Abstract:
A refrigerator includes a storage chamber for storing food; an ice making compartment provided at an upper side corner of the storage chamber; and two shelves provided between a sidewall of the ice making compartment and a sidewall of the storage chamber opposite to the sidewall of the ice making compartment. The two shelves include a rotatable shelf and a horizontal shelf mounted between the sidewall of the storage chamber and the rotatable shelf and configured to be adjustable vertically upwards and downwards independently of the rotatable shelf. The rotatable shelf, while maintaining the vertical position, forms a vertical space for keeping food having a great height and stored on a shelf provided below the rotatable shelf. The rotatable shelf and the horizontal shelf form a horizontal space for keeping food having a great width when the horizontal shelf and the rotatable shelf in the horizontal position are horizontally aligned.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 12/457,112, filed Jun. 1, 2009, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 11/882,583, filed on Aug. 2, 2007, to which the benefit is claimed under 35 U.S.C. §120. This application also claims benefit of Korean Patent Application Nos. 10-2006-0076433 and 10-2007-0050709, filed on Aug. 11, 2006 and May 25, 2007, respectively, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    1. Field 
         [0003]    Embodiments of the present invention relate to a refrigerator including a folding shelf rotatably disposed in the refrigerator such that food, containers and the like may be put on the folding shelf. 
         [0004]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0005]    Generally, a refrigerator includes a cooling chamber for storing various food products and beverages to cool them, a freezing chamber for frozen food products such as meat, fishes and ice cream to freeze them, and a cool air generating device for supplying cool air to the cooling chamber and the freezing chamber. The cool air generating device includes an evaporator for cooling the surrounding air and a fan for forcibly blowing the cooled air. 
         [0006]    A plurality of shelves is provided in the cooling chamber and the freezing chamber for supporting various products put thereon. Door baskets are disposed at the inner side of a cooling chamber door and a freezing chamber door to store containers having a small bottom area such as bottles and cans. 
         [0007]    Refrigerators for home use may be sorted into a general type refrigerator, a side-by-side type refrigerator, a hybrid refrigerator and the like according to arrangement of the cooling chamber and the freezing chamber and a door installation structure. The most commonly used general type refrigerator includes a freezing chamber disposed at an upper portion, a cooling chamber disposed under the freezing chamber. The general type refrigerator further includes and a freezing chamber door and a cooling chamber door which are respectively arranged at the upper and lower sides. 
         [0008]    The side-by-side type refrigerator includes a freezing chamber and a cooling chamber respectively disposed in the left and right compartments. The side-by-side type refrigerator further includes a freezing chamber door and a cooling chamber door disposed on left and right sides. The side-by-side type refrigerator is appropriate for a large-capacity refrigerator including a large-capacity freezing chamber and a large-capacity cooling chamber. In this case, an ice maker may be disposed in the freezing chamber and a dispenser may be disposed in the freezing chamber door to discharge ice made in the ice maker. 
         [0009]    The hybrid refrigerator includes a freezing chamber and a cooling chamber respectively disposed at lower and upper portions. The freezing chamber is opened or closed by a drawer-type freezing chamber door. The cooling chamber is opened or closed by a pair of cooling chamber doors arranged on left and right sides. In the hybrid refrigerator, the ice maker is disposed in the cooling chamber and the dispenser is disposed in the cooling chamber door, thereby having an advantage in that water supplied into the ice maker is not frozen compared to the side-by-side type refrigerator including the ice maker disposed in the freezing chamber. 
         [0010]    Korean Patent Laid-open Publication No. 10-2005-117536 discloses an example of the hybrid refrigerator. The hybrid refrigerator disclosed in the Publication includes a cooling chamber disposed at an upper portion of a refrigerator main body, a freezing chamber disposed under the cooling chamber, an ice making chamber defined by an insulating partition in the cooling chamber, a pair of heat exchangers respectively disposed in the cooling chamber and the freezing chamber, and a plurality of shelves disposed in the cooling chamber to support stored food products. 
