Appliance doors
AssigneeGemtron Corporation
InventorsCraig Bienick, Howard Daley
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A structural panel, such as an appliance door, includes first and second frame members each having inner and outer peripheral edges with the inner peripheral edges each defining an opening. At least one of the frames is constructed from synthetic polymeric/copolymeric material. A glass panel has an outer peripheral edge in sandwiched relationship with at least one annular member inner peripheral edge thereby closing the opening thereof, and the two frames are secured together. A second glass panel can be associated with the other frame to close the opening therein, and the glass panels can be in spaced parallel relationship to each other. Alternatively, one of the glass panels can be of a concavo/convex relationship, particularly when the structural panel is a washing machine door.
Claims15
A structural panel defined by first and second substantially annular members and a glass panel, said first substantially annular member including a substantially peripheral wall and a substantially annular flange projecting substantially radially outwardly of said peripheral wall in a plane substantially normal to an axis of said first substantially annular member and terminating at an outermost terminal edge portion, said peripheral wall terminating at an innermost terminal edge portion remote from said outermost terminal end portion, said first substantially annular member being constructed from synthetic polymeric/copolymeric material, said glass panel having an outer peripheral edge, said glass panel outer peripheral edge being sandwiched in in situ molded encapsulated relationship with said peripheral wall innermost terminal edge portion thereby imparting a substantially U-shaped radially outwardly flanged axial cross-sectional configuration to said first substantially annular member, said second substantially annular member being disposed in substantially contiguous overlying parallel relationship to said first member annular flange at a side thereof axially remote from said glass panel, and means for securing said first and second substantially annular members together.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.