FR2831951A1 - EXTRACTIBLE DRAWER REFRIGERATOR FOR THE PRESERVATION OF BEVERAGES - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a refrigerating appliance with an extractable drawer for storing drinks. A refrigerating appliance is described comprising at least one tank for storing food and at least one evaporator; one or more extractable drawers (3) are arranged frontally and are open on at least one side and have parallel supports (4) oriented in the longitudinal direction and provided with a respective longitudinal recess (5) for accommodating beverage containers; said supports being inclined relative to the horizontal plane. The volume of the extractable drawer (3) is subdivided using a plurality of dividers, which determine several separate compartments having a different temperature. The cooling of said compartments is obtained by means of at least one forced circulation duct from the area of the evaporator to said compartments, said duct comprising a separate opening corresponding to each respective compartment. Application: Household appliances.

Description

The invention relates to an improved type of refrigeration apparatus, provided

  at least one particular extractable drawer, for the conservation, in a refreshed environment, of bottles, boxes, containers for drinks in general, etc. Refrigeration apparatuses are known, in particular of the domestic type, which are provided with devices and accessories capable of accommodating and / or containing, inside the preservation tank, a plurality of bottles or

  beverage containers of various types.

  The best known solutions are those in which said bottles are inserted in appropriate shelves, comprising small shelves, hollowed out against the door; their accessibility is optimal and, also, the temperature at the place where they are inserted is. generally adequate for the major

part of the drinks kept.

  However, with the diffusion of drinks of increasingly differentiated characteristic and, also, for the progressive reduction of the living spaces which limit or eliminate the possibility of having spaces of type "cellar" or a kind of storage room or cellar, the requirement and demand to keep drinks in bottles and those to have a more frequent use, also by consuming several times a day, directly in domestic refrigerating appliances, including all kitchens

  are endowed, become more pressing.

  However, such habits always collide more with the simple circumstance, that also the space made available in domestic refrigerators and, in particular, in the doorways is necessarily limited and, moreover, it is used more effective because the containers, aligned on the same shelf, generally have different heights, so the shelves above must necessarily be placed at a height allowing the highest bottle to be accommodated on the shelf located below, which means that, necessarily, the space available between a lower container, placed on the lower shelf

  and the upper shelf, is necessarily unused.

  In addition, the preserved drink may require a very different storage temperature, for example, strong rosé wines should ideally be stored at a temperature below 16 C, while dry white wines should be stored at a temperature no higher than 12 C and sparkling wines at a

temperature of about 6 to 8 C.

  As regards non-alcoholic drinks or refreshing drinks, it is preferable to keep them at the lowest possible temperature, normally higher than the

freezing temperature.

  Since the temperature in the refrigerating tank is substantially constant, it is obvious that all these drinks of different characteristics cannot be stored optimally and this disadvantage is added to that, cited above, of the ineffectiveness of the use. of

available space.

  It would thus be desirable, and this is the aim of the present invention, to produce a refrigerating appliance, preferably domestic, provided with at least one food storage tank and an internal evaporator and an additional tank in which containers of different sizes containing various drinks can be stored thereby making more efficient use of the space and thus these drinks can be stored at temperatures

selectively different.

  In addition, such an apparatus must be easily achievable with existing technologies and must be competitive, both in construction and in use and, in particular, must be able to use, as a cold source, the same circuit.

  refrigerant only for food storage.

  These aims are achieved with a particular type of refrigerating apparatus produced according to the invention provided with one or more drawers or extractable tanks and comprising at least one tank for preserving food and at least one evaporator for cooling, is characterized by having at least one extractable drawer frontally open on at least one side and containing means capable of supporting beverage containers, the said means consisting of a plurality of parallel supports, oriented in the longitudinal direction , with a respective longitudinal recess, and inclined by

compared to the horizontal plane.

  The volume defined by each extractable drawer is subdivided into a plurality of separating elements capable of determining, in said volume, a plurality, preferably three, of separate compartments having a differentiated temperature. Corresponding to the lower front corner of the drawer is arranged a space capable of accommodating small containers, preferably arranged in a transverse position. Devices are provided for transferring a forced air flow, coming from the evaporator to said compartments and return it to said evaporator. Said devices comprise: - at least one delivery duct from the zone which surrounds the evaporator to said compartments, - a plurality of openings made in said delivery duct, in correspondence with respective compartments chosen from among

separate compartments.

  Between said separate compartments and said zone which surrounds the evaporator, respective return conduits are arranged, each having openings corresponding respectively to said compartments and respective openings to

  the end located towards said evaporator.

  Other features and benefits

  will appear in the following description of a

  embodiment of the refrigerating appliance according to the invention given by way of nonlimiting example with regard to the appended drawings in which: - Figure 1 shows a perspective view of the refrigerating appliance equipped with an extractable drawer but also closed, according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, - Figure 2 shows the same device as that of Figure 1, but the drawer being open, - Figure 3 shows a semi-frontal view of the device of Figure 2, in which all the doors of the refrigerated tanks

are removed ,.

  - Figure 4 shows a transparent view of the fundamental organs of an apparatus according to the invention, - Figure 5 and Figure 6 show another external perspective view of a different embodiment of an apparatus according to invention, respectively with closed door and

door open.

