Spill containing refrigerator shelf assembly
DC CAFCFirst Claim
Patent Images
1. A shelf assembly comprising:
- a shelf panel having a generally flat top surface which is capable of supporting articles which may be placed on said shelf panel;
a hydrophobic surface applied in a spill containment pattern on the said top surface;
wherein the majority of the surface area of said top surface of the shelf panel is not hydrophobic, thereby providing one or more non-hydrophobic central portions bounded by said spill containment pattern of said hydrophobic surface.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The specification discloses a method for containing spills on shelving and the like, and the resulting support members made in accordance with the method, by providing the generally flat top surface of a support with a hydrophobic surface which is arranged in a spill containment pattern and which is generally in the plane of the top surface of the support. The majority of the top surface of the support consists of one or more spill containment areas which are of a non-hydrophobic nature and which are bounded by the hydrophobic surfaces, such that spills on the shelving collect in the non-hydrophobic spill containment area or areas and are prevented from spreading by the hydrophobic surfaces.
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Citations
64 Claims
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1. A shelf assembly comprising:
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a shelf panel having a generally flat top surface which is capable of supporting articles which may be placed on said shelf panel; a hydrophobic surface applied in a spill containment pattern on the said top surface; wherein the majority of the surface area of said top surface of the shelf panel is not hydrophobic, thereby providing one or more non-hydrophobic central portions bounded by said spill containment pattern of said hydrophobic surface. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A method of manufacturing a shelf capable of containing liquid spills thereon comprising:
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providing a panel having a generally flat top surface which is capable of supporting articles which may be placed on said panel; applying a hydrophobic surface arranged in a spill containment pattern generally in the plane of said top surface; leaving the majority of the surface area of said top surface of the panel non-hydrophobic, thereby providing one or more non-hydrophobic central portions bounded by the spill containment pattern of the hydrophobic surface. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32)
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33. A shelf assembly, comprising:
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a generally flat shelf panel having a top surface and a bottom surface, the top surface capable of supporting articles; a hydrophobic surface applied in a spill containment pattern generally in the plane of said top surface; at least one non-hydrophobic central portion completed completely bounded by the spill containment pattern for containing liquids on the top surface of the shelf panel; and at least one support bracket attached to the bottom surface of the shelf panel such that the top surface of the shelf panel is completely free from intrusion or other obstruction, thereby maximizing the available shelf space on the top surface of the shelf panel. - View Dependent Claims (35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64)
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34. A shelf assembly, comprising:
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a generally flat shelf panel having a top surface and a bottom surface, the top surface capable of supporting articles; a hydrophobic surface applied in a spill containment pattern generally in the plane of said top surface; at least one non-hydrophobic central portion completed completely bounded by the spill containment pattern for containing liquids on the top surface of the shelf panel; and at least one support bracket attached only to the bottom surface of the shelf panel such that the top surface of the shelf panel is completely free from intrusion or other obstruction, thereby maximizing the available shelf space on the top surface of the shelf panel.
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Specification