Patent Publication Number: US-2005122017-A1

Title: Keeping apparatus for refrigerator

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of the Invention  
      The present invention relates to a keeping apparatus for a refrigerator, and more particularly, to a keeping apparatus for a refrigerator capable of more easily keeping bottles and of improving convenience of keeping.  
      2. Discussion of the Related Art  
      In general, a refrigerator is divided into a freezing chamber and a chilling chamber. Foods that must be kept frozen are kept in the freezing chamber and foods that must be kept chilled are kept in the chilling chamber. Recently, various refrigerators having specific functions such as wine refrigerators, cosmetic refrigerators, and kimchi refrigerators have been developed. Such functional refrigerators have only chilling chambers in some cases and have no keeping apparatuses in doors in some cases. The keeping apparatuses of refrigerators according to the present invention can be widely applied to various kinds of refrigerators.  
      According as life environments have become various, wine racks capable of keeping wine bottles are provided in the refrigerators that have recently been forwarded. GB2158705 is taken as an example and is illustrated in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . Referring to the accompanying figures, the keeping apparatus that is illustrated therein is of trapezoidal configuration having longer and shorter parallel edges  1  and  2  whose lengths are respectively 245 mms and 220 mms and also two opposite side ribs  3  that are gently convergent from the longer edge  1  to the relatively parallel shorter edge  2 , each side rib  3  having the length of 190 mms.  
      Between the side ribs  3 , first ribs  4  separated from each other by a distance and second ribs  5  orthogonal to the first ribs  4  are integrated with each other.  
      The keeping apparatus is hung on a shelf  11 . Therefore, in each of the side ribs  3 , three projection hooks  6  are formed from the outside to the inside. Three stops  8  are formed in the longer edge  1  and buttresses  9  for reinforcing connection are formed between the stops  8  and the longer edge  1 .  
      Such a keeping apparatus of a refrigerator is fixed to the shelf  11  provided in the refrigerator by the projection hooks  6  such that the keeping apparatus is curved.  
      A bottle  10  is inserted into the keeping apparatus combined with the shelf  11  such that the bottle  10  is kept in the keeping apparatus. At this time, since the keeping apparatus is of trapezoidal configuration, the bottle  10  is inclined toward the longer parallel edge  1  and the inclined bottle  10  is supported by the three stops.  
      However, such a conventional keeping apparatus of a refrigerator must be combined with the shelf  11  and, when the keeping apparatus is not used, the keeping apparatus must be separated from the shelf  11 .  
       FIG. 3  illustrates an embodiment of another conventional keeping apparatus. A keeping apparatus  20  referred to as a wine wrack is combined with the shelf of a refrigerator such that a bottle is kept. In the keeping apparatus  20 , keeping portions  25  are separated from each other by a predetermined distance such that a bottle is supported. A bottle is placed in a portion in which the keeping portions  25  are curved in a lower direction.  
      However, such a conventional keeping apparatus must be separated from a refrigerator when the keeping apparatus is not used.  
      That is, conventional keeping apparatuses must be separated from refrigerators in order to keep other foods in a state where there is no bottle to be kept.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      In order to solve the above-described problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide a keeping apparatus of a refrigerator capable of easily keeping bottles.  
      In order to achieve the above object, there is provided a keeping apparatus of a refrigerator comprising a rectangular frame provided in a refrigerator, a slide bar slidably combined with the frame so as to cross the frame, and a flexible sheet whose one side is fixed to the slide bar and whose the other side is fixed to one side frame that faces the slide bar.  
      A keeping apparatus of a refrigerator according to the present invention comprises a rectangular frame provided in a refrigerator and a flexible sheet provided in the frame. A part of the sheet is fixed to a slide bar that moves in the frame. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate an example embodiment of the present invention and, together with the description, serve to explain principles of the present invention. In the drawings:  
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view illustrating a state in which a conventional keeping apparatus of a refrigerator is used;  
       FIG. 2  is a top perspective view of the conventional keeping apparatus illustrated in an initially flat position;  
       FIG. 3  is a perspective view illustrating another conventional keeping apparatus of a refrigerator;  
       FIG. 4  is a perspective view illustrating a keeping apparatus of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention in a state where the sheet of the keeping apparatus is in a flat position;  
       FIG. 5  is a perspective view illustrating the keeping apparatus of a refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention in a state where the sheet of the keeping apparatus is curved; and  
       FIG. 6  is a partially cut front view illustrating guide grooves formed in front and rear frames. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS  
      Hereinafter, a keeping apparatus of a refrigerator according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the embodiment illustrated in the attached drawings.  
