DOMESTIC REFRIGERATION APPLIANCE WITH DRAWERS THAT ARE DISPLACEABLE RELATIVE TO ONE ANOTHER, WHEREIN ONE DRAWER HAS AT LEAST THREE ROLLER ARRANGEMENTS

Abstract

A domestic refrigeration appliance has an accommodating space for foodstuffs which is delimited by walls of an interior container. A drawer configuration is mounted within the accommodating space and contains a first drawer that is arranged on a door of the domestic refrigeration appliance that is configured to close the accommodating space and is displaceably coupled to the door, and a second drawer that is mounted so as to be displaceable relative to the first drawer. The second drawer has a first roller configuration by which the second drawer is displaceable on the first drawer. The second drawer has a second roller configuration by which the second drawer is guided on a guiding mechanism on a side wall of the interior container. The second drawer has a third roller configuration being staggered in relation to the first roller configuration viewed in the depth direction of the second drawer.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit, under 35 U.S.C. § 119, of German patent application DE 10 2016 219 883.1, filed Oct. 12, 2016; the prior application is herewith incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

The invention relates to a domestic refrigeration appliance with an accommodating space for foodstuffs that is delimited by walls of an interior container. The domestic refrigeration appliance also contains a drawer arrangement that is displaceably mounted within the accommodating space. The drawer arrangement contains a first drawer that is arranged on a door of the domestic refrigeration appliance that is configured to close the accommodating space and is displaceably coupled to the door. In addition to this, the drawer arrangement contains at least a second drawer that is mounted so as to be displaceable relative to the first drawer. Each of the two drawers is configured to accommodate foodstuffs. The second drawer has a first roller arrangement by which the second drawer is displaceably arranged on the first drawer. The second drawer also contains a second roller arrangement by which the second drawer is guided in a guiding mechanism configured on a side wall of the interior container.

Such an embodiment is known from, for example, U.S. patent publication No. 2015/0028735 A1, in which the two drawers are displaceable individually and, as a result, relative to one another. They are, however, also displaceably coupled to one another, at least in the case of a certain movement path of the first drawer. Depending on the pulled-out state reached, the two drawers can then be made accessible individually. In the embodiment known from the prior art reliable movement of the upper, second drawer is, however, restricted. Undesired disengagement of the drawer can occur in certain positions during pulling out. As a result the second drawer can also fall, or disengage itself from the track.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The object of the present invention is to create a domestic refrigeration appliance in which the guiding of the movement of two drawers of a drawer arrangement is improved.

A domestic refrigeration appliance according to the invention contains an accommodating space for foodstuffs that is delimited by walls of an interior container. The domestic refrigeration appliance contains a drawer arrangement that is mounted so as to be displaceable within the accommodating space. The drawer arrangement contains a first drawer that is arranged on a door of the domestic refrigeration appliance that is configured to close the accommodating space. This first drawer is also displaceably coupled to the door. This means that when the door, which is in particular an external front part and thus a part that closes the domestic refrigeration appliance at the front, is actuated, the first drawer is displaced with it, with the result that during this movement no relative displacement between the door and the first drawer occurs. In addition, the drawer arrangement contains a second drawer that is separate from the first drawer and is mounted so as to be displaceable relative to the first drawer. Each of the at least two drawers of the drawer arrangement is configured to accommodate foodstuffs such as food and drink. In particular, each of the drawers is configured as a trough-like container.

The second drawer contains a roller arrangement by which the second drawer is displaceable on the first drawer. The two drawers are arranged vertically and thus one above the other and, effectively, positioned in a stack-like manner relative to one another. The first, or lower, drawer thus also forms a support for the second drawer. Also, the second drawer has a second roller arrangement that is separate from the first roller arrangement and also arranged in a different place from it on the second drawer. By this second roller arrangement the second drawer is guided in a guiding mechanism that is configured on a side wall of the interior container. There are thus two separate mechanical coupling points connected with these two roller arrangements of a second drawer, namely a mechanical coupling with the first drawer on the one hand and a mechanical coupling with the interior container on the other.

An essential concept of the invention can be seen in the fact that the second drawer has a third roller arrangement that is arranged in the depth direction of the second drawer and staggered in relation to the first roller arrangement. In addition to or instead of this the second drawer has a fourth roller arrangement that is arranged in the depth direction of the second drawer and staggered in relation to the second roller arrangement.

An essential concept of the invention is thus that, in addition to the first and second roller arrangements, the second drawer has at least one other roller arrangement that is separate from them, this further roller arrangement being arranged in the depth direction of the second drawer and staggered in relation to the first and the second roller arrangements.

As a result of such an embodiment of the second drawer, with at least one other separate roller arrangement in addition to the first two roller arrangements, both the guiding of movement of the second drawer relative to the first drawer and the displacement-coupled guiding of the two drawers relative to one another are improved. Reliable movement guiding is thus enabled in all pulled-out situations of the drawers relative to or with one another, and undesired slipping or disengagement of the second drawer from its movement path thereby prevented.

A roller arrangement is to be understood as an embodiment that has at least two separate rollers, these rollers being arranged in the same position in the depth direction, i.e. at an equal stage, or level, of depth and, viewed in the width direction, are arranged on opposite sides of the second drawer and spaced apart from one another.

It is advantageous for provision to be made for both the third roller arrangement and the fourth roller arrangement to be in place. The abovementioned advantages are further enhanced in such an embodiment of a second drawer with four separate roller arrangements.

