"ADJUSTABLE SHELF SYSTEM FOR HOME APPLIANCE”
Field of the Invention
[0001] Refers to the present invention a shelf for home appliance devices,
more specifically to internal cavities of refrigerators, ovens and similar, which
cooperates with rails that makes possible its easy and safe sliding for different height
levels that makes possible to users of such devices to customize its internal divisions
as needed, in a simple, easy and extremely safe way.
Background of the Invention
[0002] As it is known on the art, several home appliance devices – specially
refrigerators – have on its internal compartments regions intended to food storage,
being such regions generally subdivided horizontally by means of shelves targeting
optimization of the available area use.
[0003] The more conventional way of fixing these shelves involves using
horizontal rails fixed or shaped on lateral walls and posterior internal chamber, and in
which are coupled the lateral ending of the piece. However, such constructivity
presents as major inconvenient the fact that demands total removal of the shelf from
the internal cavity so the level change can be done and, furthermore, this removal
need demand that the user removes all products disposed on the shelf before the
procedure to avoid accidents and inconveniences.
[0004] An attempt to solve such inconveniences was presented on documents
CN203464596, EP1443293 and US84191143 which, each with its specificity,
describes shelves that can be slipped up or down by means of two rails positioned on
the posterior region of cabinet, in a way that frontal region of the same are in
balance. This features demands, however, that the shelves are built with more
complex and robust structures, because extra elements are necessary for locking the
pieces and lateral reinforced structures for actuating as “French hands” capable of
resisting to the products weight that will be put in swing region of the piece.
Furthermore, these solutions act as just one or at least two contact points with the
rails beyond presenting several components being, so, of complex manufacturing
and consequently costly.
[0005] Document CN1896665 showed on Figures 1.1 and 1.2 attached
describes a solution for shelves vertical slipping 1 on the internal cavity 2 of a
refrigerator device comprising, on its internal side walls, surfaces 3 having winding
rails 4 and support points on frontal and back regions, in a way that the shelf
displacement 1 is done by a zigzag movement related to rails 4. Such configuration
demands that components are less robust because of better charge distribution that
actuates on the shelves, however drawing from Figure 1.2 allows to observe that
repositioning of the piece demands an acute horizontal movement that projects the
frontal region of the piece much to the front of the cabinet and thus can cause the
displacement of any products disposed on it during adjustment. Another drawback of
this solution is the fact that the rails 4 are shaped in a same plate or surface 3, so
that for each machine model with its varied internal capacity requires specific capable
parts to suit the depth of the internal cavity 2, which compromises the practicality of
production lines involving several product platforms with different storage
capacities/operation.
[0006] Note, therefore, that the present state of the art lacks practical, versatile
and safe solutions to allow vertical adjustment of the shelves inside refrigerated
containers, cooking chamber or other internal compartments of appliances in general.
Objectives of the invention
[0007] Therefore, the present invention, basically, solve the technical problem
of the difficulties and complexities still facing for vertical adjustment of shelves
internal compartments of appliances.
[0008] As a result, it is one of the objectives of the present invention to provide
an adjustable shelf system for household appliances which has simple and economic
construction and operation.
[0009] Furthermore, it is one objective of this invention to provide a versatile
system that can be easily adapted to different designs and equipment capabilities
with which it will cooperate, as comprising separate front and rear rails each other
and, therefore, they can be installed at different distances - that is, has a flexible
concept for different depths of shelves.
[00010] Another among the objectives of the present invention is to provide a
system that allows vertical adjustment of internal shelves of refrigerated containers or
cooking appliances without having to remove all of the supported products or remove
the shelf inside the appliance.
[00011] It is also another among the objectives of the invention to provide a
shelf support system including four contact points, in order to promote a better
distribution of loads on the rails, as well as greater stability and security.
Summary of the Invention
[00012] The above objectives are achieved through the adjustable shelf system
for object appliances of the present invention intended more specifically to apparatus
comprising a cabinet that conforms at least an internal cavity in which are arranged
shelves for supporting products, and such internal cavities bounded by at least one
inner box.
