WO2020212085A1

WO2020212085A1 - A cooling appliance having a compartment

Info

Publication number: WO2020212085A1
Application number: PCT/EP2020/057954
Authority: WO
Inventors: Hamdi GUNDOGAN; Beytullah GORDES; Murat Ungor; Hakan KARADENIZ; Serdar KANTIK
Original assignee: Arcelik Anonim Sirketi
Priority date: 2019-04-18
Filing date: 2020-03-23
Publication date: 2020-10-22
Also published as: TR201905753A2

Abstract

The present invention relates A cooling appliance (1) comprising; a body (2), a compartment (3) placed inside the body (2) wherein the compartment (3) comprises a front wall (4), a rear wall (5), a bottom wall (6) and a pair of side walls (7), a separator (8), having a first position during which the separator (8) is horizontally and removable placed inside the compartment (3) onto a pair of holding means (9) that are accommodated on the side walls (7), dividing the compartment (3) horizontally forming a volume in-between the separator (8) and the bottom wall (6).

Description

A COOLING APPLIANCE HAVING A COMPARTMENT

The present invention relates to a cooling appliance, in particular to a cooling appliance having a compartment with a separator dividing the inner volume of the compartment.

In the state of the art, the cooling appliances are provided with a body and a door hinged to the body in a pivotable manner, providing access to the inner volume of the cooling appliances. The cooling appliances are provided with multiple shelves and compartments to support and isolate the articles to be cooled. Perishable articles such as fruits and vegetables are generally stored in isolated compartments. Such compartments are supplied with special ventilation and cooling properties to prolong the storage lifetime of fruits and vegetables fresh. Due to the different biological attributes the fruits and vegetables possess, it is necessary to separate the fruits and vegetables to keep them fresh for a longer time. The fruits and vegetables release ethylene gas and the effects of ethylene on fruits and vegetable have been recognized and it is widely known as the phytohormone responsible for fruit ripening. The ethylene also regulates a number of plant growth and development processes. Therefore, it is vital to separate fruits and vegetables having different ripeness levels. In the state of the art, the compartment are vertically and/or horizontally divided. By this means, the users are provided with separate sub volumes inside the compartments which provides the opportunity to keep fruits and vegetables separate from each other. A problem with the state of the art is that the compartments designed to store fruit and vegetables are relatively deep and the user has to remove the separators and the articles stored above the said separators to reach the articles stored at the under the separators.

A prior art publication in the technical field of the present invention may be referred to as CN105180576A among others, the document disclosing a cooling appliance having a drawer wherein the drawer comprises a plate for partitioning the internal volume of the drawer.

A prior art publication in the technical field of the present invention may be referred to as CN106247749B among others, the document disclosing a cooling appliance having a drawer wherein the drawer comprises a plate for partitioning the internal volume of the drawer.

A prior art publication in the technical field of the present invention may be referred to as EP2752632A2 among others, the document disclosing a cooling appliance having a drawer wherein the drawer comprises a foldable plate for partitioning the internal volume of the drawer

A prior art publication in the technical field of the present invention may be referred to as US10088224B1among others, the document disclosing a cooling appliance having a drawer wherein the drawer comprises a plurality of trays.

An objective of the present invention is to provide a compartment having a separator for separating articles to be stored within and means for accessing said articles.

The method realized to achieve the aim of the present invention and disclosed in the first claim and the dependent claims comprises a cooling appliance. The cooling appliance comprises a body and a compartment placed inside the body. The compartment has a pair of side walls, a bottom wall. The compartment comprises a front wall and a rear wall extending parallel to each other and connecting the side walls and the bottom wall. A separator is placed inside the compartment to divide the inner volume of the compartment. The separator has two positions. In the first position, the separator is in the shape of a plate. In the first position, the separator is placed inside the compartment and onto a pair of holding means provided on the side walls. The extension direction of the separator inside the compartment during the first position is parallel to the bottom wall. By this means, the inner volume of the compartment is divided horizontally. Meaning that a volume is formed between the separator and the bottom wall. The separator has a second position during which the separator is vertically placed inside the compartment via a pair of supports. The supports are accommodated on the front wall and the rear wall. In the second position, the separator divides the compartment vertically along its depth allowing access to the said volume. The front wall is provided with an opening through which a drawer in placed inside the compartment. By means of the drawer, the users have access to articles stored under the separator and inside the drawer during the first position. The user does not need to remove the separator and the articles placed onto the separator therefore providing ease of use. Another advantageous effect of using the drawer and the separator is that the fruits and vegetables having different levels of ripeness and thusly different ethylene gas release rates are separated, prolonging storage time of fruits and vegetables.

