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:
Jul. 11, 2000
Filed:
Jun. 30, 1998
Warren F Johnson, Galesburg, IL (US);
Jane Albert, Dahinda, IL (US);
Larry Edward Dietz, Galesburg, IL (US);
Douglas Alan Pohl, Rio, IL (US);
Maytag Corporation, Newton, IA (US);
Abstract
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.