WO2009083353A2

WO2009083353A2 - A cooling device

Info

Publication number: WO2009083353A2
Application number: PCT/EP2008/066374
Authority: WO
Inventors: Ridvan Celik; Derya Erturk
Original assignee: Arcelik Anonim Sirketi
Priority date: 2007-12-27
Filing date: 2008-11-27
Publication date: 2009-07-09
Also published as: WO2009083353A3

Abstract

The present invention relates to a cooling device (1) that comprises at least one shelf (5) whereon items to be stored are placed and at least one separator (6) slidably movable, that separates the volume above the shelf (5) into two on the vertical plane and support members (7) having a diagonal position.

Description

A COOLING DEVICE

[0001] The present invention relates to a cooling device comprising a support member that can be used as a shelf or a bottle holder.

[0002] In cooling devices, shelves of various shapes and numbers are provided inside the body and positioned at various levels whereon items to be cooled are stored. Moreover, bottle holders, produced as a single piece with the shelves or produced separately to be mounted on the shelves afterwards particularly for storing the bottles safely.

[0003] The bottle holders used particularly for the purpose of holding wine bottles are designed for storing the bottle safely by partially surrounding thereof.

[0004] However, the bottle holders thus designed for holding bottles cannot be used for another purpose, and the space occupied by the bottle holder creates a dead zone if bottles are not wanted to be stored therein. In order to make use of this dead zone, the bottle holders, when not in use, are moved in various ways by folding, sliding and/or inserting into one another for minimizing the dead zone thereby enabling at least some portion of the area occupied by the bottle holder to be used for other purposes.

[0005] In the state of the art United States of America patent no US4528825, a bottle holder is explained that is closed under the shelf whereto it is attached in a parallel position for occupying less space when not in use. The bottle holder is configured as a plate, mounted rotatably and slidably under the shelf like a swing with two pivotal links and folds down under the shelf pivoting together with these links. In this implementation, the bottle holder, when folded under the shelf, cannot be used for purposes of supporting since there is not a space thereon enabling to store any items in the folded position.

[0006] In the state of the art United States of America patent no US2005122017, the shelf comprises a flexible sheet, with one end secured to the shelf frame and the other end movable. When the user wants to store bottles, the movable end is brought to a level for only clasping the bottle and when bottles are not desired to be stored, one end is seated in a groove on the shelf thereby forming a plane and can be used as a shelf. [0007] In the state of the art Japanese patent application no JP11351737 a bottle shelf for a refrigerator is explained formed of mutually movable racks in which a plurality of bottles of different sizes can be supported safely.

[0008] The aim of the present invention is the realization of a cooling device that comprises a support member used selectively for storing bottles or storage containers as desired.

[0009] The cooling device realized in order to attain the aim of the present invention, explicated in the first claim and the respective claims thereof, comprises at least two support members, with one of their sides arranged adjacently in the body, having a bottle holder and a shelf position, at least pivotally fastened to each other from at least one point on their adjacent sides for changing from one position to the other.

[0010] The support members are beared on the body from one of the sides remaining on one part of the rotational axis, and on the separator from the other side remaining on the other part of the rotational axis, to be vertically movable on these elements.

[0011] When the support members are changed to the horizontal position, the separator is farthest away from the wall whereby the support members are fastened to the body. The support members form a plane in the horizontal between the separator and the wall.

[0012] The separator slides on the shelf, getting closer to the wall whereby the support members are fastened to the body for changing the support members from the horizontal position to the diagonal position. When changed to the diagonal position, the support members support the bottles placed thereon by becoming angular with each other and also with the horizontal axis.

[0013] The wall, whereby the separator and the support members are fastened to the body, comprises at least one channel for bearing the support members vertically slidable. The beared ends of the support members move inside this channel for changing from the horizontal position to the diagonal position. Meanwhile, the support members pivot with respect to each other since they are also pivotably connected to one another.

[0014] In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the shelf comprises at least one groove, longitudinally in the movement direction of the separator and the separator comprises at least one leg at the lower end that is slidably seated in this groove. The separator is slid over the shelf so that the leg can move forward in the groove.

