Abstract:
A hinge conduit casing is provided for protecting and concealing service conduits passing from a refrigerator frame to a door mounted pivotally thereto. The casing comprises a pocket and an angular guide slidably engageable into the pocket. The pocket is affixed to the frame and the angular guide is mounted to the door. The angular guide has a pivot end mounted pivotally to the door and a receiving end insertable into the pocket. When the door is opened at an angle relative to the frame, the receiving end of the angular guide remains, at least in part, in the pocket to conceal and protect the service conduits passing therethrough.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The present invention relates generally to protecting and concealing service conduits passing from a frame to a door mounted pivotally adjacent the frame. More specifically, this invention relates to a casing for service conduits entering the freezer door of a refrigerator with ice and water dispensers.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     Refrigerators commonly have ice and water dispensing devices in one door and often include a light, display, or other electrical device. In order to operate, such dispensing devices require access to water and electricity. Refrigerators having such dispensing devices generally have wires and/or conduits that pass from the refrigerator frame to the door to provide water and electrical service. These service conduits typically extend from the service source through the main refrigerator frame to a lower door hinge, pass over or through the hinge, and continue through the refrigerator door to the dispensing device. These conduits generally are not protected or concealed at the juncture of the frame and door. Thus, when the door is opened and closed, not only are the conduits visible, but the conduits are subject to pinching between the door and the frame at the juncture, possibly causing damage to the conduits, the door, or the refrigerator.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]     This present invention provides a hinge conduit casing for protecting and concealing service conduits passing from a frame to a door mounted pivotally adjacent the frame. The casing comprises a pocket and an angular guide, which is insertable into, and slidably engageable with, the pocket. The pocket is affixed to the frame and the angular guide is mounted pivotally to the door. One or more service conduits pass from the frame through the pocket and angular guide to the door.  
         [0004]     The angular guide has a first section with a first longitudinal axis and a second section with a second longitudinal axis, the second section extends from the first section, and the first and second longitudinal axes extend from one another at an angle greater than 90°. The angular guide has a pivot end that is mounted pivotally to the door and a receiving end that is insertable into the pocket. The pivot end is mounted on the door such that when the receiving end of the angular guide is in the pocket and the door is opened at an angle relative to the frame, the receiving end of the angular guide remains, at least in part, in the pocket. In order to reduce wear on the conduit casing, the shape, length and stiffness of the conduits can prevent the angular guide from contacting the walls of the pocket when the door is open or closed. The nesting pocket and angular guide allow the service conduits to remain concealed and protected when the door is open and closed. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0005]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a conduit casing assembly in a refrigerator with the door open.  
         [0006]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a pocket positioned in a frame.  
         [0007]      FIG. 3  is a perspective rear view of the pocket of  FIG. 2 .  
         [0008]      FIG. 4  is an exploded perspective view of the pocket of  FIG. 2  disassembled from the frame and pocket mount.  
         [0009]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of an angular guide positioned in a pivot base and angular guide mounting bracket.  
         [0010]      FIG. 6  is an exploded perspective view of the angular guide of  FIG. 5  disassembled from the pivot base and angular guide mounting bracket.  
         [0011]      FIG. 7  is a partial top view of the conduit casing of  FIG. 1  in a door and frame configuration with the door closed.  
         [0012]      FIG. 8  is a partial top view of the conduit casing of  FIG. 1  in a door and frame configuration with the door open. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0013]     For a more complete understanding of the present invention, reference should be made to the following detailed description and accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the figures.  
         [0014]     Referring first to  FIG. 1 , a conduit casing is shown within a refrigerator  5 . The casing protects and conceals wires or service conduits that pass from main frame  10  to door  15  of refrigerator  5 . Such wires or conduits include, for example, water lines for a water and ice dispenser in a refrigerator door, electrical wires for lighting devices disposed in the door, cables for television signals, or the like. Although  FIG. 1  depicts the conduit casing in a side-by-side refrigerator freezer, the conduit casing can be used in a top or bottom mounted refrigerator/freezer orientation, with stacked doors or a single door unit. Furthermore, the conduit casing as described herein is not limited to household appliances and could be used in any door and frame configuration, such as, for example, a car door. The conduit casing is shown throughout the figures in use in a refrigerator for ease of explanation, but should not be limited to such use.  
