BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention

The present invention is directed to a glass replacement panel that replaces a panel of an appliance and a method of retrofitting an appliance with a glass replacement panel.

Description of Related Art

It is common for people to buy an appliance, such as a refrigerator or a dishwasher, that has stainless steel doors and drawers. It is also known for people to buy an appliance with custom-made wooden doors and drawers so as to match the design of cabinets that will be adjoining the appliance. However, after a time, the owner of the appliance may wish to change the look of the kitchen in which the appliance is located. Such a change often results in the need to replace the appliance with a new appliance so as to conform the appliance to the new look for the kitchen. Replacing an entire appliance with a new appliance can be expensive and time consuming.

It is an object of the present invention to reduce appliance costs when a new kitchen design is desired.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an efficient way to change the appearance of an appliance.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One aspect of the present invention regards a retrofitted appliance including a housing defining a cavity and a retrofitted door attached to the housing. The retrofitted door includes a frame having multiple attachment structures and a glass panel system attached to the frame. The glass panel system includes a mounting frame including attachment members that engage corresponding ones of the multiple attachment structures and a glass panel attached to the mounting frame and facing away from the frame and facing away from the cavity when the retrofitted door is at a closed position.

A second aspect of the present invention regards a retrofitted door for retrofitting an appliance. The retrofitted door includes a frame having multiple attachment structures and a glass panel system attached to the frame. The glass panel system includes a mounting frame including attachment members that engage corresponding ones of the multiple attachment structures or male attachments and a glass panel attached to the mounting frame and facing away from the frame and facing away from the cavity when the retrofitted door is at a closed position.

A third aspect of the present invention regards a method of retrofitting an appliance that includes a housing defining a cavity and a door attached to the housing. The door includes a frame having multiple attachment structures and a door panel attached to the frame and including an exterior surface that faces away from the frame and faces away from the cavity when the door is in a closed position. The method includes detaching the door panel from the frame and removing the door panel detached from the frame so that an exterior facing portion of the frame and the multiple attachment structures are exposed. The method further includes positioning a glass panel system including a mounting frame and a glass panel attached to the mounting frame so that an attachment side of the mounting frame faces the exterior facing portion of the frame and the glass panel faces away from the exterior facing portion of the frame. Aligning attachment members of the attachment side of the mounting frame with the multiple attachment structures, and engaging the aligned attachment members with the multiple attachment structures so that mounting frame is attached to the frame and a retrofitted glass panel door is formed.

One or more aspects of the present invention provide the advantage of reducing costs when a new kitchen design is desired.

One or more aspects of the present invention provide the advantage of efficiently changing the appearance of an appliance.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The various features, advantages and other uses of the present apparatus will become more apparent by referring to the following detailed description and drawing in which:

FIG. 1A is a front view of a first embodiment of a refrigerator that has a door with a non-glass panel and the door of the refrigerator can be retrofitted with a glass panel in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 1B is a front view of a second embodiment of a refrigerator that has a door with a non-glass panel and the door of the refrigerator can be retrofitted with a glass panel in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a front view of the refrigerator of FIG. 1A when the door is in an open position;

FIG. 3 is a front view of the door of FIG. 1A when the non-glass panel is removed;

FIG. 4A is an enlarged view of the right portion of the front view of FIG. 3;

FIG. 4B is a rear perspective view of an embodiment of a side channel attached to a panel and shelving unit;

FIG. 5 is front, perspective view of an embodiment of a glass panel system to be used to retrofit a glass panel to the door of FIGS. 1-4 when the non-glass panel is removed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a front view of the glass panel system of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a right view of the glass panel system of FIG. 5;

FIG. 8A is a front, top perspective view of an embodiment of a door handle used with the glass panel system of FIG. 5;

FIG. 8B is a rear, top perspective view of the door handle of FIG. 8A;

FIG. 8C is a perspective view of endcaps of the door handle of FIGS. 8A-B;

FIG. 8D is an exploded view of an endcap of FIG. 8C;

FIG. 9 is a rear view of the glass panel system of FIG. 5;

FIG. 10 is a front, exploded perspective view of the glass panel system of FIG. 5;

FIG. 10A is a bottom, front perspective view of an embodiment of a cap of the glass panel system of FIG. 5;

FIG. 10B is a bottom, rear perspective view of the cap of FIG. 10A;

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a side bracket to be used with the glass panel system of FIGS. 5-10;

FIG. 12 is an inner side view of the side bracket of FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 shows an inner side view of an embodiment of an outer top or outer bottom bracket to be used with the glass panel system of FIGS. 5-12;

FIG. 14 shows an outer side view of the outer top or outer bottom bracket of FIG. 13;

FIG. 15 shows an enlarged portion of the outer top or bottom bracket of FIGS. 13-14 that includes a tab and a through-hole;

FIG. 16 shows an outer side view of an embodiment of an inner top or bottom bracket to be used with the glass panel system of FIGS. 5-12;

FIG. 17 shows an inner side view of the inner top or outer bottom bracket of FIG. 16;

FIG. 18 shows a perspective view of the outer top or inner bottom bracket of FIGS. 13-15 when having a foam spacer adhered thereto;

FIG. 19 show a perspective view of the outer top or inner bottom bracket and the foam spacer of FIG. 18 when joined with the inner top or outer bottom bracket of FIGS. 16-17;

FIG. 20 shows a partial perspective view of a central bracket to be used with the glass panel system of FIGS. 5-12, wherein the glass panel is not tinted for illustrative purposes;

FIG. 21 shows a perspective view of a cap engaging a side bracket of the refrigerator and glass panel system of FIGS. 1-20;

FIG. 22 shows a front, perspective view of a retrofitted refrigerator with a glass panel using the refrigerator and glass panel system of FIGS. 1-21;

