This application claims the priority, under 35 U.S.C. § 119, of German Patent Application DE 10 2017 216 288.0, filed Sep. 14, 2017; the prior application is herewith incorporated by reference in its entirety.
The present invention relates to a door shelf for a refrigeration device and a refrigeration device having the door shelf. A refrigeration device is understood, in particular, to be a domestic refrigeration device, that is a refrigeration device which is used for domestic purposes in households or in the catering sector and serves, in particular, for storing foods and/or drinks at particular temperatures, for example a refrigerator, an upright freezer, a refrigerator-freezer or a chest freezer. The invention also relates to a method for providing a door shelf for a refrigeration device.
Refrigeration devices are known from the prior art in which shelves which serve for storing bottles, drinks and other refrigerated goods are mounted in the door of the refrigeration device and are also known as door shelves. Conventionally, both transparent and opaque door shelves are known which can have various decorative elements. Door shelves can be decorated, for example, with hot embossings, profiles, frames and the like. Those decorative elements are mostly mounted only on one side of the door shelf. However, there are also variants which are decorated on three sides of the door shelf.
A door shelf in which a metal band is mounted directly onto a base element is known from German Publication DE 10 2012 008 596 A1. However, with the configuration described in German Publication DE 10 2012 008 596 A1 for fixing the metal band on the base element, it can occur, for example due to manufacturing tolerances of the metal band, that the metal band does not lie completely tightly against the base element, so that inter alia the visual appearance of the door shelf is impaired.
It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide an improved door shelf for a refrigeration device, a refrigeration device having a door shelf and a method for providing a door shelf, which overcome the hereinafore-mentioned disadvantages of the heretofore-known shelves, devices and methods of this general type, in which the door shelf has a decorative strip, particularly made of metal and the decorative strip lies securely on the door shelf.
With the foregoing and other objects in view there is provided, in accordance with the invention, a door shelf for a refrigeration device, which comprises a dish-shaped base element, a support frame and a decorative strip. The dish-shaped base element is configured to be mounted on a door of the refrigeration device. The support frame is mounted on an upper end of the dish-shaped base element and includes a front portion and two side portions, and each side portion includes a front side portion, a central side portion and a rear side portion. The rear side portion is offset inwardly relative to the front side portion and the central side portion is connected at a first end to the front side portion. The decorative strip includes a front portion, two side portions and two rear fastening portions, the decorative strip is mounted on the support frame in such a way that the front portion of the decorative strip lies on the front portion of the support frame, each of the side portions of the decorative strip lies on the front side portion of the respective side portion of the support frame and a respective first region of the respective rear fastening portion of the decorative strip lies on the central side portion of the respective side portion of the support frame. A respective second end of the respective central side portion which lies opposite the respective first end defines a respective bending edge along which a respective second region of the respective rear fastening portion of the decorative strip is bent in order to fasten the decorative strip to the support frame.
Due to the bending of the second region of the rear fastening portion of the decorative strip along (or around) the bending line defined by the central side portion of the support frame, i.e. at least partially in the direction of the front portion of the decorative strip, in the door shelf according to the invention, the decorative strip is securely and reliably fastened to the support frame.
In an advantageous embodiment of the door shelf, the respective rear fastening portion includes a bending slit and/or one or more indentations. In this way, for example, the technical advantage is achieved that when the second region of the rear fastening portion is produced, the decorative strip can be bent more easily along the bending line defined by the central side portion of the support frame.
In a further advantageous embodiment of the door shelf, the respective second region of the respective rear fastening portion of the decorative strip extends in a first plane which is substantially perpendicular to a second plane in which the respective first region of the respective rear fastening portion of the decorative strip extends. In this way, for example, the technical advantage is achieved that, during production, the decorative strip can be fastened to the support frame without great effort.
In a further advantageous embodiment of the door shelf, the respective central side portion of the support frame defines a front side and a rear side, the respective first region of the respective rear fastening portion of the decorative strip lies on the front side of the central side portion of the support frame, and the bending edge is defined by an edge of the front side and a further bending edge is defined by the rear side, along which the respective second region of the respective rear fastening portion is bent in such a way that the second region lies at least partially on the rear side of the central side portion of the support frame. In this way, for example, the technical advantage is achieved that the decorative strip is fastened particularly securely and reliably to the support frame.
