Refrigerator and Storage System for a Refrigerator

The present disclosure relates to an appliance such as a refrigerator.

In order to keep food fresh, a low temperature must be maintained within a refrigerator to reduce the reproduction rate of harmful bacteria. Refrigerators circulate refrigerant and change the refrigerant from a liquid state to a gas state by an evaporation process in order cool the air within the refrigerator. During the evaporation process, heat is transferred to the refrigerant. After evaporating, a compressor increases the pressure, and in turn, the temperature of the refrigerant. The gas refrigerant is then condensed into a liquid and the excess heat is rejected to the ambient surroundings. The process then repeats.

A storage receptacle for a refrigerator appliance includes a front wall, a rear wall, a partition wall, and a pair of guides. The front wall defines a pair of slots. The rear wall is spaced-apart from the front wall and has a protrusion extending outward therefrom. The partition wall extends between the front and rear walls, has a hook extending outward therefrom, and defines a pair of orifices along an edge of the partition wall on an opposing side of the partition wall relative to the hook. The hook engages the protrusion to facilitate sliding the partition wall along the front and rear walls and restrict vertical movement of the partition wall. The pair of guides each have a base region and a protruding region. The protruding region of each guide extends through one of the slots of the pair of slots and into one of the orifices of the pair of orifices such that each protruding region engages the partition wall within one of the orifices of the pair of orifices and each base region engages the front wall on an opposing side of the front wall relative to the partition wall to facilitate sliding the partition wall along the front and rear walls, restrict vertical movement of the partition wall, and restrict movement of the partition wall in a direction extending between the front and rear walls.

A storage drawer for a refrigerator appliance includes a first wall, a second wall, a partition, and a guide. The first wall defines a slot. The second wall is spaced-apart from the first wall, has an upper edge, and has a lip extending outward therefrom along the upper edge. The partition extends between the first and second walls, is slidable along the first and second walls in a first direction, has a hook extending outward therefrom, and defines orifice on an opposing side of the partition relative to the hook. The hook engages the lip to facilitate movement of the partition in the first direction and restrict movement of the partition in a second direction. The guide has a base region and a keyed region extending from the base region. The keyed region extends through the slot and into the orifice such that the keyed region engages the partition within the orifice and the base region engages the first wall on an opposing side of the first wall relative to the partition to facilitate movement of the partition in the first direction, restrict movement of the partition in the second direction, and restrict movement of the partition in a third direction.

A storage basket for a refrigerated cavity includes a front wall, a rear wall, a first side wall, a second side wall, a bottom wall, a divider wall, and at least one guide. The rear wall is spaced-apart from the front wall, has a top edge, and has a ridge protruding rearward from the top edge. The first and second side walls are spaced-apart from each other and extend between the front and rear walls. The front wall defines at least one slot extending between the first and second side walls. The bottom wall is interconnected with the front wall, rear wall, first side wall, and second side wall such that the front wall, rear wall, first side wall, second side wall, and bottom wall define a storage space. The divider wall is disposed within the storage space, is configured slide between the first and second side walls, has a hook extending outward along a rear side of the divider wall, and defines at least one orifice along a front edge of the divider wall. The hook extends over the top edge of the rear wall, along a rear side of the ridge, and below a lower side of the ridge such that engagement between the hook and the ridge facilitates movement of the divider wall between the first and second side walls and restricts vertical movement of the divider wall along the rear side of the divider wall. The at least one guide has at least one base plate and at least one protruding region extending from the at least one base plate. The at least one protruding region extends through the at least one slot, engages the front wall within the at least one slot, extends into the at least one orifice, and engages the divider wall within the at least one orifice, and the at least one base plate engages the front wall on an opposing side of the front wall relative to the divider wall such that engagement between the at least one protruding region and the front wall, engagement between the at least one protruding region and the divider wall, and engagement between the at least one base plate and the front wall facilitates movement of the divider wall between the first and second side walls, restricts movement of the divider wall between the front and rear walls, and restricts vertical movement of the divider wall along a front side of the divider wall.

