This application claims the priority, under 35 U.S.C. § 119, of Chinese patent applications CN 20 2010 164 073.X, filed Mar. 11, 2020 and CN 20 2010 164 084.8, filed Mar. 11, 2020; the prior applications are herewith incorporated by reference in their entirety.
The present invention relates to home appliances, and in particular, to a refrigerator.
In daily life, objects such as facial masks, eye masks, antipyretic pastes and lipsticks usually need to be stored in a low-temperature closed environment. However, existing refrigerators and other storage devices generally do not provide for such a closed independent space.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved refrigerator.
With the above and other objects in view there is provided, in accordance with the invention, a refrigerator, comprising:
a cabinet formed with a storage compartment;
a door for selectively opening and closing said storage compartment; and
a receiving box having a box body formed with a receiving space, a cover configured for selectively opening and closing said receiving space, and a tray removably disposed in said receiving space.
In accordance with an added feature of the invention, the tray is formed with a plurality of receiving cells. In some embodiments, the tray includes more than two receiving cells, and the receiving cells are identical to and/or different from each other. In a preferred implementation, at least two receiving cells are identical to each other. In addition, or alternatively, at least two receiving cells are different from each other.
In some embodiments, the tray includes more than two receiving cells, and the receiving cells are identical to and/or different from each other in shape. In particular, preferably at least two receiving cells are identical to each other in shape. In addition or alternatively at least two receiving cells are different from each other in shape.
In some embodiments, the tray includes more than two receiving cells, and the receiving cells are identical to and/or different from each other in size. In particular, preferably at least two receiving cells are identical to each other in size. In addition or alternatively at least two receiving cells are different from each other in size.
In some embodiments, the tray includes first receiving cells and second receiving cells having upward openings, where the openings of the first receiving cells are located in a horizontal plane, and the openings of the second receiving cells are located in an inclined plane.
In some embodiments, the second receiving cells are located in front of the first receiving cells. In some embodiments, the tray includes at least one receiving cell having an upward opening located in a downward inclined plane.
In some embodiments, the tray includes at least one receiving cell configured to be suitable for receiving a rod-like object stored upright. In some embodiments, the tray includes at least one receiving cell configured to be suitable for an upright sheet-like object.
In some embodiments, the tray includes a plurality of receiving cells distributed in an array. In a specific embodiment, the tray includes a front portion and a rear portion, and the height of the front portion is less than that of the rear portion.
In some embodiments, the cover includes a storage portion configured to be suitable for storing an upright sheet or sheet-like object.
In some embodiments, the receiving box is located in the storage compartment and/or on the door. In some embodiments, the receiving box is mounted on the door.
In some embodiments, the receiving box includes a seal ring located between the box body and the cover.
The receiving box may comprise a long and narrow storage portion. The storage portion may be configured to receive a sheet-like object in a standing manner. A thickness of the storage portion may be between 10 mm and 30 mm, and preferably between 10 mm and 26 mm. A depth of the storage portion may be between 40 mm and 100 mm, and preferably between 50 mm and 90 mm. A width of the storage portion may be greater than 150 mm, and preferably greater than 200 mm.
The receiving box may comprise a box body provided with a receiving space and a cover opening and closing the receiving space. The receiving box may comprise a seal ring located between the box body and the cover. The cover may also be formed with the storage portion.
The cover may comprise a cover main body and a supporting wall extending from an inner side of the cover main body to the receiving space. Possibly in addition, the supporting wall may form a bottom wall of the storage portion. The supporting wall may be disposed along an edge of the cover main body. The supporting wall may extend into the receiving space. A front portion of a bottom wall of the receiving space may be provided with a step corresponding to the supporting wall. Two ends of the supporting wall may be connected to two sides of the cover. The supporting wall may comprise a pair of end portions with a reduced width. A width of the supporting wall may be less than 30% of a width of the receiving space.
A depth of two ends of an accommodating space of the storage portion in a direction perpendicular to the cover main body may be less than that of other parts.
The cover may comprise an upper flange extending from an upper end of the cover main body to the receiving space. In a direction perpendicular to the cover main body, a width of the supporting wall may be not greater than that of the upper flange.
A depth of the storage portion in a direction perpendicular to the cover main body may be not greater than 15% of a depth of the receiving space. A depth ratio of the storage portion to the receiving space may be 2% to 10%.
The cover may comprise a cover main body, a guardrail extending from the cover main body and spaced from the cover main body. A supporting wall may extend from the cover main body and being spaced from the guardrail. The cover main body, the guardrail, and the supporting wall may define the storage portion.