[0015] In different embodiments of the present invention, the support members are disposed in the body such that they extend from the front to the rear or lengthwise. The support members, in the embodiment wherein they extend from the front to the rear, are fastened to the body from the rear wall. The support members, in the embodiment wherein they extend lengthwise, are fastened to the body from one side wall and extend lengthwise between the side wall and the separator in the body.

[0016] In an embodiment of the present invention, the two support members are fastened to each other along their adjacent sides such that the said side is the rotational axis for the making a hinge movement. One of the support members bears on the separator from its free side opposite the adjacent side, and the other member bears on the side wall.

[0017] The separator is pushed towards the side wall so that the support members can be changed to the bottle holder position and the sides bearing on the separator move upwards by sliding in the channel. As a result of the separator getting close to the side wall, the far sides of the two support members also get closer to each other and a V shape is formed between the side wall and the separator. The bottle placed between the two support members at the center of the V is safely supported by one support member holding from each side.

[0018] In another embodiment of the present invention, the two support members are fastened to each other from a central point on their adjacent sides enabling to make a scissor-like motion around this point. Both of the support members bear on the separator from one of the sides and on the side wall from the other side. When the separator is pushed towards the side wall so that the support members can be changed to the bottle holder position, the support members also move to change to the bottle holder position. The sides of one support member bearing on the separator and the side wall slide upward, the other sides slides downward, thereby the two support members form an X shape by making a scissor-like movement.

[0019] In this embodiment, one of the support members comprises a slot on the adjacent side that extends longitudinally along the side. The other support member comprises a shaft again on their adjacent side that is seated in this slot. The shaft enables the scissor-like motion of the support members by rotating in the slot and sliding to facilitate shifting of the support members together with the separator.

[0020] In another embodiment of the present invention, the support members comprise flaps that can open to support from below the sides of the bottle unsupported by the support member, when changed to the bottle holder position. The flaps, when in the open position, are virtually vertical to the support member, preventing the unsupported portion of the bottle to cause instability. When the support members are changed to the horizontal position, the flaps can be closed by virtually bringing to a position parallel to the support member.

[0021] The support members are configured as plates and support can be provided by using only two or four support members or the support members can be configured as racks and a plurality of support members can be used together for achieving the present invention.

[0022] By means of the present invention, a support member used as a bottle holder can be easily converted into a shelf by the user enabling to store flat base items. Thus the dead zones in the cooling device are minimized and the interior volume of the cooling device can be used effectively.

[0023] The cooling device realized in order to attain the aim of the present invention is illustrated in the attached figures, where:

[0024] Figure 1 - is the perspective view of a cooling device.

[0025] Figure 2 - is the perspective view of the support members and the separator in the horizontal position.

[0026] Figure 3 - is the perspective view of the support members and the separator in the diagonal position.

[0027] Figure 4 - is the perspective view of the support members and the separator in the diagonal position in an embodiment of the present invention. [0028] Figure 5 - is the perspective view of the support members and the separator in the diagonal position in another embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] Figure 6 - is the perspective view of detail A in Figure 1. [0030] Figure 7 - is the perspective view of detail B in Figure 3. [0031] Figure 8 - is the perspective view of the support members and the separator in the diagonal position in another embodiment of the present invention. [0032] Figure 9 - is the perspective view of the support members and the separator in the diagonal position in yet another embodiment of the present invention. [0033] The elements illustrated in the figures are numbered as follows:

1. Cooling device

2. Body

3. Side wall

4. Rear wall

5. Shelf

6. Separator

7. Support member

8. Flap

9. Channel

10. Groove

11. Leg

12. Slot

13. Shaft

[0034] The cooling device (1) comprises a body (2) having two side walls (3) and a rear wall (4), wherein items to be cooled are stored, at least one shelf (5) whereon items to be stored are placed and at least one separator (6) movable by sliding, that separates the volume above the shelf (5) into two in the vertical plane.

