US3314196A

US3314196A - Insulated door

Info

Publication number: US3314196A
Application number: US450353A
Authority: US
Inventors: Milton G Betz; El Roy G Shank; Donald E Snyder
Original assignee: Motors Liquidation Co
Current assignee: Motors Liquidation Co
Priority date: 1965-04-23
Filing date: 1965-04-23
Publication date: 1967-04-18
Anticipated expiration: 1984-04-18
Also published as: GB1120386A

Description

April 18, 1967 M. G. BETZ ETAL INSULATED DOOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 25, 1965 J HI] I i Fig.

April 18, 1967 M. G. BETZ ETAL INSULATED DOOR Filed April 23, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Mil/on 6. Be/z E/Ray 6. Shank Dona/a E. Snyder BY a IIW Their Alforn ey Fly. 7

INVENTORS United States Patent Delaware Filed Apr. 23, 1965, Ser. No. 450,353 4 Claims. (Cl. 49-501) This invention pertains to refrigerating apparatus and more particularly to insulated doors such as are used to close the refrigerated compartments of refrigerator cabinets.

Refrigerator doors are now required to be not only structurally sound and to provide an adequate seal and be thermally efiicient, but they must also be ornamental and capable of conforming to the styling desired by the stylists.

It is an object of our invention to provide a highly styled insulated door which is composed of inexpensive components and which can be manufactured at a low cost and yet have high structural strength and rigidity, and which when slammed will emit a sound which will suggest excellent construction.

It is another object of this invention to construct a highly styled insulated door in which one of the structural side members is shaped to serve as a handle for opening the door.

It is another object of this invention to construct a highly styled insulated door by fitting together styled outer structural top, bottom and side members which interfit and are fastened together and also lock in place an Omamental outer sheet to provide a rigid unitary structure.

These and other objects are attained in the door shown in the drawings in which the sides of the door are formed of extruded aluminum shapes, the ends of which snugly fit into interfitting notches and against shoulders provided in the top and bottom pieces. These pieces are all provided with grooves which receive and hold the edges of an outer ornamental sheet face member. The interlocking grooves and shoulders together with fastening screws extending through the extruded shapes into the top and bottom pieces at the corners provide a rigid structure which is further supported by foam insulation cast within this structure. In addition the edges of the inner sheet member are fastened to the side, top and bottom members to increase the structural connections between the parts to add to the strength and rigidity of the doors as well as to provide a suitable inner face. One of the side members is provided with a groove and configuration suitable for gripping the hand so as to eliminate the need for a separate handle. The opposite side has fastened to it upper and lower hinge members which may be concealed by a suitable removable cover if desired.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings wherein a preferred embodiment of the present invention is clearly shown.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator having an insulated door embodying one form of my invention;

FIGURE 2 is a top view of the door shown in FIG- URE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an irregular transverse sectional view through the door taken along the line 3-3 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken along the line 44 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view showing the upper hinge taken through the line 55 of FIGURE 1;

3,314,196 Patented Apr. 18, 1967 FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view showing the lower hinge taken along the line 66 of FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken through the lower hinge along the line 7--7 of FIGURE 6.

Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to FIGURE 1, there is shown a refrigerator cabinet 20 provided with an insulated refrigerator door 22 embodying my invention. According to my invention as best shown in FIGURE 3, the left side of the door is provided by an extruded aluminum piece 24 preferably having its exposed surfaces polished and also having a groove 26 and a rounded edge 28 suitable for hand gripping so as to eliminate the need for an external handle. This is located a sufficient distance in front of the trim edge 21 of the cabinet 20 to allow the fingers to enter the groove 26. The trim edge 21 conceals the door seal 92. At the upper and lower ends of the piece 24, the top and

bottom pieces

36, 38 each have a shoulder 30 and a rim 32 which fit the adjacent portions of the extruded aluminum side piece 24 to prevent its lateral movement. In addition these top and

bottom members

36 and 38 are each provided with a notch 40 which receives the inner laterally extending portion 42 of the extruded aluminum side piece 24.

The hinge side of the door 22 is provided with a somewhat similar extruded aluminum piece 44 having a front portion 48 fitting against the shoulder 47 of the top and

bottom pieces

36 and 38 in a manner similar to the fit of the extruded aluminum piece 24 on the opposite side with the top and

bottom pieces

36 and 38. The top and bottom pieces 38 are also provided with a second notch 56 which is similar to the notch 40 but turned in the opposite direction to receive the laterally extending portion 52 of the side piece 44 in the same manner as the lateral extension 42 as received by notch 40. The top and

bottom members

36 and 38 are also provided with a groove or notch 54 extending substantially parallel to the front edge 56 thereof. The ends of the notch 54 in the top and

bottom members

36 and 38 are directly aligned with

notches

58 and 60 provided in the

side pieces

24 and 44 adjacent the

shoulders

30 and 48. These

notches

58 and 60 extend the entire length of the

pieces

24 and 44 and receive the side edges of the ornamentally shaped and surfaced face member 62. The ends of this face member 62 are held in the notches 54 in the top and

bottom members

36 and 38. This sheet member 62 may be made of stainless or vinyl coated or other type of coated or colored metal sheet or other sheet material. This sheet is further supported by a web 64 upon the side member 24 and a shoulder 66 on the side member 44.

