Patent Publication Number: US-10330367-B2

Title: Refrigerator hinge bracket mechanism

Description:
REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     Applicant claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/278,792 filed Jan. 14, 2016. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     This invention relates generally to refrigerator components, and more particularly to a hinge mechanism of a refrigerator. 
     BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 
     Refrigerators have existed for decades. Refrigerators typically include an enclosed base or main housing and a door pivotally mounted to the main housing. Many of today&#39;s refrigerators are designed to be mounted flush with the adjoining cabinetry to provide a custom look with the refrigerator door placed very close to the cabinetry. A problem associated with such a design is that the door hits the cabinet when it is swung open. 
     A solution to the problem of the refrigerator door hitting the adjoining cabinet has been to include a hinge which moves the door outwardly away from the main housing prior to the door pivoting, thus allowing the door to clear the cabinet. This type of hinge is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 8,938,854 which is specifically included herein by reference in its entirety. However, a problem with this type of hinge is that the door cannot be easily adjusted vertically or horizontally should the door be misaligned from the main housing. Another problem has been that the door may be slammed against the main housing with such as force as to cause food items placed on the inside shelves of the door to be dislodged or damaged. The slamming of the door may also cause unnecessary wear and tear upon the components of the refrigerator. 
     Accordingly, it is seen that a need remains for a refrigerator hinge which can allow vertical and horizontal adjustments as well as preventing the slamming of the refrigerator door against the main housing. It is to the provision of such therefore that the present invention is primarily directed. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a top view of a refrigerator door hinge bracket mechanism embodying principles of the invention in a preferred form, shown with portions of a refrigerator door and main housing. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the refrigerator door hinge bracket mechanism of  FIG. 1 , shown in door closed configuration, shown with portions of a refrigerator door and main housing. 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the refrigerator door hinge bracket mechanism of  FIG. 1 , shown in door closed configuration and with an adjustment plate removed for clarity, shown with portions of a refrigerator door and main housing. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     With reference next to the drawings, there is shown a door hinge bracket mechanism  40  according to the present invention. The door hinge bracket mechanism  40  in combination with a conventional hinge or hinge body H enables outward movement and then pivotal movement of the refrigerator door  41  relative to the main housing  42 . The door hinge bracket mechanism  40  includes a door mounting assembly  45  coupled to the refrigerator door  41  and a base mounting assembly  46  coupled to the refrigerator main housing  42 . The door mounting assembly  45  includes a hinge mounting plate  49 . The design of the door mounting assembly  45  includes a conventional hinge H which is similar to hinges that have already been designed, such those shown in U.S. Pat. No. 8,938,854 which is specifically incorporated herein by reference. These types of hinges are designed so that the door moves outwardly away from the refrigerator main housing  42  prior to pivoting relative to the refrigerator main housing, which enables the door to be mounted closely adjacent to the cabinetry without the door hitting the cabinetry upon opening. However, it should be understood that the present hinge bracket mechanism  40  may be coupled to any type of hinge and is not limited to the hinge H shown in the preferred embodiment. 
     The base mounting assembly  46  includes an adjustment mechanism  52  which allows for vertical and horizontal adjustments of the refrigerator door  41  relative to the refrigerator main housing  42 . The door adjustment mechanism  52  includes a U-shaped adjustment plate  50  coupled to the hinge mounting plate  49  for both horizontal and vertical movement relative to the adjustment plate  50 . The adjustment plate  50  has oversized holes or openings  51  through which mounting bolts  53  extend and are threaded into hinge mounting plate  49 . 
     The adjustment mechanism  52  also includes a threaded lower adjustment bar  55  extending through holes or openings  59 ′ within the adjustment plate  50  and upon which is threaded a lower adjustment block  56  which moves along threaded lower adjustment bar  55  through rotation of the threaded lower adjustment bar  55 . The lower adjustment bar  55  has a head  57  with a conventional socket adapted to receive a corresponding turning tool. The threaded end of the adjustment bar  55  opposite the head  57  receives an internally threaded nut  68 ′. The lower adjustment block  56  includes a top surface which is angled or sloped to provide a camming surface  58 . 
     The adjustment mechanism  52  also includes a threaded upper adjustment bar  60  extending through elongated holes or openings  59 ″ within the adjustment plate  50  and upon which is threaded an upper adjustment block  61  which moves along threaded upper adjustment bar  60  with rotation of the threaded upper adjustment bar  60 . The upper adjustment bar  60  has a head  62  with a conventional socket adapted to receive a corresponding turning tool. The threaded end of the adjustment bar  60  opposite the head  62  receives an internally threaded nut  68 ″. The upper adjustment block  60  includes a lower surface which is angled or sloped to provide a cam following surface  63  configured to mate with camming surface  58  of the lower adjustment block  56 . 
