WO2020212089A1

WO2020212089A1 - A cooling device comprising a container support assembly

Info

Publication number: WO2020212089A1
Application number: PCT/EP2020/057972
Authority: WO
Inventors: Hamdi GUNDOGAN; Metin Kaya; Beytullah GORDES; Oktay Aygun; Murat Ungor
Original assignee: Arcelik Anonim Sirketi
Priority date: 2019-04-18
Filing date: 2020-03-23
Publication date: 2020-10-22

Abstract

A cooling device (1) comprising a body (2); at least one door (3) which prevents or allows access into the body (2); and at least one shelf (4) which is disposed onto the surface of the door (3) facing the interior of the body (2) and which extends on a plane. In the cooling device (1) of the present invention, by means of a container support assembly (10), the containers (C) containing foodstuffs therein such as jars, bottles, cans, etc. placed on the shelves (4) are supported so as to be prevented from tipping over during the fast opening/closing of the door (3).

Description

A COOLING DEVICE COMPRISING A CONTAINER SUPPORT ASSEMBLY

The present invention relates to a cooling device comprising a container support assembly which supports containers containing foodstuffs therein such as bottles, boxes, jars, etc. on the shelf and which prevents said containers from tipping over.

Today, foodstuffs such as water, fruit juice, milk, etc. are generally stored in containers such as bottles, cans or carton packages of various heights while foodstuffs such as canned foods, jams, etc. are stored in containers such as jars, cans, etc. of various heights. Said containers are usually stored in cooling devices, such as conventional household refrigerators, to keep the foodstuffs contained therein cold.

In state of the art cooling devices, shelves are provided on the surface of the cooling device door facing the inner volume of the cooling device, and said containers are generally placed on said shelves. However, when placed vertically on the shelf, the containers may tip over from time to time due to the fast opening/closing of the door and can be deformed due to this tipping over. This causes an undesirable situation by the users.

In the state of the art, various solutions are developed for storing the containers in a balanced manner on the shelves in the cooling device. In one of these solutions, holders which surround the containers stored on the shelf so as to prevent the same from tipping over are provided on the shelves of the cooling device. However, said holders occupy space on the shelf when not in use, further reducing the already limited usable shelf volume. Moreover, it is not possible to adjust the state of the art holders according to the height of the container, which causes the relatively longer bottle-like containers to get free and tip over from the holder from time to time.

In the state of the art Turkish Patent Document No. TR2016/01143, a cooling device is disclosed, comprising a bottle support assembly which enables beverages in bottles and cans to be fixed on a shelf unit provided on the refrigerator door and which prevents said containers from tipping over due to the fast opening/closing of the door.

The aim of the present invention is the realization of a cooling device wherein containers containing foodstuffs such as bottles, boxes, jars, etc. stored on the shelves provided on the door are prevented from tipping and falling over.

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 one shelf which extends on a plane on the surface of the door facing the inner volume of the body; and a container support assembly having at least two bearings which are provided on the sides of the shelf facing each other and each comprising at least one housing, at least one carrier which is borne in the housings from the ends thereof so as to move between at least one first position wherein the carrier is positioned almost parallel to the shelf and at least one second position wherein the carrier is positioned almost parallel to the surface of the door, and at least one holder which is connected to the carrier from one end and which comprises at least support member on the other end which is configured to at least partially surround the container placed on the shelf so as to support the container. In the first position of the carrier, the carrier and the holder connected to the carrier extend parallel on the shelf. In this position, the container placed onto the shelf is at least partially surrounded and supported by the support member, and thus, the container is prevented from tipping over for example due to force acting thereon during the fast opening/closing of the door. In an embodiment of the present invention, the holder is fixed to the carrier. In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the holder is suspended on the carrier so as to move over the carrier. Thus, the user can move the holder, hence the support member right and/or left over the carrier and shifts the same to the desired position on the shelf. In an embodiment of the present invention, the support member is ring-shaped to support containers with almost round cross-sections such as bottles, jars, etc. and in alternative embodiments of the present invention, the support member may also have cross-sections suitable for supporting containers with rectangular cross-section such as milk boxes. In the second position of the carrier, the carrier and the holder connected to the carrier extend preferably in a manner adjacent to the surface of the door facing the body perpendicularly to the shelf. In this position, when no container is supported on the shelf by means of the container support assembly, the holder is prevented from occupying space on the shelf, thus providing the efficient use of the currently limited volume of the shelf.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the carrier is in the form of an almost U-shaped rod, and said rod is placed in the housings on the bearings from the opposite sides thereof so as to rotate between the first position and the second position. By means of the simple structure of the carrier, ease of production and cost advantage is provided.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the shelf and the bearings are integrated with each other. By means of the integrated structure of the shelf and the bearings, ease of production is provided.

