US20120073321A1 - Refrigerator door mullion apparatus and system - Google Patents
Refrigerator door mullion apparatus and system Download PDFInfo
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- US20120073321A1 US20120073321A1 US12/893,633 US89363310A US2012073321A1 US 20120073321 A1 US20120073321 A1 US 20120073321A1 US 89363310 A US89363310 A US 89363310A US 2012073321 A1 US2012073321 A1 US 2012073321A1
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- Prior art keywords
- door
- refrigerator
- mullion
- french
- style
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F25D23/00—General constructional features
- F25D23/02—Doors; Covers
- F25D23/028—Details
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F25D2323/00—General constructional features not provided for in other groups of this subclass
- F25D2323/02—Details of doors or covers not otherwise covered
- F25D2323/021—French doors
Definitions
- the present disclosure relates generally to a refrigerator including French-style doors. More particularly, aspects of the disclosed embodiments relate to a French-style door having a rotating mullion.
- refrigerators having French-style doors are known.
- two French-style doors are used in side-by-side configurations to seal fresh food and freezer compartments.
- manufacturers are now finding it desirable to provide French-style doors for the upper fresh food compartment.
- French-style doors are desirable for a number of reasons, including for example, weight reduction.
- the doors divide an opening in half such that each French-style door is approximately half the weight of a conventional door.
- the use of French-style doors enhances the arrangement for storing, as well as the accessibility to, a wide variety of objects within the refrigerator. Accordingly, when used in conjunction with a fresh food compartment, the size and strength of the support structure can be reduced.
- a rotating mullion bar may be attached to one of the two French-style doors to provide a sealing surface therebetween.
- the rotating mullion bar may include a pin to engage a striker attached to a body structure of the refrigerator and a spring to bias the mullion to one or more positions.
- engagement of the pin with the striker causes the mullion bar to rotate.
- an amount of resistance to motion of the French-style door felt by the user varies, or is inconsistent.
- the striker may reduce the available magnetic seal contact area, disrupt the aesthetic appearance of the refrigerator interior, and interfere with the user's line of site to refrigerator controls or other portions of the interior of the refrigerator.
- the exemplary embodiments overcome one or more of the above or other disadvantages known in the art.
- the refrigerator door includes an actuator and a mullion bar rotatably mounted to the door.
- the mullion bar is responsive to the actuator to automatically rotate from a first position to a second position.
- the refrigerator includes at least one compartment defined within a main body of the refrigerator and two French-style doors rotatably mounted to the main body of the refrigerator. At least one of the French-style doors includes an actuator and a mullion bar rotatably mounted to the door. The mullion bar is responsive to the actuator to automatically rotate from a first position to a second position.
- a further aspect of the disclosed embodiments relates to a French-style refrigerator door.
- the door includes a mullion bar rotatably mounted to the door and means for rotating the mullion bar from a first position to a second position.
- the means for rotating the mullion bar are independent from any physical interaction with a structure of a refrigerator.
- FIG. 1 depicts a front perspective view of a refrigerator in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure
- FIG. 2 depicts a front perspective view of a prior art refrigerator interior
- FIG. 3 depicts a front perspective view of a refrigerator interior in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure
- FIG. 4 depicts a top cross section view of two French-style refrigerator doors in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
- FIG. 5 depicts a top cross section view of two French-style refrigerator doors in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
- FIG. 1 illustrates a front perspective view of an exemplary refrigerator 100 incorporating aspects of the disclosed embodiments.
- the aspects of the disclosed embodiments are generally directed towards a refrigerator having French-style doors, at least one of which incorporates a rotating mullion bar.
- the rotation of the mullion bar is provided automatically by an actuator, independent of the motion of the French-style door, and may be activated by one of the doors, a switch, or a combination of both.
- the refrigerator 100 includes food storage compartments, such as a fresh food compartment 102 and a bottom-mounted freezer compartment 104 .
- the refrigerator 100 may be coolable by a conventional vapor-compression temperature control circuit (not shown).
- the fresh food compartment 102 and the freezer compartment 104 are arranged in a bottom mount configuration where the freezer compartment 104 is disposed or arranged beneath or below the fresh food compartment 102 .
- the fresh food compartment 102 and the freezer compartment 104 are contained or defined within a main body 112 of the refrigerator 100 .
- the main body 112 includes a top wall 114 and two sidewalls 116 .
- the main body 112 also has a bottom wall 118 , which connects the two sidewalls 116 to each other at the bottom edges thereof, and a back wall (not shown).
- the fresh food compartment 102 is shown with French-style doors 106 , 108 that close the frontal access openings of the fresh food compartment 102 .