The receiving box may comprise a rubber pad disposed on the box body and adjacent to the cover.
The receiving box may be located in the storage compartment and/or the door body.
The previously described embodiments or options may be applied in combination or alternatively to each other.
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 refrigerator, 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 drawing in detail and first, in particular, to
The receiving box 18 thus provides the refrigerator 10 with a closed independent space, so as to meet the need of storing objects such as face masks, facial masks, eye masks, antipyretic pastes, lipsticks, and drugs in a low-temperature closed environment in daily life.
The refrigerator 10 may be of any suitable type. It will be understood that the cabinet 12, the storage compartment 14, and the door 16 may include any suitable shape, structure, etc.
The tray 64 removably placed in the receiving space 20 facilitates flexible use of the receiving space 20 of the receiving box 18. When not needed, the tray 64 may be removed from the receiving space 20; and during use of the tray 64, an object is placed in the tray 64 before the tray 64 is placed in the receiving space 20, or the tray 64 is placed in the receiving space 20 before an object is placed in the tray 64.
The tray 64 may include any suitable shape, structure, etc. to receive the object. In some embodiments, the tray 64 includes a plurality of receiving cells 78.
The plurality of receiving cells 78 may indicate more than one receiving cell 78. In some embodiments, the tray 64 includes more than two receiving cells 78, and the receiving cells 78 are identical to and/or different from each other. The more than two receiving cells 78 facilitate division of a storage space of the tray 64 to receive identical and/or different objects.
In some embodiments, the tray 64 includes more than two receiving cells 78, and the receiving cells 78 are identical to and/or different from each other in shape. The more than two receiving cells 78 facilitate division of a storage space of the tray 64 to receive objects of identical and/or different shapes.
In some embodiments, the tray 64 includes more than two receiving cells 78, and the receiving cells 78 are identical to and/or different from each other in size. The more than two receiving cells 78 facilitate division of a storage space of the tray 64 to receive objects of identical and/or different sizes.
The opening of the receiving cell 78 may be upward, forward, etc., and may be located in a horizontal plane, an inclined plane, a curved plane, etc. In some embodiments, the tray 64 includes first receiving cells 70 and second receiving cells 72 having upward openings, where the openings of the first receiving cells 70 are located in a horizontal plane, and the openings of the second receiving cells 72 are located in an inclined plane. In this way, the first receiving cells 70 and the second receiving cells 72 can respectively store objects of different heights, avoiding mutual shield and obstruction among the objects. The receiving cells 78 may include the first receiving cells 70 and the second receiving cells 72.
The first receiving cells 70 and the second receiving cells 72 may be arranged in any suitable manner. In some embodiments, the second receiving cells 72 are located in front of the first receiving cells 70. In this way, the first receiving cells 70 and the second receiving cells 72 can respectively store objects of different heights, avoiding the second receiving cells 72 from shielding and obstructing the first receiving cells 70 and the objects received therein. The “front” and “rear” mentioned herein are indicated with respect to a distance to a user. For example, in comparison, a shorter distance to the user indicates “front” while a farther distance to the user indicates “rear”.
In some embodiments, the tray 64 includes at least one receiving cell 72 having an upward opening located in a downward inclined plane. In this way, the receiving cell 72 can receive an object from above. The receiving cell 72 having an upward opening located in a downward inclined plane may be an example of the second receiving cell 72, and thus the same reference numeral is used. There may also be examples of the second receiving cell 72 that have other opening directions and inclination directions. The “above” and “below” herein are indicated with respect to the ground where the refrigerator 10 is mounted. For example, in comparison, a shorter distance to the ground indicates “below” while a farther distance to the ground indicates “above”.
In some embodiments, the tray 64 includes at least one receiving cell 74 configured to be suitable for receiving a rod-like or tube-like object stored upright. Examples of the rod-like or tube-like object include but are not limited to lipsticks and drugs. The receiving cell 74 may be one or more of the first receiving cells 70 and the second receiving cells 72. That is, one or more of the first receiving cells 70 and the second receiving cells 72 can be used for receiving the rod-like or tube-like object stored upright.
In some embodiments, the tray 64 includes at least one receiving cell 76 configured to be suitable for an upright sheet-like object. Examples of the sheet-like object include but are not limited to antipyretic pastes, facial masks, and eye masks. The receiving cell 76 may be one or more of the first receiving cells 70 and the second receiving cells 72. That is, one or more of the first receiving cells 70 and the second receiving cells 72 can be used for receiving the upright sheet-like object.
