Sealing gaskets

• US 8,490,333 B2
• Filed: 05/23/2006
• Issued: 07/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Electrolux Home Products Incorporated (AB Electrolux)
• Original Assignee: Electrolux Home Products Incorporated (AB Electrolux)
• Inventors: Hall, David L., Chaudhary, Partap Singh, Scoville, James, Gholap, Avinash Keshavrao
• Primary Examiner(s): Strimbu, Gregory J.
• Application Number:
  US11/438,768
• Publication Number:
  US 20070084125A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,618 Days
• Field of Search: 494/781, 494/901, 494/921, 494/931, 494/981, 494/751
• US Class Current: 49/478.1
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 7/16 Sealing arrangements on wings or parts co-operating with the wings specially adapted for fireproof or similar closures E06B5/164; E06B7/098 takes precedence ; fixed sealing joints E04B1/68; devices for fitting sealing strips E04F21/00
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 23/087 Sealing strips
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 40/00 Technologies aiming at improving the efficiency of home appliances, e.g. induction cooking or efficient technologies for refrigerators, freezers or dish washers

Abstract

Sealing gaskets are provided for forming a seal between the door of an appliance and the cabinet of the appliance when the door of the appliance is closed onto the cabinet of the appliance. The gaskets are adapted to be mounted to the door of the appliance and comprise a first bellows chamber that can be compressed when the door of the appliance is closed onto the cabinet of the appliance, a pocket contiguous with the first bellows chamber for holding a magnet and a second bellows chamber adapted to be nearer the cabinet of the appliance than the pocket and engage the cabinet of the appliance prior to the pocket engaging the cabinet of the appliance when the door of the appliance is closed. A gasket mounting section is contiguous with the first bellows chamber and includes a first portion that is held in a mounting space.

Claims

1. A gasket for forming a seal between a door of an appliance and a cabinet of the appliance when the door of the appliance is in a closed position, the door of the appliance having an outer panel that forms an exterior of the door and an inner panel that forms an interior of the door of the appliance and faces the cabinet of the appliance, perimeter portions of the outer and inner panels overlapping one another in a manner so as to form a mounting space for the gasket between the overlapping perimeter portions, the gasket being adapted to be mounted to the door of the appliance and comprising:

a first bellows chamber formed of a material that is sufficiently flexible so that the first bellows chamber can be compressed when the door of the appliance is in the closed position;

wherein the inner panel of the door of the appliance includes an inner surface that faces the cabinet of the appliance and the first bellows chamber including a first sealing member that is in sealing contact with the inner surface of the inner panel of the door of the appliance; and

a gasket mounting section contiguous with the first bellows chamber, the gasket mounting section including a first portion that is held in the mounting space and a second portion attached to the first portion, the second portion including a cross-sectional dimension that is larger than a distance between the overlapping perimeter portions of the outer panel and the inner panel of the door of the appliance and is disposed outside the overlapping perimeter portions of the outer panel and the inner panel of the door of the appliance;

wherein the first bellows chamber includes a second sealing member that is in sealing contact with the inner surface of the inner panel of the door of the appliance so as to cooperate with the first sealing member to form an air cavity, wherein the first sealing member is in sealing contact with the perimeter portion of the inner panel and the second sealing member is in sealing contact with the inner panel at a stepped portion of the inner panel which is parallel to and stepped from the perimeter portion of the inner panel;

wherein a connecting portion of the gasket mounting section projects in a generally perpendicular direction with respect to the outer panel of the door, wherein the connecting portion of the gasket mounting section is spaced a distance from a distal end of the perimeter portion of the inner panel and the distal end of the perimeter portion of the inner panel does not contact the connecting portion.

2. The gasket of claim 1, wherein the second portion that is attached to the first portion is unsupported outside the overlapping perimeter portions of the outer panel and the inner panel of the door of the appliance.

3. The gasket of claim 1, wherein the stepped portion of the inner panel is adjacent the perimeter portion of the inner panel.