Abstract:
A refrigerator or freezer is provided with a chilling space for receiving refrigerated or frozen products and a holder for a support tray for the products, the holder at most projecting only insignificantly beyond the wall of the chilling space.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates to a refrigerating or freezing apparatus, in particular to a refrigerator or a freezer, comprising a chilling space for the reception of the refrigerated or frozen product which can be closed by a door or lid. 
   It is customary in currently known refrigerating or freezing apparatus to provide support trays for the reception of the refrigerated or frozen product which lie on shaped ribs which extend from the oppositely disposed side walls of the chilling space. As a rule, a plurality of ribs are provided spaced apart in the vertical direction so that the support trays can be arranged at different heights in the chilling space. 
   Previously known solutions have the disadvantage, on the one hand, that due to the said ribs troublesome edges are located in the chilling space which are difficult to clean, impair the visual impression and reduce the storage space. A further disadvantage of previously known refrigerating apparatus consists of the fact that, due to the limited number of the ribs, the adjustment possibilities for the support trays are likewise limited accordingly in the vertical direction. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   It is the object of the invention to further develop a refrigerating or freezing apparatus of the initially named kind such that the fixing of support trays in the chilling space is possible without the said disadvantages. 
   This object is solved by a refrigerating apparatus having the features described herein. Provision is accordingly made for one or more means of holding a support tray to be provided in at least one of the walls of the chilling space, said means not projecting, or projecting only slightly, beyond the wall of the chilling space. In this manner, a smooth or largely smooth inner wall of the chilling space or of the interior container of the refrigerating apparatus results. Troublesome edges such as in previously known apparatus are not present. The means of holding a support tray can be cut-outs such as slots, holes and the like or also support regions such as contact surfaces onto which the support trays or holding elements of the support trays are inserted or placed. The type and design of the means of holding a support tray can generally be any desired one, provided that it is ensured that they do not project, or only project insignificantly, so that a smooth or largely smooth inner wall of the chilling space results. 
   The solution in accordance with the invention provides the possibility in a preferred aspect of the invention that the support trays, which are, for example, made as glass plates, can be removed and adjusted with respect to their height at a door opening of 90°, without cut-aways/recesses being required at the support surfaces. Due to the design of the means of holding a support tray in accordance with the invention, the support trays can reach up to the walls of the chilling space in a flush manner and thus also be used for small parts. 
   In a preferred aspect of the invention, the means of holding a support tray are cut-outs or support regions or contact surfaces. A design is particularly preferred in which the cut-outs/support regions are spaced apart from one another in the vertical direction of the chilling space. If the spacing of the cut-outs or support regions is low, a plurality of feasible adjustment possibilities results for the support trays, whereby a correspondingly high variability can be achieved. 
   The means of holding a support tray can be a cut-out, preferably a groove or a gap, which is at least sectionally throughgoing. Corresponding holding elements, on which the support trays lie, can be inserted or wedged in these. In this case, an unlimited number of adjustment possibilities in the direction of the groove or of the gap result. 
   It is particularly advantageous for at least one rail having the means to hold a support tray to be arranged in at least one of the walls of the chilling space and to be integrated into the wall of the chilling space such that it does not project, or does not substantially project, over it and preferably terminates with it in a flush manner. In this embodiment of the invention, rails are integrated preferably perpendicular or obliquely and in a flush manner into the side wall or into a groove provided there, whereby a smoother interior container or smooth walls of the chilling space result. 
   As stated above, it is of particular advantage for the rail to have cut-outs or support regions for the support trays spaced apart from one another. 
   The cut-outs spaced apart from one another can generally have any desired design. They can be circular, oval, angular or slit-shaped. Other designs are also feasible. It is also possible for the means of holding the support trays to have support regions. The latter can be made as tabs. It is, for example, conceivable for rails to be let into the walls of the refrigerating apparatus from which tabs extend which serve the reception of support trays or of holders for support trays. 
   The cross-sectional profile of the rail can essentially be as desired. For example, U-shaped, box-shaped, circular, oval profiles or also profiles which are dovetailed in cross-section can be considered. It is also conceivable for the rail not to consist of these profiles, but to have correspondingly profiled sections. It is, for example, possible for the profile to have to limbs which are arranged in a dovetailed manner with respect to one another. A parallel arrangement of the limbs is also conceivable. 
   In a further aspect of the invention, provision can accordingly be made for the rail to have two limbs which bound a region accessible from the chilling space and on whose sides facing one another cut-outs or support surfaces are arranged. The latter can be formed as tabs projecting from the limbs or by stampings located in the limbs. 
