refrigerator

Abstract

This refrigerator provides a solution where, even when a case installed in a storage compartment such as the refrigerator compartment is pulled out and the door with a door pocket is closed, the door pocket does not ride up onto the case. [Solution] The refrigerator comprises a storage compartment, a door, a door pocket provided on the inside of the door, and a case provided in the storage compartment that is movable in the front-to-back direction. The case can be pulled out to the front of the front-to-back end of the door pocket when the door is closed. The case has a gripping portion 6 provided on the front side. The height position of the upper surface of the gripping portion and the height position of the lower surface of the door pocket are close together. The case has an upward projection 7 that protrudes upward from the upper surface of the gripping portion, and when the door is closed with the case pulled out, the upward projection comes into contact with the door pocket, or the door pocket has a downward projection that protrudes downward from its lower surface, and when the door is closed with the case pulled out, the downward projection comes into contact with the case.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a refrigerator.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a refrigerator having a drawer-type case that constitutes a chilled room or the like inside a refrigerator compartment. The case includes a case body with the front side and the front upper side open, a front lid that closes the opening on the front side, and an upper lid that closes the opening on the front upper side. The upper lid is slidable in the front-rear direction along a guide groove extending in the front-rear direction provided at the upper part of the inner surface of the side wall of the case body. The front lid is provided rotatably about the front end of the upper lid. With such a configuration, when taking in and out stored items such as food, the front lid can be opened to the upper front, and the front lid and the upper lid can be pushed backward to be stored in the upper part of the case, so that the inside of the case can be easily observed and the stored items can be taken in and out easily.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003] [[ID==23]]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In Patent Document 1, when the case is pulled out and the front lid is stored in the upper part of the case and then the door is closed, if a door pocket is provided inside the door and the height position of the lower surface of the door pocket is close to the height position of the upper surface on the front side of the case body (lower part), the door pocket may ride on the front side of the case body, and food or the like may be caught under the door pocket, preventing the door from opening or causing an excessive downward load on the case body.

[0005] The purpose of this disclosure is to provide a refrigerator in which, even when a case installed in a storage compartment such as a refrigerator compartment is pulled out and the door with a door pocket is closed, the door pocket does not ride up onto the case. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A refrigerator relating to one aspect of this disclosure is A storage compartment with an opening at the front, A door provided in the aforementioned opening, A door pocket is provided on the inside of the aforementioned door, The storage chamber includes a case that is movable in the front-to-back direction. The case can be pulled out to the front of the front-to-back end of the door pocket when the door is closed. The case has a gripping portion provided on the front side. When the case is pulled out and the door is closed, the height of the upper surface of the gripping portion and the height of the lower surface of the door pocket are close together. The case has an upwardly projecting projection on the upper surface of the gripping portion, and when the door is closed with the case pulled out, the upwardly projecting projection contacts the door pocket, or the door pocket has a downwardly projecting projection on its lower surface, and when the door is closed with the case pulled out, the downwardly projecting projection contacts the case. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to one aspect of this disclosure, it is possible to provide a refrigerator in which, even when a case installed in a storage compartment such as a refrigerator compartment is pulled out and the door with a door pocket is closed, the door pocket does not ride up onto the case. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a front view showing the external appearance of the refrigerator according to this embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a perspective view showing the refrigerator door and case 2 of this embodiment in the open position. [Figure 3] It is a front view showing a state in which the door of the refrigerator of this embodiment is removed and case 2 is half-opened. [Figure 4] It is a perspective view showing a state in which the door of the refrigerator of this embodiment is removed and cases other than case 2 are removed. [Figure 5] It is a perspective view and a partially enlarged perspective view showing a state in which case 2 is further removed from FIG. 4. [Figure 6] It is a perspective view of case 2. [Figure 7] It is a front perspective view, a rear perspective view, and a rear view of case body 3. [Figure 8] It is a top view, a front view, and a side view of case body 3. [Figure 9] It is a front view showing a state in which the door of the storage room is fully opened and the case is fully opened. [Figure 10] It is a horizontal cross-sectional view in the A-A cross-section of FIG. 9. [Figure 11] It is a front view showing a state in which the door is slightly closed from the states of FIGS. 9 and 10 and the door pocket abuts against the case. [Figure 12] It is a horizontal cross-sectional view in the A-A cross-section of FIG. 11. [Figure 13] It is a front view showing a state in which the case is closed about halfway and the door is closed from the states of FIGS. 9 and 10 and the door pocket abuts against the case. [Figure 14] It is a horizontal cross-sectional view in the A-A cross-section of FIG. 13. [Figure 15] It is a front view showing a state when the door is completely closed from the states of FIGS. 13 and 14. [Figure 16] It is a horizontal cross-sectional view in the A-A cross-section of FIG. 15. [Figure 17] It is a perspective view in which the door of the refrigerator compartment is removed in the state of FIG. 15. [Figure 18] It is a front view showing a modified example of the refrigerator of the embodiment.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] Hereinafter, each embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals. Their names and functions are basically the same.

