Side support assembly within a refrigerator appliance

Abstract

A method of assembling a refrigerator appliance includes sliding, approximately in the transverse direction, an inner side of a side support along an inner wall of an inner liner, and aligning, in the transverse direction and the vertical direction, each of a plurality of hooks of the side support with a respective cutout of a plurality of cutouts of the inner liner and a plurality of locators of the side support with a plurality of locating slots of the inner liner.

What is claimed is: 
     
         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 extending between a front side and a back side along the transverse direction, and between a top and a bottom along the vertical direction, the cabinet comprising an inner liner defining a cooled chamber, the inner liner comprising a plurality of cutouts through an inner wall of the inner liner, and a plurality of locating slots on the inner wall of the inner liner; and   a side support mounted within the cooled chamber, the side support comprising a plurality of hooks and a plurality of locators on an inner side of the side support,   wherein each of the plurality of hooks of the side support is aligned in the transverse direction and in the vertical direction with a respective cutout of the plurality of cutouts of the inner liner and wherein the plurality of locators of the side support are aligned in the transverse direction and in the vertical direction with the plurality of locating slots of the inner liner.   
     
     
         2 . The refrigerator appliance of  claim 1 , wherein the inner liner of the cabinet defines a support shelf, a bottom side of the side support is configured to translate along the support shelf of the inner liner to align each of the plurality of hooks of the side support with the respective cutout of the plurality of cutouts of the inner liner and the plurality of locators of the side support with the plurality of locating slots of the inner liner, in the vertical direction. 
     
     
         3 . The refrigerator appliance of  claim 1 , wherein each hook of the plurality of hooks of the side support comprises a perimeter surface, the perimeter surface extending from the inner side of the side support, wherein, the perimeter surface of each hook of the plurality of hooks is configured to compress the inner liner between the perimeter surface and the respective hook of the plurality of hooks. 
     
     
         4 . The refrigerator appliance of  claim 1 , wherein one or more locators of the plurality of locators each engage with a respective slot of the plurality of locating slots to locate the side support in the vertical direction. 
     
     
         5 . The refrigerator appliance of  claim 4 , wherein the one or more locators of the plurality of locators comprises a vertical biasing element, wherein the vertical biasing element of the one or more locators of the plurality of locators is configured to compress within the respective slots of the plurality of locating slots to bias the side support down in the vertical direction. 
     
     
         6 . The refrigerator appliance of  claim 1 , wherein one or more locators of the plurality of locators each engage with a respective slot of the plurality of locating slots to locate the side support in the transverse direction. 
     
     
         7 . The refrigerator appliance of  claim 6 , wherein the one or more locators of the plurality of locators comprises a transversal biasing element, wherein the transversal biasing element of the one or more locators of the plurality of locators is configured to compress within the respective slots of the plurality of locating slots, whereby the side support is biased in the transverse direction by the transversal biasing element of the one or more locators, and wherein access to the transversal biasing element from within the respective slots of the plurality of locating slots permits retraction of the transversal biasing element, and removal of the side support in the transverse direction out of the inner liner. 
     
     
         8 . The refrigerator appliance of  claim 1 , wherein each hook of the plurality of hooks of the side support is configured to sealingly compress the side support to the inner liner, whereby the plurality of cutouts of the inner liner are sealed during assembly of the refrigerator appliance. 
     
     
         9 . The refrigerator appliance of  claim 1 , wherein each hook of the plurality of hooks is configured to locate the side support within the cooled chamber in the lateral direction. 
     
     
         10 . The refrigerator appliance of  claim 1 , wherein the refrigerator appliance is one of a column refrigerator appliance, a built-in refrigerator appliance, a stand-alone refrigerator appliance, and a freezer appliance. 
     
     
         11 . A method of assembling a refrigerator appliance, the 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 extending between a front side and a back side along the transverse direction, and between a top and a bottom along the vertical direction, the cabinet comprising an inner liner defining a cooled chamber, the inner liner comprising a plurality of cutouts through an inner wall of the inner liner and a plurality of locating slots on the inner wall of the inner liner, the refrigerator appliance further comprising a side support mounted within the cooled chamber, the side support comprising a plurality of hooks and a plurality of locators on an inner side of the side support, the method comprising:
 sliding, approximately in the transverse direction, the inner side of the side support along the inner wall of the inner liner; and   aligning, in the transverse direction and the vertical direction, each of the plurality of hooks of the side support with a respective cutout of the plurality of cutouts of the inner liner and the plurality of locators of the side support with the plurality of locating slots of the inner liner.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the inner liner of the cabinet defines a support shelf, wherein sliding the inner side of the side support along the inner wall of the inner liner comprises translating a bottom side of the side support along the support shelf of the inner liner to align each of the plurality of hooks of the side support with the respective cutout of the plurality of cutouts of the inner liner and the plurality of locators of the side support with the plurality of locating slots of the inner liner, in the vertical direction. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein each hook of the plurality of hooks of the side support comprises a perimeter surface, the perimeter surface extending from the inner side of the side support, the method further comprising compressing the inner liner between the perimeter surface of each hook and the respective hook of the plurality of hooks when mounting the side support to the inner liner. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein, sliding the inner side of the side support along the inner wall of the inner liner further comprises engaging the one or more locators of the plurality of locators each with a respective slot of the plurality of locating slots to locate the side support in the vertical direction. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the one or more locators of the plurality of locators comprises a vertical biasing element, wherein sliding the inner side of the side support along the inner wall of the inner liner further comprises compressing the vertical biasing element of the one or more locators of the plurality of locators within the respective slots of the plurality of locating slots to bias the side support in the vertical direction. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein sliding the inner side of the side support along the inner wall of the inner liner further comprises engaging one or more locators of the plurality of locators with a respective slot of the plurality of locating slots to locate the side support in the transverse direction. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the one or more locators of the plurality of locators comprises a transversal biasing element, wherein sliding the inner side of the side support along the inner wall of the inner liner further comprises compressing the transversal biasing element of the one or more locators of the plurality of locators within the respective slots of the plurality of locating slots to bias the side support in the transversal direction, further comprising removing the side support, wherein removing the side support comprises accessing the transversal biasing element, retracting the transversal biasing element, and pulling the side support in the transverse direction out of the inner liner. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein aligning each of the plurality of hooks of the side support with the plurality of cutouts of the inner liner further comprises sealingly compressing the side support to the inner liner by each hook of the plurality of hooks of the side support, whereby the plurality of cutouts of the inner liner are sealed during assembly of the refrigerator appliance. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein aligning each of the plurality of hooks of the side support with the plurality of cutouts of the inner liner further comprises locating, by each hook of the plurality of hooks, the side support within the cooled chamber in the lateral direction. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 11 , whereby one of a column refrigerator appliance, a built-in refrigerator appliance, a stand-alone refrigerator appliance, and a freezer appliance is formed.