US 11,740,012 B2
Refrigerator and shelving system for a refrigerator
Anant Karanjikar, St.Joseph, MI (US); Umakant Suresh Katu, Glen Allen, VA (US); Kailash Shravan More, Pune (IN); Sunil Patil, Belagavi (IN); and Vinay M. Patil, Pune (IN)
Assigned to Whirlpool Corporation, Benton Harbor, MI (US)
Filed by WHIRLPOOL CORPORATION, Benton Harbor, MI (US)
Filed on Jan. 21, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/580,989.
Prior Publication US 2023/0235949 A1, Jul. 27, 2023
Int. Cl. F25D 25/02 (2006.01)
CPC F25D 25/02 (2013.01) [F25D 2325/021 (2013.01); F25D 2325/022 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A refrigerator shelving system comprising:
an upper shelf having a top plate and a pair of opposing side members extending downward from top plate, the side members having nests extending laterally inward therefrom;
a plurality of hangers, each having upper ends rotatably secured to at least one of the side members of the pair of opposing side members;
a pair of rails, each rotatably secured to at least one of the hangers; and
a lower shelf slidably secured to each of the rails of the pair of rails and having protrusions extending laterally outward therefrom, wherein (i) the lower shelf and the pair of rails are collectively configured rotate upward and forward via the plurality of hangers from an operational position to an intermediate position, (ii) the lower shelf is configured to slide rearward via the rails from the intermediate position to a stowed position, and (iii) each of the protrusions are configured to engage one of the nests to maintain the lower shelf in the stowed position, wherein (a) the lower shelf is disposed at a first height in the intermediate and stowed positions, (b) the lower shelf is disposed at a second height that is below the first height in the operational position, (c) engagement between the protrusions and the nests constrains the lower shelf to remain at the first height in the stowed position, and (d) the lower shelf is configured to automatically transition from the first height to the second height when transitioned to the intermediate position in the absence of an external force acting upon the lower shelf due to gravity and disengagement between the protrusions and the nests.