RU2402730C1 - Refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: personal use articles.

SUBSTANCE: refrigerator comprises one or more shelves for storage of objects on them and one or more grooves, which are arranged on one of its inner walls, to maintain the shelf in closed position and retain it at the required level. Shelf comprises support surface, which is rolled in roll in closed position and stretches in open position to form part of shelf, which bears load, and shaft, to which support surface is fixed at one side to be rolled around it into a roll.

EFFECT: efficient use of refrigerator inner space.

18 cl, 6 dwg

Description

The present invention relates to a refrigerator containing shelves that provide efficient use of the interior.

In refrigerators, preferably in domestic refrigerators, one or more shelves are moved or their locations changed in order to store large, tall, or beverage containers. At the current level of technology, shelf systems are used that are folding or extendable, completely removable from the refrigerator as desired, then installed again to form usable storage volumes for storing containers of various sizes. This type of shelf system should also be conveniently designed.

British Patent No. GB 1191595 describes a shelf used in a refrigerator having a variable supporting surface area consisting of spaced-apart beams, movably coupled through openings at their ends with adjacent ends of adjacent beams that are pushed towards each other by a compression spring.

United States Patent No. US 5,584,405 describes an adjustable shelf installation system used in a refrigerator. An adjustable shelf consists of a platform and a support element, movably attached to the platform, supporting the platform by supporting it on another lower shelf or chamber wall.

Adjustable or folding shelves of the current level of technology occupy a significant space inside the refrigerator even in unused positions, and ease of use cannot be ensured. On the other hand, removing these shelves altogether from the refrigerator when not in use still presents storage difficulties due to their size.

The aim of the present invention is the construction of a refrigerator containing shelves, providing efficient use of the internal space, which can be easily opened, closed, fully removed when necessary, and stored without taking up significant space.

A refrigerator designed to meet the objectives of the present invention is disclosed in the attached claims.

The refrigerator of the present invention comprises one or more shelves used for storing items having a sign of being able to open / close.

The shelf contains a supporting surface that can be folded to form a roll in the closed position, and in the open position, extended to form part of the shelf bearing the load. Therefore, the opening, closing of the supporting surface of the shelf is provided by folding and unrolling around a shaft fixed at one end, which is able to rotate around its axis. An open supporting surface is attached to the wall of the refrigerator by a latch on a free edge that is not attached to the shaft, and thus, the supporting surface can restore the load transfer position. At least one stopper is provided on the wall of the refrigerator to which this lock can be attached. The stopper is made as a groove into which the latch is inserted, or as a pin to which it is attached.

The shelf contains a casing that accommodates a support surface that is rolled up in a closed position, and a shaft around which the support surface is folded by means of attachment on one side. The casing has the shape of a rectangular prism with a hole on one side to allow entry or exit of the support surface. The casing protects the supporting surface from contamination when it is stored in the closed position for a long time or when it is removed to be stored outside the refrigerator. In addition, the casing holds all the components of the shelf together in a neat manner and, accordingly, provides ease of use when installing or removing from the refrigerator.

The abutment surface is made of an elastic material that is suitable for folding into a roll or to bear the load when it is stretched. In an embodiment of the present invention, the abutment surface has a perforated structure. Therefore, when fruit and vegetables are placed directly on the supporting surface, without being placed in a container, food products can absorb air, so their shelf life is extended.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, biasing means is provided inside the casing to which the shelf is connected, which restricts the movement of the shelf in the opening direction and helps the movement in the closing direction. The spring, which is compressed due to the rotational movement of the shelf while the shelf is extended to the open position, exerts a force that pulls the supporting surface and thus helps the supporting surface to stop and bear the load when the supporting surface is fixed to the refrigerator wall by means of a latch. As a result of the same force, when the supporting surface is released, it moves to automatically take a closed position, i.e. curl onto a rotating shaft.

The shelf is mounted on the side walls or the back wall inside the refrigerator. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the refrigerator comprises more than one recess, allowing the user to mount the shelf at different heights or different walls as desired.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the recess is located on one of the side walls of the refrigerator, and the stop (s) are on the other. In this embodiment, when the shelf extends to the open position, the abutment surface is pulled between the two side walls of the refrigerator.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the casing is located on the rear wall, and the latches are located on both side walls of the refrigerator. In this embodiment, when the shelf extends to the open position, the abutment surface is pulled from the rear wall to the front wall of the refrigerator. The stops are located in various positions on the side walls, which provides the support surface with the ability to stretch partially or completely relative to the depth of the refrigerator.