[00013] According to a preferred embodiment of the invention said system
comprises at least one rail cooperating with the appliance inner box and the shelves,
said track comprising at least one perimeter surface with at least one winding central
longitudinal element comprises accommodation for stabilizing/locking the shelves;
and supportive structures to support shelves, each support structure comprising at
least two cooperating coupling elements with at least one longitudinal member of the
rail, each rail independently cooperates with the inner casing of the apparatus.
[00014] Preferably, each rail cooperating with the inner box via interference
coupling or, optionally, the perimeter surface of the rail may comprise the surface of
the inner box.
[00015] The system of the present invention may further comprise at least one
alternate path cooperating with the appliance housing and the internal shelves, said
alternate path comprising a perimetral surface provided with at least one central
longitudinal member.
[00016] Also according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the central
longitudinal members of the paths comprise female type members that cooperate
with coupling elements male type of the shelves supporting structures, with said
supporting structures cooperating with the shelves via molding during manufacture,
or are joined thereto by welding, interference coupling or with the aid of any
fasteners.
[00017] Optionally the said support structure may cooperate with the side edges
of the shelves in positions corresponding to the rails installation positions on the inner
box unit.
[00018] Also preferentially the internal housing comprises recesses for coupling
the rails, and these recesses further comprise recesses cooperating with locking
elements shaped on the rear face of the rails.
[00019] It should be noted that cooperation between the inner box and the
tracks is aided by the expansion process of the polyurethane foam used to shape the
products cabinet.
Brief Description of the Drawings
[00020] The present invention will be described in detail based on the figures
below in which:
[00021] Figures 1.1 and 1.2 shows views of a current state of the art sliding
shelf system;
[00022] Figure 2.1 shows a schematic elevational view of the adjustable shelf
system for home appliances according to a preferred embodiment of the present
invention containing appropriately positioned shelves, wherein the front and rear rails
are identical;
[00023] Figure 2.2 shows a schematic elevational view of the adjustable shelf
system for home appliances according to a second preferred embodiment of the
present invention, in which the front and rear rails differ;
[00024] Figure 3 shows a perspective enlarged detail of the coupling means to
the shelf rail cooperating with it;
[00025] Figure 4 shows an elevational view of the front and rear rails according
to the embodiment illustrated in Figure 2.2, which are securely mounted in an inner
chamber of a home appliance;
[00026] Figure 5 shows an enlarged detail view of a constructive option for a rail
to be used as a further element of the shelf support;
[00027] Figure 6 shows a view in enlarged rail description used in the preferred
embodiment illustrated in Figure 2.1, which may also be used solely as a front or
back rail of the embodiment shown in Figure 2.2 and in which it is possible to detail
observe the region of the shelf lock to be held by it;
[00028] Figure 7 shows a perspective view of a home appliance cabinet
conformed to receive adjustable shelf system of the present invention;
[00029] Figure 8 shows an overview of the coupling elements between the
cabinet and the rails of the present invention;
[00030] Figure 9 shows a view in enlarged cross-section illustrating the
cooperation between a rail configuration of the present invention and the office of the
home appliance cooperating with it;
[00031] Figure 10 shows a perspective view of an exemplary shelf which can be
used in the system of the present invention;
[00032] Figure 11 shows a view in enlarged detail of the shelf shown in Figure
10, allowing to observe in greater detail the existing support pins at each point of
contact with the shelf rails, and
[00033] Figures 12.1, 12.2 and 12.3 show schematic sections illustrating
alternative embodiments for coupling the rails Possible of the present invention.
Detailed Description of the Invention
[00034] The object of the present invention will be more fully described and
explained based on the attached drawings, which have a merely illustrative character
and not limiting, since adaptations and modifications may be made without thereby to
escape the scope of claimed protection.
[00035] The present invention relates to an adjustable shelf system for home
appliances, specifically for an appliance comprising a cabinet G that shapes an inner
cavity in which the shelves 100 are arranged to support any product.