In an embodiment of the present invention, one hole is provided on each of the sides of the shelf where the bearing is positioned, and each bearing comprises at least one foot configured to enter the corresponding hole so as to be mounted to the shelf. In this embodiment, if the user does not want to use the container support assembly, the bearings are detached from the shelf such that the container support assembly is completely dismounted from the cooling device.

In an embodiment of the present invention, each bearing comprises at least one slit which is connected to the housing from one end, which extends from said end to at least one surface of the bearing so as to ensure connection between the inner volume of the housing and the outer environment, and which enables the end of the carrier placed in the housing to move therein. In this embodiment, the carrier can be attached to and detached from the bearing by the user when desired. Thus, the user can adjust the number of retainers supported by the carrier as needed.

In an embodiment of the present invention, each bearing comprises at least two housings which are provided at different levels and at least one channel which connects the adjacent housings to each other and which enables the end of the carrier placed in the housing to move therein. In this embodiment, by moving the end of the carrier from one housing to the other housing, the height of the carrier, hence of the retainer, can be changed. This enables the support member to be positioned at a height suitable for the height of the container, for example, surrounding relatively tall containers, such as bottles and jars, at a higher level, and relatively small containers, such as cans, at a lower level.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the container support assembly further comprises at least one headpiece having at least one cavity suitable for being placed on the carrier so as to at least partially cover the carrier. In this embodiment, an extra protection is provided for the containers by mounting the headpiece onto the carrier by means of the cavity so as to prevent the containers placed on the shelf from falling off the shelf, for example, during the fast opening/closing of the door. Moreover, a positive contribution is made to the appearance of the container support assembly by covering the carrier by means of the headpiece.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the headpiece comprises at least one extension which bears against the edge of the shelf, preferably opposite the door, when the carrier is in the first position. Thus, the first position of the carrier is precisely defined and the carrier is prevented from being moved beyond the first position.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the container support assembly further comprises at least one connection member, which is mounted to the holder from one end such that the holder moves between a utilization position wherein the support member extends parallel to the shelf when the carrier is in the first position and a storage position wherein the support member extends at an angle almost perpendicularly to the shelf when the carrier is in the first position, the connection member being connected to the carrier from the other end. In this embodiment, the holder is not placed directly on the carrier, but is placed on the carrier via said connection member. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the holder is mounted from the end thereof opposite to the support member, for example by snap-fitting, to the corresponding end of the connection member. When the carrier is in the first position, the holder is preferably pivoted between a utilization position wherein the support member at least partially surrounds and supports the container and a storage position wherein the support member cannot surround the container. Thus, especially in an embodiment wherein a large number of holders are provided on the carrier, for example, if the number of containers desired to be supported is lower than the number of holders, the holders used to support the container are moved to the utilization position on the shelf, while the unused holders are shifted to the storage position. Consequently, the unused holders are prevented from occupying unnecessary space on the shelf, allowing the volume of the shelf to be used efficiently.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the connection member is placed on the carrier so as to perform a translational movement on the carrier. In an example of this embodiment, the connection member comprises at least one gap suitable for engaging with the carrier at the end thereof connected to the carrier and is suspended on the carrier by means of said gap. Thus, the holders shifted to the storage position, especially by moving, in other words sliding, the connection member on the carrier are collected, for example, at a region of the shelf close to the edges of the shelf, and the holders in the storage position are enabled to be arranged in an orderly manner and to occupy minimum space on the shelf.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the holder comprises at least one locking member which is configured to prevent the holder from moving from the storage position to the utilization position without exerting any force on the holder by contacting the walls of the headpiece limiting the cavity while the holder is in the storage position. Thus, the holder shifted to the storage position is prevented from accidentally moving to the utilization position and reducing the usable volume of the shelf.

In an embodiment of the present invention, said locking member is in the form of two protrusions which are separately provided on the holder so as to form an almost "S" shape if combined with each other end to end. By means of the simple structure of the locking member, ease of production and cost advantage is provided.

