Donnelly Technology, Inc.

Donnelly Corporation

Gemtron Corporation

Robert S Herrmann

Edmund J Kane

Gregory T Wolters

Donald C Gilbert

Craig S Bienick

Kevin C Bird

Cleon C Morgan

Craig S Blenick

An apparatus for making an encapsulated shelf assembly includes a mold defining a mold cavity. A shelf panel and a shelf support bracket extend partially into the mold cavity. The shelf support bracket is spaced from the sides of the mold by the head of a post on one side and a nut on the other side. The post head and nut are partially encapsulated by a moldable material injected into the mold cavity. The nut and post head are removable from the mold cavity with the encapsulated shelf assembly.

Apparatus for making encapsulated shelf

A shelf assembly for a refrigerator compartment such as a refrigerator for food products includes a shelf member slidably supported for extension and retraction on a shelf support. The shelf member includes side members which are preferably molded as a rim on an article support surface from an ethylene-polypropylene copolymer and include slide surfaces engaging spaced, generally horizontal and parallel shelf support surfaces preferably formed by L-shaped brackets on the shelf support. A guide member depends from at least one, and preferably both, of the side members to guide the sliding movement. A stop on the guide member limits travel by engaging a limit surface on the shelf support. The guide member and stop may be molded integrally with the side members to define a molded slide channel or formed by a rigid insert embedded in the rim during molding. The method includes injecting the moldable around a rigid core positioned in a mold cavity and withdrawing the core after removing the molded rim to leave a slide channel in the rim.

Sliding refrigerator shelf assembly

An encapsulated shelf assembly has a shelf support supporting a panel. The panel has an edge and a one piece member encapsulates the panel edge and a substantial majority of the shelf support. The encapsulated shelf assembly may be formed in a mold apparatus which defines a mold cavity and uses a spacing plug to position the shelf support in a mold cavity of the mold apparatus in a location spaced from the sides of the mold cavity. A method of making the encapsulated shelf assembly includes providing a mold apparatus defining a mold cavity, providing and supporting a shelf panel in the mold apparatus with an edge of the panel extending into the cavity, providing and supporting a shelf support in the mold apparatus with a majority of the shelf support positioned in the mold cavity and spaced from the sides of the mold cavity, filling the mold cavity with a moldable material to encapsulate each of the majority of the shelf support and the edge of the shelf panel, and removing the encapsulated shelf assembly from the mold cavity.

Method for making encapsulated shelf

Method for making a sliding refrigerator shelf assembly

Encapsulated shelf for refrigerated compartments

An encapsulated shelf with pre-encapsulated bracket, and preferably adapted for use in refrigeration and/or freezer compartments, includes a glass or other panel supported by a support such as a bracket having a cover encapsulating a substantial majority thereof and a flange extending into and interconnecting with a rim formed separately from the panel and around an edge of the panel. The rim and cover preferably engage and cooperate with one another. A slide rail may be integrally formed in one piece with the encapsulating cover. The support includes holes extending through the support for mechanical interconnection with the rim and cover. The support may also be provided with a mounting portion adapted to couple with a refrigerator wall or the like at a variety of vertical locations. The rim may further define a spill dam to contain spills on the panel surface, while additional brackets or stiffeners may be included for extra wide shelves.

Encapsulated shelf with pre-encapsulated bracket

A molded refrigerator shelf useful for containment of spills on the shelf includes a shelf member with a rim molded around the perimeter edge of the shelf member to form a liquid tight seal between the rim and the shelf member. The molded rim projects above the top surface of the shelf member to form a liquid dam for containing spills to the shelf member. The shelf is cantilevered upon support brackets from the rear wall of a refrigerator. The support brackets are adapted to support the shelf at a plurality of vertical positions. The support brackets are integrally molded with the molded rim, or separately formed and attached to the rim during molding. Slide tracks are optionally provided on the support brackets for slidably receiving and supporting a storage bin or drawer beneath the shelf. Also, a drain is optionally provided to drain a spill from the shelf.

Molded refrigerator shelf and support bracket

Adjustable refrigerator shelving includes a shelf rail for supporting a partial width shelf within a refrigerated compartment on first and second, spaced shelf tracks vertically oriented in the compartment. The tracks releasably engage with a number of support brackets for cantilevered support of one or more shelves at a plurality of vertically spaced locations. The shelf rail is adapted for releasable engagement with the shelf tracks and is interposed between the partial shelf and the shelf tracks for horizontally adjustable support of the partial shelf. The shelf rail includes rearwardly projecting hooks at each of two opposing ends for releasable engagement with the shelf tracks. Locking tabs may be included on the hooks to retain the shelf rail on the tracks, while a rub strip is provided between the partial shelf and the shelf rail, along a top edge of the shelf rail.

Adjustable refrigerator shelving

A snap-on shelf for use in a refrigerator has a shelf panel with a perimeter edge and a perimeter rim molded about the perimeter edge. Attachment clips are molded in one piece with the perimeter rim and releasably couple with a support frame for supporting the shelf panel. In one embodiment, attachment clips may be arranged at front and back rim regions for a fixed shelf configuration. In an alternative embodiment, attachment clips may be arranged at left and right sides of the perimeter rim and slidingly engage the frame for a sliding shelf configuration. Further, the shelf panel may be a separate piece from the perimeter rim or may alternatively be molded in one piece with the perimeter rim and the attachment clips. As another option, a slide for receiving and supporting a separate member in sliding engagement under the shelf panel may be used. As a further option, the attachment clips and perimeter rim may be adapted for use with a preexisting support frame.

Snap-on shelf

A molded refrigerator shelf useful for containment of spills on the shelf includes a planar shelf member with a rim molded around the perimeter edge of the shelf member to form a liquid tight seal between the rim and the shelf member. The molded rim projects above the top surface of the shelf member to form a liquid dam for containing spills to the shelf member. In one form, the shelf is slideably mounted to allow horizontal extension of the shelf and convenient access to the rear portion of the shelf using slide guides molded into the rim along each side of the shelf. The shelf is cantilevered upon support brackets from the rear wall of a refrigerator to allow air flow around the shelf sides. The support brackets are adapted to support the shelf at a plurality of vertical positions.

Molded refrigerator shelf

A shelf assembly has a shelf support bracket and a shelf panel supported by the bracket. A fastening stud projects from the shelf panel into a figure eight shaped aperture in the support bracket. The fastening stud slides relative to the fastening aperture and has a resilient, compressible bushing for latching engagement with the fastening aperture. In one embodiment, the rear edge of the shelf panel is positioned in an open sided channel member of the support bracket. In another embodiment, a spring clip is substituted for the fastening stud and projects from the shelf panel into a fastening aperture in the support bracket, the fastening aperture having a lip for latching engagement with the spring clip.

Shelving system

A refrigerator shelf assembly with snap-in slides for supporting a sliding bin, receptacle or other separate member has a shelf panel and a front rim extending across at least a portion of a front edge of the shelf panel. The front rim extends below the shelf panel and defines at least one front slide receptacle. A back rim extends across at least a portion of a back edge of the shelf panel and below the shelf panel to define at least one back slide receptacle. A pair of slides for receiving and supporting a bin under the shelf panel are removably mounted in the front and back slide receptacles.

Growing community of inventors

Grand Haven, MI, United States of America

Robert S Herrmann