US3629972A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Refrigerator door construction
Assignee: Ardco Inc
•
Filing: 1970-02-09
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Granted: 1971-12-28
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Expires: 1990-02-09
Abstract
Abstract One or more glass panel refrigerator doors are swingably mounted in a mounting frame. Each door is mounted so that it can be reversed between left- and right-hand swing. This is accomplished by providing upper and lower hinge pins rotatably mounted in the door, the pins having noncircular elements projecting from the door. A torsion spring is mounted in the door and is connected between one of the hinge pins and an adjusting member for regulating the initial stress in the spring. The noncircular elements of the hinge pins are engageable with socket members on the mounting frame. The socket members have noncircular openings and are movable between left- and right-hand positions on the mounting frame. Each door is reversed by removing the door, moving the socket elements to the opposite positions, inverting the door, and reinserting it into the frame. Each adjusting member is hidden when the door is closed, but is accessible when the door is open through a rearwardly facing recess formed in the door along the hinge axis. The recess is also employed to receive the connecting cord for the door heater. The cord is fitted with a plug which is positioned just behind the recess. To provide for reversal of the door, receptacles capable of accommodating leftor right-hand doors are mounted on the mounting frame to receive the plug in the left- and right-hand positions of the door.
Inventors
- 👤 Thomas R Rehberg
- 👤 Francis M Niekrasz
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-28 00:22
CPC Classifications
F; F25; F25D; F25D21/00; F25D21/04; A; A47; A47F; A47F3/00; A47F3/04; A47F3/0404; A47F3/0426; A47F3/043; E; E05; E05D; E05D7/00; E05D7/02; E05F; E05F1/00; E05F1/08; E05F1/10; E05F1/12; E05F1/123; F25D23/00; F25D23/02; E05Y; E05Y2900/00; E05Y2900/20; E05Y2900/202; E05Y2900/30; E05Y2900/31
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 17
Claim 1
Independent Claim
101 words
A bracket mounting construction for refrigerators, a refrigerator door mounting frame having a vertical member with rectangularly related side and rear surfaces, said member having a laterally opening channel formed in said side surface, a bracket having a generally U-shaped mounting portion disengageably mounted on said vertical member, said U-shaped portion having first and second rectangularly related legs engageable with said side and rear surfaces, said U-shaped portion having a third leg extending from said first leg into said channel, and interlocking key elements on said vertical member and said third leg for retaining said U-shaped portion on said vertical member.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
101 words
A bracket mounting construction for refrigerators, a refrigerator door mounting frame having a vertical member with rectangularly related side and rear surfaces, said member having a laterally opening channel formed in said side surface, a bracket having a generally U-shaped mounting portion disengageably mounted on said vertical member, said U-shaped portion having first and second rectangularly related legs engageable with said side and rear surfaces, said U-shaped portion having a third leg extending from said first leg into said channel, and interlocking key elements on said vertical member and said third leg for retaining said U-shaped portion on said vertical member.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
42 words
A bracket mounting construction according to claim 1, in which said key elements take the form of a forwardly projecting ridge formed on said vertical member in said channel, and an interlocking groove formed in a rear side of said third lug.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
34 words
A bracket mounting construction according to claim 1, in which said key elements are formed along the rear side of said third leg and the front side of said channel in said vertical member.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
126 words
A refrigerator door construction, comprising a mounting frame, a door swingable in said frame, and hinge means mounting said door in said frame for swinging movement about a hinge axis, said hinge means including a torsion spring in said door for resiliently urging said door to a closed position, said door including an adjusting member rotatably mounted therein and connected to said spring for adjusting the initial stress in said torsion spring, and an anchoring member nonrotatably mounted in said door, said anchoring member and said adjusting member having mating screw-threaded portions, one of said portions being locally deformed to establish high frictional resistance to rotation of said adjusting member so that the stress in said spring will not change the position of said adjusting member.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
126 words
A refrigerator door construction, comprising a mounting frame, a door swingable in said frame, and hinge means mounting said door in said frame for swinging movement about a hinge axis, said hinge means including a torsion spring in said door for resiliently urging said door to a closed position, said door including an adjusting member rotatably mounted therein and connected to said spring for adjusting the initial stress in said torsion spring, and an anchoring member nonrotatably mounted in said door, said anchoring member and said adjusting member having mating screw-threaded portions, one of said portions being locally deformed to establish high frictional resistance to rotation of said adjusting member so that the stress in said spring will not change the position of said adjusting member.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
52 words
A refrigerator door construction according to claim 33, in which said anchoring member is in the form of a nut with internal threads therein, said adjusting member having external threads mating with said internal threads, said nut being locally deformed inwardly to produce a force fit between said internal and external threads.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
53 words
A refrigerator door as defined in claim 33, in which said door has a vertical member with said hinge axis defined on said vertical member, said vertical member having a rearwardly facing recess substantially centrally thereof with said adjusting member being adjacent said recess and said recess affording access to said adjusting member.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
231 words
