Slide assembly for refrigerator storage drawer

摘要

A slide assembly for a drawer inside a refrigerator employs both side and central rollers which control both horizontal and vertical movement of the drawer through a first set of rollers employed at front and rear portions at each side of the drawer to control vertical movement within side tracks while the drawer is moved between an extended position and a retracted position. A second set of rollers is mounted along axes which are arranged 90 degrees relative to the first set of rollers and underneath the drawer. This second set of rollers control side-by-side movement of the drawer as it is opened and closed. In one embodiment, the second set of rollers is mounted in a refrigerated compartment and travel within a track or guideway mounted on the bottom of the drawer.

主权项

1. A refrigerator comprising:
a cabinet having defined therein a refrigerator storage compartment; and a drawer assembly including:
a drawer including a storage body, wherein the storage body includes a bottom wall, side walls, a rear wall and a front wall; anda slide assembly for supporting the drawer for sliding movement between extended and retracted positions, said slide assembly including a first set of rollers controlling vertical movement of the drawer and a second set of rollers controlling side-by-side movement of the drawer, said slide assembly further including first and second spaced tracks mounted in the refrigerator storage compartment, said first set of rollers including first and second pairs of rollers, with the first pair of rollers being mounted to the storage body of the drawer adjacent the rear wall and seated in the first and second spaced tracks and the second pair of rollers being mounted to the first and second spaced tracks, wherein the second pair of rollers remains engaged with the bottom wall of the storage body as the drawer is shifted between the extended and retracted positions.