[0010] <Overall Structure of Refrigerator> First, referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the overall structure of the refrigerator 1 according to the embodiment will be described.

[0011] The outer shape of the refrigerator 1 is mainly composed of a heat-insulating box 10. The storage space of the refrigerator 1 is formed by this heat-insulating box 10. The storage space formed by the heat-insulating box 10 may be divided into a plurality of storage compartments by a partition 1a extending in the horizontal direction. For example, from the upper stage in order, it is divided into a freezer compartment 11 and a refrigerating compartment 12. Each storage compartment has an opening in the front, and a door is provided at the opening. For example, a door 11a is provided for the freezer compartment 11, and a door 12a is provided for the refrigerating compartment 12. In FIG. 2, the state where the doors 11a and 12a are opened is shown. As described above, the refrigerator 1 according to the present embodiment includes at least one storage compartment such as a freezer compartment 11 and a refrigerating compartment 12. However, the arrangement of each storage compartment is not limited to this, and the configuration of the doors provided for each storage compartment is also not limited to the above.

[0012] In the present embodiment, the surface where the door is provided is called the "front" or "front face" of the refrigerator 1, and the surface on the opposite side of the front is called the "back". Also, in the normal arrangement of the refrigerator 1 installed on the installation surface, the upper side is called the "upper side" of the refrigerator 1, and the lower side is called the "lower side" of the refrigerator 1. The upper surface of the refrigerator 1 is called the "upper surface", and the lower surface is called the "bottom surface". The two surfaces other than the front, back, upper surface, and bottom surface are called the "side surfaces". In the normal arrangement, the left side as viewed from the front side of the refrigerator 1 is called the "left side" of the refrigerator 1, and the right side is called the "right side" of the refrigerator 1. The side surface located on the left side is called the "left side surface", and the side surface located on the right side is called the "right side surface". The direction of the front of refrigerator 1 is called "front," the direction of the back is called "rear," the direction of the top is called "up," the direction of the bottom is called "down," the direction of the left side is called "left," the direction of the right side is called "left," the direction of the front and back is called "front-back direction," the direction of the top and bottom is called "up-down direction" (H), and the direction of the two sides is called "left-right direction" (W). Furthermore, expressions relating to these directions may be used not only in the description of Refrigerator 1, but also in the descriptions of each storage space and component that make up Refrigerator 1.

[0013] <Refrigerator> The refrigerator 1 of this embodiment comprises a storage compartment such as a refrigerator compartment 12 and a case 2 provided inside the storage compartment (see Figures 2 to 4). In this embodiment, the case in which the storage compartment is the refrigerator compartment 12 is described, but the storage compartment is not limited to the refrigerator compartment 12.

[0014] (case) Case 2 is a storage container that constitutes a storage space with a different environment from the others within the refrigerator compartment 12. Case 2 constitutes, for example, a low-temperature compartment. Case 2 is installed inside the storage compartment and is movable in the front-to-back direction.

