DOMESTIC APPLIANCE DEVICE

Abstract

A domestic appliance device, in particular a domestic refrigerator device, includes at least one storage unit and at least one holding unit that is provided to hold the storage unit in at least one operating state in which the storage unit is located completely in an appliance body. The aim of the invention is to advantageously hold storage units of a domestic appliance. This is achieved in that the holding unit is provided at most in an edge region of the storage unit in the operating state in order to hold the storage unit. The extension of the edge region in at least one direction perpendicular to a direction of a torque that occurs during holding corresponds maximally or at most to 30% of the extension of the storage unit along that direction. A method for holding a storage unit is also provided.

Claims

1-15. (canceled)

16. A domestic appliance device or domestic refrigeration appliance device, comprising: an appliance body; at least one storage unit having an extension and having an edge region with an extension; at least one holding unit holding said at least one storage unit at most in said edge region and entirety within said appliance body in at least one operating state; said holding of said at least one storage unit by said at least one holding unit resulting in a torque defining a direction of said torque; and said extension of said edge region corresponding in at least one direction perpendicular to said direction of said torque to at most 30% of said extension of said at least one storage unit along said at least one direction perpendicular to said direction of said torque.

17. The domestic appliance device according to claim 16, wherein said at least one holding unit is disposed in said appliance body.

18. The domestic appliance device according to claim 17, wherein said appliance body has a rear region, and said at least one holding unit is disposed in said rear region.

19. The domestic appliance device according to claim 16, wherein said at least one holding unit has at least one holding profile with at least one holding recess, and at least part of said edge region is insertable into said at least one holding recess.

20. The domestic appliance device according to claim 19, wherein said at least one holding profile has at least one upper holding element and at least one lower holding element at least partially delimiting said holding recess, and said at least one lower holding element has a greater extension along said at least one direction perpendicular to said direction of said torque than said at least one upper holding element.

21. The domestic appliance device according to claim 19, wherein said at least one holding recess has a main extension direction running at least substantially in a horizontal direction.

22. The domestic appliance device according to claim 19, wherein said at least one holding unit has a main extension direction, and said at least one holding recess has a main extension direction running at least substantially parallel to said main extension direction of said at least one holding unit.

23. The domestic appliance device according to claim 19, wherein said at least one holding unit has an extension with a main extension direction, and said at least one holding profile extends over at least a majority of said extension of said at least one holding unit.

24. The domestic appliance device according to claim 16, wherein said at least one storage unit has a shelf.

25. The domestic appliance device according to claim 24, wherein said shelf is at least one of at least partially transparent and frameless or at least partially translucent and frameless.

26. The domestic appliance device according to claim 16, wherein said at least one holding unit has at least one light source for coupling light into said storage unit at least at one point on said edge region.

27. The domestic appliance device according to claim 26, wherein said storage unit has at least one diffusion center for coupling out at least some of the light coupled into said storage unit.

28. A domestic appliance or domestic refrigeration appliance, comprising a domestic appliance device according to claim 16.

29. A holding unit for the domestic appliance device according to claim 16.

30. A method for assembling a domestic appliance device or a domestic refrigeration appliance device, the method comprising the following steps: providing at least one storage unit having an extension and an edge region; placing the at least one storage unit entirely within an appliance body; holding at most the edge region of the at least one storage unit in at least one operating state resulting in a torque having a direction; and providing the edge region with an extension corresponding in at least one direction perpendicular to the direction of the torque to at most 30% of the extension of the at least one storage unit along the direction perpendicular to the direction of the torque.

31. The method according to claim 30, which further comprises using at least one holding unit to hold the at least one storage unit.

Description

[0025] Further advantages will emerge from the description of the drawings which follows. The drawing shows exemplary embodiments of the invention. The drawing, description and claims contain numerous features in combination. The person skilled in the art will expediently also consider the features individually and combine them in useful further combinations.