FIG. 23 shows a front, perspective view of two retrofitted refrigerators with glass panels that are positioned side-by-side;

FIG. 24A is a front view of a first embodiment of a refrigerator that has a single upper door and two lower pull out drawers with stainless-steel panels and the door and the pull-out drawers of the refrigerator can be retrofitted with glass panels in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 24B is a front view of a second embodiment of a refrigerator that has a single upper door and two lower pull out drawers with custom wood panels and the door and the pull-out drawers of the refrigerator can be retrofitted with glass panels in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 25 is a front view of the refrigerator of FIG. 24A when the drawers are in an open position;

FIG. 26 is a front view of a mounting frame to be used for the upper door of FIGS. 24-25;

FIG. 27 is a rear view of a bottom portion of an embodiment of a glass panel system to be used to retrofit a glass panel to one of the pull-out drawers of FIGS. 24-25 when the non-glass panel is removed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 28 is an enlarged view of the glass panel system of FIG. 27;

FIG. 29 is a rear view of a top portion of the glass panel system of FIG. 27;

FIG. 30 is an enlarged view of the glass panel system of FIG. 29;

FIG. 31 is a view of the glass panel system of FIGS. 27-30 when a top bracket is present;

FIG. 32 is a front view of a corner piece of the glass panel system of FIG. 31;

FIG. 33 is a rear view of the corner piece of FIG. 32;

FIG. 34A is a front view of an embodiment of a dishwasher that has a door with a stainless-steel panel and the door of the dishwasher can be retrofitted with a glass panel in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 34B is a front view of a second embodiment of a dishwasher that has a door with a custom wood panel and the door of the dishwasher can be retrofitted with glass panels in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 35 is a front view of the dishwasher of FIG. 34A when the door is in an open position;

FIG. 36 is a front view of the door of FIG. 34A when the non-glass panel is removed;

FIG. 37 is perspective, exploded view of an embodiment of a glass panel system to be used to retrofit a glass panel to the door of FIGS. 34A, 35-36 when the non-glass panel is removed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 38 is perspective, unexploded view of the glass panel system of FIG. 37;

FIG. 39 is front view of the glass panel system of FIG. 38;

FIG. 40 is right view of the glass panel system of FIG. 38;

FIG. 41 shows a rear view of the glass panel system of FIG. 38; and

FIG. 42 shows a front, perspective view of a retrofitted dishwasher with a glass panel using the refrigerator and glass panel system of FIGS. 38-41.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As shown in the exemplary drawing figures, embodiments of a glass replacement panel and methods of retrofitting an appliance with a glass replacement panel are shown, wherein like elements are denoted by like numerals.

FIGS. 1A and 2 show an embodiment of a refrigerator 100a. An example of such a refrigerator 100a is the Series 7 24-inch refrigerator with a stainless steel door sold by Viking Range. The refrigerator 100a has a housing 101 that has a top 102, a bottom 104, a rear wall 106, a left side wall 108, and a right side wall 110. The left side wall 108 is parallel with and faces the right side wall 110. The top 102 is attached to top edges of the left side wall 108 and the right side wall 110. Similarly, the bottom 104 is attached to bottom edges of the left side wall 108 and the right side wall 110, wherein the bottom 104 is parallel with and faces the top 102. As shown in FIG. 2, the top 102, bottom 104, rear wall 106, and side walls 108, 110 define a cavity 112 in which one or more food items can be contained on shelving and drawers in a well-known manner. The cavity 112 is enclosed by a single door 114a that is attached to the left side wall 108 via a pair of hinges (not shown). The door 114a includes a handle 109a. The refrigerator 100a has a height of approximately 80 inches, a width of approximately 24 inches, and a depth of approximately 25 inches. Cooling of the cavity 112 is performed via a condenser (not shown) in a well-known manner and is not the subject of the present invention.

When originally sold, the door 114 of the refrigerator 100a includes a plastic interior shelving unit 116 mounted to an interior facing portion of a rectangular, metal frame 118 of the door 114a. As shown in FIG. 2, the interior shelving unit 116 is a one-piece surface 119 that is attached to the frame 118 by an insulation process that involves inserting spray-foam between the interior shelving unit 116 and the metal frame 118. Besides providing insulation, the inserted spray-foam adheres the interior shelving unit 116 and the metal frame 118 to one another. The surface 119 defines multiple receiving areas for shelving structures 120 that are attached to surface 119 as shown in FIG. 2. Of course, other shelving arrangements are possible.

The originally sold door 114a has a standard stainless-steel door panel 122 or a custom wood door panel 124 attached to an exterior facing portion of the frame 118. Attachment to the frame 118 is accomplished in a number of ways, such as screw-type fasteners.

Note another possible embodiment for the originally sold refrigerator is refrigerator 100b shown in FIG. 1B, wherein refrigerator 100b has the same structure as refrigerator 100a with the exception that its door 114a is altered to have a custom wood door panel 124 with handle 109b. While the prior discussion and the discussion to follow regarding FIGS. 1A and 2-22 regard the refrigerator 100a, they equally apply to the refrigerator 100b, since refrigerators 100a and 100b only differ from one another by the structures of the panels and handles used for their doors 114a and 114b.

As shown in FIGS. 3, 4A and 4B, there are a plurality of spot-welds 126 located along the longitudinal edges of the frame 118. There is an additional longitudinally extending array of spot-welds located between the holes at the longitudinal edges of the frame 118. In addition, there are spot-welds located in the top corners of the frame 118. The various spot-welds are used to attach the frame 118 to one or more metal structures (not shown) facing and abutting a face of the frame that faces the cavity 112 of the refrigerator 100a.

