EP2531792B1 - Bottle storage element for a refrigeration appliance - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a shelf for the horizontal placement of bottles in a refrigerator, in particular a household refrigerator.

In the storage chambers conventional refrigerators usually one or more plate-shaped refrigerated goods are mounted on which refrigerated goods can be placed. Most such refrigerated goods essentially consist of a flat glass plate. Such refrigerated goods are not well suited for the horizontal storage of bottles or other rollable objects, as on its flat top no lock is present, which can prevent the rolling of such an item. When a glass bottle is pushed back and forth on such a glass plate during loading and unloading, unpleasant noises are generated. If dirt particles get between the bottle and the glass plate, they can leave scratches on the plate. Such a refrigerated goods is therefore not ideal for accommodating bottles.

There have been proposed various alternative solutions for the horizontal storage of bottles, such as a rack with several suspended from a refrigerated goods, possibly folding ironing, can be hung in the bottles in a lying orientation. However, such racks are only limited to accommodate bottles of different sizes, since a bottle to be kept stable, must be kept on at least two brackets and the distance between two brackets must therefore not be greater than the smallest bottle to be stored. The dimensions of the bracket also provide a maximum diameter of the storable in the frame bottles.

Out DE 10 2006 005 291 A1 is a specially designed for the storage of bottles refrigerator known whose Kühlgutträger carry on their upper side in each case a plurality of gutters, can be inserted into the bottles. Although the gutters allow a safe storage of bottles, but hinder the use of the refrigerator for different refrigerated goods. A bottle shelf according to the preamble of claim 1 is made GB 2 444 602 A known.

Object of the present invention is to provide a bottle rack for a refrigerator, which allows safe storage of bottles of different formats, without affecting the usability of the refrigerator for different types of refrigerated goods.

The object is achieved by a bottle rest with a support structure, in particular a plate, the main surfaces facing each other, at least one of which has a concave, and at least one main surfaces connecting the narrow side, and in which the mass of the bottle rest adjacent to the one narrow side is concentrated. Such a bottle tray can be placed flat on a conventional, plate-like Kühlgutabsteller a refrigerator to accommodate in the concave a bottle. When the bottle rack is not in use, the concentration of the mass on the one narrow side makes it easier to set up the bottle rack in an upright orientation, in which it can be placed, for example, immediately adjacent to an inner wall of the refrigerator. Thus, the bottle rest can remain in the refrigerator even with temporary disuse, without appreciably taking up space and hindering the other use. Once the bottle tray is needed again to stabilize a bottle, it can be placed flat again on a refrigerated goods or other horizontal surface of the storage space of the refrigerator. The time required for this is minimal, since the bottle system, if it was not removed from the refrigeration device during use, does not need to be looked for elsewhere in their reuse.

For the purposes of the invention, a support structure is to be understood as a storage body for bottles which is designed to have a closed-surface, grid-like or substantially closed-surface shape with openings.

A concentration of the mass adjacent to the narrow side, ie a distance of the center of gravity of the bottle shelf from the narrow side, which is smaller than would be expected from the outer shape of the bottle shelf, can be achieved in particular with the help of one of the narrow side adjacent ballast body. Alternatively, it is possible to realize the plate with a wall thickness which is higher in the vicinity of the one narrow side than at other points of the plate.

The ballast body may expediently consist of solid metal, in particular iron or an iron alloy.

In order to place the ballast body as effectively as possible, close to the narrow side, a groove is preferably formed on this, which receives the ballast body. Preferably, this groove is open to the narrow side, so that the ballast body can come into direct contact with a base therein when the bottle rack is placed upright on this surface.

Preferably, the ballast body fills the groove, in the longitudinal and / or in a transverse direction.

The groove expediently extends over substantially the entire length of the plate.

An illustration of a bottle may be attached to a second narrow side of the plate to illustrate the purpose of the bottle tray.