[00036] According to one depicted preferred embodiment in Figure 2.1 attach
the shelf system of the present invention basically comprises at least two rails 20
identical - to act as rear rails and previous system - defined by a flat perimeter
surface 21 with sinuous central longitudinal member 22 provided with
accommodation 23 for stabilizing/locking the shelves 100 in the chosen height.
[00037] Another possible embodiment for the present invention is shown in
Figures 2.2 and 4 attached, according to which is employed a reciprocating rail 10
defined by a substantially flat surface 11 provided with the central longitudinal
element 12 in Z form, which comprises an female recess for engagement of pins or
male coupling elements 31 of the shelves 100 and therefore means for controlling the
height level thereof; while only presents the previous track rail 20 configuration
described above, defined by a flat perimeter surface 21 with winding central
longitudinal element 22, however, the house 23 is provided to stabilize/lock the
shelves 100 in the chosen height.
[00038] The system also comprises supporting structures 30 solidary,
preferably, the lateral edges of the shelf 100, where the said supporting structures 30
are fixed to the male coupling elements 31 previously mentioned, which cooperate
with longitudinal recesses 12 and 22 of rails 10 and 20.
[00039] The designs of Figures 10 and 11 allow to observe in more detail the 30
shelf support structures 100, which can be shaped or molded during the workpiece
production process, or alternatively, be fixed thereto by means of welding, coupling
interference or with the aid of any fasteners without thereby to escape the scope of
protection claimed here.
[00040] According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, 100 shelves are
provided, on each of its lateral edges, two supporting structures 30 being arranged in
specific locations to cooperate with the alternate rail 10 and the rail 20, or both the
rails 20 used in the front and rear region of the system, depending on the desired
configuration. In this regard, it is clear that the construction proposed here allows to
adapt the system for 100 racks of varying dimensions for use in electrical appliances
with different internal capacities, since the spacing between the posterior and anterior
rails can be changed to meet the diverse needs use without, therefore, require the
production of rails with specific dimensions and distances for each model and/or
appliance capacity, which makes the system of the present invention extremely
versatile compared to those known in the current state of the art.
[00041] In Figures 7, 8 and 9 it can be seen that the inner box 40 of the
apparatus is produced with recesses 41 which include results for coupling the rails 10
and/or 20, and these results are provided with small holes 42 for coupling by
interference locking elements 50 shaped on the rear face of the rails 10 and 20. In
this respect it is worth clarifying that in the preferred embodiment described and
illustrated herein cavities 42 of the housings 41 constitute female type coupling
means to receive the locking elements 50 male type and rails 10, 20; however the
skilled in the art should note that the housings 41 can alternatively comprise male
type elements to cooperate with locking elements 50 female type without it is run
away from here claimed protection scope. Also the ways of fixing the rails 10, 20 in
inner box 40 may vary, as best illustrated by the figures 12 attached, stressing that
the preferred embodiment described and illustrated in the other figures is equivalent
to that which was more advantageous for the purposes to that intended when taking
into account construction methods, fixing forms, quality, durability and cost, among
other factors involving the production of such equipment.
[00042] It is also worth remembering that after the coupling of rails 10, 20 in the
inner box 40, the attachment between these parts is enhanced by the expansion
process of the polyurethane foam, which ensures the perfect accommodation
between them, thus avoiding the rails 10, 20 can be removed from the inner box 40,
providing total security system use.
[00043] It is important to note that 100 of the herein disclosed system shelves
have four points of contact with the appliance's office distributed in the front and rear
region of the side edges of the same, which promotes better distribution of loads to
be sustained, thus minimizing, risks of accidents and overhead on rails. Moreover,
each of these four contact points has two pins or coupling elements 31 male to
cooperate with the central longitudinal members 12, 22 of rails 10, 20, and the
coupling elements 31, above intended to support the primary loading of shelves while
the lower 31 coupling elements is intended to stabilize the shelf 100 during the drive
and secondary loading.
