Abstract:
A refrigerator including a tiltable storage drawer. Guide units are disposed at opposite side walls of the storage drawer and include a pair of guide rails and guide projections extending upward from the guide rails. The drawer is installed with a pair of continuous tilting ribs having portions with different inclination orientations, which enable the drawer to be tilted at two tilting angles when the drawer is pulled outward from the housing along the guide rails. The drawer in an extended state can be automatically pushed into a retracted position in the refrigerator by the motion of the refrigerator door.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims benefit and priority from Korean Patent Application No. 10-2014-0136702, filed on Oct. 10, 2014 with the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference. 
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present disclosure is related to refrigerators, and more specifically, related to refrigerator storage drawers and methods of using the same. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Typically, a refrigerator has a freezing chamber on the top and a refrigerating chamber at the bottom. At least one storage drawer, that can be pulled out from the refrigerator and pushed back in, is disposed in the freezing chamber and/or the refrigerating chamber. 
     However, as refrigerators are designed to be larger, it may become difficult for a short person (for example, a child) to conveniently slide a storage drawer in and out and access the items stored therein. A user may often unintentionally leave the drawer in a half-closed position due to the difficulty in reaching it. 
     If the drawer is not completely pushed in, the refrigerator door cannot be fully closed. This likely causes damage to the drawer, spoils the stored items, and wastes electricity. 
     SUMMARY 
     Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed toward providing a refrigerator that allows a user to conveniently access a storage drawer located in a relatively high position in the refrigerator. 
     Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed toward providing a refrigerator that allows a drawer in an extended state to be automatically pushed into a retracted position in the refrigerator by motion of the refrigerator door. 
     An exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is a refrigerator including: a housing; a door; guide units disposed on opposite side walls of the housing, and a drawer. The guide units include a pair of guide rails and guide projections extending from the guide rails, respectively. The drawer includes a pair of tilting ribs coupled to the guide projection and configured to allow the drawer to tilt at two or more tilting angles when the drawer is pulled outward from the housing along the guide rails. 
     The drawer can further include a pair of wheels that can roll on the guide rails. 
     Each of the guide projections may further include a rotatable roller coupled to the lower surface of the tilting rib. 
     The pair of wheels can be disposed at both sides of the drawer and lower than the tilting rib. 
     Each of the pair of tilting ribs may include: a first horizontal portion oriented in parallel with the bottom of the drawer, and disposed at each of the sides of the drawer so as to be higher than the pair of wheels; a second horizontal portion which is disposed at each of the sides of the drawer and oriented higher than the first horizontal portion; and an inclined portion which connects the first horizontal portion and the second horizontal portion. 
     The first horizontal portion may be disposed at a front side of the drawer sidewall, and the second horizontal portion may be disposed at a center portion of the drawer sidewall. 
     The tilting rib may further include: a first stopper disposed proximate to the front side of the drawer and formed in a shape conformal to the upper surface of the guide projection; and a second stopper disposed proximate to the rear side of the drawer and used to block further motion of the drawer when the second stopper comes into contact with the guide projection. 
     The height of the first stopper is selected such that drawer is oriented horizontally when the first stopper comes into contact with the guide projection. 
     The first stopper can have an arcuate or semi-circular shape that opens downward. 
     The second stopper may be formed in a hook shape that is curved downward. 
     The tilting rib may have at least two strength reinforcing portions formed between an upper surface and a lower surface of the tilting rib. 
     The drawer can include a plurality of groove portions formed on the bottom wall of the drawer in one direction. 
     Another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure provides a method of using a refrigerator, including: pulling a drawer from a housing; allowing a first stopper of a tilting rib formed on the drawer to be spaced apart from a guide projection of a guide unit formed on the housing; moving a first horizontal portion of the tilting rib formed on the drawer along the guide projection; moving the drawer along the guide projection from the first horizontal portion to an inclined portion so as to allow the drawer to be tilted at a first tilting angle; moving the drawer along the guide projection from the inclined portion to a second horizontal portion so as to allow the drawer to be tilted at a second tilting angle; and fixing the guide projection to a second stopper such that the drawer is no longer pulled outward. 
