SIDE-BY-SIDE REFRIGERATOR APPLIANCE WITH FREEZER IN DOOR

Abstract

A refrigerator appliance includes a cabinet that defines a chilled chamber including a fresh food portion a freezer portion. A door is rotatably mounted to the cabinet at a front portion of the chilled chamber. The door rotates between a closed position where the door sealingly encloses the fresh food portion and the freezer portion of the chilled chamber and an open position to permit access to the fresh food portion and the freezer portion of the chilled chamber. The door also includes an outer casing comprising a thermally insulated wall that defines a freezer chamber and a front panel rotatably mounted to the outer casing of the door such that the front panel of the door permits access to the freezer chamber.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure relates generally to refrigerator appliances.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Refrigerator appliances generally include a cabinet that defines chilled chambers for receipt of food items for storage. One or more insulated, sealing doors are provided for selectively enclosing the chilled food storage chambers. Consumers generally prefer chilled chambers that facilitate visibility and accessibility of food items stored therein.

In certain refrigerator appliances, commonly referred to as side-by-side style refrigerator appliance, the fresh food chamber is positioned next to the freezer chamber within the cabinet. Such a configuration can permit easy access to food items stored on doors of the refrigerator appliances. However, the cabinet can be deep and narrow such that accessing food items at a back of the fresh food chamber and/or freezer chamber is difficult. Also, side-by-side refrigerators typically provide a fresh food chamber which is significantly larger, e.g., about fifty percent larger or more, than the freezer chamber. For example, the fresh food chamber may occupy about sixty percent or more of the cabinet width and the freezer chamber may occupy only forty percent or less. Such configurations can be difficult to accommodate larger frozen items.

In other refrigerator appliances, commonly referred to as bottom mount refrigerator appliances, the freezer chamber is positioned below the fresh food chamber in the cabinet. Such a configuration can provide a relatively wide fresh food chamber and/or freezer chamber, e.g., as compared to the side-by-side configuration. However, the depth of the fresh food chamber and the freezer chamber can make accessing food items at a back of the refrigerator appliance difficult.

Accordingly, a refrigerator appliance with features for assisting with accessing food items stored therein would be useful.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the following description, or may be apparent from the description, or may be learned through practice of the invention.

In an exemplary embodiment, a refrigerator appliance is provided. The refrigerator appliance defines a vertical direction, a lateral direction and a transverse direction. The vertical, lateral and transverse directions are mutually perpendicular. The refrigerator appliance also includes a cabinet that extends from a top to a bottom along the vertical direction. The cabinet also extends from a left side to a right side along the lateral direction. The cabinet defines a chilled chamber. The chilled chamber extends along the vertical direction between the top and the bottom of the cabinet, along the lateral direction between the left and right sides of the cabinet, and along the transverse direction between a front portion and a back portion. The front portion of the chilled chamber defines an opening for receipt of food items. A partition is positioned within cabinet to define a fresh food portion and a freezer portion of the chilled chamber. A door is rotatably mounted to the cabinet at the front portion of the chilled chamber such that the door rotates between a closed position where the door sealingly encloses the fresh food portion and the freezer portion of the chilled chamber and an open position to permit access to the fresh food portion and the freezer portion of the chilled chamber. The door includes an outer casing having a thermally insulated wall that defines a freezer chamber and a front panel rotatably mounted to the outer casing of the door such that the front panel of the door permits access to the freezer chamber.

In another exemplary embodiment, a refrigerator appliance is provided. The refrigerator appliance defines a vertical direction. The refrigerator appliance includes a cabinet that extends from a top to a bottom along the vertical direction. The cabinet defines a chilled chamber. The chilled chamber extends along the vertical direction between the top and bottom of the cabinet. The chilled chamber also extends between a front portion and a back portion. The front portion of the chilled chamber defines an opening for receipt of food items. A partition is positioned within cabinet to define a fresh food portion and a freezer portion of the chilled chamber. A door is rotatably mounted to the cabinet at the front portion of the chilled chamber such that the door rotates between a closed position where the door sealingly encloses the fresh food portion and the freezer portion of the chilled chamber and an open position to permit access to the fresh food portion and the freezer portion of the chilled chamber. The door includes an outer casing having a thermally insulated wall that defines a freezer chamber and a front panel rotatably mounted to the outer casing of the door such that the front panel of the door permits access to the freezer chamber.

