Abstract
The invention relates to a refrigeration appliance, in particular a refrigerator or a fridge-freezer (2). The refrigeration appliance comprises a housing (4), a refrigerating compartment (6) formed within the housing (4), a slidably and releasably supported first drawer (20a) having a first vertical extension, a second slidably and releasably supported second drawer (20b) having a second vertical extension being greater than the first vertical extension of the first drawer (20a), and a first, a second and a third drawer support position (72a, 72b, 74a, 74b, 76a, 76b), wherein in vertical direction the first drawer support position (72a, 72b) is higher than the second drawer support position (74a, 74b) and the second drawer support position (74a, 74b) is higher than the third drawer support position (76a, 76b). When A) the first or second drawer (20a, 20b) is supported at the first drawer support position (72b) the upper levels of the first and second drawers (20a, 20b) are at the same vertical position within the refrigerating compartment (6), and when the first drawer (20a) is supported at the third drawer support position (76b) or when the second drawer (20b) is supported at the second drawer support position (74b) the lower levels of the first and second drawers (20a, 20b) are at the same vertical position within the refrigerating compartment (6), or when B) the first or second drawer (20a, 20b) is supported at the third drawer support position (76a) the upper levels of the first and second drawers (20a, 20b) are at the same vertical position within the refrigerating compartment (6), and when the first drawer (20a) is supported at the second drawer support position (74a) or when the second drawer (20b) is supported at the first drawer support position (72a) the lower levels of the first and second drawers (20a, 20b) are at the same vertical position within the refrigerating compartment (6).
Claims
1. Refrigeration appliance, in particular a refrigerator or a fridge-freezer (2), comprising: a housing (4), a refrigerating compartment (6) formed within the housing (4), a slidably and releasably supported first drawer (20a) having a first vertical extension, a second slidably and releasably supported second drawer (20b) having a second vertical extension being greater than the first vertical extension of the first drawer (20a), and a first, a second and a third drawer support position (72a, 72b, 74a, 74b, 76a, 76b), wherein in vertical direction the first drawer support position (72a, 72b) is higher than the second drawer support position (74a, 74b) and the second drawer support position (74a, 74b) is higher than the third drawer support position (76a, 76b), wherein A) when the first or second drawer (20a, 20b) is supported at the first drawer support position (72b) the upper levels of the first and second drawers (20a, 20b) are at the same vertical position within the refrigerating compartment (6), and when the first drawer (20a) is supported at the third drawer support position (76b) or when the second drawer (20b) is supported at the second drawer support position (74b) the lower levels of the first and second drawers (20a, 20b) are at the same vertical position within the refrigerating compartment (6), or B) when the first or second drawer (20a, 20b) is supported at the third drawer support position (76a) the upper levels of the first and second drawers (20a, 20b) are at the same vertical position within the refrigerating compartment (6), and when the first drawer (20a) is supported at the second drawer support position (74a) or when the second drawer (20b) is supported at the first drawer support position (72a) the lower levels of the first and second drawers (20a, 20b) are at the same vertical position within the refrigerating compartment (6).
2. Refrigeration appliance according to claim 1, wherein in option B) the height difference between the first and second drawer support positions (72a, 72b, 74a, 74b) corresponds or substantially corresponds to the height difference between the first and second extensions of the first and second drawers (20a, 20b).
3. Refrigeration appliance according to claim 1, wherein the first drawer (20a) has a pair of bearing elements (82) adapted to slidably support the first drawer (20a) at a pair of rail elements (68) formed at side walls of the refrigerating compartment (60b), and wherein the second drawer (20b) has a pair of bearing elements (82) to slidably support the second drawer (20b) at a pair of rail elements (68) formed at side walls of the refrigerating compartment (60b).
4. Refrigeration appliance according to claim 3, wherein the refrigerating compartment (6) has a plurality of pairs of rail elements (68) provided at opposing lateral sides of the refrigerating compartment (6), wherein at least three pairs of rail elements (68) are provided at different vertical levels within the refrigerating compartment (6), and wherein a first pair of rail elements (68) is provided at the vertical height of the first drawer support position (72a, 72b), a second pair of rail elements (68) is provided at the vertical height of the second drawer support position (74a, 74b), and a third pair of rail elements (68) is provided at the vertical height of the third drawer support position (76a, 76b).
5. Refrigeration appliance according to claim 3, wherein a pair of intermediate support elements (84) for slidably supporting the drawer (20a, 20b) is provided at opposing lateral sides of each of the first and second drawers (20a, 20b) between the pair of bearing elements (82) of the drawer (20a, 20b) and a pair of rail elements (68).
