U.S. patent application number 11/344305 was filed with the patent office on 2007-08-02 for pilot feature for top hinge for refrigerator.
Invention is credited to Patrick A. Braun, Herbert Paul Sabelhaus.
Application Number | 20070176527 11/344305 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 38321376 |
Filed Date | 2007-08-02 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070176527 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Sabelhaus; Herbert Paul ; et
al. |
August 2, 2007 |
Pilot feature for top hinge for refrigerator
Abstract
An arrangement is provided for returning a removed hinge plate
to a predetermined position on a refrigerator cabinet after the
hinge plate has been removed. A screw plate is loosely movably
positioned on an inside side of an outer wrapper of the
refrigerator cabinet in a location approximating the location for
the top hinge plate. The hinge plate is positioned on an outer
surface of the outer wrapper and is removably secured to the screw
plate. The hinge plate includes a recess area. A pilot plate is
positioned on the outer surface of the outer wrapper, secured to
the screw plate and being closely received in the recess area in
the hinge plate. The pilot plate remains in position relative to
the screw plate and the wrapper when the hinge plate is removed
from the screw plate.
Inventors: |
Sabelhaus; Herbert Paul;
(Evansville, IN) ; Braun; Patrick A.; (Newburgh,
IN) |
Correspondence
Address: |
WHIRLPOOL PATENTS COMPANY - MD 0750
500 RENAISSANCE DRIVE - SUITE 102
ST. JOSEPH
MI
49085
US
|
Family ID: |
38321376 |
Appl. No.: |
11/344305 |
Filed: |
January 31, 2006 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
312/405 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E05Y 2600/56 20130101;
F25D 23/028 20130101; E05D 7/04 20130101; E05Y 2800/00 20130101;
F25D 2323/024 20130101; E05Y 2900/31 20130101; E05D 7/081
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
312/405 |
International
Class: |
A47B 96/00 20060101
A47B096/00 |
Claims
1. A refrigerator comprising: a cabinet with an outer wrapper, an
inner liner and a foamed-in-place insulation between said wrapper
and said liner, two side-by-side cabinet doors, each connected to
said cabinet with a top hinge and a bottom hinge, a screw plate
loosely captured between said insulation and said outer wrapper in
a location approximating the location for one of said top hinges,
each top hinge comprising a hinge plate carrying a hinge pin
engageable with one of said doors, positioned on a top surface of
said outer wrapper and removably secured to said screw plate, said
hinge plate including a recess area, and a pilot plate positioned
on said top surface of said outer wrapper, secured to said screw
plate and being closely received in said recess area in said hinge
plate.
2. A refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein said hinge plate
has non-rotatable shaped recess area and said pilot plate has a
complementary shaped perimeter.
3. A refrigerator according to claim 2, wherein said recess area
has a square shape.
4. A refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein said recess area
comprises an opening in a central area of said hinge plate.
5. A refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein said pilot plate is
secured to said screw plate with a locking fastener.
6. A refrigerator according to claim 5, wherein said locking
fastener is a headed threaded fastener with locking serrations on
an underside of a head of the fastener.
7. A refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein said recess in said
hinge plate and said pilot plate are configured such that said
hinge plate is not permitted to rotate relative to said pilot
plate.
8. A refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein said recess in said
hinge plate and said pilot plate are configured such that movement
of said hinge plate relative to said pilot plate, in a plane
parallel to said top surface of said wrapper, is restricted.
9. An arrangement for returning a removed hinge plate to a
predetermined position on a refrigerator cabinet after said hinge
plate has been removed, comprising: a screw plate loosely movably
positioned on an inside side of an outer wrapper of said
refrigerator cabinet in a location approximating the location for
said top hinge plate, said hinge plate positioned on an outer
surface of said outer wrapper and removably secured to said screw
plate, said hinge plate including a recess area, and a pilot plate
positioned on said outer surface of said outer wrapper, secured to
said screw plate and being closely received in said recess area in
said hinge plate, said pilot plate remaining in position relative
to said screw plate and said wrapper when said hinge plate is
removed from said screw plate.
10. An arrangement according to claim 9, wherein said hinge plate
has non-rotatable shaped recess area and said pilot plate has
complementary shaped perimeter.
11. An arrangement according to claim 10, wherein said recess area
has a square shape.
12. An arrangement according to claim 9, wherein said recess area
comprises an opening in a central area of said hinge plate.
13. An arrangement according to claim 9, wherein said pilot plate
is secured to said screw plate with a locking fastener.