In one advantageous embodiment provision can be made for the third roller arrangement to be arranged on the second drawer in such a way that the second drawer is displaceable on the first drawer by the third roller arrangement. As a result of this positioning of the third roller arrangement and its mechanism for coupling with the first drawer, guiding of the movement of the second drawer on the first drawer is made possible by at least two separate roller arrangements. By virtue of the fact that the latter are also arranged so as to be staggered in relation to one another in the depth direction, reliable positioning of the second drawer on the first drawer is always achieved, and very stable and straight guiding of the movement of the second drawer on the first drawer is made possible, even in the most diverse positions of the two drawers relative to one another, viewed in the depth direction. Undesired twisting of the second drawer relative to the first drawer on a horizontal plane and/or undesired tipping of the second drawer relative to the first drawer about a horizontal axis running in the width direction across the domestic refrigeration device are prevented as a result. Effectively horizontal positioning of the two drawers relative to one another, including in any position, is thus made possible.

In particular, provision can be made for the fourth roller arrangement to be arranged on the second drawer in such a way that the second drawer is guided in the guiding mechanism on the side wall of the interior container. Individual mechanical coupling of the second drawer, namely twofold mechanical coupling with this guiding mechanism, is also achieved by this embodiment. This embodiment enables reliable mechanical coupling of the second drawer to this guiding mechanism always to be achieved and thus, here too, in the various pulled-out positions, always enables reliable guiding and retention of the second drawer. Also as a result, horizontal positioning of the second drawer in particular, is always favored.

In particular, provision can be made for the third roller arrangement and the fourth roller arrangement to be arranged between the first roller arrangement and the second roller arrangement, viewed in the depth direction of the second drawer and in the order of the roller arrangements. This enables appropriate distribution of the four roller arrangements relative to one another over the length of the second drawer measured in the depth direction. Appropriate and, in particular, even distribution over this length of the second drawer further enhances the abovementioned advantages significantly as, even in the most diverse pulled-out positions, reliable retention and guiding of the second drawer is achieved, both on the interior container and relative to the first drawer. Reliable and precise guiding of the movement of the second drawer is enabled even when the second drawer is extensively loaded with foodstuffs and correspondingly heavy as a result.

In particular, provision can be made for the third roller arrangement to be arranged between the first roller arrangement and the second roller arrangement, viewed in the depth direction of the second drawer and in the order of the roller arrangements. In addition to or instead of this, provision can be made for the third roller arrangement to be arranged between the fourth roller arrangement and the second roller arrangement, viewed in the depth direction of the second drawer and in the order of the roller arrangements. This embodiment, viewed in the depth direction of the second drawer, results in the configuration, in an alternating manner, of a roller arrangement that is or can be in mechanical contact with the first drawer or can be coupled to it and, following this, a roller arrangement is arranged that can be or is coupled to the guiding mechanism on the side wall, it being possible, following this and, again in the depth direction, for a roller arrangement to be arranged that, again, can be or is coupled to the first drawer and, again following this and viewed in the depth direction, a roller arrangement is arranged, that again can be or is coupled to the guiding mechanism on the side wall. In this way, a sufficient distance, measured in the depth direction, is configured between the roller arrangements that can be or are coupled to the first drawer, for there always to be a configuration in which the second drawer is firmly positioned at multiple points on the first drawer, including in diverse pulled-out positions, or during relative movements between the first drawer and the second drawer. The equivalent then applies between the second drawer and the guiding mechanism, so that here too, the configuration is then such that the second drawer is positioned at multiple points on the guiding mechanism in the most diverse pulled-out positions of the second drawer, including when viewed in the depth direction of the second drawer. The multi-point positioning is embodied in each case by the roller arrangements and thus the rollers associated with said roller arrangements.

Advantageously, provision can be made for the first roller arrangement to be arranged in a front depth quarter of the depth or length of the second drawer, measured in the depth direction of the second drawer. As a result the first roller arrangement is configured relatively far forward and thus very near to a front end of the second drawer. A roller arrangement being positioned very far forward in this way still provides contact between the first roller arrangement and the first drawer, even when the front walls of the two drawers are spaced at maximum distance from one another measured in the depth direction.

In one advantageous embodiment, provision can be made for the second roller arrangement to be arranged in a rear depth quarter of the depth or length of the second drawer, measured in the depth direction of the second drawer. This embodiment can enable appropriate retention and guiding of the second drawer on the guiding mechanism so that here too, in particular both when the second drawer is in the maximally pushed-in position and when it is in the maximally pushed-out position, this second roller arrangement is still always in contact with the guiding mechanism.

It is preferable for provision to be made for the third roller arrangement to be arranged in a rear depth third of the depth or length of the second drawer, measured in the depth direction of the second drawer. In this embodiment, provision is also advantageously made for the base, or underside, of the second drawer not to be configured to be level over its entire length measured in the depth direction but for a rear area of this base to be arranged so as to slope upwards. The extent of this upwardly sloping base area is such that the third roller arrangement is not arranged in this sloping base area but immediately adjacent to this sloping base area, in the level base area of the second drawer that then adjoins it. In the context, provision is then advantageously made for the third roller arrangement to be arranged in a rear quarter of the depth of this level base area. In various pulled-out positions a situation is thus achieved in which both the first and the third roller arrangement is in contact with the first drawer, thus enabling appropriate guiding of the movement of the second drawer on the first drawer over at least two roller positions viewed in the depth direction.

