U.S. patent application number 16/474526 was filed with the patent office on 2019-10-17 for a cooling device comprising a body with improved structural alignment.
The applicant listed for this patent is ARCELIK ANONIM SIRKETI. Invention is credited to Tayfun ERSOZ, Cagdas FIDAN, Erhan KAHRAMAN, Turker SENTURK, Mehmet YASAR.
Application Number | 20190316833 16/474526 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 57737734 |
Filed Date | 2019-10-17 |
![](/patent/app/20190316833/US20190316833A1-20191017-D00000.png)
![](/patent/app/20190316833/US20190316833A1-20191017-D00001.png)
![](/patent/app/20190316833/US20190316833A1-20191017-D00002.png)
![](/patent/app/20190316833/US20190316833A1-20191017-D00003.png)
United States Patent
Application |
20190316833 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
YASAR; Mehmet ; et
al. |
October 17, 2019 |
A COOLING DEVICE COMPRISING A BODY WITH IMPROVED STRUCTURAL
ALIGNMENT
Abstract
The present invention relates to a cooling device comprising a
body that has a liner and an outer case comprising a back wall made
of a semi-rigid papery material such as a paperboard or a
cardboard. The liner and the outer case define between them an
intermediate volume filled with an insulation material, such as for
instance polyurethane foam.
Inventors: |
YASAR; Mehmet; (Istanbul,
TR) ; ERSOZ; Tayfun; (Istanbul, TR) ; FIDAN;
Cagdas; (Istanbul, TR) ; KAHRAMAN; Erhan;
(Istanbul, TR) ; SENTURK; Turker; (Istanbul,
TR) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
ARCELIK ANONIM SIRKETI |
Istanbul |
|
TR |
|
|
Family ID: |
57737734 |
Appl. No.: |
16/474526 |
Filed: |
December 28, 2016 |
PCT Filed: |
December 28, 2016 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/EP2016/082771 |
371 Date: |
June 27, 2019 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F25D 2201/126 20130101;
F25D 2201/10 20130101; F25D 23/064 20130101; F25D 23/066
20130101 |
International
Class: |
F25D 23/06 20060101
F25D023/06 |
Claims
1. A cooling device comprising a body having a liner, an outer case
comprising a back wall made of a papery material, an intermediate
volume between the liner and the outer case and an insulation
material filled into the intermediate volume, characterized in that
the back wall of the outer case has an outer surface and it
comprises a plurality of protrusions and/or recesses arranged on
the outer surface.
2. The cooling device as in claim 1, characterized in that the
protrusions and/or recesses are obtained on the outer surface of
the back wall by pressing.
3. The cooling device as in claim 1, characterized in that the
protrusions and/or recesses are arranged substantially on the whole
outer surface of the back wall.
4. The cooling device as in claim 1, characterized in that at least
some of the protrusions and/or recesses extend parallel to each
other along vertical directions.
5. The cooling device as in claim 1, characterized in that at least
some of the protrusions and/or recesses extend parallel to each
other along horizontal directions.
6. The cooling device as in claim 1, characterized in that the
protrusions and/or recesses define a plurality of closed shapes on
the outer surface of the back wall.
7. The cooling device as in claim 1, characterized in that the back
wall comprises a raised central plateau and the protrusions and/or
recesses are provided on the outer surface of the back wall on the
raised central plateau.
8. The cooling device as in claim 7, characterized in that the
thickness of the back wall is increased on the central plateau.
9. The cooling device as in claim 8, characterized in that the
thickness increase of the back wall on the central plateau is
comprised between 5 mm and 25 mm.
10. The cooling device as in claim 8, characterized in that the
protrusions and/or recesses have a thickness and/or a depth
substantially equivalent to half of the thickness of the central
plateau.
11. The cooling device as in claim 7, characterized in that the
raised central plateau is obtained on the outer surface of the back
wall by means of blow molding.
12. The cooling device as in claim 1, characterized in that it is a
refrigerator.
