Wine cellar

Abstract

To enable shelves of a wine cellar capable of moving back and forth in a drawing direction and an insertion direction to be removed, and prevent the shelves from being removed unintentionally and falling.SOLUTION: A wine cellar has body parts 2, door parts, and shelves 5. The shelf 5 is movable back and forth in both a drawing direction A1 and an insertion direction A2. The body part 2 is provided with a locking part 8a. The shelf 5 includes a bottle support part and a shelf-side rail 7 on the lateral part of the bottle support part. A lever 9 is provided on the shelf-side rail 7. The lever 9 has a locked part 9a and an operated part 9b. When the locked part 9a of the lever 9 is locked with the locking part 8a, the shelf-side rail 7 is prevented from moving any further in the drawing direction A1. When the lever 9 elastically deforms or rotates to release locking between the locked part 9a and the locking part 8a by operating the operated part 9a, the shelf-side rail is allowed to move in the withdrawal direction A1.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a wine cellar. [Background technology]

[0002] A wine cellar, which is a dedicated wine storage facility for preserving wine in an appropriate environment (appropriate temperature and humidity), generally has a hollow, housing-like main body with a partial opening and an openable door attached to cover the opening of the main body. A shelf including a bottle support portion on which beverage bottles (e.g., wine bottles) are placed is arranged within the main body. To facilitate the loading and unloading of heavy beverage bottles and to make the etiquette (labels) of the beverage bottles placed on the bottle support portion easier to see, there is a configuration in which at least the bottle support portion of the shelf is movable in both the direction of extraction from the opening of the main body and the direction of insertion into the main body. Patent Document 1 discloses a refrigerator in which the shelf is movable in both the direction of extraction and the direction of insertion. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-153441 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The shelves of a wine cellar may be sturdy and relatively heavy to support heavy bottles. It is preferable that at least the bottle support portions of the shelves are removable to facilitate cleaning and maintenance of the interior of the wine cellar and to accommodate changes in the size and number of bottles stored inside. However, if the bottle support portions or other portions of the shelves are accidentally removed and fall, the bottles and shelves may be damaged, and people near the wine cellar may be put in danger.

[0005] Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a wine cellar in which at least the bottle support part of the shelf, which can be moved back and forth in the pull-out direction and the inserting direction, can be removed as needed, and which prevents the bottle from being removed unintentionally and falling. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The wine cellar of the present invention comprises a hollow main body portion in the shape of a housing with an open section and capable of storing bottles inside, a door portion that can open and close the opening of the main body portion, and a shelf arranged within the main body portion, the shelf being movable in the direction of being pulled out from the opening and in the direction of being inserted into the main body portion, a locking portion being provided on the inner surface of the side wall of the main body portion, the shelf including a bottle support portion that supports the bottles and a shelf side rail located on the side of the bottle support portion, a lever being provided on the shelf side rail at a position opposite the inner surface of the side wall of the main body portion, the lever having a locked portion that locks with the locking portion and an operated portion that can be operated by a user, when the locked portion of the lever locks with the locking portion, the shelf side rail is unable to move further in the pulling out direction, and when the operated portion is operated, the lever elastically deforms or rotates and the lock between the locked portion and the locking portion is released, movement in the pulling out direction is permitted. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the wine cellar of the present invention, at least the bottle support portion of the shelf, which can be moved back and forth in the pull-out direction and the inserting direction, can be removed as needed, and the bottle support portion is prevented from being removed unintentionally and falling. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a front view showing a state in which bottles are stored in a wine cellar according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a front view showing the wine cellar shown in FIG. 1 in a state where no bottles are stored therein. [Figure 3]FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view showing the wine cellar shown in FIG. 1 in a state where no bottles are stored therein. [Figure 4] 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the main part of the wine cellar shown in FIG. 1, showing a state in which a part of the shelf is pulled out to the outside through an opening in the main body. FIG. [Figure 5] 2 is a perspective view showing a bottle support portion and a first movable rail of a shelf of the wine cellar shown in FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 6] 2A is a side view showing the state in which the shelf of the wine cellar shown in FIG. 1 is inserted into the main body, FIG. 2B is a perspective view thereof, and FIG. 2C is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC. [Figure 7] 2A is a side view showing a state in which a part of the shelf of the wine cellar shown in FIG. 1 is pulled out to the outside through an opening in the main body, and FIG. 2B is a perspective view thereof. [Figure 8] 2A to 2E are side views sequentially showing the process of inserting the shelf of the wine cellar shown in FIG. 1 into the main body to removing it from the main body. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a front view schematically showing the internal structure of the wine cellar shown in FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic diagram of the cooling cycle of the refrigerant in the wine cellar shown in FIG. 1. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a front view showing a state in which a beverage bottle (e.g., a wine bottle) B is stored in a wine cellar 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a front view showing a state in which the wine cellar 1 does not store a bottle B, and FIG. 3 is a side cross-sectional view thereof. The wine cellar 1 has a hollow, partially open, housing-like main body 2, and a door 4 that is attached to the main body 2 so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis 3 and that can open and close an opening 2a of the main body 2 by rotating. The main body 2 is an insulated housing formed of insulating walls and capable of storing a bottle B therein. Details of the main body 2 will be described later. The door 4 is a glass door, for example, primarily made of three layers of tempered glass 4a. A plurality of legs 25 are provided on the underside of the main body 2. A shelf 5 is provided inside the hollow main body 2.

