Title of Invention	DOMESTIC REFRIGERATION APPLIANCE WITH REMOVABLE SHELF SUPPORTS
Abstract	A domestic refrigeration appliance, in particular a refrigerator, provided with a preservation compartment (3) having vertical walls (2) and shelves disposed on supports (4), said supports (4) being removably connectable to predetermined points (6) of said vertical walls (2) (Figure 1).

Full Text

The present invention relates to a refrigeration appliance, in particular a refrigerator, provided with supports for its shelves. In traditional refrigerators the internal shelves rest on projecting support bars formed within the inner lining of the refrigeration appliance. These supports are provided in a larger number than the shelves to enable the user to arrange these at the most suitable height. The number and size of these supports negatively affects the useful capacity of the refrigeration appliance and raises hygiene problems as the supports (not being removable) cannot be thoroughly cleaned. An object of the present invention is to provide a refrigeration appliance having supports which can be thoroughly cleaned, while affecting the capacity to a lesser extent that traditional known supports. This and further objects which will be apparent from the ensuing detailed description are attained by a refrigeration appliance in accordance with the technical teachings of the accompanying claims. The invention will be better understood from the description of a preferred embodiment thereof given hereinafter by way of non-limiting example and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a partial perspective view of the preservation compartment of a refrigerator, the compartment being provided (on a vertical wall) with removable supports for shelves; Figure 2 is a partial perspective exploded view of a support and the means enabling it to be mounted on the walls of the preservation compartment of a refrigeration appliance; Figure 3 is a partial section on the line Ill-Ill of Figure 1; Figure 4 is a view showing by transparency a support together with two vertical sections through the points at which the support is connected to the wall of the compartment of the refrigeration appliance (the sections in question correspond essentially to the section Ill-Ill of Figure 1. With reference to Figure 1, the reference numeral 1 indicates overall a domestic refrigeration appliance, of which Figure 1 shows part of the relative preservation compartment 3 bounded by horizontal and vertical walls; these latter comprise an end wall and two side walls 2. In the figure it can be seen that one of the side walls carries two substantially bar-like removable supports 4 for the conventional shelves on which the products to be cooled in the compartment are rested. These bar-like supports 4 are provided, in two well defined positions, with axially slotted tubular extensions 5 (see Figures 2, 3, 4) which are inserted into bushes 6 mounted in the side walls 2 and embedded in the insulation 7 of the refrigeration appliance. Removable fixing to the bushes 6 is achieved by a divaricable (extractable) peg 8 which is inserted into the slotted tubular extensions 5 to divaricate them by the amount necessary to ensure stability but without affecting the removability of the divaricable peg 8 and hence of the support 4, so enabling it to be located at different heights and to be thoroughly cleaned. In detail, the bush 6 embedded in the insulation 7 comprises a fixing head 9 formed (Figure 3) from three mutually perpendicular ribs 9a, 9b and 9c. The bush 6 also comprises a socket part 10, flanged about its periphery 11 and forming at its base a slight annular undercut 12. The extractable divaricable peg 8 comprises a head 8a and a shank 8b terminating with a slight enlargement 8c which divaricates the end of the slotted tubular extension 5 shaped for the purpose. At the peg 8 the substantially bar-like support 4 presents a lower recess 11 (Figures 1 and 2) to offer the user a comfortable position to exert traction force on the peg 8 in order to extract it from the tubular appendix 5 and hence enable the bar-like support 4 to be removed. The bar-like support 4 possesses the two stated characteristics, namely the presence of the two slotted tubular appendices 5 and the recesses 11 by which access to the peg 8 is facilitated. For the remainder, the support can have any shape suitable for its shelf support function. Generally, such a support can have a horizontal ledge-like supporting part (indicated by A in Figures 2 and 4) and a vertical part (indicated by B in Figures 2 and 4) applied to the liner 2. The manner of mounting and removing the support 4 is apparent from the aforegoing. For mounting, the two tubular extensions 5 of the support 4 are inserted (with slight forcing) into the bushes 6 embedded in the insulation 7. The pegs 8 are then totally inserted into the tubular extensions, so locking the support 4 to the structure of the refrigeration appliance. When the user requires a different positioning of a shelf, the pegs 8 are removed, the tubular extensions extracted from the bush and the support 4 brought to the desired height to coincide with two suitably plugged bushes 6, from which the plugs are then removed and tubular extensions 5 of the support located in them, the support then being locked by fully inserting the pegs 8. The bar-like support can be thoroughly cleaned by virtue of its removal. CLAIMS 1. A domestic refrigeration appliance, in particular a refrigerator, provided with a preservation compartment (3) having vertical walls (2) and shelves disposed on supports (4), characterised in that said supports (4) are removably connectable to predetermined points (6) of said vertical walls (2). 2. A domestic refrigeration appliance as claimed in claim 1, wherein fixed bushes (6) are positioned in said side walls (2) to insertably receive slotted tubular extensions (5) pertaining to the support (4), removable locking pegs (8) being insertable into said tubular extensions (5). 3. A refrigeration appliance as claimed in the preceding claims, wherein the support (4) presents recesses (11) to facilitate access to the locking pegs (8) for their removal. 4. A refrigeration appliance as claimed in the preceding claims, wherein the support (4) is substantially bar-like with a horizontal part (A) projecting from a vertical part (B) to be applied to the wall (2) of the preservation compartment (3). 5. A domestic refrigeration appliance substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Documents:

596-CHE-2004 AMENDED CLAIMS 30-12-2013.pdf

596-CHE-2004 CORRESPONDENCE OTHERS 20-01-2014.pdf

596-CHE-2004 CORRESPONDENCE OTHERS 01-04-2013.pdf

596-CHE-2004 EXAMINATION REPORT REPLY RECEIVED 30-12-2013.pdf

596-CHE-2004 FORM-3 30-12-2013.pdf

596-CHE-2004 OTHER PATENT DOCUMENT 30-12-2013.pdf

596-CHE-2004 POWER OF ATTORNEY 30-12-2013.tif

596-che-2004-abstract.pdf

596-che-2004-claims.pdf

596-che-2004-correspondnece-others.pdf

596-che-2004-description(complete).pdf

596-che-2004-drawings.pdf

596-che-2004-form 1.pdf

596-che-2004-form 26.pdf

596-che-2004-form 3.pdf

596-che-2004-form 5.pdf

596-che-2004-other documents.pdf