US2517385A

US2517385A - Fold-away shelf for refrigerators or the like

Info

Publication number: US2517385A
Application number: US739446A
Authority: US
Inventors: Adna R Clark
Original assignee: International Harverster Corp
Current assignee: Navistar Inc
Priority date: 1947-04-04
Filing date: 1947-04-04
Publication date: 1950-08-01
Anticipated expiration: 1967-08-01

Description

mug L 1950 A. R. CLARK FOLD-AWAY SHELF FOR REFRIGERATORS OR THE LIKE Filed April 4, 1947 INVENTOR.

Patented Aug. 1, 1950 FOLD-AWAY SHELF FOR REFRIGERATORS OR THE LIKE Adna R. Clark,.Evansville, Ind., assignor to International Harvester Company, a corporation of New Jersey Application April 4, 1947, Serial No. 739,446

4 Claims.

This invention relates to a refrigerator cabinet construction and more particularly to shelf means for the cabinet to provide for a more flexible storage capacity.

In the conventional household refrigerator cabinet there is provided a food storage compartment. An evaporator depends from the upper wall of the cabinet and may be positioned either centrally or at one side of the upper portion of the compartment. The space below the evaporator is ordinarily divided by a plurality of transverse shelves. If the evaporator is located centrally in the top of the compartment, storage space is provided at both sides thereof; if the evaporator is positioned at one side, there is only one open storage space. In either event, the upper storage space is used for the purpose of storing tall articles such as bottles, the lower transverse shelves being used for the storage of smaller articles, such as dishes, jars, etc.

In many types of refrigerators the storage space alongside the evaporator is provided withshelves, which shelves may be used for the further storage of small articles, or which may be removed for the storage of tall articles.

The present invention pertains particularly to an improved shelf arrangement for location in the storage space associated with the evaporatorand has for its principal object the provision of a conveniently foldable shelf unit, the aim of the invention being to provide for the use of the shelves to store small articles, or for folding the shelves against a wall of the cabinet in the event that it is desired to store tall articles. It is an important object of the invention to provide the shelf unit in a plurality of sections. either one or both of which may be optionally arranged in carrying position or in folded position. The invention seeks as another object to provide such a shelf means that is conveniently arranged so that it need not be entirely removed from the food storage compartment. Another object of the invention is to provide a shelf construction that is simple and economical to manufacture and one that may be readily adapted to refrigerators of conventional types.

The foregoing and other desirable objects and features of the invention will become apparent as the disclosure is more fully made in the following detailed description and accompanying sheet of drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a front view of one type of household refrigerator, the front door being removed to illustrate the interior of the cabinet:

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of one of the 2 shelves arranged in horizontal or carrying posi- Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the shelf in folded position; i

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary enlarged view showing the slotted end of one of the shelf-carrying members; and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional View taken substantially on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2 and illustrating the relationship between the shelf and one of the shelf-carrying members.

The disclosure herein is of a preferred embodiment of the invention and illustrates principles of the invention peculiar to this embodiment. The disclosure should therefore be taken as illustrative and not limiting.

The refrigerator shown in Fig. 1 includes a cabinet Ill having opposite side walls, a top wall, a bottom wall, and a back wall, all of which coinbine to provide a food storage compartment II. This compartment is open at itsfront end and is delineated by a door opening l2. The door is not shown in the drawing. The upper portion of the food storage compartment H includes an evaporator i3. The portion of the compartment below the evaporator is provided with a plurality of transverse shelves H. In the present illustration the evaporator is located at one side of the upper portion of the compartment H, thus providing a food storage space ii at one side thereof. It will be understood, of course. that the evaporator could be located at the other sideof the refrigerator. Likewi e, the evaporator couldbe located centrally of the upper portion of the compartment II. in. which case food storage space would be provided at both sides thereof. The invention does not depend upon any particular location of the evaporator.

In the arrangement above set forth, or in any comparative arrangement, the shelves H in the compartment 1 I serve ordinarily to receive small articles to be refrigerated. The space I! will accommodate taller articles. In many cases. however, it is desired to increase the capacity of the compartment II for accommodating smaller articles. In the present illustration this result is accomplished by the provision of an auxiliary shelf unit comprising a pair of shelf sections it and II. In the description to follow, reference will be had to only the shelf section l6, and it will be understood that the section I! is identical thereto in all respects except as to certain features that will be pointed out independently.

As best shown in Figs. 2 and 3, a shelf support I8 is carried on the rear wall of the food storage compartment H and may be secured thereto by any suitable securing means cooperating with openings IS in the support Ill. The support is preferably of a one piece metal construction having its opposite ends bent to provide ears 2!! and having a pair of spaced intermediate portions folded to provide ears 2i. Each of the ears 20 is apertured and receives a transverse pivot pin 22 on each of which is pivoted a shelf carrying member in the form of a strap 23. Each of the ears 2i is notched at 2B for a purpose to presently appear.

The shelf section is relatively long and narrow and is carried between arallel supporting straps 23. The shelf section includes a rectangular frame formed preferably of a wire 25 bent to shape and having at the front end thereof a metal angle bar 26. A plurality of relatively closely spaced wires 21 run longitudinally of the shelf l8 and are welded or otherwise rigidly secured at their opposite ends to the angle member 25 and the one side of the frame provided by the wire 25. The shelf structure which is described may be replaced by any other suitable structure.

