REFRIGERATOR AND SHELF FOR IT

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The invention relates to a refrigerator and shelf thereof, and belongs to the field of refrigeration equipment.BACKGROUND

[0002] When a container, such as a wine bottle, is refrigerated in a refrigerator, due to influences of an internal structure of the refrigerator and a size of the wine bottle, a fixed space for storing the container, such as the wine bottle, is not available in a refrigerating space of the refrigerator, such that the wine bottle is prone to roll or fall in the refrigerator; an independent bottle rack takes up most of a storage space of the refrigerator when placed in the refrigerator.

[0003] The existing bottle rack in the refrigerator on the market is mostly separated from a glass shelf, and there is also a rollover bottle rack combined with the glass shelf.

[0004] Although a structure in which the bottle rack is separated from the glass shelf has a function of placing the container, such as the wine bottle, when a user does not place such an article, the bottle rack is redundant and occupies the space; although the existing rollover bottle rack combined with the glass shelf on the market may solve the problem of space usage when the container, such as the wine bottle, is not placed, at a rollover position of the bottle rack, the front and rear bottle racks are fixed at a single angle and have a fixed distance therebetween, and the user is unable to make a proper adjustment based on the size and a thickness of the wine bottle required to be placed; in addition, the front and rear bottle racks have the same height, and the wine bottle has a thick bottle body and a thin bottleneck, such that the bottleneck is oblique downwards after the wine bottle is placed, and the problems, such as wine leakage, or the like, may be caused after long-term placement.

[0005] CN 106225409 A discloses a bottle holder which comprises a bottle holder body, a guardrail and a rotating assembly, wherein mounting holes are symmetrically formed in the two opposite side walls of the bottle holder body. The two ends of the guardrail are mounted in the corresponding mounting holes through the rotating assembly, and the rotating assembly comprises rotating shafts and rotating seats fixed to the ends of the guardrail. A guide piece is arranged on each rotating shaft, the rotating seats are fixed into the corresponding mounting holes, an accommodating hole used for accommodating the corresponding rotating shaft is formed in each rotating seat, a guide part is arranged on the inner wall of each accommodating hole in a protruding mode, and the two ends of each guide part are provided with a first positioning groove and a second positioning groove correspondingly. When rotating the guardrail, the guide parts define the moving paths of the guide pieces, and accordingly the guide pieces can move to the corresponding second positioning grooves from the corresponding first positioning grooves along the corresponding guide parts, so that the guardrail is switched between different position states.

[0006] EP 3190364 A1 discloses a refrigerator including a cabinet configured to form a storage space, a main door which is configured to open and store the storage space, having an opening part which is in communication with the storage space. A sub-door is rotatably installed at the main door and is configured to open and close the opening part; a panel assembly provided at the sub-door, and having a half-mirror structure which allows to selectively see through an inside of the opening part. A knock detection device is disposed at a rear surface of the panel assembly, and is configured to detect a user' knocking operation on the panel assembly. A door lighting unit is provided above the panel assembly, and is turned on or off by the knock detection device to selectively illuminate an internal space of the opening part, such that the panel assembly selectively becomes transparent.

[0007] CN 201050924 Y discloses a foldable wine rack for refrigerator, which comprises two wave supporting bars which are U-shaped, horizontal rods which are arranged on the two ends of the two wave supporting bars respectively through opposite jacks of two fixed seats arranged on the two sides of a flat wine rack. The front and the back of the two wave supporting bars are arranged on a lower part of the flat wine rack and are capable of front and rear swinging using the horizontal rods.

[0008] WO 2009 / 030695 A1 discloses a cooling device that comprises a body wherein items to be cooled are stored, a door allowing access into the body from the outside, and one or more shelves positioned inside the body at various levels, enabling the bottles loaded to be stored therein. A sensor detects movement of a bottle entering or leaving a scanning area. A holder moves by means of a movement mechanism activated by the sensor between a closed position of folding on a body or shelf and the open position of clasping to support the bottle loaded thereon.

[0009] US 4,528,825 A discloses a foldable refrigerator shelf in which a lower shelf is nested directly beneath an upper shelf in a locked position and can be moved to a plurality of positions spaced from the upper shelf by means of sliding and pivoting links. The shelf is positively locked while in a folded position and is continuously biased into a stable position when in the open position.

