US3408772A

US3408772A - Gasket for a multiple door cabinet

Info

Publication number: US3408772A
Application number: US604099A
Authority: US
Inventors: Walter C Frehse
Original assignee: General Tire and Rubber Co
Current assignee: Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings Inc
Priority date: 1966-11-18
Filing date: 1966-11-18
Publication date: 1968-11-05
Anticipated expiration: 1985-11-05

Description

W. C. FREHSE Nov. 5, 1968 GASKET FOR A MULTIPLE DOOR CABINET 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 18, 1966 FIG. I

wmwwwg FIG. 3

INVENTOR WALTER C. FREHSE ATTORNEYS Nov. 5, 1968 w. c. FREHSE 3,408,772

GASKET FOR A MULTIPLE DOOR CABINET Filed Nov. l8, 1965 1 9 H0 H2 0 I00 I 9 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 lie MATE- f C. fqz-f/(se INVENTOR ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,408,772 GASKET FOR A MULTIPLE DOOR CABINET Walter C. Frehse, Evansville, Ind., assignor to The General Tire & Rubber Company, a corporation of Ohio Continuation-impart of application Ser. No. 464,483, June 16, 1965. This application Nov. 18, 1966, Ser. No. 604,099

7 Claims. (Cl. 49-366) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This application is a continuation-in-part of an earlier patent application, Ser. No. 464,483 filed by the present inventor on June 16, 1965 now abandoned.

Background In recent years it has become a common practice in the manufacture of enclosures such as refrigerators to utilize the benefits of a permanent magnet to retain the door, coextensive and covering the access opening of the enclosure, in a closed position. In the case of refrigerators, this approach has been necessitated at least in part by the fact that the doors have previously been provided with mechanical latches which could only be opened from the outside of the cabinet. This occasionally resulted in tragedies wherein children became trapped inside the enclosure and were suffocated because of their inability to open the door from within.

Recently a method has been devised for extruding magnetic material into long flexible strips, said strips generally comprising a finely divided magnetizable substance such as barium ferrite dispersed in a suitable resinous binder such as polyvinyl chloride or chlorosulfonate polyethylene. Flexible magnetic strips of this type were adapted for use as door closures by inserting them into appropriate channels of flexible gaskets, which gaskets were then attached to the door and were adapted to contact the metal frame of the cabinet to effect a seal, the magnetic strip being magnetically attracted to said frame.

Contemporary cabinet designs have lead to the production of refrigerators and the like having two doors instead of one, these doors generally being hinged at opposite sides of the refrigerator so as to open away from one another. A center mullion consisting of a rigid vertical support normally divides the access opening into two parts. The doors are adapted to close against this mullion.

One object of the present invention is to provide a door gasket which allows for the elimination of the center mullion.

Another object is to provide a magnetic gasket strip for use on a door, such as a refrigerator door, which permits the door to be sealingly engaged with a second door.

Still another object is a door gasket which provides a seal between two doors, adjacent to one another when closed, and which holds one door in the closed position while the other is opened. independently thereof.

A further object of this invention is to provide gasket means for both doors of a refrigerator constructed without the use of a center mullion, said gasket means adapted 3,408,772 Patented Nov. 5, 1968 to compensate for variations in the dimensional spacing between the two doors.

Yet another object is to provide an elongated flexible elastomeric strip secured to a first door and adapted to effect a seal with the frame of a cabinet and with a corresponding strip on a second door, when both doors are closed, said strip including a first portion for attaching the strip to the first door at the side of the door opposite its hinges, a second portion connected to and spaced apart from said first portion and adapted to be magnetically attracted to the frame of the cabinet when closed, and a third portion adapted to co-act in cooperative relationship with a similar portion of said corresponding strip on the second door to provide a seal between the two doors.

