WO2023227197A1 - Appareil électroménager conçu pour stocker des produits alimentaires - Google Patents

Appareil électroménager conçu pour stocker des produits alimentaires Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2023227197A1
WO2023227197A1 PCT/EP2022/063921 EP2022063921W WO2023227197A1 WO 2023227197 A1 WO2023227197 A1 WO 2023227197A1 EP 2022063921 W EP2022063921 W EP 2022063921W WO 2023227197 A1 WO2023227197 A1 WO 2023227197A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
shelf
household appliance
cap member
light source
recess
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/EP2022/063921
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Jérôme Esteve
Leonardo HATAMURA
Original Assignee
Electrolux Appliances Aktiebolag
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Electrolux Appliances Aktiebolag filed Critical Electrolux Appliances Aktiebolag
Priority to PCT/EP2022/063921 priority Critical patent/WO2023227197A1/fr
Publication of WO2023227197A1 publication Critical patent/WO2023227197A1/fr

Links

Classifications

    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • F25D27/00—Lighting arrangements
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • F25D25/00—Charging, supporting, and discharging the articles to be cooled
    • F25D25/02—Charging, supporting, and discharging the articles to be cooled by shelves
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • F25D2400/00—General features of, or devices for refrigerators, cold rooms, ice-boxes, or for cooling or freezing apparatus not covered by any other subclass
    • F25D2400/04—Refrigerators with a horizontal mullion

