초록 ▼

A refrigerator cabinet has a food storage compartment bounded by front facing vertical and horizontal walls. A pair of French doors are pivotally mounted to the refrigerator cabinet to close the open front of the refrigerator. In the closed position the doors have vertically extending confronting wa

A refrigerator cabinet has a food storage compartment bounded by front facing vertical and horizontal walls. A pair of French doors are pivotally mounted to the refrigerator cabinet to close the open front of the refrigerator. In the closed position the doors have vertically extending confronting walls which include an intermediate sealing gasket extending along a major vertical portion of the confronting walls which are adapted to sealingly engage against each other to form a vertically extending seal. Upper and lower corner sealing gasket members are respectively positioned above and below the intermediate sealing gasket members and adjacent a corresponding horizontal wall of the cabinet. Each of the corner sealing gasket members has a first sealing surface adjacent the intermediate sealing gasket member to complete the vertical seal between the confronting walls of the doors when the doors are in a closed position. The corner sealing gaskets further include a second sealing surface generally orthogonal to the first sealing surface. The second sealing surface in an open position has one vertically extending outwardly protruding ridge contracting the second sealing surface to withdraw the first sealing surface back from its vertical sealing position. The ridge engages one of the horizontal walls as the door closes so as to flatten the second sealing surface into sealing engagement with this horizontal wall and to advance the first sealing surface towards the location of the vertical seal position. Magnetic strips are also located in the corner sealing gasket members to facilitate the sealing of the first sealing surfaces to each other and to the front facing horizontal wall.

대표청구항 ▼

[ What is claimed is:] [1.] A refrigerator having at least one food storage compartment with an open front bounded by front facing vertical and horizontal walls, and a pair of French doors pivotally mounted to the refrigerator to close against the front facing vertical and horizontal walls and form

[ What is claimed is:] [1.] A refrigerator having at least one food storage compartment with an open front bounded by front facing vertical and horizontal walls, and a pair of French doors pivotally mounted to the refrigerator to close against the front facing vertical and horizontal walls and form a vertical seal between adjacent vertically extending confronting walls of the doors, and upper and lower corner sealing gasket members positioned on top and bottom ends of at least one of the doors adjacent the vertical seal and corresponding horizontal walls of the refrigerator when the door is in a closed position, each of the upper and lower corner sealing gasket members including:a first sealing surface having a vertical seal position where the first sealing surface generally forms a continuum of the vertical seal between the confronting walls when the doors are in a closed position; and,a second sealing surface generally orthogonal to the first sealing surface, the second sealing surface when the one door is in an open position having at least one vertically extending protruding ridge contracting the second sealing surface to withdraw the first sealing surface away from the vertical seal position, the ridge engaging a corresponding horizontal wall as the door closes to flatten the second sealing surface into sealing engagement with the corresponding horizontal wall and to advance the first sealing surface towards the vertical seal position when both doors are closed.