         [0015]     The conduit casing comprises a pocket  20  and an angular guide  25 . Generally, the pocket  20  is received into the frame  10  and the angular guide  25  is mounted pivotally to the door  15 . The angular guide  25  is slidably insertable into the pocket  20 . In one embodiment, the angular guide  25  does not touch the walls of the pocket  20  when the door  15  is open or closed. The angular guide  25  and pocket  20  are positioned such that a service conduit (see  FIGS. 7 and 8 ) can pass from the frame  10  through the pocket  20  and angular guide  25  to the door  15 . When the door  15  is closed, the angular guide  25  is contained, at least in part, by the pocket  20 . When the door  15  is opened, the angular guide  25  remains, at least in part, inside the pocket  20 . Thus, since the angular guide  25  and pocket  20  nest to create a continuous covering or casing, the service conduits are concealed and protected while the door  15  is closed or open.  
         [0016]     In  FIG. 2 , the pocket  20  is shown inserted into the frame  10 . The pocket  20  includes an open front face  38  for receiving the angular guide  25 , and a rear wall  35  with an opening  30  for receiving one or more service conduits from the refrigerator  5 . The opening  30  can be any size or shape suitable for receiving a single or multiple conduits, and alternatively can comprise a plurality of openings. Optionally, the pocket  20  includes a lip  40  extending outwardly from the open face  38 . The lip  40  can assist in proper positioning of the pocket  20  during installation into the frame  10  and can prevent the pocket  20  from sliding out of the frame  10 .  
         [0017]     Referring now to  FIG. 3 , the pocket  20  is shown with a top wall  45 , a bottom wall  50 , and two side walls  55  disposed therebetween. The top, bottom, and side walls define the open front face  38 . Although the pocket  20  is shown as a substantially rectangular prism, the pocket  20  can be of any shape or size suitable for receiving the angular guide  25 . For example, side walls  55  are shown as being parallel and similarly shaped; but could be tapered or placed in any configuration relative to each other and, alternatively still, could be of varying sizes. Further, although  FIG. 3  illustrates the rear wall  35  disposed opposite front face  38  with opening  30 , the pocket  20  could be open at both ends, i.e. without a rear wall, with the service conduits passing through the open ends of the pocket  20 .  
         [0018]      FIG. 4  depicts the pocket  20  disassembled from the frame  10 . Frame  10  has an opening  60  for slidably receiving the pocket  20 . Generally, the pocket  20  is removably insertable into the frame, but could be secured to the frame  10  by any suitable means, such as a pocket mount  65 , as shown. If used, the pocket mount  65  is securable itself to the frame  10  and generally has an opening  70  that slidably receives the pocket  20 .  
         [0019]     The pocket  20  and angular guide  25  are shown in  FIGS. 2-4  in a different configuration than as shown in  FIGS. 7 and 8 . The pocket  20  as shown in  FIGS. 2-4  has a pronounced rear opening  30 , while  FIGS. 7 and 8  illustrate a pocket  20  with an opening  30  in profile to the shape of the pocket. The particular configuration of the pocket  20  and angular guide  25  shown in the figures should not be limited in any manner to the particular shape shown.  
         [0020]     As shown in  FIG. 5 , the angular guide  25  is mounted pivotally to the door  15  with a pivot base  75  and an angular guide mounting bracket  85 . The angular guide is pivotally mounted on the pivot base  75 , which is inserted into a recess in the door  15  or otherwise secured to the door  15  using the angular guide mounting bracket  85 . The pivot base is generally disposed on the lower portion of door  15 . The angular guide  25  has a pivot end  95  for pivotally mounting the angular guide  25  on the pivot base  75 , and a receiving end  105  that is insertable into the pocket  20 . Preferably, pivot end  95  has an opening  98  and receiving end  105  has an opening  108 , such that one or more service conduits can pass through angular guide  25  to a device in the door  15 .  
