WO2018121851A1

WO2018121851A1 - A rapid cooling assembly suitable to be used in a refrigerator

Info

Publication number: WO2018121851A1
Application number: PCT/EP2016/082751
Authority: WO
Inventors: Semih Erol; Resul Yavuz; Ercan Akyuz; Ibrahim Yilmaz Evren; Altinal CALISKAN
Original assignee: Arcelik AS
Current assignee: Arcelik AS
Priority date: 2016-12-28
Filing date: 2016-12-28
Publication date: 2018-07-05
Anticipated expiration: 2019-06-28
Also published as: TR201714796A2

Abstract

The present invention relates to a rapid cooling assembly (1) suitable to be placed inside a refrigerator (2), comprising a hollow body (4) wherein cooling fluid is filled having a loading aperture (5), a container (6) removingly placeable in the hollow body (4) through the loading aperture (5) and wherein an item (B) to be cooled is intended to be placed. It is an object of the present invention also a refrigerator (2) comprising the rapid cooling assembly (1) above specified arranged in the fresh food compartment (3) of the refrigerator (2).

Description

A RAPID COOLING ASSEMBLY SUITABLE TO BE USED IN A REFRIGERATOR

The present invention relates to a rapid cooling assembly suitable to be used in a refrigerator. In particular the rapid cooling assembly according to the present invention is preferably designed to be placed in the fresh food compartment of a refrigerator and it is improved in order to avoid air leakage.

Generally, fresh food compartments are preferred in order to cool beverages. The freezer compartment is used when beverages are desired to be cooled rapidly since the cooling process in the fresh food compartment takes time. In the case the beverage to be cooled is forgotten in the freezer compartment, the beverage and even the container containing the beverage can get damaged. Furthermore, in case it is desired to cool the beverages instantaneously, the duration of the cooling process in the freezer compartment should be further decreased.

In order to overcome the above mentioned problem, rapid cooling assemblies to be arranged in the fresh food compartment of a refrigerator have been developed in recent years, mainly aimed to accommodate a bottle, a can or, more in general, a beverage container, in order to rapidly cool it. To this aim, the temperature inside the rapid cooling assembly is lower than the temperature in the fresh food compartment of the refrigerator.

For instance in the United States Patent No. US7343748, a refrigerator is disclosed comprising a rapid cooling assembly disposed inside the fresh food compartment. The rapid cooling assembly has a body and a carriage rotatably supported inside the body, spaced from the walls of the body so as to define with them an air channel and defining a receptacle wherein the beverage to be cooled is placed. Cold air is blown in the air channel by means of a fan while the carriage is rotated around its longitudinal axis in order to maximize the exposure of the beverage container placed within to the flow of cooling air.

The leakage of air from the body of the rapid cooling assembly into the fresh food compartment of the refrigerator renders the rapid cooling assembly less efficient, requiring a higher amount of energy to cool the beverage at the desired temperature.

The aim of the present invention is the realization of a rapid cooling assembly to be used in a refrigerator which provides rapid and efficient cooling of the beverage in the beverage containers, such as tin cans or bottles, by avoiding air leakage from the body of the rapid cooling assembly into the fresh food compartment of the refrigerator.

The rapid cooling mechanism suitable to be used in refrigerators, realized in order to attain the aim of the present invention, explicated in the first claim and the respective claims thereof, comprises a hollow body, a container removably placed on it wherein the item to be cooled is placed and a pulling mechanism mounted on the body and acting on the container for pulling it toward a fully closed position inside the hollow body, so as to avoid air leakage through possible fissures between the hollow body and the container.

In a preferred embodiment, thee pulling mechanism is a spring loaded mechanism and advantageously comprises one or more tension springs.

In an embodiment, the pulling mechanism comprises disengaging means for disengaging the container from the connection to the tension spring when pulled out from the hollow body beyond a minimum loading position and, in a further embodiment, it comprises re-engaging means for re-engaging the container to the connection to the tension spring when the container is pushed into the hollow body beyond the minimum loading position.

In the illustrated embodiment, the pulling mechanism comprises a guide, a pin movable along the guide and connected to one or more tension springs and a hooking element fixed to the container and engageable with the pin to connect the tension spring to the container.

In a version of this embodiment, the disengaging means comprises a deviating portion of the guide for deviating the pin so as to free it from the engagement to the hooking element and in a further version the re-engaging means comprises a guiding portion of the hooking element, guiding the pin so as to bring it into engagement with the hooking element.