The plurality of receiving cells 78 may be distributed and arranged in any suitable manner. In some embodiments, the tray 64 includes a plurality of receiving cells 77 distributed in an array. The receiving cells 77 distributed in an array may store objects in an array distribution, which facilitates rational space use. The receiving cells 77 distributed in an array may be a component of at least one of the first receiving cells 70 and the second receiving cells 72. In other words, at least one of the first receiving cells 70 and the second receiving cells 72 includes the plurality of receiving cells 77 distributed in an array.
The tray 64 facilitates division of the receiving space 20. In some embodiments, the tray 64 includes a front portion 66 and a rear portion 68, and the height of the front portion 66 is less than that of the rear portion 68. In this way, the front portion 66 and the rear portion 68 can respectively store objects of different heights, avoiding the front portion 66 from shielding and obstructing the rear portion 68 and the objects received therein.
Referring to
The receiving box 18 may be located at any suitable position in the refrigerator 10. In some embodiments, the receiving box 18 is located in the storage compartment 14 and/or on the door 16. Correspondingly, the refrigerator 10 may store objects by means of the separate closed space provided by the receiving box 18 in the storage compartment 14 and/or on the door 16.
Referring to
Continuously referring to
As shown in
The sheet-like object such as the facial mask, eye mask and antipyretic paste can be stored in the storage portion 26 upright with the edge supported at the bottom of the storage portion 26, and the sheet-like object can also be tilted against the upper edge of the surrounding wall of the storage portion 26 to be placed upright, which not only facilitates saving space but also facilitates searching as compared with the arrangement that the sheet-like object has to lie down and be randomly placed.
The refrigerator 10 may be of any suitable type. The cabinet 12, the storage compartment 14, and the door 16 may include any suitable shape, structure, etc.
The thickness of the storage portion 26 may be set to be suitable for storage of a single sheet-like object or a plurality of sheet-like objects of the same or different thicknesses. In some embodiments, the thickness of the storage portion 26 is between 10 millimeters and 30 millimeters, in particular, between 10 millimeters and 26 millimeters.
The depth of the storage portion 26 may be set to be suitable for storage of a single sheet-like object or a plurality of sheet-like objects of the same or different heights. In some embodiments, the depth of the storage portion 26 is between 40 millimeters and 100 millimeters, in particular, between 50 millimeters and 90 millimeters.
The width of the storage portion 26 may be set to be suitable for storage of a single sheet-like object or a plurality of sheet-like objects of the same or different widths. In some embodiments, the width of the storage portion 26 is greater than 150 millimeters, in particular, greater than 200 millimeters.
The receiving box 18 may include any suitable shape, structure, etc. In some embodiments, the receiving box 18 includes a box body 22 provided with a receiving space 20 and a cover 24 capable of opening and closing the receiving space 20. In this way, the refrigerator 10 can provide a closed independent space through the receiving box 18, so as to meet the need of storing sheet-like objects in a low-temperature closed environment in daily life.
As shown in
The storage portion 26 may be located in any suitable shape, structure, etc. of the receiving box 18. In some embodiments, the cover 24 includes the storage portion 26. The sheet-like object is stored in the storage portion 26 of the cover 24, which facilitates saving space and searching.
The cover 24 of the receiving box 18 may include any suitable shape, structure, etc. In some embodiments, the cover 24 includes a cover body 28 and a support wall 32 extending from the inner side 30 of the cover body 28 to the receiving space 20, and the support wall 32 forms the bottom wall of the storage portion 26. The support wall 32 provides support for the object in the storage portion 26, avoiding the object from falling down.
The support wall 32 may be disposed relative to any suitable position of the cover body 28. In some embodiments, the support wall 32 is disposed along the edge of the cover body 28. In this way, it is ensured that there is less restriction to the size of the sheet-like object stored in the storage portion 26 in the up-down direction.
The support wall 32 matches the receiving space 20 in any suitable shape, structure, etc. In some embodiments, the support wall 32 extends into the receiving space 20, and a front portion 36 of a bottom wall 34 of the receiving space 20 is provided with a step 38 corresponding to the support wall 32. The support wall 32 extends into the receiving space 20, which facilitates the receiving box 18 to provide a closed space for the object in the storage portion 26. The step 38 provides support for the support wall 32.
The correspondence between the width of the support wall 32 and the width of the cover 24 may be set as needed. In some embodiments, two ends of the support wall 32 are connected to two sides of the cover 24. In this way, the support wall 32 extends along the full width of the cover 24, thereby ensuring that there is less restriction to the size of the sheet-like object stored in the storage portion 26 in the width direction. The distance between two ends 44 of a storage space 42 of the storage portion 26 may be the width of the storage portion 26.