[0010] US 4,864,691 A discloses a hinge for rotatably mounting a barrier member to a structural member. The hinge comprises a first hinge assembly which comprises a first hinge bracket attachable to the structural member, a second hinge bracket attachable to the barrier member, a first hinge member mounted for rotation with the second hinge mounting bracket and a second hinge member mounted for rotation with the first hinge member. Both hinge members have correspondingly configured engaging surfaces which permit staged rotation between the hinge members. The first hinge assembly connects a lower portion of the barrier member to the structural member and is responsible for bearing substantially all of the weight of the barrier member. A second hinge assembly provides a rotational alignment between an upper portion of the barrier member and the structural member.

[0011] US 2,018,002 A discloses a bottle shelf comprising a frame which includes a plurality of hook-shaped supports which protrude upwardly. A bottle supporting carriage is slidably secured to the frame and is arranged to be moved relative thereto inwardly or outwardly to displace the supported bottles between a non-accessible position and an accessible position.

[0012] In view of this, it is necessary to provide a new shelf and a refrigerator to solve the above-mentioned problems.SUMMARY

[0013] An object of the present invention is to provide a new shelf provided with a bottle rack, and with the shelf, a rollover angle of the bottle rack may be regulated as required when in use, thereby solving the problems of a single fixed position and inconvenient storage of a wine bottle.

[0014] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a shelf and a refrigerator as defined in the appended claims.

[0015] The present invention has such beneficial effects that compared with a prior art, the shelf according to the present invention has at least two unfolded positions, such that the angle and a height at which the bottle rack is fixed may be regulated as required, thereby meeting requirements of placing the wine bottles and beverage bottles of different sizes, and increasing universality and flexibility of application of the shelf.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective diagram of a shelf in a folded state according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective diagram of the shelf shown in FIG. 1 in an unfolded state; FIG. 3 is a schematic structural exploded diagram of the shelf shown in FIG. 1; and FIG. 4 is a schematic structural exploded diagram of a rotary assembly of the shelf shown in FIG. 3. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] The present invention will be described below in detail in combination with specific embodiments illustrated in drawings. However, these embodiments have no limitations on the present invention, and any transformations of structure, method, or function made by persons skilled in the art according to these embodiments fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0018] As shown in FIGs. 1 and 2, a preferable shelf 1 according to the present invention comprises a shelf plate 10 and bottle racks (20, 20') connected to the shelf plate 10 pivotally and rotating between a folded position adjacent to the shelf plate 10 and an unfolded position apart from the shelf plate 10. The shelf plate 10 comprises a panel 11 formed as a plane and a support 12 configured for supporting the panel 11. Generally, the panel 11 is made of a transparent material to transmit light, thereby saving electricity consumption of an illuminator in a storage space of a refrigerator. The support 12 is provided with a trim which covers a side edge of the panel 11 and is made of an elastic material to reduce vibration. In some special embodiments, the trim is made of an elastic transparent material, so as to further transmit light. The shelf 1 may be applied to the refrigerator, a limiting structure for receiving the shelf plate 10 is provided in a cabinet of the refrigerator, and the support 12 slides into the limiting structure to position the shelf plate 10.

[0019] In a folded state shown in FIG. 1, the bottle racks (20, 20') are located at the folded position adjacent to the shelf plate 10, and in a usage state shown in FIG. 2, the bottle racks (20, 20') are located at one of the unfolded positions apart from the shelf plate 10. In the present embodiment, the shelf 1 comprises the two bottle racks (20, 20'), and since the two bottle racks (20, 20') have the same relation of connection with the shelf plate 10, for convenience of description, description is made by taking one of the bottle racks as an example. As shown in FIG. 3, the bottle rack 20 comprises a middle portion 22 for laying a wine bottle and a connecting portion 21 for connecting the middle portion 22 to the shelf plate 10, and the bottle rack 20 has two connecting portions (21, 21') which are connected to two ends of the middle portion 22 respectively. Certainly, in other embodiments, the shelf 1 may be provided with only one bottle rack 20.

[0020] The shelf 1 further comprises rotary assemblies (30, 30') connected with the shelf plate 10 and the bottle rack 20 and enabling the bottle rack 20 to have at least two unfolded positions. The two rotary assemblies (30, 30') are connected with the two connecting portions (21, 21') of the bottle rack 20 correspondingly. An existing bottle rack 20 only has one folded position and one unfolded position, but the rotary assembly 30 in the embodiment of the present invention enables the bottle rack 20 to have two unfolded positions, such that a user may regulate the unfolded position of the bottle rack 20 according to actual needs, thereby meeting requirements of placing the wine bottles or beverage bottles of different sizes at different angles or heights.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 4, the rotary assembly 30 comprises a first regulating part 31 connected with the shelf plate 10 and a second regulating part 32 connected with the bottle rack 20, the first and second regulating parts 31, 32 are connected rotatably relative to each other around a pivotal shaft, and the folded position and the at least two unfolded positions are provided on one of the first and second regulating parts 31, 32 in a circumferential direction of the pivotal shaft.