[0010] The shelf 5 and its sliding mechanism of this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 4 to 8. The shelf 5 includes a bottle support portion 6 that supports bottles B and a shelf-side rail 7 located on the side of the bottle support portion 6, and is movable in the direction of being pulled out from the opening 2a of the main body 2 (direction A1) and the direction of being inserted into the main body 2 (direction A2). Figure 4 is an enlarged perspective view of the essential parts of the wine cellar 1, showing a state in which a portion of the shelf 5 has been pulled out from the opening 2a of the main body 2. Figure 5 is a perspective view showing the bottle support portion 6 and first movable rail 7a of the shelf 5. Figure 6(A) is a side view of the shelf 5 inserted into the main body 2, Figure 6(B) is a perspective view thereof, and Figure 6(C) is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC of Figure 6(A). Figure 7(A) is a side view of the shelf 5 inserted into the main body 2, and Figure 7(B) is a perspective view thereof. For convenience, the longitudinal dimensions of each of the rails 7, 8 are shortened in Figures 6(B) and 7(B). Figures 8(A) to 8(E) are side views sequentially showing the process of the shelf 5 from when it is inserted into the main body 2 to when it is removed from the main body 2.

[0011] A main body-side fixed rail 8 extending in the pull-out direction A1 and the insertion direction A2 is provided on the inner surface of the side wall of the main body 2. The main body-side fixed rail 8 is provided with a protruding locking portion 8a and an elastic protruding restricting portion 8b. The locking portion 8a is located relatively close to the opening 2a and is positioned so as to be able to lock a locked portion 9a of a lever 9 of a first movable rail 7a of a shelf-side rail 7 (described later). The restricting portion 8b is located on the rear side of the main body 2, away from the opening 2a, and is positioned so as to be able to abut against the leading end of the first movable rail 7a of the shelf-side rail 7 (described later) in the insertion direction A2. The shelf-side rail 7 has a two-stage rail structure consisting of a first movable rail 7a and a second movable rail 7b. The second movable rail 7b is slidable relative to the main body-side fixed rail 8 in the pull-out direction A1 and the insertion direction A2. The first movable rail 7a is fixed to the bottle support portion 6 and is slidable relative to the second movable rail 7b in the drawing-out direction A1 and the insertion direction A2. Therefore, the second movable rail 7b slides in the drawing-out direction A1 relative to the main body-side fixed rail 8. Furthermore, the first movable rail 7a slides in the drawing-out direction A1 relative to the second movable rail 7b, causing at least a portion of the bottle support portion 6 of the shelf 5 to protrude outward through the opening 2a of the main body 2. The second movable rail 7b is provided with a bearing 10 for smooth sliding of the first movable rail 7a. The bottle support portion 6 of the shelf 5 may be plate-shaped or may be a coarse net-like member formed by bending a wire. A handle portion 6a, for example, a wooden bar-shaped handle, may be provided at the tip of the bottle support portion 6 in the drawing-out direction A1.