         [0011]    However, in the conventional refrigerator, the ice maker occupies a specified space in the cooling chamber. Accordingly, it is not easy to arrange the shelves to efficiently use a storage space of the cooling chamber. That is, if a shelf is installed next to the ice maker, it is difficult to store products having a great height in the cooling chamber due to the shelf. If the shelf is not installed next to the ice maker, a space formed on the side of the ice maker would be efficiently used, thereby causing problems such as low efficiency of storage space utilization of the cooling chamber. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0012]    Therefore, it is an aspect of the invention to provide a refrigerator including a folding shelf capable of being folded or unfolded from a vertical position to a horizontal position to efficiently use a storage space in a storage chamber, particularly, a storage space formed on the side of the ice maker. 
         [0013]    In accordance with an aspect of the invention, a refrigerator including an ice maker disposed at one side of a storage chamber for storing food, includes a folding shelf disposed at the ice maker, a shelf supporting member fixed to the ice maker to rotatably support the folding shelf, and a locking part disposed at the shelf supporting member to support the folding shelf when the folding shelf is unfolded to be arranged in a horizontal direction. 
         [0014]    The refrigerator may further include a connecting member disposed at the folding shelf to be hinge-connected to the shelf supporting member. 
         [0015]    The refrigerator may further include a shelf fixing device to hold the folding shelf in a folded state. 
         [0016]    An insertion groove may be disposed at any one of the ice maker and the folding shelf, and the shelf fixing device may be hinge-connected to the other of the ice maker and the folding shelf and include a hook member having a portion which is inserted into the insertion groove. 
         [0017]    An adhesive device may be disposed between the shelf supporting member and the connecting member while being supported by any one of the shelf supporting member and the connecting member and being adhered to the other of the shelf supporting member and the connecting member to suppress rotation of the connecting member. 
         [0018]    The adhesive device may include a pressing spring which is supported by any one of the shelf supporting member and the connecting member, and an adhesive member having an adhesive part which is supported by the pressing spring to be pressed and adhered to the other of the shelf supporting member and the connecting member. 
         [0019]    The connecting member may include a receiving groove to receive the pressing spring and the adhesive member, and the shelf supporting member may include a first locking groove which receives the adhesive part of the adhesive member when the folding shelf is folded in a vertical direction and a second locking groove which receives the adhesive part of the adhesive member when the folding shelf is unfolded in a horizontal direction. 
         [0020]    A fixed shelf may be disposed in the storage chamber such that the folding shelf and the fixed shelf are arranged on the same plane when the folding shelf is unfolded in a horizontal direction. 
         [0021]    In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a refrigerator including a storage chamber for storing food includes a shelf supporting member fixed to one side wall surface of the storage chamber, a folding shelf rotatably coupled to the shelf supporting member to be folded in a vertical direction or unfolded in a horizontal direction, a connecting member disposed at the folding shelf to be hinge-connected to the shelf supporting member, and an adhesive device disposed between the shelf supporting member and the connecting member while being supported by any one of the shelf supporting member and the connecting member and being adhered to the other of the shelf supporting member and the connecting member to suppress rotation of the connecting member. 
         [0022]    Additional aspects 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. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0023]    These and/or other aspects of the exemplary embodiments of the invention will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, of which: 
           [0024]      FIG. 1  schematically shows a front view of a refrigerator according to one embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0025]      FIG. 2  shows an exploded perspective view of main parts of the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0026]      FIGS. 3 and 4  show front views of the main parts of the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0027]      FIGS. 5A and 5B  show a side view and a front view of main parts of a refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present invention, respectively; 
           [0028]      FIG. 6  shows an exploded perspective view of main parts of a refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0029]      FIG. 7  shows an exploded perspective view of a folding shelf of the refrigerator shown in  FIG. 6  according to another embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0030]      FIGS. 8A and 8B  show side cross-sectional views for explaining an operation of the folding shelf of the refrigerator shown in  FIG. 6  according to another embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0031]      FIG. 9  shows a front view for explaining the operation of the folding shelf of the refrigerator shown in  FIG. 6  according to another embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0032]      FIG. 10  and  FIG. 11  are a side view and a perspective view, respectively, schematically showing a folding shelf for a refrigerator, according to a further embodiment of the present invention; and 
           [0033]      FIG. 12  shows a side view where a shelf other than the folding shelf is supported by the shelf upholding member according to another embodiment of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0034]    Reference will now be made in detail to exemplary embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout. 
