Abstract:
A refrigerator cabinet includes a shell within which is defined at least one food compartment. For enhancing the access to the food storage compartment, the shell is provided with an open frontal zone which includes a frontal facing portion and a sideward facing portion. A door is hingedly connected adjacent one side of the cabinet, extends across the front of the cabinet and wraps around to an opposing side of the cabinet. In this fashion, a section of the door actually defines an extension of one side of the refrigerator cabinet such that, when the door is opened, enhanced access to within the refrigerator is provided.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention pertains to the art of refrigerators and, more particularly, to a refrigerator cabinet having an enlarged open frontal zone in order to enhance access to within a compartment of the refrigerator cabinet. 
     2. Discussion of the Prior Art 
     Various different types of refrigerators are available on the market today. For example, a common type of refrigerator is generally referred to as a top mount style which incorporates an upper freezer compartment separated from a lower fresh food compartment by a mullion area. Each of the compartments in a top mount refrigerator can be accessed by pivoting a door which is hinged about a generally vertical axis at one side edge portion of a cabinet of the refrigerator. The cabinet of the refrigerator includes side panels which have substantially equal fore-toaft associated dimensions such that the open frontal zone associated with each of the compartments of the refrigerator generally extends in a single vertical plane. In order to seal the opening, the associated door is generally constituted by a planar member. 
     Although such a conventional refrigerator arrangement is considered to provide ample access to within the respective compartments in order to store or retrieve food items chilled with the refrigerator, there is still a need in the art for a refrigerator which includes an enlarged open frontal zone in order to enhance the accessibility of food items stored in the refrigerator. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A refrigerator cabinet assembly constructed in accordance with the present invention includes a cabinet shell having first and second laterally spaced side panels, a top panel interconnecting upper end portions of the side panels and an open frontal zone permitting access to within a food storage compartment defined within the cabinet shell. The side panels of the cabinet shell have different associated depth dimensions such that the open zone includes a frontal facing portion and a sideward facing portion. A door includes a first frontal edge portion which is hingedly connected adjacent one of the side panels and a second frontal edge portion which leads to a side edge portion of the door. The side edge portion wraps around the front of the refrigerator and generally defines an extension of the second side panel. 
     With this configuration, the open frontal zone of the refrigerator is enlarged as compared to more conventional refrigerators such that enhanced access to within the food storage compartment is provided. More specifically, the side edge portion of the door is angled with respect to a front surface thereof such that when the door is opened, the size of the access opening created into the food storage compartment is larger than an opening which would be created when pivoting a conventional refrigerator door through a corresponding angle. 
    
    
     Additional objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments thereof when taken in conjunction with the drawings wherein like reference numerals refer to corresponding parts in the several views. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a upper right perspective view of a top-mount style refrigerator incorporating the enhanced access opening arrangement of the present invention, with doors of the refrigerator being shown in a closed condition; 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective view similar to that shown in FIG. 1, but with the refrigerator shown in a partially opened condition; and 
     FIG. 3 is an upper right perspective view of a refrigerator cabinet constructed in accordance with a second preferred embodiment of the invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Reference will be initially made to FIGS. 1 and 2 in describing a refrigerator cabinet  2  constructed in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the invention. Refrigerator cabinet  2  is shown to include a cabinet shell  5  that is generally formed from side panels  8  and  9 , a top panel  10 , a bottom panel  11  and a rear panel  12 . At this point, it should be initially recognized that shell  5  can be constructed in various fashions, including providing separate panels  8 - 12  which are attached together or forming various panels, such as side panels  8  and  9  and top panel  10 , from a single piece of material and attaching thereto bottom panel  11  and rear panel  12 . In any case, refrigerator cabinet  2  is provided with an open frontal zone  15  which exposes a liner  18  that defines a food storage compartment  20 . 
     In the embodiment shown, food storage compartment  20  defines a fresh food compartment and arranged thereabove is a freezer compartment (not labeled). Therefore, refrigerator cabinet  2  generally takes the form of a top mount style refrigerator generally known in the art. For the sake of completeness, food storage compartment  20  is illustrated to include a pair of laterally spaced, lower, slidably mounted bins  26  and  27 , as well as a plurality of shelves  30 - 33 . In general, the number of compartments within refrigerator cabinet  2  or the interior arrangement thereof is not pertinent to the present invention. However, what is important to note is that open frontal zone  15  includes a frontal facing portion  37  and a sideward facing portion  39 . More particularly, you will note that side panel  8  has a depth dimension which is greater then an associated depth dimension of side panel  9 . Therefore, instead of open frontal zone  15  simply extending in a substantially vertical plane at the front of refrigerator cabinet  2 , open frontal zone  15  also extends into the side of refrigerator cabinet  2  so as to define sideward facing portion  39 . 
