U.S. patent application number 10/896678 was filed with the patent office on 2006-01-26 for modular fascia for refrigerator storage assemblies and methods of making same.
Invention is credited to Daniel Lyvers, Raymond M. Nilssen, John Sylvester, Alan Clark Webb.
Application Number | 20060017360 10/896678 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 35656400 |
Filed Date | 2006-01-26 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060017360 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Lyvers; Daniel ; et
al. |
January 26, 2006 |
Modular fascia for refrigerator storage assemblies and methods of
making same
Abstract
A multi-component fascia assembly for refrigerator storage
assemblies is provided. The fascia generally includes a face plate
having a pair of end caps attached to the ends thereof. The fascia
assembly can be attached to a support member to form a storage unit
for a refrigerator. A refrigerator comprising a storage assembly
having a multi-component fascia assembly also is provided.
Additionally, a method of making a refrigerator storage assembly is
provided and includes extruding an intermediate extrusion and
cutting it to a predetermined length to form a face plate. The
method also encompasses attaching end caps to the face plate to
form a fascia which then can be attached to a support member to
form a storage unit. One or more storage units can be formed and
combined to create a refrigerator storage assembly.
Inventors: |
Lyvers; Daniel; (Cordova,
TN) ; Webb; Alan Clark; (Cordova, TN) ;
Sylvester; John; (Haughton, LA) ; Nilssen; Raymond
M.; (Greenwood, MS) |
Correspondence
Address: |
WOMBLE CARLYLE SANDRIDGE & RICE, PLLC
P.O. BOX 7037
ATLANTA
GA
30357-0037
US
|
Family ID: |
35656400 |
Appl. No.: |
10/896678 |
Filed: |
July 22, 2004 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
312/404 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F25D 2400/16 20130101;
F25D 25/025 20130101; F25D 2400/18 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
312/404 |
International
Class: |
A47B 96/04 20060101
A47B096/04 |
Claims
1. A refrigerator comprising: a cooling compartment comprising a
top wall a bottom wall, a rear wall, a first side wall and a second
side wall opposed to the first side wall; a storage assembly
disposed in the cooling compartment, wherein the storage assembly
comprises a support member and a multi-component fascia attached to
the support member and aligned distal to the rear wall within the
cooling compartment, wherein the multi-component fascia comprises a
face plate having opposed ends and a pair of end caps attached to
said opposed ends.
2. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the face plate is formed of
metal.
3. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the multi-component fascia
further comprises a translucent plate attached to said face
plate.
4. The refrigerator of claim 3, wherein the face plate includes a
channel formed therein for receiving said translucent plate.
5. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein said multi-component fascia
further comprises a cap attached to each of said pair of end
caps.
6. The refrigerator of claim 5, wherein said cap is formed of
metal.
7. The refrigerator of claim 5, wherein the multi-component fascia
further comprises at least one fastener connecting said cap to at
least one of said pair of end caps.
8. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein each of said pair of end
caps is formed of a polymeric material.
9. A fascia assembly for a refrigerator storage assembly
comprising: a face plate having opposed ends and a channel formed
therein; a pair of end caps attached to said opposed ends of said
face plate; a second plate disposed in said channel of said face
plate; and a cap attached to each of said pair of end caps.
10. The fascia assembly of claim 9, wherein said face plate is
formed of metal.
11. The fascia assembly of claim 9, wherein said cap is formed of
metal.
12. The fascia assembly of claim 9, wherein said pair of end caps
is formed of polymeric material.
13. The fascia assembly of claim 9, wherein said second plate is
translucent.
14. A method of making a refrigerator storage unit comprising:
feeding a material to an extruder, wherein the material is a metal
or a polymeric material; extruding the material through a die of
the extruder to form an intermediate extrusion; cutting the
intermediate extrusion to a predetermined length to form a face
plate; attaching a pair of end caps to the ends of the face plate
to form a fascia assembly; and attaching the fascia assembly to a
support member to form a refrigerator storage unit.
15. The method of claim 14, wherein the pair of end caps are formed
of a polymeric material by injection molding.
16. The method of claim 14, further comprising: disposing a
translucent plate between the pair of end caps.
17. The method of claim 14, further comprising: extruding an
intermediate cap extrusion.
