Patent Abstract:
A storage module for a refrigeration appliance includes a base having opposing side supports and a basket hingedly coupled to said side supports and tiltable about a rotational axis therethrough.

Full Description:
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 
     This invention relates generally to refrigeration appliances, and, more particularly, to storage bin and basket modules for use in refrigeration appliances. 
     Known refrigeration appliances, including refrigerators and freezers, typically include a cabinet housing including an outer case and one or more inner liners therein that defines a refrigeration compartment, such as a fresh food compartment and a freezer compartment for storing food and beverage items. The fresh food compartment and freezer compartments are closed by separate access doors hingedly attached to the case. A number of storage shelves, baskets, and drawers are employed in the fresh food compartment to organize food. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,584,551. 
     Furthermore, storage bin shelves are often integrated into the refrigerator access doors for storage of food and beverage items. Thus, for example, condiments and bottles may be stored in the fresh food compartment door, and frozen juice concentrates and frozen vegetables may be stored in the freezer compartment door rather than in the fresh food and freezer compartments. As such, the items in the door storage bins are accessible apart from the fresh food and freezer compartments when the doors are opened yet located in the refrigeration compartments when the doors are closed. 
     In some type of side-by-side refrigerators, multiple storage bin shelves are integrated in a vertically stacked orientation relative to one another. The size of the shelves and the spacing between them, however, can be restrictive for loading and unloading items to and from the storage bins. Larger items and oddly shaped items are therefore difficult to load and unload from the storage door shelves, and several manipulations of the items are required to fit items into and remove the items from the storage door. For example, taller items must be tilted about their lower ends to fit them into door storage bins and then rotated back to a level position in the bins. Smaller items may not be loaded or unloaded with one smooth movement either, but must rather be positioned in the door storage shelves with both a horizontal movement and a vertical movement. Still further, access door storage shelves can be difficult to clean. 
     The aforementioned difficulties are more pronounced when shelves and bins are located in lower portions of the door where they are neither easily reached nor in a clear line of sight for the user. 
     SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
     In one aspect, a storage module for a refrigeration appliance is provided. The storage module comprises a base comprising opposing side supports and a basket hingedly coupled to said side supports and tiltable about a rotational axis therethrough. 
     In another aspect, a modular storage bin for an access door of a refrigeration appliance is provided. The bin comprises a module base comprising first and second side supports configured for attachment to the access door, at least one hinge rotatably coupled to one of said first and second side supports, and a storage basket coupled to said hinge and tiltable relative to said base side supports. 
     In still another aspect, a modular storage bin for an access door of a refrigeration appliance is provided. The bin comprises a module base comprising first and second side supports configured for attachment to the access door, at least one hinge rotatably coupled to one of said first and second side supports, and a storage basket comprising at least bottom and front sides. The bottom of said basket is received in said hinge adjacent said front side, and the basket is selectively positionable between a substantially upright closed position and a tilted open position. 
     In an additional aspect, a modular storage bin for an access door of a refrigeration appliance is provided. The bin comprises a module base comprising first and second side supports configured for attachment to the access door and a floor extending between said first and second side supports. The side supports comprise a basket stop portion, and a hinge is rotatably coupled to each of said first and second side supports, each said hinge comprising a neck portion and a channel portion extending therefrom. A storage basket comprises a frame comprising a front side, a bottom and first and second corners extending therebetween. The basket corners are positioned adjacent each of said module base side supports, and the basket frame is received in said hinges adjacent said corners. The basket is tiltable about said hinges between a substantially upright position wherein said basket is separated from said basket stop portion and a tilted position wherein said basket contacts said basket stop portion. 
     In yet another aspect, a refrigeration appliance is provided: The appliance comprises a cabinet, a refrigeration compartment liner within said cabinet and comprising at least one refrigeration compartment, and at least one access door coupled to said cabinet for closing said refrigeration compartment. The access door comprises at least a shelf side support, and a modular storage bin is coupled to said access door shelf side support. The storage bin comprises at least one hinge supported by said shelf side support and a basket received in said hinge. The basket is rotatable about said hinge between an upright closed position and a tilted open position providing a direct line of access into said basket. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary refrigerator. 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a tiltable storage bin module for the refrigerator shown in FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 3 is an assembly view of the tiltable storage bin module shown in FIG.  2 . 
     FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a portion of the tiltable storage bin module shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. 
     FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a hinge for the tiltable storage bin module shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. 
     FIG. 6 is an magnified view of a portion of FIG.  4 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary refrigeration appliance  100  in which the present invention may be practiced. In the embodiment described and illustrated herein, appliance  100  is a side-by-side refrigerator. It is recognized, however, that the benefits of the present invention are equally applicable to other types of refrigerators, freezers, and refrigeration appliances. Consequently, the description set forth herein is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to limit the invention in any aspect. 