Embodiments of the present disclosure are described herein. It is to be understood, however, that the disclosed embodiments are merely examples and other embodiments may take various and alternative forms. The figures are not necessarily to scale; some features could be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particular components. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the embodiments. As those of ordinary skill in the art will understand, various features illustrated and described with reference to any one of the figures may be combined with features illustrated in one or more other figures to produce embodiments that are not explicitly illustrated or described. The combinations of features illustrated provide representative embodiments for typical applications. Various combinations and modifications of the features consistent with the teachings of this disclosure, however, could be desired for particular applications or implementations.

Referring to, generally a refrigeratorof the French-Door Bottom Mount type is illustrated. However, it should be understood that this disclosure could apply to any type of refrigerator, such as a side-by-side, two-door bottom mount, or a top-mount type. As shown in, the refrigeratormay have a first internal storage chamber or fresh food compartmentconfigured to refrigerate and not freeze consumables within the fresh food compartment, and a second internal storage chamber or a freezer compartmentconfigured to freeze consumables within the freezer compartmentduring normal use. The refrigeratorincludes panels or wallsthat form a housing and define the fresh food compartmentand the freezer compartment. The wallsmay more specifically form an internal liner of the refrigerator. The wallsmay include a rear or back wall, a top wall, a bottom wall, and two side walls.

One or more shelvesmay be secured to the wallswithin the fresh food compartment. One or more drawersmay be slidably secured to the shelvesor the walls within the fresh food compartment. More specifically, the drawersmay be slidably secured to the shelvesor the walls within the fresh food compartmentvia tracks or rails. One or more of the drawersmay be either a pantry draweror a crisper drawer. Crisper drawermay more specifically be drawers defining a storage space that is kept at a desired humidity that may be different from the remainder of the fresh food compartment, but that is optimal for maintaining freshness of fruits and vegetables.

The refrigeratormay have one or more doors,that provide selective access to the interior volume of the refrigeratorwhere consumables may be stored. As shown, the fresh food compartment doors are designated, and the freezer door is designated. It may also be shown that the fresh food compartmentmay only have one door. The doorsmay be rotatably secured to the wallsby one or more hinges.

It is generally known that the freezer compartmentis typically kept at a temperature below the freezing point of water, and the fresh food compartmentis typically kept at a temperature above the freezing point of water and generally below a temperature of from about 35° F. to about 50° F., more typically below about 38° F.

The doorsmay each include an exterior paneland an interior panelthat is disposed on an internal side of the respective exterior panelof each door. The interior panelsmay be configured to face the fresh food compartmentwhen the doorsare in closed positions (See). The interior panelmay more specifically be a door liner. An insulating material, such as an insulating foam, may be disposed between the exterior paneland interior panelof each doorin order reduce the heat transfer from the ambient surroundings and increase the efficiency of the refrigerator.

The refrigeratormay also have a water inlet that is fastened to and in fluid communication with a household water supply of potable water. Typically, the household water supply connects to a municipal water source or a well. The water inlet may be fluidly engaged with one or more of a water filter, a water reservoir, and a refrigerator water supply line. The refrigerator water supply line may include one or more nozzles and one or more valves. The refrigerator water supply line may supply water to one or more water outlets; typically one outlet for water is in the dispensing area and another to an ice tray. The refrigeratormay also have a control board or controller that sends electrical signals to the one or more valves when prompted by a user that water is desired or if an ice making cycle is required.

