U.S. patent application number 12/980476 was filed with the patent office on 2012-07-05 for refrigerator with liner embossment.
This patent application is currently assigned to GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY. Invention is credited to Robert Thomas Mills, Ratnakar Sahasrabudhe, Craig Robert Vitan, Kristin Marie Weirich.
Application Number | 20120167611 12/980476 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 46379526 |
Filed Date | 2012-07-05 |
United States Patent
Application |
20120167611 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Weirich; Kristin Marie ; et
al. |
July 5, 2012 |
Refrigerator with Liner Embossment
Abstract
A refrigerator includes a compartment defined by a liner, with a
door configured to provide access into the compartment. A
sub-compartment is mounted in the door and extends into the
compartment in the closed position of the door. A cold plate
assembly is operably configured within the liner to supply cold air
to the sub-compartment. A raised embossment is defined in a
compartment side wall of the liner at a location opposite from the
cold plate assembly. The embossment is defined by a
circumferentially extending ridge and a front face that extends
into the compartment in a plane that is spaced from a plane of the
compartment side wall. A receiver is configured in a wall of the
sub-compartment and seals around the embossment in a closed
position of the door.
Inventors: |
Weirich; Kristin Marie;
(Louisville, KY) ; Mills; Robert Thomas;
(Fisherville, KY) ; Vitan; Craig Robert;
(Louisville, KY) ; Sahasrabudhe; Ratnakar;
(Louisville, KY) |
Assignee: |
GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
Schenectady
NY
|
Family ID: |
46379526 |
Appl. No.: |
12/980476 |
Filed: |
December 29, 2010 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
62/344 ; 62/377;
62/407; 62/449 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F25D 23/04 20130101;
F25D 23/066 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
62/344 ; 62/449;
62/377; 62/407 |
International
Class: |
F25C 5/18 20060101
F25C005/18; F25D 23/04 20060101 F25D023/04; F25D 17/04 20060101
F25D017/04; F25D 23/02 20060101 F25D023/02 |
Claims
1. A refrigerator, comprising: a compartment defined by a liner; a
door configured to provide access into said compartment; a
sub-compartment mounted in said door; a cold plate assembly
operably configured within said liner to supply cold air to said
sub-compartment; a raised embossment defined in a compartment side
wall of said liner at a location opposite from said cold plate
assembly, said embossment defined by a circumferentially extending
ridge and a front face that extends into said compartment in a
plane that is spaced from a plane of said compartment side wall;
and a receiver configured in a wall of said sub-compartment, said
receiver sealing around said embossment in a closed position of
said door.
2. The refrigerator as in claim 1, further comprising at least one
opening defined in said front face of said embossment, and a cover
mounted in said front face over said opening.
3. The refrigerator as in claim 2, wherein said front face is
spaced from said cold plate assembly a distance defined by said
ridge.
4. The refrigerator as in claim 3, wherein said cold plate assembly
is disposed within said liner against said compartment side wall of
said liner.
5. The refrigerator as in claim 1, wherein said receiver comprises
an opening into which said embossment extends in a closed position
of said door, said receiver further comprising a gasket seal at a
location so as to seal against said compartment side wall outboard
of said raised ridge in the closed position of said door.
6. The refrigerator as in claim 5, wherein said gasket seal is
compressed below said plane of said front face in the closed
position of said door.
7. The refrigerator as in claim 1, wherein said embossment
comprises a rectangular profile having radiused corners.
8. The refrigerator as in claim 1, wherein said embossment
comprises an elliptical profile.
9. The refrigerator as in claim 1, wherein said compartment is a
fresh food compartment and said sub-compartment comprises an
icemaker and ice cube storage bin.
10. A refrigerator, comprising: a fresh food compartment defined by
a liner; a door configured to provide access into said compartment;
a sub-compartment mounted in said door, said sub-compartment
comprising an ice maker and ice storage bin; a cold plate assembly
operably configured within said liner to supply cold air to said
sub-compartment; a raised embossment defined in a compartment side
wall of said liner at a location opposite from said cold plate
assembly, said embossment defined by a circumferentially extending
ridge and a front face that extends into said compartment in a
plane that is spaced from a plane of said compartment side wall;
and a receiver configured in a wall of said sub-compartment, said
receiver further comprising an opening into which said embossment
extends and a gasket seal disposed so as to seal around said raised
ridge against said compartment side wall in the closed position of
said door.
11. The refrigerator as in claim 10, further comprising at least
one opening defined in said front face of said embossment, and a
cover mounted in said front face over said opening.
12. The refrigerator as in claim 10, wherein said cold plate
assembly is disposed within said liner against said compartment
side wall and spaced from said front face of said embossment.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present subject matter relates generally to
refrigerators, and more particularly to a refrigerator with a
sub-compartment in the fresh food section.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Generally, a refrigerator includes a freezer compartment and
a fresh food compartment, which are partitioned from each other to
store various foods at appropriate low temperatures.
