JP7748348B2 - Partition body of storage facility and storage facility equipped with said partition body - Google Patents

Description

Article 30, paragraph 2 of the Patent Act applies. Exhibited at the 23rd Kitchen Equipment Exhibition held at Tokyo Big Sight from February 15th to 18th, 2022.

Article 30, Paragraph 2 of the Patent Act applies. Exhibited at the Supermarket Trade Show 2022 held at Makuhari Messe from February 16th to 18th, 2022.

Article 30, Paragraph 2 of the Patent Act applies. Exhibited at the Food Store Solutions Fair 2022 held at Intex Osaka Halls 4 and 5 from September 7th to 8th, 2022.

Article 30, paragraph 2 of the Patent Act applies. Delivered to Pan no Tora Yagoto store, 8-1 Umezono, Hiroji-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, on May 30, 2022.

Article 30, paragraph 2 of the Patent Act applies. Delivered to Berg Besta Sayama store, 1025 Iruma, Sayama City, Saitama Prefecture, on August 2, 2022.

The present invention relates to an insulating partition that separates the front opening of a storage facility into upper and lower or left and right sections, and in particular to a partition that houses a pre-formed foam insulation material inside, and a storage facility equipped with such a partition.

This type of partition is disclosed, for example, in Patent Document 1 (Title of Invention: Refrigerated Storage Cabinet). The partition (partition frame) in Patent Document 1 separates the front opening (opening) into left and right sections and includes a front frame that forms the exterior surface of the cabinet, a cover that is positioned on the interior side of the cabinet relative to the front frame, and insulation stored between the front frame and the cover. The front frame is made of a press-formed product such as stainless steel plate and has a U-shaped cross section with an opening on the rear side. The cover is made of synthetic resin and has a U-shaped cross section with an opening on the front side. Protrusions are formed on the inner surfaces of the left and right side walls of the cover, and mounting holes that allow the protrusions to pass through are formed in the left and right side panels of the front frame. By inserting the protrusions into the mounting holes while sandwiching insulation between the front frame and the cover, the cover can be attached to the front frame with the insulation stored inside. A similarly configured partition that separates the front opening (opening) into upper and lower sections is disclosed in Patent Document 2 (Title of Invention: Refrigerator Partition).

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-198351 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-91150

In Patent Documents 1 and 2, two components are joined from the front and back with insulation sandwiched between them to form a rectangular prism-shaped partition, simplifying assembly and simplifying production. The partition is fixed to the front opening like a double-supported pillar or beam, and the front surface of the fixed partition serves as the attraction surface for a magnetic packing (a packing that seals by magnetic attraction) attached to the door that opens and closes the front opening. Furthermore, the partition also serves as the part that receives the door when it is closed, and if the door is closed forcefully, the partition is subjected to a large rearward impact. In Patent Documents 1 and 2, the front frame is made of metal and the cover is made of synthetic resin, meaning the strength of the interior of the partition is lower than that of the exterior. Therefore, repeated impacts when closing the door could cause the entire partition to deform into a curved shape with the center bulging rearward. If the front surface of the partition that forms the magnetic packing's attraction surface is bent, the packing's sealing ability will be reduced, allowing cold air inside the storage unit to leak and compromising the storage unit's insulation.

The purpose of this invention is to prevent a decrease in the sealing ability of the packing due to deformation of the partition body, thereby maintaining the thermal insulation of the storage facility.

