Basket for refrigerator

• US 9,534,833 B2
• Filed: 09/08/2014
• Issued: 01/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Jung, Bonggun, Han, Tackwon, Choi, Daejin
• Primary Examiner(s): Hicks, Robert J
• Assistant Examiner(s): THOMAS, KAREEN KAY
• Application Number:
  US14/479,925
• Publication Number:
  US 20150069066A1
• Time in Patent Office: 848 Days
• Field of Search: 220/529, 220/530, 220/532, 220/533, 220/534, 220/535, 220/543, 220/544, 220/545, 220/549, 312/401, 312/404
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 23/069 Cooling space dividing partitions
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 25/022 Baskets

Abstract

Provided is a basket for a refrigerator. The basket for a refrigerator, which defines a receiving space for a food includes a partition member disposed in the basket to partition an inner space of the basket, a pair of guide slots respectively defined in both side surfaces of the basket and opened along a moving direction of the partition member, the pair of guide slots guiding movement of the partition member, and a guide member disposed outside the basket, the guide member being coupled to the partition member through the guide slots. The partition member partitioning the inside of the basket may smoothly move to improve manipulation feeling and convenience in use.

Claims

1. A basket for a refrigerator comprising:

a basket body having a receiving space therein for storing food, the receiving space formed by a plurality of walls including a first wall and a second wall facing the first wall;

a partition member disposed in the receiving space to partition the receiving space of the basket body;

a pair of guide slots respectively defined in the first and second walls of the basket body and formed lengthwise in a direction in which the partition is movable, the pair of guide slots configured to guide movement of the partition member;

a pair of guide members disposed on respective outer surfaces of the first and second walls, the guide members being coupled to the partition through the guide slots, to move as one body with the partition member; and

a pair of cover members disposed at each of the guide slots,

wherein each of the pair of cover members includes;

an inner bracket provided on an inner surface of the first or second wall; and

an outer bracket provided on the outer surface of the first or second wall.

2. The basket according to claim 1, wherein each of the guide members include

a guide body that extends in a longitudinal direction of each of the guide slots,

a protrusion that protrudes from the guide body to pass through the guide slots, the protrusion being coupled to the partition, and

a plurality of contact protrusions that protrude from one side of the guide body to contact an outer surface of the basket body.

3. The basket according to claim 2, wherein each of the contact protrusions has a rounded shape at a contact point with the outer surface of the basket body.

4. The basket according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of contact protrusions contact the outer surface of the basket body corresponding to each of the guide slots, at least one contact protrusion being vertically spaced a predetermined distance from another contact protrusion.

5. The basket according to claim 2, wherein the protrusion provided through the guide slots extends in a transverse direction through a corresponding slot, and one or more coupling members are coupled to a distal end of the protrusion.

6. The basket according to claim 1, wherein a handle hole is defined in an upper portion of the partition member.

7. The basket according to claim 5, wherein the partition includes a flange provided around an outer edge of the partition member, the flange to contact an inner surface of the basket body.

8. The basket according to claim 7, wherein the partition member includes an additional flange that further extends from the flange in a moving direction of the partition member to face an inner surface of the basket body and configured to be fixed to the protrusion of the guide member by the one or more coupling members.

9. The basket according to claim 1, wherein a slot having a length corresponding to the guide slot is defined in each of the inner bracket and the outer bracket to allow a portion of the guide member to pass therethrough.

10. The basket according to claim 9, wherein the guide member includes a recess to accommodate the outer bracket.

11. The basket according to claim 9, wherein contact protrusions are arranged along upper and lower portions of the guide member and protrudes to contact the outer surface of the basket body such that the guide member is spaced a distance from a respective wall of the basket body.

12. The basket according to claim 9, wherein the inner bracket includes one or more coupling protrusions which are formed along upper and lower sides of the slot thereof,

wherein the outer bracket includes one or more coupling grooves to which the one or more coupling protrusions are coupled,

and wherein the one or more coupling protrusions are configured to pass through one or more recess parts defined in upper and lower sides of each of the guide slots.

13. The basket according to claim 9,

wherein each of the pair of guide members includes a plurality of contact protrusions that protrude to contact the outer surface of the first or second wall of the basket body.

14. A basket for a refrigerator comprising:

a basket body having a receiving space therein for storing food, the receiving space formed by a plurality of walls including a first wall and a second wall facing the first wall;

a partition member disposed in the receiving space to partition the receiving space of the basket body;

a pair of guide slots respectively defined in the first and second walls of the basket body and formed lengthwise in a direction in which the partition is movable, the pair of guide slots configured to guide movement of the partition member;

a pair of guide members disposed on respective outer surfaces of the first and second walls, the guide members being coupled to the partition member through the guide slots,

wherein an inner bracket and an outer bracket are coupled to the first and second walls at each of the guide slots, and

a slot having a length corresponding to the guide slot is defined in each of the inner bracket and the outer bracket to allow a portion of the guide member to pass through the guide slot and the slot.

15. The basket according to claim 14, wherein the guide member includes a recess to accommodate the outer bracket.

16. The basket according to claim 14, wherein contact protrusions are arranged along upper and lower portions of the outer bracket and protrudes to contact the outer surface of the basket such that the outer bracket is spaced a prescribed distance from the wall.

17. The basket according to claim 14, wherein a coupling protrusion which passes through a recess part defined in each of upper and lower sides of each of the guide slots is provided on the inner bracket, and a coupling groove that is coupled to the coupling protrusion is provided on the outer bracket.