US2169198A

US2169198A - Refrigerating apparatus

Info

Publication number: US2169198A
Application number: US171749A
Authority: US
Inventors: Edmund F Schweller
Original assignee: Motors Liquidation Co
Current assignee: Motors Liquidation Co
Priority date: 1937-10-29
Filing date: 1937-10-29
Publication date: 1939-08-08
Anticipated expiration: 1956-08-08

Description

Aug. 8, 1939 E. F. SCHWELLER REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Filed Oct. 29, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 la d INVENTOR. ,Fa/wo f.' 6mm/fuse H/S ATTORNEYS.

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Patented Aug. 8, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Application October 29,

8 Claims.

This invention relates to refrigerator cabinet constructions and more particularly to the structure of a door for such cabinets Heretofore refrigerator cabinet doors have been relatively heavy and the weight thereof has caused Wear of the door hinges which resulted in sagging of the door and misalignment of same relative to the opening to be closed thereby. Even in the more recent refrigerator cabinet door constructions having outer and inner metallic wall panels these doors are of excessive weight due to bulky wood frames or the like ordinarily incorporated in their construction to provide structural strength, to support and prevent twisting of the metal panels relative to one another and to prevent warping of the door. The wood frames in cabinet doors are not of as high insulating properties as some. more efficient present-day insulating materials and since they are bulky they not only increase the weight of a door structure but also occupy considerable space within the door provided for insulating material. Since these wood frames are ordinarily located along the peripheral edges of refrigerator cabinet doors the food compartment of a cabinet is not sufficiently insulated in the immediate vicinity of the sides of the access opening thereof. It is preferable therefore to eliminate wood frame structures from refrigerator cabinet door constructlons.

It is one of the objects of my invention to provide an improved refrigerator cabinet door construction which is of light weight and highly efficient for insulating the opening adapted to be closed thereby.

Another object of my invention is to provide an insulated refrigerator cabinet door which is devoid of a wood frame and which has inner and outer metallic Wall panels held together against twisting or mjsalignment relative to one another by improved means.

A further object of my invention is to provide an improved refrigerator cabinet door in which substantially the entire portion or chamber between the exterior walls thereof can be lled with highly eflicient insulating material.

In carrying out the foregoing objects, it is a still further and more specific object of my invention to more effectively insulate a refrigerator cabinet door particularly along the peripheral edges thereof.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description', reference being had to the accom- 1937, Serial No. 171,749

panying drawings wherein a preferred form of the present invention is clearly shown.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a refrigerator cabinet having a door construction in accordance with my invention mounted thereon;

Fig. 2 is a vertical enlarged sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1' showing the improved refrigerator cabinet door more in detail;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal enlarged sectional view of the improved door taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. l;

Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view of the outer metal door pan of theimproved door showing a portion of the door reinforcing means therein; and

Fig. 5 is a detail sectional "view taken .on the line 5--5 of Fig. 3.

Referring to the. drawings, for illustrating my invention, I have shown a refrigerator cabinet generally represented by the reference numeral I0 and having metal inner and outer walls Il and I2 with insulating material I4 disposed therebetween bounding the food storage compartment i5. The walls ii and l2 are provided with 5 registering apertures, the edges of which are connected by insulating members I6 forming wall portions of an opening or neck Il providing access to compartment l5. The food compartment access opening l1 is normally closed by a door, generally represented by the reference character I8, pivotally mounted upon cabinet l0 by hinges I9. A latch mechanism 2li of any suitable or conventional construction well-known to those skilled in the art and having a portion thereof carried by the door I8 is provided to maintain the door in closed position.