[0026] FIG. 1 shows a schematic front view of a domestic refrigeration appliance with a domestic appliance device,

[0027] FIG. 2 shows a perspective sectional view along a plane II in FIG. 1 of a domestic appliance device with a storage unit and a holding unit, which holds the storage unit along one side in an edge region,

[0028] FIG. 3 shows a perspective sectional view along a plane III in FIG. 1 of the domestic appliance device,

[0029] FIG. 4 shows a perspective sectional view along a plane III in FIG. 1 of a further domestic appliance device with a holding unit with a light source and with a storage unit with an engraved logo,

[0030] FIG. 5 shows a perspective sectional view along a plane III in FIG. 1 of a further domestic appliance device with a further alternative holding unit.

[0031] FIG. 1 shows a schematic front view of a domestic appliance 36a configured as a domestic refrigeration appliance. The domestic appliance is configured as a refrigerator. The domestic appliance 36a comprises a domestic appliance device. In the present instance the domestic appliance device is provided to store food and chilled goods in a chilled manner. The domestic appliance device has an appliance carcass 14a with side walls 42a, 44a and a rear wall 38a, which defines an inner chamber 40a.

[0032] FIG. 2 shows a perspective sectional view along a plane II in FIG. 1. The domestic appliance device has a storage unit 10a and a holding unit 12a, which in an assembled state holds the storage unit 10a in an edge region 16a. In the present instance the holding unit 12a is arranged on a rear wall 38a of the appliance carcass 14a in the inner chamber 40a. In the assembled state the storage unit 10a is present in its entirety in the inner chamber 40a. In the present instance the storage unit 10a has a shelf 28a. When the storage unit 10a is held, a torque 62a results, which acts at least substantially parallel to a main extension direction of the holding unit 12a. The edge region 16a extends in at least one direction 18a perpendicular to the torque over maximum 30% of the length of the storage unit 10a in said direction 18a. In the present instance the direction 18a runs parallel to a side edge of the shelf 28a. Also in the present instance the extension of the edge region 16a in the direction 18a is around 6% of the extension of the storage unit 10a in said direction 18a.

[0033] FIG. 3 shows a perspective sectional view along a plane III in FIG. 1. In the present instance the holding unit 12a is fastened to two vertical rails 46a, 48a of the domestic appliance device, which can at least partially absorb the force of gravity of the storage unit 10a and/or the torque 62a resulting in the edge region 16a during holding. In the present instance the rails 46a, 48a are connected to the rear wall 38a of the appliance carcass 14a. The height of the holding unit 12a can be adjusted along the rails 46a, 48a.

[0034] The holding unit 12a has a holding profile 20a with a holding recess 22a, into which at least part of the edge region 16a can be inserted. In the present instance the holding profile 20a has an at least substantially constant cross section along its main extension direction. The holding profile 20a also extends over at least a majority of the length of the holding unit 12a. The holding recess 22a has an upper holding element 24a and a lower holding element 26a, which at least partially delimit the holding recess 22a. The lower holding element 26a has a greater extension along the direction 18a than the upper holding element 24a. The holding recess 22a here extends at least substantially in a horizontal direction, parallel to a substrate (not shown), on which the domestic appliance 36a is positioned. The holding recess 22a also runs at least substantially parallel to a main extension direction of the holding unit. In the present instance the holding elements 24a, 26a are configured as walls, which define a groove 64a. In at least one region the groove 64a follows the shape of the edge region 16a so that in an inserted state the storage unit 10a is connected to the holding unit 12a with a form fit. The storage unit 10a here rests on the lower holding element 26a, which is longer in the direction 18a, and is braced from above by the upper holding element 24a, which is shorter in the direction 18a.

[0035] The shelf 28a can be at least at least partially transparent and frameless and/or translucent and frameless. In the present instance the shelf 28a is configured as a frameless glass plate. The shelf 28a can however also be configured for example as a frameless shelf made of a suitable clear plastic (not shown).

[0036] FIG. 4 shows a further exemplary embodiment of the invention. The following descriptions are limited substantially to the differences between the exemplary embodiments, it being possible to refer to the description of the exemplary embodiment in FIGS. 1 to 3 for identical components, features and functions. To distinguish between the exemplary embodiments the letter a in the reference characters of the exemplary embodiment in FIGS. 1 to 3 is replaced by the letter b in the reference characters of the exemplary embodiment in FIG. 4. It is possible in principle also to refer to the drawings and/or the description of the exemplary embodiment in FIGS. 1 to 3 for identically referenced components, in particular for components with identical reference characters.

