Structural cabinet for an appliance incorporating unitary metallic boxes

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11680673-B2
Application number	US-202117553010-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 16, 2021
Priority date	Oct 11, 2016
Publication date	Jun 20, 2023
Grant date	Jun 20, 2023

Abstract

An appliance includes a metallic outer wrapper having sidewalls, a wrapper backwall and a machine wall. At least one metallic inner liner has liner walls and a liner backwall, wherein the metallic outer wrapper and the at least one metallic inner liner are coupled together at a trim breaker to define a structural cabinet having a hermetically sealed interior cavity defined between the metallic outer wrapper and the at least one metallic inner liner. The trim breaker defines a front face of the structural cabinet. At least one trim breaker conduit extends through the wrapper and liner backwalls wherein the trim breaker conduit defines a conduit through the structural cabinet, and wherein the structural cabinet is hermetically sealed at the trim breaker conduit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A structural cabinet for an appliance, the structural cabinet comprising:
a metallic outer wrapper having sidewalls, a wrapper backwall and a machine wall;
a metallic inner liner having liner walls and a liner backwall, wherein the metallic outer wrapper and the metallic inner liner are coupled together at a trim breaker to define an interior cavity defined between the trim breaker, the metallic outer wrapper and the metallic inner liner, the trim breaker defining a front face of the structural cabinet; and
a trim breaker conduit that extends through the wrapper backwall and the liner backwall wherein the trim breaker conduit defines a conduit through the interior cavity, wherein the interior cavity is sealed at the trim breaker conduit, wherein the trim breaker conduit includes a wrapper conduit channel that receives a wrapper edge proximate a wrapper aperture and a liner conduit channel that receives a liner edge proximate a liner aperture, wherein the wrapper edge at the wrapper conduit channel is perpendicular to the wrapper backwall and wherein the liner edge at the liner conduit channel is parallel with the wrapper edge at the wrapper conduit channel.

2. The structural cabinet of claim 1 , wherein the trim breaker conduit includes a conduit wall that extends between the wrapper conduit channel and the liner conduit channel, wherein an inner surface of the conduit wall defines the conduit through the interior cavity, and an outer surface of the conduit wall defining a portion of the interior cavity.

3. The structural cabinet of claim 2 , further comprising:
an insulation material disposed within the interior cavity, wherein the insulation material engages the outer surface of the trim breaker conduit.

4. The structural cabinet of claim 1 , wherein the trim breaker conduit is positioned proximate the machine wall of the metallic outer wrapper.

5. The structural cabinet of claim 1 , wherein the sidewalls, the wrapper backwall and the machine wall of the metallic outer wrapper are welded together to define the metallic outer wrapper as a single unitary piece.

6. The structural cabinet of claim 1 , wherein the liner walls and liner backwall of the metallic inner liner are metallic members that are welded together to define the metallic inner liner as a single unitary piece.

7. The structural cabinet of claim 3 , wherein the conduit wall extends perpendicularly between the wrapper conduit channel and the liner conduit channel.

8. The structural cabinet of claim 1 , wherein the trim breaker conduit is attached to the metallic inner liner and the metallic outer wrapper by an adhesive.

9. The structural cabinet of claim 1 , wherein the trim breaker and the trim breaker conduit are plastic members.

10. The structural cabinet of claim 3 , wherein a cross section of the trim breaker conduit taken at the conduit wall defines a generally oblong shape.

11. A structural cabinet for an appliance, the structural cabinet comprising:
a metallic outer wrapper having sidewalls, a wrapper backwall and a machine wall;
first and second metallic inner liners, each having liner walls and a liner backwall, wherein the metallic outer wrapper and the first and second metallic inner liners are coupled together at a trim breaker to define a sealed interior cavity defined between the metallic outer wrapper and the first and second metallic inner liners, the trim breaker defining a front face of the structural cabinet;
a first trim breaker conduit that extends through the wrapper backwall and the liner backwall of the first metallic inner liner; and
a second trim breaker conduit that extends through the wrapper backwall and the liner backwall of the second metallic inner liner, wherein an interior mullion extends between the first and second metallic inner liners, wherein each trim breaker conduit of the first and second trim breaker conduits includes a wrapper conduit channel that receives a perpendicularly angled wrapper edge proximate a wrapper aperture of the wrapper backwall and a liner conduit channel that receives a liner edge proximate a liner aperture of the first and second metallic inner liners, respectively, and wherein the liner edge of each liner aperture is a perpendicularly angled liner edge that is received within the liner conduit channel of the first and second trim breaker conduits, respectively.

12. The structural cabinet of claim 11 , wherein the wrapper aperture is smaller than the liner aperture of each liner backwall.

13. The structural cabinet of claim 11 , further comprising:
a cavity partition disposed within the sealed interior cavity, the cavity partition separating the sealed interior cavity into a first portion corresponding to the first metallic inner liner and a second portion corresponding to the second metallic inner liner.

14. The structural cabinet of claim 13 , wherein the cavity partition maintains the first portion sealed separate from the second portion.

15. The structural cabinet of claim 11 , wherein the sidewalls, the wrapper backwall and the machine wall of the metallic outer wrapper are metallic members that are welded together to define the metallic outer wrapper as a unitary piece, and wherein the liner walls and liner backwall of each of the first and second metallic inner liners are welded together to define each metallic inner liner as a single unitary piece.

16. The structural cabinet of claim 13 , wherein the first portion of the sealed interior cavity is in communication with a first gas outlet for expressing gas from the first portion, and wherein the second portion of the sealed interior cavity is in communication with a second gas outlet for expressing gas from the second portion.

17. A method of forming an appliance cabinet, the method comprising steps of:
welding sidewalls, a wrapper backwall and a machine wall together to define a metallic outer wrapper, wherein a wrapper conduit aperture is defined within the metallic outer wrapper;
welding liner walls and a liner backwall together to define a metallic inner liner, wherein a liner conduit aperture is defined within the metallic inner liner;
disposing the metallic inner liner into the metallic outer wrapper and aligning the wrapper conduit aperture with the liner conduit aperture;
attaching a trim breaker to a liner edge of the metallic inner liner and a wrapper edge of the metallic outer wrapper to define a structural cabinet with an interior cavity defined between the metallic inner liner and the metallic outer wrapper;
bending the liner edge at the liner conduit aperture;
bending the wrapper edge at the wrapper conduit aperture, wherein the wrapper edge at the wrapper conduit aperture is perpendicular to the wrapper backwall; and
attaching a trim breaker conduit to the wrapper edge at the wrapper conduit aperture and the liner edge at the liner conduit aperture to define a conduit extending through the structural cabinet, wherein the liner edge at the liner conduit aperture is parallel with the wrapper edge at the wrapper conduit aperture.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the step of disposing the metallic inner liner into the metallic outer wrapper includes disposing a cavity partition between the metallic inner liner and the metallic outer wrapper, wherein the cavity partition separates the interior cavity into first and second portions of the interior cavity.

Assignees

• Whirlpool Co

Inventors

• Allard Paul B
• Alshourbagy Mohamed
• Deka Lakshya J
• Dherde Eric J
• Frattini Gustavo
• Gomes Alberto R
• Hunter Lynne F
• Marinello Giulia
• Naik Abhay
• Pathak Sanjesh Kumar
• Visin Jerry M

Classifications

• F16L59/065 Primary

  using vacuum (F16L59/075 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F25D2400/40

  Refrigerating devices characterised by electrical wiring · CPC title

• F25D23/087

  Sealing strips · CPC title

• F25D23/006

  for mounting refrigerating machinery components · CPC title

• F25D23/062

  defining a cabinet · CPC title