6. Refrigeration appliance according to claim 1, wherein the appliance further comprises an upper shelf (22a) mounted within the compartment (6), and a lower shelf (22b) mounted within the compartment (6) at a vertical position below the upper shelf (22a), wherein either A) the upper shelf (22a) is mounted in the compartment (6) at the first drawer support position (72b) and the lower shelf (22b) is mounted releasably in the compartment (6) at the second or the third drawer support position (74b, 76b), or B) the upper shelf (22a) is mounted releasably in the compartment (6) at the first or the second drawer support position (72a, 74a) and the lower shelf (22b) is mounted in the compartment (6) at the third drawer support position (76a), wherein the first drawer (20a) is adapted to be slidably supported below the upper shelf (22a) or below the lower shelf (22b), and the second drawer (20b) is adapted to be slidably supported below the upper shelf (22a) or below the lower shelf (22b), wherein the first drawer (20a) fits into the compartment space between the upper and lower shelves (22a, 22b) when A) the lower shelf (22b) is mounted in the second drawer support position (74b), or when B) the upper shelf (22a) is mounted in the second drawer support position (74a), and wherein the second drawer (20b) fits into the compartment space between the upper and lower shelves (22a, 22b) when A) the lower shelf (22b) is mounted in the third drawer support position (76b), or when B) the upper shelf (22a) is mounted in the first drawer support position (72a).
7. Refrigeration appliance according to claim 1, wherein in operation of the refrigeration appliance i) a first preservation condition is provided in an upper volume section, which is the volume section within the vertically positioned upper one of the first and second drawers (20a, 20b) and/or between the upper level of the vertically positioned upper one of the first and second drawers (20a, 20b) and the upper level of the vertically positioned lower one of the first and second drawers (20a, 20b), ii) a second preservation condition is provided in a lower volume section, which is the volume section within the vertically positioned lower one of the first and second drawers (20a, 20b) and/or below the upper level of the vertically positioned lower one of the first and second drawers (20a, 20b), and wherein the first and second preservation conditions are different to each other.
8. Refrigeration appliance according to claim 7, wherein the first and/or second preservation condition comprises one or more of the following (a) the air temperature, (b) the air humidity, and (c) absorbing components of the air affecting the preservation of foodstuffs by using an absorbing material.
9. Refrigeration appliance according to claim 7, wherein the temperature within the upper volume section is in the range of 2-4, 3-5 or 4-6 C. and/or the temperature within the lower volume section is in the range of 3 to 1, 2 to 1, 1 to 2, 0 to 3 or 1 to 4 C.
10. Refrigeration appliance according to claim 7, wherein in operation of the appliance the air humidity within the first and/or second drawer (20a, 20b) is established by at least one membrane mounted at the top of the first and/or second drawer (20a, 20b).
11. Refrigeration appliance according to claim 8, wherein the absorbing material is adapted to absorb odors and/or ethylene, in particular the absorbing material is a solid material such as oxygen and/or carbon dioxide absorbers.
12. Refrigeration appliance according to claim 8, wherein the absorbing material is arranged within the first and/or second drawer (20a, 20b), wherein in particular the absorbing material is arranged at least at one cover element or at the upper and/or lower shelf, and/or at an inner wall of the refrigerating compartment (6) surrounding the lower volume section and/or the upper volume section.
13. Refrigeration appliance according to claim 7, wherein in operation of the appliance, the difference in preservation conditions between the upper and lower volume section is established by cold air flowing towards the first and/or second drawer (20a, 20b), and/or towards the compartment space below the upper level of the vertically positioned lower one of the first and second drawers (20a, 20b) and/or towards the compartment space below the upper level of the vertically positioned upper one of the first and second drawers (20a, 20b).
14. Refrigeration appliance according to claim 7, wherein in operation of the appliance, cold air is introduced into the refrigerating compartment (6) through at least one air inlet (35) arranged at an inner wall of the refrigerating compartment (6) below the upper level of the vertically positioned lower one of the first and second drawers (20a, 20b), and wherein the difference in preservation conditions between the upper and lower volume section is established by one of the following: cold air introduced through the air inlet (35) and flowing around the drawers (20a, 20b), or cold air introduced through the air inlet (35) and flowing into the vertically positioned lower and/or upper one of the first and second drawers (20a, 20b), wherein each drawer (20a, 20b) comprises at least one recess (78a, 78b) arranged at a side wall (36a, 36b) and/or rear wall (40a, 40b) of the drawer (20a, 20b), and wherein the air inlet (35) and the recess of each drawer (78a, 78b) are configured such that the cold air introduced through the air inlet (35) is guidable through the recess (78a, 78b) of the vertically positioned lower one of the first and second drawers (20a, 20b) into the drawer (20a, 20b).
15. A method for exchanging drawers in a refrigeration appliance, in particular in a refrigeration appliance according to claim 1, wherein the refrigeration appliance comprises: a housing (4), a refrigerating compartment (6) formed within the housing (4), a slidably and releasably supported first drawer (20a) having a first vertical extension, a second slidably and releasably supported second drawer (20b) having a second vertical extension being greater than the first vertical extension of the first drawer (20a), and a first, a second and a third drawer support position (72a, 72b, 74a, 74b, 76a, 76b), wherein in vertical direction the first drawer support position (72a, 72b) is higher than the second drawer support position (74a, 74b) and the second drawer support position (74a, 74b) is higher than the third drawer support position (76a, 76b), wherein the method comprises: removing A) the first or second drawer (20a, 20b) from the first drawer support position (72b), and removing the second drawer (20b) from the second drawer support position (74b) or the first drawer (20a) from the third drawer support position (76b), or removing B) the first or second drawer (20a, 20b) from the third drawer support position (76a), and removing the second drawer (20b) from the first drawer support position (72a) or the first drawer (20a) from the second drawer support position (74a); and mounting A) the first drawer (20a) at the third drawer support position (76b) and the second drawer (20b) at the first drawer support position (72b) or the first drawer (20a) at the first drawer support position (72b) and the second drawer (20b) at the second drawer support position (74b), or mounting B) the first drawer (20a) at the second drawer support position (74a) and the second drawer (20b) at the third drawer support position (76a) or the second drawer (20b) at the first drawer support position (72a) and the first drawer (20a) at the third drawer support position (76a).
