Patent Publication Number: US-2004056573-A1

Title: Drawer-type refrigerator having tightly closable sliding unit

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001] This application claims the benefit of Korean Application No. 2002-0057236, filed Sep. 19, 2002, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002] 1. Field of the Invention  
       [0003] The present invention relates to a drawer-type refrigerator, especially a drawer-type refrigerator having an improved entrance structure of a sliding unit thereof.  
       [0004] 2. Description of the Related Art  
       [0005] A conventional drawer-type refrigerator, as shown in FIG. 1, comprises a body cabinet  110  in which a storage area  111  having a front opening  113  is formed, a guide rail  115  installed along opposite sides of the storage area  111  and a sliding unit  120  to slide in and out through the front opening  113  of the storage area  111 , along the guide rail  115 .  
       [0006] The sliding unit  120  includes a door  121  for opening and/or closing the front opening  113  of the storage area  111 , a supporting frame  123  extended along the guide rail  115  from an interior side of the door  121 , and a storage basket  125  to store items, inserted between both supporting frames  123  and supported thereby.  
       [0007] Rollers (not shown) may be installed between the guide rail  115  and the supporting frame  123  at predetermined intervals so that the sliding unit  120  can slide smoothly.  
       [0008] Conventionally, an edge of the interior side of the door  121  and a wall of the body cabinet  110  adhere closely to each other via a magnetic force. That is, a magnet (not shown) is provided in the inside of an interior plate of the door  121  and a magnetic metal is provided in the wall of the body cabinet  110  opposite to the interior plate of the door  121 . Thus, the door  121  closes up the front opening  113  of the storage area  111 .  
       [0009] However, in a conventional drawer-type refrigerator, when the door  121  does not tightly close the front opening  113  of the storage area  111 , but instead protrudes from the body cabinet  110 , and a user does not notice the problem, the storage area  11  may be left open, allowing cool air to leak out and power to be lost.  
       [0010] Also, even if the storage area  111  is closed by the magnetic force, a material of the body cabinet  110  is limited to a magnetic material. When the body cabinet  110  is provided as a non-magnetic material, a special magnetic body needs to be provided in a position opposite to a magnet installed in the door  121 .  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0011] Accordingly, it is an aspect of the present invention to include a drawer-type refrigerator with a sliding unit that can be completely slid into a storage area to close the inside of the storage area tightly.  
       [0012] Additional aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention.  
       [0013] The foregoing and/or other aspects of the present invention are achieved by a drawer-type refrigerator comprising a body cabinet having at least one storage area with a front opening and a sliding unit to slide in and out through the front opening of the storage area, further comprising an automatic guiding device/securing mechanism/locking mechanism which is interposed between the storage area and the sliding unit, stores an elastic force in a sliding-in direction of the sliding unit when the sliding unit slides out, and provides the stored elastic force to the sliding unit when the sliding unit slides in.  
       [0014] In one aspect, the automatic guiding device/securing mechanism/locking mechanism includes an engaging projection in one of the storage area and the sliding unit, a sliding locker having a first engaging supporter to engage one side of the engaging projection when the sliding unit slides out and a second engaging supporter to engage another side of the engaging projection when the sliding unit slides in, a guide part, disposed in the other one of the storage area and the sliding unit, to guide the sliding locker to move between a sliding position in which the first engaging supporter slides, engaging the one side of the engaging projection, and a disengaging position in which the first engaging supporter is disengaged when the sliding unit slides in and out, and a spring member to store an elastic force while the sliding locker moves to the disengaging position.  
       [0015] In one aspect, a guide rail to guide the sliding unit is installed in the storage area along an entrance direction of the sliding unit, and one of the engaging projection and the guide part is disposed in the guide rail.  
       [0016] In one aspect, the sliding unit includes a door opening and/or closing the front opening of the storage area, a supporting frame extended along the guide rail from the door, and one of the engaging projection and the guide part disposed in the supporting frame.  
       [0017] In one aspect, in the guide part are a horizontal guide hole, formed along the entrance direction of the sliding unit, to guide the sliding of the sliding locker and a vertical guide hole, extended from the horizontal guide hole, to guide the sliding locker to the disengaging position.  