In particular, provision can be made for the fourth roller arrangement to be arranged in a front depth half of the depth or length of the second drawer, measured in the depth direction of the second drawer. As a result of this fourth roller arrangement thus being positioned further forward, a corresponding situation can then be achieved, namely that, in combination with the second roller arrangement, multiple placement points are configured with the guiding mechanism on the side wall, including in specific pulled-out positions and thus, measured in the depth direction of the second drawer and viewed from numerous aspects, at least two roller positions are then configured with the guiding mechanism.

In a very advantageous embodiment, provision can be made for the four roller arrangements to be distributed in relation to one another in such a way, viewed in the depth direction of the drawer, that in every position, or every state, of the two drawers relative to the interior container and/or in every position, or every state, relative to one another, at least two of the four roller arrangements are always in contact with the individual coupling components, namely of the first drawer on the one hand and of the guiding mechanism on the other. In particular, in a fully pulled-out state of the first drawer and a simultaneously fully pushed-in state of the second drawer, the first roller arrangement and the third roller arrangement are arranged so as not to be in contact with the first drawer. The second roller arrangement and the fourth roller arrangement are then coupled to the guiding mechanism. As a result it is possible for the two drawers to be able to be displaced so as to be maximally far apart, viewed in the depth direction of the domestic refrigeration appliance. As a result, the first drawer can be made accessible from above over the entire area of the opening through which it is loaded. The second drawer is then no longer in a position in which it would cover areas of this opening through which the first drawer is loaded. However, it is precisely in this state that the second drawer is reliably retained and guided as, still viewed in the depth direction, it embodies multi-point mounting. Tipping of the second drawer about an axis running in the width direction across the domestic refrigeration device is thus avoided, including in this state. Reliable horizontal displacement of the second drawer is then enabled, including up to the pushed-in position, or pushed-in state, of the second drawer.

By the same token, this then also makes it possible for the first drawer to be arranged in its pulled-out state and the second drawer to be in its pulled-out state simultaneously. In these positions of the drawers the second drawer is then decoupled from the guiding mechanisms, so that the second and the fourth roller arrangements are arranged so as not to be in contact with the guiding mechanisms. The first roller arrangement and the third roller arrangement are then in contact with the supporting strips of the first drawer. In these positions the second drawer is then pulled out so far that the opening through which it is loaded is essentially completely free, in particular completely free and, accordingly, largely accessible from above. Also, some areas of it are no longer covered by a top wall of the interior container.

In addition to these particularly preferably created possible alignments of the abovementioned extreme positions of the drawers relative to one another in the domestic refrigeration appliance there are also other positions, or states, of the drawers relative to one another in which either at least one of the lower roller arrangements, and thus at least the first or the third roller arrangement, is in contact with the first drawer, and then, if only one of these two roller arrangements is in contact with the first drawer, but then both of the other two roller arrangements, namely the second roller arrangement and the fourth roller arrangement, are in contact with the guiding mechanism. If, on the other hand, a situation pertains in which only the second or only the fourth roller arrangement is in contact with the guiding mechanism, then both other roller arrangements, namely the first roller arrangement and the third roller arrangement, are in contact with the first drawer. This produces mechanically stable guiding of the movement of the drawers, relative both to the coupling components and to one another. Also, the horizontal positioning of the drawers relative to one another is then reliably maintained. In addition, individual roller bearings are not undesirably severely mechanically strained, thus enabling the avoidance of undesired peaks of force being exerted on individual roller bearings.

Furthermore, as a result of the additional embodiment of a third roller arrangement and/or of a fourth roller arrangement, the ease of movement of the movement guiding compared with other bearings is increased. This then produces a more hardwearing embodiment, and running noise, especially from the guiding mechanism, is reduced. With its further roller arrangements, the arrangement has the abovementioned advantages, particularly compared with embodiments with rails, for example telescopic drawers.

In an advantageous embodiment, provision can be made for the first drawer to have a container section and outwardly projecting supporting strips on an upper edge of the container section. The second drawer is displaceable on upper sides of the supporting strips by at least one roller arrangement, the supporting strips each having at least one upwardly projecting guiding strip on its upper side. In particular, this guiding strip is configured to be as one piece with, and thus integral with, a supporting strip. Such upwardly projecting guiding strips prevent lateral displacement and, as a result, horizontal displacement in the width direction, between the two drawers, in particular when relative movement between the two drawers takes place in the direction of displacement and thus in the depth direction of the domestic refrigeration appliance. Also prevented as a result are the undesired lateral displacement of the two drawers relative to one another and, as a result, possible falling of the second drawer from the first drawer.

It is preferable for provision to be made for the first drawer to have a container section and outwardly projecting supporting strips on an upper edge of the container section, the second drawer being displaceable on upper sides of the supporting strips by at least one roller arrangement, with the supporting strips on the underside facing away from the upper side being configured to have a groove-like or slot-like cross-section. One supporting strip on a section plane perpendicular to its longitudinal extension measured in the depth direction of the domestic refrigeration appliance is thus also configured as, for example, an inverted U. The shaping of a supporting strip in this way particularly advantageously enables reliable placement on a separate runner. Such a runner is configured, in particular, as a heavy duty runner. A runner is arranged on an inner side of a side wall of the interior container. This embodiment of the supporting strip essentially enables placement from above and grasping of areas of an extension of this runner, so that, here too, undesired slipping down or sideways of the supporting strip onto such a runner is avoided. Very precisely positioned arrangement of a supporting strip on such a runner is made possible as a result. This embodiment then also enables a movement when pulling the first drawer out of the accommodating space to proceed without jamming or sticking.

In particular, provision can be made for the supporting strips with grooved areas to be positioned on the abovementioned runners or runner mechanisms.