Description
[0072] Reference is made in detail to preferred embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying figures, which show:
[0073] FIG. 1 a perspective outer appearance of a fridge-freezer with an opened door and a first and a second drawer,
[0074] FIG. 2 the perspective outer appearance of the fridge-freezer of FIG. 1 with a reversed position of the first and second drawer,
[0075] FIG. 3A a front view of the fridge-freezer of FIG. 2,
[0076] FIG. 3B a sectional view of the fridge-freezer according to the intersection line B-B of FIG. 3A,
[0077] FIG. 4A a front view of the fridge-freezer of FIG. 1,
[0078] FIG. 4B a sectional view of the fridge-freezer according to the intersection line A-A of FIG. 4A,
[0079] FIG. 5 an exploded view of the arrangement of the first shelf and the first drawer,
[0080] FIG. 6 a perspective view of the first shelf and the first drawer in an assembled state
[0081] FIG. 7 an exploded view of the first shelf,
[0082] FIG. 8 an exploded view of the arrangement of the second shelf and the second drawer,
[0083] FIG. 9 a perspective view of the second shelf and the second drawer in an assembled state with a detailed view of the side wall of the second shelf,
[0084] FIG. 10 a perspective view of the second shelf with a section,
[0085] FIG. 11A a perspective view of the refrigerating compartment of the fridge-freezer without the shelves and the drawers,
[0086] FIG. 11B a detailed perspective view of region Z of FIG. 11A,
[0087] FIG. 12 a perspective view of the refrigerating compartment of FIG. 11A with the first and second shelves,
[0088] FIG. 13 a front view of the refrigerating compartment of FIG. 12,
[0089] FIG. 14 a perspective view of the refrigerating compartment of FIG. 12 with another positioning of the first and second shelves,
[0090] FIG. 15 a front view of the refrigerating compartment of FIG. 14
[0091] FIG. 16 a view of the inner side wall of the refrigerating compartment of FIG. 11A,
[0092] FIG. 17 a sectional view of the refrigerating compartment according to the intersection line C-C of FIG. 16 with the first and second drawer,
[0093] FIG. 18A a schematic front view of the refrigerating compartment with different vertical positions of the second shelf,
[0094] FIG. 18B a schematic front view of the refrigerating compartment with different vertical positions of the first shelf,
[0095] FIG. 19 a schematic front view of the refrigerating compartment with a second drawer exchange configuration,
[0096] FIG. 20 a schematic front view of the refrigerating compartment with a third drawer exchange configuration,
[0097] FIG. 21A a schematic sectional side view of the first and second drawer within the refrigerating compartment with another air inlet configuration and different positions of the drawers, and
[0098] FIG. 21B a schematic sectional side view of the first and second drawer within the refrigerating compartment with another air inlet configuration and different positions of the drawers.
[0099] In the following main embodiments are described, a first embodiment represented by FIGS. 1 to 18B using drawers and shelves, a second embodiment represented by FIG. 19 using exchangeable drawers with bearing elements and a third embodiment represented by FIG. 20 using intermediate support elements for slidably supporting the exchangeable drawers in the refrigerating compartment. The following detailed description of the construction of the fridge-freezer (optionally also configured with a refrigerator) is applicable as an example for the refrigerating and/or freezing arrangement to be combined with all the embodiments.
[0100] FIG. 1 shows a perspective outer appearance of a fridge-freezer with an opened door and a first and a second drawer. The fridge-freezer 2 comprises a housing 4 having two side walls 4a, a rear wall 4d, a top wall 4b and a bottom wall 4c. At the inside of the housing 4, a refrigerating compartment 6 is arranged above a freezer compartment 10 separated from the refrigerating compartment 6. The front of the housing 4 may be provided with a door pivotably mounted to the housing 4, in particular to a front surface of one of the two side walls 4a and/or of the top wall 4b and/or the bottom wall 4c, by e.g. door hinges 26. Preferably, the fridge-freezer 2 is provided with one door 8 for the refrigerating compartment 6 and one door 12 for the freezer compartment 10. Alternatively, the fridge-freezer 2 only comprises one door for both compartments 6, 10. Each door may comprise a door seal 14a, 14b preferably running along the entire or substantially entire outer edge of the door 8, 12 for sealing the respective compartment 6, 10 when the doors 8, 12 are closed. Preferably the refrigerant compartment 6 is formed as an (inner) liner 60 inserted into the outer body of the fridge-freezer.
[0101] The freezer compartment 10 may comprise at least one chamber 16 for storing foodstuffs in a frozen state. As shown in FIG. 1, the freezer compartment 10 comprises three separate chambers 16 arranged in vertically different levels to each other. Preferably, each chamber is designed as a slidably supported drawer, as shown in FIG. 1. The drawer 16 may have a handle 24 arranged at the front wall, preferably at the top of the front wall of the drawer. Alternatively, each chamber may comprise a flap at the front for opening and closing the chamber 16.
