Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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"ADHESIVE-BONDED MULLION BRACKET FOR HOUSEHOLD REFRI~ERATOR"
BACKGRO~ND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to refrigerator
cabinets, and more particularly, to an improved center rail
assembly for the refrigerator cabinet.
Description of Backaround Art
Conventional refrigerator cabinets include a horizontal
insulated wall separating a freezer compartment from a fresh
food compartment. A center rail, or mullion, is typically
mounted to the cabinet forwardly of the horizontal insulated
wall. The center rail provides a surface on which the door
gaskets seal, and it decreases side swaying of the cabinet
caused by heavy loads in the cabinet doors.
Certain refrigerator cabinets, such as described in
Bottger U.S. Patent No. 4,170,391, utilize a pair of center
rails, or mullion brackets fastened to either side of the
cabinet using screws which pass through apertures in a front
flange. The center rail is, in turn, fastened to the brackets
utilizing a fastener at either end. Such a construction
results in fasteners protruding from the face
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of the cabinet, resulting in a less than desirable
construction from an aesthetic standpoint.
~ nother method for mounting the center rail to the cab~
inet comprises welding the center rail to either side of the
cabinet. However, refxigerator cabinets are conventionally
manufactured utilizing prepainted steel. Prepainted steel
cannot be readily welded because the paint becomes dis-
colored.
The refrigerator cabinet described in Wilson U.S. Pat-
ent No. 4,558,503 re~uires a backup plate screwed to the
outer shell of the cabinet at either side. A partition
bracket is secured at each backup plate, with a crosspiece
spanning the cabinet. Such a construction requires visible
fasteners to secure the cover plate to the crosspiece.
Moreover, this construction requires several additionalparts resulting in a refrigerator construction which is more
complicated and more expensive to produce.
The present invention overcomes the above problems of
prior refrigerator cabinets, in a novel and simple manner.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention, a refrigera-
tor cabinet is provided which eliminates fasteners for se-
curing the center rail to the cabinet which protrude from
the front face of the cabinet.
Broadly, there is disclosed herein a novel refrigera-
tion apparatus cabinet structure including a liner defining
a space to be refrigerated, the liner having a turned edge.
An outer cabinet defines a turned edge having a returned
portion defining a channel receiving the turned edge of the
PA-5584-0-RE-USA
liner. The channel includes an inner wall. A center rail
bracket defines a partition front wall. A center rail
bracket defines a distal portion. Means are associated with
the distal portion of the bracket engaging the channel inner
wall for temporarily resiliently retaining the center rail
in the cabinet structure.
The refrigerator apparatus cabinet includes an outer
shell comprising connected flat planar members defining out-
er surfaces of sidewalls turned at front edges thereof to
define a planar cabinet flange. The flange is returned to
form an inwardly facing channel having an inner wall. A
liner is disposed within the shell and has walls defining an
internal cabinet space and has outturned edge flange
portions received in the channel. A center rail extends
between portions of the channel on opposite sides of the
cabinet and defines a forward wall of a cabinet divider
partition. A pair of brackets are provided for fastening
the center rail to the channel. Each bracket includes a
first portion shaped to conform to end portions of the cen-
ter rail, and second portions shaped to conform to the shape
of the channel. Each bracket also includes resilient
fingers temporarily resiliently retaining the brackets in
the channel. Means are provided for fastening the center
rail to the brackets.
It is another object of the present invention to pro-
vide a refrigerator cabinet utilizing a body of adhesive
deposited in the channel for adhering the brackets to the
shell.
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It is yet another object of the present invention to
provide an improved method of assembling a refrigeration
apparatus cabinet including th~ step of snap-fitting the
center rail brackets in the cabinet channel to retain the
bracket therein.
It is a further object of the present invention to
provide an improved method of assembling a refrigeration
apparatus cabinet including the step of depositing a body of
adhesive in the channel to retain the bracket therein.
It is still another object of the present invention to
provide a method of assembling a refrigerator cabinet which
utilizes the heat generated by the insulating foam during the
ln situ foaming process for aiding in the curing of the
adhesive.
It is still a further object of the present invention to
provide a method of assembling a refrigerator cabinet wherein
the mullion brackets can be adjusted during the curing process
to properly align the center rail.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention there is
provided in a refrigeration apparatus cabinet structure
including a liner defining a space to be refrigerated, said
liner having a turned edge, an outer cabinet defining a turned
edge having a returned portion defining a channel receiving
said turned edge of the liner, said channel including an inner
wall, a center rail defining a partition front wall, and a
center rail bracket fastened to said center rail and defining
a distal portion, the improvement comprising: means associated
with said distal portion of said bracket engaging a surface
area of said channel inner wall for temporarily resiliently
retaining said center rail bracket in said cabinet structure.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention there
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lS provided a method of manufacturing a refrigeration
apparatus cabinet comprising the steps of: providing a cabinet
structure including a liner defining a space to be
refrigerated, said liner having a turned edge, an outer
cabinet having a turned edge having a returned portion
defining a channel receiving the turned edge of said liner;
depositing a heat-curable adhesive in a preselected portion
only of said channel; and inserting a distal portion of a
center rail bracket into said preselected portion of the
channel filled with said body of adhesive, said bracket having
a portion shaped to be self-retaining in said channel.
