WO2011009788A1

WO2011009788A1 - Refrigerator

Info

Publication number: WO2011009788A1
Application number: PCT/EP2010/060146
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jürgen FINK; Long XIAO
Original assignee: BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgeräte GmbH
Priority date: 2009-07-23
Filing date: 2010-07-14
Publication date: 2011-01-27
Also published as: CN101963421B; CN101963421A; EP2457040A1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a refrigerator (1), comprising: a refrigerator body (2) having storage compartments (3); a door (4) for selectively opening or closing the storage compartments (3), wherein the door (4) comprises a continuous opening (5) penetrating the door (4) in one direction from front to back; a cover element (6) connected to the door (4) and covering at least one part of the continuous opening (5) on a rear side of the door (4); and a storage container (9) connected to the rear side of the door (4). According to the present invention, the storage compartments (9) and the cover element (6) are disposed with no intermediate space in a longitudinal direction.

Description

FRIDGE

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a refrigerator, more particularly to a refrigerator, at the door of which objects can be stored.

BACKGROUND US Patent Application No. 2005 / 0132740A1 discloses a refrigerator. The door of the refrigerator disclosed by this patent application comprises a through opening which opens the door in a front to back direction

penetrates, and a housing door, which can be used for selectively opening or closing the through hole on the front of the refrigerator door. The refrigerator further includes a cover member connected to the back of the door so as to cover the through hole therethrough. At the rear of the refrigerator door, a plurality of storage trays are provided, each of which is separated by a distance from the cover member and can be attached to or removed from the refrigerator door independently of the cover member. Items to be refrigerated are placed in the refrigerator through storage spaces defined by these storage bins and the cover member. Between the upper wall of the cover and the lower wall of the storage tray, a distance is maintained above the cover adjacent. Since the top wall of the cover member can not be used to store any object thereon, this space is wasted space in the longitudinal direction of the refrigerator door.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the invention to provide a refrigerator whose

Useful capacity can be increased, and its external dimensions are not increased simultaneously. Therefore, the present invention relates to a refrigerator comprising: a

Refrigerator carcass with storage compartments; a door for selectively opening or closing the storage compartments, the door including a through opening that penetrates the door in a front-to-rear direction; one

Cover member which is connected to the door and covers at least a part of the through hole at a rear side of the door; and one

A storage box connected to the rear of the door, characterized in that the storage box and the cover member are arranged without clearance in a longitudinal direction.

Since the cover member and the storage container are arranged without clearance in a longitudinal direction, this makes it possible to reduce the waste of use capacity at the back of the door of the refrigerator. Thus, the space of the refrigerator can be more adequately utilized, which is achieved without increasing the external size of the refrigerator.

Other individual features, or features that are combined with other features that form part of the characteristics of the present invention, are described in the appended claims.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the storage container and the cover share a common wall. According to a particularly preferred embodiment of the present invention, the cover member comprises a top wall, and the storage container comprises a bottom wall, wherein the bottom wall is formed by at least a portion of the top wall, and a side wall which is connected to the top wall and to protrudes above.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the upper wall is parallel to the horizontal plane. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, at least a portion of the side wall is integral with the top wall. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the side wall comprises a main portion which is integral with the top wall, and a decorative portion, the decorative portion being independent of the

Main section is built and then assembled with the main section. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is a

A plurality of attachment portions for attaching the cover member provided on the door, wherein at least one attachment portion of the plurality of attachment portions is provided on the storage container. The at least one mounting portion is particularly preferably provided on the side wall.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the storage container is provided at a position above the through opening.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a storage space of the storage box is separated from the through hole. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the cover member comprises a rear wall, which is an inner lining panel of the door

and is separated therefrom by a distance, wherein a space is formed between the rear wall and the interior trim panel in fluid communication with the through opening.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, at least a portion of the storage container is integral with the rear wall. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the rear wall has an opening and a door element for selectively closing or opening the opening.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the door element comprises a closing device which is provided so as to generate a force, wherein when the opening is opened, it allows the force that the door element moves to a position in which the opening is closed.