[0003] It is now common practice to provide an automatic icemaker
with a refrigerator. In a "side-by-side" type refrigerator where
the freezer compartment is arranged to the side of the fresh food
compartment, the icemaker is usually disposed in the freezer
compartment and utilizes the cold air in the freezer compartment,
which includes an evaporator disposed in the freezer
compartment.
[0004] In a "bottom freezer" type refrigerator where the freezer
compartment is arranged below or beneath a top mounted fresh food
compartment, convenience necessitates that the icemaker is disposed
in a thermally insulated sub-compartment configured in one of the
top mounted fresh food compartment doors, with ice delivered
through an opening on the door. In such an arrangement, provision
must be made for providing adequate cooling to the sub-compartment
to enable the icemaker to form ice and to store the ice.
[0005] In one approach, a "cold plate" is embedded in the liner of
the fresh food compartment and includes a heat exchanger plate
cooled by a refrigerant circulation loop that is an extension of
the refrigerator's sealed refrigeration system. An elongated cutout
is defined in the liner at the location of the cold plate and a
grate or other covering is placed over the cutout. An opening in a
wall of the sub-compartment aligns with and seals around the liner
cutout (with a gasket) in a closed position of the fresh food
compartment door such that cold air is directed from the cold
plate, through the cutout and aligned passage, and into the
sub-compartment. This arrangement, however, is not without
drawbacks.
[0006] With the conventional design, the cutout hole in the liner
induces areas of high stress in the liner. These stresses are
increased by the thermal gradient between the cold plate and
relatively warmer fresh food liner. The formation of visible frost
on the cover and underlying cold plate components is also
problematic. In addition, the gasket that seals the sub-compartment
to the liner cutout is exposed to the very cold temperatures of the
cold plate and is prone to freezing onto the liner.
[0007] Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide an improved
mating connection between the refrigerator compartment liner and a
door mounted sub-compartment that addresses at least certain of the
disadvantages of the conventional design.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0008] Aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in
part in the following description, or may be obvious from the
description, or may be learned through practice of the
invention.
[0009] In an exemplary embodiment, a refrigerator is provided with
a compartment defined by a liner, for example a fresh food
compartment defined by a fresh food liner. A door is configured
with the compartment to provide access into the compartment and to
seal the compartment in the closed position of the door. A
sub-compartment is mounted in the door. This sub-compartment may,
in one particular embodiment, include an icemaker and an ice
storage bin. A cold plate assembly is operably configured within
the compartment liner to supply cold air to the sub-compartment
mounted in the door. A raised embossment is defined in a
compartment side wall of the liner at a location opposite from the
cold plate assembly. The embossment is defined by a
circumferentially extending ridge and a front face that extend into
the compartment and lie in a plane that is spaced from a plane of
the compartment side wall. A receiver is configured in a wall of
the sub-compartment and seals around the embossment in a closed
position of the door.
[0010] Any number of openings may be defined in the front face of
the embossment for conduction of cold air from the cold plate
assembly to the receiver. The openings may be covered by any manner
of grate or covering.
[0011] In a particular embodiment, the cold plate is disposed
within the liner against the compartment side wall and the front
face of the embossment is spaced from the cold plate assembly a
distance defined by the raised ridge. The front face may be
parallel to the plane of the compartment side wall, or may have a
curved or other non-parallel profile.
[0012] In still a further embodiment, the receiver may include an
opening into which the embossment extends in a closed position of
the door. The receiver may further include a gasket seal at a
location so as to seal against the compartment side wall outboard
of the raised ridge in the closed position of the door. The gasket
seal may be compressed below the plane of the front face of the
embossment in the closed position of the door.
[0013] The profile or shape of the embossment may vary. In one
embodiment, the embossment has a generally rectangular profile with
radiused corners. In another embodiment, the embossment may have an
elliptical profile.
[0014] These and other features, aspects and advantages of the
present invention will become better understood with reference to
the following description and appended claims. The accompanying
drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this
specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and,
together with the description, serve to explain the principles of
the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] A full and enabling disclosure of the present invention,
including the best mode thereof, directed to one of ordinary skill
in the art, is set forth in the specification, which makes
reference to the appended figures, in which:
[0016] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary refrigerator
that may incorporate aspects of the invention;
[0017] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a sub-compartment configured
on a fresh food compartment door of a refrigerator;
[0018] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the sub-compartment with the
rear panel removed;
[0019] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a
raised embossment mated with a receiver in the sub-compartment;
[0020] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a raised
embossment;
[0021] FIG. 6 is a front view of an alternative embodiment of a
raised embossment;
[0022] FIG. 7 is a front view of still another embodiment of a
raised embossment; and
[0023] FIG. 8 is a front view of yet another embodiment of a raised
embossment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0024] Reference now will be made in detail to embodiments of the
invention, one or more examples of which are illustrated in the
drawings. Each example is provided by way of explanation of the
invention, not limitation of the invention. In fact, it will be
apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and
variations can be made in the present invention without departing
from the scope or spirit of the invention. For instance, features
illustrated or described as part of one embodiment can be used with
another embodiment to yield a still further embodiment. Thus, it is
intended that the present invention covers such modifications and
variations as come within the scope of the appended claims and
their equivalents.