       [0018] Also, in one aspect, the sliding locker further comprises a first guide projection inserted into the horizontal guide hole to slide along the entrance direction of the sliding unit and a second guide projection to slide between the horizontal guide hole and the vertical guide hole.  
       [0019] Furthermore, in one aspect, one side of the spring member is connected to the guide part and another side of the spring member is connected to the second guide projection.  
       [0020] Additionally, in one aspect, the spring member is installed lengthwise opposite the horizontal guide hole at the disengaging position of the sliding locker. 
     
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
     [0021] These and/or other aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompany drawings of which:  
     [0022]FIG. 1 is a partial sectional view of a conventional drawer-type refrigerator;  
     [0023]FIGS. 2 and 3 are partial sectional views of a drawer-type refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention;  
     [0024]FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged perspective view of the drawer-type refrigerator shown in FIGS. 2 and 3;  
     [0025]FIGS. 5A through 5D illustrate operation states of the drawer-type refrigerator shown in FIGS. 2 and 3; and  
     [0026]FIGS. 6, 7A and  7 B illustrate operation states of an engaging projection and a sliding locker of the drawer-type refrigerator shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
     [0027] Reference will now be made in detail to the present embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to the like elements throughout. The embodiments are described below in order to explain the present invention by referring to the figures.  
     [0028] A drawer-type refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIGS. 2 through 4, comprises a body cabinet  10  with a storage area  11  having a front opening  13 , a sliding unit  20  to slide in and out through the front opening  13  of the storage area  11 , and an automatic guiding device/securing mechanism/locking mechanism interposed between the storage area  11  and the sliding unit  20 , to store an elastic force in a sliding-in direction of the sliding unit  20  when the sliding unit  20  slides out and to provide the elastic force that is stored to the sliding unit  20  when the sliding unit  20  slides in.  
     [0029] A guide rail  15 , installed along opposite sides of the storage area  11 , guides the sliding unit  20  when the sliding unit  20  slides in and out. The sliding unit  20  includes a door  21  opening and/or closing the front opening  13  of the storage area  11 , a supporting frame  23  extended along the guide rail  15  from an interior side of the door  21  and a storage basket  25  to store items, inserted within the supporting frame  23  and supported thereby.  
     [0030] Rollers (not shown) may be provided between the guide rail  15  and the supporting frame  23  at predetermined intervals so that the sliding unit  20  can slide smoothly.  
     [0031] The automatic guiding device/securing mechanism/locking mechanism includes an engaging projection  40  in one of the storage area  11  and the sliding unit  20 , a sliding locker  30  having a first engaging supporter  31  to engage one side of the engaging projection  40  when the sliding unit  20  slides out and a second engaging supporter  33  to engage the other side of the engaging projection  40  when the sliding unit  20  slides in, a guide part  50 , disposed in the other one of the storage area  11  and the sliding unit  20 , to guide the sliding locker  30  so that the sliding locker  30  can move between a sliding position in which the first engaging supporter  31  slides, engaging one side of the engaging projection  40 , and a disengaging position in which the first engaging supporter  31  is disengaged when the sliding unit  20  slides out and in, and a spring member  60  to store the elastic force while the sliding locker  30  moves to the disengaging position.  
     [0032] The engaging projection  40  can be disposed at the backward side and the inside of the storage area  11  in the guide rail  15  and engages the sliding locker  30 . The sliding locker  30  is located on the upper side of the engaging projection  40  and slides, supported by the guide part  50 . The first engaging supporter  31  and the second engaging supporter  33  are disposed in the sliding locker  30 . The first engaging supporter  31 , disposed backward from the engaging projection  40 , engages the rear of the engaging projection  40  when the sliding unit  20  slides out. The second engaging supporter  33 , disposed forward from the engaging projection  40 , contacts the front of the engaging projection  40 , to make the first engaging supporter  31  contact the rear of the engaging projection  40  when that the sliding unit  20  slides in. The first engaging supporter  31  and the second engaging supporter  33  of the sliding locker  30  are disposed forward and backward from the engaging projection  40 , forming a “ ” shape.  
