WO2016066214A1

WO2016066214A1 - Refrigeration appliance shelf connected with storage container railing device

Info

Publication number: WO2016066214A1
Application number: PCT/EP2014/073433
Authority: WO
Inventors: Ahmet SERT; Dilek SUR; Hulusi Han Iyigun; Akin Ozdemir; Ali Gokhan GENC
Original assignee: Arcelik Anonim Sirketi
Priority date: 2014-10-31
Filing date: 2014-10-31
Publication date: 2016-05-06
Also published as: EP3213015A1; TR201512615A2

Abstract

The present invention relates to a refrigeration appliance (1) having a shelf (4) that is connectable with a storage container's (5) railing device (6) within the cabin (2) of the refrigeration appliance (1). The present invention more particularly relates to a refrigeration appliance (1) having an interior cabin (2) enclosed by a heat-insulating housing, a door opening and closing a front side of the cabin (2), at least one shelf (4) to carry food receptacles and at least one extractable storage container (5) to store food items in a refrigerated manner, the extractable storage container (5) mechanically communicating with railing devices (6) disposed on inner lateral walls (3) of the cabin (2) and effecting guiding and carrying thereof.

Description

REFRIGERATION APPLIANCE SHELF CONNECTED WITH STORAGE CONTAINER RAILING DEVICE

The present invention relates to a refrigeration appliance having at least shelf that is connected with a storage container’s railing device within the cabin of the refrigeration appliance.

A refrigeration appliance has a plurality of shelves and containers for preserving food items. While a plurality of shelves may carry various size food containers, a plurality of withdrawable containers may typically be arranged in the manner to extend in parallel with the base of the appliance so as to be movable out of the internal space thereof in order for allowing users to reach stored food items.

Extractable containers are generally designated as a vegetable or fruit storage container or freezer compartment container typically accommodated in a freezer compartment of the appliance. An extractable container may be typically connected to the appliance cabin’s inner walls by means of railing devices disposed on the lateral walls to provide guiding and carrying of the container while it is moved back and forth.

A refrigerator shelf’s connection with the inner compartment walls of the refrigeration appliance can be made by various connection elements, which may substantially affect production efficiency of the refrigeration appliance as a large number of individual connection elements can be necessary for a single shelf.

Therefore, a more efficient manner of providing mechanical stability is desirable so as to decrease manufacturing costs through reduction of man-hours. It is further to be noted that a large number of connection elements may also significantly contribute to the overall costs in a mass-produced appliance.

A prior art publication in the technical field of the present invention may be referred to as EP0685695 B1 among others, the document disclosing a refrigerator including one or more shelves for cooled products The shelves can be pulled out on guides fitted to the interior side walls. The forward movement of the shelves is limited by leaf spring catches fitted to the side edges of the shelves, acting in conjunction with opposing catches in the interior refrigerator wall. The limiting action of the catches can be overridden by means of an operating mechanism and the shelf may be completely removed from the refrigerator. The front ends of the shelf edges are fitted with sliding components made of a material which slides against the shelf guide.

The present invention provides a refrigeration appliance having at least one extractable container and at least one shelf, connection of the at least one shelf with the inner compartment walls of the refrigeration appliance being effected in a particularly practical manner in direct engagement with railing devices of the extractable container instead of the inner compartment walls as defined by the characterizing features as n Claim 1 and subsequent Claims.

Primary object of the present invention is hence to provide a refrigeration appliance with at least one extractable container and at least one shelf, the shelf having engagement with railing devices, the latter in turn guidingly supporting the at least one extractable container.

The present invention proposes a refrigeration appliance having a shelf with at least a pair of grappling members preferably integral therewith to laterally protrude at each lateral side engaging with a railing device being secured on the inner lateral walls of the refrigeration appliance cabin.

The grappling member is inserted into a guide appendage of the railing device outside an elongate surface portion thereof delimited by a peripheral edge projecting out of the lateral wall. This portion constitutes a channel in which the storage container can be guidably moved into and out of the cabin.

The guide appendage is an additional depth-wise channel in the direction of the rear wall of the cabin and receives the grappling member in a direction perpendicular to the lateral wall. The end portion of the grappling member is retained in a retaining cavity portion of the guide appendage in a depth-wise delimited manner.

