WO2007007950A1

WO2007007950A1 - Rail assembly for drawer-type refrigerator

Info

Publication number: WO2007007950A1
Application number: PCT/KR2006/001894
Authority: WO
Inventors: Chang-Lim Lee; Chan-Kyoo Jang; Yong-Chol Kwon; Young Nam Kim; Do-Hyung Kim
Original assignee: Lg Electronics Inc.
Priority date: 2005-07-12
Filing date: 2006-05-19
Publication date: 2007-01-18

Abstract

The invention relates to a rail assembly provided with a position-correcting portion which can correct the position of pinions in a drawer-type refrigerator including the racks and racks. The rail assembly of the present invention comprises a pair of supporting sections (102) provided on both inner sides of a storage space along a direction in which a storage container (1002) moves, a pair of movable rails (116) each being movable along the supporting section (102) and fixed to the storage container (1002) on one side thereof to move the storage container (1002) along the supporting section (102), pinions (120) each being rotatably provided in the movable rail (116) and being formed with teeth along an outer peripheral edge thereof, a parallel shaft (122) for connecting the pinions (120) provided on both sides of the storage space, and a pair of bearing parts (104) each including a rack (110) provided along the moving direction of the storage container in the supporting section (102) and engaged with the pinion (120) and a position-correcting portion (104) for correcting an engagement position of each of the pinions (120). At this time, the position- correcting portion enables the free rotation of the pinion (120) to correct the position of the pinion (120). According to the present invention configured so, since the relative positions of the pinions provided on the right and left sides of the storage space are kept equal to each other, draw-out of the storage contained is stabilized.

Description

RAILASSEMBLY FOR DRAWER-TYPE REFRIGERATOR

Technical field The present invention relates to a refrigerator, and more particularly, to a structure of a rail assembly for a drawer-type refrigerator for allowing a storage container to be taken in and out of a storage space of a refrigerator in a drawer fashion.

Background Art A storage space, such as a freezing chamber or a refrigerating chamber, is formed in a refrigerator, and such a freezing or refrigerating chamber is selectively opened and closed by a door. The door of the refrigerator generally is hinged to one side of a refrigerator body, and pivoted on a hinge shaft toward the front of the refrigerator, but a refrigerate in which a refrigerator door is configured in a drawer fashion and taken out toward the front of the refrigerator have recently been put on the market.

The inside of a refrigerator provided with a rail assembly for allowing a basket to be taken in and out according to a prior art is shown in Fig. 1.

As shown in this figure, a storage space 11 is formed within a refrigerator body 10. A basket (not shown) is installed in the storage space 11 such that it can be taken in and out of the storage space in a drawer fashion. The storage space 11 is opened and closed by a door (not shown).

Supporting sections 13 are respectively provided on both sides of the storage space 11. The supporting sections 13 serve to support stationary rails 21 to be described below. The supporting sections 13 have a U-shaped cross section which is opened in a direction in which they face each other. In this case, each supporting section 13 is larger in the horizontal width of a lower portion thereof than in the horizontal width of an upper portion thereof. The supporting sections 13 are elongated back and forth at a height corresponding to each other on both sides of the storage space 11.

Racks 15 are respectively provided on the top faces of the lower portions of the supporting sections 13. Each rack 15 is provided at an outer end of the top face of the lower portion of each of the supporting sections 13 which protrudes further than the upper portion of each of the supporting sections 13. The rack 15 is elongated back and forth in the lower portion of each of the supporting sections 13.

Stationary rails 21 are respectively provided inside the supporting sections 13. The stationary rails 21 guide movement of the guide rails 23 to be described below. The stationary rails 21 preferably have a U-shaped cross section which is opened in the direction in which they face each other such that their outer surfaces are brought into close contact with the inner surfaces of the supporting sections 13. The stationary rails 21 are elongated back and forth such that their front ends protrude by a predetermined length further forward than the front ends of the supporting sections 13.

Guide rails 23 are respectively installed inside the stationary rails 21 so as to be movable back and forth. The guide rails 23 serve to support movable rails 25, respectively, to be described below. The guide rails 21 are formed to have a U-shaped cross section which is opened in the direction in which they face each other such that their outer surfaces are brought into close contact with the inner surfaces of the stationary rails 21.

Movable rails 25 are respectively provided inside the guide rails 23 so as to be movable back and forth. The movable rails 25 have a U-shaped cross section which is opened in a direction in which they get away from each other in a state where they are installed inside the guide rails 23. The movable rails 25 allow the basket to be taken in and out of the storage space 11. For this purpose, both lateral upper ends of the basket are engaged with the movable rails 25, respectively.

Meanwhile, both ends of a rotating shaft 27 are rotatably connected to rear ends of the movable rails 25. The rotating shaft 27 is a part which simultaneously moves the movable rails 25 back and forth to prevent the basket from rocking side to side while the basket is taken in and out of the storage space 11.

A pair of pinions 29 is provided on outer peripheral surfaces of the rotating shaft 27 in the vicinity of both ends thereof. The pinions 29 are formed integrally with the rotating shaft 27. The pinions 29 mesh with the racks 15. Accordingly, when the pinions 29 moves along the racks 15 in engagement with the rack 15 while the movable rails 15 moves back and forth, the movable rails 15 can be moved simultaneously.

However, such a related art rail assembly for allowing a basket to be taken in and out of a refrigerator has the following problems.

That is, if the positions of both the pinions 28 are made different from each other due to a fabricator's error when initially installed or user's carelessness when used, the storage container will also be twisted. Accordingly, there is a problem in that draw-out and push-in of the storage container are not stable and smooth.

There is also a problem in that, if a positional error of the pinions 29 as described above is caused, the storage container and the movable rails 25 should be separated and assembled again in order to correct this error.

Also, in the prior art, with the pinions 29 engaged with the movable rails 25, the movable rails 25 are inserted into the movable rails 23, and the pinions 29 are engaged with the racks 15. Accordingly, there is a difficulty in precisely adapting the installation position of the pinions 29 to that of the racks 15.

Disclosure of Invention

Accordingly, the invention is conceived to solve the aforementioned problems in the prior art. An object of the invention is to provide a structure of a rail assembly for a drawer-type refrigerator including a position-correcting portion which enables free rotation of pinions so that the installation positions of the pinions and racks provided in rails to guide the movement of a storage container can be corrected.

Another object of the invention is to provide a structure of a rail assembly for a drawer-type refrigerator including a position-correcting portion, and racks and pinions to stably guide movement of a storage container. A further object of the invention is to provide a structure of a rail assembly for a drawer-type refrigerator capable of stopping a storage container from moving if the position of the pinions gets wrong when initially installed or when used, thereby allowing a fabricator or a user to perceive and correct misassembling of the pinions.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a structure of a rail assembly for a drawer-type refrigerator capable of assembling pinions and a parallel shaft connecting them after rails and a storage container have been assembled.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a structure of a rail assembly for a drawer-type refrigerator capable of shielding rails, racks, and pinions provided in the invention so that foreign matters, etc. may not hinder motions of the rails, racks, and pinions.

According to an aspect of the present invention for achieving the objects, there is provided a rail assembly for a drawer-type refrigerator which comprises a pair of supporting sections provided on both inner sides of a storage space along a direction in which a storage container moves; a pair of movable rails each being movable along the supporting section and fixed to the storage container on one side thereof to move the storage container along the supporting section; pinions each being rotatably provided in the movable rails and being formed with teeth along an outer peripheral edge thereof; a parallel shaft for connecting the pinions provided on both sides of the storage space; and a pair of bearing parts each including a rack provided along the moving direction of the storage container below the supporting section and engaged with the pinion and a position- correcting portion for correcting an engagement position of each of the pinions.

