STRUCTURAL PANEL FOR AN APPLIANCE HAVING STAMPED COMPONENTS AND METHOD THEREFOR
An operable panel for an appliance includes a metallic outer wrapper having a perimetrical wrapper edge that partially defines a perimetrical breaker channel, an inner liner and a plurality of corner brackets disposed proximate the perimetrical wrapper edge. Each corner bracket cooperates with the perimetrical wrapper edge to fully define the perimetrical breaker channel. A trim breaker is adhered to the metallic outer wrapper and the corner brackets at the perimetrical breaker channel and having a liner channel that receives a portion of the inner liner. The trim breaker extends between the inner liner and the outer wrapper. An insulation material is disposed within an insulating cavity defined between the inner liner and the outer wrapper.
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The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/899,905 filed Aug. 31, 2022, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/339,035 filed Jun. 4, 2021, now U.S. Pat. No. 11,479,021, which is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/308,979, now U.S. Pat. No. 11,065,842, filed Dec. 11, 2018, which is a national stage of International Application No. PCT/US2016/054121 filed Sep. 28, 2016, all of which are entitled STRUCTURAL PANEL FOR AN APPLIANCE HAVING STAMPED COMPONENTS AND METHOD THEREFOR, the entire disclosures of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD OF THE DEVICEThe device is in the field of insulation structures for appliances, and more specifically, a multi-component structural panel for an appliance having at least one stamped component.
SUMMARYIn at least one aspect, an operable panel for an appliance includes a metallic outer wrapper having a perimetrical wrapper edge that partially defines a perimetrical breaker channel, an inner liner and a plurality of corner brackets disposed proximate the perimetrical wrapper edge. Each corner bracket cooperates with the perimetrical wrapper edge to define the perimetrical breaker channel. A trim breaker is adhered to the metallic outer wrapper and the corner brackets at the perimetrical breaker channel and includes a liner channel that receives a portion of the inner liner. The trim breaker extends between the inner liner and the outer wrapper. An insulation material is disposed within an insulating cavity defined between the inner liner and the outer wrapper.
In at least another aspect, a method for forming a vacuum insulated structure for an appliance includes stamping a first metallic sheet into a flat liner pattern that corresponds to an inner liner for an appliance. The inner liner has a plurality of liner walls and a perimetrical liner tab. The flat liner pattern is shaped into the inner liner. A second metallic sheet is stamped into a flat wrapper pattern that corresponds to an outer wrapper for an appliance. The outer wrapper has a plurality of wrapper walls and a perimetrical wrapper edge. The flat wrapper pattern is shaped into the outer wrapper. A trim breaker is formed having a liner channel and a wrapper channel. The perimetrical liner tab and the perimetrical wrapper edge are secured with the liner and wrapper channels, respectively. An insulating material is disposed within an insulating cavity formed between the inner liner and the outer wrapper.
In at least another aspect, a method for forming a vacuum insulated structure for an appliance includes forming a first planar sheet into an inner liner. A second planar sheet is formed into an outer wrapper having a plurality of wrapper walls and a wrapper edge that at least partially defines a perimetrical breaker channel. A trim breaker is formed having a liner channel for receiving a portion of the inner liner and a wrapper channel for seating within the perimetrical breaker channel. The inner liner is secured within the liner channel and the wrapper channel is placed within the perimetrical breaker channel. An insulating material is disposed within an insulating cavity formed between the inner liner and the outer wrapper.
These and other features, advantages, and objects of the present device will be further understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art upon studying the following specification, claims, and appended drawings.
In the drawings:
For purposes of description herein the terms “upper,” “lower,” “right,” “left,” “rear,” “front,” “vertical,” “horizontal,” and derivatives thereof shall relate to the device as oriented in
As illustrated in
Referring again to
Referring now to
By way of example, and not limitation, when various aspects of the outer wrapper 20 are formed, a flat wrapper pattern 80 that is stamped within a metallic sheet that can be folded upward to form the various contours of the outer wrapper 20. In such an embodiment, each edge and the portions of the perimetrical breaker channel 24 within each edge of the outer wrapper 20 can be formed from a separate wing 82 defined within the flat wrapper pattern 80. As these wings 82 are folded upward, a seam 84 is formed along each outer corner 32 where two adjacent wings 82 of the flat wrapper pattern 80 engage one another. It is contemplated that each corner bracket 30 engages various interior surfaces 62 of each of these wings 82 to reinforce the outer corner 32 of the outer wrapper 20 and also reinforce the perimetrical breaker channel 24 of the outer wrapper 20.