These and other objects will become apparent from the following description, appropriate references being made to the attached drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 represents a frontal plane view of a twodoor cabinet, such as a refrigerator, with the doors closed;

FIGURE 2 represents a cross section of the two closed doors, taken along lines 22 of FIGURE 1, utilizing a gasket of novel configuration on each door to maintain a continual seal between said doors;

FIGURE 3 shows a cross section taken along lines 33 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged View showing the arrangement of the poles of the triangular magnets used in the gaskets of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 5 is a cross section showing an alternate embodiment of the novel gasket;

FIGURE 6 is a partial view of the gaskets shown in FIGURE 5 but in abutting relationship, as when the doors are both closed;

FIGURE 7 shows another variation of the gasket, installed on the doors of a cabinet;

FIGURE 8 relates to a further modification'wherein the co-acting portions of the respective gaskets overlap one another when the doors are closed;

FIGURE 9 is a partial view of the gaskets shown in FIGURE 8 as one of the doors is being opened and the magnetic strips are about to repel one another;

FIGURE 10 shows the doors opened sufiiciently to separate the gaskets;

FIGURE 11 is an enlarged cross section of the overlapping triangular magnets used in the gasket of FIG- URE 8 showing the polar arrangement;

FIGURE 12 shows a gasket similar to that of FIGURE 2 and provided with lateral adjustment means; and

FIGURE 13 ShOWs a gasket of the snap-in type and slotted in such a manner so as to allow for dimensional variations of the space between the doors of the refrigerator or other cabinet.

Summary of the invention In general this invention relates to a gasket useful in applications wherein a cabinet,'such as a refrigerator cabinet, is provided with two doors which swing open in opposite directions and which When closed having opposing edges which are adjacent to one another. Reference will be made throughout the description to the use of this novel type of gasket in refrigerators, it being understood, however, that the invention is likewise applicable to other types of cabinets provided with two doors which, when closed, have their edges opposite the hinges or pivot points closely adjacent to one another. Each gasket includes a base portion provided with meansfor securing the gasket to the door and first and second magnetic means normally spaced from said base portion and from one another and adapted respectively toabut the frame of the refrigerator when the door is closed and to Description the drawings Referring to the drawings, FIGURE 1 shows a cabinet 1 which is completely enclosed on all sides except the front wherein an access opening is provided and wherein two

doors

2, 3 are arranged to close said opening, The refrigerator is provided with an outer shell, generally of metal, and an inner liner spaced apart from the outer shell, the space between the two generally being filled with a thermal insulation material such as polyurethane foam. The two doors closing off the front access opening are attached to the cabinet by suitable hinges at the sides, or at the top and bottom of the cabinet. Suitable handles 4, 5 on the doors permit each door, independently of the other, to be opened. The doors, when closed, abut against the frame 6 (shown in outline) joining the inner liner of the refrigerator with the outer shell. Generally each door is provided, along the top, bottom, and hinged side thereof with a soft hollow or cellular gasket adapted to sealingly engage the frame 6 around the refrigerator. Each door is also provided with a novel gasket on its leading edge opposite the hinges, which gasket is adapted to sealingly engage the corresponding gasket on the other door, and also to engage the cabinet frame 6.

An enlarged partial cross section of the refrigerator cabinet, including one embodiment of the novel gasket of this invention, is shown in FIGURE 2. The doors of the cabinet are composed of an outer shell 7, 8 preferably metal, and an

inner liner

9, 10 preferably plastic, fixedly attached thereto by appropriate means. The space between the outer shell and inner liner is filled with a suitable insulating material 11, 12. Gasket 13 is attached to the left-hand door 2 by suitable means, and in like manner gasket 14 is attached to the righthand door 3. For

simplification, the same numbers will be used to identify the corresponding parts of

gaskets

13 and 14.

This gasket is composed of three basic component parts; a relatively thick but flexible flat base portion 27, a first, thin, hollow refrigerator engaging portion 15 connected to said base portion by two thin ribs 20, and a second, thin, hollow portion 16 attached to said first hollow portion by web 23 and to said base portion by web 22.

Leg 17, generally parallel to base portion 27 and connected thereto by web 24, is positioned between the outer shell 7 and the inner liner 9 of the door and is secured thereto by suitable means such as screws 18. After installation of the gasket, the screws are effectively hidden from view by the overlying base portion 27.