For attachment between the frame 118 and either of the panel 122 or panel 124, a side channel 111 is attached to the left side of the frame 118 and a side channel 113 is attached to the right side of the frame 118. The side channels 111 and 113 are similar in structure to each other, wherein each is c-shaped. FIGS. 4A and 4B show an example of a side channel 111 that is attached to the face of the frame 118 facing away from the cavity 112. As shown, the middle surface 115 of the c-shape of the side channel 111 is attached to a side exterior side wall of the interior shelving unit 116 via screw-type fasteners. Such attachment results in an outer surface 117 of the c-shape to be furthest from the cavity 112 than a second outer surface 119 of the c-shape. The panel 122 or 124 is attached to the outer surface 117 via screw-type fasteners inserted through openings formed in the outer surface 117 as shown in FIG. 4B.

Note that hereinafter that elements denoted as “inner” or “outer” are so defined based on their relative distance from the door panel when attached. In particular, an inner element is positioned closer to the door panel than an outer element.

There are instances when a user is not satisfied with the external look of the original panel 122, 124 of the refrigerator 100a. In this scenario, the user can retrofit the refrigerator 100a so that the original panel 122, 124 is replaced by a glass panel system 128 that includes a mounting frame 130 to which a glass panel 131 is attached by performing the following processes:

- 1) removing the original panel 122, 124 by:
  - a. For each side channel 111 and 113, carefully remove a side trim covering the side channels 111 and 113;
  - b. Loosen fasteners at the top and bottom portions of the original panel 122, 124 and then remove all other fasteners of the original panel 122, 124;
  - c. While gripping the original panel 122 or 124, remove the loosened fasteners at the top and bottom portions of the original panel 122, 124 and then carefully lift the original panel 122, 124 off of the side channels 111 and 113;
- 2) when the original panel 122, 124 is removed, exposing the exterior facing portion 132 of the frame 118 so that the side channels 111 and 113 are exposed;
- 3) positioning the glass panel system 128 so that an attachment side 134 of the mounting frame 130 faces the exterior facing portion 132 of the frame 118 and the exterior facing portions of the side channels 111 and 113, wherein the glass panel 130 faces away from the exterior facing portion of 132 of the frame 118;
- 4) aligning attachment members, such as holes 136, of the attachment side 134 of the mounting frame 130 with holes formed in side channels 111 and 113;
- 5) engaging the aligned holes 136 and holes of the side channels 111 and 113 with screw-type fasteners, so that mounting frame 130 is attached to the frame 118 as shown in FIG. 4B. Other engagement schemes are possible. For example, the side channels 111 and 113 have multiple male engagement members that engage corresponding female members of the mounting frame 130 and vice versa.

As shown in the embodiment of FIGS. 5-10, the glass panel system 128 includes the mounting frame 130 and the glass panel 131 attached thereto. The mounting frame 130 includes two identical side brackets 138 that are arranged parallel to one another and separated from one another by approximately 20 inches.

A more detailed view of a side bracket 138 is shown in FIGS. 9 and 10-12. The side bracket 138 is an extruded piece of Aluminum that has multiple chambers formed as shown in FIG. 11. The side bracket 138 has a length of approximately 79.35 inches, a width of approximately 2 inches, and a maximum thickness of 0.60 inches. The exposed openings 139 at the tops and bottoms of the side brackets 138 are sealed by inserting and attaching plastic caps 140 (see FIGS. 10A-10B) into the exposed openings. The caps 140 can be plastic injection molded and have snaps/tabs 141 that engage and lock to the side brackets 138. Moving the snaps/tabs away from the side brackets 138 releases the caps 140 from the side brackets 138.

The tops of the side brackets 138 are attached to one another by screws inserted into an inner top bracket 146 of a top bracket 142 that extends from the outer surface of the tops of the side brackets 138.

The inner top bracket 146 is made of metal, such as aluminum or cold rolled steel, and is painted or powder coated with a desired color. The outer top bracket 144 is made of galvanized steel, but is not painted. The top bracket 142, outer top bracket 144, and the inner top bracket 146 have a height of approximately 3.40 inches, a length of approximately 21.30 inches, and a thickness of approximately 0.55 inches.

As shown in FIGS. 10 and 13-15, the outer top bracket 144 has bottom tabs 148 extending below the body 150 of the outer top bracket 144. Adjacent tabs 148 are spaced from each other by approximately 6 inches. As shown in FIG. 15, there are holes 152 formed above each bottom tab 148, wherein such holes 152 are used for fastening of the outer top bracket to the inner top bracket 146 via screw-type fasteners inserted through corresponding holes of the inner top bracket 146 and engaging the holes 152. There is also a rivet bite 154 formed above each bottom tab 148 that hides a corresponding rivet head from the customer's view and is used for attachment of the outer top bracket 144 to the inner top bracket 146.

As shown in FIGS. 10 and 16-17, the inner top bracket 146 has slots 156 and mounting holes 158 that are used for mounting with the outer top bracket 144. Prior to such mounting, one side of a foam piece 159 with a rectangular cross-section is adhered to an inner facing surface of the outer top bracket 144, as shown in FIG. 18. The foam piece 159 prevents rattling of the outer and inner top brackets 144, 146 due to part vibration. Next, an outer facing surface of the inner top bracket 146 is aligned with the inner facing surface of the outer top bracket 144 such that the bottom tabs 148 are aligned with corresponding ones of the slots 156 of the inner top bracket 146. The tabs 148 are inserted into the corresponding slots 156 to which they are aligned. With such insertion, the outer facing surface of the inner top bracket 146 contacts an adhesive surface of the foam piece 159 so that adhesive attachment between the foam piece 159 and the outer top bracket 144 and the inner top bracket 146 is achieved. Further attachment is achieved by having painted pop rivets inserted into through-holes 154 and riveted to inner top bracket 146. Note that the tabs 148 allow the pop rivets to be hidden by the sheet metal thickness of the larger through-holes 154. Thus, a single top bracket 142 is formed. As shown in FIG. 19, an inner facing face 160 of the top bracket 142 and inner top bracket 146 has a rectangular adhesive tape 162, such as the double-sided adhesive tape sold by 3M under the trademark VHB.