         [0035]    Hereinafter, a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to accompanying drawings. 
         [0036]      FIG. 1  schematically shows a front view of a refrigerator according to one embodiment of the present invention.  FIG. 2  shows an exploded perspective view of main parts of the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention.  FIGS. 3 and 4  show front views of the main parts of the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention. 
         [0037]    As shown in  FIG. 1 , the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention comprises a refrigerator main body  10  including storage chambers, i.e., a cooling chamber  11  and a freezing chamber  12  for storing food products to cool and freeze them, a pair of first and second cooling chamber doors  21  and  25  to open or close the cooling chamber  11 , a freezing chamber door  31  to open or close the freezing chamber  12 , an ice maker  40  installed in the cooling chamber  11  to make ice, and a folding shelf  50  disposed in the cooling chamber  11 . 
         [0038]    An external appearance of the refrigerator is formed by the refrigerator main body  10  and a plurality of the doors  21 ,  25  and  31 . Although not shown in drawings, a cool air supplying device is installed in the refrigerator main body  10 . 
         [0039]    The cool air supplying device includes a compressor, a condenser, an evaporator and a fan. The cool air supplying device supplies cool air to the cooling chamber  11  and the freezing chamber  12 . The detailed configuration and operation of the cool air supplying device are the same as in a general refrigerator, and the description thereof is omitted. 
         [0040]    A plurality of fixed shelves  13 ,  14 ,  15  and  16  for supporting food products put thereon and the ice maker  40  for making ice are installed in the cooling chamber  11 . The ice maker  40  is installed at an upper edge portion of the cooling chamber  11  to ensure a storage space of the cooling chamber  11  capable of storing food products. The ice maker  40  is connected to a water supply line (not shown) for supplying water. In the fixed shelves  13 ,  14 ,  15  and  16  installed in the cooling chamber  11 , the fixed shelf  16  disposed next to the ice maker  40  has a smaller size than the fixed shelves  13 ,  14  and  15 , thereby more efficiently using a storage space of the cooling chamber  11 . 
         [0041]    The first and second cooling chamber doors  21  and  25  for opening or closing the cooling chamber  11  are rotatably installed at left and right sides of the refrigerator main body  10 . The first cooling chamber door  21  has a larger size than the second cooling chamber door  25  to reduce an outflow of cool air from the cooling chamber  11  when food products are loaded into or unloaded from the cooling chamber  11 . Door baskets  22  and  26  are disposed at the inner side of the cooling chamber doors  21  and  25 , respectively, to store containers having a small bottom area such as bottles and cans. A dispenser  27  is disposed in the second cooling chamber door  25  for opening or closing a portion where the ice maker  40  is installed in the cooling chamber  11 , thereby discharging ice made in the ice maker  40  out of the cooling chamber  11 . 
         [0042]    The freezing chamber  12  is disposed under the cooling chamber  11 . The freezing chamber door  31  for opening or closing the freezing chamber  12  is a drawer-type door. When a user pulls a door handle  33  forward, the freezing chamber door  31  moves forward to open the freezing chamber  12 . In this case, a food keeping box (not shown) disposed at the inner side of the freezing chamber door  31  is pulled forward together. 
         [0043]    The folding shelf  50  is installed to be foldable at one side of the cooling chamber  11  such that food products are put on the folding shelf  50 , thereby improving efficiency of storage space utilization of the cooling chamber  11 . When the folding shelf  50  is unfolded, the folding shelf  50  has the same height as the fixed shelf  16  adjacent to the folding shelf  50 . As shown in  FIG. 2 , the folding shelf  50  is formed of a plate having a specified thickness to support food products. A shelf supporting member  60  is attached to a wall surface of the ice maker  40 . The folding shelf  50  is coupled to the shelf supporting member  60  to be rotatable within a specified angle. 
         [0044]    A pair of connecting members  51  spaced from each other is disposed at a lower portion of the folding shelf  50  to connect the folding shelf  50  to the shelf supporting member  60 . The connecting members  51  have pin holes  52  which are coupled with hinge pins  61  to be described later. The connecting members  51  are attached to a lower end portion of the folding shelf  50  by coupling screws S 1 . An insertion groove  53  is formed at an upper end portion of the folding shelf  50  to receive a fixing protrusion  73  of a shelf fixing device  70  to be described later. 