The construction, other objects and advantages of the present invention will be understood from the description of the preferred embodiments with reference to the drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

As part of the description, and to further explain the present invention, the drawings illustrate preferred embodiments of the present invention and, together with the description, are used to explain the principle of the present invention. In the drawings shows:

Figure 1 is a front view of a refrigerator according to a preferred

Embodiment of the present invention, in which a housing door is open; Figure 2 is a perspective view of the refrigerator according to the preferred

Embodiment of the present invention, in which a door of the refrigerator is open;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a cover member according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, wherein the cover member is used to form a storage container; Figure 4 is an exploded perspective view of the formation of the

Storage container used cover member according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, wherein a side wall of the

Storage container is shown in an exploded manner; and

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the cover according to the preferred

Embodiment of the present invention, in which a door member thereof is opened. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, a refrigerator 1 comprises a thermally insulated refrigerator body 2 defining a plurality of storage compartments 3. In this embodiment, the storage compartments comprise freezer and refrigerator compartments arranged side by side on the left and right. An access opening is provided at a front end of the storage compartment 3 so as to take out articles therefrom or place objects therein. The access opening is selectively opened or closed by a door 4 connected to the refrigerator body 2.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited by the exact arrangement of the storage compartments in the refrigerator, and that various variants thereof are also possible. The door 4 comprises an interior trim panel 16, which faces the compartments 3 when the door 4 is closed. The interior trim panel 16 may be made of plastic. The door 4 further comprises a front panel 21, which is the

Interior trim panel 16 is arranged opposite. The interior trim panel 16 is separated from the front panel 21 by a distance so as to form therebetween a heat-insulated space (not shown) having therein a heat-insulating material layer. The door 4 includes a through hole 5 extending from the front surface of the front panel 21 to the rear surface of the interior trim panel 16 so as to penetrate the door 4 in a front-rear direction. The door 4 further includes a housing door 22 for opening or closing the through opening 5 at the front of the door 4. Usually, the through opening 5 is closed by the housing door 22 connected to the door 4, so that a

Heat exchange between the inside and the outside of the refrigerator 1 is reduced. The refrigerator 1 includes a cover member 6 located at the rear of the door 4. The cover member 6 is intended to cover the continuous opening 5 on the back of the door 4.

As shown in Figures 2, 3 and 5, the cover member 6 is substantially a hollow tetrahedral structure, and preferably made of transparent plastic. The cover member 6 includes a rear wall 13 opposite to the interior trim panel 16 and separated from the interior trim panel by a predetermined distance such that a space 7 is formed between the interior trim panel 16 and the rear wall 13 connected to the through opening 5 in FIG

Fluid connection is. Left and right boundaries of the space 7 are formed by connecting walls 24 extending in a longitudinal direction and connecting the rear wall 13 and the interior trim panel 16. An upper boundary of the space 7 is formed by an upper wall 8 of the cover 6. The upper wall 8, the rear wall 13 and the connecting walls 24 are preferably formed in one piece.

The cover member 6 is opened at its lower end. The lower end of the cover member 6 is connected to an upwardly open storage tray 25. The storage tray 25 includes a bottom wall (not shown) that faces the top wall 8. Thus, a user can by the

Housing door 22 opens, take a stored in the lower wall of the storage tray 25 item from the room 7, or to be cooled Place the item in the storage bin 25. The lower end of the

Cover member 6 is preferably connected to the storage tray 25 by engagement. In an alternative embodiment, the storage tray 25 may be integral with the cover member 6.

In this embodiment, when the door 4 is closed, the space 7 does not communicate with the storage compartments 3. Thus, when the user opens the enclosure door 22, convection between the outside air and the cool air does not take place in the storage compartments 3. It is preferred if the space 7 is provided for storing bottle-type articles, such as bottle-type articles with drinks therein.

In this embodiment, the rear wall 13 has an opening 14 for accessing the objects at the back of the door 4 and a door member 15 for selectively closing or opening the opening 14.

Preferably, the door member 15 is pivotally mounted on the cover member 6 and can pivot about a longitudinal shaft between a closed position in which the opening 14 is closed, and an open position in which the opening 14 is fully open.

The cover member 6 is provided with a closing means provided so as to generate a force to move the door member 15 to the closing position when the opening 14 is opened. In this embodiment, the closing position includes at least one magnetic member 19 having a magnetic property, such as a magnetic member 19 provided on an edge of the opening 14 and / or the door member 15. It should be noted that it is also possible that the magnetic element 19 on both the edge of the opening 14 and the

Door member 15 is provided, or that the magnetic element 19 is provided only on one of both and a metal element is provided on the other of the two. In an alternative embodiment, the locking device can be replaced by a

Spring element are formed, such as a torsion spring, which is connected to a rotary shaft of the door element 5. The refrigerator 1 comprises a storage box 9 which is fixed to the back of the door 4. According to the invention, the storage container 9 and the cover element 6 are arranged without a gap in a longitudinal direction. In this embodiment, the storage container 9 is above the

Covering element 6.

In this embodiment, the storage box 9 comprises a bottom wall formed by the top wall 8 and a side wall 11 connected to the top wall 8 and extending upwardly. Thus, the share

Storage container 9 and the cover 6 a wall.

