Refrigerator appliance

Abstract

A refrigerator appliance is provided. The refrigerator appliance includes a cabinet that defines a fresh food chamber. A door is rotatably mounted to the cabinet. The door defines a freezer chamber. The position of the fresh food chamber and the freezer chamber can facilitate access to food items stored within the freezer chamber and/or the fresh food chamber.

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 top portion and a bottom portion along the vertical direction, the cabinet also extending between a first side portion and a second side portion along the lateral direction, the cabinet defining a fresh food chamber, the fresh food chamber extending along the vertical direction between about the top and bottom portions of the cabinet, the fresh food chamber also extending along the lateral direction between about the first and second side portions of the cabinet; and   a door rotatably mounted to the cabinet such that the door permits selective access to the fresh food chamber of the cabinet, the door comprising
 an outer casing that defines a freezer chamber; and 
 an inner panel rotatably mounted to the outer casing of the door such that the inner panel of the door permits selective access to the freezer chamber of the outer casing of the door. 
   
     
     
         2 . The refrigerator appliance of  claim 1 , wherein the cabinet extends between a front portion and a back portion along the transverse direction, the fresh food chamber extending along the transverse direction between about the front and back portions of the cabinet, the door rotatably mounted to the cabinet at the front portion of the cabinet. 
     
     
         3 . The refrigerator appliance of  claim 1 , further comprising a sealed system configured for generating chilled air within the fresh food chamber of the cabinet and the freezer chamber of the door, the sealed system comprising
 a compressor disposed within a machinery compartment defined by the cabinet at a bottom portion of the cabinet;   an evaporator mounted to the cabinet adjacent the fresh food chamber of the cabinet; and   a fan positioned adjacent the evaporator.   
     
     
         4 . The refrigerator appliance of  claim 3 , wherein the door defines a freezer chamber entrance, the cabinet defining a duct that extends between an inlet and an outlet, the inlet of the duct positioned at the evaporator of the sealed system, the outlet of the duct positioned at the freezer chamber entrance of the door, the fan configured for urging chilled air from the evaporator into the duct at the inlet of the duct and for urging the chilled air to the outlet of the duct such that the chilled air enters the freezer chamber of the door through the freezer chamber entrance of the door. 
     
     
         5 . The refrigerator appliance of  claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of bins mounted to the inner panel on an outer surface of the inner panel, the plurality of bins positioned within the fresh food chamber of the cabinet when the door is in a closed position. 
     
     
         6 . The refrigerator appliance of  claim 1 , further comprising an ice maker disposed within the freezer chamber of the door. 
     
     
         7 . The refrigerator appliance of  claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of shelves mounted to the outer casing on an inner surface of the outer casing such that the shelves are disposed within the freezer chamber of the outer casing. 
     
     
         8 . The refrigerator appliance of  claim 1 , wherein the door extends along the vertical direction between about the top and bottom portions of the cabinet. 
     
     
         9 . The refrigerator appliance of  claim 1 , wherein the door is a first door and the freezer chamber is a first freezer chamber, the first door rotatably mounted to the cabinet at the first side portion of the cabinet, the refrigerator appliance further comprising a second door rotatably mounted to the cabinet at the second side portion of the cabinet, the first and second doors configured for permitting selective access to the fresh food chamber of the cabinet, the second door comprising an outer casing that defines a second freezer chamber and an inner panel rotatably mounted to the outer casing of the second door such that the inner panel of the second door permits selective access to the second freezer chamber of the outer casing of the second door. 
     
     
         10 . The refrigerator appliance of  claim 9 , wherein the first and second doors extend along the vertical direction between about the top and bottom portions of the cabinet. 
     
     
         11 . 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 top portion and a bottom portion along the vertical direction, the cabinet also extending between a first side portion and a second side portion along the lateral direction, the cabinet defining a fresh food chamber, the fresh food chamber extending along the vertical direction between about the top and bottom portions of the cabinet, the fresh food chamber also extending along the lateral direction between about the first and second side portions of the cabinet; and   a pair of doors rotatably mounted to the cabinet such that the pair of doors permits selective access to the fresh food chamber of the cabinet, each door of the pair of doors comprising
 an outer casing that defines a freezer chamber; and 
 an inner panel rotatably mounted to the outer casing such that the inner panel permits selective access to the freezer chamber of the outer casing. 
   
     
     
         12 . The refrigerator appliance of  claim 11 , wherein the cabinet extends between a front portion and a back portion along the transverse direction, the fresh food chamber extending along the transverse direction between about the front and back portions of the cabinet, the pair of doors rotatably mounted to the cabinet at the front portion of the cabinet. 
     
     
         13 . The refrigerator appliance of  claim 11 , further comprising a sealed system configured for generating chilled air within the fresh food chamber of the cabinet and the freezer chamber of each door of the pair of doors, the sealed system comprising
 a compressor disposed within a machinery compartment defined by the cabinet at a bottom portion of the cabinet;   an evaporator mounted to the cabinet adjacent the fresh food chamber of the cabinet; and   a fan positioned adjacent the evaporator.   
     
     
         14 . The refrigerator appliance of  claim 13 , wherein the each door of the pair of doors defines a freezer chamber entrance, the cabinet defining a pair of duct, each duct of the pair of ducts extending between an inlet and an outlet, the inlet of each duct of the pair of ducts positioned at the evaporator of the sealed system, the outlet of each duct of the pair of ducts positioned at a respective freezer chamber entrance of the pair of doors, the fan configured for urging chilled air from the evaporator into each duct of the pair of ducts for urging into a respective freezer chamber of the pair of doors. 
     
     
         15 . The refrigerator appliance of  claim 11 , further comprising a plurality of bins, bins of the plurality of bins mounted on an inner surface of each inner panel of the pair of doors, the plurality of bins positioned within the fresh food chamber of the cabinet when the door is in a closed position. 
     
     
         16 . The refrigerator appliance of  claim 11 , further comprising an ice maker disposed within a respective freezer chamber of the pair of doors. 
     
     
         17 . The refrigerator appliance of  claim 11 , further comprising a plurality of shelves mounted on an inner surface of each outer casing of the pair of doors such that shelves of the plurality of shelves are disposed within each freezer chamber of the pair of doors. 
     
     
         18 . The refrigerator appliance of  claim 11 , wherein each door of the pair of doors extends along the vertical direction between about the top and bottom portions of the cabinet.