A REFRIGERATOR COMPRISING FLAP DOORS

[0001] The present invention relates to a refrigerator comprising flap doors that provide the user with versatile opportunities of use by easily reaching the compartments.

[0002] The refrigerators, particularly the deep freezers, have an inner body

structure that is generally composed of compartments. The compartments are covered by flap doors that preferably open from the top downwards in order to reach the compartments after the refrigerator door is opened. When the user tries to close the door by leaving the flap door in the open position, the door may break the flap door by impacting thereto. Therefore, flap doors are used that can be opened by being rotated 180 degrees downwards around the axis wherefrom they are connected to the refrigerator body, however the mechanisms that open the flap doors by rotating 180 degrees in the mentioned manner cannot provide

convenience of use desired by the user, the flap door opens uncontrollably and falls on the lower flap door rapidly and can cause damage.

[0003] In the German Utility Model Document No. DE20200501437, a refrigerator is explained comprising separate compartments and wherein the compartments are covered by flap doors disposed behind the door. The flap doors comprise hinge pins that provide them to be opened by being rotated 180 degrees.

[0004] The aim of the present invention is the realization of a refrigerator

comprising flap type doors that open controllably.

[0005] The refrigerator realized in order to attain the aim of the present invention, explicated in the first claim and the respective claims thereof, comprises flap type doors that are opened from the top downwards by being rotated around a horizontal pivot axis, and after brought to the horizontal position by being rotated 90 degrees downwards with respect to the closed position, the flap doors are brought to the entirely open position by being rotated another 90 degrees downwards.

[0006] The flap doors have two lower pins that project from the edges to both sides symmetrically and two upper pins disposed at the upper side of the lower pins and are rotated around the pivot axis formed by the lower pins when brought to the horizontal position and are rotated around the pivot axis formed by the upper pins when brought from the horizontal position to the entirely open position.

[0007] The refrigerator furthermore comprises the hinge secured to the body side wall, having guide grooves wherein the lower pin and the upper pin move, facing each other and the upper ends of which intersect each other shaped as a circle arc with almost 90 degrees angular dimension.

[0008] A certain distance is provided between the ends of the guide grooves in the hinge, and the flap door, when opened entirely, is translated forward as much as the distance between the ends of the guide grooves and does not impact the lower flap door.

[0009] In an embodiment of the present invention, the hinge comprises locking means disposed inside the guide grooves, that lock the lower pins and the upper pins in the two stage opening movement of the flap door. The locking means provide the flap door to be brought from the closed position to the entirely open position controllably.

[0010] In another embodiment of the present invention, the hinge has supporting projections providing the hinge to be secured durably on the side wall of the refrigerator body.

[001 1] In the refrigerator of the present invention, the flap doors are

opened/closed controllably, the flap door is prevented from impacting another flap door and convenience of use is provided for the user.

[0012] The refrigerator realized in order to attain the aim of the present invention is illustrated in the attached figures, where:

[0013] Figure 1 - is the cross sectional view of a refrigerator.

[0014] Figure 2 - is the perspective view of a flap door.

[0015] Figure 3 - is the perspective view of a flap door in another embodiment of the present invention.

[0016] Figure 4 - is the schematic view of a hinge.

[0017] Figure 5 - is the schematic view of a hinge in another embodiment of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 6 - is the view of B-B cross section in Figure 5. [0019] Figure 7 - is the schematic view of a flap door in closed position and a hinge.

[0020] Figure 8 - is the schematic view of a flap door in horizontal position and a hinge.

[0021] Figure 9 - is the schematic view of a flap door in entirely open position and a hinge.

[0022] Figure 10 - is the perspective view of a hinge and the cylindrically shaped supporting projections disposed on the hinge.

[0023] Figure 1 1 - is the perspective view of a hinge and the claw shaped

supporting projections disposed on the hinge.

[0024] Figure 12 - is the perspective view of a hinge and the elliptic shaped

supporting projections disposed on the hinge.

[0025] The elements illustrated in the figures are numbered as follows:

1. Refrigerator

2. Body

3. Door

4. Compartment

5. Flap door

6. Lower pin

7. Upper pin

8. , 108. Guide groove

9. Hinge

10. Locking means

1 1. Supporting projection

12. Recess

[0026] The refrigerator (1 ), preferably the deep freezer, comprises a body (2), a door (3) providing access therein, more than one compartment (4) wherein foodstuffs are placed and more than one flap door (5) disposed behind the door (3) and providing the compartments (4) to be closed, opened by being rotated from the top downwards around a horizontal pivot axis.

[0027] The refrigerator (1 ) of the present invention comprises the flap door (5) that is opened with a two stage movement implemented by the user, after brought to the horizontal position by being rotated 90 degrees downwards with respect to the closed position, brought to the entirely open position by being rotated another 90 degrees downwards, having two lower pins (6) projecting from the edges symmetrically on both sides and two upper pins (7) disposed above the lower pins (6) and rotated around the pivot axis (E1 ) formed by the lower pins (6) while being brought to the horizontal position and rotated around the pivot axis (E2) formed by the upper pins

(7) while being brought from the horizontal position to the entirely open position and more than one hinge (9) secured on the body (2) side wall, having a first guide groove (8) wherein the lower pin (6) moves and a second guide groove (108) wherein the upper pin (7) moves.

