EP1913318A1

EP1913318A1 - Modular container for refrigerated products

Info

Publication number: EP1913318A1
Application number: EP06777706A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Thomas Benz; Jürgen FINK
Original assignee: BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgeraete GmbH
Current assignee: BSH Hausgeraete GmbH
Priority date: 2005-08-05
Filing date: 2006-07-11
Publication date: 2008-04-23
Also published as: CN101278163B; RU2429433C2; WO2007017329A1; RU2008103449A; DE202005012342U1; CN101278163A

Abstract

A container for refrigerated products comprises a base body (2) and a front plate (1) which is fixed to one side of the base body. A tongue-and-groove joint (14, 15, 31-33) extends between the base body (2) and the front plate (1) adjacent to a longitudinal edge of the front plate (1) and forms an interlocking connection between the base body (2) and the front plate (1) in the depth direction of the base body (2).

Description

Modular refrigerated goods container

The present invention relates to a refrigerated goods container for use in a refrigerator.

Extractable refrigerated goods, which are used for example as a vegetable drawer in a refrigerator, are usually injection molded from plastic. In the manufacture of these one-piece containers specific, large-sized and therefore expensive molds are required for each type of container. Often container models that are used in various models of refrigerators, not in their dimensions, but only in the design of their front end, which varies depending on the value of the device of different complexity. It has therefore already been proposed in US 2003 / 0020384A1 to provide refrigerated goods containers with exchangeable front parts. This would make it possible to realize different external appearances in a uniform basic shape of the container. The replaceable front part has the shape of a frame in this known container, and the base body of the container, which is blinded by the frame, has a front wall which remains visible through the window of the frame. The presence of the front wall and the need for the frame to match it limits the possibilities of varying the appearance of the refrigerated goods container.

A refrigerated goods container in which a front panel is mounted on a base body without front wall, is described in the not previously published German patent application 10 2005 021 588.2. The omission of the front wall impairs the stability of the body, so that for a sufficient mechanical strength of the complete refrigerated goods safe anchoring of the front panel to the body is essential.

The object of the invention is to provide a refrigerated goods container with a base body and a front panel attached to one side of the body, which has a simple and quick to assemble and yet reliable connection of the base body and front panel. The object is achieved in that extends adjacent to a longitudinal edge of the front panel, a tongue and groove connection between the base body and the front panel and forms a form-fitting connection in the depth direction of the body between the main body and the front panel. This construction allows easy assembly of the refrigerated goods by plugging and is resistant to the forces when pulling out of the refrigerated goods from a refrigerator or when pushing it into this.

The spring can be arranged on the base body and the groove on the front panel, or vice versa. Manufacturing technology, it proves to be somewhat easier to attach the groove to the body, especially if the bottom of the body is made of a metal sheet.

The positive engagement of the connection can be produced in that the groove has an undercut into which the spring engages.

Alternatively, the positive engagement of the connection in the depth direction of the refrigerated goods container can be achieved by turning the tongue and groove in a substantially vertical direction, i. perpendicular to the depth direction, can be plugged together. Also in this case, the groove can expediently have an undercut into which the spring engages, even if this is then not required to achieve the positive engagement in the depth direction of the body.

In order to simplify the assembly, the tongue and groove connection preferably has a pivoting degree of freedom. This makes it possible to assemble the tongue and groove in a first orientation of the front panel with respect to the base body and then to pivot the front panel in the orientation in which it is ultimately to be fixed to the base body.

Conveniently, the front panel has a recess facing the base body, in which a projection of the base body engages adjacent to an upper and / or lower wall of the recess in order to fix the height of the front panel to the base body. It is also expedient that the front panel has a recess facing the base body, in which a projection of the base body is locked. Such a latching can in particular serve to completely fix the front plate pivotable along the tongue and groove connection with respect to the base body to the base body. This latched projection may, of course, be identical to or connected to the above-mentioned elevation defining projection.

A latching contour preferably extends along a vertical flank of the projection to be insensitive to a vertical clearance between the base body and the front panel.