[00044] It is worth remembering also that in accordance with a second preferred
embodiment system of the present invention, the longitudinal central member 12 of
the rear rail 10 is designed to allow a smoother movement of the shelf 100 when its
height adjustment, with the front rail 20 provided with accommodations 23 to
stabilize/lock the shelves 100, or in the region of the shelf with which it effectively
occurs interact with the user during the setting procedure.
[00045] Thus, in summary, when compared to the shelf systems known in the
current state of the art the object of the present invention has the following
advantages:
[00046] - has individual tracks that allow greater flexibility/versatility to suit
different depths of shelves for the various models and internal capabilities of the
appliances;
[00047] - has a total of 8 points of contact with the cabinet, which promotes a
better distribution of loads acting and eliminates thus overloading the rear rails of the
prior art which required the construction of more robust parts and consequently more
expensive;
[00048] - the locking elements of the level of use of the shelves 100 can be
located just in front of them - in the user interaction region - or in their anterior and
posterior portions, providing greater versatility for the adjustment procedure height.
[00049] - assembly interference with reinforcement provided by the expansion
of polyurethane foam at the completion of production of the cabinets, which
significantly facilitates the assembly of the system;
[00050] - reduction in the number of constituent elements both for
manufacturing and for system assembly, which ultimately reflect the unit's production
of final costs.
[00051] Note, therefore, the object of the present invention solves the
disadvantages of the current state of the art for economical, versatile and effective in
regard to solving the problem of facilitating the organization of internal storage areas
appliances especially refrigerators and cooking equipment.
We claim:-
1. Adjustable shelf system for home appliance, more specifically for
devices comprising a cabinet (G) shaping at least one internal cavity in which shelves
(100) are disposed for supporting products, being such internal cavities bounded by
at least one inner box (40), CHARACTERIZED by the fact that said system
comprises:
- at least one rail (20) cooperating with the inner box (40) of the device
and with the shelves (100), said rail (20) comprising at least one perimetral surface
(21) with at least one winding central longitudinal element (22) which comprises
housings (23) for stabilization/locking the shelves (100); and
- supporting structures (30) supportive to the shelves (100), wherein
each supporting structure (30) comprises at least two coupling elements (31)
cooperating with at least one longitudinal element (22) of the rail (20);
wherein each rail (20) cooperates independently with the inner box (40)
of the device.
2. System, according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED by the fact that
each rail (20) cooperates with the inner box (40) by interference coupling.
3. System, according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED by the fact that the
perimetral surface (21) of rail (20) comprises the inner box (40) surface.
4. System, according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED by the fact that
comprises, additionally, at least one alternate rail (10) cooperating with the inner box
(40) of the device and with the shelves (100), said alternate rail (10) comprising a
perimetral surface (11) having at least one central longitudinal element (12).
5. System, according to claims 1 and 4, CHARACTERIZED by the fact
that central longitudinal elements (12, 22) of rails (10,20) comprises female type
elements cooperating with male type coupling elements (31) of the supporting
structure (30) of the shelves (100).
6. System, according to claims 1 and 4, CHARACTERIZED by the fact
that said supporting structures (30) cooperate with the shelves (100) through shaping
during manufacturing, or are joined to each other by welding, interference coupling or
with the aid of any fixing elements.
7. System, according to claims 1 and 4, CHARACTERIZED by the fact
that said supporting structures (30) cooperate with lateral edges of the shelves (100)
in positions corresponding to rails (10, 20) installation positions on the device inner
box (40).
8. System, according to claims 1 and 4, CHARACTERIZED by the fact
that the inner box (40) comprises recesses (41) for coupling the rails (10, 20),
wherein such recesses (41) still comprise cavities (42) cooperating with locking
elements (50) shaped on the posterior face of the rails (10, 20).
9. System, according to claims 1 and 4, CHARACTERIZED by the fact
that the cooperation between the internal body (40) and the rails (10, 20) is aided by
the polyurethane foam expansion process used to shape the device cabinet.