Refrigerator and/or freezer door unit

• US 8,312,694 B2
• Filed: 01/25/2006
• Issued: 11/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Liebherr-Hausgerate Ochsenhausen GmbH
• Original Assignee: Liebherr-Hausgerã¤Te Ochsenhausen GmbH (Liebherr-International SA)
• Inventors: Hecht, Josef, Dorner, Georg
• Primary Examiner(s): Gilbert, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Smith, Matthew J
• Application Number:
  US11/795,941
• Publication Number:
  US 20080190046A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,491 Days
• Field of Search: 527/821, 527/841, 527/841.3, 527/861, 522/045.91, 522/045.93, 522/045.97, 495/01, 495/04, 494/751, 621/31, 312/116
• US Class Current: 52/784.1
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 3/0434 Glass or transparent panels
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 23/02 Doors; Covers F25D23/08 takes precedence locks or fastenings E05B65/0042

Abstract

A refrigerator unit and/or a freezer unit has a glass door which, in turn, has a door frame into which a glazing pane has been inserted. The door frame has a plastic jacket peripherally integrally shaped in one piece.

Claims

1. A refrigerator unit and/or a freezer unit comprising a glass door (3) in turn having

a door frame (5), and

a glazed pane (6) inserted into the door frame (5), wherein

the door frame (5) comprises a plastic jacket (7) integrally shaped in one piece around its entire periphery forming a front/exterior side of the door frame (5) and including limb sections (16, 17) covering at least the front/exterior side and narrow sides of the door frame (5), and

a peripheral glazing pane holder (12) connected to said plastic jacket (7),

the plastic jacket (7) forms an outer envelope integrally extending along bottom, top and sides of the door (3) free of seams on the front visible side of the door (3), and additionally comprising

a peripheral foam body (19) into which the glazing pane holder (12) is foamed and with which the plastic jacket (7) is peripherally foamed under or foamed-out or foam-filled on a rear side of the jacket (7) whereby the jacket is filled such that the peripheral foam body (19) nestles over the entire rear side of the plastic jacket (7) and forms a closed frame stiffening portion improving dimensional accuracy of the plastic jacket (7).

2. A refrigerator unit and/or a freezer unit in accordance with claim 1, wherein the plastic jacket (7) comprises an injection molded plastic section.

3. A refrigerator unit and/or a freezer unit in accordance with claim 2, wherein a frame stiffener (10) is peripherally inserted into the plastic jacket (7) and has a plurality of sectional pieces (11), in particular extruded sections, which are connected to the plastic jacket (7) at the rear thereof.

4. A refrigerator unit and/or a freezer unit in accordance with claim 3, wherein the sectional pieces (11) are connected to one another, in particular adhesively bonded to one another, and are assembled to form a rigid peripheral stiffening frame.

5. A refrigerator unit and/or a freezer unit in accordance with claim 1, wherein the plastic jacket (7) has a surface coating, is preferably lacquered, at least at the front side.

6. A refrigerator unit and/or a freezer unit in accordance with claim 1, wherein a frame stiffener (10) is peripherally inserted into the plastic jacket (7).

7. A refrigerator unit and/or a freezer unit in accordance claim 6, wherein the frame stiffener (10) is included in the foam body (19).

8. A refrigerator unit and/or a freezer unit in accordance with claim 6, wherein the glazing pane holder (12) is fastened to the frame stiffener (10), is preferably made integrally therewith.

9. A refrigerator unit and/or a freezer unit in accordance with claim 1, wherein the plastic jacket (7) has a bulbously formed front side over the width and/or the height of the door (3).

10. A refrigerator unit and/or a freezer unit in accordance with claim 9, wherein the front side of an upper and/or lower transverse limb (11) of the plastic jacket (7) has a curvature in the longitudinal direction of said upper and/or lower transverse limb (11).

11. A refrigerator unit and/or a freezer unit in accordance with claim 1, wherein the plastic jacket (7) has a glazing pane section (41) which preferably rises gap-free on the glazing pane.

12. A refrigerator unit and/or a freezer unit in accordance with claim 1, wherein the plastic jacket (7) has an angled glazing pane portion (41) in which a rim of the plastic jacket (7) bounding the glazing portion with respect to an adjacent front-side limb of the plastic jacket (7) preferably kinks at a right angle or an acute angle.

13. A refrigerator unit and/or a freezer unit in accordance with claim 12, wherein the glazing pane holder (12) is connected to the plastic jacket (7) in shape-matched manner at the glazing pane portion of the door frame, is preferably placed in a groove formed by the plastic jacket.

14. A refrigerator unit and/or a freezer unit in accordance with claim 1, wherein the glazing pane holder (12) has a support limb (13) which projects inwardly from the door frame (5) and on which the flat side of the glazing pane (6) lies, is preferably firmly adhered.

15. A refrigerator unit and/or a freezer unit in accordance with claim 1, wherein the glazing pane (6) is a multi-glazing in which a plurality of glass panes (21, 22, 23) are arranged spaced apart from one another, are preferably connected to one another by spacers (24, 25).

16. A refrigerator unit and/or a freezer unit in accordance with claim 1, wherein a seal (27, 28), in particular an elastic lip seal, is provided between the plastic jacket (7) and the glazing pane (6) and/or between the glazing pane holder (12) and the glazing pane (6).

17. A refrigerator unit and/or a freezer unit in accordance with claim 1, wherein the glazing pane (6) is supported by means of an elastic seal (33) which engages around the glazing pane (6) and permits a tolerance compensation for the glazing pane.

18. A refrigerator unit and/or a freezer unit in accordance with claim 17, wherein the seal (33) has sections of different hardness and/or flexibility, in particular a soft sealing lip which is shaped on a harder fastening section.

19. A refrigerator unit and/or a freezer unit in accordance with claim 18, wherein the seal (33) is injected molded or co-extruded from different materials in a two-component process.

20. A refrigerator unit and/or a freezer unit in accordance with claim 1, wherein an elastic seal (33) is arranged on the inner door side of the glazing pane (6).

21. A refrigerator unit and/or a freezer unit in accordance with claim 1, wherein the plastic jacket (7) has a rim web (40) angled with respect to the front side of the plastic jacket (7) toward the glazing pane portion (41).

22. A refrigerator unit and/or a freezer unit in accordance with claim 21, wherein the elastic seal is seated on the rim web (40).

23. A refrigerator unit and/or a freezer unit in accordance with claim 1, wherein an additional application, in particular a heating, a lighting device (15), a thermometer (8), is provided at the door frame (5) between the plastic jacket (7) and the glazing pane (6).

24. A refrigerator unit and/or a freezer unit in accordance with claim 1, wherein a lighting device (15) to illuminate the glazing pane (6) is provided at the door frame (5).