[0102] The refrigerating compartment 6 may comprise at least one shelf 18 mounted within an upper region 6a of the compartment 6. As shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of shelves 18, in particular three shelves 18, are mounted horizontally within the compartment 6 at vertically different levels in the upper region 6b. In addition, or as an alternative, at least two shelves slidably supporting a drawer 20a, 20b may be mounted within a lower region 6b of the compartment 6. As shown in FIG. 1, a first (upper) shelf 22a slidably supporting a first drawer 20a and a second (lower) shelf 22b (see FIG. 8) slidably supporting a second drawer 20b are arranged in the lower region 6b at vertically different levels. As shown in FIG. 1, the first drawer 20a has a vertical extension being less than the vertical extension of the second drawer 20b. Thus, the first drawer 20a has a lower volume capacity than the second drawer 20b. The lower shelf 22b is arranged below the upper shelf 22a, in particular below the bottom of the first drawer 20a and the second drawer 20b is arranged immediately above the bottom of the refrigerating compartment 6. Thus, no further storage space between the bottom of the second drawer 20b and the bottom of the refrigerant compartment 6 is left.
[0103] Preferably, in the compartment space between the upper shelf 22a and the lower shelf 22b a first preservation condition, and in the compartment space below the lower shelf 22b a second preservation condition is provided. The first and second preservation conditions may be different to each other. The preservation conditions may comprise air humidity, air temperature and/or absorbing material absorbing components of the air affecting preservation of foodstuffs by using an absorbing material absorbing e.g. oxygen or carbon dioxide. The remaining space of the compartment, i.e. above the upper shelf 22a, may be provided with a preservation condition which is different to the first and/or second preservation condition. The different preservation conditions are established by introducing cold air through an air inlet at the bottom into the refrigerating compartment 6 which is described in detail with respect to FIGS. 3B, 4B, 13 and 15. Further alternatives of introducing the cold air are also described with respect to FIGS. 21A and 21B.
[0104] Alternatively, the upper and lower shelves 22a, 22b and the drawers 20a, 20b may be arranged at the middle or upper region 6a, in particular at the middle or top of the upper region 6a, of the compartment 6. Thus, further storage space (e.g. for further shelves 18 and/or drawers) above the upper shelf 22a and/or below the bottom of the second drawer is provided.
[0105] FIG. 2 shows the perspective outer appearance of the fridge-freezer of FIG. 1 with a reversed position of the first and second drawers 20a, 20b. The reversed position of the first and second drawers 20a, 20b and the second shelf (not shown) is the only difference with respect to FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the upper shelf 22a is at the same vertical position as in FIG. 1, but the vertical position of the lower shelf 22b is changed from a higher to a lower vertical position such that the second drawer 20b fits in the compartment space between the upper shelf 22a and the lower shelf 22b. The first drawer 20a is arranged below the lower shelf 22b. In particular, the positions of the first and second drawers 20a, 20b and thus their volume capacities are exchanged. Therefore, after exchange of the drawers, the first drawer previously provided with the first preservation condition is provided with the second preservation condition, and the second drawer previously provided with the second preservation condition is provided with the first preservation condition. Thus, the exchange of the drawers allows the user to adjust the capacities according to the needs of the user. The detailed designs of the shelves 22a, 22b and the compartment 6, which enable the exchange of the drawers 20a, 20b is described in more detail in the following figures.
[0106] FIG. 3A is a front view of the fridge-freezer of FIG. 2 and FIG. 3B is a sectional view of the fridge-freezer according to the intersection line B-B of FIG. 3A. The arrangement of the drawers 20a, 20b and the upper and lower shelf 22a, 22b corresponds to the arrangement of the fridge-freezer 2 of FIG. 1. The refrigerating compartment 6 may comprise a fan 28 for circulating the air of the compartment 6. The fan 28 may be arranged at the upper region 6a of the compartment, preferably within a rear wall of the compartment 6. More preferably, the fan 28 is arranged at the top or close to the top of the rear wall, in particular arranged in the middle when considering the vertical extension of the rear wall when seen the fridge-freezer from a front view (see FIG. 3A). Alternatively, the fan 28 may be arranged at a side wall or top wall of the compartment 6. A fan cover 28a may be arranged in front of the fan 28 for covering the fan 28. The fan cover 28a is preferably mounted at the rear wall of the compartment 6.