In this case, the rack may be formed in a portion of each of the bearing parts excluding at least any one of front and read ends of each of the bearing part, and the position-correcting portion includes the front end or rear end of each of the bearing parts. Further, the bearing part may be formed so as to be shorter than each of the supporting sections, and provided so as to be spaced apart by a predetermined distance from the front end or rear end of each of the supporting sections, and the position- correcting portion may include the spaced space.

Meanwhile, the position-correcting portion may include a rack-correcting portion provided at a front end of the rack and composed of a gear tooth whose thickness is larger than that of other gear teeth of the rack, and a pinion-correcting portion including a wider tooth groove to be engaged with the rack-correcting portion of tooth grooves of the pinion.

Further, the gear tooth of the rack-correcting portion may be formed to have a thickness obtained by adding the thickness of a gear tooth to an integer multiple of the pitch of the rack. In this case, a plurality of the rack-correcting portions may be repeatedly provided corresponding to a rotational period of the pinion along a longitudinal direction of the rack.

Meanwhile, the rack may include an inner rack provided on the inner side of each of the bearing parts; and an outer rack spaced apart by a predetermined distance from the inner rack, and each of the pinions includes an inner pinion and an outer pinion corresponding to the inner rack and the outer rack.

Further, each of the bearing parts may further include a supporting guide formed to protrude over the entire length of each of the bearing parts along a space between the inner rack and the outer rack, and the supporting guide is inserted between the inner pinion and the outer pinion so that each of the pinions may be moved while being supported by the supporting guide.

Further, at least one of front and rear ends of the supporting guide may be formed with a stopper projection which protrudes upward to prevent each of the pinions from being separated from the front end or rear end of each of the bearing parts. Meanwhile, each of the pinions may include a disk-like guide wheel between the inner pinion and the outer pinion, and the guide wheel is inserted between the inner rack and outer rack to allow the pinion to be moved while being supported by the inner pinion and the outer pinion.

Furthermore, a guide groove which is recessed over the entire length of each of the bearing parts along between the inner rack and outer rack may be formed in a space between the inner rack and the outer rack of the bearing part, and the guide wheel may be inserted into the guide groove to allow the pinion to be moved while being supported by the guide groove.

In this case, at least one of front and rear ends of the guide groove may be formed with a stopper sill which shields the guide groove so as to prevent each of the pinions from being separated from the front end or rear end of each of the bearing parts.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a rail assembly for a drawer-type refrigerator which comprises a pair of supporting sections provided on both inner sides of a storage space along a direction in which a storage container moves; a pair of movable rails each being movable along the supporting section and fixed to the storage container on one side thereof to move the storage container along the supporting section; pinions each being rotatably provided in the movable rail to be elevated upward and downward and being formed with teeth along an outer peripheral edge thereof; a parallel shaft for connecting the pinions provided on both sides of the storage space; a pair of bearing parts each including a rack provided along the moving direction of the storage container below the supporting section and engaged with the pinion; and a supporting member for elastically supporting each of the pinions during movement of the movable rails.

In this case, the supporting member may be an elastic spring whose one side is fixed to a supporting plate extending from each of the movable rails and whose other side is fixed to one side of each of the pinions or the parallel shaft.

Meanwhile, according to a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a rail assembly for a drawer-type refrigerator which comprises a pair of supporting sections provided on both inner sides of a storage space along a direction in which a storage container moves; a pair of movable rails each being movable along the supporting section and fixed to the storage container on one side thereof to move the storage container along the supporting section; pinions each being rotatably provided in the movable rail and being formed with teeth along an outer peripheral edge thereof; a parallel shaft for connecting the pinions provided on both sides of the storage space; a pair of bearing parts each including a rack provided along the moving direction of the storage container below the supporting section and engaged with the pinion; a position-correcting portion formed in each of the bearing parts to correct an engagement position of each of the pinions; and a speed- reducing section formed in at least one of front and rear ends of each rack to reduce the speed of each pinion moving along the rack. Here, the speed-reducing section may be formed such that the backlash of gear teeth of the rack and tooth grooves of each of the pinions is reduced.

The rail assembly according to present invention may further include an engaging unit which allows the pinion to be snapped on each of the movable rails.

Here, the engaging unit may include a fastening plate fixed to each of the movable rails and composed of a fastening guide protruding with its top open and having a fastening groove formed therein and a fixing sill formed so as to protrude with a predetermined height above the fastening guide and having an elastic force so as to be elastically deformable, and a pinion having a fastening projection which is formed in the shape of a rotatable rectangular plate at an outer end of the pinion and fitted into the fastening groove. The fastening plate may include a fastening guide protruding with its top and bottom open and having a fastening groove formed therein and fixing sills formed so as to protrude with a predetermined height above and below the fastening guide and having an elastic force so as to be elastically deformable.

Further, the fastening plate may be fixed to each of the movable rails with rivets. Meanwhile, the parallel shaft may be adapted to be elastically retracted in the longitudinal direction thereof.

In this case, the parallel shaft may include a middle part constituting the middle of the parallel shaft; and connecting parts respectively inserted into both ends of the middle part, and one ends of the connecting parts may be supported by an elastic member in the interior of the middle part.

Meanwhile, the rail assembly of the invention may further include an intermediate rail which is provided between each of the supporting sections and each of the movable rails, and is formed such that its outer side is movable along the supporting section, and its inner side supports the movable rail to allow the movable rail to be movable, thereby functioning to guide the movement of the movable rail.

Further, the rail assembly of the invention may further include an auxiliary rail which is provided between each of the supporting sections and each of the intermediate rails, and is formed such that its outer side is movable along the supporting section, and its inner side supports the movable rail to allow the movable rail to be movable, thereby functioning to guide the movement of the movable rail.

Meanwhile, the rail assembly of the invention may further include a rail cover which has its one side provided in the storage container and its other side fixed to each of the movable rails, and is provided between the storage container and the movable rail, is drawn out or accommodated with the draw-out or push-in of the storage container, and shields the movable rail, the intermediate rail, and the auxiliary rail when being accommodated.

In this case, the rail cover may include a front shielding part which shields the front of the movable rail, intermediate rail, and auxiliary rail, and an upper shielding part which shields the top of the movable rail, intermediate rail, and auxiliary rail. The rail cover may be injection-molded of a plastic material.

In the rail assembly for a drawer-type refrigerator according to the invention as described above in detail, the following effects can be expected.

That is, since the position-correcting portion which allows free rotation of the pinions, even if a positional error is caused between both the pinions when used, the pinions rotate freely when they reach the position-correcting portion, and simultaneously the positional error is corrected. Accordingly, the invention has an advantage that the positions of both the pinions can always be kept equal to each other.

Further, according to the invention, the pinions and racks are prevented from moving from side to side. Thus, the invention has an advantage that the pinions can be stably moved along the racks.

Further, according to the invention, even if the positions of the pinions get wrong when the rail assembly of a refrigerator is assembled initially or used, the storage container will not be moved. Accordingly, the invention has advantages that a fabricator or a user can perceive misassembling of the pinions, the number of defective products which may be caused by reassembling of the rail assembly can be reduced, and the pinions can always be used while they are located in exact positions.

According to the invention, generation of any impact or noise while the storage container is drawn out of and accommodated into the storage space can be prevented.

Accordingly, the durability of products can be improved, and the usability of products can be prevented from deteriorating due to noises which may be generated while the products are used.

Further, according to the invention, the pinions and the parallel shaft can be assembled with each other after the rails and the storage container have been assembled.

