초록 ▼

A rack and pinion stabilizer system for a refrigerator drawer. The rack and pinion stabilizer system comprises a pair of drawer glides attached to first and second liner walls of a refrigerator. Each of the drawer glides has an attached rack gear with at least one tooth having an irregular profile.

A rack and pinion stabilizer system for a refrigerator drawer. The rack and pinion stabilizer system comprises a pair of drawer glides attached to first and second liner walls of a refrigerator. Each of the drawer glides has an attached rack gear with at least one tooth having an irregular profile. A pair of gear wheels having an axle therebetween are also provided. The gear wheels are provided in rotatable engagement with the rack gears and are capable of rotating in unison. An alignment mechanism is also provided. The alignment mechanism is attached to at least one of the rack gears for providing initial alignment of the first and second rack gears with the first and second gear wheels. Additionally, a drawer in operable communication with at least one of the drawer glides and axle is disclosed. When the drawer is inserted completely within the cabinet, the first and second gear wheels are positioned over the irregular teeth, providing a tolerance permitting closure of the drawer in the event of misalignment.

대표청구항 ▼

What is claimed is: 1. A rack and pinion assembly comprising: first and second slide assemblies; first and second elongated rack gears each having forward and rearward ends defining a longitudinal axis with a plurality of rack teeth therebetween, the rack gears being positioned near the first and s