18. The method of claim 17, further comprising: cutting the
intermediate cap extrusion to a predetermined length to form a
cap.
19. The method of claim 18, further comprising: attaching the cap
to the pair of end caps.
20. A method of forming a refrigerator storage assembly comprising:
feeding a material to an extruder; extruding the material through a
die of the extruder to form a first intermediate extrusion; cutting
the first intermediate extrusion to a first predetermined length to
form a first face plate; injection molding a first pair of end
caps; attaching the first pair of end caps to the ends of the first
face plate to form a first fascia; attaching the first fascia to a
first support member to form a first storage unit; forming a second
intermediate extrusion by extruding the material through the die;
cutting the second intermediate extrusion to a second predetermined
length to form a second face plate, wherein the first predetermined
length is unequal to the second predetermined length; attaching a
second pair of end caps to the ends of the second face plate to
form a second fascia; attaching the second fascia to a second
support member to form a second storage unit; and mounting the
first and the second storage units in a refrigerator cabinet to
form the refrigerator storage assembly.
21. The method of claim 20, wherein the material is a polymeric
composition selected from polyvinyl chlorides, polycarbonates,
polyesters, chlorinated polyethylenes, acrylics, polystyrenes,
acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymers, nylons and combinations
thereof.
22. The method of claim 20, wherein the material is a metal
selected from aluminum, copper and steel.
23. The method of claim 20, further comprising: aligning a
translucent plate in a channel formed in the first face plate and
engaging the ends of the translucent plate with the first pair of
end caps.
24. The method of claim 20, further comprising: disposing a cap
over the translucent plate and engaging the ends of the cap with
the first pair of end caps.
25. The method of claim 20, wherein one of the first pair of end
caps is substantially identical to one of the second pair of end
caps.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present invention generally relates to methods of
forming storage assemblies and, more particularly, to methods of
making modular fascia assemblies for refrigerators.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Over the years, household refrigerators have evolved to
accommodate ever increasing functional demands by users. In
addition to preserving food, refrigerators must be functionally
versatile, easy to maintain and reasonably priced. Consumers desire
refrigerators with adjustable storage compartments that can
accommodate a variety of foods and food packagings and that are
easily accessible to facilitate cleaning and maintenance. As a
result, various manufacturers have offered refrigerators with
removable shelves and storage assemblies.
[0003] Conventional refrigerators typically include various sized
storage assemblies formed of injection molded polymeric components.
In order to produce these various-sized storage assemblies,
however, a manufacturer must construct a separate mold for each
size of component. These molds typically are expensive, add to the
cost of the final product, and increase the time required to bring
a new product to market.
SUMMARY
[0004] The present invention generally is directed to modular or
multi-component fascia assemblies for refrigerator storage
assemblies, refrigerators containing multi-component fascia
assemblies and methods of making the refrigerator storage
assemblies. Multi-component fascia assemblies used in the
refrigerator storage assemblies employ parts that can be used in
multiple configurations, thereby potentially reducing the cost and
time of manufacturing different fascia with different
configurations.
[0005] In one embodiment, the present invention comprises a
refrigerator having a cooling compartment formed of a top wall, a
bottom wall, a rear wall, a first side wall, and a second side wall
opposed to the first side wall. A storage assembly is disposed in
the cooling compartment. The storage assembly includes a support
member attached to a multi-component fascia, which is aligned
distal to the rear wall within the cooling compartment. The
multi-component fascia comprises a face plate having opposed ends
and a pair of end caps attached to the opposed ends of the face
plate.
[0006] In another embodiment, a fascia assembly for a refrigerator
storage assembly includes a face plate having opposed ends and a
channel formed therein. A pair of end caps are attached to opposite
ends of said face plate. A second plate is disposed in the channel
of the face plate and a cap is attached to each pair of end
caps.
[0007] In a further embodiment, a method of making a refrigerator
storage unit includes feeding a metal or polymeric material to an
extruder and extruding the material through a die extruder to form
an intermediate extrusion. The intermediate extrusion is cut to a
predetermined length to form a face plate. The method can also
include attaching a pair of end caps to the ends of the face plate
to form a fascia assembly and attaching the fascia assembly to a
support member to form a refrigerator storage unit.
