EP2686625B1

EP2686625B1 - A cooling device

Info

Publication number: EP2686625B1
Application number: EP11722758.7A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Hakan Yazici; Kemal Koray OZTAYDAS; Onur TANSOY; Deniz Bildirici; Alp Balci; Caglar ALISAN
Original assignee: Vestel Beyaz Esya Sanayi ve Ticaret AS
Current assignee: Vestel Beyaz Esya Sanayi ve Ticaret AS
Priority date: 2011-03-17
Filing date: 2011-05-12
Publication date: 2015-09-09
Anticipated expiration: 2031-05-12
Also published as: EP2686625A1; WO2012123035A1

Description

Technical Field

The present invention relates to cooling devices comprising more than one door closing a single compartment.

Prior Art

In cooling devices, multi-door configurations closing a single compartment are preferred to use the internal volume thereof in a convenient manner without requiring a large place in front of the respective device. In this type of multi-door cooling devices, the device compartment is closed by at least two doors closing the same compartment. The doors are mounted to the exterior of the device preferably by means of hinges, so that they are opened as they move away from each other.
In said devices, no wall is provided at the part where the doors contact each other in order to avoid any reduction in the internal volume of device. Since, however, there exists an air-leaking gap between two doors even if they are completely closed, this gap must be closed.
Movable components, also known as the mullion bar in the relevant art, are widely used to close this gap. The mullion bar is a component preferably in the form of a plate, mounted to at least one of two adjacent doors of the cooling device, closing the gap remaining between the doors when they are closed.
The mullion bar is mounted preferably to one of the doors by means of a freely-moving hinge in the cooling devices according to the prior art. The mullion bar is guided towards the inner side of the door (perpendicularly to the door) by means of channels provided on a socket on the body. In said devices, when the door is opened to which the mullion bar is mounted, the guide socket present on the body determines the final position of the mullion bar. The upper guide socket provides for the opening of the mullion bar and assuming this open position while the door is closed, and when the door is opened, the mullion bar being in the guide socket then comes out from this socket as it is closed towards the inner side of the door. While the door to which the mullion door is mounted is opened, the mullion bar being in a closed position towards the inner side of the door stays open when it is opened, e.g. unintentionally, due to an external force (of a hand, an impact, etc.). If the door is closed as the mullion bar is in this position, the possibility arises that the mullion bar and the other door suffer damages.
In addition to these, since the mullion bar can be freely moved, the mullion bar may become exposed to impacts to come from the exterior and be damaged accordingly while the door is in its open position.
In the patent document US7008032B2 , in which one of the embodiments is disclosed aiming to prevent said problems, a guide socket is provided on the cooling device, into which socket is positioned a protrusion provided on the mullion bar. The guide socket guides the movement of the mullion bar, so that the mullion bar is regularly moved during each opening and closing movement and is prevented against hitting to the other door. Thus, the mullion bar is prevented against any damages. The mullion bar according to that invention, however, is free to move when the door is in its open state. Therefore the mullion bar is not stable against any impacts to come from the exterior.
Another mullion bar embodiment is disclosed in the published patent document US2009/0273264A1 . According to that embodiment, the hinge that connects the mullion bar to the door comprises a spring that exerts force to rotate the mullion bar towards the inner side of the door. Thus when the door is opened, the mullion bar is folded towards the inner side of the door under the effect of spring force and brought to a sheltered position against any impacts to come from the exterior. When the mullion bar is opened by a user so as to become parallel to the door, however, the mullion bar stays at the open position and cannot be closed by itself. When the door is closed as the mullion bar is in this position, the mullion bar or the door may suffer damage.
Another cooling device according to the preamble of claim 1 is known from WO 02/04779 A1 .

Brief Description of Invention

The cooling device developed according to the present invention comprises all the features of claim 1.
With the cooling device developed, it is ensured that the mullion bar is kept always closed while the doors are open, and thus it is protected against external impacts or against damages while the doors are closed. With various embodiments of the present invention, it is further ensured that the mullion bar is positioned accurately between the doors and that the gap between the doors is closed completely. Thus, the cooling efficiency is enhanced. Additionally, any problems to arise from socket deformations, which either result from manufacture defects, or use, are prevented.

Objective of Invention

The object of the present invention is to develop a multi-door cooling device comprising a mullion bar.
Another object of the present invention is to develop a multi-door cooling device, comprising a mullion bar closing the gap between the doors in a complete manner.
A further object of the present invention is to develop a multi-door cooling device, comprising a mullion bar mechanism which is not susceptible against manufacture tolerances and deformations.
Still a further object of the present invention is to develop a multi-door cooling device, of which the doors are opened/closed in any desired turn or order.
Yet a further object of the present invention is to develop a multi-door cooling device, comprising a mullion bar, which by itself comes to a position perpendicular to the door if it is brought parallel to the door.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an easily-producible and inexpensive, reliable multi-door cooling device.

