Abstract:
A pull-out guide of a movable element of a piece of furniture or a domestic appliance. The pull-out guide including a guide rail configured to be fixed to a body of the piece of furniture or domestic appliance; a movable element; and a slide rail configured to be connected to the movable element. The guide rail is detachably connected to a molded part, the molded part being provided on the body. A component is configured to support movement of the movable element.

Description:
[0001]    This application is a national stage of International Application PCT/EP2011/051381, filed Feb. 1, 2011, and claims benefit of and priority to German Patent Application No. 10 2010 000 279.8, filed Feb. 2, 2010, the content of which Applications are incorporated by reference herein. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY 
       [0002]    The present disclosure relates to a pull-out guide of a movable element of a piece of furniture or a domestic appliance, for example, a refrigerating appliance. The pull-out guide includes a guide rail configured to be fixed to a body of the piece of furniture or domestic appliance; a movable element; and a slide rail configured to be connected to the movable element. The guide rail is detachably connected to a molded part, the molded part being provided on the body. 
         [0003]    Generic pull-out guides for movable elements, especially drawers, are known in various embodiments. WO2010/011822 discloses a control apparatus for a pull-out guide in which a rail is movably held by rollers on a guide rail, with a damping device being provided for braking a closing movement. 
         [0004]    As in DE 202008008121 U1, a guide rail of the pull-out guide is usually fixed in a conventional pull-out guide to one or two supporting molded parts provided on the body of the domestic appliance. Frequently, components supporting a pull-out and/or retraction movement of the drawer, such as an automatic retraction device or an ejection apparatus, are mounted on the pull-out guide for supporting the operation. 
         [0005]    The use of such conventional pull-out guides is possible in many applications. In special applications, however, such as in freezers or refrigerators, these pull-out guides are less suitable for reasons of space and/or hygiene. 
         [0006]    The one or more embodiments of the present disclosure provide for a pull-out guide of a movable element of a piece of furniture or a domestic appliance which are configured to be mounted in an especially compact and hygienically compatible manner in the body of the piece of furniture or domestic appliance. 
         [0007]    Thus, as suggested above, embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a pull-out guide of a movable element of a piece of furniture or a domestic appliance. The pull-out guide includes a guide rail configured to be fixed to a body of the piece of furniture or domestic appliance; a movable element; and a slide rail configured to be connected to the movable element. The guide rail is detachably connected to a molded part, the molded part being provided on the body. A component is configured to support movement of the movable element. The component is fixed to the molded part above the slide rail perpendicularly to a pull-out direction of the pull-out guide. 
         [0008]    The component supporting the pull-out and/or retraction movement of the movable element is fastened to the molded part perpendicularly to the pull-out direction above the slide rail. 
         [0009]    By placing the component above the slide rail, the horizontal extension of the pull-out guide is reduced substantially, on the one hand, so that the width of the piece of furniture or domestic appliance can be utilized optimally for the movable elements. On the other hand, by placing the component supporting the pull-out and/or retraction movement of the movable element above the slide rail of the pull-out guide it is ensured that virtually no dirt can penetrate the component. 
         [0010]    Additional advantageous features of embodiments of the present disclosure are found herein, including the claims. 
         [0011]    In accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure, an activator arranged in the slide rail for controlling the component supporting the pull-out and/or retraction movement of the movable element engages into the component from below. Penetration of dirt into this component is, thereby, additionally effectively prevented. 
         [0012]    In accordance with a further embodiment of the of the present disclosure, the component supporting the pull-out and/or retraction movement of the movable element is covered at least from above with a protective cover. 
         [0013]    In accordance with a further embodiment of the present disclosure, the activator is integrally produced with an end stopper sealing the front face side of the slide rail. As a result, welding the activator to the slide rail is no longer required. That would be difficult in planned usage of the pull-out guide for freezers or refrigerators because these pull-out guides require an increased zinc coating for improving protection from corrosion. 
         [0014]    In accordance with a further embodiment of the present disclosure, two mutually facing spring elements are formed on the component supporting the pull-out and/or retraction movement of the movable element, which spring elements engage behind an upper end of the molded part. 
         [0015]    The movable element is configured to be arranged as pull-out shelves, apothecary pull-outs, larder-unit pull-outs or drawers. Other arrangements of the movable element are within the scope of the present disclosure. 
         [0016]    Other aspects of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following descriptions when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0017]      FIG. 1  shows a perspective view of a body of a domestic appliance arranged, for example, as a refrigerator and without showing the outside walls, in accordance with the present disclosure. 
           [0018]      FIG. 2  shows a perspective view of the body of  FIG. 1  with a drawer in an extended position. 
           [0019]      FIG. 3  shows a perspective view of an embodiment of a pull-out guide in accordance with the present disclosure, the pull-out guide being installed in the refrigerator body, in accordance with the present disclosure. 
           [0020]      FIG. 4  shows a front view of the pull-out guide of  FIG. 3 . 