[0008] In still another embodiment, a method of forming a
refrigerator storage assembly includes feeding a material to an
extruder and extruding the material through a die extruder to form
a first intermediate extrusion. The first intermediate extrusion is
cut to a first predetermined length to form a first face plate. The
method can also include injection molding a first pair of end caps
and attaching the first pair of end caps to the ends of the first
face plate to form a first fascia. The method can additionally
include attaching the first fascia to a first support member to
form a first storage unit. Furthermore, a second intermediate
extrusion is formed by extruding the material through the die. The
second intermediate extrusion is cut to a second predetermined
length to form a second face plate, with the first predetermined
length being unequal to the second predetermined length. The method
can also include attaching a second pair of end caps to the ends of
the second face plate to form a second fascia and attaching the
second fascia to a second support member to form a second storage
unit. The first and the second storage units are mounted in a
refrigerator cabinet to form a refrigerator storage assembly.
[0009] These and other aspects of the present invention are set
forth in greater detail below and in the drawings, which are
briefly described as follows.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator containing a
storage assembly with modular fascia assemblies.
[0011] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the refrigerator of FIG. 1
with the top storage unit open and the ice shelf assembly
removed.
[0012] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the frame and fascia
assembly of the top storage unit of the storage assembly shown in
FIG. 2.
[0013] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the top storage unit of FIG.
2 with the pans separated from the frame of the storage unit.
[0014] FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the bottom storage unit of
FIG. 1.
[0015] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a refrigerator containing a
storage assembly that includes modular fascia assemblies.
[0016] FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a method of forming a fascia
assembly.
[0017] FIG. 8 is a flowchart of an alternate method of forming a
refrigerator storage assembly with modular fascia assemblies.
[0018] FIG. 9 is a flowchart of another method of forming a
refrigerator storage assembly with modular fascia assemblies.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0019] Referring now in more detail to FIGS. 1-9, in which like
numerals refer where appropriate to like parts throughout the
several views, FIG. 1 depicts a refrigerator 200 that contains a
storage assembly 40 with multiple storage units 50 and 52 that
include modular or multi-component fascia assemblies 70. The
refrigerator 200 includes a cabinet 20 with an attached door 21.
The cabinet 20 includes a top wall 24, a rear wall 22, a bottom
wall 26, and first and second side walls 28 and 30. The walls of
the cabinet 20 cooperate to define an insulated cooling compartment
32, which can be used for refrigerating and/or freezing food. Each
of the storage units 50 and 52 includes a fascia assembly 70 that
is disposed distal to the rear wall 22 of the cabinet 20 and facing
outward. Some of the parts used to fabricate the fascia assemblies
70 of the storage units are interchanged and can be used on storage
units of varying size, which can reduce the tooling and
manufacturing costs of making variously configured storage units
and assemblies for different refrigerator models.
[0020] The refrigerator storage assemblies 40 and 140 include
various combinations of storage units 50, 52, and 250, each of
which include a support member with a modular or multi-component
fascia assembly 70 or 170 attached. The support members
incorporated in the storage units can be shelves, drawers, bins,
baskets, pans or similar structures for holding food in a
refrigerator.
[0021] As shown in FIGS. 2-5, the fascia assembly 70 generally
includes a face plate 72, a second plate 71, a cap 74 and a pair of
end caps 76a and 76b. The face plate 72 includes a body having
opposed ends and generally a uniform cross-section. A channel 84
(FIG. 5) is formed in the body of the face plate 72 for receiving
second plate 71. The body of the face plate 72 also includes a
front wall 80 and rear walls 81 and 82 that provide a large
cross-section to add depth to the fascia assembly 70 and to provide
more surface areas to engage the end caps 76a and 76b and other
portions of the storage unit 50 and 52 as needed. However, the face
plate 72 can be formed with a single wall or in other alternative
configurations.
[0022] The second plate 71 is disposed in the channel 84 of the
face plate 72 and extends between the ends caps 76a and 76b. The
second plate 71 can be opaque, but is shown in the figures as
translucent to provide visual access to the interior of the storage
unit. The second plate 71 is shown as a single-walled body, but
could comprise an alternative wall configuration.
[0023] The cap 74 is disposed over second plate 71 and extends
between the end caps 76a and 76b. The cap 74 has a channel formed
therein to receive the upper edge of the second plate 71. The cap
74 is attached to each of the pins of end caps 76a and 76b by one
or more fasteners 73, which are shown in FIGS. 3-5 as screws.
