U.S. patent number 3,768,687 [Application Number 05/178,359] was granted by the patent office on 1973-10-30 for plastic breaker strip.
Invention is credited to Donald J. Spencer.
United States Patent |
3,768,687 |
Spencer |
October 30, 1973 |
PLASTIC BREAKER STRIP
Abstract
A simple plastic breaker strip, formed by molding, is provided
by the invention and has a forked end including two substantially
parallel, extending fingers which are attached to the inner liner
of the refrigeration cabinet and a bent tanged end which is
compressingly inserted in an open channel configuration in the
outer shell. A series of locking barbs are located at the junction
of the tang member with the main portion of the plastic breaker
strip and these locking barbs are adapted to be insertingly nested
and lockingly held in a series of rectangular holes extending
through a single thickness of the outer shell so that they are not
visible from the exterior of the refrigerant cabinet.
Inventors: |
Spencer; Donald J. (Columbus,
OH) |
Family
ID: |
22652243 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/178,359 |
Filed: |
September 7, 1971 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
|
|
17116 |
Mar 6, 1970 |
|
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
220/592.06;
220/902 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F25D
23/085 (20130101); Y10S 220/902 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
F25D
23/08 (20060101); B65d 025/18 () |
Field of
Search: |
;220/9R,9F,9G,10,14 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Rothberg; Samuel B.
Assistant Examiner: Garrett; James R.
Parent Case Text
This is a continuation, of application Ser. No. 17116 filed Mar. 6,
1970, now abandoned.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A refrigeration apparatus cabinet construction comprising:
an outer shell and a nested inner liner, said shell and said liner
having open fronts generally concentrically arranged;
said shell open front having a channel which opens in a direction
transversely inwardly across said open front said shell channel
including at least a web portion and a forward leg;
said liner having a forward edge including a channel opening
rearwardly thereof;
breaker strip means covering the space between said open fronts of
said shell and liner, said breaker strip means including two
transversely spaced flanges along its rear edge for engaging over
the exterior of said liner channel, and an angularly directed
flange along its other edge, the distal portion of said flange
compressingly engaging said web of said shell channel and urging
said angularly directed flange transversely inwardly in a direction
across the shell open front, the forward face of said angularly
directed flange including a series of forwardly projecting
protuberances therelong;
said shell channel including a series of recesses, corresponding to
said series of protuberances, formed in the rear face of said
forward leg, said transverse inward urging of said angularly
directed flange creating a locking relationship between said
recesses and protuberances.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to refrigerator cabinets and, more
specifically, relates to a breaker strip construction for such a
refrigerator cabinet.
2. Description of the Prior Art
One standard technique for making foam insulated cabinets calls for
expanding polyurethane foam between the inner liner and outer shell
members and into direct contact with a thermal breaker strip which
seals the gap between these two members. In employing this
technique, it is highly desirable that the seal between the breaker
strip and the edge of the liner and shell be maintained in a
constant and parallel relationship. Further, in order to provide
such a constant and parallel relationship, it is important that the
stresses on the breaker strip be evenly distributed therealong so
as to eliminate any concentrated pressure points which would tend
to leak during the foaming operation. Such a breaker strip should
also be designed to take into account the dimensional variations of
the involved edges of the outer shell and inner liner and be easily
assembled with them. Although plastic breaker strips (such as shown
in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,380,615 and 3,270,907, for example) satisfy one
or more of the foregoing requirements, the arrangement according to
my invention is considered to provide its own distinct
advantages.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In conformance with the desirable attributes of a plastic breaker
strip, the instant invention provides a breaker strip having a
right angle formed therein to establish the corner between an outer
shell or wrapper and inner liner of a refrigerator cabinet. One leg
of the right angle includes a forked end at its termination, with
this forked end providing two substantially parallel fingers which
engaged over a closed channel section formed at the termination of
the inner liner to attach the plastic breaker strip to it and
provide a substantially liquid tight seal between the plastic
breaker strip and the inner liner. At the termination of the
opposite leg of the right angle of the breaker strip, a tang end is
formed on the plastic breaker strip and extends into an open
channel section formed in the outer wrapper, with the tang
compressingly engaging a portion of the channel section to provide
the force necessary to place the plastic breaker strip in sealing
engagement with the outer wrapper and with the deformed tang urging
the plastic breaker strip away from the outer wrapper. To oppose
this action, the plastic breaker strip includes a series of locking
barbs which extend forwardly away from the main section of the
right angle leg including the tang, with these locking barbs shaped
with a sharp corner so as to be lockingly held when nestingly
inserted in a series of rectangular holes formed in one layer of a
bent back section of the outer shell that forms the open channel
arrangement.
