US2582038A

US2582038A - Drip tray guide wire and stop arrangement

Info

Publication number: US2582038A
Application number: US103404A
Authority: US
Inventors: William R Jewell
Original assignee: General Electric Co
Current assignee: General Electric Co
Priority date: 1949-07-07
Filing date: 1949-07-07
Publication date: 1952-01-08
Anticipated expiration: 1969-01-08

Description

Jan. 8, 1952 w. R. JEWELL DRIP TRAY GUIDE WIRE AND STOP ARRANGEMENT Filed July '7, 1949 His Attorney.

Inventor- WiI Ham R. Jewell,

Patented Jan. 8, 1952 :J..DBIB:TRAYGIJIDE w'mrmmiis'rorz ARRANGEMENT x 'WilliamaR: :JewellfiEx-ie Pazsassignoi-rto General? Electrio' Gnmpany a cornoratiomofi-New York;

-- ApplicationJuly-Z1949;Seria31NmT03AM:

inventioir=-re1ates=to="refrigerator r cabinets and in particular te" =d'ripa trays for evaporators thereof:

Householdrefrigerators of the -present:- day usually"eontainv an: evaporating unit-that withdraws heat from the-refrigerator cabinet. *In.'1the course-for time;;frost accumulates :on=ithe::evaporating unit'," rcutting "down' the heat transier rate'from'. the:ain"withim the cabinettoatheevaporator. -'Due :to'rthe:accumulation of i irosti-itis. necessary: periodically-ate defrost'rthe evaporator unit. itOTk81lF thevrefrigerator operatingefiectively. ;.A' -'drip trayeis usually pIaced;=-beneath an2revaporator: zunitrxtoa coilectiuany 1 water ithat mightzdriptherefromrand; tintpa-rtieular; 1130- catch all 'the" water that zdrips therefrom: duping: aidefrostmeriod.

investigation; has shown :that sthelzrefrigerator user will vsonietimeswmsert; a drip: tray atian anglmrcausing tither-rean edges thereofztoiextend askewr o f'zthe axis; ofrflthezevaporatomunitsoiithat somezpof::theidefrest water: dpippingn fromzithe evapomtorz'isxnotzeaught zbyarthertrayz It:iszazr:object;.offrthiseinyentiomtmzpmvixieizan arrangement r101: eproperhuloeating: atidrip tray beneath cansevaporatomunit.

zItsiis aaiurtherrnbject:ofithisinvention: Win29,- videgzin; edditioneto .za'n;: axial locatingr:devicema convenient story that. aids; in: zproperlx; position-v an evanoretorrj unit;

ing: thee-drip $13367abeneath It: isv a 7 still qfurtheryobjectgzef mist-invention tonpnovide apparatus for, releasably retainin {a drip trayqebeneath; 1am aeuapora tori :u-nit; a; efrigeratorgeabinet.

, Considered. broadly, a thisinvention, 1 oompnises a device J01 neleasablxnpositioningt. a dripetray vbeneath an evaporatoraunit in anrzefri erator, assurin proper positioning ,of;v the drip; tra neath theevaporatorewhereby .alL, the; mate drips fromgthe evaporatormunitismeaught ifiiuhfl Referring:to therdrawingfig. 1 isa-front view of the upper interior portionjof; a refrigerator cabinet "showing-the location "ofthefdu my therein "and"Ffig-i; 2'*=is- "an-"enlarged perspective view-' 'of the-evaporator ofthe refrigerator withya drip tray positioned thereunder;

iaGlaimsxf (clean-1+3) i 2, -Referrhig "to-Fig. 1; a;- refrigerator eabinet l isprovided" with a storage-space zqin the uppei portionof-which there is located anevaporator unit- 3*having aF'dr-iptra'y d thereund'er.

I?he:evaporator-unit 3 (as'"sh0wn in"5Fig% Zil is" ofaconventional designhaving a p'aino'f verti'al side waqls 5; a bottom 6 and a frozen foodstorage space T.