A simple and inexpensive way to vary the appearance of the front panel, is to put them together from two side pieces and at least one center piece, which has a constant in the longitudinal direction of the front panel cross-section. Such a center piece can be made in particular simply and inexpensively as an extruded profile; this makes it possible to manufacture front plates for different width refrigerated goods easily and inexpensively by a cut in a required width of a profile piece center piece with independent of the width of the front panel unitary side pieces is assembled.

Further features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of embodiments with reference to the accompanying figures. Show it:

1 is a perspective view of a refrigerated goods according to the invention in the finished assembled state.

FIG. 2 shows the refrigerated goods container from FIG. 1 with the front plate separated from the main body; FIG.

FIG. 3 shows a section through the refrigerated goods container during the assembly of front panel and main body; FIG.

FIG. 4 shows a section analogous to FIG. 3 at a later stage of the assembly; FIG. FIG. 5 shows a section similar to FIG. 3 through the fully assembled refrigerated goods container, wherein the plane of the section in FIG. 1 is indicated by lines V; FIG.

FIG. 6 shows a section through the refrigerated goods container of FIG. 1 in a plane designated by lines VI in FIG. 1; FIG.

FIG. 7 shows a horizontal partial section through the refrigerated goods container along the plane VII from FIG. 6; FIG.

8 shows a section through a partially assembled refrigerated goods container according to a second embodiment of the invention. and

9 shows a section through a refrigerated goods container according to a third embodiment.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerated goods container according to the present invention. The refrigerated goods container has the shape of a substantially cuboid box with four walls and a bottom 13. The front wall is formed by a front plate 1, which is a separate component from the other walls and the bottom of the refrigerated goods. Floor, side walls 3 and rear wall of the container are summarized here referred to as the base body 2. The main body 2 may be made in any known manner, for example, in one piece by plastic injection or by joining bent sheets, etc.

The front panel 1 is modularly assembled from five pieces, two injection-molded side pieces 4 and three center pieces, which are designated from top to bottom with 5, 6 and 7 respectively. The middle pieces 5 to 7 are all extruded parts, that is, parts that are manufactured in indefinite length with constant cross-section and can then be cut to any required length. Therefore, it is sufficient a set of molds for the side pieces 4 and the middle pieces 5 to 7 to produce front panels 1 in any number of different widths.

FIG. 2 shows the refrigerated goods container with front plate 1 separated from the main body 2. The side walls 3 of the main body 2 each carry at their end faces a vertical flange 8, from which a vertical plate 9 protrudes. On the side facing outward the plate 9 is adjacent to its side facing away from the flange 8 walls an elongated locking lug 10 is formed. Two horizontal plates 1 1, 12 are connected at one edge to the upper and lower edge of the vertical plate 9 and at another edge to the flange 8. The plates 9 to 1 1 thus form a section C-shaped structure which engages in a not visible in Fig. 2 recess on the back of the side pieces 4.

At the front edge of the bottom 13 of the base body 2 includes a narrow vertical web 14, which connects the two flanges 8 together. An upper portion 33 of the web 14 is curved to form a downwardly open groove 15, a lower portion 34 is rectilinear.

Figures 3 to 5 illustrate the assembly of the front panel 1 and the base body 2 by means of sections, respectively in the plane indicated by lines V in Fig. 2 level.

Prior to assembly, the structure of the front panel 1 is explained in more detail first with reference to FIG. 5, which shows the front panel 1 mounted on the main body 2 mounted. As can be seen here, the upper and the lower center piece 5 and 7 respectively hollow sections, in the inner cavities 16 and 17, one piece extending from the side pieces 4 pins 18, 19, 20, 21 extend a few inches wide. The pins 18 to 21 are placed in the cavities 16, 17 so as to contact opposite walls and thereby fix the position of the center pieces 5, 7 with respect to the two side pieces so that their outer surfaces are flush with each other.

Two screws 22 each engage through bores on the rear side of the center pieces 5, 7 into threads of the pins 18 and 20, respectively, and thus fix the center pieces 5, 7 on the side pieces 4.