[0028] A two stage movement is implemented when the flap door (5) is desired to be brought from the closed position to the entirely open position where it is opened 180 degrees, in the first stage of the movement, the flap door (5) is brought to the horizontal position by being rotated downwards 90 degrees. In the first stage, the lower pins (6) are kept stationary in the first guide groove (8) and the flap door (5) rotates around the pivot axis (E1 ) formed by the lower pins (6). The upper pins (7) move from the top downwards inside the second guide groove (108). At the end of the first stage, while the flap door (5) is brought to the horizontal position, the lower and upper pins (6, 7) come next to each other (Figure 8).

[0029] In the second stage of the opening movement, the flap door (5) is brought to the entirely open position by being rotated 90 degrees downwards from the horizontal position. In the second stage, the upper pins (7) are kept stationary inside the second guide groove (108) and the flap door (5) rotates around the pivot axis (E2) formed by the upper pins (7) and the lower pins (6) move from the bottom upwards inside the first guide groove

(8) . At the end of the second stage, the flap door (5) is in the entirely open position and the lower pins (6) and the upper pins (7) change position by becoming upside down with respect to the closed position of the flap door (5) (Figure 9).

[0030] In an embodiment of the present invention, the hinge (9) comprises first and second guide grooves (8, 108) that face each other and the upper ends of which intersect one another, in circle arc shape with almost 90 degrees angular dimension.

[0031] In another embodiment of the present invention, there is a certain distance (A) between the ends of the first and second guide grooves (8, 108) and the flap door (5), when brought to the entirely open position at the end of the two stage opening movement, is translated forwards by as much as the distance (A) with respect to the closed position (Figure 4). Accordingly, the flap door (5), in the entirely open position, is provided to be brought to the entirely open position without impacting another element placed below.

[0032] In another embodiment of the present invention, the hinge (9) comprises more than one locking means (10), disposed in the guide grooves (8, 108) that lock the lower pins (6) and/or the upper pins (7) in their current position inside the guide grooves (8, 108) in the closed position, half open horizontal position and in the entirely open position of the flap door (5).

[0033] The locking means (10) provide the flap door (5) to be kept fixed in the closed position and additional elements, except the hinge (9), are not required to be used to keep the flap door (5) fixed in the closed position. The locking means (10) furthermore provide the flap door (5) to be locked when brought to the horizontal position. When the user prefers the flap door (5) to remain in the horizontal position, the locking means (10) prevent the flap door (5) from falling downwards by holding it in the horizontal position. The locking means (10) provide the flap door (5) to be brought from the closed position to the entirely open position controllably.

[0034] In an embodiment of the present invention, the hinge (9) comprises two locking means (10) disposed at the upper end and the lower end of the second guide groove (108) (Figure 5).

[0035] When the user opens the flap door (5) that is in the closed position, the upper pin (7) is released from the locking means (10) it bears against at the upper end of the second guide groove (108) and bears against the locking means (10) at the lower end of the second guide groove (108) by moving downwards, thus the flap door (5) is provided to be fixed in the horizontal position.

[0036] In another embodiment of the present invention, the hinge (9) comprises a locking means (10) disposed at the middle portion of the first guide groove (8) (Figure 4). While the flap door (5) is brought from the horizontal position to the entirely open position, the lower pin (6) moves upwards inside the first guide groove (8) and provides the flap door (5) to be locked in releasable manner between the horizontal position and the entirely open position by bearing against the locking means (10) in the middle of its movement. The flap door (5) is thus brought from the horizontal position to the entirely open position controllably.

[0037] In an embodiment of the present invention, the locking means (10)

provides the flap door (5) to be locked in releasable manner by bearing against the side portion of the lower pin (6) or the upper pin (7) in the guide groove (8, 108) (Figure 7, Figure 8, Figure 9).

[0038] In an embodiment of the present invention, the locking means (10)

provides the flap door (5) to be locked in releasable manner by bearing against the end portion of the lower pin (6) or the upper pin (7) in the guide groove (8, 108) (Figure 6).

[0039] In another embodiment of the present invention, the hinge (9) comprises one or more supporting projections (1 1 ) disposed on the rear surface thereof, used in securing the hinge (9) on the body (2) side wall and providing resistance against straining of the hinge (9) in the direction of bending forward in the two stage opening movement of the flap door (5).

[0040] In a version of this embodiment, the hinge (9) comprises two cylindrical shaped supporting projections (1 1) on the rear surface thereof, disposed one over the other in almost vertical direction (Figure 10).

[0041] In another version of this embodiment, the supporting projection (1 1) is shaped as a claw providing the supporting projection (1 1) to be installed on the body (2) side wall snap-fittingly (Figure 1 1 ).

[0042] In yet another version of this embodiment, the supporting projection (1 1 ) is elliptically shaped (Figure 12).

[0043] In another embodiment of the present invention, the flap door (5) has two recesses (12) wherein the hinges (9) are seated, that are disposed at the lower portions of the lateral sides thereof where the lower and upper pins (6, 7) are located (Figure 3).

[0044] In the refrigerator (1 ) of the present invention, the flap doors (5) are opened/closed controllably, the flap door (5) is prevented from impacting another flap door (5) and convenience of use is provided in terms of the user.

It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited by the embodiments disclosed above and a person skilled in the art can easily introduce different embodiments. These should be considered within the scope of the protection disclosed by the claims of the present invention.