The use of vacuum containers inside refrigerating appliances is known for the purpose of preserving food under more or less high vacuum conditions. In this manner, deterioration of the nourishments and food-stuffs is slowed down, maintaining their organoleptic properties, and concicely their original molecular structure.

In daily use, these containers are often placed inside the refrigerating appliances in a casual and often improper way for them to reach a rapid, uniform and definitive efficient refrigeration in view of best food preservation. Actually, a user is not always very careful about the correct location of such containers inside the refrigerating compartment ; quite often the containers are placed in direct contact with other containers, bags or nourishing products, thus delaying or hindering an efficient achievement of best thermal conditions for the food contained inside vacuum containers. In fact, the surfaces of the vacuum container actually in contact with the refrigerating airflow circulating in the refrigerating appliance will in fact have an effective reduced extension, thus delaying the cooling of the inner environment of the vacuum containers.

This result is more evident in that the amount of air in the vacuum containers warranting thermal exchange between the food and the wall of the container walls is considerably reduced compared to the one usually available at atmospheric pressure. Therefore, should a user erroneously introduce some food which is still warm in the vacuum container, and then generates vacuum inside the container according to the methods and techniques known in the art, placing the same container in contact with other products inside the refrigerating compartment, the food would remain warm for a long time, as the surfaces of the containers are not directly reached by the cold airflow circulating in the compartment. Thus, the foods placed in the vacuum containers are submitted to a rapid deterioration, since the heat accelerates the food deterioration process and the vacuum condition does not favour heat release from the food to the refrigerating compartment.

Therefore, under certain operating conditions such as mentioned above, when optimal food preservation inside the vacuum containers is desired, the care required for positioning the containers inside the refrigerating appliances may represent an important step with respect to other conditions. In the description herein the term"optimal preservation"means delaying to a maximum extent the exchange or loss phenomena of the organoleptic qualities of the food to be preserved, as well as a modification of the internal structure of the food stuff.

The present invention intends to solve the above drawbacks and provide a refrigerating appliance with a particular housing system of the vacuum containers inside it, such as having improved features with respect to the known solutions.

In this frame, it is the main object of the present invention to favour achievement of optimal thermal conditions for preserving the food in vacuum containers placed inside the refrigerating appliances, in particular for household use, that is favouring thermal exchange to a maximum extent between the air inside the refrigerating compartment and the vacuum containers arranged inside it.

Another object is to provide an orderly and rational housing system of vacuum containers inside the refrigerating appliances, which ensures an optimal utilization of the inner area available in the present refrigerating appliances.

Another object is to provide a housing system of vacuum containers inside the refrigerating appliances through a versatile low-cost solution, which can be easily implemented inside the present refrigerating appliances.

In order to reach such aims it is the object of the present invention to provide a refrigerating appliance equipped with a particular housing system of vacuum containers inside it, incorporating the features described in the annexed claims, which form an integral part of the description herein.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description and annexed drawings, which are supplied by way of explanatory and non limiting example, wherein: - Fig. 1 shows a prospective view of the refrigerating appliance according to the present invention ; - Fig. 2 shows a prospective view of a detail of the refrigerating appliance of Figure 1.

In Figure 1 is illustrated a refrigerating appliance indicated in its whole with reference 1, where both a compartment for fresh food 1F and a freezer compartment 1C can be identified, with their respective doors in open position to highlight the inner architecture of the refrigerating appliance. In the freezer compartment 1 C, a plurality of freezing drawers 2 apt to contain the food to be frozen and/or to be deep frozen are distinguished. The compartment for fresh food 1F is located above of the previous one, in separated environment; it contains the refrigerated areas 3 with the refrigerating drawers 4 from the bottom to the top, and a plurality of multifunction areas 5 identified by a subsequent arrangement of shelves 6, which are assembled in the refrigerating appliance 1 according to common procedures. These multifunction areas are so quoted because they represent refrigerated areas for housing a plurality of containers and/or nourishing products, which are not simply rested on the shelves 6.

On the bottom of each refrigerated area 4 vents 7 are provided for dynamic circulation of the refrigerating air inside the compartment for fresh food 1F, in particular for a homogeneous air supply to the above refrigerated areas 3. The refrigerating appliance 1 illustrated is actually an appliance with forced refrigerating air circulation, that is a so-called"no frost"type, which ensures a very good thermal exchange inside the refrigerated environments and consequently a more rapid achievement of the thermal conditions set through a control system of the refrigerating appliance.