14. An arrangement according to claim 13, wherein said locking
fastener is a headed threaded fastener with locking serrations on
an underside of a head of the fastener.
15. An arrangement according to claim 9, wherein said recess in
said hinge plate and said pilot plate are configured such that said
hinge plate is not permitted to rotate relative to said pilot
plate.
16. An arrangement according to claim 9, wherein said recess in
said hinge plate and said pilot plate are configured such that
movement of said hinge plate relative to said pilot plate, in a
plane parallel to said top surface of said wrapper, is
restricted.
17. A method of attaching a hinge plate to a refrigerator cabinet
outer wrapper such that the hinge plate may be removed and replaced
on the wrapper in an originally set position, comprising the steps:
loosely positioning a screw plate on an inside side of an outer
wrapper of said refrigerator cabinet in a location approximating
the location for said top hinge plate, positioning said hinge plate
on an outer surface of said outer wrapper and securing said hinge
plate to said screw plate in a desired position, positioning a
pilot plate on said outer surface of said outer wrapper and in a
recess area in said hinge plate, securing said pilot plate to said
screw plate, thereby when said hinge plate is removed from said
outer wrapper, said pilot plate will remain in place on said
wrapper and said hinge plate may be returned to said wrapper by
positioning said recess area in said hinge plate around said pilot
plate, thus returning said hinge plate to said desired
position.
18. A method according to claim 17, wherein said pilot plate is
secured to said screw plate with a locking fastener.
19. A method according to claim 17, wherein said recess in said
hinge plate and said pilot plate are configured such that movement
of said hinge plate relative to said pilot plate, in a plane
parallel to said top surface of said wrapper, is restricted.
20. A method according to claim 19, wherein said movement is
restricted to less than 1 millimeter.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates generally to refrigerators and
in particular to top hinge locating arrangements for refrigerator
doors.
[0002] Refrigerators typically have one or two doors that may be
pivotally secured to the refrigerator cabinet with hinges. With
pivotally attached doors, generally there is a sealing gasket that
is located on an inside side of the door which mates with a front
surface of the cabinet outer wrapper to prevent leakage of air into
and out of the refrigeration compartment. The door must therefore
be positioned relative to the compartment opening such that the
gasket will engage the cabinet wrapper to provide this seal.
Usually there is a fair amount of tolerance involved, so that exact
positioning of the door on the cabinet is not highly critical.
[0003] However, in the case of side-by-side refrigerator doors,
such as where there is a side-by-side arrangement of a
refrigeration compartment and a freezer compartment, or where the
doors are french doors opening into a single refrigerated
compartment, such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,288,135, incorporated
herein by reference, the positioning of the doors on the cabinet,
and hence, relative to one another, becomes more critical in order
to avoid interference between the two doors and to assure a proper
seal with the cabinet. Although the doors are secured to the
cabinet in their correct locations at the factory, occasionally the
doors are removed during shipping or installation, such as to fit
through narrow doorways, therefore requiring that the doors be
returned to their original position in order to avoid problems
between the two doors and to assure proper sealing of the doors
relative to the cabinet and possibly each other.
[0004] The present invention addresses and solves this problem.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] The present invention provides an arrangement for returning
a removed hinge plate to a predetermined position on a refrigerator
cabinet after the hinge plate has been removed. This arrangement
includes a screw plate loosely movably positioned on an inside side
of an outer wrapper of the refrigerator cabinet in a location
approximating the location for the top hinge plate. The hinge plate
is positioned on an outer surface of the outer wrapper and is
removably secured to the screw plate. The hinge plate includes a
recess area and a pilot plate is positioned on the outer surface of
the outer wrapper, secured to the screw plate and is closely
received in the recess area in the hinge plate. The pilot plate
remains in position relative to the screw plate and the wrapper
when the hinge plate is removed from the screw plate.
[0006] In an embodiment, the hinge plate has a non-rotatable shaped
recess area and the pilot plate has complementary shaped
perimeter.
[0007] In an embodiment, the recess area has a square shape.
[0008] In an embodiment, the recess area comprises an opening in
the hinge plate.
[0009] In an embodiment, the pilot plate is secured to the screw
plate with a locking fastener.
[0010] In an embodiment, the locking fastener is a headed threaded
fastener with locking serrations on an underside of a head of the
fastener.
[0011] In an embodiment, the recess in the hinge plate and the
pilot plate are configured such that the hinge plate is not
permitted to rotate relative to the pilot plate.
[0012] In an embodiment, the recess in the hinge plate and the
pilot plate are configured such that movement of the hinge plate
relative to the pilot plate, in a plane parallel to the top surface
of the wrapper, is restricted.