The single-walled central plastic piece 6, formed of transparent plastic, comprises a vertical wall 23 which is flush with the front sides of the side pieces 4 and, at the top of the vertical wall 23, a curved wall portion 24 which curves upwards and backwards Front panel 1 runs toward finally form-fitting to engage in a groove 25 of the upper middle piece 5. The curved wall piece 24 and the cross-sectionally U-shaped upper center piece 5 thus form a grip channel 26 which is open towards the front of the front panel 1 and into which a user can reach in order to prefer the refrigerated goods container.

The vertical wall 23 and the curved wall piece 24 are fixed to the side pieces 4 by means of a few millimeters projecting ribs 27, 28, against which abuts the lateral edge of the vertical wall 23 and between which the lateral edge of the wall piece 24 engages.

The lower edge of the center piece 6 in turn engages positively in a groove 29 of the lower center piece 7 a.

The grooves 25 and 29 have a kinked or curved cross-section, in which the middle center piece 6 engages, so that the center pieces 5, 6, 7 can not be separated by vertical train before each other, but only by moving in the longitudinal direction of the grooves 25, when the side pieces 4 are removed.

The front panel 1 is - in a manner not shown in the figures - joined together by first the upper and lower center piece 5, 7 are attached to the pins 18 to 21 of one of the side pieces 4. In this position, it is possible to insert the central middle piece 6 from the lateral direction in the grooves 16, 17; Subsequently, the second side piece 4 is attached, and the individual parts are fixed by means of screws 22 to each other.

The lower center piece 7 has an undercut groove 30 on its rear side facing the main body below the pin 20. The groove is limited to the back of the front plate 1 through a vertical web 31, which has a cylindrical thickening 32 at its upper end.

As shown in FIG. 3, for mounting the front panel 1 on the main body 2, the front plate 1 is initially introduced in a tilted orientation to the base body 2, so that the arcuate to a circular arc sector of slightly more than 180 "tip 33 of the web 14 in the undercut Groove 30 engages When the tip 33 so far into the groove 30th is introduced, that the web 31 abuts against the straight portion 34 of the web 14, the front plate 1 is slid along the portion 34 along obliquely upward until the cylindrical thickening 32 snaps into the groove 15 delimited by the curved portion 33 of the web 14 , This condition is shown in FIG. The thickening 32 and the curved portion 33 form a hinge between the front panel 1 and the base body 2. To this hinge, the front panel 1 is pivoted to the position shown in Fig. 5. In this position, the front plate 1 locked to the base body by means of locking means, which are explained in more detail with reference to the figures 6, 7.

FIG. 6 shows a section through the refrigerated goods container of FIG. 1 in a plane running through the right-hand side piece 4, indicated in FIG. 1 by dot-dash lines VI.

The this side piece 4 associated flange 8 of the body and the projecting from this horizontal plates 1 1, 12 are shown in section; the vertical one

Plate 9 is shown in plan view. The elongated locking lug 10 at the in Fig. 6 of

Viewer facing away from the outside of the plate 9 is shown as a dashed outline. The side piece 4 is hollow and open towards the back; the flange 8 and the

Plates 9, 10, 1 1 are received in the recess 35 of the side piece 4. The horizontal plates 1 1, 12 are closely adjacent to upper and lower walls 36, 37 of the side piece 4 and thus determine the height in which the side piece 4 and with him the

Front plate 1 is mounted on the base body 2. In the embodiment considered here, the lower horizontal plate 12 could also be omitted, since already the

Engaging the thickening 32 in the curved portion 33 of the web 14 a height of

Determines front panel with respect to the base body 2, which can not be exceeded.

On an outer side wall 38 of the side piece 4 three locking lugs 39 are formed at different heights, which cooperate with the elongated locking lug 10 of the vertical plate 9 and as these are shown in dashed lines in Fig. 6, since they are actually covered there by the plate 9.

