Ardco, Inc.

Gerald J Bockwinkel

Francis M Niekrasz

Melvin C Kaspar

Melvin C Kasper

A refrigerator door assembly having a thermally efficient door mounting frame which includes a forward structural frame member mounted within the opening of a refrigerator cabinet for providing an attractive finished appearance for the frame, a separate rear structural frame member for establishing a door closure sealing surface against which doors of the assembly close and which may be made of less expensive and/or less heat conductive material than the forward structural frame member, and a flexible plastic barrier sheet interposed between the forward and rear structural members for thermally insulating the structural members from each other. Stitch like connections are formed from adjacent connecting flanges of the forward and rear structural members together without substantial contact therebetween. Various magnetically attractable sealing strip arrangements are disclosed that are adapted for use in low temperature refrigeration units without condensation or frost build up.

Refrigerator door assembly with multiple gasket sealing arrangement

A refrigerator door assembly having a thermally efficient door mounting frame which includes a forward structural frame member mounted within the opening of a refrigerator cabinet for providing an attractive finished appearance for the frame, a separate rear structural frame member for establishing a door closure sealing surface against which doors of the assembly close and which may be made of less expensive and/or less heat conductive material than the forward structural frame member, and a flexible plastic barrier sheet interposed between the forward and rear structural members for thermally insulating the structural members from each other. Stitch like connections are formed from adjacent connecting flanges of the forward and rear structural members for rigidly coupling the structural members together without substantial contact therebetween. Various magnetically attractable sealing strip arrangements are disclosed that are adapted for use in low temperature refrigeration units without condensation or frost build up.

Refrigerator door assembly with thermal break frame

A refrigerator door assembly comprising a plurality of insulated doors each mounted for pivotal swinging movement about a vertical axis. The insulated doors each comprise a plurality of glass panes disposed in side-by-side relation with a structural frame at least partially interposed and contained between the glass panes for maintaining the panes in parallel relation with the sealed air space therebetween and for supporting the door for swinging opening and closing movement, without the necessity for a separate outer load carrying support frame as conventionally required. Each door has a trim portion formed of a structural foam that has insulating qualities so as to eliminate the necessity for electrical heating of the door for condensation control, while at the same time enhancing the structural rigidity of the door assembly.

Pivotally mounted insulated glass door assembly with self-contained

A refrigerator door assembly comprising a plurality of insulated glass doors mounted in a cabinet frame for relative movement. The glass doors each includes an insulated glass unit having a plurality of glass panes disposed in side-by-side relation, a metal spacer interposed between adjacent of the panes for maintaining the panes in parallel relation with an air space therebetween, and a sealant about the periphery of the spacer for sealing the air space from the outside environment. An outer metal frame is disposed about the periphery of the glass unit, and rigid, non-metallic barrier members are interposed between the outer metal frame and the glass unit for retaining the glass unit within the outer metal frame and for forming a thermal insulating barrier between the outer metal frame and the glass unit and between the outer metal frame and the cabinet frame.

Refrigerator door with thermal insulated outer frame

A door assembly describing a stationary frame having doors mounted therein for relative translational movement. Each door includes a self-closing mechanism comprising a flexible tubular member affixed at one end to the frame and a follower secured to the other end of the tubular member for loose positioning in an active position adjacent a side of the door for urging the door in a closed position, and a self-opening means comprising a similar flexible tubular member affixed at one end to the frame and a follower secured to the other for loose positioning in an active position adjacent an opposite side of the door for urging the door to a fully open position. The self-closing and self-opening mechanisms both are adapted to be deactivated as an incident to positioning the door to respective locations within the mounting frame. The illustrated frame includes two telescopic inner fitting frame members that are adapted for mounting on variable thickness cabinet walls and which provide an inherent thermal barrier between the cabinet wall and the doors of the assembly.

Sliding door assembly

A refrigerator door construction including a mounting frame having at least one vertical mullion disposed between side members and interconnecting upper and lower members, at least a pair of reversible doors swingably mounted in the frame in selective left- and right-hand operating directions, hinge means for mounting the doors in the frame about a hinge axis disposed along one vertical edge of each of the doors. The doors each having a rearwardly facing recess adjacent the hinge axis substantially centrally between opposite ends of the door, handle means mounted on the other vertical edge of each of the doors substantially centrally between opposite ends thereof and electrical heater means in each of the doors having a flexible cord connected at one end thereto and having plug means at the other end disposed in the recess. Electrical socket means are mounted in the left and right vertical frame members substantially centrally between opposite ends thereof for receiving the plug means when the door hinge axis is disposed adjacent thereto, and selectively reversible electrical socket means are mounted in the mullion substantially between the ends thereof. The reversible socket means is eccentrically mounted in the mullion and is rotatable between positions left and right of the centerline of the mullion for selectively receiving the plug means when the door hinge axis is disposed adjacent the left and right edges of the mullion, respectively.

Growing community of inventors

Mundelein, IL, United States of America

Gerald J Bockwinkel