Shelf assembly for a domestic cooling appliance
A domestic cooling appliance includes a cabinet having a set of inner walls defining a cooling space, and a shelf assembly provided in the cooling space. The shelf assembly includes a shelf panel and a pair of left and right metal support brackets disposed adjacent one of the pair of lateral edges of the shelf panel and extend between front and rear edges of the shelf panel. Each support bracket includes at least one mounting member for mounting the support bracket to an inner rear wall of the cabinet and one or more coupling members for coupling the shelf panel to the pair of support brackets where at least a first coupling member of the one or more coupling members is designed as an elongated U-shaped metal profile defining only a first pocket for engaging the shelf panel.
The present invention relates generally to a shelf assembly and a domestic cooling appliance equipped with such a shelf assembly.
2. Description of the Prior ArtA domestic cooling appliance such as, e.g., a refrigerator or a freezer, has an interior cooling space destined for accommodating foodstuffs. The foodstuffs may be placed on one or more shelf panels (shelf boards) arranged in the cooling space. Some conventional shelf panels are made of a transparent material, e.g., a glass or plastics material.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONAn object of the present disclosure is to provide a shelf assembly that provides robustness and can be assembled with ease. Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a domestic cooling appliance equipped with a shelf assembly.
To achieve one or more of the above objects, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a shelf assembly having a shelf panel with a front edge, a rear edge and a pair of lateral edges extending between the front and rear edges; a pair of left and right support brackets each disposed adjacent a respective one of the lateral edges of the shelf panel, each support bracket including at least one mounting member for mounting the support bracket to a rear wall structure; and one or more coupling members for coupling the shelf panel to the pair of support brackets, at least one of the one or more coupling members being configured with a first pocket, wherein the shelf panel engages the first pocket.
In one embodiment, the at least one or more coupling members has at least a first coupling member designed as an elongated U-shaped metal profile defining only a first pocket where the shelf panel engages the first pocket.
In another embodiment, the first coupling member is fixedly attached to an upper edge of a first support bracket of the pair of left and right metal support brackets by a weld connection.
In certain embodiments, the shelf panel is clamped between opposite side surfaces of the first pocket.
In certain embodiments, the shelf panel is fixated in the first pocket by an adhesive. At least a portion of the adhesive may be provided between an upper surface of the shelf panel and an adjacent side surface of the first pocket.
In certain embodiments, the U-shaped metal profile includes a shorter profile leg and a pair of opposite longer profile legs. Each of the pair of opposite longer profile legs has a first leg end and an opposite second leg end. The pair of opposite longer profile legs are connected to each other at the first leg end by the shorter profile leg where the first coupling member is clamped between the pair of opposite longer profile legs. The pair of opposite longer profile legs define a bottleneck at a location distanced from the second leg end of each of the pair of opposite longer profile legs.
In certain embodiments, one of the pair of opposite longer profile legs is arcuate or has an arcuate portion.
In certain embodiments, one of the pair of opposite longer profile legs is straight.
In certain embodiments, the U-shaped metal profile includes a shorter profile leg and a pair of opposite longer profile legs. Each of the pair of opposite longer profile legs has a first leg end and an opposite second leg end. The pair of opposite longer profile legs are connected to each other at the first leg end by the shorter profile leg where the weld connection is established at the first leg end of one of the pair of opposite longer profile legs.
In certain embodiments, at least one of the first support bracket and the U-shaped metal profile is made of sheet metal.
In certain embodiments, the U-shaped metal profile is a bent sheet metal part.
In certain embodiments, the U-shaped metal profile and the first support bracket are made of the same metal material.
In certain embodiments, the metal material of the U-shaped metal profile and the first support bracket is one of aluminum, pig iron and low-alloy steel.
In certain embodiments, the U-shaped metal profile and the first support bracket are each provided with a coating layer where a material of the coating layer is the same for the U-shaped metal profile and the first support bracket.
