Patent ID: 7934783

Claim:
An appliance, comprising: an appliance body; a door pivotably engaged with the appliance body; and a counterbalance assembly coupled to the appliance body for facilitating pivoting of the door about the engagement with the appliance body, the counterbalance assembly comprising: a first and a second biasing member, each biasing member being coupled to the appliance body; a guide member coupled to the appliance body and including a fixed arcuate member defining a first guide track, and a pulley element rotatable about an axis and defining a second guide track, the first guide track of the fixed arcuate member being parallel to and offset from the second guide track of the pulley element along the axis thereof; a first flexible element having a first end serially engaged with the first biasing member and extending therefrom to at least partially wrap about the pulley element and about a first side of the fixed arcuate member, so as to serially engage the first and second guide tracks, whereafter a second end of the first flexible member, opposed to the first end thereof, is coupled to the door; and a second flexible element having a first end serially engaged with the second biasing member and extending therefrom to at least partially wrap about a second side of the fixed arcuate member so as to engage the first guide track, the second side of the fixed arcuate member being substantially opposite the first side thereof, whereafter a second end of the second flexible member, opposed to the first end thereof, is coupled to the door.