Hemmed shelf for appliance-module assembly

1. An appliance comprising:

a cooking cavity wrapper; and

a first side wall disposed laterally adjacent a first side of the cooking cavity wrapper and including a first hemmed shelf formed as a U-shaped bend therein, the U-shaped bend defining an inward-extending flange comprising a top leg and a bottom leg having respective and opposing first and second surfaces extending substantially parallel and adjacent to one another across substantially the entire first surface wherein said top leg and said bottom leg of said first hemmed shelf are in intimate face-to-face contact, said first hemmed shelf adapted to support a module of said appliance above said cooking cavity wrapper.

2. The appliance of claim 1 , further comprising a second side wall disposed laterally adjacent a second side of the cooking cavity wrapper and including a second hemmed shelf formed as a U-shaped bend therein, said second hemmed shelf opposing said first hemmed shelf and adapted to cooperate therewith to support the module of said appliance above said cooking cavity wrapper.

3. The appliance of claim 1 , said first side wall being made of sheet metal.

4. The appliance of claim 1 , further comprising the module supported on said first hemmed shelf above said cooking cavity wrapper.

5. The appliance of claim 4 , wherein the module is one of a cooling module, a microwave oven or an upper oven-cavity wrapper.

6. The appliance of claim 1 , excluding additional brackets for providing structural support to said module in said appliance.

7. The appliance of claim 1 , wherein said top leg and said bottom leg of said first hemmed shelf are in intimate face-to-face contact across substantially their entire adjacent surfaces.

8. The appliance of claim 1 , wherein the first side wall includes a further hemmed shelf vertically spaced apart from said first hemmed shelf and adapted to support a second module.

9. The appliance of claim 1 , the first side wall including a plurality of recesses forming integrated ribs for increasing a rigidity of the first side wall.

10. The appliance of claim 1 , wherein the first side wall is secured to the cooking cavity wrapper.

11. The appliance of claim 1 , wherein the first hemmed shelf extends a full length of the first side wall from a first end to a second end thereof.

12. An appliance comprising:

a cooking cavity wrapper; and

a first side wall disposed laterally adjacent a first side of the cooking cavity wrapper and including a first hemmed shelf formed as a U-shaped bend therein, the U-shaped bend defining an inward-extending flange comprising a top leg and a bottom leg disposed in face-to-face adjacency with one another, wherein a width of the top leg is different than a width of the bottom leg such that an upper portion of the first side wall above the first hemmed shelf is offset relative to a lower portion of the side wall below the first hemmed shelf, said first hemmed shelf adapted to support a module of said appliance above said cooking cavity wrapper.

13. An appliance comprising:

a cooking cavity wrapper;

a first side wall disposed laterally adjacent a first side of the cooking cavity wrapper and including a first hemmed shelf extending inward therefrom, the first hemmed shelf formed as a U-shaped bend in the first side wall, the U-shaped bend defining an inward-extending first flange comprising a top leg and a bottom leg disposed in face-to-face adjacency with one another;

a second side wall disposed laterally adjacent a second side of the cooking cavity wrapper and including a second hemmed shelf extending inward therefrom, the second hemmed shelf formed as a U-shaped bend in the second side wall, the U-shaped bend defining an inward-extending second flange comprising a top leg and a bottom leg having respective and opposing first and second surfaces extending substantially parallel and adjacent to one another across substantially the entire first surface wherein said top leg and said bottom leg of said first hemmed shelf are in intimate face-to-face contact, said second hemmed shelf opposing said first hemmed shelf; and

a module disposed above the cooking cavity wrapper and resting on the first hemmed shelf and the second hemmed shelf without additional brackets to provide structural support to the module resting on the first and second hemmed shelves.

14. The appliance of claim 13 , wherein the first hemmed shelf extends a full length of the first side wall from a first end to a second end thereof.

15. The appliance of claim 13 , wherein the first hemmed shelf extends in a direction normal to a surface of the first side wall.