CZ20002765A3 - Shelf for holding articles, especially in refrigeration units - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a shelf (1) for holding articles, especially in refrigeration units, comprising at least one supporting plate (2) embodied by at least one panel made of glass or possibly a plastic material, and at least one corner piece (4, 5, 6, 7) which is preferably made of a plastic material and covers only one corner (8, 9, 10, 11) of the plate. This type of shelf is especially economical.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a shelf (or compartment or drawer) for storing articles which is intended to be mounted or mounted horizontally on a furniture structure. In particular, it relates to a shelf particularly suitable for use in refrigerated cabinets or freezers for storing in particular foodstuffs.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is known in household refrigerators to use compartments in the form of solid plastic or glass plates which are easy to clean, hygienic and allow efficient storage of all kinds of food. It is also known to provide these plates with a rim to eliminate the risk of injury to the edges of the plates and / or to reinforce the plates. In the case of a rim of plastic, this rim is typically formed by placing the plate in a mold and injecting the plastic around the periphery of the plate to form a peripheral strip. It is also known to flange the leading edge of a plate and a portion of adjacent side edges with a plastic profile of suitable dimensions, and optionally to hem the rear edge and a portion of adjacent side edges with another plastic profile of suitable dimensions. In any case, changing the size of the board requires adjusting the dimensions of the skirt and hence changing the form and / or profiles, which incurs additional costs.

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SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a new hygienic, practical and product-safe shelf, especially for refrigerators, easier and more economical to manufacture than the shelves mentioned above, especially to be manufactured with different dimensions without incurring the cost of resizing.

This object is achieved by means of a shelf according to the invention comprising at least one support plate formed by at least one glass or plastic sheet, further comprising at least one corner piece, preferably made of plastic, the corner piece covering a single corner of the plate.

The shelf plate (or support plate) of the invention is generally plate-shaped or alternatively has an element with an approximately planar surface of low thickness relative to its surface; it has an upper surface (in the operative position), which is generally approximately planar, which is intended to accommodate the articles, further has a lower side, said sides being bounded or delimited by at least two adjacent side sides forming at least one angle or corner. In the following description, as is evident, the angle or corner of the plate is understood to be the angle formed by the lateral sides of the plate, i.e. the angle in the plane of the plate (i.e., in the horizontal plane when the plate is in a functional position).

The board has at least one corner, typically multiple corners. In many cases it has four corners; it is generally rectangular in shape (with its top or horizontal section in the position of use), but may have a different shape, such as ···

000 0 0 square or other polygon.

The plate is formed by at least one sheet of glass or possibly plastic (preferably transparent, for aesthetic and practical reasons). In most cases, the sheet is a single sheet, generally a few millimeters thick, but in some cases a more complicated structure may be considered, in particular a laminate comprising for example a plurality of sheets of glass and / or plastic and optionally comprising one or more sheets of another material. If the plate has a complex structure, in particular a laminate, it preferably has a glass or plastic sheet on the top side (for hygiene and maintenance reasons) for storing the products. The sheet preferably comprises one or more sheets of glass, the use of this material within the scope of the invention providing advantages in terms of hygiene, stiffness, durability, etc. For safety reasons, the sheet is preferably tempered, especially when the sheet consists of a single sheet of glass.

The surface of the plate is generally solid, but it may be possible to use a plate with one or more perforated areas. It is also possible to use a plate having one or more grooves or one or more recesses or, optionally, one or more reliefs, for example, as described below, a plate having one or more grooves for receiving or retaining the attached parts, in particular for receiving the cover parts. The board may be provided with decorative or functional layers or patterns, on the surface or in the interlayer, in particular decorative patterns formed by a baking ink, for example by screen printing and subsequent firing. For aesthetic and practical reasons, the board is preferably completely or partially transparent.

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According to the invention, the shelf comprises at least one corner part (or corner protection or corner lining, or rather a corner protective part or corner covering part), preferably made of plastic, each corner part covering one corner or angle of the plate. The corner piece according to the invention is a rounded or angled piece adapted to the corner of the plate to be trimmed. It has two lateral portions or arms (which are connected through an arc or angle) that can at least partially cover each of the two adjacent lateral sides of the plate forming the corner to be clad. The corner protector may cover the corner and the two sides at a portion of their height or all of their height and / or at a portion of adjacent edges of the lower and / or upper side, the lining may vary according to location. in certain places narrow sides of the plate). Preferably, the corner portion covers the corner on the above-mentioned sides at least in part of their height (and preferably in their entire height at least at the level of the edges projecting the intersection of the angle-forming sides) and in a portion of adjacent edges of the bottom and top sides.

