DRAWER ASSEMBLY AND REFRIGERATOR HAVING THE SAME

- HEFEI HUALING CO., LTD.

A drawer assembly and a refrigerator having the same are provided. The drawer assembly comprises: a first drawer part having an outcut which is formed in a top of the first drawer part at a transversal rear side of the first drawer part and penetrated through the first drawer part in a longitudinal direction; and a second drawer part snap-fitted within the outcut of the first drawer part so as to couple the second drawer part to the first drawer part, and the top of the first drawer part being flush with that of the second drawer part.

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Description
FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to a refrigeration apparatus, more particularly, to a drawer assembly and a refrigerator having the same.

BACKGROUND

The freezing drawer of the conventional refrigerator is integrative and disposed onto a door-support with synchronizing gears and synchronizing bars. The capacity of the freezing drawer of the refrigerator becomes larger and larger in order to store more foods, thus causing pulling out and pushing in of the freezing drawer inconvenient. In addition, the capacity of the freezing drawer is limited because the stroke of the gear is limited by the depth of refrigerator cabinet, such that the space utilization rate of the refrigerator is low.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure seeks to solve at least one of the problems existing in the prior art to at least some extent.

Accordingly, an object according to a first aspect of embodiments of the present disclosure is to provide a drawer assembly having high space utilization rate and being easy to assemble and disassemble.

The drawer assembly according to embodiments of the present disclosure comprises: a first drawer part having an outcut which is formed in a top of the first drawer part at a transversal rear side of the first drawer part in a transversal direction and penetrated therethrough in a longitudinal direction; and a second drawer part snap-fitted within the outcut of the first drawer part so as to couple the second drawer part to the first drawer part, and the top of the first drawer part is flush with that of the second drawer part.

The drawer assembly according to embodiments of the present disclosure comprises the first drawer part and the second drawer part coupled detachably to each other, so that the drawer assembly is easy to assemble and disassemble. Moreover, the capacity of the drawer assembly is sufficiently enlarged and the space utilization rate thereof is improved.

In some embodiments, a first protrusion extended backwardly in a transversal direction is disposed at an upper portion of a rear surface of transversal sidewall of the first drawer part, and a groove is formed in a top of the first protrusion; a first recess is formed in an upper portion of a front surface of a transversal sidewall of the second drawer part, and a fastening tongue extended downwardly is disposed at a top surface of the first recess; and the first protrusion is fitted within the first recess and the fastening tongue is snap-fitted within the groove such that the second drawer part is fastened to the first drawer part.

Alternatively, the groove is formed as a through-hole extended vertically, and the fastening tongue is elastic.

With the groove and the fastening tongue, the second drawer part may be positioned vertically onto the first drawer part with high accuracy.

In some embodiments, a second protrusion extended backwardly in a transversal direction is disposed at a top of a rear surface of a transversal sidewall of the first drawer part; a plughole is formed in a front surface of a transversal sidewall of the second drawer part; and the second protrusion is inserted into the plughole such that the second drawer part is fastened to the first drawer part.

With the second protrusion and the plughole, the second drawer part may be positioned vertically on the first drawer part with high accuracy as well.

In some embodiments, a projection extended upwardly is disposed on an upper surface of the outcut of the first drawer part, and a second recess recessed upwardly is formed in a lower surface of the second drawer part, and the projection is inserted into the second recess so as to fasten the second drawer part to the first drawer part.

Alternatively, the projection is extended upwardly along a substantially vertical direction from the upper surface of the outcut.

With the projections and the second recess engaged with each other at the right and left sides of the first and second drawer, the second drawer part may be positioned along the left and right direction, i.e. the longitudinal direction, onto the first drawer part with high accuracy.

In some embodiments, a first step is disposed on an outer surface of a rear wall in the transversal direction of the first drawer part, a second step is disposed on an outer surface of a rear wall in the transversal direction of the second drawer part, and the first step is snap-fitted with the second step.

Alternatively, the first step has a substantially L-shape.

With the first step and the second step coupled to each other, the second drawer part may be positioned in the front and rear direction, i.e. the transversal direction (the moving direction of the drawer assembly), onto the first drawer part with higher accuracy.

In some embodiments, an insertion slot is formed in the upper surface of the outcut and adjacent to a rear edge of the upper surface of the outcut; an insertion tongue is extended downwardly from a lower surface of the second drawer part, and the insertion tongue is inserted into the insertion slot so as to fasten the second drawer part to the first drawer part.

Alternatively, the insertion tongue is extended downwardly in a substantially vertical direction from the lower surface of the second drawer part.

Alternatively, the upper surface of the outcut is formed as an arc surface; the lower surface of the second drawer part is formed as an arc surface adapted to the upper surface of the outcut.

The engagement of the insertion slot and insertion results a firm snap-fit between the first drawer part and second drawer part, thus avoiding distortion of the drawer assembly.