The present invention relates to a storage partition 6 that spans between the opposing interior surfaces 5A and 5B of the storage main body 3 and separates the front opening 2 into upper and lower or left and right sections. The partition 6 comprises a long, hollow, rectangular box-shaped case 19 and a heat insulating material 20 that is preformed to a predetermined shape and stored inside the case 19. The case 19 comprises a front wall 21 that forms the front surface facing the outside of the storage, a rear wall 22 that forms the rear surface facing the storage interior 5, a pair of partition walls 23, 23 that are arranged between the front and rear walls 21, 22 and form partition surfaces facing the upper and lower or left and right partitioned areas, and a pair of end walls 24, 24 that form end surfaces facing the interior surfaces 5A and 5B. The front wall 21 and rear wall 22 are made of metal, and the pair of partition walls 23, 23 and the pair of end walls 24, 24 are made of resin. The front wall 21 has a U-shaped cross section formed by a front main wall 27 that forms the forward surface and a pair of leading edge walls 28, 28 that are connected rearward from the longitudinally extending edge of the front main wall 27, and the rear wall 22 has a U-shaped cross section formed by a rear main wall 30 that forms the rear surface and a pair of trailing edge walls 31, 31 that are connected forward from the longitudinally extending edge of the rear main wall 30.

Each partition wall 23 has a main partition wall 35 that forms the partition surface, a front insertion groove 38 that opens to the front and into which the leading edge wall 28 is inserted in the fore-and-aft direction, and a rear insertion groove 39 that opens to the rear and into which the trailing edge wall 31 is inserted in the fore-and-aft direction. With the leading edge wall 28 of the front wall 21 inserted into the front insertion groove 38 of each partition wall 23 and the trailing edge wall 31 of the rear wall 22 inserted into the rear insertion groove 39 of each partition wall 23, the front and rear walls 21 and 22 are connected by a pair of end walls 24, 24, so that the front and rear walls 21 and 22, the pair of partition walls 23 and the pair of end walls 24 can be joined together in the shape of a rectangular box.

Front engagement holes 29 are formed at both longitudinal ends of each leading edge wall 28, penetrating in the thickness direction, and rear engagement holes 32 are formed at both longitudinal ends of each trailing edge wall 31, penetrating in the thickness direction. Front and rear engagement protrusions 46, 47 that are inserted into the front and rear engagement holes 29, 32 are formed on each end wall 24 and protrude toward each partition wall 23. By inserting the front and rear engagement protrusions 46, 47 of each end wall 24 into the front and rear engagement holes 29, 32 of the front and rear walls 21, 22, the front wall 21 and rear wall 22 are connected by the pair of end walls 24, 24.

The protruding ends of the front and rear engagement protrusions 46 and 47 inserted into the front and rear engagement holes 29 and 32 abut against the respective partition wall bodies 23.

The end wall 24 is provided with an insertion piece 71 that protrudes toward the insulation material 20, and a notch 72 into which the insertion piece 71 is inserted is formed at the end of the insulation material 20 facing the end wall 24. By inserting the insertion piece 71 into the notch 72, relative movement between the end wall 24 and the insulation material 20 is prevented, except in the insertion direction.

The pair of partition walls 23, 23 are made of strip material extruded from synthetic resin.

In the storage facility of the present invention, the front opening 2 of the storage facility main body 3 is divided into upper and lower or left and right sections by the partition 6 described above.

Constructing the front and rear walls 21 and 22 that make up the front and rear surfaces of the partition 6 from metal members, as in the present invention, increases the structural strength of the case 19 on both the front and rear sides, thereby increasing the rigidity of the partition 6. Additionally, the front and rear walls 21 and 22, which have a U-shaped cross section, can increase the moment of inertia compared to flat plate-shaped members, further increasing the rigidity of the partition 6. Furthermore, forming the front and rear walls 21 and 22 with a U-shaped cross section can improve the torsional strength of the partition 6 around its longitudinal axis. Therefore, according to the present invention, the rigidity of the partition 6 can be increased compared to conventional structures, preventing deformation of the partition 6 due to the impact when the door 4 is closed and preventing a decrease in the thermal insulation of the storage facility 1. Furthermore, heat conduction between the front wall 21, which is exposed to the outside air, and the rear wall 22, which is exposed to the air inside the storage compartment 5, can be inhibited by a pair of partition walls 23, 23 and a pair of end walls 24, 24 made of resin, making it possible to prevent a decrease in the insulation properties of the storage compartment 1 in terms of heat conduction inside and outside the storage compartment.