         [0045]    The shelf supporting member  60  for supporting the folding shelf  50  includes a pair of the hinge pins  61  disposed at opposite end portions of the shelf supporting member  60 . The shelf supporting member  60  further includes a locking part  62  to support the folding shelf  50  which is unfolded to be arranged in a horizontal direction. When the folding shelf  50  is coupled to the shelf supporting member  60 , the hinge pins  61  are inserted into the pin holes  52  of the connecting members  51 , respectively. The locking part  62  supports the folding shelf  50  unfolded to be arranged in a horizontal direction such that the folding shelf  50  and the neighboring fixed shelf  16  have the same plane, whereby food products may be put thereon. The shelf supporting member  60  is screw-coupled to the wall surface of the ice maker  40  by coupling screws S 2  and coupling nuts N. As shown in  FIG. 3 , a reinforcing member  63  is provided on the inner wall surface of the ice maker  40  to strongly support the shelf supporting member  60  coupled to one side surface of the ice maker  40 . 
         [0046]    On the other hand, when the folding shelf  50  is folded to be arranged in a vertical direction while being approximately perpendicular to the fixed shelves  13 ,  14 ,  15  and  16 , a hook member  71  is disposed on one side surface of the ice maker  40  to hold the folding shelf  50  that is arranged vertically. As shown in  FIG. 2 , the hook member  71  includes a body part  72  having a front end portion which is slightly bended upward and the fixing protrusion  73  which is protruded downward from the body part  72  to be inserted into the insertion groove  53  of the folding shelf  50 . The hook member  71  is hinge-connected to a hook supporting member  75  that is screw-coupled to the wall surface of the ice maker  40 . The hook supporting member  75  is coupled to the wall surface of the ice maker  40  by coupling screws S 3 . The hook supporting member  75  has a pair of brackets  76  arranged to be spaced from each other. The brackets  76  include installation holes  77  to support a coupling shaft  78  provided for the hinge connection of the hook member  71 . A supporting spring  79  is provided on the coupling shaft  78  to elastically support the hook member  71 . 
         [0047]    When the hook member  71  is connected to the hook supporting member  75 , both end portions of the coupling shaft  78  pass through coupling holes  74  formed at rear end portions of the hook member  71  to be inserted into the installation holes  77  of the brackets  76 . In this case, the hook member  71  is coupled to the hook supporting member  75  to be rotatable around the coupling shaft  78 . The torsion spring type supporting spring  79  elastically supports the hook member  71 . 
         [0048]    Meanwhile, in this embodiment, installation positions of the hinge pins  61  and the pin holes  52  may vary. That is, the hinge pins  61  may be disposed on the connecting members  51  and the pin holes  52  may be disposed on the shelf supporting member  60 . Further, the structure of the shelf fixing device  70  capable of holding the folding shelf  50  not to rotate may vary without being limited to the above-described configuration. For example, the insertion groove  53  of the folding shelf  50  may be disposed on the surface facing one side surface of the ice maker  40 , and the protrusion which is inserted into the insertion groove  53  may be disposed on the ice maker  40 . 
         [0049]    Hereinafter, an operation of the folding shelf  50  of the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to  FIGS. 3 and 4 . 
         [0050]      FIG. 3  shows the folding shelf  50  that is folded to be arranged vertically. In this case, the fixing protrusion  73  of the hook member  71  is inserted into the insertion groove  53  of the folding shelf  50  such that the folding shelf  50  does not rotate. When the folding shelf  50  is held in a vertical direction, as shown in  FIG. 1 , it may be possible to ensure a space between the ice maker  40  and the fixed shelf  16  installed next to the ice maker  40 , thereby allowing containers or food products having a great height to be stored in the space. 
