Household Refrigerator Comprising A Door Stop Bar For Two Doors, Connected To A Partition Wall By Means Of At Least One Connector

Abstract

A household refrigerator includes a housing containing a receiving space for food as well as a first door and a separate second door which are disposed pivotably on the housing and close a receiving opening of the receiving space. A door stop bar located outside the doors is disposed vertically in the receiving opening and is connected, on an upper end, to an upper partition wall defining the receiving opening, and on a lower end, to a lower partition wall defining the receiving opening. The doors rest on the door stop bar in the closed state. The upper end of the door stop bar is connected to the upper partition wall by a first connector including an undercut, or the lower end of the door stop bar is connected to the lower partition wall by a second connector including an undercut.

Claims

1-14. (canceled)

15. A household refrigerator, comprising: a housing forming a receiving space for food; an upper partition wall and a lower partition wall defining a receiving opening of said receiving space; a first door and a separate second door disposed pivotably on said housing, said doors closing said receiving opening; a door stop bar disposed outside said doors and disposed vertically in said receiving opening, said door stop bar having an upper end and a lower end, said doors resting on said door stop bar in a closed state; and a first connector including an undercut or a second connector including an undercut; said first connector connecting said upper end of said door stop bar to said upper partition wall or said second connector connecting said lower end of said door stop bar to said lower partition wall.

16. The household refrigerator according to claim 15, wherein: said door stop bar includes a first bar part; said first bar part has an upwardly projecting protuberance at said upper end of said door stop bar, said protuberance being engaged or inserted in an undercut in said upper partition wall, or said first bar part has a downwardly projecting protuberance at said lower end of said door stop bar, said protuberance being engaged or inserted in an undercut in said lower partition wall.

17. The household refrigerator according to claim 15, wherein: said door stop bar includes a first bar part having an upper end with an undercut at said upper end of said door stop bar or a lower end with an undercut at said lower end of said door stop bar; and said upper partition wall having a downwardly projecting protuberance being inserted in said undercut in said upper end of said first bar part or said lower partition wall having an upwardly projecting protuberance being inserted in said undercut in said lower end of said first bar part.

18. The household refrigerator according to claim 15, wherein said undercut is a blind hole.

19. The household refrigerator according to claim 15, wherein: said upper partition wall includes a receiver being separate and spaced apart from said connector, said door stop bar being inserted in said receiver; and said receiver includes at least one of: lateral receiving walls, said door stop bar bearing against said lateral receiving walls in a mounted end position and said lateral receiving walls fixing a position of said door stop bar n a width direction of the household refrigerator, or a rear receiving wall, said door stop bar bearing against said rear receiving wall in the mounted end position and said rear receiving wall fixing a position of said door stop bar rearwardly in a depth direction of the household refrigerator.

20. The household refrigerator according to claim 15, wherein: said lower partition wall includes a receiver being separate and spaced apart from said connector, said door stop bar being inserted in said receiver; and said receiver includes at least one of: lateral receiving walls, said door stop bar bearing against said lateral receiving walls in a mounted end position and fixing a position of said door stop bar in a width direction of the household refrigerator, or a rear receiving wall, said door stop bar bearing against said rear receiving wall in the mounted end position and fixing a position of said door stop bar rearwardly in a depth direction of the household refrigerator.

21. The household refrigerator according to claim 19, wherein said receiver is open toward a front of the household refrigerator.

22. The household refrigerator according to claim 20, wherein said receiver is open toward a front of the household refrigerator.

23. The household refrigerator according to claim 15, wherein said door stop bar has a multipart construction.

24. The household refrigerator according to claim 23, wherein said door stop bar includes a first bar part formed as a backing piece terminating said door stop bar toward said receiving space, and said first bar part has a trough shape defining a trough region with a trough opening facing away from said receiving space.

25. The household refrigerator according to claim 24, wherein said door stop bar includes a second bar part being separate from said first bar part, being disposed on said first bar part and covering said trough region of said first bar part.

26. The household refrigerator according to claim 25, wherein said second bar part includes a trough region, and a heating unit is disposed in said trough region of said second bar part for heating at least said door stop bar.

27. The household refrigerator according to claim 26, which further comprises a separate front face cover covering said trough region of said second bar part.

28. The household refrigerator according to claim 27, wherein said cover is a metal plate.

29. The household refrigerator according to claim 24, which further comprises a thermally insulating material or foam at least partially filling said trough region of said first bar part.

30. The household refrigerator according to claim 15, wherein: said upper partition wall has exactly one blind hole formed therein with a hole axis extending in a depth direction of the household refrigerator, a backing piece disposed in said blind hole, and a screw configured to be screwed in said blind hole for fastening said door stop bar to said upper partition wall, or said lower partition wall has exactly one blind hole formed therein with a hole axis extending in the depth direction of the household refrigerator, a backing piece disposed in said blind hole, and a screw configured to be screwed in said blind hole for fastening said door stop bar to said lower partition wall.