An evaporator cover closes an evaporator at the rear wall part of the cabin. It further features movement restriction extensions a certain distance above the shelf’s innermost portion. At least one lower movement restriction extension carries the shelf.

Accompanying drawings are given solely for the purpose of exemplifying a refrigeration appliance comprising at least one extractable container and at least one shelf, whose advantages over prior art were outlined above and will be explained in brief hereinafter.

The drawings are not meant to delimit the scope of protection as identified in the claims nor should they be referred to alone in an effort to interpret the scope identified in the claims without recourse to the technical disclosure in the description of the present invention.

Fig. 1 partially demonstrates a general perspective view of a refrigeration appliance cabin with a shelf in fixed position according to the present invention.

Fig. 2 partially demonstrates a front perspective view of the refrigeration appliance cabin with a shelf in fixed position according to the present invention.

Fig. 3 demonstrates a cross-sectional view of the refrigeration appliance cabin taken along line F-F in Fig. 2 according to the present invention.

Fig. 4 demonstrates an enlarged view of detail A as shown in Fig. 3 according to the present invention.

Fig. 5 demonstrates an enlarged view of detail B as shown in Fig. 3 according to the present invention.

Fig. 6 partially demonstrates a general perspective view of a refrigeration appliance cabin with a shelf in fixed position and an extractable container according to the present invention.

Fig. 7 partially demonstrates a front perspective view of the refrigeration appliance cabin with a shelf in fixed position and an extractable container according to the present invention.

Fig. 8 demonstrates a cross-sectional view of the refrigeration appliance cabin taken along line B-B in Fig. 7 according to the present invention.

Fig. 9 demonstrates a cross-sectional view of the refrigeration appliance cabin taken along line E-E in Fig. 8 according to the present invention.

The following numerals are assigned to different parts demonstrated in the drawings:

Refrigeration appliance
Cabin
Lateral wall
Shelf
Storage container
Railing device
Peripheral edge
Roller
Grappling member
Guide appendage
Evaporator cover
Retaining cavity
Movement restriction extension
Connection member

The present invention relates to a refrigeration appliance (1) having an interior refrigeration cabin (2) enclosed by a heat-insulating housing and at least one shelf (4) for carrying food receptacles in a supported manner and at least one storage container (5) for storing food items in a refrigerated manner.

The refrigeration appliance (1) typically has a main body with a multitude of storage chambers and doors opening and closing a front side of the main body. A refrigerating cabin (2) as well as a freezing cabin (2) is preferably disposed so as to provide separate divisions within the inside of the main body. The cabin (2) of the invention therefore comprises a plurality of shelves (4) as well as withdrawable storage containers (5), the latter being generally designated as a storage space for food items such as vegetables and fruits.

In accordance with the present invention, a certain number of storage containers (5) are configured to communicate with railing device (6) mechanisms at inner lateral walls (3) of the cabin (2). The railing devices (6) are in turn secured on the lateral walls (3) to effect guiding and carrying of a storage container (5) into and out of the inside of the cabin (2). Oppositely disposed rollers (8) facilitate and guide displacement of the storage containers (5) in and out.

The railing devices (5) comprise a generally rectangular peripheral edge (7) projecting out from the lateral walls (3). The peripheral edge (7) defines and delimits a generally rectangular channel in which the storage container’s (5) reciprocating connection members (14) are guided in a supported manner during movement thereof into and out of the cabin (2).

In accordance with the present invention, at least a pair of grappling members (9) of the shelf (4), each one protruding at one side thereof and in direct engagement with respective railing devices (6) instead of the inner compartment lateral walls (3) provides that the shelf (4) can be secured without any connection member necessarily in contact with the lateral walls (3). This arrangement is advantageous in that no structural design in order for connecting the shelf (4) with the lateral walls (3) is required, which would necessitate use of various connection elements in which case production efficiency of the refrigeration appliance (1) would be adversely affected as a large number of individual connection elements can be necessary for a single shelf (4).

