the opening in the wall of a refrigerated cabinet at its front comprising
a door mounting frame having an outer peripheral portion mountable within said cabinet opening, a plurality of insulated doors mounted for pivotal movement on said frame, said doors each having sealing gasket means adjacent an outer peripheral side thereof, said frame including at least one mullion spanning between top and bottom sides of said frame with the outer periphery thereof being remote from said cabinet wall for establishing a stop for a pair of doors when said doors are in a closed condition, said mullion including a metallic structural frame member having an elongated cross sectional configuration with a long side thereof facing the front of said cabinet, a sealing plate mounted forwardly of said structural frame member for engagement by the gasket means of said pairs of doors when in a closed condition, insulating and retaining means for supporting said sealing plate in parallel spaced-apart, thermally isolated relation to a front side of said structural frame member with an air insulating space between said sealing plate and said structural frame member, and said insulating and retaining means includes means defining first plastic non-metallic walls which encompass the outer periphery of said structural frame member and means defining second plastic non-metallic walls which together with said first walls define an air insulating space about a rear and opposite lateral sides of said structural frame member.
- 6. The refrigerator door assembly of claim I including metallic accessory means mounted on said sealing plate in thermally isolated relation to said structural frame member.
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10. A refrigerator door assembly mountable within the opening in the wall of a refrigerator cabinet comprising
a door mounting frame having an outer peripheral portion mountable within said cabinet opening, a plurality of insulated doors mounted for pivotal movement on said frame, said doors each having sealing gasket means adjacent an outer peripheral side thereof, said frame including at least one mullion extending between top and bottom sides thereof and against which said doors close, said mullion including a metallic structural frame member and a sealing plate supported forwardly thereof for engagement by the gasket means of said doors when in a closed condition, non-metallic insulating and retaining means for encapsulating said structural frame member, supporting said sealing plate in spaced apart thermally insulated relation to said structural frame member, and defining insulating air spaces on forward and rearward sides thereof, said insulating and retaining means including a channel shaped member having a front wall disposed in closely adjacent relation to a front side of said structural frame member and rearwardly directed side walls, and a cover plate releasably engagable with said rearwardly extending side walls for closing the rear side of said channel member.
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11. A refrigerator door assembly mountable within the opening in the wall of a refrigerated cabinet comprising
a door mounted frame having an outer peripheral portion mountable within said cabinet opening, a plurality of insulated doors mounted for pivotal movement on said frame, said doors each having sealing gasket means adjacent an outer peripheral side thereof, said frame including at least one mullion extending between top and bottom sides thereof and against which said doors close, said mullion including a metallic structural frame member and a sealing plate supported forwardly thereof for engagement by the gasket means of said doors when in a closed condition, non-metallic insulating and retaining means for encapsulating said structural frame member, supporting said sealing plate in spaced apart thermally isolated relation to said structural frame member, and defining insulating air spaced on forward and rearward sides of said structural frame member, said insulating and retaining means including means defining a front wall adjacent a front side of said structural frame member and means defining side walls adjacent opposed lateral sides of said structural frame member, said side wall being formed with opposing channels for captively receiving opposed lateral sides of said sealing plate, said insulating and retaining means further including a cover plate enclosing a rear side of said structural frame member, and said side walls of said insulating and retaining means including means at the rearward terminal ends thereof for releasably engaging said cover plate and supporting said cover plate in outwardly spaced relation to the rear of said structural frame member.
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20. A refrigerator door assembly mountable within the opening in the wall of a refrigerator cabinet comprising
a door mounting frame having an outer peripheral portion mountable within said cabinet opening. a plurality of insulated doors mounted for pivotal movement on said frame, said doors each having sealing gasket means adjacent an outer peripheral side thereof, said frame including at least one mullion extending between top and bottom sides thereof and against which said doors close, said mullion including a metallic structural frame member having a central hollow portion which defines a central air insulating space and outwardly extending flanges on opposed sides thereof. a sealing plate mounted forwardly of said structural frame member for engagement by the gasket means of said doors when in a closed condition, insulating and retaining means for supporting said sealing plate in parallel spaced-apart, thermally isolated relation to a front side of said structural frame member, said insulating and retaining means including non-metallic means for encapsulating said structural frame member and defining insulating air spaces on forward and rearward sides thereof, and said non-metallic means being formed with a pair of opposing channels for receiving opposed sides of said flanges.
Specification