Soft close drawer assembly for a refrigerator appliance

Abstract

A drawer assembly for a refrigerator appliance includes a drawer support frame having a left support wall, a center support wall, and right support wall. A storage bin is positioned on each side of the center support wall and is supported by the drawer support frame using a roller and guide rail assembly. Each storage bin defines a striker that extends toward the center support wall and a soft close mechanism is positioned on each side of the center support wall for engaging the strikers and performing a slow close operation of the storage bins.

1 . A refrigerator appliance comprising:
 a cabinet defining a chilled chamber;   a door being operably coupled to the cabinet to provide selective access to the chilled chamber; and   a drawer assembly positioned within the chilled chamber, the drawer assembly comprising:
 a drawer support frame comprising a first side support and a second side support; 
 a storage bin supported by the first side support and the second side support and being movable between an open position and a closed position; 
 a striker extending from a side of the storage bin, the striker defining a striking face and a locking face; and 
 a soft close mechanism mounted to the first side support and being configured for engaging the striker when the storage bin is moved toward the closed position, the soft close mechanism comprising a piston rod slidably received within a cylinder assembly, a first face for engaging the striking face of the striker when the storage bin is closed, and a second face for engaging the locking face of the striker when the storage bin is opened. 
   
     
     
         2 . The refrigerator appliance of  claim 1 , wherein the first side support defines a support rail that protrudes toward the storage bin, the drawer assembly further comprising:
 a bin roller rotatably mounted on the side of the storage bin for rolling along the support rail as the storage bin moves between the open position and the closed position.   
     
     
         3 . The refrigerator appliance of  claim 2 , wherein the bin roller is positioned proximate a rear of the storage bin. 
     
     
         4 . The refrigerator appliance of  claim 1 , wherein the side of the storage bin defines a bin guide rail that protrudes toward the first side support, the drawer assembly further comprising:
 a support roller rotatably mounted proximate a front of the first side support for supporting the bin guide rail as the storage bin moves between the open position and the closed position.   
     
     
         5 . The refrigerator appliance of  claim 1 , wherein the soft close mechanism is mounted on an upper rail defined by the first side support. 
     
     
         6 . The refrigerator appliance of  claim 5 , wherein the upper rail is spaced apart from and extends parallel to the support rail to define a roller slot, the bin roller being received within the roller slot. 
     
     
         7 . The refrigerator appliance of  claim 6 , wherein a retention lip is defined by at least one of the support rail and the upper rail for retaining the bin roller within the roller slot. 
     
     
         8 . The refrigerator appliance of  claim 1 , wherein the soft close mechanism is mounted at an extension angle relative to a transverse direction, and wherein the support rail defines an angled portion that extends at a guide angle relative to the transverse direction, the guide angle being substantially equivalent to the extension angle. 
     
     
         9 . The refrigerator appliance of  claim 1 , wherein the second side support is defined by or positioned proximate a sidewall of the chilled chamber. 
     
     
         10 . The refrigerator appliance of  claim 9 , wherein a first gap is defined between a first side of the storage bin and the first side support and a second gap is defined between a second side of the storage bin and the second side support, the second gap being larger than the first gap. 
     
     
         11 . The refrigerator appliance of  claim 1 , wherein the first side support is a center support of the drawer support frame, the storage bin is a first storage bin, and the soft close mechanism is a first soft close mechanism, wherein the drawer assembly further comprises:
 a second storage bin supported by the center support and being movable between an open position and a closed position;   a second striker extending from a side of the second storage bin; and   a second soft close mechanism mounted to the center support opposite the first soft close mechanism and being configured for engaging the second striker when the second storage bin is moved toward the closed position.   
     
     
         12 . The refrigerator appliance of  claim 11 , wherein the first storage bin and the second storage bin are identical. 
     
     
         13 . A drawer assembly comprising:
 a drawer support frame comprising a first side support and a second side support;   a storage bin supported by the first side support and the second side support and being movable between an open position and a closed position;   a striker extending from a side of the storage bin, the striker defining a striking face and a locking face; and   a soft close mechanism mounted to the first side support and being configured for engaging the striker when the storage bin is moved toward the closed position, the soft close mechanism comprising a piston rod slidably received within a cylinder assembly, a first face for engaging the striking face of the striker when the storage bin is closed, and a second face for engaging the locking face of the striker when the storage bin is opened.   
     
     
         14 . The drawer assembly of  claim 13 , wherein the first side support defines a support rail that protrudes toward the storage bin, the drawer assembly further comprising:
 a bin roller rotatably mounted on the side of the storage bin for rolling along the support rail as the storage bin moves between the open position and the closed position.   
     
     
         15 . The drawer assembly of  claim 13 , wherein the side of the storage bin defines a bin guide rail that protrudes toward the first side support, the drawer assembly further comprising:
 a support roller rotatably mounted proximate a front of the first side support for supporting the bin guide rail as the storage bin moves between the open position and the closed position.   
     
     
         16 . The drawer assembly of  claim 13 , wherein the soft close mechanism is mounted on an upper rail defined by the first side support, wherein the upper rail is spaced apart from and extends parallel to the support rail to define a roller slot, the bin roller being received within the roller slot. 
     
     
         17 . The drawer assembly of  claim 13 , wherein the soft close mechanism is mounted at an extension angle relative to a transverse direction, and wherein the support rail defines an angled portion that extends at a guide angle relative to the transverse direction, the guide angle being substantially equivalent to the extension angle. 
     
     
         18 . The drawer assembly of  claim 13 , wherein the second side support is defined by or positioned proximate a sidewall of the chilled chamber, and wherein a first gap is defined between a first side of the storage bin and the first side support and a second gap is defined between a second side of the storage bin and the second side support, the second gap being larger than the first gap. 
     
     
         19 . The drawer assembly of  claim 13 , wherein the first side support is a center support of the drawer support frame, the storage bin is a first storage bin, and the soft close mechanism is a first soft close mechanism, wherein the drawer assembly further comprises:
 a second storage bin supported by the center support and being movable between an open position and a closed position;   a second striker extending from a side of the second storage bin; and   a second soft close mechanism mounted to the center support opposite the first soft close mechanism and being configured for engaging the second striker when the second storage bin is moved toward the closed position.   
     
     
         20 . A drawer assembly comprising:
 a drawer support frame comprising a first side support and a second side support;   a storage bin supported by the first side support and the second side support and being movable between an open position and a closed position;   a striker extending from the first side support toward the storage bin, the striker defining a striking face and a locking face; and   a soft close mechanism mounted to a side of the storage bin and being configured for engaging the striker when the storage bin is moved toward the closed position, the soft close mechanism comprising a piston rod slidably received within a cylinder assembly, a first face for engaging the striking face of the striker when the storage bin is closed, and a second face for engaging the locking face of the striker when the storage bin is opened.