Slide assembly for refrigerator storage drawer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9033437-B2
Application number	US-201313832845-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 15, 2013
Priority date	Mar 15, 2013
Publication date	May 19, 2015
Grant date	May 19, 2015

Abstract

A slide assembly for a drawer inside a refrigerator employs both side and central rollers which control both horizontal and vertical movement of the drawer through a first set of rollers employed at front and rear portions at each side of the drawer to control vertical movement within side tracks while the drawer is moved between an extended position and a retracted position. A second set of rollers is mounted along axes which are arranged 90 degrees relative to the first set of rollers and underneath the drawer. This second set of rollers control side-by-side movement of the drawer as it is opened and closed. In one embodiment, the second set of rollers is mounted in a refrigerated compartment and travel within a track or guideway mounted on the bottom of the drawer.

First claim

We claim:

1. A refrigerator comprising:
a cabinet having defined therein a refrigerator storage compartment; and
a drawer assembly including:
a drawer including a storage body, wherein the storage body includes a bottom wall, side walls, a rear wall and a front wall; and
a slide assembly for supporting the drawer for sliding movement between extended and retracted positions, said slide assembly including a first set of rollers controlling vertical movement of the drawer and a second set of rollers controlling side-by-side movement of the drawer, said slide assembly further including first and second spaced tracks mounted in the refrigerator storage compartment, said first set of rollers including first and second pairs of rollers, with the first pair of rollers being mounted to the storage body of the drawer adjacent the rear wall and seated in the first and second spaced tracks and the second pair of rollers being mounted to the first and second spaced tracks, wherein the second pair of rollers remains engaged with the bottom wall of the storage body as the drawer is shifted between the extended and retracted positions.

2. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the second set of rollers is mounted along axes which are arranged 90 degrees relative to the first set of rollers.

3. The refrigerator according to claim 2 , wherein the second set of rollers is mounted beneath the drawer.

4. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the slide assembly further includes a central guide extending fore-to-aft along the storage body, with the second set of rollers engaging the central guide.

5. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the first set of rollers constitutes at least four rollers and the second set of rollers includes two additional rollers.

6. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein each roller of the first and second sets of rollers includes a roller body having inner and outer radial portions, a through hole in the inner radial portion, an outer tread portion about the outer radial portion, an axle defining shaft extending through the through hole and at least one washer retaining the roller body and shaft assembled.

7. The refrigerator according to claim 6 , further comprising: inner and outer axial washers provided on either side of the through hole for retaining lubricant between the roller body and the shaft.

8. A refrigerator comprising:
a cabinet having defined therein a refrigerator storage compartment, wherein the refrigerator storage compartment is defined by a liner; and
a drawer assembly including:
a drawer including a storage body; and
a slide assembly for supporting the drawer for sliding movement between extended and retracted positions, said slide assembly including a first set of rollers controlling vertical movement of the drawer, a second set of rollers controlling side-by-side movement of the drawer and a central guide extending fore-to-aft along the storage body for movement with the drawer, wherein the second set of rollers is mounted to the liner beneath the drawer such that the drawer is shiftable between the extended and retracted position relative to the second set of rollers, with the second set of rollers being mounted along axes which are arranged 90 degrees relative to the first set of rollers and engaged with the central guide.

9. The refrigerator according to claim 8 , wherein the slide assembly further includes first and second spaced tracks mounted in the refrigerator storage compartment, said first set of rollers includes a first pair of rollers mounted to the storage body and a second pair of rollers mounted to the first and second spaced tracks.

10. The refrigerator according to claim 9 , wherein the storage body includes a bottom wall, side walls, a rear wall and a front wall, said first pair of rollers being mounted to the drawer adjacent the rear wall and being seated in the first and second spaced tracks.

11. The refrigerator according to claim 10 , wherein the first pair of rollers is rotatably mounted on stub axles extending from beneath the bottom wall laterally outward of the side walls.

12. The refrigerator according to claim 10 , wherein the second pair of rollers remains engaged with the bottom wall of the storage body as the drawer is shifted between the extended and retracted positions.

13. A refrigerator comprising:
a cabinet having defined therein a refrigerator storage compartment; and
a drawer assembly including:
a drawer including a storage body including a bottom wall, side walls, a rear wall and a front wall; and
a slide assembly for supporting the drawer for sliding movement between extended and retracted positions, said slide assembly including first and second spaced tracks mounted in the refrigerator storage compartment, a first set of rollers controlling vertical movement of the drawer, and a second set of rollers controlling side-by-side movement of the drawer, said first set of rollers including first and second pairs of rollers, with the first pair of rollers being mounted to the storage body of the drawer adjacent the rear wall, seated in the first and second spaced tracks and rotatably mounted on stub axles extending from beneath the bottom wall laterally outward of the side walls, and with the second pair of rollers being mounted to the first and second spaced tracks.

14. The refrigerator according to claim 13 , wherein the second set of rollers is mounted along axes which are arranged 90 degrees relative to the first set of rollers.

15. The refrigerator according to claim 13 , wherein the second set of rollers is mounted beneath the drawer.

16. The refrigerator according to claim 13 , wherein the refrigerator storage compartment is defined by a liner and the second set of rollers is mounted to the liner such that the drawer is shiftable between the extended and retracted position relative to the second set of rollers.

17. The refrigerator according to claim 13 , wherein the second pair of rollers is mounted to the first and second spaced tracks and remains engaged with the bottom wall of the storage body as the drawer is shifted between the extended and retracted positions.

18. The refrigerator according to claim 13 , wherein first set of rollers constitutes at least four rollers and the second set of rollers includes two additional rollers.

19. The refrigerator according to claim 13 , wherein each roller of the first and second sets of rollers includes a roller body having inner and outer radial portions, a through hole in the inner radial portion, an outer tread portion about the outer radial portion, an axle defining shaft extending through the through hole and at least one washer retaining the roller body and shaft assembled.

Assignees

• Whirlpool Co

Inventors

• Klitzing Frank W
• Laine Kyle E

Classifications

• F25D25/025 Primary

  Drawers · CPC title

• Y10T29/49359

  Cooling apparatus making, e.g., air conditioner, refrigerator · CPC title

• A47B2210/175

  Refrigerators or freezers · CPC title

• A47B88/437

  Rollers for slides or guides · CPC title

• A47B88/0466

  Human Necessities · mapped topic