By means of the present invention, the containers such as jars, bottles, cans, etc. placed on the shelves on the cooling device doors are supported by being at least partially surrounded by the support members, thus preventing such containers from tipping over during the fast opening/closing of the door. Moreover, by means of the present invention, the height of the support members is changed such that the support members support the respective containers at a height suitable for the height of the container. Furthermore, by means of the present invention, by positioning the unused support members so as to occupy minimum space on the shelf, the volume of the shelf is enabled to be used efficiently.

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

Figure 1 - is the schematic view of the cooling device of the present invention.

Figure 2 - is the schematic view of the surface of the cooling device door facing the inner volume of the body when the carrier is in the first position in an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 3 - is another schematic view of the surface of the cooling device door facing the inner volume of the body when the carrier in the second position is visible in an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 4 - is the exploded view of the container support assembly in an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 5 - is the detailed view of the carrier-bearing connection in an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 6 - is the detailed view of the carrier-headpiece connection in an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 7 - is the detailed view of the holders as suspended on the carrier by means of the connection members in an embodiment of the present invention.

The elements illustrated in the figures are numbered as follows:

Cooling device
Body
Door
Shelf
Housing
Bearing
Carrier
Support member
Holder
Container support assembly
Foot
Slit
Channel
Cavity
Headpiece
Extension
Connection member
Gap
Locking member

C. Container

The cooling device (1) comprises a body (2); at least one door (3) which prevents or allows access into the body (2); and at least one shelf (4) which is disposed onto the surface of the door (3) facing the interior of the body (2) and which extends on a plane (Figure 1). Foodstuffs or beverages to be cooled in the cooling device (1) are placed into the body (2), and the door (3) prevents the ambient air from entering the body (2) in order to provide an efficient cooling in the body (2). The user opens the door (3) if necessary and access the interior of the body (2). Generally, containers such as bottles, cans, jars, etc. containing foodstuffs and low-sized foodstuffs such as eggs, etc. are placed on the shelf (4) on the surface of the door (3) facing the body (2).

The cooling device (1) of the present invention comprises a container support assembly (10) having at least two bearings (6) which are disposed on the opposite sides of the shelf (4) and each comprising at least one housing (5); at least one carrier (7) which is borne in the housings (5) from the ends thereof so as to move between at least one first position wherein the carrier (7) extends in a plane almost parallel to the plane of the shelf (4) and at least one second position wherein the carrier (7) extends in a plane almost perpendicular to the plane of the shelf (4); and at least one holder (9) which is connected to the carrier (7) from one end and which comprises at least support member (8) on the other end which is configured to at least partially surround the container (C). While the carrier (7) is in the first position wherein the carrier (7) extends parallel to the plane of the shelf (4), the holder (9) placed on the carrier (7), hence the support member (8) of the holder (9) also extends on the same plane as the carrier (Figure 2). Thus, the support member (8) at least partially surrounds the container (C) placed on the shelf (4) and circumferentially supports the container (C), preventing the container (C) from tipping over with the force generated during the fast opening/closing of the door (3). In a preferred exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the support member (8) is ring-shaped to support containers (C) with round cross-sections such as bottles, jars, etc. and in alternative embodiments of the present invention, the support member (8) may also have cross-sections suitable for supporting containers with rectangular cross-section such as milk boxes. When no container (C) is desired to be supported on the shelf (4), the carrier (7) is moved from the first position to the second position wherein the carrier (7) extends almost perpendicularly to the plane of the shelf (4) (Figure 3). In said second position, the carrier (7) preferably extends in a plane almost parallel to the plane where the door (3) extends, adjacent to the surface of the door (3) facing the inner volume of the body (2). In this case, the holder (9) and hence the support member (8) extend in the same plane with the carrier (7). Thus, the volume of the shelf (4) is enabled to be used with the highest possible efficiency, especially if the container support assembly (10) is not used by preventing the holder (9) from occupying space on the shelf (4) or at least minimizing the space occupied by the holder (9).

In an embodiment of the present invention, the carrier (7) is in the form of an almost U-shaped rod with one end being fitted into the housing (5) disposed on the bearing (6) located on one side of the shelf (4) and the other end being fitted into the housing (5) disposed on the bearing (6) located on the other side of the shelf (4) so as to pivot between the first position and the second position. By means of the simple structure of the carrier (7), ease of production and cost advantage is provided.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the bearings (6) are integrated with the shelf (4). In this embodiment, by simultaneously producing the shelf (4) and the bearing (6), ease of production is provided.

