Chest with access doors

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9976794-B2
Application number	US-201514679276-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 6, 2015
Priority date	Apr 6, 2015
Publication date	May 22, 2018
Grant date	May 22, 2018

Abstract

A chest, which can comprise a refrigerated chest such as a freezer for example, includes an opening at the top of the chest through which access can be had to a chest interior. The opening is arranged substantially horizontally when the chest is maintained in its normal operational state. One or more doors mounted to the chest at the opening at the top of the chest are selectively movable between a position closing off the entire opening at the top of the chest and a position opening up the opening, including a horizontal position, thereby providing access to the refrigerated chest interior through the opening. The one or more doors can comprise two equal-sized doors. A respective door support can be provided outside the chest interior for each of the one or more doors at which a door of the one or more doors is supported in a horizontal position.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A refrigerated chest including:
a refrigerated chest interior;
an opening at the top of the refrigerated chest providing access to the refrigerated chest interior, the opening being arranged substantially horizontally when the refrigerated chest is maintained in its normal operational state;
a pair of equal-sized doors arranged at the opening at the top of the refrigerated chest, the equal-sized doors being selectively movable between a position closing off equal portions of the opening at the top of the refrigerated chest and a position opening up the equal portions of the opening at the top of the refrigerated chest,
the pair of equal-sized doors comprises a first door, including a first door first side and a first door second side arranged opposite the first door first side, and a second door, including a second door first side and a second door second side arranged opposite the second door first side, and
wherein one of the first door second side and the second door second side includes a heated flipper mullion secured thereto and the other of the first door second side and the second door second side includes a gasket configured to engage the flipper mullion when the first door and the second door are in positions closing off equal portions of the opening at the top of the chest, respectively, so as to close off a space between the first door second side the second door second side,
a first door support mounted to a first wall of the chest for pivotal movement of the first door support between a horizontal position at which the first door is supported by the first door support in the horizontal position outside the chest interior and a vertical position adjacent the first wall of the chest; and
a second door support mounted to a second wall of the chest for pivotal movement of the second door support between a horizontal position at which the second door is supported by the second door support in the horizontal position outside the chest interior and a vertical position adjacent the second wall of the chest.

2. The refrigerated chest of claim 1 wherein the pair of equal-sized doors are pivotally movable between selectively closing off and opening up equal portions of the opening at the top of the refrigerated chest.

3. The refrigerated chest of claim 2 wherein:
the opening at the top of the refrigerated chest includes an opening first end and an opening second end arranged opposite the opening first end;
the equal portions of the opening at the top of the refrigerated chest comprise a first portion of the opening at the top of the refrigerated chest and a second portion of the opening at the top of the refrigerated chest;
the first door first side is secured at the opening first end for pivotal movement of the first door between a position closing off the first portion of the opening at the top of the refrigerated chest and a position opening up the first portion of the opening at the top of the refrigerated chest; and
the second door first side is secured at the opening second end for pivotal movement of the second door between a position closing off the second portion of the opening at the top of the refrigerated chest and a position opening up the second portion of the opening at the top of the refrigerated chest.

4. The refrigerated chest of claim 3 wherein the refrigerated chest comprises a freezer.

5. A refrigerated chest including:
a refrigerated chest interior;
an opening at the top of the refrigerated chest through which access can be had to the refrigerated chest interior, the opening being arranged substantially horizontally when the refrigerated chest is maintained in its normal operational state;
a first door and a second door mounted to the refrigerated chest at the opening at the top of the refrigerated chest and selectively movable between a position closing off the entire opening at the top of the refrigerated chest and a horizontal position providing access to the refrigerated chest interior through the opening at the top of the refrigerated chest; and
a respective door support provided outside the refrigerated chest interior for each of the one or more doors at which a door of the one or more doors is supported in a horizontal position
wherein one of a first door first side and a second door first side includes a heated flipper mullion and the other of the first door first side and the second door first side includes a gasket that engages the heated flipper mullion when the first door and the second door are in positions closing off a first portion of the opening at the top of the refrigeration chest and a second portion of the opening at the top of the refrigeration chest, respectively, whereby a space between the first door second side and the second door second side is closed, and
wherein each door support is mounted to a respective wall of the chest for pivotal movement of the door support between the position supporting one of the one or more doors in the horizontal position and a vertical position adjacent the respective wall of the chest.

6. The refrigerated chest of claim 5 , wherein the refrigerated chest comprises a freezer.

7. The refrigerated chest of claim 5 wherein:
the first door is mounted to the refrigerated chest at the opening at the top of the refrigerated chest for pivotal movement of the first door between a position closing off the first portion of the opening at the top of the refrigerated chest and a horizontal position providing access to the refrigerated chest interior through the first portion of the opening at the top of the refrigerated chest;
the second door is mounted to the refrigerated chest at the opening at the top of the refrigerated chest for pivotal movement of the second door between a position closing off the second portion of the opening at the top of the refrigerated chest and a horizontal position providing access to the refrigerated chest interior through the second portion of the opening at the top of the refrigerated chest;
a first door support is provided outside the refrigerated chest interior at which the first door is supported in a horizontal position;
and a second door support is provided outside the refrigerated chest interior at which the second door is supported in a horizontal position.

8. The refrigerated chest of claim 7 wherein:
the first door is of equal size to the second door; and
the first portion of the opening at the top of the refrigerated chest is of equal size to the second portion of the opening at the top of the refrigerated chest.

9. The refrigerated chest of claim 8 wherein:
the first door first side of the first door is pivotally mounted to the refrigeration chest and a first door second side of the first door, arranged opposite the first door first side, passes through an angle of 180 degrees when the first door is opened from the position closing off the first portion of the opening at the top of the refrigeration chest to the horizontal position at which the first door is supported in the horizontal position by the first door support outside the refrigerated chest interior; and
the second door first side of the second door is pivotally mounted to the refrigeration chest and a second door second side of the second door, arranged opposite the second door first side, passes through an angle of 180 degrees when the second door is opened from the position closing off the second portion of the opening at the top of the refrigeration chest to the horizontal position at which the second door is supported in the horizontal position by the second door support outside the refrigerated chest interior.

10. The refrigerated chest of claim 9 , wherein the refrigerated chest comprise

Assignees

• Electrolux Home Prod Inc

Inventors

• Sexton Terry Lynn
• Simoni David
• Brown Andrew Dale

Classifications

• F25D23/026 Primary

  for open-top cabinets · CPC title

• F25D2400/10

  Refrigerator top-coolers · CPC title