- a drawer or an access door 110 closes the freezer compartment 104 .
- the refrigerator 100 is shown as the “bottom freezer” configuration or type, aspects of the disclosed embodiments are applicable to other types of refrigeration appliances, including but not limited to, side-by-side refrigerators. The aspects of the disclosed embodiments are therefore not intended to be limited to any particular type or configuration of a refrigerator.
- each French door 106 , 108 is rotatably mounted to the main body 112 by a top hinge 120 and a corresponding bottom hinge 122 .
- each door 106 , 108 is rotatable about its outer vertical edge between an open position for accessing the respective part of the fresh food compartment 102 , as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 , and a closed position for closing the respective part of the fresh food compartment 102 , as shown in FIG. 1 .
- an access door 110 when used for the freezer compartment 104 , it is rotatably mounted to the main body 112 in a known fashion.
- the access door 110 is a drawer for the freezer compartment 104
- the drawer is slidably received in the freezer compartment 104 in a known fashion.
- FIG. 2 depicts a front perspective view of prior art refrigerator including a rotating mullion 130 .
- the mullion 130 is a sealing mechanism between the two French style refrigerator doors 106 , 108 .
- the mullion 130 is rotatably mounted to door 108 about axis 131 and spans from a top 132 to a bottom (not shown) of the fresh food compartment 102 .
- the mullion 130 includes a surface 133 that may include metal or be magnetic.
- a striker 134 is attached to a portion of the refrigerator 100 main body 112 structure, such as the top 132 of the fresh food compartment 102 . Similarly, another striker (not shown) may be attached to the bottom of the fresh food compartment 102 .
- the mullion 130 includes a pin 136 that is configured to interface with a cam surface 138 of striker 134 .
- the mullion 130 may be biased, via a spring (not shown) to rotate into the plane of the page of FIG. 2 , with an orientation approximately perpendicular to the plane formed by door 108 (as shown in FIG. 2 ). Accordingly, as the door 108 is closed, the mullion 130 interacts via striker 134 with the main body 112 structure of the refrigerator 100 .
- the pin 136 of the mullion 130 engages with cam surface 138 , which causes the mullion 130 to rotate out of the plane of the page of FIG. 2 , and become biased (via the spring) to rest with an orientation approximately parallel to the plane formed by door 108 .
- the position and motion of the mullion 130 interfaces with the refrigerator 100 main body 112 structure and is coupled to, or dependent upon, the position and motion of the door 108 via the pin 136 and cam surface 138 , such that the position and motion of the mullion 130 is defined by that of the door 108 .
- the surface 133 of mullion 130 is disposed to attract a magnetic seal 140 of door 108 and a similar magnetic seal (not shown) of door 106 .
- forces related to the bias of mullion 130 and engagement of pin 136 with surface 138 are transferred to the user through the door 108 .
- FIG. 3 depicts a front perspective view of a refrigerator in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
- the sealing mechanism between the two French doors 106 , 108 is configured to automatically open and close with activation of the doors, and is referred to herein as “independent mullion 150 .”
- the independent mullion 150 is rotatably mounted to door 108 about axis 152 and spans from the top 132 to the bottom (not shown) of the fresh food compartment 102 .
- the position and motion of the mullion 150 may be absent any bias or interaction with the main body 112 structure of the refrigerator 100 , and independent of, or decoupled from, motion of the door 108 .
- Mullion 150 includes surface 154 that may include metal or be magnetic. It will be appreciated that the absence of any physical interface between the main body 112 structure of the refrigerator 100 and mullion 150 allows for increased mullion 150 length and magnetic contact surface area, and enhanced visibility to refrigerator controls 142 .
- FIG. 4 depicts a top cross section view of the doors 106 , 108 and mullion 150 .
- the independent mullion 150 in response to an initial opening of the door 108 , depicted by direction X in FIG. 4 , the independent mullion 150 automatically rotates from position A of FIG. 4 toward position B, such as to be disposed approximately perpendicular to the plane formed by door 108 , as depicted in FIG. 3 , for example.
- the independent mullion 150 in response to the door 108 being closed, automatically rotates from position B, and comes to rest at position A, with an orientation approximately parallel to the plane formed by door 108 .
- Surface 154 of mullion 150 is configured to attract the magnetic seal 140 of door 108 and a similar magnetic seal 141 of door 106 . Accordingly, in response to closure of doors 106 , 108 and disposal of the mullion 150 in position A, the surface 154 of mullion 150 is disposed to attract the magnetic seals 141 , 140 of doors 106 , 108 and thereby seal the interior of fresh food compartment 102 from the environment surrounding refrigerator 100 . While the embodiment of FIGS.
