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US 2017/0254585 A1Published application
Refrigerator Appliance with a Drawer Slide Synchronizer
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsAlisa Marie Dickerson, Louis A. Wantland, Bagawathkumar Chellappan
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A refrigerator appliance includes a drawer slide synchronizer with a first cable and a second cable. A first bearing is mounted to a first one of a pair of drawer slides, and a second bearing is mounted to a second one of the pair of drawer slides. The first and second cables contact the first bearing, and the first and second cables also contact the second bearing.
Claims17
A bottom-mount refrigerator appliance defining a vertical direction, a lateral direction and a transverse direction that are mutually perpendicular, the refrigerator appliance comprising:
- a cabinet extending between a top portion and a bottom portion along the vertical direction, the cabinet also extending between a first side portion and a second side portion along the lateral direction, the cabinet further extending between a front portion and a back portion along the transverse direction, a chilled chamber of the cabinet disposed proximate the bottom portion of the cabinet;
- a chilled chamber drawer assembly comprising
- a chilled chamber door;
- a pair of drawer slides mounted to the cabinet at the chilled chamber of the cabinet, the drawer slides of the pair of drawer slides coupling the chilled chamber door to the cabinet such that the chilled chamber door is translatable relative to the cabinet on the pair of drawer slides along the transverse direction;
- a drawer slide synchronizer coupling the drawer slides of the pair of drawer slides together, the drawer slide synchronizer comprising
- a first cable extending between a first end portion and a second end portion, the first end portion of the first cable mounted at the first si de portion of the cabinet and the back portion of the cabinet, the second end portion of the first cable mounted at the second side portion of the cabinet and the front portion of the cabinet;
- a second cable extending between a first end portion and a second end portion, the first end portion of the second cable mounted at the second side portion of the cabinet and the back portion of the cabinet, the second end portion of the second cable mounted at the first side portion of the cabinet and the front portion of the cabinet;
- a first bearing mounted to a first one of the pair of drawer slides such that the first bearing is fixed relative to the chilled chamber door, the first and second cables contacting the first bearing;
- and
- a second bearing mounted to a second one of the pair of drawer slides such that the second bearing is fixed relative to the chilled chamber door, the first and second cables contacting the second bearing,
- wherein the first cable comprises a pair of cable segments, the cable segments of the pair of cable segments of the first cable coupled to each other between the drawer slides of the pair of drawer slides,
- wherein the second cable comprises a pair of cable segments, the cable segments of the pair of cable segments of the second cable coupled to each other between the drawer slides of the pair of drawer slides, and
- wherein a connection between the cable segments of the pair of cable segments of the first cable is positioned proximate the second side portion of the cabinet and a connection between the cable segments of the pair of cable segments of the second cable is positioned proximate the first side portion of the cabinet.
10 more elements
9-11. (canceled)
A bottom-mount refrigerator appliance defining a vertical direction, a lateral direction and a transverse direction that are mutually perpendicular, the refrigerator appliance comprising:
- a cabinet extending between a top portion and a bottom portion along the vertical direction, the cabinet also extending between a first side portion and a second side portion along the lateral direction, the cabinet further extending between a front portion and a back portion along the transverse direction, a freezer chamber of the cabinet disposed at the bottom portion of the cabinet;
- a freezer drawer assembly comprising
- a freezer door;
- a pair of full extension drawer slides mounted to the cabinet at the freezer chamber of the cabinet, the drawer slides of the pair of drawer slides coupling the freezer door to the cabinet such that the freezer door is translatable relative to the cabinet on the pair of drawer slides along the transverse direction;
- a drawer slide synchronizer coupling the drawer slides of the pair of drawer slides together, the drawer slide synchronizer comprising
- a first cable extending between a first end portion and a second end portion, the first end portion of the first cable fixed relative to the cabinet at the first side portion of the cabinet and the back portion of the cabinet, the second end portion of the first cable fixed relative to the cabinet at the second side portion of the cabinet and the front portion of the cabinet;
- a second cable extending between a first end portion and a second end portion, the first end portion of the second cable fixed relative to the cabinet at the second side portion of the cabinet and the back portion of the cabinet, the second end portion of the second cable fixed relative to the cabinet at the first side portion of the cabinet and the front portion of the cabinet;
- a first bearing mounted to a first one of the pair of full extension drawer slides such that the first bearing is translatable relative to the cabinet along the transverse direction, the first and second cables contacting the first bearing;
- and
- a second bearing mounted to a second one of the pair of full extension drawer slides such that such that the second bearing is translatable relative to the cabinet along the transverse direction, the first and second cables contacting the second bearing,
- wherein the first cable comprises a pair of cable segments, the cable segments of the pair of cable segments of the first cable coupled to each other between the drawer slides of the pair of drawer slides,
- wherein the second cable comprises a pair of cable segments, the cable segments of the pair of cable segments of the second cable coupled to each other between the drawer slides of the pair of drawer slides, and
- wherein a connection between the cable segments of the pair of cable segments of the first cable is positioned proximate the second side portion of the cabinet and a connection between the cable segments of the pair of cable segments of the second cable is positioned proximate site first side portion of the cabinet.
10 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.