Vacuum drawer device for storing groceries

Abstract

A vacuum drawer device includes a drawer movable linearly in a drawer movement direction and having a drawer interior to be closed by an air-tight cover in a controlled manner by an electric lift. The cover thereby runs perpendicularly to the drawer movement direction in a lifting movement along a lifting direction. The cover has an air channel leading into the cover interior, and operatively connected to electric evacuation element such that when the cover is in place, air can be pumped out of the drawer interior through the air channel. A seal lining is arranged on the drawer walls of the drawer on the cover side to run over the entire inner periphery of the drawer such that the cover rests on the seal lining when the vacuum drawer device or the drawer is in a closed position to allow evacuation of the drawer interior.

Claims

1. A vacuum drawer device comprising: a drawer movable linearly in a sliding movement direction, and the drawer having a drawer interior; a cover designed in an airtight fashion to close the drawer interior of the drawer; an electric lift configured to control a lifting movement of the cover in a lifting direction extending perpendicularly with respect to the sliding movement direction, wherein the cover has an air channel leading inside of the cover, the air channel being operatively connected to an electric evacuation device such that, when the cover is placed on the drawer, air is pumped out of the drawer interior via the air channel, wherein the vacuum drawer device further comprises a seal fitting arranged circumferentially along an entire inner periphery at drawer walls of the drawer on a cover side of the drawer, and the seal fitting extending clamped between two of the drawer walls of the drawer along a side facing the cover such that, in a closed position of the vacuum drawer device or, respectively, the drawer, the cover rests on the seal fitting to allow for an evacuation of the drawer interior.

2. The vacuum drawer device according to claim 1, wherein the seal fitting is a first seal fitting of at least two seal fittings crossing each other and clamped between two of the drawer walls, and more than two storage sections for containers in the drawer interior within the drawer can be separately defined.

3. The vacuum drawer device according to claim 1, wherein the seal fitting is configured to have an airtight sealing angle unmovably fixed at least at one side in the drawer interior at the drawer wall.

4. The vacuum drawer device according to claim 1, wherein the seal fitting is arranged to be flush with a drawer edge extending circumferentially at the drawer walls and between at least two adjacent drawer edges.

5. The vacuum drawer device according to claim 1, wherein the seal fitting is a first seal fitting of a plurality of seal fittings projecting from the drawer interior and arranged to be distanced from the drawer edge.

6. The vacuum drawer device according to claim 1, further comprising, below the seal fitting, an airtight separating wall between the seal fitting and a bottom of the drawer so as to extend along the drawer interior to form airtight drawer interior sections separated from each other.

7. The vacuum drawer device according to claim 6, wherein the air channel is one of a plurality of air channels in the cover each leading to a different drawer interior section to allow a different negative pressure to be achieved in different drawer interior sections.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) In the following, the invention will be described in detail in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

(2) FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vacuum drawer device known from the state of the art in a drawer carcass with the drawer being open,

(3) FIG. 2 is a partial schematic longitudinal section view through a vacuum drawer device of FIG. 1 in a drawer carcass with the vacuum drawer device in a closed state,

(4) FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a vacuum drawer device with a drawer further developed,

(5) FIG. 4 is a sectional drawing of the vacuum drawer device according to FIG. 3 in a closed position of the drawer,

(6) FIG. 5a is a perspective view of a vacuum drawer device with peripheral seal fittings and two seal fittings crossing each other, and

(7) FIG. 5b is a perspective view of the vacuum drawer device according to FIG. 5a, wherein at the seal liftings partition walls are additionally included in the drawer interiors.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(8) The present invention relates to the following further development based on the vacuum drawer device 0 of the prior art described above. In particular, as shown in FIGS. 3-5b, the vacuum drawer device 0 comprises a drawer 3 that can be moved linearly in a sliding movement direction S and having at least one drawer interior R which can be closed by a cover 2 designed in an airtight fashion in a lifting movement into a lifting direction H extending perpendicularly to the sliding movement direction S controlled by an electric lifting means (electric lift) 7. The cover 2 has at least one air channel 11′ leading into the cover interior, and the air channel 11′ is operatively connected with electric evacuation means such that when putting the cover 2 onto the drawer 3, air can be automatically pumped out of the at least one drawer interior through the at least one air channel 11′. The cover 2 or, respectively, the lifting means (lift) 7 in that case is fixed at the drawer carcass 9 by the mounting angle 19. Most of the components have been adopted from the conventional vacuum drawer device 0 according to FIGS. 1 and 2, but the drawer 3 of the present invention has been further developed such that food can be stored in the drawer interior R in an evacuated manner independent of the type of container.