The side member 44 is generally in the shape of a U providing a deep wide groove for receiving the upper and

lower hinge members

68 and 70 which are fastened to the inner wall of the member 44 by suitable screws 72. These

hinge members

68 and 70 are formed of a heavy metal strip 76 each having an edge curled to form an eyelet 78 receiving a hinge pin 80 extending through apertures 81 in the top and

bottom members

36, 38 into the door from a hinge bracket 82 fastened to an adjacent portion of the cabinet 20. An L-shaped bracket 79 is welded to the eyelet 78 and the fiat part of the strip 76 to rigidly hold the eyelet. The construction of the two

hinges

68 and 70 is similar excepting that they are reversed in position. The entire inner grooved portion of the side member 44 as well as the

hinges

68 and 70 is preferably covered by a snap in place sheet metal cover 71 having spring extensions fitting protrusions on the side member 44.

The structure of the door is further strengthened at the corners thereof by the screws 84 which pass inwardly through the

flange portions

42 and 52 of the

side member

24 and 44 into the adjacent projections 86 provided on the top and

bottom members

36 and 38 as illustrated in FIGURE 4 to form a rigid rectangular frame. Thus fastened together, the door becomes a strong structure.

At this stage the door may be placed in a suitable mold and filled with plastic resin foam 88, such as polyurethane foam having entrapped permanently within its cells an insulating gas such as dichloromonofiuoromethane. This plastic resin foam will efficiently insulate the door and also add to its structural strength since it forms a strong bond with the side and the top and bottom members as well as the sheet face member 62. This will also provide a sound when the door is slammed which will suggest excellent construction.

Following the insulation of the door with the foam material 88, the inner sheet member 90 (preferably of a suitable plastic resin sheet) together with the metal clamps 94 holding a suitable magnetic door seal 92 are fastened in place by screws 84 around the inner perimeter of the door. The inner sheet member 90 has notches or apertures through which extend the previously installed screws 84 at the four corners.

If desired the inner sheet member and the magnetic seal may be fastened in place by the screws 84 prior to the filling of the door with the foam insulation 88. The foam forming materials for the insulation 88 are then inserted into the interior of the door through an aperture in the inner sheet member 90. With either type of construction a very strong solid rigid door is provided which does not require an added exterior handle, since the hand gripping formation of the piece 24 at the left side of the door serves as a handle. The front edges of the top and

bottom members

36 and 38 as well as front walls of the

notches

58 and 60 are buffed to a bright finish to provide an ornamental contrasting border for the outer sheet face member 62 which has a curved mid portion and forwardly bent side portions as shown in FIGURES 1 and 3.

While the embodiment of the present invention as herein disclosed, constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. An insulated door including structural side members of substantially uniform irregular cross-section having opposed inturned edges extending from the top to the bottom and having outwardly facing edges, top and bottom cap members extending between the side members and having downwardly and upwardly extending flanges, respectively, extending around the edges thereof and overlapping in a close fitting arrangement the outwardly facing edges at the upper and lower ends of the side members, said cap members each having means cooperating with said flanges forming outwardly extending notches adjacent the ends thereof receiving the inturned edge of the adjacent side member, inner and outer face members held in place by the side and top and bottom members, and insulating means between said inner and outer face members.

2. A door as specified in claim 1 in which the means forming the notches is in the form of a projection having a threaded aperture and in which a threaded fastening member extends through the adjacent portion of the side members into said threaded aperture in said projection.

3. A door as specified in claim 1 in which one of the said side members has a wide and deep inwardly extending groove extending from top to bottom and provided with a rounded exposed edge suitable for hand gripping extending substantially from the top to the bottom thereof.

4. A door as specified in claim 1 in which one of the side members is generally U-shaped in cross section extending substantially uniformly from the top to the bottom and having flanges which extend outwardly, and hinge means located in the U-shaped side member for pivotally supporting the door.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,733,483 2/1956 Anderson 49386 2,866,675 12/1958 Kesling 49401 3,104,699 9/1963 Wolf et al. 526 2O 3,161,922 12/1964 Morcheles et al. 52620 3,218,678 11/1965 Russell 49489 HARRISON R. MOSELEY, Primary Examiner.

KENNETH DOWNEY, Examiner.