WO2012130578A1

WO2012130578A1 - Door and door rack for a refrigerator

Info

Publication number: WO2012130578A1
Application number: PCT/EP2012/053990
Authority: WO
Inventors: Tobias Schmidt; Jochen Scholer
Original assignee: BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgeräte GmbH
Priority date: 2011-03-28
Filing date: 2012-03-08
Publication date: 2012-10-04
Also published as: DE102011006261A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a door rack for a household refrigerator, comprising a floor plate and side plates arranged on two opposite ends of the floor plate, each side plate bearing at least one retractable resting protrusion. Each side plate has a vertical groove, open to the side thereof that is facing away from the floor plate, and is vertically adjustable along a rail engaging in the groove.

Description

Door and door rack for a refrigeration appliance

The present invention relates to a door rack for a door of a refrigerator, in particular a household refrigerator, and the door in which such a door rack is mounted.

On the inside of refrigerator doors mounted door racks are generally used to high-format refrigerated goods, in particular packaging of

Liquids, as well as small parts to accommodate. Beverages, sauces, etc. are available in a variety of packaging sizes, and the number and size of containers to be stored in a refrigerator will vary over time and depending on

Consumer habits from one household to another. In order to make optimum use of the storage space available on the inside of the door for every user, the door racks are generally mountable at different heights.

The doors of most currently on the market refrigerators have on their inside two vertical spars, which carry at their facing flanks at regular intervals nubs. Customized door racks have on their side edges downwardly open recesses that can be pushed onto the knobs from above to fix a door racks at a desired height. Since the gap between two piles lying one above the other on a spar may not be smaller than the height of the door racks to be mounted, the height of the door racks can only be changed in coarse steps and therefore can not always be optimally adapted to the requirements.

Another known door concept provides on the mutually facing flanks of the spars recesses, engage in the spring-loaded locking projections of the door racks. A button that can be pressed by a user to deform a spring and sink the locking projection carried by it in the door rack, lies on the

Side panels of the door compartment free. Although this concept allows a tighter vertical staggering of the positions that can take the door racks, but from the handling is also not fully satisfactory, as for locking a door compartment this must be pressed against the door, which is particularly difficult if the door in its open position has no hard end stop.

In both conventional concepts, there is a risk that when a loaded refrigerated goods carrier has been released from its holder to fix it again at a different height, refrigerated goods contained therein loses its balance and falls to the ground. But if for a height adjustment of the refrigerated goods this must first be unloaded, the height adjustment for the user is so cumbersome that it is usually omitted only for short-term needs, which ultimately leads to unfavorable space utilization and dissatisfaction of the user, because he has the impression that the space in the refrigerator does not meet his needs.

There is therefore a need for a door rack and a door for one

Household refrigeration appliance giving a user a fast, comfortable and safe

Allow height adjustment of the door compartment.

The object is achieved on the one hand by a door rack for household refrigeration appliance with a bottom plate and at two opposite ends of the bottom plate

arranged, each having a retractable locking projection-bearing side cheeks each side cheek having an open to its side facing away from the bottom plate side vertical groove. In this vertical groove, a rail of the door can engage to perform a vertical adjustment of the door compartment and in particular a

Pivoting movement of the door compartment about its longitudinal axis, which could lead to the refrigerated goods falling out to prevent.

Preferably, the latching projection of the door compartment, when in a non-recessed position, engages in the groove. For latching projection of the door compartment complementary latching projections on the side of the door can then be provided on the rail, which facilitates an inexpensive implementation of the invention and their retrofitting in existing refrigeration equipment.

It is particularly advantageous if the latching projection is movable in the depth direction of the door compartment and engages in the groove from a side flank thereof. A coupled to the latching projection control element can be arranged on an upper side or in the installed state of the door compartment a user facing end face of the side cheek to be easily accessible and operable. When the operating element and the latching projection are arranged on opposite sides of the groove, the complementary grooves on the side of the door can be hidden on a side of the rail which faces away from the user and is not or hardly visible to the user. In order to facilitate in particular a height adjustment of the door compartment with a single hand, it is expedient if the locking projections of both side cheeks are adjustable by a common operating element.

In order not to hinder the loading of the door compartment with refrigerated goods, it is expedient if the common operating element is arranged under the bottom plate.

The common operating element may in particular comprise a bracket extending between the two side cheeks. It is also advantageous if the common operating element and the latching projections are coupled via a deflection mechanism, which converts a movement of the operating element in the depth direction of the door compartment into a movement of the latching projections which is opposite to the movement of the operating element. So can a user by doing that

Operating element draws to her, drive a movement of the latching projections of the door compartment, in which they disengage from the attached to a side facing away from the user side of the rail complementary locking projections.

