Refrigeration – Compartment access or use and air blocking – Including article conveyer or transporter
Reexamination Certificate
2002-06-19
2003-11-04
Jiang, Chen Wen (Department: 3744)
Refrigeration
Compartment access or use and air blocking
Including article conveyer or transporter
C062S382000, C312S334500, C312S334100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06640573
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a kimchi storage device, and more particularly to a combination structure of a guide rail member for a kimchi storage device which includes guide grooves for guiding guide rail members formed at both lower sides of a drawer-type inner case for storage of vegetables, a hooking protrusion elongated from one side of the guide groove, and a fixing member for screwing an upper end of the hooking protrusion in order to maintain a certain space between a lower end of the fixing member and the guide groove, in which one side of a lower end of the fixing member is integrated to one side of the guide rail member so that the inner case integrated to the guide rail member may be smoothly opened and closed even though the inner case is partially deformed due to the pressure of insulating materials supplied outside the inner case.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a refrigerator is a kind of cooling apparatus. The refrigerants are condensed and liquefied under high pressure by using a condenser. The condensed refrigerants are transported to an expansion valve having a tube of a small diameter. Here, the refrigerants are instantaneously vaporized in an evaporator, and thus a temperature is lowered to generate cooling air. The cooling air is supplied to a main body of the refrigerator, thus maintaining freshness of foods in the refrigerator.
The refrigerant vaporized in the evaporator by absorbing heat is transported from a compressor to a condenser, and is condensed and liquefied in the condenser, thereby discharging heat. Thereafter, the above-described procedure is repeated to continuously perform the cooling operation.
On the other hand, a kimchi storage device using the refrigeratation principle to ripen kimchi and maintain freshness of kimchi has been popularly used. Such a kimchi storage device is small in size. Accordingly, while a general refrigerator has a door at its front side, the kimchi storage device has a hinge type door on its top surface.
The kimchi storage device includes a cooling device and a heating device inside. Accordingly, when ripening kimchi, a temperature of the inside of a container is raised by making the heater as a heating device operate, thereby ripening kimchi kept in a containing room. After ripening kimchi properly, the heater is turned off and simultaneously a cooling device is operated, so the temperature of the containing room is properly maintained, and is thereby capable of maintaining the taste and freshness of kimchi for the long term.
Recently, a drawer type kimchi storage device including a drawer in its main body has been suggested. The upper opening and closing type kimchi storage device has a kimchi storage room positioned vertically and the door mounted on the kimchi storage room is to be opened upwardly, and the drawer type kimchi storage device has a drawer consisting of a kimchi storage room positioned horizontally. Recently the compound type kimchi storage device with an upper door of the opening and closing type kimchi storage device and a drawer of the drawer type kimchi storage device has been developed and is in use.
FIG. 1
is a perspective view showing an outer appearance of a general compound-type kimchi storage device,
FIG. 2
is a sectional view showing a configuration of the general compound-type kimchi storage device, and
FIG. 3
is a sectional view showing a vegetable storage chamber of the general compound-type vegetable storage device.
As shown in the figures, the conventional compound-type kimchi storage device includes a body
1
in which a kimchi storage vessel is included in a kimchi storage cavity
8
and is insulated by an insulating material, a manipulating panel
5
is attached to a front side thereof and an evaporating pipe and a heater are installed to cool and mature stored kimchi; an upper door
2
operated by a hinge
4
for covering the body
1
of the kimchi storage device; and a drawer
6
which is opened and closed by using a handle
7
formed at a front side of the body
1
for storing fresh vegetables
11
.
And, the body
1
has an outer case
15
for accommodating insulating material
10
filled therein and an inner case
16
for accommodating the drawer
6
.
An evaporating pipe
13
for cooling is installed on a ceiling of the inner case
16
for storing vegetables. The evaporating pipe
13
is used for generating cool air so that the vegetables or fruits are kept fresh in the drawer
6
installed in the inner case
16
. The evaporating pipe
13
is isolated by an isolating plate
14
of the inner case
16
.
A guide rail member
20
is at one side screwed to guide grooves
21
formed at both sides of the inner case
16
for storing vegetables so that a user may open or close the inner case
16
by pulling and pushing. The other side of the guide rail member
20
is integrated to a rail guide
23
which is screwed to one side of the drawer
6
.
The insulating material
10
is contained outside the inner case
16
for vegetable storage I order to insulate the inner case.
There is also provided a machinery room
9
in which a compressor
12
and a condenser used in the cooling cycle are arranged at a rear portion of the inner case
16
.
When the insulating material
10
is supplied outside the inner case
16
, strong pressure is exerted on the inner case
16
to which-the guide rail member
20
is attached. Thus, there is a problem that the inner case
16
is partially deformed due to the pressure, so the drawer cannot be smoothly opened and closed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, the present invention is designed to solve the problem of the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a combination structure of a guide rail member for a kimchi storage device which includes guide grooves for guiding guide rail members formed at both lower sides of a drawer-type inner case for storage of vegetables, a hooking protrusion elongated from one side of the guide groove, and a fixing member for screwing an upper end of the hooking protrusion in order to maintain a certain space between a lower end of the fixing member and the guide groove, in which one side of a lower end of the fixing member is integrated to one side of the guide rail member so that the inner case integrated to the guide rail member may be smoothly opened and closed though the inner case is partially deformed due to the pressure of insulating materials put outside the inner case.
In one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a combination structure of a guide rail member for a kimchi storage device, which includes guide grooves formed at both sides of a lower end of the inner case, a hook protrusion elongated from the guide groove, and a fixing member, one end of which is screwed to the hook protrusion and the other end of which is fixed to maintain a predetermined space between the fix member and the guide groove, wherein one side of the guide rail member is combined to one side of the lower end of the fixing member. Preferably, the lower end of the fixing member is bent toward the inside of the guide groove.
In addition, the space between the lower end of the fixing member and the guide groove is preferably maintained at as much as 1 mm.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5947197 (1999-09-01), Lee et al.
patent: 5988780 (1999-11-01), Rock et al.
patent: 6253668 (2001-07-01), Lee
Fish & Richardson P.C.
Jiang Chen Wen
Mando Climate Control Corporation
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