U.S. patent application number 10/875904 was filed with the patent office on 2004-12-30 for domestic refrigeration appliance with removable shelf supports.
Invention is credited to Casoli, Fiorenzo, Giudici, Giorgio, Ribolzi, Augusto.
Application Number | 20040263038 10/875904 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 30131280 |
Filed Date | 2004-12-30 |
United States Patent
Application |
20040263038 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Ribolzi, Augusto ; et
al. |
December 30, 2004 |
Domestic refrigeration appliance with removable shelf supports
Abstract
A domestic refrigeration appliance, in particular a
refrigerator, provided with a preservation compartment having
interior side walls and shelves disposed on supports, the supports
being removably connectable to predetermined points of the interior
side walls. The supports can include slotted tubular extensions for
insertion into the openings of the interior side walls. Bushes may
be provided in the openings of the interior side walls to
insertably receive the slotted tubular extensions.
Inventors: |
Ribolzi, Augusto; (Travedona
Monate, IT) ; Giudici, Giorgio; (Lonate Pozzolo,
IT) ; Casoli, Fiorenzo; (Vergiate, IT) |
Correspondence
Address: |
WHIRLPOOL PATENTS COMPANY - MD 0750
500 RENAISSANCE DRIVE - SUITE 102
ST. JOSEPH
MI
49085
US
|
Family ID: |
30131280 |
Appl. No.: |
10/875904 |
Filed: |
June 23, 2004 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
312/408 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F25D 25/02 20130101;
F16B 19/1081 20130101; F25D 23/067 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
312/408 |
International
Class: |
A47B 096/04 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jun 24, 2003 |
IT |
MI2003A001281 |
Claims
We claim:
1. A domestic refrigeration appliance comprising a preservation
compartment having vertical walls, supports, and shelves disposed
on said supports, wherein said supports are removably connectable
to predetermined points of said vertical walls.
2. The domestic refrigeration appliance of claim 1, wherein said
supports include slotted tubular extensions.
3. The domestic refrigeration appliance of claim 2, wherein said
vertical walls include fixed bushes to insertably receive said
slotted tubular extensions.
4. The domestic refrigeration appliance of claim 3, further
comprising a plurality of locking pegs for insertion into said
slotted tubular extensions.
5. The refrigeration appliance of claim 4, wherein said supports
include recesses to facilitate access to the locking pegs for their
removal.
6. The refrigeration appliance of claim 5, wherein said supports
are substantially bar-like with a horizontal part projecting from a
vertical part to be applied to the vertical wall of the
preservation compartment.
7. A refrigeration appliance comprising: a plurality of interior
walls having a plurality of openings; a plurality of removable
shelving supports having one or more extensions for insertion into
the openings; and a plurality of pegs for insertion into the one or
more extensions.
8. The refrigeration appliance of claim 7, wherein the plurality of
interior walls are opposite side walls.
9. The refrigeration appliance of claim 7, further comprising a
plurality of bushes disposed within the plurality of openings.
10. The refrigeration appliance of claim 7, wherein the one or more
extensions are tubular in shape and slotted.
11. The refrigeration appliance of claim 7, wherein the plurality
of removable shelving supports include a plurality of recesses to
facilitate access to the plurality of pegs.
12. The refrigeration appliance of claim 7, wherein the plurality
of interior walls are opposite side walls, wherein the one or more
extensions are tubular in shape and slotted, wherein the plurality
of removable shelving supports include a plurality of recesses to
facilitate access to the plurality of pegs, and wherein the
refrigeration appliance further comprises a plurality of bushes
disposed within the plurality of openings.
13. A refrigeration appliance comprising: a pair of interior side
walls; a plurality of bushes mounted in the side walls; a plurality
of removable shelving supports having at least two tubular
extensions for insertion into the bushes; and a plurality of
locking pegs for insertion into the tubular extensions.
14. The refrigeration appliance of claim 13, wherein the plurality
of removable shelving supports include one or more recesses to
facilitate access to one or more of the plurality of locking
pegs.
15. The refrigeration appliance of claim 13, wherein the pair of
interior side walls are opposite each other.
16. The refrigeration appliance of claim 13, wherein the plurality
of locking pegs include a shank section, a head section on one end
of the shank section, and an enlarged section on the other end of
the shank section.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to a refrigeration appliance,
such as a refrigerator, provided with removable supports for its
shelves.
[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0004] In traditional refrigerators the internal shelves rest on
projecting support bars formed within the inner lining of the
refrigeration appliance. These supports are provided in a larger
number than the shelves to enable the user to arrange these at the
most suitable height. The number and size of these supports
negatively affects the useful capacity of the refrigeration
appliance and raises hygiene problems as the supports (not being
removable) cannot be thoroughly cleaned.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] In one aspect, the present invention relates to a
refrigeration appliance having a plurality of interior walls with a
plurality of openings. The openings can be fitted with bushes
(bushings). A plurality of removable shelving supports can have one
or more extensions for insertion into the interior wall openings.
