Abstract: A control assembly for a household refrigerator having a mullion partition separating the freezer compartment and the fresh food compartment with a front face and a bottom panel forming the top of the fresh food compartment. There is a control bracket mounted on the bottom panel at the rear of the mullion partition and this bracket has a circular aperture with two radial notches. A thermostat having a rotatable stem for adjusting the thermostat setting is mounted on the control bracket. There is a rotatable hub member having a circular central portion with radial lugs slightly smaller than the circular aperture and radial notches of the control bracket. The portion of the central portion that projects through the circular aperture and radial notches is rotated to mount the hub member on the control bracket. There is an aperture in the center of the circular central portion to receive the rotatable stem of the thermostat and it is dimensioned to rotate the stem in unison with rotation of the hub member.

Abstract: A door handle assembly of a household refrigerator having a stiffener member with an elongated body made of rigid metal in the shape of an upwardly open channel with spaced apart legs including a first section offset form a second section to act as the gripping section and having spaced apart fastener receiving apertures. The first section has a molded soft elastomeric covering on the outside with apertures in alignment with the apertures in the stiffener member. A first decorative trim member having an outer and inner side with a contour to receive the legs of the channel of the first section of the stiffener member and including side walls overlapping the upper edge of the legs and elastomeric covering. The trim member has an open upwardly facing recess area in the outer side with apertures in alignment with the apertures in the stiffener member.

Abstract: A refrigerator cabinet has a valve controlling the amount of cooled air flowing from a cooling chamber having an evaporator to a fresh food compartment to control the ratio of the air flow from the cooling chamber to a freezer compartment and the fresh food compartment. The valve is retained in a predetermined position at the time of assembly by a duct cover, which is forward of an evaporator cover in the freezer compartment, having a frangible key on its front wall extend through an opening in a disc of the valve. If a user deems the freezer compartment too hot or too cold, a service person breaks the frangible key with pliers, for example, after removing the duct cover and rotates the valve to one of a plurality of selected positions to change the air flow. The dics has a plurality of notches in its periphery for cooperation with a second key on the front wall of the duct cover to hold the valve in its selected position.

Abstract: A refrigerator liner of a vacuum formed plastic with a thickness of about 0.007" to 0.050" has each corner formed without crinkling when thermal insulation material is foamed against the outer surface of the liner. The non-crinkling of each corner of the refrigerator liner is accomplished through forming each of the corners with a flat surface having its periphery as a circle during vacuum forming of the refrigerator liner rather than with a spherical radius. This enables the flat surface to be placed in tension when moved against a corresponding flat surface of a foam plug by the pressure produced during foaming of the foamed thermal insulation material. This results in each corner having a central portion with a convex cross section and an outer portion surrounding the central portion and concave in cross section whereby it does not appear to be crinkled.

Abstract: A fabric dryer cabinet includes a simplified, multi-purpose assembly for mounting the front panel to the main body of the cabinet. The assembly includes two leveling leg support members welded, in spaced apart relationship, to a shield. Each support member has an upwardly extending tab and a threaded lug to receive a support leg. The assembly is joined to the lower front of the cabinet main body. The front panel has side flanges with lower lips having mounting holes. The tabs engage the holes to urge the front panel toward the cabinet main body when the front panel is placed on the assembly. The main body side panels and the front panel have mating guides and openings to assure the front panel registers with the side panel.

Abstract: A plurality of shelf supports is molded integrally with each side wall of a refrigerator cabinet liner. Each of the shelf supports on one side wall is in the same horizontal plane as one of the shelf supports on the other side wall. Each of the shelf supports includes an upper surface for supporting a fixed shelf. Each of the shelf supports has a recess extending between its upper and lower surfaces to function as a stop for preventing removal of a fixed shelf through receiving a portion of the fixed shelf therein. Each of the shelf supports has a projection extending downwardly therefrom forwardly of the recess for engaging a portion of a slidable shelf supported on the upper surface of the shelf support thereof. A single ladder track is mounted on the rear wall of the liner to support one side of a cantilever half shelf, which has its other side supported on the upper surface of one of the shelf supports.