[0024] Each of the end caps 76a and 76b includes an interior side,
which is proximate one of the ends of the face plate 72, the second
plate 71, and the cap 74. Each end cap 76a and 76b includes a face
plate socket 78, a second plate socket 79, and a cap socket 75
formed on the interior side to receive the ends of the face plate
72, the second plate 71 and the cap 74, respectively.
[0025] When the fascia assembly 70 is assembled, the face plate 72
and the second plate 71 are attached to the end caps 76a and 76b by
their engagement with the sockets of the end caps. The second plate
71 also is firmly secured in the fascia assembly 70 through
alignment in the channel 84 of the face plate 72 and through
engagement with the cap 74. Each end of the cap 74 extends through
the cap sockets 75 of the end caps 76a and 76b. The cap 74 is
secured to the end caps 76a and 76b by fasteners 73, shown as
screws in the figures. Other types of fasteners, such as clips,
pins, welds, or the like can be used to attach the components of
the fascia assembly 70 together.
[0026] As shown in FIGS. 3-5, the fascia assemblies 70 are
configured to be mounted or attached to support members 152 or 252
of the storage units 50 and 52. The support members 152 and 252
each include a frame 160 and 260, respectively, that are fastened
to the fascia assemblies 70 by fasteners 77. The support members
152 and 252 alternatively can include pans 164 or a basket 66 to
store food.
[0027] As shown in FIG. 6, refrigerator 300 includes a storage
assembly 345 with various sized storage units 52 and 250. The size
of the fascia assemblies 70 and 170 also vary according to the
overall size of the storage units 52 and 250 to which the fascia
are attached. Each left end cap 76a of storage units 52 and 250 are
substantially identical to one another. Likewise, the right end
caps 76b are substantially identical to one another, even though
the storage units 52 and 250 vary in width. Additionally, the face
plates 72 and 172, the second plates 71 and 171, and the caps 74
and 174 are substantially similar, except in length between the
wide storage unit 52 and the narrower storage units 250. Thus, at
least some of the components of the fascia assemblies 70 and 170
can be interchanged or, with minor reconfiguration, can be used on
dissimilarly sized storage units 52 and 250.
[0028] The present invention also is directed to methods of forming
storage assemblies for refrigerators that include multi-component
fascia assemblies. The methods generally include extruding a
material through a die to form an intermediate extrusion that is
cut to a predetermined length to form a face plate, a second plate,
or cap. The extruded piece is attached to a support member, such as
a shelf, drawer, bin, pan, basket, etc., to serve as at least a
portion of the fascia of a storage unit. The use of extruded
components to form the fascia assembly for a refrigerator storage
unit facilitates production of storage units of various lengths
using the same equipment while eliminating the requirement of
obtaining a separate tooling mold for each sized unit, as required
in molded components. The fascia assemblies formed by the methods
detailed herein, however, can from assemblies that are
substantially indistinguishable from assemblies constructed from
molded parts.
[0029] FIGS. 7-9 show flowcharts of various methods of forming
refrigerator storage assemblies. FIG. 7 shows a process for forming
a refrigerator storage assembly beginning with feeding material to
an extruder in step 100. The fed material preferably is a polymeric
or metal material suitable for forming durable components. The
polymeric materials can be selected from polyvinyl chlorides,
polycarbonates, polyesters, chlorinated polyethylenes, acrylics,
polystyrenes, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymers, nylons,
and any combinations or variations thereof. Additionally, metals,
such as aluminum, copper or steel can be used in the method. The
polymeric or metal material can be fed to the extruder in solid
form, typically in the form of pellets, chips or billets.
[0030] The polymeric extruder includes a feed hopper connected to a
barrel in which one or two conveyor screws are disposed. The
screw(s) are rotated to carry the material toward a die. The
material can be in a softened state by heat from the shearing
actions of the screw(s) and/or by heat supplied to the barrel. The
screw then forces or extrudes the material through the die in step
110. Extruding metal material includes placing a billet into
equipment that heats the billet to a prescribed temperature. The
heated metal then is pushed by a ram through the die. The opening
in or formed by the die can have a variety of cross-sections
depending upon the structure of the face plate to be formed. For
example, the opening can have a cross-section like face plate 72,
second plate 71 and/or cap 74 shown in FIG. 5.