Each partition wall body 23 has a partition main wall 35 that forms the partition surface, a front insertion groove 38 that opens on the front side and into which the leading edge wall 28 is inserted in the fore-and-aft direction, and a rear insertion groove 39 that opens on the rear side and into which the trailing edge wall 31 is inserted in the fore-and-aft direction. When the leading edge wall 28 of the front wall body 21 is inserted into the front insertion groove 38 of each partition wall body 23 and the trailing edge wall 31 of the rear wall body 22 is inserted into the rear insertion groove 39 of each partition wall body 23, the front wall body 21 and the rear wall body 22 are connected by a pair of end wall bodies 24/24, so that the front and rear wall bodies 21/22, the pair of partition wall bodies 23/23, and the pair of end wall bodies 24/24 can be joined together in the shape of a rectangular box. This allows the front and rear walls 21, 22 and the pair of partition walls 23, 23 to be connected by simply inserting them together, and furthermore, by simply connecting the front and rear walls 21, 22 with a pair of end walls 24, 24, each of the components 21 to 24 that make up the case 19 can be formed into a hollow square box shape, making assembly of the partition 6 easy.

Front engagement holes 29 are formed at both longitudinal ends of each leading edge wall 28, penetrating in the thickness direction. Rear engagement holes 32 are formed at both longitudinal ends of each trailing edge wall 31, penetrating in the thickness direction. Front and rear engagement protrusions 46, 47 are formed on each end wall 24, projecting toward the corresponding partition wall 23 and inserted into the front and rear engagement holes 29, 32. By inserting the front and rear engagement protrusions 46, 47 of each end wall 24 into the front and rear engagement holes 29, 32 of the front and rear walls 21, 22, the front and rear wall 21 and 22 are connected via the pair of end walls 24. This allows the front and rear walls 21, 22 to be connected and the case 19 to be formed into a hollow rectangular box by simply inserting the engagement protrusions 46, 47 into the engagement holes 29, 32, thereby simplifying assembly of the partition 6. In addition, tightening operations that would otherwise be required when using screws can be omitted.

When the protruding ends of the front and rear engaging protrusions 46, 47 inserted into the front and rear engaging holes 29, 32 abut against the respective partition wall bodies 23, the respective engaging holes 29, 32 will not come out of the inserted respective engaging protrusions 46, 47 unless a gap is formed between the respective partition wall body 23 and the protruding ends of the engaging protrusions 46, 47, thereby preventing the case 19, which is formed in the shape of a hollow rectangular box, from being accidentally separated.

The end walls 24 are provided with insertion pieces 71 that protrude toward the insulation material 20, and notches 72 into which the insertion pieces 71 are inserted are formed at the ends of the insulation material 20 facing the end walls 24. Inserting the insertion pieces 71 into the notches 72 prevents relative movement between the end walls 24 and the insulation material 20, except in the insertion direction. This prevents the insulation material 20 from rotating around the longitudinal axis of each end wall 24, thereby improving the torsional strength of the partition body 6 around the longitudinal axis and further increasing the rigidity of the partition body 6.

The distance between the interior walls 5A and 5B across which the partition 6 spans varies depending on the size of the storage facility. Therefore, if the pair of partition walls 23, 23 were made from injection-molded synthetic resin, a molding die would need to be prepared for each length. However, as in the present invention, if the pair of partition walls 23, 23 were made from strip material extruded from synthetic resin, the partition wall 23 could be formed by cutting the strip material to a predetermined length. This eliminates the need to prepare multiple molds, thereby reducing the manufacturing costs of the partition 6.