The refrigerator cabinet door i8 of the present invention comprises an outer substantially flat metal wall, pan or panel 2| and an inner sub- 40 stantially flat metal wall, pan or panel 22 s iced apart and having any suitable or desirable insulating material 23, such, for example, as a loose type having no appreciable structural strength, disposed therebetween. The vertical cross-sectional contour of wall 2| is straight or flat as illustrated in Fig. 2 of the drawings, while the horizontal cross-sectional contourl thereof is curved as shown in Fig. 3 for the purpose of improving the appearance of the refrigerator cabinet. The door outer wall 2l is provided around its periphery with reversely bent fiange portions 24 terminating in-a'short angled edge portion or projections 26. A substantially rigid insulating collar 21 extends around the peripheral 2 edge of the door I8 and is secured, by screws 26, to the short edge portion or projections 26 of pan 2|. This collar 21 has a lip extension 25 formed integrally with a rubber strip 3| clamped between the same and the edge 26 of pan 2|. A plurality of metal clip members 32 are secured to collar 21, in spaced apart relation around the door, by rivets 33. The clips 32 are bent inwardly and then outwardly to provide a pocketlike portion 34 therein. Clip members 32 terminate in a straight portion 35 which forms a backing for the inner door wall or pan 22 and the pan 22 is secured to this portion 35 of the clip members by screws 36. The rubber trim molding or breaker strip 3| extends entirely across the insulating collar 21 and has one of its edges terminating with a hollow flexible bead 36 which abuts the reversely bent flange portion 24 of pan 2| and is adapted to engage the front wall |2 of cabinet I0 to provide a seal for preventing the escape of cold air from the food storage compartment I5. The opposite edge of rubber strip 3| terminates in an enlarged portion 39 fitted within the pocket portion 34 of the clip members 32. A reversely bent edge portion 4| provided on the inner door wall or pan 22 abuts the head 39 on the rubber member 3| when pan 22 is clamped to clips 32 by the screws 36. Thus, it will be seen that the door pans 2| and 22 are rigidly maintained in spaced apart relation to one another. The walls 2| and 22 and their connecting means form an outer shell structure for door |6 providing a chamber in which the insulating material 23 is located.

I have described the outer walls or peripheral shell construction of dooi` i8, but it is to be understood that the door requires further elements of construction to increase the structural strength thereof and to maintain the metal walls 2| and 22 in. parallel relation. with one another. Since it is preferable to coat the door outer metal wall or pan 2| with a vitreous enamel, such as porcelain, which is baked thereon, this wall or pan 2|, due to its contour, usually warps out of its original shape or form during heating thereof to bake the enamel finish or coating thereon. Therefore, it is necessary to spring the door pan 2| back into its original shape, after heating and baking the enamel finish thereon, and to provide means for checking the twisting torsion of the pan and for maintaining same in its original shape, This means in the presentdisclosure is in the form of a torque tube device and includes a pair of substantially U- shaped in cross section metal strips 44 which are of a predetermined width to cause the leg portions thereof to nt snugly within the space provided between the portion of flange 24 that is parallel with the outer wall of door pan 2| and the inner surf-ace of this pan. Therefore, one of the U-shaped metal strips 44 is located within door pan 2| and extends along the top of the door I8 while the other of the metal strips 44 is located within the door pan 2| and extends along the bottom of the door. The torque tube device heretofore mentioned also includes a hollow metal tube 45 which has its one end 46 welded or otherwise suitably secured to the upper of the metal U-shaped strips 44. A somewhat larger diametered hollow metal tube 41 has its one end 48 welded or brazed tc the lower of the metal strips 4. The other end of the smaller diametered tube 45 is telescoped into and rigidly secured to the other end 52 of the larger diametered tube 41. The U-shaped metal strips 44 and the

tubes

45 and 41 secured thereto are placed within the pan 2| after the enamel finish has been baked on the door pan 2|, with the tubes freely telescoped together and movable relative to one another. The door pan 2| is then sprung from its warped shape into its original predetermined substantially fiat shape whereupon the ends 5| and 52 of the

metal tubes

45 and 41 respectively are welded or brazed together as indicated at 53. The

tubes

45 and 41 are preferably located at the vertical center of door pan 2| and the securing of these tubes together against movement relative to one another in the manner described maintains the door pan 2| in its original predetermined fiat shape. Thus the means herein described and comprising

tubes

45, 41 and strips 44 insures proper alignment of the door I8 with the access opening |1 of the food storage compartment I5 of cabinet I0.