Each grappling member (9) of the shelf (4) establishes an engagement-type connection with a respective guide appendage (10) of the railing devices (6). The guide appendages (10) are additional support extensions preferably integrally manufactured with the railing devices (6) and extending in a depth-wise direction into the rear wall of the cabin (2), in parallel with the railing devices’ (6) depth-wise channels. An evaporator cover (11) constitutes the rear wall of the cabin (2) and features additional means for positioning the shelf (4) as will be delineated hereinafter.

The inter-engaging relationship of the grappling member (9) of the shelf (4) with the guide appendage (10) is shown in Fig. 4. The grappling members (9) oriented in a perpendicular direction from the shelf (4) extending in the direction of the railing devices (6) fit in guide appendages (10) such that end portions of the grappling members (9) are urged into engaged relation with a retaining cavity (12) portion of the guide appendages (10). The mechanical connection between the shelf (4) and the lateral walls (3) is therefore securely established without requiring any connection elements specifically communicating with the lateral walls (3), such as screws, nuts, rivets, pins, threaded couplings and the like, which may substantially contribute to the manufacturing efficiency of the refrigeration appliance (1) because mounting of a substantial number of connection elements is avoided and manufacturing costs are decreased through reduction of such components and man-hours accordingly.

The retaining cavity (12) of the guide appendage (10) helps retain the grappling member (9) in a seated position. When the grappling members (9) are fitted in the retaining cavities (12), the shelf’s (4) accidental displacement is prevented.

The grappling members (9) extending out from the shelf’s (4) lateral edges in the direction to the lateral walls (3) with a relative distance arrangement do not interfere with the region defined by the peripheral edges (7) of the railing devices (6) so that the operability of the storage container (5) is not affected.

The evaporator cover (11) is provided with movement restriction extensions (13) in the proximity of the shelf’s (4) innermost portion proximate the evaporator cover (11). These movement restriction extensions (13) project out of the evaporator cover (11) surface in parallel to the shelf (4) plane and prevent tipping over of the shelf (4) due to possible unbalanced load distribution thereon. A set of movement restriction extensions (13) are provided above the shelf (4) with a small distance in between and another set disposed below directly carries the same.

In a nutshell, the present invention proposes a refrigeration appliance (1) having an interior cabin (2) enclosed by a heat-insulating housing, a door opening and closing a front side of the cabin (2), at least one shelf (4) to carry food receptacles and at least one extractable storage container (5) to store food items in a refrigerated manner, the extractable storage container (5) mechanically communicating with railing devices (6) disposed on inner lateral walls (3) of the cabin (2) and effecting guiding and carrying thereof.

In one embodiment of the invention, each of at least a pair of or at least one grappling member (9) in association with the shelf (4) protrudes at one side in direct engagement with a respective railing device (6) being secured on the lateral wall (3). The fact that the connection is established between a railing device (6) and a grappling member (9) ensures that no structural modification is required on the lateral wall (3) to provide a mating receiving means for fixing the shelf (4). Therefore an already existing railing device (6) advantageously serves for fulfilling two separate functions.

In a further embodiment of the invention, the grappling member (9) of the shelf (4) establishes an engagement-type connection with a guide appendage (10) of the railing device (6). The guide appendage (10) is structured such that the shelf (4) is supported without interference with the storage container’s (5) operation, meaning that if the latter is temporarily removed, the shelf (4) can perform its regular function, or if the storage container (5) is maintained for use, the shelf (4) below occupies minimal space in the cabin (2).

In a further embodiment of the invention, the railing device (6) comprise a peripheral edge (7) projecting out of the lateral wall (3) so as to define and delimit a channel in which the storage container’s (5) reciprocating connection members (14) are guided in a supported manner during movement thereof into and out of the cabin (2).

In a further embodiment of the invention, the guide appendage (10) is structurally configured as additional support extension outside the area defined by the channel within the peripheral edge (7)

In a further embodiment of the invention, the guide appendage (10) extends in a depth-wise direction to a rear wall of the cabin (2) in parallel with the railing device (6) area. Although, the guide appendage (10) provides a certain depth-wise distance, a retaining cavity (12) helps imparting a stable position to the shelf (4) in the depth-wise direction.

In a further embodiment of the invention, the grappling member (9) is oriented in a perpendicular direction from the shelf (4) extending in the direction of the railing devices (6) to fit in the guide appendage (9).