The length of each arm of the corner piece is generally chosen to be less than or equal to, preferably less than the length of the side it covers. Preferably, for a certain product area, such as a refrigerator shelf for which the dimensions vary by a few centimeters depending on the brand and size, one corner piece is used for all shelves produced for said product area, each arm having a length less than or equal to is the smallest standard length of the side to be covered in that product area.

The storage plate has several corners. According to the invention, it is provided in at least one of these corners with at least one

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9999 9 999 9999 The corner piece described above, most often comprises a plurality of corner pieces, each corner piece covering one corner of the support plate. Advantageously, the shelf has as many corner pieces of the type described above (but the components may, however, exhibit differences with each other, as will be illustrated below) as the corner plate has, each corner of the plate being covered by one corner piece. In the most common case where the plate is rectangular, it is preferably provided with four corner pieces, each covering one corner of the plate.

The shelf-forming plate according to the invention has a lining in the form of at least one corner piece, as a rule and preferably in the form of at least a few corner pieces described above, which parts are separable from each other and from other possibly present cover elements. Preferably, the board is surrounded by a lining around the entire perimeter, the lining preferably comprising a plurality of separate cover parts (including the corner part or parts mentioned above) which are assembled, each corner part covering, in whole or in part, one side or two adjacent side of the plate. In particular, cover pieces, for example straight pieces, may be used to trim parts of the plate not covered by corner pieces; however, preferably, especially for economic and practical reasons, the board is provided as circumferential lining parts only with the corner parts mentioned above, which parts preferably have a length and shape such that they themselves cover the entire perimeter of the board.

Obviously, the shelf according to the invention is particularly advantageous, especially in production terms, since it comprises at least one cover piece in the form of a corner piece which can itself protect a sharp edge (in the corner of the plate) and a portion of at least two adjacent sides of the plate dimensions. Specifically, these

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Corner parts can be adapted to the selected corner of the slab when changing the dimensions of the slab without changing their shape or geometric configuration or thickness. Thus, it is possible to provide different shelves of different sizes according to the invention, having at least one lining at the most sensitive places without the need to modify the covering parts used.

Preferably, at least two cover portions, preferably a set of cover portions of the sides of the shelf, according to the invention are adapted to be assembled together. In particular, according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, at least one, preferably each corner piece is adapted to be assembled with an adjacent cover piece of the side faces of the plate. Preferably, the board is provided as cover parts only with the parts mentioned above, the parts being of such length and shape that they are assembled together to cover the entire periphery of the board.

Particularly preferably, the at least two cover portions and preferably a set of cover portions of the sides of the plate are adapted to be assembled together in part, preferably in large part, of their lengths and for insertion or insertion into one another to form a telescopic cover portion assembly. In a particularly preferred, preferred embodiment of the invention the at least one corner part, preferably at least two corner parts, and particularly preferably all the corner parts are adapted to be assembled together by their arms, always in part, preferably over a large part of the arm length, and for insertion or insertion cover pieces so as to form a telescopic assembly of corner pieces. By a large portion of the length is meant a portion that can represent up to about 99% of said length, for example, a portion comprising about 40 to 96% of the length. In the area of refrigerator shelves, this large part of the length is, for example, a few centimeters. Furthermore, if it is stated that one cover piece or

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Alespoň φ · φφ «at least a part of the cover piece (eg arm) is adapted to be assembled over a large part of the length, it being understood that these parts may be assembled over a larger or a smaller part of its length, the maximum relative assembly comprising a large part of the length.

Preferably, the cover portions each have one plug end and one plug end, or two plug ends, or two plug ends, the plug end adapted to receive the plug end of an adjacent cover piece, and the plug ends and plug ends alternate. Preferably, as mentioned above, the lengths and shapes of the plug and socket pieces are selected such that the plug end can be inserted and plugged into the socket end, for example a few centimeters in length. Thus, a telescopic lining structure is obtained which can be adapted for boards of different sizes without the need to produce cover pieces of different lengths when the board size is changed. In other words, the same set of cover pieces (especially corner pieces) can be used for lining, along their entire circumference, different boards having the same shape and possibly the same thickness but different dimensions.