           [0021]      FIG. 5  shows a perspective view of the pull-out guide of  FIG. 4  built into the body and with an installed protective cover, in accordance with the present disclosure. 
           [0022]      FIG. 6  shows a perspective exploded view of an embodiment of the pull-out guide, in accordance with the present disclosure. 
           [0023]      FIGS. 7 and 8  show perspective views of an embodiment of a pull-out guide with and without a protective cover, in accordance with the present disclosure. 
           [0024]      FIG. 9  shows a further perspective view of an embodiment of a pull-out guide from a rear perspective, in accordance with the present disclosure. 
           [0025]      FIGS. 10 and 11  show perspective views of a pull-out guide in an extended state, in accordance with the present disclosure. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0026]    In the following description, the terms such as top, bottom, left, right, front, back, for example, relate exclusively to exemplary illustrations and position of the pull-out guide and other elements as shown in the respective drawings. These terms shall not be understood as limiting, which means that these references can change through various working positions or a mirror-symmetric configuration, for example. 
         [0027]      FIGS. 1 and 2  show a domestic appliance  1 , for example, a refrigerating appliance, such as a freezer, for example. The outer insulating walls of the freezer are not shown. The appliance includes three drawers  2  in the shown embodiment. Outwardly protruding receivers  3  are formed on a body or side walls  4  of the appliance for accommodating pull-out guides  5 . 
         [0028]    As is shown in  FIGS. 3 to 11 , the pull-out guides  5  may include a guide rail  6  which is detachably fixed via two molded parts  9 ,  10  to the body  4  of the domestic appliance. A middle rail  7  is arranged in a known manner on which a slide rail  8  connected to the drawer  2  is displaceably arranged. Fixing of guide rails  6  to a single molded part  9 ,  10 , which may be provided in a wider arrangement, is within the scope of the present disclosure. 
         [0029]    The front molded part  10  is arranged, for example, in the shape of a C, with a bottom horizontal short limb of the molded part  10  supporting the guide rail  6  from below and the upper short limb of the molded part  10  being used for fixing a component  11  perpendicularly to a pull-out direction X above slide rail  8 . The component  11  supports the pull-out and/or retraction movement of the drawer  2 . For this purpose, two mutually facing spring elements  17 ,  18  are formed on a housing of the component  11 , which spring elements  17 ,  18  engage behind an upper end  20  of the molded part  10 . This is so that the upper end  20  of the molded part  10  is clamped between the main housing body and the spring elements  17 ,  18  and holds the component  11  in this way. An elevation  22  may, for example, be formed on the housing of the component  11  for aligning the component  11  by way of a fixed position. The elevation  22  protrudes into a groove  21  in the upper end  20  of the molded part  10  in the mounted state of the component  11 . 
         [0030]    The component  11  supporting the pull-out and/or retraction movement of the drawer  2  is arranged as an automatic retraction device, for example. It is within the scope of the present disclosure to provide an arrangement as an ejection apparatus or as a combination of an ejection apparatus with an automatic retraction device. In accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure, the component  11 , which supports the pull-out and/or retraction movement of the drawer  2 , can, within the scope of the present disclosure also be arranged with a damping device for damping the ejection movement or the retraction movement of the drawer  2 . 
         [0031]    An end stopper  12  is provided at the front face end of the slide rails  8  for controlling the component  11 . The end stopper  12  is provided with an integrally formed activator  13  for controlling the component  11 . The activator  13  engages into a lever of the component  11  during the tensioning of a random energy storing device of the component  11 . The lever is able to tilt to a position from a specific path of displacement in which the activator  13  can leave the lever. In this process, the lever is secured in its position and can only be moved back to its initial position again when the activator  13  comes into contact with the lever again when the slide rail  8  is pushed in and moves it from its blocking position. In a case of component  11  being arranged as an automatic retraction device, the force stored in the energy storing device of the automatic retraction device will be used to retract the slide rail  8  and, therefore, the connected drawer  2  back to its final retracted position. 
         [0032]    It is advantageous that the activator  13  engages from below into the component  11 , so that the functionality of the component  11  cannot be impaired by dirt falling into the component  11 . In order to protect openings provided on the housing of component  11  from the penetration of dirt, the component  11  is covered at least from the top, but, for example, also from the top, left and right, with a protective cover  19 , as shown in  FIG. 5 , for example. 
         [0033]    In order to lock the drawer  2  on the slide rail  8 , a protrusion  15  with a spring element  14  may, for example, be provided at the rear end of the slide rail  8 , with which a bottom outer edge of the drawer  2  can be tightly clamped. A nose  16  is provided on the upper side of the slide rail  8  for the purpose of locking the drawer edge in the front region of the slide rail  8 , which nose  16  clamps the outer edge of the drawer  2  together with a protrusion  15  protruding on the housing of the component  11  in the direction of the drawer  2 . 
         [0034]    Although the present disclosure has been described and illustrated in detail, it is to be clearly understood that this is done by way of illustration and example only and is not to be taken by way of limitation. The scope of the present disclosure is to be limited only by the terms of the appended claims.