Double-acting refrigerator door hinge and sliding lock-bolt

For use in a housing structure having a cabinet having an access opening defining opposite sides, and a door for selectively closing said opening, said door defining opposite sides, hinge means for mounting the door to the cabinet with the opposite sides of the door juxtaposed respectively to the opposite sides of the access opening and permitting the door to be opened from either side of the opening, said hinge means comprising:

• a pair of pivot pins on the door one each at the opposite sides of the door;
• means defining a pair of pivot recesses on the cabinet one each at said opposite sides of the opening for removably receiving said pivot pins;
• a slide bar selectively reciprocably longitudinally movable on the cabinet and having opposite ends defining catches for releasably retaining the pivot pins, said catches and slide bar being constructed to prevent concurrent movement of both pivot pins outwardly from said pivot recesses;
• and
• a pair of locking means one each at said opposite ends of the slide bar responsive to opening movement of the door from either side effecting withdrawal of the pivot pin thereat from its associated recess for effectively longitudinally moving said slide bar to and locking the slide bar in a thrown position preventing withdrawal of the other pivot pin from its associated recess, each said locking means comprising a retainer pivotally mounted to the cabinet and defining a shoulder facing toward the adjacent end of the slide bar, means on the slide bar end facng toward the retainer shoulder, biasing means for biasing the retainer to urge the retainer shoulder into the path of movement of the slide bar shoulder, first cam means on said retainer for engagement by the associated pivot pin as the pivot pin is moved into the associated pivot recess to urge the retainer pivotally to move the retainer shoulder out of the path of movement of the slide bar shoulder permitting the slide bar to move longitudinally sufficiently to cause the catch at that end to engage the pivot pin in the pivot recess to retain the door edge thereat pivotally mounted to the adjacent cabinet side, the slide bar end further defining a second cam means for engagement by the pivot pin as an incident of the side of the door being urged away from the adjacent side of the cabinet with the locking means at the opposite end of the slide bar locking the pivot pin on the opposite side of the door pivotally to the opposite side of the cabinet to urge the slide bar longitudinally toward said opposite side of the cabinet and permit the retainer to be pivoted by the biasing means to urge the retainer shoulder into the path of movement of the adjacent slide bar shoulder to prevent longitudinal movement of the slide bar away from said opposite side of the door thereby effectively positively locking the slide bar in the thrown position as long as the pivot pin withdrawn from the pivot means remains withdrawn;
• and cooperating safety lock means on said door and slide bar for positively preventing withdrawal movement of said other pivot pin while said slide bar is in said thrown position.