[0022] The rotary assembly 30 further comprises a concave-convex engagement structure comprising a first curved surface 311 formed on the first regulating part 31 and a second curved surface 321 formed on the second regulating part 32, and when the first and second regulating parts 31, 32 are static relatively, the first curved surface 311 abuts against the second curved surface 321; when the second regulating part 32 rotates relative to the first regulating part 31, the second curved surface 321 jumps to and fro in an axial direction of the pivotal shaft by getting apart from and adjacent to the first curved surface 311. With the concave-convex engagement structure, the first and second regulating parts 31, 32 may be clamped at a proper position as required when rotating relatively, and the operation is simple and easy, without occupying the space.

[0023] Specifically, one of the first and second curved surfaces 311, 321 is provided thereon with a groove and / or a projection, and the other of the first and second curved surfaces 311, 321 is provided thereon with a projection engaged with the groove and / or a groove engaged with the projection. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the first curved surface 311 is provided thereon with the groove and the projection, and the second curved surface 321 is provided thereon correspondingly with the projection and the groove which are engaged with the groove and the projection on the first curved surface 311. As such, each of the first and second curved surfaces 311, 321 appears as concave-convex curved surface with the projections and the grooves. The first and second curved surfaces 311, 321 are fitted with each other with a greater depth in an axial direction, thereby enabling the first regulating part 31 to be fitted with the second regulating part 32 more compactly and reliably.

[0024] Certainly, in a variant of the embodiment, a person skilled in the art may provide the groove on only one of the first and second curved surfaces 311, 321, for example, in a plane-groove-plane-groove form, and provide the projection on only the other, for example, in a plane-projection-plane-projection form. As such, jumped clamping may also be realized between the first and second regulating parts 31, 32.

[0025] In addition, a person skilled in the art may also readily conceive that in a variant of the embodiment, to realize selective limiting, only one of the first and second curved surfaces 311, 321 is provided thereon with several grooves, and the other of the first and second curved surfaces 311, 321 is provided thereon with one projection engaged with the grooves. The number of grooves may be determined by the number of fixed positions required actually, and the number of projections is not necessarily consistent with the number of grooves, and vice versa.

[0026] Referring to FIG. 4, the groove and the projection which are adjacent are connected smoothly to form a corrugated surface, N corrugated surfaces are provided on the first curved surface 311 and / or the second curved surface 321, and N is greater than three. With the groove and the projection which are connected smoothly, the first and second regulating parts 31, 32 rotate more smoothly and flexibly, thereby facilitating avoidance of vibration.

[0027] In the present embodiment, each of the first and second curved surfaces 311, 321 is provided with N corrugated surfaces uniformly, and N is eight. The first and second regulating parts 31, 32 may rotate by 360 degrees relative to each other, and with the eight corrugated surfaces, the second regulating part 32 rotates by 45 degrees relative to the first regulating part 31 every time jumping to and fro. Certainly, N may be greater, such that the number of angles at which the bottle rack 20 is fixable is greater, and flexibility is higher. Certainly, N may also be a less natural number.

[0028] In the embodiments shown in FIGs. 3 and 4, the shelf 1 comprises the two bottle racks (20, 20'), the same sides of which are connected with the shelf plate 10 through the same rotary assembly 30. The two bottle racks (20, 20') are provided oppositely, with a limiting bump 332 provided therebetween to prevent the two bottle racks (20, 20') from rotating to a position of collision. In such a rotary assembly 30, the angle by which each bottle rack 20 may rotate ranges from 0-90 degrees. Thus, each bottle rack 20 may have the folded position at the angle of 0 degree, the unfolded position at the angle of 45 degrees and the unfolded position at the angle of 90 degrees by providing three corrugated surfaces on each of opposite outer side surfaces of the two first curved surfaces 311 (and / or the second curved surfaces 321). Certainly, four corrugated surfaces may also be provided, and thus the bottle rack 20 has three unfolded positions at which comprised angles of 30 degrees, 60 degrees and 90 degrees are formed with the shelf plate 10 respectively, and so on.

[0029] Referring to FIGs. 3 and 4, the rotary assembly 30 further comprises stoppers 324, 324' provided on one of the first and second regulating parts 31, 32, and when rotating by a certain angle relative to the first regulating part 31, the second regulating part 32 is blocked from rotating continuously by the stopper. In the present embodiment, the stoppers 324, 324' are provided on the second regulating parts 32, 32', and move between the folded position and the unfolded position relative to the first regulating part with the second regulating parts 32, 32', until stop surfaces of the stoppers 324, 324' abut against limiting surfaces of the first regulating parts 31, 31'. Certainly, in a variant of the embodiment, the stoppers may also be provided on the first regulating parts 31, 31', and the second regulating part is provided thereon with the corresponding limiting surface fitted with the stopper.