       FIG. 4  is a perspective view illustrating a keeping apparatus of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention in a state where the sheet of the keeping apparatus is in a flat position.  FIG. 5  is a perspective view illustrating the keeping apparatus of a refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention in a state where the sheet of the keeping apparatus is curved.  
      As illustrated in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , the keeping apparatus of a refrigerator according to the present invention includes a rectangular frame  100  provided in a refrigerator, a slide bar  200  slidably combined with the frame  100  so as to cross the frame  100 , a flexible sheet  300  whose one side is fixed to the slide bar  200  and whose the other side is fixed to one side frame that faces the slide bar  200 .  
      The frame  100  includes front and rear frames  110  that are perpendicular to the slide bar  200 , a first side frame  120  which is parallel to the slide bar  200  and to which one side of the sheet  300  is fixed, and a second side frame  130  that is parallel to the first side frame  120 .  
      Guide grooves  111  are provided in the front and rear frames  110  such that the slide bar  200  can slide.  
       FIG. 6  is a partially cut front view illustrating guide grooves formed in front and rear frames. As illustrated in  FIG. 6 , locking jaws  115  by which the slide bar  200  is locked are preferably formed such that the sheet  300  can be spread enough.  
      Two locking jaws  115  may be formed in both ends of the guide groove  111 . If two locking jaws  115  are formed in both ends of the guide groove  111 , the positions of the two locking jaws  115  are determined such that the sheet  300  is maximally spread in one position and that the sheet  300  is maximally curved in the other position in accordance with the movement of the slide bar  200 . That is, when a bottle is kept in the position where the sheet  300  is maximally curved, the slide bar  200  is locked by the locking jaws  115  such that the bottle is stably kept.  
      Also, three or more locking jaws  115  may be formed in the guide groove  111  at predetermined intervals. In such a case, a user can select proper locking jaws  115  in accordance with the size of a bottle such that the slide bar  200  is locked by the locking jaws  115 .  
      The slide bar  200  is arranged in parallel between the first side frame  120  and the second side frame  130 .  
      A handle (not shown) may be formed under the slide bar  200  such that a user can easily move the slide bar.  
      The sheet  300  is preferably made of synthetic resin.  
      The sheet  300  may be in the form of a net such that a bottle is more easily chilled by the cool air in a refrigerator. In such a case, the area in which the cool air directly contacts the bottle increases due to the spaces of the sheet  300  such that cooling effect improves.  
      The keeping apparatus of a refrigerator is preferably positioned below a shelf on which foods are placed to be close to the shelf. In such a case, when a bottle is kept, the sheet  300  is curved such that the bottle is kept in the space formed by the sheet. When no bottle is kept, the sheet  300  is spread. According as the space between the shelf and the keeping apparatus is reduced, the keeping space of a refrigerator increases. That is, the space that is not used for keeping foods is reduced in a refrigerator such that the efficiency of keeping foods is increased.  
      Also, the keeping apparatus of a refrigerator may be separated from the shelf on which foods are placed by no less than 15 cm such that the keeping apparatus is perpendicular to the shelf. In such a case, when a bottle is kept, the sheet  300  is curved such that the bottle is kept in the space formed by the sheet. When no bottle is kept, the sheet  300  is spread such that other foods may be placed thereon. That is, when no bottle is kept, the sheet  300  may serve as a shelf.  
      The keeping apparatus of a refrigerator according to the present invention is comprised of a rectangular frame provided in a refrigerator and a sheet whose part is flexible and which is provided in the frame. A part of the sheet is fixed to a slide bar that moves in the frame.  
      The operation of the keeping apparatus according to the present invention will be described as follows.  
      When a bottle is kept, the slide bar is moved such that the sheet is curved. The bottle is kept in the space formed by the curved sheet. As described above, a plurality of locking jaws may be provided such that a user makes the slide bar locked by proper locking jaws in accordance with the size of the bottle. Accordingly, the user may select the size of the space formed by the curved sheet. When no bottle is kept, the slide bar is locked by the locking jaws in the ends of the guide grooves such that the sheet is spread. That is, the space formed by the curved sheet is removed. In such a case, the frame is provided below the shelf previously provided in a refrigerator to be close to the shelf such that the space of the refrigerator can be effectively used. Also, when the sheet is spread in a state where the frame is separated from the shelf by no less than 15 cm such that the frame is perpendicular to the shelf, other foods may be placed on the spreading sheet.  
      As described above, the keeping apparatus of a refrigerator according to the present invention has a structure in which the slide bar is combined with the frame and the sheet is spread or curved by the slide bar. When the keeping apparatus is not used, the keeping sheet is spread such that the space of the refrigerator is increased and that other foods are placed on the spreading sheet. Therefore, it is possible to improve convenience of keeping bottles and foods.