BACKGROUND

The present invention relates to a refrigerator. More particularly, the invention relates to a refrigerator with a hinged shelf that may be swung from a stored condition to an extended condition while the fridge door is closed.

Various prior art refrigerators include a shelf thai is extendable when the refrigerator door is open. For example:

□82,955,892 "Swing-out refrigerator shelf assembly" to Pulaski ei a! and

US3 ,185,1 16 "Refrigerating apparatus" to Gilbert describe a refrigerator with shelves that can manually be swung out when the refrigerator door is open;

US1 ,899,171 "Refrigerator construction" to Warren, US2,692,813 "Auxiliary refrigerator shelf to Toronto, US4,399,666 "Refrigerator cold air retaining device" to Sakutori and W095/12793 "Item of furniture consisting of a body with a door, especially refrigerators or crockery cupboards" describe a refrigerator with a swing-out shelf that is attached to the refrigerator door, wherein opening of the door causes the shelf to extend; and

WO20G7/1 15857 "Refrigerator with support shelf describes a refrigerator with a she! Is manually linearly extendable when the refrigerator door is open. s-u thermore, refrigerators with swing-out compartments are known, U 3940,416

Refrigerator to Young describes such an arrangement.

It is also known for a refrigerator to include a shelf that may be pulled out while the fridge door is closed. Such an arrangement is described in US1 ,932.003 "Refrigerator cabinet" to West.

A drawback of the prior art refrigerators is that, even where the shelf is permitted to be extended while the refrigerator door is closed, opening of the door causes items supported by the shelf to be pushed off the shelf. It is an object of the present invention to provide a refrigerator arrangement that caters for opening of the refrigerator door when the shelf is in the extended condition.

SUMMARY OF THE I VENTION

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention there is provided a refrigerator that includes: a body defining a first cooling compartment; a first door hinged!y connected to the body, the first door being movable between: (i) a closed condition in which the first door closes the first cooling compartment; and (ii) an open condition in which a user is permitted access to the interior of the first cooling compartment; the body defining a recess operative! ¹ / below the first cooling compartment and first door; a first shelf hinged!y secured to the body, the first shelf being movable between: (i) a stored condition In which the first shelf is substantially received within the recess; (II) an intermediate position, in which the first shelf has been angularly displaced from the stored condition by between 45 degrees and 1 10, and protrudes from the recess; a guide for guiding relative slidable movement between the first shelf and the body; and characterised in that: (i) the first shelf can be moved between the stored and Intermediate position while the first door is in the dosed condition; and (ii) when the first shelf is in the intermediate position, the guide permits relative slidable movement between the first shelf and the body.

Preferably, the first shelf is hingedly connected to the body via the guide.

Typically, the first shelf is movable towards a fully extended condition in which the first shelf has been angularly displaced from the stored condition by between 160 degrees and 190 degrees, and protrudes from the recess. GeneraiSy, when the first shelf is in the fully extended condition, the guide permits relative siidable movement between the first shelf and the body.

Preferably, when the first shelf is in the intermediate position or the fully extended condition, the guide permits linear movement of the first shelf substantially parallel to the alignment of the first door when the first door is in the dosed condition.

Typically, the hinged connection between the first shelf and the guide is movable along the guide.

Generally, the refrigerator further includes a reieasabie catch for securing the first shelf to the first door when the first shelf is In the intermediate position, such that when the first shelf is in the intermediate position, opening of the first door causes the first shelf to pivot about its hinged connection towards the fully extended condition.

Preferably, the first shelf has three orthogonal corners and a curved comer diametrically opposite the hinged connection between the first shelf and guide.

Typically, the refrigerator further includes: (I) a second cooling compartment operative! below the first cooling compartment; and (ii) a second door for dosing the second coolin compartment.

Generally, the recess is located between: the first cooling compartment and first door on the one hand; and the second cooling compartment and second door on the other hand.