Such a controller may be part of a larger control system and may be controlled by various other controllers throughout the refrigerator, and one or more other controllers can collectively be referred to as a “controller” that controls various functions of the refrigeratorin response to inputs or signals to control functions of the refrigerator. The controller may include a microprocessor or central processing unit (CPU) in communication with various types of computer readable storage devices or media. Computer readable storage devices or media may include volatile and nonvolatile storage in read-only memory (ROM), random-access memory (RAM), and keep-alive memory (KAM), for example. KAM is a persistent or non-volatile memory that may be used to store various operating variables while the CPU is powered down. Computer-readable storage devices or media may be implemented using any of a number of known memory devices such as PROMs (programmable read-only memory), EPROMs (electrically PROM), EEPROMs (electrically erasable PROM), flash memory, or any other electric, magnetic, optical, or combination memory devices capable of storing data, some of which represent executable instructions, used by the controller in controlling the refrigerator.

The doorsmay also include storage binsthat are able to hold food items or containers. The storage binsmay be secured to the interior panelsof each door. Alternatively, the storage binsmay integrally formed within or defined by the interior panelsof each door. In yet another alternative, a portion of the storage binsmay be secured to the interior panelsof each door, while another portion of the storage binsmay be integrally formed within or defined by the interior panelsof each door. The storage binsmay include shelves (e.g., a lower surface upon, which a food item or container may rest upon) that extend from back and/or side surfaces of the interior panelsof each door.

One or more storage bins, baskets, drawers, or receptaclesmay be disposed within the freezer compartment. Alternatively, the one or more storage receptaclesmay be disposed within the fresh food compartment. The one or more storage receptaclesmay have an open top. The one or more storage receptaclesmay be slidably secured to the internal walls (e.g., walls) within the freezer compartmentor alternatively within the fresh food compartment. More specifically, the one or more storage receptaclesmay be secured to the internal walls via linear guides or railssuch that the one or more storage receptaclesmay slide forward and rearward relative to the refrigerator. The one or more storage receptaclesmay slide forward and rearward relative to the refrigeratorindependent from or in conjunction with the door.

Referring to, one of the storage receptaclesis illustrated in further detail. The storage receptacleincludes a front wall, a rear wall, a first side wall, a second side wall, and a lower or bottom wall. The front wall, rear wall, first side wall 32, second side wall, and lower or bottom wallmay be referred to as the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth walls in any order. The rear wallis spaced-apart from the front wall. The first side walland the second side wallare spaced-apart from each other and extend between the front walland the rear wall(e.g., the first side walland the second side walleach extend from the front wallto the rear walland are each connected to the front walland the rear wall).

The front wallmay be substantially parallel to the rear wall. The first side wallmay be substantially parallel to the second side wall. The front walland the rear wall, may each be substantially perpendicular to each of the first side walland second side wall.

As used herein, substantially parallel refers to any incremental angle that is between exactly parallel and 15° or less from exactly parallel (e.g., 12.5° or less from exactly parallel, 10° or less from exactly parallel, 5° or less from exactly parallel, or 1° or less from exactly parallel). As used herein, substantially perpendicular refers to any incremental angle that is between exactly perpendicular and 15° or less from exactly perpendicular (e.g., 12.5° or less from exactly perpendicular, 10° or less from exactly perpendicular, 5° or less from exactly perpendicular, or 1° or less from exactly perpendicular).

The bottom wallis interconnected with the front wall, the rear wall, the first side wall, and second side wallsuch that the front wall, rear wall, first side wall 32, second side wall, and bottom walldefine the storage spaceof the storage receptacle. More specifically, the bottom wallmay be secured to lower ends of the front wall, the rear wall, the first side wall, and second side wall. The bottom wallmay be substantially perpendicular to each of the front wall, rear wall, first side wall, and second side wall.

The front walldefines at least one slot. More specifically, the at least one slotmay include a pair of slots. The pair of slotsmay be arranged in a stacked configuration (e.g., one of the slotsof the pair of slotsis disposed above the other of the slotsof the pair of slotsalong a vertical direction). The at least one slotmay extend in a lateral directionbetween the first side walland the second side wall. The rear wallhas a top or upper edgeand a protrusion, lip, or ridgeextending or protruding outward and rearward from the rear wallalong the upper edge(e.g., rearward and away from the front wallalong forward/rearward direction). The lateral direction, forward/rearward direction, and vertical direction, may correspond to X, Y, and Z directions on Cartesian coordinate system. The lateral direction, forward/rearward direction, and vertical directionmay be referred to as first, second, and third directions in any order.