In a storage cabinet in which the front opening 2 of the storage cabinet body 3 is divided vertically or horizontally by the partition 6 of the present invention, the rigidity of the partition 6 is increased compared to conventional structures, preventing deformation of the partition 6 due to the impact when the door 4 is closed, thereby preventing a decrease in the thermal insulation of the storage cabinet 1. Furthermore, heat conduction between the front wall 21 exposed to the outside air and the rear wall 22 exposed to the air inside the cabinet 5 can be inhibited by a pair of partition walls 23/23 and a pair of end walls 24/24 made of resin, making it possible to prevent a decrease in the thermal insulation of the storage cabinet 1 in terms of heat conduction between the inside and outside of the cabinet.

1 is a vertical cross-sectional side view showing a main part of a partition body according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. FIG. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional front view of the partition body, showing a cross section taken along line AA in FIG. 1. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 5. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC in FIG. 3. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line DD in FIG. 7. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the state in which the partition body is separated from the storage body. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a longitudinal end portion of the partition body and an attachment body. FIG. 10 is a side view showing the state in which the partition body is separated from the storage body.

(Embodiment) Figures 1 to 11 show an embodiment of a storage cabinet according to the present invention. In this embodiment, front, rear, left, right, and top and bottom refer to the crossed arrows shown in Figures 1 to 4 and the symbols near each arrow. Storage cabinet 1 is configured as a vertical refrigerator. As shown in Figure 2, storage cabinet 1 includes storage cabinet body 3, which is a vertically elongated insulated box with a front opening 2, and an insulated door 4 that swings open and closes front opening 2. Front opening 2 is divided into four vertically aligned areas by three partitions 6 spanning opposite interior surfaces 5A and 5B of interior 5 (see Figure 3), and each partitioned area is provided with a door 4. The partitions 6 are called cross bars that span horizontally like double-supported beams and are arranged at equal intervals around front opening 2. Behind and at the bottom of each partition 6 within interior 5, a ventilated lattice shelf 7, composed of metal round bars arranged in a lattice pattern, is installed.

An evaporator 10, which constitutes part of the refrigeration system, is installed on the ceiling wall of the interior 5. An interior fan 11 is provided in front of the evaporator 10, and by driving the interior fan 11, air cooled by the evaporator 10 circulates through the interior 5. A machine room 12 located below the storage body 3 contains a compressor 13 and a condenser 14, which together with the evaporator 10 constitute the refrigeration system, as well as a cooling fan 15 that generates cooling air within the machine room 12.

As shown in Figure 2, a square-frame-shaped magnetic packing 16 is attached to the inner surface of the door 4, and when the door 4 is in the closed position, the magnetic packing 16 is attached to the front surface of the storage cabinet main body 3. The magnetic packing 16 of the top door 4 has its upper and left and right frame portions attached to the storage cabinet main body 3, and its lower frame portion attached to the partition body 6. The magnetic packing 16 of the bottom door 4 has its lower and left and right frame portions attached to the storage cabinet main body 3, and its upper frame portion attached to the partition body 6. The magnetic packings 16 of the remaining two middle doors 4 have their left and right frame portions attached to the storage cabinet main body 3, and their upper and lower frame portions attached to the partition body 6. The magnetic packings 16 ensure a seal between the storage cabinet main body 3 and the door 4, and also hold the door 4 in the closed position.

As shown in Figure 3, the partition 6 is formed in the shape of a long rectangular prism with the left-right direction as the length direction and the up-down direction as the width direction. The partition 6 is composed of a hollow rectangular box-shaped case 19 and insulating material 20 housed within the case 19. The insulating material 20 is made of polystyrene foam and is formed in the shape of a rectangular prism that is long in the left-right direction. The case 19 is composed of a front case (front wall) 21 that defines the front of the rectangular prism, a rear case (rear wall) 22 that defines the rear, upper and lower cases (partition walls) 23 (23A and 23B) that define the top and bottom sides, and end cases (end walls) 24 (24A and 24B) that define the end faces of the rectangular prism.