     In the most preferred form of the invention, this configuration for open frontal zone  15  is utilized for both the lower fresh food storage compartment  20  and the upper freezer compartment as clearly shown in these figures. Refrigerator cabinet  2  also includes a door  44  for selectively providing access to and closing off fresh food storage compartment  20 , as well as a freezer door  47  for performing the same function in connection with the freezer compartment. In order for door  44  to close off open frontal zone  15  and seal food storage compartment  20 , door  44  must extend across both the frontal facing portion  37  and the sideward facing portion  39  such that door  44  must wrap around to side panel  9 . In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, door  44  is generally L-shaped so as to include a first leg  53  adapted to extend across frontal facing portion  37  and a second leg  55 , which is angled relative to first leg  53  and which is adapted to extend across sideward facing portion  39  of open zone  15 . More specifically, door  44  includes a first, vertically extending frontal edge portion  58  that is hinged about a generally vertical axis to shell  5 . Door  44  also includes a second frontal edge portion  60  that curves so as to lead to a side edge portion  62 . Side edge portion  62  generally constitutes an extension of side panel  9  as perhaps best shown in FIG.  1 . 
     In this embodiment, door  44  preferably has a substantially uniform thickness from first frontal edge portion  58  to second frontal edge portion  60  and side edge portion  62  as clearly represented in FIG.  2 . Side edge portion  62  extends along side panel  9  such that the combined depth of side panel  9  and side edge portion  62  generally equals the corresponding depth of side panel  8 , along with the thickness of door  44  at first frontal edge portion  58 . When closed, door  44  would be sealed to bottom panel  11 , a front facing edge  66  of side panel  9 , either to a mullion section or the bottom of freezer door  47  across a top of door  44  and adjacent side panel  8  in order to contain the refrigerated air developed within refrigerator cabinet  2 . As also shown in this embodiment, top panel  10  extends over freezer door  47  to provide a sealing surface. Fresh food door  44  is provided with a handle  70  and a similar handle  71  is provided for freezer door  47 . 
     With this construction of refrigerator cabinet  2 , enhanced access to within fresh food compartment  20  or the freezer compartment is provided. For instance, due to the fact that open zone  15  includes not only frontal facing portion  37  but also sideward facing portion  39 , the opening of door  44  provides a larger access zone to food storage compartment  20  than would otherwise be accorded if sideward facing portion  39  of open zone  15  were not provided. In any event, an enlarged open frontal zone is created to enhance both the storage and removal of food items. 
     FIG. 3 shows a slightly modified embodiment including doors  44   a  and  47   a  which have a variable depth or thickness as clearly shown in this figure. More specifically, each of doors  44   a  and  47   a  includes a first frontal edge portion  58   a  that is hinged about a vertical axis, such as through a conventional upper, lower and central hinge pin arrangement (not shown). With this embodiment, it is important to note that the seal arrangement for each of doors  44   a  and  47   a  is against the shell  5   a , with each door  44   a ,  47   a  extending in a substantially diagonal manner from a respective first frontal edge portion  58   a  to a side edge portion  62   a . Therefore, this configuration for doors  44   a  and  47   a  enables the same function of enlarging an access opening for a refrigerator compartment to be accomplished by having portions of the doors  44   a  and  47   a  wrap around side  9   a  of refrigerator cabinet  2   a . This embodiment also illustrates that different types of handle arrangements can be utilized and the handles can be located in different portions of the doors. More specifically, note the presence of handle  90  provided in fresh food compartment door  44   a  and handle  91  provided in freezer door  47   a . Handles  90  and  91  in this embodiment are generally created by forming recesses within the respective side edge portions  62   a  of doors  44   a  and  47   a.    
     Although described with respect to the preferred embodiments of the invention, it should be readily understood that various changes and/or modifications can be made to the invention without departing from the spirit thereof. For instance, although refrigerator cabinets  2  and  2   a  are illustrated to be self-standing, the invention is equally applicable to other refrigerator arrangements, such as a refrigerator supported upon a countertop. In addition, although the illustrated embodiments generally depict substantially 90° angles between the respective front and side edge portions  60 ,  62  and  60   a ,  62   a , an acute angle, such as 45°, could be employed. Such an angling arrangement could, for example, advantageously provide an enlarged countertop area in the alternative embodiment described above. In any event, the invention is only intended to be limited by the scope of the following claims.