Domestic refrigeration appliance with specific front-side lowering segment of a compartment floor

Abstract

A domestic refrigeration appliance includes a receiving space for food, a drawer in the form of a food container being movable in the receiving space and a compartment floor disposed in the receiving space and forming a cover for the drawer. An elastically deformable stop element which faces a front wall of the drawer is disposed on a front edge of the compartment floor. The compartment floor has a lowering segment on its foremost region which faces the front wall and a foremost rim on which the elastically deformable stop element is disposed. The foremost rim is lowered downward relative to a sheet region of the compartment floor.

Claims

1. A domestic refrigeration appliance, comprising: a receiving space for food; a drawer movably disposed in said receiving space as a food container, said drawer having a front wall with a rear side and an upper edge; a compartment floor disposed in said receiving space and forming a cover for said drawer, said compartment floor having a front edge, said compartment floor having a foremost region facing said front wall of said drawer, and said compartment floor having a sheet region; said compartment floor having a lowering segment on said foremost region, said lowering segment having a foremost rim being lowered downward relative to said sheet region; said lowering segment and said front wall of said drawer forming a handle recess configured to be engaged from above when said drawer is in a closed state; an elastically deformable stop element of said lowering segment facing said front wall of said drawer and being disposed at said front edge of said compartment floor, said elastically deformable stop element being disposed on said foremost rim; said stop element abutting against said rear side of said front wall of said drawer and being offset downward relative said upper edge of said front wall in a height direction of the domestic refrigeration appliance when said drawer is in said closed state; and said lowering segment being a strip implemented as a part that is separate from said sheet region, and said lowering segment including an obliquely inclined portion directly adjacent said sheet region, wherein said obliquely inclined portion at least partially forms said handle recess.

2. The domestic refrigeration appliance according to claim 1, wherein said stop element is a seal.

3. The domestic refrigeration appliance according to claim 1, wherein said stop element has a longitudinal axis and a U-shaped cross-section perpendicular to said longitudinal axis.

4. The domestic refrigeration appliance according to claim 1, wherein said sheet region has a foremost edge, and said compartment floor has said separate strip disposed on said foremost edge of said sheet region, said lowering segment being integrated in said separate strip.

5. The domestic refrigeration appliance according to claim 4, wherein said separate strip has a slot into which said foremost edge of said sheet region is inserted.

6. The domestic refrigeration appliance according to claim 5, wherein: said separate strip has a wall delimiting said slot, said wall has inner sides; and an elastic retaining element is disposed on at least one of said inner sides providing an anti-slip element for safeguarding against slipping between said separate strip and said sheet region.

7. The domestic refrigeration appliance according to claim 4, wherein said separate strip and at least said elastically deformable stop element form a one-piece part.

8. The domestic refrigeration appliance according to claim 4, wherein said separate strip and at least said elastically deformable stop element form a two-component extruded part.

9. The domestic refrigeration appliance according to claim 4, wherein said separate strip has a foremost edge facing away from said sheet region, and said elastically deformable stop element is disposed on said foremost edge of said separate strip.

10. The domestic refrigeration appliance according to claim 1, wherein said sheet region is made of genuine glass.

11. The domestic refrigeration appliance according to claim 1, wherein said front wall of said drawer has an upper edge, and said sheet region and said upper edge of said front wall of said drawer are disposed at an identical height in a height direction of the domestic refrigeration appliance.

12. The domestic refrigeration appliance according to claim 1, wherein said rear side of said front wall of said drawer is disposed obliquely causing said front wall to taper toward said upper edge of said front wall.

13. The domestic refrigeration appliance according to claim 1, wherein said lowering segment is chute-shaped.

14. The domestic refrigeration appliance according to claim 1, wherein said elastically deformable stop element is a seal having a thickness that is not greater than a thickness of said sheet region of said compartment floor.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

(1) FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic, perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a domestic refrigeration appliance according to the invention;

(2) FIG. 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary, partly-sectional, perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a drawer and a compartment floor of the domestic refrigeration appliance according to FIG. 1; and

(3) FIG. 3 is a further enlarged, fragmentary, partly-sectional, perspective view through a sub-element of the compartment floor according to FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(4) Referring now in detail to the figures of the drawings, in which identical or functionally identical elements are labeled with the same reference characters, and first, particularly, to FIG. 1 thereof, there is seen an exemplary embodiment of a domestic refrigeration appliance 1 in a perspective view. The domestic refrigeration appliance 1 is realized in functional terms for storing and preserving food. In the exemplary embodiment the domestic refrigeration appliance 1 is realized in the form of a combined refrigerator/freezer appliance. However, it can also be realized as just a refrigerator or as just a freezer.