     Refrigerator  100  includes a fresh food storage compartment  102  and a freezer storage compartment  104 . Freezer compartment  104  and fresh food compartment  102  are arranged side-by-side within an outer case  106  and defined by inner liners  108  and  110  therein. A space between case  106  and liners  108  and  110 , and between liners  108  and  110 , is filled with foamed-in-place insulation. Outer case  106  normally is formed by folding a sheet of a suitable material, such as pre-painted steel, into an inverted U-shape to form top and side walls of case. A bottom wall of case  106  normally is formed separately and attached to the case side walls and to a bottom frame that provides support for refrigerator  100 . Inner liners  108  and  110  are molded from a suitable plastic material to form freezer compartment  104  and fresh food compartment  102 , respectively. Alternatively, liners  108 ,  110  may be formed by bending and welding a sheet of a suitable metal, such as steel. The illustrative embodiment includes two separate liners  108 ,  110  as it is a relatively large capacity unit and separate liners add strength and are easier to maintain within manufacturing tolerances. In smaller refrigerators, a single liner is formed and a mullion spans between opposite sides of the liner to divide it into a freezer compartment and a fresh food compartment. 
     A breaker strip  112  extends between a case front flange and outer front edges of liners  108 ,  110 . Breaker strip  112  is formed from a suitable resilient material, such as an extruded acrylo-butadiene-styrene based material (commonly referred to as ABS). 
     The insulation in the space between liners  108 ,  110  is covered by another strip of suitable resilient material, which also commonly is referred to as a mullion  114 . Mullion  114  also preferably is formed of an extruded ABS material. Breaker strip  112  and mullion  114  form a front face, and extend completely around inner peripheral edges of case  106  and vertically between liners  108 ,  110 . Mullion  114 , insulation between compartments, and a spaced wall of liners separating compartments, sometimes are collectively referred to herein as a center mullion wall  116 . 
     Shelves  118  and slide-out storage drawers  120 , sometimes referred to as storage pans, normally are provided in fresh food compartment  102  to support items being stored therein. 
     Refrigerator  100  is controlled by a microprocessor (not shown) according to user preference via manipulation of a control interface  124  mounted in an upper region of fresh food storage compartment  102  and coupled to the microprocessor. A shelf  126  and wire baskets  128  are also provided in freezer compartment  104 . In addition, an ice maker  130  may be provided in freezer compartment  104 . 
     In accordance with known refrigerators, refrigerator  100  includes a machinery compartment (not shown) that at least partially contains components for executing a known vapor compression cycle for cooling air. The components include a compressor (not shown), a condenser (not shown), an expansion device (not shown), and an evaporator (not shown) connected in series and charged with a refrigerant. The evaporator is a type of heat exchanger which transfers heat from air passing over the evaporator to a refrigerant flowing through the evaporator, thereby causing the refrigerant to vaporize. The cooled air is used to refrigerate one or more refrigerator or freezer compartments via fans (not shown in FIG.  1 ). Collectively, the vapor compression cycle components in a refrigeration circuit, associated fans, and associated compartments are referred to herein as a sealed system. The construction of the sealed system is well known and therefore not described in detail herein, and the sealed system is operable to force cold air through the refrigerator. 
     A freezer door  132  and a fresh food door  134  close access openings to fresh food and freezer compartments  102 ,  104 , respectively. Each door  132 ,  134  is mounted by a top hinge  136  and a bottom hinge (not shown) to rotate about its outer vertical edge between an open position, as shown in FIG. 1, and a closed position (not shown) closing the associated storage compartment. Freezer door  132  includes a plurality of storage shelves  138  and a sealing gasket  140 , and fresh food door  134  also includes a plurality of storage shelves  142  and a sealing gasket  144 . 
     Door shelves  138 ,  142  are formed into respective access doors  132 ,  134  and are partly defined by shelf supports  145 ,  146 , respectively depending inwardly from each access door  132 ,  134  such that when access doors  132 ,  134  are closed, door shelves  138 ,  142  are located within freezer compartment  104  and fresh food compartment  102 , respectively. Door shelves  138 ,  142  are vertically aligned in a stacked arrangement to maximize refrigeration compartment space. 
     When refrigerator  100  is well stocked with food items, door shelves  138 ,  142  located in lower portions of access doors  132 ,  134 , however, can be difficult to load food items therein and difficult to unload items therefrom due to relatively close proximity to one another and an obstructed view of lower shelves  138 ,  142  by upper shelves  138 ,  142 . Placement into and retrieval of items from the door shelves often entails a series of awkward, disjointed movements. These difficulties are largely overcome with a modular tilitable storage bin  148  attached to door side supports  145 . As explained more fully below, tiltable storage bin module  148  is selectively positionable between an upright closed position and a tilted open position providing a direct line of access and clear visibility into bin module  148  that facilitates placement of items into bin module  148  and easy retrieval of items from bin module  148  without awkward and complicated movements. 
