EP1564512A1

EP1564512A1 - Shelf assembly for a refrigerating apparatus

Info

Publication number: EP1564512A1
Application number: EP04100493A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Alexandre Barros Neves; Angelo Santarossa; Lizandro Chrestenzen
Original assignee: Electrolux Home Products Corp NV
Current assignee: Electrolux Home Products Corp NV
Priority date: 2004-02-10
Filing date: 2004-02-10
Publication date: 2005-08-17

Abstract

A shelf assembly for a refrigerating apparatus including at least a first supporting element comprising a top (2) suitable to be located inside said refrigerating apparatus, and a tray (3) slidably mounted by guide means (6, 7) to the top (2). The tray (3) is movable between a rest condition, wherein the front end of the tray (3) is substantially aligned with the front end of the top (2), and an extracted condition, wherein the tray (3) is moved forward in respect to the front end of the top (2).

Description

The present invention relates to a shelf assembly for a refrigerating apparatus adapted to support foodstuff or bottles stored in a refrigerating compartment.
Refrigerating apparatuses known in the state of the art, in particular domestic or professional refrigerators, are provided with a refrigerating compartment for the storage of foodstuff, food containers and beverages which is fitted with a plurality of removable shelves; these are generally formed by tops capable of supporting both loose foodstuff, such as vegetables, cheese, or the like, and food containers, such as cans, pots, pans, glasses. Another kind of shelves is formed by box-like elements, either opened or capable of being closed by a swinging cover, which are suitable to contain foodstuff of small size, such as eggs, butter, small cans or glasses; the open box-like elements can also contain objects extending vertically, such as bottles. Generally the box-like elements are arranged on the inner side of the door of the refrigerating apparatus.
Further, in the lower region of the refrigerating compartment may be arranged drawers, mainly for the storage of vegetables.
A disadvantage with the known solutions mentioned above is that the visibility and the accessibility to the foodstuff supported or contained by the shelves, in particular by the tops inside the refrigerating compartment, is not easy for the user, who has to look through the goods stored and sometimes move them in order to reach the desired good.
Another drawback of these known solutions resides in the fact that, in most cases, it is not made maximum use of the storage space available in the refrigerating compartment, since between two contiguous shelves supporting goods of small or medium size there could be a lot of storage space unused.
Accordingly, the aim of the present invention is to provide a shelf assembly having an improved capacity of rendering easily visible and accessible to the user the foodstuff stored therein.
Within the aim cited above, an object of the present invention is to provide a shelf assembly which does not require the removal of one or more goods stored therein to allow the user seeing and/or reaching the desired goods.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a shelf assembly which is able to make use in an optimized and effective manner of the available storage space within the refrigerating compartment.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a shelf assembly which can be easily fitted with one or more additional components, either at the manufacturing stage or in use, so as to quickly adapt the assembly to any specific request or need.
A further and not less important object of the present invention is to provide a shelf assembly capable of being manufactured at competitive costs using generally known and readily available tools, machinery and equipments.
These aims and objects are achieved by a shelf assembly for a refrigerating apparatus having the features as claimed in claim 1.
Further characteristics and advantages of a refrigerating apparatus according to the present invention will be readily understood from the following detailed description of a preferred, although not sole, embodiment illustrated by way of a non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a prospective view of a first element of a shelf assembly according to the present invention in a first condition of use;
Figure 2 is a prospective view of the element of Figure 1 in a second condition of use;
Figure 3 is a prospective view of a refrigerating compartment provided with a shelf assembly comprising the element of Figure 1 fitted with a second additional element in a first condition of use;
Figure 4 shows the shelf assembly of Figure 3 in a second condition of use;
Figure 5 shows the shelf assembly of Figure 3 in a third condition of use;
Figure 6 is a prospective view of the shelf assembly shown in Figure 3 fitted with third additional elements in a condition of use;
Figure 7 shows the shelf assembly of Figure 6 in another condition of use.