[0107] As shown in FIG. 3B, the air within the compartment 6 is sucked out of the compartment by the fan 28 through an air outlet 30 and is further flowing through an air duct 28 arranged between the rear wall of the refrigerating compartment 6 and the rear wall 4d of the housing. The air duct 28 may extend from the top of the refrigerating compartment to the bottom of the refrigerating compartment 6. An evaporator 32 may be arranged within the air duct 28, preferably extending in a meandering shape from top to bottom of the air duct 28, for heat exchange between the air and another medium. The fridge-freezer shown in FIG. 3B comprises a refrigerating circuit in which a refrigerant is circulated between the evaporator 32, a compressor 34, an expansion device (not shown) and a condenser (not shown). As shown in FIG. 3B, the compressor 34 is arranged at the bottom of the freezer compartment 10 behind the drawers 16. The refrigerant is cooled in the condenser and the air flowing along the evaporator 32 is cooled by transferring heat from the air to the cold refrigerant. The cooled air is then reintroduced into the compartment 6 through an air inlet 35 preferably arranged at the bottom of the rear wall of the compartment. Alternatively, the air inlet 35 may be arranged at a side wall or at a bottom wall of the compartment. The air reintroduced through the air inlet 35 is then flowing from the bottom to the top of the compartment 6 and is then sucked again out of the compartment and is circulated again as described above. The air flow is also indicated in FIG. 3B by dashed arrows. The temperature of the cold air increases as it rises from bottom to top, which causes a temperature gradient. The different temperatures of the air at different vertical levels result in the first preservation condition in the first drawer 20a and the second preservation condition in the second drawer 20b as mentioned above.
[0108] FIG. 4A shows a front view of the fridge-freezer of FIG. 1 and FIG. 4B shows a sectional view of the fridge-freezer according to the intersection line A-A of FIG. 4A. The arrangement of the drawers 20a, 20b and the upper and lower shelf 22a, 22b corresponds to the arrangement of the fridge-freezer 2 of FIG. 2. Thus, the only difference between the fridge-freezer of FIGS. 4A and 4B and FIGS. 3A and 3B is the reversed position of the first and second drawers 20a, 20b and the second shelf 22b, wherein in particular the first shelf remains 20a in its position and the second shelf 22b is arranged in a vertical position being lower compared to its previous vertical position. By arranging the first drawer 20a at the bottom of the compartment 6 below the bottom of the second drawer 20b, the first drawer 20a is provided with the second preservation condition and the second drawer 20b arranged above the first drawer 20a is provided with the first preservation condition. By arranging the second drawer 20b (with higher vertical extension) in the lower or upper position, the user has the possibility to increase the capacity for storing foodstuffs in the first or second preservation condition.
[0109] FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the arrangement of the first shelf and the first drawer, FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the first shelf and the first drawer in an assembled state, and FIG. 7 is an exploded view of the first shelf.
[0110] The first shelf 22a is configured for being mounted horizontally within the compartment 6 and for slidably supporting the upper one of the first and second drawers 20a, 20b. The first shelf 22a may comprise an elongated recess 49a, 49b (see FIG. 17) on each side surface which is insertable into a pair of rail elements 68 provided at the inner side walls of the compartment 6 (see FIG. 11A). The shelf 22a may further comprise side walls 44a extending vertically at each elongated recess 49a, 49b. Each side wall 44a may be configured for slidably supporting a drawer by a drawer slide 50 mounted at each side wall 44a. In particular, the side wall 44a may comprise a horizontal mounting surface 56 at each lower end of the side wall 44a facing each other on which the drawer slides 50 are mountable. As shown in FIG. 6, the side walls 44a may also comprise locking elements 54 for locking the shelf in a horizontal position within the compartment 6. The locking elements 54 may be arranged at the lower end of the side wall 44a, preferably at the mid or substantially the mid of the lower end. The locking elements 54 may have any other position at the side walls of the first shelf 22a. The first shelf 20a can be released, for example, by pressing the locking elements 54 from the inside and can then be pulled out of the compartment 6. In a closed position of the drawer arranged below the first shelf 22a, the first shelf 22a may form the top of the drawer.
[0111] The top of the first shelf 22a may comprise a foodstuff stopper element 48 arranged at the rear of the first shelf 22a for preventing the foodstuff from touching the back wall of the compartment. The top of the first shelf 22a may further comprise a membrane element 46 which is preferably arranged at the front of the shelf. The membrane element 46 may extend along the entire or substantially entire width of the shelf 22a. The membrane element 46 is configured to adjust the amount of air circulating through the drawer arranged below the first shelf 22a and thus adjusts the humidity within the drawer. The membrane element 46 may comprise at least one membrane 46a (preferably only one membrane 46a as shown in FIG. 7), a membrane carrying element 46c (carrying grid) and a membrane cover 46b. In particular, the membrane 46a is arranged (sandwiched) between the membrane cover 46b and the carrying element 46c. Preferably, the membrane cover 46b is arranged above the membrane 46a and the carrying element 46c is arranged below the membrane 46. The carrying element 46c may be mounted at the front of the shelf. Preferably, the carrying element 46c is detachably or non-detachably mounted to the first shelf 22a by sliding into recesses provided on the first shelf 22a. When mounted, the membrane cover 46b preferably forms part of the top of the first shelf 22a.
[0112] The first drawer 20a comprises two side walls 36a, a bottom wall 38a, a front wall 42a and a rear wall 40a. Each side wall 36a of the first drawer 20a may be configured for mounting on the drawer slides 50 at the first (or second) shelf 22a. In particular, the drawer slides 50 may comprise at the back a hook-in element 50a and at the front a snap-in element 50b, wherein the top of the side walls 44a of the first drawer 20a may comprise at the rear a hook-in counter element 52a and at the front a snap-in counter element 52b for releasably mounting the drawer on the drawer slides 50.
