Refrigerator door storage system
First Claim
1. In a refrigerator including a cabinet shell within which is defined fresh food and freezer compartments separated by a partition, with the fresh food and freezer compartments being selectively accessed by opening respective doors, having respective inner wall portions, pivotally mounted about substantially vertical axes to the cabinet shell, a refrigerated product storage system comprising:
- a first product support shelf projecting from the inner wall portion of the fresh food compartment door; and
a chill compartment door including an inner portion, an outer portion and a wrap around section, the inner portion of said chill compartment door being pivotally mounted for movement relative to the fresh food compartment door about a substantially vertical axis such that the chill compartment door is selectively movable between an open position, wherein access to the first shelf is provided, and a closed position, wherein the chill compartment door extends across the inner wall portion of the fresh food compartment door and the wrap around section projects towards the inner wall portion of the fresh food compartment door to enclose the first shelf within a chill compartment.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A refrigerated product storage system incorporates first, second and third vertically spaced storage sections carried by a unitary support frame attached to an inner wall portion of a fresh food compartment door of a refrigerator. In the most preferred form of the invention, the storage system includes an uppermost dairy compartment, an intermediate chill compartment, and a lower, slidable drawer. The chill compartment is provided with a door which is pivotably mounted about a vertical, inboard pivot axis, with the door being formed with a cut-out handle portion adapted to be aligned with a passageway formed in a partition separating freezer and fresh food compartments of the refrigerator. With this construction, a supply of low temperature air is directed from the freezer compartment directly into the chill compartment through the cut-out handle portion. The door of the chill compartment is provided with a latching mechanism, preferably an over-center acting latching mechanism. In addition, the slidable drawer cooperates with a locking mechanism, which is preferably located at an inboard, visually obstructed location to restrict access to the contents of the slidable drawer.
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Citations
39 Claims
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1. In a refrigerator including a cabinet shell within which is defined fresh food and freezer compartments separated by a partition, with the fresh food and freezer compartments being selectively accessed by opening respective doors, having respective inner wall portions, pivotally mounted about substantially vertical axes to the cabinet shell, a refrigerated product storage system comprising:
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a first product support shelf projecting from the inner wall portion of the fresh food compartment door; and a chill compartment door including an inner portion, an outer portion and a wrap around section, the inner portion of said chill compartment door being pivotally mounted for movement relative to the fresh food compartment door about a substantially vertical axis such that the chill compartment door is selectively movable between an open position, wherein access to the first shelf is provided, and a closed position, wherein the chill compartment door extends across the inner wall portion of the fresh food compartment door and the wrap around section projects towards the inner wall portion of the fresh food compartment door to enclose the first shelf within a chill compartment. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. In a refrigerator including a cabinet shell within which is defined fresh food and freezer compartments separated by a partition, with the fresh food and freezer compartments being selectively accessed by opening respective doors, having respective inner wall portions, pivotally mounted about substantially vertical axes to the cabinet shell, a refrigerated product storage system comprising:
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a first product support shelf projecting from the inner wall portion of the fresh food compartment door; a chill compartment door including an inner portion and an outer portion, the inner portion of said chill compartment door being pivotally mounted for movement relative to the fresh food compartment door about a substantially vertical axis such that the chill compartment door is selectively movable between an open position, wherein access to the first shelf is provided, and a closed position, wherein the chill compartment door extends across the inner wall portion of the fresh food compartment to enclose the first shelf within a chill compartment, said chill compartment door being formed with a cut-out portion; and an air passage formed in the partition, said cut-out portion being aligned with the air passage when the fresh food compartment door is closed in order to deliver a supply of cooling air from the freezer compartment to within the chill compartment. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. In a refrigerator including a cabinet shell within which is defined fresh food and freezer compartments separated by a partition, with the fresh food and freezer compartments being selectively accessed by opening respective doors, each of which has an inner wall portion, pivotally mounted about substantially vertical axes to the cabinet shell, a refrigerated product storage system comprising:
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a storage system frame mounted to the inner wall portion of the fresh food compartment door, said storage frame being divided into at least first and second distinct storage sections; a first product support shelf carried by the storage frame, with the first shelf separating the first and second storage sections; a second product support shelf carried by the storage frame at a lower end of the second storage section; and first and second storage section covers, with the first cover being adapted to selectively extend across products placed upon the first shelf and the second cover being adapted to extend across products placed on the second shelf, each of the first and second covers being movably supported by the storage frame. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
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35. In a refrigerator including a cabinet shell within which is defined fresh food and freezer compartments separated by a partition, with the fresh food and freezer compartments being selectively accessed by opening respective doors, each of which has an inner wall portion, pivotally mounted about substantially vertical axes to the cabinet shell, a refrigerated product storage system comprising:
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first, second and third vertically spaced storage sections arranged on the inner wall portion of the fresh food compartment door, at least one of said storage sections being defined by a slidable drawer; and a locking unit for preventing unauthorized opening of the slidable drawer. - View Dependent Claims (36, 37, 38)
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39. In a refrigerator including a cabinet shell within which is defined fresh food and freezer compartments separated by a partition, with the fresh food and freezer compartments being selectively accessed by opening respective doors, each of which has an inner wall portion, pivotally mounted about substantially vertical axes to the cabinet shell, a refrigerated product storage system comprising:
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a storage system frame mounted to the inner wall portion of the fresh food compartment door, said storage frame being divided into at least first, second and third vertically spaced and distinct storage sections arranged on the inner wall portion of the fresh food compartment door, at least one of said storage sections being defined by a slidable drawer; a locking unit for preventing unauthorized opening of the slidable drawer; a first product support shelf carried by the storage frame and projecting from the inner wall portion of the fresh food compartment door, with the first shelf separating the first and second storage sections; a second product support shelf carried by the storage frame at a lower end of the second storage section; first and second storage section covers, with the first cover being adapted to selectively extend across products placed upon the first shelf and the second cover being adapted to extend across products placed on the second shelf, each of the first and second covers being movably supported by the storage frame, said first cover constituting a chill compartment door including an inner portion, an outer portion and a wrap around section, the inner portion of said chill compartment door being pivotally mounted for movement relative to the fresh food compartment door about a substantially vertical axis such that the chill compartment door is selectively movable between an open position, wherein access to the first shelf is provided, and a closed position, wherein the chill compartment door extends across the inner wall portion of the fresh food compartment door and the wrap around section projects towards the inner wall portion of the fresh food compartment door to enclose the second shelf within a chill compartment, said chill compartment door being formed with a cut-out portion; and an air passage formed in the partition, said cut-out portion being aligned with the air passage when the fresh food compartment door is closed in order to deliver a supply of cooling air from the freezer compartment to within the chill compartment.
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Specification