WO2020120217A1

WO2020120217A1 - Method of assembly and fortification of a cooling appliance door

Info

Publication number: WO2020120217A1
Application number: PCT/EP2019/083433
Authority: WO
Inventors: Mehmet Ercan KAYMAK; Gizem ERDAL; Faik Emre Ozyuksel; Faruk YILDIZ; Aylin Gurses
Original assignee: Arcelik Anonim Sirketi
Priority date: 2018-12-13
Filing date: 2019-12-03
Publication date: 2020-06-18
Also published as: EP3894767A1; TR201819251A2

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method of assembling a door (2) of a cooling appliance (1), comprising: providing a front panel (3); providing a pair of vertical side panels (4), extending parallel to each other and along the side edges of the front panel (3) in vertical direction; providing a top panel (5) and a bottom panel (6), extending parallel to each other and along the top and bottom edges of the front panel (3) in horizontal direction, forming a rectangular prism with an open face along with the vertical side panels (4) and the front panel (3).

Description

METHOD OF ASSEMBLY AND FORTIFICATION OF A COOLING APPLIANCE DOOR

The present invention relates to a method of assembly and fortification of a door of a cooling appliance wherein the door shell is produced from a composite material.

In cooling appliances, doors produced from composite materials are prone to bending after a long time of use. The users are placing heavy loads on door shelves which in turn will be transferred to the front and side panels of the door. The composite materials but especially carbon fiber will bend and eventually crack under heavy loads in vertical direction, complicating possible applications of carbon fiber to be used as a plating material in cooling appliances. Use of carbon fiber as a surface coating is widely known and applied in a wide variety of fields. By coating metal or similar surfaces with carbon fiber increases both the manufacturing costs and also the weight of the cooling appliance. Use of carbon fiber as a plate in cooling appliances will increases the quality perception of the cooling appliance, decrease the overall weight and decrease the manufacturing costs with respect to the aforementioned application wherein the metal surfaces are coated with carbon fiber.

A prior art publication in the technical field of the present invention may be referred to as KR20170021128A among others, the document disclosing a cooling appliance having a door wherein the top and bottom plates of the door are attached onto the door by attaching from bottom and top.

The present invention therefore proposes an arrangement according to which a door having a monolithic appearance produced from carbon fiber is fortified by addition of plurality of support plates and support bars therefore increasing the strength and durability of the door meanwhile preserving the monolithic appearance which in turn increases the quality perception of the cooling appliance.

The method realized to achieve the aim of the present invention and disclosed in the first claim and the dependent claims comprises providing a cooling appliance wherein the cooling appliance comprises a body and at least a door via which the inner volume of the body is isolated from the volume surrounding the cooling appliance. The door is pivotable attached onto the body via at least a hinge. The door is mainly formed by a front panel and a pair of vertical side panels originating from the front panel and extending rearwards forming a right angle between the front panel and the vertical side panels. The vertical side panels are parallel to each other. A top panel and a bottom panel is originating from the front panel and extending rearwards from the upper and lower edges of the front panel therefore forming a rectangular prism along with the vertical side panels. Similarly, the top panel and the bottom panel are parallel to each other. Next, a top support plate and a bottom support plate is placed in between the vertical side panels in a manner parallel to the top panel and bottom panel and vertical with respect to the vertical side panels. The top support plate and the bottom support plate are slidably moved along the front plate and are forced to abut against the top panel and bottom panel respectively from the inside of the said rectangular prism. Therefore fortifying the door structure from the inside. Afterwards, an interior panel is placed onto the door from the rear so as to be in connection with vertical side panels, the top panel and the bottom panel enclosing a volume wherein an insulation material will be injected. As a last step, the door is attached onto the body via hinges in a pivotable manner. By using the top support plate and the bottom support plate, the door is reinforced from the inside, allowing a monolithic appearance produced from a single sheet of material wherein the material would not normally be able to support the heavy loads. As a result, the quality perception of the product and the strength of the door is increased.

In another embodiment of the present invention to achieve the objects, the top panel is provided to have a first opening configured to coincide with an upper hinge seat of the top support plate. The upper hinge seat is located at an end of the top support plate in close vicinity to the vertical side panel and is configured to coincide with the first opening upon sliding and abutment of the top support plate against the top panel. The upper hinge seat form fittingly closes the first opening and extends upwards so as to be coupled with the upper hinge. The upper hinge is located on the body of the cooling appliance and has a pin pointing downwards so as to be inserted inside a first connection port provided on the upper hinge seat. The first connection port is in the form of a hollow tube extending inside the said volume of the door. The pin of the upper hinge is inserted inside the said hollow tube shaped first connection port pivotably. The cables enter inside the said volume through the first connection port. By use of the upper hinge seat, the weight of the door is transferred via the upper hinge seat to the top support plate. Therefore, weight of the door is carried by the top support plate, decreasing the load applied to the front panel protecting the form of the front panel.