   In a further aspect of the invention, provision is made that the rail has an undercut which is integrated in the wall of the chilling space. 
   The rail can be made in one piece or of a plurality of segments preferably spaced apart from one another in the vertical direction of the chilling space. 
   It is particularly preferred for the rail to be received vertically or in a slantingly extending manner in the wall of the chilling space. In a preferred aspect of the invention, a plurality of rails are provided which are spaced apart from one another in the peripheral direction of the chilling space. It is, for example, conceivable that two rails are provided at each of the two oppositely disposed side walls of the chilling space. Embodiments are also conceivable in which one or more rails are provided at the rear wall of the chilling space. These embodiments generally apply no just to rails, but to every type of means of holding the support trays. 
   To reduce the proneness to contamination, provision can be made for the means of holding a support tray to be made as cut-outs and for cut-outs not required for support trays to be closed by plugs. 
   In a further aspect of the invention, provision can be made for the means of holding a support tray to be made as cut-outs and for a yielding or resilient material to be located in the region behind the cut-outs. This material is preferably arranged such that it closes the cut-outs at the side remote from the chilling space and yields accordingly on the insertion or introduction of holding elements of the support trays. It is, for example, conceivable to place an elastomer strip on the rear side of a rail. The design of the rail can largely be as desired in this process. This aspect of the invention makes it possible to close the cut-outs of the rail which are not required by the said yielding material and to provide a particularly appealing visual impression of the chilling space in this manner. This aspect of the invention can be used in any desired types and arrangements of cut-outs and is not limited to the cut-outs being provided in rails. 
   The yielding material is fastened in a suitable manner to a side of the rail remote from the chilling space. In this process, the fixing of the yielding material preferably takes place such that the material closes the cut-outs of the rail and ends with the front side of the rail facing the chilling space in the region of the cut-outs such that a smooth surface results in the region of cut-outs of the rail which are not needed. 
   In a further aspect of the invention, provision is made for the means of holding a support tray to be made as cut-outs and for a cover to be located in the region behind the cut-outs which can be moved into different positions. In a first position, the cover closes the cut-outs such that the cut-outs are visible from the view of the chilling space and the cover closing them is visible directly behind them. In a second position, there is a spacing between the cover and the cut-outs which is necessary to receive holding elements which serve for the fixing of a support tray. In this case, the cover is urged back by the holding element and thus exposes a space between the cut-out and the cover in which a section of a holding element is located. The said cut-outs are preferably located in the aforesaid rail. 
   In this process, provision is preferably made for the cover to be resilient such that it springs back after the removal of the holding element and again closes the cut-out. 
   The cover can per se by any desired material. Plastics or metals can e.g. be considered, preferably spring plate metal. The cover can be made in strip shape, for example. Other designs are generally also conceivable. 
   To effect or promote the moving back of the cover toward the cut-out when the holding element is removed again, provision is made in a further aspect of the invention for means to be provided which exert a force acting in the direction of the cut-out on the cover. Any desired means can be considered which are located behind the cover from the view of the chilling space such as one or more springs or also a resilient material, such as an elastomer strip, which presses the covers onto the cut-outs. 
   In a further aspect of the invention, holding elements are provided which serve to support the support trays and which cooperate, in the inserted state of the support trays, with the support trays and with the means of holding the support trays. The holding elements can have a first section which is inserted into or placed onto the means of holding a support tray made as cut-outs or as supports and a second section onto which the support tray can be placed. It is conceivable for the holding elements to be made as loose suspension parts which serve the support of the support trays. 
   It is likewise possible for the holding elements to have an adjustment mechanism by means of which the holding elements are adjustable between a first position in which the holding elements are in engagement with the means of holding a support tray and a second position in which the holding elements are not in engagement with the means of holding a support tray. A mechanism of this type has the advantage that the latch positions can be locked and unlocked, preferably with one movement. It is a particular advantage of an embodiment of this type that the positions of the support trays can be changed comfortably without them having to be removed from the chilling space and without the refrigerated product located thereon having to be removed. 
   In a further aspect of the invention, provision is made for the holding elements to be arranged at the support tray. 