- 3 and 4 depict the mullion 150 attached to the right-hand door 108 , it will be appreciated that the scope of the disclosure is not so limited, and is contemplated to include other arrangements of independent mullions, such as to include a mullion 150 that may attached to a left-hand door, such as door 106 , for example.
- the refrigerator 100 further includes an actuator 156 mounted within door 108 in operative communication with mullion 150 and a sensor 158 in operative communication with actuator 156 .
- FIG. 3 depicts one sensor 158 disposed upon the main body 112 of refrigerator 100 , it will be appreciated that the scope of the disclosure is not so limited, and is contemplated to include other arrangements of sensor 158 , such as to include one or more sensors 158 that may be disposed additionally or alternatively upon the doors 106 , 108 , or within a handle 160 of doors 106 , 108 , for example.
- Mullion 150 may be responsive to sensor 158 to rotate about axis 152 .
- the actuator 156 may respond to detection by sensor 158 that the refrigerator door 108 has begun (or is about to begin) to open to initiate rotation of the mullion 150 from position A to position B.
- the actuator may be responsive to detection by sensor 158 that the refrigerator door 108 has begun (or has completed) closure to initiate rotation of the mullion from position B to position A.
- actuator 156 is an electric motor coupled to the mullion 150 via appropriate linkages and gears, and sensor 158 is a door closure switch 158 .
- the motor 156 is responsive to detection of initial opening of the door 108 by the switch 158 to rotate the mullion from position A to position B.
- the motor 156 is further responsive to detection of initiation (or completion) of closure by switch 158 to begin to rotate the mullion 150 from position B to position A.
- Switch 158 may be of the contact closure type or non-contact proximity detection type, and may be mounted upon the main body 112 of the refrigerator 100 , or upon door 108 .
- the mullion 150 may responsive to opening of door 108 to move from position A to position B. As the door 108 is opened (as shown by direction X), the mullion 150 may be free to rotate about axis 152 from position A toward position B. For example, upon initiation of opening of the door 108 , the mullion 150 may be disengaged from actuator 156 , such as via disengagement of a clutch 159 , as is schematically shown in FIG. 3 . In this embodiment, because mullion 150 has been disengaged, via clutch 159 , from the actuator 156 , it is absent any bias toward position A. Accordingly, an amount of force applied to the door 108 that will be required to rotate the mullion 150 is greatly reduced and a user's perception of refrigerator 100 quality relative to those employing prior art rotating mullions that may include biasing means is greatly enhanced.
- the electric motor 156 may be responsive to two sensors.
- a first sensor 158 may be a door closure switch 158 mounted upon the frame of the refrigerator 100
- a second sensor may be a handle switch 162 mounted upon the handle 160 .
- the motor 156 may be responsive to detection of a hand of a user upon the handle 160 by the switch 162 to rotate the mullion from position A to position B.
- Use of the door handle switch 162 may thereby enable rotation of the mullion 150 before motion of the door 106 begins.
- Such rotation of the mullion before motion of the door 106 may enhance a likelihood that mullion 150 is fully in position B prior to motion of door 108 , thus enhancing freedom of any obstruction or interference to opening of the door 108 .
- Examples of the type of switch 162 may include, but are not limited to, contact closure, capacitive sensing, touch sensing or non-contact proximity detection.
- the motor 156 may be further responsive to detection by the first sensor 158 of initiation (or completion) of closure to begin to rotate the mullion 150 from position B to position A. As described above, a delay may be incorporated with the first sensor 158 to postpone mullion 150 rotation from position B to position A until after closure of the door 108 .
- FIG. 5 depicts a top cross section view of an embodiment of doors 106 , 108 and mullion 150 in a first position B, shown by solid lines and a second position A shown by dashed lines.
- the actuator 156 is in operative communication with the mullion 150 via a first gear 164 and a second gear 166 .
- exemplary operational logic of an embodiment of the independent mullion 150 is described below.
- the sensor 158 In response to closure of French-style door 106 from an initially open condition, while French-style door 108 is in the closed position of FIG. 5 , the sensor 158 is activated. A delay may follow, such as for two to three seconds for example, after which the actuator 156 is responsive to the sensor 158 to rotate the mullion 150 from position B to position A via the first and second gears 164 , 166 . The speed of actuator 156 may be selected to maintain a desired level of sound or vibration.
- the mullion 150 may remain stationary in position A.
- the mullion 150 may rotate freely from position A to position B. For example, contact between the door 108 and mullion 150 to cause the mullion 150 to rotate to the open position B.
- An embodiment may utilize the clutch 159 (as shown in FIG. 3 ) to reduce a resistance of rotation of the mullion 150 .