The support wall 32 may be substantially in the shape of a thin plate, and the thickness, width, etc. thereof may be set as needed. In some embodiments, the support wall 32 has a pair of end portions 40 at which the width is reduced. In this way, it facilitates avoiding interference between the end portions 40 and other structures of the receiving box 18.
The correspondence between the width of the support wall 32 and the width of the receiving space 20 may be set as needed. In some embodiments, the width of the support wall 32 is less than 30% of the width of the receiving space 20. In this way, it facilitates avoiding interference between the object in the storage portion 26 and the object in the receiving space 20 and exceeding of the load capacity of the cover 24.
The storage portion 26 may store the object in any suitable shape, structure, etc. In some embodiments, the depths of two ends 44 of the storage space 42 of the storage portion 26 in a direction perpendicular to the cover body 28 are less than those of the remaining portions. In this way, it facilitates preventing interference between the two ends 44 and other structures of the receiving box 18.
The cover 24 may include any other suitable shape, structure, etc. In some embodiments, the cover 24 includes an upper flange 48 extending from an upper end 46 of the cover body 28 to the receiving space 20, and the width of the support wall 32 in the direction perpendicular to the cover body 28 is not greater than the width of the upper flange 48. The upper flange 48 and the support wall 32 facilitate the receiving box 18 to provide the closed space. The distance between the upper flange 48 and the support wall 32 may be the depth of the storage portion 26.
The relationship between the depth of the storage portion 26 and the depth of the receiving space 20 may be set as needed. In some embodiments, the depth of the storage portion 26 in the direction perpendicular to the cover body 28 is not greater than 15% of the depth of the receiving space 20. In this way, it facilitates avoiding interference between the object in the storage portion 26 and the object in the receiving space 20 and exceeding of the load capacity of the cover 24.
In some embodiments, a depth ratio of the storage portion 26 to the receiving space 20 is 2%-10%. In this way, it facilitates avoiding interference between the object in the storage portion 26 and the object in the receiving space 20 and exceeding of the load capacity of the cover 24.
The storage portion 26 may include any suitable shape, structure, etc. In some embodiments, the cover 24 includes the cover body 28, a guard bar 50 extending from the cover body 28 and spaced apart from the cover body 28, and the support wall 32 extending from the cover body 28 and spaced apart from the guard bar 50, and the cover body 28. The guard bar 50, and the support wall 32 define the storage portion 26. The guard bar 50 may be at least partially opposite to the cover body 28; the support wall 32 may be located at the lower part of the cover body 28; the cover body 28, the guard bar 50, and the support wall 32 provide support for the object in the storage portion 26 from three directions; and the object is placed in the storage portion 26 from above and below the guard bar 50 to be located among the cover body 28, the guard bar 50, and the support wall 32. The distance between the cover body 28 and the guard bar 50 may be the thickness of the storage portion 26.
The cover 24 and the box body 22 may include any suitable shape, structure, etc. for combination with each other. In some embodiments, the cover 24 and the box body 22 include combination mechanisms 52 for releasable combination with each other. The combination mechanism 52 may include an elastic buckle, etc. The release and combination of the combination mechanisms 52 facilitate the cover 24 to be opened and closed with respect to the cover body 22.
The cover 24 and the box body 22 may move relative to each other in the opening-closing process. In some embodiments, the cover 24 and the box body 22 include movement mechanisms 54 for movable combination with each other. The movement mechanisms 54 facilitate relative movement between the cover 24 and the box body 22 in the opening-closing process.
The movement mechanism 54 may include any suitable shape, structure, etc. Also referring to
When the combination mechanisms 52 are released, the cover 24 can be automatically dropped and opened with respect to the box body 22 by means of the movement mechanisms 54.
The receiving box 18 may include any other suitable shape, structure, etc. Continuously referring to
The receiving box 18 may be located at any suitable position in the refrigerator 10. In some embodiments, the receiving box 18 is located in the storage compartment 14 and/or on the door 16. Correspondingly, the refrigerator 10 may store objects by means of the separate closed space provided by the receiving box 18 in the storage compartment 14 and/or on the door 16.
The various specific implementations described above and shown in the accompanying drawings are only used to illustrate the present invention, but are not all of the present invention. Any variation made by a person of ordinary skill in the art to the present invention within the scope of the basic technical concept of the present invention shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.
If technical conditions permit, the subject matter claimed by any independent claim in the present application can be combined with a single subject matter or a combination of a plurality of subject matters claimed by any dependent claims to form a novel subject matter.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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202010164073.X | Mar 2020 | CN | national |
202010164084.8 | Mar 2020 | CN | national |