Refrigerator and compartment therefor
AssigneeWhirlpool Corporation
InventorsVirgilio O. Tovar, Michael W. Greenwood
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A container for a refrigerator in which the container comprises a pan having an access opening, which is covered by a door pivotally mounted to the pan. The pan is slidably mounted within the refrigerator in a conventional manner. The door has opposing fingers extending from the side edges thereof and a hook extending from the top edge thereof. As the pan is slid outwardly from the refrigerator, the fingers abut liner studs extending from the inner liner of the refrigerator to partially rotate the door from a closed position toward an open position. On the continued sliding of the pan, the hook abuts a sloped surface of the liner to continue the rotation of the door completely into the open position.
Claims20
A refrigerator, comprising:
- a wall forming an interior compartment having a first portion and a second portion;
- a drawer having at least one access opening and an interior, the at least one access opening permitting access to the drawer interior and being slidably mounted to the refrigerator;
- and
- a door pivotally mounted to the drawer at a pivot point and movable between a closed position, which prohibits access to the drawer interior, and an open position, which permits access to the drawer interior, the door having an arm that abuts the first portion of a refrigerator to pivot the door and partially move the door to the open position when the drawer is slid outwardly relative to the interior compartment, and the door having a hook that abuts the second portion of the refrigerator to pivot the door and move it to the open position when the drawer is slid further outwardly relative to the interior compartment.
A refrigerator comprising:
- a cabinet having an open front which is closable by a door;
- a liner having opposing side walls connected by bottom and top walls and mounted to the cabinet and defining a refrigerated compartment;
- a drawer slidably mounted to the liner for movement between a stored position and a use position, and the drawer having an access opening and an interior, the access opening providing access to the interior of the drawer;
- and
- a door pivotally mounted to the drawer for pivoting between a closed position for prohibiting access to the drawer interior through the access opening and an open position for permitting access to the drawer interior through the access opening, the door having at least one arm for abutting a first portion of the refrigerator to partially pivot the door between the closed position and the open position as the drawer is slid, and the door further having a hook for abutting a second portion of the refrigerator to completely pivot the door to the open position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.