By the bottom of the illustrated bottle faces the narrow side, which is adjacent to the ballast body, the representation can also illustrate the intended upright position of the bottle rack.

• Fig. 1 eine perspektivische Ansicht eines Kühlgutträgers eines Haushaltskältegeräts mit einer darauf platzierten, eine Flasche tragenden Flaschenablage gemäß der Erfindung;
• Fig. 2 den Kühlgutträger und die Flaschenablage ohne die Flasche;
• Fig. 3 einen Querschnitt der Flaschenablage;
• Fig. 4 die Flaschenablage in einer Nichtgebrauchsstellung;
• Fig. 5 einen Querschnitt der Flaschenablage gemäß einer zweiten Ausgestaltung; und
• Fig. 6 einen Querschnitt gemäß einer dritten Ausgestaltung.

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

• Fig. 1 a perspective view of a refrigerated goods carrier of a household refrigerator with a placed thereon, a bottle carrying bottle rack according to the invention;
• Fig. 2 the refrigerated goods carrier and the bottle rack without the bottle;
• Fig. 3 a cross section of the bottle rack;
• Fig. 4 the bottle tray in a non-use position;
• Fig. 5 a cross section of the bottle rack according to a second embodiment; and
• Fig. 6 a cross section according to a third embodiment.

Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of a refrigerated goods carrier 1 for a household refrigerator, a placed on the refrigerated goods carrier 1 bottle shelf 2 and a lying on the bottle shelf 2 bottle. 3

The refrigerated goods in a conventional manner comprises a substantially rectangular plate 4 made of safety glass, attached to the plate 4 latching contours 5 for anchoring the refrigerated goods 1 in horizontal grooves of the side walls of a (not shown) refrigerator body and along the rear edge of the plate. 4 extending stop profile 6.

Deviating from the presentation of Fig. 1 For example, the plate 4 can be enclosed in a surrounding frame, in which case the catch contours 5 and the stop profile 6 can be formed as components of the frame.

The bottle rest 2 comprises a rectangular plate 7 made of plastic with two main surfaces, an upper side 8 and a lower side, and with four narrow sides 9, 9, 10, 10. At the top 8 a groove-shaped recess 11 is formed, in which the bottle 3 against Rolling is secured.

Fig. 2 again shows the refrigerated goods 1 and the bottle rack 2. The bottle 3 itself is omitted, so that the front narrow side 10 of the bottle rack 2 and the recess 11 are completely visible. At this front narrow side 10, a symbol 12 is molded in the form of a bottle to make a user of the refrigerator the intended use of the bottle rack 2 obvious. The same symbol 12 may also be attached to the side facing away from the viewer narrow side 10 of the bottle rack 2, so that always one of the icons 12 is visible, no matter which of the two narrow sides 10 of the front edge of the refrigerated goods carrier faces.

The plate 7 may be injection molded from one piece; it is also conceivable to extrude a central region which extends over the entire length of the recess 11 and attach the front and rear narrow sides 10 forming elements to the extruded profile.

Fig. 3 shows a cross section of the bottle rack 2 according to a first embodiment. The longitudinal narrow sides 9 are formed as C-profiles of the plate 7, each defining a groove 13 open to the side. Between the upper legs 15 of the C-profiles, a plate 14 extends, which is bent downwardly channel-shaped to form the recess 11. The grooves 13 are closed at their ends by thin walls; otherwise, they extend over the entire length of the narrow sides 9. When the plate 7, as mentioned above, is assembled from a central extruded profile and narrow-side elements attached to it, the walls which close the ends of the grooves 13 are part of the narrow sides. Elements, and the narrow-side elements may be anchored to the central extruded profile by means of pins extending from these walls and engaging in the grooves 13.