In a further embodiment of the invention, end portion of the grappling member (9) is urged into engaged relation with a depth-wise delimited retaining cavity (12) portion of the guide appendage (10).

In a further embodiment of the invention, the rear wall of the cabin (2) is constituted by an evaporator cover (11) provided with at least one movement restriction extension (13) in the proximity of the shelf’s (4) innermost portion and spaced from the shelf‘s (4) plane a certain distance above the shelf (4). The movement restriction extension (13) serving to the purpose of ensuring balanced use, are small parts with no interaction with the storage container (5), which can be positioned directly above the shelf (4).

In a further embodiment of the invention, the movement restriction extensions (13) project out of the evaporator cover (11) surface in a direction parallel to the shelf (4) plane.

In a further embodiment of the invention, the guide appendage (10) is integrally formed with the railing device (6). This is especially advantageous in lowering manufacturing costs as a single device with a plurality of functions is obtainable.

In a further embodiment of the invention, at least one roller (8) is disposed in the channel defined by the peripheral edge (7) to facilitate and guide displacement of the storage containers (5) in and out.

Therefore, the present invention provides a refrigeration appliance (1) the extractable storage containers (5) of which travel in engagement with two railing devices (6) and additionally a shelf (4) is connectable to the railing devices (6) without requiring any further connection elements. Particularly, the invention ensures that the user can selectively use the shelf (4) by removing the storage container (5) or can use the refrigeration appliance (1) without removing the storage container (5) while minimally affected by the space occupied by then non-usable shelf (4).

Claims

A refrigeration appliance (1) having an interior cabin (2) enclosed by a heat-insulating housing, a door opening and closing a front side of the cabin (2), at least one shelf (4) to carry food receptacles and at least one extractable storage container (5) to store food items in a refrigerated manner, the extractable storage container (5) mechanically communicating with railing devices (6) disposed on inner lateral walls (3) of the cabin (2) and effecting guiding and carrying thereof, characterized in that

at least one grappling member (9) in association with the shelf (4) protrudes at one side in direct engagement with a respective railing device (6) being secured on the lateral wall (3).
A refrigeration appliance (1) as in Claim 1, characterized in that the grappling member (9) of the shelf (4) establishes an engagement-type connection with a guide appendage (10) of the railing device (6).
A refrigeration appliance (1) as in Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the railing device (6) comprise a peripheral edge (7) projecting out of the lateral wall (3) so as to define and delimit a channel in which the storage container’s (5) reciprocating connection members (14) are guided in a supported manner during movement thereof into and out of the cabin (2).
A refrigeration appliance (1) as in Claim 2 and 3, characterized in that the guide appendage (10) is structurally configured as additional support extension outside the area defined by the channel within the peripheral edge (7).
A refrigeration appliance (1) as in Claim 4, characterized in that the guide appendage (10) extends in a depth-wise direction to a rear wall of the cabin (2) in parallel with the railing device (6) area.
A refrigeration appliance (1) as in Claim 4 or 5, characterized in that the grappling member (9) is oriented in a perpendicular direction from the shelf (4) extending in the direction of the railing devices (6) to fit in the guide appendage (9).
A refrigeration appliance (1) as in Claim 5, characterized in that end portion of the grappling member (9) is urged into engaged relation with a depth-wise delimited retaining cavity (12) portion of the guide appendage (10).
A refrigeration appliance (1) as in Claim 1, characterized in that the rear wall of the cabin (2) is constituted by an evaporator cover (11) provided with at least one movement restriction extension (13) in the proximity of the shelf’s (4) innermost portion and spaced from the shelf‘s (4) plane a certain distance above the shelf (4).
A refrigeration appliance (1) as in Claim 8, characterized in that the movement restriction extension (13) projects out of the evaporator cover (11) surface in a direction parallel to the shelf (4) plane.
A refrigeration appliance (1) as in Claim 2, characterized in that the guide appendage (10) is integrally formed with the railing device (6).
A refrigeration appliance (1) as in Claim 3, characterized in that at least one roller (8) is disposed in the channel defined by the peripheral edge (7) to facilitate and guide displacement of the storage containers (5) in and out.