Refrigerator wall panels with panel fasteners and apparatus for making said panels

Claim 2

A fixture comprising an elongated member having opposed parallel surfaces, a pair of opposed inserts at said opposed surfaces, a panel hook fastener comprising a casing having an opening at one end and receiving one of said inserts in its open end, a panel pin fastener comprising a casing having an opening at one end and receiving the other of said inserts therein, said panel hook fastener having a hook engageable with a pin on the panel pin fastener when the elongated member and inserts are removed from said fasteners.

Claim 3

The combination of claim 1, said inserts and panel fasteners having cooperating means to permit only one of said inserts to be received in the opening of the casing of the panel hook fastener, and to permit only the other of said inserts to be received in the opening of the casing of the panel pin fastener.

Claim 4

The combination of claim 2, with only one end of each insert at only one end of the opening of the casing in which it is received.

Claim 5

The combination of claim 1, said inserts being substantially coextensive with the openings in which they are received, and engaging the inner surfaces of said casings, respectively.

Claim 6

The combination of claim 3, said cooperating means comprising upper and lower pairs of indentations formed at the open ends of said casings, and upper and lower rounded portions spaced on said pair of inserts to snap in between and past said pairs of indentations of said casings, respectively.

Claim 7

The combination of claim 5, said inserts being of rectangular cross-section.

Claim 8

The combination of claim 1, and panel molds having openings to receive the open ends of said casings.

Claim 9

The combination of claim 7, each mold comprising a rectangular frame and spaced side walls on said frame, said openings in the mold being formed in the frame of said mold.

Claim 10

The combination of claim 1, and means to removably attach said inserts to said elongated member.

Claim 11

The combination of claim 9, said elongated member comprising a tube of rectangular cross-section.

Claim 12

The combination of claim 10, said means to removably attach said inserts to said elongated member, comprising equally spaced screws on said inserts, equally spaced from the ends of said inserts, said inserts being of equal length.

Claim 13

The combination of claim 1, in which there are a plurality of spaced pairs of said opposed inserts on said elongated members and a plurality of pairs of said panel hook fasteners and panel pin fasteners receiving said inserts.

Claim 14

The combination of claim 12, said plurality of pairs of inserts being equally spaced apart.

Claim 15

The combination of claim 1, each fastener being made of two sheet metal pieces having mutually contacting fixed together portions, wings on said mutually contacting portions, and portions recessed outwardly from said mutually contacting portions, forming said casing of said fastener.

Claim 16

The combination of claim 14, said mutually contacting portions having registering openings for molded material to pass therethrough during the molding process.

Claim 17

A panel hook fastener comprising a panel hook casing provided with opposed parallel walls having parallel coextensive edges and forming an elongated opening therebetween, at one side of the casing, a panel hook, means to mount said hook in said casing for rotary movement about its axis and for movement in a direction at right angles to said edges, and locating means on said casing and at said opening, and between said walls, and a panel pin casing uninterchangeable with the panel hook casing and provided with opposed parallel walls having parallel coextensive edges and forming an elongated opening at one side of said panel pin casing and adapted to register with the opening in the panel hook casing, a pin interconnecting the opposed walls of said panel pin casing and adapted to be engaged by said hook, and locating means on said panel pin casing, at the opening of said panel pin casing, and between the walls thereof, the middle of the locating means on said panel pin casing being offset from the middle of the locating means on the panel hook casing, longitudinally of said openings, said casings being unidentical.

Claim 18

A panel hook fastener comprising a panel hook casing provided with opposed parallel walls having parallel coextensive edges and forming an elongated opening therebetween, at one side of the casing, a panel hook, means to mount said hook in said casing for rotary movement about its axis and for movement in a direction at right angles to said edges, and locating means on said casing and at said opening, and between said walls, and a panel pin casing uninterchangeable with the panel hook casing and provided with opposed parallel walls having parallel coextensive edges and forming an elongated opening at one side of said panel pin casing and adapted to register with the opening in the panel hook casing, a pin interconnecting the opposed walls of said panel pin casing and adapted to be engaged by said hook, and locating means on said panel pin casing, at the opening of said panel pin casing, and between the walls thereof, the middle of the locating means on said panel pin casing being offset from the middle of the locating means on the panel hook casing, longitudinally of said openings, said casings being unidentical.

Claim 19

The combination of claim 16, said locating means on said panel hook casing comprising upper and lower pairs of aligned indentations at the edges of said walls of said casing, the pairs of indentations on the opposed walls of said panel hook casing being offset from the pairs of indentations on the walls of said panel pin casing, respectively, and the distance separating the pairs of indentations on the walls of the panel hook casing being equal to the distance separating the pairs of indentations on said panel pin casing.

Claim 20

The combination of claim 16, first insert means received in said opening of said panel hook casing and having locating means cooperating with the locating means on said panel hook casing to allow insertion of the first insert means therein, second insert means received in said opening in said panel pin casing and provided with locating means longitudinally offset from the locating means of said first insert means and cooperating with the locating means of said panel pin casing to allow insertion of said second insert means therein, and means to fix the first and second insert means together.

Claim 21

The combination of claim 18, said cooperating locating means on said panel hook casing and on said first insert means including means to hold said panel hook casing together with said first insert means, and said cooperating locating means on said panel pin casing and on Said second insert means including means to hold said panel pin casing and said second insert, together.

Claim 22

The combination of claim 18, said indentations of said panel hook casing and panel pin casing, being similar in shape.