Preferably, the board is provided as peripheral cladding panels only with corner pieces according to the invention having a length and shape such that they can be inserted or inserted (or inserted) into one another, preferably a large part, of their respective legs so as to form a telescopic structure able to cover the entire perimeter of the board for different board sizes. In particular, using molded corner pieces having a plug end and a plug end adapted to telescopically insert the plug end of an identical second corner piece, four rectangular plates may be used to cover the perimeter of the rectangular plate 9 99 9 99 99 identical corner parts, this embodiment has the advantage that a single mold is sufficient to form a set of cover parts and for different board dimensions.

The corner pieces are preferably molded. Optionally, the other cover parts may also be molded or extruded. The cover parts (including corner parts) typically have a central U-shaped cavity and may be provided with one or more internal reliefs (or protrusions or pins or ribs) for example to reinforce the parts and / or to position these parts correctly relative to the plate, etc. preferably, the parts are attached to the board, for example by means of one or more adhesive or retaining means, preferably by one or more internal reliefs to grip or grip these parts in one or more grooves formed on one and / or the other side of the board. Thus, the shelf may be manufactured, for example, by pressing each corner piece successively onto the corner of the plate (and sliding and / or pressing any additional cover pieces between the corner pieces) until their reliefs penetrate the grooves of the plate.

According to a particular embodiment, the one or more cover parts, in particular the corner parts, may be formed as and / or may comprise one or more other functional and / or decorative parts or elements. In particular, the one or more cover parts (particularly the corner parts) may comprise or be arranged to receive one or more respective fastening means, one or more means for connecting (attaching or engaging) to the furniture structure in which the shelf is to be mounted and / or it may comprise one or more ribs (or sidewalls) on the underside (or be adapted to receive them), in particular comprising one or more metal parts, preferably embedded in plastic, for reinforcing the shelf to increase its stability if the shelf is connected to the structure only by its edges (self-supporting shelves). It may also be provided, on one or more cover pieces, one or more skirts, and optionally one or more seals between the skirts and the plate, to prevent liquids from flowing out of the shelf, and / or one or more stop strips (or boundaries) serving as a stop for example, the articles placed on the shelf come into contact with the wall of the cooling furniture in which it is placed. Also, one or more handles may be provided on the side of the shelf to be left free, and the shelf may be adapted to engage between slide rails on both sides, optionally by means of connecting means such as pins or projections, in the interior of the furniture in which it is located. One or more means for attaching additional functional or decorative elements may also be provided on the cover panels. In the case of a preferred embodiment of the invention where the cover parts, in particular the corner parts, engage with each other, it is possible to select cover parts which engage each other at their full height, even though these parts have a complicated profile due to the presence of elements such as ribs or stop strips. These parts can be selected, or cover parts can be selected which only slide in part of their height, the remaining part being adjusted by cutting according to the size of the panel to be clad as shown in Figures 3 and 4.

Overall, the shelf of the invention may be formed by assembling one or more corner pieces at the periphery of the receiving plate, each corner piece covering one corner of the plate. The corner member (s) and optionally other cover member (s) may be slid along the periphery of the plate and / or pressed until it is engaged in one or more recesses or grooves in the glass; the cover parts, in particular the corner parts, can also be assembled together at least in part of their length and height, the remaining part of their height being optionally adjusted by cutting.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other features and advantages of the invention will be explained by

examples The embodiment shown in the drawings, which illustrate the invention without limiting it, and on which represents FIG schematic top view of a corner piece used in a first embodiment of the invention; FIG schematic front view of a corner piece according to 1a in cross-section along line A-A in FIG. 1a; FIG schematic side view of a corner piece according to 1a in cross-section along line B-B in FIG. 1a; FIG schematic top view of a shelf according to of the invention (in a functional position) using a corner the part of FIG. 1a; FIG schematic top view of shelf smaller dimensions than the shelf of FIG with the same cover parts; Fig. 2a schematic top view of a corner piece according to a second embodiment of the invention;

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Fig. 2b is a schematic top view of a second corner piece according to a second embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2c is a schematic top view of a shelf according to a second embodiment of the invention using the corner piece of FIGS. 2a and 2b;

FIG. 3a is a schematic top view of a shelf according to a third embodiment of the invention, wherein a portion of the corner piece is removed to allow a view of the reinforcing elements;

FIG. 3b is a schematic perspective exploded view of the shelf of FIG. 3a;

Fig. 4a is a schematic top view of a half shelf according to a fourth embodiment of the invention, the shelf being symmetrical along the dashed line;

FIG. 4b is a schematic side view of the shelf of FIG. 4a.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

For simplicity and clarity, like elements (although they may exhibit differences between embodiments) are provided with the same reference numerals in the various figures.