Abstract: A cabinet assembly for a refrigerator having two top front corners. The cabinet has an outer sheet metal shell having a top panel, side panels and a front face. The front face is formed to provide a first U-shaped portion and a second U-shaped portion with a groove area in the second U-shaped portion. There is a brace located at each of the two top front corners of the cabinet and each has two joined sections at right angles to each other and each section is formed as an inwardly open U-shaped channel having a base, a first leg and a second leg spaced apart and integrally joined to the base. The brace has at least one resilient hook shaped latch element on each of the two joined sections. The latch elements extend from the first leg beyond the base and engage the second U-shaped portion in the groove area to secure the brace to the outer metal shell.

Abstract: A generally cylindrical shaft has a longitudinally extending flat area along its end section. A plastic member mounted on the shaft has a longitudinal bore complimentary in shape to and fitting around the shaft end section. The bore includes a longitudinally extending recess projecting radially outward from the flat area of the shaft. A locking sleeve fits within the bore and around the shaft and includes a generally U-shaped portion received in the recess. The U-shaped portion is discontinuous intermediate its ends, providing first and second longitudinal portions adjacent its ends. A screw passes through the first longitudinal portion and threadedly engages the second longitudinal portion for drawing the portions together.

Abstract: A method of assembling an anti-sweat heater in a refrigerator cabinet having an outer sheet metal shell with side panels and a front face. The front face has a U-shaped portion formed with a groove and first, second and third walls in spaced parallel planes with the third wall bent at a right angle to form a flange having a free terminal edge. An anti-sweat header retainer member is formed from sheet metal and has a body portion, a first end portion having three spaced legs, and a second end portion also having three spaced legs with free termial ends. The center leg of the second end portion has a depending tang portion and each of the side legs of the second end portion have a reverse bend portion open in the direction of the tang portion of the center leg. The anti-sweat heater is placed near a corner in the outer metal shell and the anti-sweat heater retainer member is inserted into the outer wall and the legs of the first end portion of the retainer member are positioned to grip the flange.

Abstract: A refrigerator cabinet has a front flange, which as a gasket on its door seal thereagainst when the door is closed, formed by a plurality of longitudinally spaced sets of rollers of a roll forming machine so that the front flange is at a specific angular relation to a top wall of the refrigerator cabinet when the roll formed part is fabricated into a portion of the refrigerator cabinet. The angular relationship of the flange and the top wall of the refrigerator cabinet is determined at a first fabrication station of a roll formed part, which forms a portion of the refrigerator cabinet after fabrication, by two linear variable differential transformers engaging each of the two adjacent surfaces of the roll formed part that will constitute the front flange and the top wall of the refrigerator cabinet and transmitting signals indicating the angle therebetween to a personal computer.

Abstract: An automated method of brazing to join two metal parts together at a joint with a braze alloy. The two parts are moved to a brazing station and maintained in a fixed position. The two metal parts are heated at the joint at a high heat rate to a predetermined temperature which exceeds the temperature that would melt the braze alloy and less than a temperature that would cause degradation of the metal parts. The temperature of the metal parts in close proximity to the joint is detected and when the first predetermined temperature is reached, the heating rate is reduced to a lower heat rate sufficient to keep the braze alloy in a liquidous state. The braze alloy is introduced to the joint between the two metal parts while they are being heated at the lower heat rate to join the two parts together and then the joined two metal parts are removed from the brazing station.

Abstract: Apparatus to apply brazing flux to a joint between two vertically oriented parts. A reservoir containing liquid brazing flux is in liquid flow communication with a pump capable of metering a fixed amount of flux when actuated. A nozzle in liquid flow communication with the pump has a housing with an outer casing and an inner casing spaced from the outer casing to form a passageway. The inner casing is open at one end to receive the parts to be joined and has two spaced apart opposing side walls with ports in each side wall in liquid flow communication with passageway. The nozzle and parts are moved relative to each other to position the joint between the two parts adjacent the ports in the side walls of the inner casing. Actuation of the pump will deliver the fixed amount of liquid brazing flux to the joint.

Abstract: A pair of packing supports prevents movement during shipment of two shelves, which are slidably supported on vertically spaced shelf supports integral with inner side liners of a refrigerator cabinet. Each packing support, which is formed of corrugated cardboard, for example, has a shelf support portion wedged between two shelf supports on one of the inner side liners to prevent vertical and fore and aft motion of the packing support. Each packing support has a shelf retaining portion formed integral with the shelf support portion and bent at approximately 180.degree. thereto. The shelf retaining portion receives one end of each of the shelves whereby it is compressed so that there is no motion of the packing supports towards each other.