     [0033] A first guide projection  35  (refer to FIGS. 7A and 7B) is, inserted into a horizontal guide hole  51  of the guide part  50 , and a second guide projection  37  (refer to FIGS. 7A and 7B) slides between the horizontal guide hole  51  and a vertical guide hole  53  of the guide part  50  that are disposed in the sliding locker  30 .  
     [0034] The guide part  50  to guide the sliding locker  30  is disposed in the sliding unit  20 . The guide part  50  guides the sliding locker  30  so that the sliding locker  30  can move between a sliding position in which the first engaging supporter  31  slides, engaging the rear of the engaging projection  40 , and a disengaging position in which the first engaging supporter  31  is disengaged when the sliding unit  20  slides out and in. The guide part  50  of the embodiment according to the present invention is disposed in the supporting frame  23 , but can be also disposed in a predetermined position of the storage basket  25  opposite to the engaging projection  40  when the sliding unit  20  slides into the storage area  11 .  
     [0035] The horizontal guide hole  51  and the vertical guide hole  53  are disposed in the guide part  50 . The horizontal guide hole  51 , formed along the entrance direction of the sliding unit  20 , guides the first guide projection  35  and the second guide projection  37  at the sliding position of the sliding locker  30 . The vertical guide hole  53 , extended upward from the backside of the horizontal guide hole  51 , guides the second guide projection  37  to guide the sliding locker  30  to the disengaging position.  
     [0036] Between the guide part  50  and the sliding locker  30 , the spring member  60  is interposed and is lengthened as the sliding locker  30  slides along the guide part  50  when the sliding unit  20  slides out. The spring member  60  is lengthened as the sliding unit  20  slides out, providing the sliding unit  20  with an elastic force acting in the sliding-in direction of the sliding unit  20  on the entrance of the sliding unit  20 . In one embodiment, one side of the spring member  60  is connected to the guide part  50 , and the other side of the spring member  60  is connected to the second guide projection  37 .  
     [0037] With the above configuration, the operation process of the drawer-type refrigerator is described as follows, referring to FIGS. 5A through 5D and  6 . At first, in the state that the sliding unit  20  is completely inserted into the storage area  11  of the body cabinet  10 , as shown in FIG. 5A, the first engaging supporter  31  and the second engaging supporter  33  are oppositely disposed backward and forward from the engaging projection  40  respectively. Also, the first guide projection  35  and the second guide projection  37  of the sliding locker  30  are inserted into the horizontal guide hole  51  of the guide part  50 .  
     [0038] If a user pulls out the sliding unit  20 , the sliding unit  20  slides out along the guide rail  15 , and the guide part  50  provided in the sliding unit  20  is pulled out with the sliding unit  20 . The rear of the engaging projection  40  disposed in the guide rail  15  contacts with the first engaging supporter  31  of the sliding locker  30  and applies backward pressure to the sliding locker  30  to make the first guide projection  35  and the second guide projection  37  of the sliding locker  30  slide backward along the horizontal guide hole  51 . In this embodiment, the spring member  60  is attached to the guide part  50  and the second guide projection  37  and is lengthened as the sliding locker  30  slides (refer to FIG. 5B).  
     [0039] When the sliding unit  20  slides out by a predetermined distance, the second guide projection  37  of the sliding locker  30  that slides in the backward side of the guide part  50  is inserted into the vertical guide hole  53 . If the second guide projection  37  of the sliding locker  30  slides along the vertical guide hole  53 , the sliding locker  30  rotates, to disengage the first engaging supporter  31  and the engaging projection  40  (refer to FIG. 5C). When the sliding unit  20  slides out the storage area  11  continuously, the sliding locker  30  also slides out with the sliding unit  20  and the guide part  50 , so that the first engaging supporter  31  and the engaging projection  40  disengage, and the spring member  60  is lengthened (refer to FIG. 5D).  