In particular, provision can be made for the second drawer to have at least one downwardly projecting coupling element on an underside, for coupling with the first drawer when the first drawer is displaced. The coupling element is thus, in particular, a type of catch or a pull-out catch. This then enables automatic coupling between the two drawers from a certain pulled-out position of the first drawer onwards. This embodiment then also results in a situation being achieved in which, when the first drawer is pulled out, the second drawer initially remains in its pushed-in end position and, from a certain intermediate pulled-out position onwards, this coupling with the second drawer then occurs via this at least one downwardly projecting coupling element, and a coupling of movement between the two drawers over the rest of the pulling out path to the pulled-out end position takes place. This has the advantage that, on the one hand, when the first drawer is pulled out, the second drawer is taken with it from a certain pulling out path onwards and, on the other, that both drawers are then accessible from above in their pulled-out state, as they are positioned in the depth direction and displaced by a defined amount relative to one another.

In particular, provision can be made for this at least one downwardly projecting coupling element to be arranged so as to extend further downwards, viewed in the height direction of the domestic refrigeration appliance, than an upper edge on the rear wall of the first drawer. Thus, in one advantageous embodiment in particular, the coupling element comes into contact with the rear wall in the height direction of the domestic refrigeration appliance and the coupling then takes place between the coupling element and the rear wall of the first drawer.

In a preferred embodiment, provision can be made for the first drawer to have a container section and outwardly projecting supporting strips on an upper edge of the container section, the second drawer being displaceable on upper sides of the supporting strips by means of at least one of the roller arrangements, and at least one supporting strip having a depression on its corresponding upper side that is configured as a coupling element for coupling with the first roller arrangement or the third roller arrangement of the second drawer when the first drawer is displaced. As a result, a very advantageous coupling principle is created when the drawers are displaced. When the first drawer is pulled out it is initially simply moved alone until the frontmost roller arrangement, in particular, which can be coupled to the supporting strips on the second drawer, rolls into the hollow. Automatic coupling has then taken place and, when the first drawer is pulled out further, the second drawer is then displaceably coupled with the first drawer on the remaining outward movement path. Moreover, manual decoupling by a user is then possible, simply by overcoming the rolling resistance in order to cause the rollers of the roller arrangement that have dipped into the hollows to move out. So if, when the first drawer has reached another pulled-out position after coupling, the second drawer is then to be moved alone, for example be pushed in or completely pulled out, this can be achieved simply and in a user-friendly manner by overcoming this rolling resistance.

In particular, the elevation of the hollow, measured in the height direction of the domestic refrigeration appliance, i.e. the elevation of the deepest point in the hollow, is such that, when the roller arrangement is in the coupled state with a hollow, a base of the second drawer is still at a distance from the supporting strips in the height direction and thus also at a distance from the first drawer. Dragging against it is prevented, which enables ease of movement and helps reduce wear during the movement.

In particular, provision can be made for the guiding mechanism to be a rib that is integral with the side wall. The interior container is, in particular, a single-piece plastic component that can be manufactured by the deep drawing method. With such a process it is then possible for this guiding mechanism to be pulled along at the same time.

The terms “above”, “below”, “in front”, “behind”, “horizontal”, “vertical”, “depth direction”, “width direction”, “height direction”, etc. indicate the positions and orientations given by an observer standing in front of the appliance and looking in the direction of the appliance when the appliance is being used and arranged for the purpose it was intended.

Further features of the invention arise out of the claims, the figures and the description of the figures. The features and combinations of features mentioned above in the description, as well as the features and combinations of features mentioned in the following description of the figures and/or the features and combinations of features only shown in the figures, are not only usable in the combination given in each case but also in other combinations, without departing from the framework of the invention. There are therefore also embodiments of the invention to be regarded as covered and disclosed that are not explicitly shown and described in the figures but can be inferred from and produced by separated combinations of features in the embodiments described. There are also embodiments and combinations of features that do not therefore have all the features of an originally formulated independent claim but are also to be regarded as disclosed. Embodiments and combinations of features, especially those shown through the embodiments above, that go beyond or deviate from the combinations of features described in the back references in the claims, are also to be regarded as disclosed.

Other features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in the appended claims.

Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodied in a domestic refrigeration appliance with drawers that are displaceable relative to one another, wherein one drawer has at least three roller arrangements, it is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims.

The construction and method of operation of the invention, however, together with additional objects and advantages thereof will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic, perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a domestic refrigeration appliance according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the domestic refrigeration appliance according to FIG. 1 in a pushed-in state of a drawer arrangement;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view according to FIG. 2 in a pulled-out position of the drawer arrangement;

FIG. 4 is a front view of the domestic refrigeration appliance without the door;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged, partial sectional view of a feature from FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of another exemplary embodiment of a drawer arrangement;

FIG. 7 is a vertical sectional view of the domestic refrigeration appliance according to FIG. 1 in a first pulled-out state of the drawer arrangement according to FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a vertical sectional view of the domestic refrigeration appliance according to FIG. 1 in a second pulled-out state of the drawer arrangement according to FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 is a perspective front view of an area of the domestic refrigeration appliance with the drawers of the drawer arrangement; and

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an area of the domestic refrigeration appliance with the drawers of the drawer arrangement in specific pulled-out positions.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In the figures, identical elements, or elements with identical functions, are assigned the same reference numbers.

Referring now to the figures of the drawings in detail and first, particularly to FIG. 1 thereof, there is shown 1 shows a schematic representation of a domestic refrigeration appliance 1 that is configured to accommodate and conserve foodstuffs. The domestic refrigeration appliance 1 can be a refrigerator or a freezer or a combined fridge freezer. In the exemplary embodiment the domestic refrigeration appliance 1 is a combined fridge freezer.