- Alternate embodiment may disengage the gears 164 , 166 , to decouple the mullion 150 from the actuator 156 .
- cams (not shown) may be strategically placed upon door 108 to guide the mullion 150 to open position B.
- Further embodiments may utilize a spring (not shown) to bias the mullion 150 in one or both of positions A and B.
- the mullion 150 may remain stationary in position B.
- the sensor 158 In response to closure of French-style door 106 from an initially open condition, while French-style door 108 is in the open position, the sensor 158 is activated. As described above, a delay may follow, and the actuator 156 is responsive to the sensor 158 to rotate the mullion 150 from position B to position A. The speed of actuator 156 may be selected to maintain a desired level of sound or vibration.
- actuators 158 While embodiments have been described using electric motors as actuators 158 , it will be appreciated that the scope of the present disclosure is not so limited, and is contemplated to include alternate actuators, such as compressed air, fluid, and piezoelectric actuators, for example. Further, while an embodiment has been described using a clutch to reduce a resistance to mullion rotation, it will be appreciated that the scope is not so limited, and is contemplated to employ other means to reduce resistance to mullion rotation, such as actuator-provided assist, for example.
- some embodiments of the present disclosure may include advantages such as enhanced user perception of refrigerator quality resulting from consistent force feedback; enhanced line of sight visibility to refrigerator controls; and enhanced refrigerator sealing efficiency resulting from increased magnetic contact surface area.
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Abstract
A French-style refrigerator door is disclosed. The refrigerator door includes an actuator and a mullion bar rotatably mounted to the door. The mullion bar is responsive to the actuator to automatically rotate from a first position to a second position upon actuation of the actuator.
Description
- The present disclosure relates generally to a refrigerator including French-style doors. More particularly, aspects of the disclosed embodiments relate to a French-style door having a rotating mullion.
- In general, refrigerators having French-style doors are known. Typically, two French-style doors are used in side-by-side configurations to seal fresh food and freezer compartments. With the growing popularity of bottom mount freezers, manufacturers are now finding it desirable to provide French-style doors for the upper fresh food compartment.
- French-style doors are desirable for a number of reasons, including for example, weight reduction. The doors divide an opening in half such that each French-style door is approximately half the weight of a conventional door. Additionally, the use of French-style doors enhances the arrangement for storing, as well as the accessibility to, a wide variety of objects within the refrigerator. Accordingly, when used in conjunction with a fresh food compartment, the size and strength of the support structure can be reduced.
- A rotating mullion bar may be attached to one of the two French-style doors to provide a sealing surface therebetween. The rotating mullion bar may include a pin to engage a striker attached to a body structure of the refrigerator and a spring to bias the mullion to one or more positions. Upon initial opening or final closing of the French-style door to which the rotating mullion bar is attached, engagement of the pin with the striker causes the mullion bar to rotate. During such engagement and corresponding mullion bar rotation, an amount of resistance to motion of the French-style door felt by the user varies, or is inconsistent. Additionally, on some refrigerators, the striker may reduce the available magnetic seal contact area, disrupt the aesthetic appearance of the refrigerator interior, and interfere with the user's line of site to refrigerator controls or other portions of the interior of the refrigerator.
- Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a French-style refrigerator door arrangement that overcomes at least some of the problems identified above.
- As described herein, the exemplary embodiments overcome one or more of the above or other disadvantages known in the art.
- One aspect of the disclosed embodiments relates to a French-style refrigerator door. The refrigerator door includes an actuator and a mullion bar rotatably mounted to the door. The mullion bar is responsive to the actuator to automatically rotate from a first position to a second position.
- Another aspect of the disclosed embodiments relates to a refrigerator. The refrigerator includes at least one compartment defined within a main body of the refrigerator and two French-style doors rotatably mounted to the main body of the refrigerator. At least one of the French-style doors includes an actuator and a mullion bar rotatably mounted to the door. The mullion bar is responsive to the actuator to automatically rotate from a first position to a second position.
- A further aspect of the disclosed embodiments relates to a French-style refrigerator door. The door includes a mullion bar rotatably mounted to the door and means for rotating the mullion bar from a first position to a second position. The means for rotating the mullion bar are independent from any physical interaction with a structure of a refrigerator.
- These and other aspects and advantages of the exemplary embodiments will become apparent from the following detailed description considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood, however, that the drawings are designed solely for purposes of illustration and not as a definition of the limits of the invention, for which reference should be made to the appended claims. Moreover, the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale and unless otherwise indicated, they are merely intended to conceptually illustrate the structures and procedures described herein. In addition, any suitable size, shape or type of elements or materials could be used.
