Refrigerator door frame with insulated mullion

Abstract

A refrigerator door assembly having a door mounting frame with at least one mullion that includes a metallic structural frame member and a magnetically attractable sealing plate mounted forwardly on the mullion for defining a stop and sealing surface for the swinging ends of pivotably mounted doors. The mullion includes an insulating and sealing plate retaining assembly which supports the sealing plate in thermally isolated relation to the structural member and which defines an air insulating space completely about the structural frame member. The illustrated insulating and sealing plate retaining assembly includes a plastic channel shaped member having a front wall disposed in closely adjacent relation to a front side of the structural frame member and side walls extending in rearwardly directed fashion therefrom. A cover plate is releasably engagable with the rearwardly extending side walls for completely encapsulating the structural frame member. The magnetically attractable sealing plate is supported by the channel shaped plastic member in forwardly spaced relation to the structural frame member. Various metallic accessory items are supportable on the mullion in substantially thermally isolated relation to the structural frame member.