The inner top bracket 146 has end flanges that face and contact the walls of the side brackets 138 that face one another. The end flanges have openings that are aligned with corresponding openings of the walls of the side brackets 138 that face one another. The inner top bracket 146 is attached to the side brackets 138 by inserting screw-type fasteners into the aligned openings of the inner top bracket 146 and the side brackets 138. With attachment, a top flanges of the inner top bracket 146 fit over and engage the exposed tops of the side brackets 138. When the above-described inner top bracket 146 of top bracket 142 is attached to the side brackets 138 via screw-type fasteners, the side edges of the inner and outer top brackets 144 and 146, and, thus, the side edges of the top bracket 142 while overlapping the side brackets 138 either align with the outer side edges of the side brackets 138 or are offset inward from the outer side edges of the side bracket by approximately 1 inch. In addition, the top edges of the inner and outer top brackets 144 and 146 and top bracket 142 align with the top edges of the side brackets 138. The end result is that the inner facing face of the inner top bracket 146 and the inner facing faces of the side brackets 138 form a common plane for accepting an adhesive tape 162, the function of which is described hereinafter.

As shown in FIG. 10, the bottoms of the side brackets 138 are attached to one another by screws inserted into an inner bottom bracket 168 of a bottom bracket 164 that extends from the outer surface of the bottoms of the side brackets 138. Attachment between the side brackets 138 and the bottom bracket 164 is achieved by using screw-type fasteners much in the same manner that the top bracket 142 is attached to the side brackets 138. Other than their height of approximately 9.5 inches and the use of two pieces of foam 159 to eliminate rattles between the outer bottom bracket 166 and the inner bottom bracket 168 and placed within the bottom bracket 164, the outer bottom bracket 166, inner bottom bracket 168, and bottom bracket 164 are similar in structure and construction as the outer top bracket 144, the inner top bracket 146, and top bracket 142, respectively, as previously described.

Note that it is preferred that the caps 140 are inserted prior to the pop rivets being used to attach the outer bottom bracket 166 to the inner bottom bracket 168 and the outer top bracket 144 to the inner top bracket 146. Once inserted in the exposed openings of the side brackets 138, the caps 140 hide holes in the side brackets 138 and prevent people from accidently grazing the edges of the exposed openings 139. An example of attachment of a cap 140 to the exposed opening of a side bracket 138 that is attached to either the top bracket 142 or the bottom bracket 164 is shown in FIG. 21.

When the above-described bottom bracket 164 is attached to the side brackets 138 via screw-type fasteners, the side edges of the outer and inner bottom brackets 166 and 168, and thus the bottom bracket 164 align with the outer side edges of the side brackets 138. In addition, the bottom edges of the outer and inner bottom brackets 166 and 168 and bottom bracket 164 align with the bottom edges of the side brackets 138. The end result is that the inner facing face of the inner bottom bracket 146 and the inner facing faces of the side brackets 138 form a common plane for accepting an adhesive tape 162, the function of which is described hereinafter.

As shown in FIGS. 10 and 20, the mounting frame 130 includes a rectangular, central bracket 170 that is made of a metal, such as galvanized steel. The central bracket 170 has a length of approximately 56.3 inches, a width of approximately 20.3 inches, and a thickness of approximately 0.39 inches. The top edge of the central bracket 170 is separated from the bottom edge of the top bracket 142 by approximately 5 inches. The bottom edge of the central bracket 170 is separated from the top edge of the bottom bracket 164 by approximately 5.3 inches. The left side edge of the central bracket 170 has holes that are aligned with holes formed in a left side bracket 138, wherein screw-type fasteners (not shown) are inserted into the aligned holes and attached the central bracket 170 to the left side bracket 138. Attachment between the central bracket 170 with the right side bracket 138 is accomplished in a similar manner.

As shown in FIGS. 10 and 20, two rectangular pieces of closed-cell insulation foam 172 are attached to the central bracket 170 via an adhesive backing. The end result is that the surfaces 173, 175, 177, 179 of the side brackets 138, the top bracket 142, and the bottom bracket 164 that face the glass panel 131 are contained in a common plane that is preferably perpendicular to the floor surface on which the refrigerator 100a is supported. Upon each of such surfaces, one or more double-sided adhesive tape 162 sold by 3M under the trademark VHB are attached along the longitudinal extent of the brackets 138, 142, and 164.

The single rectangular glass panel 131 has a width of approximately 24 inches, a length of approximately 80 inches, and a thickness of approximately 4 mm is attached to the mounting frame 130. The glass panel 131 is preferably mirror-finish black glass.

Horizontal strips of two-sided adhesive tape 162 are applied to the inner facing surfaces of the inner top bracket 146 and the inner bottom bracket 168 and the surfaces 173 and 175 of the left and right side brackets 138. Prior to application of the tape 162, the surfaces to which they are applied should be cleaned with an 50% to 70% isopropyl alcohol solution. With the adhesive tape 162 in place on the top bracket 142, bottom bracket 164, and side brackets 138, a side of the glass panel 131 facing the mounting frame 130 is applied to the adhesive tape 162 on the side brackets 138 and pressure is applied. Next, pressure is applied at the top and bottom of the glass panel 131 so that the adhesives of the top bracket 142 and the bottom bracket 164 engage the surface of the glass panel 131 facing the mounting frame 130. Pressure is applied to the glass panel 131 and the mounting frame 130 by a fixture or a jig that control the amount of pressure applied and the amount of time of such application. A pressure of approximately 250 kPa (36 psi) is applied for approximately 1 minute by the fixture or jig. The product will then “dwell” for approximately 48 to 72 hours before the glass panel system 128 is ready to be transported and used for retrofitting the refrigerator 100a. The adhesive tape 162 is applied when the temperature ranges from 50° F. to 100° F., preferably 70° F. to 100° F. Note that while other attachment mechanism can be used to attached the glass panel 131 to the mounting frame 130, it is preferred that attachment is achieved solely using the adhesive tape 162 described previously.

