EP0705415B1 - Floating magnetic gasket, in particular for refrigerator doors - Google Patents

Floating magnetic gasket, in particular for refrigerator doors Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0705415B1
EP0705415B1 EP95916622A EP95916622A EP0705415B1 EP 0705415 B1 EP0705415 B1 EP 0705415B1 EP 95916622 A EP95916622 A EP 95916622A EP 95916622 A EP95916622 A EP 95916622A EP 0705415 B1 EP0705415 B1 EP 0705415B1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
seat
gasket
bar
lateral wings
profiled part
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
EP95916622A
Other languages
German (de)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP0705415A1 (en
Inventor
Giovanni Ronda
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
RONDA EUROPA SpA
Original Assignee
RONDA EUROPA SpA
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by RONDA EUROPA SpA filed Critical RONDA EUROPA SpA
Publication of EP0705415A1 publication Critical patent/EP0705415A1/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP0705415B1 publication Critical patent/EP0705415B1/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • F25D23/00—General constructional features
    • F25D23/08—Parts formed wholly or mainly of plastics materials
    • F25D23/082—Strips
    • F25D23/087—Sealing strips
    • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
    • E05—LOCKS; KEYS; WINDOW OR DOOR FITTINGS; SAFES
    • E05C—BOLTS OR FASTENING DEVICES FOR WINGS, SPECIALLY FOR DOORS OR WINDOWS
    • E05C19/00—Other devices specially designed for securing wings, e.g. with suction cups
    • E05C19/16—Devices holding the wing by magnetic or electromagnetic attraction
    • E05C19/161—Devices holding the wing by magnetic or electromagnetic attraction magnetic gaskets

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a floating magnetic gasket, in particular for doors of household and industrial refrigerators.
  • Conventional refrigerator doors are usually provided with peripheral magnetic gaskets to form a seal against the frame of the refrigeration compartment.
  • FIG. 1 A known type of magnetic gasket that is commercially available is shown in cross-section in Figure 1 and is generally designated by the reference numeral 1.
  • This prior art gasket generally includes a bar 2 made of a plastic material that contains permanently magnetized metallic particles.
  • the bar is associated with one of the walls 3 of the door or of the frame by means of a profiled part 4 made of plastic.
  • the bar 1 is inserted in an appropriate longitudinal seat 5 of the profiled part 4, which forms an elastic abutment against the opposite flat wall 6.
  • the profiled part 4 has a hollow central portion 7 that forms a flexible accordion-like region.
  • This hollow portion is connected to a rigid portion 8 with a bayonet coupling that can be inserted in a snap-together manner in a corresponding slot 9 of the wall 3 to which it must be anchored.
  • This type of gasket is disclosed, for example, in FR-A-2582043.
  • a first drawback of this known gasket is its high cost, which is due to the fact that it is constituted by a series of segments that must be joined together at their ends by welding or gluing, to form a seal along the entire peripheral region of the door or frame.
  • a second drawback is that the gasket is scarcely hygienic due to the fact that the accordion-like profiled part has many curves and undulations that form receptacles for impurities and dirt.
  • DE-U-9205842 discloses a floating magnetic gasket assembly having a magnetic bar contained in one wall by means of a profiled part which is shaped so as to adapt to the mutual angle of the walls to be sealed.
  • US-A-4651793 discloses a pet door flap having magnets in both the flap and the sill.
  • the aim of the present invention is to overcome these drawbacks with a substantially semirigid floating gasket that is economic as well as absolutely hygienic.
  • a gasket according to the invention includes a commercial-type magnetized bar 11.
  • the bar 11 is contained in a profiled part 12 which has a generally U-shaped transverse cross-section, with a central portion 13 that forms a seat for the bar 11 and two lateral wings 14 and 15.
  • the profiled part 12 can be made of plastics, such as nylon or PVC, for example by extrusion or molding processes, and it can be rigid or semirigid.
  • the profiled part 12 and the bar 11 form a unit which is slidingly arranged in a complementarily shaped seat 16.
  • Seat 16 is formed for example in the wall 17 of the door.
  • the gasket may be installed in the seat 16 by pressing and its extraction during use, should be prevented.
  • the outer faces of the lateral wings 14 and 15 are provided with respective longitudinal protrusions 18 and 19 that form abutments for corresponding shoulders 20 and 21 formed along the inside faces of the seat 16.
  • the distance between the inner faces of the lateral wings 14 and 15 is slightly greater than the maximum width of the bar 11, in order to allow a slight elastic narrowing of the lateral wings during the snap-on insertion of the profiled part 12 in the seat 16 and allow them to form a sliding seal against the inner faces of the seat.
  • the maximum width of the lateral wings 14 and 15 is furthermore slightly greater than the minimum width of the seat 16, so as to allow the profile to float freely in the seat, adapting to the relative angle of the wall 17 of the door with respect to the wall 22 of the frame.
  • the longitudinal protrusions 18 and 19 are formed along the free edges of the side walls, whereas the shoulders are formed along the longitudinal free edges of the seat 16.
  • the segments of the profiled part 12 that form the entire gasket can be formed monolithically by molding, so as to form a secondary frame that has the same configuration as the entire gasket. In this manner it is not necessary to join the various segments of the gasket during assembly. of course, the magnetized bar segments 11 can float freely inside the molded secondary frame 12, ensuring optimum adhesion of the gasket to the facing wall.
  • the gasket according to the invention is very cheap and hygienic by virtue of the absence of undulations and corrugations.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Electromagnetism (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
  • Thermal Sciences (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Refrigerator Housings (AREA)
  • Gasket Seals (AREA)

