CA1167510A - Foldaway storage rack for refrigerators - Google Patents

Foldaway storage rack for refrigerators

Info

Publication number
CA1167510A
CA1167510A CA000375695A CA375695A CA1167510A CA 1167510 A CA1167510 A CA 1167510A CA 000375695 A CA000375695 A CA 000375695A CA 375695 A CA375695 A CA 375695A CA 1167510 A CA1167510 A CA 1167510A
Authority
CA
Canada
Prior art keywords
rack
collapsible
compartment
pivot
refrigerator
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired
Application number
CA000375695A
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Harvey S. Lambert
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Canadian Appliance Manufacturing Co Ltd
Original Assignee
Canadian Appliance Manufacturing Co Ltd
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Canadian Appliance Manufacturing Co Ltd filed Critical Canadian Appliance Manufacturing Co Ltd
Priority to CA000375695A priority Critical patent/CA1167510A/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of CA1167510A publication Critical patent/CA1167510A/en
Expired legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • AHUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A47FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
    • A47BTABLES; DESKS; OFFICE FURNITURE; CABINETS; DRAWERS; GENERAL DETAILS OF FURNITURE
    • A47B46/00Cabinets, racks or shelf units, having one or more surfaces adapted to be brought into position for use by extending or pivoting
    • AHUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A47FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
    • A47BTABLES; DESKS; OFFICE FURNITURE; CABINETS; DRAWERS; GENERAL DETAILS OF FURNITURE
    • A47B43/00Cabinets, racks or shelf units, characterised by features enabling folding of the cabinet or the like
    • FMECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25DREFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • F25D25/00Charging, supporting, and discharging the articles to be cooled
    • F25D25/02Charging, supporting, and discharging the articles to be cooled by shelves
    • FMECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25DREFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • F25D2331/00Details or arrangements of other cooling or freezing apparatus not provided for in other groups of this subclass
    • F25D2331/80Type of cooled receptacles
    • F25D2331/803Bottles
    • FMECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25DREFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • F25D2331/00Details or arrangements of other cooling or freezing apparatus not provided for in other groups of this subclass
    • F25D2331/80Type of cooled receptacles
    • F25D2331/809Holders

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Thermal Sciences (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Refrigerator Housings (AREA)

Abstract

Case 2792 FOLDAWAY STORAGE RACK FOR REFRIGERATORS
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE

There is described a novel collapsible wine rack for use in a domestic refrigerator. The collapsible wine rack includes a pair of pivot posts each having at least one rack extending therefrom. The pivot posts are mounted by an anchoring support structure to an interior side wall of the refrigerator. Each of the pivot posts is pivotable in opposing directions between a support position where the racks extend into the interior of the refrigerator to support a bottle and a collapsed position where the racks extend adjacent the interior wall of the refrigerator in overlapping fold-away relation.

