Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
  • A47B—TABLES; DESKS; OFFICE FURNITURE; CABINETS; DRAWERS; GENERAL DETAILS OF FURNITURE
  • A47B57/00—Cabinets, racks or shelf units, characterised by features for adjusting shelves or partitions
  • A47B57/30—Cabinets, racks or shelf units, characterised by features for adjusting shelves or partitions with means for adjusting the height of detachable shelf supports
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
  • F16B—DEVICES FOR FASTENING OR SECURING CONSTRUCTIONAL ELEMENTS OR MACHINE PARTS TOGETHER, e.g. NAILS, BOLTS, CIRCLIPS, CLAMPS, CLIPS OR WEDGES; JOINTS OR JOINTING
  • F16B12/00—Jointing of furniture or the like, e.g. hidden from exterior
  • F16B12/10—Jointing of furniture or the like, e.g. hidden from exterior using pegs, bolts, tenons, clamps, clips, or the like
  • F16B12/12—Jointing of furniture or the like, e.g. hidden from exterior using pegs, bolts, tenons, clamps, clips, or the like for non-metal furniture parts, e.g. made of wood, of plastics
  • F16B12/26—Jointing of furniture or the like, e.g. hidden from exterior using pegs, bolts, tenons, clamps, clips, or the like for non-metal furniture parts, e.g. made of wood, of plastics using snap-action elements
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
  • F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • F25D23/00—General constructional features
  • F25D23/06—Walls
  • F25D23/065—Details
  • F25D23/067—Supporting elements