Description of Figures

Illustrative embodiments of the subject cooling device are illustrated in annexed figures briefly described hereunder.

Figure 1 is a front illustration of a cooling device according to the present invention.
Figure 2 is a front perspective illustration of the cooling device according to the present invention.
Figure 3 is an illustration of the detail "C" given in Figure 2.
Figure 4 is an illustration of the detail "A" given in Figure 2.
Figure 5 is a perspective illustration of the parts in Figure 3 in a disassembled form.
Figure 6 is an illustration showing the mullion bar and hinge of the device according to the present invention in a disassembled manner.

The parts in said figures are individually numbered as following.

Internal compartment	(B)
Cooling device	(S)
First door	(S1)
Inner side	(S1a)
Second door	(S2)
Body	(S3)
Mullion bar	(1)
Protrusion	(1a)
Hinge	(1b)
Torsion spring	(1c)
Spring cap	(1d)
Recess	(1e)
Guide socket	(2)
Front wall	(2a)
Rear wall	(2b)
Resilient member	(2c)
Moveable wall	(2d)
Lid	(2e)
Slot	(2f)
Extension	(2g)
Extension socket	(2h)
Inner side	(2i)
Snapping tab	(2j)

Disclosure of Invention

In cooling devices, multi-door configurations closing a single compartment are preferred to use the internal volume thereof in a convenient manner without requiring a large place in front of the respective device. In this type of multi-door cooling devices, the device compartment is closed by at least two doors closing the same compartment. The doors are mounted to the exterior of the device preferably by means of hinges, so that they are opened as they move away from each other.
In said devices, no wall is provided at the part, closed by the doors and where the doors contact each other in order to avoid any reduction in the internal volume of device. Since, however, there exists an air-leaking gap between two doors even if they are completely closed, this gap must be closed (insulated).
Such components known also as the mullion bar in the relevant art, are widely used to close this gap. The mullion bar is a moveable component preferably in the form of a plate, mounted to at least one of two adjacent doors of the cooling device, closing the gap remaining between the doors when they are closed.
The cooling device (S) developed according to the present invention, of which an illustrative embodiment is shown from the front in Figure 1, comprises at least one body (S3); at least one internal compartment (B) provided within this body (S3); and at least one first door (S1) and at least one second door (S2), adjacent to each other and closing to the same internal compartment (B). At least one mullion bar (1) is disposed on at least one (S1) of these doors (S1, S2) that closes a gap remaining between the doors (S1, S2) when they are in the closed state. The mullion bar (1) assumes a position that is close to the inner side (S1 a) of the door (S1) when the door (S1) is at an open state. The mullion bar (1) is mounted to the door (S1) by means of at least one hinge (1b), as illustrated in Figure 2, to move the mullion bar (1). The hinge (1 b) of the cooling device (S) according to the present invention comprises at least one torsion spring (1c) exerting force to the mullion bar (1) towards the inner side (S1 a) thereof. Preferably both mutual sides of the torsion spring (1c) are coupled to the hinge (1b). Thus the torsion spring (1c) ensures that the mullion bar (1) is closed towards the inner side (S1a) of the door (S1), and even if it is brought to an open position due to an external intervention, it is restored to its previous position. Thanks to this feature of the torsion spring (1c), the mullion bar (1) is kept from coming to a position parallel to the door, neither by a user, nor by itself, and is also prevented against any damages to occur while it (1) stays at this position state.
Figure 6 is an illustration of the hinge (1b) and torsion spring (1c) in a disassembled state. Preferably at least one spring cap (1d) is attached onto the spring (1c), so that the movable components of the hinge (1 b) are enclosed to yield safety and a decorative view.
In an embodiment according to the present invention, at least one protrusion (1a) is provided on the mullion bar (1), this protrusion illustrated in Figure 3, being placed into at least one guide socket (2) provided on the cooling device (S). When the first door (S1) is closed, the protrusion (1a) is advanced into the socket (2) and while doing so, it guides the mullion bar (1) into a position which is parallel to the door (S1). And when the door (S1) is opened, the mullion bar (1) comes to a position that is normal to the door (S1) by means of the protrusion (1) moving in said socket (2).
Figure 4 is a perspective illustration of the guide socket (2) provided on the device (S). The socket (2) comprises at least one front wall (2a) and at least one movable wall (2d), in between which the protrusion (1a) moves. The movable wall (2d) and the front wall (2a) together guide the protrusion (1a). The movable wall (2d) is attached to the socket (2) by means of at least one resilient member (2c) exerting force to itself (2d) towards the front wall (2a). Preferably at least one recess (1e) is provided on the protrusion (1a), whereas at least one snapping tab (2j) is provided on the movable wall (2d), this snapping tab (2j) being positioned in said recess (1 e). Said resilient member (2c) is preferably at least one spring according to the embodiment illustrated in Figure 4. Thanks to this embodiment, both the movable wall (2d) is moved in a stable manner, and while the door (S1) is closed, the first contact of the protrusion (1a) to the socket (2) is rendered resilient so that the protrusion (2) is guided more easily and resiliently within the socket. On the other hand, after it is guided, the protrusion (1 a) is snapped into the socket (2) by means of a snapping tab (2j). The snapping force exerted to the protrusion (1a) is kept lower than the force applied by a user to let him/her conveniently open the door. In a preferred embodiment according to the present invention, the socket (2) comprises a rear wall (2b) closing the rear of the socket. The resilient member (2c) preferably contacts this rear wall (2b) and is supported by this wall (2b). Other elastic mechanisms can be used in place of the torsion spring (1c), provided that they fulfill the function of a torsion spring.
In an illustrative embodiment according to the present invention, the socket (2) comprises the components illustrated in Figure 5 in a disassembled manner. The movable wall (2d) preferably comprises at least one extension (2g) extending to the rear wall (2b) or the to the section where this wall (2b) is present. If the rear wall (2b) is present, this extension (2g) extends to at least one slot (2f), provided on the rear wall (2b) and enabling the extension (2g) to move at the horizontal plane. The extension (2g) guides the movable wall (2d) on the horizontal plane, so that the movable wall (2d) is moved correctly at the horizontal plane and is prevented against jamming. In this embodiment of the present invention, the socket (2) comprises an inner section (2i) into which said movable wall (2d) places itself without becoming jammed. The wall (2d) can both move horizontally in the inner section (2i) and go out thereof in an easy manner. For this purpose, a lid (2e) is attached to the socket (2) over the movable wall (2d), allowing the wall (2d) to move on the horizontal plane only. An easily-mountable and reliable socket structure is formed with this configuration.
The socket (2) and the mullion bar (1) comprised in the cooling device (S) according to the present invention are pushed towards the door (S1, S2) in the closed state of the doors. Thus the gap between the doors (S1, S2) is tightly closed. Concerning the fixed socket configuration comprised in the cooling devices according to the prior art, there is the possibility that the socket (2) or protrusion (1 a) is manufactured in a defective manner and they wear off in time. In that case, since the mullion bar (1) will not be able to come to the required point exactly when the doors (S1, S2) are closed, it shall fail in fulfilling its function and will not provide sufficient insulation. In the cooling device (S) developed according to the present invention, on the other hand, the mullion bar (1) is always pushed towards the doors (S1, S2) by means of the structure of the movable wall (2d), and thus a complete closure is ensured which is not influenced from any manufacture defects and wears.
Thanks to the structure of the mullion bar (1) and socket (2) in the cooling device (S) according to the present invention, the order by which the doors (S1, S2) are opened or closed is also ruled out so that any of the doors can be opened or closed at first. And in terms of the case that if the mullion bar stays open with the door being in its open state, the risk associated with this case is eliminated in that an attempt of closing the door may damage the open-staying mullion bar and the door.

