Method and apparatus for maunfacture of plastic refrigerator liners
US5269601A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | May 11, 1992 |
| Grant date | Dec 14, 1993 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 11, 2012 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC F)Mechanical Engineering; Lighting; Heating
- CPC primaryF25D2400/06
- WIPO fieldOther consumer goods
- WIPO sectorOther fields
Abstract
Plaques are formed on the sidewalls of the liner in a refrigerator to reduce thermally induced bowing of the cabinet. The plaques may consist of indentations in the liner, which in a preferred form are rectangular, or arrays of multiplanar indentations. The plaques provide increased surface area in the liner to permit thermal expansion without bowing, and also increase the structural rigidity of the liner to resist bowing. Thermal bowing is encountered where there are long unsupported wall surfaces and high temperature gradients across the wall. Therefore the plaques are very effective in the freezer compartment of a side-by-side refrigerator, where bowing can be severe in the absence of the disclosed corrective measure.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.