Accordingly, since the rails and the storage container have been leveled and the pinions are then assembled, the assembling positions of the pinions can be made exact. Moreover, according to the invention, since the parallel shaft connecting the pinions is elastically retracted, the assembling the pinions can be further facilitated.

Further, according to the invention, since the rails, racks, and pinions included in the invention are shielded by the rail cover, there is no probability that foreign matters may enter any spaces between the rails, racks, and pinions.

Brief Description of Drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a conventional rail assembly;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing a preferred embodiment of a rail constituting the invention;

Figs. 3 and 4 are side views showing a preferred embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 5 is a side view showing a first embodiment of the invention;

Figs. 6 and 7 are side views showing a second embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 8 is a perspective view showing a third embodiment of the invention; Fig. 9 is a perspective view showing a fourth embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 10 is a perspective view showing a fifth embodiment of the invention;

Figs. 11 and 12 are side views showing a sixth embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 13 is a perspective view showing a seventh embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 14 is a perspective view showing an eighth embodiment of the invention; Figs. 15 and 16 are perspective and sectional views showing a ninth embodiment of the invention, respectively;

Figs. 17 and 18 are perspective views showing a tenth embodiment of the invention;

Best Mode

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of a rail assembly of a drawer-type refrigerator according to the invention as described above will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing a preferred embodiment of a rail constituting the rail assembly of the drawer-type refrigerator according to the invention. As shown in this figure, the invention includes two supporting sections 102 provided at inner opposite sidewalls 101 of a refrigerator and having the same shape and structure. Each supporting section 102 to which an intermediate rail 106 to be described is fixed has a substantially U-shaped cross section. A lower part of the supporting section 102 is provided with a bearing part 104.

The bearing part 104 is a part which supports the bottom of the intermediate rail 106 inserted into the supporting section 102 and has a bar shape with a rectangular cross section.

The top face of the bearing part 104 is formed with a rack 110 along a direction in which the storage container (not shown) moves. The rack 110 is a rectilinear gear which is engaged with a pinion (not shown) to be described below to keep the container interlocking with the pinion from rocking from side to side when the container moves back and forth.

The aforementioned supporting section 102 is provided with the intermediate rail 106. The intermediate rail 106 is formed corresponding to the supporting section 102 such that it fits into an elongated groove of the supporting section 102. The intermediate rail 106 serves as an auxiliary means which is fixed to the supporting section 102 to guide movement of a movable rail 116 to be described and thus stabilize the movement of the movable rail. Meanwhile, an auxiliary rail 114 is provided in the intermediate rail 106 in a form corresponding to the intermediate rail 106 such that it fits into an elongated groove of the intermediate rail 106. Similarly to the movable rail 116 to be described below, the auxiliary rail 114 moves back and forth along the intermediate rail 106 to allow the container to be stably drawn out to the front. The movable rail 1 16 is fitted into an elongated groove of the auxiliary rail 114.

The movable rails 116 are engaged with opposite sidewalls of a storage container which keeps foodstuffs and moved back and forth along the intermediate rail 106 together with the container.

In this case, the intermediate rail 106 and the auxiliary rail 114 serve as auxiliary means to guide movement of the movable rail 116 and thus stabilize the movement of the movable rail 116. It is noted herein that the intermediate rail and the auxiliary rail make the operation of the invention smoother, but they are not essential elements in embodying the invention. Therefore, although embodiments of the invention will be described taking a configuration provided with the intermediate rail 106 and the auxiliary rail 114 as an example, an embodiment composed of only the supporting section 102 and the movable rail 116 is possible with no provision of intermediate rail 106 and the auxiliary rail 114. Figs. 3 and 4 are side views showing a preferred embodiment of the invention. The preferred embodiment of the invention includes the aforementioned supporting section 102, intermediate rail 106, auxiliary rail 114, and movable rail 116. The movable rail 116 is provided with a pinion 120 which is rotatable with respect to the movable rail 116. The pinion 120 is a gear which has teeth formed along the outer peripheral edge thereof. The pinion 120 is engaged with the rack 110 provided in the bearing part 104, and moves back and forth along the rack 1 10.

Meanwhile, the pinions 120 provided on both sides of the storage space of the refrigerator are connected to a parallel shaft 122. The parallel shaft 122 is a part which keeps the movement positions of the pinions 120 equal to each other. Accordingly, it is preferred that the parallel shaft 122 be made of a material with high rigidity to prevent relative movement from occurring between the pinions 120.

Further, the bearing part 104 is provided with a position-correcting portion 130 which corrects the position of each pinion 120. The position-correcting portion 130 is a part which corrects a difference in position between the pinions 120 on both sides of the storage space so as to allow both the pinions 120 to be located in the same position of both the racks 110 which are symmetrical with respect to each other. As shown in this figure, the position-correcting portion 120 is preferably provided at a front end of the bearing part 104, and a portion of the bearing part 104 which is not provided with the rack 1 10 becomes the position-correcting portion 130. That is, the position-correcting portion 130 is a portion from which the force of constraint applied to the pinion 120 by the rack 110 is removed to allow free rotation of the pinion 120 to remove twisting of the pinion 120, thereby correcting the position of the pinion 120. Although the position-correcting portion 130, as shown in Fig. 3, is in some cases

I l provided at the front end of the bearing part 104, it may be provided at the rear end of the bearing part 104 or may be provided at both the front and rear ends thereof. Alternatively, as shown in Fig. 4, a plurality of the position-correcting portions 130 may be provided at several sections along the bearing part 104. As described in the preferred embodiment, when the storage container of the refrigerator is taken in and out of the storage space, the movable rail 116, auxiliary rail 114, intermediate rail 116, which are fixed to the storage container, will be interlocked with one another.

Meanwhile, the pinion 120 provided in the movable rail 116 is engaged with the rack 110, and moves back and forth along the rack 110. At this time, the pinions 120 on both sides of the storage space move while maintaining the same relative position. In this case, if the pinions 120 are engaged with the corresponding racks 110 in a state where a relative positional change is caused therebetween, they move with a difference in the relative position due to any constraint force resulting from the meshing between the racks 110 and the pinions 120. However, when the pinions 120 reach the corresponding position-correcting portions 130, the constraint forces between the pinions 120 and the racks 110 are released, and thereby the pinions 120 rotate freely. As a result, a couple of forces between the pinions 120 is eliminated, and the relative positional difference between the pinions 120 is also eliminated. In a case where the position-correcting portion 130 is provided at the front end of the bearing part 104, the position of the pinion 120 is corrected when the storage container is drawn out completely. Also, in the case where the position-correcting portion 130 is provided at the rear end of the bearing part 104, the position of the pinion 120 is corrected when the storage container is pushed in completely.

Mode for Invention

Meanwhile, another embodiment (hereinafter referred to as "a first embodiment") of the invention is shown in Fig. 5.

As shown in this figure, the first embodiment of the invention has the same configuration as that of the preferred embodiment of the invention except for a position- correcting portion 150. The rack 1 10 is formed over the total length of the bearing part 104 of the first embodiment such that it is shorter than the supporting section 102.

The bearing part 104 formed shorter than the supporting section 102 is formed into position where is not placed of the bearing part 104 in a front or rear end of the supporting section 102 .

A lower end of the supporting section 102 on which the bearing part 104 is not placed is formed into the position-correcting portion 150.

Fig. 5 shows that the position-correcting portion 150 is formed on the side of the front end of the supporting section 102. As shown in this figure, the bottom face of the front end of the supporting section 102 is formed with the position-correcting portion 150 that is a spare space where the pinion 120 is not supported. Preferably, the position- correcting portion 150 is sized to be larger than the diameter of the pinion 120 so that the pinion 120 rotates freely in the position-correcting portion 150.