According to the various embodiments, as exemplified in
Referring again to
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According to the various embodiments, as exemplified in
Referring now to
According to the various embodiments, it is contemplated that the inner liner 26 can be stamped directly into the shape of an inner liner 26, or at least a portion of the inner liner 26, without necessarily including the step of forming the flat liner pattern 112 through a separate stamping process. Typically, where the liner pattern 112 is directly stamped into the shape of the inner liner 26, the material of the inner liner 26 is a more flexible and pliable material such as plastic, polymers and other similar materials that can be stamped without significant wrinkling, bunching or other unwanted deformations.
Referring again to
According to the various embodiments and aspects of the various methods, the steps of stamping first and second metallic sheets 110, 114 into the flat liner pattern 112 and flat wrapper pattern 80, respectively, can include disposing guide lines 140 within the flat liner and flat wrapper patterns 112, 80. It is contemplated that these guide lines 140 can correspond to edges and corners of the plurality of liner walls 122 and edges of the plurality of wrapper walls 120. The use of guide lines 140 can also assist in the forming step of the inner liner 26 and outer wrapper 20, such that clean and precise edges can be formed as the inner liner 26 and outer wrapper 20 are folded into their respective final shapes.
Referring again to
According to various embodiments, it is contemplated that portions of the inner liner 26 and/or outer wrapper 20 can include injection molded or separately formed plastic components that can be integrated with the trim breaker 34 and attached to portions of the inner liner 26 and outer wrapper 20.
As exemplified in
According to the various embodiments, it is contemplated that the trim breaker 34 can be injection molded, overmolded or otherwise formed to only one of the inner liner 26 and the outer wrapper 20. The other of the inner liner 26 and outer wrapper 20 can then be adhered, fastened, or otherwise attached to the trim breaker 34 to form the operable panel 10. By way of example, and not limitation, the trim breaker 34 can be overmolded onto a portion of the inner liner 26 proximate the perimetrical liner tab 130. The outer wrapper 20 can then be adhered to the trim breaker 34 through the engagement of the wrapper channel 54 of the trim breaker 34 and the perimetrical breaker channel 24 of the outer wrapper 20.
Referring again to
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Referring now to
According to the various embodiments, the various aspects of the operable panel 10 and the various aspects of the methods described herein can be used to form operable panels 10 for various appliances 12. Such appliances 12 can include, but are not limited to, refrigerators, freezers, dishwashers, laundry appliances, ovens, coolers, water heaters, and other similar appliances 12 that include an insulation system.
As discussed above, the inner liner 26, outer wrapper 20 and trim breaker 34 can be made of various materials that can be stamped, formed, folded or otherwise shaped into the final form of the operable panel 10. It is contemplated that the exact material used for these components can dictate the methods and sequence of steps that may be used to form the inner liner 26, outer wrapper 20 and trim breaker 34. Where a metallic sheet is used for the inner liner 26 and/or outer wrapper 20, the metallic sheet will typically be stamped into a particular pattern and then the pattern will be bent or otherwise shaped into the final form or substantially the final form of the inner liner 26 and/or outer wrapper 20. It is contemplated that these operations can be used in conjunction with various plastic forming, injection molding, overmolding or plastic attaching processes that can fully form the shape of the inner liner 26 and/or the outer wrapper 20. Where the inner liner 26 and/or outer wrapper 20 are formed of plastic, a single stamping, heat forming, molding, or other shaping process can be used to form the inner liner 26 and/or outer wrapper 20. Such plastic materials can be shaped, bent, or otherwise formed more easily and without the occurrence of wrinkling, pinching or other unwanted physical features occurring within the inner liner 26 and/or the outer wrapper 20.
