EP3722715B1

EP3722715B1 - Drawer assembly structure and refrigerator having same

Info

Publication number: EP3722715B1
Application number: EP18886891.3A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Xiaokui Jiang; Wenhua HE; Ning Wang; Heng Zhang
Original assignee: Qingdao Haier Co Ltd
Current assignee: Qingdao Haier Co Ltd
Priority date: 2017-12-08
Filing date: 2018-10-29
Publication date: 2022-06-22
Anticipated expiration: 2038-10-29
Also published as: EP3722715A1; CN108286865B; WO2019109755A1; CN108286865A; EP3722715A4

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to the technical field of household appliances, and in particular, relates to a drawer assembly structure and a refrigerator having the same.

BACKGROUND

Currently, a refrigerator is an essential household appliance in people's daily life. Usually, the refrigerator is provided therein with a drawer, and articles required to be refrigerated may be stored in the drawer. In a prior art, a C-shaped slide rail is widely used in the drawer of the refrigerator, but the drawer with the C-shaped slide rail is pulled and inserted less smoothly than the drawer with a bottom mounting slide rail. Thus, in order to better improve the experience of pulling and inserting the drawer, it is necessary to provide a drawer assembly structure to solve the above-mentioned problem. The features of the preamble of claim 1 are known from WO 2014/190667 A1 . Further relevant state of the art is found in documents US 2017/292778 A1 , CN 201 503 184 U , EP 2 551 617 A1 , EP 2 564 729 A1 , JP 2013 204828 A and JP 2012 193949 A .

SUMMARY

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a drawer assembly structure which is pulled and inserted smoothly.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator.
In order to achieve one of the above-mentioned inventive objects, the present invention provides a drawer assembly structure.
The drawer assembly structure, comprising:

a drawer body, comprising a front wall, a rear wall and two opposite side walls, all of which define a storage space, wherein a first jaw and a first limiter are provided on the side wall of the drawer body, and a location hole is provided on the front wall of the drawer body; and
a slide assembly, comprising a slide support and a slide rail, wherein the slide support comprises a U-shaped portion and a first folded portion connected with the U-shaped portion fixedly, the U-shaped portion is configured for assembling the slide support and the slide rail, and the first folded portion is configured for assembling the drawer body and the slide support, the first folded portion is provided with a first slot, a first limiting hole, a shifter and a buckle corresponding to the shifter;
when the drawer body is assembled at a set position on the slide support, the first jaw is clipped into the first slot, the first limiter falls into the first limiting hole, and the buckle is located in the location hole; when the drawer body is disassembled from the slide support, the shifter is lifted to release the buckle from the location hole, and at least part of the drawer body is separated from the slide support.