  Referring to the figures, a refrigerator according to the invention comprises an external cabinet 1 comprising at least one front door 2 and at least one extractable front drawer 3; The latter having internally a plurality of support elements 4, inclined parallel, oriented towards the rear, having the same width as the drawer and being provided over their entire length with a longitudinal recess 5, so that the cylindrical containers which are willing, don't

  may spontaneously fall to the side.

  Naturally, the inclined support units 4 can also be arranged horizontally, however, for the best conservation of certain drinks, bottled wines etc. we

  prefers an inclined rest position.

  In addition, an appropriate advantage of providing said supports with a suitable inclination lies in the fact that, in the lower front corner 20 of the drawer, a space is obtained at low temperature which is useful for storing containers of small dimensions, such as as boxes, small bottles, small vases, so as to allow the maximum exploitation of

available space.

  Naturally when the drawer is brought in, it is inserted between the two vertical side walls inside the refrigerator,

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  so that the drawers themselves and their contents

  are completely isolated from the rest of the device.

  To obtain the best possible access to beverages, it is essential that, when the drawer stands are opened, they are opened on at least one category, so as to facilitate their use also. It is naturally preferable that both sides are completely accessible, co _ e

this is represented on the figures.

  If we want to define the interior of said drawer of compartments which are a differentiated temperature, we have some separating elements 6, 7 having a conformation similar to those of inclined and parallel supports these, but of a greater width, so that, when the drawer is inserted, the siphons define, with the side walls, the front wall and the top wall, respective compartments in which it is prevented from having an inter-communicability

  substantial, even in a non-absolute manner.

  Having thus produced a plurality of tanks which do not communicate, it now becomes necessary to plan to cool them in a differentiated manner; for this purpose, there is preferably a conduit 8 between the zone surrounding the evaporator 9 and said separate compartments

said sAparators.

  Said conduit 8 has a plurality of openings 10, 11 and 12, respectively in correspondence with said compartments which are differentiated temperature and, on the opposite side, has a suction mouth 13 projecting

  in said zone surrounding evaporator 9.

  For the ciculation of the cold air produced by the evaporator, ventilation means are provided between it and the suction mouth 13.

  which are not shown.

  The return circulation of cold air from the three separate compartments is obtained by means of three separate return ducts 14, 15 and 16, each of which is provided, at one end, with an air intake opening respectively 17 , 18 and 19 and, at the other end of respective openings 17A, 18A and 19A which are introduced into the zone surrounding the evaporator 9. The operation of the device thus becomes clear: the air cooled by the evaporator is blown, by means of conduit 8, between said separate compartments, it circulates freely and, thus, it cools and keeps the drinks contained therein and, finally, it returns to the evaporator by means of conduits

return 14, 15 and 16 respectively.

  To provide for different temperatures between said compartments, it is possible to have different means with which it is possible to adjust the size of said duct 8 in correspondence with said outlet openings: it is for example possible to adjust the air in the section of said compartment appropriately. duct in the different sections, or to adapt the size of the said openings 10, 11 and 12 or also the length of said duct sections to modify the hydrodynamic resistance opposite to cold air, or else a combination of said solutions, just as it is also possible to adopt various

  solutions, all accessible to those skilled in the art.

  Referring to Figures 4 and 5, there is illustrated a variant of the invention, in which the extractable drawers are 2 in number, parallel to each other, although this is not

not essential.

  Those skilled in the art will be able, without any difficulty, to adapt and complete the respective cooling air ventilation circuits.

  in the various compartments thus obtained.

Claims (8)

REVEN D I CAT I ON 5   1. Refrigerating appliance or freezer, in particular for domestic use, comprising at least one tank for preserving food and at least one evaporator (9) for cooling, caactArisA pa having @ at least one drawer (S) extractable frontally open on at least one side and containing means capable of supporting beverage containers.   2. Apparatus according to claim 1, caractArisA in that lesUits means comprise a plurality of parallel supports (4), arranged in the longitudinal direction, dots   a respective longitudinal groove (5).   3. Apparatus according to claim 2, caractArisA in that lesUits supports (4)   are inclined by contribution to the horizontal plane.   4. Apparatus according to any one of   PREVIOUS CLAIMS, CHARACTERIZED BY   fact that the volume defined by each extractable tifoir is subdivided A by a plurality of separating AlAments (6, 7) capable of determining, in said volume, a plurality @, preferably three, of separate compartments having a differentiated tempArature.   5. Apparatus according to any of the   PREVIOUS CLAIMS, CHARACTERIZED BY   fact that, in correspondence with the lower front angle of the drawer, there is arranged a space capable of accommodating small containers, preferably arranged in a transverse position. 6. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that devices are provided making it possible to transfer a flow of forced air coming from said evaporator (9) to said compartments and to   return to said evaporator.   7. Refrigeration appliance according to claim 6, characterized in that the said devices comprise: - at least one delivery duct (8) from the zone which surrounds the evaporator (9) to the said compartments, - a plurality of openings (10, 11, 12) formed in said delivery conduit, in correspondence with respective compartments   chosen from among said separate compartments.   8. Refrigerating appliance according to claim 7, characterized in that, between the separate compartments and said zone which surrounds the evaporator, respective return conduits (14, 15, 16) are arranged, each having openings (17 , 18, 19) corresponding respectively to said compartments and to openings (17A, 18A, l9A) respective to