Between each two of these locking lugs 39, the side piece 4 has an engaging in the recess 35 horizontal plate 40 which communicates with the front wall 41 and the

Center pieces 5, 6, 7 adjacent inner side wall 42 of the side piece 4 integrally connected and together with the outer side wall 38 has a narrow gap 43rd limited, in which the vertical plate 9 engages. The width of the gap 43 is dimensioned so that when pivoting the front panel 1 from the position of FIG. 4 in that of FIG. 5, the vertical plate 9 is bent elastically between two locking lugs 39 and the intermediate horizontal plate 40 and again straight stretches when the detents 1 1, 39 have passed each other. Thus, a non-unlockable, resilient connection between the side pieces 4 and the side walls 3 of the base body 2 is created. In addition, since the engagement of the web 31 in the curved portion 33 creates a form-fitting connection between the latter and the bottom 13 of the main body 2 over the entire width of the front plate, a refrigerated goods container is obtained which, even with large dimensions, has strong traction forces which are at the handling of the container in a refrigerator are exerted on him, without significant deformation endures.

8 shows a second embodiment of the refrigerated goods container according to the invention in a section, wherein the sectional plane below a dot-dash line corresponds to the plane V-V from FIG. 1 and above the plane Vl-Vl. 8 shows the front plate 1 in a position corresponding to the state of FIG. 3, in which the curved section 33 of the web 14 dips into the undercut groove 30, but has not yet engaged with the thickening 32 of the web 31. The upper horizontal plate 1 1 here has a curved course, which leads, if, as symbolized by an arrow 44, the front panel 1 is already pivoted in the unlocked position of FIG. 8 against the base body 2, the rear edge of the upper wall 36 of the side piece 4 abuts against a sloping portion of the plate 1 1. If in this position, the front panel 1 is pressed against the base body 2, the upper wall 36 slides along the plate 1 1 along and thereby pulls the thickening 32 of the web 31 into the groove 15 of the curved portion 33 and brings him there engage. It is therefore no longer necessary to bring about this latching before the front panel 1 can be pivoted against the main body 2.

FIG. 9 shows, in a section analogous to FIG. 5, a construction of the front panel 1 according to a second embodiment. The central middle piece 6 is embodied here as a flat glass pane, which is enclosed in mutually opposite grooves of the upper and lower middle pieces 5 and 7, respectively. A grip channel 45 is formed here on the lower middle piece 7. The side pieces 4 of this front panel 1 are the same as the with reference to Figs. 1-8 described first embodiment, so that the front panel of FIG. 9 can be combined with the same base body 2 as that of the first embodiment.

Claims

claims

1 . Refrigerated goods container having a base body (2) and a front wall (1) serving side wall, which is joined to the base body (2), characterized in that adjacent to a side edge of the front wall (1) at least partially a tongue and groove connection ( 14, 15, 31-33) extends between the base body (2) and the front wall (1) and forms a connection between the base body (2) and the front wall (1) in the depth direction of the base body (2).

2. Refrigerated goods container according to claim 1, characterized in that the side edge is formed by a longitudinal edge of the front wall (1).

3. Refrigerated goods container according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the side edge is formed by the deeper in the use position of the refrigerated goods container longitudinal edge of the front wall (1).

4. Refrigerated goods container according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the groove (15) has an undercut into which the spring (32, 33) engages.

5. Refrigerated goods container according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that groove (15) and spring (32, 33) are joined together in a substantially vertical direction.

6. Refrigerated goods container according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the groove (15) on the base body (2) is formed.

7. refrigerated goods container according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the tongue and groove connection (14, 15, 31 -33) a pivoting degree of freedom with a in the tongue and groove connection (14, 15, 31 -33) lying pivot axis having.

8. Refrigerated goods container according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the front wall (1) has a base body (2) facing recess (35) into which a projection (1 1, 12) of the base body (2) adjacent to an upper and / or bottom wall (36, 37) of the recess (35) engages.

9. Refrigerated goods container according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the front wall (1) has a base body (2) facing recess (35) in which a projection (9) of the base body (2) is latched.

10. Refrigerated goods container according to claim 9, characterized in that a latching contour (10) extends along a vertical flank of the projection (9).

1 1. Refrigerated goods container according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the front wall (1) of two side pieces (4) and at least one center piece (5, 6, 7) having a longitudinal direction of the front plate (1) invariable cross-section, is joined together.