         [0051]    On the other hand, when the hook member  71  which holds the folding shelf  50  is slightly lifted upward to unfold the folding shelf  50  held in a vertical direction, the folding shelf  50  rotates by about 90 degrees. The lower surface of the folding shelf  50  is locked by the locking part  62  of the shelf supporting member  60  such that the folding shelf  50  is arranged in a horizontal direction as shown in  FIG. 4 . In this case, the space between the ice maker  40  and the fixed shelf  16  disposed at an uppermost portion is divided into an upper space and a lower space by the folding shelf  50 , thereby putting containers or food products having a small height on the upper surface of the folding shelf  50 . Since the folding shelf  50  is arranged on the same plane as the neighboring fixed shelf  16 , containers or food products may be put over the folding shelf  50  and the neighboring fixed shelf  16 , thereby increasing a receiving portion of the cooling chamber. 
         [0052]    When the folding shelf  50  arranged in a horizontal direction is folded again to be arranged in a vertical direction, the folding shelf  50  is rotated counterclockwise in the drawing. Then, the body part  72  of the hook member  71  which is slightly bended upward is pushed upward by an upper end portion of the folding shelf  50 , whereby the folding shelf  50  is folded in a vertical direction. In this case, the fixing protrusion  73  is inserted into the insertion groove  53  of the folding shelf  50  to suppress the rotation of the folding shelf  50 . 
         [0053]    As described above, in the refrigerator according to the present invention, the folding shelf  50  is hinge-connected to one side surface of the ice maker  40 . The folding shelf  50  folded in a vertical direction may be unfolded in a horizontal direction such that food products can be put on the folding shelf  50 , thereby efficiently using a storage space of the cooling chamber  11 . 
         [0054]    Meanwhile, in the refrigerator according to the present invention, the folding shelf  50  may be installed on an inner wall or another structure of the cooling chamber  11  or the freezing chamber  12  instead of the ice maker  40 . 
         [0055]      FIGS. 5A and 5B  schematically show a side view and a front view of a folding shelf  80  of the refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present invention, respectively. 
         [0056]    The folding shelf  80  shown in  FIGS. 5A and 5B  has the same configuration as the folding shelf  50  of the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention except that the folding shelf  80  has a pair of coupling pieces  81  which are rotatably connected to the hinge pins  61  of the shelf supporting member  60  instead of the connecting members  51  connected to the hinge pins  61 . 
         [0057]    The coupling pieces  81  have coupling grooves  83  provided on one side of the coupling pieces  81  to receive the hinge pins  61 , respectively. The coupling pieces  81  further have coupling surfaces  82  corresponding to outer surfaces of the hinge pins  61 , respectively. As shown in  FIG. 5B , the coupling pieces  81  have an arc-shaped section such that the coupling surfaces  82  are stuck to outer peripheral surfaces of the hinge pins  61 . Accordingly, the coupling pieces  81  cannot be easily separated from the hinge pins  61 . 
         [0058]    In the same way as the folding shelf  50 , the folding shelf  80  arranged in a vertical direction is held by the hook member  71  such that the folding shelf  80  does not rotate. When the folding shelf  80  is arranged in a horizontal direction while the folding shelf  80  and the neighboring fixed shelf  16  (see  FIG. 1 ) have the same plane, the folding shelf  80  is supported by the locking part  62  of the shelf supporting member  60 . Since the other parts except the coupling pieces  81  have the same configuration as those in the above-described embodiment, detailed description of their configuration and operation is omitted. 
         [0059]    In this embodiment, installation positions of the hinge pins  61  and the coupling pieces  81  may vary. That is, the hinge pins  61  may be disposed on folding shelf  80  and the coupling pieces  81  may be disposed on the shelf supporting member  60 . 
         [0060]      FIGS. 6 to 9  show a folding shelf  110  of the refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present invention. 
         [0061]    The folding shelf  110  of the refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present invention is installed on the wall surface of the ice maker  40  to rotate within about 90 degrees in the same way as the folding shelves  50  and  80  of the above two embodiments. However, the folding shelf  110  may be held in a folded state without the shelf fixing device. 
         [0062]    As shown in  FIG. 6 , the folding shelf  110  according to this embodiment is coupled to the ice maker  40  to be rotatable within a specified angle by a pair of shelf supporting members  120  and a pair of connecting members  130 . The shelf supporting members  120  are coupled to the ice maker  40  by coupling screws S 3 . The connecting members  130  coupled to the folding shelf  110  are coupled to the shelf supporting members  120  to be rotatable within a specified angle. 