What is claimed is: 1. A rack and pinion assembly comprising: first and second slide assemblies; first and second elongated rack gears each having forward and rearward ends defining a longitudinal axis with a plurality of rack teeth therebetween, the rack gears being positioned near the first and second slide assemblies and at least one of the first and second rack gears including a front alignment wall with a flat top surface and a front rack tooth having an irregular tooth configuration comprising a reduced tooth height with respect to one or more of the plurality of rack teeth; and first and second rotatable gear wheels in operable communication with the first and second rack gears respectively, at least one of the rotatable gear wheels comprising an outside face and a notched inside face for longitudinally mating with the alignment wall to align the first and second rack gears with the gear wheels when the gear wheels are assembled longitudinally from the forward ends onto the rack gears. 2. The rack and pinion assembly of claim 1, wherein the notched inside face of the rotatable gear wheel contacts the outside face of the rack gear concurrently with the contact of the outside face of the gear wheel with the inside face of the irregular tooth configuration on the rack gear. 3. The rack and pinion assembly of claim 1, wherein a plurality of irregular tooth configurations are provided on the one rack gear. 4. The rack and pinion assembly of claim 1, wherein the rack and pinion assembly is operably connected to a drawer assembly. 5. The rack and pinion assembly of claim 4, wherein the drawer assembly comprises a basket. 6. The rack and pinion assembly of claim 1, further comprising an axle operably connected to and aligning the first gear wheel and the second gear wheel, the axle constraining the rotational and linear velocities of the gear wheels. 7. The rack and pinion assembly of claim 1, wherein the rack and pinion assembly is housed in an appliance. 8. The rack and pinion assembly of claim 7, wherein the appliance is a refrigerator. 9. The rack and pinion assembly of claim 8, further comprising an operable connection to a freezer drawer. 10. The rack and pinion assembly of claim 8, wherein the refrigerator comprises: a cabinet having an outer shell and a liner positioned within the outer shell; first and second liner walls having the first and second slide assemblies and the first and second rack gears attached thereto; and a drawer assembly being positioned within the cabinet in operable communication with at least one of the slide assemblies and the rack gears. 11. The rack and pinion assembly of claim 10, wherein the first and second slide assemblies each comprise an inner slide member and an intermediate slide member, the inner slide member being telescopically received within the intermediate slide member. 12. The rack and pinion assembly of claim 11, further comprising first and second outer channel members, the intermediate slide members being telescopically received within an outer channel member, wherein the slide assemblies are attached to the first and second liner walls via attachment of the first and second outer channel members to the first and second liner walls. 13. The rack and pinion assembly of claim 12, wherein the first and second rack gears are attached to the first and second outer channel members, respectively, the first and second rack gears being attached to the first and second liner walls of the refrigerator via attachment of the first and second outer channel members to the first and second liner walls. 14. The rack and pinion assembly of claim 10, further comprising an axle operably connected to and aligning the first gear wheel and the second gear wheel, the axle constraining the rotational and linear velocities of the gear wheels, wherein the drawer assembly is in operable communication with at least one of the first and second slide assemblies and the axle. 15. The rack and pinion assembly of claim 1, wherein the first and second rotatable gear wheels comprise at least partially toothed wheels and wherein the first and second rack gears comprise at least partially toothed rods. 16. The rack and pinion assembly of claim 1, further comprising: an axle operably connected to and aligning the first gear wheel and the second gear wheel, the axle constraining the rotational and linear velocities of the drawer; and at least one of the first and second rotatable gear wheels comprising an opening for receiving a portion of the axle and configured to allow a degree of angular slip over the axle within the opening, whereby a tolerance in the communication of at least one of the first and second gear wheels with the respective rack gear is provided. 17. The rack and pinion assembly of claim 1, wherein the outside rack face of the irregular tooth configuration of the at least one rack gear comprises an arched notch. 18. A rack and pinion assembly comprising: first and second slide assemblies; first and second rack gears each having forward and rearward ends defining a longitudinal axis, and being positioned near the first and second slide assemblies and at least one of the first and second rack gears including at least one rack tooth having an irregular tooth configuration comprising a rack toothed portion and an arched portion at a lower height than the rack toothed portion and comprising at least one rack gear having a final two teeth comprising a spacing that is greater than a common rack tooth profile; first and second rotatable gear wheels in operable communication with the first and second rack gears respectively, at least one of the rotatable gear wheels comprising a gear wheel toothed portion and a planar surface at a lower height than the gear wheel toothed portion for mating with the irregular tooth configuration of the rack gear to create a condition confirming an alignment of the first and second rack gears with the gear wheels; an axle operably connected to and aligning the first gear wheel and the second gear wheel, the axle constraining the rotational and linear velocities of the gear wheels; and an alignment wall section and an initial tooth of reduced height at the forward end of at least one of the first and second rack gears, wherein at least one of the rotatable gear wheels comprising a gear wheel planar surface capable of sliding longitudinally along the alignment wall section to create a parallel condition thereby aligning the first and second rack gears. 19. The rack and pinion assembly of claim 18, wherein the spacing comprises a gear tooth drive side having a first variance from a common gear tooth profile and a gear tooth idle-side having a second variance from a common gear tooth profile. 20. The rack and pinion assembly of claim 18, wherein the rack and pinion assembly is operably connected to a drawer assembly. 21. The rack and pinion assembly of claim 18, wherein the rack and pinion assembly is housed in an appliance. 22. The rack and pinion assembly of claim 21, wherein the appliance is a refrigerator. 23. The rack and pinion assembly of claim 18, wherein the toothed portion of the irregular tooth configuration has a common rack tooth profile. 24. An appliance having a drawer, the drawer having a rack and pinion assembly, the rack and pinion assembly comprising: first and second slide assemblies; first and second rack gears having forward and rearward ends and being positioned near the first and second slide assemblies and at least one of the first and second rack gears including at least one rack tooth having an irregular tooth configuration comprising an inside rack face having a common rack tooth profile and an outside rack face having an arched portion at a lower height than the inside rack face; and first and second rotatable gear wheels in operable communication with the first and second rack gears respectively, at least one of the rotatable gear wheels comprising an outside gear face and an inside gear face having a planar surface at a lower height than the outside gear face for longitudinal sliding engagement with the irregular tooth configuration of the rack gear to create a condition confirming an alignment of the first and second rack gears with the gear wheels as the gear wheels are assembled longitudinally onto the rack gears.