US2178815A - Refrigerator - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 7, 1939. A. c. SHUART 2 178.815

REFRIGERATOR Filed March 27, 1937 Patented Nov. 7, 1939 UNITED STATES REFRIGERATOR Arthur C. Shuart, Rockford, Ill., assignor to Servel, Inc., New York, N. .Y., a corporation of Delaware Application March 37} 1 937, Serial No. 133,451

1 Claim. (01. 312-156) This invention relates to shelf supports, and more particularly to means for adjustably supporting shelves in an insulatedrefrigerator cabinet.

I It is an object of the invention to provide a refrigerator cabinet with means for adjustably supporting shelves therein in a manner to accommodate various articles to be refrigerated.

A further object is'to provide shelf supporting 10 means which permits easy application or removal of the shelves and their supports as well as easy selective adjustment of the shelves to satisfy individual requirements.

The invention, together with the above and other objects and advantages thereof, will be better understood from the following description and accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, and of which:

Fig. l is a front elevation of a refrigerator cabinet with door open illustrating one application of the invention; Y

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section of the liner with the shelf in position;

Fig. 3 isan enlarged fragmentary horizontal section of the liner with the shelf supporting posts or bars in elevation; and

Fig. 4 is a detail of a portion of one of the upright supporting posts and coacting shelf supporting hook.

Referring to the drawing, an insulated refrigerator cabinet I is provided with a door ll shown in Fig. 1 in open position to expose the interior or storage compartment of the cabinet. The food compartment is provided with a liner 12 to which the improved shelf supporting structure of the present invention is applied and which supports shelves [3.

In the illustrated embodiment of the invention as shown in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive, theliner is 0 provided with sockets or internal depressions M pressed into the same during fabrication. These sockets are preferably arranged in pairs, one upper and one lower.

Upright shelf-supporting rods or bars l5 are 4,5 provided, each having on its opposite ends adjustable tips "5 of hard rubber, Bakelite or the like, said tips being adjustably connected to the rod by any desired means, as for example by cooperating screw threads as shown. Four of these 50 rods may be utilized, one in each corner of the cabinet as shown, each rod being provided with shelf-supporting hooks or brackets IT. A single shelf is supported by four of these brackets one on each upright bar/ r The body portion of each of these-hooks or brackets is formed for adjustable attachment to its respectiveisupporting rod or bar, one such method of attachment being shown on the drawing. As shown in Figs. 1 to 4, the bracket IT is in the form of a collar or sleeve to receive its supporting rod, the opening of the collar or sleeve in its preferred form being formed at an angle so that the weight of the shelf has tendency to tighten the shelf hook or bracket on the rod and prevent sliding movement therein. The portion of the bracket which engages the rod, or bears thereagainst, has a tendency to bite the rod and provide a more secure frictional engagement therewith. The weight of the shelf on the bracket, regardless of whether or not the shelf is loaded, causes the bracket to bind on the rod and remain in a fixed position at any desired point of adjustment.

The rods l5 may be cylindrical, rectangular, oval, or other desired shape, certain of which will prevent rotation of the bracket on its support.

The advantages of the supporting structure just described will be readily apparent. It is unnecessary to pierce the liner to accommodate hooks as in the conventional type of shelf support, and this reduces cost of fabrication and at the same time insures against leakage ofv air around holes that may be formed in the liner. The shelves are readily adjustable to any desired position. The brackets H are formed with rounded recesses to receive the peripheral edge of a shelf I3 and thereby restrain lateral movement of the shelf when it is supported in position within the storage compartment. Should. it be desired to clean the interior of the food compartment, thev 'moved wholly from within the storage compartment, brackets mounted on said rods, said brackets and said rods being so constructed and arranged thatsaid brackets may be moved to a plurality of levels on said rods within the storage compartment without the use of tools, and shelves removably supported on said brackets within the storage compartment, said shelves being perforate to allow circulation of air in the storage compartment, and said. brackets and said shelves being formed and arranged to restrain horizontal movement of said shelves while said shelves are supported on said bracketswithin the storage compartment.

' ARTHUR C. SHUART.

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