In all embodiments of the invention shown in Figs. 1d, 1e, 2c, 3a, 3b, 4a and 4b, the shelf 1 comprises a plate formed by a glass sheet 2 and four corner pieces 4, 5, 6, 7 each covering one corner of the plate and a portion two adjacent corner-forming sides; for example, as shown in Fig. 3b, the cover portions 4, 5, 6, 7 cover corners 8, 9, 10, 11 and a portion of adjacent sides forming these corners, these sides having the reference numerals 12, 13, 14 and 15, e.g. Part 4 covers part of pages 12 and 13.

Each corner piece has two arms representing each end (4a, 4b and 5a, 5b and 6a, 6b and 7a, 7b, respectively) and the corner pieces 4, 5, 6, 7 are adapted to be assembled together and slid into a substantial portion length of each arm. In these embodiments, it is also possible by assembling more or less corner pieces to use the same panels for lining boards of different sizes (see especially Figs. 1d and 1e) on their periphery, the shelves formed according to this embodiment being particularly economical.

The shelves can be manufactured easily and quickly by sliding each corner piece along the edge of the plate after the other so that they are connected to each other, and then pushing the corner pieces into one or more grooves 16 (shown in FIG. 3b) formed on the top surface of the glass plate a few millimeters away. the edges until they are retained in this groove (s). To this end, the corner pieces are provided with an inner projection 17 (visible in Figs. 1b and 1c), allowing the corner pieces to be retained and retained in the groove (s) of the glass.

According to a first embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. 1d and 1e, the shelf comprises four molded corner parts 4, 5, 6, 7 of the structure shown in Figs. 1a, 1b and 1c representing part 4 (the other corner parts are identical to this embodiment). Each corner piece has two arms, one arm having a male end (ends 4a, 5a, 6a, Ta) and the other end having a female end (4b, 5b, 6b, 7b). Eu332 (8026Za ₍ *) Thus, it is possible to use a single type of cover piece to trim panels of different dimensions (Figs. 1d and 1e) on their circumference, so that the shelves formed in this way are particularly economical.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1d and 1e, it is also evident that the plate is decorated on the upper surface with parallel lines 3, formed, for example, by screen printing and subsequent firing.

In the embodiment shown in Fig. 2c, the shelf comprises four molded corner pieces, two and two identical, each covering one corner of the plate and a portion of two adjacent sides forming that corner. The corner pieces 5 and 7 (the construction of which is shown in FIG. 2b) each have two arms each having a plug end (5a, 5b and 7a, 7b respectively), the latter part 7b not being visible in FIG. while the corner portions 4 and 6 (FIG. 2a) each have two arms each having a socket end (4a, 4b and 6a, 6b, respectively) capable of receiving the plug end of one of the corner portions 5 and 7. Thus, the alternately positioned corner pieces can be assembled together and slid into each other and are thus adaptable to plates of different dimensions to form shelves of different dimensions, the extent of carrying out the adaptation being minimized.

In the third embodiment shown in Figs. 3a and 3b, each corner portion includes an arm having a plug end 4a, 5a, 6a, 7a and an arm having a receptacle end 4b, 5b, 6b, 7b adapted to receive a portion of its length. the plug end of an adjacent corner piece.

The shelf can be inserted between the furniture guides

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44, »by means of pins or pins 18, 19 located on the corner pieces 4 and 5 and by the projections 20, 21 located on the corner pieces 6, 7. In FIG. The corner pieces 4, 5 are also provided with stops 22, 23, the stop 23 being unlike the rest of the corner part being cut and cut to a suitable length for connection with the stop 22 when the corner pieces are assembled together. parts 4 and 5 to their final length. These stops make it possible to prevent the food from falling into the air circulation space arranged behind the shelf when the shelf is used in the refrigerator, or to prevent the food from coming into contact with the rear wall of the freezing chamber.

