# US 10,502,480 B2 · Shelf gaskets > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,502,480 B2 - Document ID: US10502480B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/765,925 - Filed: 2016-10-10 - Published: 2018-10-11 - Granted: 2019-12-10 - Earliest claimed: 2015-10-09 - Assignees: Electrolux Home Products, Inc. - Applicants: Electrolux Home Products, Inc. - Inventors: Salvador Ponce de Leon Dominguez; Danny Ray Parker, Jr.; Troy Botts; Sandeep Kumar - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10502480B2 ## CPC - F25D 25/02: by shelves - F25D 23/087: {Sealing strips} - A47B 96/021: {Structural features of shelf bases} - F25D: REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR (refrigerated showcases A47F3/04; thermally-insulated vessels for domestic use A47J41/00; refrigerated vehicles, see the appropriate subclasses of classes B60 - B64; containers with thermal insulation in general B65D81/38; heat-transfer, heat-exchange or heat-storage materials, e.g. refrigerants, or materials for the production of heat or cold by chemical reactions other than by combustion C09K5/00; thermally-insulated vessels for liquefied or solidified gases F17C; air-conditioning or air-humidification F24F; refrigeration machines, plants, or systems F25B; cooling of instruments or comparable apparatus without refrigeration G12B) - A47B: TABLES; DESKS; OFFICE FURNITURE; CABINETS; DRAWERS; GENERAL DETAILS OF FURNITURE (furniture jointing F16B) ## Abstract A shelf in a cooled compartment (10) has gaskets (32,42) selectively attachable and removable at sides (22,24,26) of the shelf. The gaskets (32,42) are configured to obstruct the flow of air at at least a portion of a gap between the shelf and a wall (14,16,18) of the compartment (10) on the side of the shelf where the gasket is attached. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A compartment including a compartment interior comprising an interior first side face, an interior second side face and an interior rear face: at least one shelf unit supported within the compartment, the at least one shelf unit including at least one of a shelf unit first side edge located at the interior first side face, a shelf unit second side edge located at the interior second side face, and a shelf unit rear edge located at the interior rear face, at least a portion of at least one of the shelf unit first side edge, the shelf unit second side edge and the shelf unit rear edge being spaced away from the interior first side face, the interior second side face and the interior rear face, respectively, thereby forming at least one of a first gap between the interior first side face and the at least a portion of the shelf unit first side edge, a second gap between the interior second side face and the at least a portion of the shelf unit second edge, and a third gap between the interior rear face and the at least a portion of the shelf unit rear edge; and at least one of a first side edge gasket selectively attachable and removable at the shelf unit first side edge and configured to obstruct the flow of air at at least a portion of the first gap when attached at the shelf unit first side edge, a second side edge gasket selectively attachable and removable at the shelf unit second side edge and configured to obstruct the flow of air at at least a portion of the second gap when attached at the shelf unit second side edge, and a rear edge gasket selectively attachable and removable at the shelf unit rear edge and configured to obstruct the flow of air at at least a portion of the third gap when attached at the shelf unit rear edge, wherein the first side edge gasket, the second side edge gasket, and the rear edge gasket each comprises: a main body having a side member, and upper and lower members that extend from the side member to define a channel therebetween, the channel being configured to receive an associated edge of the at least one shelf unit, and a seal portion that is formed integrally with the main body and is cantilevered outwards from the main body, the seal portion extending from an upper portion of the main body in a straight, downward direction away from the shelf unit. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The compartment of claim 1 wherein the compartment comprises a compartment of a refrigeration appliance. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The compartment of claim 2 wherein the compartment of the refrigeration appliance is a fresh food compartment of a household refrigerator. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The compartment of claim 3 wherein the fresh food compartment of the household refrigerator comprises the fresh food compartment of a bottom-mount refrigerator. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The compartment of claim 4 wherein: the shelf unit rear edge of the at least one shelf unit is spaced away from the interior rear face; and the rear edge gasket includes a rear edge gasket first portion and a rear edge gasket second portion integral with the rear edge gasket first portion, the rear edge gasket first portion comprises an attachment configured to removably attach the rear edge gasket to the shelf unit rear edge, and the rear edge gasket second portion is configured to obstruct the flow of air at at least a portion of the third gap. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The compartment of claim 5 wherein the rear edge gasket first portion is configured to be snapped onto the shelf unit rear edge to maintain the rear edge gasket in place at the third gap. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The compartment of claim 5 wherein the rear edge gasket first portion includes a slot into which the shelf unit rear edge is slidably received to maintain the rear edge gasket in place at the third gap. ### Claim 8 (depends on 4) The compartment of claim 4 wherein the at least one shelf unit comprises a plurality of shelves supported at the same height at the compartment interior, each of the plurality of shelves having a respective shelf rear edge that collectively comprise the shelf unit rear edge. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The compartment of claim 8 wherein: the plurality of shelves comprises a first shelf comprising a first shelf rear edge first portion and a first shelf rear edge second portion and a second shelf comprising a second shelf rear edge first portion and a second shelf rear edge second portion; a cold air dispensing unit is located at the interior rear face of the compartment between the interior first side face and the interior second side face and extends outwardly from the interior rear face into the compartment interior to a cold air dispensing unit front face, each of the first shelf rear edge first portion and the second shelf rear edge first portion being located immediately adjacent the cold air dispensing unit front face; each of the first shelf rear edge second portion and the second shelf rear edge second portion is spaced away from the interior rear face thereby forming a first shelf rear edge second portion gap and a second shelf rear edge second portion gap; a first shelf rear edge second portion gasket is selectively attachable and removable at the first shelf rear edge second portion and is configured to at least partially obstruct the flow of air at the first shelf rear edge second portion gap when attached at the first shelf rear edge second portion; and a second shelf rear edge second portion gasket is selectively attachable and removable at the second shelf rear edge second portion and is configured to at least partially obstruct the flow of air at the second shelf rear edge second portion gap when attached at the second shelf rear edge second portion. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The compartment of claim 9 wherein each of the first shelf rear edge second portion gasket and the second shelf rear edge second portion gasket slopes downwardly from the first shelf rear edge second portion and the second shelf rear edge second portion, respectively, toward the interior rear face. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The compartment of claim 9 wherein: the first shelf rear edge second portion gasket includes a first shelf rear edge second portion gasket first portion and a first shelf rear edge second portion gasket second portion integral with the first shelf rear edge second portion gasket first portion; the second shelf rear edge second portion gasket includes a second shelf rear edge second portion gasket first portion and a second shelf rear edge second portion gasket second portion integral with the second shelf rear edge second portion gasket first portion; and each of the first shelf rear edge second portion gasket first portion and the second shelf rear edge second portion gasket first portion comprises an attachment configured to removably attach the first shelf rear edge second portion gasket first portion and the second shelf rear edge second portion gasket first portion to the first shelf rear edge second portion and the second shelf rear edge second portion, respectively, whereby the first shelf rear edge second portion gasket second portion at least partially obstructs the flow of air at the first shelf rear edge second portion gap and the second shelf rear edge second portion gasket second portion at least partially obstructs the flow of air at the second shelf rear edge second portion gap. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The compartment of claim 11 wherein the first shelf rear edge second portion gasket first portion is configured to be snapped onto the first shelf rear edge second portion to maintain the first shelf rear edge second portion gasket in place at the first shelf rear edge second portion gap and the second shelf rear edge second portion gasket first portion is configured to be snapped onto the second shelf rear edge second portion to maintain the second shelf rear edge second portion gasket in place at the second shelf rear edge second portion gap. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The compartment of claim 11 wherein the first shelf rear edge second portion gasket first portion includes a slot into which the first shelf rear edge second portion is slidably received to maintain the first shelf rear edge second portion gasket in place at the first shelf rear edge second portion gap and the second shelf rear edge second portion gasket first portion includes a slot into which the second shelf rear edge second portion is slidably received to maintain the second shelf rear edge second portion gasket in place at the second shelf rear edge second portion gap. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The compartment of claim 1, wherein the upper and lower members of the main body are integrally formed with the side member of the main body. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The compartment of claim 14, wherein the seal portion of the first side edge gasket extends away from the shelf unit toward the interior first side face of the compartment interior, the seal portion of the second side edge gasket extends away from the shelf unit toward the interior second side face of the compartment interior, and the seal portion of the rear edge gasket extends away from the shelf unit toward the interior rear face of the compartment interior. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The compartment of claim 15, wherein the shelf unit includes a planar support surface for supporting food items thereon that extends along a support plane, and the seal portion of the gasket extends oblique to the support plane. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The compartment of claim 16, wherein the compartment includes the first side edge gasket, the second side edge gasket, and the rear gasket. ### Claim 18 A shelf assembly for a compartment interior, the shelf assembly comprising: a shelf unit including a plurality of edges; and a gasket removably attached to an edge of the plurality of edges, wherein the gasket includes: a main body having a side member and upper and lower members that extend from the side member to define a channel therebetween, the channel being configured to receive the edge of the shelf unit, and a seal portion that is formed integrally with the main body and is cantilevered outwards from the main body, the seal portion extending from an upper portion of the main body in a straight, downward direction away from the edge of the shelf unit. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The shelf assembly of claim 18, wherein the upper and lower members of the main body are integrally formed with the side member of the main body. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The shelf assembly of claim 19, wherein the shelf unit includes a planar support surface for supporting food items thereon that extends along a support plane, and the seal portion of the gasket extends oblique to the support plane.