These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following description and appended claims. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A full and enabling disclosure of the present invention, including the best mode thereof, directed to one of ordinary skill in the art, is set forth in the specification, which makes reference to the appended figures.

FIG. 1 provides a front view of an exemplary refrigerator appliance according to one or more embodiments of the present subject matter.

FIG. 2 provides a front view of the refrigerator appliance of FIG. 1 with a front panel of a door in an open position while the door is in a closed position

FIG. 3 provides a front view of the refrigerator appliance of FIG. 1 with a left door and a right door both in an open position.

FIG. 4 provides a perspective view of a freezer portion within the refrigerator appliance of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 provides a perspective view of a tilt-out drawer as may be incorporated into a refrigerator appliance according to one or more embodiments of the present subject matter.

FIG. 6 provides a front section view of the refrigerator appliance of FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 provides a right side section view of the refrigerator appliance of FIG. 1.

FIG. 8 provides a left side section view of the refrigerator appliance of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference now will be made in detail to embodiments of the invention, one or more examples of which are illustrated in the drawings. Each example is provided by way of explanation of the invention, not limitation of the invention. In fact, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. For instance, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment can be used with another embodiment to yield a still further embodiment. Thus, it is intended that the present invention covers such modifications and variations as come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

As used herein, the terms “first,” “second,” and “third” may be used interchangeably to distinguish one component from another and are not intended to signify location or importance of the individual components. Terms such as “inner” and “outer” refer to relative directions with respect to the interior and exterior of the refrigerator appliance, and in particular the food storage chamber(s) defined therein. For example, “inner” or “inward” refers to the direction towards the interior of the refrigerator appliance. Terms such as “left,” “right,” “front,” “back,” “top,” or “bottom” are used with reference to the perspective of a user accessing the refrigerator appliance. For example, a user stands in front of the refrigerator to open the doors and reaches into the food storage chamber(s) to access items therein.

As used herein, terms of approximation such as “generally,” “about,” or “approximately” include values within ten percent greater or less than the stated value. When used in the context of an angle or direction, such terms include within ten degrees greater or less than the stated angle or direction, e.g., “generally vertical” includes forming an angle of up to ten degrees in any direction, e.g., clockwise or counterclockwise, with the vertical direction V.

FIGS. 1 through 3 provide perspective views of an exemplary refrigerator appliance 100 according to one or more embodiments of the present subject matter with doors 126, 128 (described in more detail below) in various positions in FIGS. 1 through 3. Refrigerator appliance 100 defines a vertical direction V, a lateral direction L, and a transverse direction T, each mutually perpendicular to one another. As may be seen in FIGS. 1 through 3, refrigerator appliance 100 includes a cabinet or housing 120 that extends between a top 101 and a bottom 102 along a vertical direction V, between a left side 104 and a right side 106 along the lateral direction L, and between a front 108 and a rear 110 along the transverse direction T. Housing 120 defines a chilled chamber 118 (FIG. 3) for receipt of food items for storage. As used herein, the chamber may be “chilled” in that the chamber is operable at temperatures below room temperature, e.g., less than about seventy-five degrees Fahrenheit (75° F.). In particular, the chilled chamber 118 includes a fresh food portion 122 and a freezer portion 124, as best seen in FIG. 6. For example, the fresh food portion 122 may be operable within a temperature range above the freezing point of water and below room temperature, such as between approximately thirty-three degrees Fahrenheit (33° F.) and approximately sixty degrees Fahrenheit (60° F.). Also by way of example, the freezer portion 124 may be operable within a temperature range including temperatures less than thirty-two degrees Fahrenheit (32° F.), such as between approximately thirty degrees Fahrenheit (30° F.) and approximately zero degrees Fahrenheit (0° F.). For example, a temperature of the fresh food portion 122 may be about forty degrees Fahrenheit (40° F.) or about forty-five degrees Fahrenheit (45° F.) and a temperature of the freezer portion may be about fifteen degrees Fahrenheit (15° F.) or about twenty-five degrees Fahrenheit (25° F.). As may be seen in FIGS. 6 through 8, the freezer portion 124 and the fresh food portion 122 may be separated by a thermally insulated partition 200. The partition 200 may be a horizontal partition, e.g., partition 200 may extend along a plane perpendicular to the vertical direction V, e.g., a plane defined by the lateral direction L and the transverse direction T. The thermally insulated partition 200 may permit or enhance operation of the fresh food portion 122 and the freezer portion 124 at distinct temperatures. One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the chilled chamber 118 and the various portions thereof may be chilled by a sealed refrigeration system, such that the chilled chamber 118, fresh food portion 122, and/or freezer portion 124 may be operable at or about the temperatures described above by providing chilled air from the sealed system. The structure and function of such sealed systems are understood by those of ordinary skill in the art and are not described in further detail herein for the sake of brevity and clarity.

