Patents by Inventor Adriano Merla

Adriano Merla has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 8104228
    Abstract: Gasket for a refrigerator cabinet having a base portion and a soft bellows portion. The base portion of the gasket is designed to couple with an outer door portion and an inner door portion of a door of the refrigerator cabinet before final filling of the shell defined by the outer door portion and inner door portion with a heat insulating material. The base portion has an inverted U shape, delimited by essentially vertical sections and a horizontal section. The vertical sections each terminate with a foot for resting on the door.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2012
    Assignee: Industrie Ilpea S.p.A.
    Inventors: Adriano Merla, Pier Paolo Ferrante, Mauro Guido Mentasti
  • Publication number: 20080307710
    Abstract: Gasket (10) for refrigerator cabinets of the type comprising a soft bellows type portion (11) for tight sealing and a base portion (12) designed to couple with the outer door (30) and inner door (31) of the refrigerator cabinet (17) before final filling of the shell defined by the outer door and inner door with a heat insulating material (18), in which said base portion (12) has an inverted U shape, delimited by essentially vertical sections (16) and (19) of which that operationally external (16) terminates with a foot (20) for resting on the coupling plane (9), and by a horizontal section (13) of the U that is operationally offset and basically protruding with respect to said foot (20).
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 26, 2006
    Publication date: December 18, 2008
    Applicant: INDUSTRIE ILPEA S.P.A.
    Inventors: Adriano Merla, Pier Paolo Ferrante, Mauro Guido Mentasti
  • Patent number: 7219471
    Abstract: A sealing assembly for a refrigerator which comprises a bellows-seal gasket and a profile as a single piece or as multiple pieces where the profile has a base having at opposite ends, sealing strips and has a groove for replacement of the bellows-seal gasket. The profile is provided with a side branch that terminates in a grooved seat having a C-shaped cross-section for receiving an edge of an inner door panel and having a sealing strip that is provided at the end of the grooved seat. The inner door panel is bent to ensure optimal contact with the sealing strip of the side branch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2007
    Assignee: Industrie Ilpea S.p.A.
    Inventors: Paolo Cittadini, Adriano Merla
  • Publication number: 20050076575
    Abstract: A seal (1) for refrigerator furniture units and the like, able in particular to compensate for manufacturing tolerance, is intended in particular for that kind of furniture unit in which the door (30) is preformed with an inner door (31) provided perimetrally with a male element (10), such as a projection, suitable for receiving a female seat (11) formed on the seal (1).
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 20, 2002
    Publication date: April 14, 2005
    Inventors: Paolo Cittadini, Adriano Merla
  • Publication number: 20040051427
    Abstract: Sealing assembly comprising a bellows-scal gasket (20) and a profile (1) with a base (3) provided, at opposite ends, with sealing strips (4, 15) and a groove (23) for a replacement of the bellows-seal gasket (20); the profile (1) has at least one side branch (7) terminating in a grooved scat (9) with a C-shaped cross-section for receiving an edge (28) of an inner door panel (31) against which a sealing strip (2) provided at the end of the grooved seat (9) is pressed under the action of elastic return of the side branch (7); the inner door panel (31) is bend with a radius that ensures an optimal contact with one of the sealing strips (15) of the base (3) of the profile (1). The bellows-seal gasket (20) and the profile (1) may be formed of plastic material in a single piece or fitted together.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 12, 2003
    Publication date: March 18, 2004
    Inventors: Paolo Cittadini, Adriano Merla
  • Patent number: 6058657
    Abstract: A plastic material profile (1) for refrigerators and freezers include a door (30) and an inner door (31) having a bellows gasket (20) portion which provides a seal between the door and the cabinet (32).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2000
    Assignee: Industrie Ilpea S.p.A.
    Inventor: Adriano Merla
  • Patent number: 5916076
    Abstract: The invention provides a plastics structural shape for refrigerator cabinets provided with a door and a door liner comprising a bellows gasket portion forming a seal between the door and the cabinet box part, the structural shape and the gasket portion being joined together or being integral with each other by being co-extruded from two materials having different rigidities so that the gasket portion can be easily detached from the structural shape when necessary along the region in which they are joined together, said structural shape having a channel arranged to receive a replacement bellows gasket portion, and at least one elastically yieldable lateral flange acting as a spring clip for snap-fitting the structural shape to the door liner, characterised in that within said structural shape said channel is defined by a pair of walls which extend vertically or obliquely from a base which when in its coupled operating position overlies the door and door liner along their joining line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 1996
    Date of Patent: June 29, 1999
    Assignee: Industrie Ilpea S.p.A.
    Inventors: Paolo Cittadini, Adriano Merla
  • Patent number: 5575485
    Abstract: This invention relates to a magnetic gasket particularly suitable for forming a seal between a fixed part and an openable part including in regions of curvilinear extension, for example between the body and door of a vehicle, of the type comprising an element for fixing to one of said parts and a seat housing a magnetized bar (11) of substantially rectangular cross-section in which said fixing element and said seat (8) for the magnetized bar are connected together by an extendable deformable tubular chamber, characterised in that said bar (11) is magnetized along at least one of the two shorter opposing sides (19, 19') of its substantially rectangular cross-section, said magnetized side facing when in its operating position the part with which contact is to be made for sealing purposes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 1994
    Date of Patent: November 19, 1996
    Assignee: Industrie Ilpea S.p.A.
    Inventors: Adriano Merla, Paolo Cittadini
  • Patent number: 5257791
    Abstract: This invention relates to a magnetic gasket particularly suitable for forming a seal between a fixed part and an openable part in regions of curvilinear extension, for example in particular between the body and door of a vehicle, of the type comprising an profiled strip for fixing to the parts and a tubular seat housing a magnetized insert, characterized in that the profiled fixing strip and the tubular seat for the magnetized insert are connected together by an extendable deformable tubular chamber the opposing free walls of which are substantially curvilinear and curved in the same direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 1992
    Date of Patent: November 2, 1993
    Assignee: Industrie Ilpea S.p.A.
    Inventors: Paolo Cittadini, Adriano Merla
  • Patent number: 4700509
    Abstract: Bellows gasket for creating in the closing position a tight seal between the door and its related shoulder in a cabinet, in particular in a refrigerator, characterized in that at least the side face of said bellows intended for facing, in its working position, the outside edge of said shoulder, is provided with at least two portions of substantially different stiffness, said two portion being separated by a hinge point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 1986
    Date of Patent: October 20, 1987
    Assignee: Ilpea S.p.A.
    Inventor: Adriano Merla
  • Patent number: 4617759
    Abstract: The invention relates to a profile of plastic material for refrigerator and similar cabinets, comprising a bellows gasket portion which provides a tight seal between the door and the cabinet, characterized in that the profile and the gasket portion are integral and form only one piece produced by co-extrusion of two materials having a different rigidity such as to permit a ready detachment of the gasket portion, which is less rigid than the profile, from the profile along the region of their connection, under an appropriate manual or mechanical force, and that the said profile has on its side facing the cabinet a pair of lateral faces between which a groove is defined, suitable for receiving a substituting bellows gasket portion, and on its side facing the door at least one side-flange elastically yielding, acting as a spring for press (snap) coupling the door and the counterdoor in cooperation with the said lateral faces, each one of the said faces operatively self-positioning relatively to the door shell an
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 1984
    Date of Patent: October 21, 1986
    Assignee: Pantasote Inc.
    Inventors: Bruno Pasqualini, Adriano Merla