MXPA97006628A - Cabinet for refrigerator or freezer cabinet - Google Patents

Abstract

Comprising a plurality of brackets fixed to the lower front region of the cabinet, each bracket incorporating upper and lower brackets provided with upper and lower retaining means and against which the post-top and post-lower wings of a base body are seated , which are provided with upper and lower hinged means that interact with the retaining means to retain the base body coupled to the supports

Description

SOCKET FOR REFRIGERATOR OR FREEZER CABINET The present invention relates to a new mounting arrangement for z to be placed in the lower front region of cabinets of refrigerators or vertical freezers, to provide a finish to that cabinetry pattern defined between the bottom edge of the door of the refrigerator. close and ol floor of support of the cabinet.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The presently known sockets are generally constructed of plastic material and present their immediate region fixed to the lower front region of the cabinet, through closing means, such as screws, or fitting means, which require a difficult and laborious process. The operation of assembling or disassembling such baseboards, making difficult the daily tasks of cleaning the floor of the environment where the cabinet is located. In addition to assembly difficulties, the skirtings of the current technique have the drawback of being rigidly fixed to the cabinet, so < It leads to breakage of its mounting portions when some undue force or load is applied to them, as occurs, for example, if the user inadvertently steps on the socket. In these cases, the breakage of the assembly portions means the total loss of the part, which must be completely replaced by the new one, forcing the user to assume the cost of such substitution.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide a vertical chiller or freezer sock that can be easily used as a base. It is quickly assembled and disassembled from the cabinet, with no need for any tool, and also to be displaced downwards, in the direction of the floor, when it is subjected to a downward load, without causing the breakage of the connecting means from the base to the cabinet. The aforementioned generic objective is achieved by the provision of a base comprising a plurality of supports fixed to the lower front region of the cabinet each incorporating at least one antero-superior wing and at least one wing ero-inferior provided, respectively, with an upper retaining means and with a lower retaining means; and a base body incorporating at least one post-top wing and at least one post-bottom wing provided, respectively, with at least one top flap means and one bottom flap means, so that when the base is the postero-superior and postero-inferior wings of the z-body are mounted, respectively, against the antero-superior wing and against the antero-inferior wing of the support, locking the base body against vertical displacements, and the means of upper and lower retention are fitted in the upper and lower swinging means, locking the casing body against horizontal displacements, at least one of said wings being selectively and elastically deformable from a resting position, where it occurs the mutual fit between the retention and swinging means, and a driven position, in which the release of the socket between the retention and swinging means occurs . The above defined construction allows the base body to be easily assembled by simple fitting into the brackets pre-fixed to the cabinet. For dismantling, it suffices that the user press certain flexible parts of the assembly, releasing the snap-in of the locking means. In addition, the flexibility of the wings and the proximity of the floor allow the base to be flexed downwards, until it touches the floor, without structural breaks.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention will now be described with reference to the attached drawings, given by way of example of a possible concretion of the base in which: Figure 1 represents an upper-antero perspective view, partially cut away, of the base body; Figure 2 represents a view < * n post-lower perspective, partially cut, of the base body; Figures 3 and 4 represent front and back perspective views of the support; and Figures 5, 6 and 7 represent enlarged cross-sectional views of the base body coupled to the support, respectively in a mounted position, in a position for releasing the engagement of the retaining and swinging means, and in a position displaced angularly downwards, in the direction of the floor.

DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED CONFIGURATION According to the attached drawings, the base in question comprises a plurality of supports 10 preferably constructed in a single piece of plastic material, each having a basic plate 11 placed vertically and seated against the lower front region of the cabinet 1 of the refrigeration appliance and fixed there by means of a screw (not illustrated) through the hole 11 of the basic plate 11, the latter also incorporating a pair of horizontal and mutually coplanar antero-superior wings 12, a pair of antero-infective wings 13 also horizontal and mutually coplanar, and furthermore a median rear wing 14, arranged so as to be seated against the lower face of the lower anterous edge of the cabinet 1, said rear wing 14 incorporating an upper projection 14a < That it is fitted in a respective lower hole 2 of the cabinet 1, so as to reinforce the bracket of the support 10 to the cabinet without the need of turning it into an additional accessory. In the illustrated configuration, each top-to-top flange '12 incorporates an upper retaining means 16 in the form of a top shoulder' having an end face 16a inclined in ramp and an opposite end face opposite Inb defining a step. Each antero-inferior wing 13 also incorporates a lower retaining means 17 in the form of a lower shoulder having an end face 17a inclined in ramp and an opposite end face 17b defining a step. At least one upper-antero wing 12 is constructed so that it can be flexed angularly from a rest position to an actuated position (figures 5 and 6); in which the fit between the two parts of the socket is released, as will be described later. The plinth further comprises a base body 20 generally in a U-shaped cross section lying with the free edge of its legs seated against in cabinet 1, said plinth body being constructed of a plastic material with a certain degree of flexibility. In the configuration illustrated, the legs of the U-shaped configuration of the base body 20 define the upper and lower walls of the latter, said walls constituting, respectively and starting from a front basic wall 21, a postero-supepper wing 22 and a wing post-lower part 23 that extends, in the exemplified construction, over the entire extension of the base body 20, the direction of the support 10 and the base body 20 being made so that, when the base is mounted, the postero wing -upper 22 the antero-eupepor wing 12 of the support 10 is seated and the postero-iafepor wing 23 of the base body 20 is seated above and against the antero-i nfepor wing 13 of the support 10 »The free edge of the wing postero-mfepor 23 is seated against the basic plate 11 of the support 10, while the free edge portion of the postero-superior wing-22 is curved upwards, to sit directly against the cabinet 1, above the pla ca bica 11 of the support 10. This arrangement of seating of the wings promotes the locking of the base body 20 against vertical displacements. The postero-superior wing 22 of the base body 20 incorporates an upper flap means 26 in the form of a lower projection whose front face defines a step with which the rear face 16b of the upper retaining means 16 of the anterolar wing rests. 12 of the support 10 when the base body 20 is mounted. In that condition, the postero-superior wing 22 is locked against horizontal displacements orthogonal to the front face of the cabinet 1. The free anterior edge portion of each antero-superior wing 12 of the support 10 is positioned under a respectively cutout portion 28 of the postero-superior wing 22, said cut-out portion 28 being elastically deformed inwards, when it is pressed by the user, to cause deformation of the antero-superior wing 12 of the support 10 to the driven position, illustrated in figures 5 and 6, in which the upper retaining means 16 is disengaged from the upper swinging means -26, allowing the disassembly of the base body 20. In the assembly operation, the elastic deformation with the upper-anteroid '12 is produced by the passage of upper swinging means 26 on the front side 16a inclined in ramp of the upper retaining means 16 of the support 10. In the configuration illustrated, the postero -inferior wing r 23 of the base body 20 is provided with a lower flap means 27 defined by the trailing edge of an opening made in said wing, the portion 23a of the postero-lower wing 23 being disposed between each opening and the free edge of the forward wing - lower 23, recessed superiorly in a measure generally corresponding to the thickness of the antero-inferior wing 17 that will be seated there when the base body is mounted. In this arrangement, the postero-infector wing 23 is coplanarly fitted into the antero-lateral wing 17. For the release of the base body 20, it is sufficient that the cut-off portions 28 of the upper-upper wing 2 are pressed? to disengage the top latching and latching means, whereby the latch body 20 can also be displaced and tilted downward, so as to disengage the lower latching and latching means.