The domestic refrigeration appliance 1 contains a housing 2 in which a first accommodating space for foodstuffs, which is a refrigeration space, is configured. The first accommodating space can be closed by a door 3, which is shown in the closed state on FIG. 1. The door 3 can be swiveled about a vertically oriented axis (y direction) and the door 3 is arranged on the housing 2.

The domestic refrigeration appliance 1 also contains an interior container 4, the walls of which delimit a second accommodating space. In the exemplary embodiment, the second accommodating space is a freezing space 5.

In the exemplary embodiment several drawers, each of which is configured to accommodate foodstuffs such as food and drink, are arranged in the freezing space 5. In the exemplary embodiment two separate drawers that can be displaced in the depth direction (z direction) are arranged in the freezing space 5. In the interests of clarity, only two drawers of the drawer arrangement 6 are described in more detail below, it also being possible for the drawer arrangement 6 to have more than two drawers. The drawer arrangement 6 contains a first drawer 7, which represents the lowest drawer in the height direction in the exemplary embodiment. In particular, the drawers of the drawer arrangement 6 are arranged on top of one another, viewed in the height direction, and are thus essentially positioned in a stack-like manner.

The first drawer 7 is arranged on a door 8 that is configured to close the freezing space 5 and is displaceably coupled to the door 8. The door 8 is only linearly displaceable and can only be moved in the depth direction, this being achieved by means of appropriate runner mounting of the first drawer 7 on the runner. This means that the first drawer 7 is coupled to side walls opposite in the width direction, each with runner mechanisms that are preferably heavy duty runners. These runner mechanisms are arranged on vertical side walls of the interior container 4.

The drawer arrangement 6 also contains a second drawer 9 that can also only be displaced back and forth by linear displacement in the depth direction of the domestic refrigeration appliance 1. The two drawers 7 and 9 are also mounted so as to be displaceable relative to one another.

Both drawers 7 and 9 are configured as trough-like containers and are only accessible from above.

In the closed state, the door 8 constitutes an outer part of the domestic refrigeration appliance 1 and is preferably then arranged so as to be flush with the door 3, it being possible for the doors 3 and 8 to be moved, and thus operated, independently of one another.

In FIG. 2, the domestic refrigeration appliance 1 is shown in a schematic vertical section view (the section plane is the plane y-z in FIG. 1) and, in this context, the view is also transparent. The door 3 is not shown here.

As can be seen in FIG. 2, the first drawer 7 is fastened to an inner side 10 of the door 8 that faces the freezing space 5 and is displaceably coupled to the door 8. In particular, provision can be made for the first drawer 7 to be mounted on a door bracket 11 that is fastened to this inner side 10.

The first drawer 7 has supporting strips 13 and 14 projecting laterally outwards on an upper edge 12 of its opposing vertical side walls. On these supporting strips 13, 14 the first drawer 7 is also positioned, or mounted from above, on the abovementioned runner mechanisms that are arranged on the opposing vertical side walls of the interior container 4. By way of example, a runner mechanism 27 (left side runner mechanism) is shown in FIG. 3 that is, in particular, configured as a heavy duty runner. Another runner mechanism 15 (FIG. 4) is arranged on the right side.

It can also be seen that the second drawer 9 is displaceably mounted on the first drawer 7 by a first roller arrangement 16, and in particular on the supporting strips 13 and 14. In a generic embodiment, each roller arrangement contains at least two rollers, so that in the first roller arrangement 16 a first roller rolls on the supporting strip 13 and a second roller rolls on the supporting strip 14. The roller shown here is thus the roller which is arranged on the left side viewed from the front of the domestic refrigeration appliance 1 and which can roll on the supporting strip 14. This then also applies to the way the left side rollers are shown below in relation to roller arrangements in the other figures.

The second drawer 9 also contains a second roller arrangement 17. Whereas the first roller arrangement 16 with its at least two rollers extends further downwards, viewed in the height direction, above a base 18 of the drawer 7, to enable it to roll on these supporting strips 13 and 14, the second roller arrangement 17 is by contrast situated above it and staggered in relation to it, so that mechanical coupling of the second roller arrangement 17 with a guiding mechanism 19 (FIG. 4), as well as a further guiding mechanism 20 (FIG. 4) is achieved. These guiding mechanisms 19 and 20 are configured to be integral with the interior container 4 and, in particular on its vertical side walls, are inwardly projecting ribs, on top of which the rollers of the second roller arrangement 17 can rest and along which they can roll. FIG. 4 also shows that two rollers 23a (FIG. 6) and 23b of another roller arrangement 23 are positioned on these guiding mechanisms 19 and 20 that are located on opposing sides. Accordingly, rollers of the second roller arrangement 17 rest on top of the guiding mechanisms 19 and 20 in diverse pulled-out positions of the second drawer 9.

As can be seen, the first roller arrangement 16 is in a front depth quarter of the second drawer 9 viewed in the depth direction. In particular, the first roller arrangement 16 is embodied next to a front wall 21 of the second drawer 9.

The second roller arrangement 17, viewed in this depth direction of the second drawer 9, is arranged in a rear depth quarter of the length of the second drawer 9 measured in this depth direction.

In addition to this, the second drawer 9 contains a third roller arrangement 22 that also has at least two rollers located on opposite sides of it. As with the first roller arrangement 16, the third roller arrangement 22 is in turn arranged in such a way that the rollers are arranged so as to be placed on the supporting strips 13 and 14, or on the upper sides thereof, and the rollers of the third roller arrangement 22 thus extend downwards in the depth direction relative to the base 18.