- In the drawings:
-
FIG. 1 depicts a front perspective view of a refrigerator in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure; -
FIG. 2 depicts a front perspective view of a prior art refrigerator interior; -
FIG. 3 depicts a front perspective view of a refrigerator interior in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure; -
FIG. 4 depicts a top cross section view of two French-style refrigerator doors in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure; and -
FIG. 5 depicts a top cross section view of two French-style refrigerator doors in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. -
FIG. 1 illustrates a front perspective view of anexemplary refrigerator 100 incorporating aspects of the disclosed embodiments. The aspects of the disclosed embodiments are generally directed towards a refrigerator having French-style doors, at least one of which incorporates a rotating mullion bar. The rotation of the mullion bar is provided automatically by an actuator, independent of the motion of the French-style door, and may be activated by one of the doors, a switch, or a combination of both. - As shown in
FIG. 1 , therefrigerator 100 includes food storage compartments, such as afresh food compartment 102 and a bottom-mountedfreezer compartment 104. Therefrigerator 100 may be coolable by a conventional vapor-compression temperature control circuit (not shown). - The
fresh food compartment 102 and thefreezer compartment 104 are arranged in a bottom mount configuration where thefreezer compartment 104 is disposed or arranged beneath or below thefresh food compartment 102. Thefresh food compartment 102 and thefreezer compartment 104 are contained or defined within amain body 112 of therefrigerator 100. Themain body 112 includes atop wall 114 and twosidewalls 116. Themain body 112 also has abottom wall 118, which connects the twosidewalls 116 to each other at the bottom edges thereof, and a back wall (not shown). - The
fresh food compartment 102 is shown with French-style doors fresh food compartment 102. A drawer or anaccess door 110 closes thefreezer compartment 104. Although therefrigerator 100 is shown as the “bottom freezer” configuration or type, aspects of the disclosed embodiments are applicable to other types of refrigeration appliances, including but not limited to, side-by-side refrigerators. The aspects of the disclosed embodiments are therefore not intended to be limited to any particular type or configuration of a refrigerator. - In one embodiment, each
French door main body 112 by atop hinge 120 and acorresponding bottom hinge 122. Generally, eachdoor fresh food compartment 102, as shown inFIGS. 2 and 3 , and a closed position for closing the respective part of thefresh food compartment 102, as shown inFIG. 1 . - Similarly, when an
access door 110 is used for thefreezer compartment 104, it is rotatably mounted to themain body 112 in a known fashion. When theaccess door 110 is a drawer for thefreezer compartment 104, the drawer is slidably received in thefreezer compartment 104 in a known fashion. -
FIG. 2 depicts a front perspective view of prior art refrigerator including a rotatingmullion 130. Themullion 130 is a sealing mechanism between the two Frenchstyle refrigerator doors mullion 130 is rotatably mounted todoor 108 aboutaxis 131 and spans from atop 132 to a bottom (not shown) of thefresh food compartment 102. Themullion 130 includes asurface 133 that may include metal or be magnetic. Astriker 134 is attached to a portion of therefrigerator 100main body 112 structure, such as thetop 132 of thefresh food compartment 102. Similarly, another striker (not shown) may be attached to the bottom of thefresh food compartment 102. Themullion 130 includes apin 136 that is configured to interface with acam surface 138 ofstriker 134. Themullion 130 may be biased, via a spring (not shown) to rotate into the plane of the page ofFIG. 2 , with an orientation approximately perpendicular to the plane formed by door 108 (as shown inFIG. 2 ). Accordingly, as thedoor 108 is closed, themullion 130 interacts viastriker 134 with themain body 112 structure of therefrigerator 100. For example, thepin 136 of themullion 130 engages withcam surface 138, which causes themullion 130 to rotate out of the plane of the page ofFIG. 2 , and become biased (via the spring) to rest with an orientation approximately parallel to the plane formed bydoor 108. Accordingly, the position and motion of themullion 130 interfaces with therefrigerator 100main body 112 structure and is coupled to, or dependent upon, the position and motion of thedoor 108 via thepin 136 andcam surface 138, such that the position and motion of themullion 130 is defined by that of thedoor 108. In response to closure ofdoor 108, thesurface 133 ofmullion 130 is disposed to attract amagnetic seal 140 ofdoor 108 and a similar magnetic seal (not shown) ofdoor 106. During the initial process of openingdoor 108, forces related to the bias ofmullion 130 and engagement ofpin 136 withsurface 138 are transferred to the user through thedoor 108. In similar manner, during the final process of closingdoor 108, forces related to rotation of themullion 130 are likewise transferred to the user viadoor 108. Accordingly, a user observes a non-linearity of force related to the initial opening and final closing ofdoor 108. Some users may perceive this non-linearity as a negative reflection of quality of therefrigerator 100. Further, it will be appreciated that thestriker 134 presents a visual obstruction to at least some portion of refrigerator controls 142, as well as reducing the length ofsurface 133 available to attractmagnetic seals 140 ofdoors -