A U-shaped handle 176 is attached to the outer surface 176 of the glass panel 131 via screw fasteners. An embodiment of the handle 176 is shown in FIGS. 8A-D. Depending on the style of the refrigerator 100a, the handle 176 can be mounted on the right side or the left side of the glass panel 131. The handle 176 can be an aluminum extrusion that is black-chrome plated and has two endcaps 178 with plastic bumpers 180 on the side of the glass panel 131 that faces the mounting frame 130. The handle 176 includes a longitudinal extrusion 182 with a hollow profile that accepts a male portion 184 of each endcap 178. As shown in FIG. 8D, each endcap 178 has hollow profiles 186 that receive male projections 188 of the plastic bumpers 180. In particular, the central bracket 170 has embosses that provide contact surfaces/supports for handle mounting screws. The handle endcaps 178 are “capped” with the plastic spacer or bumper 180 to prevent metal/glass interactions as much as possible. To ensure a strong grip on handle endcaps, blue-grade Loctite is applied on the screws used for attachment of the handle 176 to the glass panel 131 and the central bracket. As shown in FIG. 20 (wherein glass panel 131 is transparent and not tinted for illustrative purposes only), the central bracket 170 provides support for screws to attach the handle 176 to the glass panel 131 and the central bracket 170.

Note that the central bracket 170 could be replaced by ribs or multiple spaced rectangular brackets that are smaller than the central bracket 170. Such ribs or multiple spaced rectangular brackets would provide support for the glass panel 131 while being smaller in weight than the central bracket 170. In this scenario, the previously described handle mounting screws would be replaced with relatively larger washers to distribute load across the glass panel 131.

The previously described glass panel system 128 of FIGS. 5-21 is retrofitted to the exposed frame 118 of the refrigerator 100a shown in FIG. 3 (after panel 112 or 124 is removed from refrigerator 100a in the manner described previously) by positioning the glass panel system 128 so that the attachment side 134 of the mounting frame 130 faces the interior facing portion 132 of the frame 118 and the glass panel 131 faces away from the interior facing portion 132 of the frame 118. Stated another way, the attachment side 134 of the mounting frame 130 faces towards the cavity 112 of the refrigerator 100a while the glass panel 131 faces away from the cavity 112 during the attachment/retrofitting process. When the mounting frame 130 is so positioned, attachment members, such as holes each side bracket 138 of the mounting frame 130 are aligned with multiple attachment structures, such as holes formed in the outer surfaces 117 of the side channels 111. In the case of aligned holes with the side brackets 138 and the side channels 111, mounting screws are inserted through and engaging with the aligned holes so that the mounting frame 130 is attached to the frame 118 as shown in FIG. 4B. The end result of such attachment is a refrigerator with glass panels as shown in FIG. 22.

The above described retrofitting structures and methods can be applied to other types of appliances. For example, the above-described retrofitting structures and methods of FIGS. 1-22 regard a single door refrigerator. Such retrofitting structures and methods can be applied to a side-by-side door refrigerator or two single door refrigerators (each refrigerator similar in structure as described previously with respect to the refrigerators 100a-b of FIGS. 1-22 are positioned side-by-side as shown in FIG. 23. As shown in FIG. 23, the handles 176 of adjacent glass panels are adjacent to one another so that a handle is mounted on a right side of one glass panel and another handle is mounted on a left side of the other glass panel.

The above described retrofitting structures and methods can also be applied to a refrigerator that has one or two top doors enclosing a refrigerator cavity and at least one lower pull out drawer located below the door(s) and enclosing a refrigerator or freezer cavity. Examples of such a refrigerator are shown in FIGS. 24-37. As shown in FIGS. 24A, the refrigerator 200a has a housing 201 similar to the housing 101 of the refrigerators 100a and 100b of FIGS. 1-22. An example of such a refrigerator 200a is the Series 7 36-inch refrigerator with a stainless steel door and two lower freezer drawers sold by Viking Range. The housing 201 has a top 202, a bottom 204, a rear wall 206, a left side wall 208, and a right side wall 210. As shown in FIG. 25, the top 202, bottom 204, rear wall 206, and side walls 208, 210 of the refrigerator 200a define in part an upper refrigerator cavity (not shown) similar to the cavity 112 of the refrigerator 100a and a pair of lower refrigerator or freezer cavities 213a and b in which one or more food items can be contained on shelving and drawers in a well-known manner. The upper cavity is enclosed by one or more doors 214a that are attached to the left side wall 208 or both side walls 208, 210 via a pair of hinges (not shown). The refrigerator 200a has dimensions similar to those of refrigerator 100a described previously. Cooling of the upper cavity and lower cavities 213a and 213b is performed in a well-known manner and are not the subject of the present invention.

When originally sold, the door(s) 214a of the refrigerator 200a are similar in structure to the door 114a of the refrigerator 100a as previously described with respect to FIGS. 1A and 2-22. In particular, the refrigerator 200a includes a frame 218 and an original stainless-steel door panel 222 of the door(s) 214 that are similar in structure to the frame 118 and the panel 122 of the door 114a previously described with respect to FIGS. 1A and 2-22. One difference is that the door(s) 214a have a height of approximately 50.5 inches. Attachment of the panel 222 to the frame 218 is accomplished in the same manner that panels 122 and 124 are attached to frame 118.