As can be seen in the embodiment shown, the third roller arrangement 22 is embodied in a rear depth quarter, viewed in the depth direction of the second drawer 9. In this embodiment in particular it can be seen that the base 18 is not configured to be level over its entire extension in the depth direction but has a level area 18a at the front and, behind that, a second, upwardly sloping area 18b. The third roller arrangement 22 is only arranged in the level base area 18a, but in particular in a rear depth quarter, measured in the depth direction, of the length, measured in the depth direction, of this level base area 18a.

As can be seen, the third roller arrangement 22 is arranged between the first roller arrangement 21 and the second roller arrangement 17, viewed in this depth direction and in the order of the roller arrangements, but in each case staggered in relation to these two roller arrangements 16 and 17.

In addition to this, the second drawer 9 in the exemplary embodiment also contains the fourth roller arrangement 23. The fourth roller arrangement 23, which in turn is also separate from the other roller arrangements 16, 17 and 22, in turn also contains at least two rollers 23a and 23b on opposing sides. Here too, these at least two rollers 23a and 23b are located on top of the guiding mechanisms 19 and 20, as has already been described accordingly.

As can also be seen, this fourth roller arrangement 23 is arranged in a front depth half of the second drawer 9 viewed in the depth direction and in the order of the roller arrangements. The fourth roller arrangement 23 is arranged between the first roller arrangement 21 and the third roller arrangement 22 and in turn is also staggered in the depth direction with respect to these two roller arrangements 21 and 23.

It can also be seen that the fourth roller arrangement 23 is embodied in a middle third of the distance measured in the depth direction between the first roller arrangement 16 and the third roller arrangement 22.

As shown in FIG. 2 in this context, the four roller arrangements 16, 17, 22 and 23 are each positioned in alternating positions in the depth direction, which means that a roller arrangement that extends downwards with its rollers and is positioned so that it can be rolled on the first drawer 7 is followed by a roller arrangement that extends upwards with its rollers and is positioned so that it can be rolled on the guiding mechanisms 19 and 20. In addition to this, the four roller arrangements 16, 17, 22, 23 are distributed so as to be essentially evenly spaced, viewed in terms of their spacing in the depth direction of the second drawer 9.

In FIG. 2 the drawer arrangement 6 is shown in a completely pushed-in state.

If the door 8 is then pulled out and as a result the first drawer 7 reaches an intermediate pulled-out position, this results in coupling of the first drawer 7 to the second drawer 9 in this intermediate pulled-out position. In addition, at least one coupling element, preferably two coupling elements 24 and 25, are configured projecting downwards on an underside of the base 18, and in particular of the level base area 18a. The coupling elements 24 and 25 can also be called catch elements. These coupling elements 24 and 25 extend further downwards in the height direction than an upper edge 12 of the first drawer 7 extends. This achieves the result that, in this intermediate pulled-out position, mechanical coupling accordingly takes place in that the rear wall 26 of the first drawer 7 hits the coupling elements 24 and 25 and coupling accordingly takes place, so that when the door 8 is subsequently pulled out further, together with the then displaceably coupled first drawer 7, displacement coupling of the second drawer 9 to the first drawer 7 also automatically takes place and the first drawer 7, being displaceably coupled, is pulled out with it, in particular to its completely pulled-out position.

In addition, this completely pulled-out end position is then reached, as in both FIG. 3 and the schematic representation in FIG. 1. It can then be seen that both the first drawer 7 and the second drawer 9 are now accessible from above. In addition to this automatically achieved other intermediate pulled-out position of the second drawer 9 that is achieved as a result of the first drawer 7 being displaceably coupled and being pulled out from this first intermediate pulled-out position to the end position of the first drawer 7, the second drawer 9 can then also be pulled out further by a user, and in particular even completely pulled out, so that it is completely accessible from above via its entire upper opening. In this context it is also possible for the second drawer 9 to be pushed further forward, starting from the end pulled-out position of the first drawer 7 reached in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3, so that as a result the second drawer 9 can in turn be pulled further out and displaced relative to the first drawer 7 accordingly.

In all pulled-out positions of the first drawer 7 and in all pulled-out positions of the second drawer 9 a situation is always achieved in which at least two of the four roller arrangements 16, 17, 22 and 23 are in contact with the coupling components provided in each case.

In addition to this, in FIG. 4, which is a transparent front view showing the area of the area of the domestic refrigeration appliance 1, in which the drawer arrangement 6 is arranged, each of the supporting strips 13 and 14 is configured as an inverted U. As a result they can particularly advantageously placed from above on the runner mechanisms 15 and 27, and held precisely in position on, the runner mechanisms 15 and 27.

It can also be seen that the supporting strips 13 and 14 have upwardly projecting guiding strips 28 and 29 on an upper side 13a and an upper side 14a respectively. As can also be seen in FIG. 5 in particular, which is an enlarged representation of a partial section of FIG. 4, the guiding strips 28 and 29 are arranged in such a way that their sides are immediately adjacent to the roller arrangements 16 and 22 and thus prevent a slipping in the width direction (direction x) of the second drawer 9 relative to the first drawer 7. FIG. 4 shows rollers 16a and 16b of the first roller arrangement 16, which in this case are located on the upper sides 13a and 14a.