Reference D illustrates an arrangement of vacuum containers 10, which in figure 1 is placed in the coldest multifunction area SF, that is the area immediately above the refrigerated area 3C, where the refrigerator drawers 4 are located.

The arrangement D is better detailed in Figure 2, where it shows a pair of vacuum containers 10 suspended inside the cold multifunction area 5F, that is in a refrigerated area 3 below a formed shelf 6D. These containers 10 are rested to supports 6S obtained under the formed shelf 6D such in a manner to ensure a first open space LI above them when in their resting position. The supports 6S are made integral to the bearing structure of the formed shelf 6D; their configuration is such to provide a handy placement of the containers 10 on them and in particular their front insertion to the formed shelf 6D; also in the same way, they ensure an easy removal of the containers 10 through a simple extraction. The supports 6S consist, in particular, of normal tubular elements in the form of a cradle, on which the upper edges of the vacuum containers 10 projecting externally from body of the container are going to be rested.

The arrangement D is structured in such a way that once the vacuum containers 10 have been rested on supports 6S, are close to the vent 7D present at the bottom of the multifunction cold area 5F of the refrigerating appliance 1, in proximity of an internal side wall 5L. With particular reference to the figures, it is the most inner container which is located in proximity of the vent 7D. Once the containers 10 are arranged on the supports 6S, no more goods or whatever can be placed between the vacuum containers 10 and the vent 7D, as well as between the containers 10 and the side wall 5L. This because the supports 6S are located in proximity of the bottom of the cold multifunction area 5F, while one of them, namely the outer support 6Se, is located in proximity of the side wall 5L.

The arrangement D of the containers 10 provides a second open space L2 on the rear between the most inner container and the bottom of the refrigerator multifunction area 5F, and laterally a third side open space L3 between the containers 10 and the side wall 5L.

It is basically important to point out that the open spaces L1-L3 determined by the particular arrangement D of the vacuum containers 10, can be poorly accessed from outside the refrigerating appliance 1, as they are scarcely developed to store containers and/or nourishments, while at the same time ensuring refrigerating air circulation in contact with the corresponding surfaces of the vacuum containers 10. This is actually the novelty principle provided by the present invention, that is a refrigerating appliance provided of the particular housing system of vacuum containers described above.

Moreover, the vacuum containers 10 are further suspended in such a way to leave just a little space between their bottom and the shelf 6 below the formed shelf 6D, as it can be noticed in particular from Figure 1.

Finally, an inner section 6Si of the support 6S in the cold multifunction area 5F contributes to keep any food to be positioned on the shelf 6 below the formed shelf 6D at a small determined distance from the vacuum containers 10 and leave a further small free space for the refrigerating air to circulate.

As above described and illustrated, the arrangement D of vacuum containers 10 according to the present invention does not encourage a user to lay anything in contact with nor below the vacuum containers 10, due to the small space available to that purpose.

It should be noticed that a free space is also provided between the two adjacent containers 10 due to their shape, in particular of the upper projecting edge of the containers themselves.

Thus, the arrangement D of the vacuum containers 10 according to the present invention, that is a refrigerating appliance 1 having such a housing system inside, always provides a determined free space for food around the vacuum containers. Therefore, the outflow of the refrigerating air from the vents 7D can have a direct heat exchange with the outer surfaces of the containers 10 themselves, warranting a maximum thermal exchange between the food preserved in the vacuum containers 10 and the refrigerating air circulating in the fresh food compartment IF.

In the representative example of Figures 1,2, the arrangement D is located inside the cold multifunction area 5F for obtaining the best refrigerating results of the food contained in the vacuum containers 10; however, the same arrangement D can be favorably actuated in other multifunction areas 5 as well, maintaining all its peculiarities and advantages.

In conclusion, from the above description it is clear that the supports 6S represent means of suspension for the vacuum containers 10 inside the refrigerated areas 3, that is in the multifunction areas 5 of the refrigerating appliance 1.