If the operating element is operated in this way, it is also expedient that, when the locking projections are in their unlocked position, extending through the center of gravity of the door compartment vertical straight line between the

Control and the front or the distance between the

Control element and the vertical line is not more than two centimeters. Namely, when a user releases the door rack from its anchorage by intuitively fixed the front of the door compartment by a thumb applied to it and with the other fingers pulls the control to itself, then the user's hand, as soon as the latching projections of the door compartment have reached their unlocked position, ideally positioned to support the door racks under his projection and move it without danger of tilting along the rails.

Another object of the invention is therefore also a refrigerator door with a door leaf and a door rack of the type described above, being provided on the side of the door leaf to the latching projections of the door compartment complementary notches.

It is particularly preferred that these complementary notches are formed on attached to the door leaf rails. If the rails in turn are provided with suspension elements that correspond to those of conventional door racks, then they allow a simple way of retrofitting the

Door cabinet according to the invention in a conventional refrigerator. In particular, the rails, if the door leaf in a conventional manner comprises a plate and projecting from an inner side of the plate vertical stiles, which carry knobs on mutually facing flanks, have on the knobs attachable recesses.

The complementary locking projections are preferably concealed on one of the plate of the door-facing side of the rails attached to the spars.

If the latching projections of the door compartment and the rails are each asymmetrically sawtooth-shaped, wherein the latching projections of the door compartment have a horizontal bottom and an oblique upper side, while the rails have a horizontal top side and an oblique bottom side, then it is possible to move the door compartment upwards, without first unlocking it via the operating element. To accurately adjust the position of the door compartment to the needs

allow, is the distance between the complementary locking projections

suitably smaller than the height of the door compartment. Further features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of embodiments with reference to the accompanying figures. Show it:

Fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an inventive

Refrigeration unit;

Fig. 2 is a partial perspective view of a door on the refrigerator

mounted rail and a door compartment;

3 shows a section through the door rack along the plane III-III of Fig. 2.

FIG. 4 shows a section analogous to FIG. 3 according to a variant; FIG.

5 shows a vertical section through a side cheek of the door compartment of Figure 2 in the locked configuration ..;

Fig. 6 is a similar to FIG. 5 section, the refrigerated goods in unlocked

Configuration shows;

FIG. 7 shows a section analogous to FIG. 5, showing a second embodiment of the invention

Refrigerated goods carrier shows;

Fig. 8 is an analogous to FIG. 2 perspective partial view of a refrigerated goods carrier

according to a third embodiment of the invention;

9 shows a section analogous to FIG. 5 through the refrigerated goods carrier according to the third

design; and

10 is a side view of the refrigerated goods according to the third embodiment in unlocked configuration.

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a household refrigerator as an example of a refrigerator according to the invention. The refrigerator includes in a conventional manner a body 1 and a hinged thereto door leaf 2, which is shown in the open position, so that its inside is visible. This inner side is deep-drawn in a customary manner of plastic sheet material and comprises two in the closed position of the door in the body 1 engaging vertical bars 3. At facing flanks 4 of the bars 3 are attracted at regular intervals protruding knobs, which in the illustration of FIG 1 are concealed by a butter compartment 5 mounted thereon or by two vertically elongated rails 6 resting on the flanks 4, respectively. Door racks 7 are suspended on the rails 6. FIG. 2 shows, on an enlarged scale, a partial view of the rail 6, hidden in FIG. 1, of the left-hand stile 3 and of a door compartment 7 mountable on the rail 6.

The plastic injection-molded rail 6 is open at its side facing the spar 3 (or in Fig. 2 the viewer). It has a in the position shown in Fig. 1 a user facing flat front side 8 and facing away from the user, sawtooth structured into a plurality of locking projections 10 back 9. Each locking projection 10 has a substantially horizontally oriented top 1 1 and a forward 12 in the interior of the rail 6 at regular intervals shaped nozzle 13 are shaped to receive in their inner recess 14, the knobs of the spar 3 and thereby to fix the rail 6 frictionally on the spar 3. A further fixation of the rail 6 is not necessary because, as soon as between the two rails 6, a door racks 7 is mounted, this prevents slippage of the nozzle 13 of the knobs of the spar 3. FIGS. 3, 4 show variants of a cross section of the rail 6 along the plane designated III-III in FIG. While in the variant of FIG. 3, the rear edge contour of a side edge 15 of the rail 6 follows the latching projections 10, in the variant of FIG. 4, the rear edge of the side edge 15 is straight and flush with the tips of the latching projections 10, so that the latching projections 10 are completely hidden by a user standing in front of the open door by the side edge 15.