Description

[0028] Exemplary embodiments of the invention are described in more detail hereinafter with reference to schematic drawings, in which:

[0029] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a household refrigerator according to the invention;

[0030] FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of an internal container of the household refrigerator according to FIG. 1 with a vertical door stop bar outside the doors;

[0031] FIG. 3 shows a perspective sectional view of the embodiment and FIG. 2;

[0032] FIG. 4 shows an enlarged view of a first partial detail of FIG. 3; and

[0033] FIG. 5 shows an enlarged perspective view of a second partial detail of FIG. 3.

[0034] Elements which are the same or functionally the same are provided in the figures with the same reference characters.

[0035] In FIG. 1 a household refrigerator 1 which has a housing 2 is shown in a perspective view. A first receiving space 3 is configured in the housing 2, said receiving space being configured for receiving food. The receiving space 3 is a contiguous receiving space which, therefore, has a corresponding volume. The first receiving space 3 is defined by walls of an internal container. A receiving opening 4 is configured on the front face, said receiving opening being in the x-y plane and thus in a plane which is spanned by the width direction and the vertical direction of the household refrigerator 1, and being a contiguous receiving opening 4 and/or a loading opening which is uninterrupted in terms of surface area. The receiving opening 4 on the front face is defined by a first defining edge and/or a lower first partition wall 5, an opposing upper second partition wall 6 and/or a defining edge and in each case adjoining and opposing vertical defining edges and/or partition walls 7 and 8. The receiving opening 4 is, therefore, defined on the peripheral side and by a defining edge and in terms of surface area is a square and/or a rectangle.

[0036] The receiving space 3 is preferably a refrigerating chamber in which food may be stored, in particular at temperatures greater than freezing point, in particular between +4 C. and +10 C.

[0037] The exemplary household refrigerator 1 according to FIG. 1 also comprises a second receiving space 9 which is configured separately from the receiving space 3 and is configured in the vertical direction and thus in the vertical direction of the household refrigerator 1 below the first receiving space 3.

[0038] The further receiving space 9 is able to be closed by a single door 10 which in FIG. 1 is shown in the fully closed state. The door 10 is arranged on the housing 2 and is rotatable about a rotational axis extending in the vertical direction.

[0039] Preferably, however, the door 10 is part of a drawer which may be displaced in a linear manner in the depth direction.

[0040] The household refrigerator 1 also comprises a first door 11 and a separate second door 12 which is also arranged pivotably on the housing 2. The two doors 11 and 12 are arranged for closing the receiving space. The doors are shown in the open state in FIG. 1. By way of example, door shelves are configured on the inner faces 13 and 14 of the doors 11 and 12, only one thereof being provided with the reference character 15.

[0041] Moreover, a batten-shaped and thus also linear door bar 16 is arranged outside the doors 11 and 12. The door bar 16 is fixedly arranged on the housing 2. To this end, the door bar 16 is connected on a lower first end 17 to the first partition wall 5 and on an upper second end 18 to the upper partition wall 6. The door bar 16 is an integral component and extends in the vertical direction and thus vertically above an extent which corresponds to the clear width between the partition walls 5 and 6. The door bar divides the receiving opening 4 into two surface areas, in particular of the same size.

[0042] An internal container 19 which with its walls defines the receiving space 3 and which on the front face has a loading opening, which is formed by the receiving opening 4, is also shown.

[0043] In FIG. 1 it may also be identified in the view that the vertical door stop bar 16 divides the receiving opening 4 in the width direction and thus in the x-direction, which means that the door stop bar 16 is arranged, in particular, centrally in the width direction.

[0044] In particular, it is provided that the lower partition wall 5 and the upper partition wall 6 are integrated in the internal container 19 and thus define portions of a top wall and/or a bottom wall on the front face which define the receiving space 3. The internal container 19 also has further vertical side walls, not identified further for the purposes of clarity, and a rear wall which also define the receiving space 3.

[0045] In FIG. 2 the internal container 19 is shown in a perspective view and the vertical door stop bar 16 outside the doors is shown in the fastened state.

[0046] In FIG. 3, the component arrangement according to FIG. 2 is shown in a perspective sectional view along the cutting line III-III. As may be identified in the enlarged view of the region I of FIG. 3 in FIG. 4, the door stop bar 16 is designed as a multipart component and is made up of a plurality of separate bar parts.

[0047] As may be identified in the view in FIG. 4, the door stop bar 16 is configured with a first bar part 20 which is designed integrally from plastic. This first bar part 20 has a trough region 21 which is remote from the receiving space 3 and thus is open toward the front and/or on the front face and thus has a trough opening 22. In the mounted end state, a thermally insulating material, in particular an insulating foam 23, is contained in this trough region 21.

[0048] This first bar part 20 on an upper top wall 24 has a raised upwardly projecting protuberance 25 which is thus oriented vertically upwardly. This protuberance 25 engages in an undercut 26 which is configured as a blind hole and is configured integrally in the upper partition wall 6. As a result, a connector 27 is configured between the door stop bar 16, in particular the first bar part 20 and the upper partition wall 6.

[0049] Moreover, the upper partition wall 6 has a receiver 28 which is separate and spaced apart from this connector 27. The door stop bar 16 is also inserted and arranged in this receiver 28 so as to be embedded therein with its upper end 18.