In certain embodiments, the coating layer is one of a powder coating layer and an anodic coating layer.
In certain embodiments, the shelf panel is held in the first pocket without using an adhesive.
In certain embodiments, the weld connection includes a plurality of welding spots formed in a mutually spaced manner along a direction of longitudinal extension of the U-shaped metal profile.
In certain embodiments, the first coupling member is mounted to extend alongside one of the lateral edges of the shelf panel.
In certain embodiments, the at least one of the one or more coupling members is further configured with a second pocket, wherein one of the pair of support brackets engages the second pocket. The first and second pockets may extend in mutually orthogonal planes. The one of the pair of support brackets may be at least one of: clamped between opposite side surfaces of the second pocket, and fixated in the second pocket by an adhesive.
In certain embodiments, the at least one of the one or more coupling members is fixedly attached to one of the pair of support brackets by a weld or solder connection.
In certain embodiments, the at least one of the one or more coupling members is designed as an elongated profile member mounted to extend alongside the rear edge of the shelf panel.
In certain embodiments, the profile member has opposite longitudinal end portions each connected to one of the pair of support brackets by a bolt connection.
In certain embodiments, the at least one of the one or more coupling members is designed as an elongated profile member mounted to extend alongside one of the lateral edges of the shelf panel.
In certain embodiments, the at least one of the one or more coupling members is disposed in a corner region of the shelf panel, wherein a portion of the rear edge and a portion of one of the lateral edges of the shelf panel extend into the first pocket.
In certain embodiments, the first pocket has a general U-shape in cross-section and the shelf panel extends into the first pocket substantially as far as a bottom area of the first pocket.
In certain embodiments, the second pocket has a general U-shape in cross-section and the one of the pair of support brackets extends into the second pocket substantially as far as a bottom area of the second pocket.
The present disclosure further provides a domestic cooling appliance comprising: a cabinet having a set of inner walls defining a cooling space, the set of inner walls including an inner rear wall; a door mounted to the cabinet to close the cooling space; and a shelf assembly provided in the cooling space, the shelf assembly comprising: a shelf panel having a front edge, a rear edge and a pair of lateral edges extending between the front and rear edges; a pair of left and right support brackets each disposed adjacent a respective one of the pair of lateral edges of the shelf panel, each of the pair of left and right support brackets includes at least one mounting member for mounting to the inner rear wall; and one or more coupling members for coupling the shelf panel to the pair of left and right support brackets, at least a first coupling member of the one or more coupling members being designed as an elongated U-shaped metal profile defining only a first pocket, wherein the shelf panel engages the first pocket. The first coupling member is fixedly attached to an upper edge of a first support bracket of the pair of left and right metal support brackets by a weld connection.
Reference is now made to
The cooling space 24 of the domestic cooling appliance 10 may comprise a plurality of mounting parts suitable for the user to apply objects that are supposed to be cooled or frozen. At least one of these mounting parts constitutes a shelf assembly 28 that comprises a shelf panel 30. The shelf panel 30 may be manufactured from glass or plastics or any other suitable material. The material may be transparent or translucent. The shelf panel 30 may further include structures suited to obtain a desired light-deflecting effect. The shelf panel 30 may be from substantially rectangular shape and has a front edge facing the access opening 22, a rear edge facing the rear wall 18 and a pair of lateral edges extending between the front and rear edges, each of them facing one of the side walls 20. The shelf assembly 28 further comprises a pair of support brackets 32, each of them being disposed adjacent one of the lateral edges of the shelf panel 30. The support brackets 32 may be fully or partially formed from any suitable conductive material as e.g. metal. The support brackets 32 may have, but are not limited to, a cantilever design. In
Although the shelf assembly 28 in
As shown in
As it is further illustrated in
Turning now to
In
In embodiments, the longer profile legs 41a, 41b may extend in a straight manner from the shorter profile leg 41c of the first pocket 40b. Alternatively, longer profile leg 41a, longer profile leg 41b or both longer profile legs 41a, 41b may extend in a curved or at least arcuate manner from shorter profile leg 41c of the first pocket 40b. In the example of
In the embodiment of
The coupling mechanism between the coupling member 36b and one of the pair of support brackets 32b when a weld connection is established between the one of the side surfaces of the first pocket 40b and the one of the pair of support brackets 32b will be described in more detail below.