With reference to FIG. 2, a hollow side wall 16 and in each case parts of a base plate 17, a front wall 18 and a rear wall 19 in the installed state on the inside of the door can be seen from the door racks 7. In the im essential cuboid side wall 16 is recessed on its side facing away from the bottom plate 18 side, a vertical groove 20 which is dimensioned to receive the rail 6 with little play in the width and depth direction. From a rear edge 21 of the groove 20 protrude two locking projections 22 into the groove 20 in the complementary formed to the locking projections 10 of the rail 6 each have a substantially horizontal bottom 23 and an inclined towards the rear wall top 24 have. The latching projections 22 hang in the interior of the side cheek 16 integrally together with a protruding on an end face 25 of the side cheek 16 button 26. By pressing the button 26 in the side wall 16 into it, he can pull the locking projections 22 out of the groove 20 and in a Lower rear cavity of the side wall 16. When this happens, the engagement of the locking projections 10, 22 of rail 6 and door racks 7 is released, and the door racks 7 is vertically displaceable along the rail 6. Fig. 5 shows in more detail the internal structure of the side cheek 16. The button 26 and the

Locking projections 22 are integrally connected to each other by a rectangular plate 27 and guided in the inner cavity of the side wall 16 in the depth direction displaceable. On a protruding from the plate 27 transversely to the cutting plane pin 28, a spring element 29, for example made of rubber, attached. An elastically deflectable tongue of the spring element 29 presses against a fixedly connected to an outer wall of the side wall 16 pin 30. The locking projections 22 are in their also shown in Fig. 2 extended stop position in which they on the rear edge 21 in the groove 20 inside protrude. Fig. 6 shows the same side cheek as Fig. 5 in the unlocked state. The button 26 is pressed and completely sunk into the inner cavity of the side cheek 16. The latching projections 22 are withdrawn behind the rear edge 21 and no longer engage in the groove 20 a. The spring element 29 is bent in contact with the pin 30 and generates a restoring force, the button 26 and the locking projections 22 in the

extended position of FIG. 5 drives back.

The latching projections 10, 22 of the rail 6 and the door compartment 7 are shaped so that the overlap between their horizontal surfaces 11, 24 is lost only when the key 26 has receded behind the end face 25 of the side wall 16 back. This eliminates the risk that, when the door is closed on the shelves of the carcass 1, refrigerated goods placed against the button 26 will strike and push them in so far that the overlap will be lost. Fig. 7 shows a modified embodiment of the side cheek 16 in an analogous to FIG. 5 section, with extended into the groove 20 locking projections 22. The key 26 is here replaced by a slide 31, in a slot 32 at the top of the side cheek 16th slidably guided in the depth direction. The movement by which the latching projections 22 are withdrawn from the groove 20 is the same as in the embodiment of Figs. 5 and 6. It is advantageous in this embodiment that, while a user's thumb actuates the slider 31, the remaining fingers thereof Hand each attack on the underside of the side wall 16 and so can catch the weight of the door compartment 7 and, where appropriate, its contents, as soon as the engagement of the locking projections 10, 22 is canceled each other. At the same time as the fingers of the user's hand can compensate for the force exerted by the thumb in the depth direction, it is possible to change the height of the door compartment 7 in any position of the door without the door evading.

A third embodiment of the door compartment 7 is shown in FIG. 8 in a perspective view and in FIG. 9 on the basis of a section through its left side wall 16. Instead of the button 26 here is a two-armed lever 33 is provided which protrudes out of a slot 34 on the underside of the side edge 15 and pivotally attached to a side wall 16 of the pin 30 and the plate 27 via a protruding from the plate 27 and in a slot 35 of the lever 33 engaging pin 28 is coupled. A hairpin-like curved leaf spring 36 is supported on a wall forming a front flank 37 of the groove 20 and acts on the lever 33 in the stop position shown in the figure, in which the latching projections 22 engage in the groove 20.

When a user pulls forward the arm 33 of the lever 33 protruding from the side wall 16 so that the lever 33 pivots counterclockwise around the pin 30, the pin 28, the plate 27 and the locking projections 22 are pushed back, ie in the illustration of FIG 9 shifted to the left, and the locking projections 22 move out of the groove 20 from. At the same time, the leaf spring 36 is tensioned. She makes sure the lever 33 and the latching projections 22 return to the position of Fig. 9, as soon as the

User lets go of the lever arm.

