CA2425469A1

CA2425469A1 - Bracket for support bases in household appliances

Info

Publication number: CA2425469A1
Application number: CA002425469A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Stefan Hubert; Werner Henkel; Kay-Uwe Witte
Original assignee: Schott Glas; Stefan Hubert; Werner Henkel; Kay-Uwe Witte; Schott Ag
Current assignee: Schott AG
Priority date: 2002-04-15
Filing date: 2003-04-15
Publication date: 2003-10-15
Also published as: DE10216769A1; US20040104323A1; ITMI20030750A1; CN1494843A; ES2232277B1; TR200300489A2; ES2232277A1; BR0300988A

Abstract

A bracket for support bases (10) in household appliances (12), for example refrigerators or freezers or stoves, is proposed, having at least one profiled rail (14) which is mounted, extending substantially vertically, in a reception chamber (16) of the household appliance (12), and having at least one support element (18), to which a support base (10) is attached and which can be selectively displaced along the profiled rail (14) or fixed in place on the profiled rail (14). In accordance with the invention, the support element (18) can be substantially positively fixed in place on the profiled rail (14) against a movement along tine profiled rail (14), preferably in the form of a frictional locking mechanism, or a clamp. The result is the creation of a simply embodied and easy to clean bracket for support bases in household appliances, which permits a more flexible adjustment of the height of the support bases than the prior art.

Description

BRACKET FOR SUPPORT BASES IN HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCES
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a bracket for support bases in household appliances, having at least one profiled rail, which is mounted, extending substantially vertically, in a reception chamber of the household appliance, and at least one support element to which a support base is attached and which can be selectively displaced along the profiled rail or can be fixed in place on the profiled rail. The invention in particular relates to a bracket for support bases in a refrigerator or a freezer, or in an oven.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Lt is desired in connection with such household appliances that the height of the support bases, which are embodied as supports for refrigerated or frozen goods, or supports for baked or roasted goods, can be adj usted, so that the distance of the support bases in respect to each other, or to the bottom or the ceiling of the refrigerator, freezer or oven compartment can be set in accordance with the size of the goods to be supported.
There is no lack of suggestions in the prior art as to how the support bases of household appliances can be made to be height-adjustable. For example, EP-A-0 619 4(i4, which defines the species, discloses a refrigerator with a part of the body delimiting a refrigeration compartment on which the refrigerator door is hinged, and with shelves attached to the lateral wall of the refrigerator.
Respectively two rails, which extend vertically and parallel with each other, are fastened on the lateral walls of the refrigerator for holding the shelves and are provided with snap-in recesses at predefined distances. Supporting elements are displaceably maintained in the rails, which can be selectively snapped into the snap-in recesses of the rails, so that the height of the shelves in the refrigerator compartment can be adjusted in steps. On their sides facing each other, the supporting elements are provided with guide elements, which engage grooves in the lateral front edges of the shelves, so that the shelves can be pulled out of the refrigerator compartment in the manner of drawers when the refrigerator door is open.