The upper tube 45 has a metal piece 55 secured thereto, as at 56. This metal piece 55 extends horizontally from tube 45 (see Fig. 3) along the wall 2| to a point closely adjacent a peripheral edge of door |8 and is corrugated, as at 51, (see Fig. 5) for structural strength. A flat metal backing piece 58 is secured to the metal piece 55 to further increase the structural strength of same. A fiat end portion 59 of metal piece 55 forms a rigid support for a wood block 6| upon which the door latch mechanism 2U is mounted. Thus, while the door construction I8 is devoid of a wood frame structure, the metal piece 55 serves to provide a rigid mounting for the latch mechanism 2U to thereby conceal a portion of the latch mechanism within the walls of door |8.

It will be seen from the foregoing that I have provided an improved refrigerator cabinet dooi` construction which is oi. light weight, strong and durable, economical to manufacture and of incr'eased insulating characteristics. 'My im proved door construction permits substantially the entire chamber between the shell structure thereof to be occupied by highly efficient insulating material. The improved means for increasing the structural strength of the door maintains parts of the door in alignment with one another and provides a construction which, after being -aligned with the food compartment door or access opening, properly seals the opening at all times. By eliminating the wood frame structure from the door herein disclosed, the peripheral edges of the door can be insulated with an insulating material that possesses higher and more efficient insulating properties to thereby effectively insulate the food compartment around the sides of the access opening thereof. My improved insulated door structure therefore substantially prevents condensation of moisture on the exterior of the refrigerator cabinet and particularly in the vicinity of the food compartment access opening. Since the improved door is of light weight, wear of the hinges is materially reduced to thereby provide for the proper alignment of the door with the food compartment opening at all times.

While the form of embodiment of the present invention as herein disclosed constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted, al1 coming within the scope of the claims which follow.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. A frameless door for closing an opening in a wall of a cabinet comprising, a shell structure including a metal member forming one facethereof, a member forming another face of the shell structure door, means for securing said door facing members together in spaced apart relation to provide a chamber therebetween, insulating material within said chamber, said insulating material extending from the inner surface of one edge to the inner surface of an opposed edge of said door shell structure to insulate said door continuously throughout the cross sectional area of said chamber, said metal member having a portion directed inwardly from the outer extremities thereof and extending in a single plane entirely around the door, said portion of said metal member forming a shoulder extending continuously around the door and adapted to face the cabinet for registration with the wall thereof having the opening therein to be closed by said door, and a substantially I-shaped torque tube device located within said door shell structure for preventing twisting thereof and having portions engaging said metal member to maintain its shoulder forming portion in its single plane of extension around said door.

2. A frameless door for closing an opening in a, wall of a cabinet comprising, a shell structure including a relatively shallow metal pan-like member forming the outer face thereof, a mem-v ber forming the inner face of the shell structure door, means for securing said door facing mem,- bers together in spaced apart relation to provide a chamber therebetween, insulating material of a type having no appreciable structural strength disposed within said chamber, said insulating material extending from-the inner surface of one edge to the inner surface of an opposed edge of said door shell structure to insulate said door con tinuously throughout the cross sectional area of said chamber, said metal pan-like member of said door shell structure having a reversely bent flange portion directed inwardly from the outer extremities thereof and extending in a single plane entirely around the door, said reversely bent flange portion of said metal pan-like member forming a shoulder extending continuously around the door and adapted to face the cabinet for registration with the wall thereof having the opening therein to be closed by said door, and a substantially I-shaped torque tube device located within said door shell structure for preventing twisting thereof and having portions engaging said metal pan-like member to maintain its shoulder forming portion in its single plane of extension around said door.