Note another possible embodiment for the originally sold refrigerator is refrigerator 200b shown in FIG. 24B, wherein refrigerator 200b has the same structure as refrigerator 200a with the exception that its door 214b is altered to have a custom wood door panel 224 with handle 209b. While the prior discussion and the discussion to follow regarding FIGS. 24A and 25-33 regard the refrigerator 200a, they equally apply to the refrigerator 200b, since refrigerators 200a and 200b only differ from one another by the structures of the panels and handles used for their doors 214a and 214b.

When a user is not satisfied with the external look of the original panel 222 of the door(s) 214 of the refrigerator 200a, the user can retrofit the refrigerator 200a so that the original panel 222 is replaced by a glass panel system 228 that includes a mounting frame 230 to which a glass panel 231 is attached. The structures of the glass panel system 228, mounting frame 230, and glass panel 231 are similar to the structures of the glass panel system 128, mounting frame 130, and glass panel 131, respectively, as described previously with respect to FIGS. 1-22. In particular, the mounting frame 230, as shown in FIG. 26, includes two identical side brackets 235 that are similar in structure as the side brackets 138 of the mounting frame 130 of FIGS. 9-10. The mounting frame 230 also includes a top bracket 237, a central bracket 241, and a bottom bracket 239 that are similar in structure as the top bracket 142, central bracket 170, and bottom bracket 164, respectively, of the mounting frame 130 of FIGS. 9, 10, and 13-21. Attachment of top bracket 237, central bracket 241, and bottom bracket 239 to the side brackets 235 via screw-like fasteners 242 is similar to the attachment between the top bracket 237, central bracket 170, and bottom bracket 164 with side brackets 138 of the mounting frame 130 of FIGS. 9-10. Note that the exposed openings at the tops and bottoms of the side brackets 235 are sealed by inserting therein and attaching thereto plastic caps that are similar to the plastic caps 140 shown in FIGS. 10A-10B.

With the mounting frame 230 of FIG. 26 in mind, a glass panel system 228 is formed by applying adhesive tape to the inner facing surfaces of the top bracket 237, the bottom bracket 239, and the side brackets 235 and having a glass panel 231 adhered to in a manner similar that glass panel 131 is adhered to the mounting frame 130 of FIG. 10. A U-shaped handle similar to the handle 176 of FIGS. 8A-D in structure is attached to the glass panel in a manner similar that the U-shaped handle 176 is attached to panel 131 of the refrigerator of FIGS. 1-22. Thus, the glass panel system 228 is similar to the glass panel system 128 of FIGS. 1-22. One difference is that the height of the mounting frame 230, the glass panel 231, and the glass panel system 228 is approximately 50.5 inches.

After the panel 222 is removed from c-shaped side channels of the frame 218 of the door 214a, which are similar to the side channels 111 of FIGS. 4A-B, the glass panel system 228 is attached to the side channels in a manner similar how glass panel system 130 is attached to side channels 111. Thus, a glass panel 231 is retrofitted to door 214a of refrigerator 200a in a similar manner that glass panel 131 is retrofitted to door 114 of the refrigerator 100a of FIGS. 1A and 2-22.

As shown in FIGS. 24A, the refrigerator 200a includes two lower pull out drawers 215a and 215b that enclose the lower refrigerator or freezer cavities 213a and 213b, respectively, shown in FIG. 25 in which one or more food items can be contained on shelving and drawers in a well-known manner. The refrigerator 200 and drawers 215a and 215b have a well-known structure so that the drawers 215a and 215b can be pulled out to an open position and pushed in to a closed position. While the drawers 215a and 215b have different heights, their heights can be the same. The structures of the original panels, frames, and glass panel systems for the drawers 215a and 215b are similar and so the description to follow regarding the lower drawer 215b is applicable to the upper drawer 215a. In addition, the original panels, frames, and glass panel systems for drawers 215a and 215b are similar to the original panels, frames, and glass panel systems of the dishwashers 300a and 300b described hereinafter with respect to FIGS. 34A, 34B, and 35-42.

When originally sold, the lower drawer 215b includes an interior shelving unit 217 mounted to an interior facing portion of a rectangular, metal frame 219 of the lower drawer 215b. As shown in FIG. 25, the interior shelving unit 217 is a one-piece surface 221 that is attached to the frame 219 by an insulation process that involves inserting spray-foam between the interior shelving unit 217 and the metal frame 219. Besides providing insulation, the inserted spray-foam adheres the interior shelving unit 217 and the metal frame 219 to one another. The surface 221 may define a single level shelf alone or in combination with multiple receiving areas for shelving structures 223 that are attached to surface 221. Of course, other shelving arrangements are possible.

Like the originally sold door(s) 214a, the originally sold lower drawer 215b can have either a standard stainless-steel drawer panel 225 or a custom wood drawer panel 227 (see lower drawer 215d of refrigerator 200b of FIG. 24B) attached to an exterior facing portion of the frame 219. Attachment of the panel 225 or custom wood drawer panel 227 to the frame 219 is accomplished in a manner similar to how the panels 222, 224 are attached to the frame 218 as described previously.

When a user is not satisfied with the external look of the original panel 225, 227 of the lower drawer 215b, 215d, respectively, the user can retrofit the corresponding refrigerator 200a or refrigerator 200b so that the original panel 225, 227 is replaced by a glass panel system 244 that includes a mounting frame 246 to which a glass panel 248 is attached by performing the retrofitting processes mentioned previously with respect to the doors 114 and 124 of the refrigerators 100a-b and the door(s) 214 of the refrigerator 200. Note that the first pieces to be adhered to the glass panel 248 will be the corner pieces 250 to be described hereinafter.