Description

The present invention relates to a floating magnetic gasket, in particular for doors of household and industrial refrigerators.
Conventional refrigerator doors are usually provided with peripheral magnetic gaskets to form a seal against the frame of the refrigeration compartment.
A known type of magnetic gasket that is commercially available is shown in cross-section in Figure 1 and is generally designated by the reference numeral 1. This prior art gasket generally includes a bar 2 made of a plastic material that contains permanently magnetized metallic particles. The bar is associated with one of the walls 3 of the door or of the frame by means of a profiled part 4 made of plastic. In particular, the bar 1 is inserted in an appropriate longitudinal seat 5 of the profiled part 4, which forms an elastic abutment against the opposite flat wall 6.
In order to increase the elasticity of the gasket and to adapt the gasket to the mutual angle of the facing walls, the profiled part 4 has a hollow central portion 7 that forms a flexible accordion-like region. This hollow portion is connected to a rigid portion 8 with a bayonet coupling that can be inserted in a snap-together manner in a corresponding slot 9 of the wall 3 to which it must be anchored. This type of gasket is disclosed, for example, in FR-A-2582043.
A first drawback of this known gasket is its high cost, which is due to the fact that it is constituted by a series of segments that must be joined together at their ends by welding or gluing, to form a seal along the entire peripheral region of the door or frame.
A second drawback is that the gasket is scarcely hygienic due to the fact that the accordion-like profiled part has many curves and undulations that form receptacles for impurities and dirt.
DE-U-9205842 discloses a floating magnetic gasket assembly having a magnetic bar contained in one wall by means of a profiled part which is shaped so as to adapt to the mutual angle of the walls to be sealed. US-A-4651793 discloses a pet door flap having magnets in both the flap and the sill.
The aim of the present invention is to overcome these drawbacks with a substantially semirigid floating gasket that is economic as well as absolutely hygienic.
This aim is achieved with a floating magnetic gasket, in particular for refrigerator doors and the like, as claimed in the appended claims.
Further characteristics and advantages of the gasket according to the invention will become apparent from the detailed description of a preferred embodiment of a gasket according to the invention, illustrated only by way of non-limitative example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:
  • Figure 1 is a cross section view of a prior art gasket;
  • Figure 2 is a cross section view of a gasket according to the invention in a first step of its operation;
  • Figure 3 is a view, similar to Figure 2, of the gasket of Figure 2 in a second step of its operation.
    • With reference to Figures 2 and 3, a gasket according to the invention, generally designated by the reference numeral 10, includes a commercial-type magnetized bar 11.
    The bar 11 is contained in a profiled part 12 which has a generally U-shaped transverse cross-section, with a central portion 13 that forms a seat for the bar 11 and two lateral wings 14 and 15.
    The profiled part 12 can be made of plastics, such as nylon or PVC, for example by extrusion or molding processes, and it can be rigid or semirigid.
    Conveniently, the profiled part 12 and the bar 11 form a unit which is slidingly arranged in a complementarily shaped seat 16. Seat 16 is formed for example in the wall 17 of the door.
    The gasket may be installed in the seat 16 by pressing and its extraction during use, should be prevented. To this purpose the outer faces of the lateral wings 14 and 15 are provided with respective longitudinal protrusions 18 and 19 that form abutments for corresponding shoulders 20 and 21 formed along the inside faces of the seat 16.
    The distance between the inner faces of the lateral wings 14 and 15 is slightly greater than the maximum width of the bar 11, in order to allow a slight elastic narrowing of the lateral wings during the snap-on insertion of the profiled part 12 in the seat 16 and allow them to form a sliding seal against the inner faces of the seat. The maximum width of the lateral wings 14 and 15 is furthermore slightly greater than the minimum width of the seat 16, so as to allow the profile to float freely in the seat, adapting to the relative angle of the wall 17 of the door with respect to the wall 22 of the frame.
    Preferably, the longitudinal protrusions 18 and 19 are formed along the free edges of the side walls, whereas the shoulders are formed along the longitudinal free edges of the seat 16.
    Advantageously, the segments of the profiled part 12 that form the entire gasket can be formed monolithically by molding, so as to form a secondary frame that has the same configuration as the entire gasket. In this manner it is not necessary to join the various segments of the gasket during assembly. of course, the magnetized bar segments 11 can float freely inside the molded secondary frame 12, ensuring optimum adhesion of the gasket to the facing wall.
    The gasket according to the invention is very cheap and hygienic by virtue of the absence of undulations and corrugations.
    The gasket according to the invention is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations, which are within the scope of the inventive concept expressed by the claims that follow and are understood to be equally protected. All the details may be replaced with technically equivalent parts; the materials may be different according to the requirements.