Although not shown, the position-correcting portion 150 can be formed at the rear end of the supporting section 102. Further, position-correcting portions 150 can be formed at both the front and rear ends of the supporting section 102.

Meanwhile, Figs. 6 and 7 show a second embodiment of the invention.

As shown in this figure, the second embodiment of the invention has the same configuration as that of the preferred embodiment of the invention except for a position- correcting portion.

A portion of the rack 110 formed in the bearing part 104 of the second embodiment is formed with a position-correcting portion 210 which guides the engagement position of the pinion 120 exactly. The position-correcting portion 210 includes a rack-correcting portion 212 formed by making a gear tooth of the rack 110 thicker than other teeth thereof. The rack-correcting portion 212, as shown in Fig. 6, has a thickness obtained by adding the thickness of a gear tooth to an integer multiple of the pitch of the rack. In this case, the integer multiple is preferably one. That is, the integer multiple is a value obtained by adding the thickness of a gear tooth to the pitch of the rack

110. The thickness of the rack-correcting portion 212 is limited in this way such that a pinion-correcting portion 214 to be described later can be engaged with a portion of the rack 110 other than the rack-correcting portion 212.

Meanwhile, the pinion-correcting portion 214 is formed in the pinion 120 so that it can be engaged with the rack-correcting portion 212. The pinion-correcting portion 214, which is a portion where the teeth of the pinion 120 are not formed, is formed by removing gear teeth corresponding in number to an integer multiple. Accordingly, if the integer is one, one gear tooth is removed to define the pinion-correcting portion 214.

The rack-correcting portion 212 and the pinion-correcting portion 214 are portions which keep the movable rail 116 from moving when an error is caused in the engagement position between the pinions 120. Preferably, the rack-correcting portion 212 is provided at the front end of the bearing part 104 so that it can detect an engagement error at the time of its initial engagement. However, as shown in Fig. 7, a plurality of the rack-correcting portions 212 may be provided along the bearing part 104. In this case, the interval of the rack-correcting portions 212 corresponds the rotational period of the pinion 120. This allows the pinion-correcting portion 214 of the pinion 120 to be engaged with a second rack-correcting portion 212' after one rotation of the pinion since the pinion-correcting portion has engaged the first rack-correcting portion 212.

To explain the operation of the second embodiment, first, the movable rail 116 is pushed into the auxiliary rail 114 using its rear end as a leading end so that the movable rail 116 can be installed in the auxiliary rail 114. Accordingly, as shown in Fig. 6, the gear teeth of the pinion 120 are sequentially engaged with the gear teeth provided in the rack 110.

Then, if the movable rail 116 is further pushed into the auxiliary rail 114, the pinion 120 rolls along the rack 110 such that they can be meshed with each other. At this time, the rack 110 and the pinion 120 can be meshed with each other only when the pinion- correcting portion 214 is located at a position where the pinion-correcting portion 214 is engaged with the rack-correcting portion 212, i.e. when the pinion-correcting portion is located at a correct position. More specifically, the rack 110 and the pinion 120 can be meshed with each other only if the pinion-correcting portion 214 is located at such a position that the pinion-correcting portion 214 can be engaged with the rack-correcting portion 212.

If the pinion 120 is located at a position different from the above position, the rack 110 cannot be meshed with the pinion 120. That is, the rack-correcting portion 212 and any one of the gear teeth of the pinion 120 will interfere with each other to prevent the rack 110 and the pinion 120 from being meshed with each other.

Consequently, the rack and the pinion will be meshed with each other only when the pinions 120 located at both sides of the storage space are placed at the same positional relationship with respect to the rack 110. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the movable rail 116 and a corresponding basket from being engaged with each other obliquely from side to side due to a difference in the position where the rack 110 and the pinion 120 are meshed with each other.

Meanwhile, in a case where the pinion 120 is meshed with the rack 110 at a correct position and then rolls along the rack 110, the pinion-correcting portion 214 rotates in engagement with two gear teeth of the rack 110. As shown in Fig. 7, in a case where a plurality of the rack-correcting portions 212 are provided in synchronization with a period of rotation of the pinion 120, the pinion-correcting portion 214 is periodically engaged with the rack-correcting portions 212.

Accordingly, if the pinion 120 is not located at a correct position during movement of the movable rail 116, the gear teeth of the pinion 120 is caught in the rack- correcting portion 212, and consequently the movable rail advances no further. Thus, a user can grasp that there is an error in the position of the pinion 120.

A third embodiment of the invention is shown in Fig. 8. As shown in this figure, similar to the preferred embodiment of the invention, a rack which constitutes the third embodiment is formed excluding a portion of the bearing part 104. The portion of the bearing part where the rack is not formed forms a position-correcting portion 310. It is noted herein that two pieces of the rack are formed on the inner and outer sides of the bearing part 104 apart from each other. Specifically, the rack consists of an inner rack 320 spaced apart inwardly from the longitudinal center of the bearing part 104 and an outer rack 322 spaced apart outwardly from the longitudinal center. Accordingly, a predetermined space is formed between the inner rack 320 and the outer rack 322. A supporting guide 324 is formed in the space between the inner rack 320 and the outer rack 322 so as to protrude upwardly by a predetermined height. Preferably, the supporting guide 324 is formed over the entire length of the bearing part 104, and formed with the same height as that of the gear teeth of the racks 320 and 322. Meanwhile, the pinion 120 consists of an inner pinion 330 and an outer pinion

332 which are provided corresponding to the inner rack 320 and the outer rack 322 so as to be spaced apart by a predetermined distance from each other. Accordingly, a space is formed between the inner pinion 330 and the outer pinion 332. This supporting guide 324 is a part which is inserted into the space between the inner pinion 330 and the outer pinion 332 to allow the pinions 330 and 332 to move along the racks 320 and 322, respectively, in a state where the pinions are supported by the supporting guide 324.

A stopper projection 340 may be formed on at least one of the front and rear ends of the supporting guide 324 so as to project upwardly. The stopper projection 340 is a part which prevents the pinion 120 from being separated from the supporting guide 324. To explain the operation of the third embodiment, first, as the movable rail 116 attached to the storage container moves, the pinions 330 and 332 rotates in engagement with the racks 320 and 322, respectively. At this time, the supporting guide 324 is inserted into the space between the inner rack 320 and the outer rack 322, and thereby the pinions 330 and 332 move while they are supported by the supporting guide 324. Accordingly, the pinions 330 and 332 are moved stably without floating during movement thereof.

When the pinions 330 and 332 rotate and reach the position-correcting portion 310, the pinions 330 and 332 are able to move freely. Accordingly, if the change in relative position between the pair of pinions 330 and 332 or any twisting thereof is caused, any positional error can be prevented by virtue of free rotation of the pinions 330 and 332 in the position-correcting portion 310.

When the movable rail 116 is drawn out further and reaches the outer end of the bearing part 104, the pinions 330 and 332 are caught by the stopper projection 340. In this case, since the movable rail 116 is caught by the outer end of the bearing part 104 of the supporting section 102, the movable rail is prevented from moving further. However, the stopper projection 340 also prevents movement of the pinions 330 and 332 to prevent the movable rail 116 from being separated from the auxiliary rail 114.

In a case where the position-correcting portion 310 and the stopper projection 340 are formed at the rear end of the bearing part 104, positional correction and movement control of the pinions 330 and 332 will be made when the storage container is inserted completely.

