Refrigerator shelf

Abstract

A shelf is defined by a tempered glass panel bonded to opposing flanges of a pair of metal shelf brackets carrying hooks for connection to and adjustment along vertical trackways in refrigerator compartments. Adhesive constitutes the sole means for maintaining the shelf substantially rigidly united. Each shelf bracket includes at least one abutment surface for engaging an edge of the shelf panel or a handgrip member carried thereby to assure perfect alignment between the components during curing of the adhesive. Each shelf bracket is defined by a shelf arm and a flange with the flanges having pockets housing the adhesive. The shelf arms may additionally include uppermost projections for engaging side edges of the shelf panel and/or at least one additional flange, such that side edge portions of the shelf panel can be housed between the pair of vertically spaced longitudinally offset flanges of each shelf bracket.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A refrigerator shelf assembly for mounting to an inside wall of a refrigerator, comprising:
 a support structure consisting of a first shelf bracket for mounting to the inside wall of the refrigerator and a second shelf bracket for mounting to the inside wall of the refrigerator, the second shelf bracket being substantially parallel to the first shelf bracket;   the assembly further comprising a shelf panel that is supported by the support structure, the shelf panel comprising a lower surface,   wherein the support structure is located entirely below the lower surface of the shelf panel.   
     
     
         2 . The refrigerator shelf assembly of  claim 1 , wherein each of the first and second shelf brackets comprises a shelf arm and a shelf panel support flange,
 wherein each shelf arm is disposed in a spaced relationship to the other shelf arm, and wherein each shelf panel support flange is disposed in a first substantially common plane that is substantially normal to its associated shelf arm, the refrigerator shelf assembly further comprising an adhesive located between an upper surface of each shelf panel support flange and the lower surface of the shelf panel for adhesively bonding the same to each other, and wherein the adhesive bonding between each shelf support flange and the shelf panel maintains the shelf substantially rigidly united.   
     
     
         3 . The refrigerator shelf assembly of  claim 1 , wherein each of the first shelf bracket and the second shelf bracket is a single-piece unitary component. 
     
     
         4 . The refrigerator shelf assembly of  claim 2 , wherein each shelf panel support flange comprises a reservoir opening in a direction toward the lower surface of the shelf panel, and wherein the adhesive is at least partially in the reservoir. 
     
     
         5 . The refrigerator shelf assembly of  claim 4 , wherein the adhesive is one or more separate beads of adhesive along the length of the reservoir. 
     
     
         6 . The refrigerator assembly of  claim 2 , wherein the shelf panel has a front edge, a rear edge, and a pair of side edges, and
 wherein each of the support flanges contacts the shelf panel at one of the pair of side edges.   
     
     
         7 . The refrigerator shelf assembly of  claim 6 , further comprising a polymeric/copolymeric front gripping member, wherein the gripping member comprises a channel in which the front edge of the shelf panel is located. 
     
     
         8 . The refrigerator shelf assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the lower surface of the shelf panel is a planar lower surface. 
     
     
         9 . The refrigerator shelf assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the refrigerator shelf assembly is for mounting to an inside wall of a refrigerator,
 so that a first of the pair of shelf brackets comprises a first member for mounting the first shelf bracket to the inside wall of the refrigerator, and   a second of the pair of shelf brackets comprises second member for mounting the second shelf bracket to the inside wall of the refrigerator, the second shelf bracket being positioned substantially parallel to and in a spaced apart relationship from the first shelf bracket, and   wherein the shelf panel is positioned in place by the first and second shelf brackets, the shelf panel having a front edge, a rear edge and a pair of side edge portions, the side edge portions being supported in place solely by the first and second shelf brackets, the shelf panel providing the sole connection in the shelf assembly between the first and second shelf brackets.   
     
     
         10 . A refrigerator shelf assembly, comprising:
 a pair of metal shelf brackets, wherein each of the pair of shelf brackets comprises a shelf arm and a shelf panel support flange, wherein each shelf arm is disposed in substantially parallel spaced relationship to the other shelf arm;   a shelf panel having a planar lower surface; and   an adhesive located between each shelf panel support flange and the lower surface of the shelf panel, so that the adhesive is the sole connection between the shelf panel and each of the pair of shelf brackets,   wherein each of the shelf panel support flanges has an inboard flange portion adjacent to the shelf arm, and an outboard flange portion at a lateral edge of the support flange, wherein the inboard flange portion and the outboard flange portion have upper surfaces that are in a substantially common plane with the planar lower surface of the shelf panel.   
     
     
         11 . The refrigerator shelf assembly of  claim 10 , wherein each of the pair of shelf brackets is a separate piece cut from a planar sheet of metallic material. 
     
     
         12 . The refrigerator shelf assembly of  claim 10 , wherein each of the shelf panel support flanges comprises a reservoir between the inboard flange portion and the outboard flange portion, the reservoir opening in a direction toward the shelf panel lower surface, and wherein the adhesive is at least partially in the reservoir. 
     
     
         13 . The refrigerator shelf assembly of  claim 10 , wherein the shelf panel is tempered glass. 
     
     
         14 . The refrigerator shelf assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the shelf panel comprises a front edge portion and a rear edge portion, and
 wherein the refrigerator shelf assembly further comprises a polymeric/copolymeric front gripping member, and wherein the gripping member comprises a channel in which the front edge portion of the shelf panel is located.   
     
     
         15 . A refrigerator shelf assembly, comprising:
 a pair of metal shelf brackets; and   a shelf panel having an upper surface, a lower surface, and two side edge portions;   wherein each of the pair of metal shelf brackets has a vertical projection and a horizontal support flange, and   wherein an upper portion of the vertical projection is bent over the upper surface of the shelf panel, so that each of the side edge portions of the shelf panel is between one of the vertical projections and one of the horizontal support flanges.   
     
     
         16 . The refrigerator shelf assembly of  claim 15 , further comprising an adhesive located between at least one of the horizontal support flanges and the lower surface of the shelf panel for directly adhesively bonding the same to each other. 
     
     
         17 . The refrigerator shelf assembly of  claim 16 , wherein each of the horizontal support flanges comprises a u-shaped reservoir therein, the reservoir opening in a direction toward the lower surface of the shelf panel, and wherein the adhesive is at least partially in the reservoir. 
     
     
         18 . The refrigerator shelf assembly of  claim 15 , wherein the shelf panel has a rear edge portion, and at least one of the pair of the metal shelf brackets has a locating tab thereon, that abuts up against the rear edge portion of the shelf panel. 
     
     
         19 . The refrigerator shelf assembly of  claim 15 , wherein the shelf panel has a front edge portion, and the refrigerator shelf assembly further comprises a polymeric/copolymeric front gripping member, and wherein the gripping member comprises a channel in which the front edge of the shelf panel is located. 
     
     
         20 . The refrigerator shelf assembly of  claim 15 , wherein each shelf bracket has two vertical projections and three horizontal support flanges, so that each of the two vertical projections of each shelf bracket is between two of the three spaced apart support flanges, and the side edge portions of the shelf panel are between the vertical projections and the horizontal support flanges.