     The present disclosure includes a guide unit coupled to the refrigerator internal walls, and a tilting rib coupled to the guide unit such that the drawer may be tilted at least twice when pulled out, thereby allowing items to be easily put into the drawer and taken out therefrom. The sliding and tilting mechanisms advantageously provide a better user experience and enhances refrigerator durability. 
     The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments, and features described above, further aspects, embodiments, and features will become apparent by reference to the drawings and the following detailed description. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a side cross-sectional view of an exemplary refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of an exemplary drawer according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 3  illustrates an exemplary guide projection according to the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 4  illustrates the operational states of the exemplary drawer according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawing, which form a part hereof. The illustrative embodiments described in the detailed description, drawing, and claims are not meant to be limiting. Other embodiments may be utilized, and other changes may be made, without departing from the spirit or scope of the subject matter presented here. 
     Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
     Unless particularly defined otherwise, all terms used in the present specification are the same as general meanings of the terms understood by those skilled in the art, and if the terms used in the present specification conflict with general meanings of the corresponding terms, the meanings of the terms comply with the meanings defined in the present specification. 
     However, the present disclosure, which is disclosed below, is intended to merely describe the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, but is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure, and like reference numerals designate like elements throughout the specification. 
       FIG. 1  illustrates a cross-sectional side view of an exemplary refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.  FIG. 2  illustrates a perspective view of an exemplary drawer according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.  FIG. 3  illustrates an exemplary guide projection according to the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 to 3 , an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure includes a housing  100 , doors  200 , a drive unit  300 , guide units  400 , and a storage drawer  500 . The refrigerator is illustrated as a top-freezer type refrigerator, but it will be appreciated that the technical spirit of the present disclosure may also be applied to other types of refrigerators having various other configurations. 
     The housing  100  defines main frame of the refrigerator. The housing  100  may include an inner housing which may include a foam thermal insulator, and an outer housing made of metal or plastic. 
     The housing  100  has a dividing wall  110  that divides the internal space of the refrigerator into a freezing chamber  100   a  and a refrigerating chamber  100   b.    
     The door  200  may be filled with a foam thermal insulator, and may be hingedly coupled to one side of the housing  100  main frame. 
     As the internal space of the housing  100  is divided into the freezing chamber  100   a  and the refrigerating chamber  100   b , two doors  200  are mounted, e.g., the freezing chamber door  210  and the refrigerating chamber door  220 . 
     A magnet may be disposed on the door  200  or the housing  100  so that the door  200  is in air-tight contact with the housing  100  when closed. 
     The drive unit  300  controls the temperature in the housing  100 , and may be disposed on the back side of the refrigerator housing  100 . Specifically, the drive unit  300  maintains a low temperature in the refrigerator by circulation of a refrigerant through compression, condensation, expansion, and evaporation processes for example. The drive unit  300  includes a compressor  310 , a drain pan  320 , a heat exchanger  330 , a blower fan  340 , and the like. The drive unit  300  may further include a heater  350  in order to remove frost produced in the evaporation process. 
     The guide unit  400  may include a pair of guide rails  410  horizontally disposed on opposite sidewalls of the housing  100 . The guide projections  420  are located on the front sides of the pair of guide rails  410  and protrude upward. 
     More specifically, the pair of guide rails  410  are coupled to the sidewalls of the housing  100  by fastening means. Alternatively, the guide rails  410  can be integrated with the side walls of the housing  100  by injection molding. The drawer  500 , which will be described in detail below, can be pushed into the housing  100  to a retracted position and used to contain stored items. 
     An upper surface of the guide projection  420  may be round shaped to reduce friction with the guide rail when the drawer  500  moves along the rails  410 . The guide projection  420  may be fastened to the guide rail  410 , or may be formed integrally with the guide rail  410 . 
