Refrigerator appliance with improved storage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Refrigerator appliances lack flexible storage solutions that can easily adjust to accommodate taller food items without requiring the removal and reinstallation of storage units, limiting their adaptability to varying food sizes.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a food storage unit with a rigid structural frame surrounded by a deformable flexible element, such as a telescopic container or cap, which can expand or move relative to the frame to accommodate taller items, allowing for adjustable storage configurations within the same unit.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If storage units are arranged at set distances with fixed positions, then structural stability is maintained, but adaptability to accommodate varying food sizes is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by making the storage unit height adjustable through a telescopic mechanism. The storage unit includes a base portion and a movable portion that can extend vertically along guide rails, allowing the storage height to be dynamically changed to accommodate different food item heights. This resolves the contradiction by enabling adaptability without requiring complete removal and reinstallation of storage units.
Solution Approach 2:
The storage unit is segmented into a base portion and a movable portion that can independently adjust relative to each other. The movable portion can be extended or retracted along the guide rails, creating modular adjustability. This segmentation allows flexible height adjustment while maintaining the overall structural integrity of the storage unit.
2Adaptability or versatility
If storage units are made rigid and fixed, then structural stability is ensured, but flexibility to adjust capacity for different food items is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The guide rails provide a stable structural framework while the movable portion can dynamically adjust its position along the rails. This creates a dynamic system where the overall structure remains stable but the storage capacity can be flexibly adjusted by extending or retracting the movable portion to accommodate different food item sizes.
Solution Approach 2:
The storage unit is divided into a fixed base portion and an adjustable movable portion. The base portion maintains structural stability while the movable portion provides flexibility for adjustment. This segmentation allows the system to simultaneously achieve both structural stability and adaptability.
Data Source
AI summary
A refrigerator appliance includes a cabinet. The cabinet defines a food storage chamber therein. A door is rotatably mounted to the cabinet. The refrigerator appliance also includes a food storage unit. The food storage unit includes a rigid structural frame surrounding a flexible element. The flexible element is deformable and movable relative to the rigid structural frame.