The hollow refrigerator engaging portion 15 has a rectangular cross section into which are inserted two short strips of flexible magnetic tape 19 separated by a spacer. The tapes are located so as to contact the frame 6 of the refrigerator when the door is closed. The two arcuate supporting ribs 20 permit movement of the refrigerator engaging portion 15 respectively toward and away from the base portion when the door is closed and opened.

The second hollow portion 16 of the gasket is triangular in shape and is adapted to receive a triangular strip of magnetic tape 21 therein. When the doors are closed, the respective triangular portions of the two gaskets are in abutting contact with one another, a tight seal being provided along the entire length of the doors by the mutual attraction of the two magnetic strips.

For added strength, the base portion 27, the leg 17, and web 24 of the gaskets are substantially thicker than the

hollow channels

15, 16 and the connecting webs 20, 22. The dimensions can be varied to some extent, however, depending upon the particular design parameters involved.

-The relative position and polarity of the triangular magnets, when the doors are closed, are shown in FIG- URE 4. From this it can be seen that the mutually adjacent portions of the magnets are of opposite polarity and are therefore attracted toone another. However, as one door is pulled open, the contacting surface of one gasket initially slides over the surface of the other until the similar poles of the two magnets approach and repel one another, whereupon the seal between the doors is broken. Likewise, when one door is being closed, the magnets are initially repelled to prevent one gasket from jamming up against the other, and to reduce the abrasive action of one gasket rubbing against the other until the door is almost completely closed at which point the opposite poles of the magnets will be sufliciently close to one another to be attracted together, thereby sealing the space between the two doors. As shown, the magnets 21 are both right triangular in shape, with their abutting surfaces forming one leg of the triangle along a line which is generally normal to the plane of the door. The other leg is generally flush with the front of the cabinet.

FIGURE 3 shows the lower poi-tion of one of the gaskets of FIGURE 2 spliced to a gasket of the type that is used on the other three sides of the door, referred to as a universal gasket. The gasket 13 is in contact with the frame 6 of the refrigerator cabinet and is held in position thereagainst by the magnetic attraction between the short rectangular magnetic strip 19 and the metal frame. A solid spacer 25 occupies the remainder of the gasket channel serving to maintain the two short magnetic strips 19 in their relative positions at the top and bottom of the gasket and to retain the shape of the channel throughout its length. Separated from the strip 19 by a thin flexible web 23 is the triangular magnetic strip 21 which is attracted to the similarly disposed strip contained in the gasket mounted in the other door as previously explained.

The gasket 13 is cut to length, and is spliced or otherwise connected to a conventional gasket 26. As shown in FIGURE 3, both gaskets 13 and 26 are cut at a angle and are spliced together. However, the method of cutting the respective angles, and the process of splicing are well-known procedures and constitute no part of the present invention. This gasket 26, and the corresponding gasket running along the top of the door, generally contain a magnetic strip which is attracted 'to the frame of the refrigerator thereby forming a seal at the top and bottom. In like manner, the gasket on the hinge side of the door may contain a magnetic strip adapted to engage the frame along that side.

Referring now to FIGURE 5, there is shown one modification of this novel gasket wherein provision is made for slight variations in the spacings between the two doors attached to the cabinet. The numerical designation of the portions of the left-hand gasket 51 will again be applicable to the right-hand gasket 52. Each gasket has a relatively flat base 54 and a curved portion 55 connecting the base with leg 53, generally parallel to said base. Spaced apart from the base 54 and attached thereto by a thin flexible web 56 is a first channel 57 in which two spaced-apart flexible magnetic strips 58 are located. These magnetic strips are adapted to be magnetically attracted to the frame 60 of the refrigerator and are held in position within the channel by a suitable nonmagnetic spacer. Connected to the base 54 by a short web 61 and spaced from channel 57 by a relatively thin web 62 is a second channel 63. Three sides of the channel are straight whereas the fourth side facing the other door is convexly bowed. This bowed portion is adapted to contact a similarly disposed bowed portion of gasket 52. In channel 6 3 is a flexible magnetic strip 64 of generally U-shaped configuration, the base of the magnetic strip facing the bowed portion of the channel and the two legs extending away therefrom. The U-shaped magnet requires less material, and is therefore less expensive than an equivalent rectangular magnet of the size ordinarily used in a channel of this size.

