Width-adjustable carrier frame usable in household appliances, particularly in cooking and baking ovens

[0001] The present invention relates to a width-adjustable carrier frame usable in household appliances, particularly in cooking and baking ovens, for receiving and supporting a grilling rack, a tray, a dish, a cooking or baking sheet, or the like.

[0002] Width-adjustable frying or grilling racks are known (German Patent Document DE-GM 89 15 074), in the case of which a certain width adjustment can be fixed by means of locking devices.

[0003] This means that the change of the width of the frying or grilling rack can only be in steps.

[0004] From German Patent Document DE-GM 88 05 174, a width adjustable baking sheet with U-shaped outside bows is known which can also be held again in a desired width adjustment by means of locking devices.

[0005] From U.S. Pat. No. <b>2</b>,<b>015</b>,<b>389</b>, a refrigerator rack is known, in the case of which tube-shaped cross-members in the area of their ends carry spring-loaded headless screws which engage in wall-side recesses of a refrigerator. After the spring-loaded headless screws were threaded into the wall-side recesses, a final fixing can be achieved by a tightening of nuts.

[0006] Although such a construction permits a continuous width adjustment of the refrigerator rack, the mounting or demounting of such a refrigerator rack requires very high expenditures. Specifically, all four headless screws have to be inserted into the recesses and four nuts have to be correspondingly tightened or released in order to mount or demount the refrigerator rack.

[0007] In addition, a refrigerator rack designed in this manner can be used only when the walls of the refrigerator are equipped with corresponding recesses for the headless pins.

[0008] It is an object of the present invention to provide a carrier frame of the above-mentioned type which, while it can be easily handled, can be used in household appliances with different interior width measurements and, as required, can also be secured against being unintentionally pulled out.

[0009] According to the invention, this object is achieved in that the carrier frame consists of as at least two cross members with tube-type front-side end areas and of two approximately U-shaped carrying bows whose free ends project into the tube-type end areas and in that at least one carrying bow is continuously movable relative to the cross members by means of a worm drive.

[0010] A carrier frame designed in this manner can be comfortably adapted to interiors of different widths of household appliances by operating the worm drive; specifically, a continuous adaptation can be achieved here in a simple manner.

[0011] If required, the carrier frame can also virtually be pressed onto the interior walls of a household appliance by means of the worm drive and can therefore be force-lockingly fixed and thus sufficiently secured against an unintentional pulling-out.

[0012] Additional characteristics of the invention are the object of sub-claims.

[0013] Embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the attached drawings and will be described in detail in the following.

[0014]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a carrier frame according to the invention;

[0015]FIG. 2 is a partial sectional view of an end area of a cross member of the carrier frame according to FIG. 1;

[0016]FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of a guide bush as an alternative to the construction according to FIG. 2;

[0017]FIGS. 4 and 5 are possible cross-sectional views of cross members;

[0018]FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view corresponding essentially to FIG. 2 of a cross member according to another embodiment of the invention;

[0019]FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a carrier frame according to another embodiment of the invention;

[0020]FIG. 8 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the invention;

[0021]FIG. 9 is a schematic interior view of a side wall of a household appliance with a guide slot and a carrying bow of a carrier frame according to the invention which engages in the guide slot;

[0022]FIG. 10 is a vertical sectional view of the side wall according to FIG. 9;

[0023]FIG. 11 is a view corresponding to FIG. 9 according to another embodiment of the invention;

[0024]FIG. 12 is a vertical sectional view of the side wall according to FIG. 11;

[0025]FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a carrier frame according to the invention with guides fastened thereon in the normal position;

[0026]FIG. 14 is a perspective view according to FIG. 13 with a partially pulled-out guide;

[0027]FIG. 15 is a detailed view of the construction according to FIGS. 13 and 14;

[0028]FIG. 16 is a view in the direction of the arrow XVI in FIG. 13;

[0029]FIG. 17 is a perspective view of a carrier frame according to the invention with guides and a rack placed thereon;

[0030]FIG. 18 is a view in the direction of the arrow XVIII in FIG. 17;

[0031]FIG. 19 is a perspective view of a carrier frame according to the invention with guides fastened thereto and rack held on the guides with devices for holding a drip pan or a baking sheet;

[0032]FIG. 20 is a view in the direction of the arrow XX in FIG. 19;

[0033]FIG. 21 is a view corresponding to FIG. 19 with a rack used in a reverse position and a corresponding drip pan;

[0034]FIG. 22 is a view in the direction of the arrow XXII in FIG. 21;

[0035]FIG. 23 is a perspective view of a rack for receiving a dish or a baking sheet;

[0036]FIG. 24 is a perspective view of the rack according to FIG. 23 placed on the guides of a carrier frame;

[0037]FIG. 25 is a perspective view corresponding to FIG. 24 with a placed dish;

[0038]FIG. 26 is a view in the direction of the arrow XXVI in FIG. 25.

[0039] In FIG. 1, a carrier frame as a whole has the reference number <b>1</b> and is intended to be used in household appliances, particularly in cooking and baking ovens, and is provided for receiving and supporting a rack, such as a grilling rack, a tray, a dish, a cooking or baking sheet, or the like.

[0040] The carrier frame <b>1</b> consists essentially of two cross members <b>2</b> with at least tube-type front-side end areas as well as of two approximately U-shaped carrying bows <b>3</b>. The free ends <b>3</b><i>a </i>of the carrying bows <b>3</b> project into the front-side ends of the cross members <b>2</b> so that the carrier frame <b>1</b> is closed in itself.