Claims

A cooling device (S) comprising at least one body (S3); at least one internal compartment (B) provided in this body (S3); at least one first door (S1) and at least one second door (S2) positioned adjacent to each other and closing the same internal compartment (B); and at least one mullion bar (1), closing the gap between the doors (S1, S2) and fastened to at least one (S1) of these doors (S1, S2) by means of at least one hinge (1b) comprising at least one torsion spring (1c) exerting force to the mullion bar (1) to guide the same towards the inner side (S1a) of the door (S1), and at least one socket (2) which is disposed on the body (S3), into which at least one protrusion (1a) provided on the mullion bar (1) is positioned, characterized in that the at least one socket comprises at least one front wall (2a) and at least one movable wall (2d) in between which the protrusion (1 a) is moved, said movable wall (2d) being attached to the socket (2) by means of at least one resilient member (2c) exerting force to the movable wall (2d) towards the front wall (2a).
The cooling device (S) according to Claim 1, characterized by comprising at least one spring cap (1d) attached onto the torsion spring (1c).
The cooling device (S) according to Claim 1, characterized in that said socket (2) comprises at least one rear wall (2b) enclosing the rear thereof.
The cooling device (S) according to claims 1 or 3, characterized in that said movable wall (2d) comprises at least one extension (2g) extending to the rear wall (2b) or to the region where this wall (2b) is present.
The cooling device (S) according to Claim 4, characterized in that said rear wall (2b) comprises at least one slot (2f) in which said extension (2g) moves horizontally.
The cooling device (S) according to Claim 1, characterized in that said socket (2) comprises at least lid (2e) attached to the socket (2).
The cooling device (S) according to Claim 1, characterized in that said resilient member (2c) is a spring.
The cooling device (S) according to Claim 1, characterized in that both ends of the torsion spring (1c) are fixed to the hinge (1b).
The cooling device (S) according to Claim 1, characterized in that said movable wall (2d) comprises at least one snapping tab (2j) snapped into at least one recess (1e) provided on the protrusion (1a).