# US 11,441,835 B1 · Refrigerator appliance and containment system for contents of refrigerator appliance > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,441,835 B1 - Document ID: US11441835B1 - Status: Granted - Kind: B1 - Application number: 17/183,922 - Filed: 2021-02-24 - Published: 2022-08-25 - Granted: 2022-09-13 - Earliest claimed: 2021-02-24 - Assignees: Whirlpool Corporation - Applicants: Whirlpool Corporation - Inventors: Isadora Camargo Góss; Luiz Afranio Alves Ferreira - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11441835B1 ## CPC - F25D 23/04: with special compartments, e.g. butter conditioners - F25D 25/02: by shelves - F25D 31/007: {Bottles or cans} - F25D 2331/803: Bottles - 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) ## Abstract A containment system for a refrigerator includes a storage bin and a support arm. The storage bin is secured to an internal panel of a refrigerator door. The support arm is secured to the interior panel at a position above the storage bin. The support arm is configured to transition between a retracted position that is adjacent to a back surface of the internal panel and an advanced position that is spaced apart from the back surface. The support arm in the advanced position is configured to engage a food container that is positioned in the storage bin such that the food container is disposed between the support arm and the back surface. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A refrigerator appliance comprising: walls defining an internal storage chamber; a door rotatably secured to the walls, having a liner that is configured to face the internal storage chamber when the door is in a closed position, wherein (i) the liner defines a storage bin, (ii) has a back surface, and (iii) has a side surface that is substantially perpendicular to the back surface; and a support arm secured to the side surface in cantilevered manner at a position above the storage bin, wherein the support arm (i) has an internal surface, (ii) is configured to transition between a retracted position where the support arm is adjacent to the back surface and the internal surface faces away from the back surface and an advanced position where the support arm is spaced apart from the back surface and the internal surface faces toward the back surface, and (iii) in the advanced position the support arm is configured to engage a food container that is disposed in the storage bin such that the food container is disposed between the support arm and the back surface of the liner in order to maintain the position of and prevent the food container from falling over. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The refrigerator appliance of claim 1, wherein the support arm is rotatably secured to the side surface via a pivot. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The refrigerator appliance of claim 2, wherein the support arm is configured to rotate about the pivot between the retracted position and the advanced position. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The refrigerator appliance of claim 3, wherein the retracted position is substantially 180° from the advanced position. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The refrigerator appliance of claim 1, wherein the support arm in the advanced position is configured to engage the food container above a center of mass of the food container. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The refrigerator appliance of claim 1, wherein the support arm has an arc-shaped profile, the back surface of the liner defines a notch having a corresponding arc-shaped profile configured to receive a middle section of the arc-shaped profile of the support arm when the support arm is in the retracted position. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The refrigerator appliance of claim 1, wherein the internal surface is arc-shaped and is configured to engage a cylindrical outer surface of the food container. ### Claim 8 A refrigerator door comprising: an exterior panel; an interior panel disposed on an internal side of the exterior panel, the interior panel having a back surface and side surface that is substantially perpendicular to the back surface; a shelf extending from the back surface; and a support arm secured to the side surface in a cantilevered manner at a position above the shelf, wherein the support arm (i) has an internal surface, (ii) is configured to transition between a retracted position where the support arm is adjacent to the back surface and the internal surface faces away from the back surface and an advanced position where the support arm is spaced apart from the back surface and the internal surface faces toward the back surface, and (iii) in the advanced position the support arm is configured to engage a food container that is resting on the shelf such that the food container is disposed between the support arm and the back surface of the interior panel. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The refrigerator door of claim 8, wherein the support arm is rotatably secured to the side surface via a pivot. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The refrigerator door of claim 9, wherein the support arm is configured to rotate about the pivot between the retracted position and the advanced position. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The refrigerator door of claim 10, wherein the retracted position is substantially 180° from the advanced position. ### Claim 12 (depends on 8) The refrigerator door of claim 8, wherein the support arm in the advanced position is configured to engage the food container above a center of mass of the food container. ### Claim 13 (depends on 8) The refrigerator door of claim 8, wherein the support arm has an arc-shaped profile, the back surface of the interior panel defines a notch having a corresponding arc-shaped profile configured to receive a middle section of the arc-shaped profile of the support arm when the support art is in the retracted position. ### Claim 14 (depends on 8) The refrigerator door of claim 8, wherein the internal surface is arc-shaped and is configured to engage a cylindrical outer surface of the food container. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The refrigerator door of claim 14, wherein the support arm has a structural frame and a coating material that is disposed over a portion of the structural frame, wherein the coating material forms the arc-shaped internal surface and has a coefficient of friction that is greater than a coefficient of friction of the structural frame. ### Claim 16 A containment system for a refrigerator comprising: a storage bin secured to an interior panel of a refrigerator door, the interior panel having (i) a back surface and (ii) a side surface that is substantially perpendicular to the back surface; and a support arm secured to the side surface in a cantilevered manner at a position above the storage bin, wherein the support arm (i) has an internal surface, (ii) is configured to transition between a retracted position where the support arm is adjacent to the back surface and the internal surface faces away from the back surface and an advanced position where the support arm is spaced apart from the back surface and the internal surface faces toward the back surface, and (iii) in the advanced position the support arm is configured to engage a food container that is positioned in the storage bin such that the food container is disposed between the support arm and the back surface. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The containment system of claim 16, wherein the support arm is rotatably secured to the side surface via a pivot, and wherein the support arm is configured to rotate about the pivot between the retracted position and the advanced position. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The containment system of claim 17, wherein the retracted position is substantially 180° from the advanced position. ### Claim 19 (depends on 16) The containment system of claim 16, wherein the support arm has an arc-shaped profile, the back surface of the interior panel defines a notch having a corresponding arc-shaped profile configured to receive a middle section of the arc-shaped profile of the support arm when the support arm is in the retracted position. ### Claim 20 (depends on 16) The containment system of claim 16, wherein the internal surface is arc-shaped and is configured to engage a cylindrical outer surface of the food container, and wherein the support arm has a structural frame and a coating material that is disposed over a portion of the structural frame, wherein the coating material forms the arc-shaped internal surface and has a coefficient of friction that is greater than a coefficient of friction of the structural frame.