When both doors are closed, the respective channels 63 of the two

gaskets

51 and 52 are in mutually engaging relationship as shown in FIGURE 6, causing each of the curved portions to be substantially flattened. This brings the magnets 64 close enough to one another so that their mutual magnetic attraction provides a continuous seal along the length of the two gaskets. When one of the doors is open as shown in FIGURE 4, the bowed portion 65 of channel 63- assumes its normal unstressed shape.

Because of the flexibility of the curved portions of the channels 63 and the fact that these channels are larger than the magnetic strips, the distance between the doors can be subject to slight variations without adversely affecting the seal between the gaskets. Accordingly, the magnets 64 can move laterally toward or away from one another within their respective channels to compensate for these variations and to form a continuous contact surface between the gaskets. This permits the mass production of refrigerators and doors wherein there is likely to be variations in the spacings of the doors from one refrigerator to the next.

Referring now to FIGURE 7, there is shown another modification of this invention wherein both of the magnetic strips of each gasket are rectangular in shape. Shown in the figure are two doors 101 and a cabinet frame 100, a seal being maintained between both doors and the cabinet by gaskets 102. Each gasket has a relatively thick flat base 103 and an anchor portion 104 whereby the gasket is attached to the door with an appropriate retainer strip 105 and screws 106. Attached to and spaced from the base 103 by two relatively thin flexible ribs 107 is a channel 108 of rectangular cross section in which is provided two relatively short magnetic strips 109 at the top and bottom thereof, which strips are adapted to hold the door against the frame 100 of the refrigerator cabinet, and which are preferably separated by a suitable nonmagnetic spacer.

Another rectangular channel 111 is connected to the first channel by a first flexible rib 110 and to the base 103 by a second flexible rib 113-. A rectangular flexible magnet 112 is disposed within and extends the entire length of said second channel 111. This magnet is adapted to be attracted to the corresponding magnet in the other door thereby effecting a tight seal when both doors are closed. The poles of the magnets are arranged so that the polarity of the two magnetic strips are opposite to one another at their mutually adjacent points when both of the doors are closed. This provides for the action hereinbefore described wherein opening of one door is initially resisted by the mutual attraction of the two magnets until the magnet disposed in the door being opened moves far enough to reach a point wherein its polarity is the same as that of the portion of the magnet immediately opposite it, whereupon the two gaskets are repelled from the other and the door is opened. Upon closing the door, the same action occurs in reverse, i.e., the magnets are initially repelled from one another, thereby keeping the gaskets apart until the door is almost completely closed whereupon the magnets are attracted to one another. The contact surface between the two gaskets is normally perpendicular to the plane of the two doors.

Another modification is shown in FIGURES 8, 9, 10, and 11 wherein the mutually engaging magnetic strips of the respective gaskets overlap one another when both doors are closed. Like numbers are again used in the diagrams to represent similar parts of both baskets, with the exception that the over-lapping portions of the righthand gasket 172 are given a prime designation to differentiate them from the corresponding portions of the left-hand gasket 170. Referring now to FIGURE 8, there is shown two doors 151 in a closed position against the frame 152 of a refrigerator cabinet or the like. The edges 153 of the doors define a space therebetween. Mounted on the left-hand door is a gasket 170, and mounted on the right-hand door is a similar gasket 172. Each gasket is provided with a relatively flat thick base 154 and an anchor portion 155 attached to the base by an intermediate rib 156. The anchor portion is adapted to fit in a recess 157 in the door and is held in place by a rigid sealing strip 158 secured to the door by screws 159. Spaced apart from the base 154 and connected thereto by two relatively thin arcuate ribs 160 is a channel 161 of rectangular cross section. Flexible magnets 162 are inserted at the top and bottom of this channel, which magnets are adapted to engage the frame 152 of the refrigerator against which the door closes. Non-magnetic spacer inserts are placed between the two relatively short magentic strips within the channel to maintain the spacing between the two.

