Door vent sealing assembly
A refrigeration appliance includes a cabinet that defines a cabinet outlet and a cabinet inlet in fluid communication with a freezer compartment. A door is coupled to the cabinet. The door defines a door inlet in fluid communication with the cabinet outlet and a door outlet in fluid communication with the cabinet inlet when the door is in a closed position. An icemaker compartment is disposed in the door. The icemaker compartment is fluidly coupled with the freezer compartment. A retainer is at least partially disposed in each of the door inlet and the door outlet. Each retainer includes a rim that defines ribs. Each rib is spaced apart from adjacent ribs. A gasket is coupled to each retainer. Each gasket includes an abutment surface that abuts a cabinet surface when the door is in the closed position to seal airflow passages between the freezer compartment and the icemaker compartment.
1. A refrigerator, comprising:
a cabinet defining a cabinet inlet and a cabinet outlet; and
a door assembly operably coupled to the cabinet, wherein the door assembly includes:
a door having a side panel defining a door inlet and a door outlet;
an air duct in fluid communication with the door inlet; and
a return duct in fluid communication with the door outlet;
a first retainer operably coupled with the air duct;
a second retainer operably coupled to the return duct, wherein each of the first and second retainers includes a rim disposed adjacent to the side panel and defining an opening, and wherein each of the first and second retainers includes elongated ribs arranged on an outer surface of the rim about the opening, the elongated ribs having a rounded engagement surface;
a first sealing gasket coupled to the first retainer; and
a second sealing gasket coupled to the second retainer, wherein each of the first and second sealing gaskets includes a coupling portion coupled to the rim and extending over the outer surface and a sealing member defining an inner channel, and wherein the first and second sealing gaskets compress against the elongated ribs when the door assembly is in a closed position to seal airflow passages between the cabinet and the door assembly, the elongated ribs maintaining space between the coupling portion and the outer surface of the rim to reduce a vacuum suction effect and allow the first and second sealing gaskets to expand when the door assembly is in an opened position.
2. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein, for each of the first and second sealing gaskets, the coupling portion includes a first extension that extends between the side panel and an inner surface of the rim and a second extension that extends over the outer surface and the elongated ribs of the respective one of the first and second retainers, and wherein, for each of the first and second sealing gaskets, the elongated ribs maintain the space between the second extension and the outer surface of the respective one of the first and second retainers.
3. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the first and second retainers each include an insertion wall extending through the door inlet and the door outlet, respectively.
4. The refrigerator of claim 3 , wherein, for each of the first and second sealing gaskets, the inner channel of the sealing member has an opening facing the respective insertion wall.
5. The refrigerator of claim 4 , wherein the sealing member is configured to compress into the inner channel when the door is in the closed position.
6. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the first and second retainers each include an insertion wall with deformable coupling features to engage and interlock with the air duct and the return duct, respectively.
7. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the door assembly includes an ice making compartment, and wherein the air duct and the return duct are in fluid communication with the ice making compartment.
8. A refrigerator, comprising:
a cabinet defining at least one cabinet airflow opening; and
a door assembly operably coupled to the cabinet, wherein the door assembly includes:
a door defining at least one door airflow opening, the at least one door airflow opening in fluid communication with the at least one cabinet airflow opening when the door assembly is in a closed position;
at least one retainer coupled to the door, wherein the at least one retainer includes a rim extending along an outer surface of the door about the at least one airflow opening, the at least one retainer defining an opening in fluid communication with the at least one airflow opening, and wherein the at least one retainer includes ribs having a rounded shape and arranged on the rim about the opening; and
at least one sealing gasket having a coupling portion extending along an inner surface of the rim and at least partially over an outer engagement surface of the rim and a sealing portion, wherein the ribs maintain space within the at least one door sealing gasket when the at least one door sealing gasket is in a compressed state when the door assembly is in a closed position to reduce a vacuum suction effect and allow the at least one sealing gasket to adjust to an expanded state with the sealing portion spaced from the coupling portion when the door assembly is in an opened position.
9. The refrigerator of claim 8 , wherein the door assembly further includes a duct, and wherein the at least one retainer includes an insertion wall extending through the at least one door airflow opening to couple with the duct.
10. The refrigerator of claim 9 , wherein the insertion wall defines coupling features on opposing sides of the at least one retainer and notches on opposing sides of each coupling feature allowing for a deformation of each coupling feature towards the opposing coupling feature as the coupling features engage the duct to form interlocking connections.
11. The refrigerator of claim 8 , wherein each rib extends from an inner edge to an outer edge of the rim of the at least one retainer.
12. The refrigerator of claim 8 , wherein each rib defines a semi-circular cross-sectional shape.
13. The refrigerator of claim 8 , wherein the coupling portion includes a first extension extending between the inner surface of the rim and the door and a second extension extending over the outer engagement surface and the ribs, and wherein the ribs maintain the space between the second extension and the outer engagement surface when the at least one sealing gasket is in the compressed state.
14. The refrigerator of claim 8 , wherein the at least one cabinet airflow opening includes a cabinet inlet and a cabinet outlet, and wherein the at least one door airflow opening includes a door inlet and a door outlet, the door inlet in fluid communication with the cabinet outlet and the door outlet in fluid communication with the cabinet inlet when the door is in the closed position.
15. The refrigerator of claim 14 , wherein the at least one retainer includes a first retainer aligned with the door inlet and a second retainer aligned with the door outlet and spaced from the first retainer, and wherein the at least one sealing gasket includes a first sealing gasket coupled with the first retainer and a second sealing gasket coupled with the second retainer.
16. A refrigerator, comprising:
a cabinet defining a cabinet airflow opening;
a door defining a door airflow opening, wherein the cabinet airflow opening is in fluid communication with the door airflow opening when the door is in a closed position; and
a door sealing assembly coupled to the door to provide a seal between the cabinet airflow opening and the door airflow opening when the door is in the closed position, the door sealing assembly including:
a retainer having an insertion wall extending into the door airflow opening and a rim extending along an outer surface of the door, the rim including rounded ribs arranged about the door airflow opening; and
a sealing gasket coupled to the retainer, wherein the sealing gasket is configured to compress against the rounded ribs and abut the cabinet when the door is in the closed position to provide the seal for airflow between the door airflow opening and the cabinet airflow opening, and wherein the rounded ribs provide space between components of the sealing gasket when the door is in the closed position to allow the sealing gasket to expand when the door is in an opened position.
17. The refrigerator of claim 16 , wherein the rounded ribs are elongated extending from an inner edge to an outer edge of the rim and define a semi-circular cross-sectional shape.
18. The refrigerator of claim 16 , wherein the door includes a duct, and wherein the insertion wall at least partially defines an aperture, and wherein the insertion wall defines deformable coupling features on opposing sides of the retainer, and further wherein the deformable coupling features each define a plurality of teeth extending between a pair of notches, the pluralities of teeth being configured to interlock with an edge of the duct.
19. The refrigerator of claim 16 , wherein the sealing gasket includes a first extension extending between an inner surface of the rim and the door and a second extension extending over an outer engagement surface and the rounded ribs, and wherein the rounded ribs maintain the space between the second extension and the outer engagement surface when the sealing gasket is in a compressed state.
20. The refrigerator of claim 19 , wherein the sealing gasket includes a sealing member extending from the second extension, and wherein the sealing member is configured to move toward the rim in the compressed state and away from the rim in an expanded state.