[0031] The material solidifies and cools as it exits the die to
form an intermediate extrusion in step 120. The intermediate
extrusion has the desired cross-section, such as those shown in
FIG. 5, or any other suitable cross-section, but also has an
indeterminate length. The intermediate extrusion then is cut to a
predetermined length in step 130. In one embodiment, simply cutting
the intermediate extrusion to the predetermined length forms a face
plate in step 140. In alternative embodiments, however, the step of
forming the face plate 140 also can include bending, stamping,
embossing, drilling, cutting, notching and other process steps,
either singly or in combination, to form apertures, notches, tabs,
grooves, channels, and other substructures within the extrusion.
The face plate can be run through a coating process to form a
specific finish, such as by painting the extrusion with a powder
coating, or plating a material thereon.
[0032] The method also includes in step 150 attaching one or more
end caps to the end(s) of the face plate. This step can include
interlocking tabs, ribs, notches or other structures formed on the
end caps and/or face plate, frictionally engaging the end caps to
the face plate, or connecting them together with one or more
fasteners, such as clips, screws, pins, adhesives or the like.
[0033] As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the methods detailed herein
encompass forming two or more face plates of varying length with
the same extruder and die. As with the process of FIG. 7, the
method of FIG. 8 includes in step 100, feeding material to an
extruder, extruding the material in step 110 through the die of the
extruder, forming in step 120 an intermediate extrusion. In
contrast to the method of FIG. 7, the method of claim 8 includes
cutting the intermediate extrusion to a first predetermined length
in step 230 and cutting an intermediate extrusion to a second
predetermined length in step 330. The first predetermined length
not being equal to the second predetermined length.
[0034] The first face plate is formed in step 240 from the portion
of the intermediate extrusion cut to a first predetermined length,
and the second face plate is formed in step 340 from the portion of
the intermediate extrusion cut to the second predetermined length.
As with the method of FIG. 7, steps 240 and 340 can include a
variety of intermediate steps.
[0035] Other steps include attaching in step 250 a first pair of
end caps to the ends of the first face plate and attaching in step
255 a second pair of end caps to the second face plate. These
attachments can be formed by any variety of different processes
detailed herein. These intermediate steps of forming and attachment
can, but need not, be the same for the first and second face
plates.
[0036] As shown in FIG. 9, the method can include in step 260
injection molding the first and second pairs of end caps. One or
both pair of end caps can be identical or substantially similar to
the other pairs of end caps, depending upon the desired form of the
storage assemblies. The step 260 of injection molding the first and
second pairs of end caps includes providing a mold of at least one
of the end caps and injecting a material into the mold. The
injected material is typically a polymeric material, such as
polyvinyl chlorides, polycarbonates, polyesters, chlorinated
polyethylenes, acrylics, polystyrenes,
acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymers, nylons and any
combinations or variations thereof. The end caps can be formed from
one or more components. In one embodiment, two molds are provided
corresponding to the two end caps that are to be attached to either
end of the face plate. The end cap can be formed from a single mold
and storage assemblies of varying length can include identical or
substantially similar end caps.
[0037] Additionally, the method of FIG. 9 includes forming the
first fascia 270 and the second fascia 360 and then attaching the
first and second fascia to first and second support members 280 and
380, respectively. The first and second storage units can then be
formed 290 and 390. In this manner, a refrigerator storage assembly
containing a plurality of storage units can be made using parts
formed from the same extruder or die.
[0038] Each of the methods of forming refrigerator storage
assemblies described herein can include aligning a translucent,
metal or polymeric second plate in a channel formed in the side
wall of the face plate, in which the end-caps of the storage
assembly engage the sides of the second plate. Additionally, the
methods including this step can include an additional step of
disposing a cap over the second plate. The cap can be engaged by
the end caps of the assembly. Each of the methods can include the
step of embossing the face plate to provide on the storage assembly
one or more designs and/or indicia, such as the stylistic designs
and company logos.
[0039] While the present invention has been described in detail
herein in accord with certain embodiments, modifications can be
made by those skilled in the art that fall within the scope of the
invention.
* * * * *