With reference to Figures 1 and 2, the shelf assembly for a refrigerating apparatus according to the present invention is globally indicated by the reference numeral 1; it includes at least a first element, adapted to support foodstuff in a refrigerating compartment, comprising a top 2 to which a tray 3 is slidably mounted by slidable coupling means, such as guide means, to be able to move in respect to the top 2. As shown in the embodiment of Figures 1 and 2, the top 2 is provided with raised side plates 4, 5 having guide means constituted, for instance, by ribs 6 laterally projecting from each plate 4, 5 and engaging with corresponding grooves 7 obtained on opposite sides of the tray 3.
The top 2 can be removably supported inside the refrigerating compartment (not shown) by well-known support means provided on the sides of the compartment, as will be explained more in detail below.
Figure 1 shows the top 2 with the tray 3 in the retracted, or rest, condition, while Figure 2 illustrates the tray 3 in the extracted condition, as it would be when moved out of the refrigerating compartment to allow the user an easy visibility and access to the goods supported by the tray 3 itself.
Preferably the tray 3 is mounted at a central portion of the top 2 such that, when the top 2 provided with the tray 3 is arranged inside the refrigerating compartment, the tray 3 can slide forward in respect to the top 2 to be moved out of the compartment even when the closing door of the said compartment is not completely open.
Advantageously the front end of the tray 3 can be provided with grip means 8 to facilitate the grip by the user for extracting the tray 3 itself; further, the rear end of the tray 3, and preferably also of the side plates 4, 5, can be provided with respective small raising walls 9, 10, 11 so as to avoid that the goods supported by the top 2 both contact the cold back inner surface of the refrigerating compartment, and fall back in the refrigerating compartment when the tray 3 is moved out.
The supporting surface both of the tray 3 and of the top 2 or only the side plates 4, 5 can be either transparent, and thus made of glass or the like, or non-transparent, or, further, made by a grid or the like; it is understood that a combination of the finishing mentioned above can be provided for the top 2 and the tray 3.
Figures 3, 4 and 5 show a shelf assembly 1 according to the present invention wherein the top 2 with the slidable tray 3 described above is fitted with a second additional element, such as a containing means 12 for foodstuff constituted, for instance, by a drawer 13 slidably supported by lateral shoulders 14, 15 associable to the lower surface of the top 2.
The shelf assembly 1 is supported inside the refrigerating compartment in a generally known manner, e.g. by a pair of longitudinally extending protrusions 16 arranged on opposite inner sides of the compartment itself and provided with stop means, such as abutments (not shown), to prevent that the whole shelf assembly 1 goes out of the refrigerating compartment when either the tray 3 or the drawer 13, or any other additional element, is operated.
The drawer 13, which is particularly adapted for containing foodstuff like vegetables or the like, can be advantageously provided with a handle 17 which facilitates its extraction from the top 2.
The shelf assembly 1 can be arranged such that the tray 3 and the drawer 13 can be moved independently from each other: starting from the retracted, or rest, condition shown in Figure 3, the user can extract either the drawer 13, as shown in Figure 4, or the tray 3 or, as shown in Figure 5, he can move both the tray 3 and the drawer 13 independently.
Figures 6 and 7 show the shelf assembly 1 as previously described wherein the drawer 13 is fitted with third additional elements, such as supporting means 18 for bottles or for small cans or boxes of foodstuff; the supporting means 18 is constituted, for instance, by at least one foldable side wing 19 pivotally connected to a shoulder 15 of the drawer 13 by a pivot pin 20. Preferably a side wing 19 is provided on each side of the drawer 13 by pivotal connection with pivot pins 20 to respective shoulders 14, 15, for balancing reasons.
As shown in Figure 6, a foldable side wing 19 can be positioned in a closed condition, when not in use, or in an open condition such that a bottle or the like can be supported, as shown in Figure 7 where both side wings 19 are opened to support a bottle.
Advantageously the shoulders 14, 15 have a shape suitable to facilitate the grip of the wings 19 for opening, such as an indentation 21 obtained on the shoulders 14, 15.
From the above description it has been demonstrated how the shelf assembly for a refrigerating apparatus according to the present invention achieves the aims and the objects mentioned above; in particular it has been provided a shelf assembly having an improved capacity of rendering easily visible and accessible to the user the foodstuff stored therein, thanks to the provision of a slidable tray 3 which no longer requires the removal of the goods stored therein to allow the user see and/or reaching the desired goods.
A further advantage of the shelf assembly according to the present invention is that it makes use of the storage space available in the refrigerating compartment in an optimized and effective manner, thanks to provision of additional supporting and/or containing elements to the basic element, constituted by the top 2 with the slidable tray 3, which make use of volumes otherwise lost. Thus the storage capacity of the compartment is sensibly increased.
In addition, the shelf assembly according to the present invention can be easily fitted with one or more of the additional elements mentioned above so as to obtain a multifunctional shelf quickly adaptable, either at the manufacturing stage or by the final user, to specific requests or needs of the final user.
It will be readily appreciated that the shelf assembly described above by mere way of example may be the subject of a number of modifications and different embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention.
Moreover, the materials used, as well as the shapes and the sizes of the individual components parts, may be the most appropriate to fit any specific need or comply with any requirement, without this implying any departure from the scope of the present invention.

