WO2005064248A1

WO2005064248A1 - Side dish container air tightness apparatus of refrigerator

Info

Publication number: WO2005064248A1
Application number: PCT/KR2004/003519
Authority: WO
Inventors: Il Koun Ha
Original assignee: Il Koun Ha
Priority date: 2003-12-31
Filing date: 2004-12-30
Publication date: 2005-07-14
Also published as: KR20050069308A; KR100530837B1

Abstract

An apparatus for air-tightly closing the side dish container is provided. The apparatus employs lid elevating mechanism wherein a cylinder, a motor and springs are respectively employed to elevate and air-tightly close the lid over the side dish container. The side dish container accommodates plurality of side dish receptacles and the side dish container air-tightness apparatus of a refrigerator closes the lid air-tightly over plurality of side dish receptacles at one go, preventing the food odor of side dishes stored within the side dish receptacles from escaping out and smelling the refrigerator.

Description

Description SIDE DISH CONTAINER AIR TIGHTNESS APPARATUS OF REFRIGERATOR Technical Field

[1] The present invention relates to an apparatus for covering side dish containers air- tightly, and more particularly, to an apparatus for installations inside a refrigerator capable of covering the side dish container that is pushed in and pulled out as that of a drawer air-tightly so that food odor of side dish stored within the side dish containers do not leak out and overwhelm the refrigerator. The side dish container can accommodate plurality of side dish receptacles. The present invention also provides an automatic and manual lid elevating mechanism for raising and closing the lid of the side dish container air-tightly.

[2] Background Art

[3] When refrigerating side dishes, conventional side dish containers with lids on them are generally used to store side dishes so that the lids close over the side dish containers to keep the odor of side dish from leaking out of the containers and foul the refrigerator.

[4] However, the above-mentioned lids for conventional side dish containers tend not to close properly over the side dish containers as frequent usage wears out the lids, and this poses a problem of letting food odor leak out and foul the refrigerator. Furthermore, each different item of side dishes are usually put into separate side dish containers and these side dish containers are then individually put inside the refrigerator for storage, which is time consuming and cumbersome. Furthermore, the plurality of side dish containers take up what is already limited space of refrigerator and refrigerator space is not efficiently taken advantage of.

[5] Disclosure of Invention Technical Problem

[6] The present invention is made in view of the above problems and it is the object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for covering a side dish container air- tightly. It is another object of the present invention to provide a side dish container of a type that is pushed in and pulled out as that of a drawer of a chest for installation inside a refrigerator that can accommodate plurality of side dish receptacles. It is fiirther object of the said invention to provide an automatic and manual lid elevating mechanism for raising and closing the lid of the side dish container that can close the said lid over the said side dish container air-tightly. Technical Solution

[7] In order to achieve above objects, there is provided in accordance with present invention an apparatus for covering the side dish containers air-tightly comprising of a pair of walls installed inside a refrigerator on one side of upper portion of a refrigerator; guide rails installed on the said pair of walls; a side dish container placed along the guide rails; the said side dish container capable of accommodating a plurality of side dish receptacles; a lid having a cohesive padding along the underside of the said lid; the said lid raised and lowered over the side dish container to close over the side dish receptacles by lid elevating mechanism; the said lid elevating mechanism comprising of cylinder with loading device installed on top of the said lid of the said side dish container to raise and close the lid; the said lid elevating mechanism in accordance with one aspect of the present invention, comprising of a rack installed on top of the lid of the side dish container; a pinion connected to the said rack, and pinion driven by a motor so that motor driven pinion can raise and close the lid; the said lid elevating mechanism in accordance with another aspect of the present invention, comprising of a elastic spring installed between the lid and the wall of refrigerator so that elasticity of the spring raises and closes the lid over the said side dish container.

[8] Brief Description of the Drawings

[9] Fig. 1 is a front schematic view of a preferred embodiment of the apparatus for air- tightly covering the side dish container according to the present invention.