A right triangular channel 165, is connected to the rectangular channel 161 by a thin flexible rib 163, 163' and is attached to the base 154 by a

second rib

164, 164. Disposed within, and extending the full length of, each triangular channel is a triangular magnetic strip 166, 166'.

FIGURE 11 is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG- URE 8 showing the salient features of the triangular channels and

magnets

166, 166 disposed therein. Each channel comprises a right triangle having a long leg 167, 167', a

short leg

169, 169, and a

hypotenuse

168, 168. Each of the triangular magnets 166, 166' is magnetized so that the two edges of the

short leg

169, 169 are of similar polarity (N) whereas the apex 173, 173' formed by the intersection between the long leg and hypotenuse has a polarity (S) which is opposite to that of the aforementioned two edges. Regardless of the sequence used to open and close the doors, the apex 173, 173' of the triangular magnets will always assume a position near, and be attracted to, the

short leg

169, 169 of the other magnet.

As represented in FIGURES 8 and 11, both doors are shown in the closed position, with the left-hand door having been closed subsequent to the right-hand door. The long leg 167 of the right-hand gasket is positioned flush with the frame of the refrigerator cabinet, and is substantially co-planar with the web 163' and one side of channel 162. From the apex 173', the hypotenuse 168 and web 164 extend diagonally toward the base 154 of the gasket and intersect it in the region of the intermediate rib 156.

The long leg 167 of gasket 170 is disposed alongside of the hypotenuse 168 of gasket 172 and is held thereto by the mutual attraction of the two triangular magnets 166, 166'.

Webs

163 and 164 are folded slightly as a result of the channel 165 being bent out of its normal position.

If the left-hand door is opened, the triangular magnets are pulled apart from one another in normal fashion. If the right-hand door, however, is first opened, the side 168 of the gasket 172 engaging the corresponding side 167 of the other gasket 170 slides, as shown in FIGURE 9, until the two apexes 173, 173', having the same polarity, are sufficiently close to repel one another and to break the seal. Thereafter, the

webs

163, 164 supporting the channel 165 will straighten out causing the triangular portion of the left-hand gasket to assume its normal position as shown in FIGURE 10. Upon closing the righthand door 151, the respective positions of the triangular magnets will then be reversed from that shown in FIG- URE 8. Thus it can be seen that either door may be opened independently of the other, but when both doors are closed, an effective seal is provided by the combined effect of the overlapping of the triangular channels and the mutual attraction of the magnets contained therein.

Although the overlapping portions of the respective gaskets are shown in FIGURES 8 through 11 as being triangular in cross section, it should be understood that they may assume other shapes as well. Their shape will generally determine how they are to be positioned so as to overlap and be magnetically attracted to one another.

The manner of supporting them will be dependent upon their position as well as the amount and direction of flexural movement which is necessary to permit either door to be opened and closed as desired. Accordingly, the number, position, and thickness of the webs supporting each of the overlapping portions and connecting it to the other parts of the gasket are parameters which can be varied without deviation from the scope of the invention.

Referring now to FIGURE 12, there is shown a gasket 200 similar to that described in FIGURE 2 including a base portion 201, a first magnet-receiving channel 202 with a magnet strip 203 disposed therein, and a second channel 204 with a triangular magnetic strip 205 therein. This gasket is preferably attached to the door in the same manner as that previously described for the other embodiments of this invention. It is adapted to abut the frame 207 of a cabinet and to contact an identical gasket 212 disposed on the other door. This second gasket 212 is provided with a triangular magnetic strip 214 in a channel 216 adapted to be magnetically attracted to the corresponding strip in the first gasket 200.