The extensions are adapted for receiving a plurality of support
pegs. The pegs can be of the lockable type.
[0006] In another aspect, the invention relates to a refrigeration
appliance having a pair of interior side walls, a plurality of
bushes mounted in the side walls, and a plurality of removable
shelving supports having at least two tubular extensions for
insertion into the bushes. A plurality of locking pegs can be
provided for insertion into the tubular extensions.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] The invention will be better understood from the description
of a preferred embodiment thereof given hereinafter by way of
non-limiting example and illustrated in the accompanying drawings,
in which:
[0008] FIG. 1 is a partial perspective view of the preservation
compartment of a refrigerator, the compartment being provided (on a
vertical wall) with removable supports for shelves;
[0009] FIG. 2 is a partial perspective exploded view of a support
and the means enabling it to be mounted on the walls of the
preservation compartment of a refrigeration appliance;
[0010] FIG. 3 is a partial section on the line III-III of FIG.
1;
[0011] FIG. 4 is a view showing by transparency a support together
with two vertical sections through the points at which the support
is connected to the wall of the compartment of the refrigeration
appliance (the sections in question correspond essentially to the
section III-III of FIG. 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0012] With reference to FIG. 1, the reference numeral 1 indicates
overall a domestic refrigeration appliance, of which FIG. 1 shows
part of the relative preservation compartment 3 bounded by
horizontal and vertical walls; these latter comprise an end wall
and two side walls 2. In the figure it can be seen that one of the
side walls carries two substantially bar-like removable supports 4
for the conventional shelves on which the products to be cooled in
the compartment are rested. These bar-like supports 4 are provided,
in two well defined positions, with axially slotted tubular
extensions 5 (see FIGS. 2, 3, 4) which are inserted into bushes 6
mounted in the side walls 2 and embedded in the insulation 7 of the
refrigeration appliance. Removable fixing to the bushes 6 is
achieved by a divaricable (extractable) peg 8 which is inserted
into the slotted tubular extensions 5 to divaricate them by the
amount necessary to ensure stability but without affecting the
removability of the divaricable peg 8 and hence of the support 4,
so enabling it to be located at different heights and to be
thoroughly cleaned.
[0013] In detail, the bush 6 embedded in the insulation 7
preferably comprises a fixing head 9 formed (FIG. 3) from three
mutually perpendicular ribs 9a, 9b and 9c. The bush 6 also
comprises a socket part 10, flanged about its periphery 19 and
forming at its base a slight annular undercut 12. The bushes 6
could take on other forms and shapes, or not be present at all. If
not present, the interior walls of the refrigeration appliance
could simply have a plurality of openings to insertably receive the
shelving support extensions 5. The extensions are preferably
slotted and tubular.
[0014] The extractable divaricable peg 8 preferably comprises a
head 8a and a shank 8b terminating with a slight enlargement 8c
which divaricates the end of the slotted tubular extension 5 shaped
for the purpose. The peg 8 could take on other forms and shapes as
well.
[0015] At the peg 8 the substantially bar-like support 4 presents a
lower recess 11 (FIGS. 1 and 2) to offer the user a comfortable
position to exert traction force on the peg 8 in order to extract
it from the tubular appendix 5 and hence enable the bar-like
support 4 to be removed.
[0016] The bar-like support 4 possesses the two stated
characteristics, namely the presence of the two slotted tubular
appendices 5 and the recesses 11 by which access to the peg 8 is
facilitated. For the remainder, the support can have any shape
suitable for its shelf support function. Generally, such a support
can have a horizontal ledge-like supporting part (indicated by A in
FIGS. 2 and 4) and a vertical part (indicated by B in FIGS. 2 and
4) applied to the liner 2. The manner of mounting and removing the
support 4 is apparent from the aforegoing. For mounting, the two
tubular extensions 5 of the support 4 are inserted (with slight
forcing) into the bushes 6 embedded in the insulation 7. The pegs 8
are then totally inserted into the tubular extensions, so locking
the support 4 to the structure of the refrigeration appliance. When
the user requires a different positioning of a shelf, the pegs 8
are removed, the tubular extensions extracted from the bush and the
support 4 brought to the desired height to coincide with two
suitably plugged bushes 6, from which the plugs are then removed
and tubular extensions 5 of the support located in them, the
support then being locked by fully inserting the pegs 8. The
bar-like support can be thoroughly cleaned by virtue of its
removal.
[0017] While the invention has been specifically described in
connection with certain specific embodiments thereof, it is to be
understood that this is by way of illustration and not of
limitation, and the scope of the appended claims should be
construed as broadly as the prior art will permit.
* * * * *