[0025] FIG. 1 depicts a refrigerator 10 in accordance with an
exemplary embodiment of the invention. The refrigerator 10 has a
casing 12 that defines an upper fresh food compartment 14 with a
frontal access opening through doors 16 and 18, and a lower freezer
compartment 20 a frontal access opening through door 22. The type
of refrigerator depicted in FIG. 1 is generally referred to as a
French-style refrigerator wherein the fresh food compartment 12 is
configured above the freezer compartment 20 and includes two French
doors 16, 18. In an alternate embodiment, a single door can be used
instead of the dual doors 16, 18.
[0026] It should be appreciated that the present invention is not
limited to any particular type or style of refrigerator, and that
the refrigerator 10 depicted in FIG. 1 is for illustrative purposes
only.
[0027] The casing 12 of the refrigerator 10 includes a top wall 24,
bottom wall 28, and opposite sidewalls 26. A mullion 30 (FIG. 2)
connects the two sidewalls 26 to each other and separates the fresh
food compartment 14 from the freezer compartment 20. As is known in
the art, the casing 12 includes an outer case wall 34 and a liner
32 (FIG. 4), with a thermal insulation layer 36 disposed between
the outer case wall 34 and liner 32.
[0028] Each of the doors 16, 18 is mounted to the casing 12 by a
top hinge 38 and a bottom hinge 40 and are rotatable between an
open position for accessing the respective part of the fresh food
compartment 14, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, and a closed position
for closing the respective part of the fresh food compartment 14,
as shown in FIG. 1.
[0029] An ice/water dispenser 42 is configured in the door 16 of
the fresh food compartment 12. This dispenser 42 is serviced by a
sub-compartment 50 (FIG. 2) mounted on the back side of the door
16. Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the sub-compartment 50 includes end
(top and bottom) walls 51 and side walls 53 that extend into the
fresh food compartment 14 in the closed position of the door 16. A
removable panel 58 covers the internal components of the
sub-compartment 50. In the particular illustrated embodiment, these
components may include an ice maker 52 and ice storage bin 54, as
depicted in FIG. 3. A fan 56 may also be provided for circulating
cold air within the sub-compartment 50.
[0030] It should be appreciated that the present invention is not
limited to any particular construction and function of the
sub-compartment 50. For example, the sub-compartment 50 may be
configured as a cold storage compartment accessible through the
front of the door 16.
[0031] According to FIGS. 3 through 5 in particular, a receiver 78
is formed into one of the side walls 53 of the sub-compartment 50.
The receiver 78 is particularly configured for mating with a raised
embossment 66 (described in greater detail below) when the door 16
is in the closed position. The receiver 78 defines an opening 80
into the sub-compartment 50. For example, referring to FIGS. 3 and
4, it can be readily seen that the circulation fan 56 draws cold
air in through the opening 80 in order to cool the internal
components of the sub-compartment 50, which in this case is the ice
maker 52 and ice storage bin 54. The receiver 78 includes any
manner of suitable gasket 82 that compresses and seals against the
liner wall 32 when the door 16 is in the closed position. In
particular, the gasket 82 seals around the raised embossment 66 so
as form an essentially airtight seal around the embossment 66.
[0032] In order to provide a source of cold air to the
sub-compartment 50, a cold plate assembly 60 is disposed within
(behind) the liner 32 against a compartment side wall 68 that mates
with the receiver 78 in the closed position of the door 16. In the
illustrated embodiment, the compartment side wall 68 is the
left-hand wall of the liner 32. The cold plate assembly 60 may
include refrigerant tubes 62 that are an extension loop of the
refrigerator's sealed refrigeration system. The tubes 62 extend
from the refrigeration system (typically configured within an
equipment compartment of the refrigerator 10) up through the casing
side wall 26. In particular, referring to FIG. 4, the refrigerant
coils 62 are embedded within the side wall 26 between the outer
casing wall 34 and the liner wall 32 and are connected to the
refrigerator's sealed system via supply and return lines 63.