As a further improvement of the present invention, wherein the U-shaped portion is provided with a second slot and a second limiting hole, and the slide rail is provided with a second limiter and a second jaw; when the slide support is assembled at a set position on the slide rail, the second jaw is clipped into the second slot, and the second limiter is located in the second limiting hole.
As a further improvement of the present invention, wherein the U-shaped portion comprises two opposite side walls and a bottom wall which connects the two opposite side walls; when the slide support is assembled at the set position on the slide rail, the slide rail is located between the two side walls of the U-shaped portion, and a distance between the two side walls is matched with a width of the slide rail, so as to limit the slide support in a radial direction thereof.
As a further improvement of the present invention, wherein when the slide support is assembled at the set position on the slide rail, a screw penetrates through one of the side walls of the U-shaped portion and the slide rail successively, such that the slide support is fixed onto the slide rail.
As a further improvement of the present invention, wherein both the second slot and the second limiting hole are provided on the bottom wall of the U-shaped portion.
As a further improvement of the present invention, wherein a bottom of the side wall of the drawer body is recessed towards an interior of the storage space, the first limiter and the first jaw are provided at the recess of the side wall bottom of the drawer body, the first limiter is provided close to the front wall of the drawer body, and the first jaw is provided close to the rear wall of the drawer body.
As a further improvement of the present invention, wherein a detent extends from the bottom of the side wall between the first limiter and the first jaw, and when the drawer body is assembled at the set position on the slide support, the detent comes into contact with an edge of the first folded portion, such that the drawer body is limited in the radial direction thereof.
As a further improvement of the present invention, wherein a block piece is provided between the U-shaped portion and the first folded portion close to the first limiting hole, and limits the first limiter in the front and rear direction in cooperation with the first limiting hole.
As a further improvement of the present invention, wherein the shifter is provided on an inner wall of the folded portion close to the first limiting hole, and the buckle, corresponding to the shifter, is provided on an outer wall of the folded portion.
In order to achieve another one of the above-mentioned inventive objects, the present invention provides a refrigerator, comprising the drawer assembly structure according to any one of the above drawer assembly structures.
The present invention has the beneficial effects that a slide support is provided additionally between a drawer body and a slide rail, such that the drawer body may be fixed on the slide rail securely and disassembled conveniently, with a low cost and reliable performance.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Some specific embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail in an exemplary rather than restrictive manner with reference to the accompanying drawings. The same reference signs in the accompanying drawings represent the same or similar components or parts. Those skilled in the art shall understand that these drawings may not be necessarily drawn according to the scales. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a drawer assembly structure according to a specific embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the drawer assembly structure according to a specific embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a schematic structural diagram of a drawer body in a specific embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the drawer body in a specific embodiment of the present invention; and
FIG. 5 is an exploded view of a slide assembly in a specific embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention will be described in detail below in conjunction with various embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.
The terms representing spatial relative positions, such as "upper", "above", "lower", and "below" as used herein describe the relationship of a unit or feature relative to another unit or feature in the accompanying drawings for the purpose of illustration. The terms of the spatial relative positions may be intended to include different orientations of the device in use or operation except the orientations shown in the drawings. For example, if the device in the drawings is turned over, the units described as "below" or "beneath" other units or features will be "above" other units or features. Thus, the exemplary term "below" can encompass two orientations of "above" and "below". The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated by 90 degrees or facing other directions) and spatially related descriptors used herein are explained accordingly.
Besides, it should be understood that although the terms of first, second, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements or structures, these described objects should not be limited by them. These terms are merely used to distinguish these described objects. For example, a first jaw may be referred to as a second jaw, and similarly, a second jaw may also be referred to as a first jaw, without departing from the protection scope of the present application.
FIG. 1 shows a preferable embodiment of the drawer assembly structure 10 according to the present invention. The drawer assembly structure 10 according to the present invention is configured for mounting a drawer into a cooling compartment (not shown) of a refrigerator. The drawer assembly structure 10 comprises a drawer body 11 and a slide assembly 12, wherein the drawer body 11 is assembled on the slide assembly 12, such that the drawer body 11 may be pulled out of the cooling compartment.