The storage receptaclefurther includes a divider wall, partition wall, or a partitiondisposed within the storage space. The partitionextends between the front walland the rear wall. The partitionis configured move between the first side walland the second side wall. For example, the partitionis configured to slide or is slidable along the front walland rear wallbetween the first side walland the second side wallto increase and decrease the volume of the storage spaceon opposing sides of the partition. It may be advantageous to increase the volume of the storage spaceone side of the partitionto provide sufficient space for large items being stored within the storage receptacle.

The partitionincludes a hooked region or a hookextending outward therefrom. More specifically, the hookmay extend outward from the partitionalong an upper side and/or rear side of the partitionin the forward/rearward directionaway from the front wall. The partitiondefines at least one orificealong a front edgeof the partition(e.g., on an opposing side of the partitionrelative to the hook). More specifically, the at least one orificemay include a pair of orifices. The pair of orificesmay be arranged in a stacked configuration (e.g., one of the orificesof the pair of orificesis disposed above the other of the orificesof the pair of orificesalong the vertical direction).

The hookengages the ridgeto facilitate moving or sliding the partitionalong the front walland the rear wall(e.g., to facilitate moving or sliding the partitionin the lateral direction) and restrict vertical movement of the partition(e.g., to restrict movement of the partitionin the vertical direction). More specifically, the hookextends over the upper edgeof the rear wall, downward along a rear sideof the ridge, and below a lower sideof the ridgesuch that engagement between the hookand the ridgefacilitates movement of the partitionbetween the first side walland the second side wall(e.g., moving or sliding of the partitionin the lateral direction) and restricts vertical movement of the partitionalong the rear side of the partition(e.g., movement of the partitionin the vertical direction). The hookmay more specifically be configured to move or slide in the lateral directionwithin a recessed regionalong upper edgeof the rear wall. Edgesmay engage the hook 54 to limit movement of the hook, and ultimately the partition, in the lateral directionalong the rear side of the partition.

The storage receptaclefurther includes at least one guidehaving at least one base plate or base regionand at least one keyed region or protruding regionextending from the at least one base region. More specifically, the at least one guidemay include a pair of guides. The pair of guidesmay be arranged in a stacked configuration (e.g., one of the guidesof the pair of guidesis disposed above the other of the guidesof the pair of guidesalong the vertical direction). Such a pair of guidesmay be interlinked by a bridge region. The bridge regionis illustrated in phantom lines in. The bridge regionmay increase the stiffness and stability of the guides.

Each protruding regionextends through one of the slots, engages the front wallwithin one of the slots, and extends into one of the orificessuch that each protruding regionengages the partitionwithin one of the orificesand each base regionengages the front wallon an opposing side of the front wallrelative to the partition. This arrangement further facilitates moving or sliding the partitionalong the front walland the rear walland between the first side walland the second side wall(e.g., moving or sliding the partitionin the lateral direction), restricting vertical movement of the partition(e.g., movement of the partitionin the vertical direction), and restricting movement of the partitionin a direction extending between the front and rear walls (e.g., movement of the partitionin the forward/rearward direction).

More specifically, (i) each protruding regionengaging the partitionwithin one of the orificesattaches the corresponding guideto the partition, (ii) each protruding regionbeing slidable within one of slotsfacilitates movement of both the corresponding guideand the partitionin the lateral direction, (iii) each protruding regionengaging the front wallalong upper and lower bounds of the slotsrestricts movement of both the corresponding guideand the partitionin the vertical direction(particularly along the front side of the partition), (iv) each base regionengaging the front wallon an opposing side of the front wallrelative to the partitionrestricts movement of both the corresponding guideand the partitionin the forward/rearward direction.

