US 12,240,270 B2
Wheel support assembly for bottom drawer
Eric Scalf, Louisville, KY (US); and Vinayak Naik, Louisville, KY (US)
Assigned to Midea Group Co., Ltd., Guangdong (CN)
Filed by Midea Group Co., Ltd., Foshan (CN)
Filed on May 13, 2020, as Appl. No. 15/930,953.
Prior Publication US 2021/0354510 A1, Nov. 18, 2021
Int. Cl. B60B 33/06 (2006.01); A47B 88/41 (2017.01); B60B 33/04 (2006.01); F25D 25/02 (2006.01)
CPC B60B 33/066 (2013.01) [A47B 88/41 (2017.01); B60B 33/045 (2013.01); F25D 25/025 (2013.01)] 12 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An appliance having a wheel support assembly, wherein said appliance comprising:
an appliance drawer having a door and a wheel support assembly within said door;
a toe kick located below said appliance drawer; and
wherein said wheel support assembly further comprises:
a housing located within said door of said appliance drawer, said housing having sidewalls and a back surface defining a cavity therebetween;
a caster wheel rotatably coupled to a first shaft, said first shaft being disposed within a caster wheel arm inside said housing, wherein said caster assembly is rotatable between a retracted position and a deployed position;
a rotation member disposed within said housing and having a spring-receiving portion, said rotation member rotatable about a second shaft disposed within said housing, wherein said caster wheel arm is coupled to said rotation member;
a retraction mechanism disposed within said housing and further comprising a spring disposed about a third shaft within said housing and having one end bearing against said spring-receiving portion, said spring providing a spring bias force biasing said caster assembly toward said deployed position; and
wherein said appliance drawer is moveable between a closed position and an open position, wherein when said appliance drawer is in said closed position said caster wheel in said retracted position is in contact with said toe kick and when said appliance drawer is in said open position said caster wheel is not in contact with said toe kick and in said deployed position, and when said appliance drawer is moving from said open position to said closed position said toe kick applies a first force to said caster wheel against said spring bias force to rotate said caster wheel from said deployed position to said retracted position;
wherein in said retracted position, a vertical line passing through said second shaft is closer to said back surface than is a vertical line passing through said first shaft, and wherein in said deployed position, said vertical line passing through said first shaft is closer to said back surface than is said vertical line passing through said second shaft.