In another embodiment of the present invention to achieve the objects, the bottom panel is provided to have a second opening configured to coincide with an lower hinge seat of the bottom support plate. The lower hinge seat is located at an end of the bottom support plate in close vicinity to the vertical side panel and is configured to coincide with the second opening upon sliding and abutment of the bottom support plate against the bottom panel. The bottom hinge seat form fittingly closes the second opening and extends downwards so as to be coupled with the lower hinge. The lower hinge is located on the body of the cooling appliance and has a pin pointing upwards so as to be inserted inside a second connection port provided on the lower hinge seat. The second connection port is in the form of a hollow tube extending inside the said volume of the door. The pin of the lower hinge is inserted inside the said hollow tube shaped second connection port pivotably. The lower hinge seat further comprises an extractor having an elongated part wherein the elongated part is in connection with a corresponding lug provided on the body biasing the door towards a closed position for an angle predetermined by the manufacturer. By use of the lower hinge seat, the weight of the door is transferred via the lower hinge seat to the bottom support plate. Therefore, weight of the door is carried by the bottom support plate, decreasing the load applied to the front panel protecting the front panel from getting deformed.

In another embodiment of the present invention to achieve the objects, a pair of retainers are disposed onto the lower hinge seat and onto the upper hinge seat and the pair of retainers are configured to face each other across the height, in other words across the said volume of the door in a vertical direction. A first support bar is provided and extends between the pair of protrusions in a vertical axis offset from the pivot axis of the door. The retainers are biased to protrude from the respective hinge seats by means of a spring. During the assembly of the support bar, the retainers are shortened upon application of pressure onto them and then the first support bar is placed onto the retainers from both ends. The support bar interconnects the top support plate and the bottom support plate therefore provides uniform distribution of the weight of the door which strengthens the door.

In another embodiment of the present invention to achieve the objects, a second support bar and a third support bar are provided extending almost along the length of the top support plate and the bottom support plate respectively. The second support bar and the third support bar are produced so as to be adjacent to the respective support plates increasing their bearing capacity. By use of the top support plate and the bottom support plate having the said support bars and the first support bar, a “U” shaped frame is obtained thereby fortifying the door.

By means of this invention, a cooling appliance having a door produced from a single sheet of composite material but more preferably from carbon fiber having a monolithic appearance wherein the connecting portions and support structure is hidden from the view by use of plurality of support bars and the support plates embedded inside the volume of the door is achieved there by increasing quality perception of the cooling appliance.

The drawings are not meant to delimit the scope of protection as identified in the claims nor should they be referred to alone in an effort to interpret the scope identified in the claims without recourse to the technical disclosure in the description of the present invention.

Figure 1 – is a side view of the cooling appliance;

Figure 2 – is an exploded view of the door;

Figure 3 – is a side view of the door;

The following numerals are assigned to different parts demonstrated in the drawings and referred to in the present detailed description of the invention:

Cooling appliance
Door
Front panel
Vertical side panels
Top panel
Bottom Panel
Top support plate
Bottom support plate
Interior panel
Upper hinge seat
First connection port
Lower hinge seat
Second connection port
Extractor
Retainer
First support bar
Second support bar
Third support bar

The present invention relates to a method of assembling a door (2) of a cooling appliance (1) comprising: providing a front panel (3); providing a pair of vertical side panels (4), extending parallel to each other and along the side edges of the front panel (3) in vertical direction; providing a top panel (5) and a bottom panel (6), extending parallel to each other and along the top and bottom edges of the front panel (3) in horizontal direction, forming a rectangular prism with an open face along with the vertical side panels (4) and the front panel (3).