[0113] FIG. 8 is an exploded view of the arrangement of the second shelf and the second drawer, FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the second shelf and the second drawer in an assembled state with a detailed view of the side wall of the second shelf, and FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the second shelf with a section.
[0114] The design of the second shelf 22b mainly corresponds to the design of the first shelf 22a described with respect to FIGS. 5 to 7. The second shelf 22b is configured for being mounted horizontally within the compartment 6 below the first shelf 22a and for slidably supporting the lower one of the first and second drawers 20a, 20b. The only difference to the first shelf 22a is the design of the top of the second shelf 22b and the design of the side wall 44b. The top of the second shelf 22b as shown in FIG. 5 is a flat surface forming the top of the drawer arranged below the second shelf 22b (top of first shelf 22a may comprise a membrane element). As shown in FIG. 9, the locking element 54 may be arranged at the lower end of the side wall 44b, preferably at the front of the lower end of the side wall 44b. However, the design of the first and second shelves, in particular of the top and of the side walls of the first and second shelves 22a, 22b may be different or may be equal.
[0115] The second shelf 22b may comprise a shelf cover element 49 mountable at the top of the shelf 22b. As shown in FIG. 10, the mounting surfaces 56 may comprise at least one fixing element 58 for fixing the drawer slides 50, preferably one fixing element at the front and one at the rear of the mounting surfaces 56. The features of the fixing element may also apply to the first shelf 22a.
[0116] The second drawer 20b comprises two side walls 36b, a bottom wall 38b, a front wall 42b and a rear wall 40b. Each side wall 36b of the second drawer 20b may be configured for mounting on the drawer slides 50 at the second (or first) shelf 22b. In a closed position of the drawer arranged below the second shelf 22b, the second shelf 22b may form the top of the drawer.
[0117] Each of the first and second drawers 20a, 20b may have an insulated material included in a wall preferably in the bottom wall. In addition or alternatively, the first and/or second shelf 22a, 22b may have an insulated material included in the horizontal portion (when considering the mounted state of the fridge-freezer).
[0118] FIG. 11A is a perspective view of the refrigerating compartment of the fridge-freezer without the shelves and the drawers and FIG. 11B is a detailed perspective view of region Z of FIG. 11A. The refrigerating compartment 6 comprises a top wall 60a, two side walls 60b, a bottom wall 60c and a rear wall 60d. Holding elements 66 for supporting shelves 18 as shown in FIG. 1 may be provided at the side walls 60b within the compartment 6. As shown in FIG. 11A, holding elements 66 are provided at the front of the side walls 60b and in addition snap-in elements 67 may be provided at the rear of the side walls 60b for locking the shelves 18 in its positions.
[0119] A pair of rail elements 68 may be provided at the side walls 60b of the compartment 6 for supporting the first and/or second shelves 22a, 22b. As shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B, three pairs of rail elements 68 are provided at three vertically different levels. The pairs of rail elements 68 are configured such that the first and/or second shelves 22a, 22b are insertable into the rail elements 68 with the elongated recesses 49a, 49b. Each side wall 60b of the compartment 6 may comprise a pair of recesses 70a, 70b configured for receiving the locking elements 54 of the first and/or second shelves 22a, 22b such that the shelves 22a, 22b are fixed in its positions after inserting into the respective pair of rail elements 68 within the compartment 6.
[0120] FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the refrigerating compartment of FIG. 11A with the first and second shelves and FIG. 13 is a front view of the refrigerating compartment of FIG. 12. The first shelf 22a is mounted at the uppermost pair of rail elements 68 and the second shelf 22b is mounted at the pair of rail elements 68 in the middle position. Thus, the first drawer 20a (the smaller drawer) is arrangeable between the first and second shelves 22a, 22b and the second drawer 20b (bigger drawer) is arrangeable below the second shelf 22b.
[0121] FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the refrigerating compartment of FIG. 12 with another positioning of the first and second shelves and FIG. 15 is a front view of the refrigerating compartment of FIG. 14. The first shelf 22a has the same position as the first shelf 22a in FIG. 12 (i.e. mounted at uppermost pair of rail elements 68) and the second shelf 22b is mounted at the pair of rail elements 68 in the lowest position. Thus, the second drawer 20b (bigger drawer) is arrangeable between the first and second shelves 22a, 22b and the first drawer 20a (the smaller drawer) is arrangeable below the second shelf 22b.
[0122] As shown in FIGS. 13 and 15, the air inlet 35 for introducing cold air into the refrigerating compartment 6 is arranged at the rear wall near the bottom of the compartment. In particular, the air inlet 35 is positioned such that the air is introduced below the second shelf 22b independent of whether the second shelf 22b is arranged in the middle or the lowest position (i.e. the air inlet 35 is arranged at and/or below the lowest pair of rail elements for receiving the shelves).
[0123] FIG. 16 is a view of the inner side wall of the refrigerating compartment of FIG. 11A and FIG. 17 is a sectional view of the refrigerating compartment according to the intersection line C-C of FIG. 16 with the first and second drawer. As can be seen in FIG. 17, the first shelf 22a supporting the first drawer 20a is mounted on the pair of rail elements 68 in the uppermost position, wherein the second shelf 22b supporting the second drawer 20b is mounted on the pair of rail elements 68 in the middle position. The locking elements 54 of the first shelf 22a are engaged with the recess 70a and the locking elements 54 of the second shelf 22b are engaged with the recess 70b. The drawer slides 50 for supporting the drawers 20a, 20b are arranged between the mounting surfaces 56 of each shelf 22a, 22b and the vertical extension at the side walls of each drawer.