[0012] A lever 9 is provided on the shelf-side rail 7 at a position facing the inner surface of the side wall of the main body 2. Specifically, the lever 9 is provided on the first movable rail 7a at a position facing the main body-side fixed rail 8. The lever 9 extends along the pull-out direction A1 and the insertion direction A2 and has an engaged portion 9a that engages with the engaging portion 8a and an operated portion 9b that can be operated by the user. In this embodiment, the lever 9 is rotatably attached to the first movable rail 7a of the shelf-side rail 7 at the leading end in the insertion direction A2, and the intermediate portion between the leading end and the rear end in the insertion direction A2 is bent to form a convex portion that faces in a direction perpendicular to the pull-out direction A1 and the insertion direction A2. This convex portion is the operated portion 9b, and when a user presses the convex portion (operated portion 9b), the lever 9 elastically deforms to release the bend or rotates. As shown in FIG. 6, when the shelf 5 is inserted into the main body 2, the shelf-side rails 7 (first movable rail 7a and second movable rail 7b) are housed within the main body-side fixed rail 8. In this state, as shown in FIG. 8(A), the latched portion 9a of the lever 9 is positioned away from the latching portion 8a of the main body-side fixed rail 8, allowing the shelf 5 to slide in the withdrawal direction A1. However, the leading end of the first movable rail 7a of the shelf-side rail 7 in the insertion direction A2 abuts against the restricting portion 8b, preventing the shelf 5 from sliding in the insertion direction A2. This prevents the shelf 5 from being pushed too far into the main body 2, preventing damage to the wine cellar 1 and stably supporting the bottles B. Note that the second movable rail 7b is omitted from FIGS. 8(A) to 8(E) for clarity.

[0013] As shown in Figures 7 and 8(B), when the shelf 5 is slid in the pull-out direction A1, the latched portion 9a of the lever 9 abuts and latches against the latching portion 8a of the main-body-side fixed rail 8 as shown in Figure 8(C), further movement in the pull-out direction A1 is disabled. This prevents unintentional removal of parts of the shelf 5, particularly the bottle support portion 6, and prevents the bottle support portion 6 and bottles B from falling and breaking, or from hitting and damaging people nearby the wine cellar 1. However, there are cases where it is desirable to remove at least the bottle support portion 6 of the shelf 5 to clean or maintain the interior of the main body 2 or to accommodate changes in the size or number of bottles B stored inside the main body 2. In such cases, when a user pushes upward the operated portion (protrusion) 9b of the lever 9 of the first movable rail 7a, which protrudes outside the opening 2a, the lever 9 elastically deforms, unbending, and becoming closer to a straight line, as shown in Figure 8(D). As a result, the locked portion 9a and the locking portion 8a are released from the locked portion 9a, and further movement of the shelf 5 (first movable rail 7a) in the pull-out direction A1 is permitted. Then, by continuing to move the shelf 5 (first movable rail 7a) in the pull-out direction A1, the shelf 5 can be removed from the main body 2 as shown in FIG. 8(E).

[0014] As described above, in the wine cellar 1 of this embodiment, unless the user operates the operated portion 9b of the lever 9, the engagement between the locked portion 9a and the locking portion 8a restricts movement of the shelf 5 (first movable rail 7a) in the pull-out direction A1, preventing the shelf 5 from being unintentionally removed from the main body 2. However, if necessary, the user can operate the operated portion 9b (by pressing the convex portion) to release the engagement between the locked portion 9a and the locking portion 8a, allowing further movement of the shelf 5 (first movable rail 7a) in the pull-out direction A1, thereby enabling the shelf 5 to be removed from the main body 2. Note that a hole (not shown) may be provided in the second movable rail 7b so that the user can operate the operated portion 9b of the lever 9 from the outside, allowing the user to insert a finger through the hole in the second movable rail 7b to easily operate the operated portion 9b of the lever 9 of the first movable rail 7a.

[0015] In this embodiment, the shelf-side rail 7 has a two-stage rail structure consisting of a first movable rail 7a and a second movable rail 7b. A lever is provided on the first movable rail 7a, and a bearing 10 and a hole are provided on the second movable rail 7b, thereby increasing the sliding distance of the bottle support 6. However, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. For example, although not shown, the shelf-side rail 7 can also be configured to consist of only a single movable rail that can slide relative to the main body-side fixed rail 8 along the withdrawal direction A1 and the insertion direction A2, and the lever 9 is provided on that movable rail. In this case, the bearing 10 and the hole are not necessary. Furthermore, the shape and structure of the lever 9 are not limited to the example shown in the drawings. The lever 9 has an engaged portion 9a that can be engaged with the engaging portion 8a of the main body side fixed rail 8, and an operated portion 9b that can be manually operated, and can be modified as desired as long as it elastically deforms or rotates by operating the engaged portion 9a so as to release the engagement between the engaged portion 9a and the engaging portion 8a, and returns to its original elastically deformed or rotated state when the operation of the engaged portion 9a is stopped. The engaging portion 8a and the engaged portion 9a can be engaged with each other, and can be modified as desired as long as their shapes and positions allow them to be released by the elastic deformation or rotation of the lever 9.