[0035] The cooling device (1) of the present invention furthermore comprises at least two support members (7), • disposed inside the body (2) such that one of their sides are adjacent,

• at least pivotally fastened to each other from at least one point on these adjacent sides,

• bearing on the body (2) from the side remaining on one part of the formed rotational axis, and to the separator (6) from the other side remaining on the other part of the rotational axis, vertically slidable thereon,

• changing to a horizontal position so as to form a support surface when the separator (6) is brought to the farthest position from the wall (3, 4) whereby they are fastened to the body (2),

• changing to the diagonal position being angular both to each other and to the horizontal axis so as to be used as a bottle holder, when the separator (6) gets closer to the wall (3, 4), whereby they are fastened to the body (2), by sliding on the shelf (5) (Figures 1 to 3).

[0036] The wall (3, 4), whereby the separator (6) and the support members (7) are fastened to the body (2), comprises at least one channel (9) enabling the support members (7) to be slidably beared (Figure 4).

[0037] In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the cooling device (1) comprises at least one groove (10) arranged on the shelf (5), longitudinally in the movement direction of the separator (6). The separator (6) comprises at least one leg (11) at the lower end that is movably seated in this groove (10). The sliding motion of the separator (6) is maintained by the leg (11) moving forward in the groove (11) (Figure 7).

[0038] The support members (7) are disposed in the body (2) extending from the front to the rear or from right to left. The support members are fastened to the body (2) from the rear wall (4) in the embodiment wherein they extend from the front to the rear, and close toward the rear wall (4) (Figure 8) and are fastened from one side wall (3) and close towards the side wall (3) in the embodiment wherein they extend lengthwise (Figure 9).

[0039] In an embodiment of the present invention, the two support members (7) are fastened to each other along their adjacent sides such that the said side is the rotational axis. One of the support members (7) bears on the separator (6) from its free side opposite the adjacent side, and the other member bears on the side wall (3). In this embodiment, the separator (6) is pushed towards the side wall (3) so that the support members (7) can be changed to the bottle holder position. In this position, the sides of the support members (7) bearing on the separator (6) and the side wall (3) slide upwards and the far sides of the two support members (7) get closer to each other forming a V shape between the side wall (3) and the separator (6). Thus, the bottle placed between the two support members (7) is supported from the sides and below (Figure 9).

[0040] In another embodiment of the present invention, the two support members (7) are fastened to each other from a central point on the adjacent sides enabling to make a scissor-like motion. The support members (7) bear on the separator (6) from one of their sides and on the side wall (3) from the other sides. In this embodiment, the separator (6) is pushed towards the side wall (3) so that the support members (7) can be changed to the bottle holder position. In this position, one of the support members (7) move upwards and the other downwards, on the separator (6) and the side wall (3) bearing them, and the two support members (7) form an X shape by making a scissor-like movement. In this embodiment, half the length of the bottle placed horizontally, for example in the upper quarter of the X, is supported from the right and the other half from the left (Figure 4).

[0041] In one version of this embodiment, one of the support members (7) comprises a slot (12) on their adjacent side that extends all along the side. The other support member (7) comprises a shaft (13) again on their adjacent side that is seated in this slot (12). The shaft (13) enables the scissor-like motion of the support members (7) by both rotating in the slot (12) and by sliding, thus facilitating shifting of the support members (7) together with the separator (6) (Figure 6).

[0042] In another embodiment of the present invention, the support member (7) pair fastened along one of their sides to form a V shape for bottle holder position, is placed inside the body (2) with another support member (7) pair fastened likewise, one in front of the other. In this embodiment, the adjacent sides of the support members (7), one in front of the other, are rotatably fastened to each other from a central point. Moreover, the support members (7) bear on the separator (6) and the side wall (3) from their free ends to be vertically slidable. Thus, when the separator (3) is pushed to change the support members (7) from the horizontal position to the bottle holder position, the sides of the support member (7) pair in the front, bearing on the separator (6) and the side wall (3) move upwards. Accordingly, the support member (7) pair in the front forms a V shape. Simultaneously, the sides of the support member (7) pair in the back, bearing on the separator (6) and the side wall (3) move downwards. Thus, the support member (7) pair in the back forms an inverted V shape. As a result, when viewed from the front, an XX shape appears. In this position, various volumes are formed between the support members (7) wherein the bottles can be placed (Figure 3).