     The upper adjustment block  61  includes a hole or opening  64  therethrough which aligns with a hole or opening  65  extending through adjustment plate  50  and a hole  66  in the hinge mounting plate  49 . A threaded bolt  67  passes through the three holes to mount the adjustment mechanism  52  to the hinge mounting plate  49  with limited adjustable movement therebetween. The adjustment plate hole  65  may be oblong or oversized to enable limited movement for adjustment purposes. 
     In use, with the mounting bolts  53  loosened to allow limited movement between the hinge mounting plate  49  and the adjustment plate  50  and the threaded nut  68 ″ loosened to allow limited movement between the upper adjustment bar  60  and the adjustment plate  50 , the rotation of the lower adjustment bar  55  causes the lower adjustment block  56  to move laterally or horizontally along the lower adjustment bar  55 . The lateral movement of the lower adjustment block  56  causes its camming surface  58  to bear upon the cam following surface  63  of the upper adjustment block  61 , which in turn causes the upper adjustment block  61  to move vertically. The vertical movement of the upper adjustment block  61  causes the hinge mounting plate  49  to move vertically, resulting in the vertical adjustment of the hinge and refrigerator door  41  mounted thereto. 
     Rotation of the upper adjustment bar  60  causes the upper adjustment block  61  to move laterally or horizontally. The lateral movement of the upper adjustment block  61  causes the lateral movement of the hinge mounting plate  49 , resulting in the horizontal adjustment of the refrigerator door  41  relative to the refrigerator main housing  42 . Thus, through coordinated rotation of the upper and lower adjustment bars and their resulting movement of the upper and lower adjustment blocks the refrigerator door may be adjusted both vertically and horizontally until it is properly seated against or in alignment the main housing  42  of the refrigerator. 
     Once the adjustment bars  55  and  60  and their accompanying adjustment blocks  56  and  61  are properly positioned to provide the correct alignment of the door with the main housing  42 , the mounting bolts  52  are tightened to lock or prevent relative movement between the hinge mounting plate  49  and adjustment plate  50 . Similarly, the threaded bolts  68 ′ and  68 ″ are tightened to prevent movement of the upper adjustment bar  60  relative to the adjustment plate  50 . 
     The door hinge bracket mechanism  40  also includes a novel dampening system  70  for preventing the door  41  from being slammed against the main housing  42  when the door  41  is closed. The dampening system  70  includes a door dampening plate  71  coupled to the hinge H distally the hinge mounting plate  49  and pivotally coupled to a conventional gas, pneumatic, or fluid dampener  73 . The dampener  73  is of conventional construction having a piston  74  reciprocally mounted within a cylinder  75  to resist or slow the insertion of the piston  74  into the cylinder  75 . 
     The dampening system  70  also includes a lever assembly  76  pivotally coupled to the end of the dampener  73  opposite the door dampening plate  71 . The lever assembly  76  includes a base  77  to which is mounted a limiting plate  78 . The limiting plate  78  has a door fully closed position first stop  80  and a door partially opened position second stop  81 . A pivotal lever  82  is coupled to the limiting plate  78  for pivotal movement between a door fully closed position contacting first stop  80  and a door partially opened position contacting second stop  81 . A door open switch or indicator  84  is mounted adjacent the first stop  80  so that the lever  82  contacts the indicator  84  when the door is in its fully closed position shown in  FIG. 1 . 
     In use, as the door is moved from its closed position towards its open position the lever  82  of the lever assembly  76  pivots from its door fully closed position adjacent first stop  80  to its door partially opened position adjacent the second stop  81 . With the lever  82  abutting the second stop  81  and the continued opening movement of the door  41  the dampener piston  74  is withdrawn from the dampener cylinder  75 . 
     When the door is moved from its open position towards its closed position, the dampener piston  74  moves back into the dampener cylinder  75 . This movement of the piston  74  is restricted or slowed by the dampener so that the door cannot be slammed shut, i.e., the dampener limits the speed of the door closing. Once the piston  74  is fully retracted into the cylinder  75 , the lever  82  then pivotally moves back from its door partially opened position abutting the second stop  81  to its door fully closed position adjacent first stop  80 . As the door is fully closed, the lever  82  contacts the switch  84  which causes the actuation of door closed actions, such as the interior light being turned off, the actuation of any vacuum pump to evacuate the interior air of the refrigerator, actuation of the compressor pump, and/or any other function commonly associated with the closing of a refrigerator door. The placement of the switch  84  within the hinge mechanism differs from the prior art which includes the switch mounted on the door jamb so that the door itself actuates the switch. The new design removes the switch from the door jamb where it is not only improves the aesthetics of the refrigerator by removing the switch from view, but also places the switch in an area wherein it is not susceptible to moisture condensing upon the switch through the fluctuation in temperatures associated with the opening and closing of the refrigerator door  41 . 
     It thus is seen that a hinge and dampener for a refrigerator is now provided which overcomes problems associated with the prior art. While this invention has been described in detail with particular references to the preferred embodiments thereof, it should be understood that many modifications, additions and deletions, in addition to those expressly