[0016] An example of the detailed configuration (particularly the internal configuration of the main body 2) of the wine cellar 1 (see FIGS. 1-3) of the present invention, which employs the shelf 5 and main body-side fixed rail 8 configured as described above, will now be described. FIG. 9 is a front view schematically illustrating the internal structure of the wine cellar 1. A heater 11, a cooler (evaporator) 12, and a blower (fan) 13 are provided on the rear side of the main body 2 of this wine cellar 1 (the side opposite the opening 2a and door 4). The cooler 12 and heater 11 are generally covered by a cooler cover 15 and are not visible from the door 4 side, i.e., the user side. The cooler cover 15 is provided with an air vent 14, and the blower 13 faces the air vent 14. The space on the rear side of the main body 2 where the heater 11, cooler 12, and blower 13 are provided is connected to the space where the shelf 5 is provided and where bottles B are stored, via the air vent 14. A machine chamber 23 is provided in the lower part of the rear side of the main body 2, and a compressor 24 is housed in this machine chamber 23.

[0017] The compressor 24 in the machine room 23 is connected to the cooler 12, forming a cooling cycle (refrigerant circulation cycle) as shown in FIG. 10. The refrigerant compressed by the compressor 24 in the gas phase (high pressure, high temperature) dissipates heat as it passes through the condenser 20, changing to a liquid phase (high pressure, medium temperature). The refrigerant then passes through the dryer 21 and the capillary tube 22 and is supplied to the cooler 12 as a low-pressure, low-temperature liquid. The refrigerant then evaporates in the cooler 12, absorbing heat of vaporization from the surrounding air and cooling it. The cooled air then passes through the shelf 5 on which the bottle B is placed, cooling the bottle B. The air is then drawn in by the blower 13 and sent to the back side of the cooler cover 15. Meanwhile, the evaporated refrigerant returns to the compressor 24, where it is compressed back into the gas phase, completing the refrigerant circulation cycle again. An example of a refrigerant is a flammable hydrocarbon (isobutane, refrigerant number R600a). Temperature is adjusted by detecting the temperature with a thermistor (not shown) and controlling the compressor 24 and heater 11. That is, in this wine cellar 1, the temperature can be adjusted by adjusting the compressor 24 and heater 11 to change the amount of refrigerant supplied to the cooler 12. In addition, in the event of overcooling, the heater 11 can be operated to raise the temperature inside the room.

[0018] A water tray 16 is provided below the cooler cover 15 of the main body 2. Also, an air vent 14 is provided that opens in a position opposite the blower 13. An evaporation tray 18 is provided above the compressor 24 in the machine room 23, and the evaporation tray 18 is connected to the water tray 16 via a drainage pipe 19.

[0019] Cooler 12 is disposed between the rear surface of main body 2 and cooler cover 15, and cools and condenses moisture-containing air. A gap large enough for air circulation is provided between cooler cover 15 and water tray 16. Furthermore, slits 17 or holes (circular or elliptical holes, etc.) are provided at the bottom of cooler cover 15 to promote air circulation. As a result, a stable air flow (cycle) is generated by blower 13, causing mist and water droplets to fall into water tray 16. With this configuration, moisture in the air is cooled and condensed by cooler 12, turns into mist, passes around bottles B on shelf 5, cools and humidifies them, and is then sucked in by blower 13.

[0020] As mentioned above, moisture in the air that passes around bottle B placed on shelf 5 and then enters through vent 14 condenses into mist and is then guided to water tray 16. Water tray 16 can only store a certain amount of moisture. If a large amount of moisture exceeding this amount is guided to water tray 16, the excess moisture flows into evaporator tray 18 via drain pipe 19. Evaporator tray 18 is located adjacent to compressor 24 in machine room 23. Because compressor 24 emits heat, the moisture that flows into evaporator tray 18 evaporates (vaporizes) due to the heat from compressor 24. A constant amount of water is always stored in water tray 16, properly controlling the humidity inside the refrigerator. As a result, excessive condensation and puddling within main body 2 can be prevented.