As shown in the embodiment of FIGS. 27-33, the glass panel system 244 includes the mounting frame 246 to which the glass panel 248 is attached. The mounting frame 246 includes two identical side brackets 252 that are arranged parallel to one another and separated from one another by 35.75 inches. Except for their length, the structure and attachments of the side brackets 252 are similar to that described for the side brackets 138 for the refrigerators 100a-b described previously with respect to FIGS. 1-22.

As shown in FIGS. 29 and 30, the bottoms of the side brackets 252 are attached to one another by a top inner metal close out bracket 254, wherein the bracket 254 is attached to the inner sides of the side brackets 252 via screws. As shown in FIGS. 29 and 30, the bracket 254 has a rectangular back surface 256 with four vertical side walls 258 integrally formed therewith. The side walls 258 have a height that matches the thickness of the side brackets 252. The width of the bracket 254 is approximately 32.4 inches and the height of the bracket 254 is approximately 3.3 inches. As shown in FIGS. 29 and 30, the bracket 254 has top flanges 260 that overlap the exposed top openings of the side brackets 252. Note that the exposed top openings of the side brackets 252 are sealed by inserting therein and attaching thereto plastic caps (not shown) which clamp down in the top flanges 260. Note that the plastic caps are similar in structure and function as the plastic caps 140 described previously with respect to the refrigerators 100a-b of FIGS. 1-22.

With the attachment of the side brackets 252 to the bracket 254, the side brackets 252 are parallel to one another and are perpendicular to the longitudinal direction to which the top bracket 254 extends. A bottom inner metal close out bracket 262 is attached to the inner sides of the side brackets 252 via screws. As shown in FIGS. 27 and 28, the bracket 262 has a similar structure as bracket 254 by having a rectangular back surface 264 with four vertical side walls 266 integrally formed therewith. The side walls 266 have a height that matches the thickness of the side bracket 252. The width of the bracket 262 is approximately 32.4 inches and the height of the bracket 262 is approximately 2.6 inches. As shown in FIGS. 27 and 28, the bracket 262 has bottom flanges 268 that overlap the exposed bottom openings of the side brackets 252. Note that other dimensions, such as the heights, for the brackets 256 and 262 are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention.

As shown in FIGS. 31-33, triangular ends of aluminum alloy corner pieces 250 are inserted into the exposed top openings of the side brackets 252. Additional triangular ends of the corner pieces 250 are inserted into exposed openings of a top bracket 270. The top bracket 270 is formed from extruded metal, such as aluminum, and has the same cross-sectional shape/profile as the side brackets 138, 235, and 252 described previously. The corner pieces 250 are attached to the side brackets 252 and the top bracket 270 via screws inserted through the molded holes of the triangular ends and holes of the brackets 252 and 270.

As shown in FIGS. 27-31, faces of the side brackets 252, the back surfaces 256, 264, the top bracket 270, and the corner pieces 250 face the frame 219 and are contained in a common plane that is perpendicular to the surface that supports the refrigerator 200. Such faces have rectangular adhesive tape 162, such as the double-sided adhesive tape sold by 3M under the trademark VHB, attached thereto. A rectangular piece of closed-cell insulation foam 272 is attached to each of the outer facing surfaces of the back surface 256 and the back surface 264.

The single rectangular glass panel 248 has a width of approximately 24 inches, a length of approximately 50.5 inches, and a thickness of approximately 4 mm is attached to the mounting frame 231. The glass panel 248 is preferably mirror-finish black glass. Attachment of the glass panel 248 to the mounting frame 231 is similar to attachment of glass panel 131 to the mounting frame 130 as described previously with respect to the refrigerators 100a-b of FIGS. 1-22. In particular, a side of the glass panel 248 facing the mounting frame 231 of the refrigerator 200 is applied to the adhesive tape 162 on the inner facing faces of the back surfaces 256 and 264, the side brackets 252, the top bracket 270, and the corner pieces 250.

A U-shaped handle 274 is attached to the outer surface 276 of the glass panel 248 via screw-type fasteners in a manner similar that the handle 176 is attached to the glass panel 131 in the manner described previously with respect to the refrigerators 100a and 100b shown in FIGS. 1-23. The U-shaped handle 274 has the same structure as the handle 176 shown in FIGS. 8A-8D. The handle 274 differs from handle 176 with respect to its length and its horizontal orientation.

The retrofitting aspects of the present invention can be applied to a dishwasher as well. As shown in FIG. 34A, the dishwasher 300a includes a door 302a with horizontal handle 309a that encloses a cavity 304 in which one or more dishware items, such as silverware, glasses, and plates, can be contained on shelving and drawers in a well-known manner. An example of such a dishwasher 300a is the 24-inch dishwasher with a stainless-steel door sold by Viking Range. The dishwasher 300a and door 302a have a well-known structure so that the door 302a can be pivoted down to an open position and pivoted up to a closed position.

When originally sold, the dishwasher 300a and door 302a include one or more compartments in the interior facing surface 305 for containing dishwasher detergent and a rinsing solution. The surface 305 is mounted to an interior facing portion of a rectangular, metal frame 306 (see FIG. 36) of the door 302a. As shown in FIG. 34A, the interior facing surface 305 is a one-piece surface that is attached to the frame 306 by screw-type fasteners.

The originally sold door 302a can have a standard stainless-steel drawer panel 308 attached to an exterior facing portion of the frame 306. Attachment of the panel 308 to the frame 306 is accomplished in a manner similar to how the panels 222, 224 are attached to the frame 218 as described previously with respect to FIGS. 24-26.