Description

3 16~510 -1- Case 2792 FOLDAWAY STORAGE RACK FOR REFRIGER~TORS

The present invention relates to a moveable storage device for a food storage compartment. In particular, it relates to a collapsible rack means suitable for use in a domestic refrigerator.
Food storage racks in refrigerators commonly include a planar rack supported on studs attached to the interior walls of the refrigerator. The racks may be readily removed from the refrigerator to provide for storage of bulk items such as ! for example, soft drink and wine bottles. The disadvantage inherent in the use o these racks is the inconvenience of having to store a removed rack.
~; While pivotably moveable racks have been devised which are pivotably moveable into and out of the refrigerator, and are adjustable for vertical positioning of the rack, these racks require a relatively complex operating mechanism to provide the vertical positioning and pivotably rotating features. Furthermore, these pivotably moveable racks usually require the removal of food articles from the rack so as to adjust the vertical positioning of the rack. Such pivotably moveable racks are not commonly employed in refrigerators because of the extra cost associated with the operating mechanism and the increased complexity associated with the use o such racks.
It is therefore a feature of the present ~6751~
Case 2792 invention to provide a collapsible rack means which is readily stored within the refrigerator compartment when not in use.
Briefly, in its broadest aspects, the present invention provides a moveable storage device suitable for use in a food storage compartment. The storage device comprises a collapsible rack means and an anchoring means. The collapsible rack means is moueable between a support position for supporting articles within the compartment and a collapsed position for locating the rack means adjacent an interior wall portion of the compartment. The anchoring means supports the collapsible rack means in relative moveable relation to the interior wall portion of the compartment. Thus the food storage device of the present invention is readily stored within the food compartment~not in use.
Additionally, the anchoring means may pivotally support the rack means. The anchoring means may comprise an independent support structure which is mounted in fixed relation to the interior wall portion of the refrigerator. Alternatively, the anchoring means may be formed as an integral part of the interior wall means.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention the food storage means consists of a domestic refrigerator. While it is envisaged that the interior wall portion to which the anchoring means is secured may ~ comprise a portion of the door, rear wall, top wall, ; bottom wall, or a side waIl of the refrigerator, the anchoring means is preferably secured in fixed relation to a side wall of the refrigerator. In the preferred embodiment, the collapsible rack means includes a rack portion having a broad U-shaped portion which is suitable for supporting wine bottles in a substantially horizontal plane. The rack portion is fixed to its pivot post which, in turn, is pivotally secured with Case 2792 the anchoring means. In another construction of the invention, the rack portion of the collapsible rack means may comprise a horizontally extending rack which supports food articles. This rack portion would be attached to its pivot post via a coupling device which could be rotatable to rotate the horizontally extending rack portion into a vertically extending rack. Once the rack portion was rotated into this vertically extending position, the pivot post could pivot the rack portion into its collapsed position so as to locate the vertically extending rack portion adjacent the interior wall of the food storage compartment.
For a better unaerstanding of the nature and objects of the present invention, reference may be had, by way of example, to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings for the preferred embodiment of the present invention in which:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a wine rack suitable for use in a food storage compartment, the wine rack being shown in its collapsed position;
Figure 2 is a view similar to figure 1, but shows the wine rack in its supporting position;
Figure 3 is a sectional view taken along line III-III of figure 2; and, 25Figure 4 is an enlarged ~iew of a portion of the pivot post shown in relation to the anchoring means and is shown on the same sheet as figure 1.
Referring to the drawings, the preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown to comprise a moveable storage device 10 comprising a collapsible rack means 12 and an anchoring means 14.
Anchoring means 14 is shown to comprise a rectangular frame-like structure and may be formed from an injection-molded plastic. Anchoring means 14 is 5 ~ ~
Case 2792 further provided with apertures 16 through which suitable fastening means may pass to secure the anchoring means in fixed relation to the interior wall 17 of a refrigerator (see figure 2).
The collapsible rack means 12 is shown to comprise a pair of pivot posts 18 having ends 20 secured within receiving portions 22 of anchoring means 14 (see figure 3). Each of the pivot posts 18 further includes wire rack portions 24 secured by suitable means, such as, for example, welding, to its respective pivotal post 18.
The anchoring means 14 supports the collapsible rack means 12 such that each of the upper and lower rack portions 24 are horizontally aligned when the collapsible rack means 12 .is in its support position, as shown in figure 2, so as to support wine bottle 25. Wine bottle 25 is supported by a broad U-shaped portion 26 of rack portions 24. As shown in figure 1 the anchoring means 14 supports the collapsible rack means 12 in its collapsed position such that the rack portions 24 lie adjacent the interior wall of the refrigerato:r. As shown in figure 1 the length of the rack portions ~4 and the spacing between the pivotal posts 18 are such that the rack portions 24 overlap in ~old-away relation when the collapsible rack means 12 is in its collapsed position. The mutual horizontal alignment of the rack portions 24 is due, in part, to the parallel spaced relation of the pivot posts 18. Furthermore, as is apparent from the drawings, each pivot post 18 rotates in a direction that is opposite to the rotation of the other pivot post so as to provide the fold-away feature for the rack portions 24.
Referring to figure 4, each of the pivot posts 18 is further provided with a boss member which is shown in the form of a lower arm portion of lower rack portion ~75~
Case 2792 24 and which protrudes at one end of the pivot post 18.
The anchor.ing means 14 is further provided with first and second boss receiving means 28 and 30 which receive the boss member or lower arm portion of lower rack portion 24 to positively locate the collapsible rack means in its support position and its collapsed positionl respectively.
The moveable storage device lO may be readily assembled within a refrigerator by passing securing means through apertures 16 of the anchoring means 14 thereby securing the anchoring means in fixed relation to the interior side wall 17 of a refrigerator. Of course, the collapsible rack means 12 will have already been inserted in the anchoring means 14. This assembly of the collapsible rack means 12 in pivotable moveable relation with the anchoring means 14 is readily accomplished due to the spring-loading of the pivot post 18 through the use of coil spring 32 (see figure 3).
~ It should be understood that the foregoing has been a description of the preferred embodiment of the present invention and that alternate embodiments may be readily apparent thererom to a man skilled in the art.
Accordingly, the present invention should be limited only to that which is claimed in the accompanying claims.