As may be seen in FIG. 3, the fresh food portion 122 and the freezer portion 124 of the chilled chamber 118 extend along the vertical direction V between the top 101 and the bottom 102 of the cabinet 120 and along the lateral direction L between the left side 104 and the right side 106 of the cabinet 120. The chilled chamber 118 also extends along the transverse direction T between a front portion 134 and a back portion 136 (FIG. 7). The front portion 134 of the chilled chamber 118 defines an opening 138 (FIG. 3) for receipt of food items. The freezer portion 124 may be positioned below the fresh food portion 122. For example, the freezer portion 124 may extend from a bottom of the chilled chamber 118 to the partition 200 and the fresh food portion 122 may extend from the partition 200 to a top of the chilled chamber 118.

Refrigerator doors 126 and 128 are rotatably mounted, e.g., hinged, to an edge of housing 120 for selectively accessing the fresh food portion 122 and the freezer portion 124 of the chilled chamber 118 within the housing 120. Refrigerator doors 126 and 128 may be mounted to the housing 120 at or near the front portion 134 of the chilled chamber 118 such that the doors 126 and 128 rotate between a closed position (FIG. 1) and an open position (FIG. 3). In the closed position of FIG. 1, the doors 126 and 128 cooperatively sealingly enclose the fresh food portion 122 and the freezer portion 124. Additionally, one or more gaskets and other sealing devices, which are not shown but will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art, may be provided to promote sealing between the doors 126 and 128 and the cabinet 120. In the open position of FIG. 3, the doors 126 and 128 permit access to the fresh food portion 122 and the freezer portion 124. As may be seen in FIG. 3, both the fresh food portion 122 and the freezer portion 124 of the chilled chamber 118 are accessible when any one or both of the doors 126 and 128 are in the open position. The doors 126 and 128 may be generally mirrored, e.g., the overall shape and size of each door 126 or 128 may be the same as the other door 126 or 128, with possible internal variations such as the dispenser recess 150 described below. Moreover, although not specifically shown, the doors 126 and 128 are independently rotatable such that, e.g. the right door 126 may be in the open position while the left door 128 is in the closed position, or vice versa.

Refrigerator doors 126, 128 are shown in the closed position in FIGS. 1 and 2. One of the refrigerator doors, e.g., right door 126 as in the illustrated example, may include an outer casing 121 (FIG. 7) comprising a thermally insulated wall 125 (FIG. 3) that defines a freezer chamber 123 and a front panel 127 rotatably mounted to the outer casing 121 of the door 126 such that the front panel 127 permits access to the freezer chamber 123, e.g., when the door 126 is in the closed position, as shown for example in FIG. 2. The freezer chamber 123 may be operable within a temperature range including temperatures less than thirty-two degrees Fahrenheit (32° F.), similar to freezer portion 124 as described above.

