US3473858A - Range apparatus - Google Patents

Description

L 1969 E. J. BARNETT 3,473,858

RANGE APPARATUS Filed Jan. 12. 1967 26 g] 40 38 FIG.3 I51- i l 59 1 I I 37 l2 3 I ,42 I I H PIC-3.4 l 46 1%;:

I A 5 FIG 5 FIG.2 32 W 3,473,858 RANGE APPARATUS Eugene J. Barnett, Mansfield, Ohio, assignor to Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Pittsburgh, Pa, a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Jan. 12, 1967, Ser. No. 608,853 lint. Cl. F161) 12/00 US. Cl. 312-111 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF Tim DISCLOSURE This invention relates, in general, to major appliances 2 and, more particularly, to major appliances which are installed in conjunction with cabinet structure.

It has been common practice to install major appliances in a space delineated by opposed walls of cabinet structure. This type of appliance is referred to as a pushin type of unit. Due to unlevel floors, out-of square cabinets, narrow cabinets and sloppy installations of the cabinets, there are usually spaces or cracks between the side walls of the appliance body and the opposed walls of the cabinets. Such appliances, for example, ranges, etc., are normally found in the kitchen. Accordingly, it is desirable from the standpoint of appearance that these spaces or cracks be hidden from view.

Accordingly, it is the general object of this invention to provide a new and improved cooking range.

It is a more particular object of this invention to provide, in a push-in type major appliance, means for masking the spaces between the side Walls of the appliance and adjacent walls of the cabinet structure with which it is associated.

Another object of this invention is to provide, in a push-in type appliance, space masking means adapted to compensate for variations in size of the cabinet structure and variation in the quality of the installation, etc. of the cabinet structure.

Briefly, the present invention accomplishes the abovecited objects by providing the side walls of a cooking range of the push-in type with trim members which can be repositioned in two directions while attached to respective side walls, or permanently removed to adjust for dimensional variations in the cabinet structure or in the appliance. To this end the trim members are attached to the side walls of the appliance by fastening means suitable for applying sufiicient force to retain the trim members in a fixed position, yet allow relative movement thereof with respect to the appliance wall. To allow for this movement which is either vertical or horizontal, the trim member is provided with a pair of vertical slots and each of the side walls with a pair of horizontal slots through which the fastening means are inserted.

The trim member is provided with a vertically extending flange at the leading edge thereof which serves to bridge the gap or space between the side wall of the range and an adjacent wall of the cabinet structure. The trim members are readily removable in the event that the space cannot accommodate the width of the range and both trim members.

1 fnited States Patent Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent when considered in view of the following detailed description and drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a front view of a range disposed in a space delineated by opposed side walls of cabinet structure, showing gaps between adjacent walls;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the range shown in FIG. 1 with trim member in place and partly broken away to show the slot in the oven wall;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line IIIIII of FIG. 1, but with a trim member in place;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of a fastener for mounting the trim member to the side wall of the range; and

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of the fastener shown in FIG. 4.

Referring now to the drawings, especially FIG. 1, reference character 10 designates generally a major appliance, herein disclosed as a cooking range. The range 10 comprises a front wall 11, side walls 12, back wall 13, bottom wall 16 and a terraced top wall 17. The top 17 supports a plurality of burner units 18 which may be either gas or electric, and a plurality of controls 19 for operation thereof. The top wall 17 is provided with a pair of side trim members 21, each comprising a vertical flange 22 and a horizontal flange 23.

The range 10 is disposed in a space 24 delineated by opposed walls 26 of cabinet structure including components 27 and 28. The components 27 and 28 each have a counter top 29 over which the horizontal flanges 23 extend. The range is supported on a floor 31 by means of a plurality of adjustable feet 32 supported by the bottom wall 16.

When the range 10 is installed in the space 24, there are gaps 33 between the side walls 12 and the opposed walls 26. To hide or mask these gaps trim members 34 are mounted to the side walls 12. Each of the trim members comprises an elongated substantially L-shaped member 36 (see FIG. 3) comprising a foot portion 37 which spans the gap between one of the side walls 12 and one of the adjacent walls of the components 27 or 28. The member 36 further comprises a leg portion 38 secured to a mounting member 39 by rivets 40. The outer surface of L-shaped member 36 is highly polished to provide a pleasing appearance.

Fasteners 41 serve to mount the trim members to respective side walls of the range 10. The fasteners 41, made from any suitable material, for example, spring steel comprise an arcuate base portion 42 formed in tegrally with a shank portion 43. The shank portion 43 has a pair of sidewardly projecting shoulders 44. The fastener 41 is adapted to be inserted through elongated slots 46 and 47 in the trim member and the side wall 12, respectively. To install the fastener 41, it is driven with a hammer until the shoulders 44 engage the Wall 12 from the inner surface thereof. Upon insertion the arcuate base member 42 is flattened as shown in FIG. 3 and in this condition serves to retain the trim member in a fixed position, yet allows it to be moved as desired to adjust for varying dimensions of the cabinet structures 27 and 28.

It will be noted that the slot 46 is vertically oriented while the slot 47 is horizontal. This is to permit both vertical and horizontal adjustment of the trim member relative to the side wall 12. The slots 46 and 47 may be reversely oriented to accomplish the same result.

Since numerous changes may be made in the above apparatus and different embodiments may be made without departing from the spirit thereof, for example, the trim members 36 could be mounted to the cabinet structures 27 and 28, it is intended that all matter contained in the foregoing description or shown in the accompanying drawings, shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim as my invention:

1. In combination, cabinet structure having opposed walls delineating a space therebetween, an appliance disposed between said opposed walls and filling substantially all of said space, at least one trim member extending between one of said opposed walls and an adjacent side Wall of said appliance, and means for supporting said trim member in a plurality of positions relative to said side wall to compensate for variation in at least two dimensions independently of said cabinet structure from standard cabinet structure dimensions, said supporting means allowing movement of said trim member in one direction to compensate for variation in one of said two dimensions and allowing movement in the second direction to compensate for variations in the second dimension, the movement in said second direction being perpendicular and independent of the movement in said one direction.

2. Structure as specified in claim 1, wherein said supporting means comprises fastening means frictionally mounting said trim member to said side Wall of said appliance.

3. Structure as specified in claim 2, wherein said trim member comprises a wall which abuts said side wall, a first elongated slot provided in one of said abutting walls, a second elongated slot in the other of said abutting walls, said first and second slots being disposed at substantially a right angle and having said fastening means extending therethrough.

4. Structure as specified in claim 3, wherein said first slot is disposed in one of said abutting members and said second slot is disposed in the other of said abutting members.

5. Structure as specified in claim 4 wherein said trim member further comprises a substantially flat element having a highly polished surface and being so proportioned that regardless of the position of the trim member relative to the side Wall of the appliance Only said polished surface can be seen by an observer.

6. Structure as specified in claim 4, wherein said fastening means comprises a resilient base portion and an integral shank portion, said shank portion being provided with a plurality of shoulders cooperating with the underside of said heat portion to captivate said abutting walls therebetween with said base portion in a stressed condition.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,661,995 12/1953 Knuth 312-111 2,686,700 8/1954 McCarran 312-111 XR 2,970,872 2/1961 Ullman 312107 XR 3,169,518 2/1965 Scott 3121ll XR 3,351,400 11/1967 Scholtes 312-l ll 3,352,615 11/1967- Sandin 312ill BOBBY R. GAY, Primary Examiner J. L. KOHNEN, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 312-138

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