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The present invention relates to a cooling device comprising a safety lock particularly for the safety of children.
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Cooling devices, and in particular chest freezers, are widely used for the long-term storage of food products. However, in the state of the art chest freezer embodiments, easy opening of the doors, especially by children, and their access to the compartment give rise to significant safety concerns. The fact that children can easily open the door of a chest freezer and, upon opening the door, enter the compartment may lead to various possible adverse situations such as suffocation, serious injuries, and the like.
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In the state of the art embodiments, the safety measures taken in the chest freezers for child safety fail to provide adequate protection.
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In the state of the art Great Britain Patent Application No.
GB864956 , a cooling device is disclosed, comprising a door the unintentional closing of which is prevented by a spring.
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In the state of the art Chinese Patent Application No.
CN105041083 , a chest freezer is disclosed, comprising a durable and versatile hinge which is integrated with a preset damping force and which provides protection against sudden acceleration and impacts when the door is opened.
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In the state of the art Chinese Patent Application No.
CN105937331 , a cooling device is disclosed, comprising a door handle having an anti-theft lock, provided for security purposes.
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The aim of the present invention is the realization of a cooling device wherein children are prevented from easily opening the lock and accessing the compartment.
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The cooling device realized in order to attain the aim of the present invention and explicated in the first claim and the respective claims thereof, comprises at least one body; a door which is provided on the body and which enables access into the body; at least one hinge which enables the door to be opened and closed; a casing which is provided on the hinge, which is fixed to the body and which has a first wall and a second wall parallel to the first wall; a U-shaped lock holder which is fixed to the door and which has a third wall arranged parallel to the first and second walls of the casing, and a fourth wall parallel to the third wall; a first lock bearing which is provided on the first wall and which has a drop-like shape; a second lock bearing which has a drop-like shape and which is provided on the third wall in coaxial alignment with the first lock bearing so as to be located on the same horizontal axis; third and fourth lock bearings which are respectively provided on the second wall and the fourth wall and which are arranged coaxially with the first and second lock bearings so as to be located on the same horizontal axis; a cylindrical locking pin which passes through the first, second, third, and fourth lock bearings and which performs both rotational and reciprocating movement; a first lock latch which is provided on the locking pin and which has the same shape as the first lock bearing; and a second lock latch which is provided on the locking pin and which has the same shape as the second lock bearing.
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By means of the present invention, a secure hinge is developed which limits access to the cooling device doors, particularly to enhance child safety, thus improving the overall security of the cooling device doors.
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In another embodiment of the present invention, the cooling device comprises a locking arm in the form of an "L," which is attached to the end of the locking pin. The locking arm enables the user to rotate the locking pin or move the same forward and backward more easily and quickly.
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In another embodiment of the present invention, the cooling device comprises a fixing member which is attached to the other end of the locking pin and which prevents the locking pin from disengaging from the first, second, third, and fourth bearings provided on the casing and the lock holder.
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In another embodiment of the present invention, the cooling device comprises a stopper which is provided on the locking pin. The stopper is positioned in the section of the locking pin which lies between the third and fourth walls of the lock holder. The stopper is also positioned on the same horizontal axis as the first and second lock latches.
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In the embodiment of the present invention, in the open position, the first lock latch is aligned with the first wall and the locking arm, and the second lock latch is aligned between the first wall and the third wall, both in line with the first and second lock bearings. In this embodiment of the present invention, the stopper is also located between the third and fourth walls of the lock holder and is aligned with the third and fourth lock bearings. In this state, the door moves freely over the body so as to be opened and closed. When the door is desired to be locked, force is applied along the horizontal axis to the locking arm so as to move the locking pin forward. This movement continues until the stopper on the locking pin bears against the fourth wall. Once the stopper bears against the fourth wall, the locking pin can no longer move further forward along the horizontal axis. Moreover, the first lock latch fits completely into the first lock bearing, and the second lock latch fits completely into the second lock bearing. In this state, neither the locking arm nor the locking pin can move unless force is applied in the opposite direction to the locking arm, and in this position, the door remains locked and in the closed position and cannot be opened. To reopen the door, the locking arm is pulled backward. In this case, the locking pin also moves together with the locking arm, and the first and second lock latches disengage from the first and second lock bearings respectively, and return to the original open positions so as to allow the door to be opened and closed as desired.
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In the embodiment of the present invention, when the door is desired to be removed, the locking arm is first brought to the open position. In this case, the first lock latch is aligned with the first wall and the locking arm, and the second lock latch is aligned between the first wall and the third wall, both in line with the first and second lock bearings. In this embodiment of the present invention, the stopper is also located between the third and fourth walls of the lock holder and is aligned with the third and fourth lock bearings. When the fixing member is removed in this state, the locking pin is also removed together with the locking arm, from the fourth, third, second, and first lock bearings as well as from the lock holder and the casing. In this embodiment of the present invention, the casing remains on the body, while the holder remains on the door, and the two are separated from each other. Thus, the door can be removed and easily replaced with a new door without the need to disassemble the casing from the body.
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In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the cooling device is a chest freezer.
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By means of the present invention, the door of the cooling device is enabled to be easily and safely locked as per the preference of the user. Moreover, by means of the present invention, since the locking pin can be easily removed, the door is enabled to be removed and replaced quickly and safely. Furthermore, since the safety lock is positioned on the hinge located at the rear in a hidden position, rather than on the front handle of the cooling device, the safety of the user is improved and potential accidents are prevented.
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A cooling device realized in order to attain the aim of the present invention is illustrated in the attached figures, where:
- Figure 1 - is the perspective view of a cooling device when the door is closed.
- Figure 2 - is the view of the detail A of Figure 1.
- Figure 3 - is the perspective view of the cooling device when the door is open.
- Figure 4 - is the view of detail B in Figure 3.
- Figure 5 - is the perspective view of the hinge in the open position.
- Figure 6 - is the perspective view of the hinge in the open position from another angle.
- Figure 7 - is the perspective view of the hinge and the door when the door is removed.
- Figure 8 - is the view of the detail C in Figure 7.
- Figure 9 - is the exploded perspective view of the hinge.
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The elements illustrated in the figures are numbered as follows.
- 1. Cooling device
- 2. Body
- 3. Door
- 4. Hinge
- 5. Casing
- 6. Lock holder
- 7. First wall
- 8. Second wall
- 9. Third wall
- 10. Fourth wall
- 11. Locking pin
- 12. Locking arm
- 13. First lock bearing
- 14. Second lock bearing
- 15. Third lock bearing
- 16. Fourth lock bearing
- 17. First lock latch
- 18. Second lock latch
- 19. Stopper
- 20. Fixing member
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The cooling device (1) comprises at least one body (2); a door (3) which is provided on the body (2) and which enables access into the body (2); at least one hinge (4) which enables the door (3) to be opened and closed; a casing (5) which is provided on the hinge (4), which is fixed to the body (2) and which has a first wall (7) and a second wall (8) parallel to the first wall (7); a U-shaped lock holder (6) which is fixed to the door (3) and which has a third wall (9) arranged parallel to the first (7) and second walls (8) of the casing (5), and a fourth wall (10) parallel to the third wall (9); a first lock bearing (13) which is provided on the first wall (7) and which has a drop-like shape; a second lock bearing (14) which has a drop-like shape and which is provided on the third wall (9) in coaxial alignment with the first lock bearing (13) so as to be located on the same horizontal axis; third and fourth lock bearings (15, 16) which are respectively provided on the second wall (8) and the fourth wall (10) and which are arranged coaxially with the first and second lock bearings (13 and 14) so as to be located on the same horizontal axis; a cylindrical locking pin (11) which passes through the first, second, third, and fourth lock bearings (13, 14, 15 and 16) and which performs both rotational and reciprocating movement; a first lock latch (17) which is provided on the locking pin (11) and which has the same shape as the first lock bearing (13); and a second lock latch (18) which is provided on the locking pin (11) and which has the same shape as the second lock bearing (14) (Figure 9).
