IPC분류정보
국가/구분 |
United States(US) Patent
등록
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국제특허분류(IPC7판) |
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출원번호 |
US-0076746
(2002-02-14)
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발명자
/ 주소 |
- Reed, William A.
- Rand, Thomas W.
- Byczynski, Dean G.
- Braun, Joseph E.
- Doberstein, Andrew J.
- Moye, Lawrence D.
- Vaughn, Jack L.
- Ziminski, Jeffrey A.
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출원인 / 주소 |
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대리인 / 주소 |
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인용정보 |
피인용 횟수 :
9 인용 특허 :
15 |
초록
▼
A refrigeration unit with improved storage and accessibility features has a thermally insulated cabinet and door defining a storage space with a plurality of support elements. The support elements include easily removable door shelves and horizontal cabinet shelves that can be removed or repositione
A refrigeration unit with improved storage and accessibility features has a thermally insulated cabinet and door defining a storage space with a plurality of support elements. The support elements include easily removable door shelves and horizontal cabinet shelves that can be removed or repositioned without the door being fully opened due to dished regions adjacent the shelf supports that allow the shelves to be pivoted and removed rather than slid straight out of the cabinet. Indicia on one of the shelves follows the contour of one of the door shelves to indicate approximately the shelf space occupied by an adjacent door shelf and thus where items can be set without interfering with the closure of the door. The refrigeration unit also includes a cam assembly at the lower door hinge which biases the door closed when open approximately 35 degrees or less. The refrigeration unit also includes features for attaching an overlay panel to the door easily.
대표청구항
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1. A refrigeration unit having a cabinet defining a storage cavity open at a front side covered by a door mounted to the front of the cabinet by two hinge assemblies at least one of which includes first and second mounting brackets spaced apart along a pivot axis on each side of a cam assembly inclu
1. A refrigeration unit having a cabinet defining a storage cavity open at a front side covered by a door mounted to the front of the cabinet by two hinge assemblies at least one of which includes first and second mounting brackets spaced apart along a pivot axis on each side of a cam assembly including:a first cam having an undulating face surface including at least one oblique ramp surface and having an opposite back surface defining a key member engaging a corresponding key member of the first mounting bracket to prevent movement of the first cam member with respect to the first mounting bracket; and a second cam having a complementary undulating face surface with at least one ramp surface and being matable with the face surface of the first cam, the second cam also having an opposite back surface defining a key member engaging a corresponding key member of the second mounting bracket to prevent movement of the second cam with respect to the second mounting bracket; wherein the first cam can rotate with respect to the second cam when the door is opened and closed such that engagement of the opposing ramp surfaces biases the door toward the cabinet; wherein the second mounting bracket includes a stop member disposed to be in abutting relation with the first mounting bracket at a fully open position of the door so as to prevent further rotation of the door about the pivot axis. 2. The refrigeration unit of claim 1, wherein the key members of the first and second cams are axially extending pins and the key members of the first and second mounting brackets are keyway openings sized to receive the pins.3. The refrigeration unit of claim 1, wherein the first and second cams are made of a low friction, lubricious material.4. The refrigeration unit of claim 1, wherein the first cam has two radially spaced ramp surfaces aligned for engagement with two radially spaced ramp surfaces of the second cam.5. The refrigeration unit of claim 1, further including a hinge pin disposed along the pivot axis through axial openings in the first and second cams.6. The refrigeration unit of claim 5, wherein the back side of the second cam defines a sleeve aligned with the axially opening receiving the hinge pin and extending through an opening in the second mounting bracket.7. The refrigeration unit of claim 1, wherein the second mounting bracket is a flat plate mounted to the door for rotation about the pivot axis.8. A refrigeration unit having a cabinet defining a storage cavity open at a front side covered by a door mounted to the front of the cabinet by two hinge assemblies at least one of which includes first and second mounting brackets spaced apart along a pivot axis on each side of a cam assembly including:a first cam having an undulating face surface including at least one oblique ramp surface and having an opposite back surface defining a key member engaging a corresponding key member of the first mounting bracket to prevent movement of the first cam member with respect to the first mounting bracket; and a second cam having a complementary undulating face surface with at least one ramp surface and being matable with the face surface of the first cam, the second cam also having an opposite back surface defining a key member engaging a corresponding key member of the second mounting bracket to prevent movement of the second cam with respect to the second mounting bracket; wherein the first cam can rotate with respect to the second cam when the door is opened and closed such that engagement of the opposing ramp surfaces biases the door toward the cabinet; wherein the key members of the first and second cams are axially extending pins and the key members of the first and second mounting brackets are keyway openings sized to receive the pins; wherein each of the first and second cams and the first and second mounting brackets includes two key members. 