A- p-airof guide rails 8a; =8b are positioned be km: theevaporator unit to support the-' 'drip tray 4'. The guide -rai1s'-8a, "8b-may' be secured to adjoining shelves onto-"vertical walls 'of the i stor-'- "age cabineti depending upon 'thelocation- 0f theevaiJorator-unit. In the-arrangement shown; one of the guide-rails fl'a-is' secured to an adjoining shelf 9 in a conventional-*mannenthei'sheIf 'ahd'igui'de -railbeing supported-at thefro'nt ed'ge by a bracket 1'0 which 'joins a eorner-= 9w" ofthe shelf 'S and the wall- 5 .of 'the' evaporatoru'nitl The other 'raii'ab'is secured to the inner wan- I of the refrigerator abinetby* anwsuitablemeans; rwwriile 1guid'e- -rails 8a, 8b ade'qu'ately u port the-drip tray 4;" a oertain "degrees of 'oareand attention is necessary in'" o'rderproperly to pd sition thef'drip tray 4=beneath the -evaporator unit-'3. 'I-t" has--been"found, however;-' that hy adding a-gui'de -braeket' ljl' to-each guide raif and using in: combination with this ;=-'braeket a properly construeted drip tray 7 4. the correct "it: cation-of the'-d1' '-ip-=tray is meohahioa'llyassured; I-he braekets n each comprise a Si-ngIe pieCE longitudinally disposed -herizontar portion 5; a

' rearwardly declined-- portion-16} a seoond 'trans- "of e flange 225M guide raiI-Baandthe'portio 4, The axially disposed horizontal; portion! 'f verse-horizonta1 per-eon 1 T eed a vertica l por eon la;

The vertial portionl as long' enough to -pro vide' a securing section -I'-3a 'wherebybn end hf the bracket 2 is' secured to the rail- 8a "in an? suitable mannen as by welding. 'The't'ransverse horizontal portion" 14 extends from the top of vertical member le} toward" the vertioa1-axia1 plane 'of the evaporator *unitwdistance great enough-=to allow -the side I 9 of 'dripgtray [to be received thereunder. The bottom v of -the- ,'horim e rfie l' fi ip one b v is dei'i o guide rail; 'Ba by a; distanoe' slightly less than ithe vertical depth gf-end' wall 2| ofjdrip' lfayi lJilfh'e drip-tray 4 'is' thus positioned 'betweenthe' top braoket 12 isat right angles to' the planeformed clined portion 16 to vertical member I3. The

latter member is parallel to vertical member 13 and includes a portion I811 for securing it to the guide rail 8a as by welding. The combination of rearwardly declined portion l6, horizontal portion l1 and vertical portion l8 provides a wide-mouthed entrance to the guidebracket which facilitates locating the side 19 of drip tray 4 between the vertical members l3, M ami the horizontal portion l5 of the guide bracket.

3 Thedrip; tray 4, which may be made-of. any suitable-material, has parallel sides I9, l9a each provided with a centrally located elevated portion 23. The portions 23 slide along the inner edge 24 of each axially disposed horizontal portion l5 of the guide brackets and are guided ,thereby.- The horizontal portion l5 of guide bracket l2 cooperates with vertical sides 20 of guide rails 8a, 81). Thus, horizontal portion and vertical side of guide rails 8a, 8b limit transverse motion of drip tray 4. The portions- 23 each are provided with two shoulders 25, 26

which limit the extent of axial insertion of drip tray 4 into the refrigerator cabinet 2; the shoulders 25 or 26 engaging the horizontal portion l4 of support bracket l2 limit rearward motion of the drip tray. .Since portion 23 is centrally located along the side l9, [9a, shoulders 25, 26

assure that, no matter which end of the drip tray is inserted into the refrigerator cabinet, the tray is still properly positioned. v

In the operation of the subject apparatus,

assuming that the drip tray has been removed from the refrigerator cabinet, either end of the tray-4 is rested on the flange portion 22 of the tance between the bottom of portion l5 and the vtop edge of vertical sides 20 ,of guide rail 8a is less than the height of the sides [9, [9a or ends 21, 2 la of the tray so that the tray cannot slide over the tops of sides 2!! of the guide rails and askew positioning of the tray is prevented. With continued axial movement of the drip tray towards the rear of the refrigerator, shoulders 25 of elevated portions 23 slide between the horizontal portions l5 of the support brackets and sides 20, 2llc of guide rails 8a, 8b; ultimately, shoulders 25 of portions 23 strike the horizontal portion I4 of the guide bracket to prevent further axial movement of the tray.