The side surfaces of the first pocket 40b are defined by outer surfaces of the longer profile legs 41a, 41b of pocket 40b. As shown in
In the embodiment, the weld between the first pocket 40b and the one of the pair of support brackets 32b is not a continuous weld (although such continuous weld is similarly conceivable). Rather, said weld may comprise a plurality of weld sections arranged alongside an extending direction of coupling member 36b. A distance between the respective weld sections may be between 2 cm and 15 cm and for example between 5 cm and 10 cm. A length of the respective weld sections may be between 2 mm and 15 mm and for example between 5 mm and 10 mm. Since the application of spot-welding is also conceivable to establish the weld between coupling member 36b and the one of the pair of support brackets 32b, a plurality of welding spots may be applied alongside the extending direction of coupling member 36b in alternative to the plurality of weld sections. A distance between the welding spots may be substantially similar to the distance between the weld sections described above.
After the weld connection between the coupling member 36b and one of the pair of support brackets 32b is established, the coupling member 36b as well as the one of the pair of support brackets 32b are coated in a single coating process. For the coating process, lacquer coating or powder coating (the present invention is not limited thereto) is applied to protect materials of the one of the pair of support brackets 32b and the coupling member 36b from corrosion and/or oxidation.
A front trim (not shown in
The illumination module may be supplied with electrical energy from a busbar provided behind the rear wall 18 and within corpus 12 of the domestic cooling appliance 10 (see
A manufacturing process of a shelf assembly 28b that comprises the illumination module is basically the same as a manufacturing process of a shelf assembly 28b not comprising the illumination module. That is, the above described coupling by welding between the coupling member 36b and the one of the pair of support brackets 32b is identically carried out in either case. For a shelf assembly 28b that comprises the illumination module, creation of the region of exposure and application of the electrical conductor is additionally carried out. With that, it is possible to manufacture respective pairs of coupling members 36b and support brackets 32b for shelf assemblies with and without the illumination module within the same production line.
Turning now to
Additionally, the shelf assembly 28c may comprise second and third coupling members (for better discrimination designated 44 in
As depicted in
Turning now to
The embodiments disclosed herein describe variations of different coupling members and mechanisms between shelf panels and support brackets of shelf assemblies mounted into e.g. a domestic cooling appliance. The embodiments serve to optimize available space on the shelf panel and to enable a side-by-side positioning of two or more shelf assemblies under provision of a smooth transition between the respective shelf panels of the shelf assemblies. Further, all of the disclosed variations provide stable designs of shelf assemblies for the user to conveniently place, slide and take out objects such as food from the domestic cooling appliance.
Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described herein, the above description is merely illustrative. Further modification of the invention herein disclosed will occur to those skilled in the respective arts and all such modifications are deemed to be within the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
Claims
1. A shelf assembly comprising:
- a shelf panel having a front edge, a rear edge and a pair of lateral edges extending between the front edge and the rear edge;
- a pair of left and right metal support brackets each disposed adjacent a respective one of the pair of lateral edges of the shelf panel, each support bracket including at least one mounting member for mounting the support bracket to a rear wall structure; and
- one or more coupling members for coupling the shelf panel to the pair of left and right support brackets, at least a first coupling member of the one or more coupling members being designed as an elongated U-shaped metal profile defining only a first pocket, wherein the shelf panel engages the first pocket,
- wherein the first coupling member is fixedly attached to an upper edge of a first support bracket of the pair of left and right metal support brackets by a weld connection.
