Patent Application
20160102907
Refrigerators typically have drawers and baskets that facilitate the refrigeration of items in the refrigerator. In some refrigerators, the drawers and/or baskets have selectively moveable dividers.
An example refrigerator dividing assembly includes a pair of dividers configured to be selectively positionable in a refrigerator to divide a volume of the refrigerator into at least two spaces, each of the dividers having a respective engaging feature. The example assembly further includes a spacer having a first dimension along a first axis, a second different dimension along a second axis, a first pair of engaging features near ends of the spacer along the first axis, the first pair of engaging features configured to engage respective ones of the divider engaging features to fixedly hold the dividers apart by generally a first distance, and a second pair of engaging features near ends of the spacer along the second different axis, the second pair of engaging features configured to engage the respective ones of the divider engaging features to fixedly hold the dividers apart by generally a second distance.
An example method of positioning first and second dividers in a refrigerator, the method includes selecting a first of two or more orientations of a spacer corresponding to a desired distance between the dividers, the spacer having different dimensions in the two or more orientations, engaging a first end of the spacer associated with the first orientation with the first divider, and engaging a second opposite end of the spacer associated with the first orientation with the second divider to fixedly hold the dividers apart by generally the desired distance.
For ease of discussion, the examples disclosed herein are described in the context of a refrigerator, and apply to any compartment of a refrigerator including a freezing compartment. However, it should be understood that the examples disclosed herein are also applicable to any selectively dividable portion of an icemaker, a wine cooler, a freezer, a dishwasher, etc. Moreover, the examples disclosed herein may be used in connection with many any other appliances, structures and/or devices having selectively positionable dividers.
The dividers of some refrigerators are selectively positionable to allow a user to form divided areas of different sizes. That is, dividers allow a user to divide a volume of a refrigerator into different spaces. In most instances, the refrigerators do not include means to hold dividers at intended locations. Thus, for example, when a plurality of items having a consistent length (e.g., pop cans) are placed between dividers, the dividers may undesirably separate causing haphazard storage of the items, which often results in user frustration.
To overcome at least these problems, variable width spacers and dividers are disclosed that allow a pair of dividers to be fixedly held at generally a desired distance apart. Moreover, because the variable width spacers disclosed herein have different dimensions in different directions or along different axes, the same variable width spacer can be used to hold a pair of dividers apart by different distances.
Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of this disclosure, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The embodiments are described below by referring to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements. When like reference numerals are shown, corresponding description(s) are not repeated and the interested reader is instead referred to the description of the previously discussed figure(s) for a description of the like element(s).
To engage dividers, ends of the example spacer 100 along the axes 105, 106 have respective engaging features, one of which is designated at reference numeral 110. In the example of
As used herein, fixedly holding two parts means the parts are mechanically held in a generally constant physical orientation, separation, angle, etc. However, it will be understood that due to tolerances, material flexibility, etc. variations in, for example, distance, angle, orientation, separation, etc. may occur. Moreover, fixedly holding two parts together does not exclude the parts from being able to be disassembled, or from being organically disassembled in response to, for example, forces created during ordinary use.
The spacer 100 and the divider 200 can be engaged by inserting an end of the spacer 100 at one end of one of the axes 105, 106 (one of which is designated at reference numeral 115) into the slot 210. A portion of the end 115 of the spacer 100 will pass through the divider 200 until the protrusion 215 engages the slot 110 at the end 115.
In example refrigerator divider assemblies shown in
In some examples, the spacer 100 is rotationally fixed to a bottom of a compartment or space in a refrigerator at a point of rotation. In such examples, the center or middle point between a pair of dividers 200 is generally at the point of rotation. In still other examples, one of the dividers 200 is, for example, a sidewall of a compartment, volume, drawer, etc. in a refrigerator. For example, a sidewall of a drawer, the spacer 100 and one divider 200 can be used to define two spaces in the drawer.
In the examples of
While the example variable width spacers 100 disclosed herein are shown and described with reference to example shapes and features, it will be understood that additional or alternative shapes and configurations may be implemented or provided. For example, a rectangular shape (see
Moreover, other engagement features that those shown in
The variable width spacers, dividers and divider assemblies disclosed herein may be implemented using any number and/or type(s) of materials and finishes. The type of materials and finishes implemented may, for example, depend on the environmental conditions in which they are intended to operate, cost, and/or aesthetics. Moreover, a spacer and a divider need not be implemented using the same materials and finishes.
Any use herein of terms such as up, down, top, bottom, side, end, front, back, etc. are with reference to a currently described or illustrated orientation. If such an element is considered with respect to another orientation, it should be understood that such terms must be correspondingly modified.
Moreover, terms such as, but not limited to, approximately, substantially, generally, etc. are used herein to indicate that a precise value, relationship, position, orientation, etc. is not required, need not be specified, etc. As used herein, such terms will have ready and instant meaning to one of ordinary skill in the art.
In this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an” and “the” do not exclude the plural reference unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Further, conjunctions such as “and,” “or,” and “and/or” used in this specification and the appended claims are inclusive unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. For example, “A and/or B” includes A alone, B alone, and A with B: “A or B” includes A with B, and “A and B” includes A alone, and B alone. Further still, connecting :lines or connectors shown in the various figures presented are intended to represent example functional relationships and/or physical or logical couplings between the various elements. It should be noted that many alternative or additional functional relationships, physical connections or logical connections may be present in a practical device. Moreover, no item or component is essential to the practice of the embodiments disclosed herein unless the element is specifically described as “essential” or “critical”.
Although certain example methods, apparatus and articles of manufacture have been described herein, the scope of coverage of this patent is not limited thereto. On the contrary, this patent covers all methods, apparatus and articles of manufacture fairly falling within the scope of the claims of this patent.