Note another possible embodiment for the originally sold dishwasher is dishwasher 300b shown in FIG. 34B, wherein refrigerator 300b has the same structure as refrigerator 300a with the exception that its door 302b is has a custom wood door panel 310 with handle 309b. While the prior discussion and the discussion to follow regarding FIGS. 34A and 36-43 regard the refrigerator 300a, they equally apply to the refrigerator 300b of FIG. 34B, since refrigerators 300a and 300b only differ from one another by the structures of the panels and handles used for their doors 302a and 302b.

When a user is not satisfied with the external look of the original panel 308, 310 of the door 302a, the user can retrofit the dishwasher 300a so that the original panel 308 is replaced by a glass panel system 312 that includes a mounting frame 314 to which a glass panel 316 is attached by performing the retrofitting processes mentioned previously with respect to the door 114 and door 124 of the refrigerators 100a-b and the door(s) 214a-b and drawers 215a-d of the refrigerators 200a and 200b. A retrofitted dishwasher 300a, 300b is shown in FIG. 42. Note that the first pieces to be adhered to the glass panel 316 will be the corner pieces 334 to be described hereinafter.

As shown in the embodiment of FIGS. 34A-42, the glass panel system 312 includes the mounting frame 314 to which the glass panel 316 is attached. The mounting frame 314 includes two identical side brackets 318 that are arranged parallel to one another and separated from one another by 23.4 inches. Except for their length, the structure and attachments of the side brackets 318 are similar to that described for the side brackets 252 for the refrigerator 200 described previously with respect to FIGS. 24-33.

As shown in FIGS. 37-41, the bottoms of the side brackets 318 are attached to one another by a bottom bracket 320. Other than its height of approximately 26.6 inches, the bottom bracket 320 has a structure and is attached to the side brackets 318 in a manner similar to that of the bottom bracket 164 described previously with respect to the refrigerators 100a-b of FIGS. 1-22. In particular, the bottom bracket 320 includes an inner bottom bracket 322 and an outer bottom bracket 324 that are attached to one another and the side brackets 318. Two pieces of foam 159 are placed within the bottom bracket 320 in order to prevent vibration/rattling between the inner and outer bottom brackets 322 and 324.

When the above-described bottom bracket 320 is attached to the side brackets 318 via screw-type fasteners, the side edges of the outer and inner bottom brackets 324 and 322, and thus the bottom bracket 320 align with the outer side edges of the side brackets 318. The bottom edges of the outer and inner bottom brackets 324 and 322 and bottom bracket 320 align with the bottom edges of the side brackets 318. In addition, attachment to the bottom bracket 320 results in the side brackets 318 being parallel with one another.

As shown in FIGS. 37-41, the tops of the side bracket 318 are attached to one another by a handle bracket 326. Other than its height of approximately 9.9 inches, the bracket 326 has a structure and is attached to the side brackets 318 in a manner similar to that of the top inner metal close out bracket 247 described previously with respect to the refrigerator 200 of FIGS. 24-33. In particular, the handle bracket 326 has a rectangular back surface 328 with four vertical side walls 330 integrally formed therewith. The side walls 330 have a height that matches the thickness of the side brackets 318. The width of the bracket 326 is approximately 19.9 inches and the height of the bracket 326 is approximately 9.9 inches. Note that the exposed bottom openings of the side brackets 318 are sealed by inserting and attaching plastic caps 332 which clamp down in the top flanges.

As shown in FIGS. 37 and 41, triangular ends of corner pieces 334 are inserted into the exposed top openings of the side brackets 318. The corner pieces 334 are similar in construction and shape as the corner pieces 255 described previously for the refrigerator 200 of FIGS. 24-33 described previously. Additional triangular ends of the corner pieces 334 are inserted into exposed openings of a top bracket 336, which has a similar structure as the top bracket 257 of the refrigerator 200 of FIGS. 24-33. The corner pieces 334 are attached to the side brackets 318 and the top bracket 336 via screws inserted through molded holes of the triangular ends and holes of the brackets 318, 336.

As shown in FIGS. 37 and 41, faces of the side brackets 318, the back surface 328, the top bracket 336, and the corner pieces 334 face the frame 306 and are contained in a common plane that is perpendicular to the surface that supports the dishwasher 300. Such faces have rectangular adhesive tape 162, such as the double-sided adhesive tape sold by 3M under the trademark VHB, attached thereto. As shown in FIG. 37, a rectangular piece of closed-cell insulation foam 338 is attached to the outer facing surface of the back surface 328.

The single rectangular glass panel 316 has a width of approximately 24 inches, a length of approximately 29.8 inches, and a thickness of approximately 4 mm is attached to the mounting frame 314. The glass panel 316 is preferably mirror-finish black glass. Attachment of the glass panel 316 to the mounting frame 314 is similar to attachment of glass panel 233 to the mounting frame 231 as described previously with respect to the refrigerators 200a-b of FIGS. 24-33. In particular, a side of the glass panel 316 facing the mounting frame 314 of the dishwater 300 is applied to the adhesive tape 162 on the inner facing faces of the back surface 328, the side brackets 318, the top bracket 336, and the corner pieces 334 so that a retrofitted dishwasher is formed as shown in FIG. 42.

A U-shaped handle 340 is attached to the outer surface 342 of the glass panel 316 via screw-type fasteners in a manner similar that the handle 176 is attached to the glass panel 131 in the manner described previously with respect to the refrigerators 100a and 100b shown in FIGS. 1-23. The U-shaped handle 340 has the same structure as the handle 176 shown in FIGS. 8A-8D. The handle 340 differs from handle 176 with respect to its length and its horizontal orientation.

While the invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiments but, on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims, which scope is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures as is permitted under the law. For example, the invention can be applied to appliances that have different dimensions than those described herein and can be applied to other types of appliances and storage structures that those described herein.