Produce drawer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10485250-B2
Application number	US-201715594773-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 15, 2017
Priority date	May 15, 2017
Publication date	Nov 26, 2019
Grant date	Nov 26, 2019

Abstract

A refrigerator appliance including a shelf and a removably mountable drawer assembly having housing and a drawer slidably mounted within the housing. The drawer assembly having a first rail on a first side of the housing and a second rail on a second side of the housing. The first rail and the second rail of the removably mountable drawer assembly are removably mounted to the shelf.

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;
a first support member and a second support member disposed proximate the back portion of the food storage chamber for providing a plurality of shelf mounting positions;
a shelf having a first bracket and a second bracket attached to the shelf for mounting the shelf to the first and second support members in one of the shelf mounting positions, the shelf having a top surface and a bottom surface; and
a removably mountable drawer assembly comprising:
a housing comprising an exterior, an interior, and a chamber defined in the interior of the housing;
a drawer slidably mounted within the chamber of the housing, the drawer defining a food storage compartment;
a door positioned at a front portion of the drawer, the door configured to sealingly enclose the chamber of the housing when the drawer is in a closed position;
a first rail extending along the transverse direction on a first side of the exterior of housing; and
a second rail extending along the transverse direction on a second side of the exterior of the housing, the second side opposite the first side;

wherein the first rail is mounted to the first bracket of the shelf proximate to the bottom surface of the shelf and the second rail is mounted to the second bracket of the shelf proximate to the bottom surface of the shelf.

2. The refrigerator appliance of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of light-emitting diodes, the plurality of light-emitting diodes positioned in the interior of the housing of the removably mountable drawer assembly, the plurality of light-emitting diodes operable to irradiate the food storage compartment of the drawer when the drawer is in the closed position.

3. The refrigerator appliance of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of light-emitting diodes are configured to emit ultraviolet light.

4. The refrigerator appliance of claim 3 , wherein the drawer of the removably mountable drawer assembly comprises a top portion and a bottom portion opposite the top portion along the vertical direction, the bottom portion defining an arcuate shape positioned at a lowermost portion of the storage compartment within the drawer, and the bottom portion comprises a reflective interior surface, the arcuate shape of the bottom portion configured to focus the ultraviolet light emitted by the plurality of light-emitting diodes towards the center of the food storage compartment of the drawer.

5. The refrigerator appliance of claim 2 , further comprising a controller in operative communication with the plurality of light-emitting diodes, the controller configured to operate the plurality of light-emitting diodes over a twenty-four hour cycle, the twenty four hour cycle comprising: activating the plurality of light-emitting diodes at a first time, gradually increasing an intensity of light emitted by the plurality of light-emitting diodes for a first period of time, gradually decreasing the intensity of light emitted by the plurality of light-emitting diodes for a second period of time until the plurality of light-emitting diodes are deactivated, and keeping the plurality of light-emitting diodes deactivated for a third period of time, wherein the first period of time, the second period of time, and the third period of time collectively define a twenty-four hour period.

6. The refrigerator appliance of claim 1 , wherein the housing of the removably mountable drawer assembly is slidable relative to the shelf along the first rail and the second rail.

7. The refrigerator appliance of claim 1 , wherein the housing of the removably mountable drawer assembly defines a depth along the transverse direction, the shelf defines a depth along the transverse direction, and the depth of the housing is two-thirds of the depth of the shelf.

8. The refrigerator appliance of claim 1 , wherein the housing of the removably mountable drawer assembly defines a depth along the transverse direction, the shelf defines a depth along the transverse direction, and the depth of the housing is half of the depth of the shelf.

9. A removably mountable drawer assembly for a refrigerator, the drawer assembly comprising:
a housing defining a vertical direction, a lateral direction, and a transverse direction, the vertical, lateral, and transverse directions being mutually perpendicular, the housing comprising an exterior, an interior, and a chamber defined in the interior of the housing;
a drawer slidably mounted within the chamber of the housing, the drawer defining a food storage compartment;
a door positioned at a front portion of the drawer, the door configured to sealingly enclose the chamber of the housing when the drawer is in a closed position;
a first rail extending along the transverse direction on a first side of the exterior of housing; and
a second rail extending along the transverse direction on a second side of the exterior of the housing, the second side opposite the first side, the first rail and the second rail removably mounted to a first bracket and a second bracket of a shelf proximate a bottom surface of the shelf.

10. The drawer assembly of claim 9 , further comprising a plurality of light-emitting diodes, the plurality of light-emitting diodes positioned in the interior of the housing, the plurality of light-emitting diodes operable to irradiate the food storage compartment of the drawer when the drawer is in the closed position.

11. The drawer assembly of claim 10 , wherein the plurality of light-emitting diodes are configured to emit ultraviolet light.

12. The drawer assembly of claim 11 , wherein the drawer comprises a top portion and a bottom portion opposite the top portion along the vertical direction, the bottom portion defining an arcuate shape, and the bottom portion comprises a reflective interior surface, the arcuate shape of the bottom portion configured to focus the ultraviolet light emitted by the plurality of light-emitting diodes towards the center of the food storage compartment of the drawer.

13. The drawer assembly of claim 10 , further comprising a controller in operative communication with the plurality of light-emitting diodes, the controller configured to operate the plurality of light-emitting diodes over a twenty-four hour cycle, the twenty four hour cycle comprising: activating the plurality of light-emitting diodes at a first time, gradually increasing an intensity of light emitted by the plurality of light-emitting diodes for a first period of time, gradually decreasing the intensity of light emitted by the plurality of light-emitting diodes for a second period of time until the plurality of light-emitting diodes are deactivated, and keeping the plurality of light-emitting diodes deactivated for a third period of time, wherein the first period of time, the second period of time, and the third period of time collectively define a twenty-four hour period.

14. The drawer assembly of claim 9 , wherein the housing is slidable relative to the shelf along the first rail and the second rail.

15. The drawer assembly of claim 9 , wherein the housing defines a depth along the transverse direction, the shelf defines a de

Assignees

• Haier Us Appliance Solutions Inc

Inventors

• Carballo Daniel

Classifications

• A61L2/10

  Ultraviolet [UV] radiation · CPC title

• F25D17/042

  Air treating means within refrigerated spaces (air conditioning in general F24F) · CPC title

• F25D25/025

  Drawers · CPC title

• A23L3/28 Primary

  Human Necessities · mapped topic

• A23L3/36

  Human Necessities · mapped topic