Referring to FIGs. 2 to 4, the drawer body 11 comprises a front wall 111, a rear wall 112 and two opposite side walls 113, all of which define a storage space 114, and the front wall 111 is covered with a front drawer cover 110. First jaws 1131 and first limiters 1132 are provided on the two side walls 113 of the drawer body 11. The present embodiment is explained with one of the side walls 113 as an example. A bottom of the side wall 113 of the drawer body 11 is recessed towards an interior of the storage space 114, the first jaw 1131 and the first limiter 1132 are provided at the recess of the side wall 113 bottom of the drawer body 11, the first limiter 1132 is provided close to the front wall 111 of the drawer body 11, and the first jaw 1131 is provided close to the rear wall 112 of the drawer body 11.
A location hole 1111 is provided at a bottom of the front wall 111 of the drawer body, and a detent 1133 extends from the bottom of the side wall between the first limiter 1132 and the first jaw 1131.
Referring to FIG. 5, the slide assembly 12 comprises a slide support 121 and a slide rail 122 which are assembled together, wherein the slide support 121 further comprises a U-shaped portion 1211 and a first folded portion 1212 connected therewith fixedly, the first folded portion 1212 is configured for assembling the slide support 121 and the drawer body 11 together, and the U-shaped portion 1211 is configured for assembling the slide support 121 and the slide rail 122 together.
The first folded portion 1212 is provided with a first slot 12121, a first limiting hole 12122, a shifter 12123 and a buckle 12124 corresponding to the shifter 12123. The shifter 12123 is provided close to the first limiting hole 12122 on an inner wall of the first folded portion 1212, and the buckle 12124, corresponding to the shifter 12123, is provided on an outer wall of the first folded portion 1212.
In a process of assembling the drawer body 11 onto the slide support 121, the first jaw 1131 is clipped into the first slot 12121 firstly to prevent a trailing end of the drawer body 11 from warping, and then a leading end of the drawer body 11 is pressed, such that the first limiter 1132 falls into the first limiting hole 12122 gradually, and the buckle 12124 falls into the location hole 1111. When the drawer body 11 is assembled at a set position on the slide support 121, the first jaw 1131 is clipped into the first slot 12121, and the first limiter 1132 is located in the first limiting hole 12122. Preferably, a block piece 12125 is provided between the U-shaped portion 1211 and the first folded portion 1212 close to the first limiting hole 12122, and has a shape fitted with a shape of the first limiter 1132. The first limiting hole 12122 limits the first limiter 1132 in the front and rear direction in cooperation with the block piece 12125. That is, the drawer body 11 is limited in the front and rear direction which refers to herein a direction from the front wall 111 to the rear wall 112 of the drawer body 11. During falling of the leading end of the drawer body 11, the buckle 12124 falls into the location hole 1111, such that the leading end of the drawer body 11 is limited in a vertical direction, and the detent 1133 comes into contact with an edge of the first folded portion 1212. The two detents 1133 at two sides of the drawer body 11 come into contact with the edges of the first folded portions 1212 at respective sides, such that the drawer body 11 is limited in a radial direction thereof.
When the drawer body 11 is disassembled from the slide support 121, only the shifter 12123 is required to be lifted upwards, such that the buckle 12124 is released from the location hole 1111, and at least part of the drawer body 11 is separated from the slide support 121; then the leading end of the drawer body 11 is lifted towards an inclined top, such that the first jaw 1131 is also released from the first slot 12121, and the drawer body 11 may be separated from the slide support 121 completely.
The U-shaped portion 1211 comprises two opposite side walls 12111 and a bottom wall 12112 which connects the two opposite side walls 12111, wherein the bottom wall of the U-shaped portion 1211 is provided with a second slot 12113 and a second limiting hole 12114.
The slide rail 122 is provided with a second limiter 1221 and a second jaw 1222. When the slide support 121 is assembled at a set position on the slide rail 122, the second jaw 1222 is clipped into the second slot 12113, and the second limiter 1221 is located in the second limiting hole 12114, such that the slide support 121 is limited in the front and rear direction. Meanwhile, the slide rail 122 is located between the two side walls 12111 of the U-shaped portion 1211. Preferably, a distance between the two side walls 12111 is matched with a width of the slide rail 122, so as to limit the slide support 121 in a radial direction thereof. Then, a screw 13 penetrates through one of the side walls 12111 of the U-shaped portion 1211 and the slide rail 122 successively, such that the slide support 121 is fixed onto the slide rail 122.
A second folded portion 14 is fixed at a bottom of the slide 122, and may be fixed onto an inner wall (not shown) of the cooling compartment through a screw, thereby fixing the entire slide assembly 12 onto the inner wall of the cooling compartment.
The present invention further provides a refrigerator (not shown), which adopts the drawer assembly structure according to the above-mentioned embodiments, thereby obtaining the beneficial effects thereof; in addition, since no improvement is made to other structures or functions of the refrigerator, descriptions thereof are not repeated here.
It should be understood that although the description is described in terms of embodiments, not every embodiment merely includes one independent technical solution. The statement mode of the description is merely for the sake of clarity, and those skilled that should regard the description as a whole. The technical solutions in the respective embodiments may also be combined as appropriate to form other examples not covered by the invention that can be understood by those skilled in the art.