It isto be noted that no matter which end of the drip tray 4 is first insertedinto the refrigerator-cabinet, the action v of the guide bracket on the drip tray in combination with the support of guide rails 8a and 8b is the same, assuring that there is always proper alignment of the drip tray the evaporator unit within the refrigerator 4 storage space. With the drip tray located in this manner, the catching of all water from the evaporator unit is assured.

Modifications of this invention will occur to those skilled in the art and it is desired to be understood, therefore, that this invention is not to be limited to the particular arrangement disclosed, but that the appended claims are meant to cover all the modifications within-the spirit and scope of this invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by ,Letters Patent of the United States is:

i 1. In a refrigerator cabinet having an evaporator therein, a drip tray having parallel sides each having a centrally located elevated portion and means for positioning and supporting said drip tray beneath said evaporator comprising, a pair of guide rails positioned below said evaporator, a guide bracket formed from a single piece of wire rigidly secured to each of said guide rails, each of said guide brackets comprising longitudinally spaced Vertical portions, the front one of said vertical portions extending above said guide rail a greater distance than 'the'rear one, transverse horizontal portions extending respectively from each of said vertical portions, said horizontal portions being, parallel and of. substantially equal length and extending toward the corre-v sponding part of the other of said guide brackets, a rearwardly declined portion connected to the front one of said transverse horizontal portions, a longitudinally disposed horizontal portion connecting said rearwardly declined portion to the other of said transverse horizontal portions, said front transverse horizontal portion and said front vertical portion and said rearwardly declined portion forming a wide-mouthed guide wire structureto facilitate the inserting and positioning of, said drip tray in said guide brackets.

2. In a refrigerator cabinet having an evaporator therein, a drip tray having parallel sides each having a centrally located elevated portion and means for positioning and axially guidingsaid drip tray beneath said evaporator comprising, a pair of guide rails having side members positioned below said evaporator, a guide bracket formed from a single piece of wire rigidly secured to each of said guide rails, each of said guide brackets comprising longitudinally spaced Ver tical portions, the front one of said vertical por tions extending above said guide rail a greater distance than the rear one, transverse horizontal portions extending respectively from eachbf said vertical portions, said horizontal-portions being parallel and of equal length and extending toward the coresponding part of the other of said 3. In a refrigerator cabinet having'an evaporator therein, a drip tray having parallel sides eachhaving a centrally located elevated portion and means for positioning and limiting theaxial insertion of said drip tray beneath said evaporator comprising, a, pair of guide rails positioned belowjsaid evaporator, a guide bracket formed from a single piece of wire rigidly secured to each of said guide rails, each of said guide brackets comprising longitudinally spaced vertical portions, the front one of said vertical portions extending above said guide rail a greater distance than the rear one, transverse horizontal portions extending respectively from each of said vertical portions, said horizontal portions being parallel and of equal length and extending toward the corresponding part of the other of said guide brackets, a. rearwardly declined portion connected to the'front one of said transverse horizontal portions, a longitudinally disposed horizontal portion connecting said declined portion to the other of said transverse horizontal portions, all of said portions cooperating to form a guide and positioning arrangement to facilitate the inserting and positioning of said drip tray in said guide brackets and said rear horizontal portions of said guide brackets cooperating with said elevated portions on said drip tray to limit the axial insertion of said drip tray into said refrigerator cabinet.

4. In a refrigerator cabinet having an evaporator therein, a drip tray having parallel sides each having a centrally located elevated portion and means for positioning and axially guiding said drip tray beneath said evaporator comprising, a pair of guide rails having side members positioned below-said evaporator, a guide bracket formed from a single piece of wire rigidly secured to each of said guide rails, each of said guide brackets comprising longitudinally spaced vertical portions, the front one of said vertical portions extending above said guide rail; a greater distance than the rear one, transverse horizontal portions extending respectively from each of said vertical portions, said horizontal portions being parallel and of equal length and extending toward the coresponding part of the other of said guide brackets, a rearwardly declined portion connected to the front one of said transverse horizontal portions, a longitudinally disposed horizontal portion connecting said declined portion to the rear transverse horizontal portion, said rear transverse portion and said declined portion being so formed as to position said longitudinally disposed horizontal portion above the supporting portion of said guide rails a distance less than the height of said drip' tray including the corresponding elevated 1 portion WILLIAM R. JEWELL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,798,875 Geimer Mar. 31, 1931 2,298,052 Harbison Oct. 6, 1942