Encapsulation system for a thermal bridge breaker-to-metal liner

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12410970-B2
Application number	US-202418772927-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 15, 2024
Priority date	Oct 3, 2016
Publication date	Sep 9, 2025
Grant date	Sep 9, 2025

Abstract

An appliance includes an outer wrapper, an inner liner, a trim breaker having a wrapper channel that receives a wrapper edge of the outer wrapper and a liner channel that receives a liner edge of the inner liner, and an insulation material disposed within an insulating cavity defined therebetween. A multi-component thermal encapsulation material defines pre-mix, application and sealing states. The pre-mix state is defined by the distinct components of the thermal encapsulation material being separated from one another, the application state defined by the distinct components combined together into an uncured state of the thermal encapsulation material, and the sealing state defined by the thermal encapsulation material disposed within the wrapper and liner channels and surrounding the wrapper and liner edges, respectively, in the sealing state that defines a hermetic seal between the trim breaker and the outer wrapper and the inner liner.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A trim breaker assembly for an appliance, the trim breaker assembly comprising:
a trim breaker having a wrapper channel configured to receive a wrapper edge of an outer wrapper and a liner channel configured to receive a liner edge of an inner liner;
a multi-component thermal encapsulation material defining a pre-mix state, an application state and a sealing state, the pre-mix state defined by distinct components of the multi-component thermal encapsulation material being separated from one another, the application state defined by the distinct components combined together into an uncured state of the multi-component thermal encapsulation material, and the sealing state defined by the multi-component thermal encapsulation material disposed within the wrapper and liner channels and surrounding the wrapper and liner edges, respectively, in the sealing state that is configured to define a seal between the trim breaker and the wrapper edge and the liner edge; and
a centering assembly that is configured to centrally position the wrapper edge within wrapper channel sidewalls of the wrapper channel of the trim breaker and to centrally position the liner edge within liner channel sidewalls of the liner channel of the trim breaker.

2. The trim breaker assembly of claim 1 , wherein the trim breaker is made of plastic.

3. The trim breaker assembly of claim 1 , wherein the multi-component thermal encapsulation material includes at least one of epoxy, silicone, polyurethane, acrylic, polyimide, silicone polyimide, parylene, polycyclicolefin, silicon-carbon, benzocyclobutene, and a liquid crystal polymer.

4. The trim breaker assembly of claim 1 , wherein the multi-component thermal encapsulation material is a thermosetting polymer.

5. The trim breaker assembly of claim 1 , wherein the multi-component thermal encapsulation material is configured to engage opposing sides of the inner liner and both sides of the outer wrapper.

6. The trim breaker assembly of claim 1 , wherein the wrapper channel sidewalls and the liner channel sidewalls at least partially define a sidewall of the trim breaker that separates the liner channel from the wrapper channel.

7. The trim breaker assembly of claim 1 , wherein the centering assembly is configured to be attached to the liner edge of the inner liner.

8. The trim breaker assembly of claim 1 , wherein the centering assembly is configured to be attached to the wrapper edge of the outer wrapper.

9. The trim breaker assembly of claim 1 , wherein the distinct components of the multi-component thermal encapsulation material includes a first component and a second component.

10. The trim breaker assembly of claim 1 , wherein the seal is a hermetic seal.

11. A trim breaker assembly for an appliance, the trim breaker assembly comprising:
a trim breaker having wrapper channel sidewalls that define a wrapper channel and liner channel sidewalls that define a liner channel;
a multi-component thermal encapsulation material defining a pre-mix state, an application state and a sealing state, the pre-mix state defined by distinct components of the multi-component thermal encapsulation material being separated from one another, the application state defined by the distinct components combined together into an uncured state of the multi-component thermal encapsulation material, and the sealing state defined by the multi-component thermal encapsulation material disposed within the wrapper channel and the liner channel and surrounding the wrapper edge and the liner edge, respectively, in the sealing state that defines a seal between the trim breaker and the wrapper edge and the liner edge;
a wrapper edge that is configured to be disposed within the multi-component thermal encapsulation material within the wrapper channel;
a liner edge that is configured to be disposed within the multi-component thermal encapsulation material within the liner channel; and
a centering assembly that is configured to centrally position the wrapper edge between the wrapper channel sidewalls of the wrapper channel and to centrally position the liner edge between the liner channel sidewalls of the liner channel.

12. The trim breaker assembly of claim 11 , wherein the multi-component thermal encapsulation material is a thermosetting polymer.

13. The trim breaker assembly of claim 11 , wherein the multi-component thermal encapsulation material is configured to engage opposing sides of the liner edge and both sides of the wrapper edge.

14. The trim breaker assembly of claim 11 , wherein the wrapper channel sidewalls and the liner channel sidewalls at least partially define a sidewall of the trim breaker that separates the liner channel from the wrapper channel.

15. The trim breaker assembly of claim 11 , wherein the centering assembly is configured to be attached to the liner edge of an inner liner.

16. The trim breaker assembly of claim 11 , wherein the centering assembly is configured to be attached to the wrapper edge of an outer wrapper.

17. The trim breaker assembly of claim 11 , wherein the distinct components of the multi-component thermal encapsulation material include a first component and a second component.

18. The trim breaker assembly of claim 11 , wherein the seal is a hermetic seal.

19. A trim breaker assembly for an appliance, the trim breaker assembly comprising:
a trim breaker having wrapper channel sidewalls that define a wrapper channel configured to receive a wrapper edge of an outer wrapper and liner channel sidewalls that define a liner channel configured to receive a liner edge of an inner liner; and
a multi-component thermal encapsulation material defining a pre-mix state, an application state and a sealing state, the pre-mix state defined by distinct components of the multi-component thermal encapsulation material being separated from one another, the application state defined by the distinct components combined together into an uncured state of the multi-component thermal encapsulation material, and the sealing state defined by the multi-component thermal encapsulation material disposed within the wrapper and liner channels and surrounding the wrapper and liner edges, respectively, in the sealing state that is configured to define a seal between the trim breaker and the wrapper edge and the liner edge, wherein at least one of the liner edge and the wrapper edge includes a centering assembly that centrally positions the wrapper edge within the wrapper channel sidewalls of the wrapper channel of the trim breaker and centrally positions the liner edge within the liner channel sidewalls of the liner channel of the trim breaker.

20. The trim breaker assembly of claim 19 , wherein the centering assembly includes a plurality of liner protrusions that extend outward from opposing surfaces of the liner edge, wherein a portion of the plurality of liner protrusions extend outward from a first liner surface and extend inward into a second liner surface, and wherein the centering assembly includes a plurality of wrapper protrusions that extend outward from opposing surfaces of the wrapper edge, wherein a portion of the plurality of wrapper protrusions extend outward from a first wrapper surface and extend inward into a second wrapper surface.

Assignees

• Whirlpool Co

Inventors

• Allard Paul B
• Deka Lakshya J
• Frattini Gustavo
• Hunter Lynne F
• Liu Hua
• Naik Abhay
• Vasko Eric J
• Visin Jerry M

Classifications

• F25D23/085

  Breaking strips · CPC title

• F25D2201/14

  using subatmospheric pressure · CPC title

• F25D23/082 Primary

  Strips · CPC title

• F25D23/062 Primary

  defining a cabinet · CPC title