The drawer assembly according to embodiments of the present disclosure is divided into the first drawer part and the second drawer part detachably coupled to each other, when being inserted into drawer cabinets with various capacity requirements, the rear wall of each of the first drawer part and the second drawer part may be inclined by a predetermined angle backwardly and correspondingly according to the specific capacity requirement, therefore the capacity of the drawer assembly can satisfy requirements of the drawer cabinet. Meanwhile, when the drawer assembly is needed to be taken out of the drawer cabinet, the second drawer part may be firstly detached from the first drawer part, and then the first drawer part is pulled out. Therefore, the capacity of the drawer assembly is relatively enlarged and the space utilization rate thereof is improved, though the drawer assembly is needed to be taken out in two steps.

Another object according to a second aspect of embodiments of the present disclosure is to provide a refrigerator.

The refrigerator according to embodiments of the present disclosure comprises a refrigerating chamber and a freezing chamber, in which the freezing chamber comprises: a freezing cabinet; a freezing door configured to open and close the freezing cabinet and connected to the freezing cabinet via a supporting and moving assembly; and a drawer assembly according to the first aspect of the present disclosure detachably supported on the supporting and moving assembly and moved in the freezing cabinet along the transversal direction.

The supporting and moving assembly comprises a moving member including a slide rail extending transversally and a gear movable on the slide rail, a toothed bar being disposed on the slide rail and meshed with the gear, the gear having a synchronizing bar coaxial with the gear; and a door-support member, an end of which being fixed to the freezing door, and the first drawer part being mounted onto the door-support member, and the other end of which being hinged to the synchronizing bar so as to be movable transversally on the slide rail together with the synchronizing bar or rotatable around the synchronizing bar.

With the refrigerator according to embodiments of the present disclosure, the drawer comprises the first drawer part detachably coupled to the second drawer part, when the drawer assembly is inserted into a drawer compartment with various requirements of capacity, the rear wall of each of the first drawer part and the second drawer part may be inclined by a predetermined angle backwardly and correspondingly according to the specific requirement of the capacity, therefore the capacity of the drawer assembly may satisfy the requirements of the drawer compartment. Meanwhile, when the drawer assembly is needed to be taken out of the drawer compartment, the second drawer part may be firstly detached from the first drawer part, and then the first drawer part is pulled out. Therefore, the capacity of the drawer assembly is relatively enlarged, the space utilization rate thereof is improved and the waste of space is reduced, and the taking out and cleaning of the drawer assembly is convenient, though the drawer assembly has to be taken out by two steps.

Additional aspects and advantages of the embodiments of present disclosure will be given in part in the following descriptions, become apparent in part from the following descriptions, or be learned from the practice of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other aspects and advantages of the disclosure will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following descriptions taken in conjunction with the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective schematic view of the drawer assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a part indicated by a circle in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 (a) is a schematic view showing engagement of the groove A of the first drawer part and the fastening tongue a of the second drawer part in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 (b) is a schematic view showing engagement of the projection B of the first drawer part and the second recess b of the second drawer part in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 (c) is a schematic view showing engagement of the first step C of the first drawer part and the second step c of the second drawer part in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a perspective schematic view of the drawer assembly according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a part indicated by a circle in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 (a) is a schematic view showing engagement of the plughole a′ of the first drawer part and the second protrusion A′ of the second drawer part in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 (b) is a schematic view showing engagement of the projection B of the first drawer part and the second recess b of the second drawer part in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6(c) is a schematic view showing engagement of the first step C of the first drawer part and the second step c of the second drawer part in FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a left view of a drawer assembly according to a further embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 8 is a perspective schematic partial view of the drawer assembly in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 (a) is a schematic view showing engagement of the groove A of the first drawer part and the fastening tongue a of the second drawer part in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 (b) is a schematic view showing engagement of the projection B of the first drawer part and the second recess b of the second drawer part in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 (c) is a schematic view showing engagement of the first step C of the first drawer part and the second step c of the second drawer part in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 (d) is a schematic view showing engagement of the insertion slot D of the first drawer part and the insertion tongue d of the second drawer part in FIG. 7;

FIG. 10 is a schematic view of the refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present disclosure with the freezing door being closed;

FIG. 11 is a schematic view of the refrigerator in FIG. 10 with the freezing door being opened and the drawer assembly being pulled out;

FIG. 12 is a schematic view of the refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present disclosure with the freezing door being opened, the drawer assembly being pulled out and the second drawer part being separated from the first drawer part;

FIG. 13 is an enlarged view of a part indicated by a circle in FIG. 12;

FIG. 14 is a schematic view of the refrigerator in FIG. 12 with the drawer assembly being pulled out;

FIG. 15 is a schematic view of the refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present disclosure with the freezing door being opened, the drawer assembly being pulled out and the second drawer part being separated from the first drawer part;

FIG. 16 is an enlarged view of a part indicated by a circle in FIG. 15;

FIG. 17 is a schematic view of the refrigerator in FIG. 15 with the drawer assembly being pulled out;

FIG. 18 is a schematic view of the refrigerator according to a further embodiment of the present disclosure with the freezing door being opened, the drawer assembly being pulled out and the second drawer part being separated from the first drawer part;

FIG. 19 is an enlarged view of a part indicated by a circle in FIG. 18; and

FIG. 20 is a schematic view of the refrigerator in FIG. 18 with the drawer assembly being pulled out.

 DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Reference will be made in detail to embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiments described herein with reference to drawings are explanatory, illustrative, and used to generally understand the present disclosure. The embodiments shall not be construed to limit the present disclosure. The same or similar elements and the elements having same or similar functions are denoted by like reference numerals throughout the descriptions.

In the description, relative terms such as “longitudinal”, “transversal”, “front”, “rear”, “right”, “left”, “lower”, “upper”, “horizontal”, “vertical”, “above”, “below”, “up”, “top”, “bottom” as well as derivative thereof (e.g., “horizontally”, “downwardly”, “upwardly”, etc.) should be construed to refer to the orientation as then described or as shown in the drawings under discussion. These relative terms are for convenience of description and do not require that the present disclosure be constructed or operated in a particular orientation. Terms concerning attachments, coupling and the like, such as “connected” and “interconnected”, refer to a relationship wherein structures are secured or attached to one another either directly or indirectly through intervening structures, as well as both movable or rigid attachments or relationships, unless expressly described otherwise.

The drawer assembly according to embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1-9 below.

As shown in FIGS. 1-9, a drawer assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure comprises a first drawer part 11 and a second drawer part 12. The first drawer part has an outcut 110 which is formed in a top of the first drawer part 11 at a transversal rear side (the left side in FIG. 2) of the first drawer part and penetrated therethrough in a longitudinal direction (the right and left direction in FIG. 1). The second drawer part 12 is snap-fitted within the outcut 110 of the first drawer part 11 so as to couple the second drawer part 12 to the first drawer part 11, and the top of the first drawer part 11 is flush with that of the second drawer part 12 after coupling to each other. Alternatively, the rear wall of each of the first drawer part 11 and the second drawer part 12 may be inclined by a predetermined angle backwardly and correspondingly, in which the inclined angle of the first drawer part 11 is adapted to that of the second drawer part 12. Therefore, the capacity of a drawer defined by the first drawer part and the second drawer part coupled to each other is much larger.

The drawer assembly according to embodiments of the present disclosure comprises the first drawer part and the second drawer part coupled detachably to each other, so that the drawer assembly is easy to assemble and disassemble. Moreover the capacity of the drawer assembly is sufficiently enlarged and the space utilization rate thereof is improved.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3(a), a first protrusion 111 extended backwardly in the transversal direction (the front and back direction in FIG. 1) is disposed at an upper portion of a rear surface of transversal sidewall of the first drawer part 11, and a groove A is formed in the top of the first protrusion 111. Accordingly, a first recess 121 is formed in an upper portion of a front surface of a transversal sidewall of the second drawer part 12. Specifically, the first recess 121 is depressed in a front face of the upper portion of the second drawer part 12. A fastening tongue a extended downwardly is disposed at a top surface of the first recess 121. The first protrusion 111 is fitted within the first recess 121 and the fastening tongue a is snap-fitted within the groove A such that the second drawer part 12 is fastened to the first drawer part 11. For example, as shown in FIG. 3 (a), the groove A is formed as a through-hole extended vertically, and the fastening tongue a is elastic, such that, the elastic fastening tongue a may be inserted into and then snap-fitted within the groove A through deformation resulting from being depressed by a user.

With the groove and the fastening tongue, the second drawer part may be positioned and assembled vertically onto the first drawer part with high accuracy.

Of course, the present disclosure is not limited to this. In order to position the second drawer part vertically onto the first drawer accurately, according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in FIGS. 4, 5, and 6 (a), a second protrusion A′ extended backwardly in the transversal direction is disposed on the top of a rear surface of the transversal sidewall of the first drawer part 11. A plughole a′ is formed in the front surface of a transversal sidewall of the second drawer part 12. Specifically, the plughole a′ is depressed in a front face of the upper end of the second drawer part 12, and the second protrusion A′ is inserted into the plughole a′, as shown in FIG. 6(a). Alternatively, the sectional area taken along the longitudinal direction of the second protrusion A′ is reduced gradually in order to insert into the plughole a′ easily as the second protrusion A′ extending backwardly.

With the second protrusion and the plughole, the second drawer part may be positioned vertically onto the first drawer part with high accuracy.