Definitions

  • the present disclosure relates to a household appliance configured to store food items.
  • vertically extending light sources such as for instance light strips arranged with light emitting diodes (LEDs) may be arranged on an interior wall of the cabinet to illuminate the cabinet interior upon a user opening a cabinet door.
  • LEDs light emitting diodes
  • one or more shelves are arranged in the cabinet, and in particular a shelf in the form of a thermally insulating mullion in case of a wine cabinet, two separate vertical light strips must typically be arranged on the interior wall; one on a section of the interior wall located above the above the mullion and one on another section of the wall located below the mullion.
  • One objective is to solve, or at least mitigate, this problem and the art and thus to provide an improved household appliance configured to store food items.
  • a household appliance configured to store food items, the appliance comprising at least one shelf and further at least one cap member configured to be detachable from a front section of the shelf and a light source vertically extending along an interior wall of the appliance, the cap member being arranged to cover a part of the light source upon being attached to the front section of the shelf, and to uncover said part of the light source upon being detached from the front section of the shelf.
  • a cap member is used to cover the light source during operation of the appliance, but advantageously uncovers the light source upon being detached from a front section of the shelf, thereby allowing access to the light source for maintenance.
  • the cap member is configured to extend along a full length of the front section of the shelf.
  • the household appliance comprises a control panel arranged to receive instructions from a user for controlling functionality of the household appliance, which control panel is arranged on the cap member.
  • the shelf is further arranged with a recess at a corner of the front section, and the cap member is configured to cover the recess and said part of the light source upon being attached to the front corner section and to uncover the recess and said part of the light source upon being detached from the front corner section.
  • the shelf is further arranged with a recess at a corner of the front section, and the cap member is configured to cover only the recess and said part of the light source upon being attached to the front corner section and to uncover the recess and said part of the light source upon being detached from the front corner section.
  • the shelf is a mullion configured to provide thermal insulation between two compartments of the household appliance.
  • the two compartments are configured to provide a first and a second temperature zone in the appliance.
  • the cap member is configured to be fastened to the front section of the shelf.
  • the cap member is fastened using one or more of a screw, a snap-in mechanism configured to allow the cap member to move into snap engagement with the shelf or vice versa, or that the cap member is adapted dimensionally to closely fit with the shelf.
  • the light source comprises a light-emitting diode strip.
  • Figure 1 shows a prior art household appliance in which embodiments may be implemented
  • Figures 2a and 2b show a household appliance according to an embodiment
  • Figures 3a and 3b show a household appliance according to another embodiment
  • Figures 4a and 4b show a household appliance according to a further embodiment.
  • FIG. 1 illustrates a household appliance 10 configured to store food items, in which embodiments may be implemented.
  • the household appliance will throughout the description be embodied in the form of a wine cabinet, i.e. a wine refrigerator storing food items in the form of wine bottles.
  • the wine cabinet 10 comprises a plurality of grooves na-d configured to accommodate shelves (not shown) for storing bottles.
  • the shelves are typically retractable horizontally out of the cabinet 10 to allow a user to easily reach the bottles stored on the shelves na-d, and may even be removable from the grooves na-d and thus taken out of the cabinet 10.
  • a different type of shelf commonly referred to as a mullion 12.
  • the mullion 12 maybe used as a shelf for storing bottles, but further provides an insulating functionality.
  • the wine cabinet 10 may be arranged with different temperature zones; for instance, a top compartment above the mullion 12 may be arranged to store wine at a first temperature, while a bottom compartment below the mullion 12 may be arranged to store wine at a second temperature, where the two compartments are thermally separated from each other by the mullion 12.
  • white wines are stored at a slightly lower temperature (around io°C) than red wines (around 15°C).
  • the bottom compartment may comprise shelves
  • a bottom section of the interior of the cabinet 10 is free from shelves such that larger items may be stored on a cabinet floor, e.g. magnum bottles.
  • a light source may either be arranged on an interior top wall and/ or bottom wall of the cabinet 10, or more preferably on an interior side wall 13 of the cabinet 10 close to the opening of the cabinet (or both side walls), as illustrated by means of the vertically extending light strip 14.
  • the mullion 12 is fixedly mounted in the cabinet 10 by means of fasteners such as screws, or may even form an integral part of the cabinet 10 in which case it cannot be removed.
  • One solution is to use two light strips; one attached to the side wall 13 above the mullion 12 and one attached to the side wall 13 below the mullion 12, e.g. by means of adhesive.
  • using two light strips on one or both interior side walls is typically more expensive than using a single light strip 14 on one or both side walls, in addition to requiring a slightly more complex light control device.
  • a household appliance (exemplified by a wine cabinet 20) comprising a mullion 22 separating a top compartment from a bottom compartment in order to provide two different temperature zones. Shown are also grooves 2ia-2id arranged for accommodating shelves for bottle storage.
  • the wine cabinet 20 comprises a light source in the form of a LED light strip 24 vertically extending along the interior side wall 23.
  • the wine cabinet 20 comprises a cap member 25 configured to be detachable from a front section of the mullion 22.
  • the cap member 25 is arranged to cover a part of the light strip 24 upon being attached to the front section of the mullion 22.
  • a maintenance technician may straightforwardly remove the light strip 24 after having detached the cap member 25 from the front section of the mullion 22.
  • the mullion 22 is arranged with a recess 26 at a corner of the front section mullion 22 - typically at both front corner sections since a light strip 24 preferably is arranged at each side of the mullion 22 - wherein the cap member 25 is configured to cover the recess 26 and a part of the light source 24 upon being attached to the front corner section of the mullion 22 and to uncover the recess 26 and the part of the light source upon being detached from the front corner section.
  • the detachable cap member 25 enables for a maintenance technician to reach the light strip 24 for replacement.
  • a further advantage of the embodiment described with reference to Figures 3a and 3b as compared to the embodiment described with reference to Figures 2a and 2b is that by utilizing the recess(es) 26 to uncover the light strip 24, the depth of the cap member 25 can be made smaller (in the embodiment of Figures 2a and 2b, the depth must at least be equal to a width of the light strip 24), thereby facilitating a slightly greater depth for the mullion 22, which is advantageous for bottle storage purposes.
  • a control panel 27 of the wine cabinet 20 may be arranged on the cap member 25 (which control panel typically is communicatively connected to a processing unit controlling various functions of the cabinet 20).
  • the control panel 27 is arranged to receive instructions of a user for controlling operation of the wine cabinet 20 (such as changing a set temperature), either via user keypress of the control panel 27, or wirelessly via for instance a smart phone of the user.
  • Figures 4a and 4b illustrate a further embodiment, where a slightly different cap member 25 'is utilized for only covering the recess 26 at the corner of the front section of the mullion 22, rather than extending along the full length of the front section of the mullion 22.
  • the cap member 25 In addition to advantageously facilitating access to the light strip 24 upon being detached from the corner of the mullion 22, as illustrated in Figure 4b, the cap member 25 'advantageously allows a greater depth of the mullion 22 since the cap member 25 'does not extend along the full front section of the mullion 22.
  • the cap member 25 ' is arranged locally at the front corner section of the mullion 12 to only cover the recess 26.
  • the wine cabinet 20 comprises a light strip arranged on the interior wall on each side of the mullion 12, the mullion 12 will comprise a recess at each front corner section and thus two individual cap members being configured to cover/uncover the respective recess and light strip.
  • the above-described cap member 25, 25’ is configured to be fastened to the mullion 12 by means of e.g. a fastener such as screw mating with a thread, a snap-in mechanism where for instance a rib of the cap member moves into snap engagement with a groove of the mullion 12 or vice versa (any appropriate snap- in element of the cap member moving into snap engagement with a mating member of the mullion may be envisaged), or that the cap member is adapted dimensionally to closely fit with the mullion 12, etc.
  • a fastener such as screw mating with a thread
  • a snap-in mechanism where for instance a rib of the cap member moves into snap engagement with a groove of the mullion 12 or vice versa
  • any appropriate snap- in element of the cap member moving into snap engagement with a mating member of the mullion may be envisaged
  • the cap member is adapted dimensionally to closely fit with the mullion 12, etc.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Thermal Sciences (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Devices That Are Associated With Refrigeration Equipment (AREA)

