White Consolidated Industries, Inc.

David J Donaghy

Rick L Gunderson

Harold S Mawby

Marvin L Spohn

Ace Fairchild

Thomas Frost

An improved handle assembly for a refrigerator door including a mounting button secured to a face of the refrigerator door, a mounting block secured to a first or lower end of a door handle, and a mounting bracket integrally formed with a second or top end of the door handle. The mounting block and mounting button cooperate to provide a dovetail-type connection wherein the first end of the refrigerator door handle is slidably secured to a face of the refrigerator door without any exposed mechanical connection. The mounting bracket includes openings through which screws may be inserted to secure the second end of the door handle to a top surface of the refrigerator door.

Dovetail refrigerator door handle lock

An insulated door for use in a refrigerator having an ice and water through the door dispenser is made by attaching a liner for housing the dispenser on the rear face of the door in line with a front opening. The liner is secured to the door as are the hinge bearings and a tube extends between the liner and the lower hinge bearing for conducting electrical wires and a water tube. The only opening in the liner is at a point to receive ice cubes from the dispenser in the refrigerator and this opening is covered prior to foaming. The door is placed in a foaming fixture which completely enclosed and supports the door and the liner and foam is injected so that the foam, when expanded and hardened, completely covers the rear face of the door. After the door is removed from the foaming fixture, the thin layer of foam at the inlet opening is cut away and the door is completed by adding the liner and the gaskets and other hardware as well as the dispensing unit itself.

Refrigerator door construction

A mullion mounted door hinge assembly for pivotally guiding upper and lower doors of a refrigerator. The hinge assembly includes a bracket which slidably accepts a generally cylindrical hinge pin. The hinge pin has a larger diameter center section and a pair of relatively smaller diameter end sections. Each of the end sections of the hinge pin extend into an accommodating opening in the upper or lower doors. The upper door is supported on an upwardly directed surface of the center section. A downwardly directed surface of the center section is supported by the lower door. A substantial portion of the weight of the upper door is transferred to the lower door and supported by the lower hinge means. A second preferred embodiment provides a stop means which engages a stop surface at a desired angular opening of the upper door of a refrigerator. The stop means includes a resilient terminal portion which deforms when the force thereon exceeds a predetermined threshold level to allow the upper door to open beyond the desired angular opening. The predetermined threshold level is determined by the amount of force which the hinge can sustain.

Door hinge assembly

A crisper drawer support shelf for refrigerators assembled from four components. The assembly includes a molded plastic, generally rectangular frame having a tunnel along the front edge thereof. An extruded aluminum I-beam is press-fitted into the tunnel to provide strength along the front edge of the shelf. A transparent cover member is positioned within an opening defined by the frame. A sheet metal trim strip is snapped into its mounted position across the front of the shelf. The assembly can be installed as a unit. The I-beam provides sufficient strength to support crisper drawers carried by the support shelf.

Support shelf for crisper drawers in refrigerators

A hinged door panel for refrigerators and freezers includes a rectangular shell having hinge bearing members mounted on each corner. Each hinge bearing defines a generally cylindrical opening proportioned to receive a hinge pin of a hinge mounted on the main cabinet of the refrigerator or freezer. The inner walls of the hinge pins are formed with a plurality of vent openings which allow gases to escape during the foaming of the insulation. The vent passages are sized so that they freely pass the gases and air contained within the cavity during the foaming but prevent insulating material from entering the hinge pin passage.

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Gowen, MI, United States of America

David J Donaghy