Claims (12)

Case 2792 The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:
1. In a food storage compartment, a moveable storage device comprising:
anchoring means for supporting a collapsible rack means in relative moveable relation to an interior wall portion of said compartment, said collapsible rack means moveable between a support position for supporting articles within said compartment and a collapsed position for locating said rack means adjacent an interior wall portion, said collapsible rack means including two spaced apart pivot posts pivotally supported by said anchoring means, each of said pivot posts further including a rack portion extending therefrom inwardly into said compartment when said collapsible rack means is in its support position, and said rack portion extending from said pivot post adjacent said interior wall portion when said collapsible means is in its collapsed position.
2. The compartment of claim 1 wherein said pivot post includes more than one rack means.
3. The compartment of claim 1 wherein said two pivot posts are substantially vertical, and each of said pivot posts being pivotable in opposing directions.
4. The compartment of claim 3 wherein the length of the rack portion of each of said pivot posts is such that when said collapsible means is in its collapsed position the rack portions are located in mutual overlapping fold-away relation.
5. The compartment of claim 1 wherein said pivot post has a boss member protruding at one end thereof and said anchoring means has first and second boss receiving means for receiving the boss member and positively locating the collapsible means in its support position and collapsed position, respectively.

- 7 - Case 2792
6. The compartment of claim 3 wherein each said pivot post has a boss member protruding at one end thereof and said anchoring means has first and second boss receiving means for receiving each of the boss members and positively locating the collapsible means in its support position and collapsed position, respectively.
7. The compartment of claim 1 wherein the ends of said pivot post are pivotally mounted to said anchoring means.
8. The compartment of claim 7 wherein said pivot posts are spring loaded for mounting to said anchoring means.
9. The compartment of claim 3 wherein the rack positions are horizontally aligned and have a broad U-shaped portion for supporting bottles.
10. The compartment of claim 1 wherein said interior wall comprises an interior side wall of a refrigerator .
11. A collapsible wine rack for use in a domestic refrigerator having an interior side wall, said wine rack comprising:
collapsible rack means moveable between a support position for supporting a bottle in said refrigerator and a collapsed position locating said rack means adjacent the interior side wall, said rack means including first and second pivot posts each having at least one rack portion, the one rack portion of the first pivot post being horizontally aligned with the one rack portion of the second pivot post so as to support the bottle when the collapsible means is in its support position and to overlap in fold-away relation when the collapsible means is in its collapsed position; and, anchoring means mounted in fixed relation to the interior side wall for pivotally supporting the pivot posts of said collapsible rack means.

- 8 - Case 2792
12. A collapsible wine rack as defined in claim 11 wherein said posts are substantially vertically disposed.
CA000375695A 1981-04-16 1981-04-16 Foldaway storage rack for refrigerators Expired CA1167510A (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CA000375695A CA1167510A (en) 1981-04-16 1981-04-16 Foldaway storage rack for refrigerators

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CA000375695A CA1167510A (en) 1981-04-16 1981-04-16 Foldaway storage rack for refrigerators

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
CA1167510A true CA1167510A (en) 1984-05-15

Family

ID=4119760

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CA000375695A Expired CA1167510A (en) 1981-04-16 1981-04-16 Foldaway storage rack for refrigerators

Country Status (1)

Country Link
CA (1) CA1167510A (en)

Cited By (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2008015188A3 (en) * 2006-07-31 2008-03-27 Arcelik As A cooling device
EP2090855A1 (en) 2008-02-13 2009-08-19 Electrolux Home Products Corporation N.V. A cooling appliance having a bottle support
WO2011029756A1 (en) 2009-09-08 2011-03-17 Vestel Beyaz Esya Sanayi Ve Ticaret A.S. A bottle rack arrangement
CN104266449A (en) * 2014-10-14 2015-01-07 合肥美的电冰箱有限公司 Bottle rack assembly and refrigerator
DE102016205992A1 (en) 2016-04-11 2017-10-12 BSH Hausgeräte GmbH Refrigerating appliance with bottle holder
EP3153799A4 (en) * 2014-06-03 2017-11-01 Hefei Hualing Co., Ltd. Refrigerator
US11441835B1 (en) * 2021-02-24 2022-09-13 Whirlpool Corporation Refrigerator appliance and containment system for contents of refrigerator appliance

Cited By (8)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2008015188A3 (en) * 2006-07-31 2008-03-27 Arcelik As A cooling device
EP2090855A1 (en) 2008-02-13 2009-08-19 Electrolux Home Products Corporation N.V. A cooling appliance having a bottle support
WO2011029756A1 (en) 2009-09-08 2011-03-17 Vestel Beyaz Esya Sanayi Ve Ticaret A.S. A bottle rack arrangement
EP3153799A4 (en) * 2014-06-03 2017-11-01 Hefei Hualing Co., Ltd. Refrigerator
CN104266449A (en) * 2014-10-14 2015-01-07 合肥美的电冰箱有限公司 Bottle rack assembly and refrigerator
CN104266449B (en) * 2014-10-14 2017-12-19 合肥美的电冰箱有限公司 Bottle holder component and refrigerator
DE102016205992A1 (en) 2016-04-11 2017-10-12 BSH Hausgeräte GmbH Refrigerating appliance with bottle holder
US11441835B1 (en) * 2021-02-24 2022-09-13 Whirlpool Corporation Refrigerator appliance and containment system for contents of refrigerator appliance

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