[0050] The receiver 28 is defined to the rear by a rear receiving wall 29. The receiver is defined upwardly by an upper receiving wall 30. In the width direction and thus in the x-direction the receiver is defined by a lateral receiving wall 31.

[0051] By this receiver 28 a positional adjustment is also provided so that the door stop bar 16 is retained in the width direction and thus in the x-direction in a positionally accurate manner and in the depth direction is correspondingly retained to the rear and does not penetrate too far. As a result, the vertical positional accuracy is improved, in particular also in the case of an operative connection with the connector 27.

[0052] As may also be identified in FIG. 4, the door stop bar 16 comprises a separate second bar part 32. This second bar part 32 is connected to the first bar part 20 and is arranged on the first bar part 20 on the front face. The second bar part 32 preferably extends over the entire height of the first bar part 20. The second bar part 32 also comprises a trough region 33 which entirely covers the trough region 21 of the first bar part 20 on the front face.

[0053] A further functional component of the household refrigerator 1 is arranged in the trough region 33 of the second bar part 32. In particular, it is provided that a heating unit 34 is arranged in this trough region 33.

[0054] Moreover, the door stop bar 16 comprises a cover plate 42 shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 (which is transparent for illustrative purposes) which represents a third separate component of the door stop bar 16. By means of this cover plate 42, which in particular is a metal plate, the trough region 33 is covered on the front face. The cover plate 42 is preferably flush on the front face with the laterally adjacent walls of the second bar part 32 as shown in FIG. 4.

[0055] It is provided that only this one protuberance 25 and only this one undercut 26 are formed according to the view in FIG. 4.

[0056] Moreover, in FIG. 4 a stop on the front face is configured integrally in the top wall 24. This stop is S-shaped and, in particular, configured as a flange 43. This stop may be used to mount the door stop bar 16: thus, relative to a plane which encompasses the receiving opening 4 of the internal container 19, the door stop bar 16 may be positioned obliquely with the stop against the rear receiving wall 29 and then pivoted into the plane. During this pivoting procedure, the protuberance 25 engages in the undercut 26. After the pivoting procedure, the door stop bar 16 may be screwed on at its lower end portion.

[0057] In the view according to FIG. 5 the enlarged view of the detail II in FIG. 3 is shown. Here it may also be identified that a receiver 35 which is open to the front is configured in the lower partition wall 5, said receiver comprising a lower receiving wall 36, a rear receiving wall 37 and a lateral receiving wall 38. Relative to the lateral receiving wall 38, as is the case of the receiver 28 which is open toward the front in the upper region, a further corresponding lateral receiving wall is also arranged on the opposing side in the width direction so that a positional accuracy and retention in the width direction is provided on both sides in the x-direction.

[0058] Also according to the view in FIG. 5, the door stop bar 16 in the lower region is arranged so as to be recessed and/or embedded in this further receiver 35. In particular, the second bar part 32 is arranged so as not to protrude toward the front beyond this receiver 28 and the receiver 35.

[0059] As may also be identified, this receiver 35 has an integrally formed blind hole 39. In particular, a backing piece 40 is able to be inserted therein. Both the first bar part 20 and the second bar part 33 in each case have a through-hole 41, a screw being able to be inserted through said through-hole and screwed to the backing piece. The hole axis in this case is oriented in the depth direction and thus in the z-direction, so that the screw is oriented in this depth direction when it is fastened. It is also provided that just one screw is present here. The entire door stop bar 16 is thus fastened and aligned by the one connector 27 in the upper region and the one screw connection in the lower region and, in particular, additionally positioned and secured in terms of position by the receivers 28 and 35.

[0060] It may also be provided that the connector 27 is configured in the lower region and the screw connection is configured in the upper region. This would then be a reverse embodiment relative to the description of FIG. 4 and FIG. 5.

LIST OF REFERENCE CHARACTERS

[0061] 1 Household refrigerator [0062] 2 Housing [0063] 3 Receiving space [0064] 4 Receiving opening [0065] 5 Lower partition wall [0066] 6 Upper partition wall [0067] 7 Partition wall [0068] 8 Partition wall [0069] 9 Receiving space [0070] 10 Door [0071] 11 Door [0072] 12 Door [0073] 13 Inner face [0074] 14 Inner face [0075] 15 Door shelf [0076] 16 Door stop bar [0077] 17 Lower end [0078] 18 Upper end [0079] 19 Internal container [0080] 20 Bar part [0081] 21 Trough region [0082] 22 Trough opening [0083] 23 Insulating foam [0084] 24 Upper top wall [0085] 25 Protuberance [0086] 26 Undercut [0087] 27 Connector [0088] 28 Receiver [0089] 29 Rear receiving wall [0090] 30 Upper receiving wall [0091] 31 Lateral receiving wall [0092] 32 Bar part [0093] 33 Trough region [0094] 34Heating unit [0095] 35 Receiver [0096] 36 Lower receiving wall [0097] 37 Rear receiving wall [0098] 38 Lateral receiving wall [0099] 39Blind hole [0100] 40 Backing piece [0101] 41 Through-hole [0102] 42 Cover [0103] 43 Flange