A support arrangement for refrigerated goods in refrigerators is furthermore known from EP-A-0 601 686, which has at least two profiled rails, two support arms, which are releasably attached thereon and on which a support plate for refrigerated goods is seated, as well as a transverse arm releasably attached to the profiled rails, to which a smaller support plate for refrigerated goods is attached, which is displaceable in the horizontal direction. The profiled rails made of metal or plastic are secured by means of screws on the rear wall of a refrigerator in such a way that they extend in the vertical direction and are spaced apart from each other in the horizontal direction. Each profiled rail has a U-shaped cross section and is provided over its length with a plurality of evenly spaced-apart slits. The slits are used for receiving hook-shaped ends of the support arms, or of the transverse arm. In this prior art, the height of the support plates for the refrigerated goods can be adjusted in steps, the same as in a commercially available shelf system, in that the support arms, or the transverse arm, are initially removed from the prafiled rails and are then suspended again with their hook-shaped ends in the appropriate slits at another location in the profiled rails.
Scissors mechanisms were also proposed for baking and roasting ovens (DE-U-75 07 126), whose scissors legs can be Locked together at different angular positions in order to adjust the height of the baking or roasting good support in steps, for which purpose a scissors leg is provided with a detent neck in the vicinity of the scissors joint, while the other scissors joint has a curved section with a plurality of catch recesses for the selective reception of the detent neck.
It is common to the above described known structures that the height of the support bases can only be adjusted by means of relatively large steps. Moreover, these support bases are hard to clean, in particular because of the catch recesses or slits required for the positive holding of the support bases, in which dirt can easily accumulate.
Finally, more elaborate drive mechanisms have also already been proposed for the height adjustment of the support bases. For example, in the construction described in EP-A-0 438 180, two support anus are provided for seating a support base, which are guided, displaceable in the vertical direction, in associated profiled guide elements arranged in corners between the back wall and the lateral walls of a refrigerator. There, each support arm is embodied as a housing for receiving a worm drive used for driving a pinion gear seated in the support arm. The pinion gear meshes with a section of a toothed rack on the profiled guide element assigned to the respective support arm, so that the support ann, and therefore the support base, can be adjusted in height by turning the pinion gear via the worm drive. Although this construction allows a substantially continuous height adjustment of the support bases, it is relatively elaborate, so that it considerably increases the cost of the refrigerator.
OBJECT AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Based on the prior art in accordance with EP-A-0 619 464, for example, the object of the invention is based on creating a bracket for support bases in household appliances which is designed to be as simple as possible and is easy to clean and permits a more flexible adjustment of the height of the support bases in contrast to the species-defining prior art.
This object is attained by means of the features recited in claim 1.
Advantageous, or practical further developments of the invention are the subject of claims 2 to 14.
In a bracket for support bases in household appliances, having at least one profiled rail mounted, substantially vertically extending, in a reception chamber of the household appliance, and at least one support element on which a support base is mounted and which can be selectively displaced along the profiled rail or can be fixed in place on the protiled rail, in accordance with the basic concept of the invention the support element can be fixed in place substantially positively in respect to a movement along the profiled rail.
Because of this embodiment of the fastening of the support element on the profiled rail, catch recesses or slits in the profiled rail can be omitted, so that the profiled rail can have a continuous, or smooth, and therefore easy to clean surface. Furthermore, the support element can be fixed in place in any arbitrary height position on the profiled rail, i.e. in the course of a height adjustment of the support base, there is no restriction to height positions preset in steps by the position of catch detents or slits, such as is the case in the above described prior art.
Continuing the basic concept of the invention, in accordance with an embodiment alternative of the positive fastening recited in claim 2, the support element can be fixed in place on the profiled rail in the manner of a frictional locking mechanism. For this purpose the support element has a first contact area, which can be placed against a front side of the profiled rail facing the support base, and a second contact area, which can be placed against a back of the profiled rail at a location which lies higher than the contact location in the first contact area at the front of the profiled rail. As a result, the support element is maintained on the profiled rail by static. friction, wherein the dead weight of the support element, of the support base and of the goods possibly deposited on the support base generates a torque at the support element, which is supported over the contact areas on the profiled rail. The forces F~>, which in the course of this have been exerted by the contact areas on the profiled rail and act normally in respect to the profiled rail, cause reaction forces F.> which, acting in the direction of the longitudinal extension of the profiled rail, maintain the support element on the profiled rail, i.e. counteract the dead weight of the support element, of the support base and of the goods possibly deposited on the support base, and whose value corresponds to the product of the normal force F~~ and the coefficient of static friction mu~.
