US3122796A - Refrigerator door including latch supporting means - Google Patents

Description

March 3, 1964 5, WOOLLEY 3,122,796

REFRIGERATOR DOOR INCLUDING LATCH SUPPORTING MEANS Filed NOV. 15, 1962 INVENTOR. SAMUEL J. wooLLEY H as ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,122 796 REFRIGEEATGR DOGil INCLUDING LATCH SUPPGRTEIG NEEANS Samuel 5. Woolley, Louisville, Ky, assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Filed Nov. 13, 1962, Ser. No. 237,166 3 Claims. (ill. 29-35) The present invention relates to refrigerator cabinets and is more particularly concerned with an improved means for supporting a mechanical latch on an insulated refrigerator door.

The doors for household refrigerators normally comprise spaced inner and outer door panels, a layer of heat insulation between the panels and a latch along the free or latch side of the door for cooperation with a strike mounted on the cabinet face for holding the door closed. The outer door panel is usually made of sheet metal While the inner panel is composed of a heat insulating material such as a sheet plastic material. The latch is normally attached to the metal outer panel. In recent years improved insulating materials and the availability of thinner sheet metal for the outer door panels has resulted in doors which are of relatively light construction. Even though the modern mechanical latches have much smaller latching forces than the older refrigerator door latches, the mounting of one of these latches on the present type of door has presented a number of problems. When the latch is attached only to a limited area on the outer panel, the latch load is limited to or concentrated on that area. As a result the latch is usually attached to the reinforced or flanged periphery of the door or reinforcing means has been included for strengthening the door outer panel in the latch area.

The present invention has as one object the provision of a low cost means for supporting a door latch on a refrigerator door which means provides considerable freedom with regards to the positioning of the latch on the door.

Another object of the invention is to provide a latch mounting means for a refrigerator door which is designed to distribute the latching forces over a wide area of the door structure.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved latch mounting means for refrigerator doors whereby the latch can be mounted within the space between the inner and outer door panels without the need for special means for separating the latch mechanism from the door insulation.

Another object of the invention is to provide supporting means for supporting a latch on a refrigerator door and spaced from the edge thereof, which means does not require any special reinforcement of the door in the latch area.

Further objects and advantages of the 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 accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a refrigerator door in cluding spaced inner and outer panels fastened together along the edges thereof and a layer of compressible insulation in contact vith the outer door panel. A latch having most of its operating mechanism positioned in the space between the inner and outer panels is secured to the door by a support means including a base portion overlying the layer of insulation between the panels. The latch is mounted on this base portion intermediate the ends thereof and the support means is secured only at one end thereof to the outer door panel adjacent the free edge of the door. In order to distribute the latching 3,122,795 Patented Mar. 3, 196 s ice loads over a substantial area of the door, a portion of the support means removed from the secured end thereof is arranged to be supported by but not secured to an area or areas of one or both panels. The support means includes at least one portion spaced from the end of the support means fastened to the outer panel which extends into the layer of insulation into supporting relationship with the inner surface of the outer panel. Preferably also the support means includes another portion engaging the inner panel. By this construction, the latch forces existing during closing of the door are transmitted to the outer panel through the one end of the support fastened thereto and through the unsecured portion of the support means supported by that panel. The latch forces arising during opening of the door are transferred to the outer door panel through the fixed connection of the support means to the outer panel and to the inner panel through the portion thereof contacting the inner panel.

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

FEGURE 1 is a horizontal sectional view of a portion of a refrigerator cabinet embodying the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a view taken generally along line 2-2 of FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 3 is a view taken along line 3-3 of FIG- URE 2, the insulation shown in FIGURE 1 being omitted from the views in FIGURES 2 and 3.

With reference to FEGURE 1 there is shown a portion of a household refrigerator including a cabinet 1 defining a storage compartment 2 having an access opening at the front thereof closed by an insulated door 3, one edge of which is shown. It is to be understood that the door is hinged to the face of the cabinet along the opposite edge (not shown) for the usual opening and closing movement.