     Each guide projection  420  may further include a roller  430  disposed on the top of the guide projection  420 . The roller  430  rotates on the lower surface of the moving tilting rib  520  when the drawer slides in or out. 
     According to the present disclosure, even if a user fails to manually push the drawer completely back to the retracted position, the guide projection  420  allows the motion of the closing door to push the drawer completely inside the refrigerator. This prevents damages to the door  200  or the drawer  500 , prevents food deterioration, and reduces energy waste. 
     The drawer  500  may include a pair of wheels  510  disposed on the rear side of the drawer  500  and coupled to the guide rails  410  such that the wheels  510  move along the rails  410 . The drawer  500  further includes a pair of tilting ribs  520  disposed on opposite sidewalls of the drawer  500 . The tilting ribs  520  are coupled to and move on the top of the guide projections  420 . The tilting ribs  520  allow the drawer  500  to have at least two tilting angles when the drawer  500  is pulled out from the housing  100 . 
     More specifically, the pair of wheels  510  may be disposed on the opposite sidewalls of the drawer  500  and located lower than the tilting ribs  520 . The wheels  510  are coupled to the drawer  500  and are lower than the bottom of the drawer  500 . 
     The pair of wheels  510  may be detachably fastened to the drawer  500  so that the wheels  510  may be easily replaced when needed. To this end, couplers  530  for mounting the pair of wheels  510  may be disposed on the drawer  500 . The couplers  530  may be formed integrally with the drawer  500  when the drawer  500  is formed by injection molding. 
     Therefore, according to the present disclosure, the pair of wheels  510 , in conjunction with the rollers  430  disposed on the guide projections  420 , allow the drawer  500  to smoothly slide in-and-out from the refrigerator even when the drawer is subject to only a relatively small external force. 
     Each tilting rib  520  may include a first horizontal portion  521 , a second horizontal portion  523  and an inclined portion  522 . When the drawer  500  is in the retracted position, the first horizontal portion  521  is oriented horizontally with reference to the refrigerator and positioned higher than the pair of wheels  510 , and the second horizontal portion  523  is positioned higher than the first horizontal portion  521 . The inclined portion  522  is disposed in between the first horizontal portion  521  and the second horizontal portion  523 . 
     Here, the first horizontal portion  521  may be disposed proximate to the front side of the drawer  500 , and the second horizontal portion  523  may be disposed in the middle of the drawer  500  sidewall. The second horizontal portion  523  may be disposed proximate to the rear end of the drawer  500 . 
     Each tilting rib  520  may further include at least one inclined portion  522  enabling the drawer to tilt when pulled out. The drawer  500  may be pulled outward to any extended position as desired by the user. 
     Due to the inclined portion  522 , the drawer  500  has the natural tendency to move inward. Thus, when the door  200  is being closed while the drawer  500  is still in an extended position (e.g., the drawer is left partially in unbeknownst to a user), the drawer can slide completely into the retracted position by the momentum of the moving door  200 . 
     The tilting rib  520  may further include a first stopper  524  disposed proximate to the front side of the drawer  500  and has a shape conformal to the top of the guide projection  420 . The rib  520  may also include a second stopper  525  disposed proximate to the rear side of the drawer  500  and operable to prevent the guide projection  420  from being uncoupled from the rail. 
     The first stopper  524  may be formed in a semi-circular shape open downward, and the second stopper  525  may be formed in a hook shape that is curved downward. 
     With reference to the bottom of the drawer  500 , when the drawer is in an extended position, the front side of the first stopper  524  may be formed to be lower than the rear side of the first stopper  524  where the first horizontal portion  521  is connected. 
     With reference to the bottom of the drawer  500 , the second stopper  525  is disposed at a higher position than the first stopper  524 . Thus, the tilting rib  520  becomes increasingly higher from the front toward the back, which allows the drawer  500  to be effectively tilted when it is pulled outward. 