[0124] In the following two different possibilities for exchanging the positions of the first and second drawer and the shelves are described.
[0125] FIG. 18A is a schematic front view of the refrigerating compartment with different vertical positions of the second shelf. As already described above and as shown in the previous Figures, the compartment 6 may comprise a first, a second and a third drawer support position 72b, 74b, 76b, wherein the second position 74b is vertically lower than the first position 72b and the third position 76b is vertically lower than the second position 74b. As shown on the left side in FIG. 18A, the first shelf 22a is arranged at the first vertical position 72b and the second shelf 22b is arranged at the second vertical position 74b, wherein the first drawer 20a is arranged below the first shelf 22a (provided with the first preservation condition) and the second drawer 20b is arranged below the second shelf 22b (provided with the second preservation condition). When exchanging the drawers 22a, 22b, the position of the first shelf 22a remains unchanged and the second shelf 22b is removed from the second vertical position 74b and is mounted at the third vertical position 76b. The result after the exchange of the drawers is shown on the right side of FIG. 18A. The second drawer 20b previously provided with the second preservation condition is now provided with the first preservation condition and the first drawer 20a previously provided with the first preservation condition is now provided with the second preservation condition.
[0126] FIG. 18B is a schematic front view of the refrigerating compartment with different vertical positions of the first shelf. FIG. 18B shows another possibility for exchanging the drawers different to FIG. 18A, in particular the position of the second shelf 22b remains unchanged and the exchange of the drawer is achieved by changing the position of the first shelf 22a.
[0127] The compartment 6 may comprises a first, a second and a third drawer support position 72a, 74a, 76a, wherein the second position 74a is vertically lower than the first position 72b and the third position 76a is vertically lower than the second position 74a. As shown on the left side in FIG. 18B, the first shelf 22a is arranged at the second vertical position 74a and the second shelf 22b is arranged at the third vertical position 76a, wherein the first drawer 20a is arranged below the first shelf 22a (provided with the first preservation condition) and the second drawer 20b is arranged below the second shelf 22b (provided with the second preservation condition). When exchanging the drawers 22a, 22b, the position of the second shelf 22b remains unchanged and the first shelf 22a is removed from the second vertical position 74a and is mounted at the first vertical position 72a. The result after the exchange of the drawers is shown on the right side of FIG. 18B. The second drawer 20b previously provided with the second preservation condition is now provided with the first preservation condition and the first drawer 20a previously provided with the first preservation condition is now provided with the second preservation condition.
[0128] With respect to FIGS. 18A and 18B, the air inlet 35 (not shown) is preferably provided at and/or below the second shelf 22b mounted at the third vertical positions 76a, 76b. Therefore, the first and second preservation conditions may be maintained independently of whether the first or second drawer is the lower one of the drawers.
[0129] In the embodiment described with respect to FIGS. 1 to 18, a fridge-freezer using drawers and shelves is described. In the following two alternative embodiments are described, wherein each of these embodiments is applicable as an alternative to the embodiment using drawers and shelves. Accordingly, the following embodiments can be combined with all previously described features that do not refer to the shelves.
[0130] FIG. 19 is a schematic front view of the refrigerating compartment with a second drawer exchange configuration. The first and second drawer 20a, 20b each comprises a pair of bearing elements 82 arranged at each side wall of the drawer, preferably at the top of each side wall. The bearing elements 82 may be configured to slidably support the drawer at the first, second or third vertical position on a pair of rail elements 68 within the refrigerating compartment. In particular, the bearing elements 82 may be designed as vertical extensions facing the side walls 60b of the compartment. The bottom surface of the vertical extension and the surface of the rail elements may be directly movable on each other.
[0131] Each drawer may comprise a cover element 80 arranged at the top of the drawer. The cover element 80 may be designed as a pivotable cover or as a slidable cover. The slidable cover may either be designed in one piece so that the top of the drawer can be opened and closed by sliding the one part back and forth, or it may be designed as a two-part element so that the top of the drawer can be opened and closed by sliding the two parts against each other.
[0132] FIG. 20 is a schematic front view of the refrigerating compartment with a third drawer exchange configuration. The difference to the embodiment of FIG. 19 is that a pair of intermediate support elements 84, e.g. drawer slides, may be arranged between the drawers 20a, 20b and the rail elements 68. The intermediate support elements 84 may be fixed at the drawers 20a, 20b and are mounted releasably to the rail elements 68 such that, during exchange of the drawers, the drawer and the respective intermediate support elements 84 are exchanged. Alternatively, the intermediate support elements 84 are fixed at the rail elements 68 and the drawers 20a, 20b are releasably mounted to the intermediate support elements 84. The features described with respect to the cover element 80 of FIG. 19 are also applicable to the embodiment shown in FIG. 20.