Abstract

La présente invention concerne un appareil électroménager (20) conçu pour stocker des produits alimentaires. Selon un aspect, l'invention concerne un appareil électroménager (20) conçu pour stocker des aliments, l'appareil (20) comprenant au moins une étagère (22) et en outre au moins un élément de couvercle (25, 25') configuré pour être détaché d'une section avant de l'étagère (22) et une source de lumière (24) s'étendant verticalement le long d'une paroi intérieure (23) de l'appareil (20), l'élément de couvercle (25, 25') étant conçu pour couvrir une partie de la source de lumière (24) lorsqu'il est fixé à la section avant de l'étagère (22), et pour découvrir ladite partie de la source de lumière (24) lorsqu'il est détaché de la section avant de l'étagère (22).
PCT/EP2022/063921 2022-05-23 2022-05-23 Appareil électroménager conçu pour stocker des produits alimentaires WO2023227197A1 (fr)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
PCT/EP2022/063921 WO2023227197A1 (fr) 2022-05-23 2022-05-23 Appareil électroménager conçu pour stocker des produits alimentaires

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
PCT/EP2022/063921 WO2023227197A1 (fr) 2022-05-23 2022-05-23 Appareil électroménager conçu pour stocker des produits alimentaires

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2023227197A1 true WO2023227197A1 (fr) 2023-11-30

Family

ID=82021059

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/EP2022/063921 WO2023227197A1 (fr) 2022-05-23 2022-05-23 Appareil électroménager conçu pour stocker des produits alimentaires

Country Status (1)

Country Link
WO (1) WO2023227197A1 (fr)

Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JP2012007755A (ja) * 2010-06-22 2012-01-12 Toshiba Corp 冷蔵庫
CN202973712U (zh) * 2012-11-23 2013-06-05 合肥美的荣事达电冰箱有限公司 冰箱
US20150292795A1 (en) * 2012-10-29 2015-10-15 Lg Electronics Inc. Refrigerator
CN105814384A (zh) * 2013-12-13 2016-07-27 Bsh家用电器有限公司 具有光波导元件的照明装置及具有这种照明装置的家用制冷器具
DE102015119599A1 (de) * 2015-11-13 2017-05-18 Miele & Cie. Kg Konsolenelement für eine Fachbodeneinheit für ein Kältegerät, Fachbodeneinheit für ein Kältegerät, Fachboden für ein Kältegerät und Kältegerät
DE102019111156A1 (de) * 2019-04-03 2020-10-08 Liebherr-Hausgeräte Ochsenhausen GmbH Kühl- und/oder Gefriergerät

Patent Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JP2012007755A (ja) * 2010-06-22 2012-01-12 Toshiba Corp 冷蔵庫
US20150292795A1 (en) * 2012-10-29 2015-10-15 Lg Electronics Inc. Refrigerator
CN202973712U (zh) * 2012-11-23 2013-06-05 合肥美的荣事达电冰箱有限公司 冰箱
CN105814384A (zh) * 2013-12-13 2016-07-27 Bsh家用电器有限公司 具有光波导元件的照明装置及具有这种照明装置的家用制冷器具
DE102015119599A1 (de) * 2015-11-13 2017-05-18 Miele & Cie. Kg Konsolenelement für eine Fachbodeneinheit für ein Kältegerät, Fachbodeneinheit für ein Kältegerät, Fachboden für ein Kältegerät und Kältegerät
DE102019111156A1 (de) * 2019-04-03 2020-10-08 Liebherr-Hausgeräte Ochsenhausen GmbH Kühl- und/oder Gefriergerät

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