Although the user can each with one hand on the two levers 33 of the two

Engage side cheeks 16 of the door compartment 7 to solve this, but it is preferred that both levers 33 are connected as indicated in Fig. 8 by a bracket 38, so that a user by attacking the bracket 38 in the middle and this prefers, Both levers 33 can pivot at the same time. It then suffices a single hand to unlock the door racks 7 and to vary its height.

Fig. 10 shows a view of the door compartment 7 of Fig. 8 and 9 in the unlocked

Configuration. While in the locked state, the bracket 38 is located between a plane passing through the rear wall 19 vertical plane and parallel thereto, extending through the center of gravity 39 of the door compartment plane, it is in the unlocked configuration slightly above the plane of the center of gravity 39 out to the front of the refrigerated goods shifted. A user who compensates with his thumb 40 on the front wall 18, the tensile force exerted by his other fingers 41 on the bracket 38, therefore, as soon as the overlap of the locking projections 10, 22 is released, his fingers 41 ideally positioned to the To catch the weight of the door compartment 7 and to move this stable and vertical without the risk of tipping.

Claims

claims

1. door rack (7) for a household refrigerator (1, 2) with a bottom plate (17) and at two opposite ends of the bottom plate (17) arranged, each having at least one retractable locking projection (22) supporting side cheeks (16), characterized in that each side cheek (16) has a vertical groove (20) open to its side remote from the bottom plate (17).

2. door rack according to claim 1, characterized in that the latching projection (22) engages in a non-recessed position in the groove (20).

3. door rack according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the

Locking projection (22) in the depth direction of the door compartment (7) is movable and engages in the groove (20) from a side edge (21) thereof.

4. door rack according to one of the preceding claims, characterized

characterized in that one with the latching projection (22) coupled

Operating element (26; 31) on an upper side or an end face (25) of the side cheek (16) is arranged.

5. door rack according to claim 3 and claim 4, characterized in that the operating element (26; 31) and the latching projection (22) on opposite sides of the groove (20) are arranged.

6. door rack according to one of the preceding claims, characterized

characterized in that the latching projections (22) of both side cheeks (16) by a common control element (34) are adjustable.

7. door rack according to claim 6, characterized in that the common operating element (34) under the bottom plate (17) is arranged. Door rack according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that the common operating element (34) comprises a between two side cheeks (16) extending bracket.

Door racks according to one of claims 6 to 8, characterized in that the common operating element (34) and the latching projections (22) via a deflection mechanism (27, 28, 30, 33) are coupled, the movement of the operating element (34) in the depth direction the door compartment (7) in a for

Movement of the operating element (34) opposite movement of the

Latching projections (22) converts.

Door racks according to claim 9, characterized in that the movement of the operating element (34), which drives the latching projections (22) in its unlocked position, is directed to a front side (18) of the door compartment (7) and that when the latching projections (22 ) are in their unlocked position, a vertical line extending through the center of gravity (39) of the door compartment is located between the control element (34) and the front side (18) or the distance between the control element (34) and the vertical straight line is not more than 2 cm.

Refrigeration appliance with a door leaf (2) and a door rack (7) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that on the sides of the door leaf (2) to the latching projections (22) of the door compartment (7) complementary notches (10) are provided.

Refrigeration appliance door according to claim 11, characterized in that the

complementary latches (10) are attached to the door leaf (2) attached rails (6).

Refrigeration appliance door according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that the door leaf (2) comprises a plate and projecting from an inner side of the plate vertical bars (3) and that the rails (6) on mutually facing flanks (4) of the spars (3 ) shaped studs attachable

Have recesses (14). Refrigeration appliance door according to claim 13, characterized in that the complementary notches (10) are arranged on a side of the plate facing the bars (3) attached to the rails (6).

Refrigerator door according to one of claims 1 1 to 14, characterized in that the latching projections (10, 22) of the door compartment (7) and the rails (6) are asymmetrically sawtooth-shaped, wherein the latching projections (22) of the door compartment (7) has a horizontal bottom (23) and an inclined top (24), while the latching projections (10) of the rails (6) have a horizontal top (1 1) and an oblique bottom (12).

16. Refrigeration appliance door according to one of claims 1 1 to 15, characterized in that the distance of the complementary latching projections (1 1) of a rail (6) is smaller than the height of the door compartment (7).