Meanwhile, a fourth embodiment of the invention is shown in Fig. 9. As shown in this figure, similar to the third embodiment, the fourth embodiment of the invention includes a rack consisting of an inner rack 420 and an outer rack 422 provided with a predetermined distance therebetween, and a pinion consisting of an outer pinion 432 and an inner pinion (not shown).

However, in the fourth embodiment, a guide groove 424 which is recessed along the longitudinal direction of the bearing part 104 is formed between the inner rack 420 and the outer rack 422. The guide groove 424 is formed so as to extend to a position- correcting portion 410 in at least one of the front and rear ends of the bearing part 104.

Stopper sills 440 exhibiting the same function as the stopper projection 424 are respectively formed on both ends of the guide groove 424 to stop the guide groove 424.

Meanwhile, a disk-like guide wheel 432 is provided between the inner pinion and the outer pinion 432. The guide wheel 450 is a disk which has the same rotating shaft as the pinions and has a thickness corresponding to the guide groove 424. The guide wheel

450 is a part which is inserted into the guide groove 424 to allow the pinions to rotate while they are supported by the guide groove 424.

To explain the operation of the fourth embodiment, first, as the movable rail 116 moves forward, the pinions rotates in engagement with the racks. At this time, since the guide wheel 450 rotates and moves while inserted into the guide groove 424, it moves without rocking from side to side.

Meanwhile, when the pinions reach the position-correcting portion 410, the pinions are released from the racks and allowed to rotate freely. Then, when the pinions reach one stopper sill 440, the movable rail 116 is prevented from being separated from the bearing part 104 according to the principle as described in the third embodiment. A fifth embodiment of the invention is shown in Fig. 10. According to the fifth embodiment of the invention, a mounting hole 510 is formed at the rear end of the movable rail 116. A pinion 120 to be described is rotatably mounted into the mounting hole 510. The mounting hole 510 is formed so that both ends of the pinion 120 can move up and down Accordingly, the pinion 120 can move without a vertical constraint, while the pinion is constrained in the vertical direction by a spring 530 to be described.

A supporting plate 520 is formed so as to extend from the movable rail 116 above the mounting hole 510. The supporting plate 520 is firmly fixed to the movable rail 116 by screwing or welding. However, the fixation of the supporting plate 520 according to the invention is not necessarily limited thereto. For example, the supporting plate may have an arbitrary shape as long as one side thereof is fixed to the movable rail 116 and the other side thereof supports the spring 530 to be described. It is noted herein that the supporting plate 520 of the invention should be configured so as not to interfere with rotation of the pinion 120 to be described.

One end of the spring 530 to be described is supported by the supporting plate 520. Specifically, as shown well in Fig. 10, in the present embodiment, one end of the spring 530 is seated in a groove (not shown) which is formed with a predetermined size in the bottom face of the supporting plate 520, and firmly supported by the supporting plate 520. In the present embodiment, a coil spring with a relatively large spring constant is used as the spring 530. That is, the spring 530 has a spring constant to such a degree that both ends of the parallel shaft 122 to be mounted into the mounting holes 510, respectively, are constrained in the vertical direction. Meanwhile, the other end of the spring 530 is supported by the pinion 120 to be described or by one end of the parallel shaft 122. In this case, a rotating member which can rotate separately from the rotation of the pinion is provided so that the spring 520 may not interfere with the rotation of the pinion 120.

Since such a spring 530 has a downward restoring force, the pinion 120 will not be arbitrarily disengaged from the rack 110 while the rack 110 moves in exact engagement with the pinion 120. The pinion 120 with gear teeth formed along the outer peripheral edge thereof is rotatably mounted in the mounting hole 510. The pinions 120 which are respectively provided in the movable rails 116 on both sides of the storage space are fixedly connected to both ends of the parallel shaft 122. Accordingly, the pinions 120 will interlock with the movable rails 116 so as to make a forward and backward rectilinear motion together with the movable rails. Since the parallel shaft 122 is engaged with the pinions 120 so as to constrain each other, it rotates together with the pinions 120.

Hereinafter, the operation of the fifth embodiment having the above configuration will be described in detail.

Since the pinion 120 is engaged with the rack 110, the moving speed of the container can be controlled. Also, according to the invention, since one end of the spring 530 is firmly supported by the supporting plate 520, the container receives a downward restoring force from the spring while the container normally moves back and forth. Accordingly, since the pinions 120 mounted into the mounting holes 510 interlock with the container while they are constrained vertically, the vertical floating of the pinions 120 and the parallel shaft 122 can be prevented.

Meanwhile, one side of the pinion 120 may in some cases be wrongly engaged with the rack due to a fabricator's carelessness or user's carelessness. In this case, if the pinion 120 deviates from its normal position, the gear teeth of the pinion 120 are wrongly engaged with the gear teeth of the rack 110, and consequently the pinion 120 is lifted upwardly. If the pinion 120 is lifted upwardly, the spring 530 applies an elastic force to the pinion 120 so that the pinion 120 may not be lifted, and consequently the pinion 120 returns to its normal position. Further, if the pinion 120 is engaged with the rack 110 in a wrong position, the parallel shaft 122 will be twisted. Accordingly, a distance difference is caused between the parallel shaft 122 and the supporting plate 520, and tension is created in the spring 530. Thus, the pinions 120 rotate and ride over the racks 110 while being slightly lifted upward by the tension. As a result, both the pinions 120 will be engaged with the racks 110 again in a state where the positions thereof are corrected equally.

A sixth embodiment of the invention is shown in Figs. 11 and 12. As shown in these figures, the sixth embodiment of the invention further includes speed-reducing sections 610 respectively provided at the front and rear ends of the rack 110. Each speed- reducing section 610 is a part which reduces the speed of the pinion 610 which moves forward and rearward of the storage space along the rack 110. Specifically, the speed- reducing section 610 functions to reduce the entrance speed or exit speed of the storage container immediately before the container is completely drawn out of the storage space or completely accommodated within the storage space, thereby reduce occurrence of impact or noise while the storage container is taken in and out of the storage space.

The speed-reducing section 610 provided at the front end of the rack 110 causes the moving speed of the storage container to be reduced while the storage container is drawn out of the storage space. The speed-reducing section 610 provided at the rear end of the rack 110 causes the moving speed of the storage container to be reduced while the storage container is accommodated into the storage space.

Comparing Fig. 1 with Fig. 12, the speed-reducing section 610 is formed such that the backlash 620 between gear teeth 612 provided at the front end of the rack 110 and the gear teeth of the pinion 120 is relatively smaller than the backlash between gear teeth 614 provided in the other portion of the rack 110 and the gear teeth of the pinion. That is, the area of contact between the gear teeth of the rack 110 and the gear teeth of the pinion 120 substantially increases in the speed-reducing section 610, and thereby the frictional force therebetween increases. Accordingly, the speed of the pinion 120 which moves back and forth in the storage space along the rack 110 can be reduced while the pinion 120 passes through the speed-reducing section 610. Further, as the speed of the pinion 120 is reduced in the speed-reducing section 610 as such, the speed of the storage container which is drawn out of or accommodated into the storage space is reduced substantially.

At this time, the speed-reducing section 610 is formed such that the backlash 620 between the speed-reducing section and the pinion 120 is reduced gradually toward the front end or rear end of the rack 110. This is because the rotating speed of the pinion 120 along the rack 110 is allowed to be not abruptly reduced but reduced gently.