[0030] The rotary assembly 30 further comprises a reset part provided on one side of the first or second regulating part 31, 32, and when the second regulating part 32 rotates relative to the first regulating part 31, the reset part drives one of the first and second regulating parts 31, 32 to restore to abut against the other of the first and second regulating parts 31, 32, and the reset part and the pivotal shaft are provided on the same side of the first or second regulating part 31, 32. With the concave-convex engagement structure, the first and second regulating parts 31, 32 displace in the axial direction of the pivotal shaft while rotating relatively around the pivotal shaft, and the function of the reset part is to enable one of the first and second regulating parts 31, 32 to restore to abut against the other.

[0031] As mentioned before, the bottle rack 20 comprises the middle portion 22 for laying the wine bottle and the connecting portion 21 for connecting the middle portion 22 to the shelf plate 10. In the present embodiment, the pivotal shaft is formed as a free end 210 of the connecting portion 21, and the reset part is configured as the connecting portion 21 which is bent and formed integrally relative to the middle portion 22. In the present embodiment, the bottle rack 20 is configured as a steel-wire rack. As such, when the second regulating part 32 rotates around and apart from the first regulating part 31 axially, the two free ends 210 of the bottle rack 20 get adjacent to each other, and the connecting portion 21 is deformed by compression. However, the connecting portion 21 made of steel has a capacity of restoring elastic deformation, and driven by an elastic restoring force, the second regulating part 32 rotates continuously around the first regulating part 31, until the second and first regulating parts 32, 31 abut against with each other again.

[0032] The above is the embodiment in which the reset part is provided on one side of the second regulating part 32. Certainly, a person skilled in the art thus readily conceives that when the pivotal shaft is provided on one side of the first regulating part 31, the reset part may be configured as an elastic part provided at an end of the first regulating part 31.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 4, the second regulating parts (32, 32') are provided with open grooves (320, 320') for receiving the free ends. The second regulating parts 32, 32' further comprise fixing parts (322, 322') configured for sealing the open grooves (320, 320') after the free ends enter the open grooves (320, 320'), so as to avoid the free ends being separated from the open grooves (320, 320'). Further, limiting grooves may be provided on the open grooves (320, 320'), and the fixing parts (322, 322') are provided thereon with structures which are in sliding fit with the limiting grooves and limit unidirectionally. The limiting structure may be provided in an interference fit, and a person skilled in the art may also conceive many other embodiments which are not enumerated herein.

[0034] Referring to FIG. 4, the second regulating parts (32, 32') are connected with the free ends of the bottle racks through the open grooves (320, 320') and the fixing parts (322, 322'), and the first regulating part 31 is provided with an accommodating groove 310 which receives the free end and is provided in a center of the first curved surface 311, such that the first and second regulating parts 31, 32 rotate around the free end.

[0035] As shown in FIGs. 3 and 4, the rotary assembly 30 further comprises a holder 33 for connecting the first regulating part 31 to the shelf plate 10. The holder 33 is provided therein with a slot 330 for accommodating a side edge of the shelf plate 10, and a through hole is provided at an edge of the slot 330. The rotary assembly 30 further comprises a fastener 331 which penetrates through the through hole and a mounting hole 110 provided on the shelf plate 10 successively. After the side edge of the shelf plate 10 enters the slot 330, the fastener 331 is mounted, thereby finishing mounting the first regulating part 31. Preferably, the fastener 331 is configured as a screw.

[0036] In the present embodiment, the bottle rack 20 is provided thereon with an accommodating groove 220 for receiving a liquid container, and the accommodating groove 220 has the same size as a bottle body or a bottle neck of the container. The shelf 1 comprises the two bottle racks 20, and the accommodating grooves 220 of the two bottle racks (20, 20') have different sizes. As shown in FIG. 3, the bottle rack 20 on the left side is defined as a front bottle rack 20, and the bottle rack 20' located on the right side is defined as a rear bottle rack 20'. The accommodating groove 220' of the rear bottle rack 20' has a smaller size than the accommodating groove 220 of the front bottle rack 20, such that the bottleneck may also be placed on the rear bottle rack 20', and the wine bottle is fixed more reliably. In addition, with the above-mentioned rotary assembly 30, the front bottle racks 20 and the rear bottle racks 20' are rotatably fixed at different unfolded positions, such that the bottle mouth of the wine bottle is higher than the bottle body, thus avoiding wine leak.

