Variable shelf apparatus and refrigerator having the same
AssigneeSamsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
InventorJae-bok LEE
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A variable shelf apparatus and a refrigerator having the same are provided. The variable shelf apparatus includes: a first shelf part; a second shelf part configured to have the first shelf part slidably coupled therewith; and a support part configured to be installed in a storage room to slidably support the first shelf part and rotatably support the second shelf part, wherein the support part is configured such that a pair of rotating protrusions protruding at both sides of the second shelf part is selectively coupled and separated between an upper surface and a lower surface of the support part.
Claims20
A variable shelf apparatus comprising:
- a first shelf part;
- a second shelf part configured to slidably couple with the first shelf part and comprising a pair of rotating protrusions protruding at both sides of the second shelf part;
- and
- a support part configured to:
- support the first shelf part to enable the first shelf part to slide, and
- support the second shelf part to enable the second shelf part to rotate, wherein:
- the support part is configured such that the pair of rotating protrusions is capable of being selectively coupled between, and being selectively separated from, an upper surface of the support part and a lower surface of the support part, and
- the support part comprises:
- a pair of rotating protrusion receiving grooves configured to be coupled with the pair of rotating protrusions to prevent the pair of rotating protrusions from being separated upward with respect to the support part when a force is applied upward with respect to the variable shelf apparatus.
A refrigerator, comprising:
- a storage room to store food items;
- a main body configured to include an inner case forming the storage room and an outer case forming an appearance of the refrigerator;
- and
- a variable shelf apparatus comprising:
- a first shelf part;
- a second shelf part configured to slidably couple with the first shelf part and comprising a pair of rotating protrusions protruding at both sides of the second shelf part;
- and
- a support part configured to be installed in the storage room to:
- support the first shelf part to enable the first shelf part to slide, and
- support the second shelf part to enable the second shelf part to rotate,
- wherein:
- the support part is configured such that the pair of rotating protrusions is capable of being selectively coupled between, and being selectively separated from, an upper surface of the support part and a lower surface of the support part, and
- the support part includes:
- a pair of rotating protrusion receiving grooves configured to be coupled with the pair of rotating protrusions to prevent the pair of rotating protrusions from being separated upward with respect to the support part when a force is applied upward with respect to the variable shelf apparatus;
- a pair of rotating protrusion guide grooves configured to guide the pair of rotating protrusions to the pair of rotating protrusion receiving grooves along a side from a lower surface of the support part;
- and
- a pair of anti-separation parts configured to:
- be elastically disposed on the pair of rotating protrusion guide grooves so that the pair of rotating protrusions is selectively coupled with and separated from the pair of rotating protrusion receiving grooves, and
- to prevent the pair of rotating protrusions from being separated forward with respect to the support part, thereby preventing the variable shelf apparatus from being separated forward from the pair of rotating protrusion receiving grooves when a force is applied upward and forward with respect to the variable shelf apparatus.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.