The present invention relates to a method of assembling the door (2) of the cooling appliance (1) comprising: placing a top support plate (7) and a bottom support plate (8) so as to extend vertically with respect to the side panels (4); slidably moving the said support plates (7,8) along the height of the front panel (3) in opposite direction and abutting top support plate (7) and the bottom support plate (8) against the top panel (5) and the bottom panel (6) respectively; attaching an interior panel (9) onto the front panel (3) forming a volume in between; and filling the said volume by injection of an insulating material; pivotally attaching the door (2) onto the body of the cooling appliance (1) via at least a hinge. The top support plate (7) and the bottom support plate (8) are placed in between the two vertical side panels (4). The positions of the top support plate (7) and the bottom support plate (8) are perpendicular to the two side panels (4) and are parallel to the top panel (5) and the bottom panel (6). After placing the top support plate (7) and the bottom support plate (8), the top support plate (7) and the bottom support plate (8) slides along the height of the front panel (3) meaning that the top support plate (7) and the bottom support plate (8) remains almost parallel through out the sliding movement to the top panel (5) and the bottom panel (6) and abuts against the top panel (5) and the bottom panel (6) respectively. The top panel (5) and the bottom panel (6) are in the shape of an “L” forming a “U” shaped canal along with the front panel (3) should the vertical section of the door is viewed sideways. The top support plate (7) and the bottom support plate (8) are slided and are placed form fittingly into said canals therefore increasing strength of the door (2). The side panels (4), the top panel (5), the bottom panel (6) and the front panel (3) are produced from single piece of sheet made from composite material but more preferably from carbon fiber. Use of a single sheet of plate provides a monolithic appearance thereby creating a perception of product quality. Another advantageous effect of using a single sheet of plate is to increase the strength of the door. By using the top support plate (7) and the bottom support plate (8), weight carrying capacity of the door (2) is increased and the door (2) is fortified against bending upon placing excess loads onto the door shelves. As a result, a monolithic appearance is achieved, increasing perception of the product quality meanwhile obtaining a robust and strong door (2) structure by inserting top support plate (7) and the bottom support plate (8).

The present invention relates to a method of assembling the door (2) of the cooling appliance (1) further comprising: providing the top panel (5) having a first opening configured to coincide with an upper hinge seat (10) of the top support plate (7) wherein the upper hinge seat (10) form fittingly closes the first opening and wherein the upper hinge seat (10) comprises a first connection port (11) in the form of a tube, partly extending inside the said volume through which the cables pass and onto which the pin of the upper hinge is pivotally inserted. The top panel (5) has a first opening in close vicinity of the hinge wherein the said opening provides access inside the door (2). As the top support plate (7) abuts against the top panel (5) and the said opening, it closes said first opening. As the top support plate (7) abuts against the said first opening, the upper hinge seat (10) passes through the first said opening and extends outwards. The upper hinge seat (10) comprises the tube shaped first connection port (11). The tube shaped first connection port (11) is hollow and the pin of the upper hinge of the cooling appliance (1) is inserted inside the first connection port (11). The Cables, providing electricity for the parts provided on the door passes through the first connection port (11) and extends inside the door (2). By use of the top support plate (7) having the upper hinge seat (10) in the form of a single body provides strength and durability for the door (2) and prevents deformations on the door (2).

The present invention relates to a method of assembling the door (2) of the cooling appliance (1) further comprising: providing the bottom panel (6) having a second opening configured to coincide with a lower hinge seat (12) of the bottom support plate (8) wherein the lower hinge seat (12) form fittingly closes the second opening, wherein the lower hinge seat (12) comprises a second connection port (13) in the form of a tube, partly extending inside the said volume onto which the pin of the lower hinge is pivotally inserted and wherein the lower hinge seat (12) further comprises an extractor (14) biasing the door (2) towards the closed position. The bottom panel (6) has a second opening in close vicinity of the hinge wherein the said second opening provides access inside the door (2). As the bottom support plate (8) abuts against the bottom panel (6) and the said opening, it blocks access inside the door (2) through the said second opening. As the bottom support plate (8) abuts against the said opening, the lower hinge seat (12) passes through the said second opening and extends outwards. The lower hinge seat (12) comprises the tube shaped second connection port (13). The tube shaped second connection port (13) is hollow and the pin of the lower hinge of the cooling appliance (1) is inserted inside the connection port (11). As a result, the weight of the door (2) is mainly transferred to the bottom support plate (8) providing strength and durability for the door (2) and preventing deformations on the door (2).

