Household cooling appliance containing a dispenser unit for liquid and/or free flow refrigerated good

Abstract

A household cooling appliance has a dispenser unit for dispensing a free flow refrigerated good. The dispenser unit has an insert, which by side walls and a bottom wall bounds a niche, in which a receptacle for receiving the free flow refrigerated good is insertable. A drip tray is provided, which is separate from the insert, for collecting liquid and can be brought into the niche. The drip tray has a drip well and a grip element which extends within the drip well and is accessible from the top for gripping. The drip tray on a bottom wall has a liquid distribution element, which elevated from the top side protrudes upwards and is configured to be narrowing. The drip tray on the bottom wall has a coupling element which for positioning of the drip tray is formed in the insert for coupling with a counter coupling element.

Claims

1. A household cooling appliance, comprising: a dispenser for dispensing a liquid and/or a free flow refrigerated good, said dispenser containing: an insert having side walls and a bottom wall bounding a niche, into said niche a receptacle can be inserted for receiving the liquid to be dispensed and/or the free flow refrigerated good; and a drip tray being separate from said insert, for collecting the liquid, said drip tray having a drip well and a grip extending within said drip well and being accessible from a top for gripping, said drip tray having a front boundary wall laterally bounding said drip well; said grip having a substantially T-shaped cross section as viewed from above said drip tray, said grip protruding from said front boundary wall into said drip well.

2. The household cooling appliance according to claim 1, wherein: said drip tray has a rear boundary wall laterally bounding said drip well; and said grip has a stem and a roof for defining the T-shaped cross section, said roof has a surface directed away from said stem that faces said rear boundary wall and faces away from a niche opening of said niche.

3. The household cooling appliance according to claim 1, wherein said grip is formed as a single piece with said front boundary wall.

4. The household cooling appliance according to claim 1, wherein: said drip well has a bottom wall; and said grip is formed as a single piece with said bottom wall bounding said drip well.

5. The household cooling appliance according to claim 1, wherein said grip viewed across its entire height is disposed within said drip well.

6. The household cooling appliance according to claim 1, further comprising a cover grid, said drip well and said grip are covered by said cover grid that is capable of being removed from said drip tray.

7. The household cooling appliance according to claim 1, wherein: said insert has a counter coupler; said drip tray has a bottom wall with a bottom surface; and said bottom surface has at least one coupler, said coupler positions said drip tray in said insert and is configured to couple with said counter coupler on said insert.

8. The household cooling appliance according to claim 1, wherein: said drip well has a bottom wall; and said drip tray at a top side of said bottom wall of said drip well has at least one liquid distribution element, said liquid distribution element elevated from said top side protrudes upwards and is configured to be narrowing from said top side upwards.

9. The household cooling appliance according to claim 1, wherein said front boundary wall is provided with a pedestal for supporting a cover grid of said drip well, said pedestal having a lower height than said front boundary wall, said grip having a lower height than said pedestal.

10. The household cooling appliance according to claim 9, wherein said pedestal is disposed between said front boundary wall and said grip.

11. A household cooling appliance, comprising: a dispenser for dispensing a liquid and/or a free flow refrigerated good, said dispenser containing: an insert having side walls and a bottom wall bounding a niche, said niche for receiving a receptacle for the liquid to be dispensed and/or the free flow refrigerated good; and a drip tray, being separate from said insert, for collecting the liquid, said drip tray having a bottom wall and boundary walls for defining a drip well; a pedestal adjacent said boundary walls for supporting a cover grid of said drip well, said pedestal standing less proud of said bottom wall than said boundary walls; a grip extending within said drip well and being accessible from a top for gripping between two fingers, said grip standing less proud of said bottom wall than said pedestal, said grip having a substantially T-shaped cross section as viewed from above said drip tray.

12. A household cooling appliance, comprising: a dispenser for dispensing a liquid and/or a free flow refrigerated good, said dispenser containing: an insert having side walls and a bottom wall bounding a niche, into said niche a receptacle can be inserted for receiving the liquid to be dispensed and/or the free flow refrigerated good; and a drip tray being separate from said insert, for collecting the liquid, said drip tray having a drip well and a grip extending within said drip well and being accessible from a top for gripping, said drip tray having a front boundary wall laterally bounding said drip well; said grip having a substantially T-shaped cross section as viewed from above said drip tray.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

(1) FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic, perspective exploded view of an embodiment of a household cooling appliance according to the invention;

(2) FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an insert of a dispenser unit, which is configured for dispensing liquid and/or free flow refrigerated good and is a component of the household cooling appliance according to FIG. 1;

(3) FIG. 3 is a perspective sectional view of the insert according to FIG. 2 having an additionally shown drip tray of the dispenser unit;

(4) FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the components according to FIG. 3 in the fully inserted state of the drip tray into the insert;

(5) FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a drip tray of the dispenser unit showing a view of a drip well from the top;

(6) FIG. 6 is an illustration of a partial area of the drip tray showing a view of a bottom side; and

(7) FIG. 7 is an illustration of a partial area of the insert according to FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(8) In the figures same elements or elements having the same functions are equipped with the same reference signs.