In accordance with the teaching of claim 3, with the previously described embodiment alternative of dle positive fastening the support element has a sleeve section forming the first and second contact areas in a simple manner, which surrounds the profiled rail with play in such a way, that the support element can be tilted in relation to the profiled rail between a holding position, in which the contact areas rest against the front, or back, of the profiled rail, and a displacement position, in which the support element can be displaced along the prof led rail. Thus, in the course of the height adjustment of the support base, the sleeve section is advantageously employed also for the defined guidance of the support element on the profiled rail.
In accordance with claim 4, a receiving cutout is provided on the 2~ side of the support element facing the front of the profiled rail, into which a tapered slide can be inserted which, in the inserted state, rests against the support element, as well as against the front of the profiled rail in order to secure the support element in the holding position against tilting in respect to the profiled rail. It is thus prevented in a simple way that the support element is inadvertently tilted out of the holding position into the displacement position, for example by lifting the support base, and then slides downward along the profiled rail.
In accordance with claim 5, the tapered slide can have a protrusion on its side facing away from the profiled rail, which extends behind an undercut on the receiving cutout of the support element. There, the protrusion is used in an advantageous manner as a safeguard against loss of the tapered slide, wherein in the course of a height adjustment of the support base, it can be pulled out of the receiving cutout of the support element only until the protrusion comes to rest against the undercut of the receiving cutout.
Claim 6 provides that the second contact area of the support element is provided with micro-teeth, which can be brought into engagement with S complementary micro-teeth at the back of the profiled rail. The micro-teeth are intended to be used for the additional safeguarding of the support element against slipping along the profiled rail. The embodiment with micro-teeth is particularly recommended for applications in which, for example because of temperature or moisture conditions, only a small coefficient of static friction mug is provided, or wherein the latter could become reduced.
Further pursuing the basic concept of the invention, a second embodiment alternative of the positive fastening is disclosed in claim 7, in accordance with which the support element can be fixed in place on the profiled rail in the manner of a clamp. For this purpose, the support element has a slit and a resiliently embodied sleeve section enclosing the profiled rail, which is adjoined by two legs extending on both sides of the slit, which can be moved toward or away from each other from a holding position into a displacement position, and vice versa, by means of an eccentric toggle mechanism wherein, in the holding position, the sleeve section is clamped in place on the profiled rail, and in the displacement position snaps back in such a way that the support element can be displaced along the profiled rail. With this fastening principle, too, which is similar to the principle of fastening a seat support in the frame tube of a bicycle, the support element is maintained on the profiled rail in a simple manner by static friction.
In accordance; with the teaching of claim 8, the sleeve section advantageously has a cross-sectional shape of the inner circumference which, in cooperation with the cross-sectional shape of the outer circumference of the profiled rail, in the holding position positively prevents the twisting of the support element in a plane perpendicular to the direction of the longitudinal extension of the profiled rail, so that no additional components are required for this.
In principle, the support base can glued, riveted and/or screwed to the support element. In view of a good and simple cleaning possibility, however, the embodiment in accordance with claim 9 is preferred, wherein it is provided that the support base is releasably snapped together with the support element by means of at least one snap-on device. In accordance with the teaching of claim 10, the snap-on device there suitably has a plurality of resilient protrusions, which are fastened on the support element or embodied in one piece with it and which, in the assembled state of the support base, extend through a through-bore in the support base and on their free ends are each provided with a snap-in projection extending behind the support base. It would also be conceivable to fasten the protrusions to the support base, or to embody them in one piece with the latter, and to provide the associated, possibly undercut bores in the support element.
The support element usefully has an arm section as provided in claim 11, which has a flat contact surface on which the support base rests, wherein the at least one snap-on device is formed in the area of this contact surface. In accordance with claim 12, a groove advantageously adjoins the contact surface of the arm section in the direction toward the profiled rail, which is embodied in the support element and is used for the positive reception of an edge of the support base. In this way, in the course of lifting the support base, the snap-on device only needs to prevent the support base from being inadvertently separated from the contact surface of the ann section. When the support base is pushed down, a separation from the contact surface of the arm section is prevented by the groove.