The upper and lower legs 15, 16 of the C-profiles are the same width, so that the entire bottle rack 2 is rectangular in cross-section. One of the two grooves 13 contains a steel rod 17. The steel rod 17 fills the entire cross section of the groove 13, apart from a small game possibly required for the introduction of an adhesive layer. The steel rod 17 may also be frictionally held in the groove 13. It extends over the entire length of the groove 13. Since the density of the steel rod 17 is significantly greater than that of the plastic of the plate 7, the center of gravity 19 of the bottle shelf 2 is not in the geometric center of the cross section shown, but is from there to the steel bar 17 postponed. Therefore, the bottle tray 2 is stable even in a vertical orientation, in which the steel rod 17 rests on the refrigerated goods 1. The bottle rack 2 can therefore be conveniently placed edgewise on the refrigerated goods carrier 1, as in Fig. 4 shown. By being placed in this vertical orientation immediately adjacent to a side wall of the refrigerator body, it takes up little space and does not affect the use of the device. Therefore, the bottle rest 2 can also remain in the refrigerator without disturbing it when it is not in use and is immediately at hand when needed again.

Fig. 5 shows a modification of the bottle tray 2, in which the upper and lower legs 15, 16 of the C-profiles are not exactly the same width. This has the consequence that the plate 7 is not rectangular in cross-section, but trapezoidal. This trapezoidal shape makes it impossible to put the bottle shelf 2 with the empty groove 13 down stable stable. However, the outer side 18 of the steel rod 17 is oriented at right angles to the top 8 and bottom of the bottle tray 2, so that the tray 2 is safely upright when the steel rod 17 is turned down.

Since the grooves 13 on the two longitudinal sides 9 of the bottle rack 2 are congruent, the steel bar 17 can be mounted in either. Conveniently, however, it is placed in that groove 13 which is adjacent to the bottom of the bottle icon 12, so that the bottle icon 12 stands upright when the bottle shelf 2 stands upright in a stable manner. Thus, the bottle symbol 12 illustrates not only the purpose of the bottle tray 2, but also its correct use: the correct orientation of the bottle tray 2 is the one in which the bottle shown is stable, with the bottom down.

Fig. 6 shows a cross section of a bottle rack according to a simplified modification. This bottle rack is made entirely of plastic; it can be injection molded in one piece or, as described above, assembled from a central extruded profile and narrow-side elements attached to its ends. A concentration of the mass of the plate 7 on one of the longitudinal narrow sides 9 is achieved here by the plate on this longitudinal narrow side 9 solid, on the opposite longitudinal narrow side 9, however, is largely hollow.

Claims (10)

1. Bottle storage element for a refrigeration appliance, in particular a domestic refrigeration appliance, having a support structure, in particular a plate (7), which has opposing main surfaces, of which at least one (8) has a concavity (11), and at least one has a narrow side (9) connecting the main surfaces, characterised in that the mass of the bottle storage element (2) adjacent to the one narrow side (9) is concentrated, by the distance of the centre of gravity of the bottle storage element (2) from the narrow side (9) being less than is expected on the basis of the outer form of the bottle storage element (2).
2. Bottle storage element according to claim 1, characterised in that the narrow side (9) is oriented in particular orthogonally to the two main surfaces (8).
3. Bottle storage element according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that it has a ballast element (17) adjacent to the narrow side (9).
4. Bottle storage element according to claim 3, characterised in that the ballast element (17) is made of metal.
5. Bottle storage element according to claim 3 or 4, characterised in that a groove (13) which receives the ballast element (17) is formed on the narrow side (9).
6. Bottle storage element according to claim 5, characterised in that the groove (13) is open toward the narrow side (9).
7. Bottle storage element according to claim 5 or 6, characterised in that the ballast element (17) fills the groove (13).
8. Bottle storage element according to claim 5, 6 or 7, characterised in that the groove (13) extends across essentially the entire length of the plate (7).
9. Bottle storage element according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that a display (12) of a bottle is attached to a second narrow side (10) of the plate (7).
10. Bottle storage element according to claim 9, characterised in that the base of the bottle display (12) faces the narrow side (9) on which the mass of the bottle storage element (2) is concentrated.

Images