(9) Referring now to the figures of the drawings in detail and first, particularly to FIG. 1 thereof, there is shown in a schematic view a household cooling appliance 1 is shown, which is configured for storing and preserving food items and which for instance can be a cooling appliance, a freezer or a fridge-freezer combination appliance. The household cooling appliance 1 is preferably a rack-mounted model. The household cooling appliance 1 has a housing 2, in which at least one receptacle for food items is configured. The receptacle can be closed at the front by a door 3, which is shown in FIG. 1 in the closed state and which is pivotably arranged on the housing 2. The household cooling appliance 1 has an output unit or dispenser unit 4, which in FIG. 1 merely as an example is equipped with the reference sign, and in which in FIG. 1 individual components are only partly shown. The dispenser unit 4 is configured for dispensing a liquid and/or free flow refrigerated good. Thus, a drink and/or an ice cube form element, for instance ice cubes or crushed ice, can be dispensed.

(10) For this purpose in the shown embodiment for instance the door 3 has a recess 5, into which the dispenser unit 4 is inserted so that in the closed state of the door 3 the dispenser unit 4 is accessible from the front, in order to be able to dispense the liquid and/or the free flow refrigerated good.

(11) The dispenser unit 4 has an insert 6, which is in particular integrally formed from plastic. The insert 6 has several walls 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11 (FIG. 2), which bound a niche 12. The indentation or the niche 12 is configured for receiving or for inserting a receptacle so that then the liquid and/or free flow refrigerated good can be inserted from the top into the receptacle. The niche 12 is accessible from the front. The dispenser unit 4 has a dispenser opening, which ends in particular in a niche ceiling wall 8 and via which the liquid and/or the free flow refrigerated good can be inserted into the niche 12 and there into the receptacle, which has been put in.

(12) The insert 6 moreover has as an example a receptacle 13, which is configured as slot. An electronics module is capable of being inserted into the receptacle 13.

(13) In FIG. 1 moreover also a decorative plate 14 is shown, which is separate from the door 3 and preferably present and which can be a furniture front plate. The decorative plate 14 can preferably be attached to the door 3 and covers same at the front. Also the decorative plate 14 has a recess 15, through which the dispenser unit 6 is accessible on the front side. In particular the dispenser unit 4, in particular the insert 6, is arranged on the decorative plate 14, in particular attached thereon.

(14) In FIG. 2 the insert 6 is shown in perspective view.

(15) In FIG. 3 the insert 6 formed in particular as a single piece from plastic is shown in a perspective sectional view. Moreover, in FIG. 3 a drip tray 16 is shown in a perspective and sectional view, which is configured as a component which is separate from the insert 6. The drip tray 16 is positioned in the niche 12, wherein in FIG. 3 it is not yet shown in its final bottom end position. The drip tray 16 is preferably formed as a single piece made of plastic. It has a drip well 17 open to the top, which is configured to be tray-like and bounded by lateral boundary walls 18, 19, 20, and 21 (FIG. 5). Moreover the drip well 17 has a bottom wall 21. The drip tray 16 in FIG. 4, in which a vertical sectional view of the insert 6 is shown with the drip tray 16 shown then arranged in the insert 6 in the bottom end position, is retained in fixed position. As moreover can be seen in FIG. 3, the dispenser unit 4 in addition to the insert 6 and the drip tray 16 contains a cover that is separate therefrom as a cover 22, which preferably is formed as a single piece, in particular from metal. The cover 22 is inserted into the niche 12 and covers the walls 7, 10, and 11 of the insert 6 at the front at least partly. The separate cover 22 is preferably held on the insert 6, in particular by magnetic retention force.

(16) The cover 22 is adjusted to the trapezoidal design of the walls 7, 10, and 11.