9. A refrigeration unit, comprising a cabinet defining a storage cavity open at a front side covered by a door mounted to the front of the cabinet, wherein the door has an inner surface defining at least one pair of vertically aligned shelf support mounts, wherein the shelf support mounts support at least one door shelf comprising a bottom and a side rail with opposite ends extending generally perpendicular to the door defining a pair of shelf mounts for engaging the shelf support mounts such that the door shelf can be detached from the shelf support mounts by tilting a side of the door shelf toward the door and moving the door shelf away from the door, wherein the shelf support mounts or the shelf mounts are tracks defining angled pathways having open-ended straight paths and closed paths angling from the straight paths, and wherein at least one of the tracks has an inwardly extending nib narrowing the associated pathway at the junction of the associated straight and angled paths so as to removably capture the associated shelf mount or shelf support mount in the closed end of the associated track.10. The refrigeration unit of claim 9, wherein the inner surface of the door is defined by an insert liner.11. The refrigeration unit of claim 10, wherein the insert liner is a thermoformed plastic.12. The refrigeration unit of claim 10, wherein the shelf support mounts includes a pair of laterally spaced uprights.13. The refrigeration unit of claim 12, wherein the uprights include the shelf support mounts.14. The refrigeration unit of claim 13, wherein the shelf support mounts are laterally extending bosses and the shelf mounts are tracks sized to receive the shelf support mounts.15. The refrigeration unit of claim 14, wherein the tracks have an open end toward the terminal ends of the door shelf side rail ends, the tracks define a straight portion adjacent the open end and an angled portion extending at an oblique angle from the straight portion to a closed end.16. A refrigeration unit, comprising:a cabinet defining a storage cavity having an access opening in a face of the cabinet; a door hinged to the cabinet face to cover the access opening, the door having a door shelf with a curved profile extending into the storage cavity; and a planar shelf supported by the cabinet in a lateral orientation within the storage cavity such that a front portion of the shelf is disposed beneath the door shelf, the shelf including a visual indicator of the approximate location of the innermost extension of the door shelf when the door is closed, wherein the visual indicator defines a curve approximating the profile of the door shelf. 17. The refrigeration unit of claim 16, wherein the indicator includes at least one of graphic and text indicia corresponding to the location of the door shelf when the door is closed.18. The refrigeration unit of claim 17, wherein the shelf is transparent and the indicia is located at the underside of the shelf.19. The refrigeration unit of claim 18, wherein the indicia is applied by one of etching and printing.20. A refrigeration unit, comprising:a cabinet defining a storage cavity having an access opening in a face of the cabinet; a door hinged to the cabinet face to cover the access opening, the door having a door shelf extending into the storage cavity; and a planar shelf supported by the cabinet in a horizontal orientation within the storage cavity such that a front portion of the shelf is disposed beneath the door shelf, the shelf including a visual indicator of the approximate location of the innermost extension of the door shelf when the door is closed; wherein the indicator includes at least one of graphic and text indicia corresponding to the location of the door shelf when the door is closed; wherein the door shelf has a contoured profile and the indicia has a corresponding contour; wherein the shelf includes an edge guard mounted at a front edge of the shelf having a contoured inner edge corresponding to that of the door shelf. 21. A refrigeration unit, comprising:a cabinet defining a storage cavity with an access opening at a face of the cabinet; and a door hinged to the cabinet face to cover the access opening, the door having a top member, framing, a floating face panel and an overlay panel mounted to the face panel for concealing the cabinet, wherein the framing defines a retaining lip extending around at least a portion of the perimeter of the face panel disposed within a gap between the overlay panel and the face panel so as to retain the face panel in the door; wherein the top member includes upper and lower components, the lower component defining a lip extending downwardly past a top edge of the face panel. 22. A refrigeration unit, comprising:a cabinet defining a storage cavity with an access opening at a face of the cabinet; and a door hinged to the cabinet face to cover the access opening, the door having a top member, framing, a floating face panel and an overlay panel mounted to the face panel for concealing the cabinet, wherein the framing defines a retaining lip extending around at least a portion of the perimeter of the face panel disposed within a gap between the overlay panel and the face panel so as to retain the face panel in the door; wherein the door further includes a filler material disposed behind the face panel to bias the face panel against the retaining lip.
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