     While refrigerator  100  is illustrated with a single tiltable bin module  148  coupled to freezer door  132 , it is anticipated that a plurality of bin modules  148  may employed in freezer door  132  and/or fresh food door  134  to increase user convenience and customer satisfaction. For example, in illustrative embodiments, one, two, three or four bin modules  148  are employed in a single acees door, although even greater numbers of modules  148  may be employed without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention. Also, while it is appreciated that the benefits of the invention are most apparent in door shelves  138 ,  142  in the lowest portions of access doors  132 ,  134 , bin module  148  is believed to be beneficial when employed in upper regions of access doors  132 ,  134  as well. As such, the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is provided for illustrative purposes only, and the invention is in now way intended to be restricted to practice in any particular access door or in any particular location in a refrigeration compartment. 
     FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of tiltable storage bin module  148  including a module base  160  and a storage basket  162  coupled thereto. Module base includes a bottom or floor  164  extending substantially horizontally and first and second side supports  166 ,  168  extending from opposite lateral ends of module floor  164 . Base side support  166 ,  168  each include a rear portion (described further below) including a slot  170  that receives a complementary projection of an access door shelf support, such as supports  145 ,  146  (shown in FIG. 1) with press fit engagement. Storage basket  162  is coupled to a forward inner wall (described below) of base side supports  166 ,  168  via hinges (described further below) that allow basket  162  to be rotated forward about an axis  172  through basket  162  in the direction of arrow  174  such that basket  162  is tilted forward relative to module base  160  for direct access and a generally unobstructed line of sight into storage basket  162 , even when storage basket is located in a lower portion of an access door, such as doors  132 ,  134  (shown in FIG.  1 ). 
     Basket  162  is of a wire frame construction and includes side rails  176  aligned with and extending above base side supports  166 ,  168  to prevent items from falling out of basket  162  as basket  162  is selectively positioned between an upright closed position illustrated in FIG.  2  and an open position (not shown) wherein basket is tiled forward a specified amount. By pulling basket  162  forward, basket  162  is rotated about axis  172  to a tilted open position relative to module base  160 . When basket  162  is released from the open position, basket  162  naturally returns to the closed position, as described in more detail below. 
     FIG. 3 is a front assembly view of tiltable storage bin module  148  including module base  160 , storage basket  162 , and hinges  180 . Base  160  includes floor  164  and side supports  166 ,  168  forming a generally rectangular channel  182  therebetween in which basket  162  is received. Basket  162  includes a frame  184  including spaced apart bottom members  186 , spaced apart front members  188  extending from front ends of frame bottom members  186 , and a top member  190  extending between respective ends of spaced apart frame front members  188 . Frame  184  further includes back members  192  extending from back ends of frame bottom members  186  for a lesser length than frame front members  188 , and a back rail member  194  extending between respective ends of frame back members  192 . A plurality of aligned U-shaped wire members  196  extend between frame top member  190  and frame back rail  194  and are connected by a cross member  198  extending between frame bottom members  186 , thereby forming an open box-like basket container between frame front members  188  and frame rear members  192 . 
     Hinges  180  are each received in a keyway opening  200  located in a forward portion (described below) of each module base side support  166 ,  168 . Basket  162  is coupled to hinges  180  adjacent front corners  202  of basket frame  184  extending between frame front members  188  and frame back members  192 . As such, basket  162  is rotatable about axis  172  through hinges  180  when hinges  180  are attached to base module side supports  166 ,  168 , thereby allowing basket  162  to tilt relative to module base  160  when basket handles  176  are engaged and pulled forward. 
     Because of attachment of basket  162  to hinges  180  at basket front corners  202 , gravitational forces return basket  162  to the closed position illustrated in FIG.  2  and maintain basket  102  in an upright closed position wherein basket frame bottom members  186  are positioned above, and separated from, base module floor  164 . Ribs  204  are formed into an inner rear portion of each side support  166 ,  168  and serve as basket stops that prevent basket  162  from tilting beyond a predetermined point. More specifically, lateral projections  206  extend from basket frame bottom members  186  that engage base side support ribs  204  as basket is rotated forward about axis  172 . In an illustrative embodiment, ribs  204  and basket frame projections  206  are dimensioned and oriented to one another to allow a rotation of basket  162  of approximately 35°, although it is appreciated that greater or lesser degrees of rotation may be facilitated in alternative embodiments. 
     Basket supports  208  extend upwardly from base floor  164  adjacent each base side support  166 ,  168  to support basket  182  in the closed upright position wherein basket frame bottom members are positioned substantially horizontally above base floor  164  and basket frame front and back members  188 ,  192  extend substantially vertically within base module channel  182 . 