[0037] In conclusion, with the refrigerator and the shelf thereof according to the embodiments of the present invention, since the bottle rack has plural unfolded positions relative to the shelf plate, the user may rotate the bottle rack by plural angles repeatedly according to placement requirements, and regulate the angle and the height flexibly, thereby increasing practicability and improving the experience of the user.

Claims

1. A shelf (1) comprising a shelf plate (10) and a bottle rack (20) connected to the shelf plate (10) pivotally and rotating between a folded position adjacent to the shelf plate (10) and an unfolded position apart from the shelf plate (10), the shelf (1) further comprises a rotary assembly (30) connected with the shelf plate (10) and the bottle rack (20) and enabling the bottle rack (20) to have at least two unfolded positions, the rotary assembly (30) is enabling the bottle rack (20) to rotatably be fixed at different unfolded positions, the rotary assembly (30) comprises a first regulating part (31) connected with the shelf plate (10), a second regulating part (32) connected with the bottle rack (20) and a concave-convex engagement structure comprising a first curved surface (311) formed on the first regulating part (31) and a second curved surface (321) formed on the second regulating part (32); the first and second regulating parts (31,32) are connected rotatably relative to each other around a pivotal shaft, and the folded position and the at least two unfolded positions are provided in a circumferential direction of the pivotal shaft; when the first and second regulating parts (31, 32) are static relatively, the first curved surface (311) abuts against the second curved surface (321); when the second regulating part (32) rotates relative to the first regulating part (31), the second curved surface (321) jumps to and fro in an axial direction of the pivotal shaft by getting apart from and adjacent to the first curved surface (311); the rotary assembly (30) further comprises a reset part provided on one side of the first or second regulating part (31,32), and when the second regulating part (32) rotates relative to the first regulating part (31), the reset part drives one of the first and second regulating parts (31,32) to restore to abut against the other of the first and second regulating parts (31,32), and the reset part and the pivotal shaft are provided on the same side of the first or second regulating parts (31,32); the bottle rack (20) comprises a middle portion (22) for laying a bottle and a connecting portion (21) for connecting the middle portion (22) to the shelf plate (10); the reset part is configured as the connecting portion (21) which is bent and formed integrally relative to the middle portion (22); the pivotal shaft is formed as a free end (210) of the connecting portion (21); characterized in that the connecting portion (21) connects the middle portion (22) to an open grove (320) of the second regulating part (32) and also to an accommodating groove (310) of the first regulating part (31); the second regulating part (32) is provided with the open groove (320) for receiving the free end (210), the second regulating part (32) further comprises a fixing part (322) configured for sealing the open groove (320) to prevent the free end (210) from being separated from the open groove (320); the second regulating part (32) is connected with the free end (210) of the bottle rack (20) through the open groove (320) and the fixing part (322); the first regulating part (31) is provided with the accommodating groove (310) which receives the free end (210) and is provided in a center of the first curved surface (311), such that the first and second regulating parts (31, 32) rotate around the free end (210).

2. The shelf according to claim 1, wherein one of the first and second curved surfaces (311,321) is provided thereon with a groove and / or a projection, and the other of the first and second curved surfaces (311,321) is provided thereon with a projection engaged with the groove and / or a groove engaged with the projection.

3. The shelf according to claim 2, wherein the groove and the projection which are provided adjacently on the first curved surface (311) and / or the second curved surface (321) are connected smoothly to form a corrugated surface, N corrugated surfaces are provided on the first curved surface (311) and / or the second curved surface (321), and N is not less than three.

4. The shelf according to claim 1, wherein the rotary assembly (30) further comprises a stopper (324) provided on one of the first and second regulating parts (31,32), and when rotating by a certain angle relative to the first regulating part (31), the second regulating part (32) is blocked from rotating continuously by the stopper (324).

5. The shelf according to claim 1, wherein the bottle rack (20) is provided thereon with an accommodating groove (220) for receiving a liquid container, the accommodating groove (220) has the same size as a bottle body or a bottleneck of the container, and the shelf (1) comprises the two bottle racks (20,20'), the accommodating grooves(220,220') of which have different sizes.

6. The shelf according to claim 1, wherein a limiting groove is provided on the open groove (320), and the fixing part (322) is provided with structure which is in sliding fit with the limiting groove and limits unidirectionally.

7. A refrigerator, comprising a cabinet, wherein the shelf (1) according to claim 1 is provided in the cabinet.