Abstract: An icemaker including a freezer mold having a plurality of cavities along the longitudinal central axis of the mold in which water is to be frozen to form ice pieces with a crescent shape with a flat side and an arcuate side joined to form two opposite edge portions and having a first half and a second half. An ice piece ejector is rotatable in only one direction and has an axle along the longitudinal central axis of the mold. An ice piece ejector guide is located above the cavities longitudinally along the mold and has a resilent forward portion which is spring biased.

Abstract: A refrigerator door has a metallic outer panel and a plastic inner panel with rigid insulating foam therebetween. A track support is attached at a predetermined position to the outer panel. A plurality of tracks is supported by the track support between the inner panel and the foam. Each track has a column of apertures. The inner panel has columns of apertures therein with the number of tracks being at least equal to the number of the columns of apertures in the inner panel. A grommet extends through aligned openings at the top of each track, at the top of each column of apertures in the inner panel, and in the track support to attach the inner panel and the tracks to the track support. A grommet also extends through aligned openings at the bottom of each track and at the bottom of each column of apertures in the inner panel to connect the inner panel and the tracks.

Abstract: Apparatus and method for installing an elongated stretchable gasket in a longitudinal channel member including a frame having a rail extending along the channel with the gasket being located between the rail and the channel. The rail has a series of spaced vertical bores normal to the gasket with pins receivable therein and retained for vertical up and down movement within the bores. Force is applied to the pins to move them normal to the gasket in a downward direction to contact the gasket and force the gasket into the longitudinal channel member. In this manner the gasket is forced into the channel member without stretching the gasket longitudinally along the channel member.

Abstract: A moving part has material initially applied to it a predetermined distance from its leading edge. Whenever a sensor senses a notch in a flange of the moving part, application of material to the moving part is stopped for a predetermined distance prior to the start of the notch to a predetermined distance beyond the notch. Application of material to the moving part is finally stopped a predetermined distance prior to its trailing edge. Two separate sensors are used to control each of three spray guns for applying the material in the selected areas.

Abstract: A method of demonstrating the advantage in production efficiency of non-synchronous conveyor lines over synchronous conveyor lines. There is provided an elongated diagram illustrating parallel conveyor lines with an equal number of paired, opposed operator work stations in each line, one line representing a synchronous line and the other line representing a non-synchronous line, the non-synchronous line being provided with queue patterns between each work station. There is an electrically controlled work station box between each pair of opposed synchronous and non-synchronous work stations on the mat, each box having a set of "go/no-go" visual indicators. A signal controller is coupled to each of the operating station boxes, the controller being programmed to provide control signals in a random fashion to each of the paired work stations. A plurality of workpieces are provided for each conveyor line.

Abstract: A method of assembling a refrigerator having a fresh food compartment and a freezer compartment separated by a mullion partition, the refrigerator having an outer metal casing with side walls, an inner liner and foamed-in-place thermal insulation between the metal casing and liner wherein the insulation has a void cavity adjacent the mullion partition. The metal casing is formed to have a vertical front face perpendicular to the side walls and a reinforcing nut strip is placed in the front face. The front face and nut strip aligned screw receiving apertures. A nozzle is inserted through the aligned apertures into the insulation void cavity and foamable hot melt material is forced through the nozzle into the insulation void cavity to fill the cavity. The nozzle is then withdrawn from the aligned apertures and a fastener is secured through the aligned apertures.

Abstract: A refrigerator cabinet includes an outer housing having substantially parallel, spaced apart side walls connected by a top wall. A front face extends along the top and side walls and includes a peripheral groove open to the front of the cabinet. The groove has spaced apart, substantially flat lateral walls perpendicular to the front of the cabinet. A first cross-member extends between the side walls below the top wall to divide the cabinet into upper and lower sections. The first cross-member includes an upper groove open to the front of the cabinet and having spaced apart, substantially flat lateral walls perpendicular to the front of the cabinet. The upper groove connects with the peripheral groove at each side of the cabinet to form a first continuous channel encompassing the upper section. The first cross-member also includes a lower groove open to the front of the cabinet and having spaced apart, substantially flat lateral walls perpendicular to the front of the cabinet.