A refrigerating appliance with a passage for a flexible tubular element between cabinet and door

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016201975-A1
Application number	US-201414913452-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 2, 2014
Priority date	Sep 2, 2013
Publication date	Jul 14, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A refrigerating appliance comprises a cabinet, at least one door, and at least one hinge allowing the door to rotate about an axis for opening and closing, and further comprising at least one bracket configured to support the hinge, and at least one flexible tubular element inserted on one side in the cabinet and on the other side in the door. The flexible tubular element is configured to exit through a top wall of the cabinet, and is further configured to enter a cavity of the door by passing through a slot formed in the top wall of the door. The slot partially surrounds the hinge, and the slot is partially under the bracket when the door is closed.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 .- 10 . (canceled)

11 . A refrigerating appliance comprising:
a cabinet having a top wall; at least one door having a top wall and a cavity; at least one hinge allowing the door to rotate about an axis for opening and closing; at least one bracket configured to support the at least one hinge; at least one flexible tubular element inserted on one in the cabinet and on the other side in the door; and wherein the flexible tubular element is configured to exit through the top wall of the said cabinet and is further configured to enter the cavity of the door by passing through a slot formed in the top wall of the door wherein the slot partially surrounds the hinge, the slot being partially under the at least one bracket when the door is closed.

12 . A refrigerating appliance according to claim 11 , wherein: the slot extends from a region between the hinge and the cabinet when the at least one door is closed, to a region external to the at least one hinge with respect to the cabinet when the at least one door is open.

13 . A refrigerating appliance according to claim 11 : wherein:
the at least one hinge is attached to the top wall of the door, and wherein the slot has a semi-annular profile and is arranged around the at least one hinge, the width of the slot being such as to allow the at least one flexible tubular element to move along the semi-annular profile, the width being greater than the diameter of the at least one flexible tubular element.

14 . A refrigerating appliance according to claim 11 , wherein:
the at least one bracket is rigidly attached to the top wall of the cabinet, the bracket ( 14 ) being substantially flat and configured to be surmounted by the flexible tubular element, which runs over the bracket and crosses the at least one bracket before entering the slot.

15 . An appliance according to claim 14 , wherein:
the at least one bracket further comprises a profiled hole configured to allow the at least one flexible tubular element to pass through the profiled hole while exiting the top wall of the cabinet, at an upper front panel of the cabinet.

16 . A refrigerating appliance according to claim 14 , wherein:
the at least one flexible tubular element is configured to form at least one bend over the top wall of the cabinet at the at least one bracket, towards the rear of the cabinet with respect to the at least one door, and wherein the at least one flexible tubular element comprises at least one connector that connects together two sections thereof ( 11 a, 31 a; 11 b, 31 b ), the at least one connector being configured to be placed in the at least one bend.

17 . A refrigerating appliance according to claim 14 , further comprising:
at least one aesthetic cover for the at least one bracket, which is shell-shaped and configured to receive a section of the at least one flexible tubular element, wherein the at least one aesthetic cover is further configured to be coupled to the at least one bracket, thereby creating a free passage for the at least one flexible tubular element in the region where the at least one flexible tubular element enters the slot.

18 . A refrigerating appliance according to claim 11 , wherein:
the at least one flexible tubular element comprises at least one connector that connects together two sections thereof, and wherein the slot further comprises a recess adapted to allow the passage of at least one element of the at least one connector during the assembly of the refrigerating appliance, the recess being covered by at least one aesthetic plate.

19 . A refrigerating appliance according to claim 11 , wherein;
the at least one door comprises a pair of respective slots on the top wall of the door, on both the left and right sides, so as to allow an opening direction of the at least one door to be reversed by differently mounting the at least one flexible tubular element.

20 . A refrigerating appliance according to claims 1 , wherein: the flexible tubular element comprises at least one of a pipe for a liquid or a sheath for at least one electric cable.

Assignees

• Indesit Co Spa
• Whirlpool Co

Inventors

• Bazzucchi Valter

Classifications

• F25D2323/024

  Door hinges · CPC title

• F25D23/028 Primary

  Details · CPC title

• E05Y2900/31

  for refrigerators · CPC title

• E05Y2400/654

  by electrical cables · CPC title

• E05D11/0081

  for transmitting energy, e.g. electrical cable routing · CPC title