EP1529187B1 - Refrigerator door - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a refrigerator door (1), comprising an inner cladding, an outer cladding (3), at a separation therefrom and two border elements (4), which enclose a cavity together with the inner and outer cladding (3). Said cavity is filled with thermal insulation material. Fixing means (6) are provided on each of the border elements (4), for fixing a cladding (23), arranged in front of the visible side of the outer cladding (3) and covering at least the majority of the visible side.

Description

The present invention relates to a refrigerator door according to the preamble of claim 1. Such a door is e.g. from JP-A-07 055328.

The doors of modern floor refrigerators are generally constructed of an outer panel, e.g. made of lacquered sheet metal and an interior lining, which are connected together along vertical edges. A cavity enclosed by the cladding and filled with heat-insulating material is closed at the top and bottom by a closing element in each case.

This conventional design of the refrigeration appliance doors gives little creative variation options. The outer lining is generally made of a white painted sheet metal; To provide individual devices with a different type of paint or even an outer lining of a different material is associated with considerable equipment and organizational effort and therefore expensive.

The object of the invention is to provide a refrigerator door, which offers increased freedom of design and yet inexpensive and can be produced without extensive intervention in existing manufacturing processes.

The object is achieved by a refrigerator door with the features of claim 1.

The use of the holding means according to the invention makes it possible to pre-dazzle a conventionally constructed refrigerator door on its visible side an additional panel. Since the additional cladding has no static function, the selection of the material for this cladding is hardly subject to any technical restrictions. When assembling the inner and outer panels and the finishing elements, the type of additional covering provided or, if any, an additional covering should not be taken into account. Thus, a high degree of creative freedom for the visible outer surfaces of the refrigerator is achieved without therefore significant adjustments in the manufacture of the device are required.

By attached to the end elements retaining elements, the additional panel can be bordered and held at its upper and lower edges. In order to additionally hold them at their lateral edges, holding means are expediently also provided on the lateral flanks of the door.

The holding means are in the form of an angle profile, wherein one leg of the angle profile for holding the panel and another leg is used to hold the angle profile of the end elements. The leg holding the fairing is preferably the shorter of the two.

For reasons of stability and aesthetics, the angle leg of an angle profile mounted on one of the end elements preferably extends substantially across the width of the refrigerator door.

Since the static load of the fairing holding the angle leg is less than that of the holder of the angle profile serving angle leg, the former may expediently have a smaller wall thickness than the latter.

In order to make the fairing holding the angle legs as inconspicuous as possible, it is preferred that this tapers to its free end.

The angle leg serving to hold the angle profile on the end elements is supported in a depth-adjustable manner on the end elements, so that linings of different thicknesses can be held with the same type of holding means. For this purpose, it is also expedient that the depth adjustment of this angle leg is continuously formed. The depth adjustment can be realized by at least two with guide elements, preferably fastening screws, cooperating slots.

The depth adjustability of the angle leg serving to hold the angle profile on the end elements should preferably be so great that the angle leg serving to hold the lining can also be fixed directly against the outer lining, so that it can also be used for a refrigerator door without an additional covering covering the outer lining is.

To minimize the projection of the retaining means across the front of the door, the end members should preferably have a leading edge flush with the outer panel.

Fig. 1

eine perspektivische Ansicht eines Teils einer erfindungsgemäßen Kältegerätetür;

Fig. 2

einen Schnitt entlang der Linie A-A aus Fig. 1 in dem Fall, wo die Außenverkleidung nicht mit einer zusätzlichen Verkleidung überdeckt ist;

Fig. 3

einen Schnitt entlang der Linie A-A aus Fig. 1 bei einer Tür mit zusätzlicher Verkleidung;

Fig. 4

einen Schnitt entlang der Linie B-B aus Fig. 1 bei einer Tür ohne zusätzliche Verkleidung; und

Fig. 5

einen Schnitt entlang der Linie B-B bei einer Tür mit zusätzlicher Verkleidung.

Further advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of embodiments with reference to the accompanying figures. Show it:

Fig. 1

a perspective view of part of a refrigerator door according to the invention;

Fig. 2

a section along the line AA of Figure 1 in the case where the outer panel is not covered with an additional cover.

Fig. 3

a section along the line AA of Figure 1 at a door with additional panel.

Fig. 4

a section along the line BB of Figure 1 at a door without additional cover. and

Fig. 5

a section along the line BB at a door with additional cladding.

Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of the left upper corner of a refrigerator door according to the invention. The door is crowned in plan, i. it has a maximum thickness along its center line A-A, and continuously narrows toward its left edge and the right edge (not shown), respectively. It is obvious that the invention is also applicable to other layouts, in particular on doors with constant wall thickness.

The door 1 is covered at the top by a closing element 4. The plastic element produced by injection molding is largely covered by a molded plastic also angle section 6. The elements 4, 6 and this mirror image same attached to the bottom of the door 1 elements (not shown) hold upper and lower edge of one of the front of the door 1 vorgeblendeten additional panel 23rd

Lateral flanks of the door 1 are here covered by profile elements 2 made of metal or plastic, which hold the lateral edges of the additional panel 23 against the outer panel. Exterior and interior trim are concealed on the side facing away from the viewer of FIG. 1 back of the door 1 or of the profile elements 2 on the side edges of the door 1 with each other.

The internal structure of the door 1 is based on the sections of Figs. 2 to 4 clearly. The Figs. 2 and 4 show sections through a door according to the invention, in which the outer panel 3 is not covered. The upper edge of the outer panel 3 is received in a gap formed between a downwardly directed skirt 5 of the upper end member 4 and a vertical leg 7 of the outside mounted on the end element 4 angle profile 6.