Further features and advantages of the invention will
readily be apparent from the specification and from the
drawings.
B~IEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator/freezer
apparatus having a center rail assembly embodying the
invention;
FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary enlarged exploded perspective
view illustrating in greater detail the components of the
center rail assembly;
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FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 3-~
of Figure l;
FIGURE 4 is a sectional view taken along the line 4-4
of Figure 1:
FIGURE 5 is a perspective view of a central rail brack-
et for one embodiment of the invention;
FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary exploded perspective ~iew
illustrating the mounting of the center rail bracket to the
cabinet;
FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary, sectional plan view illus-
trating the bracket of Figure 5 assembled in the cabinet:
FIGURE 8 is a fragmentary, elevation view with parts
removed, illustrating the fastening of the center rail to
the bracket;
FIGURE 9 is a perspective view of a center rail bracket
according to an alternative embodiment of the present inven-
tion;
FIGURE 10 is a fragmentary, sectional plan view illus-
trating the mounting of the bracket of Figure 9;
FIGURE 11 is a perspective view of a center rail brack-
et according to another alternative embodiment of the inven-
tion; and
FIGURE 12 is a fragmentary, sectional plan view illus-
trating the mounting of the bracket of Figure 11.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
-
In the illustrative embodiments of the invention as
disclosed in the drawings, a refrigeration apparatus gener-
ally designated 20 is shown to include a cabinet 21 defined
by an outer metal shell 22 and an inner, synthetic resin
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liner 23 provided with suitable insulation 24 therebetween.
Illustratively, the insulation may comprise foamed-in-place
insulation.
Referring to Figure 1, the liner 23 defines an internal
cabinet space 25 to be refrigerated. An insulated divider,
or separator, wall 26 extends across the space 25 to divide
the space into an upper, below-freezing, freezer compartment
27 and a lower, above-freezing, fresh food compartment 28.
The freezer compartment 27 is provided with an upper door 29
for selective access thereto. Similarly, the fresh food
compartment 28 is provided with a lower door 30 for provid-
ing selective access thereto.
Referring also to Figures 2-4, the outer shell 22 in-
cludes flat planar sidewalls 32 turned inwardly at a front
edge portion 34 thereof to form a front flange 36. Front
edge portion 34 is further double-reverse bent to form a
channel 38, commonly known as a yoder-channel. Channel 38
has a rounded lip 40 adjacent the front flange 36, and
defines a distal edge 41 and an inner wall 43.
The liner 23 defines left and right sidewalls 42 and
44, respectively, defining an inwardly opening support chan-
nel 46 for slidably receiving side edges (not shown) of the
separator wall 26. The liner sidewalls 42 and 44 terminate
with a transverse outwardly turned edge peripheral flange 48
continuous around its perimeter except for a pair of notches
50 and 51. The notches 50 and 51 are in alignment with the
separator wall channel 46. The liner flange 48 is received
in the outer shell yoder-channel 38 to define a wall space
52 therebetween. The wall space 52 is filled with the insu-
lation 24, as described above.
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A pair of center rail brackets 54 and 55 extend through
the notches 50 and 51, respectively, and are received in the
yoder-channel 38. The brackets 54 and 55 are secured in the
channel 38 in a manner which is described more specifically
below. A center rail 56 extends across the storage space 25
in front of the separator wall 26 and is provided with oppo-
site ends 57 and 58, which are fastened to the brackets 54
and 55, respectively. An intermediate hinge 60 is fastened
to the center rail right end 58 for hingedly mounting the
doors 29 and 30 in conjunction with upper and lower hinges
(not shown). The center rail 56 provides a sealing surface
for upper and lower door gaskets 61 and 62, respectively.
Moreover, the center rail 56, due to its bending stiffness,
decreases the cabinet side sway caused by heavy loads in the
refrigerator and freezer doors.
The center rail bracket 54, according to one embodiment
of the invention, for the left end 57 of the center rail 56,
is illustrated in Figure 5. The bracket 54 is substantially
L-shaped and is of steel construction. The bracket 54 in-
cludes a first portion 64 having a screw hole 66 and an out-
wardly extending mounting tab 68 for fastening the center
rail left end 57 thereto. The bracket 54 further includes a
second portion 70 having turned edges 72 and 74 shaped to
conform to the shape of the outer channel 38. An indent
portion 76 connects the first and second portions 64 and 70
of the bracket 54.