         [0063]    As shown in  FIG. 7 , the shelf supporting members  120  have through-holes  121  to receive hinge pins  140 , respectively. Each of the connecting members  130  has a pair of pin holes  135  to receive both end portions of each hinge pin  140  which are protruded from both sides of each through-hole  121 . The connecting members  130  are coupled to hinge pins  140  coupled to the shelf supporting members  120 , whereby the connecting members  130  may rotate around the hinge pins  140  by about 90 degrees. Adhesive devices  150  are installed between the shelf supporting members  120  and the connecting members  130 , respectively, to suppress the rotation of the connecting members  130 . The adhesive devices  150  include adhesive members  151  and pressing springs  154 , respectively. The pressing springs  154  are coupled to the connecting members  130  and the adhesive members  151  are supported by the pressing springs  154 . Each shelf supporting member  120  and each connecting member  130  are pressed in directions in which they are separated from each other by each adhesive member  151  and each pressing spring  154 . Accordingly, the connecting members  130  cannot easily rotate with respect to the shelf supporting members  120 . The detailed structure and operation of the adhesive members  151  and the pressing springs  154  will be described later. 
         [0064]    The shelf supporting members  120  include locking parts  122  disposed at front lower portions thereof to support the connecting members  130  when the connecting members  130  coupled to the folding shelf  110  rotate to a horizontal position. The locking parts  122  are formed to be protruded from the front lower portions of the shelf supporting members  120 . That is, each locking part  122  and each shelf supporting member  120  are formed as a single body. A first locking groove  123  and a second locking groove  124  are formed at a front portion of each shelf supporting member  120  to receive an adhesive part  152  of each adhesive member  151 . The first locking groove  123  receives the adhesive member  151  when the folding shelf  110  is unfolded in a horizontal direction. The second locking groove  124  receives the adhesive member  151  when the folding shelf  110  is folded in a vertical direction. The adhesive part  152  of each adhesive member  151  is received in the first locking groove  123  or the second locking groove  124  when the folding shelf  110  is arranged in a horizontal direction or a vertical direction. Thus, it may be possible to further suppress the rotation of the folding shelf  110  arranged in a horizontal direction or a vertical direction. 
         [0065]    Further, first and second temporary coupling members  125  and  126  are formed to be protruded backward from the shelf supporting members  120  to temporarily assemble the shelf supporting members  120  and the ice maker  40 . First, the shelf supporting members  120  and the connecting members  130  are coupled to the folding shelf  110 . Then, the supporting members  120  are screw-connected to the ice maker  40 . Before the shelf supporting members  120  are fixed to the ice maker  40  by the coupling screws S 3 , the first and second temporary coupling members  125  and  126  of the shelf supporting members  120  are inserted into first and second temporary coupling grooves  41  and  42  formed on the ice maker  40 , thereby temporarily coupling the shelf supporting members  120  with the ice maker  40 . Accordingly, it is possible to easily perform an assembly operation of the shelf supporting members  120 . The first temporary coupling members  125  are formed to be protruded backward from upper portions of the shelf supporting members  120 . The second temporary coupling members  126  are formed to be protruded backward from middle portions of the shelf supporting members  120 . The first temporary coupling members  125  have end portions which are bended by about 90 degrees such that the first temporary coupling members  125  cannot be easily separated from the first temporary coupling grooves  41 . The shelf supporting members  120  have insertion holes  127  which the coupling screws S 3  are inserted into. 
         [0066]    The connecting members  130  are coupled to one end portion of the folding shelf  110  and include first and second coupling covers  131  and  133 . The coupling covers  131  and  133  are connected with each other by coupling screws S 4  while the folding shelf  110  is inserted between the coupling covers  131  and  133 . The first coupling covers  131  are coupled to the upper surface of the folding shelf  110  and the second coupling covers  133  are coupled to the lower surface of the folding shelf  110 . Screw-coupling bosses  132  and screw-coupling holes  134  are formed on the first and second coupling covers  131  and  133 , respectively, to clamp the coupling screws S 4 . Further, each of the second coupling covers  133  includes a pair of pin holes  135  to receive a hinge pin  140  and a spring receiving portion  136  to receive the pressing spring  154 . The spring receiving portion  136  includes a receiving groove  137  to receive the pressing spring  154  and a portion of the adhesive member  151  and a shaft supporting groove  138  to receive a support shaft  153  of the adhesive member  151 . 
