Maytag Corporation

Douglas A Heims

David Allen Stauffer

Sheldon Wayne Mandel

Lawrence J Ertz

Jose G Avendano

Gerald L Wolanin

Walter I Disbennett

Warren F Johnson

Robert A Christenson

Thomas J Haenisch

A dispenser assembly for a refrigerator includes a fill chamber and a dispenser housing positioned above the fill chamber. The dispenser is fed by a liquid supply line having a first end portion attached to a liquid source, a second end portion and an intermediate portion. The second end portion of the liquid supply line terminates at the dispenser housing above the fill chamber and is provided with a nozzle held in place by a clamp. The clamp is fixedly secured to the liquid supply line and includes a protrusion that engages a wall member on the dispenser housing to properly position the second end of the liquid supply line above the fill chamber.

Water line retaining element for a refrigerator dispenser

Combined ice and water dispenser facade for a refrigerator

A vertically adjustable wheel assembly for movably supporting an appliance cabinet or the like upon a supporting surface includes a housing, a supporting bracket, a wheel unit, an adjusting rod, an adjusting screw and various elongated mounting members. The wheel unit is defined by a pair of spaced rollers that are interconnected by a reduced diametric portion. The wheel unit is rotatably attached to the support bracket by an axle member, while the adjusting rod is also mounted for rotary movement by the support bracket. The support bracket is pivotally mounted to the housing, with both the wheel unit and the adjusting rod being permitted to rotate relative thereto. The adjusting screw extends through a frontal portion of the housing and it is threadably connected to the adjusting rod such that rotation of the screw causes pivoting of the support bracket relative to the housing and movement of the wheel assembly between fully extended and fully retracted positions. With the rollers of the wheel unit being laterally spaced, the adjusting screw is permitted to extend between the rollers when the adjustable wheel assembly assumes the retracted position. The arrangement represents an extremely compact vertically adjustable wheel assembly that can be advantageously preassembled and attached to a refrigerator cabinet or the like as a unit.

Vertically adjustable wheel assembly

A bin for a cabinet is supported by an upper supporting structure for movement between a first position wherein the bin is recessed within the cabinet and a second position wherein the bin is shifted relative to the upper supporting structure in order to access a storage zone of the bin. As the bin is shifted to the second position, at least one projection provided on the bottom of the bin engages a lower supporting structure to relieve stresses on the upper supporting structure. In the preferred embodiment, the bin is mounted in a refrigerator cabinet and a floor of a cabinet liner defines the lower supporting structure. The upper supporting structure is secured to sides of the liner and further engages a ledge integrally formed with the liner. In addition, the bin preferably slides and pivots downwardly upon shifting to the second position in order to maximize the access opening to the storage zone.

Storage bin supporting system

A refrigerator compressor mounting pan arrangement is preferably formed out of a metal plate which is drawn to form a pair of laterally spaced wheel wells that project upwardly from an upper surface of the plate. On the lower surface of the plate, on opposing side of each wheel well, are recessed pocket portions which define enlarged areas against which wheel axles can bear. A plurality of spaced tabs are lanced out of the plate adjacent each pocket such that, when a wheel having an associated axle is positioned in the well the axle bearing against the pockets, the tabs may be readily bent about the axle to retain the axle in a desired load bearing position. A plurality of additional tabs are lanced out of the plate and project upwardly from the upper surface of the plate in order to enable a compressor and a condenser to be readily secured atop the plate.

Refrigerator compressor mounting pan arrangement

A retainer assembly for preventing tall food containers placed on a shelf of a refrigerator door liner from falling off the shelf when the refrigerator door is abruptly opened or closed includes a retainer member in the form of an elongated rod or bar that includes an intermediate portion and bent end sections and a retainer element. Each of the bent end sections includes an out-turned terminal end that is pivotally connected to the dike portion of the inner liner. The retainer element preferably comprises a block that defines various spaced grooves or recesses. The retainer element is attached to a sidewall of the dike portion with the various grooves being spaced vertically. With this arrangement, the retainer member can be rotated into an in-use condition wherein it is maintained at a selected height by engagement with a predetermined groove of the retainer element and a non-use condition wherein the retainer member is rotated relative to the shelf to a position wherein the retainer member permits unobstructed access to and removal of food containers placed on the shelf.

Growing community of inventors

Cedar Rapids, IA, United States of America

Douglas A Heims