(9) The cover 2 and support means at the drawer 3 are designed such that the cover 2 can be indirectly put onto the drawer. For that, one seal fitting D is arranged on the cover side along the drawer inside walls 30 at the drawer 3. The seal fitting D or the plurality of seal fittings D that are designed in an airtight manner and that preferably comprise metal angles are positioned, glued or screwed circumferentially along the entire inner periphery. Accordingly, that at least one seal fitting D can be designated as laterally extending.

(10) When the cover 2 has been brought into the closed position by the lifting means (lift) 7, the cover 2 rests on the seal fittings D and an evacuation of the underlying drawer interior R can be achieved. In addition to the circumferential seal fittings D that are arranged at the same height as the drawer edge X, seal fittings D crossing the drawer periphery can also be arranged. Those seal fittings D are clamped between two opposing drawer walls 30 at the side of the drawer 3 directed to the cover 2. A seal fitting D can be clamped also between directly adjacent drawer walls 30.

(11) The empty drawer interior R can be filled with different containers full of food, wherein the sizes of the containers should be smaller than the gap between the seal fittings D. As the cover 2 rests sealingly on the seal fittings D, it is not necessary for the containers 14 to have flanges or minimum sizes.

(12) As can be seen in FIG. 4, the seal fittings D are circumferentially arranged to be flush with the drawer edge X extending circumferentially at the drawer walls 30 of the drawer 3 and are arranged between at least two adjacent drawer edges X. In that case, the front panel 13 is designed as extendable drawer wall 30 but the seal fitting D is arranged at the height of the surrounding drawer edges X, which is not an issue if the cover 2 correspondingly does not project over the front panel 13.

(13) At the cover 2, at the side directed to the drawer interior R, there are arranged seals 24′ that are operatively connected with the seal fittings D when the cover 2 is in the closed position (that is to say, moved in the lifting direction H into the direction of the drawer interior R). As seals 24′, single-layered or multi-layered plastic sheets can be used through which an airtight sealing can be achieved.

(14) However, seal fittings D that extend distanced from the drawer edge X and projecting from the drawer interior R can also be arranged at the drawer walls 30. In order to achieve an airtight sealing, the airtight seal fittings D should be configured as angles, the one leg of which leads perpendicularly out of the drawer 3 and the other leg of which serves as support for the cover 2 or, respectively, the sealing means 24′.

(15) In order to increase the sealing effect further, several seal fittings D crossing each other, as shown in FIG. 5a, can be clamped between two opposing drawer walls 30 of the drawer 3. In addition to the seal fitting D positioned circumferentially along the inner periphery, a crossing is effected such that in total four storage sections for containers within the drawer 3 are separately defined.

(16) In order to achieve several storage sections that can be closed airtight independently from each other, airtight separating walls between the seal fitting D and the bottom of the drawer 3 running through the drawer interior R can be arranged below the seal fittings D crossing each other. However, along the laterally extending seal fittings D, separating walls do not need to be arranged.

(17) The laterally extending seal fittings D and also the seal fittings D crossing each other can be designed as airtight angles or U-profiles made of metal or plastic. The seal fittings D have to be designed in a sufficiently stable manner to be able to resist the back pressure of the cover 2 on the opening of the drawer interior R.

(18) The construction of the cover 2 should have a sandwich structure. That way, the required stiffness of the cover 2 is ensured. The stiffness is required for the sealing. The cover layers are therefore frictionally connected to the core layer. This construction ensures a high stiffness having a low height and a low mass. The cover layers can be made of glass and the core layers of stiff, airtight foam material.

REFERENCE LIST

(19) 0 vacuum drawer device 1 pump/air pump 11′ air channel/venting channel 2 cover 21′ airtight membrane 22′ foam layer 23′ air inlet opening 24′ sealing means 3 drawer 30 drawer wall 31′ drawer extension D seal fitting Z separating wall X drawer edge R drawer interior 4 valve/solenoid valve 6 closed position sensor 7 lifting means/servo motor 71′ servo disc 72′ screw with a bearing bush 8 controller 9 drawer carcass 10 electric cable 11 control cable 12 handle 13 front panel 14 container 15 operating switch/on and off switch 16 pressure sensor 17 frame 18 proximity sensor S sliding movement direction H lifting direction A recess