In an embodiment of the present invention, at least two holes (not shown in the figures) are provided on the opposite sides of the shelf (4), and each bearing (6) comprises at least one foot (11) configured to enter the corresponding hole so as to be mounted to the shelf (4). In this embodiment, if the user does not want to use the container support assembly (10), the bearings (6) are detached from the shelf (4) such that the container support assembly (10) is completely dismounted from the cooling device (1).

In an embodiment of the present invention, each bearing (6) comprises at least one slit (12) which extends from the housing (5) to at least one surface of the bearing (6) and which is configured to enable the carrier (7) to move therein. In this embodiment, the user can free the ends of the carrier (7) from the housings (5) and move said ends in the slot (12) to separate the carrier (7) from the bearing (6) or vice versa. Thus, when the user wants to place an extra holder (9) on the carrier (7) or wants to separate a holder (9) already on the carrier (7) from the carrier (7), he/she removes the carrier (7) from the bearing (6) and place the relevant holder (9) on the carrier (7) or separate the same from the carrier (7) and then by inserting the ends of the carrier (7) through the respective slits (12) and moving the same towards the housings (5), enabling the respective ends to be fitted into the housings (5) so as to remount the carrier (7).

In an embodiment of the present invention, each bearing (6) comprises at least two housings (5) which are provided at different levels and at least one channel (13) which connects said two housings (5) to each other and which enables the end of the carrier (7) connected to the housing (5) to move therein. In this embodiment, by moving the end of the carrier (7) in the channel (13) from one housing (5) to the other housing (5), the height of the carrier (7) in the first position can be changed. Thus, the support member (8) is enabled to surround the container (C) in a manner corresponding to the height of the container (C), thereby supporting the container (C) more securely.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the container support assembly (10) further comprises at least one headpiece (15) having at least one cavity (14) suitable for being placed on at least a part of the carrier (7) The headpiece (15) prevents the containers (C) placed onto the shelf (4) from falling off the shelf (4) especially in the embodiment wherein the carrier (7) is in the form of a rod. Moreover, the headpiece (15) prevents the carrier (7) from being directly visible, thus positively affecting the appearance of the container support assembly (10).

In an embodiment of the present invention, the headpiece (15) comprises at least one extension which bears against the shelf (4) when the carrier (7) is in the first position. By the extension (16) bearing against the shelf (4) so as to stop the movement of the carrier (7), the first position of the carrier (7) is clearly defined and the carrier (7) is prevented from moving beyond said first position.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the container support assembly (10) further comprises at least one connection member (17), which is mounted to the holder (9) from one end such that the holder (9) moves between a utilization position wherein the support member (8) extends almost parallel to the plane of the shelf (4) when the carrier (7) is in the first position and a storage position wherein the support member (8) extends almost perpendicularly to the plane of the shelf (4) when the carrier (7) is in the first position, the connection member (17) being connected to the carrier (7) from the other end. In this embodiment, the holder (9) is not placed directly on the carrier (7), but is placed on the carrier (7) via the connection member (17). The holder (9) is mounted from the end thereof opposite to the support member (8), for example by snap-fitting, to the corresponding end of the connection member (17). When the carrier (7) is in the first position to extend parallel to the plane of the shelf (4), the holder (9) is preferably pivoted between a utilization position wherein the support member (8) is enabled to at least partially surround the container (4) placed on the shelf (4) and circumferentially support the container (C) and a storage position wherein the support member (8) is prevented from supporting the container (C). Thus, especially in an embodiment wherein a large number of holders (9), hence of support members (8), are provided on the carrier (7), for example, if the number of containers (C) desired to be supported is lower than the number of holders (9), the holders (9) used to support the container (C) are moved to the utilization position on the shelf (4), while the unused holders (9) are shifted to the storage position. Consequently, the holders (9) which are not used for supporting containers (C) are prevented from occupying unnecessary space on the shelf (4), allowing the volume of the shelf (4) to be used efficiently.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the connection member (17) is placed on the carrier (7) so as to perform a linear movement on the carrier (7). In an example of this embodiment, the connection member (17) comprises at least one gap (18) suitable for engaging with the carrier (7) at the end thereof connected to the carrier (7). Thus, the holders (9) shifted to the storage position, especially by moving the connection member (17) on the carrier (7) are collected at a region of the shelf (4), and the holders (9) in the storage position are enabled to be arranged in an orderly manner and to occupy minimum space on the shelf (4).