[0041] In the embodiment according to FIGS. 1 and 2, the front-side ends <b>3</b><i>a </i>of one carrying bow <b>3</b> are fixedly connected with the cross members <b>2</b>, while the front-side ends <b>3</b><i>a </i>of the other carrying bow <b>3</b> are equipped with an external thread <b>3</b><i>b</i>. On this external thread <b>3</b><i>b</i>, one threaded nut <b>4</b> respectively is arranged which is freely rotatable with respect to the cross member <b>2</b> but is axially firmly connected with the latter.

[0042] As a result of the operation of the two nuts <b>4</b>, the corresponding carrying frame <b>3</b> can be adjusted or displaced in both directions in the direction of the opposite additional carrying bow <b>3</b>.

[0043] The entire carrier frame <b>1</b> can therefore be adjusted in its width and can be adapted to differently sized interiors of household appliances. The width of the carrier frame <b>1</b> can optionally be enlarged to such an extent that a press fit of the carrier frame <b>1</b> is obtained inside the interior of a household appliance, whereby an unintentional pulling-out of the carrier frame <b>1</b> is prevented or at least made more difficult.

[0044] As illustrated in FIG. 2, a guide bush <b>5</b> for the longitudinal guidance of the free ends <b>3</b><i>a </i>of the corresponding carrying bow <b>3</b>, which are longitudinally displaced with respect to the cross member, is arranged inside the respective cross member <b>2</b>.

[0045]FIG. 3 indicates that such a guidance can also be caused by an extension shaft <b>4</b><i>a </i>of a nut <b>4</b> for the longitudinal adjustment of the respective carrying bow <b>3</b>.

[0046]FIGS. 4 and 5 indicate that a good guidance of the free ends <b>3</b><i>a </i>can also be caused by corresponding cross-sectional shapes of the cross members <b>2</b>.

[0047] Finally, FIG. 6 again shows a construction with a separate guide bush <b>5</b> which is inserted in a cross member <b>2</b> in this case provided with a longitudinal slot <b>6</b>.

[0048]FIGS. 7 and 8 show embodiments for a carrier frame <b>1</b> in which another center cross member <b>2</b> is provided between the two outer cross members <b>2</b>. Threaded rods <b>7</b>, which are fixedly connected with the carrying bows <b>3</b>, engage in the center cross member <b>2</b>, while the free ends <b>3</b><i>a </i>of the carrying bows <b>3</b> projecting into the outer cross members <b>2</b> are freely displaceable in these outer cross members <b>2</b>.

[0049] By means of nuts <b>4</b>, which are arranged on the threaded rods <b>7</b> and are rotatably but axially stationarily connected with the center cross member <b>2</b>, a width adjustment of the carrier frame <b>1</b> can again take place.

[0050] The difference with respect to the two embodiments according to FIG. 7 is the fact that, in the embodiment according to FIG. 7, nuts <b>4</b> for adjusting the width are provided on the two front-side ends of the cross member <b>2</b>, while, in the embodiment according to FIG. 8, a nut <b>4</b> for the width adjustment of the carrier frame <b>1</b> is provided only of on one front side of the center cross member <b>2</b>.

[0051] As illustrated in FIGS. <b>1</b> to <b>8</b>, but particularly in FIGS. 9 and 10, the carrying bows <b>3</b> are bent a right angles out of the plane of the carrying frame <b>1</b>, so that there is the possibility of inserting the carrier frame <b>1</b> in a displacement-resistant manner in a notch <b>8</b> of a guide slot <b>9</b> of an interior wall <b>10</b> of a household appliance which is not shown in detail.

[0052] The right-angle bending of the carrying bows <b>3</b> can also be used for fixing the entire carrier frame in a clamping manner in a correspondingly dimensioned guide slot <b>9</b> of an interior wall <b>10</b> of a household appliance (FIGS. 11, 12).

[0053] Furthermore, by way of the carrying bows <b>3</b>, the carrier frame can naturally be supported on any arbitrary known carrying device of a household appliance.

[0054]FIG. 13 shows a carrier frame <b>1</b> according to the invention on whose cross members <b>2</b> guides <b>11</b> are fastened. Advantageously, these are so-called full pull-outs.

[0055] In their end areas, the guides <b>11</b> are provided with fixing noses <b>12</b> which have the purpose of receiving and fixing, for example, a rack <b>13</b>, as illustrated in FIGS. 17 and 18.

[0056] In this case, as illustrated in FIGS. 19 and 20, a rack <b>13</b> may be provided with holding devices <b>14</b>, for example, for a dish <b>15</b>.

[0057] When the rack <b>13</b> is used in a reversed manner, the dish <b>15</b> may also fixedly rest on the rack <b>13</b>, as illustrated in FIGS. 21 and 22.

[0058] FIGS. <b>23</b> to <b>26</b> shows an embodiment in which a simplified holding frame <b>16</b> is provided for supporting a dish or a baking sheet <b>15</b>, which holding frame <b>16</b> is supported on the guides <b>11</b> and is secured by way of the fixing noses <b>12</b> connected with the guides <b>11</b>.

[0059] On the one hand, the carrier frame <b>1</b> permits an unproblematic width adjustment as a result of the operating principle of the worm drive (external thread of the free ends <b>3</b><i>a </i>or threaded rods <b>7</b>, on the one side, as well as a nut <b>4</b>, on the other side) and by way of corresponding guides <b>11</b> with racks or holding frames placed upon the latter, the accommodation of many different articles, such as dishes, cooking sheets, or the like.