    Claims (6)

    1. Floating magnetic gasket, in particular for refrigerator doors and the like, comprising a bar (11) made of magnetized material that is associated with a peripheral wall (17) of a door or frame to be sealed in order to adhere magnetically to the opposite peripheral wall (23), characterized in that said bar (11) is contained in one of said walls (17) by means of a profiled part (12), made of plastics, and which is shaped so as to be slidingly accommodated in a complementarily shaped seat (16) formed in the wall (17) with which it is associated, so as to float within said seat, adapting to the mutual angle of the walls (17; 23) to be sealed; said profiled part (12) having a substantially U-shaped cross-section with a central portion (13) forming a seat for said bar (11) and two lateral wings (14, 15) facing the inside faces of said complementarily shaped seat (16);
      the distance between the inside faces of said lateral wings (14, 15) being slightly greater than the maximum width of said bar (11) to allow a slight elastic narrowing of said lateral wings (14, 15) when they are inserted in said seat in a snap-together manner and to allow them to form a sliding seal against the inside faces of said seat (16).
    2. Gasket according to claim 1, characterized in that the maximum width of said lateral wings (14, 15) is slightly greater than the minimum width of said seat (16).
    3. Gasket according to claim 1, characterized in that said lateral wings (14, 15) have longitudinal protrusions (18, 19), along their outer faces, said protrusions being suitable to abut against longitudinal shoulders (20, 21) formed on the inside faces of said seat (16).
    4. Gasket according to claim 3, characterized in that said longitudinal protrusions (18, 19) are formed along the free edges of said lateral wings (14, 15).
    5. Gasket according to claim 1, characterized in that said magnetized bar (11) is loosely accommodated within said central portion (13) of the profiled part (12).
    6. Gasket according to claim 1, characterized in that the gasket, as a whole, comprises a secondary frame which is formed by segments of the profiled part (12) that are molded monolithically, said secondary frame being slidingly accommodated within the complementarily shaped seat (16).
    EP95916622A 1994-04-22 1995-04-10 Floating magnetic gasket, in particular for refrigerator doors Expired - Lifetime EP0705415B1 (en)