[0013] In an embodiment, a refrigerator is provided having a
cabinet with an outer wrapper, an inner liner and a foamed-in-place
insulation between the wrapper and the liner, and two side-by-side
cabinet doors, each connected to the cabinet with a top hinge and a
bottom hinge. A screw plate is loosely captured between the
insulation and the outer wrapper in a location approximating the
location for one of the top hinges. Each top hinge comprises a
hinge plate carrying a hinge pin engageable with one of the doors,
positioned on a top surface of the outer wrapper and removably
secured to the screw plate. The hinge plate includes a recess area,
and a pilot plate is positioned on the top surface of the outer
wrapper, secured to the screw plate and is closely received in the
recess area in the hinge plate.
[0014] In an embodiment, a method is provided of attaching a hinge
plate to a refrigerator cabinet outer wrapper such that the hinge
plate may be removed and replaced on the wrapper in an originally
set position. This method comprises the steps of:
[0015] loosely positioning a screw plate on an inside side of an
outer wrapper of the refrigerator cabinet in a location
approximating the location for the top hinge plate,
[0016] positioning the hinge plate on an outer surface of the outer
wrapper and securing the hinge plate to the screw plate in a
desired position,
[0017] positioning a pilot plate on the outer surface of the outer
wrapper and in a recess area in the hinge plate, and
[0018] securing the pilot plate to the screw plate.
[0019] When the hinge plate is removed from the outer wrapper, the
pilot plate will remain in place on the wrapper and the hinge plate
may be returned to the wrapper by positioning the recess area in
the hinge plate around the pilot plate, thus returning the hinge
plate to the desired position.
[0020] These and other aspects and details of the present invention
will become apparent upon a reading of the detailed description and
a review of the accompanying drawings. Specific embodiments of the
present invention are described herein. The present invention is
not intended to be limited to only these embodiments. Changes and
modifications can be made to the described embodiments and yet fall
within the scope of the present invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0021] FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a refrigerator
embodying the principles of the present invention.
[0022] FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of the refrigerator cabinet
showing attachment of the top door hinge.
[0023] FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the screw plate in isolation.
[0024] FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the screw plate of FIG.
3.
[0025] FIG. 5 is a plan view of the hinge plate in isolation.
[0026] FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of the hinge plate of FIG.
5.
[0027] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the hinge plate of FIG.
5.
[0028] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the pilot plate in
isolation.
[0029] FIG. 9 is a plan view of the hinge plate, pilot plate and
screw plate in assembled alignment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0030] In an embodiment, the present invention provides an
arrangement for returning a removed hinge plate to a predetermined
position on a refrigerator cabinet after the hinge plate has been
removed.
[0031] As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, a refrigerator 20 is
provided having a cabinet 22 with an outer wrapper 24, an inner
liner 26 and a foamed-in-place insulation 28 between the wrapper
and the liner. The refrigerator 20 has two side-by-side cabinet
doors 30, 32, each connected to the cabinet with a top hinge 34 and
a bottom hinge 36.
[0032] In an embodiment of the invention, a screw plate 40 is
loosely movably positioned on an inside side 42 of the outer
wrapper 24 of the refrigerator cabinet 22 in a location
approximating the location for a top hinge plate 44. The space
between the outer wrapper 24 and the liner 26 is filled with the
insulation 28, which typically is a foam-in-place insulation. An
enlarged void 46 is provided in the area of the location of the
hinge plate 44 to loosely receive the screw plate 40. Thus, the
screw plate 40 is free to move in a plane parallel to a outer
surface 48 of the wrapper 24 to a limited degree, such as by at
least 5 to 10 millimeters.
[0033] The hinge plate 44 is positioned on the outer surface 48 of
the outer wrapper 24 and is removably secured to the screw plate
40, such as with a plurality of threaded fasteners 50. The screw
plate 40 is shown in isolation in FIGS. 3 and 4, where it is seen
that the screw plate may be provided with a plurality of threaded
holes 52 and bosses 54 providing a longer length for the holes, so
that the hinge plate 44 may be securely attached to, yet may also
be removed from, the outer wrapper 24, if need be.