The supports 6S, that is the particular suspended condition of the vacuum containers 10 and their particular location inside a refrigerated area 3, that is in a multifunction area 5, form the housing system D according to the present invention. Dependently, the close proximity of the containers to a vent 7 inside the refrigerating appliance 1 represents another important feature.

It should be pointed out that the features of the housing system D of vacuum containers 10 in the refrigerating appliance 1 described above with reference to a"no frost"refrigerating appliance are equally valid for a static type appliance, wherein the cold refrigerating airflows circulate inside the refrigerating appliance by natural convection starting from a cold wall on the bottom of the fresh food compartment IF. In fact, even if there is no circuit for the circulation of refrigerating air, the possibility still remains that the vacuum containers can still have a heat exchange with the maximum exchanging surface in contact with the refrigerated air coming from the bottom of the fresh food compartment IF, i. e. all the six outer surfaces of the vacuum containers 10.

From the above description and annexed drawings the advantages of the refrigerating appliance having a housing system of vacuum containers according to the present invention are clear.

The particular housing system subject of the present invention, favors the achievement of optimal thermal conditions for preserving food in vacuum containers, since it provides a highest thermal exchange between the air inside the refrigerating compartment and the vacuum containers arranged inside it, whose outer surfaces are practically all exposed to the refrigerating air.

Advantageously, the housing system of vacuum containers according to the present invention comes to be actually order, rational and versatile, ensuring an optimal and efficient utilization of the inner space of the refrigerating appliance also when no vacuum container is placed there. Furthermore, it is a simple, low-cost solution, which can be immediately obtained inside the present refrigerating appliances; in fact it is sufficient to equip the existing shelves with the appropriate supports to suspend the vacuum containers.

It is clear that many changes are possible for the man skilled in the art to the refrigerating appliance having a particular housing system of vacuum containers as described by way of example, without departing from the novelty principles of the present invention; and it is also clear how in its practical actuation the forms of the details illustrated may change and be replaced with technical equivalent elements and/or be manufactured with whichever materials.

As an example, suspension of the vacuum containers inside the refrigerating compartment, that is in the refrigerated areas, can be obtained by means of any known system or device being able to be applied inside the refrigerating compartments. The primary condition for the present invention is the suspended location of the containers, which has to ensure an easy refrigerating airflow in contact with the surfaces of the vacuum containers also when the refrigerating appliance is completely filled with goods. Moreover, the housing system shall hinder to a maximum extent the possibility of placing additional products in contact with the refrigerating containers, without any significant limitation of the refrigerator inner space provided for other containers and/or nourishments.

Within the frame described above, an implementation to the containers system may provide special supports 6S with indentations suitable to surely delimit the free space existing between the two adjacent vacuum containers 10.

A further implementation may provide the suspension supports being suitable to support the vacuum containers from the bottom; these can be made as lower supports for the containers body and base to be supported on which the same would be rested. A possible manufacture of these supports provides a wide mesh grid configuration with feet or side edges structured such in a manner to ensure an open space for the circulation of refrigerated air inside the refrigerating appliance also below the base of the vacuum containers.

An implementation may provide these feet or side edges, as well as the supports 6S themselves illustrated in the figures, of a folding type in line with the shelf 6D, whereto they are constrained ; such in a way that, should a user not want to house any vacuum containers in the refrigerating appliance, he could advantageously use the whole space available between two subsequent shelves 6,6D for housing particularly cumbersome items to be preserved in the refrigerator.

Furthermore, the supports 6S may be a type adjustable both in width and in length according to a known procedure, such as using sliding guides, in particular of a telescopic type provided with stops. Advantageously, this implementation ensures the housing of vacuum containers of different size and shapes, warranting a flexible use of the housing system according to the present invention and the best utilization of the internal space of the compartment.

A variation to the described solution is to adopt supports adapted to suspend the vacuum containers for a rational and order utilization of the whole inner area inside the fresh food compartment, warranting an optimal preservation of the food contained in the vacuum containers.

The housing system previously described can be conveniently adopted also for the freezer compartment of a refrigerating appliance, where such compartment is structured with shelves or alternative suspension solutions for the containers.

It is clear that the number of containers may change, that is it may consist of just one shelf or more than two, depending on the form and space inside the refrigerating compartment, as well as on the suspension means being adopted.