1 and 4, the front case 21 is formed by bending a stainless steel plate (metal material) into a U-shaped cross section. It includes a rectangular front main wall 27 that is elongated in the left-right direction and forms the front surface, and a pair of upper and lower front edge walls 28 (28A, 28B) that extend rearward from the upper and lower edges of the front main wall 27. The left-right length of the upper and lower front edge walls 28A, 28B is set slightly smaller than the left-right length of the front main wall 27. Round front engagement holes 29, 29 are opened at both left and right ends of the upper and lower front edge walls 28A, 28B, penetrating them in the thickness direction. The corners of the front main wall 27 and the upper and lower front edge walls 28A, 28B are rounded. The front case 21 is formed by pressing a magnetic stainless steel plate that has been cut out to a predetermined shape.

The rear case 22 has a configuration similar to that of the front case 21. Specifically, the rear case 22 is formed by bending a stainless steel plate (metal material) into a U-shaped cross section. It includes a rectangular rear main wall 30 that is elongated in the left-right direction and forms the rear surface, and a pair of upper and lower rear edge walls 31 (31A, 31B) that extend forward from the upper left-right edge of the rear main wall 30. The left-right length of the upper and lower rear edge walls 31A, 31B is set to be the same as the left-right length of the rear main wall 30. Round rear engagement holes 32, 32 are drilled at both left-right (longitudinal) ends of the upper and lower rear edge walls 31A, 31B, penetrating them in the plate thickness direction. The corners of the rear edge walls 31A, 31B are rounded. The rear case 22 is formed by pressing a magnetic stainless steel plate that has been cut into a predetermined shape.

The upper and lower cases 23A (23) and 23B (23) have substantially the same configuration. In other words, the lower case 23B is formed by inverting the upper case 23A upside down around the front-to-rear axis. Therefore, the following description will focus on the upper case 23A, and for the lower case 23B, the same components as those in the upper case 23A will be assigned the same reference numerals and their description will be omitted.

In Figure 6, the upper case 23A is made of synthetic resin and includes a rectangular main partition wall 35 elongated in the left-right direction, whose upper surface forms the upper partition surface; a pair of front and rear vertical walls 36, 36 protruding downward from two points midway along the underside of the main partition wall 35; and a pair of front and rear horizontal walls 37, 37 connected to the upper and lower midpoints of each vertical wall 36 in directions away from each other. Each vertical wall 36 is a vertical wall extending in the left-right direction, and each horizontal wall 37 is a horizontal wall extending in the left-right direction. A front insertion groove 38 extending left and right and opening forward is formed between the opposing main partition walls 35 and the front horizontal wall 37, and a rear insertion groove 39 extending left and right and opening rearward is formed between the opposing main partition walls 35 and the rear horizontal wall 37. The thickness of the main partition wall 35 between the front and rear vertical walls 36, 36 is thicker than other portions.

The vertical walls 36, 36 and horizontal walls 37, 37 have been removed from the left and right ends of the upper case 23A, and the left-right length of the vertical walls 36 and horizontal walls 37 is set to be smaller than the left-right length of the main partition wall 35. The upper case 23A is made by cutting a strip of synthetic resin produced by extrusion molding.

The left and right end cases 24A and 24B have substantially the same configuration. In other words, the right end case 24B is formed by flipping the left end case 24A around the front-to-rear axis. Therefore, the following description will focus on the left end case 24A, and for the right end case 24B, the same components as those in the left end case 24A will be assigned the same reference numerals and their description will be omitted.

