Patent Publication Number: US-8122734-B2

Title: Refrigerator comprising a dispensing device

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a refrigerator with a housing and a dispensing device on the front side of the housing for flowable and pourable chilled items such as in particular ice and chilled water. Such refrigerators are enjoying increasing popularity with users. 
     Refrigerators are also in demand which can be built in, i.e. their door can be fitted with a decorative panel whose design features match the fronts of adjacent furniture or equipment. In order to be able to align such a decorative panel precisely to the adjacent fronts it is usually adjustable in several spatial directions in relation to the door to which it is fitted. 
     If a dispensing device for ice or water is installed in the door of a refrigerator covered with a decorative panel the problem arises that the decorative panel must not block access to the dispensing device. If in order to provide access to the dispensing device a window is cut in the decorative panel, however, the window moves in relation to the dispensing device when the decorative panel is adjusted. If, as is usually the case, the dispensing device is installed in a recess on the front side, the recess and the window may not completely overlap, or parts of the front side may be visible between the edges of the recess and those of the window in different widths depending on the adjustment. It is therefore difficult to create a visually attractive transition between the door and the decorative panel in the area of the dispensing device. 
     A known possibility of avoiding these problems is to place the dispensing device in an area on the front side not belonging to the door and not to have any decorative panel in this area. This solution is unsatisfactory, however, because as parts of the refrigerator remain visible it does not actually constitute a built-in unit and, in addition, it leads to poor utilization of space in the refrigerator because not all of the front side of the refrigerator can be opened. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The object of the invention is to create a refrigerator with a dispensing device arranged in a recess on the front side of its housing which is suitable to be covered with a decorative panel and to create an attractive transition between the recess and the decorative panel despite the decorative panel being adjustable. 
     The object is achieved in that on a refrigerator with a housing and a dispensing device for flowable and/or pourable chilled items arranged in a recess on the front side of the housing, which is covered at least partially by an adjustable decorative panel, the recess is accessible through an opening in the decorative panel and a case which is open towards the dispensing device and the opening of the decorative panel is fastened adjustably in the recess. As the side walls of such a case conceal the side walls of the recess from view for a person standing in front of the refrigerator and the position of the case can be adjusted to match the position of the decorative panel, an attractive appearance can be ensured for the refrigerator despite the decorative panel being adjustable. 
     An adjustable fastening of the case in the recess is preferably achieved by using screws inserted in a slot made in a wall of the case which engage in a thread in a wall of the recess opposite said wall of the case. Such a slot makes it possible to adjust the case in relation to the recess in at least one spatial direction. 
     The screws are preferably inserted in the slots with play in two directions which are orthogonal to each other in order to make the case adjustable in these two directions, whereby they clamp the wall of the case preferably between said wall of the recess and a washer. 
     In order to be able to fasten the case also in various positions in relation to a direction vertical to the plane of the wall of the case through which the screw is inserted, the walls of the case and of the recess preferably run towards each other at an acute angle and a wedge is clamped between the walls. 
     To ensure that the wedge does not slip under the pressure of the screw, preferably at least one surface of the wedge and one surface of one of the walls touched by it are complementarily toothed. 
     For reasons of stability it is advantageous if the wedge exhibits a drilled hole through which one of the screws is inserted. The drilled hole can be open-edged. 
     In order to be able to position the wedge conveniently, it is also expedient if it is rail-guided on one of the walls, preferably on the wall of the case. 
     In addition, the case should exhibit an opening through which the wedge is accessible so that it can be moved when the case is placed in the recess. 
     The walls through which the screw is inserted or which exhibit the thread can be any walls of the case and of the recess but preferably are rear walls of the same because then the screws fastening the case can be handled more conveniently than, for instance, screws in the bottom walls of the case and recess. The bottom or side walls or ceilings of the recess and the case do not have to be screw-fastened, in particular if the case is supported on the opening of the decorative panel. 
     An engagement of the case in the opening of the decorative panel not only makes it possible to support the case on the decorative panel but also facilitates its adjustment to match the position of the decorative panel. 
     A gap usually present between edges of the opening on the decorative panel and the area of the case engaging in the opening can be filled by an inserted frame. 
     A frame fastened on the case by insertion in the gap or in some other way can cover an edge area of the decorative panel surrounding the opening so that the gap is not visible from the outside. 
     To make it possible to adapt to decorative panels of different thickness the frame can be composed of several rings consecutively arranged in the depth direction of the recess. 
