US 12,442,589 B2
Refrigerator appliance with airflow features
Saravanan Rajamanickam, Louisville, KY (US); Slawomir Pawel Bolek, Goshen, KY (US); and David Gantt, Louisville, KY (US)
Assigned to Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc., Wilmington, DE (US)
Filed by Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc., Wilmington, DE (US)
Filed on Apr. 20, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/303,996.
Prior Publication US 2024/0353169 A1, Oct. 24, 2024
Int. Cl. F25D 23/04 (2006.01); F25D 17/06 (2006.01)
CPC F25D 23/04 (2013.01) [F25D 17/062 (2013.01); F25D 2317/067 (2013.01)] 17 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A refrigerator appliance defining a vertical direction, a lateral direction, and a transverse direction, the vertical, lateral, and transverse directions being mutually perpendicular, the refrigerator appliance comprising:
a cabinet defining a food storage chamber, the food storage chamber extending between a front side and a back side along the transverse direction and extending between a floor and a ceiling along the vertical direction, wherein the front side of the food storage chamber defines an opening for receipt of food items;
a door positioned at the front side of the food storage chamber and movable between a closed position and an open position to selectively sealingly enclose the food storage chamber in the closed position and provide access to the food storage chamber through the opening in the open position; and
a storage element mounted on an interior surface of the door whereby the storage element is positioned at the front side of the food storage chamber when the door is in the closed position, wherein the ceiling of the food storage chamber comprises a front portion and a back portion, the back portion of the ceiling extending upward from the back side of the food storage chamber to a peak of the ceiling at an oblique angle above the transverse direction and the front portion of the ceiling of the food storage chamber extending from the peak of the ceiling to the front side of the food storage chamber, the front portion of the ceiling is-angled downward towards the storage element at an oblique angle below the transverse direction, wherein the front portion of the ceiling of the food storage chamber comprises up to one half of the ceiling of the food storage chamber, whereby the ceiling of the food storage chamber at least partially defines an air flow path for chilled air to the storage element.