In this embodiment, the user extends the abutment surface as required according to the required space and fixes the abutment surface with retainers in stoppers suitable for this position. When the user fixes the supporting surface so that a certain part of the depth of the refrigerator is covered, at the same time, an additional supporting surface is provided in the refrigerator and the height of the products and beverage containers that are to be stored on the fixed shelf below is not completely limited. For example, when the shelf is locked in the open position by pulling half the depth of the refrigerator, many low-height food and beverage containers (H1, H1-H2) can be stored in the back on the lower shelf and on the supporting surface above. On the other hand, tall (H1) food and beverage containers can still be stored in front. In other words, a storage area is formed, which is a double storage space at the rear and a single storage space at the front.

A refrigerator designed to meet the objectives of the present invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, where:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a shelf in a closed position in an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a shelf in an open position in an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a shelf in an open position in another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view of a shelf in an open position that is used in an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a shelf in a closed position that is used in an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a shelf in an open position that is used in an embodiment of the present invention.

The elements illustrated in the drawings are numbered as follows:

1. Fridge

2. Shelf

3. Deepening

4. Support surface

5. Casing

6. Val

7. Lock

8. Stop

The refrigerator (1) contains one or more shelves (2) for storing objects on them, one or more recesses (3) located on one of the inner walls to maintain the shelf (2) in the closed position and keep it at the required level.

The shelf (2) contains a support surface (4), which is twisted into a roll in the closed position and stretched to form a part of the shelf (2), bearing the load, in the open position, and a shaft (6), to which the support surface is attached on one side (4) to wrap around it in a roll.

Shelf (2), in addition, contains at least one latch (7), which is attached to the wall (walls) of the refrigerator (1), when the supporting surface (4) is extended to the open position to keep it open, the casing ( 5), which contains the supporting surface (4), twisted into a roll in the closed position, and the shaft (6), around which the supporting surface (4) is wound due to attachment on one side. The casing (5) is made as a rectangular prism with a hole on one side to allow entry or exit of the support surface (4). The shaft (6) is located inside the casing (5) so that it can rotate around its own axis.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the refrigerator (1) further comprises at least one stopper (8) to which a latch (s) is attached, thereby securing the shelf (2) in the open position. The stop (8) is made as a recess into which the latch (7) is inserted, or as a pin to which the latch (7) is attached.

When the shelf (2) is installed inside the refrigerator (1), it is placed in a suitable recess (3) on one of the walls of the refrigerator (1). The shelf (2) can easily be removed from the recess (3) by the user when it is in the closed position, removed from the refrigerator (1) and subsequently can be set to the desired position.

The abutment surface (4) is made of an elastic material that is suitable for folding into a roll or for carrying a load when it is stretched. One side of the bearing surface (4) is fixed to the shaft (6). Accordingly, when the shaft (6) rotates, the abutment surface is wound around the shaft (6) into a roll. In an embodiment of the present invention, the abutment surface has a perforated structure.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the shelf (2) comprises a biasing means located inside the casing (5), which is compressed due to the rotational movement of the shaft (6) when brought into the open position, allowing automatic recovery to the closed position when released. When the shelf (2) is pulled by the user to open, the shaft (6) rotates and the abutment surface (4) attached to the shaft (6) opens. The shaft (6), while rotating in the direction of opening of the support surface (4), also compresses the biasing means to which it is attached. The latch (7) on the free end of the supporting surface (4) is attached to the stopper (8) located on the inner wall of the refrigerator (1) to bring the shelf (2) to the open position. In this position, the biasing means, since it is compressed, pulls the supporting surface (4) and holds it stretched. To bring the shelf (2) to the closed position, when the user releases the latch (7) to release it from the stopper (8), the supporting surface (4), which is pulled by the force exerted by the biasing means, is again twisted around the shaft (6).

In an embodiment of the present invention, the recess (3) is located on one of the side walls of the refrigerator (1), and the stop (s) are on the other. In this embodiment, when the shelf (2) extends to the open position, the supporting surface (4) is pulled between the two side walls of the refrigerator (1).

In another embodiment of the present invention, the recess (3) is located on the rear wall, and the stoppers (8) are located on both side walls of the refrigerator (1). In this embodiment, when the shelf (2) is pulled open, the supporting surface (4) becomes stretched from the rear wall to the front wall of the refrigerator (1). The stops (8) are located in different positions on the side walls, which allows the supporting surface (4) to stretch so that the depth of the refrigerator (1) is partially or completely covered. The user pulls out the abutment surface (4) as required according to the required space and fixes the abutment surface (4) by attaching the clips (7) to the stoppers (8) suitable for this position.

For example, when the abutment surface (4) is secured at half the depth of the refrigerator (1), tall (H1) foodstuffs and beverage containers can still be stored in front of the secured shelf (A) below. At the same time, the total area of the shelves for storing food and beverage containers with a small height (H1, H1-H2) at the rear increases by an additional area obtained from the supporting surface (4) at the rear. Consequently, food and beverage containers of two different heights (H1, H2) can now be supported on a fixed shelf (A) below by tensioning and fixing the shelf (2) at half depth.