FIG. 6 shows a perspective representation of another exemplary embodiment of a domestic refrigeration appliance 1 in which the drawer arrangement 6 is different from the embodiments described so far. Here, instead of the coupling elements 24 and 25, another coupling principle is embodied: on the upper side 13a there is a depression 30 and/or, on the upper side 14a, a depression 31. These groove-like hollows in the form of depressions 30 and 31 are configured here as catch elements. They are embodied in a middle third of the length of the upper side 13a and/or of the upper side 14a.

In FIG. 6 the first drawer 7 is shown in the completely pulled-out state in order that these depressions 30 and 31 can be seen, whereas the second drawer 9 is shown in the completely pushed-in state. As can be seen, in this position the opening through which the first drawer 7 is loaded is completely uncovered from above and is accessible over the entire extent of its surface area.

In this position the first roller arrangement 16 and the third roller arrangement 22 are uncoupled and are thus arranged so as not to be in contact with the first drawer 7 and thus not in contact with the upper sides 13a and 14a. Viewed in the depth direction they are further back, or further in, than the back ends of the supporting strips 13 and 14.

If the two drawers 7 and 9 are in particular arranged in the pushed-in state in the freezing space 5 and if the first drawer 7 is then pulled out from this position, this happens without there necessarily being displaceable coupling with the second drawer 9.

This means that movement of the first drawer 7 preferably takes place without movement of the second drawer 9. In particular, a retaining element (not shown) can be embodied that then holds the second drawer 9 in its pushed-in state. This embodiment variant is also possible in the other embodiments such as have been described above, in particular, in relation to FIGS. 2 to 5. As a result, any undesired concurrent movement of the second drawer 9, in which such movement of the second drawer 9 would however take place at a different speed from the first drawer 7, is prevented, so that when the drawers 7 and 9 move simultaneously, relative movement between the drawers 7 and 9 would still occur.

If on the other hand an intermediate pulled-out position is reached during this pulling out of the first drawer 7 in which the rollers if the first roller arrangement 16 run into the depressions 30 and 31, then coupling between the drawers 7 and 9 takes place as a result. The second drawer 9 is thus displaceably coupled if the first drawer 7 is pulled out any further and is automatically pulled out with it, without any relative movement with respect to the first drawer 7 occurring. The completely pulled-out state of the first drawer 7 that is then achieved is shown in FIG. 7.

Starting from this state the second drawer 7 can then be manually displaced relative to the first drawer 7 by a user, for example pushed back in again, as shown in FIG. 8. There, the perspective representation of the second drawer 9 in the completely pushed-in state already shown in FIG. 6 is now shown as a transparent representation from the side.

On the basis of FIG. 7, however, complete pulling out of the second drawer 9 could then take place, so that, for example, the opening through which the first drawer 7 is loaded would then be covered but the opening through which the second drawer 9 is loaded would be positioned so as to be completely uncovered and would be accessible from above over its entire extent. In this position the first roller arrangement 16 and the third roller arrangement 22 would then be resting on the upper sides 13a and 14a, whereas the second roller arrangement 17 and the fourth roller arrangement 23 would then be arranged so as not to be in contact with and thus decoupled from the guiding mechanisms 19 and 20.

FIG. 9 shows an enlarged perspective representation of the domestic refrigeration appliance 1 in the area of the freezing space 5. Part of the second drawer 9 is shown. The roller arrangements 16, 22 and 23 can be seen.

In FIG. 10 the domestic refrigeration appliance 1 is shown in another enlarged perspective representation. In this representation, the status of the positions of the drawers 7 and 9 is represented in the same way as in FIG. 7. It can be seen here that the first roller arrangement 16 is still arranged on the upper side 14a of the supporting strip 14, whereas the last roller arrangement 22 is no longer positioned on this upper side 14a. The two upper roller arrangements 17 and 23 are positioned in such a way when the drawers 7 and 9 are in this position that the fourth roller arrangement 23 that is in the front position in the depth direction is not in contact with the guiding mechanism 20 and therefore no longer has any mechanical rolling function. On the other hand, the second upper roller arrangement 17 that is in a rear position in the depth direction is still resting on this guiding mechanism 20 and is thus in mechanical contact with it. In this specific pulled-out position of the drawers 7 and 9 relative to one another and in each case relative to the interior container 4, two of the four roller arrangements are still in contact with different individual rolling mechanisms in each case, namely the upper side 14a of the supporting strip 14 and the guiding mechanism 20 configured as a rib and pulled along on the interior container 4. The same also applies to the opposing rollers of the four roller arrangements 16, 17, 22 and 23 of the second drawer 9, which are then arranged on the right side when the domestic refrigeration appliance 1 is viewed from the front.

The following is a summary list of reference numerals and the corresponding structure used in the above description of the invention:

• 1 Domestic refrigeration appliance
• 2 Housing
• 3 Door
• 4 Interior container
• 5 Freezing space
• 6 Drawer arrangement
• 7 First drawer
• 8 Door
• 9 Second drawer
• 10 Inner side
• 11 Door bracket
• 12 Upper edge
• 13 Supporting strip
• 13a Upper side
• 14 Supporting strip
• 14a Upper side
• 15 Runner mechanism
• 16 First roller arrangement
• 16a Roller
• 16b Roller
• 17 Second roller arrangement
• 18 Base
• 18a Front level base area
• 18b Second base area
• 19 Guiding mechanism
• 20 Guiding mechanism
• 21 Front wall
• 22 Third roller arrangement
• 23 Fourth roller arrangement
• 23a, 23b Rollers
• 24 Coupling element
• 25 Coupling element
• 26 Rear wall
• 27 Runner mechanism
• 28 Guiding strip
• 29 Guiding strip
• 30 Depression
• 31 Depression
• y Height direction
• z Depth direction
• x Width direction