   The holding elements can be made as resiliently arranged projections which, in a first position, engage into the means of holding the support trays and, in a second position, are arranged so remote from these that the projections no longer cooperate with the means of holding a support tray. It is, for example, conceivable for one or more projections to be arranged at an edge region of a support tray which are connected to the support tray by means of a resilient section, for example, via a spring metal plate. If the spring metal plate is bent back with respect to the container wall of the apparatus in the inserted state of the support tray, the support tray can be removed. In the non-actuated state of the spring metal plate, the projection arranged in the end region of the spring metal plate engages into the means of holding a support tray, whereby the support tray is correspondingly supported. It is possible for an arrangement of this type to be provided at one side or also at more than one side of the support tray. It is generally sufficient to provide an arrangement of this type at only one side of the support tray and to arrange one or more fixed projections on the other side. 
   It is likewise conceivable to provide suspension parts which have been threaded on, i.e. to displaceably arrange the holding elements by a guide. They can then remain or be locked in the desired position, for example by means of pivoting, e.g. by means of 90° folding down. The guide preferably extends parallel to the rail or such that the holding elements can be inserted into different means of holding the support trays. 
   It is also conceivable to design the holding elements as spring bolts or as spring balls which snap or latch into the means of holding a support tray at the desired positions and in this manner fix the holding elements, and thus also the support tray located thereon, at the desired position. 
   Provision is made in a further aspect of the invention for the holding elements to be made as rails which can be placed onto or plugged into the means of holding a support tray. The support trays can be placed onto these rails. Split storage plates or support trays can be used by the use of such rails. 
   In this process, a solution is particularly preferred in which the rails received in the container wall are made such that the aforesaid variants are possible without rail changes and without changes to the housing (foamed). Optionally, only changed holder elements are required. The advantage results from this that market requirements can be realized very fast. 
   The present invention makes it possible to obtain an inner container with refrigerating or freezing apparatus which is as smooth as possible without any troublesome edges. Provision is made in an advantageous aspect of the invention for the removal of the support trays, which can be made as glass plates, for example, to be removed with a 90° door opening. The support trays can be used without segment sections customary today. 
   Provided that the fastening means are arranged at rails, it is particularly preferred for them to be integrated in the side wall in a perpendicular and flush manner so that a smooth inner wall of the chilling space results. Undercuts of rails integrated in the container are preferably provided in a closed form for cleaning purposes. 
   It is particularly advantageous for as many vertical adjustment possibilities as possible to be provided for the support trays. 
   As stated above, the present invention opens up the possibility in a preferred aspect to be able to adjust the support trays comfortably without having to change anything at the housing or at the foamed portion and without the support trays having to be removed. It is, for example, conceivable to provide the support trays or glass plates with an adjustment mechanism to lock and unlock the glass plates, whereby the advantage results that the support trays can be adjusted vertically without them having to be removed from the refrigerating apparatus. It is, for example, also conceivable for the means of holding a support tray to be made as grooves which are provided, for example, in a rail and for the holding means to be made such that they are displaceable relative to the groove in a first position and are wedgeable in the groove in a second position. 
   The said rails can be manufactured in any desired shape and can be integrated into the container. Provision is preferably made for the rail to be small enough so that it does not weaken the insulation very much. 
   The material of the rails can largely be any desired one. For example, stainless steel, varnished sheet metal or plastic can be considered. 
   As stated above, the arrangement of the means of holding a support tray can largely be any desired one in the inner space. For example, three-point supports are conceivable, i.e. e.g. three rails of which one is arranged at the rear wall and two are arranged at the oppositely disposed side walls of the chilling space. It is likewise possible to provide two rails at a side wall of the chilling space and one rail at the oppositely disposed wall of the chilling space. Any desired design variants result with respect to the arrangement of the means of holding a support tray. 
   To be able to introduce the rails into the wall, provision is preferably made for preferably perpendicular grooves to be arranged at the side walls in the container. In the ideal case, the fastening is carried out by inserting the rails into the drawing die and the rails are then fixedly enclosed by means of undercuts and toothed arrangements on the drawing of the container. In this process, the toothed arrangements serve the purpose that the rails cannot fall down vertically on high load weights. 
   As stated above, it is of advantage for the upper edges of the rails to end in a flush manner with the container surface, i.e. the rails are introduced into the container side walls in a recessed manner. 
   As stated above, the rails can be made of plastic, stainless steel plate, sheet metal, varnished, as an injection extrusion part or as a profiled part. It is conceivable that the rails have a U-shaped cross-section in the widest sense (plus widened section/undercut for container fastening) and have symmetrical tapered sections at fixedly repeating intervals which form undercuts for suspension elements. The support trays are then laid, suspended or anchored at these suspension elements. 