In an embodiment of the present invention, the holder (9) comprises at least one locking member (19) which is configured to prevent the holder (9) from moving from the storage position to the utilization position without exerting any force by contacting the walls of the headpiece (15) limiting the cavity (14) while the holder (9) is in the storage position. Thus, the holder (9) shifted to the storage position is prevented from accidentally moving to the utilization position and reducing the usable volume of the shelf (4).

In an embodiment of the present invention, said locking member (19) is in the form of two protrusions which are separately provided on the holder (9) so as to form an almost "S" shape if combined with each other end to end. By means of the simple structure of the locking member (19), ease of production and cost advantage is provided.

By means of the present invention, the containers (C) such as jars, bottles, cans, etc. placed on the shelves (4) on the cooling device (1) doors (3) are supported by being at least partially surrounded by the support members (8), thus preventing such containers (C) from tipping over during the fast opening/closing of the door (3). Moreover, by means of the present invention, the height of the support members (8) is changed such that the support members (8) support the respective containers (C) at a height suitable for the height of the container (C). Furthermore, by means of the present invention, by positioning the unused support members (8) so as to occupy minimum space on the shelf, (4) the volume of the shelf (4) is enabled to be used efficiently.

Claims

A cooling device (1) comprising a body (2); at least one door (3) which prevents or allows access into the body (2); and at least one shelf (4) which is disposed onto the surface of the door (3) facing the interior of the body (2) and which extends on a plane, characterized by a container support assembly (10) having at least two bearings (6) which are disposed on the opposite sides of the shelf (4) and each comprising at least one housing (5); at least one carrier (7) which is borne in the housings (5) from the ends thereof so as to move between at least one first position wherein the carrier (7) extends in a plane almost parallel to the plane of the shelf (4) and at least one second position wherein the carrier (7) extends in a plane almost perpendicular to the plane of the shelf (4); and at least one holder (9) which is connected to the carrier (7) from one end and which comprises at least support member (8) on the other end which is configured to at least partially surround the container (C).
A cooling device (1) as in Claim 1, characterized by the carrier (7) which is in the form of an almost U-shaped rod with one end being fitted into the housing (5) disposed on the bearing (6) located on one side of the shelf (4) and the other end being fitted into the housing (5) disposed on the bearing (6) located on the other side of the shelf (4) so as to pivot between the first position and the second position.
A cooling device (1) as in Claim 1 or 2, characterized by the bearings (6) which are integrated with the shelf (4).
A cooling device (1) as in Claim 1 or 2, characterized by the shelf (4) having at least two holes on the opposite sides thereof and by the bearings (6) each having at least one foot (11) configured to enter the corresponding hole so as to be mounted to the shelf (4).
A cooling device (1) as in any one of the above claims, characterized by the bearings (6) comprising at least one slit (12) which extends from the housing (5) to at least one surface of the bearing (6) and which is configured to enable the carrier (7) to move therein.
A cooling device (1) as in any one of the above claims, characterized by the bearings (5) comprising at least two housings (5) which are provided at different levels and at least one channel (13) which connects said two housings (5) to each other and which enables the end of the carrier (7) connected to the housing (5) to move therein.
A cooling device (1) as in any one of the above claims, characterized by the container support assembly (10) comprising at least one headpiece (15) having at least one cavity (14) suitable for being placed on at least a part of the carrier (7)
A cooling device (1) as in Claim 7, characterized by the headpiece (15) having at least one extension (16) which bears against the shelf (4) when the carrier (7) is in the first position.
A cooling device (1) as in any one of the above claims, characterized by the container support assembly (10) comprising comprises at least one connection member (17), which is mounted to the holder (9) from one end such that the holder (9) moves between a utilization position wherein the support member (8) extends almost parallel to the plane of the shelf (4) when the carrier (7) is in the first position and a storage position wherein the support member (8) extends almost perpendicularly to the plane of the shelf (4), the connection member (17) being connected to the carrier (7) from the other end.
A cooling device (1) as in Claim 9, characterized by the connection member (17) which is placed on the carrier (7) so as to perform a linear movement on the carrier (7).
A cooling device (1) as in Claim 9 or 10, characterized by the holder (9) comprising at least one locking member (19) which is configured to prevent the holder (9) from moving from the storage position to the utilization position without exerting any force by contacting the walls of the headpiece (15) limiting the cavity (14) while the holder (9) is in the storage position.
A cooling device (1) as in Claim 11, characterized by the locking member (19) which is in the form of two protrusions which are separately provided on the holder (9) so as to form an almost "S" shape if combined with each other end to end.