The door 3 comprises an outer door panel 9 formed of sheet metal and an inner panel 19 which is spaced from the outer panel 9 with most of this space being filled by a suitable heat insulating material such as a layer of glass fiber insulation 11. In accordance with the usual practice the outer panel has its peripheral edges reverse bent or Wrapped around to form a strengthening channel including a rearwardly extending portion 12. and an inwardly extending flange 14-. The peripheral edge of the inner panel 16 along with a sealing gasket 15 is secured to the flange 14.

For hol ing the door in a closed position, there is provided a latch generally indicated by the numeral 4 which is mounted on the door and which cooperates with a strike 5 mounted in the recess 6 in the cabinet face. The latch 4, the detailed construction of which does not form any part of the present invention, is of the usual overcenter type which automatically latches or unlatches when the door is opened and closed. Briefly it comprises a latch arm 7 and an over-center mechanism 8 adapted to hold the latch arm 7 in either of its two operative positions.

Most of the latch 4 is mounted within the space between the irmer and outer panels 9 and it? with only a portion of the latch arm "7 extending through an opening 16 in the inner panel for operative engagement with the strike 5 when the door is in a closed position.

In accordance with the present invention, the latch 4 is supported in this position by a bracket or support means generally indicated by the numeral 17. This support means includes a generally rectangular base 18 and the latch 4 is secured to the base portion 18 intermediate the ends thereof by means of a plurality of rivets 19. One end 2% of the base portion 18 is secured to the inner surface of the flange 14 by means of screws 21 extending through the flange threadably engaging the base portion 18 in such a position that the latch 4 is operatively positioned rela- 3 tive to the strike 5. In assembly of the door, the latch and latch supporting means 17 are fastened to the outer door panel 9 after the layer of insulating material 11 is placed in the outer door panel but prior to the attachment of the inner door panel it to the outer door panel 9. The base 1 of the support means l7 then overlies, the layer of insulation ii and is generally separated from the outer panel 9 by that insulation;

For the purpose of distributing the latching forces to areas of the inner and outer panels 9 and lit spaced from the flange 14, the bracket 17 includes one or more pertions engaging, but not directly attached thereto, the outer and inner panels 9 and it). In the preferred embodiment of the invention as illustrated, the free end portion 23 of the support means 1'7 is formed so that when the inner panel id is secured to the outer panel 9, this end portion 23 will provide a substantial area in contact with the inner surface of the inner panel 1d. The purpose of this bearing surface is to transmit some of the latching forces to the inner panel during opening of the door and the unlatching of the latch 4 from the strike 5. Thus when the door is opened and the latch moved to its open position, the opening forces are transmitted both to the outer panel flan es 14 and to the area of the inner panel 18 contacted by the end portion 23 of the support means l7. For additional load distribution or as an alternate area of contact, the base portion 13 of the support means may be formed between the latch 4- and the secured end 2%) so as to provide a bearing area 25 adapted to engage a portion of the inner door adjacent the edge thereof.

For the purpose of distributing some of the closing latching forces, which are sometimes larger than the opening forces, through an area of the outer panel 9 spaced from the flange 14, the support means 17 is provided with one or more legs 28 which are in supporting relationship with the area of the outer panel spaced from the flange 14. In the illustrated support means, two such legs are employed and they more specifically are preferably arranged directly beneath a portion of the latch mechanism ,4 or'between the point at which the latch mechanism t is secured to the support means 17 and the free end 23 of the support means. These legs 28 are relatively narrow and spaced apart so that during positioning of the support means 17 relative to the outer panel 9, the legs 28 will penetrate the insulation and at least partially compress some of the insulating material 11 to form a compressed layer of insulating material indicated by the numeral 29 between the bottom edges of the legs 28 and the inner surface of the panel 9. This layer of compressed insulating material helps to absorb some of the latching forces and also acts as a sound dampening means between the latch support 17 and the metal outer panel 9.