FIG. 3 depicts a front perspective view of a refrigerator in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The sealing mechanism between the twoFrench doors independent mullion 150.” Theindependent mullion 150 is rotatably mounted todoor 108 aboutaxis 152 and spans from the top 132 to the bottom (not shown) of thefresh food compartment 102. The position and motion of themullion 150 may be absent any bias or interaction with themain body 112 structure of therefrigerator 100, and independent of, or decoupled from, motion of thedoor 108.Mullion 150 includessurface 154 that may include metal or be magnetic. It will be appreciated that the absence of any physical interface between themain body 112 structure of therefrigerator 100 andmullion 150 allows for increasedmullion 150 length and magnetic contact surface area, and enhanced visibility to refrigerator controls 142. -
FIG. 4 depicts a top cross section view of thedoors mullion 150. With reference toFIGS. 3 and 4 , in response to an initial opening of thedoor 108, depicted by direction X inFIG. 4 , theindependent mullion 150 automatically rotates from position A ofFIG. 4 toward position B, such as to be disposed approximately perpendicular to the plane formed bydoor 108, as depicted inFIG. 3 , for example. Similarly, in response to thedoor 108 being closed, theindependent mullion 150 automatically rotates from position B, and comes to rest at position A, with an orientation approximately parallel to the plane formed bydoor 108.Surface 154 ofmullion 150 is configured to attract themagnetic seal 140 ofdoor 108 and a similarmagnetic seal 141 ofdoor 106. Accordingly, in response to closure ofdoors mullion 150 in position A, thesurface 154 ofmullion 150 is disposed to attract themagnetic seals doors fresh food compartment 102 from theenvironment surrounding refrigerator 100. While the embodiment ofFIGS. 3 and 4 depict themullion 150 attached to the right-hand door 108, it will be appreciated that the scope of the disclosure is not so limited, and is contemplated to include other arrangements of independent mullions, such as to include amullion 150 that may attached to a left-hand door, such asdoor 106, for example. - In an embodiment, the
refrigerator 100 further includes anactuator 156 mounted withindoor 108 in operative communication withmullion 150 and asensor 158 in operative communication withactuator 156. While the embodiment ofFIG. 3 depicts onesensor 158 disposed upon themain body 112 ofrefrigerator 100, it will be appreciated that the scope of the disclosure is not so limited, and is contemplated to include other arrangements ofsensor 158, such as to include one ormore sensors 158 that may be disposed additionally or alternatively upon thedoors handle 160 ofdoors -
Mullion 150 may be responsive tosensor 158 to rotate aboutaxis 152. For example, theactuator 156 may respond to detection bysensor 158 that therefrigerator door 108 has begun (or is about to begin) to open to initiate rotation of themullion 150 from position A to position B. Similarly, the actuator may be responsive to detection bysensor 158 that therefrigerator door 108 has begun (or has completed) closure to initiate rotation of the mullion from position B to position A. - In one embodiment,
actuator 156 is an electric motor coupled to themullion 150 via appropriate linkages and gears, andsensor 158 is adoor closure switch 158. Themotor 156 is responsive to detection of initial opening of thedoor 108 by theswitch 158 to rotate the mullion from position A to position B. Themotor 156 is further responsive to detection of initiation (or completion) of closure byswitch 158 to begin to rotate themullion 150 from position B to position A. In some embodiments, it may be preferable to implement a time delay such that rotation of themullion 150 from position B to position A begins after a short delay following detection of initiation (or completion) of closure of thedoor 106. This delay may allow bothdoors mullion 150 begins, thus enhancing freedom of any obstruction or interference to themullion 150 rotation.Switch 158 may be of the contact closure type or non-contact proximity detection type, and may be mounted upon themain body 112 of therefrigerator 100, or upondoor 108. - Referring still to
FIG. 4 , in another embodiment, themullion 150 may responsive to opening ofdoor 108 to move from position A to position B. As thedoor 108 is opened (as shown by direction X), themullion 150 may be free to rotate aboutaxis 152 from position A toward position B. For example, upon initiation of opening of thedoor 108, themullion 150 may be disengaged fromactuator 156, such as via disengagement of a clutch 159, as is schematically shown inFIG. 3 . In this embodiment, becausemullion 150 has been disengaged, viaclutch 159, from theactuator 156, it is absent any bias toward position A. Accordingly, an amount of force applied to thedoor 108 that will be required to rotate themullion 150 is greatly reduced and a user's perception ofrefrigerator 100 quality relative to those employing prior art rotating mullions that may include biasing means is greatly enhanced. - In another embodiment, the