[0133] FIG. 21A is a schematic sectional side view of the first and second drawer within the refrigerating compartment with another air inlet configuration and different positions of the drawers. The difference to the air inlet configuration shown in the previous Figures, in particular in FIGS. 12 to 15, is that each drawer 20a, 20b comprises at least one recess or opening 78a, 78b which is preferably arranged at the side and/or as shown in FIG. 21A at the rear wall of each drawer. The air inlet 35 at the rear wall of the compartment 60d and the recess 78a, 78b of each drawer may be configured such that the recess of the vertically positioned lower one of the first and second drawers 20a, 20b is alignable with the air inlet 35 such that the cold air introduced through the air inlet 35 is guidable through the recess into the drawer 20a. The alignment of the recess 78a, 78b and the air inlet 35 prevents the blocking of the air inlet 35 and ensures an air supply no matter if the first or second drawer 20a, 20b is arranged in the lower vertical position. After inserting the vertically positioned lower drawer of the first and second drawers 20a, 20b, the drawer and the air inlet 35 may be e.g. so close that the air can flow through the air inlet 35 in form of a free air flow directly into the drawer, or alternatively, the air inlet 35 may be provided with an elastic seal (e.g. gasket, not shown) forming an air channel between the air inlet 35 and the recess of the drawer after insertion of the drawer. Thereby, the inside of the vertically positioned lower drawer of the first and second drawers 20a, 20b is supplied or fed with cold air through the recess 78a, 78b, wherein the vertically positioned upper drawer of the first and second drawers is cooled by the air flowing around the drawer.
[0134] Preferably, the drawers comprise slits or other small openings with a different shape arranged within the drawers, in particular at a side wall or a front wall of each drawer through which the air can exit each drawer.
[0135] FIG. 21B is a schematic sectional side view of the first and second drawer within the refrigerating compartment with another air inlet configuration and different positions of the drawers. In contrast to the air inlet configuration of FIG. 21A, the refrigerating compartment 6 may comprise at least one air inlet 35 for the upper and at least one air inlet 35 for the lower one of the first and second drawers 20a, 20b. The air inlets 35 are preferably arranged at the rear wall 60d of the refrigerating compartment. In particular, the air inlets 35 are positioned such that they are alignable with the recesses 78a, 78b of the first and second drawers 20a, 20b independently whether the first or second drawer is arranged in the upper or lower position. Thereby, the inside of both drawers 20a, 20b is supplied or fed directly with cold air through the recesses 78a, 78b. As already described with respect to the embodiment of FIG. 21A, after inserting the first and/or second drawer, the drawer and the respective air inlet 35 may be e.g. so close that the air can flow through the air inlet 35 in form of a free air flow directly into the drawer, or alternatively, the air inlet 35 may be provided with an elastic seal (e.g. gasket, not shown) forming an air channel between the air inlet 35 and the recess of the drawer after insertion of the drawer.
REFERENCE NUMERAL LIST
[0136] 2 fridge-freezer [0137] 4 housing [0138] 4a side wall [0139] 4b top wall [0140] 4c bottom wall [0141] 4d rear wall [0142] 6 refrigerating compartment [0143] 6a upper region [0144] 6b lower region [0145] 8 door of refrigerating compartment [0146] 10 freezer compartment [0147] 12 door of freezer compartment [0148] 14a, 14b door seal [0149] 16 chamber (drawer) of freezer compartment [0150] 18 shelf [0151] 20a, 20b first/second drawer of refrigerating compartment [0152] 22a, 22b first (upper)/second (lower) shelf [0153] 24 handle [0154] 26 door hinge [0155] 28 fan [0156] 28a fan cover [0157] 30 air outlet [0158] 31 air duct [0159] 32 evaporator [0160] 34 compressor [0161] 35 air inlet into refrigerating compartment [0162] 36a, 36b drawer side wall [0163] 38a, 38b drawer bottom [0164] 40a, 40b drawer rear wall [0165] 42a, 42b drawer front wall [0166] 44a, 44b side (mounting) wall [0167] 46 membrane element [0168] 46a membrane [0169] 46b membrane cover [0170] 46c membrane carrying element [0171] 48 foodstuff stopper element [0172] 49 shelf cover element [0173] 49a, 49b elongated recess [0174] 50 drawer slide [0175] 50a hook-in element of drawer slide [0176] 50b snap-in element of drawer slide [0177] 52a hook-in counter element of drawer [0178] 52b snap-in counter element of drawer [0179] 54 locking element of shelf [0180] 56 mounting surface for drawer slide [0181] 58 fixing element for fixing drawer slide to shelf [0182] 60 inner liner of refrigerating compartment [0183] 60a top wall of refrigerating compartment [0184] 60b side wall of refrigerating compartment [0185] 60c bottom wall of refrigerating compartment [0186] 60d rear wall of refrigerating compartment [0187] 66 holding element for shelf [0188] 67 snap-in element for shelf [0189] 68 rail element [0190] 70a, 70b recess for locking element of first/second shelf [0191] 72a, 72b first drawer support position (first vertical position) of first/second shelf [0192] 74a, 74b second drawer support position (second vertical position) of first/second shelf [0193] 76a, 76b third drawer support position (third vertical position) of first/second shelf [0194] 78a, 78b recess for guiding air into drawer [0195] 80 cover element [0196] 82 bearing element [0197] 84 intermediate support element