[0015] Case 2 includes a case body 3 and a front lid 4. Case 2 can be formed by molding a resin material such as polystyrene, polypropylene, and polyethylene into a predetermined shape.

[0016] (Case body) The case body 3 has at least a bottom 31 and side walls 32, and the front side is open. That is, it has at least a bottom 31 and side walls 32, and may also have a rear wall 33, and may have a top wall. However, if there is a top wall, the shape and arrangement of the top wall must not be an obstacle when the front cover 4 is closed. In the illustrated refrigerator 1, the case body 3 has a bottom 31, two side walls 32 extending upward from both sides in the left-right direction of the outer peripheral edge of the bottom 31, and a rear wall 33 extending upward from the rear side of the outer peripheral edge of the bottom 31, with the front and top sides being open. The bottom 31 is, for example, roughly rectangular in shape when viewed from above.

[0017] The case body 3 has rails 321 extending substantially horizontally in the front-to-back direction on the outer surface of the side wall 32, and the rails 321 are slidably mounted in the front-to-back direction on rail support parts 123 provided on the inner wall 12b on the left side of the refrigerator compartment 12 (see Figures 5 and 6). As a result, the case body 3 is movable in the front-to-back direction.

[0018] (front lid) The front cover 4 is a rotatable lid-like member that can open and close the front side of the case body 3. The front cover 4 can rotate on an axis in the left-right direction, and can also move in the front-back and up-down directions.

[0019] For example, referring to Figures 6 to 8, the side wall 32 of the case body 3 has a forward-sloping portion 32b at the front end of the upper surface 32a, which is a slope that slopes downward toward the front. The front cover 4 is positioned so that both ends overlap with the upper surface 32a of the side wall 32 of the case body 3 in the left-right direction. Here, as the case body 3 moves in the front-rear direction, both ends of the front cover 4 slide on the forward-sloping portion 32b, causing the front cover 4 to open and close in conjunction with the front-rear movement of the case body 3.

[0020] More specifically, when the case body 3 of case 2 is pulled out of the refrigerator compartment 12, the front lid 4 slides backward along the upper surface of the side wall 32 of the case body 3. At this time, the inclination of the forward inclined portion 32b pushes up the front lid 4, causing the closed front lid 4 to transition to an open state. In this way, the front lid 4 is fully opened. This makes it easier for the user to observe the inside of case 2 and to easily put in and take out stored items. When pushing the case body 3 back into the refrigerator compartment 12, the front lid 4 slides forward along the upper surface of the side wall 32 of the case body 3. At this time, the inclination of the forward inclined portion 32b causes the front lid 4 to descend, transitioning from the open state to the closed state. In this way, the front lid 4 is closed.

[0021] (Door pocket) The door 12a provided on the front opening of the refrigerator compartment 12 is a door-type door, that is, a door that can be opened and closed by rotating on a vertical axis by a hinge. A door pocket 5 is provided on the inside of the door 12a.

[0022] As shown in Figures 2, 9, and 10, the case body 3 of case 2 is designed to be pulled out to the extent that it does not come into contact with the front lid 4 and door pocket 5 when the case body 3 is in the pull-out position and the door 12a is fully open. The pull-out position refers to the state where the case body 3 is pulled out to its furthest forward position. In other words, the length and arrangement of the rails and rail supports are adjusted accordingly. This makes it possible to maximize the internal volume of case 2 while preventing interference with the door pocket 5.

[0023] In this embodiment, the case body 3 of case 2 can be pulled out to the front of the front-to-back end of the door pocket 5 when the door 12a is closed (see Figure 16). More specifically, the front edge of the grip portion 6 of the case body 3 can be pulled out to the front of the rear end of the door pocket 5 when the door 12a is closed (see Figure 16). Furthermore, the case body 3 of case 2 has a gripping portion 6 provided on the front side. The user can push the case body 3 backward by pressing the gripping portion 6. In addition, a recess 6a extending in the left-right direction is provided on the bottom side of the rear of the gripping portion 6. The user can pull the case body 3 forward by inserting their finger into the recess 6a and pulling out the gripping portion 6.