It will be understood by one having ordinary skill in the art that construction of the described device and other components is not limited to any specific material. Other exemplary embodiments of the device disclosed herein may be formed from a wide variety of materials, unless described otherwise herein.
For purposes of this disclosure, the term “coupled” (in all of its forms, couple, coupling, coupled, etc.) generally means the joining of two components (electrical or mechanical) directly or indirectly to one another. Such joining may be stationary in nature or movable in nature. Such joining may be achieved with the two components (electrical or mechanical) and any additional intermediate members being integrally formed as a single unitary body with one another or with the two components. Such joining may be permanent in nature or may be removable or releasable in nature unless otherwise stated.
It is also important to note that the construction and arrangement of the elements of the device as shown in the exemplary embodiments is illustrative only. Although only a few embodiments of the present innovations have been described in detail in this disclosure, those skilled in the art who review this disclosure will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible (e.g., variations in sizes, dimensions, structures, shapes and proportions of the various elements, values of parameters, mounting arrangements, use of materials, colors, orientations, etc.) without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of the subject matter recited. For example, elements shown as integrally formed may be constructed of multiple parts or elements shown as multiple parts may be integrally formed, the operation of the interfaces may be reversed or otherwise varied, the length or width of the structures and/or members or connector or other elements of the system may be varied, the nature or number of adjustment positions provided between the elements may be varied. It should be noted that the elements and/or assemblies of the system may be constructed from any of a wide variety of materials that provide sufficient strength or durability, in any of a wide variety of colors, textures, and combinations. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present innovations. Other substitutions, modifications, changes, and omissions may be made in the design, operating conditions, and arrangement of the desired and other exemplary embodiments without departing from the spirit of the present innovations.
It will be understood that any described processes or steps within described processes may be combined with other disclosed processes or steps to form structures within the scope of the present device. The exemplary structures and processes disclosed herein are for illustrative purposes and are not to be construed as limiting.
It is also to be understood that variations and modifications can be made on the aforementioned structures and methods without departing from the concepts of the present device, and further it is to be understood that such concepts are intended to be covered by the following claims unless these claims by their language expressly state otherwise.
The above description is considered that of the illustrated embodiments only. Modifications of the device will occur to those skilled in the art and to those who make or use the device. Therefore, it is understood that the embodiments shown in the drawings and described above is merely for illustrative purposes and not intended to limit the scope of the device, which is defined by the following claims as interpreted according to the principles of patent law, including the Doctrine of Equivalents.
Claims
1. An operable panel for an appliance, the operable panel comprising:
- a metallic inner liner having a main body and opposing outer walls extending from the main body, wherein the opposing outer walls partially define a perimetrical breaker channel;
- end caps that engage the main body and the opposing outer walls, the end caps cooperating with the opposing outer walls to form a continuous outer wall and to fully define the perimetrical breaker channel as a continuous groove that extends around a perimeter of the continuous outer wall; and
- a trim breaker coupled to the metallic inner liner and the end caps at the continuous groove of the perimetrical breaker channel, wherein the trim breaker is configured to receive a metallic outer wrapper to define an insulating cavity.
2. The operable panel of claim 1, wherein the trim breaker includes a gasket channel that is at least partially surrounded by the perimetrical breaker channel.
3. The operable panel of claim 1, further comprising:
- a gasket disposed within a gasket channel of the trim breaker, wherein the gasket channel is positioned proximate a liner channel that seats within the perimetrical breaker channel of the metallic inner liner and the end caps.
4. The operable panel of claim 1, wherein the trim breaker is adhered to the perimetrical breaker channel.
5. The operable panel of claim 3, wherein the perimetrical breaker channel partially surrounds a U-shaped channel of the trim breaker to form a nested configuration.
6. The operable panel of claim 5, wherein one surface of the U-shaped channel defines the liner channel and an opposing surface of the U-shaped channel defines the gasket channel.
7. The operable panel of claim 1, wherein each end cap of the end caps includes an engagement surface that defines a plurality of adhesion grooves that retain an adhesive therein, and wherein the adhesive at least partially secures each end cap to an outer edge of the metallic inner liner.
