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US 12,704,316 B1Granted
Refrigerator trim kit and method of its use
OwnerSamuel Aubin Schafflerinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A conversion trim kit of this disclosure is adapted for use with a refrigerator, a refrigerator/freezer, or a stand-alone upright freezer that, in a connected state, attach to cabinetry surrounding the appliance rather than the appliance itself. The kit includes a top trim panel that includes a backing plate with slots and louvers with tabs adapted for insertion into the slots. After insertion into the slot, the tab is sheared and crimped, thereby tightly joining the louver to the backing plate without the need for welding.
Claims6
A top trim panel for a residential kitchen appliance, the top trim panel comprising:
- a backing plate including a plurality of spaced-apart slots;
- a front face having one or more louvers including a plurality of tabs extending rearward from the louvers and adapted for insertion into corresponding slots of the plurality of spaced-apart slots;
- wherein each tab moves between a first orientation forward of, and normal to, the backing plate for insertion into a corresponding one of the spaced-apart slots and a second orientation rearward of, and oblique to, the backing plate after insertion into the corresponding one of the spaced-apart slots.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.