CN1308637C - Storage container for refrigerator and refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

A storage container for mounting on a door of a refrigerator, characterized in that it is constituted by a container body (1) and a decorative partition (10) constituting a separate part from the container body.

Description

Storage container for refrigerator and refrigerator

technical field

The invention relates to a storage container for being installed on a door of a refrigerator, and a refrigerator equipped with the storage container.

Background technique

Storage containers of this type generally have the shape of a substantially cuboid box open at the top, and are mainly designed to contain refrigerated substances contained in bottles or glassware. Usually, this kind of storage container is provided with card grooves, and they can be detachably fixed on the inner surface of the door at different heights.

In order to save costs, refrigerator manufacturers wish to design the doors of refrigerators such that refrigerators of various models are equipped with storage containers of different models as few as possible.

However, the result of this construction is that the various models of refrigerators have a uniform appearance on the inside, which is not always desired. For example, when a manufacturer produces a series of refrigerators of different models, some of them focus on functionality and low price, while others must meet the individual requirements of customers, which also requires storage containers on the door. The internal structure of the machine must be adapted to the requirements of a single model series. This means that, until now, such components could not be incorporated uniformly in the production of the manufacturer's entire assortment, but had to be constructed separately for individual models or model series, which resulted in high costs.

Contents of the invention

The object of the present invention is to provide a storage container for mounting on the door of a refrigerator, which can be changed externally in a simple way, so as to be suitable for various model series, or a storage container which can be changed internally in a simple way refrigerator.

According to the invention, this object is achieved by a storage container mounted on a refrigerator door, which storage container is composed of a container body and a decorative partition forming a part separate from the container body. The main body of the container can be used in various model series in completely different forms, and the storage container can be adapted to the desired appearance of a refrigerator of a certain model series only by means of this decorative partition. The container main body saves costs during production, because the main body can be produced and used in large quantities. Adaptation to the desired shape of a single model series can be achieved only by means of decorative partitions, which have to be constructed in a limited number of models, but the costs involved in their construction and the production of the specially required tools Much less than needed for an entire storage container.

In order to simplify the installation of the decorative partition on the storage container, at least one visible surface of the storage container is formed with a recessed area for receiving the decorative partition. As a result of the form-locking insertion of the decorative partition into the recessed region, its position is clearly defined so that it can be installed in a simple manner without technical measures.

According to a first configuration, the recessed area is open towards the upper edge of the viewing surface in order to be able to insert the decorative partition from above.

It is especially suitable in this case for the decorative partition to have a rim which surrounds the upper edge of the container body and provides support for the decorative partition inserted on the main body.

It can be expediently provided that the thickness of the decorative partition corresponds to the depth of the recessed area. In this way, it is possible to create the appearance that the storage container is flush with the decorative partition mounted thereon, allowing the user to keep it clean.

Furthermore, the object is achieved by a refrigerator provided with a plurality of storage containers. Here, each storage container is constituted by a container body and a decorative partition constituting a separate part from the container body.

Description of drawings

Further features and advantages of the invention will emerge from the following description of embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. in:

Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of a storage container without a decorative partition according to a first structure of the present invention;

Figure 2 shows a front view of the storage container of Figure 1 with the decorative partition not fully installed;

Figure 3 shows a front view of the storage container with the decorative partition fully installed;

4 shows a perspective view of a storage container and a decorative partition according to a second structure of the present invention;

Fig. 5 shows a front view of a refrigerator to which the present invention can be applied.

Detailed ways

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of the main body 1 of the storage container of the present invention. The main body 1 is an integral die-casting made of plastic. It comprises four side walls, a visible side 2 facing the viewer in this figure, two narrow sides 3, a rear side 4 and a closed bottom side. On the back side 4 and/or the narrow side 3, snap-in slots are installed, but because they are not the subject matter of the present invention, they are not shown in the figures, and they can install the main body 1 on the door of the refrigerator in a known manner per se different locations on the inside. The wall thickness of the main body 1 is set so that the main body 1 itself has the mechanical strength required for its use.

The majority of the visible face 2 of the body 1 is occupied by a recessed area 5 delimited laterally downwards by the aforementioned edges 6 , 7 . The area 5 is not delimited upwards, and the upper edge 8 of the viewing surface 2 extends shallower in the area of the recessed area than the upper edges of the other sides 3 , 4 .

FIG. 2 shows the body 1 in use with a decorative partition 10 , a part of which is inserted into the recessed area 5 . The decorative partition 10 is plate-shaped and has a rim 11 formed on an upper edge thereof. The hook-shaped rim 11 in cross-section is dimensioned such that it positively surrounds the upper edge 8 of the viewing surface 2 in the fully assembled state of the decorative partition 10 shown in FIG. 3 .