In accordance with the teaching of claim 13, one end of the profiled rail is releasably received in a cutout in the bottom of the reception chamber, while the other end of the profiled rail is releasably received in a cutout in the ceiling of the reception chamber, wherein the length of the profiled rail is less by a defined amount than the clear distance of the bottoms of the cutouts, and wherein this amount is greater than the depth of the cutout in the bottom of the reception chamber. By means of this design a dependable fastening of the profiled rail in the reception chamber of the household appliance is provided for one. Furthermore, the profiled rail can be easily removed from the reception chamber, for example for cleaning purposes, without the necessity for undoing screws or the like.
Finally, claim 14 provides that the profiled rail advantageously has a cross-sectional shape on the outer circumference which, in cooperation with the cross-sectional shape at the inner circumference of the cutouts, positively prevents the twisting of the profiled rail in the cutouts, so that no additional components are required for this either.
The invention will be explained in greater detail in what follows by means of preferred exemplary embodiments, making reference to the attached, partially schematic drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRA WINGS
Fig. 1 is a perspective, partially cut plan view of a household appliance for illustrating the installation situation of a bracket in accordance with the invention for support bases arranged in the reception chamber of the household appliance, Fig. 2 is a lateral view of a bracket for support bases in accordance with a first exemplary embodiment of the invention, which is installed in the reception chamber of a household appliance shown in section, and wherein a support base support element in the manner of a frictional locking mechanism can be fixed in place on a profiled rail, Fig. 3 is an enlarged representation of the detail III in Fig. 2 which 1 S illustrates how the upper end of the profiled rail of the bracket is received in a cutout in the ceiling of the reception chamber, Fig. 4 is an enlarged representation of the detail IV in Fig. 2 which illustrates how the lower end of the profiled rail of the bracket is received in a cutout in the bottom of the reception chamber, Fig. 5 is a perspective broken-off longitudinal sectional view of the bracket in accordance with the first exemplary embodiment, Fig. 6 is a schematic broken-off longitudinal sectional view of the bracket in accordance with the first exemplary embodiment, wherein the support element of the bracket is in a holding position in which the support element cannot be displaced along the profiled rail, Fig. 7 is an enlarged representation of the detail VII in Fig. G, which illustrates that in the holding position of the support element an upper contact area of the support element rests against the back of the profiled rail, Fig. 8 is an enlarged representation of the detail VIII in Fig. 6, which illustrates that in the holding position of the support element a lower contact area of the support element rests against the front of the profiled rail, Fig. 9 is a schematic broken-off longitudinal sectional view of the bracket in accordance with the first exemplary embodiment similar to Fig. 6, wherein the support element of the bracket is in a displacement position in which the support element is displaceable along the profiled rail, Fig. 10 is an enlarged representation of the detail X in Fig. 9, which illustrates that in the displacement position of the support element the upper contact area of the support element is spaced apart from the back of the profiled rail, Fig. 1 I is an enlarged representation of the detail XI in Fig. 9, which illustrates that in the displacement position of the support element the lower contact area of the support element is spaced apart from the front of the profiled rail, Fig. 12 is a broken-off longitudinal sectional view of a bracket in accordance with the invention for support bases in a variation of the first exemplary embodiment, wherein the upper contact area of the support element, as well as the back of the profited rail, are provided with complementary micro-teeth, and a tapered slide is secured against loss on the support element at the front of the profiled rail, Fig. 13 is a broken-off sectional view of the bracket in Fig. 12 in accordance with the section line XIII - XIII in Fig. 12, Fig. 14 is a broken-off sectional view of the bracket, magnified in respect to the representation in Fig. 5, which illustrates how the support base is releasably fastened on the support element by means of a snap-on device, Fig. 15 is a broken-off perspective plan view of the support element in accordance with Fig. 14, in which the support base was removed for showing the snap-on device more clearly, Fig. 16 is a schematic perspective view of a bracket for support bases in accordance with a second exemplary embodiment of the invention, wherein the support base support element can be fixed in place on the profiled rail in the manner of a clamp, _ g _ Fig. 17 is a perspective cross-sectional plan view of the bracket of the second exemplary embodiment in accordance with the sectional line XVII -XVLI in Fig. 16, Fig. 18 is a cross-sectional plan view of the bracket of the second exemplary embodiment, wherein the support element is maintained in a holding position by means of an eccentric toggle mechanism, in which the support element is clamped in place on the profiled rail, and Fig. 19 is a cross-sectional plan view of the bracket of the second exemplary embodiment, wherein the support element is in its displacement position, in which the support element can be displaced along the profiled rail.

