Refrigerator appliance with a drawer

• US 8,702,185 B2
• Filed: 05/08/2012
• Issued: 04/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc. DBA GE Appliances (Haier Group Company)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Chellappan, Bagawathkumar, Brown, Scott Gabriel, Vulava, Gopi Krishna Chowdary, Venkatraj, Sundaramoorthy
• Primary Examiner(s): Jayne, Darnell
• Assistant Examiner(s): AYRES, TIMOTHY MICHAEL
• Application Number:
  US13/466,197
• Publication Number:
  US 20130300275A1
• Time in Patent Office: 714 Days
• Field of Search: 312/402, 312/404, 312/334.14, 312/334.15, 312/334.9, 312/334.11, 312/334.13, 312/334.7, 312/334.6, 312/334.27, 312/334.32, 312/334.33, 312/331
• US Class Current: 312/402
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 23/021 Sliding doors
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 23/067 Supporting elements
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 25/025 Drawers

Abstract

A refrigerator appliance is provided. The refrigerator appliance includes a drawer received within a chilled chamber. The drawer is mounted within the chilled chamber using drawer slides. The drawer slides are positioned at a bottom of the chilled chamber and support a bottom portion of a basket mounted on the drawer. Such a configuration can increase actual and/or perceived storage space within the chilled chamber and provide other improvements.

Claims

1. A bottom-mount refrigerator appliance comprising:

a cabinet defining an upper fresh food chamber and a lower freezer chamber for receipt of food items, the lower freezer chamber comprising;

a top wall;

a bottom wall spaced apart from said top wall along a vertical direction; and

a first side wall and a second side wall extending between said top and bottom walls along the vertical direction, said first and second side walls being spaced apart along a horizontal direction;

a basket received within the lower freezer chamber of said cabinet, said basket extending between a top portion and a bottom portion along the vertical direction, said basket having a bottom plate that is substantially arcuate along the horizontal direction;

a freezer drawer slidingly mounted within the lower freezer chamber and configured for permitting selective access to the lower freezer chamber of said cabinet, said drawer comprising;

a freezer door;

a first drawer slide and a second drawer slide mounting said freezer door to said cabinet and supporting said basket at the bottom portion of said basket, said first drawer slide secured to said first side wall at a bottom of the lower freezer chamber, said second drawer slide secured to said second side wall at the bottom of the lower freezer chamber, said first and second drawer slides each having a bracket with a flange of said basket positioned thereon in order to support said basket;

a third drawer slide disposed below said basket on the vertical direction and disposed between said first and second drawer slides on the horizontal direction; and

a cross-member extending between and connecting said first, second, and third drawer slides, the cross-member disposed below said basket on the vertical direction.

2. The bottom-mount refrigerator appliance of claim 1, wherein said first and second drawer slides are disposed at or below a center of gravity of said basket on the vertical direction.

3. The bottom-mount refrigerator appliance of claim 1, wherein said connecting member is fixed to said first, second, and third drawer slides.

4. The bottom-mount refrigerator appliance of claim 1, wherein said basket is disposed on top of said cross-member.

5. The bottom-mount refrigerator appliance of claim 1, wherein said third drawer slide is disposed at a center of the lower freezer chamber on the horizontal direction.

6. The bottom-mount refrigerator appliance of claim 1, wherein said first and second drawer slides are vertically oriented and said third drawer slide is horizontally oriented.

7. The bottom-mount refrigerator appliance of claim 1, wherein said first, second, and third drawer slides are connected with said cross-member such that said first, second, and third drawer slides slide at the same rate along a transverse direction.

8. The bottom-mount refrigerator appliance of claim 1, wherein said basket is removably mounted within the lower freezer chamber.

9. The bottom-mount refrigerator appliance of claim 1, wherein said first and second drawer slides are positioned about equidistant from said third drawer slide.

10. The bottom-mount refrigerator appliance of claim 1, wherein said first drawer slide, said second drawer slide and said third drawer slide each comprise at least three slide rails slidably mounted to one another.

11. A refrigerator appliance comprising:

a cabinet defining a freezer chamber for receipt of food items;

a basket received within the freezer chamber of said cabinet, said basket extending between a top portion and a bottom portion along a vertical direction, said basket having a bottom plate that is substantially arcuate along a horizontal direction;

a drawer slidingly mounted within the freezer chamber and configured for permitting selective access to the freezer chamber of said cabinet, said drawer comprising;

a door;

a first drawer slide and a second drawer slide mounting said door to said cabinet and supporting said basket at the bottom portion of said basket, said first and second drawer slides secured to said cabinet at a bottom of the freezer chamber, said first drawer slide positioned on a first side of the freezer chamber, said second drawer slide positioned on a second side of the freezer chamber, said first and second drawer slides each having a bracket with a flange of said basket positioned thereon in order to support said basket;

a third drawer slide secured to said cabinet at the bottom of the freezer chamber, said third drawer slide also disposed below said basket on the vertical direction and disposed between said first and second drawer slides on the horizontal direction; and

a cross-member extending between and connecting said first, second, and third drawer slides, the cross-member disposed below said basket on the vertical direction.

12. The refrigerator appliance of claim 11, wherein said first and second drawer slides are disposed at or below a center of gravity of said basket on the vertical direction.

13. The refrigerator appliance of claim 11, wherein said connecting member is fixed to said first, second, and third drawer slides.

14. The refrigerator appliance of claim 11, wherein said basket is disposed on top of said cross-member.

15. The refrigerator appliance of claim 11, wherein said third drawer slide is disposed at a center of the freezer chamber on the horizontal direction.

16. The refrigerator appliance of claim 11, wherein said first and second drawer slides are vertically oriented and said third drawer slide is horizontally oriented.

17. The refrigerator appliance of claim 11, wherein said first, second, and third drawer slides are connected with said cross-member such that said first, second, and third drawer slides slide at the same rate along a transverse direction.

18. The refrigerator appliance of claim 11, wherein said basket is removably mounted within the freezer chamber.

19. The refrigerator appliance of claim 11, wherein said first and second drawer slides are positioned about equidistant from said third drawer slide.

20. The refrigerator appliance of claim 11, wherein said first drawer slide, said second drawer slide and said third drawer slide each comprise at least three slide rails slidably mounted to one another.