Hereinafter, the operation of the sixth embodiment will be explained. First, immediately before the storage container is completely drawn out of the storage space, that is, while the pinion 120 passes through the speed-reducing section 610 provided at the front end of the rack 110, the area of contact between the rack 110 and the pinion 120 increases relatively and thereby the frictional force therebetween increases. Accordingly, the speed of the pinion 120 which moves forward of the storage space along the rack 110 is reduced. At this time, the speed of the pinion 120 is gradually reduced while the pinion passes through the speed-reducing section 610.

Since the speed of the pinion 120 which moves forward of the storage space along the rack 110, the speed of the movable rail 116 and auxiliary rail 114 which move along the intermediate rail 106 is reduced as well. And, the reduction in the moving speed of the movable rail 116 results in a reduction in the speed of the storage container which is drawn out of the storage space. Accordingly, generation of any impact or noise while the storage container is drawn out of and accommodated into the storage space can be prevented.

On the other hand, while the storage container is accommodated into the storage space, the accommodation speed of the storage container is reduced by the speed-reducing section 610 provided at the rear end of the rack 1 10. That is, when the door is pushed in toward the rear of the storage space, the movable rail 1 16 and the auxiliary rail 114 will move along the intermediate rail 106. By such movement of the movable rail 1 16, the pinion 120 will pass through the speed-reducing section 610 provided at the rear end of the rack 110 while it moves into the rear of the storage space along the rack 110. Then, since the speed of the pinion 120 which moves into the rear of the storage container along the rack 110 while the pinion passes through the speed-reducing section 610 is reduced, the moving speed of the movable rail 116 and the accommodation speed of the storage container is reduced. Accordingly, any impact or noise which may be generated while the storage container is accommodated into the storage space is reduced. A seventh embodiment of the invention is shown in Fig. 13.

As shown in this figure, the seventh embodiment of the invention relates to a structure in which the pinion 120 is mounted to the aforementioned movable rail 116.

A fastening plate 710 is installed on the inner side of the movable rail 116 so that the pinionl20 can snap on the thereto. A fastening guide 720 and a fixing sill 730 which are formed in the fastening plate 710 may be formed into various shapes. However, as shown in Fig. 12, it is preferable that the fastening guide 720 be formed so as to protrude with its top open. A fastening groove 722 with its top open is formed in the fastening guide 720, and a fastening projection 740 of the pinion 120 to be described is inserted into the fastening groove 722. In this case, it is preferable that the fastening groove 722 be formed in the shape of a rectangle with its top open. This is because the fastening projection 740 to be described is prevented from rotating within the fastening groove 722 after the projection has been inserted into the fastening groove 722. Further, the fixing sill 730 is provided above the fastening guide 720 to close up an opening above the fastening guide 720 after the fastening projection 740 has been inserted into the fastening groove, thereby fixing the fastening projection 740. The fixing sill 739 is formed such that it protrudes linearly and increasingly from the top toward the bottom, and such that it is depressed when a force is applied thereto and restored to its original state when the force is removed.

The fastening projection 740 provided at an outer end of the pinion 120 is inserted into the fastening guide 720. The fastening projection 740 is formed in the shape of a rectangle, and formed with a thickness corresponding to the inner width of the fastening groove 722 so that the fastening projection may not float back and forth after inserted into the fastening groove 722 from the top toward the bottom. The fastening projection 740 is formed so as to be rotatable with respect to the pinion 120. Further, the configuration in which the pinion 102 is formed with gear teeth, and the pinion moves in engagement with the rack 110 is the same as that as described above.

Meanwhile, the parallel shaft 122 connects both the pinions 120. The parallel shaft 122 is fixedly coupled with the pinion 120 such that, when the pinion 120 rotates, the parallel shaft 122 rotates together with the pinion. Preferably, the parallel shaft 122 is formed of a member having large rigidity against deflection and twisting.

Hereinafter, the operation of the seventh embodiment of the invention will be described laying stress on an engagement method of the pinion 120.

First, the fastening projection 740 is inserted into the fastening plate 710 which is fixed to the movable rail 116 in advance or integrally formed with the movable rail 116 (that is, in a case where the fastening guide 720 and the fixing sill 730 are formed in the movable rail 116).

At this time, the fastening projection 740 is in a state where the pinions 120 are rotatably provided, and the pinions 120 are connected to each other by the parallel shaft 122. The pair of pinions 120 which are connected to each other by the parallel shaft 122 are inserted into the fastening plates 710, respectively. At this time, each fastening projection 740 is pushed downwardly from the fixing sill 730. When the fixing sill 730 is pressed laterally by the fastening projection 740, and then the fastening projection 740 of the pinion 120 is inserted completely, the fixing sill is restored by an elastic force to keep the fastening projection 840 from coming out upwardly again. Then, when the fastening projection 740 is inserted completely, the pinion 120 will be engaged with the rack 110 provided above or below the pinion 120.

An eighth embodiment of the invention is shown in Fig. 14. As shown in this figure, the eighth embodiment of the invention relates to a structure in which the pinion 120 is mounted to the aforementioned movable rail 116, similarly to the seventh embodiment. However, the eighth embodiment of the invention includes a fastening plate having a structure different from the seventh embodiment.

A fastening guide 820 is formed in a central part of the fastening plate 810 such that it protrudes with its top and bottom open. A fastening groove 822 is formed in the fastening guide 820, and a fastening projection 840 to be described is inserted into the fastening groove 822.

Holding means are provided above and below the fastening guide 820 to stop up openings above and below the fastening guide 820 to allow the fastening projection 840 to remain inserted after the fastening projection 840 has been inserted. Preferably, fixing sills are provided as the holding means. The fixing sills 832 and 834 consists of an upper fixing sill 832 formed above the fastening guide 820 and a lower fixing sill 834 formed below the fastening guide. In this case, the upper fixing sill 832 is formed such that it protrudes linearly and increasingly from the top toward the bottom, and the lower fixing sill 834 is formed such that it protrudes linearly and increasingly from the bottom toward the top. Further, the upper fixing sill 832 and the lower fixing sill 834 have resilience. Thus, the upper and lower fixing sills are pressed when a force is applied thereto, and they are restored when a force is removed therefrom. Preferably, the fixing sills 832 and 834 are formed of synthetic resin extending from the fastening plate 810 so as to have the aforementioned resilience.

As described above, the fastening guides 820 are provided on the right and left of the fastening plate 810, the fixing sills 832 and 834 are formed above and below the fastening guides, and a seating space 850 on which the fastening projection 840 of the pinion 120 is seated is provided in the fastening plate 810.

Hereinafter, the operation of the eighth embodiment of the invention will be described. The eighth embodiment of the invention is assembled according to the same installation and assembling procedure as that of the seventh embodiment. However, in the eighth embodiment, the fastening projection 840 is inserted by pushing down it from an opening above the fastening guide 820 or pushing up it from an opening below the fastening guide. As the fastening projection 840 is inserted between the fastening guides 820, the fixing sills 832 and 834 are pressed by the fastening projection 840. Then, when the fastening projection 840 is inserted completely by an elastic force, it is restored to its original position. As a result, the fastening projection 840 is prevented from coming out upwardly or downwardly again.

A ninth embodiment of the invention is shown in Figs. 15 and 16. As shown in this figure, the ninth embodiment of the invention relates to the structure of the aforementioned parallel shaft. The parallel shaft 122 is a part which couples both the pinions 120 together, and it is adapted to be deformable elastically. For this purpose, the parallel shaft 122, as shown in this figure, includes a middle part 910 of the parallel shaft 122 and a pair of connecting parts 920 whose one ends are supported by both ends of the middle part 910 and whose other ends are coupled with the pinions 120, respectively.