As shown for example in FIGS. 2 and 3, various storage components are mounted within fresh food portion 122, freezer chamber 123, and freezer portion 124 to facilitate storage of food items therein as will be understood by those skilled in the art. In particular, the storage components may include various combinations of bins 202, drawers 204, and shelves 206 mounted within fresh food portion 122, freezer chamber 123, and freezer portion 124. Bins 202, drawers 204, and shelves 206 are configured for receipt of food items (e.g., beverages and/or solid food items) and may assist with organizing such food items.

As may be seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, refrigerator appliance 100 also includes a dispensing assembly 140 for dispensing liquid water and/or ice. Dispensing assembly 140 includes a dispenser 142 positioned on or mounted to an exterior portion of refrigerator appliance 100, e.g., on one of doors 126 and 128, such as left door 128 as in the illustrated exemplary embodiment. Dispenser 142 includes a discharging outlet 144 for accessing ice and liquid water. An actuating mechanism 146, shown as a paddle, is mounted below discharging outlet 144 for operating dispenser 142. In alternative exemplary embodiments, any suitable actuating mechanism may be used to operate dispenser 142. For example, dispenser 142 can include a sensor (such as an ultrasonic sensor) or a button rather than the paddle. A user interface panel 148 is provided for controlling the mode of operation. For example, user interface panel 148 includes a plurality of user inputs (not labeled), such as a water dispensing button and an ice-dispensing button, for selecting a desired mode of operation such as crushed or non-crushed ice.

Discharging outlet 144 and actuating mechanism 146 are an external part of dispenser 142 and are mounted in a dispenser recess 150. Dispenser recess 150 is positioned on an exterior side of one of the refrigerator doors 126 and 128, e.g., exterior side 129 (FIG. 8) of left door 128 as in the illustrated example embodiment, at a predetermined elevation convenient for a user to access ice or water and enabling the user to access ice without the need to bend-over and without the need to open doors 126 and 128. In the exemplary embodiment, dispenser recess 150 is positioned at a level that approximates the chest level of a user.

As illustrated for example in FIG. 4, the freezer portion 124 may have a plurality of storage components positioned therein. For example, one or more of such storage components may be slidably mounted therein. In the exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4, a plurality of drawers 131, 132, and 133 are slidably positioned within the freezer portion 124, as well as a slidable tray 130. The drawers 131, 132, and 133 may provide storage for larger items, e.g., a frozen turkey, etc., as compared to items which may be stored in the freezer chamber 123 within door 126. In the illustrated example embodiments, a left drawer 131, a middle drawer 132, and a right drawer 133 are provided. Providing multiple drawers 131, 132, and 133 rather than a single continuous drawer, e.g., that extends across an entire width of the freezer portion 124 along the lateral direction L, advantageously permits separation of frozen items stored in the drawers 131, 132, and 133 to prevent or reduce smaller items, e.g., a bag of frozen vegetables, from being obscured under or behind larger items, e.g., the frozen turkey mentioned above or other similarly-sized items. Additionally, providing multiple drawers may minimize openings of the drawers. For example, left drawer 131 can be opened independently of middle drawer 132 and right drawer 133, such that frozen items in drawers 132 and 133 are not exposed to warmer air when accessing an item in the left drawer 131. Any suitable number of drawers, e.g., two, four, or more, may be provided.

The freezer drawers 131, 132, and 133 may be provided in any suitable size. For example, the drawers 131, 132, and 133 may be the same size, e.g., each about one-third of the width of the freezer portion 124. In other embodiments, the drawers 131, 132, and 133 may be different sizes. For example, as illustrated by FIG. 5, one drawer may be smaller and the other two drawers may be about the same size. In such embodiments, the drawers 131, 132, and 133 may be arranged in any suitable order, for example, the middle drawer 132 may be smaller than the left and right drawers 131 and 133. As may be seen in FIG. 5, the middle drawer 132 may occupy about twenty percent (20%) of a width of the freezer portion 124 along the lateral direction L, and the left and right drawers 131 and 133 may each occupy about forty percent (40%) of the width of the freezer portion 124 along the lateral direction L. In other embodiments, the drawers 131, 132, and 133 may be each a different size from every other, such that a small drawer, a medium drawer, and a large drawer are provided. Also as shown in FIG. 4, a slidable tray 130 may be slidably mounted in the freezer portion 124, e.g., above the drawers 131, 132, and 133 along the vertical direction V, as illustrated in FIG. 4.