   The tapered sections, cut-outs or support regions can be affixed at very narrow intervals, e.g. 10 mm, and thus provide an extremely high number of vertical adjustment possibilities. Different intervals are naturally also conceivable. Different intervals between the cut-outs/support regions are also possible. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Further details and advantages of the invention result from the embodiment shown in the Drawing. There are shown: 
       FIGS. 1 ,  1 A- 1 C,  2 ,  3 A- 3 B,  4 A- 4 B,  5 A- 5 B,  6 ,  7 A- 7 B,  8 ,  9 A- 9 C, and  10 A- 10 B: Figures of the rails received or to be received in the walls of the chilling space in various views and embodiments; 
       FIG. 11 : a sectional view of a support tray with a holding element having a spring bolt; 
       FIG. 12 : a sectional view through the refrigerating apparatus in accordance with the invention with a glass plate; and 
       FIGS. 13A-13D : various views of a support tray with a detail view of the holding elements. 
   

   DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     FIG. 1  shows the rail  10  which is introduced into a groove in a side wall or rear wall  50  of the chilling space of a refrigerating or freezing apparatus. The rail  10  has a substantially U-shaped profile in cross-section. Referring also now to  FIGS. 1A to 1C , undercuts or widened portions are located at the limb ends and are connected to one another such that a closed profile results. Two or more holding elements  30  are located at the support tray  20  and can be inserted into the cut-outs  40  of the rail  10 . The cut-outs  40  are formed by circular cuts in the side of the rail  10  facing the chilling space which have a fixed spacing from one another and are connected to one another by a gap. As can be seen from the sectional view in accordance with the top of  FIG. 1 , the side of the rail  10  facing the chilling space ends in a flush manner with the wall  50  of the chilling container. The reference numeral  60  designates the foamed section of the chilling container. The holding elements  30  can enclose the support trays at both sides or also only support them from below, as can likewise be seen from  FIG. 1 . 
   The holding elements  30  have a lug which is inserted into the cut-outs  40  of the rail  10  and furthermore has a contact surface for the reception of the glass plate  20 . 
     FIG. 2  shows an embodiment in which the means of holding a support tray or the glass plate  20  consist of deep-drawn recesses  70  or support regions provided therein in the container wall  50 . A rail is not necessarily provided here. By means of the holding elements  30 , the glass plate  20  lies on the contact surfaces formed in the recesses  70 . It can be removed by being pivoted out, as is indicated by the arrow in  FIG. 2 . It can also be seen from the embodiment in accordance with  FIG. 2  that the means of holding a support tray, in this case the recesses  70  or the supports formed therein, do not project inwardly beyond the wall  50  of the container. A container inner wall without projecting support ribs also results in this case. 
   A further aspect of the rail  10  is shown in  FIGS. 3A and 3B . In this case, the recesses  40  are made as stamped-out slots into which the holding elements can be inserted which hold the support trays. The rail  10  in accordance with  FIG. 3  is also introduced into the container side wall  50  or into a groove located there such that it does not project. An advantage of the rail  10  in accordance with  FIGS. 3A and 3B  consists of it being able to be realized in a technically simple manner by profiling with an additional stamping unit. 
     FIG. 4A  shows an embodiment of the rail  10  which likewise has a substantially closed U-shaped profile which is separated by a centrally extending gap on the side facing the chilling space. Stampings  80  are located approximately centrally at both sides next to the gap.  FIG. 4B  bottom shows the same profile with stampings  80 ′ at the sheet metal edge directed toward the gap. 
   An open round profile  10  can be seen from  FIG. 5B  which has stamped holes  40  into which corresponding holding elements can be inserted on which the support trays are located. Ellipsoid or oval profiles are also possible instead of the round profiles shown. As also in the embodiment in accordance with  FIG. 1 , a gap is provided at the side of the profile facing toward the chilling space which extends in the longitudinal direction and connects the cut-outs  40  to one another. The sectional view in accordance with  FIG. 5A  shows that the profile is accepted in a flush manner in the wall  50  of the container of the apparatus. 
     FIG. 6  shows a dovetailed profile. The rail  10  has sheet metal tabs  12  which serve as the glass plate support or as the support for the support trays  20 . The tabs, which are e.g. made of sheet metal are “pushed out”, as can be seen from  FIG. 6 . The tabs  12  are located at both sides of the limbs  11  of the rail facing one another. Starting from the chilling space, the limbs  11  merge into curved regions with a larger spacing, as can be seen from  FIG. 6 . The curved regions are connected at their side facing away from the limbs  11 . 
