SPRING LOADED MULLION FOR FRENCH DOOR REFRIGERTOR

摘要

A refrigerator having French-style doors is sealed between the doors by a first sealing pad linearly biased from a base fixed within a recess provided in an inner side portion of one door, and a second sealing pad carried by a mounting arm which is pivotally mounted and angularly biased from an inner side portion of the second door. When either door is closed against the other, the first and second sealing pads deflect and conform to each other to provide an effective seal. In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the first and second sealing pads take complementary concave and convex shapes which provide a larger cross-section for the overall sealing area and establish a high insulation value, while avoiding the need for an internal heater commonly employed in refrigerator doors.

主权项

1. A refrigerator comprising:
a cabinet shell including a first compartment and a second compartment, each of said first and second compartments including a respective opening for receiving items to be refrigerated; first and second French-style doors pivotally mounted to the cabinet shell about the opening of the first compartment at laterally spaced locations, each of said first and second doors including an inner side wall portion, wherein the inner side wall portions of the first and second doors define a space between the doors when the doors are in a closed configuration; first and second gaskets arranged between the first and second doors and the cabinet shell for sealing perimeter portions of the opening of the first compartment; and a mullion seal assembly including:
a first seal subassembly provided on the inner side wall portion of the first door, said first seal subassembly including a first sealing pad extending along and biased for linear movement away from the inner side wall portion of the first door; anda second seal subassembly provided on the inner side wall portion of the second door, said second seal subassembly including a second sealing pad extending along and being biased for angular movement away from the inner side wall portion of the second door wherein, upon closing the first and second doors, the first and second sealing pads are biased into engagement to create a seal along the inner side wall portions of the first and second doors.