13. The cooling device as in claim 1, characterized in that it is a
double door refrigerator.
14. The cooling device as in claim 1, characterized in that it is a
multi-door refrigerator.
Description
[0001] The present invention relates to a cooling device, the
structural alignment of which is improved.
[0002] In cooling devices, especially in refrigerators and
freezers, an insulating material, that is generally closed-cell
rigid polyurethane, is filled between the liner and the outer case
of the body in order to provide heat insulation between the inner
volume and the outer environment. One or more of the walls of the
outer case, and preferably usually the back outer wall, can be made
of a semi-rigid papery material, such as a cardboard, which
provides light weight together with optimal insulation and
acoustical properties.
[0003] In the state of the art, the international patent
application n. WO2000/35321 and the Japanese application n.
JP2012220157A describe for instance cooling devices comprising one
or more of the walls of the outer case of the body made of a papery
material.
[0004] Generally, during the production process, the liner and the
outer case of the body are placed in a mold and the insulating
material, such as polyurethane, is injected as a liquid between
them while in the mold, and over a short period of time expands to
fill the space between liner and outer case. Due to the injection
technic used to fill the intermediate volume between the liner and
the outer case of the body, the liquid insulating material is not
homogeneously distributed in such volume. The body is usually
demolded before the complete curing and cooling of the insulating
material has occurred, so that the latter continues cooling after
the body has been demolded. Due to the initial inhomogeneous
distribution of the insulating material in the intermediate volume,
differential pressure forces act on the liner and on the outer case
of the body and irregular contracting of the foamed mass or local
collapsing of the cellular structure of the foam can occur which
can lead to deformation in particular of the walls of the outer
case made of papery material.
[0005] This entails problems in the structure of the body and more
specifically a poor structural alignment of the body due to the
deformation of the walls of the outer case made of papery material,
which causes misalignments on the body, on the accessories mounted
on the body and on the door subsequently mounted on the body. These
misalignments may provoke an early wearing of the accessories
mounted on the body, such as for instance hinges, and are
particularly problematic for double door or multi door
refrigerators, wherein a perfect matching of the doors defining the
front wall of the refrigerator is required.
[0006] Such misalignments and the consequences deriving from them
adversely affect the overall satisfaction on the final user.
[0007] The aim of the present invention is the realization of a
cooling device comprising a body which structural alignment is
increased.
[0008] 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 the back wall of the
outer case made of a papery material and having an outer surface on
which a plurality of protrusions and/or recesses are provided, so
as to increase the stiffness of the back wall and its resistance to
possible deformations.
[0009] In an embodiment the protrusions/recesses are obtained by
pressing the papery material board, in an easy and quick
manner.
[0010] Preferably the protrusions/recesses are arranged
substantially on the whole surface of the back wall, so as to
increase the mechanical resistance of the whole back wall.
[0011] According to different embodiments, the protrusions/recesses
extends along vertical parallel directions, horizontal parallel
directions or both defining closed shapes on the outer surface of
the back wall.
[0012] In an embodiment, the back wall comprises a raised central
plateau wherein the thickness of the back wall is advantageously
increased and which can be obtained by means of blow molding.
[0013] In a version of this embodiment the thickness increase of
the back wall on the central plateau is comprised between 5 mm and
25 mm and preferably it is comprised between 10 mm and 20 mm. In a
further version of this embodiment, the protrusions/recesses have a
thickness and/or a depth which is substantially equivalent to half
the thickness of the central plateau.
[0014] According to an embodiment, the cooling device of the
invention is a refrigerator and in particular it is a double door
refrigerator, while according to a further embodiment it is a
multi-door refrigerator.
[0015] The cooling device realized in order to attain the aim of
the present invention is illustrated in the attached figures,
where:
[0016] FIG. 1--is a front perspective view of a cooling device
according to the invention with the door removed, i.e. of the body
of the cooling device.