         [0067]    The folding shelf  110  includes connecting holes  111  to receive the screw-coupling bosses  132  and coupling grooves  112  corresponding to the spring receiving portions  136  to couple the first coupling covers  131  with the second coupling covers  133 . The first coupling covers  131  are coupled to the upper surface of the folding shelf  110  such that the screw-coupling bosses  132  are inserted into the connecting holes  111  of the folding shelf  110 . The second coupling covers  133  are coupled to the lower surface of the folding shelf  110  such that the coupling grooves  112  correspond to the spring receiving portions  136 . Then, the coupling screws S 4  are inserted into the screw-coupling bosses  132  through the screw-coupling holes  134 , thereby fixing the first and second coupling covers  131  and  133  to the folding shelf  110 . 
         [0068]    The pressing springs  154  are inserted into the receiving grooves  137  of the second coupling covers  133 . Portions of the adhesive members  151  are inserted into the receiving grooves  137  such that a pressing force is applied to the adhesive members  151  by the pressing springs  154 . The adhesive members  151  have a roller shape. The support shaft  153  is provided to be protruded from both end portions of the adhesive member  151 . The support shaft  153  is supported by being inserted into the shaft supporting groove  138 , thereby allowing the rotation of the adhesive members  151 . 
         [0069]    As shown in  FIG. 8A , when the folding shelf  110  is arranged in a horizontal direction, the adhesive members  151  are inserted into the first locking grooves  123 . In this case, the adhesive members  151  are pressed toward the shelf supporting members  120  by the pressing springs  154 . The shelf supporting members  120  and the connecting members  130  are subject to forces exerted in directions in which they are separated from each other, thereby suppressing the rotation of the connecting members  130 . Thus, if an external force is not applied to the folding shelf  110  coupled to the connecting members  130 , the folding shelf  110  does not rotate. Further, if an external force is not applied to the folding shelf  110  arranged in a vertical direction, the folding shelf  110  may be held in a folded state. 
         [0070]    Further, as shown in  FIG. 8B , when the folding shelf  110  is folded in a vertical direction, the adhesive members  151  are inserted into the second locking grooves  124 . In this case, the adhesive members  151  are pressed toward the shelf supporting members  120  by the pressing springs  154 , thereby suppressing the rotation of the connecting members  130 . Accordingly, the adhesive members  151  cannot be easily separated from the second locking grooves  124 . Thus, if an external force is not applied to the folding shelf  110 , the folding shelf  110  arranged in a vertical direction may be held in a folded state. 
         [0071]    As described above, the folding shelf  110  according to another embodiment of the present invention may be held while being arranged in a vertical direction or a horizontal direction without an additional shelf fixing device. 
         [0072]    In this embodiment, as shown in  FIG. 9 , when the folding shelf  110  is unfolded to be positioned in a horizontal direction, the folding shelf  110  and a neighboring fixed shelf  160  have the same plane, thereby putting products thereon. Further, when the folding shelf  110  is folded to be positioned in a vertical direction, it may be possible to ensure a space between the ice maker  40  and the fixed shelf  160  where products having a great height may be put. 
         [0073]    Although the adhesive devices  150  have a structure in which the adhesive members  151  are elastically supported by the pressing springs  154  in this embodiment, the structure of the adhesive devices  150  is not limited thereto. The adhesive devices  150  may be formed of an elastic body which is supported by the connecting members  130  to press the shelf supporting members  120 . Further, the pressing springs  154  and the adhesive members  151  may be disposed at the shelf supporting members  120  which are fixed on the ice maker  40 . In this case, the adhesive parts  152  of the adhesive members  151  have a great diameter and a large outer peripheral surface such that the connecting members  130  may be pressed by the adhesive parts  152  while the connecting members  130  rotate within a specified angle. Further, it is preferable that the connecting members  130  include grooves having a curvature corresponding to a curvature of the adhesive parts  152 . 