8. The operable panel of claim 2, wherein the perimetrical breaker channel is defined within a perimetrical liner edge of the opposing outer walls, and wherein a liner channel of the trim breaker seats within the perimetrical breaker channel.
9. The operable panel of claim 1, wherein the end caps each abut the opposing outer walls and are aligned with the perimetrical breaker channel.
10. The operable panel of claim 1, wherein the metallic inner liner is a planar metallic sheet that is folded to define the main body and the opposing outer walls.
11. The operable panel of claim 10, wherein the planar metallic sheet is rectangular.
12. An operable panel for an appliance, the operable panel comprising:
- an inner liner comprising a folded metallic sheet that partially defines a perimetrical breaker channel, the inner liner comprising the folded metallic sheet;
- an outer wrapper;
- at least one end cap that is coupled to the inner liner and cooperates with the inner liner to fully define the perimetrical breaker channel as a continuous channel; and
- a trim breaker adhered to the inner liner and the at least one end cap at the perimetrical breaker channel, the trim breaker having a wrapper channel that receives a portion of the outer wrapper, the trim breaker extending between the inner liner and the outer wrapper.
13. The operable panel of claim 12, further comprising:
- a gasket disposed within a gasket channel of the trim breaker, wherein the gasket channel is positioned proximate a liner channel that seats within the perimetrical breaker channel of the outer wrapper, wherein the perimetrical breaker channel partially surrounds the gasket channel of the trim breaker.
14. The operable panel of claim 13, wherein the trim breaker includes a U-shaped channel, wherein one surface of the U-shaped channel defines the wrapper channel and an opposing surface of the U-shaped channel defines the gasket channel.
15. The operable panel of claim 12, wherein the inner liner includes a base portion and opposing outer walls that extend therefrom, and wherein the at least one end cap includes two opposing end caps that are each engaged to the base portion and the opposing outer walls to define the perimetrical breaker channel.
16. The operable panel of claim 12, wherein the at least one end cap is injection molded onto the inner liner.
17. An operable panel for an appliance, the operable panel comprising:
- an inner liner that includes a base portion and includes a plurality of outer walls that partially define a perimetrical breaker channel;
- a metallic outer wrapper;
- at least one end cap that is coupled to the inner liner and cooperates with the inner liner to fully define the perimetrical breaker channel as a continuous channel;
- a trim breaker adhered to the inner liner and the at least one end cap at the perimetrical breaker channel, the trim breaker having an elongated flange that receives an engagement tab of the inner liner, the metallic outer wrapper having a wrapper wall that receives a portion of the trim breaker, the trim breaker extending between the inner liner and the metallic outer wrapper; and
- a gasket disposed within a gasket channel of the trim breaker, wherein the gasket channel is positioned proximate the wrapper wall that engages a portion of the perimetrical breaker channel, wherein the perimetrical breaker channel partially surrounds the gasket channel of the trim breaker.
18. The operable panel of claim 17, wherein the inner liner includes a base portion and opposing outer walls that extend therefrom, and wherein the at least one end cap includes two opposing end caps that are each engaged to the base portion and the opposing outer walls to define the perimetrical breaker channel.
19. The operable panel of claim 17, wherein the at least one end cap is injection molded onto the inner liner.
20. The operable panel of claim 19, wherein the trim breaker is adhered to the perimetrical breaker channel.
Type: Application
Filed: Jun 26, 2023
Publication Date: Oct 19, 2023
Applicant: WHIRLPOOL CORPORATION (BENTON HARBOR, MI)
Inventors: Paul B. Allard (Coloma, MI), Lakshya J. Deka (Mishawaka, IN), Eric J. Dherde (St. Joseph, MI), Gustavo Frattini (St. Joseph, MI), Alberto R. Gomes (St. Joseph, MI), Lynne F. Hunter (Dorr, MI), Dustin M. Miller (South Bend, IN), Abhay Naik (Stevensville, MI), Karen J. Querfurth (Coloma, MI), Jerry M. Visin (Benton Harbor, MI)
Application Number: 18/341,359