An intermediate portion of the shelf 56 is provided with a transverse rod 28 rigidly secured as by welding or otherwise to the long sides of the frame 25 and to the wires 21. This rod 18 headed as at 29 at each of its opposite ends and the ends pass through keyhole slots 30 formed respectively in the free ends of the straps 23. The construction is such that the shelf I may have slight longitudinal movement with respect to the supporting straps 23, The rear transverse end of the shelf l6, as provided by one side of the frame 25, fits the notches 24 in the ears 2i on the support I8 when the shelf is in horizontal or carrying position (Fig. 2). Further, when the shelf is in this position, the outer ends of the transverse carrying rod 28 rest in the enlarged ends of the keyhole slots 30.

The forward or outer portion of the shelf I8 is additionally supported on the adjacent wall of the compartment 8 i. In the present disclosure this support takes the form of a stud 3! which projects laterally from the wall to support a longitudinal side of the frame 25 of the shelf IS. The frame 25 includes rigidly thereon a depending pin or lug 32. This type of shelf support is generally conventional and insofar as the specific nature thereof is concerned forms no part of the present invention. The arrangement is such that the shelf l6 may be lifted slightly so that the pin 32 is freed from the stud 3!, after which the shelf l6 may be moved slightly forwardly, the ends of the rod 28 traveling forwardly in the slots 30 in the straps 23. This movement of the shelf frees the inner end thereof from the notches 24 in the ears 2| on the support l8. The rear portion of the shelf is then allowed to tilt downwardly, being carried and guided in that direction by the straps 23. The forward or outer end of the shelf moves upwardly and the entire structure folds flat against the rear wall of the compartment l l.

The shelf section I! and the manner of supporting and folding the same are identical to the corresponding characteristics of the shelf IS, with the exception that the shelf 11, instead of being supported on a stud 3| on the proximate wall of the cabinet, is supported on a lug 33 that projects from the proximate wall of the evaporator ll. The function of the lug 33 corresponds to that of the stud ii.

The construction which is described provides for the arrangement of either or both shelf sections II and i1 in carrying position or in folded position, inasmuch as the sections are independently supported. When one section is folded away and the other is disposed horizontally, the auxiliary food storage space l5 will accommodate tall articles at one side thereof. When both shelves are folded away, the space 15 is further increased. The construction is such as to lend itself readily to the desires of the user of the refrigerator and will be found to contribute materially .to the flexibility of storage of articles to be refrigerated.

It should be understood that the foregoing description and illustration pertain to only a preferred embodiment of the invention and that numerous modifications and alterations may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A fold-away shelf construction for a refrigerator cabinet or the like having side walls and a rear wall, comprising: a support; means for connecting the support to the rear wall; means-on the support providing a pair of horizontally spaced apart pivot ears and at least two notched locking ears positioned intermediate the spaced apart pivot ears; a pair of parallel straps; means including pivots alined on a horizontal axis connecting the rear end of each strap member respectively to the pivot ears, the front ends of the straps being free; a generally rectangular, foldaway shelf positioned between the straps and capable of assuming either a horizontal or a vertical position, said shelf having opposed side edges and opposed end edges, the side edges lying closely proximate, respectively, to the straps; means on each side edge pivoting said edge on a horizontal axis to the free end of the proximate strap; means on the rear end edge of the shelf releasably engageable with the aforesaid notched looking ear for supporting one end of the shelf when the shelf is in horizontal position; and means on one of the side walls remote from the strap pivot means for supporting the front portion of the shelf when the shelf in horizontal position.

2. A shelf construction as set forth in claim 1, further characterized in that: the support is a one-piece member having the pivot ears bent out at opposite ends thereof and the locking ear bent out at a poi-rtion. there intermediate the ears.

A shelf construction as set forth in claim 1, further characterized in that: the means pivoting the side edges of the shelf to the straps include pin and connections whereby the shelf, when in horizontal position, may have movement relative to the support so that the means on the rear edge thereof may be released from the notched locking ear.

4. A fold-away shelf construction for a refrigerator cabinet or the like having side walls and a wall, comprising: supporting means the rear wall; a pair of parallel straps; means including pivots alined a horizontal axis connecting the rear end of each strap member respectively to the supporting means, the front ends of the straps being free; a fold-away shelf positioned between the straps and capable of assuming either a horizontal or a vertical position, said. shelf having opposed side edges and 8 opposed end edges, the side edges lying closely proximate, respectively, to the straps; means on each side edge pivoting said edge on a horizontal axis to the free end of the proximate strap; look-- ing means including at least two notched ears adapted for afllxment to the rear wall; means on the rear end edge of the shelf releasably en-' gageable with the locking means for supporting one end of the shelf when the shelf is in horizontal position; and means on one of the side walls remote from the strap pivot means for supporting the front portion of the shelf when the shelf is in horizontal position.

ADNA R. CLARK.

8 nmanncns omen The following references are of record in the tile of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,402,929 Herpst Jan. 10, 1922 1,576,784 Planett Mar. 23, 1925 1,888,253 Adler Nov. 22, 1932 10 2,199,981 Bell May 7, 1940 2,219,975 Bentz Oct. 29, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 613,468 Germany Nov. 6, 1932 459,72 Great Britain Jan. 13, 1937