A slot (not visible in the figure) may be provided on the inner surface of the edge 11 to position the decorative partition on the visible surface 2 . The material thickness of the decorative partition is set such that its outer surface is flush with the surrounding area or the upper edge 8 of the viewing surface 2 , respectively.

In order to fasten the decorative partition 10 on the main body 1, one or more openings 12 can be formed on the horizontal edge 7 of the recessed area 5, which are positively accommodated in the fully assembled state of the decorative partition 10. The protrusion 13 on the lower edge of the decorative partition 10 . In this way, the decorative partition 10 can be securely fastened to the main body 1 during its entire extension only by positioning in the region of the edge 11 .

Since the decorative partition 10 does not necessarily have to have a stationary effect of stabilizing the storage container, it can be made of any material chosen at will, primarily from an aesthetic point of view. At the same time, since the side walls of the decorative partition can be very thin, even expensive materials are used without high material costs.

Fig. 4 shows a perspective view of the main body 21 and the decorative partition 30 of the storage container according to the second structure of the present invention. In this second configuration, the recessed region 25 extends over the entire width of the viewing surface 22 and over a partial width of the narrow surface 23 adjoining it. To complement the shape of the recessed area 25 , the decorative partition 30 is formed in the form of a sandwich panel from a central area 34 extending over the viewing surface 22 and two side walls 35 adjoining it.

In order to fasten the decorative partition 30 , the recessed area 25 extends on the viewing surface 23 and the interior of the side wall 35 opposite thereto is equipped with a locking groove. In the construction shown here, the snap-in member comprises a plurality of flexible tongues 36 which can be pressed elastically into the interior of the main body 21 and which bear on their free ends a protrusion 37 which is arranged to engage Complementary opening 38 on side wall 35 . The openings 39 on the vertical edges 40 of the areas 25 respectively accommodate protrusions 41 at one end of the side walls 35 . In this way, the decorative partition 30 can be fastened to the main body 21 in such a way that it cannot be detached and cannot be seen from the outside.

Of course, other suitable slot members can also be used to fix the decorative partition, and it is also considered to glue the partition to the main body.

Figure 5 shows a perspective view of a refrigerator 50 with the door 51 open, inside which a plurality of storage containers 52 of the type described above are mounted.

Claims (16)

1. A storage container for being installed on the door of a refrigerator, characterized in that the storage container is composed of a container body (1, 21) and a decorative partition (10, 30), the decorative partition ( 10, 30) form a separate part from the container body (1, 21). 2. The storage container according to claim 1, characterized in that, at least on one visible surface (2, 22) of the storage container, a recess for accommodating the decorative partition (10, 30) is formed area (5, 25). 3. The storage container according to claim 2, characterized in that, the recessed area (5) opens towards the upper edge (8) of the visible surface (2). 4. The storage container according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the decorative partition (10) has a rim (11) surrounding the upper edge of the container body (1). 5. The storage container according to claim 1, characterized in that the decorative partition (10) has a rim (11) surrounding the upper edge of the container body (1). 6. The storage container according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the thickness of the decorative partition (10, 30) corresponds to the depth of the recessed area (5, 25). 7. The storage container according to claim 4, characterized in that the thickness of the decorative partition (10, 30) corresponds to the depth of the recessed area (5, 25). 8. The storage container according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, the decorative partition (10, 30) can be installed on the container main body (1, 21) by plugging. 9. A refrigerator equipped with a plurality of storage containers (52), characterized in that each storage container is composed of a container body (1, 21) and a decorative partition (10, 30), The decorative partition (10, 30) constitutes a separate part from the container body (1, 21). 10. The refrigerator according to claim 9, characterized in that, at least on one visible surface (2, 22) of the storage container, a recessed area for accommodating the decorative partition (10, 30) is formed (5, 25). 11. The refrigerator according to claim 10, characterized in that, the recessed area (5) opens toward the upper edge (8) of the visible surface (2). 12. The refrigerator according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that the decorative partition (10) has a rim (11) surrounding the upper edge of the container main body (1). 13. The refrigerator according to claim 9, characterized in that the decorative partition (10) has a rim (11) surrounding the upper edge of the container main body (1). 14. The refrigerator according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that the thickness of the decorative partition (10, 30) corresponds to the depth of the recessed area (5, 25). 15. The refrigerator according to claim 12, characterized in that the thickness of the decorative partition (10, 30) corresponds to the depth of the recessed area (5, 25). 16. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 9 to 11, characterized in that, the decorative partition (10, 30) can be installed on the container main body (1, 21) by plugging.

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