With the embodiments, the drawer assembly is divided into the first drawer part 11 and the second drawer part 12 detachably coupled to each other, when being inserted into drawer cabinets with various capacity requirements, the rear wall of each of the first drawer part 11 and the second drawer part 12 may be inclined by a predetermined angle backwardly and correspondingly according to the specific capacity requirement, therefore the capacity of the drawer assembly can satisfy the requirements of the drawer cabinet. Meanwhile, when the drawer assembly is needed to be taken out of the drawer cabinet, the second drawer part 12 may be firstly detached from the first drawer part 11, and then the first drawer part 11 is pulled out. Therefore, the capacity of the drawer assembly is relatively enlarged and the space utilization rate thereof is improved, though the drawer assembly is needed to be taken out in two steps.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, as shown in FIGS. 1-3(b) and FIGS. 4-6(b), a projection B extended upwardly is disposed on an upper surface of the outcut 110 of the first drawer part 11, correspondingly, a second recess b recessed upwardly is formed in a lower surface of the second drawer part 12, in which the projection B is inserted into the second recess b so as to fasten the second drawer part 12 to the first drawer part 11. Alternatively, the projection B is extended upwardly along the substantially vertical direction from the upper surface of the outcut 110. And, the second recess b is depressed downwardly in the substantially vertical direction in the lower surface of the second drawer part 12 correspondingly. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, a predetermined angle may be formed between the vertical direction and the axial direction of the projection B and the second recess b, as long as the projection B and the second recess b may be coupled to each other so as to fit the second drawer part 12 within the outcut 110.

For instance, the number of each of the projection B and the second recess b may be more than one, the projections B are disposed respectively on the upper surface of the left and right ends in the longitudinal direction of the outcut 110, such that when the second drawer part 12 is assembled to or disassembled from the first drawer part 11, the projections B at two sides in the longitudinal direction may be engaged into or disengaged from the corresponding second recesses b respectively. Therefore, the assembly and disassembly between the first drawer part 11 and the second drawer part 12 are easily and simply.

With the projections B and the second recess b engaged with each other, the second drawer part may be positioned along the left and right direction, i.e. the longitudinal direction, onto the first drawer part 11 with higher accuracy.

In some other embodiments of the present disclosure, as shown in FIGS. 1-3(c) and FIGS. 4-6(c), a first step C is disposed on an outer surface of a rear wall in the transversal direction of the first drawer part 11, a second step c is disposed on an outer surface of a rear wall in the transversal direction of the second drawer part 12, in which the first step C is snap-fitted with the second step c. Alternatively, the first step C may has a substantially L-shape, because the rear wall of the first drawer part 11 is extended upwardly to form a L-shape with the upper surface of the outcut 110. Correspondingly, the second step c may be formed like a curved finger to be snap-fitted with the first step C, as shown in FIG. 3(c) and FIG. 7. Of course, the shape of the first step C and the second step c is not limited to this. For example, the first step C and the second step c may be respectively any steps which can be snap-fitted with each other.

Furthermore, the number of each of the first step C and the second step c may be more than one, each of the first steps C and the second steps c may be spaced apart from each other longitudinally. With the first step C and the second step c coupled to each other, the second drawer part 12 may be positioned in the front and rear direction, i.e. the transversal direction (the moving direction of the drawer assembly) onto the first drawer part 11 with higher accuracy.

Moreover, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, as shown in FIGS. 7-9 (d), an insertion slot D is formed in the upper surface of the outcut 110 and adjacent to a rear edge of the upper surface of the outcut. The insertion slot D is adjacent to a rear side of the outcut and depressed in the upper surface of the outcut 110. Correspondingly, an insertion tongue d is extended downwardly from the lower surface of the second drawer part 12. The insertion tongue d may be inserted into the insertion slot D so as to fasten the second drawer part 12 to the first drawer part 11, and the top of the second drawer part 12 is flush with that of the first drawer part 11. Alternatively, the insertion tongue d is extended downwardly in the substantially vertical direction from the lower surface of the second drawer part 12, correspondingly, the insertion slot D is depressed downwardly in the substantially vertical direction into the super surface of the outcut 110. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, a predetermined angle may be formed between the vertical direction and the axial direction of the insertion slot D and the insertion tongue d, as long as the insertion slot D and the insertion tongue d may be coupled to each other so as to snap-fit the second drawer part 12 within the outcut 110.

In an example of the present disclosure, the upper surface of the outcut 110 is formed as an arc surface such as a fan-shape surface. Correspondingly, the lower surface of the second drawer part 12 is formed as an arc surface adapted to the upper surface of the outcut 110. Of course, the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the upper surface of the outcut 110 may also be a smooth curved surface with other shapes, two planes intersected with each other, and two surfaces with any other shapes, as long as the second drawer part 12 may be snap-fitted within the outcut 110 and the top of the second drawer part 12 is flush with that of the first drawer part 11.

In an example of the present disclosure, the number of the insertion tongue d may be more than one, and the plurality of the insertion tongues d are disposed onto the upper surface of the outcut 110 and spaced apart from each other longitudinally. And the number of the insertion slot D may correspondingly be more than one, so that the engagement between the first drawer part 11 and second drawer part 12 is firm and the distortion of the drawer assembly is avoided.