2. The shelf assembly of claim 1, wherein the shelf panel is clamped between opposite side surfaces of the first pocket.
3. The shelf assembly of claim 1, wherein the U-shaped metal profile includes a shorter profile leg and a pair of opposite longer profile legs, each of the pair of opposite longer profile legs having a first leg end and an opposite second leg end, the pair of opposite longer profile legs being connected to each other at the first leg end by the shorter profile leg, wherein the first coupling member is clamped between the pair of opposite longer profile legs and the pair of opposite longer profile legs define a bottleneck at a location distanced from the second leg end of each of the pair of opposite longer profile legs.
4. The shelf assembly of claim 3, wherein at least one of the pair of opposite longer profile legs is arcuate or has an arcuate portion.
5. The shelf assembly of claim 3, wherein one of the pair of opposite longer profile legs is straight.
6. The shelf assembly of claim 1, wherein the U-shaped metal profile includes a shorter profile leg and a pair of opposite longer profile legs, each of the pair of opposite longer profile legs having a first leg end and an opposite second leg end, the pair of opposite longer profile legs being connected to each other at the first leg end by the shorter profile leg, wherein the weld connection is established at the first leg end of one of the pair of opposite longer profile legs.
7. The shelf assembly of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first support bracket and the U-shaped metal profile is made of sheet metal.
8. The shelf assembly of claim 1, wherein the U-shaped metal profile is a bent sheet metal part.
9. The shelf assembly of claim 1, wherein the U-shaped metal profile and the first support bracket are made of the same metal material.
10. The shelf assembly of claim 9, wherein the metal material of the U-shaped metal profile and the first support bracket is one of aluminum, pig iron and low-alloy steel.
11. The shelf assembly of claim 1, wherein the U-shaped metal profile and the first support bracket are each provided with a coating layer, wherein a material of the coating layer is the same for the U-shaped metal profile and the first support bracket.
12. The shelf assembly of claim 11, wherein the coating layer is one of a powder coating layer and an anodic coating layer.
13. The shelf assembly of claim 1, wherein the shelf panel is held in the first pocket without using an adhesive.
14. The shelf assembly of claim 1, wherein the weld connection includes a plurality of welding spots formed in a mutually spaced manner along a direction of longitudinal extension of the U-shaped metal profile.
15. The shelf assembly of claim 1, wherein the first coupling member is mounted to extend alongside one of the lateral edges of the shelf panel.
16. The shelf assembly of claim 1, wherein the first pocket has a general U-shape in cross-section and the shelf panel extends into the first pocket substantially as far as a bottom area of the first pocket.
17. A domestic cooling appliance comprising:
- a cabinet having a set of inner walls defining a cooling space, the set of inner walls including an inner rear wall;
- a door mounted to the cabinet to close the cooling space; and
- a shelf assembly provided in the cooling space, the shelf assembly comprising: a shelf panel having a front edge, a rear edge and a pair of lateral edges extending between the front edge and the rear edge; a pair of left and right metal support brackets each disposed adjacent a respective one of the pair of lateral edges of the shelf panel, each of the pair of left and right support brackets includes at least one mounting member for mounting to the inner rear wall; and one or more coupling members for coupling the shelf panel to the pair of left and right support brackets, at least a first coupling member of the one or more coupling members being designed as an elongated U-shaped metal profile defining only a first pocket, wherein the shelf panel engages the first pocket,
- wherein the first coupling member is fixedly attached to an upper edge of a first support bracket of the pair of left and right metal support brackets by a weld connection.
Type: Application
Filed: Sep 5, 2017
Publication Date: Dec 21, 2017
Inventors: Johann Schenkl (Bodenwoehr), Manfredi Signorino (Wackersdorf), Georg Spiessl (Willhof-Altendorf), Georg Wilhelm (Guteneck), Benjamin Schemela (Schwarzenbach)
Application Number: 15/695,277