The first channel 202 is connected to the base portion 201 by a pair of thin flexible ribs 206, and the second channel 204 is attached by web 208 to said base portion. A generally V-shaped web 210 interconnects said first and second channels forming a longitudinally extending groove 222. This groove permits movement of the first and second magnet containing channels toward or away from one another to compensate for normal variations in the dimensions of the refrigerator or other cabinet. By

irrespective of the distance between the doors and the variations in said distance from one unit to the next.

The gasket shown in FIGURE 13 differs from those previously described in the respect that it is adapted to be snapped into place within a suitable channel formed in the frame of the door. This gasket 250 contains a base portion 251 to which is adhesively attached a retainer tab 252. This retainer tab is preferably composed of a relatively rigid material, and can be adhered to the softer portion of the gasket by use of a suitable adhesive, but is preferably produced as an integral part of the gasket by a process known as dual durometer extrusion. A first channel 254 is connected to the base portion by a pair of

ribs

256, 258, a magnetic strip 260 being disposed in this channel. A second magnetic strip 262 is disposed within channel 261 and is adapted to be attracted to a similar magnetic strip mounted within a similar channel of the comparable gasket 275 attached to the other door. A conduit 264 is positioned contiguous to and immediately below channel 261 and is adapted to receive an electrical heater wire 266. A heater wire of this type is commonly used with refrigerator gaskets to prevent the formation of condensate around the edge of the refrigerator door. A slot 268, formed between the two

magnetic strips

260 and 262, and a second slot 270 intermediate the conduit 264 and base portion 251 serve to permit the portion of the gasket containing the second magnetic strip 262 to move toward or away from the first strip 260 to allow for variations in the spacing between the refrigerator doors. The use of two slots 268, 270 rather than one as in FIGURE 12 insures a parallel movement of the magnetic strip 262 toward or away from the magnetic strip 260. It is understood, of course, that the gasket 275 on the other door is preferably similar in construction to gasket 250. They are both adapted to contact the frame 280 of the refrigerator or other cabinet when the doors are closed.

The majority of sealing gaskets presently being used are made of plasticized polyvinylchloride. This material has been found to be suitable for gaskets because of its low cost, the fact that it can be easily colored and pigmented, and its ability to be extruded in intricate shapes and thin cross sections. However, other pliable elastomeric materials such as copolymers of vinyl chloride and vinyl acetate, polyethylene and polyurethane as well as other extrudable or moldable materials can be'used in producing the gaskets of this invention. In addition to these elastomers various synthetic rubbers may be used; however, they suffer the shortcoming that they normally tend to be too elastic and resilient for gasket applications.

A permanent flexible magnet of the type shown and described in US. 2,959,832 to Max Baermanu has been found to be eminently suitable in practicing the teachings of this invention. In producing such a magnet, a finely divided permanent magnetizable material such as ironbarium-oxide orbismuth manganese is thoroughly mixed with a non-magnetic flexible hinder, the weight ratio of magnetic material to non-magnetic material being as high as 9 to 1. This uniform mixture can be readily extruded into strips of infinite length, having a cross-sectional dimension of, for example, 4-millimeters by 8 millimeters. After extruding, the strip is cooled and is then passed through a magnetizing device preferably of the capacitordischarge type whereupon the strip is magnetized. The poles of the magnetizing device can be arranged in any suitable manner so as to provide the magnetic strip with pole characteristics suitable for the teachings of the present invention.

The flexible magnetic strip is cut into finite lengths and is inserted into the appropriate channels of the gasket. In the case of the magnetic strips adapted to contact the flanges of the refrigerator cabinet, a suitable inexpensive non-magnetic spacer is used intermediate the ends of the gasket to reduce the overall cost of the assembly.

A common problem with refrigerator gaskets, particularly around the freezer compartment, has been the tendency for condensation to collect and freeze on the exposed surface of the gasket. Various methods have been devised to overcome this problem, including the use of heater wires within the gasket near the exposed surface there-of to maintain the proper temperature and to prevent the accumulation of moisture. It should be understood that any of these various methods can be used with the gaskets of the present invention without affecting the inventive merits thereof.