[10] Figs. 2, 3 are partial cross-sectional schematic view of the essential configuration of the present invention according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[11] Figs. 4, 5 are partial cross-sectional schematic view of present invention according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[12] Figs. 6, 7 are partial schematic cross-sectional view of the present invention according to yet another preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[13] Fig 8 is a front schematic view of the refrigerator with present invention installed.

[14] Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention [15] Hereinafter, the preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings;

[16] Fig. 1 is a schematic front view of the refrigerator with its door open displaying the apparatus installed as according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. Figs. 2 and 3 are schematic cross-sectional view of the essential configuration of the present invention. Figs. 4 and 5 are schematic cross sectional view of the essential configuration of present invention according to one aspect of the preferred embodiment of the present invention. Figs. 6 and 7 are partial schematic sectional view of the essential component of the present invention according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention. Fig 8 is a schematic front view of a refrigerator with present invention installed.

[17] A pair of walls 2 is installed inside a refrigerator 1 on one side of upper portion of a refrigerator 1. The said walls 2 are placed laterally and are spaced predetermined distance from each other. The said walls 2 comprise of guide rails 21 installed on them, wherein the guide rails 21 allow the side dish container 3 to hang on and slide in and slide out of the said walls 2.

[18] A side dish container 3 capable of accommodating plurality of side dish receptacles 31 is placed along the guide rail 21. The side dish container 3 is of a drawer type that is pushed in and pulled out along the guide rail 21 to accommodate and refrigerate side dish receptacles 31.

[19] A lid 4 with its underside lined with a cohesive padding 41 made of silicon or other synthetic material is raised or lowered by lid elevating mechanism 5. The lid elevating mechanism 5 air-tightly closes the lid 4 over the side dish receptacles 31 accommodated within the side dish container 3.

[20] The said lid elevating mechanism 5 comprise of a cylinder 51, which can be either installed hidden or exposed within a refrigerator 1; the load 52 of the cylinder 51 is connected to the lid 4, and the lid 4 is raised an or closed over the side dish receptacles 31 by the said cylinder 51.

[21] In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, the said lid elevating mechanism 5 can also comprise of a motor 53; the said motor 53 can either be installed hidden or exposed inside a refrigerator 1 ; a pinion 55 connected to the axial 54 of the said motor 53; a rack 56 that couples to the pinion 55 is installed on top of the lid 4; the switch operated motor 53 turns the pinion 55 and the pinion 55 in turn raises or lowers the lid 4 over the side dish container 3; the lid elevating mechanism powered by motor air-tightly closes the lid 4 over the side dish receptacles 31 accommodated within the side dish container 3.

[22] In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the said lid elevating mechanism 5 can also comprise of an elastic spring 57; the said spring 57 installed between the lid 4 and the refrigerator 1 ; the elasticity of the spring 57 allows the lid 4 to open and close air-tightly over the side dish receptacles 31.

[23] The number 58 on the drawings denotes a switch for operating the lid elevating mechanism 5 and the number 32 denotes a handle for side dish container 3.

[24] The assembly and operation of side dish container air tightness apparatus of a refrigerator according to the present invention will be described as follows;

[25] The lid elevating mechanism 5 as accorded by the present invention comprising of a cylinder 51 as shown in the Figs. 2 and 3 is described first. The cylinder operating switches 58 comprising of a lid 4 lifting button and lid 4 closing button, are installed either inside or outside of a refrigerator. When lid 4 lifting button is pressed, the cylinder 51 is switched on and the load 52 is pulled into the cylinder, and this causes the lid 4 to be raised. When the lid 4 is raised, the side dish container 3 is pulled out by grabbing the handle 32 and pulling the side dish container out along the guide rail 21.

[26] As mentioned above, the side dish container 3 is completely taken out of a refrigerator and plurality of side dish receptacles 31 accommodated within the side dish container 3 can be then used for storing various side dishes. The side dish receptacles 31 are also designed to be indivicbally stored within the side dish container 3 so that usage and storing of the side dish receptacles 31 are easy and simple.