   The said supports do not have to be made of sheet metal tabs. It is likewise possible to make the Supports as stampings (“dome”). An aspect of the invention of this type can be seen from  FIG. 7A . The rail  10  in accordance with  FIG. 7  has two parallel limbs  11  which bound a space accessible from the chilling space. Projections  13 , which are made as stampings and serve as support surfaces for support trays or for holding elements supporting the support trays, are located at the sides of the limbs  11  facing one another. 
   Starting from the chilling space, the limbs  11  initially extend in parallel and then merge into curved regions with a larger spacing. The curved regions with an essentially U shape in cross-section are connected at their side facing away from the limbs  11 , as is shown in  FIG. 7B . 
     FIG. 8  shows a further profile with different principles of the latching, said profile likewise ending flush with the inner container at its side facing the cooling space. Reference numeral  50  designates the container wall. Reference symbol  60  designates the foamed portion. 
     FIG. 9A  shows a further possible embodiment of the rail  10  in a sectional view (top),  FIG. 9B  in a side view (middle representation) and  FIG. 9C  in a plan view (bottom). In its side facing toward the chilling space, the rail is planar and has a plurality of cut-outs  40  spaced apart in the longitudinal direction of the rail  10 . This side of the rail  10  terminates with the wall of the container so that a smooth inner container results. On the side remote from the chilling space, the rail  10  has two parallel limbs  11  which merge sectionally into curved sections  11 ′, as can be seen from  FIG. 9 . The curved sections  11 ′ can be spaced apart from one another in accordance with embodiment of  FIG. 9B  or can also be made continuously. The limbs  11  and the curved sections  11 ′ serve the fixing of the rail  10  in the container of the refrigerating or freezing apparatus. 
   Finally, a rail  10  can be seen from  FIGS. 10A and 10B  which has hook-shaped reception regions on which the glass plate  20  or corresponding holders can be placed. 
   The rails described above can be in communication with a yielding or resilient material  110 , as shown in  FIG. 1A , such that the material  110  closes the cut-outs of the rails not required for the holding of support trays. The resilient or yielding material  110  is arranged in the side of the rail remote from the chilling space. Provision can be made in this process for the yield material  110  to close the cut-outs such that a smooth front side of the rails toward the chilling space also results in the region of the cut-outs. 
     FIG. 11  shows an embodiment comprising a holding element which is arranged beneath a glass plate  20  and has a spring bolt  31 . In the position shown, the spring bolt  31  engages into a recess  70  in the wall  50  of the container and lies on an areal region arranged there. The bolt  31  holds the plate  20  in the desired position in this manner. If the bolt  31  is inserted, the plate can be displaced vertically until the desired position has been reached. An embodiment with a spring ball is also conceivable. The removal can take place by pivoting in the direction of the arrow, with the upper boundary of the recess being chamfered for this purpose. 
     FIG. 12  shows the inner container of the inventive refrigerating apparatus in cross-section whose walls  50  bound the chilling space. Two indentations are shown here which are spaced apart from one another, are of groove shape, extend perpendicularly and serve the reception of the rail described above. Reference numeral  20  characterizes the glass plate which is held at the rails by means of holding elements. 
     FIGS. 13A to 13D  show a support tray  20  in different views with holding element  100 ,  110  arranged thereon.  FIG. 13A , upper illustration, shows the support tray  20  in a perspective view from the front and from the top (left hand illustration) or, as seen in  FIG. 13B , from the bottom (right hand illustration). A view of the support tray is shown in  FIG. 13C , left hand illustration, in a view from behind and from below with detail  1 .  FIG. 13D , right hand illustration, shows the detail in an enlarged view. It can be recognized from the said views that the support tray  20  has holding elements  100  on one of its narrow sides which consists of projections which are in communication with spring metal sheets  102 . The spring metal sheets  102  are secured jointly to a section  104  which is in fixed communication with the support tray  20 . In their respectively other end regions directed toward the projections  100 , the spring metal sheets  102  merge into an angular section  106  to which the projection  100  is secured. This angular section  106  serves as an actuation element to bend the spring metal sheets  102  in the direction of the arrow in accordance with the detail view so that the projections  100  are moved in the direction toward the support tray  20  and away from the container wall and are removed from the means of holding a support tray in this process. In the non-actuated state in accordance with the detail view in  FIG. 13D  the projections  100  project beyond the edge region of the support tray  20  and engage, in the assembled state of the support tray  20 , into cut-outs or lie on support surfaces which are located at the container inner wall. 
   As can further be seen from  FIG. 13D , holding elements  110  are also located at the oppositely disposed narrow side of the support tray  20 . They consist, however, of fixed projections which are fastened to the support tray  20  or to its glass plate by means of a metal strip.