Preferably, the refrigerator further includes a second shelf hlngedly secured to the guide, the second shelf being movable between: (i) a stored condition in which the second shelf is substantially received within the recess; (ii) an intermediate position, in which the second shelf has been angularly displaced from the stored condition by between 45 degrees and 1 10, and protrudes from the recess; and (ill) a fully extended condition in which the second shelf has been angularly displaced from the stored condition by between 160 degrees and I SO degrees, and protrudes from the recess.

Typically, the first and second shelves are substantially co-planar, and wherein the first and second shelves are shaped and sized to permit the first and second shelves simultaneously to be moved between the stored and fully extended conditions. Generally, the refrigerator further includes means for securing the first and second shelves to each other when the first and second shelves are in the intermediate position.

Preferably, when the first and second shelves are secured to each other, the first and second shelves are movable along the guide.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the invention will now be described in more detail, by way of examples only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in w ich:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator according to a preferred embodiment of the invention with the shelf in the stored condition; Figure 2 is a perspective view of the refrigerator in Figure 1 with the shelf in an intermediate position:

Figure 3 is an exploded view of the refrigerator in Figure 1 ; Figure 4 is a top view of the refrigerator in Figure 1 showing siidabie movement of the shelf while in an intermediate position;

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the refrigerator in Figure 1 with the s elf in the fully extended condition;

Figure S is a top view of the refrigerator in Figure 1 showing siidabie movement of the shelf while In the fully extended condition;

Figure 7 Is a perspective view of a refrigerator according to an alternative embodiment of the invention with the shelves in an intermediate position; and

Figure S is a top view of the refrigerator in Figure 7 showing siidabie movement of the shelves while in the Intermediate position. DESCRIPTIONS OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

With reference to Figures 1 to 6, according to a preferred embodiment of the invention a refrigerator 10 includes a body 12, a first door 14, a recess 16 and a first shelf 18.

The body 12 is a rectangular cuboid defining first and second cooling compartments 20 and 22,: which compartments are sized and shaped, in use, to receive items to be cooied therein. The first cooiing compartment 20 is located operative! ¹ / above the second cooling compartment 22.

A compressor (not shown) coois the interior of the cooling compartments 20 and 22.

First and second doors 14 and 24 close and seal the first and second cooling compartments 20 and 22, respectively. The doors 14 and 24 are hinged!y connected to the body 12 and are movable between: (!) a dosed condition, in which the first and second doors 14 and 24 close the first and second cooiing compartments 20 and 22, respectively; and (ii) an open condition in which a user (not shown) is permitted access to the Interior of the first and second cooiing compartments 20 and 22, respectively.

The body 12 defines a recess 16 cperative!y between: the first cooiing compartment 20 and first door 14 on the one hand; and the second cooling compartment 22 and second door 24 on the other hand. In other words, the recess 16 is operativeiy below the first coo compartment 20 and first door 14.

A guide 26 is secured to the body 12, and extends substantially along the width of the recess 16, substantially paraiiei to the operative bottom of the first door 14 when the first door 14 is in the closed condition.

Turning specifically to Figure 3, the first shelf 18 is substantially planar defining, In plan, three orthogonal comers and a curved comer. Returning to Figures 1 to 6, a hinge 28 connects a corner of the first shelf 18 (that Is diametrically opposite the curved corner) to the guide 26 in a manner that permits the first shelf 18 to be slsdabSy movable along the guide 26 along a path that is substantially parallel to the alignment of the lower part of the first door 14 when the first door 14 is in the closed condition.

It will be appreciated that, instead of the first shelf 18 being hingedly secured to the guide 26 and the guide 26 being fixedly secured to the body 12, the guide 26 could alternatively be fixedly secured to the first shelf 18, with the guide 26 being hingediy secured to the body 12 such that the guide 26 with first sheif 18 are slideab!y movable relative to the body 2.

