Pull-Out Refrigerator Shelf Guides Without Telescopic Rails
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing refrigeration devices with pull-out shelves are either expensive to manufacture or cumbersome and space-intensive, lacking a cost-effective, secure, and smooth-running solution for drawer-like extensions.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates retaining projections on the side walls and guide elements on the shelves, allowing for horizontal movement while preventing tilting and folding, with guide rails and spacers ensuring smooth operation and easy cleaning, and the use of simple plastic parts for cost-effectiveness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If telescopic slides with metal rails are used for pull-out shelves, then the shelves can be smoothly displaced, but the manufacturing cost becomes very high
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces expensive metal rail telescopic slides with simple plastic retaining projections that are integrally formed with the side walls during deep-drawing. These plastic guide elements provide sufficient guidance and support for the shelves while dramatically reducing manufacturing costs. The plastic parts are designed to be simple geometric shapes (crescent or part-circle) that can be formed during the deep-drawing process without additional assembly steps.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent substitutes the complex mechanical telescopic slide system with a simplified retention mechanism using plastic retaining projections and guide elements. The deep-drawn plastic side walls with integrally formed retaining projections replace the metal rail-based telescopic mechanism, achieving smooth shelf displacement through geometric guidance rather than complex mechanical joints.
2Ease of manufacture
If glass plates framed by plastic frames or plastic bases slide between groove-like receptacles, then manufacturing cost is reduced, but the construction becomes cumbersome and takes up a lot of space
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the cumbersome groove-like receptacles and extensive plastic framing from the side walls. Instead, simple retaining projections are integrally formed directly on the deep-drawn plastic side walls, providing shelf support and guidance without requiring separate receptacles or complex framing structures. This reduces both construction complexity and space occupation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the functions of side wall structure, shelf support, and guidance into a single integrally formed plastic component. The retaining projections are formed as integral parts of the deep-drawn plastic side walls, combining structural support and shelf guidance functions that were previously separated into distinct components (side walls, receptacles, and framing).
3Stability of the object's composition
If retaining projections are made longer to fully support the shelf, then the shelf stability improves, but the side wall cannot be designed flat and the interior appears smaller
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by providing shelf support and guidance only where needed through strategically positioned retaining projections. These projections extend only far enough to provide adequate support and guidance at critical locations, rather than spanning the entire depth of the side wall. This allows the majority of the side wall surface to remain flat and planar, maintaining aesthetic appearance and maximizing interior space perception.
4Reliability
If guide elements extend over the full depth of the shelf, then the shelf is well guided, but cleaning becomes more difficult and the side wall appears less appealing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by extending guide elements only over the necessary partial length of the shelf depth rather than the full depth. The guide elements are positioned to provide adequate guidance during shelf insertion and withdrawal while leaving the upper portions of the side walls exposed and flat. This partial guidance approach suffices for reliable shelf operation while significantly improving cleanability and aesthetic appearance.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
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AI summary
The invention relates to a refrigerating appliance comprising a cold and/or freezing compartment having a rear wall (3), a door and lateral walls (1, 2). The lateral walls (1, 2) comprise guides along which the bottom (4) of a compartment can be pulled out like a drawer. According to the invention, each lateral wall (1, 2) comprises at least two holding projections (5, 6, 7, 8) arranged at the same height and at a distance from each other in the direction (17) of the depth, and the compartment bottom (4) is supported on the projections in a mobile manner. An individual guiding element (10, 11) or at least two guiding elements (10, 11) at a distance from each other are arranged along only part of the depth of the bottom (4) of the compartment, said guiding element(s) limiting the movement of the compartment bottom (4) supported on the holding projections (5, 6, 7, 8), transversally, especially perpendicularly, to the direction of movement thereof.