Claims (10)

NOVELTY OF THE INVENTION CLAIMS

1. - Socket for refrigerator or freezer cabinet, cater for the fact of comprising a plurality of supports (10) fixed to the lower front region of the cabinet (1) and incorporating, each, at least one antero-superior wing ( 12) and at least one anteroinfer wing 1), provided respectively in an upper retaining means (15) and a lower retaining means (17); and a base body (20) incorporating at least one post-top wing (22) and at least one post-bottom wing (23) provided, respectively, with at least one upper half-leaf (26) and a lower flap means (27), while the base being mounted, the postero-supepor (22) and post-lower-body (23) wings of the base body (20) are respectively seated against the anteroon wing. upper (12) and against the anteroinsert wing (13) of the support (10), locking the base body (20) against vertical displacements, and the upper and lower retaining means (16, 17) are engaged in the upper and lower flap means (26, 27), locking the base body (20) against horizontal displacements, at least one of said wings (12) being selective and the most deformable from a rest position, in which the mutual engagement between the retention and swinging means, and an actuated position, in which takes place the release of the fit between the retaining and swinging means.

2. Socket according to claim 1, characterized in that the postero-superior wing (22) of the base body (20) is seated on the antero-superior wing (12) of the support (10), while the wing ? ostero-? Nfepor (23) of the base body (20) is seated on the antero-inferior wing (13) of the support (1).

3. Socket according to claim 2, characterized in that one of the parts defined by the retaining means (16, 17) and by the means of leaf (26, 27) takes the form of a shoulder incorporating on the face of setting of the respective wing (12, 13, 22, 23) and having an inclined ramp end face (16a, 17a) and an opposite end face (16b, 17b) defining a step, while the other of said parts makes the form of a step provided in the corresponding wing.

4. Socket according to claim 3, characterized in that the retaining means (16, 17) are defined by respective projections incorporated superiorly in the antero-superior wing (12), mainly in the antero-inferior wing (13) of the support (10).

5. Socket according to claim 4, characterized in that the step defining the upper flange means (26) of the upper-posi- tive wing (2) of the base body (20) is constituted by the front part of a small interior projection of the upper-postero-superior wing (22), while the step that defines the medium of bent? lower (27) of the postero-lower wing (23) of the base body (20) is constituted by the trailing edge of an opening provided in the aforesaid lower wing (23).

6. Socket according to claim 5, characterized in that each portion of the posterointerior wing (23) of the base body (20) seated against a respective lower antero- (13) wing of the support (10) it is lowered superiorly in a measure generally corresponding to the thickness of the inner anterolar wing (13).

7. Socket according to claim 5, characterized in that each antero-superior wing (12) of the support (10) has its free leading edge portion disposed on a respective cutout portion (28) of the upper-post wing (22) of the heat body (20), said portion (28) being elastically deformable inwardly by the user's actuation, in order to cause the elastic deformation of the respective upper-anteroid (12) to the driven position, in the which takes place the release of the fit between the retaining means (16, 17) and swing (26, 27).

8. Socket according to claim 1, characterized in that the base body (20) has a generally U-shaped cross section lying down, with its side legs being respectively defined by the postero-superior (22) and postero-posterior wings. infepor (23) of said base body (20).

9. Socket according to claim 1, characterized in that the support (10) compresses a basic plate (11) that incorporates at least one antero-superior wing (12) and an anterior-inferior wing. (13) and is seated and fixed against the lower front region of the cabinet (1).

10. Socket according to claim 9, characterized in that the basic plate (11) projects downwards from the antero-inferior edge of the cabinet (1) and incorporates a rear wing- (14) provided with an upper projection. (14a) fitted in the respective hole (2) of the cabinet (1).,