Refrigerator with integrated hinge assembly and door closure mechanism

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017191736-A1
Application number	US-201514985586-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 31, 2015
Priority date	Dec 31, 2015
Publication date	Jul 6, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

A refrigerator includes a door that is vertically adjustable via a height adjustable door hinge assembly. The door hinge assembly includes a bracket member having a mounting aperture with a hinge shaft extending upwardly from the bracket member as received in the mounting aperture. A hinge bushing is comprised of an inner portion that is received in an outer portion and fixedly coupled thereto to define a receiving channel disposed therebetween. The hinge shaft is received in the receiving channel of the hinge bushing in assembly. A set screw is threadingly coupled to a threaded aperture disposed in an inner cavity of the hinge shaft. In assembly, the set screw abuts a lower surface of the inner portion of the hinge bushing to vertically adjust a position of the hinge bushing as a vertical position of the set screw is adjusted.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A refrigerator, comprising:
a refrigerator cabinet having a front opening; a door rotatably coupled to the refrigerator cabinet between open and closed positions relative to the front opening; a door closure assembly received in a channel disposed in an interior of the door, the door closure assembly including a receiving aperture; a bracket member fixed to a front surface of the refrigerator cabinet adjacent the front opening; a hinge shaft upwardly extending from the bracket member that is at least partially received in the receiving aperture of the door closure assembly; a hinge bushing installed between the hinge shaft and the door closure assembly; and a set screw threadingly coupled to and vertically adjustable along a threaded aperture disposed in an inner cavity of the hinge shaft, wherein the set screw abuts the hinge bushing to vertically adjust a position of the hinge bushing in response to vertical adjustment of the set screw along the threaded aperture.

2 . The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the hinge bushing includes a receiving channel and an interface channel.

3 . The refrigerator of claim 2 , wherein the hinge shaft includes a cylindrical body portion received in the receiving channel of the hinge bushing.

4 . The refrigerator of claim 3 , including:
a pivot shaft disposed on the door closure assembly, wherein the pivot shaft is received in the interface channel of the hinge bushing.

5 . The refrigerator of claim 4 , wherein the pivot shaft of the door closure assembly includes a stepped configuration between an upper portion and a lower portion of the pivot shaft, wherein the upper portion of the pivot shaft is larger than the lower portion of the pivot shaft.

6 . The refrigerator of claim 5 , wherein the interface channel of the hinge bushing includes a stepped configuration between an upper portion and a lower portion of the interface channel, wherein the upper portion of the interface channel is larger than the lower portion of the interface channel.

7 . The refrigerator of claim 6 , including:
a first interface contact region located between the upper portion of the interface channel and the middle portion of the pivot shaft; a second interface contact region located between the lower portion of the interface channel and the lower portion of the pivot shaft; and a third interface contact region, located between an uppermost portion the upper portion of the interface channel and the upper portion of the pivot shaft, wherein the first and second interface contact regions are configured to restrain the pivot shaft radially, and further wherein the third interface contact region engages the pivot shaft vertically.

8 . The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the hinge bushing includes a shoulder portion configured to abut an engagement surface of the door for moving the door vertically as the hinge bushing is vertically adjusted.

9 . A refrigerator, comprising:
a refrigerator cabinet having a front opening; a door rotatably coupled to the refrigerator cabinet between open and closed positions relative to the front opening; a door closure assembly received in a channel disposed in a bottom surface of the door, the door closure assembly including a receiving aperture with a downwardly extending pivot shaft; a bracket member coupled to a front surface of the refrigerator cabinet and extending outwardly therefrom; a hinge shaft upwardly extending from the bracket member having a cylindrical body portion with an inner cavity; a hinge bushing having an outer portion and an inner portion with a receiving channel disposed therebetween in which the cylindrical body portion of the hinge shaft is received; and a set screw threadibly coupled to and vertically adjustable along a threaded aperture disposed in the inner cavity of the hinge shaft, wherein the set screw abuts a lower surface of the inner portion of the hinge bushing to vertically adjust a position of the hinge bushing in response to a rotation of the set screw.

10 . The refrigerator of claim 9 , wherein the inner portion of the hinge bushing further includes an interface channel.

11 . The refrigerator of claim 10 , wherein the pivot shaft of the door closure assembly is closely received in the interface channel of the inner portion of the hinge bushing, such that the door closure assembly is disposed at a pre-tensioned angle relative to the front surface of the refrigerator cabinet.

12 . The refrigerator of claim 9 , wherein the cylindrical body portion of the hinge shaft further includes a plurality of retention ribs disposed on an outer surface thereof.

13 . The refrigerator of claim 12 , wherein the outer portion of the hinge bushing includes a plurality of retention ribs extending inwardly into the receiving channel for splined engagement with the retention ribs disposed on the outer surface of the cylindrical body portion of the hinge shaft.

14 . The refrigerator of claim 9 , wherein the inner portion of the hinge bushing includes an upper portion and a lower portion with the lower surface disposed on the lower portion, wherein the lower portion is received in the inner cavity of the hinge shaft for abutting engagement between the set screw and the lower surface of the lower portion.

15 . A height-adjustable door hinge assembly, comprising:
a bracket member having a mounting aperture; a hinge shaft received in the mounting aperture of the bracket member having a cylindrical body portion upwardly extending therefrom; a hinge bushing including an inner portion received in an outer portion to define a receiving channel disposed between the inner portion and the outer portion in which the cylindrical body portion of the hinge shaft is received; and a set screw threadingly coupled to a threaded aperture disposed in the hinge shaft, wherein the set screw abuts the inner portion of the hinge bushing to vertically adjust a position of the hinge bushing in response to vertical adjustment of the set screw.

16 . The door hinge assembly of claim 15 , wherein the inner portion of the hinge bushing includes an interface channel.

17 . The door hinge assembly of claim 16 , wherein the interface channel of the hinge bushing includes a stepped configuration between an upper portion and a lower portion of the interface channel.

18 . The door hinge assembly of claim 16 , including
a door closure assembly operably coupled to the interface channel of the hinge bushing.

19 . The door hinge assembly of claim 15 , wherein the cylindrical body portion of the hinge shaft further includes a plurality of retention ribs disposed on an outer surface thereof.

20 . The door hinge assembly of claim 19 , wherein the outer portion of the hinge bushing includes a plurality of retention ribs extending inwardly into the receiving channel for splined engagement with the retention ribs disposed on the outer surface of the cylindrical body portion of the hinge shaft.

Assignees

• Whirlpool Co

Inventors

• Fleig Alexandre
• Gore Rohan
• Haeberle Robert J
• Kosek Dakota E
• Liu Tao
• Ramm Axel Julio
• Wittes Joshua J

Classifications

• F25D2323/024

  Door hinges · CPC title

• F25D23/028 Primary

  Details · CPC title

• E05D7/0027 Primary

  in an axial direction · CPC title

• E05D3/04

  engaging three or more parts, e.g. sleeves, movable relatively to one another for connecting two or more wings to another member · CPC title

• F25D25/025

  Drawers · CPC title