The closing element 4 has on its rear side, on the right in Fig. 2, a short latching web 8 and a second downwardly directed skirt 9, between which an inner lining, not shown, of the door can be latched.

At the upper end member 4, a bearing bush 10 for receiving a connected to the body of the refrigerator pivot pin of a door hinge and a plurality of blind holes 11 are formed, of which in the section of Fig. 2 only one can be seen. The blind hole 11 is located at the bottom of an elongated in the sectional plane recess 12 of the end element 4, in which a formed on the horizontal leg 13 of the angle profile 6 flat projection 14 back and forth, i. from right to left in the illustration of FIG. 2, is displaceable. Above the projection 14, a second recess 15 is formed at the top of the leg 13, which receives the head of an engaging in the blindlock 11 screw 16. The screw 16 extends through a forward-backward extending slot 17 of the leg thirteenth

In the configuration shown in Fig. 2, the angle profile 6 is pushed back maximally. That is, the inside of the vertical leg 7 is located directly on the outer lining 3 and at a flush with the outer panel 3 leading edge 18 of the end member 4, to clamp the outer panel 3 between the leg 7 and the skirt 5. The projection 14 is located on the rear stop of the recess 12, and rear edges 19, 20 of the closing element 4 and the angle section 6 are flush with each other. The vertical leg 7 of the angle section 6 is thinner than the horizontal leg 13 and down to its free end, tapers to make the supernatant of the leg 7 on the outer panel 3 as inconspicuous as possible.

FIG. 4 shows a section through the same refrigerator door along the line BB from FIG. 1. It can be seen that the angle profile 6 also has a slot 21 in the height of the bearing bush 10, into which a lower bushing 22 of the bushing 10 extending upward End element 4 engages. Again, the angle section 6 is located at the rear stop. A lying on the front of the outer lining leg of the profile element 2 extends from the lower edge of the leg 7 to an upper edge of a (not shown) lower angle profile, which is mounted in mirror image to the angle section 6 on a closing element at the bottom of the door 1.

The Figs. 3 and 5 show a refrigeration appliance door with the same elements 3, 4, 6 as described above, in which the outer lining 3 an additional panel 23 is vorgeblendet. The additional cladding 23 may be made of a variety of materials desired to achieve an aesthetic effect, eg bare stainless steel or aluminum, with or without surface structuring, plastic sheets or foils, veneer on a suitable stabilizing support, etc. The maximum thickness, which may have the additional cover 23 is determined by the dimensions of the slots 17, 21. Figs. Figures 3, 5 show the refrigerator door with an additional cover 23 of maximum thickness; As you can see, front edges of the projection 14 and the recess 15 abut each other, and the screw 16 contacts the rear edge of the slot 17, as well as the nozzle 22 touches the rear edge of the slot 21. When using an additional panel 23 of smaller thickness, the angle section 6 in any intermediate position between the in Figs. 2 to 5 shown with the help of screws 16 so fixed that the additional panel 23 between the leg 7 and the outer panel 3 is firmly clamped and held.

As can be seen in Fig. 1, and the profile element 2 slots 24 through which the profile element in different positions on the outer panel 3 can be fixed. Thus, it is possible to firmly clamp even the vertical edges of the additional panel 23 between a front leg of the profile element 2 and the outer panel 3, so that the panel 23 is held firmly along its entire edge.

Claims (11)

1. Refrigerating appliance door (1) with an inner lining, an outer lining (3) spaced therefrom and two terminating elements (4) which together with the inner and outer lining (3) enclose a cavity filled with thermal insulation material, wherein provided at each of the terminating elements (4) is a respective angled profile member (6) serving for retaining a lining (23) premounted at the outer lining (3) at the visible side thereof and substantially covering the visible side, wherein one angle limb (7) of the angle profile member (6) serves for retaining the lining (23) and the other angle limb (13) serves for retaining the angle profile member (6) at the terminating elements (4), characterised in that the angle limb (13) serving for retaining the angle profile member (6) is mounted at the terminating elements (4) to be adjustable in depth.
2. Refrigerating appliance door according to claim 1, characterised in that in addition retaining means (2) are mounted at lateral flanks of the door (1).
3. Refrigerating appliance door according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the angle limbs (7, 13) of the angle profile member (6) have different limb lengths, wherein the longer angle limb (13) serves for retaining the angle profile member (6) at the terminating elements (4), whilst the shorter angle limb (7) holds the lining (23).
4. Refrigerating appliance door according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterised in that the angle limb (13) for retaining the lining (23) substantially occupies the width of the refrigerating appliance door (1).
5. Refrigerating appliance door according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterised in that the angle limb (7) retaining the lining has a smaller wall thickness than the angle limb (13) serving for retaining the angle profile member (6).
6. Refrigerating appliance door according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterised in that the angle limb (7) retaining the lining (23) tapers towards its free end.
7. Refrigerating appliance door according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterised in that the depth adjustment of the angle limb (13) is formed to be stepless.
8. Refrigerating appliance door according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterised in that the depth adjustment is formed by at least two slots (17, 21) co-operating with guide elements (16, 22).
9. Refrigerating appliance door according to claim 8, characterised in that the guide elements are formed by fastening screws (16).
10. Refrigerating appliance door according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterised in that the angle limb (7) serving for retaining the lining (23) is fixable so as to bear against the outer lining (3).
11. Refrigerating appliance door according to one of claims 1 to 10, characterised in that the terminating elements (4) have a front edge (18) flush with the outer lining (3).

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