By providing the insertion tongue d on the first drawer part and the insertion slot D in the second drawer part which are engaged with each other, the deflecting occurred between the first and second drawer parts and caused by deformation of drawer assembly due to pressing the drawer assembly can be corrected, so as to ensure the completeness of the drawer assembly.

The refrigerator according to embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 10-20 below.

A refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present disclosure comprises a refrigerating chamber and a freezing chamber, in which the freezing chamber comprises the drawer assembly 1 as described hereinabove, a freezing cabinet 2 and a freezing door 3 configured to open and close the freezing cabinet 2. As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, a compressor cabin 5 is formed in a rear side of the lowest part of a multi-door refrigerator, used to accommodate a compressor and occupies a lot of space. The rear wall of the compressor cabin 5 is inclined backwardly from the bottom up, therefore the space utilization rate of the freezing drawer at the bottom of the refrigerator is low. Hereinafter, as an example of drawer assembly, the freezing drawer in the bottom of the freezing cabinet 2 of the refrigerator will be described in detail.

As shown in FIGS. 10-20, the freezing door 3 is connected to the freezing cabinet 2 via a supporting and moving assembly 4, and the drawer assembly 1 is detachably supported on the supporting and moving assembly 4 and moved in the freezing cabinet 1 along the transversal direction.

The supporting and moving assembly comprises a moving member 41 and a door-support member 42. As shown in FIGS. 12-20, the moving member 41 includes a slide rail 411 extended transversally and a gear 412 movable on the slide rail 411, a toothed bar 413 is disposed on the slide rail 411 and meshed with the gear 412, and the gear 412 has a synchronizing bar 414 coaxial with the gear 412. Because the slide rail 411 is mounted onto the front surface of the compressor cabin and extended forwardly, the longest stroke “L” of the gear 412 is equal to a distance between the front surface of the compressor cabin and the front surface of the refrigerator, which is a determined value.

One end of the door-support member 42 is fixed to the freezing door 3, and the first drawer part 11 is mounted onto the door-support member 42. The other end of the door-support member 42 is hinged to the synchronizing bar 414 so as to move transversally on the slide rail 411 together with the synchronizing bar 414 or rotate around the synchronizing bar 414. When the gear 412 and the synchronizing bar 414 move forwardly to the front surface of the refrigerator, i.e. by the longest stroke “L” of the gear 412, the first drawer part 11 is rotated in the anticlockwise direction as rotation of the door-support member 42 with respect to the synchronizing bar 414, and then taken out from the door-support member 42.

The rear walls of the first drawer part 11 and the second drawer part 12 are inclined backwardly respectively, for example, parallel to the front surface of the compressor cabin 5. Therefore, in the case that the distance between the compressor cabin 5 and the freezing door 3 is determined, the capacity of the drawer formed by coupling the first drawer part 11 and the second drawer part 12 is much larger, and the inner space of the freezing cabinet 2 is sufficiently utilized, that is, the space utilization rate of the refrigerator is improved.

The operation, assembly and disassembly of the drawer assembly 1 of the refrigerator according to embodiments of the present disclosure will described in detail with reference to FIGS. 12-14 below, in which the drawer assembly 1 is the one described in an embodiment with reference to FIGS. 1-3(c).

Firstly, the procedure of disassembly of the drawer assembly 1 is described as follows:

When opening the freezing door 3, the gear 412 moves forwardly along the toothed bar 413 on the slide rail 411, until to the front end of the slide rail 411 adjacent to the front surface of the freezing cabinet 2, that is, the longest stroke of the gear 412 is reached. At this time, the freezing door 3 stops moving forwardly. Then, the user lifts the left end and the right end of the second drawer part 12, the elastic fastening tongue a of the second drawer part 12 is firstly disengaged from the groove A of the first drawer part 11 via elastic deformation, and the second recess b of the second drawer part 12 is disengaged from the projection B of the first drawer part 11 along the direction denoted by the vertical arrow shown in FIGS. 12 and 13. After the second drawer part 12 is separated from the first drawer part 11 completely, the user can take out the second drawer part 12 directly.

The manner of taking out the first drawer part 11 will be described. The user grips the left and right sides of the first drawer part 11, rotates the first drawer part 11 in the anticlockwise direction around the synchronizing bar 414, until the first drawer part 11 touches a door 30 above the freezing door 3. Next, the first drawer part 11 is moved to a appropriate position along the direction denoted by forwardly inclined arrow shown in FIG. 14, then rotated to a position at which the first drawer part 11 is parallel to the freezing door 3, and then the first drawer part 11 could be detached along the direction denoted by the vertical arrow shown in FIG. 14.