     Control elements for the dispensing device are expediently integrated in the case. As a result, the position of the control elements is variable in relation to the dispensing device, but this does not cause any difficulties, especially if the control elements generate electrical signals for controlling the dispensing device. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Further features and advantages of the invention derive from the following description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the attached figures, which are as follows: 
         FIG. 1  is an exploded perspective view of a refrigerator with a dispensing device, a case and a decorative panel in accordance with the invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic vertical cross section through the door of the refrigerator in  FIG. 1  in the installed and adjusted condition; 
         FIG. 3  is a fragmentary perspective view of the recess and the case of the refrigerator in the installed condition; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a wedge for clamping between the recess and the case in  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 5  is an enlarged cross section through the wedge and its surrounding area; 
         FIG. 6  is a cross section analogous to  FIG. 2  in accordance with a second configuration of the invention; 
         FIG. 7  is a cross section analogous to  FIG. 2  in accordance with a third configuration of the invention; 
         FIG. 8  is an enlarged detail in accordance with a fourth configuration of the invention; and 
         FIG. 9  is the same enlarged detail in accordance with a fifth configuration of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT INVENTION 
       FIG. 1  shows a perspective view of a refrigerator such as a cabinet refrigerator, a freezer or a refrigerator-freezer combination with a body  1  and a door hinged onto the body  1  forming the entire front side of the unit. Inside the unit there is an automatic ice maker and a water tank which, as they are known per se, are not described here. A dispensing device for ice from the ice maker and water from the tank is located on the ceiling of a recess  3  which is formed centrally in door  2 . The dispensing device is not visible in  FIG. 1 . 
     The door  2  is designed to be covered with a decorative panel  5 . On its rear side not visible in the figure the decorative panel  5  is provided with fittings so that it can be suspended on door  2  vertically and adjustably in terms of the width and depth direction of the body  1 . As suitable fittings are to the person skilled in the art, they require no further description here. 
     The edge lengths of the decorative panel  5  are slightly longer than those of the door  2 . The oversize of the decorative panel  5  is selected depending on the freedom for adjustment of the decorative panel  5  in the vertical direction as well as in the width direction so that in each possible position of the decorative panel  5  the door  2  is completely covered by it. 
     The decorative panel  5  has a central cutout  6  which is located in front of the recess  3  when the decorative panel  5  is fitted to the door  2 . The edge lengths of the rectangular cutout  6  roughly match the dimensions of the recess  3  in height and width direction. 
     An adapter  7 , which e.g. can be made as a single plastic part, encloses a case  8  of rectangular cross section whose edge lengths are shorter than the corresponding dimensions of the cutout  6  or of the recess  3  by the freedom for adjustment in height and width direction of the decorative panel  5  in relation to the door  2 . 
     From the outer sides of the case  8  a rim  9  projects which serves as a stop for fastening the adapter  7 , as will be explained in more detail later. 
     The case  8  is closed by a rear wall  10  and has the purpose of accommodating a container  11  to be filled with water or ice. In the top side and the rear wall  10  of the case  8  there is a cutout  12  through which the dispensing device can fill the container  11 . 
       FIG. 2  shows a partial cross section through the door  2  and the decorative panel  5  in the area of the recess  3 . In the ceiling of the recess a spout of the dispensing device  4  can be seen through which water and ice can be filled into the container  11  (not shown in  FIG. 2 ) placed in the case  8 . The position of the adapter  7  in relation to the recess  3  is determined by the fact that the rim  9  rests against the rear side of the decorative panel  5  and a section of the case  8  projects forward beyond the rim  9  and engages in the cutout  6  of the decorative panel. The adapter  7  is fastened in this position by means of four screws  13  each of which is inserted through a slot in each corner of the rear wall  10  and a wedge  14  and engages in a thread in the rear wall of the recess  3 . 
     How the adapter  7  is fastened in the recess  3  can be seen more clearly in  FIG. 3 , which presents a fragmentary perspective view of the adapter  7  and the recess  3  accommodating the adapter. As can be seen in this drawing, the rear wall  15  of the recess  3  is arched in a horizontal cross section and has a middle section  16  which is parallel to the rear wall  10  of the adapter  7  and two side sections  17  which extend to the sides away from the rear wall  10 . The side sections  17  have a corrugated surface with numerous vertical grooves. 
     In  FIG. 3  one of the already mentioned four screws  13  is shown which is inserted through a slot  18  in the bottom right-hand corner of the rear wall  10 . There is a corresponding slot  18  in the bottom left-hand corner of the rear wall  10  and in the top corners of the rear wall  10  which are not shown in  FIG. 3 . The vertical and horizontal dimensions of the slots  18  roughly correspond to the freedom for adjustment of the decorative panel  5  in relation to the door  2  and are considerably bigger than the heads of the screws  13 . To prevent the screws from passing through the slots  18  they are each fitted with a rectangular washer  19  whose width is big enough to ensure that in each possible position of the screws  13  in their slots both ends of the washers  19  rest on the rear wall  10 . In this way the screws  13  and the slots  18  make it possible to position the adapter  7  in the recess  3  variably in the height and width direction of the body  1 . 
     Between the rear wall  10  of the adapter  7  and the side sections  16  of the rear wall of the recess  3  a wedge  14  is placed at the level of each slot  18 .  FIG. 4  shows a perspective view of one of these wedges. The wedge has a flat front side  20  facing the rear wall  10  and a rear side  21  which is corrugated complementarily to the side sections  16  so that in each case a projection of the rear side  21  of the wedge  14  can engage in a recess of the side section  16 . As a result, the wedge  14  is fastened in sideways direction when it is clamped between the rear walls  10  of the adapter  7  and  15  of the recess  3  by a screw  13 . 