Claims

1. A domestic refrigeration appliance, comprising:

an interior container having walls defining an accommodating space for foodstuffs;

a guiding mechanism disposed on one of said walls, being a side wall, of said interior container;

a door configured to close said accommodating space;

a drawer configuration being displaceably mounted within said accommodating space and having a first drawer disposed on said door and being displaceably coupled to said door, and a second drawer mounted so as to be displaceable relative to said first drawer, said second drawer having a first roller configuration by means of which said second drawer is displaceable on said first drawer, and said second drawer having a second roller configuration by means of which said second drawer is guided on said guiding mechanism; and

said second drawer having at least one of a third roller configuration disposed so as to be staggered in relation to said first roller configuration viewed in a depth direction of said second drawer or a fourth roller configuration disposed so as to be staggered in relation to said second roller configuration viewed in the depth direction of said second drawer.

2. The domestic refrigeration appliance according to claim 1, wherein said third roller configuration is disposed on said second drawer such that said second drawer can be displaced on said first drawer by means of said third roller configuration.

3. The domestic refrigeration appliance according to claim 1, wherein said fourth roller configuration is disposed on said second drawer such that said second drawer can be guided on said guiding mechanism on said side wall of said interior container.

4. The domestic refrigeration appliance according to claim 1, wherein said third roller configuration and said fourth roller configuration are disposed between said first roller configuration and said second roller configuration viewed in the depth direction of said second drawer.

5. The domestic refrigeration appliance according to claim 1, wherein said third roller configuration is disposed between said first roller configuration and said second roller configuration viewed in the depth direction of said second drawer and/or said third roller configuration is disposed between said fourth roller configuration and said second roller configuration viewed in the depth direction of said second drawer.

6. The domestic refrigeration appliance according to claim 1, wherein said first roller configuration is disposed in a front depth quarter of a depth of said second drawer measured in the depth direction of said second drawer.

7. The domestic refrigeration appliance according to claim 1, wherein said second roller configuration is disposed in a rear depth quarter of a depth of said second drawer measured in the depth direction of said second drawer.

8. The domestic refrigeration appliance according to claim 1, wherein said third roller configuration is disposed in a rear depth quarter of a depth of said second drawer measured in the depth direction of said second drawer.

9. The domestic refrigeration appliance according to claim 1, wherein said fourth roller configuration is disposed in a front depth half of a depth of said second drawer measured in the depth direction of said second drawer.

10. The domestic refrigeration appliance according to claim 1, wherein:

said first drawer and said guiding mechanism each having coupling components;

said first through fourth roller configurations are disposed in such a way in relation to one another, viewed in the depth direction of said second drawer, that in every position of said first and second drawers relative to said interior container and/or in every position of said first and second drawers relative to one another, at least two of said first through fourth roller configurations are in contact with said coupling components of said first drawer and of said guiding mechanism;

in a fully pulled-out state of said first drawer and in a simultaneously pushed-in state of said second drawer, said first roller configuration and said third roller configuration are disposed so as not be in contact with said first drawer and said second roller configuration and said fourth roller configuration are coupled to said guiding mechanism; and

in a completely pulled-out state of said first drawer and in a simultaneously completely pushed-in state of said second drawer, said first roller configuration and said third roller configuration are disposed on said first drawer, and said second roller configuration and said fourth roller configuration are disposed so as not to be in contact with said guiding mechanism.

11. The domestic refrigeration appliance according to claim 1, wherein:

said first drawer has a container section with an upper edge and outwardly projecting supporting strips disposed on said upper edge;

said second drawer is displaceable on upper sides of said outwardly projecting supporting strips by means of at least one of said first through fourth roller configurations; and

said outwardly projecting supporting strips each have at least one upwardly projecting guiding strip on said upper sides.

12. The domestic refrigeration appliance according to claim 1, wherein:

said first drawer has a container section with an upper edge and outwardly projecting supporting strips disposed on said upper edge of said container section;

said second drawer is displaceable on upper sides of said outwardly projecting supporting strips by means of at least one of said first through fourth roller configurations; and

said outwardly projecting supporting strips on an underside facing away from said upper side are configured to have a groove-shaped cross-section defining grooved areas.

13. The domestic refrigeration appliance according to claim 1, wherein:

said first drawer has a base; and

said second drawer has at least one downwardly projecting coupling element on an underside of said base for coupling with said first drawer when said first drawer is displaced.

14. The domestic refrigeration appliance according to claim 1, wherein:

said first drawer has a container section with an upper edge and outwardly projecting supporting strips disposed on said upper edge of said container section;

said second drawer is displaceable on upper sides of said outwardly projecting supporting strips by means of at least one of said first through fourth roller configurations; and

at least one of said outwardly projecting supporting strips has a depression formed therein on a corresponding upper side, said depression is configured as a coupling element for coupling with said first roller configuration of said second drawer when said first drawer is displaced.

15. The domestic refrigeration appliance according to claim 1, wherein said guiding mechanism is a rib integrated into said side wall of said interior container.

16. The domestic refrigeration appliance according to claim 13, wherein said coupling element is configured so as to project further downwards in a height direction of the domestic refrigeration appliance than an upper edge of a rear wall of said first drawer, so that when said first drawer is displaced, coupling between said coupling element and said rear wall of said first drawer is configured.

17. The domestic refrigeration appliance according to claim 12, further comprising runner mechanisms, said outwardly projecting supporting strips, with said grooved areas, are positioned on said runner mechanisms.