Secondly, the procedure of assembly of the drawer assembly 1 will be described as follows:

The procedure of assembly of the drawer assembly 1 may be reversed to that of disassembly thereof, and detailed description thereof will be omitted here. The second drawer part 12 may be mounted after the first drawer part 11 has been mounted in place. The second drawer part 12 is firstly placed at the appropriate position similarly as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the second step c of the second drawer part 12 falls onto the first step C of the first drawer part 11, and the second recess b of the second drawer part 12 covers the projection B of the first drawer part 11 vertically. Meanwhile, the elastic fastening tongue a of the second drawer part 12 is contacted to the groove A of the first drawer part 11. Then the elastic fastening tongue a is inserted into the groove A through exerting a force to the fastening tongue a by a user using his thumb. Meanwhile, the other coupling structures between the first drawer part 11 and the second drawer part 12 are coupled to each other. Therefore, the assembly of the drawer assembly 1 is finished.

The operation, assembly and disassembly of the drawer assembly 1 of the refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present disclosure will described in detail with reference to FIGS. 15-17 below, in which the drawer assembly 1 is the one described in an embodiment with reference to FIGS. 4-6 (c).

Firstly, the procedure of disassembly of the drawer assembly 1 is described as follows:

When opening the freezing door 3, the gear 412 moves forwardly along the toothed bar 413 on the slide rail 411, until to the front end of the slide rail 411 adjacent to the front surface of the freezing cabinet 2, that is, the longest stroke of the gear 412 is reached. At this time, the freezing door 3 stops moving forwardly. Then, the user pushes the left side and the right side towards the interior of the freezing cabinet 2 along the direction denoted by the transversal arrow shown in FIG. 15 and FIG. 6(c), the plughole a′ of the second drawer part 12 is disengaged from the second protrusion A′ of the first drawer part 11 via elastic deformation. Meanwhile, the second recess b of the second drawer part 12 is disengaged from the projection B of the first drawer part 11 along the direction denoted by the vertical arrow shown in FIG. 15 and FIG. 16. After the second drawer part 12 is separated from the first drawer part 11 completely, the user can take out the second drawer part 12 directly.

The manner of taking out the first drawer part 11 will be described. The user grips the left and right sides of the first drawer part 11, rotates the first drawer part 11 in the anticlockwise direction around the synchronizing bar 414, until the first drawer part 11 touches the door 30 above the freezing door 3. Next, the first drawer part 11 is moved to a appropriate position along the direction denoted by forwardly inclined arrow shown in FIG. 17, then rotated to a position at which the first drawer part 11 is parallel to the freezing door 3, and then the first drawer part 11 could be detached along the direction denoted by the vertical arrow as shown in FIG. 17.

Secondly, the procedure of assembly of the drawer assembly 1 will be described as follows:

The procedure of assembly of the drawer assembly 1 may be reversed to that of disassembly thereof, and detailed description thereof will be omitted here. The second drawer part 12 may be mounted after the first drawer part 11 has been mounted in place. The second drawer part 12 is firstly placed at the appropriate position similarly as shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, and the second step c of the second drawer part 12 falls onto the first step C of the first drawer part 11, and the second recess b of the second drawer part 12 covers the projection B of the first drawer part 11 vertically. Meanwhile, the plughole a′ of the second drawer part 12 is contacted to the second protrusion A′ of the first drawer part 11. And then the plughole a′ is inserted into the second protrusion A′ through exerting a force to the second protrusion A′ by a user using his thumb. Meanwhile the other coupling structures between the first drawer part 11 and the second drawer part 12 are coupled to each other. Therefore, the assembly of the drawer assembly 1 is finished.

The operation, assembly and disassembly of the drawer assembly 1 of the refrigerator according to a still another embodiment of the present disclosure will described in detail with reference to FIGS. 18-20 below, in which the drawer assembly 1 is the one described in an embodiment with reference to FIGS. 7-9(d).

Firstly, the procedure of disassembly of the drawer assembly 1 is described as follows:

When opening the freezing door 3, the gear 412 moves forwardly along the toothed bar 413 on the slide rail 411, until to the front end of the slide rail 411 adjacent to the front surface of the freezing cabinet 2, that is, the longest stroke of the gear 412 is reached. At this time, the freezing door 3 stops moving forwardly. Then, the user lifts the left end and the right end of the second drawer part 12, the elastic fastening tongue a of the second drawer part 12 is disengaged from the groove A of the first drawer part 11 via elastic deformation, and the second recess b of the second drawer part 12 is disengaged from the projection B of the first drawer part 11 along the direction denoted by the vertical arrow shown in FIG. 18 and FIG. 19. Meanwhile, the second step c of the second drawer part 12 is disengaged from the first step C of the first drawer part 11 automatically, and the insertion tongue d of the second drawer part 12 is disengaged from the insertion slot D of the first drawer part 11 automatically. After the second drawer part 12 is separated from the first drawer part 11 completely, the second drawer part 12 could be detached directly.