Since the shelf (2) of the present invention can be easily brought into a closed position when not in use or even removed from the refrigerator (1), the user is provided with a flexible use of the volume, which can be selectively changed. On the other hand, since the shelf (2), taken out of the refrigerator (1), occupies space only because of the volume of the casing (5) in the closed position, there is no storage problem.

Claims (18)

1. A refrigerator (1) containing one or more shelves (2) for storing objects on them and one or more recesses (3) located on one of its inner walls, to maintain the shelf (2) in the closed position and hold it at the required level, characterized in that the shelf (2) has a supporting surface (4), which is twisted into a roll in the closed position and stretched in the open position to form the part of the shelf (2), bearing the load, and the shaft (6) to which is attached supporting surface (4) on one side to wrap around it in roll. 2. The refrigerator (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the supporting surface (4) twisted into a roll in the closed position is placed in the casing (5), and the shaft (6) around which the supporting surface (4) is curled placed in a recess (3) to accommodate a shelf (2) inside the refrigerator (1). 3. The refrigerator (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the shelf (2) contains at least one latch (7) for fixing the supporting surface (4) to the wall (walls) of the refrigerator (1) when it is pushed open, and to keep it open. 4. The refrigerator (1) according to claim 3, characterized in that at least one stopper (8) is located on the inner walls to which a latch (7) is attached, located on the edge of the supporting surface (4). 5. The refrigerator (1) according to claim 4, characterized in that the stop (8) has the shape of a groove into which the latch (7) can be inserted. 6. The refrigerator (1) according to claim 4, characterized in that the stop (8) has the shape of a pin on which the latch (7) can be fixed. 7. Refrigerator (1) according to claim 4, characterized in that the shelf (2) contains biasing means located inside the casing (5), which is compressed due to the rotational movement of the shaft (6) while the shelf (2) is extended to the open position , providing a tight hold on the supporting surface (4) when the shelf (2) is in the open position, and automatically restoring the closed position of the shelf (2) when it is released. 8. The refrigerator (1) according to claim 4, characterized in that the recess (3) is located on one of the side walls, and at least one stop (8) on the other. 9. The refrigerator (1) according to any one of claims 4 to 8, characterized in that the recess (3) is located on the rear wall, and at least two stoppers (8) are located in different positions on the side walls, so that the supporting surface (4) is stretched partially or completely along the depth of the refrigerator (1), and the shelf (2) provides storage of food products and beverage containers of two different heights (H1, H2) on a fixed shelf (A) below, when the supporting surface (4 ) partially open. 10. The refrigerator (1) according to claim 3, characterized in that the shelf (2) contains biasing means located inside the casing (5), which is compressed due to the rotational movement of the shaft (6) while the shelf (2) is extended to the open position , providing a tight hold on the supporting surface (4) when the shelf (2) is in the open position, and automatically restoring the closed position of the shelf (2) when it is released. 11. The refrigerator (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the supporting surface (4) is made of an elastic material suitable for folding into a roll and to bear the load when it is stretched. 12. The refrigerator (1) according to claim 11, characterized in that the supporting surface (4) has a perforated structure. 13. The refrigerator (1) according to claim 11, characterized in that the shelf (2) contains biasing means located inside the casing (5), which is compressed due to the rotational movement of the shaft (6) while the shelf (2) is extended to the open position , providing a tight hold on the supporting surface (4) when the shelf (2) is in the open position, and automatically restoring the closed position of the shelf (2) when it is released. 14. The refrigerator (1) according to claim 11, characterized in that the recess (3) is located on one of the side walls, and at least one stop (8) on the other. 15. The refrigerator (1) according to claim 11, characterized in that the recess (3) is located on the rear wall, and at least two stoppers (8) are located in different positions on the side walls, so that the supporting surface (4 ) is stretched partially or fully along the depth of the refrigerator (1), and the shelf (2) provides storage of food products and beverage containers of two different heights (H1, H2) on the fixed shelf (A) below, when the supporting surface (4) is partially open. 16. The refrigerator (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the shelf (2) contains biasing means located inside the casing (5), which is compressed due to the rotational movement of the shaft (6) during the extension of the shelf (2) in open position, providing a tight hold on the supporting surface (4) when the shelf (2) is in the open position, and automatically restoring the closed position of the shelf (2) when it is released. 17. The refrigerator (1) according to clause 16, characterized in that the recess (3) is located on one of the side walls, and at least one stopper (8) on the other. 18. The refrigerator (1) according to clause 16, characterized in that the recess (3) is located on the rear wall, and at least two stoppers (8) are located in different positions on the side walls, so that the supporting surface (4) partially or fully stretched along the depth of the refrigerator (1), and the shelf (2) provides storage of food products and beverage containers of two different heights (H1, H2) on a fixed shelf (A) below, when the supporting surface (4) is partially open.

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