[0034] The hinge plate 44 is shown in isolation in FIGS. 5-7, where
it is seen that the hinge plate is provided with a plurality of
holes 56 which align with the holes 52 in the screw plate and which
will receive the threaded fasteners 50. The hinge plate 44 also
carries a hinge pin 57 which will pivotally engage with one of the
doors 30, 32 to allow a swinging movement of the door. Typically,
in the factory, the positioning of the hinge plates 44 is
accomplished with the use of fixtures which correctly position the
doors 30, 32 relative to the cabinet 22 and each other, and then
the hinge plates are assembled onto the cabinet. In this manner,
each hinge plate 44 will be placed in a desired original position,
and once it is secured to the screw plate 40, the hinge plate will
remain in the desired original position. To permit a user, mover or
installer to return the hinge plate 34 to the original desired
position after it has been removed away from the factory, a pilot
plate 58 is provided.
[0035] The pilot plate 58 is shown in isolation in FIG. 8 and has a
shape and configuration such that it will be closely received in a
recess area 59 in the hinge plate 34. In the illustrated
embodiment, the pilot plate 58 has a generally square outer
periphery 60. The recess area 59 in the hinge plate 34 is a square
shaped opening through a central area of the hinge plate which
provides a very small tolerance gap once the pilot plate is
inserted into the recess area, as shown in the assembled view of
FIGS. 2 and 9. The pilot plate 58 includes a hole 62 which aligns
with a hole 64 on the screw plate 40, and which may receive a
fastener 66, such as a locking treaded fastener. Such locking
threaded fasteners 66 are known which have a head 68 with locking
serrations 70 (FIG. 2) on the underside of the head, such that the
loosening or removal of the fastener is greatly impeded.
[0036] Other shapes and configurations may be provided for the
recess area 59, including a depression or offset area, rather than
a hole through the hinge plate 44, or a contour in the outer
perimeter of the hinge plate rather than a hole through a central
portion of the plate. Also, the recess area 59 in the hinge plate
44 and the pilot plate 58 could be configured such that the hinge
plate is not permitted to rotate relative to the pilot plate, which
could be achieved by providing something other than a round shaped
recess and a mating round perimeter pilot plate, for example, by
using two or more round openings engaged by pins. Or, the recess
area 59 may have a non-round shape and the pilot plate 58 may have
a non-round complementary shape. Also, the recess area 59 in the
hinge plate 44 and the pilot plate 58 may be configured such that
movement of the hinge plate relative to the pilot plate, in a plane
parallel to the outer surface 48 of the wrapper 24, is restricted.
It is preferred that this movement be restricted to less than 1
millimeter and perhaps to about one half of a millimeter.
[0037] When the hinge plate 44 is removed from the refrigerator
cabinet 22, the pilot plate 58 remains in position relative to the
screw plate 44 and the outer wrapper 24. Thus, when the hinge plate
44 is to be replaced on the cabinet 22, the pilot plate 58 will
accurately position the hinge plate as the recess area 59 is
returned to surround the pilot plate. This will assure that the
hinge plate 44 is returned to the original desired position set in
the factory.
[0038] In an embodiment, a method is provided of attaching the
hinge plate 44 to the refrigerator cabinet outer wrapper 24 such
that the hinge plate may be removed and replaced on the wrapper in
an originally set position. This method comprises the steps of:
[0039] loosely positioning a screw plate 40 on an inside side 42 of
the outer wrapper 24 of the refrigerator cabinet 22 in a location
approximating the location for the top hinge plate 44,
[0040] positioning the hinge plate 44 on the outer surface 48 of
the outer wrapper 24 and securing the hinge plate to the screw
plate 40 in a desired position,
[0041] positioning the pilot plate 58 on the outer surface 48 of
the outer wrapper 24 and in a recess area 59 in the hinge plate 44,
and
[0042] securing the pilot plate 58 to the screw plate 40.
[0043] When the hinge plate 44 is removed from the outer wrapper
24, the pilot plate 58 will remain in place on the wrapper and the
hinge plate may be returned to the wrapper by positioning the
recess area 59 in the hinge plate around the pilot plate, thus
returning the hinge plate to the desired position.
[0044] The present invention has been described utilizing
particular embodiments. As will be evident to those skilled in the
art, changes and modifications may be made to the disclosed
embodiments and yet fall within the scope of the present invention.
For example, various components could be utilized which are sized
or configured differently than illustrated. In other embodiments,
different attachment arrangements than those arrangements
specifically shown and described could be used. The disclosed
embodiments are provided only to illustrate aspects of the present
invention and not in any way to limit the scope and coverage of the
invention. The scope of the invention is therefore to be limited
only by the appended claims.
[0045] As is apparent from the foregoing specification, the
invention is susceptible of being embodied with various alterations
and modifications which may differ particularly from those that
have been described in the preceding specification and description.
It should be understood that we wish to embody within the scope of
the patent warranted hereon all such modifications as reasonably
and properly come within the scope of our contribution to the
art.
* * * * *