US 7,726,753 B2Granted

Drawer container device for an electric household appliance, in particular for the fresh food compartment of a refrigerator or freezer

AssigneeITW Industrial Components S.R.L.

InventorAlberto Bassi

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Abstract

A drawer container device that can be inserted in a refrigerated cell to define a separate compartment, including at least a shelf provided with mating elements with the respective side walls of the refrigerated cell in a first position such as to define, immediately below the shelf, a first predetermined volume and at least one cup-shaped drawer delimited by at least one side wall placed transversely to the shelf and located in a position beneath the shelf with its concavity facing the latter, the shelf being selectively moveable between the first position and a second position located at a different height from the first and in which the shelf delimits a second predetermined volume beneath itself; the side wall of the drawer being defined by a pair of adjacent elements sliding relative to each other and placed parallel to and at least partially facing each other; regulating elements of the pin-and-groove type being interposed between the relatively sliding elements to selectively position them such that the side wall substantially occupies the entire height of the first and second predetermined volumes; in this way, the volume of the compartment can be varied by simply lifting the side wall of the drawer and the above shelf.

Claims23

Dependent claims

A drawer container device for defining a plurality of predetermined volumes in an appliance, said device comprising:

at least a pair of opposite side walls attached to a base thereof, wherein each of said side walls comprises:
a support wall element;
an inner wall element supported on the base and disposed parallel to the support wall element;
an outer wall element, slidably moveable relative to the inner wall element, the support wall element and to the base, said outer wall element is sandwiched between said inner and support wall elements, said inner, outer and support wall elements are transversely located relative to the base;
a first adjustment element set only between and connecting respective opposite lateral sides of the outer wall element and the inner wall element for selectively and vertically displacing the outer wall element between at least one first position and one second position relative to the inner wall element,
wherein said first adjustment element comprises
a pin disposed on the lateral side of any one of the inner wall element and the outer wall element, said lateral side having a longitudinal groove for moveably retaining the pin therein;
and
a closed retaining groove provided on the lateral side of the other of the inner wall element and the outer wall element, said closed retaining groove having at least two blocking positions, arranged at different heights corresponding to said first and second positions, respectively, and engaged with a portion of the pin extending from the longitudinal groove to moveably retain the pin in said closed retaining groove, wherein
while selectively displacing the outer wall element between the first and second positions, said pin moves relative to both said grooves.

7 more elements

An appliance, comprising:

a cell having on side walls thereof supporting guides arranged at predetermined distances from a bottom of the cell;
at least one shelf;
at least one drawer container having at least a pair of opposite side walls attached to a base thereof;
at least a first device for positioning said shelf at different heights within said cell of said appliance;
and
at least a second device for positioning said side walls of the drawer container at different heights within said cell of said appliance,
wherein said first device comprises:
a first coupling element having opposite first side and second side, said first side slidably engaged with one of the supporting guides in the cell;
a first adjusting element coupled to the second side of said first coupling element while being moveable vertically with respect to the first coupling element, said first adjusting element holding a respective one of lateral sides of the shelf;
and
at least a first pin which is slidably mounted inside an elongated slot located on the second side of the first coupling element and extends outward from said slot;
wherein
said first adjusting element has a first retaining groove having a plurality of blocking structures corresponding to a plurality of relative vertical positions between the first adjusting element and the first coupling element;
each said side wall of the drawer container comprises:
a support wall element,
an inner wall element supported on the base and disposed parallel to the support wall element,
an outer wall element slidably moveable relative to the inner wall element, the support wall element and to the base, said inner wall element is adjacent to said outer wall element and said outer, inner and support wall elements are transversely located relative to the base;
and said second device comprises:
a second adjusting element set only between and connecting respective opposite lateral sides of the outer wall element and the inner wall element for selectively and vertically displacing the outer wall element between at least one first position and one second position relative to the inner wall element,
wherein said second adjusting element comprises
a second pin disposed on the lateral side of any one of the inner wall element and the outer wall element, said lateral side having a longitudinal groove for moveably retaining the second pin therein;
and
a second retaining groove provided on the lateral side of the other of the inner wall element and the outer wall element, said retaining groove having at least two blocking positions, arranged at different heights corresponding to said first and second positions, respectively, and engaged with a portion of the second pin extending from the longitudinal groove to moveably retain the second pin in said second retaining groove,
wherein
while selectively displacing the outer wall element between the first and second positions, said second pin moves relative to both said longitudinal groove and said second retaining groove;
and
said inner and outer wall elements are always connected by said second pin.

24 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.