Various modifications can be made in the design of the gaskets as well as the shape and arrangement of the different portions thereof without departing from the novel aspects of this invention. For example, the size and shape of the various magnets as well :as their physical properties, such as coercivity and polarity, can be varied. Also, the size, flexibility, and number of the webs used to connect the various parts of the gasket to one another can be altered. Furthermore, the invention can be used with self-locking gaskets, snap-in gaskets, etc. As stated before, the contemplated use of these novel gaskets is not limited to refrigerators, but covers other applications wherein two doors are used to close off the access opening of a cabinet, container, or room.

The foregoing discussion has served to point out the essence of the invention, as well as the preferred manner in which it is to be carried out. However, other modifications and variations can be made without departing from the scope of the invention which is limited only by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a cabinet construction including two hinged doors adapted to sealingly engage one another and the cabinet when closed and to open in opposite directions from one another, the opening to said cabinet having no center mullion, an elongated flexible elastomeric sealing gasket adapted to be attached to each door to cooperatively engage a similar strip on the other door comprising:

(a) a relatively thick base portion including means for attaching the gasket to the door,

(b) a first channel held in spaced-apart relationship from said base portion by relatively thin web means,

(c) a short flexible permanent magnetic strip disposed within said channel at least at the top and the bottom of the door where the door contacts the frame of the cabinet,

(d) a second channel connected to said base portion and spaced from, said first channel by relatively thin Web means, said second channel extending, in respect to the base portion and the first channel, in the direction of the other door and being adapted to contact a similarly positioned channel comprising a portion of the gasket on said other door, and

(e) a flexible magnetic strip substantially coextensive in length with and disposed within said second chan nel and adapted to be magnetically attracted to and form a seal with a similar strip disposed within the corresponding channel of said other gasket.

2. The gasket of claim 1 wherein said second channel and the corresponding magnetic strip are triangular in cross section.

3. The gasket according to claim 2 wherein one leg of the triangle thus formed is perpendicular to the plane of the door and is adapted to be adjacent to and magnetically attractable to a similarly disposed leg of the magnetic strip comprising a portion of the gasket on the other door.

4. The gasket of claim 2 wherein said second channel and magnetic strip are adapted to overlap the similarly disposed channel and strip on the other door, and to be magnetically attracted thereto.

5. A gasket of the type adapted to be mounted along the leading edge of a door for a cabinet and to seal against a similar gasket disposed on a second door wherein said doors are hinged so as to pivotally open away from one another, said gasket composed of:

(a) a base portion including means for mounting the gasket on the door, and

(b) a pair of channels connected to said base portion,

(l) The first channel spaced from said base portion, adapted to engage the frame of the cabinet when the door is closed and containing magnetic means in at least the frame engaging portions, and

(2) a second channel joined to but spaced from said first channel and containing a length of flexible magnetic material adapted to be mag netically attracted to a similar length disposed within the corresponding channel of the other gasket.

6. The gasket according to claim 5 wherein the first channel is connected to each of the base portion and the second channel by at least one thin flexible web.

7. A gasket according to claim 6 wherein the thin flexible web interconnecting said first channel and said second channel forms an expansion groove, said groove permitting lateral movement of said second channel away from said first channel and into magnetically attractable contact with the corresponding channel of the similar gasket mounted on the other door when said doors are closed, said groove further permitting variations in the spacing between said first and second channels to accommodate slight diflerences that might exist in the spacing between the doors of one cabinet and the next.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,825,940 3/1958 Kurtz 49-366 2,659,118 11/1953 Anderson et al. 49-478 2,855,639 10/1958 Korb 49-478 3,004,309 10/ 1961 Korodi 49-478 3,077,644 2/1963 Kesling 49-366' 3,161,925 12/1964 Bertalini 49-368 3,216,776 11/1965 Carbary 49-478 3,248,159 4/1966 Hall 49-478 X DAVID J. WILLIAMOWSKY, Primary Examiner. J. K. BELL, Assistant Examiner.