3. A frameless door for closing an opening in a wall of a cabinet comprising, a metal member forming one face of said door, a member forming another face of the door, means for securing said door facing members together in spaced apart relation to provide a chamber therebetween, insulating material within said chamber, said metal member having a portion directed inwardly from the outer extremities thereof and extending in a single plane entirely around the door, said portion of said metal member forming a shoulder extending continuously around the door and adapted to face the cabinet for registration with the wall thereof having the opening therein to be closed by said door, and means for preventing twisting of said metal member to maintain said shoulder forming portion thereof in its single plane of extension around said door, said means comprising a'rigid element having a portion extending along opposed edges of the door and any member having a portion directed inwardly from the outer extremities thereof and extending in a single plane entirely around the door, said portion of said metal member forming a shoulder extending continuously around the door and adapted to face the cabinet for registration with the wall thereof having the opening therein to be closed by said door, and means for preventing twisting of said metal member to maintain said shoulder forming portion thereof in its single plane of extension around said door, said means comprising a rigid metal element having a portion extending along the opposed top and bottom edges of the door and another integral portion thereof extending between said opposed edges substantially centrally of the door.

5. A frameless door for closing an opening in a wall of a cabinet comprising, a metal member forming one face of said door, a member forming another face of the door, means for securing said door facing members together in spaced apart relation to provide a chamber therebetween, insulating material within said chamber, said metal member having a portion directed inwardly from the outer extremities thereof and .extending in a single plane entirely around the door, said portion of said metal member forming a shoulder extending continuously around the door and adapted to face the cabinet for registration with the wall thereof having the opening therein to be closed by said door, and means for preventing twisting of said metal member to maintain said shoulder forming portion thereof in its single plane of extension around said door, said means comprising a metal element having a portion extending along opposed edges of the door and a tubular portion rigidly secured to said first named portion thereof extending between said opposed edges substantially centrally of the door.

6. A frameless door for closing an opening in a wall of a cabinet comprising, a relatively shallow metal pan-like member forming the outer.

face of said door, a member forming the inner face of the door, means for securing said door facing members together in spaced apart relation to provide a chamber therebetween, insulating material within said chamber, said metal pan-like member having a reversely bent flange portion directed inwardly from the outer extremities thereof and extending in a single plane entirely around the door, said reversely bent ange portion of said metal pan-like member forming a shoulder extending continuously around the door and adapted to face the cabinet for registration with the wall thereof having the opening therein to be closed by said door, and means for preventing twisting of said metal pan-like member to maintain said shoulder forming flange portion thereof in its single plane of extension around said door, said means being disposed within said door and comprising a rigid element having a portion engaging said flange portion of said metal pan-*like member along two opposed edges of the door and another portion extending between and connecting the-portions thereof engaging the flange portion of said pan-like member.

7. A frameless door for closing an opening in a wall of a cabinet comprising, a relatively shallow metal pan-like member forming the outer face of said door, a member forming the inner face of the door, means for securing said door facing members together in spaced apart relation to provide a chamber therebetween, insulating material within said chamber, said metal pan-like member having a reversely bent flange portion directed inwardly from the outer extremities thereof and extending in a single plane entirely around the door, said reversely bent flange portion of said metal pan-like member forming a shoulder extending continuously around the door and adapted to face the cabinet for registration with the wall thereof having the opening therein t-o be closed by said door, and means for preventing twisting of said metal pan-like member to maintain said shoulder forming flange portion thereof in its single plane of extension around said door, said means being disposed within said door and comprising a rigid metal element having a portion engaging said flange portion of said metal pan-like member along the opposed top and bottomedges ot the door and anothervportion extending between and connecting the portions thereof engaging the flange portion of said panlike member.

8. A irameless door for closing an opening in a wall of a cabinet comprising, a relatively shallow metal pan-like member forming the outer face of said door, a member forming the inner face of the door, means for securing said door facing members together in spaced apart relation to provide a chamber therebetween, insulating material within said chamber, said metal panlike member having a reversely bent flange portion directed inwardly from the outer extremities thereof and extending in a single plane entirely around the door, said reversely bent flange portion of said metal pan-like member forming a shoulder extending continuously around the door and adapted to face the cabinet for registration with the wall thereof having the opening therein to be closed by said door, and means for preventing twisting vof said metal pan-like member to maintain said shoulder forming flange portion thereof in its single plane of extension around said door, said means being disposed within said door and comprising a metal element having a rigid portion engaging said flange portion of said metal pan-like member along two opposed edges of the door and another tubular portion extending between and connecting the rigid portions thereof engaging the flange portion of said pan-like member.

EDMUND F.' SCHWELLER.