[0033] The cold plate assembly 60 may further include any manner of
suitable heat exchange plate 64 that is disposed against the
refrigerant coils 62, as particularly depicted in FIG. 4. The
construction and operation of the cold plate assembly 60 is well
known to those skilled in the art and need not be described in
detail herein.
[0034] In the illustrated embodiment, the cold plate assembly 60 is
configured essentially directly against the inside surface of the
liner wall 32 that defines the compartment side wall 68 against
which the receiver 78 seals in the closed position of the door
16.
[0035] As mentioned, a raised embossment 66 is defined in the
compartment side wall 68 of the liner 32 at a location opposite
from the cold plate assembly 60. The embossment 66 is defined by a
circumferentially extending ridge 72 that extends inward from the
plane 70 of the compartment side wall 68, as particularly
illustrated in FIG. 4. The embossment 66 includes a front face 74
defined within the perimeter of the ridge 72. The front face 74
extends in a plane 76, as depicted in FIG. 4. This plane 76 may be
parallel to the plane 70 of the compartment side wall 68. In other
embodiments, the front face 74 of the embossment 66 may have a
curvature or radius as compared to the flat plane 70 of the
compartment side wall 68. The embossment 66, and in particular the
front face 74, thus extends into the fresh food compartment 14 and
is spaced from the plane 70 of the compartment side wall 68 by a
height or distance dictated by the contours of the raised ridge
72.
[0036] One or more openings are defined in the front face 74 of the
embossment 66 and are covered by any manner of suitable covering
86. The openings and respective coverings 86 provide for a desired
degree of air flow through the front face 74 of the embossment 66.
The heat exchange plate 64 (which is cooled by the refrigerant
coils 62) cools the air adjacent to the plate 72, which is drawn
into the sub-compartment 50 by way of the circulation fan 56. As
can be readily appreciated from FIG. 4, the gasket 82 provides an
essentially airtight seal around the embossment 66 in the closed
position of the door 16 such that cold air from the cold plate
assembly 60 is efficiently used only for cooling sub-compartment 50
in the closed position of the door.
[0037] The front face 74 of the embossment 66 is thus spaced from
the heat exchange plate 64, as depicted in FIG. 4. This space tends
to minimize the formation of frost on the covers 86 and front face
74, which would tend to block air flow through the covers 86 and
significantly diminish the efficiency of the overall system. In
addition, the frost is generally an undesired aspect from the
consumer standpoint in that it is mistaken as an indication of a
malfunction with the refrigerator 10.
[0038] Again referring to FIG. 4, in a particularly desirable
embodiment, the embossment 66 has a height relative to the plane 70
of the compartment side wall 68 so as to extend into the opening 80
in the receiver 78 in the closed position of the door 16. In other
words, the gasket seal 82 is compressed below the plane 76 of the
front face 74 of the embossment 66 in the closed position of the
door. This configuration tends to further isolate the gasket 82
from the effects of the cool temperatures from the heat exchange
plate 64, thereby preventing freezing of the gasket 82 onto the
compartment side wall 68 or premature failure of the gasket 82.
[0039] By configuring the embossment 66 with a raised profile
relative to the plane 70 of the compartment side wall 68, it has
been found that the stresses inherent with simply cutting a hole or
passage in the liner 32 are significantly reduced, particularly at
the corners of the embossment 66. Thus, the likelihood of cracking
of the liner 32 in the area of the cold plate assembly 60 is
significantly reduced.
[0040] It should be readily appreciated that the profile of the
raised ridge 72 may vary widely within the scope and spirit of the
invention. In the illustrated embodiment, the ridge 72 is defined
by a continuously curved line that merges from a convex to a
concave shape. In other embodiments, the ridge 72 may have an
essentially flat, planar wall that may be at any relative angle to
the compartment side wall 68.
[0041] It should also be readily appreciated that the invention is
not limited to any particular profile or shape of the embossment
66. In the embodiment, depicted in FIGS. 3 through 5 and 6, the
embossment 66 has a generally rectangular shape with radiused
corners. The curvature of the corners may be empirically determined
based on the expected stresses in the various materials.
[0042] FIG. 7 depicts an embodiment wherein the embossment 66 is
generally elliptical and includes substantially straight edge
portions. In an alternate embodiment (not illustrated), the
straight edge portions may also have a curvature.
[0043] FIG. 8 depicts yet another embodiment wherein the embossment
66 has a generally oval configuration.
[0044] This written description uses examples to disclose the
invention, including the best mode, and also to enable any person
skilled in the art to practice the invention, including making and
using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated
methods. The patentable scope of the invention is defined by the
claims, and may include other examples that occur to those skilled
in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope
of the claims if they include structural elements that do not
differ from the literal language of the claims, or if they include
equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from
the literal languages of the claims.
* * * * *