DRAWING DESCRIPTION
FIG. 1 is a partly broken away perspective view of a refrigerator
cabinet in which the inner liner, outer wrapper and breaker strip
are shown in exploded relationship to each other;
FIG. 2 is a horizontal sectional view of the inner liner, outer
wrapper and plastic breaker strip taken substantially on line
II--II of FIG. 1; and
FIG. 3 is an elevational view of the front side of the outer
wrapper of the refrigerator cabinet.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The invention will now be described in connection with the
accompanying drawings which illustrate one mode of carrying out the
principles of the invention; and wherein a refrigerator cabinet 10
is shown in FIG. 1 and includes a box-shaped outer cabinet or
wrapper 12, an inner liner 14 and a plastic breaker strip 16. The
plastic breaker strip 16 is generally of a right angle
configuration to form the corner of the refrigerator cabinet 10. It
includes two integrally joined portions 18, 20 which form the major
body of the breaker strip and adjoin at right angles to form the
corner thereof. The portion 18 includes a forked portion 22 at its
termination which is capable of engaging over a closed channel 24
formed in inner liner 14.
The closed channel 24 is formed by bending the outer termination of
the inner liner 14 backwardly over itself and outwardly relative to
the refrigerator proper to form a pair of spaced, opposed faces 26
and 28 that are substantially parallel to each other and form the
abutting surfaces against which the fork portion 22 of the plastic
breaker 16 abuts.
Fork portion 22 includes a tang 30 that is a general extension of
the right angle portion 18 and is generally aligned therewith and a
tang 32 which extends outwardly from the right angle portion 18
intermediate its end. Tang 32 includes an outwardly angularly
directed portion 36 which permits ease of assembly of the tang
portion 22 to the inner liner 14. Immediately forwardly of the
angular directed portion 36 of tang 32 is another outwardly
angularly directed portion 38 which is integral therewith and which
forms the portion of tang 32 which engages against the face 28 of
web 24. By this arrangement an extremely tight seal is obtained
between the plastic breaker strip 16 and the inner liner 14 so as
to provide two sealing surfaces 40 and 42 to prevent the outward
flow of the foam plastic as it is inserted between the inner liner
and outer shell, with the angularly directed portion 38 being under
deformation outwardly to insure the effectiveness of the sealing
surface 40 and 42.
The right angle portion 20 of breaker strip 16 includes adjacent
its outward termination an angularly directed tang 44, which, in
its uncompressed condition (dotted line), extends substantially at
a 45.degree. angle to the right angle portion 20. In its assembled
position, the angularly directed tang 44 is bent inwardly relative
to the refrigerator cabinet 10 so as to compress and provide a
force tending to rotate the plastic breaker strip inwardly away
from the outer shell 12.
The inward turning motion imposed on the plastic breakers strip 16
by the compressed tang 44 is opposed by a series of locking barbs
46 (only one shown) that engage in a series of openings 48 (FIG. 3)
formed in the outer shell 12. Each of the barbs 46 includes a knife
edge 50 formed by a face 52 which extends substantially parallel to
the major extent of the inner liner 14 and perpendicular to its
openings 48 when the plastic breakers strip 16 is in assembled
position. The face 52 is, of course, always in abutting and
confronting relationship with a parallel face 54 formed by one side
of the opening 48 due to the compressive force exerted by the
compressed tang 44. A right angled corner is thereby provided by
the plastic breaker strip 16 parallel to the outer shell 12 merely
by insuring the face 54 of each aperture 48 is parallel to each
other face 54 and that the faces 52 of the breaker strip are
parallel and the dimension from these faces to the right angle of
the breaker strip is constant.
In order to strengthen the adjoining termination of the outer shell
12, it is formed at its front end with a doubled over section 56
with an inner leaf 58 of the doubled over portion 56 having
integrally attached to its outer end a portion 60 which also
extends backwardly over the leaf 58 for about two thirds of its
width. The portion 60, in turn, forms a right angle with a portion
62 made integral therewith and extending at a right angle relative
to the transverse extent of the portion 60. A portion 64 is
attached to the termination of the portion 62 and extends parallel
to the doubled over portion 56, extending inwardly relative to the
refrigerator cabinet a sufficient amount to terminate proximately
parallel to the termination of the doubled over portion 56. Also
included in this general configuration is an inwardly extending
portion 66 having a right angle bend close to its termination and
attached to the portion 64 to form a right angle therewith.
Thereby, a substantially tortuous path exists between the plastic
breaker strip 16 and the inwardly extending portions 62, 64 and 66
of the outer shell 12 so as to limit the pressure imposed by the
foamed plastic on the right angle portion 18 of the plastic breaker
strip 16.
It should be clear from the foregoing description that a
combination outer wrapper, inner liner and plastic breaker strip
disposed therebetween has been provided which substantially
overcomes the aforementioned disadvantages of prior art
constructions and that the barbs 46, in conjunction with the series
of holes 48, tend to distribute the pressure stress of foaming
longitudinally along the entire length of the plastic breaker strip
16 as the foam plastic is dispensed against it and between the
outer shell 12 and the inner liner 14. At the same time, the barbs
46 insure sufficient compression to the angularly deflected tang 44
so as to provide a substantially tight seal between it and the
outer shell 12. A positive seal is also obtained between the fork
portion 22 and the inner liner 14, because this portion of the
breaker strip 16 has been positively located relative to the outer
shell 12 and inner liner 14 by the engagement of the barbs 46 in
the apertures 48.
Although a single embodiment of the invention has been shown and
described, it should be clear to one skilled in the art that many
modifications may be made therein without the exercise of the
inventive faculty.
* * * * *