         [0074]      FIG. 10  and  FIG. 11  are a side view and a perspective view, respectively, schematically showing a folding shelf  170  for a refrigerator, according to a further embodiment of the present invention. 
         [0075]    The folding shelf  170  of this embodiment has substantially the same structure as the previous embodiments except that a shelf upholding member  180  is further provided on a rear wall surface  11   a  so as to support another part of the folding shelf  170  when the folding shelf  170  is unfolded in a horizontal direction. 
         [0076]    The shelf upholding member  180  comprises a hook connection part  181  formed at the rear wall surface  11   a , and an upholding part  182  fixed with the hook connection part  181  to support a corner of the folding shelf  170 . 
         [0077]    The hook connection part  181  may be disposed in the middle and on the right of the rear wall surface  11   a  of the cooling chamber  11  so as to support hooks  16   a  arranged at both side ends of the fixed shelf  16 . The hook connection part  181  is extended in a vertical direction of the cooling chamber  11  as distanced by a predetermined interval from the ice maker  40 . The hook connection part  181  includes hook connection recesses  181   a  for engagement with the hooks  16   a  of the fixed shelf  16 . The hook connection recesses  181   a  may be provided in a plural number, being arranged along a length direction of the hook connection part  181  so that a mounting height of the fixed shelf  16  may be adjusted. 
         [0078]    The upholding part  182  is fixed to the hook connection part  181  through a fixing member  183  such as a screw. When the folding shelf  170  is unfolded in the horizontal direction, the left side of the folding shelf  170  may be supported by any one of the shelf supporting members  60  and  120  whereas the right side is supported by the shelf upholding member  180 , as shown in the drawing. Accordingly, both of the left and the right sides of the folding shelf  170  may be stably supported against loads of stored products. Therefore, in spite of the loads of the stored products received in the folding shelf  170 , the folding shelf  170  may maintain the same plane with the fixed shelf  160  without generating a height difference. 
         [0079]    The upholding part  182  may substantially have an L-shape sectional surface. More specifically, the upholding part  182  comprises an upholding surface  182   a  contacting part of the corner of the folding shelf  170 , and an extended surface  182   b  bent along the length of the hook connection part  181 . 
         [0080]    Here, it is noted that the upholding part  182  according to other embodiments of the present invention may be configured in other various ways. That is, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that diverse changes in shapes and details may be made without departing the scope of the present invention. 
         [0081]    In addition, although the upholding part  182  according to the further embodiment of the present invention is illustrated to be fixed to the hook connection part  181 , the upholding part  182  may be fixed directly to the rear wall surface  11   a  of the cooling chamber  11 . 
         [0082]    Furthermore, application of the shelf upholding member is not limited to the folding shelf.  FIG. 12  shows an example in that a shelf other than the folding shelf is supported by the shelf upholding member. 
         [0083]    As shown in  FIG. 12 , the cooling chamber  11  may comprise therein any one of the shelf supporting members  60  and  120  connected to the wall surface of the ice maker  40  according to the embodiments of the present invention, the shelf upholding member  180  mounted to the rear wall surface  11   a  of the cooling chamber  11  distanced by a predetermined interval from the ice maker  40 , and a shelf  190  mounted between the shelf supporting member  60  or  120  and the shelf upholding member  180 . In the above-described refrigerator according to the present invention, the folding shelves  50 ,  80 ,  110  and  170  may be installed on another inner wall of the cooling chamber  11  or the freezing chamber  12  instead of the wall surface of the ice maker  40 . 
         [0084]    According to the present invention, the folding shelf is installed in the storage chamber of the refrigerator to be rotatable within a specified angle. When the folding shelf is folded in a vertical direction, there is formed a space capable of storing containers or food products having a great height. When the folding shelf is unfolded in a horizontal direction, containers or food products having a small height may be put on the folding shelf. Thus, a storage space of the refrigerator, particularly, a storage space formed on the side of the ice maker may be more efficiently used. 
         [0085]    Further, according to the present invention, the folding shelf may be stably positioned in a vertical direction or a horizontal direction. 
         [0086]    Although embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in this embodiment without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined in the claims and their equivalents.