More in detail, the pulling mechanism comprises a body fixed to the hollow body whereon the guide is arranged and a carriage slidingly mounted on the body and fixed to the second end of the tension spring, with the pin movable along the guide rigidly joined to the carriage.

Advantageously, the pulling mechanism comprises a soft close piston for smoothly inserting the container in the hollow body 4.

It is an object of the invention also a refrigerator comprising a fresh food compartment and a rapid cooling assembly arranged in the fresh food compartment.

By means of the present invention, the beverages to be cooled, or more in general the items to be cooled, are enabled to be cooled rapidly and efficiently, without waste of energy.

The rapid cooling assembly realized in order to attain the aim of the present invention and the refrigerator wherein the same is used are illustrated in the attached figures, where:

Figure 1 – is a perspective view of a refrigerator comprising a rapid cooling assembly according to the present invention.

Figure 2 – is a perspective view of the refrigerator of Figure 1 with an exploded view of the rapid cooling mechanism.

Figure 3 – is a perspective view of a detail of the rapid cooling mechanism of Figure 2, relative to a pulling mechanism.

Figure 4 – is an exploded perspective view of part of the pulling mechanism of Figure 3.

Figure 5 – is a front perspective view of the rapid cooling mechanism according to the invention placed in the fresh food compartment of a refrigerator and with a container removed from a hollow body of the rapid cooling mechanism.

Figure 6 – is a section view of the cover of the container and of the pulling mechanism of the rapid cooling mechanism according to the invention taken along a hooking element of the pulling mechanism.

The elements illustrated in the figures are numbered as follows:

Rapid cooling mechanism
Refrigerator
Fresh food compartment
Hollow body
Loading aperture
Container
Cover
Gasket
Pulling mechanism
Tension spring
Disengaging means
Re-engaging means
Guide
Pin
Hooking element
Body
Carriage
Hole
Soft close piston

B. Item to be cooled

C. Cooling position

L_min. Minimum loading position

The rapid cooling assembly 1 is suitable to be placed inside a refrigerator 2 and, preferably, inside the fresh food compartment 3 of the refrigerator 2, as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2.

The rapid cooling assembly 1 comprises a hollow body 4 wherein cooling fluid is filled and having a loading aperture 5 and a container 6 removingly placeable in the hollow body 4 through the loading aperture 5 and wherein an item B to be cooled, such as in particular a beverage item like a bottle, a can or a carton, is intended to be placed. The cooling fluid is introduced in the hollow body 4 in a conventional manner, such as for instance by means of a fan, which therefore is not described here in detail.

According to the present invention, 1 the container 6 comprises a cover 7 and a gasket 8 arranged on the cover 7 and it is slidingly mounted on the hollow body 4 so as to be movable between a cooling position C in which it is inserted in the hollow body 4 with the gasket 8 abutting the hollow body 4 for sealing the loading aperture 5 and at least one loading position in which it is at least partially extracted from the hollow body 4 to allow a user to insert or remove the item B into or from the container 6. The rapid cooling assembly 1 further comprises a pulling mechanism 9 mounted on the hollow body 4 and acting on the container 6 for pulling it toward the cooling position C. Obviously the pulling mechanism 9 could be equivalently mounted on the container 6 and acting on the hollow body 4, without departing from the scope of protection of the present invention.

The presence of the gasket 8 in combination with the pulling mechanism 9 ensures that the container 6 remains properly inserted in the hollow body 4 in the cooling position C avoiding air leakages. In this manner the item B in the container 6 is cooled more rapidly and more efficiently, avoiding energy waste.

Preferably the container 6 is in the form of a drawer, thus being easily extractable and insertable from/into the hollow body 4.

In an embodiment illustrated in the attached pictures, the pulling mechanism 9 is a spring loaded mechanism.

More in detail, the pulling mechanism 9 comprises one or more tension springs 10 fixed at a first end to the hollow body 4 and connectable at the second end to the container 6 for pulling it toward the cooling position C. The tension springs 10 provide a simple but still efficient pulling force to attract the container 6 toward the cooling position C. In the embodiment illustrated in the attached figures, the pulling mechanism 9 comprises four tension springs 10 arranged in two couples mounted on two opposite internal walls of the hollow body 4 so as to evenly pull the container 6 into the hollow body 4.