     [0040] As described above, when the sliding unit  20  slides out from the storage area  11  and thereafter slides in again, the guide part  50  and the sliding locker  30  approach the engaging projection  40  disposed in the backward side of the guide rail  15  by a sliding of the sliding unit  20 . When the sliding unit  20  slides into the storage area  11  by a predetermined distance, the front of the engaging projection  40  contacts the second engaging supporter  33  of the sliding locker  30  to apply pressure to the second engaging supporter  33  of the sliding locker  30 . If the engaging projection  40  applies pressure to the second engaging supporter  33 , the first guide projection  35  and the second guide projection  37  slide along the horizontal guide hole  51  and the vertical guide hole  53 . Then, the second guide projection  37  located in the vertical guide hole  53  enters the horizontal guide hole  51 , rotating the sliding locker  30  clockwise (refer to FIG. 6). As the sliding locker  30  rotates, the first guide projection  35  and the second guide projection  37  are located in the horizontal guide hole  51 , and the first engaging supporter  31  and the second engaging supporter  33  are located backward and forward from the engaging projection  40 , respectively.  
     [0041] The first guide projection  35  and the second guide projection  37  slide in the horizontal guide hole  51 , which causes the spring member  60  to pull the sliding locker  30  in the sliding-out direction of the sliding unit  20  by the elastic force. The elastic force of the spring member  60  acting on the sliding locker  30  acts on the guide part  50  to pull the sliding unit  20  in the sliding-in direction of the sliding unit  20 , and the sliding locker  30  is held in the storage area  11  by the engagement of the first engaging supporter  31  and the backward side of the engaging projection  40 .  
     [0042] Through the above process, the sliding unit  20  is completely pushed into the storage area  11 . Although the sliding unit  20  slides out from the storage area  11 , to some extent, the sliding unit  20  is completely slid into the storage area  11  again by the elastic force of the spring member  60 , so that the front opening  13  can be tightly closed for the drawer-type refrigerator according to the present invention.  
     [0043] Preferably, the spring member  60  is installed opposite to the horizontal guide hole  51  of the guide part  50  at the disengaging position (refer to FIG. 7B). If the sliding locker  30  slides along the horizontal guide hole  51 , the spring member  60  is lengthened diagonally to the guide part  50  (refer to FIG. 7A). The elastic force of the spring member  60  prevents the sliding locker  30  from rotating arbitrarily at the disengaging position, to prevent the sliding locker  30  from sliding into the sliding position. In the above embodiment, the guide rail  15  is provided in the sidewall of the storage area  11 , but may be alternatively provided in the lower part or upper wall part of the storage area  11 .  
     [0044] In the above embodiment, the engaging projection  40  is disposed in the guide rail  15 , and the guide part  50  is disposed in the sliding unit  20 . However, alternatively, the installation position of the engaging projection  40  and the guide part  50  may be interchanged.  
     [0045] In the above embodiment, the engaging projection  40  is disposed in the guide rail  15 , but may be alternatively disposed in the position where the engaging projection  40  can be fixed while the sliding unit  20  slides in and out. For example, the engaging projection  40  can be fixed in the interior wall of the storage area  11 , at an opposite position to the sliding locker  30 .  
     [0046] In the above embodiment, the sliding unit  20  comprises the door  21 , the supporting frame  23  and the storage basket  25 , but may alternatively comprise another combination able to slide along the guide rail  15 .  
     [0047] As described above, by providing the automatic guiding device/securing mechanism/locking mechanism which is interposed between the storage area  11  and the sliding unit  20 , stores the elastic force in the sliding-in direction of the sliding unit  20  when the sliding unit  20  slides out, and provides the stored elastic force to the sliding unit  20  when the sliding unit  20  slides in, the sliding unit  20  can be completely slid into the storage area  11 .  
     [0048] Furthermore, the door  21  can close the front opening  13  of the storage area  11  tightly by the elastic force of the spring member  60 , independent of the material of the body cabinet  10  and the door  21 .  
     [0049] As described above, the present invention includes a drawer-type refrigerator having a sliding unit that can be completely slid into a storage area and thus, the inside of the storage area can be tightly closed independent of a material of a body cabinet and a door.  
     [0050] Although a few embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined in the appended claims and their equivalents.