[0043] Furthermore, the support members (7) each comprise at least one flap (8) that opens to be virtually vertical to the support member (7) for supporting from below those sides of the bottle unsupported by the support member (7), when in the bottle holder position and can be closed by virtually bringing to a position parallel to the support member (7) when in the horizontal position (Figure 1).

[0044] In an embodiment of the present invention, the support members (7) are configured as plates, and support can be provided by using only two or four support members (7) (Figure 3). In another embodiment of the present invention, the support members (7) are configured as racks and a plurality of support members (7) are used together (Figure 5).

[0045] By means of the present invention, a cooling device (1) is designed comprising support members (7) used as a bottle holder and entirely closable on the wall (3, 4) bearing them to occupy less space thus the user is enabled to utilize the interior volume of the cooling device most effectively as desired.

Claims

1. A cooling device (1) that comprises a body (2) having two side walls (3) and a rear wall (4), wherein items to be cooled are stored, at least one shelf (5) whereon items to be stored are placed and at least one separator (6) slidably movable, that separates the volume above the shelf (5) into two in the vertical plane and characterized by at least two support members (7)

- disposed inside the body (2) such that one of their sides are adjacent,

- at least pivotally fastened to each other from at least one point on the adjacent sides,

- bearing on the body (2) from the side remaining on one part of the formed rotational axis, and to the separator (6) from its other side remaining on the other part of the rotational axis, vertically slidable thereon,

- changing to a horizontal position so as to form a support surface when the separator (6) is brought to the farthest position from the wall (3, 4) whereby they are fastened to the body (2),

- changing to a diagonal position, being angular both to each other and to the horizontal axis so as to be used as a bottle holder when the separator (6) gets closer to the wall (3, 4) whereby they are fastened to the body (2), by sliding on the shelf (5)..

2. A cooling device (1) as in Claim 1 , characterized by at least one channel (9) that allows the support members (7) to be slidably beared on the separator (6) or the wall (3, 4).

3. A cooling device (1) as in Claim 1 or 2, characterized by a shelf (5) comprising at least one groove (10) disposed longitudinally in the movement direction of the separator (6) and a separator (6) that comprises at least one leg (11) at the lower end that is movably seated in this groove (10).

4. A cooling device (1) as in any one of the above Claims, characterized by support members (7) disposed in the body (2) extending from the front to the rear, and closing toward the rear wall (4).

5. A cooling device (1) as in any one of the Claims 1 to 3, characterized by support members (7) disposed in the body (2) extending lengthwise, and closing toward the side wall (3).

6. A cooling device (1) as in any one of the above Claims, characterized by support members (7) fastened to each other along their adjacent sides such that this side becomes the rotational axis.

7. A cooling device (1) as in Claim 6, characterized by support members (7) that form a V shape between the side wall (3) and the separator (6) in the bottle holder position.

8. A cooling device (1) as in any one of the Claims 1 to 5, characterized by support members (7) fastened to each other from a central point on their adjacent sides, enabling to make a scissor-like motion around this point.

9. A cooling device (1) as in Claim 8, characterized by support members (7) that form an X shape between the side wall (3) and the separator (6) in the bottle holder position.

10. A cooling device (1) as in Claim 8 or 9, characterized by two support members (7) wherein one of them comprises a slot (12) on their adjacent side, extending all along the side and the other member comprises a shaft (13) again on their adjacent side, seated in this slot (12) that can make both a rotational and sliding motion in the slot (12).

11. A cooling device (1) as in any one of the above Claims, characterized by support members (7) each comprising at least one flap (8) that opens to be virtually vertical to itself for supporting the unsupported sides of the bottle from below when in the bottle holder position and can be closed by virtually becoming parallel when in the horizontal position.

12. A cooling device (1) as in any one of the above Claims, characterized by support members (7) configured as plates.

13. A cooling device (1) as in any one of the above Claims, characterized by support members (7) configured as racks.