With reference also to Figure 6, the distal edge 41 of
the shell 22 includes a notch 78 adjacent the liner notch 50
(see Fig. 4). During the cabinet assembly process, after
the liner flange 48 is received in the yoder-channel 38, a
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heat-curable adhesive 82 is deposited in a lower open-ended
reservoir area 80 of the channel 38 adjacent the notch 78.
The adhesive 82 may be, for example, a two-part epoxy
formulation. The distal edge 74 of the bracket 54 is
inserted into the channel 38 through the liner notch 50 to
embed the distal edge 74 in the adhesive 82. With reference
also to Figure 7, a piece of tape 84 may be used temporarily
to prevent movement of the bracket 54 while the adhesive 82
cures. The in situ foaming process is subsequently
performed. It has been found that the foam 24 produces heat
which aids in the curing of the adhesive 82.
After the divider wall 26 is inserted into the liner
channel 46, the center rail 56 is placed along a forward
edge of the divider wall 26. Referring also to Figure 8, a
rear wall 86 of the center rail left end 57 includes a
rearwardly extending plate 88 having upper and lower aper-
tures 89 and 9O, respectively. The spacing between the ap-
ertures 89 and 90 corresponds to the spacing between the
mounting tab 68 and screw hole 66 on the bracket first por-
tion 64. Accordingly, the bracket mounting tab 68 is re-
ceived in the center rail end plate upper hole 89. Thereaf-
ter, a fastener, such as a screw, 92 is passed through the
lower aperture 90 and is threadably received in the bracket
screw hole 66. The mounting of the center rail right end 58
to its associated bracket 55 is similax to that described
above. The right side bracket 55 is identical to the left
side bracket 54 except for being a mirror image thereof.
When the center rail 56 is mounted in the cabinet 22,
the opposite sides of the channel 38 are deformed to permit
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registering of the tabs 68 of each bracket 54 and 55 with
the apertures 89 of each center rail ~nd 57 and 58,
respectively, so that the tabs 68 retain the center rail 56
when the channels 38 are no longer deformed. The screws 92
provide rigid fastening of the center rail 56.
Therefore, according to the one embodiment of the
invention immediately described above, a refrigerator cabi-
net 22 is provided with a body of adhesive 82 disposed in a
channel reservoir 80 defining the sole means for retaining
the center rail brackets 54 and 55 in the cabinet structure.
Thus, unsightly screws are eliminated from the outer shell
front flange 36.
According to another embodiment of the present inven-
tion illustrated in Figures 9 and 10, a center rail bracket
154 includes a first portion 164 having a screw hole 166 and
mounting tab 168 similar to those previously described with
reference to Figure 5. A bracket second portion 170 is
shaped to conform to the channel 38 and defines a turned
flat wall 171 having a pair of distal resilient fingers 172
extending diagonally inwardly from a distal edge 173. The
bracket 154 is formed of, for example, 0.020 inch spring
steel, and is heat-treated for proper hardness and spring
characterization. When the bracket 154 is mounted in the
yoder-channel 38 in a snap-fit manner, the fingers 172
engage the inner wall 43 to coact therewith and thereby bias
a bracket indent portion 176 against the shell front flange
outer lip 40. Thus, the fingers 172 temporarily, resi-
liently retain the center rail bracket 154 in the channel 38
when the adhesive 82 is curing in the reservoir 80.
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The bracket fingers 172 retain the bracket 154 in posi-
tion while the adhesive 82 is curing. Additionally, the
resiliency of the fingers 172 permit movement of the bracket
154 after the center rail 76 has been fastened thereto for
adjustment so that proper alignment of the center rail 56
may be obtained.
A mounting bracket 254, according to a further embodi-
ment of the present invention, is illustrated in Figures 11
and 12. A bracket first portion 264 includes a screw hole
266 and a mounting tab 268 similar to those described with
respect to the previous two embodiments. A bracket second
portion 270 is shaped to conform to the channel 38 and
comprises a turned, substantially flat, planar portion. A
pair of resilient fingers 272 extend outwardly from an
indented portion 276 of the bracket 254. When the bracket
254 is inserted in the channel 38, the fingers 272 provide a
snap-fit retention while the adhesive 82 cures. Again, the
fingers 272 engage the channel inner wall 43 to bias the
bracket indented portion 276 against the rounded lip portion
40 of the shell front flange 36. Thus, the fingers 272
temporarily, adjustably, resiliently retain the center rail
bracket 254 in the channel 38 when the adhesive is curing in
the reservoir 80.
With the center rail brackets according to the
alternative embodiments of the invention, a refrigerator
cabinet is provided with a center rail bracket including
resilient fingers which compress on assembly into the
cabinet flange channel and hold the bracket in place until
the adhesive is deposited in the channel, and cured, and the
foam completes the assembly.
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Thus, the invention broadly comprehends a cabinet
structure utilizing an adhesive for securing a center rail
bracket to the cabinet.
The foregoing disclosure of the preferred embodiments
is illustrative of the broad inventive concepts comprehended
by the invention.