electric motor 156 may be responsive to two sensors. For example, afirst sensor 158 may be adoor closure switch 158 mounted upon the frame of therefrigerator 100, and a second sensor may be ahandle switch 162 mounted upon thehandle 160. In this embodiment, themotor 156 may be responsive to detection of a hand of a user upon thehandle 160 by theswitch 162 to rotate the mullion from position A to position B. Use of thedoor handle switch 162 may thereby enable rotation of themullion 150 before motion of thedoor 106 begins. Such rotation of the mullion before motion of thedoor 106 may enhance a likelihood thatmullion 150 is fully in position B prior to motion ofdoor 108, thus enhancing freedom of any obstruction or interference to opening of thedoor 108. Examples of the type ofswitch 162 may include, but are not limited to, contact closure, capacitive sensing, touch sensing or non-contact proximity detection. Themotor 156 may be further responsive to detection by thefirst sensor 158 of initiation (or completion) of closure to begin to rotate themullion 150 from position B to position A. As described above, a delay may be incorporated with thefirst sensor 158 to postponemullion 150 rotation from position B to position A until after closure of thedoor 108. -
FIG. 5 depicts a top cross section view of an embodiment ofdoors mullion 150 in a first position B, shown by solid lines and a second position A shown by dashed lines. In an exemplary embodiment, theactuator 156 is in operative communication with themullion 150 via afirst gear 164 and asecond gear 166. - With reference to
FIGS. 5 and 3 , exemplary operational logic of an embodiment of theindependent mullion 150 is described below. In response to closure of French-style door 106 from an initially open condition, while French-style door 108 is in the closed position ofFIG. 5 , thesensor 158 is activated. A delay may follow, such as for two to three seconds for example, after which theactuator 156 is responsive to thesensor 158 to rotate themullion 150 from position B to position A via the first andsecond gears actuator 156 may be selected to maintain a desired level of sound or vibration. - In response to opening of French-
style door 108 from an initially closed condition, while French-style door 106 remains in the closed position ofFIG. 5 , themullion 150 may remain stationary in position A. - In response to opening of French-
style door 106 from an initially closed condition, while French-style door 108 is in the closed position, themullion 150 may rotate freely from position A to position B. For example, contact between thedoor 108 andmullion 150 to cause themullion 150 to rotate to the open position B. An embodiment may utilize the clutch 159 (as shown inFIG. 3 ) to reduce a resistance of rotation of themullion 150. Alternate embodiment may disengage thegears mullion 150 from theactuator 156. In some embodiments, cams (not shown) may be strategically placed upondoor 108 to guide themullion 150 to open position B. Further embodiments may utilize a spring (not shown) to bias themullion 150 in one or both of positions A and B. - In response to closure of French-
style door 108 from an initially open condition, while French-style door 106 is open, themullion 150 may remain stationary in position B. - In response to closure of French-
style door 106 from an initially open condition, while French-style door 108 is in the open position, thesensor 158 is activated. As described above, a delay may follow, and theactuator 156 is responsive to thesensor 158 to rotate themullion 150 from position B to position A. The speed ofactuator 156 may be selected to maintain a desired level of sound or vibration. - While embodiments have been described using electric motors as
actuators 158, it will be appreciated that the scope of the present disclosure is not so limited, and is contemplated to include alternate actuators, such as compressed air, fluid, and piezoelectric actuators, for example. Further, while an embodiment has been described using a clutch to reduce a resistance to mullion rotation, it will be appreciated that the scope is not so limited, and is contemplated to employ other means to reduce resistance to mullion rotation, such as actuator-provided assist, for example. - As disclosed, some embodiments of the present disclosure may include advantages such as enhanced user perception of refrigerator quality resulting from consistent force feedback; enhanced line of sight visibility to refrigerator controls; and enhanced refrigerator sealing efficiency resulting from increased magnetic contact surface area.
- Thus, while there have been shown, described and pointed out, fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to the exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be understood that various omissions and substitutions and changes in the form and details of devices illustrated, and in their operation, may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. Moreover, it is expressly intended that all combinations of those elements and/or method steps, which perform substantially the same function in substantially the same way to achieve the same results, are within the scope of the invention. Moreover, it should be recognized that structures and/or elements and/or method steps shown and/or described in connection with any disclosed form or embodiment of the invention may be incorporated in any other disclosed or described or suggested form or embodiment as a general matter of design choice. It is the intention, therefore, to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the claims appended hereto.