[0024] In this embodiment, when the door 12a is closed with the case body 3 pulled out, the height position of the upper surface of the grip portion 6 of the door pocket 5 and the height position of the lower surface of the door pocket 5 are close together. Close together includes a state in which the height position of the upper surface of the grip portion 6 and the height position of the lower surface of the door pocket 5 are approximately the same, a state in which the height position of the upper surface of the grip portion 6 is higher than the height position of the lower surface of the door pocket 5, and a state in which the height position of the upper surface of the grip portion 6 is lower than the height position of the lower surface of the door pocket 5. Therefore, when the door 12a is closed with the case body 3 pulled out, there is a possibility that the upper surface of the grip portion 6 and the lower surface of the door pocket 5 will come into contact. In other words, if the door 12a is closed with the case body 3 pulled out, there is a possibility that the door pocket 5 will ride up onto the case body 3.

[0025] Furthermore, it is preferable that the case body 3 can be pulled out further forward from the opening of the refrigerator compartment 12. In this case, compared to the case where the case body 3 can only be pulled out to the rear from the opening of the refrigerator compartment 12, it is easier to check the contents of the case 2 and to put in and take out the contents. However, since the door pocket 5 is more likely to ride up on the grip portion 6 of the case body 3, the anti-ride-up effect of the present invention is particularly useful in this case.

[0026] In this embodiment, the case body 3 has an upward projection 7 that protrudes upward from the upper surface of the grip portion 6, and when the door 12a is closed with the case body 3 pulled out, the upward projection 7 comes into contact with the door pocket 5. This configuration prevents the door pocket 5 from riding up onto the grip portion 6 of the case body 3, and closing the door 12a pushes the case body 3 inward with the downward protrusion 51 of the door pocket 5. This point will be explained below with reference to Figures 9 to 15.

[0027] Specifically, as shown in Figures 9 and 10, when the case body 3 of case 2 is in the pull-out position, the lid 4 is fully open, and the door 12a is also fully open, when the door 12a is slightly closed as shown in Figures 11 and 12, the door pocket 5 comes into contact with the upward protrusion 7, and in this case, the door 12a cannot be closed any further. As a result, the door pocket 5 does not ride up onto the grip 6, the user notices that the case body 3 of case 2 is in the pull-out position and the lid 4 is still open, and can close the lid 4 with the case body 3 of case 2 stored in the rear before closing the door 12a again.

[0028] Furthermore, in the state shown in Figure 12, the force with which the door pocket 5 pushes the upward protrusion 7 is mostly a leftward vector and does not act to push the case body 3 in; therefore, the case body 3 cannot be pushed in. On the other hand, as shown in Figures 13 and 14, if the case body 3 of case 2 is pushed in within a predetermined pull-out distance, the force with which the door pocket 5 pushes the upward protrusion 7 is largely a vector in the direction of the rear, and acts to push the case body 3 in, so the case body 3 can be pushed in by closing the door 12a. The "predetermined pull-out distance" is the distance at which, if the case body 3 of case 2 is pulled out beyond that distance, it becomes impossible to push the case body 3 back in by closing the door 12a. In other words, if the case body 3 is pulled out within that distance, it is possible to push the case body 3 back in by closing the door 12a.

[0029] Figures 15 to 17 show the state in which the door 12a is completely closed. Note that in Figure 17, the door 12a is omitted to show the state of Case 2.

[0030] In Case 2, the front lid 4 opens and closes in conjunction with the forward and backward movement of the case body 3. When the case body 3 is pulled forward, the front lid 4 is stored on top of the case 2, resulting in the front lid 4 being in the open position. When the case body 3 is stored backward, the front lid 4 moves downward, resulting in the front lid 4 being in the closed position. However, it is preferable that the arrangement of the door pocket 5 and the case body 3 is designed such that the front lid 4 does not close even when the door 12a is closed with the case body 3 of case 2 pulled out within a predetermined pulling distance (Figures 13 and 14), and the case body 3 of case 2 is pushed to the rear side by the door pocket 5 (see Figures 15 to 17). This design prevents the front cover 4 from coming into contact with the door pocket 5 and damaging either of them, and prevents the front cover 4 from getting caught on the door pocket 5 or the items stored inside the door pocket 5, which would prevent the door 12a from opening. In other words, if the case body 3 is pushed in completely until the front lid 4 closes, and then the door 12a is closed, the door pocket 5 and the case 2 are designed to be separated by a predetermined distance when the door 12a is closed.