Claims

1. A bracket for support bases (10) in household appliances (12), having at least one profiled rail (14) which is mounted, extending substantially vertically, in a reception chamber (16) of the household appliance (12), and having at least one support element (18), to which a support base (10) is attached and which can be selectively displaced along the profiled rail (14) or fixed in place on the profiled rail (14), characterized in that the support element (18) can be substantially positively fixed in place on the profiled rail (14) against a movement along the profiled rail (14).

2. The bracket in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the support element (18) can be fixed in place on the profiled rail (14) in the manner of a frictional locking mechanism, for which purpose the support element (18) has a first contact area (20), which can be placed against a front side (22) of the profiled rail (14) facing the support base (l0), and has a second contact area (24), which can be placed against a back (26) of the profiled rail (14) at a location which lies higher than the contact location in the first contact area (20) at the front (22) of the profiled rail (14).

3. The bracket in accordance with claim 2, characterized in that the support element (18) has a sleeve section (28) forming the first and second contact areas (20, 24), which surrounds the profiled rail (14) with play in such a way, that the support element (18) can be tilted in relation to the profiled rail (14) between a holding position (Figs. 6 to 8), in which the contact areas (20, 24) rest against the front, or back (22, 26), of the profiled rail (14), and a displacement position (Figs.
9 to 11), in which the support element (18) can be displaced along the profiled rail (14).

4. The bracket in accordance with claim 3, characterized in that a receiving cutout (30) is provided on the side of the support element (18) facing the front (22) of the profiled rail (14), into which a tapered slide (32) can be inserted which, in the inserted state (Fig. 6), rests against the support element (18), as well as against the front (22) of the profiled rail (14) in order to secure the support element (18) in the holding position (Figs. 6 to 8) against tilting in respect to the profiled rail (14).

5. The bracket in accordance with claim 4, characterized in that the tapered slide (32) has a protrusion (34) on its side facing away from the profiled rail (14), which extends behind an undercut (36) on the receiving cutout (30) of the support element (18).

6. The bracket in accordance with one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that the second contact area (24) of the support element (18) is provided with micro-teeth (38), which can be brought into engagement with complementary micro-teeth (40) at the back (26) of the profiled rail (14).

7. The bracket in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the support element (18) can be fixed in place on the profiled rail (14) in the manner of a clamp, for which purpose the support element (18) has a slit and a resiliently embodied sleeve section (42) enclosing the profiled rail (14), which is adjoined by two legs (46, 48) extending on both sides of the slit (44), which can be moved toward or away from each other from a holding position (Figs. 16 to 18) into a displacement position (Fig. 19), and vice versa, by means of an eccentric toggle mechanism (50) wherein, in the holding position (Figs. 16 to 18), the sleeve section (42) is clamped in place on the profiled rail (14), and in the displacement position (Fig. 19) snaps back in such a way that the support element (18) can be displaced along the profiled rail (14).

8. The bracket in accordance with claim 3 or 7, characterized in that the sleeve section (28, 42) has a cross- sectional shape of the inner circumference which, in cooperation with the cross-sectional shape of the outer circumference of the profiled rail (14), in the holding position (Figs. 6 to 8, Figs. 16 to 18) positively prevents the twisting of the support element (18) in a plane perpendicular to the direction of the longitudinal extension of the profiled rail (14).

9. The bracket in accordance with one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the support base (10) is releasably snapped together with the support element (18) by means of at least one snap-on device (52).

10. The bracket in accordance with claim 9, characterized in that the snap-on device (52) has a plurality of resilient protrusions (54), which are fastened on the support element (18) or embodied in one piece with it and which, in the assembled state of the support base (10), extend through a through-bore (56) in the support base (10) and on their free ends are each provided with a snap-in projection (58) extending behind the support base (10).

11. The bracket in accordance with claim 9 or 10, characterized in that the support element (18) has an arm section (60), which has a flat contact surface (62) on which the support base (10) rests, wherein the at least one snap-on device (52) is formed in the area of the contact surface (62).

12. The bracket in accordance with claim 11, characterized in that a groove (64) adjoins the contact surface (62) of the arm section (60) in the direction toward the profiled rail (14), which is embodied in the support element (18) and is used for the positive reception of an (66) edge of the support base (10).

13. The bracket in accordance with one of the preceding claims, characterized in that one end (68) of the profiled rail (14) is releasably received in a cutout (70) in the bottom (72) of the reception chamber (16), while the other end (74) of the profiled rail (14) is releasable received in a cutout (76) in the ceiling (78) of the reception chamber (16), wherein the length (L) of the profiled rail (14) is less by a defined amount (B) than the clear distance (A) of the bottoms (80, 82) of the cutouts (70, 76), and wherein this amount (B) is greater than the depth (T) of the cutout (70) in the bottom (72) of the reception chamber (16).

14. The bracket in accordance with claim 13, characterized in that the profiled rail (14) has a cross-sectional shape on the outer circumference which, in cooperation with the cross-sectional shape at the inner circumference of the cutouts (70, 76) positively prevents the twisting of the profiled rail (14) in the cutouts (70, 76).