    Applications Claiming Priority (3)

    Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
    IT94VI000016 IT232454Y1 (en) 1994-04-22 1994-04-22 FLOATING MAGNETIC GASKET, PARTICULARLY FOR REFRIGERATOR DOORS
    ITVI940016U 1994-04-22
    PCT/EP1995/001312 WO1995029373A1 (en) 1994-04-22 1995-04-10 Floating magnetic gasket, in particular for refrigerator doors

    Publications (2)

    Publication Number Publication Date
    EP0705415A1 EP0705415A1 (en) 1996-04-10
    EP0705415B1 true EP0705415B1 (en) 1998-11-25

    Family

    ID=11425412

    Family Applications (1)

    Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
    EP95916622A Expired - Lifetime EP0705415B1 (en) 1994-04-22 1995-04-10 Floating magnetic gasket, in particular for refrigerator doors

    Country Status (4)

    Country Link
    EP (1) EP0705415B1 (en)
    DE (1) DE69506206T2 (en)
    IT (1) IT232454Y1 (en)
    WO (1) WO1995029373A1 (en)

    Families Citing this family (4)

    * Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
    Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
    ITPD20020194A1 (en) * 2002-07-18 2004-01-19 Ronda Spa SEALING DEVICE PARTICULARLY FOR REFRIGERATOR DOORS, FREEZERS AND SIMILAR
    ITMI20040394A1 (en) * 2004-03-02 2004-06-02 Priolinox Spa DOOR STRUCTURE EQUIPPED WITH AN ADJUSTABLE CLOSING DEVICE PARTICULARLY FOR BENCHES AND FOR GO REFRIGERATORS
    EP3926269A1 (en) * 2020-06-15 2021-12-22 Horeca Engineering B.V. Refrigerator
    EP4249835A1 (en) * 2022-03-22 2023-09-27 Carrier Corporation Gasket system for a refrigerator

    Family Cites Families (10)

    * Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
    Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
    DE1553539C3 (en) * 1965-03-18 1974-11-07 Max 5060 Bensberg Baermann Magnetic lock for refrigeration units
    US3362108A (en) * 1965-09-15 1968-01-09 Michaels Art Bronze Company Astragals
    IT947750B (en) * 1971-02-22 1973-05-30 Avon Rubber Co Ltd MAGNETIC STRIP PARTICULARLY USEFUL AS A SEALING GASKET FOR REFRIGERATOR OR SIMILAR DOORS
    US3885351A (en) * 1973-11-19 1975-05-27 Johnson Sheet Metal Works Co Metal door assembly
    US4408416A (en) * 1977-06-30 1983-10-11 Davlantes George N Pet access door panel
    US4651793A (en) * 1982-09-27 1987-03-24 Davlantes George N Pet door flap with slow moving sill
    IT8521837V0 (en) * 1985-05-17 1985-05-17 Ilpea Spa GASKET FOR WINDOWS, SUCH AS DOORS AND WINDOWS, SUITABLE FOR OPERATING IN THE CLOSING POSITION A SEAL BETWEEN THE EXTERNAL AND INTERNAL PARTS OF THE WINDOW.
    US4820885A (en) * 1987-09-25 1989-04-11 Tom E Lindsay Magnetic gasket for shielding against electromagnetic radiation
    DE4011351A1 (en) * 1990-04-07 1991-10-24 Athmer Fa F MAGNETIC DOOR SEAL
    IT225644Y1 (en) * 1991-05-03 1997-01-13 Zanussi Elettrodomestici HERMETICALLY SEALED CLOSING DEVICE FOR DOORS WITHOUT UPRIGHT OF REFRIGERANT EQUIPMENT

    Also Published As

    Publication number Publication date
    ITVI940016U1 (en) 1995-10-22
    EP0705415A1 (en) 1996-04-10
    IT232454Y1 (en) 2000-01-10
    DE69506206T2 (en) 1999-05-06
    DE69506206D1 (en) 1999-01-07
    ITVI940016V0 (en) 1994-04-22
    WO1995029373A1 (en) 1995-11-02

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