Refrigerator door hinge

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10260261-B2
Application number	US-201715635316-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 28, 2017
Priority date	Jun 28, 2017
Publication date	Apr 16, 2019
Grant date	Apr 16, 2019

Abstract

A refrigerator appliance includes a cabinet with a door positioned at the front of the cabinet. The refrigerator appliance also includes a hinge having a hinge bracket coupled to the cabinet. The hinge bracket includes a lateral plate. A pivot pin is received in the lateral plate. The door is rotatably coupled to the pivot plate. A lateral surface of the door is spaced apart from the lateral plate of the hinge bracket along the vertical direction by a height. An adjustable spacer is positioned between the lateral plate of the hinge bracket and the lateral surface of the door to adjust the height. The adjustable spacer includes a rotatable washer and a fixed washer abutting the rotatable washer. The rotatable washer includes a first inclined engagement surface and a second inclined engagement surface. The fixed washer includes a third inclined engagement surface and a fourth inclined engagement surface.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A refrigerator appliance defining a vertical direction, a lateral direction, and a transverse direction, the vertical, lateral, and transverse directions being mutually, perpendicular, the refrigerator appliance comprising:
a cabinet defining a food storage chamber, the food storage chamber extending between a top portion and a bottom portion along the vertical direction, a first side portion and a second side portion along the lateral direction, and a front portion and a back portion along the transverse direction, the front portion of the food storage chamber defining an opening for receipt of food items;
a door positioned at the front portion of the food storage chamber and movable between a closed position and an open position to permit selective access to the food storage chamber; and
a hinge comprising:
a hinge bracket coupled to the cabinet, the hinge bracket comprising a lateral plate;
a pivot pin received in the lateral plate of the hinge bracket, the pivot pin oriented generally perpendicular to the lateral plate of the hinge bracket; the door coupled to the pivot pin such that the door is rotatable with respect to the hinge bracket, a lateral surface of the door spaced apart from the lateral plate of the hinge bracket along the vertical direction by a height; and
an adjustable spacer positioned on the pivot pin between the lateral plate of the hinge bracket and the lateral surface of the door and configured to adjust the height, the adjustable spacer comprising a rotatable washer configured for rotating about the pivot pin and a fixed washer abutting the rotatable washer, the fixed washer configured to engage the pivot pin such that the fixed washer is rotationally fixed with respect to the pivot pin, the rotatable washer comprising a first adjustment cam defining a first inclined engagement surface and a second adjustment cam defining a second inclined engagement surface, the fixed washer comprising a third adjustment cam defining a third inclined engagement surface and a fourth adjustment cam defining a fourth inclined engagement surface;

wherein the first inclined engagement surface extends circumferentially around the rotatable washer between a first low point and a first high point, the second inclined engagement surface extends circumferentially around the rotatable washer between a second low point adjacent the first high point and a second high point adjacent the first low point, the third inclined engagement surface extends circumferentially around the fixed washer between a third low point and a third high point, and the fourth inclined engagement surface extends circumferentially around the fixed washer between a fourth low point adjacent the third high point and a fourth high point adjacent the third low point;
wherein the first inclined engagement surface defines a height along the vertical direction, the height of the first inclined engagement surface increases continuously from the first low point to the first high point, the second inclined engagement surface defines a height along the vertical direction, the height of the second inclined engagement surface increases continuously from the second low point to the second high point, the third inclined engagement surface defines a height along the vertical direction, the height of the third inclined engagement surface increases continuously from the third low point to the third high point, and the fourth inclined engagement surface defines a height along the vertical direction, the height of the fourth inclined engagement surface increases continuously from the fourth low point to the fourth high point.

2. The refrigerator appliance of claim 1 , wherein the rotatable washer is rotatable around the pivot pin between a first position and a second position, where the third low point abuts the first high point, the third high point abuts the first low point, the fourth low point abuts the second high point, and the fourth high point abuts the second low point in the first position, and the third high point is adjacent to the first high point and the fourth high point is adjacent to the second high point in the second position.

3. The refrigerator appliance of claim 1 , wherein the fixed washer and the rotatable washer are positioned such that the first adjustment cam and the second adjustment cam abut the third adjustment cam and the fourth adjustment cam.

4. The refrigerator appliance of claim 1 , wherein the rotatable washer further comprises a plurality of engagement means disposed around an exterior perimeter of the rotatable washer.

5. The refrigerator appliance of claim 1 , wherein the rotatable washer of the adjustable spacer is positioned proximate to the hinge bracket and the fixed washer of the adjustable spacer is positioned proximate to the lateral surface of the door.

6. A refrigerator appliance defining a vertical direction, a lateral direction, and a transverse direction, the vertical, lateral, and transverse directions being mutually perpendicular, the refrigerator appliance comprising:
a cabinet defining a food storage chamber, the food storage chamber extending between a top portion and a bottom portion along the vertical direction, a first side portion and a second side portion along the lateral direction, and a front portion and a back portion along the transverse direction, the front portion of the food storage chamber defining an opening for receipt of food items;
a door positioned at the front portion of the food storage chamber and movable between a closed position and an open position to permit selective access to the food storage chamber; and
a hinge comprising:
a hinge bracket coupled to the cabinet, the hinge bracket comprising a lateral plate;
a pivot pin received in the lateral plate of the hinge bracket, the pivot pin oriented generally perpendicular to the lateral plate of the hinge bracket, the door coupled to the pivot pin such that the door is rotatable with respect to the hinge bracket, a lateral surface of the door spaced apart from the lateral plate of the hinge bracket along the vertical direction by a height; and
an adjustable spacer positioned on the pivot pin between the lateral plate of the hinge bracket and the lateral surface of the door and configured to adjust the height, the adjustable spacer comprising a rotatable washer configured for rotating about the pivot pin and a fixed washer abutting the rotatable washer, the fixed washer configured to engage the pivot pin such that the fixed washer is rotationally fixed with respect to the pivot pin, the rotatable washer comprising a first adjustment cam defining a first inclined engagement surface and a second adjustment cam defining a second inclined engagement surface, the fixed washer comprising a third adjustment cam defining a third inclined engagement surface and a fourth adjustment cam defining a fourth inclined engagement surface;
a first plurality of detents formed on the first inclined engagement surface, a second plurality of detents formed on the second inclined engagement surface, a third plurality of detents formed on the third inclined engagement surface, and a fourth plurality of detents formed on the fourth inclined engagement surface.

7. The refrigerator appliance of claim 6 , wherein each detent of each plurality of detents includes a retention face and a sliding face oblique to the retention face, the sliding face extending between a root and a crest, the root of the detent defined at an intersection of the sliding face and the inclined engagement surface and the crest of the detent defined at an intersection of the sliding face and the retention face.

8. The refrigerator appliance of claim 6 , wherein the first and second plurality of detents are positio

Assignees

• Haier Us Appliance Solutions Inc

Inventors

• Reuter Daryl Lee
• Culley Brian

Classifications

• E05D2007/0469

  in an axial direction · CPC title

• F25D23/028

  Details · CPC title

• E05D7/0415 Primary

  with adjusting drive means · CPC title

• E05D3/02

  with one pin · CPC title

• E05Y2900/31

  for refrigerators · CPC title