U.S. patent number 3,633,783 [Application Number 05/004,500] was granted by the patent office on 1972-01-11 for refrigeration apparatus cabinet construction.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Westinghouse Electric Corporation. Invention is credited to John R. Aue.
United States Patent |
3,633,783 |
Aue |
January 11, 1972 |
REFRIGERATION APPARATUS CABINET CONSTRUCTION
Abstract
The invention provides a thermal breaker trim strip which is
snapped into place between the refrigerator inner liner and outer
wrapper. This trim strip is put in place before the foaming
operation on the refrigerator cabinet and maintains a seal for the
expanding liquid polyurethane foam insulation. Accordingly, the
trim strip is provided with a forklike end which compressingly
envelopes the outer end of the inner liner and a wand end which is
disposed in a channel arrangement formed by the outer wrapper. The
forklike end includes flexible, compressed fingers which tend to
move the trim strip outwardly while the wand end of the trim strip
includes a bent over end portion that tends to oppose this motion
so that the breaker strip forms a tight seal at both the inner
liner and outer wrapper.
Inventors: |
Aue; John R. (Columbus,
OH) |
Assignee: |
Westinghouse Electric
Corporation (Pittsburgh, PA)
|
Family
ID: |
21711091 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/004,500 |
Filed: |
January 21, 1970 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
220/592.06;
312/406.2 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F25D
23/085 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
F25D
23/08 (20060101); B65d 025/18 () |
Field of
Search: |
;220/9G,9F,14
;312/214 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Wood, Jr.; M. Henson
Assistant Examiner: Mar; Michael Y.
Claims
I claim:
1. Refrigerator apparatus cabinet construction comprising:
a. an outer wrapper,
b. an inner liner nested in said outer wrapper,
c. open channel means attached to said outer wrapper and disposed
adjacent said inner liner,
d. channel means attached to said inner liner and disposed adjacent
said outer wrapper,
e. said outer wrapper and said inner liner being spatially
displaced from each other,
f. breaker strip means disposed between said outer wrapper and said
inner liner and connected to each to cover the space
therebetween,
g. said breaker strip means including means integral with said
breaker strip means for urging said breaker strip means and outer
wrapper more closely together for reducing the spatial displacement
therebetween, said means for urging said breaker strip means and
outer wrapper more closely together including means on one end of
said breaker strip means for urging said breaker strip means
outwardly and wedging means on the other end of said breaker strip
means for opposing outward movement thereof,
h. said channel means attached to said inner liner having a bight
portion that said means for urging said breaker strip means
outwardly directly engages against,
i. said means for urging said breaker strip means outwardly being
compressed by said direct engagement with said bight portion to
provide for said outward urging.
2. Refrigerator apparatus cabinet construction comprising:
a. an outer shell,
b. a nested inner liner,
c. said outer shell providing channel means opening adjacent said
nested inner liner,
d. said nested inner liner providing a closed channel means
adjacent said outer wrapper,
e. a breaker strip means for covering the space between said web
means and said channel means,
f. said breaker strip means including a fork portion extending over
said closed channel means and a wand portion engaged in said
channel means,
g. a foam insulating material expanded in the hollow space between
the walls of said shell and liner and in a direct contact with said
breaker strip means,
h. said fork portion including
1. a pair of tangs,
2. one of said tangs extending angularly towards the other of said
tangs,
3. flexible fingers disposed between said tangs and
4. said tangs engaging over said web means with said flexible
fingers deformed by said web means whereby said breaker strip means
tends to move forwardly relative to the remainder of said
refrigerator apparatus cabinet construction.
3. The refrigerator apparatus cabinet set out in claim 2 wherein
said wand portion includes (a) a tang portion disposed within said
channel means, and (b) said tang portion being deformingly bent
when inserted in said channel means.
4. The refrigerator apparatus cabinet construction set out in claim
3 wherein said forward movement of said breaker strip means urges
said deformed tang portion into tighter abutting engagement with
said channel means for insuring a proper seal therebetween.
5. The refrigerator apparatus cabinet construction set out in claim
4 wherein one of said tangs of said fork portion includes an angled
portion extending away from the linear extent of said other tang
for providing ease of assembly between said breaker strip means and
said inner liner.
6. The refrigerator apparatus cabinet construction set out in claim
5 wherein polyurethane foam is disposed between said inner liner
and said outer shell.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a cabinet construction for a
refrigeration apparatus and, more particularly, relates to a novel
thermal breaker strip arrangement utilized to provide a seal
between the inner liner and outer wrapper of the refrigerator
cabinet, both in its final configuration and also during the
foaming operation when expanding polyurethane foam insulation is
inserted between the inner liner and outer wrapper.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A standard method for forming the foam insulation between the inner
and outer cabinet walls of a refrigerator calls for expanding the
foam in place between the inner liner and outer wrapper with the
breaker strip already attached between them so that the gap between
the front edges of the inner liner and outer shell are fully sealed
to limit the amount of foam cleanup which is required, since such
cleanup is a relatively expensive item of refrigeration
manufacture. Although previous breaker strips have been designed
which perform the foregoing functions, with one of these breaker
strip designs being disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No.