The present invention relates to a method of assembling the door (2) of the cooling appliance (1) further comprising: disposing a pair of retainers (15) on the lower hinge seat (12) and the upper hinge seat (10) wherein the pair of retainers (15) are configured to face each other across the height of the door (2) and wherein the pair of retainers (15) are in close vicinity of the hinges; providing a first support bar (16) wherein the first support bar (16) is attached and extends between the pair of retainers (15) in a vertical axis offset from the pivot axis of the door (2). The pair of retainers (15), each retainer (15) being placed onto the lower hinge seat (12) and the upper hinge seat (10) respectively, are configured to face each other across the said volume. The retainers (15) are in the form of a protrusion having a spring installed so as to bias the retainers (15) to protrude towards the said volume. The first support bar (17) has a recess on both ends into which the retainers (15) are inserted. The retainers (15) are pushed, decreasing the height of the retainers (15) by compressing the spring, afterwards the first support bar (17) is placed onto the retainers thereby fixing the first support bar (17) in a vertical axis offset from the pivot axis of the door (2). The first support bar (17) supports the door (2) of the cooling appliance (1) in vertical direction providing strength and durability for the door (2) and preventing deformations.

The present invention relates to a method of assembling the door (2) of the cooling appliance (1) further comprising: providing a second support bar (17) and a third support bar (18) extending almost along and adjacent to the top support plate (7) and the bottom support plate (8) respectively. The second support bar (17) extends along the top support plate (7) and formed to be adjacent to the top support plate (7). The second support bar (17) extends between the upper hinge seat (10) and the other end of the top support plate (7) therefore providing strength and durability for the door (2) longitudinally. Similarly, the third support bar (18) extends along the bottom support plate (8) and formed to be adjacent to the top support plate (7). The third support bar (18) extends between the lower hinge seat (12) and the other end of the bottom support plate (8) therefore providing strength and durability for the door (2) longitudinally. The second support bar (17) and the third support bar (18) along with the first support bar (16) forms a “U” frame inside the insulation material therefore increasing the strength and durability of the door (2) meanwhile maintaining the monolithic appearance that increases the quality perception of the cooling appliance (1).

In the method of assembly and fortification of the door (2) of the cooling appliance (1), top support plate (7) and the bottom support plate (8) are used to strengthen the top panel (5) and the bottom panel (6) by abutting against them from the inside of the door (2), forming a robust surface for the hinges to be pivotally attached on. Additionally, the first support bar (16), the second support bar (17) and the third support bar (18) are forming a “U” shaped frame inside the door (2) so as to further strengthen the door (2) structure.

Claims

A method of assembling a door (2) of a cooling appliance (1), comprising:

- providing a front panel (3);

- providing a pair of vertical side panels (4), extending parallel to each other and along the side edges of the front panel (3) in vertical direction;

- providing a top panel (5) and a bottom panel (6), extending parallel to each other and along the top and bottom edges of the front panel (3) in horizontal direction, forming a rectangular prism with an open face along with the vertical side panels (4) and the front panel (3);

characterized by

- placing a top support plate (7) and a bottom support plate (8) so as to extend vertically with respect to the side panels (4);

- slidably moving the said support plates (7,8) along the height of the front panel (3) in opposite direction and abutting top support plate (7) and the bottom support plate (8) against the top panel (5) and the bottom panel (6) respectively;

- attaching an interior panel (9) onto the front panel (3) forming a volume in between; and

- filling the said volume by injection of an insulating material;

- pivotally attaching the door (2) onto the body of the cooling appliance (1) via at least a hinge.
The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

- providing the top panel (5) having a first opening configured to coincide with an upper hinge seat (10) of the top support plate (7) wherein the upper hinge seat (10) form fittingly closes the first opening and wherein the upper hinge seat (10) comprises a first connection port (11) in the form of a tube, partly extending inside the said volume through which the cables pass and onto which the pin of the upper hinge is pivotally inserted.
The method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, further comprising:

- providing the bottom panel (6) having a second opening configured to coincide with a lower hinge seat (12) of the bottom support plate (8) wherein the lower hinge seat (12) form fittingly closes the second opening, wherein the lower hinge seat (12) comprises a second connection port (13) in the form of a tube, partly extending inside the said volume onto which the pin of the lower hinge is pivotally inserted and wherein the lower hinge seat (12) further comprises an extractor (14) biasing the door (2) towards the closed position.
The method according to claim 3, further comprising:

- disposing a pair of retainers (15) on the lower hinge seat (12) and the upper hinge seat (10) wherein the pair of retainers (15) are configured to face each other across the height of the door (2) and wherein the pair of retainers (15) are in close vicinity of the hinges;

- providing a first support bar (16) wherein the first support bar (16) is attached and extends between the pair of retainers (15) in a vertical axis offset from the pivot axis of the door (2).
The method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, further comprising:

- Providing a second support bar (17) and a third support bar (18) extending almost along and adjacent to the top support plate (7) and the bottom support plate (8) respectively.