         [0021]      FIG. 6  depicts the angular guide  25  disassembled from the pivot base  75  and angular guide mounting bracket  85 . The angular guide  25  has a first section  100  having a first longitudinal axis  102  and a second section  110  having a second longitudinal axis  112 . The first and second longitudinal axes extend from each other at an angle greater than 90°. In one embodiment, the angle is between about 100° and about 140°. In another embodiment, the angle is about 120°. As shown in  FIG. 5 , the first section  100  of the angular guide  25  substantially is cylindrical while the second section  110  substantially is flared. However, the first and second angular guide sections can be of any size or shape suitable for encasing one or more service conduits. Preferably, the second section  110  of the angular guide is configured to allow the one or more conduits to move freely within the angular guide  25  while the door  15  opens or closes. For example, the opening  108  at the receiving end  105  is larger substantially than the service conduits to prevent binding or restricting movement of the conduits when the door  15  opens and closes.  
         [0022]     The pivot base  75  has a recess  80  for receiving the angular guide  25 , which can be mounted pivotally to the pivot base  75  in numerous ways. For example, as shown in  FIG. 6 , the angular guide  25  can comprise a pin portion  90 , extending downwardly from the pivot end  95 , which can be inserted into the pivot base  75 . Angular guide  25  can be fastened to the pivot base  75  using any conventional means, such as welding, bonding, or adhesives, or held by fastening means  115 , such as washers, spacers, nuts, or bolts. Generally, the angular guide  25  is fastened to the pivot base  75  to pivot freely on the pivot base  75 .  
         [0023]     Referring now to  FIG. 7 , a conduit casing is shown in a door and frame configuration with the door  15  closed. The angular guide  25  is mounted pivotally in the door  15  and the pocket  20  is slidably inserted into the frame  10 . One or more service conduits  120  pass from the frame  10 , through the pocket  20 , through the angular guide  25 , and into the door  15 , to a device located in the door  15 . When the door  15  is closed, the longitudinal axis  102  of the first portion  100  of the angular guide  25  generally is parallel to the longitudinal axis  17  of the door  15  and the longitudinal axis  12  of the frame  10 . When the door  15  is being opened, the angular guide  25  pivots about the pivot end  95 , such that the longitudinal axis  102  of the first portion  100  of the angular guide  25  remains parallel with the longitudinal axis  12  of the frame  10 . When the door  15  is open, as shown in  FIG. 8 , the longitudinal axis  102  of the first portion  100  of the angular guide  25  is at an angle with the longitudinal axis  17  of the door  15 , but is parallel to the longitudinal axis  12  of the frame  10 . In order to reduce wear on the conduit casing, the shape, length and stiffness of the service conduits  120  can prevent the angular guide  25  from contacting the walls of the pocket  20  when the door  15  is open or closed. Although  FIG. 8  shows the door  15  opened at a 120° angle relative to the frame  10 , the conduit casing can be configured to allow the door  15  to open at angles greater than about 120°, for example, about 180°. As shown in  FIGS. 7 and 8 , the one or more service conduits  120  are free to move within the angular guide  25  as the door  15  opens and closes, preventing damage and wear of the conduits.  
         [0024]     Although the above description and accompanying figures depict the angular guide as a bent elbow comprising two sections, the angular guide can be of any suitable shape and can comprise more than two sections. For example, the angular guide can be substantially C-shaped. Furthermore, the conduit casing may comprise more than one angular guide, nested within each other, to achieve an extended range of motion.  
         [0025]     With respect to the above description, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art. All equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention. Further, the various components of the embodiments of the present invention can be interchanged to produce further embodiments and these further embodiments are intended to be encompassed by the present invention. Various modifications can be made to the thereof. Therefore, the foregoing is of the invention.