The first shelf 18 is sized and shaped to be substantially wholly received within the recess 16, and to be movable between: (i) a stored condition shown in Figure 1 in which the first shelf 18 is substantially received within the recess 16; (ii) an Iniermediate position shown in Figure 4, in which the first sheif 18 has been angularly displaced from the stored condition by between 45 degrees and 1 10, and protrudes from the recess 16; and (ili) a fully extended condition shown in Figure 5 in which the first shelf 18 has been anguiariy displaced from the stored condition by between 160 degrees and 190 degrees, and protrudes from the recess 16. it wiil be appreciated that the first sheif 18 may be moved from the stored condition towards the intermediate position and further to the fully extended condition while the first door 14 is in the closed condition. Furthermore, referring lo Figures 4 and 6, when the first shelf 18 is in either an intermediate position or the fully extended condition, the first shelf 18 is linearl s!idabiy movable along the guide 26 while the first door 14 is in the closed condition.

A release catch (not shown) reieasabSy secures the first shelf 18 to the first door 4 when the first shelf 18 is in an intermediate position shown in Figure 2. Accordingly, should a user swing the first shelf 1 8 from the stored condition to the intermediate position, the first shelf 18 will automatically be secured to the first door 14, preventing further relative movement between the first shelf 18 and the first door 14. However, should the first door 14 thereafter be opened, this will cause the first sheif 18 to swing (together with the first door 14) towards the fully extended condition. It will be appreciated that without relative movement between the first shelf 18 and the first door 14, items (not shown) supported on the first sheif 18 will not be pushed off the first shelf 18 during opening of the first door 14. Should a user wish to return the first shelf 18 to the stored condition, the user releases the catch and pushed the first shelf 18 from the intermediate position to the stored condition.

Referring to Figure 4, as an alternative to using the releasable catch, the first sheif 18 can be moved towards an intermediate position and thereafter slid along the guide 26 to shift the first shelf 18 out of the way of the first door 14. Further alternatively, with reference to Figure 6, the first shelf 18 can be moved directly to the fully extended condition, in this condition, the first door 14 may be opened by up to 90 degrees without interfering with Items supported on the first sheif 18. And, should the user require the first shelf 18 to be shifted in front of the door 14, the first shelf 18, while in the fully extended condition, can be slid along the guide 26.

An alternative embodiment of the refrigerator 1 10 is shown in Figures 7 and 8. The refrigerator 110 according to this alternative embodiment is generally similar to the refrigerator 10 according to the preferred embodiment of the invention. However, whereas the; refrigerator 10 has only one sheif 18, the refrigerator 1 10 has co-planar first and second shelves 1 18 and 130, respectively. The second sheif 130 is a mirrored image of the first shelf 1 18, and is similarly hlnged!y secured to the guide 126 at a corner diametrically opposite the curved corner. Both the first and second shelves 1 18 and 130 are sized and shaped to permit them simultaneously to be movable between: (i) a stored condition in which the; first and second shelves 1 18 and 130 are substantially received within the recess: (is) an intermediate position, in which the first and second shelves 1 18 and 130 have been angularly displaced from the stored condition by between 45 degrees and 1 10, and protrude from the recess 1 6; and (iii) a fully extended condition in which the first and second shelves 1 18 and 130 have been angularly displaced from the stored condition by. between 160 degrees and 190 degrees, and protrude from the recess 116.

Both the first and second shelves 118 and 130 are movable along the guide 126 when in either the intermediate position or the fully extended condition.

Turning to Figure 8, securing means (not shown) may be used releasably to secure the first and second shelves 1 18 and 130 to each other when they are in the intermediate position. When so secured, both first and second shelves 118 and 130 remain slidabiy movable alona the guide 126.

It will be appreciated that by: (i) providing for the shelves 18, 118 and 130 to be swung outwards from the stored condition by more than 90 degrees; and/or (ii) providing a guide that permits relative siidabie movement between the shelves 18, 1 18 and 130 on the one hand and the body 12 and 1 12 on the other hand, the first door 14 and 1 14 may be opened without necessarily pushing items supported on the shelves 18, 1 18 and 130 from the shelves 18, 1 18 and 130.