In a further advantageous embodiment of the door shelf, the respective second region of the respective rear fastening portion of the decorative strip extends in a first plane which extends offset substantially parallel to a second plane in which the respective first region of the respective rear fastening portion of the decorative strip extends, and the parallel offset between the first plane and the second plane preferably corresponds substantially to the thickness of the central side portion of the respective side portion of the support frame. In this way, for example, the technical advantage is achieved that the decorative strip is fastened particularly securely and reliably to the support frame.
In a further advantageous embodiment of the door shelf, the respective second region of the respective rear fastening portion of the decorative strip includes a further bending slit. In this way, for example, the technical advantage is achieved that when the second region of the rear fastening portion is produced, the decorative strip can be bent more easily along the bending line defined by the further bending slit.
In a further advantageous embodiment of the door shelf, the support frame includes a peripheral upper edging rib, the depth of which is at least as great as the thickness of the decorative strip. In this way, for example, the technical advantage is attained that the support frame ends flush with the decorative strip.
In a further advantageous embodiment of the door shelf, the front portion and/or the side portions of the support frame are coated at least partially with an adhesive layer which is disposed between the support frame and the decorative strip. In this way, for example, the technical advantage is achieved that during production, the decorative strip can be pre-fixed on the support frame by using the adhesive layer before the second region of the rear fastening portion of the decorative strip is bent around the central side portion of the support frame.
In a further advantageous embodiment of the door shelf, the respective rear fastening portion of the decorative strip defines a support edge and the respective central side portion of the support frame defines a placement rib on which the support edge of the respective rear fastening portion of the decorative strip lies. In this way, for example, the technical advantage is achieved that during production, the decorative strip can be pre-fixed on the support frame by using the placement rib before the second region of the rear fastening portion of the decorative strip is bent around the central side portion of the support frame.
In a further advantageous embodiment of the door shelf, the dish-shaped base element defines a respective placement edge on which the respective placement rib of the respective central side portion of the support frame lies.
In a further advantageous embodiment of the door shelf, the support frame is removably mounted on the upper end of the dish-shaped base element. In this way, for example, the technical advantage is attained that the dish-shaped base element and the support frame with the decorative strip fastened thereon can be cleaned separately from one another.
In a further advantageous embodiment of the door shelf, the support frame and the dish-shaped base element include at least one pair of latching elements, in particular latching projections and latching cut-outs to provide a latching connection. In this way, for example, the technical advantage is attained that the dish-shaped base element and the support frame with the decorative strip fastened thereon can easily be separated from one another and reassembled again.
In a further advantageous embodiment of the door shelf, the decorative strip is formed of metal and/or another elastically deformable material. The support frame and the dish-shaped base element can be formed of a plastics material.
With the objects of the invention in view, there is also provided a refrigeration device with a door shelf according to the invention. A refrigeration device is understood, in particular, to be a domestic refrigeration device, that is, a refrigeration device which is used for domestic purposes in households or in the catering sector and serves, in particular, for storing foods and/or drinks at particular temperatures, for example a refrigerator, an upright freezer, a refrigerator-freezer or a chest freezer.
With the objects of the invention in view, there is concomitantly provided a method for providing a door shelf for a refrigeration device. The method comprises the following steps:
applying a decorative strip which includes a front portion, two side portions and two rear fastening portions, on a support frame which defines a front portion and two side portions, each side portion includes a front side portion, a central side portion and a rear side portion, the rear side portion is offset inwardly relative to the front side portion and the central side portion includes a first end which is connected to the front side portion, so that the front portion of the decorative strip lies on the front portion of the support frame, each of the side portions of the decorative strip lies on the front side portion of the respective side portion of the support frame and a respective first region of the respective rear fastening portion of the decorative strip lies on the central side portion of the respective side portion of the support frame;
bending of a respective second region of the respective rear fastening portion of the decorative strip along a respective bending edge which is defined by a respective second end of the respective central side portion that lies opposite the respective first end, in order to fasten the decorative strip on the support frame; and
mounting the support frame with the decorative strip fastened thereto on an upper end of a dish-shaped base element.
Other features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in the appended claims.
Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodied in a door shelf for a refrigeration device, a refrigeration device having a door shelf and a method for providing a door shelf, it is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims.
The construction and method of operation of the invention, however, together with additional objects and advantages thereof will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.
Referring now to the figures of the drawings in detail and first, particularly, to
The refrigeration device 100 can include one or more refrigerant circuits, each with a refrigerant evaporator, a refrigerant compressor, a refrigerant condenser and/or a throttle element. The refrigerant evaporator is a heat exchanger in which, following the expansion, the liquid refrigerant is evaporated by heat absorption from the medium to be cooled, e.g. air. The refrigerant compressor is a mechanically driven component which draws refrigerant vapor from the refrigerant evaporator and outputs it at high pressure to the refrigerant condenser.