The manner of taking out the first drawer part 11 will be described. The user grips the left and right sides of the first drawer part 11, rotates the first drawer part 11 in the anticlockwise direction around the synchronizing bar 414, until the first drawer part 11 is contacted with the door 30 above the freezing door 3. Next, the first drawer part 11 is moved to a appropriate position along the direction denoted by the forwardly inclined arrow shown in FIG. 20, and then rotated to a position at which the first drawer part 11 is parallel to the freezing door 3, and then the first drawer part 11 could be detached along the direction denoted by the vertical arrow shown in FIG. 20.

Secondly, the procedure of assembly of the drawer assembly 1 will be described as follows:

The procedure of assembly of the drawer assembly 1 may be reversed to that of disassembly thereof, and detailed description thereof will be omitted here. The second drawer part 12 may be mounted after the first drawer part 11 has been mounted in place. The second drawer part 12 is firstly placed at the appropriate position similarly as shown in FIGS. 18 and 19, the second step c of the second drawer part 12 falls onto the first step C of the first drawer part 11, the second recess b of the second drawer part 12 covers the projection B of the first drawer part 11 vertically, and the insertion tongue d of the second drawer part 12 is inserted into the insertion slot D of the first drawer part 11. Meanwhile, the elastic fastening tongue a of the second drawer part 12 is contacted to the groove A of the first drawer part 11. Then the elastic fastening tongue a is inserted into the groove A through exerting a force to the fastening tongue a by a user using his thumb. the other coupling structures between the first drawer part 11 and the second drawer part 12 are coupled to each other. Therefore, the assembly of the drawer assembly 1 is finished.

Since the drawer assembly according to embodiments of the present disclosure is divided into the first drawer part 11 and the second drawer part 12 detachably coupled to each other, when being inserted into drawer cabinets with various capacity requirements, the rear wall of each of the first drawer part 11 and the second drawer part 12 may be inclined by a predetermined angle backwardly and correspondingly according to the specific capacity requirement, therefore the capacity of the drawer assembly can satisfy the requirements of the drawer cabinet. Meanwhile, when the drawer assembly is needed to be taken out of the drawer cabinet, the second drawer part 12 may be firstly detached from the first drawer part 11, and then the first drawer part 11 is pulled out. Therefore, the capacity of the drawer assembly is relatively enlarged, the space utilization rate thereof is improved, the waste of the space of drawer is reduced, and the taking out and cleaning of the drawer assembly is convenient, though the drawer assembly is needed to be taken out in two steps.

Reference throughout this specification to an “embodiment,” “some embodiments,” “one embodiment”, “an example,” “a specific examples,” or “some examples,” means that a particular feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of the disclosure. Thus, the appearances of the phrases such as “in some embodiments,” “in one embodiment” “in an embodiment”, “an example,” “a specific examples,” or “some examples,” in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment or example of the disclosure. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, materials, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples.

Although explanatory embodiments have been shown and described, it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes, alternatives, and modifications can be made in the embodiments without departing from spirit and principles of the disclosure. Such changes, alternatives, and modifications all fall into the scope of the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A drawer assembly, comprising:

a first drawer part having an outcut which is formed in a top of the first drawer part at a transversal rear side of the first drawer part and penetrated therethrough in a longitudinal direction; and
a second drawer part snap-fitted within the outcut of the first drawer part so as to couple the second drawer part to the first drawer part, and the top of the first drawer part being flush with that of the second drawer part.

2. The drawer assembly according to claim 1, wherein a first protrusion extended backwardly in a transversal direction is disposed at an upper portion of a rear surface of transversal sidewall of the first drawer part, and a groove is formed in a top of the first protrusion;

wherein a first recess is formed in an upper portion of a front surface of a transversal sidewall of the second drawer part, and a fastening tongue extended downwardly is disposed at a top surface of the first recess; and
wherein the first protrusion is fitted within the first recess and the fastening tongue is snap-fitted within the groove such that the second drawer part is fastened to the first drawer part.

3. The drawer assembly according to claim 2, wherein the groove is formed as a through-hole extended vertically, and the fastening tongue is elastic.

4. The drawer assembly according to claim 1, wherein a second protrusion extended backwardly in a transversal direction is disposed at a top of a rear surface of a transversal sidewall of the first drawer part;

wherein a plughole is formed in a front surface of a transversal sidewall of the second drawer part; and
wherein the second protrusion is inserted into the plughole such that the second drawer part is fastened to the first drawer part.

5. The drawer assembly according to claim 2, wherein a projection extended upwardly is disposed on an upper surface of the outcut of the first drawer part, and a second recess recessed upwardly is formed in a lower surface of the second drawer part, and

wherein the projection is inserted into the second recess so as to fasten the second drawer part to the first drawer part.

6. The drawer assembly according to claim 5, wherein the projection is extended upwardly along a substantially vertical direction from the upper surface of the outcut.