[0021] The cold air that passes through the cooler 12 and enters the space where the shelves 5 are located and where the bottles B are stored through the slits 17 cools the bottles B and its temperature rises before being sucked into the blower 13 through the vents 14. The air sucked in by the blower 13 becomes cold and moist as it passes through the frosted cooler 12, and then again enters through the slits 17 into the space where the shelves 5 are located and where the bottles B are stored. The frost that has adhered to the cooler melts and turns into water W, which falls and collects in the water tray 16. A certain amount of water W that collects in the water tray 16 maintains the moisture content of the refrigerator. Excess water above this amount flows into the evaporator tray 18 above the compressor 24 and evaporates due to the heat from the compressor 24.

[0022] The wine cellar 1 of the present invention is not limited to the above-described configuration, and the present invention is also effective in a configuration having a door portion 4 that does not include a glass plate and is not translucent.The present invention is also effective in a wine cellar that does not have a compressor 24 and uses another cooling method. [Explanation of symbols]

[0023] 1. Wine Cellar 2 Main body 2a opening 3 Rotation Axis 4 Door section 4a tempered glass 5 shelves 6 Bottle support 6a Handle 7 Shelf side rails 7a First moving rail 7b Second movable rail 8 Main unit side fixed rail 8a Locking part 8b Regulatory Department 9 Lever 9a Locked part 9b Operated part 10 bearings 11 Heater 12 Cooler (evaporator) 13 Blower (fan) 14 Ventilation holes 15 Cooler cover 16 Water tray 17 Slit 18 Evaporating dish 19 Drainage pipe 20 Capacitor 21 Dryer 22 Capillary 23 Machine room 24 Compressor 25 Legs A1 Pull-out direction A2 Insertion Direction B. Beverage bottle (bottle) W water

Claims

1. The bottle dispenser has a hollow main body portion that is a housing-like portion with an opening and can store bottles therein, a door portion that can open and close the opening of the main body portion, and a shelf that is arranged within the main body portion, The shelf can be advanced and retreated in a direction of being pulled out from the opening and a direction of being inserted into the main body, A locking portion is provided on the inner surface of the side wall of the main body portion, The shelf includes a bottle support portion that supports the bottles, and a shelf side rail that is located on a side of the bottle support portion. a lever is provided on the shelf side rail at a position facing the inner surface of the side wall of the main body, the lever has a locked portion that is locked by the locking portion and an operated portion that can be operated by a user, A wine cellar characterized in that when the engaged portion of the lever is engaged with the engaging portion, the shelf side rail is unable to move further in the pull-out direction, and when the operated portion is operated, causing the lever to elastically deform or rotate and releasing the engagement between the engaged portion and the engaging portion, movement in the pull-out direction is permitted.

2. A wine cellar as described in claim 1, wherein the lever extends along the pulling-out direction and the insertion direction, the operated portion is a convex portion that faces in a direction perpendicular to the pulling-out direction and the insertion direction, and when a user presses the convex portion, the lever elastically deforms or rotates, thereby releasing the engagement between the engaged portion and the engaging portion.

3. The wine cellar of claim 2, wherein the lever is rotatably attached to the shelf side rail at the tip end in the insertion direction, the intermediate portion between the tip end and rear end in the insertion direction is bent to form the convex portion, and when a user presses the convex portion, the lever elastically deforms to release the bend.

4. a main body-side fixed rail extending along the withdrawal direction and the insertion direction is provided on an inner surface of the side wall of the main body, and the locking portion is provided on the main body-side fixed rail; A wine cellar as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the shelf side rail has a two-stage rail structure consisting of a second movable rail that can slide along the pull-out direction and the insertion direction relative to the main body side fixed rail, and a first movable rail to which the bottle support part is attached and that can slide along the pull-out direction and the insertion direction relative to the second movable rail, and the lever is provided on the first movable rail.

5. A wine cellar as described in claim 4, wherein a regulating portion is provided on the inner surface of the side wall of the main body portion that can abut against the tip end of the first movable rail in the insertion direction, the regulating portion being made of an elastic material and regulating the movement of the first movable rail in the insertion direction.

Images