     The screw  13  is inserted through a slot  22  of wedge  14  extending in horizontal direction. The size of the slot  22  in horizontal direction is bigger than that of the slot  14  in order not to restrict the adjustability of the adapter  7  in sideways direction and to permit adjustability of the wedge  14  in sideways direction in relation to both the adapter  17  and the recess  3 . 
     On the top and bottom sides of the wedge  14  in each case two narrow rims  23  are formed which are separated from each other by a notch  24 . As can be seen in the cross-sectional drawing in  FIG. 5 , these rims  23  engage in grooves facing each other on the rear side of the rear wall  10 . In order to be able to form angled profiles  25  bounding these grooves simply in one piece with the rest of the rear wall  10 , narrow horizontal slits  26  are formed in the rear wall at the level of the angled profiles  25  through which during injection molding of the adapter  7  projections of a mold protrude through the wall  10 . The slits  26  not only make it easier to mold the adapter  7  but also make it possible to position the wedges  14  between the rear walls  10 ,  15  in width direction when the adapter  7  has already been inserted in the recess  3 . All that is needed for this is to insert a tool with a tip like a screwdriver through one of the slits  26  into the notch  24  of the wedge  14  located behind it. By moving the wedges it is possible to adjust the adapter  7  in the depth direction of the body  1 . 
       FIG. 6  shows a cross section analogous to  FIG. 2  in accordance with a second configuration of the invention. The adapter  7  is fastened in the recess  3  in the same way as for the configuration in  FIG. 1 to 5  and this is not described again. The difference between the two configurations is that in the configuration shown in  FIG. 6  the cutout  6  of the decorative panel  5  is significantly bigger in vertical direction than in  FIG. 2  and that on the adapter  7  above the case  8  a plate  27  is formed to be placed flush with the front side of the decorative panel  5  on which the control and display elements such as buttons  28  to activate the dispensing of water or ice, or lights to display the functional readiness of the ice and/or water dispenser are located. An electronic module  29  attached behind the plate  27  which produces the display signals and which converts user inputs into control signals for the ice maker and/or the water dispenser is connected to the ice maker and/or water dispenser by a flexible cable  30  which is able to follow an adjustment movement of the decorative panel  5  or of the adapter  7  in relation to the door  2 . 
     A further configuration is shown in  FIG. 7  in a cross section analogous to  FIG. 2 . Once again the suspension of the adapter  7  in the recess  3  is the same as in the configurations described above. The rim  9  around the case  8  is not present in this configuration. Instead, the case  8  is surrounded by a frame  31  placed on it whose four sides are formed in each case by cross-sectionally L-shaped profiles. The frame  31  frictionally encompasses the adapter  7  and a gap  32  between the edges of the cutout  6  of the decorative panel  5  and the legs of the frame  31  engaging in the cutout  6  is concealed to the outside by the other legs of the frame  31  resting on the outside of the decorative panel  5 . This configuration makes it possible to compensate production tolerances in the dimensions of the cutout  6 . Moreover, it can be used with decorative panels  5  of different thicknesses. 
     A third configuration is explained in  FIG. 8  using an enlarged partial cross section. The figure shows a cross section through an edge area of the cutout  6  and of the case  8  of the adapter  7  which engages in the cutout  6 . In this configuration too no rim  9  is provided, so that the case  8  can be placed essentially freely in the depth direction in relation to the decorative panel  5 . Here too the case  8  is surrounded on all four sides by a frame  33  which, however, does not protrude out onto the front side of the decorative panel  5  but merely fills the gap  32  between the edge of the decorative panel and the case  8 . 
     A configuration which is well suited for use with decorative panels  5  of considerably different thickness is shown in  FIG. 9  in a cross section analogous to  FIG. 8 . Here the problem arises that if the adapter  7  does not engage deeply enough in the recess  3  it can become impossible to fill a container because the dispensing device  4  no longer hits it, but on the other hand it is desirable to be able to cover the edges of the opening  6  of the decorative panel  5 . As in  FIG. 7  a frame  34  is frictionally placed on the case  8  and an outer frame piece  35  of the frame  34  is formed or assembled as one piece from cross-sectionally L-shaped profiles which in each case exhibit an outer leg  36  resting on the outside on the decorative panel  5  and covering the gap  32  and an inner leg  37  engaging in the cutout  6 . The inner leg  37  has a tongue  38  on its inner end which engages in a groove of an extension ring  39  in a positive and frictional connection. A corresponding tongue  38  is formed on the opposite end of the extension ring  39  so that if necessary a further, identical extension ring not shown here can be placed on the extension ring  39 . According to the thickness of the decorative panel  5  as many extension rings  39  are added to the frame piece  35  as are needed to create a continuous connection between the decorative panel  5  and the case  8 .