Claims (20)
1. A French-style refrigerator door comprising:
An actuator; and
a mullion bar rotatably mounted to the door, the mullion bar responsive to the actuator to automatically rotate from a first position to a second position upon actuation of the actuator.
2. The French-style refrigerator door of claim 1 , wherein the actuator is an electric motor.
3. The French-style refrigerator door of claim 2 , further comprising:
a sensor;
wherein the actuator is responsive to the sensor to rotate the mullion bar from the first position to the second position.
4. The French-style refrigerator door of claim 3 , wherein the sensor detects an initial closure of the refrigerator door; and the actuator is responsive to the sensor to rotate the mullion bar from the first position to the second position following a time delay after detection of the initial closure of the refrigerator door.
5. The French-style refrigerator door of claim 3 , wherein the sensor is a first sensor and the refrigerator door further comprises:
a second sensor;
wherein the actuator is responsive to the second sensor to rotate the mullion bar from the second position to the first position.
6. The French-style refrigerator door of claim 1 , wherein rotation of the mullion bar is independent of any physical interaction with a refrigerator structure.
7. The French-style refrigerator door of claim 1 , wherein rotation of the mullion bar is decoupled from motion of the French-style refrigerator door.
8. The French-style refrigerator door of claim 1 , wherein rotation of the mullion bar is absent bias toward the second position.
9. The French-style refrigerator door of claim 8 , wherein rotation of the mullion bar is absent bias toward the first position.
10. A refrigerator comprising:
at least one compartment defined within a main body of the refrigerator;
first and second French-style doors rotatably mounted to the main body of the refrigerator;
wherein at least one door of the first and the second French-style doors comprises:
an actuator; and
a mullion bar rotatably mounted to the at least one door, the mullion bar responsive to the actuator to automatically rotate from a first position to a second position upon actuation of the actuator.
11. The refrigerator of claim 10 , wherein the actuator is an electric motor.
12. The refrigerator of claim 11 , the at least one door further comprising:
a sensor;
wherein the actuator is responsive to the sensor to rotate the mullion bar from the first position to the second position.
13. The refrigerator of claim 12 , wherein the sensor is a first sensor and the at least one door further comprises:
a second sensor;
wherein the actuator is responsive to the second sensor to rotate the mullion bar from the second position to the first position.
14. The refrigerator of claim 10 , wherein rotation of the mullion bar is independent of any physical interaction with the main body of the refrigerator.
15. The refrigerator of claim 10 , wherein rotation of the mullion bar is decoupled from motion of the at least one door.
16. The refrigerator of claim 10 , wherein rotation of the mullion bar is absent bias toward the second position.
17. The refrigerator of claim 16 , wherein rotation of the mullion bar is absent bias toward the first position.
18. A French-style refrigerator door comprising:
a mullion bar rotatably mounted to the door; and
means for automatically rotating the mullion bar from a first position to a second position, the means for automatically rotating being independent from any physical interaction with a structure of a refrigerator.
19. The French-style refrigerator door of claim 18 , wherein the means for automatically rotating the mullion bar rotates the mullion from the first position to the second position following a delay after closure of the French-Style refrigerator door.
20. The French-style refrigerator door of claim 18 , wherein the means for rotating comprises means for rotating the mullion bar from the second position to the first position.
Priority Applications (1)
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US12/893,633 US20120073321A1 (en) | 2010-09-29 | 2010-09-29 | Refrigerator door mullion apparatus and system |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
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US12/893,633 US20120073321A1 (en) | 2010-09-29 | 2010-09-29 | Refrigerator door mullion apparatus and system |
Publications (1)
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US20120073321A1 true US20120073321A1 (en) | 2012-03-29 |
Family
ID=45869252
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
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US12/893,633 Abandoned US20120073321A1 (en) | 2010-09-29 | 2010-09-29 | Refrigerator door mullion apparatus and system |
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US (1) | US20120073321A1 (en) |
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CN106152687A (en) * | 2016-08-30 | 2016-11-23 | 青岛海尔股份有限公司 | Side by side combination refrigerator and vertical beam guider thereof |
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US9849759B2 (en) | 2016-03-15 | 2017-12-26 | Ford Global Technologies, Llc | Independently operating motor vehicle doors with an articulating door interface |
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AS | Assignment |
Owner name: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, NEW YORK Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:DAVIS, MATTHEW WILLIAM;BROWN, SCOTT GABRIEL;REEL/FRAME:025063/0171 Effective date: 20100929 |
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STCB | Information on status: application discontinuation |
Free format text: ABANDONED -- FAILURE TO RESPOND TO AN OFFICE ACTION |