The partitionmay define aperturesthat intersect the orifices. The aperturesmay be arranged in pairs of aligned apertures, where the pairs of aligned aperturesare aligned along the lateral direction. The protruding regionof each guideincludes tabs, snaps, or clips. More specifically, each guidemay include a pair of tabs, snaps, or clipsthat face opposing directions (e.g., clipsmay face opposing directions along the lateral directiononce the guideis secured to the partition). The clipsengage the partition. within the aperturesto secure the guidesto the partition.

The tabs, snaps, or clipsmay be J-shaped. The tabs, snaps, or clipsmay include barbed endsthat include ramped surfaces. The barbed endsare disposed along flexible arms that operate as spring or biasing elements. During installation, while the ramped surfacesare engaging the partitionwithin the orifices, the barbed endsare displaced inward via the biasing elementsflexing inward. Once the barbed endsreach the apertures, the stored energy in the biasing elementsforces barbed endsoutward and into the apertures. Flat or stopping surfaceson the barbed endsengage the partitionwithin the aperturesto prevent the protruding regionof each guidefrom being pulled out from the corresponding orificeso that the guideremains secured to the partition.

The bottom wallincludes a guide rail. A lower edge of the partitiondefines a recessed region. The guide railextends upward from the bottom walland into the recessed regionto further facilitate moving or sliding the partitionalong the front walland rear wallalong the lateral directionbetween the first side walland the second side wall. Alternatively, the guide railmay extend downward from the partitionand into a recess region defined along a top side of the bottom wall. The guide railmay be substantially parallel to the front wall, rear wall, and bottom wall. The guide railmay be substantially perpendicular to the first side walland the second side wall.

A reinforcement barmay be disposed on an opposing side of the bottom wallrelative to the guide rail. The reinforcement barmay be disposed within a second recess regiondefined along a bottom of the bottom wall. Fastenersmay secure the reinforcement barto the bottom wall.

The front wallmay define groovesalong the opposing side of the front wallrelative to the partition. Each guidemay include flangesand a web. The flangesmay protrude from upper and lower regions of the guides, or more specifically from upper and lower regions of the web. The flangesare disposed in and slidable within the groovesto further facilitate moving or sliding the partitionalong the front walland rear wallin the lateral directionbetween the first side walland the second side wall. The flangesengaging the front wallwithin the groovesmay also operate to restrict vertical movement of the partitionin the vertical direction.

The flangesand webmay also define one or more C-channelwhile the front wallincludes projectionsextending from the opposing side of the front wallrelative to the partition, where the projectionsare disposed with the C-channelto further facilitate moving or sliding the partitionalong the front walland rear wallin the lateral directionbetween the first side walland the second side wall. The projectionsmay further engage the flangeswithin the C-channelto restrict vertical movement of the partitionin the vertical direction.

It should be understood that the designations of first, second, third, fourth, etc. for any component, state, or condition described herein may be rearranged in the claims so that they are in chronological order with respect to the claims. Furthermore, it should be understood that any component, state, or condition described herein that does not have a numerical designation may be given a designation of first, second, third, fourth, etc. in the claims if one or more of the specific component, state, or condition are claimed.

The words used in the specification are words of description rather than limitation, and it is understood that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. As previously described, the features of various embodiments may be combined to form further embodiments that may not be explicitly described or illustrated. While various embodiments could have been described as providing advantages or being preferred over other embodiments or prior art implementations with respect to one or more desired characteristics, those of ordinary skill in the art recognize that one or more features or characteristics may be compromised to achieve desired overall system attributes, which depend on the specific application and implementation. As such, embodiments described as less desirable than other embodiments or prior art implementations with respect to one or more characteristics are not outside the scope of the disclosure and may be desirable for particular applications.