Refrigerator door assembly with stylized substantially all glass front
First Claim
1. A refrigerator door assembly comprising a cabinet frame for mounting adjacent an opening of a refrigerator cabinet, an insulated glass door having an insulated glass unit with a plurality of glass panes disposed in side-by-side relation including a forward pane and at least one pane disposed rearwardly of said forward pane, a spacer interposed between said panes for maintaining said panes in parallel relation with an air space of predetermined width therebetween, said spacer including vertical spacer elements disposed adjacent opposite sides of said glass panes and top and bottom spacer elements connected to said vertical spacer elements and disposed adjacent top and bottom ends of said glass panes, said spacer elements each having an inner peripheral edge disposed inwardly from a respective outer peripheral edge of said forward glass pane, an outer structural door support frame about the periphery of said glass unit, said structural support frame including vertical frame support elements disposed adjacent opposite sides of said door and top and bottom frame support elements disposed adjacent top and bottom ends of said door and rigidly connected to said vertical frame support elements for supporting the weight of said glass unit, said vertical frame support elements being disposed outwardly of said vertical spacer elements and said top and bottom structural frame support elements being disposed outwardly of said top and bottom spacer elements, means supporting said structural support frame and hence the glass unit supported thereby for movement relative to said cabinet frame, said forward glass pane extending outwardly substantially to the outer perimeter of said door, said structural support frame having at least a portion located rearwardly of a peripheral portion of said forward glass pane in inward relation to an outer peripheral edge of said forward glass pane at a location forwardly of said rearwardly disposed pane and being without any portion which extends in overlapping relation to a forward side of said forward pane a distance greater than the distance said rearwardly located structural support frame portion is disposed inwardly from the outer peripheral edge of said forward glass pane, a trim portion about the peripheral edge of said forward glass pane without any portion thereof extending in overlapping relation to a forward side of said forward glass pane a distance greater than the distance said rearwardly located structural frame portion is disposed inwardly from the outer peripheral edge of said forward glass pane, and masking means about a peripheral portion of said forward glass pane and extending inwardly at least a distance corresponding to the inner peripheral edge of said spacer elements for preventing viewing of said spacer elements and the portion of said structural support frame located rearwardly of said forward glass pane through said forward glass pane from a front side thereof while permitting unobstructed viewing of an interior of the refrigerator cabinet within which said door assembly is mounted.
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A multi-pane insulated glass door assembly in which the forward pane of the glass unit extends outwardly a greater distance than the panes rearwardly thereof and is supported by an outer metal frame having a relatively narrow forwardly extending perimeter portion adjacent the peripheral edge of the forward glass pane so as to provide the door with a modernistic, substantially all glass front appearance. In one embodiment, the outer metal frame has a rear portion extending inwardly behind the forward glass pane and a molding is interposed between the forwardly extending perimeter portion of the metal frame and the peripheral edge of the forward glass pane to provide a finished appearance. A dark ink is affixed to an inside peripheral face of the forward glass pane for masking the peripheral components of the door assembly from sight through the forward glass pane from the front side thereof. In another embodiment, each door has a non-metallic, lightweight outer molded trim portion which encapsulates the outer support frame and the periphery of the glass unit and which has insulating qualities that tends to prevent heat transfer between warm and cold sides of the door.
135 Citations
37 Claims
- 1. A refrigerator door assembly comprising a cabinet frame for mounting adjacent an opening of a refrigerator cabinet, an insulated glass door having an insulated glass unit with a plurality of glass panes disposed in side-by-side relation including a forward pane and at least one pane disposed rearwardly of said forward pane, a spacer interposed between said panes for maintaining said panes in parallel relation with an air space of predetermined width therebetween, said spacer including vertical spacer elements disposed adjacent opposite sides of said glass panes and top and bottom spacer elements connected to said vertical spacer elements and disposed adjacent top and bottom ends of said glass panes, said spacer elements each having an inner peripheral edge disposed inwardly from a respective outer peripheral edge of said forward glass pane, an outer structural door support frame about the periphery of said glass unit, said structural support frame including vertical frame support elements disposed adjacent opposite sides of said door and top and bottom frame support elements disposed adjacent top and bottom ends of said door and rigidly connected to said vertical frame support elements for supporting the weight of said glass unit, said vertical frame support elements being disposed outwardly of said vertical spacer elements and said top and bottom structural frame support elements being disposed outwardly of said top and bottom spacer elements, means supporting said structural support frame and hence the glass unit supported thereby for movement relative to said cabinet frame, said forward glass pane extending outwardly substantially to the outer perimeter of said door, said structural support frame having at least a portion located rearwardly of a peripheral portion of said forward glass pane in inward relation to an outer peripheral edge of said forward glass pane at a location forwardly of said rearwardly disposed pane and being without any portion which extends in overlapping relation to a forward side of said forward pane a distance greater than the distance said rearwardly located structural support frame portion is disposed inwardly from the outer peripheral edge of said forward glass pane, a trim portion about the peripheral edge of said forward glass pane without any portion thereof extending in overlapping relation to a forward side of said forward glass pane a distance greater than the distance said rearwardly located structural frame portion is disposed inwardly from the outer peripheral edge of said forward glass pane, and masking means about a peripheral portion of said forward glass pane and extending inwardly at least a distance corresponding to the inner peripheral edge of said spacer elements for preventing viewing of said spacer elements and the portion of said structural support frame located rearwardly of said forward glass pane through said forward glass pane from a front side thereof while permitting unobstructed viewing of an interior of the refrigerator cabinet within which said door assembly is mounted.
- 33. A refrigerator door assembly comprising a cabinet frame for mounting adjacent an opening of a refrigerator cabinet, an insulated glass door mounted for movement relative to said cabinet frame, said glass door comprising an insulated glass unit having a plurality of glass panes disposed in side-by-side relation and including a forward pane and a pane disposed rearwardly of said forward pane, a spacer interposed between at least some of panes for maintaining said panes in parallel relation with an air space therebetween, said forward glass pane having a conductive coating on inner surface thereof, bus bars mounted on said forward glass pane on opposite sides of said conductive coating for connection to an electrical source, and said bus bars each being disposed in interposed relation between said spacer and said forward glass pane.
Specification