A refrigerator door construction, comprising a mounting frame, a door swingable in said frame, first and second hinge pins rotatably mounted in said door, said pins having noncircular elements projecting from said door, one of said elements projecting upwardly while the other element projects downwardly, said door including a spring connected between one of said hinge pins and said door for resiliently urging said door to a closed position, first and second socket elements having noncircular opening for receiving said noncircular elements of said pins, said noncircular elements being nonrotatable in said noncircular openings, means for selectively mounting said first and second socket elements in left- and right-hand positions on said mounting frame, said door beinG reversible between left- and right-hand swing by reversing the positions of said socket elements and inverting said door, a heater in said door, a flexible cord connected to said heater and extending from said door, and a first connector mounted on said cord, said mounting frame having a left- of second connectors to mate with said first connector in left- and right-hand positions of said door, said door being formed with rearwardly facing recess for receiving said cord when said door is in a closed position, said recess being generally aligned with the hinge axis of said hinge pins, whereby said cord is disposed in said recess when the door is in its closed position.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
231 words
A refrigerator door construction, comprising a mounting frame, a door swingable in said frame, first and second hinge pins rotatably mounted in said door, said pins having noncircular elements projecting from said door, one of said elements projecting upwardly while the other element projects downwardly, said door including a spring connected between one of said hinge pins and said door for resiliently urging said door to a closed position, first and second socket elements having noncircular opening for receiving said noncircular elements of said pins, said noncircular elements being nonrotatable in said noncircular openings, means for selectively mounting said first and second socket elements in left- and right-hand positions on said mounting frame, said door beinG reversible between left- and right-hand swing by reversing the positions of said socket elements and inverting said door, a heater in said door, a flexible cord connected to said heater and extending from said door, and a first connector mounted on said cord, said mounting frame having a left- of second connectors to mate with said first connector in left- and right-hand positions of said door, said door being formed with rearwardly facing recess for receiving said cord when said door is in a closed position, said recess being generally aligned with the hinge axis of said hinge pins, whereby said cord is disposed in said recess when the door is in its closed position.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
35 words
A door construction according to claim 7, further including an adjusting member rotatably mounted in said door adjacent said recess and connected to said torsion spring for adjusting the initial stress in said torsion spring.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
156 words
A reversible refrigerator door construction comprising a mounting frame having vertical side members; a reversible door swingable about a hinge axis in said frame; hinge means cooperating with said frame and door for supporting said door for swinging movement in said frame; said hinge means being mountable on said frame to support said door in left- and right-hand positions affording opposite directions of swinging movement for the door; electrically responsive means in said door; a flexible cord connected to said electrically responsive means and having a free end extending from said door intermediate opposite ends thereof and adjacent said hinge axis, said cord having a first connector mounted on said free end; a pair of second connectors on said vertical side members mating respectively with said first connector in the left- and right-hand positions of said door, one of said second connectors being generally aligned with said first connector in the respective positions of said door.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
156 words
A reversible refrigerator door construction comprising a mounting frame having vertical side members; a reversible door swingable about a hinge axis in said frame; hinge means cooperating with said frame and door for supporting said door for swinging movement in said frame; said hinge means being mountable on said frame to support said door in left- and right-hand positions affording opposite directions of swinging movement for the door; electrically responsive means in said door; a flexible cord connected to said electrically responsive means and having a free end extending from said door intermediate opposite ends thereof and adjacent said hinge axis, said cord having a first connector mounted on said free end; a pair of second connectors on said vertical side members mating respectively with said first connector in the left- and right-hand positions of said door, one of said second connectors being generally aligned with said first connector in the respective positions of said door.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
44 words
A refrigerator door construction as defined in claim 9, further including a spring having one end connected to said hinge means; an adjusting member on the opposite end of said spring; means supporting said adjusting member in said door for access through said recess.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
108 words
A refrigerator door construction, comprising amounting frame, a reversible door swingable in said frame in left- and right-hand directions, hinge means mounting said door in said frame for swinging movement about a hinge axis, said door having a rearwardly facing recess adjacent said hinge axis substantially centrally between opposite ends thereof, a heater in said door, a flexible cord connected to said heater and extending from said door into said recess, means on said frame vertically aligned with said recess with said door is in either position for receiving said cord to energize said heater, said cord thereby being concealed within said recess when said door is closed.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
108 words
A refrigerator door construction, comprising amounting frame, a reversible door swingable in said frame in left- and right-hand directions, hinge means mounting said door in said frame for swinging movement about a hinge axis, said door having a rearwardly facing recess adjacent said hinge axis substantially centrally between opposite ends thereof, a heater in said door, a flexible cord connected to said heater and extending from said door into said recess, means on said frame vertically aligned with said recess with said door is in either position for receiving said cord to energize said heater, said cord thereby being concealed within said recess when said door is closed.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
58 words
A refrigerator door construction as defined in claim 11, further including a spring extending along said hinge axis and having one end connected to said hinge means; an adjusting member connected to the opposite end of said spring; and an anchor member supporting said adjusting member in said door with said recess affording access to said adjusting member.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1974-12-27 | 1975-06-28 | 1975-12-28 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1978-12-27 | 1979-06-28 | 1979-12-28 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1982-12-27 | 1983-06-28 | 1983-12-28 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |