ES2232277B1 - CONSOLE FOR SHELVES IN DOMESTIC APPLIANCES. - Google Patents

Abstract

Console for shelves in household appliances. A console for shelves (10) is presented in household appliances, such as refrigerators, freezers or kitchens, which has at least one profiled guide (14), which is mounted essentially vertically in the housing space (16) of an apparatus for domestic use (12) and at least one bearing element (18) to which a shelf (10) is attached and which can be optionally slid along the profiled guide (14) or fixed to the profiled guide ( 14). According to the invention, the bearing element (18) is essentially fixed by adhesion to the profiled guide (14) in the form of a friction ratchet or a clamp to prevent movement along the profiled guide (14). In summary, it is a console for shelves in household appliances of simple development, easy to clean, which compared to the current state of the art, allows a more flexible adjustment of the height of the shelves (10).

Description

Console for shelves in use devices domestic.

The invention concerns a console for shelves in  household appliances according to the preamble of claim 1. In particular, the invention concerns a console for shelves in a fridge, a freezer or a kitchen.

In household appliances of this type is desirable to be able to regulate the shelves that hold the chilled or frozen products, or products that are going to bake or broil, so that the distance of the shelves from each other and with the base or ceiling of the cold rooms, ovens or roasters, adapt to the size of the product they support.

In the current state of the art, there is no shortage proposals regarding how to adjust the height of the shelves in household appliances. The generic document EPA0619464 It presents a refrigerator with a structure that delimits the camera refrigerator, to which the refrigerator door is attached, and with a shelf that rests on the side walls of the refrigerator. To hold the shelf, two vertical and parallel guides are fixed each other to each of the side walls of the refrigerator, which they have some holes to fit at predetermined distances. Sliding ratchets are introduced in the guides, which can be optionally fit in the guide insert holes, of so that the height of the shelves in the cold room. The ratchets have about Highlights on their faces, which are introduced into grooves on the side edges of the shelves, so that these, with the refrigerator door open, can be removed of the cold store as if they were drawers.

In addition, for the document EP-A-0601686, a refrigerated product support device for refrigerators (Figure 1), which has at least two profiled guides, to which two removable carrier arms are attached, which hold a large tray for refrigerated products, as well as a crossbar Removable transverse, which has a product tray Smaller refrigerated that moves horizontally. The guides profiled, metallic or plastic, are fixed to the wall back of the refrigerator using screws, which extend in vertical direction and horizontally distance some of others. Each profiled guide has a cross section in U-shaped and longitudinally presents a series of grooves equidistant. The slots serve as accommodation for the ends hook-shaped support arms or crossbar cross. The height of the tray for refrigerated products is You can adjust step by step, according to the current state of the technique as in commercial shelving systems, so that, first the supporting arms or the crossbar are removed cross section of the profiled guides and then the hooked ends in the corresponding grooves in Another place of profiled guides.

There are also proposals for mechanisms of scissors (document DE-U-7507126) for oven grills and broiler ovens, on which the sides of the scissors adopt different angles between them to be able to select the height of the products to be staggered  Cook or roast. While one side of the scissors It has a spike in the vicinity of the joints of the sides, the other side of the scissors has an arched segment with a series of slots where the spike.

The constructions described above, previously known, they have in common that the height of the shelves  It can only be selected in relatively large intervals. In addition, these types of bearing elements are difficult to clean, especially due to the shape of the grooves and protrusions necessary for fixing the shelves, which facilitate the dirt inlay

Finally, mechanisms have also been proposed more complexes with gears for height adjustment of shelves in household appliances. For example, the construction described by the document EP-A-0438180 provides two arms holders to hold a shelf, which slides vertically on guide profiles located at the corners between the wall rear and side walls of a refrigerator. Each arm bearing forms a housing where an endless screw is housed, which serves to drive a pinion located on the supporting arm. He Gear pinion with a toothed section in the guide profile corresponding, so that the supporting arm, and with it the shelf, they can be adjusted in height by the rotation of the pinion on the endless screw. This construction allows regulation in continuous shelf height, but it is relatively expensive, causing a considerable increase in the refrigerator.

The invention aims at, starting from current state of the art, for example, as provided in the EP-A-0619464, the manufacture of a console for shelves in use devices Domestic, simple construction and easy to clean, allowing the height adjustment of the shelves more flexibly in comparison with the state of the art in this kind of buildings.

This objective is achieved with the characteristics mentioned in claim 1. Other advantageous variants or suitable are the subject of claims 2 to 14.

According to the fundamental idea of the invention, in a  console for shelves in household appliances, which counts at less with a profiled guide, mounted vertically in space of accommodation of a household appliance, which has at least with a bearing element to which a shelf is attached and which can be slid over the profiled guide or fixed to the guide profiled, the bearing element is essentially fixed by adhesion to the profiled guide avoiding its sliding by she.

As a consequence of this configuration of the fixing of the bearing element to the profiled guide, are unnecessary gaps or grooves in the perforated guide, so that the profiled guide has a continuous and smooth surface, easy to clean. In addition, the bearing element can be fixed to the profile guide at any height, that is, for the height adjustment of the bearing element is not dependent on the predetermined height staggered by the position of the gaps or grooves in the profiled guide, as is the case in the state of the technique described above.

As a continuation of the fundamental idea of the invention, according to a first alternative configuration of the adhesion fixation defined in claim 2, the bearing element is fixed to the profiled guide as a type of friction ratchet. For this, the bearing element has a first contact area, which is presented to the previous part of the profiled guide facing the shelf, and a second area of contact, which is presented to the back of the guide profiled, at a height higher than that of the first zone of contact at the front of the profiled guide. As a result, the bearing element is fixed to the profiled guide by friction static, so that the weight of the bearing element itself, of the shelf and of the product deposited on the shelf, where appropriate, generates a couple of forces on the bearing element, balanced through the contact areas in the profiled guide. The strengths F_ {n}, normal to the profiled guide, generated by the areas of contact and applied on the profiled guide, cause forces of reaction F_ r acting in the longitudinal direction of the guide profiled and that fix the supporting element to the profiled guide, it is that is, they act against the weight of the bearing element, of the shelf and of the product that, where appropriate, is deposited on the shelf, and whose value corresponds to the product of normal force F_ {n} and the coefficient of static friction \ mu_ {0}.

In accordance with what is stated in the claim 3, the bearing element presents, in the alternative configuration of adhesion fixation described, a coupling sleeve in the first and second contact areas, which surrounds the guide profiled with a kind of slack, so that the element bearing scale in relation to the profile guide between a point retention, in which the contact areas are over the front and back of the profiled guide, and a slip point, through which you can slide the bearing element along the profiled guide. During the height positioning of the bearing element, the sleeve of coupling serves favorably to guide the bearing element on the profiled guide.

According to claim 4, the part of the element bearing facing the front of the profiled guide it has a hole in which a sliding wedge is inserted, which a Once inserted, it acts both on the supporting element and on the front part of the profiled guide, to ensure that the bearing element do not swing, at a point of retention, in relation with the profiled guide. In this way, it is avoided in a simple way that the bearing element, for example by raising the shelf, involuntarily move from the holding position to that of sliding, sliding down along the guide profiled

The sliding wedge can have a protrusion in the remote part of the profiled guide, according to claim 5, which collides with a subsequent cut in the hollow of the element bearing The highlight effectively serves as insurance for loss of Sliding wedge, so that this, during positioning in height of the bearing element, can only be removed from the hole of the bearing element until the protrusion hits the cut rear of the hole.

Claim 6 provides that the second zone of contact of the bearing element is provided with a microdentate, that meshes with a complementary microdentate in the part rear of the profiled guide. The microdentate serves as complementary safety device of the bearing element against a slide along the profiled guide. The configuration with microdentate is especially offered in those application cases in which, for example due to temperature or humidity conditions, the coefficient of static friction \ mu_ {0} is small or can be reduced.

In the course of the fundamental idea of the invention, claim 7 offers a second alternative of adhesion fixation configuration, according to which, the bearing element is fixed to the profiled guide by means of a type of clamp. For this, the bearing element has a coupling sleeve that envelops the profiled guide, split and suspended, to which two segments adhere extend along both sides of the channel, which approximate or move away from each other, moving from the holding position to the position of sliding and vice versa, respectively, by means of a eccentric handle mechanism, whereby the sleeve of coupling remains strongly adhered to the profiled guide in the retention position, and thereby suspended in the position of sliding, that the bearing element can slide to along the profiled guide. Also under this principle of fixing, which resembles the principle of fixing a support of saddle to the frame tube of a bicycle, the bearing element is fixed to the profiled guide, in a simple way, by friction static

In accordance with what is stated in the claim 8, the coupling sleeve presents in its inner perimeter a cross section that when coinciding in the position of retention with the cross section of the outer perimeter of the profiled guide prevents torsion of the bearing element in a plane perpendicular to the direction of longitudinal extension of the guide profiled, so that no additional parts are necessary for This task.

In principle, the shelf may be stuck, riveted or screwed to the supporting element. In view of one simple and effective cleaning, configuration according to claim 9, which provides that the shelf can be separated from the bearing element, at least, by a hitch device. From according to what is stated in claim 10, the device for hitch timely has a series of flexible projections anchored to the bearing element or as part of it, which extend through a through hole to the shelf once mounted, and that respectively have a hitch stop on its free ends, with which they hold the shelf. Would also be conceivably anchor the projections to the shelf or as part of it, and provide the corresponding holes in the element bearing Appropriately, the bearing element has a arm-shaped section, as cited in claim 11, which has a flat support surface for the support of the shelf, which has at least one hitch device in the cited support surface. According to claim 12, the support surface of the arm-shaped section presents a groove formed in the bearing element in the direction of the guide profiled, which serves as accommodation for an edge of the shelf. From In this way, the hitch device must avoid that when lifting the shelf, it detaches involuntarily from the surface of Arm-shaped section support. By pressing down the shelf, the groove prevents the shelf from detaching when the  Support surface of the arm-shaped section.

In accordance with what is stated in the claim 13, one end of the profiled guide is housed, detachable, in a hollow floor of accommodation space while the other end of the profiled guide is housed, detachable, in a hollow of the roof of the accommodation space, so that the length of the profiled guide is smaller, at a predetermined value, at a distance  interior between the bottoms of the gaps, this value being greater than the depth of the hole in the floor of the accommodation space. This configuration allows, on the one hand, a reliable fixation of the profiled guide in the housing space of the appliance domestic. On the other hand, the profiled guide can be extracted easily for cleaning, without having to loosen screws or similar to do it.

Finally, claim 14 provides that the profiled guide presents in its outer perimeter a section cross section that coincides with the cross section of the inside perimeter of the gaps prevents twisting of the guide profiled in the gaps, so that parts are not necessary either Additional for this purpose.

Next, the invention is described with greater detail through examples of configurations chosen, with reference to partially schematic drawings They are attached. To do this, the figures show:

Figure 1 Perspective view, partially sectioned, of a household appliance for the illustration of the installation of a console for shelves in the space of housing of a household appliance according to the invention.

Figure 2 Side view of a console for shelves according to a first configuration example of the invention, mounted in the accommodation space of an appliance domestic, shown sectioned, in which bearing element of a shelf is fixed to a profiled guide as a ratchet of friction.

Figure 3 Extended representation of detail III of Figure 2, illustrating how the upper end of the profiled guide of the console in a recess in the roof of the accommodation space.

Figure 4 Extended representation of detail IV of Figure 2, illustrating how the lower end of the profiled guide of the console in a recess in the floor of the accommodation space.

Figure 5 Perspective view of the section longitudinal cut of the console according to the first example of setting.

Figure 6 Schematic view of the section longitudinal cut of the console according to the first example of configuration, in which the supporting element of the console is found in a retention position, so the element bearing cannot slide along the profiled guide.

Figure 7 Extended representation of detail VII of Figure 6, illustrating the retention position of the element bearing, in which an upper contact area of the element bearing fits on the back of the profiled guide.

Figure 8 Extended representation of detail VIII of Figure 6, illustrating the retention position of the element bearing, in which a lower contact area of the element bearing fits the front part of the profiled guide.

Figure 9 Schematic view, similar to the figure 6, of the longitudinal section cut from the console, according to the first configuration example, in which the supporting element is is in sliding position and can slide to along the profiled guide.

Figure 10 Extended representation of detail X of Figure 9, illustrating the sliding position of the bearing element, in which the upper contact area of the bearing element is distanced from the back of the profiled guide.

Figure 11 Extended representation of detail XI of Figure 9, illustrating the sliding position of the bearing element, in which the lower contact area of the bearing element is distanced from the previous part of The profiled guide.

Figure 12 View of the longitudinal section cut from a console for shelves, according to the invention, in a variant of the first configuration example, in which the zone of upper contact of the bearing element, as well as the part rear of the profiled guide, have a microdentate complementary and with a sliding wedge on the front of the profiled guide, on the supporting element, provided with insurance against loss.

Figure 13 View of the section cut from the console according to figure 12 with respect to the cutting axis XIII-XIII of Figure 12.

Figure 14 Enlarged view, facing the represented in figure 5, of a section cut from the console, illustrating the fixation, separable, from the shelf to the element bearing by means of a hitch device.

Figure 15 Perspective view, cut, of the bearing element according to figure 14, which has been removed the shelf, to show in greater detail the device of hitch.

Figure 16 Schematic perspective view of a console for shelves according to a second configuration of the invention, in which the shelf and the bearing element are fixed to the profiled guide as a type of clamp.

Figure 17 Perspective view of the section cross section of the console according to the second example of configuration, corresponding to the cutting axis XVII-XVII of Figure 16.

Figure 18 Cross section view of the console according to the second configuration example, where the bearing element is held in the retention position by means of an eccentric handle mechanism, in which the element bearing remains strongly adhered to the profiled guide.

Figure 19 Cross section view of the console according to the second configuration example, where the bearing element is in the offset position, in which the bearing element can be displaced along the profiled guide.

Claims (14)

1. Console for shelves (10) in household appliances (12), at least with a profiled guide (14), which is mounted essentially vertically in a housing space (16) of a household appliance and with a bearing element (18) to which a shelf (10) is coupled and which can slide along the profiled guide (14) or be fixed to the profiled guide (14), characterized in that the bearing element (18) is essentially fixed by adhesion to the profiled guide (14) avoiding sliding along the profiled guide (14). 2. Console according to claim 1, characterized in that the bearing element (18) is fixed to the profiled guide (14) as a friction ratchet, for which the bearing element (18) has a first contact area (20) ), which is presented for contact in the front part (22) of the profiled guide (14) facing one of the shelves (10), and a second contact area (24) which is presented for contact in the rear part (26) of the profiled guide (14), at a higher height as a contact position than that of the first contact area (20) in the front part (22) of the profiled guide (14). 3. Console according to claim 2, characterized in that the supporting element (18) has a coupling sleeve (28) in the first and second contact areas (20, 24), which surrounds the profiled guide (14) with a kind clearance, so that the bearing element (18) swings in relation to the profiled guide (14) between a retention point (figures 6-8), in which the contact areas (20, 24) are located on the front part (22) and the back part (26) of the profiled guide (14), and a sliding point (figures 9-11), through which the bearing element (18) can slide along the profiled guide (14). 4. Console according to claim 3, characterized in that the part of the supporting element (18) facing the front part (22) of the profiled guide (14) has a housing recess (30) in which a sliding wedge ( 32), which once inserted (figure 6), acts both on the supporting element (18), and on the front part (22) of the profiled guide (14), to ensure that the supporting element (18) does not swing, at a retention point (Figure 6-8), in relation to the profiled guide (14). 5. Console according to claim 4, characterized in that the sliding wedge (32) has a projection (34) in the remote part of the profiled guide (14), which collides with a rear cut (36) in the housing ( 30) of the bearing element (18). 6. Console according to claims 2 to 5, characterized in that the second contact area (24) of the bearing element (18) is provided with a microdentate (38), which meshes with a complementary microdentate (40) at the rear (26) of the profiled guide (14). 7. Console according to claim 1, characterized in that the supporting element (18) is fixed to the profiled guide (14) as a clamp, whereby the supporting element (18) has a coupling sleeve (42) which envelops the profiled guide (14), split and suspended, to which two segments (46, 48) adhere that extend along both sides of the channel (44), which approach or move away from each other, when passing from the retention position (figures 16-18) to the sliding position (figure 19), respectively, by means of an eccentric handle mechanism (50), whereby the coupling sleeve (42) remains strongly adhered to the profiled guide (14) in the retention position (figures 16-18), and thereby suspended in the sliding position (figure 19), the supporting element (18) can slide along the profiled guide (14 ). 8. Console according to claim 3 or 7, characterized in that the coupling sleeve (28, 42) has in its inner perimeter a cross section that coincides in the retention position (Figures 6-8, 16-18) with the section Transversal of the outer perimeter of the profiled guide (14) prevents torsion of the bearing element (18) in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal extension direction of the profiled guide (14). 9. Console according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the shelf (10) can be separated from the supporting element (18), at least, by means of a coupling device (52). 10. Console according to claim 9, characterized in that the coupling device (52) opportunely has a series of flexible projections (54) anchored to the supporting element (18) or forming part of it, which extend through a through hole (56) on the shelf (10), when the shelf (10) is mounted, and which respectively have a catch stop (58) at their free ends, with which they hold the shelf (10). 11. Console according to claims 9 or 10, characterized in that the supporting element (18) has an arm-shaped section (60), which has a flat support surface (62) for the support of the shelf (10), which has at least one hooking device (52) in the area of the support surface (62). 12. Console according to claim 11, characterized in that the support surface (62) of the arm-shaped section (60) has a groove (64) formed in the direction of the profiled guide (14), which is formed in the bearing element (18) and serving as a housing for an edge (66) of the shelf (10). 13. Console according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that one end (68) of the profiled guide (14) is detachably housed in a recess (70) of the base (72) of the housing space (16) , while the other end (74) of the profiled guide (14) is detachably housed in a recess (76) of the ceiling (78) of the housing space (16), so that the length (L) of the profiled guide (14) is smaller, by a predetermined value (V), than the internal distance (D) between the bottoms (80, 82) of the gaps (70, 76), this value (V) being greater than the depth (P) of the hole (70) at the base (72) of the housing space (16). 14. Console according to claim 13, characterized in that the profiled guide (14) has a transverse section on its outer perimeter, which coincides with the cross-section of the inner perimeter of the holes (70, 76) prevents twisting of the profiled guide (14) in the gaps (70, 76).