Trim piece cover for a refrigerator door

Abstract

A trim piece cover member for a refrigerator door is snap-fittingly secured to and extends along substantially an entire length of a trim piece to hide a plurality of mechanical fasteners. The trim piece includes a channel that extends longitudinally along an outer exposed surface. The channel includes a base portion, as well as first and second opposing side portions. The plurality of mechanical fasteners extend through the base portion and into the refrigerator door. The cover includes a generally planer surface portion from which extend first and second side walls that terminate in corresponding tab members which are snap-fittingly received in recesses of the channel.

1 . A refrigerator comprising:
 a cabinet;   a liner arranged within the cabinet defining a refrigerated compartment;   a door pivotally mounted relative to the cabinet for selectively closing, at least in part, the refrigerated compartment, said door including top, bottom and opposing side edge portions that collectively define an inner surface portion and an outer surface portion;   a trim piece substantially entirely covering at least one of the opposing side edge portions of the door, said trim piece including an outer, exposed surface;   a plurality of mechanical fasteners extending through the outer, exposed surface into the at least one of the opposing side edge portions to retain the trim piece on the door; and   a cover snap-fittingly secured to and extending along substantially an entire length of the trim piece to cover the plurality of mechanical fasteners.   
   
   
       2 . The refrigerator according to  claim 1 , wherein the trim piece includes a channel that extends longitudinally along substantially an entire length of the outer, exposed surface, said cover being nested in the channel. 
   
   
       3 . The refrigerator according to  claim 2 , wherein the channel includes a base portion having first and second side walls, each of said first and second side walls including a recess. 
   
   
       4 . The refrigerator according to  claim 3 , wherein the cover includes an outer surface and first and second side members, each of said first and second side members extending substantially perpendicularly from the outer surface and terminate in corresponding tab members. 
   
   
       5 . The refrigerator according to  claim 4 , wherein each tab member snap-fittingly engages with a respective recess to snap-fittingly retain the cover on the trim piece. 
   
   
       6 . The refrigerator according to  claim 1 , wherein the trim piece is integrally formed with a door handle for the refrigerator. 
   
   
       7 . The refrigerator according to  claim 1 , wherein the refrigerator constituted a side-by-side model. 
   
   
       8 . A method of securing a trim piece to an outer, peripheral edge portion of a refrigerator door having top, bottom and opposing side edge portions comprising:
 positioning a plurality of trim pieces against corresponding ones of each of the top, bottom and opposing side edge portions of the door, at least one of the plurality of trim pieces including a channel having a base portion;   securing the at least one trim piece to one of the opposing side edge portions with mechanical fasteners, with said mechanical fasteners extending through the base portion and into the door; and   hiding the mechanical fasteners with a cover snap-fittingly secured in the channel, said cover extending substantially an entire length of the one of the opposing side edge portions.   
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 8 , further comprising: snap-fitting the cover into the channel formed in the trim piece. 
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the cover includes first and second tab members that snap-fit into corresponding recesses formed in the channel.