Refrigerator door frame with insulated mullion
First Claim
1. A refrigerator door assembly mountable within the opening in the wall of a refrigerated cabinet 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 frame including at least one mullion extending between top and bottom sides thereof and against which said doors close,said mullion including a first metallic structural frame member,a plastic insulating plate positioned rearwardly of said first metallic frame member.said mullion including a first metallic structural frame member,a plastic insulating plate positioned rearwardly of said first metallic frame member,a metallic channel shaped frame member having forwardly directed legs engageable with said insulating plate, andmeans extending through said plastic insulating plate positively interconnecting said first and channel shaped frame members with said plastic insulating plate interposed therebetween.
11 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A refrigerator door assembly having a door mounting frame with at least one mullion that includes a primary metallic structural frame member, a plastic insulating plate positioned adjacent a rear side of the primary structural frame member, a channel shaped frame member having forwardly directed legs engageable with the insulating plate, and fasteners interconnecting the first and channel shaped frame members with the insulating plate interposed therebetween. A magnetically attractable sealing plate is 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 frame members and defines air insulating spaces adjacent the primary 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 primary structural frame member and side walls extending in rearwardly directed fashion therefrom. The insulating plate between the channel shaped and primary frame members is releasably engageable with the rearwardly extending side walls for completely encapsulating the primary structural frame member. Various metallic accessory items are supportable on the mullion in substantially thermally isolated relation to the primary structural frame member.
69 Citations
35 Claims
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1. A refrigerator door assembly mountable within the opening in the wall of a refrigerated 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 frame including at least one mullion extending between top and bottom sides thereof and against which said doors close, said mullion including a first metallic structural frame member, a plastic insulating plate positioned rearwardly of said first metallic frame member. said mullion including a first metallic structural frame member, a plastic insulating plate positioned rearwardly of said first metallic frame member, a metallic channel shaped frame member having forwardly directed legs engageable with said insulating plate, and means extending through said plastic insulating plate positively interconnecting said first and channel shaped frame members with said plastic insulating plate interposed therebetween.
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5. A refrigerator door assembly mountable within the opening in the wall of a refrigerated 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 frame including at least one mullion extending between top and bottom sides thereof and against which said doors close, said mullion including a first metallic structural frame member, a second metallic frame member disposed rearwardly of said first frame member, a magnetically attractable sealing plate positioned forwardly of said first frame member against which said doors close, non-metallic insulating and retaining means surrounding said first structural frame member and supporting said sealing plate in thermally isolated relation to a front side of said first structural frame member, said insulating and retaining means including an insulating plate between said first and second frame members, and means interconnecting said first and second frame members with said insulating plate secured therebetween separating said first frame member from said second frame member.
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15. A refrigerator door assembly mountable within the opening in the wall of a refrigerated 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 frame including at least one mullion extending between top and bottom sides thereof and against which said doors close, said mullion including a first metallic structural frame member, a plastic insulating plate positioned rearwardly of said first metallic frame member, a metallic channel shaped frame member having forwardly directed legs engageable with said insulating plate, and means for interconnecting said first and channel shaped frame members with said plastic insulating plate interposed therebetween, said mullion including a forwardly positioned magnetically attractable plate against which said doors close, and non-metallic insulating and retaining means for supporting said sealing plate in thermally isolated relation to a front side of said first structural frame member.
- 20. The refrigerator door assembly of claim 36 in which said insulating and retaining means includes means defining a front wall adjacent a front side of said first structural frame member and means defining side walls adjacent opposed lateral sides of said structural frame member, and said insulating plate is engageable with said side walls.
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29. The refrigerator door assembly of claim 36 in which said insulating and retaining means includes 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 which includes said insulating plate engageable with said rearwardly extending side walls for closing a rear side of said insulating and retaining means channel member.
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30. A refrigerator door assembly mountable within the opening in the wall of a refrigerated 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 frame including at least one mullion extending between top and bottom sides thereof and against which said doors close, said mullion including a first metallic structural frame member, a plastic insulating plate positioned rearwardly of said first metallic frame member, a metallic channel shaped frame member having forwardly directed legs engageable with said insulting plate, and means including a stud connected between said first structural frame member and said channel shaped frame member for interconnecting said first and channel shaped frame members with said plastic insulating plate interposed therebetween.
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33. A refrigerator door assembly mountable within the opening in the wall of a refrigerated 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 frame including at least one mullion extending between top and bottom sides thereof and against which said doors close, said mullion including a first 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 plastic insulating plate positioned rearwardly of said first metallic frame member, a metallic channel shaped frame member having forwardly directed legs engageable with said insulating plate, and means for interconnecting said first and channel shaped frame members with said plastic insulating plate interposed therebetween.
Specification