In addition to the various storage components discussed above, e.g., bins 202, drawers 204, and shelves 206, the refrigerator appliance 100 may also include one or more tilt-out bins 208, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5. As illustrated, the tilt-out bins 208 may be pivotably mounted to an interior side of one of the doors 126 and 128, such that the bins 208 may rotate between a closed position, as shown in FIG. 3 and a tilted-out open position, as shown in FIG. 5, where a lower one of the tilt-out bins 208 is in the open position. For example, in some embodiments, the tilt-out bins 208 may be provided on one of the doors 126 and 128, at or near a bottom of the interior side of the door. Such embodiments may advantageously provide ready and convenient access to items typically accessed frequently by children, e.g., juice boxes.

When provided in combination with the in-door freezer chamber 123, the freezer portion 124 of the chilled chamber 118 may be relatively smaller than a freezer chamber provided in typical refrigerator appliances, such as typical bottom-mount refrigerators, without significantly reducing the total storage volume within the refrigerator appliance 100 available for frozen items. Additionally, a user may be able to access frozen items within the in-door freezer chamber 123 without having to bend over to reach into freezer portion 124.

FIG. 6 provides a front section view of refrigerator appliance 100, in particular, cabinet 120 of refrigerator appliance 100 including chilled chamber 118 and the fresh food portion 122 and freezer portion 124. As may be seen in FIG. 5, the freezer portion 124 defines a height H_Z along the vertical direction V and the fresh food portion 122 defines a height H_F along the vertical direction V. In various embodiments, the height H_F of the fresh food portion 122 may be approximately three times the height H_Z of the freezer portion 124. For example, the height H_F of the fresh food portion 122 may be about forth-five inches (45″) and the height H_Z of the freezer portion 124 may be about fifteen inches (15″). As noted above, the relatively small size of the freezer portion 124 is supplemented by additional frozen food storage within freezer chamber 123 defined in one of the refrigerator doors 126 and 128.

As best seen in FIGS. 2, 3, and 7, the freezer chamber 123 and the door 126 may be generally coextensive. For example, as seen in FIG. 7, the freezer chamber 123 and the door 126 may be generally coextensive along the vertical direction, e.g. a vertical height of the freezer chamber 123 may be about the same (excepting the thickness of the thermally insulated walls defining the freezer chamber 123) as a vertical height of the door 126. The freezer chamber 123 may extend along the vertical direction V from a bottom 152 of the door 126 to a top 154 of the door 126. The freezer chamber 123 and the door 126 may also be generally coextensive along a direction perpendicular to the vertical direction V, e.g., at least one of the lateral direction L and the transverse direction T, e.g., depending on the orientation of the door 126, e.g. whether the door 126 is in the closed position or the open position. For example, the door 126 may extend between a left side 156 and a right side 158, e.g., along the lateral direction L when the door 126 is in the closed position, as illustrated in FIG. 1. In such embodiments, the freezer chamber 123 may extend from the left side 156 of the door 126 to the right side 158 of the door 126 such that the freezer chamber 123 is generally coextensive with the door 126 along a direction perpendicular to the vertical direction V, e.g., the lateral direction L when the door 126 is in the closed position.