Definitions

• the present invention refers to a constructive arrangement for mounting dividing means, such as shelves, compartments, and other accessories, in different positionings inside the cabinet of a refrigerator or freezer, after the formation of said cabinet still in the manufacturing phase of the refrigeration appliance, or even after the latter has been acquired by the user.
• each internal box of the cabinet is molded so as to have its lateral walls configured to provide means that define support members for the seating or fitting of different accessories to be positioned inside the cabinet, such as shelves, compartments, etc.
• the manufacture of the internal boxes presently known is made according to the project of the internal arrangement of the accessories for each line of refrigeration appliance, compulsorily requiring the provision of different designs and, consequently, of different molds for the injection of the internal boxes, each being structurally configured to make the support members compatible with the project of the refrigerator or freezer.
• the present arrangement comprises: at least two holes, horizontally spaced from each other and which are produced through a respective lateral wall of the internal box and through part of the thickness of the adjacent portion of the thermal insulator; a tubular bushing which is tightly fitted in each of said holes; and at least one support member, which is configured to support, laterally, an internal dividing means of the cabinet, and to incorporate at least one pin to be fitted ' and axially removably retained in each of said tubular bushings, securing the support means against a respective lateral wall of the internal box at a height which is defined upon the provision of the respective holes in the already formed cabinet.
• Figure 1 is a front perspective view of a combined refrigerator cabinet, whose internal box carries, on one of its lateral walls, two already mounted support members and several sets of tubular bushings already fitted in the respective holes of the cabinet;
• Figure 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of a wall portion of the cabinet of figure 1, illustrating a tubular bushing fitted into a respective hole provided in the cabinet ;
• Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the support member in the form of a rail illustrated in figure 1 and incorporating a pair of pins to be fitted in respective tubular bushings;
• Figure 4 is a view similar to that of figure 2, but with the tubular bushing securing a respective pin of the support member illustrated in figure 3 ;
• Figure 5 is a perspective view of the support member illustrated in the upper part of the internal box in figure 1, incorporating a pair of mounting pins;
• Figure 6 is a perspective view of the support member illustrated in figures 1, 3 and 4. Description of the Invention
• the present mounting arrangement is directed to refrigerators and freezers having a simple or combined cabinet 10, consisting of a generally metallic plate external box 11, and at least one internal box 12, generally injected in plastic material and which is made in a single piece with a substantially parallelepipedic shape, defining a respective refrigeration compartment C. Between the internal box 12 and the external box 11, a thermal insulator 13, generally in polyurethane foam, is injected.
• the refrigeration compartment C is limited, on both sides, by lateral walls 14, only one being illustrated in figure 1.
• the mounting arrangement comprises, initially, the provision of at least two holes 15, horizontally spaced from each other and which are produced through a. respective lateral wall 14 of the internal box 12 and through part of the thickness of the adjacent portion of the thermal insulator 13.
• each lateral wall 14 of the internal box 12 is provided with a plurality of pairs of holes 15, horizontally spaced from each other and which are positioned in different levels along the useful height of said lateral walls 14, the positioning of said holes 15 being defined as a function of the mounting possibilities of support members for shelves and compartments to be described below.
• the latter after the assembly of both the external box 11 and the internal box 12 and after the injection of the thermal insulator 13, is submitted to a perforating step, in which the lateral walls 14 receive the pairs of holes which are designed to match the requirements for the assembly of the internal dividing means, as a function of the different models of refrigerator or freezer to be produced from the same internal box that is molded in a single type of mold.
• a tubular bushing 20 preferably constructed in plastic material and which comprises a front end portion 21, opened to the inside of the cabinet 10, and a median portion 22 and a rear end portion 23 which are positioned in the interior of the thermal insulator 13.
• the rear end portion 23 presents, internally, a diametrical widening 23a in relation to the adjacent region of the median portion 22.
• the interior of the median portion 22 of the tubular bushing 20 is slightly frusto-conical , widening towards the front end portion 21, the latter generally incorporating, externally, a peripheral flange 21a to be seated against the lateral wall 14 of 'the cabinet 10.
• each tubular bushing 20 presents, externally, close to the peripheral flange 21a, a frusto-conical portion 21b, tapering towards the peripheral flange 21a and which has a longitudinal extension slightly larger than the thickness of the internal box 12, said frusto-conical portion 21b having its larger diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the respective hole 15 passing through the internal box 12.
• each tubular bushing 20 there is tightly fitted and axially retained a pin 30 incorporated to a support member 40, 50 which is configured to support, laterally, an internal dividing means of the cabinet 10, which internal dividing means can present the form of a shelf, of a sliding compartment, or any other accessory to be laterally supported inside the refrigeration compartment C, by seating on the lateral walls 14 of the cabinet 10.
• the dimensioning of the pin 30 is made so that it can be adequately retained inside a respective tubular bushing 20, but also easily liberated from the lateral wall 14 of the cabinet 10, in order to allow the replacement of the support members 40, 50 or the modification of their positioning for the different bushings which are previously fitted in different levels in the lateral walls 14 of the cabinet 10.
• the support means 40, 50 can present different constructions, such as, for example, in the form of a rail laterally incorporating a pair of pins 30 to be fitted in respective tubular bushings 20 affixed to each lateral wall 14 of the cabinet 10, said support member 40 being configured to support, slidingly, a lateral edge of an internal dividing means of the cabinet 10, which dividing means, as already mentioned, can be defined as a simple shelf, or a compartment, or even a sliding tray.
• the support member 40, 50 in the form of a rail can present a simple rectilinear construction to be horizontally secured to a respective lateral wall 14 of the cabinet 10, or take the form of complex rails, such as that illustrated in figure 5 and which allows the internal dividing means mounted thereto to be displaced between the different operative positions, spaced from each other at least on the vertical direction.
• the support member 40 mentioned above is better illustrated in figure 6.
• each pin 30 of a support member 40, 50 presents a tubular cross section, having 'an external contour which is similar to and slightly smaller than that of the internal cross section of the tubular bushing 20, and a free end portion 33, resiliently deformable in the radial direction and which is tightly fitted in the interior of the 'diametrical widening 23a of the respective tubular bushing 20, so as to axially lock the pin 30 inside the tubular bushing 20.
• the free end portion 33 of the pin 30 is longitudinally split in at least one position. While only one embodiment of the invention has been illustrated herein, it should be understood that changes in the form and relative arrangement of the elements could be made, without departing from the constructive concept defined in the appended claims.

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

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=36642324

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (5)

Families Citing this family (10)

Family Cites Families (10)

• 2003
  • 2003-07-16 BR BR0303081-4A patent/BR0303081A/pt not_active IP Right Cessation
• 2004
  • 2004-07-14 US US10/564,996 patent/US20060232177A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2004-07-14 WO PCT/BR2004/000116 patent/WO2005008154A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 2004-07-14 EP EP04737710A patent/EP1646835A1/en not_active Withdrawn
  • 2004-07-14 MX MXPA06000618A patent/MXPA06000618A/es unknown

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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