# US 9,557,095 B2 · Refrigerator door lock

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- Number: US 9,557,095 B2
- Document ID: US9557095B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 13/830,170
- Filed: 2013-03-14
- Published: 2014-09-18
- Granted: 2017-01-31
- Earliest claimed: 2013-03-14
- Assignees: Rumble Products, LLC
- Applicants: Rumble Products LLC
- Inventors: Matthew G. Rumble
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9557095B2

## CPC

- F25D 23/028: {Details}
- E05B 15/1607: {Adhesive}
- E05B 65/0042: {For refrigerators or cold rooms (E05B17/0075 takes precedence; magnetic E05C19/16)}
- E05C 7/04: for wings which abut when closed {(pillarless vehicle doors E05B83/38)}
- E05C 19/184: {a portable member cooperating with a fixed member or an opening on the wing or the frame, for locking the wing}
- Y10T 292/20: Clamps
- F25D: REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR (refrigerated showcases A47F3/04; thermally-insulated vessels for domestic use A47J41/00; refrigerated vehicles, see the appropriate subclasses of classes B60 - B64; containers with thermal insulation in general B65D81/38; heat-transfer, heat-exchange or heat-storage materials, e.g. refrigerants, or materials for the production of heat or cold by chemical reactions other than by combustion C09K5/00; thermally-insulated vessels for liquefied or solidified gases F17C; air-conditioning or air-humidification F24F; refrigeration machines, plants, or systems F25B; cooling of instruments or comparable apparatus without refrigeration G12B)
- E05B: LOCKS; ACCESSORIES THEREFOR; HANDCUFFS
- E05C: BOLTS OR FASTENING DEVICES FOR WINGS, SPECIALLY FOR DOORS OR WINDOWS (latching means for sideboard or tailgate structures for vehicles B62D, {B62D33/02}; fastening devices for constructional or engineering elements E04, F16B; locks, fastening devices structurally or operatively combined or having significant cooperation with locks E05B; means for operating or controlling wing fasteners in conjunction with mechanisms for moving the wing E05F)
- Y10T: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION

## Abstract

A refrigerator lock for selectively locking at least one door of a refrigerator into a closed position is described. The refrigerator door lock may include an anchor having an outer periphery sized to fit on a door face of the refrigerator adjacent to one or more doors seals when the door maintains the closed position. A fastener such as an adhesive may be utilized to secure the anchor to the door face of the refrigerator. An extension extends from a catch and is selectively securable to the anchor. With the extension secured to the anchor, the catch overlaps the refrigerator doors and either directly or indirectly engages the refrigerator doors to hold them in the closed position.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A refrigerator door lock for selectively locking at least one door of a refrigerator into a closed position in which a door seal of the at least one door maintains sealing engagement with a door face of the refrigerator and access to an internal compartment for storing cooled items is prevented, said refrigerator door lock comprising:
an anchor including an outer periphery sized to fit on the door face of the refrigerator adjacent to the door seal of the at least one door of the refrigerator when the at least one door of the refrigerator maintains the closed position and the door seal of the at least one door engages the door face of the refrigerator, the anchor having a refrigerator fastener operable to selectively secure said anchor to the door face of the refrigerator in a chosen position, wherein the door seal defines a gap between the at least one door and the door face when the at least one door maintains the closed position and wherein the anchor is at least partially located in the gap when the at least one door maintains the closed position;
a catch;
an extension extending from said catch, said extension selectively securable to said anchor in a secured position; and
said catch sized to overlap the at least one door of the refrigerator when said catch is secured to said anchor and said anchor is secured to the door face of the refrigerator adjacent to the door seal of the at least one door when the at least one door of the refrigerator maintains the closed position and the door seal of the at least one door engages the door face of the refrigerator, said extension having a length between said catch and said anchor when said extension is secured to said anchor, said length sized so that, with said anchor secured to the door face adjacent to the door seal of the at least one door and said at least one door of the refrigerator in the closed position and said extension secured to said anchor, said catch engages the at least one door of the refrigerator to hold it in the closed position.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The refrigerator door lock of claim 1, wherein said refrigerator fastener comprises an adhesive.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The refrigerator door lock of claim 2, wherein said adhesive comprises an acrylic adhesive.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

The refrigerator door lock of claim 2, wherein said adhesive comprises an acrylic adhesive coated on both sides of a core.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The refrigerator door lock of claim 4, wherein said core is formed of a solid acrylic.

### Claim 6 (depends on 4)

The refrigerator door lock of claim 4, wherein said core is formed of a foamed acrylic.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The refrigerator door lock of claim 1, wherein said anchor comprises a threaded aperture and said extension comprises a distal threaded end, said distal threaded end of said extension cooperating with said threaded aperture of said extension to selectively secure said extension and thereby said catch to said anchor.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The refrigerator door lock of claim 1, wherein said catch comprises a generally circular perimeter perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of said catch, said generally circular perimeter including a plurality of spaced concave recesses, said spaced concave recesses provide gripping surfaces to facilitate a user rotation of said catch.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The refrigerator door lock of claim 1, wherein said catch comprises a generally circular perimeter perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of said catch, said generally circular perimeter defining a diameter of about 2½ inches.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The refrigerator door lock of claim 1, wherein said at least one door comprises a pair of adjacent doors wherein said extension defines a cross-section perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of said extension throughout the length of said extension, the cross-section of the extension sized to extend between at least one gap formed between the pair of adjacent doors when the pair of doors maintains the closed position.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The refrigerator door lock of claim 1, wherein said extension is circular in a cross section perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of said extension throughout said length of said extension, said extension having a perimeter defined by a diameter of about ⅜ inches.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The refrigerator door lock of claim 1, wherein said anchor defines a distal fastener surface from which said refrigerator fastener extends and an opposite proximal surface, said anchor tapering from said distal fastener surface to said proximal surface, said anchor defining a height between the distal fastener surface and the opposite proximal surface of about 7/16 inches.