Claims

A drawer assembly structure, comprising:
a drawer body (11), comprising a front wall (111), a rear wall (112) and two opposite side walls (113), all of which define a storage space (114), wherein a first jaw (1131) and a first limiter (1132) are provided on the side wall (113) of the drawer body (11),

characterized by a location hole (1111) on the front wall (111) of the drawer body (11);

and by a slide assembly (12), comprising a slide support (121) and a slide rail (122), wherein the slide support (121) comprises a U-shaped portion (1211) and a first folded portion (1212) connected with the U-shaped portion (1211) fixedly, the U-shaped portion (1211) is configured for assembling the slide support (121) and the slide rail (122),

and the first folded portion (1212) is configured for assembling the drawer body (11) and the slide support (121), the first folded portion (1211) is provided with a first slot (12121), a first limiting hole (12122). a shifter (12123) and a buckle (12124) corresponding to the shifter (12123);

when the drawer body (11) is assembled at a set position on the slide support (121), the first jaw (1131) is clipped into the first slot (12121), the first limiter (1132) falls into the first limiting hole (12122), and the buckle (12124) is located in the location hole (1111);

when the drawer body (11) body is disassembled from the slide support (121), the shifter (12123) is lifted to release the buckle (12124) from the location hole (1111),

and at least part of the drawer body (11) is separated from the slide support (121).
The drawer assembly structure according to claim 1, wherein the U-shaped portion (1211) is provided with a second slot (12113) and a second limiting hole (12114), and the slide rail (122) is provided with a second limiter (1221) and a second jaw (1222); when the slide support (121) is assembled at a set position on the slide rail (122), the second jaw (1222) is clipped into the second slot (12113), and the second limiter (1221) is located in the second limiting hole (12114).
The drawer assembly structure according to claim 2, wherein the U-shaped portion (1211) comprises two opposite side walls (12111) and a bottom wall (12112) which connects the two opposite side walls (12111); when the slide support (121) is assembled at the set position on the slide rail (122), the slide rail (122) is located between the two side walls (12111) of the U-shaped portion (1211), and a distance between the two side walls (12111) is matched with a width of the slide rail (122), so as to limit the slide support (121) in a radial direction thereof.
The drawer assembly structure according to claim 3, wherein when the slide support (121) is assembled at the set position on the slide rail (122), a screw penetrates through one of the side walls (12111) of the U-shaped portion (1211) and the slide rail (122) successively, such that the slide support (121) is fixed onto the slide rail (122).
The drawer assembly structure according to claim 3, wherein both the second slot (12113) and the second limiting hole (12114) are provided on the bottom wall of the U-shaped portion (1211).
The drawer assembly structure according to claim 1, wherein a bottom of the side wall (113) of the drawer body (11) body is recessed towards an interior of the storage space, the first limiter (1132) and the first jaw (1131) are provided at the recess of the side wall bottom of the drawer body (11), the first limiter (1132) is provided close to the front wall (111) of the drawer body (11), and the first jaw (1131) is provided close to the rear wall (112) of the drawer body (11).
The drawer assembly structure according to claim 6, wherein a detent extends from the bottom of the side wall (113) between the first limiter (1132) and the first jaw (1131), and when the drawer body (11) is assembled at the set position on the slide support (121), the detent comes into contact with an edge of the first folded portion (1212), such that the drawer body (11) is limited in the radial direction thereof.
The drawer assembly structure according to claim 1, wherein a block piece (12125) is provided between the U-shaped portion (1211) and the first folded portion (1212) close to the first limiting hole (12122), and limits the first limiter (1132) in the front and rear direction in cooperation with the first limiting hole (12122).
The drawer assembly structure according to claim 1, wherein the shifter (12123) is provided on an inner wall of the folded portion (1212) close to the first limiting hole (12122), and the buckle (12124), corresponding to the shifter (12123), is provided on an outer wall of the folded portion (1212).
A refrigerator, comprising the drawer assembly structure according to claim 1.