FIG. 8 provides a section view taken through left door 128. As may be seen in FIG. 8, refrigerator appliance 100 includes a sub-compartment 162 defined in left door 128. Sub-compartment 162 may be referred to as an “icebox.” Sub-compartment 162 extends into fresh food portion 122 when the left door 128 is in the closed position. An ice maker or ice making assembly 160 and an ice storage bin or ice bucket 164 are positioned or disposed within sub-compartment 162. The ice making assembly 160 may be configured to form ice pieces within the ice making assembly 160. The ice making assembly 160 may be in communication with the ice bucket 164 such that ice pieces formed in the ice making assembly 160 may be transferred to and stored in the ice bucket 164. Thus, ice is supplied to dispenser recess 150 from the ice bucket 164 in sub-compartment 162 on a back side of the left door 128.

As illustrated in FIG. 8, the dispenser recess 150 extends along the vertical direction V between the ice box 162, in particular a dispenser chute thereof, and a bottom of the door 128. As such, the dispenser recess 150 defines a height H_R along the vertical direction V. In various example embodiments, the height H_R of the dispenser recess 150 may be about eight inches (8″) or greater, such as about ten inches (10″) or greater, such as about twelve inches (12″) or greater, such as about sixteen inches (16″) or greater.

The present disclosure, in various embodiments, provides several advantages. For instance, access to frozen items may be improved due to, e.g., proximity of the freezer chamber 123 to the front of the refrigerator appliance and the ability to store frozen items in the freezer chamber 123 generally at any desired vertical position. As another example, larger frozen items may be stored in the freezer portion 124 within the cabinet 120 and smaller items may be stored separately in the freezer chamber 123 such that the smaller items are readily accessible and are less likely to become buried under or obstructed by larger items in a single freezer chamber. As another example, the present disclosure may also advantageously permit a larger, e.g., taller, dispenser recess 150 in one of the doors, e.g., as described above. In another example, the present disclosure may also or instead advantageously permit a larger, e.g., deeper, ice box 162 with increased ice storage capacity. Additionally, the present disclosure may provide a deep freeze compartment, e.g., storage components in the freezer portion 124 may be opened less frequently, which permits operating and maintaining the freezer portion 124 at a lower temperature even than the freezer chamber 123. As mentioned above, the freezer portion drawers 131, 132, and 133 are independently openable, such that each particular drawer 131, 132, and 133 may be opened less frequently than a single freezer drawer would be. For example, as discussed above, the freezer portion 124 and the freezer chamber 123 may generally operate at similar temperatures below the freezing point of water. In some instances, the freezer portion 124 may be at a lower temperature than the freezer chamber 123 when the freezer portion 124 provides the deep freeze, e.g., a temperature of the freezer chamber 123 may be about twenty-five degrees Fahrenheit (25° F.) and a temperature of the freezer portion 124 may be about fifteen degrees Fahrenheit (15° F.) or less, such as about ten degrees Fahrenheit (10° F.) or less, such as about zero degrees Fahrenheit (0° F.). In such examples, the deep freeze compartment may also provide a quick freeze compartment, e.g., for rapidly freezing fresh-picked produce or fresh meat, etc.

This written description uses examples to disclose the invention, including the best mode, and also to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the invention, including making and using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scope of the invention is defined by the claims, and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they include structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if they include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from the literal languages of the claims.

Claims

1. A refrigerator appliance defining a vertical direction, a lateral direction and a transverse direction, the vertical, lateral and transverse directions being mutually perpendicular, the refrigerator appliance comprising:

a cabinet extending from a top to a bottom along the vertical direction, the cabinet also extending from a left side to a right side along the lateral direction, the cabinet defining a chilled chamber, the chilled chamber extending along the vertical direction between the top and the bottom of the cabinet, along the lateral direction between the left and right sides of the cabinet, and along the transverse direction between a front portion and a back portion, the front portion of the chilled chamber defining an opening for receipt of food items, a partition within cabinet defining a fresh food portion and a freezer portion of the chilled chamber;

a door rotatably mounted to the cabinet at the front portion of the chilled chamber such that the door rotates between a closed position where the door sealingly encloses the fresh food portion and the freezer portion of the chilled chamber and an open position to permit access to the fresh food portion and the freezer portion of the chilled chamber, the door comprising an outer casing comprising a thermally insulated wall that defines a freezer chamber and a front panel rotatably mounted to the outer casing of the door such that the front panel of the door permits access to the freezer chamber.