As shown in Fig. 16, both ends of the middle part 910 are formed such that their inner diameter is reduced, thereby preventing the ends of the connecting parts 920 from coming out. Of course, it is preferable that the diameter of the ends of the connecting parts 920 also be increased for this purpose.

Meanwhile, an elastic member 930 is provided between one ends of the connecting parts 920 inserted into the middle part 910. Accordingly, the connecting parts 920 are formed such that, as they push the elastic member 930, their total length can be reduced. In this case, a coil spring is preferably used as the elastic member 930.

The parallel shaft 122 configured so is elastically contracted such that its length can be reduced. Accordingly, the fastening projection of the pinion 120 is engaged with the fastening plate by slightly reducing the length of the parallel shaft 122 when the pinion 120 fixed to the parallel shaft 122 is engaged with the fastening plate. A tenth embodiment of the invention is shown in Figs. 17 and 18.

As shown in these figures, the tenth embodiment of the invention further includes a rail cover 1010 which shields the movable rail 116, the intermediate rail 106, and the auxiliary rail 114.

The rail cover 1010 is a part which shields the above rails when the storage container 1002 is accommodated. In this case, the configuration in which the movable rail 116, the intermediate rail 106 and the auxiliary rail 114 are installed is the same as that described in the preferred embodiment of the invention. Although the case in which the intermediate rail 106 and the auxiliary rail 114 are provided are illustrated in the present specification, the intermediate rail 106 and the auxiliary rail 114 may not be provided. In this case, the rail cover will shield only the movable rail 116.

The rail cover 1010 is combined with one side of the movable rail 116, that is, one side of the movable rail 116 which extends forward. The rail cover 1010 allows the storage container 1002 and the movable rail 116 to be drawn out forward or accommodated backward in cooperation with each other, and is mounted to each side of the storage container 1002.

As can be seen from Fig. 17, the rail cover 10 is generally formed in the shape of a rectangular plate which is substantially elongated in the longitudinal direction in side view.

The total length of the rail cover 1010 is made smaller than the length of the storage container 1002 and the vertical width of the rail cover 1010 is made larger than the width the movable rail 116 so that the rail cover may surround the movable rail 116.

That is, the rail cover 1010 is injection-molded of a plastic material so as to surround the movable rail 116 and consists of a cover body 1012, a front shielding part 1014, and an upper shielding part 1016. More specifically, the cover body 1012, which constitute the lateral external shape of the rail cover 1010, is formed in the shape of a rectangular plate to constitute most of the external shape of the movable rail 116, and provides an engaging surface which allows the storage container 1002 and the movable rail 116 to be engaged with each other.

Accordingly, the storage container is combined with each side of the cover bodies 1012 provided on both sides thereof by a screwing or welding method. The movable rail 116 is mounted to the other side of the cover body 1012. It is preferable that the cover body 1012 and the movable rail 116 be combined together with screws, and it is preferable that the storage container 1002, the rail cover 1010, and the movable rail 116 be combined together with screws. For this purpose, the cover body 1012 is formed with screw mounting holes 1020 which allow screws passing through the movable rail 116 to be screwed thereinto.

Meanwhile, the front end of the cover body 1012 is formed with the front shielding part 1014 which is formed by bending the movable rail 116 vertically to a mounting direction, i.e., to the right (see Fig. 18). The front shielding part 1014, which shields the front of the movable rail 116 mounted to the cover body 1012, is formed to extend further than the width of the movable rail 116 so that it can surround the movable rail 116.

The upper end of the cover body 1012 is formed with the upper shielding part 1016 which is formed by bending the movable rail 116 vertically to a mounting direction, i.e., to the right (see Fig. 18). The upper shielding part 1016, which shields the top of the movable rail 116 mounted to the cover body 1012, is formed to extend further than the width of the movable rail 116 so that it can surround the movable rail 116.

The movable rail 116 mounted to the rail cover 1010 is surrounded by the front shielding part 1014 and the upper shielding part 1016. In particular, the front and top of the movable rail 116 which will come into a user's sight when the storage container 1002 is manipulated from the front of the refrigerator is shielded by the front shielding part 1014 and the upper shielding part 1016.

Meanwhile, the front shielding part 1014 and the upper shielding part 1016 are formed so as to be bent from the cover body 1012 and extend to the vicinity of an inner wall surface of the freezing chamber. In this case, it is natural that the length of the front and upper shielding parts becomes larger than the width of the movable rail 1 16.

That is, the front shielding part 1014 and the upper shielding part 1016 are formed so that they can abut on the inner wall surface of the freezing chamber to shield the space between the surface of the cover body 1012 and the inner wall surface of the freezing chamber, thereby shielding all or a portion of the front and top of the intermediate rail 106 and the auxiliary rail 1 14 as well as the movable rail 116.

Hereinafter, the operation of the tenth embodiment having the above configuration will be described with reference to the drawings.

As shown in these figures, when a user draws the storage container 1002 forward while grasping the container, the storage container 1002 is drawn out forward.

At this time, the movable rail 116 which interlocks the storage container 1002 by the rail cover 1010 also is in a state where it is extended and drawn out, the front and top of the movable rail 116 is in a state where it is shielded by the rail cover 1010, and the movable rail 116 is in a state where it is not exposed to the outside at the front of the freezing chamber.

In particular, even when the top of the movable rail 1 16 is shielded by the upper shielding part 106 and thereby the moveable rail 1 16 is extended or withdrawn, foreign matters are prevented from entering the movable rail 116.

After the storage container 1002 is drawn out completely, a user will puts foodstuffs into the container, and after foodstuffs is completely put into the container, the user will push the container 1002 rearward to make the storage container 1002 accommodated.

Even at this time, the movable rail 116 which interlocks with the storage container 1002 by the rail cover 1010 also is withdrawn and accommodated rearward. When the storage container 1002 is accommodated completely, the movable rail 116 will also be in a state where it is accommodated completely. And, the movable rail 116 is completely surrounded by the front shielding part 1014 and upper shielding part 1015 of the rail cover 1010, and thereby the front and top of the movable rail 116 are surrounded. In particular, in a state where the storage container 1002 is accommodated completely, not only the movable rail 116 but also all or a portion of the front and top of the intermediate rail 106 and the auxiliary rail 114 are shielded. As a result, it is possible to minimize the portion which protrudes in appearance, or which makes user feel heterogeneous. Meanwhile, the rail cover 1010 is injection-molded of a plastic material. From the viewpoint of characteristics of the material, frost will not be generated within the freezing chamber so that the movable rail 116 can be smoothly drawn out of or accommodated into the freezing chamber.

The aforementioned embodiments of the invention are just illustrative of some embodiments of the invention, and the invention is not limited to the above embodiments. For example, the aforementioned embodiments are not carried out independently, but may be carried out in combinations thereof.

Further, the scope of the invention is not limited to the embodiments described and illustrated above but is defined by the appended claims. It will be apparent that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and changes thereto within the fundamental technical scope of the invention defined by the claims.

Claims

1. A rail assembly for a drawer-type refrigerator, comprising: a pair of supporting sections provided on both inner sides of a storage space along a direction in which a storage container moves; a pair of movable rails each being movable along the supporting section and fixed to the storage container on one side thereof to move the storage container along the supporting section; pinions each being rotatably provided in the movable rails and being formed with teeth along an outer peripheral edge thereof; a parallel shaft for connecting the pinions provided on both sides of the storage space; and a pair of bearing parts each including a rack provided along the moving direction of the storage container below the supporting section and engaged with the pinion and a position-correcting portion for correcting an engagement position of each of the pinions.