[0017] FIG. 2--is a cross-sectional view of the body of FIG. 1,
taken along the vertical longitudinal median plane.
[0018] FIG. 3--is a rear perspective views from below of the body
of FIG. 1 according to an embodiment.
[0019] FIG. 4--is a rear perspective views from below of the back
wall of the outer case of the body of FIG. 3.
[0020] FIG. 5--is a rear view of the back wall of FIG. 4.
[0021] FIGS. 6 and 7--are respectively a cross-sectional view of
the back wall of FIG. 4 taken along line VI-VI of FIG. 5 and an
enlarged detail of it.
[0022] FIGS. 8 and 9--are respectively a cross-sectional view of
the back wall of FIG. 4 taken along line VIII-VIII of FIG. 6 and an
enlarged detail of it.
[0023] FIGS. 10 and 11--are rear perspective views from below of
the body of FIG. 1 according to two further embodiments.
[0024] The elements illustrated in the figures are numbered as
follows:
[0025] 1. Cooling device
[0026] 2. Body
[0027] 3. Liner
[0028] 4. Outer case
[0029] 5. Back wall
[0030] 6. Intermediate volume
[0031] 7. Insulation material
[0032] 8. Outer surface
[0033] 9. Protrusions
[0034] 10. Recesses
[0035] 11. Central plateau
[0036] The cooling device 1 comprises a body 2 that has a liner 3
and an outer case 4 comprising a back wall 5 made of a semi-rigid
papery material such as a paperboard or a cardboard. The liner 3
and the outer case 4 define between them an intermediate volume 6
filled with an insulation material 7, such as for instance
polyurethane foam.
[0037] According to the present invention, the back wall 5 of the
outer case 4 has an outer surface 8 and it comprises a plurality of
protrusions 9 and/or recesses 10 arranged on the outer surface 8.
The protrusions 9 and/or the recesses 10 increase the stiffness of
the back wall 5, which therefore does not deform due to the
transformations of the insulation material placed in the
intermediate volume 6 during the production process of the body 2
of the cooling device 1. This ensures a better structural alignment
of the body 2, so that no additional working phases, like a
re-alignment phase, are required during the production of the body
2, thus diminishing the production time and cost.
[0038] In the attached figures and in the following a cooling
device 1 having only the back wall 5 of the outer case 4 made of a
papery material is described. However, the outer case 4 may
comprise also further walls, such as for instance the lateral
walls, made of a papery material and provided with protrusions 9
and/or recesses 10 according to the present invention, without
departing from the scope of protection of the present
invention.
[0039] Preferably both protrusions 9 and recesses 10 are provided
on the outer surface 8 of the back wall 5.
[0040] The protrusions 9 and/or recesses 10 provided on the back
wall 5 contribute also to improve the acoustical properties of the
body 2 of the cooling device 1, diminishing the vibrations and
hence the noise produced by the cooling device 1.
[0041] According to an embodiment, the protrusions 9 and/or
recesses 10 are obtained on the outer surface 8 of the back wall 5
by pressing. This allows to easily obtain a back wall 5 with
variable thickness, thus defining the desired protrusions 9 and/or
recesses 10 on its outer surface 8.
[0042] In an embodiment, the protrusions 9 and/or the recesses 10
are arranged substantially on the whole outer surface 8 of the back
wall 5. More clearly the protrusions 9 and/or recesses 10 are
arranged on a portion of the outer surface 8 equivalent at least to
the 75% of the whole outer surface 8. The protrusions 9 and/or
recesses 10 preferably extend along a portion of the height of the
outer surface 8 equivalent at least to the 75% of the whole height
of the outer surface 8 and along a portion of the width of the
outer surface 8 equivalent at least to the 75% of the whole width
of the outer surface 8, as illustrated in the attached FIGS. 3, 10
and 11.