In an embodiment of the invention, the separator comprises at least two plates, wherein the plates are pivotable hinged to each other via a shaft. The shaft provides structural support for the separator. Additionally, the shaft provides the separator to be folded on itself, providing ease of storage for the separator. The separator upon being folded can be placed inside the compartment in the second position.

In an embodiment of the invention, the shaft is configured to face the bottom wall in the first position. This increases structural strength and load carrying capacity of the separator.

In an embodiment of the invention, the shaft is placed onto the supports via a dent. The dent is in the form of a recess. By means of the dent, the separator is seated onto the supports in an unmovable manner, increasing quality perception and structural strength of the separator.

In an embodiment of the invention, the plates abut against each other in the first position of the separator. Abutment surface between the adjacent plates forms a first plane. The angle between the first plane and a second plane formed by the separator during the first position is an acute angle. This prevents the separator to bend towards the bottom wall in the first position.

By means of the present invention, the fruits and the vegetables stored inside the compartment is partitioned by the separator, increasing storage time of the fruits and the vegetables. By means of the drawer, the fruits and the vegetables stored inside the drawer is easily accessible for the user. The user does not need to remove the articles stored above the separator and the separator in order to reach fruits and the vegetables stored at the bottom of the compartment and inside the drawer.

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 front view of the cooling appliance

Figure 2 – is a perspective view of the container

Figure 3 – is a top view of the container

Figure 4 – is a side view of the container

Figure 5 – is an enlarged view of dashed line A-A in figure 4

Figure 6 – is an exploded view of the separator

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
Body
Compartment
Front wall
Rear wall
Bottom wall
Side wall
Separator
Holding means
Support
Drawer
Plate
Shaft
Dent
Latch
Catching means

The present invention relates to a cooling appliance (1) comprising; a body (2), a compartment (3) placed inside the body (2) wherein the compartment (3) comprises a front wall (4), a rear wall (5), a bottom wall (6) and a pair of side walls (7), a separator (8), having a first position during which the separator (8) is horizontally and removable placed inside the compartment (3) onto a pair of holding means (9) that are accommodated on the side walls (7), dividing the compartment (3) horizontally forming a volume in-between the separator (8) and the bottom wall (6).

The present invention relates to a cooling appliance (1); wherein the separator (8) has a second position during which the separator (8) is vertically placed inside the compartment (3) via a pair of supports (10) that are accommodated on the front wall (4) and the rear wall (5), dividing the compartment (3) vertically, and that a drawer (11) is placed inside the compartment (3) to accommodate the said volume through an opening provided at the front wall (4). The compartment (3) forms a container into which the articles such as vegetables and fruits are placed. In a preferred embodiment the top of the compartment (3) is open. The side walls (7) of the compartment (3) comprises a pair holding means (9) and hte separator is placed onto the holding means (9). The holding means (9) can be provided in the form of a guide extending the depth of the compartment (3) or in the form of a protrusion extending along the side walls (7). During the first position of the separator (8), the separator (8) is placed onto the holding means (9) in a removable manner and divides the compartment (3) horizontally. As a result, a volume is formed between the separator (8) and the bottom wall (6). The separator (8) further has the second position during which the separator (8) is placed inside the compartment (3) vertically, dividing the compartment (3) vertically. The front wall (4) comprises the opening through which the drawer (11) is slidable inserted inside the compartment (3). In the first position of the separator (8), the drawer in placed inside the volume between the bottom wall (6) and the separator (8). By this means, the user may access the articles inside the drawer (11) without being have to remove the separator (8). As a result, use of convenience is provided for the user. Another advantageous effect of using the separator (8) is that the fruits and vegetables having different ripeness levels are separated, prolonging their storage life time. The second position of the separator (8) vertically divides the compartment (3) providing flexibility and convenience for the user during use of the compartment (3).

In another embodiment, the separator (8) comprises at least two plates (12) wherein the said plates (12) are pivotable hinged to each other via a shaft (13). The separator (8) is formed by at least two plates (12). The plates (12) are hinged to each other with the help of the shaft (13). By use of the shaft (13) and the plates (12), the separator (8) can be folded on itself. It is to be understood that multiple plates (12) and shafts (13) can be used to form an accordion shaped separator (8). By this means, the separator (8) can be stored conveniently. Additionally, the separator (8) can be used to divide the compartment (3) vertically in the second position after the separator (8) is folded.