7. The drawer assembly according to claim 5, wherein a first step is disposed on an outer surface of a rear wall in the transversal direction of the first drawer part,

wherein a second step is disposed on an outer surface of a rear wall in the transversal direction of the second drawer part, and
wherein the first step is snap-fitted with the second step.

8. The drawer assembly according to claim 7, wherein the first step has a substantially “L” shape.

9. The drawer assembly according to claim 7, wherein an insertion slot is formed in the upper surface of the outcut and adjacent to a rear edge of the upper surface of the outcut;

wherein an insertion tongue is extended downwardly from a lower surface of the second drawer part, and
wherein the insertion tongue is inserted into the insertion slot so as to fasten the second drawer part to the first drawer part.

10. The drawer assembly according to claim 9, wherein the insertion tongue is extended downwardly along a substantially vertical direction from the lower surface of the second drawer part.

11. The drawer assembly according to claim 10, wherein the upper surface of the outcut is formed as an arc surface; and

wherein the lower surface of the second drawer part is formed as an arc surface adapted to the upper surface of the outcut.

12. A refrigerator comprising a refrigerating chamber and a freezing chamber, wherein the freezing chamber comprising:

a freezing cabinet;
a freezing door configured to open and close the freezing cabinet and connected to the freezing cabinet via a supporting and moving assembly; and
a drawer assembly detachably supported on the supporting and moving assembly and moved in the freezing cabinet along the transversal direction, the drawer assembly comprising: a first drawer part having an outcut which is formed in a top of the first drawer part at a transversal rear side of the first drawer part and penetrated therethrough in a longitudinal direction; and a second drawer part snap-fitted within the outcut of the first drawer part so as to couple the second drawer part to the first drawer part, and the top of the first drawer part being flush with that of the second drawer part.

13. The refrigerator according to claim 12, wherein the supporting and moving assembly comprising:

a moving member including a slide rail extending transversally and a gear movable on the slide rail, a toothed bar being disposed on the slide rail and meshed with the gear, the gear having a synchronizing bar coaxial with the gear; and
a door-support member, an end of which being fixed to the freezing door, and the first drawer part being mounted onto the door-support member, and the other end of which being hinged to the synchronizing bar so as to be movable transversally on the slide rail together with the synchronizing bar or rotatable around the synchronizing bar.

14. The refrigerator according to claim 12, wherein a first protrusion extended backwardly in a transversal direction is disposed at an upper portion of a rear surface of transversal sidewall of the first drawer part, and a groove is formed in a top of the first protrusion;

wherein a first recess is formed in an upper portion of a front surface of a transversal sidewall of the second drawer part, and a fastening tongue extended downwardly is disposed at a top surface of the first recess; and
wherein the first protrusion is fitted within the first recess and the fastening tongue is snap-fitted within the groove such that the second drawer part is fastened to the first drawer part.

15. The refrigerator according to claim 14, wherein the groove is formed as a through-hole extended vertically, and the fastening tongue is elastic.

16. The refrigerator according to claim 12, wherein a second protrusion extended backwardly in a transversal direction is disposed at a top of a rear surface of a transversal sidewall of the first drawer part;

wherein a plughole is formed in a front surface of a transversal sidewall of the second drawer part; and
wherein the second protrusion is inserted into the plughole such that the second drawer part is fastened to the first drawer part.

17. The refrigerator according to claim 14, wherein a projection extended upwardly is disposed on an upper surface of the outcut of the first drawer part, and a second recess recessed upwardly is formed in a lower surface of the second drawer part, and

wherein the projection is inserted into the second recess so as to fasten the second drawer part to the first drawer part.

18. The refrigerator according to claim 17, wherein the projection is extended upwardly along a substantially vertical direction from the upper surface of the outcut.

19. The refrigerator according to claim 17, wherein a first step is disposed on an outer surface of a rear wall of the first drawer part,

wherein a second step is disposed on an outer surface of a rear wall of the second drawer part, and
wherein the first step is snap-fitted with the second step.

20. The refrigerator according to claim 19, wherein an insertion slot is formed in the upper surface of the outcut and adjacent to a rear edge of the upper surface of the outcut;

wherein an insertion tongue is extended downwardly from a lower surface of the second drawer part, and
wherein the insertion tongue is inserted into the insertion slot so as to fasten the second drawer part to the first drawer part.
Patent History
Publication number: 20120262045
Type: Application
Filed: Nov 16, 2010
Publication Date: Oct 18, 2012
Applicants: HEFEI HUALING CO., LTD. (Anhui), HEFEI MIDEA RONGSHIDA REFRIGERATOR CO., LTD. (Anhui)
Inventors: Jian Cheng (Anhui), Lingyun Li (Anhui), Dongxian Liu (Anhui)
Application Number: 13/512,659
Classifications
Current U.S. Class: Including Particular Storage Compartment (312/404); Horizontally Movable (e.g., Drawer) (312/330.1)
International Classification: F25D 25/00 (20060101); A47B 88/04 (20060101);