(5) The domestic refrigeration appliance 1 has a casing 2 in which a first receiving space 3 for storing and preserving food is realized. In the exemplary embodiment the receiving space 3 is a refrigerator compartment. It is delimited by walls of an inner container 4. On the front side the receiving space 3 can be closed by at least one door, and by two separate doors 5 and 6 in the exemplary embodiment. In FIG. 1 the doors 5 and 6 are shown in the open state. The doors 5 and 6 can be pivoted in each case around a pivot axis oriented in the height direction (y direction) of the domestic refrigeration appliance 1. The doors are disposed in a pivoting manner on the casing 2.

(6) In the exemplary embodiment the domestic refrigeration appliance 1 additionally has a further receiving space 7, which is separated from the first receiving space 3. The further receiving space 7 is a freezer compartment in the exemplary embodiment. In particular, provision is made in the embodiment shown that the freezer compartment is realized below the refrigerator compartment when viewed in the height direction. The second receiving space 7 is likewise delimited by walls of the inner container 4 or by walls of a respectively separate inner container, and the further receiving space 7 can be closed at the front side by using its own separate door 8. In the exemplary embodiment the further door 8 is realized in the form of a front wall 9 of a drawer, which can be pushed in and pulled out in the further receiving space 7, and therefore can be moved in a linear manner in the depth direction (z direction).

(7) The door 8 is shown in the closed state in the diagram according to FIG. 1. Stored goods in the form of foodstuffs, such as foods and drinks, can likewise be stored and preserved in the further receiving space 7, in particular at lower temperatures than is the case in the refrigerator compartment.

(8) In the exemplary embodiment the domestic refrigeration appliance 1 moreover preferably has at least one additional function compartment 10. In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 1 the function compartment 10 is disposed between the refrigerator compartment and the freezer compartment when viewed in the height direction. Provision can preferably be made that the function compartment 10 represents a partial volume separated from the remaining partial volume of the first receiving space 3, and therefore is also realized more or less within the overall volume of the receiving space 3. In particular the function compartment 10 has a drawer 11 in this case. The function compartment 10 can be closed at the front side by a door 12, in which this door 12 represents a front wall 13 of the drawer 11.

(9) Moreover, the domestic refrigeration appliance 1 has a drawer 14 which is realized in the form of a food container. In the exemplary embodiment the drawer 14 is realized in the receiving space 3. Moreover, the domestic refrigeration appliance 1 has a compartment floor 15 which is realized in the form of a cover for the drawer 14. This therefore means that when viewed in the height direction of the domestic refrigeration appliance 1, the cover 15 is disposed directly above the drawer 14. The quantity of receiving spaces, their position, and also the quantity and nature of the doors is likewise not to be understood as definitive in any way, like the position of the drawer 14 and the compartment floor 15. Many other embodiments are also possible in this case.

(10) FIG. 2 shows a configuration with the drawer 14 and the compartment floor 15 in a perspective sectional diagram taken along the section line II-II in FIG. 1. The drawer 14 is shown in this case in the pushed-in and therefore completely closed state. The drawer 14 has a front wall 16. In this exemplary embodiment a bar 17 is realized in an upper region of the front wall 16 viewed in the height direction. The bar 17 can be put on as a separate part, but can also be realized as integral or in one piece with the remaining region of the front wall. This bar 17 has an upper edge 18. Moreover, this bar 17 has a rear side 19 which faces the compartment floor 15. As can be seen, this rear side 19 is preferably not oriented strictly vertically in this case, but instead it is inclined obliquely. In this regard the slope is such that the bar 17 tapers toward the upper edge 18.

(11) Moreover, it can be seen that the compartment floor 15 has a sheet region 20. In particular this sheet region 20 is realized so as to be flat in this case. The sheet region 20 is preferably made of genuine glass in this case. Moreover, the compartment floor 15 has a lowering segment 21. In the illustrated exemplary embodiment the lowering segment 21 is realized in a single piece in a strip 22 and is therefore integrated. The strip 22 is a part which is separate from the sheet region 20 in this case. In particular the strip 22 is realized in a single piece, in particular made of plastic. The lowering segment 21 is realized in a spoiler-like or respectively chute-like manner in this case. This means that it has an oblique wall 23 in the exemplary embodiment shown herein. The oblique wall 23 is oriented in this case in such a way that an upper end 23a, when viewed in the height direction, is offset further backward when viewed in the depth direction, as compared to a lower end 23b of this oblique wall 23. As can be seen the lowering segment 21 is moreover formed in such a way that the lower end 23b of this oblique wall 23 is disposed further down or is respectively disposed at a lower height than a lower side 20a of the sheet region 20.