In another embodiment, the shaft (13) forms a projection pointing towards the bottom wall (6) in the first position of the separator (8). By this means, load-bearing capacity of the separator (8) increases.

In another embodiment, the pair of supports (10) comprises a dent (14) onto which the shaft (13) is placed. The dent (14) provided on the supports (10) accommodates the shaft (13), further increasing the load-bearing capacity of the separator (8) in the first position.

In another embodiment, the plates (12) abut against each other along a first plane forming an acute angle with a second plane formed by the separator (8) during the first position. By this means, as the user places articles onto the separator (8), the separator (8) is prevented to bend towards the bottom wall (6).

In another embodiment, the separator (8) comprises a pivotable latch (15) and a catching means (16) placed on adjacent plates (12) wherein the latch (15) and the catching means (16) interlocks upon pivoting the latch (15) in the first position of the separator (8). The latch (15) is free to rotate around an axis and upon rotation, the latch (15) is partly inserted inside the catching means (16) thus interlocking , the latch (15) with the catching means (16). By means of the latch (15) and the catching means (16), the separater (8) is stabilized in the first position, providing structural support.

In another embodiment, the latch (15) and the catching means (16) faces away from the bottom wall (6) in the first position of the separator (8). By means of the the latch (15) and the catching means (16) being positioned so as to face away from the bottom wall (6), the separator (8) is prevented to bend towards the bottom wall (6).

In another embodiment, the drawer (11) is configured to extend parallel and distanced from one of the side walls (7) inside the compartment (3). A gap is formed extending along the depth of the compartment (3). The gap extends between one of the side walls (7) and the drawer (11). The separator (8) is foldable and the user may remove the separator (8) from the compartment (3). In such case, the gap can be utilized to store the separator (8). By this means, the separator (8) is prevented from getting lost.

In the cooling appliance (1) of the present invention, the compartment (3) wherein the perishable articles such as fruits and vegetables are stored, is partitioned via the separator (8) and the volume separated by the separator (8) is easily accessible via the drawer (11) eliminating the need to remove the separator (8) and the articles stored on the separator (8) in order to reach articles stored at the bottom of the compartment (3). Another advantageous effect of using the drawer (11) and the separator (8) is that the fruits and vegetables having different ripening levels are stored separately, prolonging the storage time of said fruits and vegetables.

Claims

A cooling appliance (1) comprising;

a body (2),

a compartment (3) placed inside the body (2) wherein the compartment (3) comprises a front wall (4), a rear wall (5), a bottom wall (6) and a pair of side walls (7),

a separator (8), having a first position during which the separator (8) is horizontally and removable placed inside the compartment (3) onto a pair of holding means (9) that are accommodated on the side walls (7), dividing the compartment (3) horizontally forming a volume in-between the separator (8) and the bottom wall (6),

characterized in that

the separator (8) has a second position during which the separator (8) is vertically placed inside the compartment (3) via a pair of supports (10) that are accommodated on the front wall (4) and the rear wall (5), dividing the compartment (3) vertically,

and that a drawer (11) is placed inside the compartment (3) to accommodate the said volume through an opening provided at the front wall (4).
A cooling appliance (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the separator (8) comprises at least two plates (12) wherein the said plates (12) are pivotable hinged to each other via a shaft (13).
A cooling appliance (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that the shaft (13) forms a projection pointing towards the bottom wall (6) in the first position of the separator (8).
A cooling appliance (1) according to claims 2 and 3, characterized in that the pair of supports (10) comprises a dent (14) onto which the shaft (13) is placed.
A cooling appliance (1) according to claims 2 to 4, characterized in that the plates (12) abut against each other along a first plane forming an acute angle with a second plane formed by the separator (8) during the first position.
A cooling appliance (1) according to claims 2 to 5, characterized in that the separator (8) comprises a pivotable latch (15) and a catching means (16) placed on adjacent plates (12) wherein the latch (15) and the catching means (16) interlocks upon pivoting the latch (15) in the first position of the separator (8).
A cooling appliance (1) according to claim 6, characterized in that the latch (15) and the catching means (16) faces away from the bottom wall (6) in the first position of the separator (8).
A cooling appliance (1) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the drawer (11) is configured to extend parallel and distanced from one of the side walls (7) inside the compartment (3).