3,380,615, owned by a common assignee, such breaker strips have not
included a positively acting means for insuring a tight seal
between the plastic breaker strip and inner liner and outer
wrapper. More specifically, the prior arrangements of breaker
strip, such as the one shown in the aforementioned patent, do not
provide an integral supplementary means that provides an urging
force which tends to provide a positive seal between the breaker
strip and the inner liner and the breaker strip and the outer
wrapper to maintain the inner liner and, plastic breaker strip and
outer shell aligned against the force imposed on them by the
expanding polyurethane foam insulation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the principles of the invention, a novel thermal
breaker trim strip is provided between the inner liner and outer
wrapper of a refrigerator cabinet. The termination of the inner
liner adjacent the trim strip is provided with a connecting flange
or web of generally U-shaped cross section that is outwardly
directed while the trim strip at this location is provided with a
fork end, with one leg of the fork disposed at a slight angle
relative to the other so that the fork end compressingly fits over
the U-shaped flange of the inner liner. The fork end includes in
its bight, a series of flexible, resilient fingers. These fingers
deflect upon the assembly of the trim strip to the inner liner
thereby tending to force the trim strip forwardly relative to the
front of the inner liner. The other end of the trim strip includes
a wandlike portion which is nestingly received in a compressing
relationship within a U-shaped end formed in the outer wrapper. A
flexible end of the wand portion is compressingly disposed against
a leg portion of this U-shaped flange so that the aforementioned
outward urging imposed on the trim strip by the flexible fingers
tends to twist the wand portion outwardly away from the U-shaped
panel configuration of the outer wrapper. Movement of the trim
strip in this direction is opposed by the fact that the inner
flexible end of the wand is received in a bent angular
configuration relative to the channel shape which opposes such
outward movement. Due to the fact that the ends of the trim strip
are acting in opposition to each other, because of the force
imposed on the flexible end of the wandlike portion of the trim
strip, it is urged more tightly against the outer wrapper to
provide an extremely tight seal between this end of the plastic
breaker strip and the outer wrapper. At the same time, an outwardly
directed portion of the wand is forced into tighter engagement with
the outer wrapper.
DRAWING DESCRIPTION
FIG. 1 is an exploded, perspective view of a refrigerator cabinet
that utilizes a breaker trim strip according to the principles of
the invention;
FIG. 2 is a view in cross section of the breaker trim strip taken
on line II--II of FIG. 1 and showing the breaker strip in assembled
relation; and
FIG. 3 is an end view of the breaker strip in uncompressed
condition.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
A preferred embodiment of the invention will be described in
connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein; a refrigerated
cabinet 10, as shown in FIG. 1, includes an open front shell or
outer wrapper 12, an open front liner or inner liner 14 which is
supported by nesting in the open front shell and a breaker strip
means 16 disposed between and connecting these two elements. The
portions of the open front shell 12 and open front liner 14 which
are of particular interest to the instant invention (FIG. 2) are
the front edges thereof which define a gap 15 that must be sealed
by the breaker strip means 16.
The front face of the open front shell or outer wrapper 12 that
generally frames the front of the refrigerator cabinet 10 includes
a right-angle portion 18 which has integrally attached thereto a
bent back portion 20, with this portion and the portion 18
providing a strengthened overlapped steel shell at the front of the
refrigerator 10. Integrally attached to the bent back portion 20 is
an overlapping portion 22 that extends for substantially one-half
the linear extent of the bent back portion 20 to provide a triple
thickness for at least a portion of the outer wrapper disposed at
the front of the refrigerator. The bent back portion 20 terminates
in a right angle which is formed by its intersection with an
inwardly directed portion 24, with the most outward or forward
portion of the bent back portion 20 of the double thickness wall
and the inwardly directed portion 24 forming two legs of a
generally U-shaped channel member 25 in cross section. The third
leg of this U-shaped channel is formed by a web 26 that is integral
with inwardly directed portion 24 and at a right angle to it.
Attached integrally to the web 26 is a terminal portion 28 that
extends at a right angle to this web and forms at its termination
along with the outward termination of the inner liner 14, described
below, the gap 15 between the inner liner and outer wrapper.
The open-front liner or inner wrapper 14 terminates, at its outer
periphery, in a web or channel means 30, this web being formed by
the outer flange of the inner liner member being folded backwardly
on itself to form an inwardly directed portion 32, a backwardly
directed portion 34 and an outwardly directed portion 36 so that
the web has an inwardly directed face 38, a border face 40 and an
outwardly directed face 37.