[27] When putting back the side dish container 3 into the refrigerator 1, the side dish container 3 is placed onto guide rails 21 installed on the lateral walls 2 and then the side dish container 3 is pushed in. Once the side dish container is in, the lid 4 closing switch is depressed. The cylinder 51 turns in opposite directions and the load 52 is pushed out of the cylinder 51 and closes the lid 4 over the side dish receptacles 31 accommodated inside the side dish container 3. The cohesive padding 41 lined along the underside of the lid 4 made of silicon or other synthetic material, closes over each one of the side dish receptacles 31 inside the side dish container 3 and air-tightly covers the said side dish receptacles 31.

[28] The cohesive padding 41, made of silicon or other elastic rubber material, increases the air-tightness of the apparatus.

[29] The lid elevating mechanism 5 as accorded by the present invention comprising of a motor 53 as shown in Figs 4 and 3 b is described next. The motor operating switches 58 are installed inside or on the outside of a refrigerator 1. When the lid 4 lifting switch is pressed, the motor 53 is turned on and the pinion 55 coupled to the axial 54 of the motor 53 rotates in forward direction, and the rack 56 connected to the pinion 55 is moved upwards, causing the lid 4 to be raised. When closing the lid 4, the switch for closing the lid is pressed, in which the axial 54 of the motor 53 turns in opposite direction, so that rack 55 is moved downwards, wherein the rack 56 pushes the lid 4 down and the cohesive padding 41 of the lid 4 air-tightly closes over each one of the side dish receptacle 31.

[30] The lid elevating mechanism 5 of the apparatus as accorded by the present invention can also comprise of manually operated lid 4 lifting mechanism 5. As shown in Figs 6 and 7, springs 57 are installed between the refrigerator 1 and the lid 4, so that the user can lift the lid 4 and take the side dish container 3 out. When placing the side dish container 3 back in, the lid 4 is again lifted upwards, and the side dish container 3 is placed on the guide rail 21, and pushed in. The lid 4 is then simply let go of, and the lid 4, by the elasticity of the spring 57, is pushed downwards, and the cohesive padding 41 of the lid 4 air-tightly covers each one of the side dish receptacles 31 accommodated inside of the side dish container 3.

[31] Thus there is provided in accordance with the present invention side dish container air-tightness of a refrigerator that accomplishes the objects of the invention set out above. Many modifications of the preferred embodiments of the invention disclosed above will readily occur to those skilled in the art. The invention includes all such modifications as fall within the scope of the appended claims

[32] Industrial Applicability

[33] As described above, a side dish container air-tightness apparatus of a refrigerator is provided in accordance with provisions set forth by the present invention wherein the apparatus of side dish container closes the lid of the said side dish container air-tightly over plurality of each individual side dish receptacles accommodated within the said side dish container. The apparatus covers the lid over the plurality of said side dish receptacles at one go, making storage and refrigeration of plurality of side dish receptacles easy and simple. The apparatus employs lid elevating mechanism, which closes the lid air-tightly over the said side dish container, virtually preventing the odor of the side dishes from escaping out and fouling the refrigerator.

Claims

[1] A side dish container air-tightness apparatus of refrigerator comprising: a side dish container capable of accommodating plurality of side dish receptacles wherein the said side dish receptacles are for storing side dishes; a pair of walls installed on upper side of a refrigerator wherein the said set of walls are placed laterally and adequate distance from each other and the said walls comprise of guide rails wherein the said guide rails allow the said side dish container to be pushed in and pulled out as that of a drawer of a chest; a lid elevating mechanism of the said side dish container wherein the said lid comprise of a cohesive padding made of silicon or other material, and wherein the said lifting mechanism raises and closes the lid air-tightly over the said side dish container.

[2] The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the lid elevating mechanism comprise of a cylinder and a load installed on top of the said lid; the lid air- tightly closing over the said side dish container by the loading device attached to the said cylinder.

[3] The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the said lid elevating mechanism also comprise of a lid with rack installed on top of the said lid; a pinion connected to the rack; a motor driving the pinion so that pinion raises and closes the lid over the said side dish container.

[4] The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the said lid elevating mechanism also comprise of a spring attached between the said lid and the wall of the refrigerator; the elasticity of the spring raises and closes the lid over the side dish container.