As
Different embodiments of such a door shelf 110 represented in
As can be seen, for example, from the exploded view of
The dish-shaped base element 160 is configured to be mounted on the door 105 of the refrigeration device 100. For this purpose, corresponding fastening grooves 163 can be provided in the rear region of the side walls of the dish-shaped base element 160. Through the use of the fastening grooves, the dish-shaped base element 160 and thus the door shelf 110 can be mounted on corresponding fastening elements in the door 105 of the refrigeration device 100.
The support frame 140 is mounted on an upper end of the dish-shaped base element 160 and includes a front portion 141 and two side portions 143. Since the two side portions 143 of the support frame 140 are configured symmetrically, in each case only one side portion is described in detail below. This also applies for the corresponding portions of the decorative strip 120 and of the dish-shaped base element 160. The side portion 143 of the support frame 140 includes a front side portion 143a, a central side portion 143b and a rear side portion 143c (see, for example,
The decorative strip 120 includes a front portion 121, two side portions 123 and two rear fastening portions 125. The decorative strip 120 is mounted on the support frame 140 in such a way that the front portion 121 of the decorative strip 120 lies on the front portion 141 of the support frame 140, each of the side portions 123 of the decorative strip 120 lies on the front side portion 143a of the support frame 140 and a respective first region 125a (see, for example,
The second end of the central side portion 143b facing away from the front side portion 143a defines a bending edge 144 (see
As
In order to pre-fix the decorative strip 120 relative to the support frame 140, according to one embodiment, the front portion 121 and/or the side portions 143 of the support frame 140 can be coated at least partially with an adhesive layer 150 which is disposed between the support frame 140 and the decorative strip 120 as shown in
According to one embodiment, the rear fastening portion 125 of the decorative strip 120 defines a support edge 129 (see, for example,
According to one embodiment, the support frame 140 is removably mounted on the upper end of the dish-shaped base element 160. For this purpose, the support frame 140 and the dish-shaped base element 160 can include at least a pair of latching elements, in particular a latching projection 149 and a corresponding latching cut-out 165 in order to form a latching connection (see
According to one embodiment, the door shelf 110 for the refrigeration device 100 can be manufactured by using a method which includes the following steps:
A first step is the mounting of the decorative strip 120 which includes the front portion 121, the two side portions 123 and the two rear fastening portions 125 on the support frame 140 which defines the front portion 141 and the two side portions 143, each side portion 143 including the front side portion 143a, the central side portion 143b and the rear side portion 143c, wherein the rear side portion 143c is offset inwardly relative to the front side portion 143a and the central side portion 143b includes the first end which is connected to the front side portion 143a, so that the front portion 121 of the decorative strip 120 lies on the front portion 141 of the support frame 140, each of the side portions 123 of the decorative strip 120 lying on the front side portion 143a of the respective side portion 143 of the support frame 140 and the respective first region 125a of the respective rear fastening portion 125 of the decorative strip 120 lying on the central side portion 143b of the respective side portion 143 of the support frame 140.
The decorative strip 120 is preferably bent forward according to the contour of the support frame 140. In this case, the ends of the decorative strip 120, i.e. the rear fastening portions 125 are bent inwardly. In this way, the decorative strip 120 can be pre-mounted on the support frame 140. Following the mounting, the decorative strip 120 extends continuously on the double-walled region of the support frame 140, i.e. on the front portion 141 and the front side portion 143a and ends laterally where the support frame 140 has an inward step, specifically at the central side portion 143b.
A second step is the bending of the respective second region 125b of the respective rear fastening portion 125 of the decorative strip 120 along the respective bending edge which is defined by the respective second end of the respective central side portion 143b which lies opposite the respective first end, in order to fasten the decorative strip 120 to the support frame 140.
Finally, a third step is the mounting of the support frame 140 with the decorative strip 120 fastened thereto on an upper end of the dish-shaped base element 160.
All of the features described and shown in conjunction with individual embodiments of the invention can be provided in different combinations in the subject matter according to the invention in order to simultaneously realize the advantageous effects thereof.
The scope of protection of the present invention is defined by the claims and is not restricted by the features disclosed in the description or shown in the drawings.
The following is a summary list of reference numerals and the corresponding structure used in the above description of the invention:
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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10 2017 216 288.0 | Sep 2017 | DE | national |