According to an embodiment the pulling mechanism 9 comprises disengaging means 11 for disengaging the container 6 from the connection to the tension spring or springs 10 when the container 6 is pulled out from the hollow body 4 beyond a minimum loading position L_min, i.e. when it is extracted from the hollow body 4 of a preset minimum extraction length. Thanks to the disengaging means 11 the pulling mechanism 9 is not acting on the container 6 when the latter is sufficiently extracted from the hollow body 4 so that it is not necessary for the user to keep pulling the container 6 against the force of the springs 10 while placing the item B to be cooled in the container 6.

In another embodiment, the pulling mechanism 9 comprises re-engaging means 12 for re-engaging the container 6 to the connection to the tension spring 10 when the container 6 is pushed into the hollow body 4 beyond a minimum loading position L_min. Thanks to the presence of the re-engaging means 12 when the user pushes the container 6 toward the inside of the hollow body 4 the tension springs 10 get re-engaged with the container 6 in order to pull it toward the cooling position C.

According to the embodiment illustrated in the attached figures, the pulling mechanism 9 comprises a guide 13 rigidly connected to the hollow body 4, a pin 14 connected to the second end of the tension spring 10 and movable along the guide13 and a hooking element 15 fixed to the container 6, in particular to the cover 7 of it, and engageable with the pin 14 to connect the second end of the tension spring 10 to the container 6. More in detail, the pulling mechanism 9 comprises preferably two guides 13 arranged on two opposite internal walls of the hollow body 4 and two pins 14 each slidingly mounted on a correspondent guide 13. Thanks to the guides 13 the container 6 is properly inserted into the hollow body 4 per action of the tension springs 10.

In a version of this embodiment, the disengagement means 11 comprises a deviating portion of the guide 13, deviating the pin 14 so as to free it from the engagement with the hooking element 15.

More in detail, in the embodiment illustrated in the attached figures, the container 6 is in the form of a drawer mounted on the hollow body 4 so as to horizontally slide toward the intern or the extern of the latter. The guides 13 are horizontally arranged on the walls of the hollow body 4, preferably on the internal walls, so as to guide the container 6 to properly enter or exit into/out of the body 4. The disengagement means 11 comprises in the illustrated embodiment a vertical portion of the guide 13, guidingly lowering the pin 14 so that the latter disengages from the hooking element 15 as illustrated in Figure 6.

In a further version of the above mentioned embodiment, the re-engagement means 12 comprises a guiding portion of the hooking element 15, guiding the pin 14 so as to bring it back into engagement with the hooking element 15. As clearly understandable from Figure 6, once the user pull the container 6 back into the hollow body 4, the guiding portion of the hooking element 15 pushes the pin 14, lifting it, thus bringing it back in engagement with the hooking element 15. In particular, the pin 14 is lifted out of the vertical portion of the guide 13.

In the embodiment illustrated in the attached figures, the pulling mechanism 9 comprises a body 16 fixed to the hollow body 4, for instance by means of screws, and whereon the guide 13 is arranged and a carriage 17 slidingly mounted on the body 16 and fixed to the second end of the tension spring 10. The pin 14 is movable along the guide 13 rigidly joined to the carriage 17. In particular, the carriage 17 has a hole 18 and the pin 14 is inserted through the hole 18 and the guide 13, as visible in particular in Figures 3 and 4, so that when it slides with respect to the body 16 along the guide 13, the carriage 17 also slides with respect to the body 16 rigidly joined to the pin 14.

More in detail, the pulling mechanism 9 comprises two bodies 16, fixed to two opposite internal walls of the hollow body 4, each of which carrying two tension springs 10 fixed at a first end to the body 16 and at the second end to the carriage 17.

In an embodiment, the pulling mechanism 9 comprises a soft close piston 19 for allowing a soft closing of the container 6. In particular the soft close piston 19 is mounted on the hollow body 4 and it is designed to abut against the cover 7 of the container 6 when the latter is reaching the cooling position C so as to lower the moving speed of the container 6 and avoid the latter to shut forcefully against the hollow body 4 due to the action of the springs 10.

It is an object of the present invention also a refrigerator 2 comprising a fresh food compartment 3 and a rapid cooling assembly 1 as above described arranged in the fresh food compartment 3.