Claims

Shelf assembly for a refrigerating apparatus including at least a first supporting element comprising a top (2) suitable to be located inside said refrigerating apparatus, characterized in that a tray (3) is slidably mounted by guide means (6, 7) to said top (2) to be movable between a rest condition, wherein the front end of said tray (3) is substantially aligned with the front end of said top (2), and an extracted condition, wherein said tray (3) is moved forward in respect to the front end of said top (2).
A shelf as in claim 1, wherein said tray (3) is mounted at a central portion of said top (2).
A shelf assembly as in claim 2, wherein said top (2) is provided, at opposite sides, with raised side plates (4, 5), said tray (3) being mounted between said raised side plates (4, 5).
A shelf assembly as in claim 3, wherein said raised side plates (4, 5) are adapted to cooperate with said tray (3) through said guide means.
A shelf assembly as in claim 4, wherein said guide means comprise facing ribs (6) projecting from each side plate (4, 5) and engaging with corresponding grooves (7) obtained on opposite sides of said tray (3).
A shelf assembly as in any of the preceding claims, wherein at least a second additional containing or supporting element is associable to said first supporting element,
A shelf assembly as in claim 6, wherein said second additional containing or supporting element comprises a drawer (13) slidably supported by the lower surface of said top (2).
A shelf assembly as in claim 7, wherein said drawer (13) is provided with lateral shoulders (14, 15) mountable to said lower surface of said top (2), said drawer (13) being slidable in respect to said shoulders (14, 15).
A shelf assembly as in any of the preceding claims, wherein said shelf assembly (1) is arranged such that said tray (3) and said drawer (13) can be moved independently from each other in respect to said top (2).
A shelf assembly as in any of the preceding claims, wherein at least a third additional containing or supporting element is associable to said second additional containing or supporting element.
A shelf assembly as in claim 10, wherein said additional third element comprises at least one supporting means (18) mountable to a respective one of said lateral shoulders (14, 15) of said drawer (13).
A shelf assembly as in claim 11, wherein said supporting means (18) comprise at least one foldable side wing (19) pivotally connected to a respective shoulder (14, 15) of said drawer (13).
A shelf assembly as in claim 12, wherein said foldable wing (19) is movable between a closed condition, wherein said wing (19) is located adjacent a respective shoulder (14, 15), and an open condition, wherein said wing (19) is pivoted away from said respective shoulder (14, 15).
A shelf assembly as in claim 12, wherein said drawer (13) is adapted to support two foldable side wings (19) each on a respective lateral shoulder (14, 15).