Since the lower wall of the storage box 9 is formed directly by the upper wall 8 of the cover member 6, the lower wall of the storage box 9 and the upper wall 8 of the cover member 6 are without clearance in the

Provided longitudinally. This allows much utilization capacity to be achieved at the door 4.

It is preferred that the top wall 8 be parallel to the horizontal plane, so that objects are stable in a position defined by the storage bin 9

Storage space 10 can be placed. It is preferable that the top surface of the top wall 8 is not smooth, so that the objects to be cooled can be prevented from slipping in the storage box 9.

The side wall 11 of the storage box 9 can prevent the items placed in the storage box 9 from slipping out of the storage box 9. In this embodiment, the side wall 1 1 is connected to the border of the upper wall 8 so as to form a closed ring arrangement. However, in an alternative embodiment, the side wall 11 in not continuous shape may be provided, for example, it may be interrupted on one side in the vicinity of the interior trim panel 16. It is preferable that the side wall 11 projects upward along edges of the top wall 8 so as to increase the storage capacity of the storage space 10.

In the embodiment as shown in FIG. 4, the side wall 11 includes a main portion 17 integral with the top wall 8 and a decorative portion 18 assembled with the main portion 17. The main portion 17 and the decorative portion 18 are built separately and then

assembled. Therefore, different appearances of the

Storage container 6 can be obtained by selecting different shapes, colors and / or materials of the decorative portion 18, which is achieved under the condition that the main portion 17 is constructed identically in each case.

In an alternative embodiment, all portions of the wall 11 are integral with the top wall 8, so that the storage box 9 in the same

The storage box 9 is provided with at least one attachment portion 12 for securing the cover member 6 and the storage box 9 together to the door 4. It is preferable if two attachment portions 12 as described are provided. Preferably, the attachment portion 12 is formed on the side wall 11 of the storage container 9.

In this embodiment, it is provided that the storage box 9 is located at a position above the upper edge of the through hole 5, and does not communicate with the through hole 5. This makes it possible to prevent the user from being hit by the objects in the

Storage container 9 is disturbed while the user opens the housing door 22 to remove objects from the room 7 or place objects there.

Claims

A refrigerator (1) comprising:

a refrigerator body (2) with storage compartments (3);

a door (4) for selectively opening or closing the storage compartments (3), the door (4) including a through opening (5) penetrating the door in a direction (4) from front to back;

a cover member (6) connected to the door (4) and covering at least a part of the through hole (5) at a rear side of the door (4); and

a storage container (9) connected to the back of the door (4), characterized in that the storage container (9) and the cover member (6) are arranged without clearance in a longitudinal direction.

2. The refrigerator (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the storage container (9) and the cover member (6) share a common wall (8).

The refrigerator (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the cover member (6) comprises a top wall (8) and the storage container (9) comprises a bottom wall, the bottom wall passing through at least a portion of the top wall (8) is formed, and a side wall (11) which is connected to the upper wall (8) and projects upwards.

4. The refrigerator (1) according to claim 3, characterized in that the upper wall (8) is parallel to the horizontal plane.

5. The refrigerator (1) according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that at least a portion of the side wall (1 1) with the upper wall (8) is in one piece.

6. The refrigerator (1) according to claim 3 or 4 or 5, characterized in that the side wall (1 1) comprises a main portion (17) connected to the upper wall (8) is integral, and a decorative portion (18), wherein the decorative portion is built independently of the main portion (18) and then with the

Main section (17) is assembled.

The refrigerator (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a plurality of attachment portions (12) for fixing the cover member (6) to the door (4) is provided, wherein at least one attachment portion of the plurality of attachment portions (12 ) is provided on the storage container (9).

8. The refrigerator (7) according to claim 7, characterized in that at least one mounting portion (12) on the side wall (1 1) is provided.

The refrigerator (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the storage container (9) is provided at a position above the through hole (5).

The refrigerator (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a storage space (10) formed by the storage container (9) is separated from the through-hole (5).

11. The refrigerator (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the cover member (6) comprises a rear wall (13) which faces and is separated from the inner door panel (16) of the door (4), wherein a space (7) is formed between the back wall (13) and the interior trim panel (16) in fluid communication with the through opening (5).

12. The refrigerator (1) according to claim 11, characterized in that at least a portion of the storage container (9) with the rear wall (13) is in one piece.

13. The refrigerator (1) according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that the rear wall (13) has an opening (14) and a door element (15) for selective

Close or open the opening (14).

The refrigerator (1) according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that the door member (15) comprises a closing means provided to generate a force, wherein when the opening (14) is opened, it is the Force allows the door member (15) to move to a position where the opening (14) is closed.