Functionally, when the user pulls the container 6 out of the hollow body 4, the hooking element 15, engaged to the pin 14, drags the latter along the guide 13 on the body 16 together with the carriage 17 against the elastic restoring force exerted by the springs 10 on the carriage 17. When the container 6 has been extracted from the hollow body 4 of a minimum extracting length, i.e. it has reached the minimum loading position L_min, the pin 14 is guided into the deviating portion of the guide 13, thus disengaging from the hooking element 15. The user can hence freely pull the container 6, without the tension springs 10 exerting any attraction force on the latter, and once the container 6 is sufficiently extracted from the hollow body 4, the user can insert in the latter the item B desired to be cooled, without the need to hold the container 6. Subsequently, when the user reinsert the container 6 back into the hollow body 4, once the container has reached the minimum loading position L_min, the guiding portion of the hooking element 15 lifts the pin 14 so as to bring it out of the deviating portion of the guide 13, back into engagement with the hooking element 15. From this position on, the tension springs 10 act on the hooking element 15 and hence on the container 6 by pulling the pin 14 engaged to the hooking element 15 by means of the carriage 17. The container 6 is hence attracted toward the cooling position C by the elastic restoring force of the tension springs 10, with the cover 7 pushing against the hollow body 4 with the gasket 8 interposed between them, thus avoiding air leakages. The smooth closing of the container 6 is ensured by the soft close piston 19.

The rapid cooling assembly 1 and the refrigerator 2 according to the present invention ensure that no air leakage occurs from the hollow body 4 of the rapid cooling assembly 1, wherein the cooling fluid is introduced, to the compartment of the refrigerator wherein the rapid cooling assembly 1 is arranged thus ensuring a quick and efficient cooling of the desired item B and no energy waste.

Claims

A rapid cooling assembly (1) suitable to be placed inside a refrigerator (2), comprising a hollow body (4) wherein cooling fluid is filled having a loading aperture (5), a container (6) removingly placeable in the hollow body (4) through the loading aperture (5) and wherein an item (B) to be cooled is intended to be placed, characterized in that the container (6) comprises a cover (7) and a gasket (8) arranged on the cover (7) and it is slidingly mounted on the hollow body (4) so as to be movable between a cooling position (C) in which it is inserted in the hollow body (4) with the gasket (8) abutting the hollow body (4) for sealing the loading aperture (5) and at least one loading position in which it is at least partially extracted from the hollow body (4) to allow a user to insert or remove the item (B) into or from the container (6), the rapid cooling assembly (1) further comprising a pulling mechanism (9) mounted on the hollow body (4) and acting on the container (6) for pulling it toward the cooling position (C).
A rapid cooling assembly (1) as in Claim 1, characterized in that the pulling mechanism (9) is a spring loaded mechanism.
A rapid cooling assembly (1) as in Claim 2, characterized in that the pulling mechanism (9) comprises at least one tension spring (10) fixed at a first end to the hollow body (4) and connectable at the second end to the container (6) for pulling it toward the cooling position (C).
A rapid cooling assembly (1) as in Claim 3, characterized in that the pulling mechanism (9) comprises disengaging means (11) for disengaging the container (6) from the connection to the tension spring (10) when the container (6) is pulled out from the hollow body (4) beyond a minimum loading position (L_min).
A rapid cooling assembly (1) as in Claim 4, characterized in that the pulling mechanism (9) comprises re-engaging means (12) for re-engaging the container (6) to the connection to the tension spring (10) when the container (6) is pushed into the hollow body (4) beyond a minimum loading position (L_min).
A rapid cooling assembly (1) as in any of the Claims 3 to 5, characterized in that the pulling mechanism (9) comprises a guide (13), a pin (14) connected to the second end of the tension spring (10) and movable along the guide (13) and a hooking element (15) fixed to the container (6) and engageable with the pin (14) to connect the second end of the tension spring (10) to the container (6).
A rapid cooling assembly (1) as in Claims 4 and 6, characterized in that the disengaging means (11) comprises a deviating portion of the guide (13), deviating the pin (14) so as to free it from the engagement with the hooking element (15).
A rapid cooling assembly (1) as in Claims 5 and 6, characterized in that the re-engaging means (12) comprises a guiding portion of the hooking element (15), guiding the pin (14) so as to bring it into engagement with the hooking element (15).
A rapid cooling assembly (1) as in Claim 6, characterized in that the pulling mechanism (9) comprises a body (16) fixed to the hollow body (4) whereon the guide (13) is arranged and a carriage (17) slidingly mounted on the body (16) and fixed to the second end of the tension spring (10), the pin (14) being movable along the guide (13) rigidly joined to the carriage (17).
A rapid cooling assembly (1) as in any of the preceding Claims, characterized in that the pulling mechanism (9) comprises a soft close piston (19).
A refrigerator (2) comprising a fresh food compartment (3) and a rapid cooling assembly (1) as in any of the preceding claims arranged in the fresh food compartment (3).