2. The refrigerator appliance of claim 1, wherein the partition is oriented in a plane defined by the lateral and transverse directions.

3. The refrigerator appliance of claim 1, wherein the freezer portion is positioned below the fresh food portion along the vertical direction.

4. The refrigerator appliance of claim 1, wherein the freezer portion of the chilled chamber is operable at a lower temperature than the freezer chamber.

5. The refrigerator appliance of claim 1, wherein the freezer portion of the chilled chamber defines a height along the vertical direction, the fresh food portion of the chilled chamber defines a height along the vertical direction, and wherein the height of the fresh food portion of the chilled chamber is approximately three times the height of the freezer portion of the chilled chamber.

6. The refrigerator appliance of claim 1, wherein the freezer chamber extends along the vertical direction from a bottom of the door to a top of the door.

7. The refrigerator appliance of claim 1, wherein the door is a first door, further comprising a second door mirrored with the first door whereby the first door and the second door cooperatively sealingly enclose the fresh food portion and the freezer portion of the chilled chamber when the first door is in the closed position and the second door is in a closed position.

8. The refrigerator appliance of claim 7, wherein the second door comprises a dispenser recess in an exterior side of the second door, the dispenser recess defining a height along the vertical direction, and wherein the height of the dispenser recess is at least about eight inches.

9. The refrigerator appliance of claim 8, further comprising an ice making assembly positioned within a sub-compartment on an interior side of the second door, the ice making assembly in communication with the dispenser recess to provide ice to the dispenser recess.

10. A refrigerator appliance defining a vertical direction, the refrigerator appliance comprising:

a cabinet extending from a top to a bottom along the vertical direction, the cabinet defining a chilled chamber, the chilled chamber extending along the vertical direction between the top and bottom of the cabinet, the chilled chamber also extending between a front portion and a back portion, the front portion of the chilled chamber defining an opening for receipt of food items, a partition within cabinet defining a fresh food portion and a freezer portion of the chilled chamber; and

a door rotatably mounted to the cabinet at the front portion of the chilled chamber such that the door rotates between a closed position where the door sealingly encloses the fresh food portion and the freezer portion of the chilled chamber and an open position to permit access to the fresh food portion and the freezer portion of the chilled chamber, the door comprising an outer casing comprising a thermally insulated wall that defines a freezer chamber, and a front panel rotatably mounted to the outer casing of the door such that the front panel of the door permits access to the freezer chamber.

11. The refrigerator appliance of claim 10, wherein the partition is a horizontal partition extending along a plane perpendicular to the vertical direction.

12. The refrigerator appliance of claim 10, wherein the freezer portion is positioned below the fresh food portion along the vertical direction.

13. The refrigerator appliance of claim 10, wherein the freezer portion of the chilled chamber is operable at a lower temperature than the freezer chamber.

14. The refrigerator appliance of claim 10, wherein the freezer portion of the chilled chamber defines a height along the vertical direction, the fresh food portion of the chilled chamber defines a height along the vertical direction, and wherein the height of the fresh food portion of the chilled chamber is approximately three times the height of the freezer portion of the chilled chamber.

15. The refrigerator appliance of claim 10, wherein the freezer chamber extends from a bottom of the door to a top of the door and extends from a left side of the door to a right side of the door.

16. The refrigerator appliance of claim 10, wherein the door is a first door, further comprising a second door mirrored with the first door whereby the first door and the second door cooperatively sealingly enclose the fresh food portion and the freezer portion of the chilled chamber when the first door is in the closed position and the second door is in a closed position.

17. The refrigerator appliance of claim 16, wherein the second door comprises a dispenser recess in an exterior side of the second door, the dispenser recess defining a height along the vertical direction, and wherein the height of the dispenser recess is at least about eight inches.

18. The refrigerator appliance of claim 17, further comprising an ice making assembly positioned within a sub-compartment on an interior side of the second door, the ice making assembly in communication with the dispenser recess to provide ice to the dispenser recess.