Refrigerator Door Tray Assembly With Extendable Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Refrigerator door storage compartments often require increased spacing to facilitate loading and unloading of tall items, which reduces usable storage space, and existing solutions that minimize spacing make it difficult to manage item placement.
Innovation Solution
A door module assembly with a movable door tray that can be adjusted between retracted and extended positions, allowing for easier loading and unloading of items while maintaining reduced spacing between compartments, utilizing a mounting bracket and translation devices for horizontal movement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If spacing between adjacent storage components is minimized, then usable storage volume is maximized, but loading and unloading of tall refrigerated items becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The door tray is designed to be movable between retracted and extended positions along the door module assembly. When extended, it provides additional clearance for loading and unloading tall refrigerated items. When retracted, it maximizes the usable storage volume by minimizing spacing. This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction between storage volume and ease of operation.
2Ease of operation
If spacing between adjacent storage components is increased, then loading and unloading of refrigerated items becomes easier, but usable storage space is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of permanently increasing spacing, the invention uses a movable door tray that can be extended only when needed for loading and unloading operations. This maintains compact spacing for maximum storage while providing temporary clearance when required, eliminating the need to permanently sacrifice storage space.
3Ease of operation
If door tray is extended to facilitate loading/unloading, then accessibility of storage components is improved, but spacing between compartments increases
Solution Approach 1:
The door tray's extendable design allows it to temporarily increase in length during loading and unloading operations to improve accessibility. When retracted, it maintains the original compact spacing between compartments. This dynamic length adjustment resolves the contradiction between accessibility and spacing.
Data Source
AI summary
A door module assembly for a refrigerator door of a refrigerator appliance may generally include a mounting bracket configured to be removably coupled to the refrigerator door to allow the mounting bracket to be moveable between a plurality of mounting locations defined along a height of the refrigerator door. The door module assembly may also include a door tray movable relative to the mounting bracket and at least one translation device configured in operative association with adjacent walls of the door tray and the mounting bracket. The translation device may be configured such that the door tray is movable relative to the mounting bracket in a horizontal direction between a retracted position and an extended position. Moreover, an open tray volume defined by the door tray may be accessible when the door tray is in both the retracted position and the extended position.