[0031] In the illustrated embodiment, an upward-facing projection 123a is provided on the front side of the upper surface of the rail support portion 123 as a stopper function, and a downward-facing protrusion 321a is provided on the rear side of the lower surface of the rail 321 of the case body 3 (see Figures 5 and 6). By adjusting the front-to-back position of the protrusions 123a and 321a, which have a stopper function, the distance the case body 3 can be pulled out in the front-to-back direction can be adjusted.

[0032] In the case where case 2 has an upward projection 7 as described above, it is preferable that the upward projection 7 includes a forward projection 72 extending in the left-right direction from the upper surface of the gripping portion 6, and when the door 12a is closed with the case body 3 of case 2 pulled out within a predetermined pulling distance (Figures 13 and 14), the door pocket 5 pushes the forward projection 72, thereby pushing the case body 3 of case 2 towards the rear side. In this case, since the forward projection 72 extends in the left-right direction, even if the door pocket 5 pushes the upward projection 7 in a direction offset from the rear, the door pocket 5 slides against the front surface of the forward projection 72, smoothly pushing the upward projection 7 backward and pushing the case body 3 backward. Furthermore, even if the upward projection 7 consists only of a lateral projection 71 extending in the front-rear direction, it is possible to prevent the door pocket 5 from riding up onto the grip portion 6 of the case body 3. The lateral projection 71 is the part indicated by the diagonal lines in Figure 8. However, in this case, it may be difficult for the door pocket 5 to smoothly push only the lateral projection 71 backward when the door 12a is closed, so it is preferable that the upward projection 7 has a forward projection 72.

[0033] As described above, when the case 2 has an upward projection 7 and the door pocket 5 pushes the upward projection 7, thereby pushing the case body 3 towards the rear, it is preferable that the portion 5a of the side of the door pocket 5 that mainly contacts the forward projection 72 is R-shaped when viewed from above (see Figure 14).

[0034] As a result, when the door 12a is closed with the case body 3 pulled out within a predetermined pulling distance, the door pocket 5 can smoothly push the front protrusion 72, allowing the case body 3 to be pushed to the rear with minimal force.

[0035] (modified version) As described above, instead of the case body 3 of case 2 having an upward projection 7 on the upper surface of the grip portion 6, the door pocket 5 may have a downward projection 51 on its lower surface, and when the door 12a is closed with the case body 3 pulled out, the downward projection 51 may come into contact with the case body 3 (see Figure 18). In this case as well, the door pocket 5 is prevented from riding up onto the grip portion 6 of the case body 3, and when the door 12a is closed, the downward projection 51 of the door pocket 5 pushes the case body 3 in. Furthermore, by designing the height positions of the case body 3 and the door pocket 5 so that the door pocket 5 abuts against the handle portion 6 of the case body 3, or by providing a protruding part for pushing in the handle portion 6 at the same height as the handle portion 6 of the case body 3 near the hinge on the inside of the door 12a, it is prevented that the door pocket 5 will ride up onto the handle portion 6 of the case body 3, and the case body 3 will be pushed in by the door pocket 5 when the door 12a is closed. However, since the front surface of the grip portion 6 of the case body 3 is often decorated, it is best to avoid directly contacting this part with the door pocket 5 or the like. As described above, the case body 3 has an upward projection 7 that protrudes upward from the upper surface of the grip portion 6, and when the door pocket 5 is in contact only with the upward projection 7, the door pocket 5 does not come into contact with the grip portion 6, preventing it from riding up onto the grip portion 6 of the case body 3, and the case body 3 can be pushed in by the door pocket 5 when the door 12a is closed.