(12) Moreover, the lowering segment 21 has a slot 24 on its rearmost end, viewed in the depth direction (z direction), which end faces away from the front wall 16. A foremost edge 20b of the sheet region 20 is inserted into this slot 24.

(13) An elastically deformable stop element 26 is disposed on a front edge 25 of the compartment floor 15. In the illustrated exemplary embodiment, this front edge 25 is formed by a foremost edge 22a of the strip 22. The elastically deformable stop element 26 is therefore, when viewed in the height direction, disposed offset backward and downward both with respect to the sheet region 20 and also with respect to the upper edge 18. When the drawer 14 is in the closed state, as shown in FIG. 2, the elastically deformable stop element 26 abuts against the rear side 19. In this case the elastically deformable stop element 26 is in particular a seal, especially a hollow seal, which is realized in a U-shape in cross-section, in particular in the form of a U lying on its side.

(14) A handle recess 27, which can be engaged from above, is realized by the lowering segment 21 and the front wall 16, in particular the rear side 19, as shown in FIG. 2. The preferably obliquely realized rear side 19 and/or the specific orientation and embodiment of the lowering segment 21 mean that this handle region or respectively this handle recess 27 is realized with a greater width at its upper region and therefore at a handle region opening 27a, when viewed in the depth direction, than in the lower region of the handle recess 27. The handle recess 27 therefore tapers downward viewed in the height direction. The handle recess 27 is delimited in the forward direction by the front wall 16 and in the rearward direction by the lowering segment 21, in particular the oblique wall 23, when viewed in the depth direction.

(15) FIG. 3 shows an enlarged perspective sectional diagram of the strip 22. The hollow and in particular U-shaped embodiment of the elastically deformable stop element 26 can be seen therein. The elastically deformable stop element 26 is realized with a longitudinal axis A and preferably extends over the entire width, as measured in the width direction (x direction), of the foremost edge 22a. As can also be seen moreover, the chute-like or respectively ski-jump-like embodiment means that an orientation realized in the depth direction, and therefore a forward projecting configuration of the seal in the shape of the elastically deformable stop element 26, is achieved. The U-shape of this stop element 26 is oriented in such a way that the U-limbs end at this foremost edge 22a.

(16) As can be seen moreover, the slot 24 is delimited by a top wall 28 and a bottom wall 29. A retaining element 30 is realized on an inner side 28a of this top wall 28. This retaining element 30 is preferably realized so as to be elastic and structured in the form of an anti-slip element. In addition to or in place of this, an elastic retaining element 31 can also be realized on an inner side 29a of the bottom wall 29. In particular the retaining element is also structured correspondingly to the retaining element 30 in functional and material terms. The retaining elements 30 and 31 are realized in the form of band elements and in each case are realized so as to be standing and raised up above the inner sides 28a and 29a.

(17) Provision is made in particular that the strip 22 is realized with a retaining element 30 and/or 31 in the form of a 2-component extrusion part. Provision is made in particular that the strip 22 is realized in a single piece, in particular in the form of a 2-component extrusion part, both with a retaining element 30 and/or 31 and also with the elastically deformable stop element 26. FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 also show the Z-shaped embodiment of the strip 22 with the elastically deformable stop element 26.

(18) In particular a retaining element 30 and/or 31 can be realized out of a soft component with a raised friction coefficient. For example, the material can be TPE (thermoplastic elastomer). A corresponding material can be provided for the elastically deformable stop element 26.

(19) With at least one retaining element 30 and/or 31 it is in particular no longer necessary to mill recesses in the sheet region 20 and to provide latching devices engaged into the milled recesses for the purpose of positionally fixing the components to each other.

(20) As can be seen from FIGS. 2 and 3 the lowering segment 21 is disposed on a foremost region 32 of the compartment floor 15.

(21) The following is a summary list of reference numerals and the corresponding structure used in the above description of the invention: 1 Domestic refrigeration appliance 2 Casing 3 Receiving space 4 Inner container 5 Door 6 Door 7 Receiving space 8 Door 9 Front wall 10 Function compartment 11 Drawer 12 Door 13 Front wall 14 Drawer 15 Compartment floor 16 Front wall 17 Bar 18 Upper edge 19 Rear side 20 Sheet region 20a Lower side 20b Foremost edge 21 Lowering segment 22 Strip 22a Foremost edge 23 Oblique wall 23a Upper end 23b Lower end 24 Slot 25 Front edge 26 Stop element 27 Handle recess 27a Handle region opening 28 Top wall 28a Inner side 29 Bottom wall 29a Inner side 30 Retaining element 31 Retaining element 32 Foremost region