Refrigerator Door Bin Rail Attachment Without Fasteners or Undercuts
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional refrigeration appliance storage systems require undercuts in liner panels and mechanical fasteners, increasing manufacturing complexity and assembly costs due to the need for movable parts in molds and additional fasteners behind the liner panel.
Innovation Solution
A storage system where a rail is attached to the liner panel without fasteners, using apertures and tabs that pass through the panel, with a foaming agent to secure the rail in place, eliminating the need for undercuts and additional fasteners, and a bin design with an arm and foot to prevent side-to-side movement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If conventional fastening methods with mechanical fasteners are used to attach the rail to the liner panel, then the attachment strength is improved, but the device complexity and assembly time increase due to the need for fasteners and fittings located behind the liner panel
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the fastening function from the mechanical fastener system and relocates it to the foam material itself. The foam is injected through apertures in the liner panel and expands to fill the space between the rail and door, creating an integrated bonding structure that eliminates the need for separate fasteners and fittings behind the liner panel.
Solution Approach 2:
The foam acts as an intermediary material that provides both structural support and fastening function. It is injected through apertures in the liner panel and expands to bond the rail to the door, serving as both the adhesive and the structural filler in the space between the liner panel and door exterior.
2Reliability
If undercuts are incorporated in the liner panel to accommodate fastening structures, then the attachment reliability is improved, but the manufacturing complexity and mold cost increase due to the need for movable parts within mold cavities
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the undercut feature from the liner panel design entirely. Instead of forming undercuts in the molded panel to accommodate fastening structures, the fastening function is achieved through foam injection through standard apertures, eliminating the need for complex mold actions and movable parts.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of forming the liner panel with complex undercut geometries to enable fastening, the patent inverts the approach by using a simple aperture design and achieving the fastening function through the foam injection process itself, thereby simplifying the mold design.
3Strength
If additional fasteners and fittings are placed behind the liner panel in the volume between the liner panel and door exterior, then the attachment strength is improved, but the assembly time and labor costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the fastening function with the foam insulation material. The foam is injected through apertures in the liner panel and expands to fill the space between the rail and door, combining the structural support, insulation, and fastening functions into a single integrated process that eliminates separate assembly steps for installing fasteners behind the liner panel.
4Ease of manufacture
If the rail is attached without fasteners using only apertures and foaming agent, then the manufacturing simplicity is improved, but the attachment strength under heavy loads may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical state and properties of the foam material to achieve strong attachment. The foam is injected in a liquid or semi-liquid state through apertures, then expands and cures to form a rigid, high-strength bonding structure that can support heavy loads without requiring additional mechanical fasteners.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Simplifies manufacturing by eliminating the need for undercuts and fasteners, reduces assembly time and costs, and provides flexible bin placement along a continuum of locations with improved resistance to rail detachment under heavy loads.
Implementation Method 1
using apertures and tabs that pass through the panel, with a foaming agent to secure the rail in place
Data Source
AI summary
A storage system for storing food items in a temperature-controlled environment includes a rail attached to a liner panel. The rail includes at least one mounting structure that passes through an aperture in the liner panel. A bin has an arm extending from a rear surface of the bin. The bin is placed in a storage position. The arm is placed between the rail and the liner panel when the bin is placed in the storage position. Another example of the storage system and refrigeration appliance includes a foot extending from a rear surface of the bin. Yet another example includes interaction between a bin tab and a plurality of bumps on the rail to prevent side to side motion.