From the above description it will be seen that there has been provided a latch support means which permits the mounting of the latch a substantial distance from the edge of the door. For heat insulating purposes the supporting means 17 is preferably composed of a plastic material such as polystyrene since it is desirable to avoid any metallic heat path between the outer panel 9 and the inner panel ill. The support means may be of any desired size but preferably the base portion 18 is of sufficient size to prevent the insulating material 11 from coming into contact with the latch operating mechanism. The base portion 18 of the support means 17 may also be of any desired length in order to proportion the latching forces between the end of the support which is secured to the flange 14 and those portions of the support Which are in contact either with the outer panel 9 or the inner panel 18. The latch support means is of simple design and is adapted of use in connection with a number of existing doors since it can be readily mounted on the usual peripheral flange of the door and suitably shaped to provide the desired point or points of support with the outer and inner door panels? Except for'the means for attaching the support to the flange 14, no other fastening deans are required for supporting the latch relative to the door.

While there has been shown and described what is presently considered to be a preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the invention and it is, therefore, intended by the appended claims to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

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

1. In combination, a door including spaced inner and outer panels fastened together along the edges thereof, a layer of glass fiber insulation in contact with said outer panel, a latch, a support means of plastic material for upportin said latch within said space between said panels, said support means including a base portion overlying said layer of insulation, said latch being mounted on said'base portion, means securing one end of said support means to said outer panel adjacent an edge thereof, said support means including a first portion adjacent the other end of said support means contacting said inner panel and at least one leg spaced from said one end and extending into said layer of insulation into supporting relationship with said outer panel.

2. In combination, a door including spaced inner and outer panels fastened together along the edges thereof, a layer of compressible insulation between said panels and in contact with said outer panel, a latch, a support means of plastic material for supporting said latch within said space between said panels, said support means including a base portion overlying said layer of insulation, said latch being mounted on said base portion intermediate the ends thereof, means securing one end of said support means to said outer panel adjacent an edge thereofjssaid support means including a portion adjacent the other eff thereof en aging said inner panel, said support means also including a pair of legs spaced from said one end and from one another and extending through said layer of insulation into supporting relationship with said outer panel, a portion of said insulation being compressed between said legs and said outer panel.

3. In combination, a door including spaced inner and outer panels fastened together along the edges thereof, a layer of compressible insulation between said panels and in contact with said outer panel, a latch, a support means of plastic material for supporting said latch within said space between said insulation and said inner panel, said support means including a base portion overlying said layer of insulation, said latch being mounted on said base portion on the opposite side from said insulation and intermediate the ends of said base portion, means securing one end of said support means to said outer panel adjacent an edge thereof, said support means including a first portion between said one end and said latch engaging said inner panel and a second portion adjacent the other end of said support means contacting said inner panel, said support means also including at least one leg spaced from said one end and extending into and compressing said layer of insulation into supporting relationship with said outer panel.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

Claims (1)

1. IN COMBINATION, A DOOR INCLUDING SPACED INNER AND OUTER PANELS FASTENED TOGETHER ALONG THE EDGES THEREOF, A LAYER OF GLASS FIBER INSULATION IN CONTACT WITH SAID OUTER PANEL, A LATCH, A SUPPORT MEANS OF PLASTIC MATERIAL FOR SUPPORTING SAID LATCH WITHIN AND SPACE BETWEEN SAID PANELS, SAID SUPPORT MEANS INCLUDING A BASE PORTION OVERLYING SAID LAYER OF INSULATION, SAID LATCH BEING MOUNTED ON SAID BASE PORTION, MEANS SECURING ONE END OF SAID SUPPORT MEANS TO SAID OUTER PANEL ADJACENT AN EDGE THEREOF, SAID SUPPORT MEANS INCLUDING A FIRST PORTION ADJACENT THE OTHER END OF SAID SUPPORT MEANS CONTACTING SAID INNER PANEL AND AT LEAST ONE LEG SPACED FROM SAID ONE END AND EXTENDING INTO SAID LAYER OF INSULATION INTO SUPPORTING RELATIONSHIP WITH SAID OUTER PANEL.

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