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By means of the present invention, a secure hinge (4) is developed which limits access to the door (3), particularly to enhance child safety, thus improving the overall security of the cooling device (1).
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In another embodiment of the present invention, the cooling device (1) comprises a locking arm (12) in the form of an "L," which is attached to the end of the locking pin (11). The locking arm (12) enables the user to rotate the locking pin (11) or move the same forward and backward more easily and quickly.
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In another embodiment of the present invention, the cooling device (1) comprises a fixing member (20) which is attached to the other end of the locking pin (11) and which prevents the locking pin (11) from disengaging from the first, second, third, and fourth lock bearings (13, 14, 15 and 16) provided on the casing (5) and the lock holder (6).
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In another embodiment of the present invention, the cooling device (1) comprises a stopper (19) which is provided on the locking pin (11). The stopper (19) is positioned in the section of the locking pin (11) which lies between the third and fourth walls (9 and 10) of the lock holder (6). The stopper (19) is also positioned on the same horizontal axis as the first and second lock latches (17 and 18).
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In the embodiment of the present invention, in the open position, the first lock latch (17) is aligned with the first wall (7) and the locking arm (12), and the second lock latch (18) is aligned between the first wall (7) and the third wall (9), both in line with the first and second lock bearings (13 and 14). In this embodiment of the present invention, the stopper (19) is also located between the third and fourth walls (9 and 10) of the lock holder (6) and is aligned with the third and fourth lock bearings (15 and 16). In this state, the door (3) moves freely over the body (2) so as to be opened and closed (Figure 5 and Figure 6). When the door (3) is desired to be locked, force is applied along the horizontal axis to the locking arm (12) so as to move the locking pin (11) forward. This movement continues until the stopper (19) on the locking pin (11) bears against the fourth wall (10). Once the stopper (19) bears against the fourth wall (10), the locking pin (11) can no longer move further forward along the horizontal axis. Moreover, the first lock latch (17) fits completely into the first lock bearing (13), and the second lock latch (18) fits completely into the second lock bearing (14). In this state, neither the locking arm (12) nor the locking pin (11) can move unless force is applied in the opposite direction to the locking arm (12), and in this position, the door (3) remains locked and in the closed position and cannot be opened. To reopen the door (3), the locking arm (12) is pulled backward. In this case, the locking pin (11) also moves together with the locking arm (12), and the first and second lock latches (17 and 18) disengage from the first and second lock bearings (13 and 14) respectively, and return to the original open positions so as to allow the door (3) to be opened and closed as desired (Figure 2, Figure 3 and Figure 4).
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In the embodiment of the present invention, when the door (3) is desired to be removed, the locking arm (12) is first brought to the open position. In this case, the first lock latch (17) is aligned with the first wall (7) and the locking arm (12), and the second lock latch (18) is aligned between the first wall (7) and the third wall (9), both in line with the first and second (13 and 14) lock bearings. In this embodiment of the present invention, the stopper (19) is also located between the third and fourth walls (9 and 10) of the lock holder (6) and is aligned with the third and fourth lock bearings (15 and 16). When the fixing member (20) is removed in this state, the locking pin (11) is also removed together with the locking arm (12), from the fourth, third, second, and first lock bearings (16, 15, 14 and 13) as well as from the lock holder (6) and the casing (5). In this embodiment of the present invention, the casing (5) remains on the body (2), while the holder (6) remains on the door (3), and the two are separated from each other. Thus, the door (3) can be removed and easily replaced with a new door without the need to disassemble the casing (5) from the body (2) (Figure 7 and Figure 8).
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In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the cooling device (1) is a chest freezer.
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By means of the present invention, the door (3) of the cooling device (1) is enabled to be easily and safely locked as per the preference of the user. Moreover, by means of the present invention, since the locking pin (11) can be easily removed, the door (3) is enabled to be removed and replaced quickly and safely. Furthermore, since the safety lock is positioned on the hinge (4) located at the rear in a hidden position, rather than on the front handle of the cooling device (1), the safety of the user is improved and potential accidents are prevented.