Self-adjusting door for an appliance

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016209102-A1
Application number	US-201514597300-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 15, 2015
Priority date	Jan 15, 2015
Publication date	Jul 21, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A refrigerator appliance including a cabinet defining a chilled chamber and a first slide assembly is provided. The first slide assembly is mounted to the cabinet at least partially within the chilled chamber. The refrigerator appliance also includes a door with a frame having a first frame member rotatably attached to the first slide assembly at a first pivot joint. The door is rotatable about the lateral direction at the first pivot joint between an inwardly tilted position and an outwardly tilted position. In the inwardly tilted position the door defines an acute angle with the first slide assembly, and in the outwardly tilted position the door defines an obtuse angle with the first slide assembly. Such a configuration may allow the door to form a more complete seal with the cabinet of the refrigerator appliance despite any, e.g., surface variations of the cabinet.

First claim

1 . A refrigerator appliance defining a lateral direction, the refrigerator appliance comprising:
a cabinet defining a chilled chamber; a first slide assembly mounted to the cabinet at least partially within the chilled chamber; a second slide assembly mounted to the cabinet at least partially within the chilled chamber at a position opposite the first slide assembly along the lateral direction; and a door including a frame having a first frame member rotatably attached to the first slide assembly at a first pivot joint and a second frame member rotatably attached to the second slide assembly at a second pivot joint, the door rotatable about the lateral direction at the first and second pivot joints between an inwardly tilted position in which the door defines an acute angle with the first and second slide assemblies, a closed position in which the door defines a normal angle with the first and second slide assemblies, and an outwardly tilted position in which the door defines an obtuse angle with the first and second slide assemblies.

2 . The refrigerator appliance of claim 1 , further comprising
a first biasing member extending between the first frame member and the first slide assembly, the first biasing member biasing the door towards the inwardly tilted position and urging the door away from the closed position.

3 . The refrigerator appliance of claim 2 , wherein the first biasing member includes a spring.

4 . The refrigerator appliance of claim 1 , wherein the refrigerator appliance defines a transverse direction, wherein the door is moveable between an open position and a closed position along the transverse direction, and wherein the door includes a perimeter gasket configured to form a seal with the cabinet around the chilled chamber when in the closed position.

5 . The refrigerator appliance of claim 2 , wherein the first slide assembly includes a slide biasing member, the slide biasing member configured to generate a closing force for biasing the door towards the closed position, and wherein the closing force generated by the slide biasing member is configured to overcome the urging of the door away from the closed position by the first biasing member.

6 . The refrigerator appliance of claim 1 , wherein the acute angle defined by the door with the first and second slide assemblies is between eighty degrees and eighty-nine degrees.

7 . The refrigerator appliance of claim 1 , wherein the obtuse angle defined by the door with the first and second slide assemblies is between ninety-one degrees and one hundred degrees.

8 . The refrigerator appliance of claim 1 , wherein the first frame member is further attached to the first slide assembly at one or more first side attachment points using one or more respective first side bolts, wherein each of the one or more the first side attachment points includes a first frame member opening and a first slide assembly opening, and wherein one or both of the first frame member opening and the first slide assembly opening is an elongated opening having a length allowing for the door to move between the inwardly tilted position and outwardly tilted position.

9 . The refrigerator appliance of claim 1 , wherein the first frame member is further attached to the first slide assembly at one or more first side attachment points using one or more respective first side bolts, wherein the one or more first side bolts each define a shoulder such that the door is moveable along the lateral direction relative to the first slide assembly.

10 . The refrigerator appliance of claim 9 , wherein the second frame member is further attached to the second slide assembly at one or more second side attachment points using one or more respective second side bolts, wherein the one or more second side bolts each define a shoulder such that the door is moveable along the lateral direction relative to the second slide assembly.

11 . A refrigerator appliance defining a lateral direction, the refrigerator appliance comprising:
a cabinet defining a chilled chamber; a first slide assembly mounted to the cabinet at least partially within the chilled chamber proximate to a first side of the refrigerator appliance along the lateral direction, the first slide assembly including a slide biasing member configured to generate a closing force for biasing the door towards the closed position; a door including a frame having a first frame member rotatably attached to the first slide assembly at a first pivot joint such that the door is rotatable about the lateral direction at the first pivot joint between an inwardly tilted position in which the door defines an acute angle with the first slide assembly and a closed position in which the door defines a normal angle with the first slide assembly; and a first biasing member extending between the first frame member and the first slide assembly, the first biasing member biasing the door towards the inwardly tilted position and urging the door away from the closed position, wherein the closing force generated by the slide biasing member is configured to overcome the urging of the door away from the closed position by the first biasing member.

12 . The refrigerator appliance of claim 11 , wherein the first frame member is further attached to the first slide assembly at one or more first side attachment points such that the door is moveable along the lateral direction relative to the first slide assembly at the one or more first side attachment points, wherein the first frame member is attached to the first slide assembly at the one or more first side attachment points using one or more first side bolts, wherein each of the one or more first side bolts defines a shoulder, wherein each of the one or more the first side attachment points includes a first frame member opening and a first slide assembly opening, and wherein one or both of the first frame member opening and first slide assembly opening are slidable along the shoulder of the respective first side bolt.

13 . The refrigerator appliance of claim 11 , wherein the door is further rotatable about the lateral direction at the pivot joint between the inwardly tilted position and an outwardly tilted position in which the door defines an obtuse angle with the slide assembly.

14 . (canceled)

15 . The refrigerator appliance of claim 11 , wherein the acute angle defined by the door with the slide assembly is between eighty degrees and eighty-nine degrees.

16 . The refrigerator appliance of claim 13 , wherein the obtuse angle defined by the door with slide assembly is between ninety-one degrees and one hundred degrees.

17 . The refrigerator appliance of claim 13 , wherein one or both of the first frame member opening and the first slide assembly opening is an elongated opening having a length allowing for the door to move between the inwardly tilted position and outwardly tilted position.

18 . The refrigerator appliance of claim 11 , wherein the refrigerator appliance defines a transverse direction, wherein the door is moveable between an open position and a closed position along the transverse direction, and wherein the door includes a perimeter gasket configured to form a seal with the cabinet around the chilled chamber when in the closed position.

19 . (canceled)

20 . The refrigerator appliance of claim 11 , further comprising
a second slide assembly mounted to the cabinet at least partially within the chilled chamber proximate a second side of the cabinet along the lateral direction, wherein the frame of the

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Vulava Gopi Krishna Chowdary
• Ruckriegel Dennis John
• Davis Matthew William
• Challapalli Anil

Classifications

• F25D2300/00

  Special arrangements or features for refrigerators; cold rooms; ice-boxes; Cooling or freezing apparatus not covered by any other subclass · CPC title

• F25D2201/10

  with respect to heat · CPC title

• F25D23/028 Primary

  Details · CPC title

• E05D15/00 Primary

  Suspension arrangements for wings (arrangements of wings not characterised by the construction of the supporting means E06B3/32) · CPC title

• E05Y2900/31

  for refrigerators · CPC title