[0036] The front surface of the upward projection 7 may be in the same position as the front surface of the grip portion 6, but it is preferable that it be positioned slightly behind the front surface of the grip portion 6, as shown in the figure. For example, if the front surface of the grip portion 6 of the case body 3 is decorated, positioning the upward projection 7 slightly further back will enhance the aesthetic appeal of the grip portion 6 without compromising its appearance.

[0037] Preferably, the case body 3 has a recess 3X on the rear side that is recessed towards the front side when viewed from above. The refrigerator 1 of this embodiment is equipped with a cold air duct 10a for supplying cold air generated by a cooling device installed in the machine room on the rear side of the refrigerator compartment 12 into the refrigerator compartment 12. By designing the cold air duct 10a to fit into the recess 3X of the case body 3 when the case body 3 is pushed in, the area to the side of the cold air duct 10a can be used as the effective storage area within the case 2, thereby increasing the storage area of ​​the case 2 (see Figure 10, etc.).

[0038] The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered in all respects to be illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of this disclosure is indicated by the claims rather than the foregoing description, and all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims are intended to be included. Configurations obtained by combining the configurations of the different embodiments described herein are also included in the scope of this disclosure. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0039] 1: Refrigerator 1a: Divider 10: Insulated box 10a: Cold air duct 11: Freezer 11a: Door 12: Refrigerator (storage room) 12a: Door 12b:Inner wall 121: First guide groove 122: Second guide groove 122a: Arc-shaped part 122b: Backward upward slope 123: Rail support section 123a:Protrusion 2: Case 3: Case body 3X: Recessed 31: Bottom 32: Side wall 32a:Top surface 32b: Front slope 32c: Lower rear part 321: Rail 321a: Convex part 33: Back wall 4,4A,4B,4C,4D: Front lid 40: Main body 41: Pin 1 41a: Support part 42: Pin 2 42a: Support part 43: Rib 5: Door pocket 5a: Part that comes into contact with the object 51: Downward protrusion 6: Grip part 6a: recess 7: Upward convex part 71: Lateral protrusion 72: Forward protrusion

Claims

1. A storage compartment with an opening at the front, A door provided in the aforementioned opening, A door pocket is provided on the inside of the aforementioned door, The storage compartment includes a case that is movable in the front-to-back direction, The case can be pulled out to the front of the front-to-back end of the door pocket when the door is closed. The case has a gripping portion provided on the front side, When the case is pulled out and the door is closed, the height of the upper surface of the gripping portion and the height of the lower surface of the door pocket are close together. The case has an upward projection on the upper surface of the gripping portion, and when the door is closed with the case pulled out, the upward projection abuts against the door pocket, or the door pocket has a downward projection on its lower surface, and when the door is closed with the case pulled out, the downward projection abuts against the case. refrigerator.

2. When the case has the upward protrusion, The aforementioned upward projection includes a forward projection extending in the left-right direction from the upper surface of the gripping portion, When the case is pulled out within a predetermined distance and the door is closed, the door pocket pushes the front protrusion, causing the case to be pushed towards the rear. The refrigerator according to claim 1.

3. The case includes a case body having at least a bottom and side walls and an open front, and a rotatable front cover that can open and close the front. The front lid opens and closes in conjunction with the forward and backward movement of the case body, and when the case body is pulled forward, the front lid is stored on top of the case, resulting in the front lid being in the open position, and when the case body is stored rearward, the front lid moves downward, resulting in the front lid being in the closed position. The arrangement of the door pocket and the case is designed such that, when the case body is pulled out within a predetermined distance and the door is closed, the case body is pushed to the rear by the door pocket, but the front lid of the case does not remain closed. The refrigerator according to claim 1.

4. The refrigerator according to claim 2, wherein the portion of the side of the door pocket that abuts the forward protrusion is R-shaped (arc-shaped) when viewed from above.

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