The embodiment shown in Figs. 4a and 4b is identical to the embodiment shown in Fig. 3 except that the parts 18, 19, 20, 21 serving to connect the shelf to the furniture are omitted and this connection is made by other elements 25, 27, and with the difference that the stopper 23 can be assembled with the stopper 22, that is, the corner pieces 4 and 5 can be assembled together over their entire height. Regarding the connection of the shelf to the furniture structure, the corner pieces 4 and 7 (and the corner pieces 5 and ý) each carry a rib or side panel 25, 26 on the underside of one arm, the corner piece ý (and the corner piece 5 symmetrically) one end of a fastener 27 allowing the shelf to be attached one side to the structure; in this case, each rib may comprise a metal part (not shown) embedded in the plastic to strengthen the compartment and improve its stability. The ribs of the corner portions 4 and 7 (and symmetrically of the portions 5 and 6) may be retractable or may be cut to the desired lengths allowing them to be joined after the parts have been assembled together.

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In some less preferred embodiments, embodiments of the shelves shown in Figs. 1d, 1e, 2c, 3a, 3b, 4a, and 4b are contemplated using corner pieces without plug ends (e.g., deprived ends 4a, 5a, 6a, 7a of the embodiment). 1), the parts corresponding to these ends being replaced by straight cover elements adapted to be inserted and displaced in corner pieces which connect to each other. It is also possible to omit the plug ends of the corner pieces and leave certain areas of the glass unlabeled.

Other variants for adapting the shelf (in aesthetic and / or functional characteristics) of the furniture in which it is to be incorporated are also contemplated.

The shelf according to the invention is particularly suitable for storing products in refrigeration devices (for example, as a shelf in a refrigerator for storing food), but can also be used advantageously in other, uncooled, furniture parts. It provides the advantages of simple and inexpensive production, ease of use, safety, hygiene and aesthetics. The shelf according to the invention can be used advantageously in refrigerators or freezers or all similar structures, cooled or non-cooled.

Claims (12)

A product storage shelf comprising at least one support plate (2) comprising at least one glass or plastic sheet, further comprising at least one corner piece (4, 5, 6, 7), wherein the corner piece covers a single corner (8, 9, 10, 11) plates. Shelf according to claim 1, characterized in that the corner part (4, 5, 6, 7) is made of plastic. Shelf according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it comprises a plurality of corner pieces (4, 5, 6, 7), each corner piece covering a single corner (8, 9, 10, 11) of the support plate (2). . A shelf according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it comprises a plurality of corner pieces (4, 5, 6, 7), wherein each corner piece covers, in whole or in part, one side or two adjacent sides (12). 13, 14, 15) of the carrier plate (2). Shelf according to one of Claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the board is provided, as circumferential cladding elements, with only corner parts (4, 5, 6, 7) covering each corner (8, 9, 10), 11) a support plate (2), the parts preferably having a length and shape such that they themselves cover the entire periphery of the plate. Shelf according to one of Claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the at least one corner part (4, 3, 4) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 • 00 «· * 0 0 0 0 0 0 · 0 0 0 00 0 * 5, 6, 7) can be assembled with adjacent parts for lining the sides of the plate (2). Shelf according to one of Claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the at least one cover part (4, 5) 6, 7) can be pushed or pushed into adjacent cover parts so as to form a telescopic cover assembly. Shelf according to one of Claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the cover parts (4, 5, 6, 7) are molded parts made of plastic. Shelf according to one of Claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the cover part (s) (4, 5, 6, 7) are connected to the plate (2) by means of one or more internal projections (17) allowing the parts to be received in one or more grooves (16) formed in the plate (2). Shelf according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the one or more cover parts (4, 5, 6, 7) comprise or are arranged to receive one or more connecting means (18, 19, 20, 21). for connection to the furniture structure and / or comprise one or more ribs (25, 26) on the underside for stiffening the shelf and / or one or more skirts to prevent liquids from flowing out of the shelf and / or one or more stop strips (22, 23); and / or one or more handles and / or one or more means for attaching further functional or decorative elements. A method for producing a shelf according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein one is assembled on the periphery of the support plate (2) 16 30362 Or more corner pieces (4, 5, 6, 7), each covering one corner at a time (8, 9) , 10, 11) boards. corner Method according to claim 11, characterized in that the cover parts (4, 5, 6, 7) assemble at least a part of their length extending relative to one another and their height. s e