[0043] According to an embodiment, at least some of the protrusions
9 and/or recesses 10 extend parallel to each other along vertical
directions, as illustrated in particular in FIG. 11 and also in
FIG. 3. Preferably, the protrusions 9 and/or recesses 10 extend
vertically on the outer surface 8 substantially for the whole
height of the outer surface 8, i.e. at least for 75% of the whole
height of the outer surface 8. In particular, in the embodiment
illustrated in FIG. 11 the back wall 5 is provided only with
protrusions 9 and/or recesses 10 that extend vertically parallel to
each other and spaced apart from each other.
[0044] In a further embodiment, at least some of the protrusions 9
and/or recesses 10 extend parallel to each other along horizontal
directions, as illustrated in particular in FIG. 10 and also in
FIG. 3. Preferably, the protrusions 9 and/or recesses 10 extend
horizontally on the outer surface 8 substantially for the whole
width of the outer surface 8, i.e. at least for 75% of the whole
width of the outer surface 8.
[0045] In particular, in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 11 the
back wall 5 is provided only with protrusions 9 and/or recesses 10
that extend horizontally parallel to each other and spaced apart
from each other.
[0046] In another embodiment, the protrusions 9 and/or recesses 10
define a plurality of closed shapes on the outer surface 8 of the
back wall 5, as illustrated in FIG. 3. In particular, in the
embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3 the back wall 5 is provided with
protrusions 9 and/or recesses 10 defining a plurality of concentric
closed shapes, spaced apart from one another.
[0047] The above mentioned arrangements of the protrusions 9 and/or
recesses 10 on the outer surface 8 of the back wall 5 ensure a
substantially even stiffness of the back wall 5 along its whole
vertical and horizontal extension, thus avoiding the presence of
weak areas on the back wall 5 which could collapse and deform
during the production process of the cooling device 1.
[0048] According to an embodiment illustrated in the attached
figures, the back wall 5 comprises a raised central plateau 11 and
the protrusions 9 and/or recesses 10 are provided on the outer
surface 8 of the back wall 5 on the raised central plateau 11.
[0049] In particular, the thickness of the back wall 5 is increased
on the central plateau 11. In a version of this embodiment, the
thickness increase of the back wall 5 on the central plateau 11 is
comprised between 5 mm and 25 mm, and preferably is comprised
between 10 mm and 20 mm. The presence of the central plateau 11
having in particular an increased thickness contributes to improve
the stiffness of the back wall 5.
[0050] In an embodiment, the protrusions 9 and/or recesses 10 have
a thickness and/or a depth substantially equivalent to half of the
thickness of the central plateau 11. This ensures that optimal
mechanical characteristics are conferred to every part of the back
wall 5, without having portions of the back wall 5 having too
little thickness that could result in a weakening of the back wall
5 while at the same time not increasing excessively the amount of
space occupied by the body 2.
[0051] According to an embodiment, the raised central plateau 11 is
obtained on the outer surface 8 of the back wall 5 by means of blow
molding.
[0052] In an embodiment, the cooling device 1 above described is a
refrigerator. In particular, the cooling device 1 above described
is a double door refrigerator and in a further embodiment it is a
multi-door refrigerator. As previously specified, in fact, having a
back wall 5 with mechanical characteristics that avoid possible
deformations of the back wall 5 itself and, consequently, of the
body 2 is particularly important in case of double or multi door
refrigerators where misalignments on the body 2 would result
immediately apparent due to a poor matching of the doors on the
front of the refrigerators, thus diminishing the user satisfaction
and possibly affecting the overall cooling performances of the
refrigerator.
[0053] By means of the present invention, adequate stiffness is
provided to the back wall 5 of the body 2 of the cooling device 1
and, more in general, to the walls of the outer case 4 made of a
papery material, thus avoiding possible deformations of such walls
during the production process of the cooling device 1 and hence
misalignments on the body 2 that could lead to an early wear of the
accessories of the cooling device 1, to poor aesthetical appearance
of the cooling device and, more in general, to a poor overall
satisfaction of the user.
* * * * *