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:
Jun. 28, 2005
Filed:
Mar. 12, 2003
Jose G. Avendano, Coal Valley, IL (US);
Robert Stephen Mercille, O'Fallon, IL (US);
Kurt C. Senner, Galesburg, IL (US);
Jose G. Avendano, Coal Valley, IL (US);
Robert Stephen Mercille, O'Fallon, IL (US);
Kurt C. Senner, Galesburg, IL (US);
Maytag Corporation, Newton, IA (US);
Abstract
An integrated door closing and leveling assembly for a refrigerator includes a spring biased door closure and an adjustable support integrated into a housing. The door closure includes an arm attached to the housing for relative sliding and pivoting movement, while being biased to a retracted position by a spring having an associated noise dampening element. The interaction between the spring and the arm is such that the spring provides a small degree of resistance to any opening force and also serves to maintain the door fully open once the door is opened beyond a critical point. The support structure houses both front and rear wheels for maneuvering the refrigerator, and feet for leveling and supporting purposes.