2. The rail assembly for a drawer-type refrigerator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the rack is formed in a portion of each of the bearing parts excluding at least any one of front and read ends of each of the bearing part, and the position-correcting portion includes the front end or rear end of each of the bearing parts.

3. The rail assembly for a drawer-type refrigerator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the bearing part is formed so as to be shorter than each of the supporting sections, and provided so as to be spaced apart by a predetermined distance from the front end or rear end of each of the supporting sections, and the position-correcting portion includes the spaced space.

4. The rail assembly for a drawer-type refrigerator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the position-correcting portion includes: a rack-correcting portion provided at a front end of the rack and composed of a gear tooth whose thickness is larger than that of other gear teeth of the rack, and a pinion-correcting portion including a wider tooth groove to be engaged with the rack-correcting portion of tooth grooves of the pinion.

5. The rail assembly for a drawer-type refrigerator as claimed in claim 4, wherein the gear tooth of the rack-correcting portion is formed to have a thickness obtained by adding the thickness of a gear tooth to an integer multiple of the pitch of the rack.

6. The rail assembly for a drawer-type refrigerator as claimed in claim 4, wherein a plurality of the rack-correcting portions are repeatedly provided corresponding to a rotational period of the pinion along a longitudinal direction of the rack.

7. The rail assembly for a drawer-type refrigerator as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the rack includes: an inner rack provided on the inner side of each of the bearing parts; and an outer rack spaced apart by a predetermined distance from the inner rack, and each of the pinions includes an inner pinion and an outer pinion corresponding to the inner rack and the outer rack.

8. The rail assembly for a drawer-type refrigerator as claimed in claim 7, wherein each of the bearing parts further includes a supporting guide formed to protrude over the entire length of each of the bearing parts along a space between the inner rack and the outer rack, and the supporting guide is inserted between the inner pinion and the outer pinion so that each of the pinions may be moved while being supported by the supporting guide.

9. The rail assembly for a drawer-type refrigerator as claimed in claim 8, wherein at least one of front and rear ends of the supporting guide is formed with a stopper projection which protrudes upward to prevent each of the pinions from being separated from the front end or rear end of each of the bearing parts.

10. The rail assembly for a drawer-type refrigerator as claimed in claim 7, wherein each of the pinions includes a disk-like guide wheel between the inner pinion and the outer pinion, and the guide wheel is inserted between the inner rack and outer rack to allow the pinion to be moved while being supported by the inner pinion and the outer pinion.

11. The rail assembly for a drawer-type refrigerator as claimed in claim 10, wherein a guide groove which is recessed over the entire length of each of the bearing parts along between the inner rack and outer rack is formed in a space between the inner rack and the outer rack of the bearing part, and the guide wheel is inserted into the guide groove to allow the pinion to be moved while being supported by the guide groove.

12. The rail assembly for a drawer-type refrigerator as claimed in claim 11, wherein at least one of front and rear ends of the guide groove is formed with a stopper sill which shields the guide groove so as to prevent each of the pinions from being separated from the front end or rear end of each of the bearing parts.

13. A rail assembly for a drawer-type refrigerator, comprising: a pair of supporting sections provided on both inner sides of a storage space along a direction in which a storage container moves; a pair of movable rails each being movable along the supporting section and fixed to the storage container on one side thereof to move the storage container along the supporting section; pinions each being rotatably provided in the movable rail to be elevated upward and downward and being formed with teeth along an outer peripheral edge thereof; a parallel shaft for connecting the pinions provided on both sides of the storage space; a pair of bearing parts each including a rack provided along the moving direction of the storage container below the supporting section and engaged with the pinion; and a supporting member for elastically supporting each of the pinions during movement of the movable rails.

14. The rail assembly for a drawer-type refrigerator as claimed in claim 13, wherein the supporting member is an elastic spring whose one side is fixed to a supporting plate extending from each of the movable rails and whose other side is fixed to one side of each of the pinions or the parallel shaft.

15. A rail assembly for a drawer-type refrigerator, comprising: a pair of supporting sections provided on both inner sides of a storage space along a direction in which a storage container moves; a pair of movable rails each being movable along the supporting section and fixed to the storage container on one side thereof to move the storage container along the supporting section; pinions each being rotatably provided in the movable rail and being formed with teeth along an outer peripheral edge thereof; a parallel shaft for connecting the pinions provided on both sides of the storage space; a pair of bearing parts each including a rack provided along the moving direction of the storage container below the supporting section and engaged with the pinion; a position-correcting portion formed in each of the bearing parts to correct an engagement position of each of the pinions; and a speed-reducing section formed in at least one of front and rear ends of each rack to reduce the speed of each pinion moving along the rack.

16. The rail assembly for a drawer-type refrigerator as claimed in claim 15, wherein the speed-reducing section is formed such that the gap in gear teeth of the rack and tooth grooves of each of the pinions is reduced.

17. The rail assembly for a drawer-type refrigerator as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising an engaging unit for allowing the pinion to be snapped on each of the movable rails.

18. The rail assembly for a drawer-type refrigerator as claimed in claim 17, wherein the engaging unit includes: a fastening plate fixed to each of the movable rails and composed of a fastening guide protruding with its top open and having a fastening groove formed therein and a fixing sill formed so as to protrude with a predetermined height above the fastening guide and having an elastic force so as to be elastically deformable, and a pinion having a fastening projection which is formed in the shape of a rotatable rectangular plate at an outer end of the pinion and fitted into the fastening groove.

19. The rail assembly for a drawer-type refrigerator as claimed in claim 18, wherein the fastening plate includes a fastening guide protruding with its top and bottom open and having a fastening groove formed therein and fixing sills formed so as to protrude with a predetermined height above and below the fastening guide and having an elastic force so as to be elastically deformable.

20. The rail assembly for a drawer-type refrigerator as claimed in claim 19, wherein the fastening plate is fixed to each of the movable rails with rivets.

21. The rail assembly for a drawer-type refrigerator as claimed in claim 18, wherein the parallel shaft is adapted to be elastically retracted in the longitudinal direction thereof.

22. The rail assembly for a drawer-type refrigerator as claimed in claim 21, wherein the parallel shaft includes: a middle part constituting the middle of the parallel shaft; and connecting parts respectively inserted into both ends of the middle part, and one ends of the connecting parts are supported by an elastic member in the interior of the middle part.

23. The rail assembly for a drawer-type refrigerator as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising an intermediate rail which is provided between each of the supporting sections and each of the movable rails, and is formed such that its outer side is movable along the supporting section, and its inner side supports the movable rail to allow the movable rail to be movable, thereby functioning to guide the movement of the movable rail.

24. The rail assembly for a drawer-type refrigerator as claimed in claim 23, further comprising an auxiliary rail which is provided between each of the supporting sections and each of the intermediate rails, and is formed such that its outer side is movable along the supporting section, and its inner side supports the movable rail to allow the movable rail to be movable, thereby functioning to guide the movement of the movable rail.

25. The rail assembly for a drawer-type refrigerator as claimed in claim 24, further comprising a rail cover which has its one side provided in the storage container and its other side fixed to each of the movable rails, and is provided between the storage container and the movable rail, is drawn out or accommodated with the draw-out or push-in of the storage container, and shields the movable rail, the intermediate rail, and the auxiliary rail when being accommodated.

26. The rail assembly for a drawer-type refrigerator as claimed in claim 25, wherein the rail cover includes: a front shielding part which shields the front of the movable rail, intermediate rail, and auxiliary rail, and an upper shielding part which shields the top of the movable rail, intermediate rail, and auxiliary rail.

27. The rail assembly for a drawer-type refrigerator as claimed in claim 26, wherein the rail cover is injection-molded of a plastic material.