US2895780A - Strike mount for refrigerator cabinet - Google Patents

Description

July 21, 1959 J. B. HORVAY STRIKE MOUNT FOR REFRIGERATOR CABINET Filed Aug. 27, 1958 FIG?) INVENTOR.

J'ULU is B. HORVAY FIGZ H l5 ATTORNEY Julius B. Horvay, Louisville, Ky., assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application August 27, 1958, Serial No. 757,617

2 Claims. (Cl. 312-214) The present invention relates to a strike mount for a refrigerator cabinet latch and is more particularly concerned with a low heat conductivity strike mount adapted to be positioned between the inner and outer walls of the refrigerator cabinet.

It is a primary object of the present invention to provide a strong, low cost strike mount for mounting a strike between the inner and outer walls of a refrigerator cabinet in such a manner that heat transfer between the walls through the strike mount its held at a minimum.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds and the features of novelty which characterize the invention will be pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification.

In carrying out the objects of the present invention, there is provided a strike mount which is composed of metal for strength and low cost and which is designed for mounting a strike on a refrigerator cabinet having an access opening at the front thereof and comprising spaced inner and outer walls, the outer wall including a reinforcing channel section having front and rear flanges extending towards the inner wall adjacent the access opening. The strike mount of the present invention is in one piece and includes a body portion disposed between the inner and outer walls of the cabinet for supporting a strike. A first leg on one side of the body portion is secured to the inner wall by means of screws or the like. Additional legs in contact wtih but not secured to the rear surface of the front flange and the front surface of the rear flange take up the loads on the strike mount during opening and closing of the refrigerator cabinet door. As these points of contact between the strike mount and the outer walls of the refrigerator cabinet can be kept to a minimum because these legs are not secured to their respective flanges, the heat leakage through the metal strike support and the cost of providing such a support are low.

For a better understanding of the invention reference may be had to the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator cabinet incorporating the strike mount of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view, partially in section, of a portion of the cabinet of Fig. 1 illustrating the strike mount of the present invention; and

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

In Fig. 1 of the drawing there is shown a refrigerator including a cabinet 1 and a door 2 hinged on the front of the cabinet for closing the access opening thereto. The cabinet itself comprises spaced outer and inner walls 3 and 4, the space between these two walls generally being filled by a body of heat insulation (not shown).

For the purpose of strengthening the outer wall or shell in the ne1ghborhood of access opening there is provided a strengthening channel section formed by bending the material of the outer wall back upon itself and then inwardly to form a channel 5 including a front flange 6 and nited States. Patent a rear flange 7 which are spaced from one another and extend inwardly towards the inner wall 4. The inner wall 4 also has a strengthening flange 8 on the edge thereof adjacent the access opening and this flange extends generally outwardly towards the outer wall 3. A breaker strip 10 composed of heat insulating materials bridges the space between the outer and inner walls or more specifically between the inner edge 11 of the flange 6 and the portion of the liner 4 adjacent the flange 8.

For the purpose of holding the door in a closed position relative to the access opening to the cabinet, there is provided a latch and strike assembly including a latch 14 secured to the door and a strike 15 mounted on the cabinet between the inner and outer walls 3 and 4. The latch 14 which does not form part of the present invention preferably comprises a toggle member 16 adapted to engage the roller 18 forming part of the strike 15 for holding the door in a closed position.

In the usual refrigerator construction, the inner and outer walls 3 and 4 of the cabinet are composed of sheet metal or the like and it is, of course, highly desirable to keep to a minimum any heat leakage between the relatively Warm exterior wall 3 and the relatively cold inner wall or liner 4. Where no significant loading is involved, heat insulating material such as a plastic material can be employed. For example, the plastic breaker strip 16 for sealing the space between these walls solves the heat leakage problem as to this bridging member. However, where the part such as the strike mount is subjected to heavy or sharp imp-acts, metal must be used to provide the required strength even though the metal mount results in a bridging of the inner and outer walls by a high heat conductivity material thus causes significant heat leakage between these two walls adjacent the latch.

In accordance with the present invention, this heat leakage has been substantially reduced by an arrangement in which the metal strike mount is secured only to one of these Walls for the purpose of holding the strike in the desired vertical position and which is so constructed that it is merely in contact with, rather than fixedly secured to, the outer wall. As the points of contact between the srike mount and the outer wall can be held to a minimum, a material decrease in heat transfer from the inner wall to the outer wall of the cabinet can be obtained.

With reference to Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawing, the novel strike mount 21 of the present invention comprises a single piece metal member including a body portion 22 disposed between the outer and inner walls 3 and 4 and having at one end thereof a flange or leg 23 secured to the flange 8 of the inner wall 4 by means of screws 24. In order to keep the heat leakage through the metal strike mount 21 to a minimum, the mount is not fixedly secured to the outer wall 3 but rather there are provided a leg 26 having an end portion 27 on contact with the inner surface of the front flange 6 and one or more legs 29 in contact with but not secured to the front face of the rear flange 7.

By this arrangement it will be seen that while the screws 24 which fasten the mount 21 to the inner wall 4 maintain the mount and the strike 15 in operative position relative to the latch 14, the legs 26 and 29 have no supporting function but merely take up any forward or rearward load on the strike during opening or closing of the door 2. Therefore, the legs 26 and 29 can be rather loosely positioned between the flanges 6 and 7 and the overlap or contact between the legs 26 and 29 and the flanges 6 and 7 can be held to a minimum in order to limit the heat conduction between the outer Wall 3 and the strike mount 21 and hence the inner wall 4. In other words the floating legs 26 and 29 can be in contact with ator,

' therespectiveflanges 6 and 7 only to the extent-necessary to absorb the load on the strike during opening and closing of the door and since they are not rigidly or fixedly secured to the outer wall 3 these contacting areas can be held to the minimum for minimum heat transfer.

While there has beenshown a particular embodiment of the present invention'in connection with the refrigerit is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the particular construction. shown and described and it is intended by the appended claims to cover all modifications withintthe spiritand scope of the invention.

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

1. A metal strike mount-.formounting a strike-on a cabinet having an access, opening at 'the ifrontthereof and comprising spaced innera'nd outer walls, one of said walls including a channel sectionhaving frontand rear flanges extending towards the otherof said walls adjacent said access opening. said strikemount including a body portion disposed between said walls for supporting a strike, a first leg on one side .ofsaid body po'rtionand secured to said other wall, a second leg in contact with but 'not secured-to the rear surface of said front flange and a third leg in contact with but not secured to the I front surface of said rear flange.

body portion disposed between said walls for supporting a strike, a first legon one side of said body portion and fixedly secured to said other wall, a second leg in contact with but not secured to the rear surface of said front flange and-additional legs in contact with but not secured to the frontsurf ace of said rear flange.

References Cited in the file of this patent V UNITED SIA'I ES PATENTS 2,249,644 Anderson July 15, 1941 2,679,423 Anderson et al. May 25, 1954 2,736,596 Burke Feb. 28, 1956 2,849,250 Williamson Aug. 26, 1958

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