The plastic breaker strip 16 can be best seen in FIG. 3 in its
uncompressed condition, and, there it can be seen that it comprises
a wand portion 44 at its one end, and a fork portion 42 at its
other end. Fork portion 42 includes a pair of outwardly directed
tangs 46 and 48, with the tang 48 being of slightly less width than
the tang 46 (in cross section) so that it has a larger tendency
towards bending than the tang 46. These tangs extend nearly
parallel to each other for their full linear extent and are
displaced horizontally relative to each other by a connecting
portion 50, which is of the same cross section as tang 48 to insure
that no sink appears on the front of the breaker strip when in
installed position. As previously set out, the tangs 46 and 48 are
nearly parallel to each other; however, the tang 48 is given an
inwardly directed slope relative to tang 46 of approximately
5.degree. so that these two tangs when in an assembled relationship
with the web of the inner liner 14 compressingly encompass it to
maintain the breaker strip 16 in assembled relationship
therewith.
The tang 48 also includes, adjacent its termination, short,
inwardly directed portion 52 which is angled relative to the
remainder of the tang 48 away from the tang 46 so as to provide an
alignment means for the fork portion 42 as it is assembled to the
web 30 of inner liner 14. The outwardly directed portion 52, of
course, provides no compressing attachment to the inner liner being
provided for ease in assembly only. Integrally connected to the
connecting portion 50 of the wand portion 44 in the "bight" thereof
are a series of upwardly projecting fingers 54, these fingers being
of the same material as the remainder of the breaker strip 16 so as
to provide a series of members with some inherent resiliency so
that assembly of the breaker strip 16 to the inner liner 14 causes
a compression on these fingers (FIG. 2) which tends to place these
fingers in an inwardly slanted arrangement relative to the open
front liner 14. It should be clear that such an assemblage provides
a force or unbalanced moment which tends to turn the plastic
breaker strip 16 forwardly relative to the inner liner 14.
Integrally attached to the fork portion 42 of the plastic breaker
strip 16, outwardly of the fork portion 42, is a generally
angularly disposed portion 55 which extends outwardly relative to
the inner liner and angularly relative to the tangs 46 and 48 and
merges into the wand portion 44. As illustrated in FIG. 3, in
uncompressed condition, the wand portion 44 has in cross section or
end view the general shape of a right-angled member 56 integrally
attached to the angular portion 54. The right-angled member 56
includes an outwardly disposed portion 58 that extends parallel and
in alignment to the bent back portion 20 of open front shell 12.
Extending inwardly from this outwardly disposed portion is a tang
portion 60, this portion being generally parallel to the tangs 46
and 48 of the fork portion 42 when in an uncompressed condition.
Tang 60 generally tapers from its outer end joining with outwardly
disposed portion 58 to its inner end so as to provide a fairly thin
section adjacent its inner termination. Thus, the tang 60 is
provided with more inherent resiliency and therefore a greater
tendency to bend intermediate its ends than the outwardly disposed
portion 58. The wand portion 44 is thereby easily assembled within
the open channel configuration formed by the bent back portion 20,
inwardly directed portion 24 and web 26 of the outer wrapper 12
with the tang 60 deforming so as to fit within the channel
configuration.
Due to the aforementioned forward urging of the breaker strip 16 by
the flexible fingers 54 and the resulting forward turning motion
imparted to the breaker strip 16, the wand portion 44 tends to be
pulled out of its engagement with the open channel configuration of
the outer wrapper 12. This movement also tends to pull the wand
portion 44 out of the channel-shaped recess, causing the tang 60 to
engage even more closely against the web 26 because of the wedging
action imparted thereto. This engagement provides the main sealing
point between the breaker strip 16 and the open front shell 12. A
secondary sealing is occasioned at the abutment of the outwardly
disposed portion 58 of the wand with the bent back portion 20 of
the outer wrapper 12. Thus, a pair of sealing surfaces are provided
by the abutment of the wand 44 with the open front shell 12.
Furthermore, since outward turning of the plastic breaker strip 16
is resisted by the tang 60, the deforming force on flexible fingers
54 acts to seal more closely the wand portion 44 to the outer
wrapper at the primary and secondary sealing locations.
Although only a breaker strip forming the closure member between
the inner liner and outer liner wrapper at one side of the
refrigerator 10 has been shown, similarly shaped breaker strips
extend completely around the refrigerator enclosure thereby
positively assembling the outer wrapper 12 to the inner liner 14
and providing a seal therebetween to enable the foaming of a
polyurethane plastic in the space therebetween for insulation
purposes. The corners of the breaker strips may be connected
together by any conventional arrangement such as an integral
molding of the entire breaker strip. Although no corner assembly is
shown, the breaker strips for example, may be joined at their
corners in a manner similar to that shown in FIG. 3, of U.S. Pat.
No. 2,682,965, although four individual pieces could be utilized
connected at their corners in a conventional manner.
Although the invention has been illustrated in its preferred form
and that form described in detail, it will be apparent to those
skilled in the art that various modifications may be made therein
without departing from the spirit of the invention and without the
exercise of the inventive faculty.
* * * * *