     The first stopper  524  or the second stopper  525  prevents the drawer  500  from being uncoupled from the housing  100 , thereby allowing the drawer  500  to be reliably pushed in and pulled out by a user. 
     The height of the first stopper  524  is designed such that the drawer  500  is in a horizontal orientation when the first stopper  524  comes in contact with the guide projection  420 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the bottom surface of the drawer  500  may have parallel grooves  540  to inhibit items (such as a bottle) stored in the drawer from moving excessively when the drawer is tilted. In  FIG. 2 , the groove portions  540  are formed perpendicular to side walls, but may also be formed in other directions in other embodiments. 
     Since the tilting rib  520  needs to support the weight of the drawer  500  and the accommodated items, at least two strength reinforcing portions  526  may be formed between the upper surface and the lower surface of the tilting rib  520  to improve durability. 
     The pair of guide rails  410  and the drawer  500  may be disposed in the refrigerating chamber  100   b  or the freezing chamber  100   a . Although a pair of guide rails  410  is illustrated, additional guide rails  410  may be used in other embodiments. 
     An exemplary process of using the drawer  500  according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below. 
       FIG. 4  illustrates various positions of the exemplary drawer  500  in use according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     Referring to  FIG. 4 , in state (a), the drawer  500  sits completely inside the refrigerator in its retracted position. In this state, the lower surface of the drawer  500  is horizontal with reference to the refrigerator; the guide projection  420  is in contact with the first stopper  524 ; and the roller  430  remains still on the guide rail  410 . 
     In state (b), the drawer  500  is pulled outward by a small distance. When the user pulls the drawer  500 , the first stopper  524  is uncoupled from the roller  430  of the guide projection  420 . By using the rollers  430  and the pair of wheels  510 , friction noise that would occur when the drawer  500  move may be advantageously reduced. Further, a user may use a reduced force to move the drawer  500 . 
     Thereafter, in state (c) the inclined portion of the tilting rib  520  is in contact with the guide projection  420  and the drawer  500  is tilted. At the transition between the inclined portion and the second horizontal portion, the guide projection  420  may be stopped, and the drawer  500  may stop sliding further unless an additional external force is applied by a user. If an intended item is disposed on the front side in the drawer  500 , the user may stop pulling the drawer  500  and remove the item. 
     Thereafter, in state (d), the second horizontal portion runs on the guide projection. Once the guide projection  420  comes into contact with the aforementioned second stopper  525 , the drawer  500  stops at its furthest permitted position. 
     It will be appreciated that the process of pushing the drawer  500  inward may be performed in a reverse order. The structures of the drawer  500  and the guide unit  400  according to the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure advantageously require relatively small external forces to slide the drawer  500  in and out of the refrigerator. Because the drawer  500  can be tilted when pulled out, a user can position the drawer to a convenient height to access. Further the drawer  500  may slide to the retracted position when pushed by the moving door  200 . 
     In summary, according to an exemplary method of using the refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the drawer  500  is pulled outward from its retracted position by the user. At this point, the first stopper  524  of the tilting rib  520  separates with the guide projection  420  of the guide unit  400 . When the drawer is pulled further, the first horizontal portion  521  of the tilting rib  520  moves on the guide projection  420 . When the inclined portion  522  comes into contact with the guide projection  420 , the drawer  500  can tilt at a first tilting angle. When the second horizontal portion  523  moves on the guide projection  420 , the drawer  500  is tilted at a second tilting angle. The guide projection  420  is blocked by the second stopper  525  such that the drawer  500  can no longer be pulled outward. 
     It will be appreciated that a process of pushing the drawer  500  inward may be performed in a reverse order. 
     From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that various embodiments of the present disclosure have been described herein for purposes of illustration, and that various modifications may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the various embodiments disclosed herein are not intended to be limiting, with the true scope and spirit being indicated by the following claims.