The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Mar. 14, 2000
Filed:
Feb. 17, 1998
Nedo Banicevic, Hamilton, CA;
Murray Klaas, Burlington, CA;
Camco Inc., Mississauga, CA;
Abstract
A refrigerator cabinet has an outer metallic shell into which is inserted a one-piece plastic interior liner having a fresh food compartment separated by a mullion wall from the freezer compartment. The mullion wall is part of the interior liner. A metallic reinforcing mullion strap extends between side walls of the exterior cabinet shell to reinforce the side walls and prevent buckling. The mullion strap extends through an open space between the fresh food compartment and freezer compartment on the interior liner. The mullion strap does not touch the interior liner and is surrounded by thermally insulating foam whereby heat loss through the mullion strap from the refrigerator compartment is reduced. Further, the mullion wall of the interior liner is covered by a plastic mullion cap which protects the mullion wall of the interior liner from stresses associated with door closure and includes a decorative mullion cover in which a heater is provided to compensate for sweating associate with heat loss through the mullion cap to ambient. By using a plastic mullion cap, heat loss is significantly less than using a metal mullion bar directly exposed to ambient.