### Claim 13

A method of securing at least one door of a refrigerator against opening when the refrigerator is in transit, the method comprising:
securing an anchor, the anchor including an outer periphery sized to fit on a door face of the refrigerator adjacent to a door seal of the at least one door of the refrigerator when the at least one door of the refrigerator maintains a closed position and the door seal of the at least one door engages the door face of the refrigerator, the anchor having a refrigerator fastener operable to selectively secure said anchor to the door face of the refrigerator in a chosen position wherein the door seal defines a gap between the at least one door and the door face when the at least one door maintains the closed position and wherein the anchor is at least partially located in the gap when the at least one door maintains the closed position, the refrigerator so that the anchor is adjacent to a seal of at least one door of the refrigerator when the at least one door of the refrigerator maintains the closed position in which the door seal of the at least one door maintains sealing engagement with the door face of the refrigerator and access to an internal compartment for storing cooled items is prevented; and
securing a catch, the catch having an extension extending from the catch, the extension selectively securable to the anchor in a secured position, the catch sized to overlap the at least one door of the refrigerator when said catch is secured to said anchor and said anchor is secured to the door face of the refrigerator adjacent to the door seal of the at least one door when the at least one door of the refrigerator maintains the closed position and the door seal of the at least one door engages the door face of the refrigerator, said extension having a length between said catch and said anchor when said extension is secured to said anchor, said length sized so that, with said anchor secured to the door face adjacent to the door seal of the at least one door and said at least one door of the refrigerator in the closed position and said extension secured to said anchor, said catch engages the at least one door of the refrigerator to hold it in the closed position, to the anchor so that, with the at least one door of the refrigerator maintaining the closed position, the catch overlaps the at least one door of the refrigerator and engages the at least one door of the refrigerator to hold it in the closed position, the catch secured relative to the at least one door of the refrigerator solely by way of its securement to the anchor.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The method of claim 13, wherein the at least one door comprises a pair of adjacent doors, and wherein said anchor comprises a catch fastener, said step of securing the anchor to the refrigerator comprises the step of securing the anchor to the refrigerator so that the catch fastener is accessible when the pair of adjacent doors of the refrigerator maintain the closed position.

### Claim 15 (depends on 13)

The method of claim 13, wherein the refrigerator comprises a French door refrigerator with a bottom freezer, wherein the at least one door of the refrigerator comprises a pair of adjacent French doors and a door of the bottom freezer of the French door refrigerator, and wherein said anchor comprises a catch fastener, said step of securing the anchor to the refrigerator comprises the step of securing the anchor to the refrigerator so that the catch fastener is accessible when the pair of adjacent French doors and the door of the bottom freezer maintain the closed position.

### Claim 16 (depends on 13)

The method of claim 13, wherein said step of securing the catch to the anchor comprises the step of securing the extension extending from the catch to the anchor.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The method of claim 16, wherein said step of securing the extension to the anchor comprises the step of threading a threaded distal end of the extension into a threaded aperture formed in the anchor.

### Claim 18 (depends on 14)

The method of claim 14, wherein the pair of adjacent doors define a gap therebetween when the pair of adjacent doors maintain the closed position, wherein said catch fastener comprises a threaded aperture formed in the anchor, and wherein the step of securing the catch to the anchor comprises the steps of;
closing the pair of adjacent doors;
positioning the extension extending from the catch into the gap between the pair of adjacent doors; and
threading a threaded distal end of the extension into said threaded aperture formed in the anchor so that the catch overlaps the pair of adjacent doors of the refrigerator to hold them in the closed position.

### Claim 19 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, wherein the pair of adjacent French doors and the door of the bottom freezer of the French door refrigerator define a gap therebetween when the pair of adjacent French doors and the door of the bottom freezer maintain the closed position, wherein said catch fastener comprises a threaded aperture formed in the anchor, and wherein the step of securing the catch to the anchor comprises the steps of:
closing the pair of adjacent French doors and the door of the bottom freezer;
positioning the extension extending from the catch into the gap between the pair of adjacent French doors and the door of the bottom freezer; and
threading a threaded distal end of the extension extending from the catch into said threaded aperture formed in the anchor so that the catch overlaps the pair of adjacent French doors and the door of the bottom freezer of the refrigerator to hold them in the closed position.

### Claim 20 (depends on 13)

The method of claim 13, wherein said step of securing the anchor to the refrigerator comprises the step of securing the anchor to the refrigerator with an adhesive.