     FIG. 4 is a perspective view of module base  160  with basket  162  (shown in FIGS. 2 and 3) removed. A generally rectangular door access slot  170  extends from an outer surface of a rear portion  210  of each module base side support  166 ,  168  in an exemplary embodiment. In an illustrative embodiment, door access slot  170  is defined by outwardly depending projections or ribs  211  depending from an outer surface of side support rear portions  210 . Door access slots  170  interface with a square projection of access door shelf supports, such as supports  145  and  146  (shown in FIG.  2 ), to securely couple module base  160  to an access door, such as doors  132 ,  134  (shown in FIG. 1) with a sliding engagement that facilitates both hand installation and hand removal of module base to and from an access door without tools. Basket stop ribs  204  extend from an in inner surface of side support rear portions  210  and prevent basket  162  (shown in FIG. 3) from tilting beyond a predetermined point, as described above. 
     A forward portion  212  of each side support extends from rear portions  210  and is thicker than side support rear portions  210  such that side support rear portions  210  are recessed relative to side support front portions  212  and therefore not visible when module base  160  is installed in a refrigeration appliance access door, such as doors  132 ,  134  (shown in FIG.  1 ). Side support forward portions  212  are contoured to provide a pleasing appearance of module base  160  and include an inner wall  214  and an outer wall  216 . Keyway openings  200  extends through inner walls  214  but not outer walls  216  so that hinges  180  (shown in FIG. 3) are hidden by outer walls  216  both for safety purposes as basket  162  is rotated and also to preserve a pleasing appearance. 
     Hinge keyway openings  200  are positioned generally adjacent a front face of base module  160  in each base side support  166 ,  168 . Each keyway includes a generally circular head portion  218  and a neck portion  220  extending downward toward base floor  164  and also toward the front face of base module. As such, when hinges  180  are inserted through keyway openings  200  and basket  162  is attached to basket frame front corners  202 , frame front members  188  (shown) are substantially flush with the module base front face. 
     In an exemplary embodiment, module base  160  is fabricated with known plastic materials according to known methods and techniques, including but not limited to injection molding processes. 
     FIG. 5 is a perspective view of hinge  180  including a cylindrical head portion  230  of a first diameter, and a neck portion  232  of a second diameter, smaller than the first diameter, extending from head portion  230 . A basket engagement portion  234  extends from hinge neck portion  232  and includes a curled lower portion  236  forming a channel  238  for snap-fit engagement to basket frame bottom members  186  (shown in FIG.  3 ). 
     Basket engagement portion  236  is formed from a resilient material to produce an interference fit with basket  162  so that basket  162  is securely coupled to hinges  180 . In an exemplary embodiment, hinges  180  are formed from known plastic materials according to known methods and techniques. 
     FIG. 6 is an magnified view of a portion of one of module base side support inner walls  214  (also shown in FIG. 4) where hinge  180  (shown in FIG. 5) is press fit into place into keyway opening  200 . Keyway opening  200  includes a head portion  218  dimensioned to receive hinge head portion  230  (shown in FIG. 5) and a neck portion  220  dimensioned to receive hinge neck portion  234  (shown in FIG.  4 ). Thus, when hinges  180  are inserted through keyway openings  200  in each base side support, hinge head  230  is located between inner wall  214  (shown in FIG. 4) and outer wall  216  (shown in FIG. 4) of base side support forward portions  212 , and hinge neck portion  232  and basket engagement portion  236  (shown in FIG. 5) extend inward through keyway opening  200  into base module channel  182  (shown in FIG.  3 ). 
     Hinge head portion  230  is inserted through keyway head portion  218  and hinge neck portion  232  is slid down keyway neck portion  220  until hinge  180  is snapped in place in a bottom of keyway neck portion  220 . A small inward radius  250  is formed into one side of keyway neck portion  220  to retain hinge  180  in position once module  148  (shown in FIGS. 2 and 3) is assembled. Hinge neck portion  232  is pushed past inward radius  210  projecting into keyway neck portion  220  as hinge  180  is installed, thereby snapping hinge  180  into position in keyway  200 . Once in this position past inward radius  210 , hinge  180  is not easily removed from keyway  200 , thereby avoiding undesirable inadvertant disassembly of module  148  in use and allowing module  148  to survive impact when accidentally dropped. A safe and rugged hinge assembly is therefore provided. 
     A low cost and easily assembled tiltout module  148  is therefore provided to facilitate loading and unloading of access door storage shelves with a direct and clear line of sight and access when basket  152  is tilted open. The modular unit may be easily installed and removed from the access door for cleaning, maintenance, and service. A more convenient and enjoyable refrigeration appliance is therefore realized. 
     While the invention has been described in terms of various specific embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the claims.

Technology Classification (CPC): 5