[0037] FIG. 4 shows a vertical section through the domestic appliance 36b with a domestic appliance device. A holding unit 12b has a light source 30b. The light source 30b is provided to couple light into a storage unit 10b with a shelf 28b at at least one point 32b on an edge region 16b. In the present instance the light source 30b has an LED strip, which is arranged in a holding recess 22b and runs along the main extension direction of a holding profile 20b. When the light source 30b is operating, light is coupled into the storage unit 10b through a rear edge 60b of the storage unit 10b. In the present instance light is coupled in through the edge of the shelf 28b and diffused in the shelf 28b at least substantially in a horizontal direction, as coupled in light is reflected back off the sides of the shelf 28b primarily into the shelf 28b in the manner of a light guide due to the material of the shelf 28b having a higher refractive index than the refractive index of its surroundings, in particular air. The light source 30b can be activated or deactivated by a user and/or the holding unit 12b can have a sensor (not shown), which can recognize whether the storage unit 10b is inserted into the holding unit 12b, so the corresponding light source 30b is activated or deactivated automatically according to what has been recognized. The light source 30b is also deactivated when a door (not shown) of the domestic appliance 36b is closed and switched to an activatable state when the door is opened.

[0038] The storage unit 10b has at least one diffusion center 34b. The diffusion center 34b is provided to couple out at least some of the light coupled into the storage unit 10b, in particular visible light, ultraviolet light and/or light from the near infrared. The structure of the material of the storage unit 10b in the region of the diffusion center 34b causes light guided through the storage unit 10b to be coupled out preferably in the region of the diffusion center 34b, in other words to be diffused out of the storage unit 10b into the surroundings. In the present instance the shelf 28b has a first diffusion center 34b, which is configured as a sub-surface engraving on the shelf 28b in the form of a company logo, being lit by the coupled out light. Also in the present instance a front edge 54b and side edges 56b, 58b are further diffusion centers so that light coupled in at the point on the edge region 32b is also coupled out at said edges 54b, 56b, 58b, lighting up the edges 54b, 56b, 58b.

[0039] FIG. 5 shows a further exemplary embodiment of the invention. The following descriptions are limited substantially to the differences between the exemplary embodiments, it being possible to refer to the description of the exemplary embodiments in FIGS. 1 to 4 for identical components, features and functions. To distinguish between the exemplary embodiments the letter a or b in the reference characters of the exemplary embodiments in FIGS. 1 to 4 is replaced by the letter c in the reference characters of the exemplary embodiment in FIG. 5. It is possible in principle also to refer to the drawings and/or the description of the exemplary embodiments in FIGS. 1 to 4 for identically referenced components, in particular for components with identical reference characters.

[0040] FIG. 5 shows a perspective sectional view along a plane III in FIG. 1 of a further domestic appliance 36c with a domestic appliance device. A holding unit 12c has a first holding part 50c and a second holding part 52c. In the present instance the holding part 50c and the holding part 52c have at least substantially identical cross sections and hold a storage unit 10c at opposing sides of an edge region 16c. The holding parts 50c, 52c here are fastened in such a manner that their height can be adjusted with rails 46c, 48c arranged on a rear wall 38c of an appliance carcass 14c. Alternatively it would also be possible for a holding unit to have two holding parts, which are arranged on opposing side walls of an appliance carcass and hold the storage unit in an edge region as in above edge regions (not shown).

REFERENCE CHARACTERS

[0041] 10 Storage unit [0042] 12 Holding unit [0043] 14 Appliance carcass [0044] 16 Edge region [0045] 18 Direction [0046] 20 Holding profile [0047] 22 Holding recess [0048] 24 Holding element [0049] 26 Holding element [0050] 28 Shelf [0051] 30 Light source [0052] 32 Point on edge region [0053] 34 Diffusion center [0054] 36 Domestic appliance [0055] 38 Rear wall [0056] 40 Inner chamber [0057] 42 Side wall [0058] 44 Side wall [0059] 46 Rail [0060] 48 Rail [0061] 50 Holding part [0062] 52 Holding part [0063] 54 Edge [0064] 56 Edge [0065] 58 Edge [0066] 60 Edge [0067] 62 Torque [0068] 64 Groove