Maytag Corporation

Warren F Johnson

Roger E Hamilton

Kenneth M Hattori

Douglas A Pohl

Todd J Tunzi

Douglas A Heims

Larry Edward Dietz

Jane A Albert

Thomas J Haenisch

A refrigerated product storage system incorporates first, second and third vertically spaced storage sections carried by a unitary support frame attached to an inner wall portion of a fresh food compartment door of a refrigerator. In the most preferred form of the invention, the storage system includes an uppermost dairy compartment, an intermediate chill compartment, and a lower, slidable drawer. The chill compartment is provided with a door which is pivotably mounted about a vertical, inboard pivot axis, with the door being formed with a cut-out handle portion adapted to be aligned with a passageway formed in a partition separating freezer and fresh food compartments of the refrigerator. With this construction, a supply of low temperature air is directed from the freezer compartment directly into the chill compartment through the cut-out handle portion. The door of the chill compartment is provided with a latching mechanism, preferably an over-center acting latching mechanism. In addition, the slidable drawer cooperates with a locking mechanism, which is preferably located at an inboard, visually obstructed location to restrict access to the contents of the slidable drawer.

Refrigerator door storage system

A refrigerator door is provided with a dairy compartment defined, at least in part, by a first dairy compartment member and a second dairy compartment member. The first dairy compartment member is movably connected to an inner wall portion of the door and the second dairy compartment member is slidably attached to the first dairy compartment member. In accordance with a first embodiment of the invention, the first dairy compartment member is constituted by a dairy compartment cover that is pivotally connected to a pair of spaced dike portions formed integral with a liner of the door. In a second embodiment, the first dairy compartment member constitutes a dairy compartment defining shelf member or bucket that is selectively, removably attached to the dike portions. In each of the first and second embodiments, the second dairy compartment member constitutes an element which is slidably attached to the first dairy compartment member and divides the dairy compartment into varying volume storage zones.

Refrigerator dairy compartment assembly

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.

Adjustable retainer assembly for a refrigerator door shelf

Refrigerator rack

A rack supportable on a refrigerator shelf for storing a bottle of wine, a carton of eggs or a plurality of cylindrical beverage cans. The rack includes a vertical sidewall terminating in an inwardly directed top flange for engaging the refrigerator shelf, a longitudinal depression in a bottom wall for supporting the wine bottle and an incline in the bottom wall for permitting the beverage cans to automatically self-feed towards the front of the rack.

Growing community of inventors

Galesburg, IL, United States of America

Warren F Johnson