Under-shelf storage bin for a refrigerator appliance
AssigneeHaier US Appliance Solutions, Inc.
InventorsMahesh Swamulapalli, Shashidhar Taraka, Sandeep Shankar
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A refrigerator appliance includes a chilled chamber and a shelf positioned within the chilled chamber. The shelf is supported by lateral mounting bracket that define support features for an under-shelf storage bin. The support features include mounting pins and/or guide ribs that are configured to engage complementary rollers or hooking protrusions defined on the lateral sides of the storage bin. The support features permit a user to pull the storage bin away from the shelf along a transverse direction and/or pivot the shelf downward along the vertical direction.
Claims12
A refrigerator appliance defining a vertical direction, a lateral direction, and a transverse direction, the refrigerator appliance comprising:
- a cabinet defining a chilled chamber;
- a door being rotatably hinged to the cabinet to provide selective access to the chilled chamber;
- a shelf positioned within the chilled chamber, the shelf defining a locking flange at a front portion of the shelf;
- a mounting bracket supporting the shelf within the chilled chamber, the mounting bracket defining a mounting pin and a lower guide rib;
- and
- a bin assembly comprising:
- a storage bin positioned below the shelf and being movable between an open position and a closed position;
- an upper hooking protrusion extending from the storage bin toward the mounting bracket, the upper hooking protrusion being supported by the mounting pin and being rotatable relative to the mounting pin as the storage bin is moved between the open position and the closed position;
- a bin roller mounted to the storage bin and slidably engaging the lower guide rib as the storage bin is moved toward the open position, the bin roller being seated in a concave bottom of the lower guide rib to support the storage bin in the open position;
- and
- a latch assembly comprising a latch member that selectively engages the locking flange of the shelf to support a front portion of the storage bin in the closed position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.