(17) As can be seen in FIG. 4, a bottom wall 23 of the drip well 17 has a liquid distribution element 33, which elevated from a top side 23a of the bottom wall 23 extends upwards. The liquid distribution element 33 in its height design is smaller than the depth of the drip well 17. Also the extension in the horizontal direction is smaller than the surface size of the top side 23a. As can be seen in FIG. 4, the liquid distribution element 33 is configured to be narrowing starting from the top side 23a upwards. On its top end facing away from the top side 23a it has a tip. In the horizontal plane this liquid distribution element 33 is positioned in such a way on the top side 23a that liquid 24 dripping into the drip well 17 from the top hits this liquid distribution element 33. Due to the specific geometry the liquid 24, if present, is also correspondingly separated or enlarged in surface and drained towards the top side 23a in a targeted way. Therein it is also already slowed down so that a hitting of the top side 23a no longer causes the liquid 24 to splash upward in an undesired strong way.

(18) The liquid distribution element 33 can for instance be a cone or a pyramid or the like.

(19) The liquid distribution element 33 is integrally formed with the bottom wall 23 and thus also integrally formed with the drip tray 16.

(20) The drip tray 16 moreover has a grip element 25, which is preferably formed as a single piece and in particular also formed as a single piece with the drip tray 16. The grip element 15 is formed in the drip well 17 and ends both in the front side boundary wall 20 of the drip well 17 as well as in the top side 23a of the bottom wall 23. The grip element 25 is configured T-shaped and ends with a T-stem 26 in the front boundary wall 20 facing a niche opening 12. A T-roof 27 faces the rear boundary wall 19 and in the depth direction (z direction) ends in front of the liquid distribution element 33 and is arranged adjacent thereto.

(21) In FIG. 4 it moreover can be seen that the niche 12 in the bottom portion has an at least slightly tray-like receptacle, into which the drip tray 16 is inserted.

(22) In FIG. 5 the drip tray 16 is shown in a perspective view from the top. It can be seen both in FIG. 4 and in FIG. 5 that in the height direction (y direction) the grip element 25 extends fully within the height of the drip well 17 and thus does not protrude upward. The drip tray 16 at its top portion of the drip well 17 has a pedestal 28, on which a cover grid (not shown) that is separate therefrom can be placed. By this cover grid the drip well 17 is covered from the top in a grid-like manner and the receptacle can be put up on this cover grid.

(23) In FIG. 6 the drip tray 16 is shown in a partial section from the bottom. Here a bottom side 29 of the bottom wall 23 facing away from the drip well 17 is shown. Moreover it can be seen that in this bottom side 29 at least one coupling element 30, in the embodiment several coupling elements 30, are integrated. The coupling elements 30 here are shown as recesses, into which counter coupling elements can engage in the inserted state of the drip tray 16 into the insert 6.

(24) In FIG. 7 in this connection, in terms of numbers equally to be understood as example, counter coupling elements 31 are shown, which are configured to be integrated into the bottom wall 9 of the insert 6. These counter coupling elements 31 are coupling pins extending upward, which preferably are configured to be equal in geometry with the recesses so that here an in particular also precisely fitting insertion of the counter coupling elements 31 into the coupling elements 30 can be effected.

(25) As is shown in FIG. 7 in an enlarged view, in the insert 6 a plurality of slots 32 are formed in the bottom wall 9. These uninterrupted slots 32 facilitate that liquid running from the cover 22 and/or from the rear wall 11 and/or from the side walls 7 and 10 can be drained from the insert 6. This means that no liquid can collect under the drip tray 16 and thus between the drip tray 16 and the bottom wall 9. Through these slots 32 this liquid thus is also drained via the bottom wall 9 from the insert.

(26) It is to be seen that the slots 32 viewed in the depth direction (z direction) are narrowing towards the front.

(27) Preferably the counter coupling elements 31 are arranged as front side boundaries of these slots 32 and thus are arranged on the front ends 32a of the slots 32 facing the niche opening 12a of the niche 12.

(28) In particular it is envisaged that these slots 32 are configured to be uninterrupted slots and thus continue without interruption also up into the rear wall 11 of the insert 6. In FIG. 7 in this connection also the cover 22 is arranged. In FIG. 7 an enlarged view of the representation I in FIG. 3 is shown.

(29) The following is a summary list of reference numerals and the corresponding structure used in the above description of the invention: 1 household cooling appliance 2 housing 3 door 4 dispenser unit 5 recess 6 insert 7 wall 8 niche ceiling wall 9 wall 10 wall 11 wall 12 niche 12a niche opening 13 receptacle 14 decorative plate 15 recess 16 drip tray 17 drip well 18 boundary wall 19 boundary wall 20 boundary wall 21 boundary wall 22 cover 23 bottom wall 23a top side 24 liquid 25 grip element 26 T stem 27 T roof 28 pedestal 29 bottom side 30 coupling elements 31 counter coupling elements 32 slots 32a front end 33 liquid distribution element