5 and 7, the left end case 24A (24) is made of an injection-molded synthetic resin and includes an end main wall 42 that is substantially square in side view and forms the left side, an upper wall 43 that extends from the upper edge of the end main wall 42 to the right, and a lower wall 44 that extends from the lower edge of the end main wall 42 to the right. Reinforcing rib walls 45 are provided at the front and rear of the recessed corners between the end main wall 42 and the upper wall 43, and at the front and rear of the recessed corners between the end main wall 42 and the lower wall 44. Front and rear engaging protrusions 46 and 47 that protrude upward (outward) are provided on the front and rear of the upper surface of the upper wall 43 that faces the upper case 23A, and front and rear engaging protrusions 46 and 47 that protrude downward (outward) are also provided on the front and rear of the lower surface of the lower wall 44 that faces the lower case 23B. The front engagement protrusion 46 is a flat cylinder with the same diameter as the front engagement hole 29, and the rear engagement protrusion 47 is a flat cylinder with the same diameter as the rear engagement hole 32. A guide protrusion 48 and a locking protrusion 49, which form the mounting structure 52 described below, are provided on the left side of the end main wall 42.

A pair of brackets 55 are fixed to the opposing left and right interior surfaces 5A and 5B of the storage cabinet main body 3, and the partition 6 is attached via mounting structures 52, which are provided between these brackets 55 and the left and right ends of the partition 6 and are responsible for attaching the partition 6 to the storage cabinet main body 3. As shown in Figures 10 and 11, each mounting structure 52 is composed of a guide protrusion 48 provided on the partition 6, a guide groove 53 provided on the bracket 55 that receives the guide protrusion 48, and a locking structure 54 that prevents movement of the guide protrusion 48 received in the guide groove 53.

The left and right mounting structures 52, 52, including the bracket 55, are substantially identical in configuration. In other words, the right mounting structure 52 is inverted about the front-to-rear axis in Figure 9. Therefore, the following description will focus on the left mounting structure 52, and a description of the right mounting structure 52 will be omitted.

As shown in Figure 10, the guide protrusion 48 of the left end case 24A protrudes leftward from the end main wall 42. The guide protrusion 48 is formed into a horizontal H-shape in side view, with a pair of upper and lower protrusions 58 extending in the front-to-rear direction and a reinforcing protrusion 59 extending in the vertical direction and connecting the middle portions of the upper and lower protrusions 58. The locking protrusion 49 protrudes between the upper and lower protrusions 58, 58, rearward of the reinforcing protrusion 59. The locking protrusion 49 has a right-angled triangular cross section and includes a protrusion-side guide surface 60 (guide surface 60) consisting of an inclined surface facing rearward and left (see Figure 7).

The bracket 55 is an injection-molded product made of synthetic resin. As shown in Figure 10, the bracket 55 comprises a flat bracket base 61 with a recessed guide groove 53 extending in the front-to-rear direction; a pair of upper and lower stoppers 62 that protrude rightward from the top and bottom of the rear end of the bracket base 61 and receive the upper and lower protrusions 58; a fastening seat 63 that extends rearward from the rear end of the bracket base 61; an elastic piece 64 that is connected forward from the center of the top and bottom of the fastening seat 63 and is elastically deformable left and right; and a locking claw 65 attached to the tip of the elastic piece 64.

As shown in Figure 8, the top, bottom, and bottom surfaces of the guide groove 53 serve as receiving surfaces 66 for the upper and lower ridges 58, 58 that make up the guide protrusion 48. As shown in Figure 7, each stopper 62 is formed so that a portion thereof faces the guide groove 53, and receives the upper and lower ridges 58, 58 of the guide protrusion 48 received in the guide groove 53, and the end main wall 42. The locking claw 65 protrudes rightward from the tip of the elastic piece 64, which has an L-shaped cross section, and has a right-angled triangular cross section with a claw-side guide surface 67 (guide surface 67) that is an inclined surface facing right and forward. The bracket base 61 and fastening seat 63 facing the elastic piece 64 have escape holes 68 to ensure space for the elastic piece 64 to elastically deform. The locking structure 54 is composed of the stopper 62, elastic piece 64, and locking claw 65 provided on the bracket 55, and the ridges 58 and locking protrusion 49 provided on the left end case 24A.

As shown in Figure 11, the vertical dimension of the guide groove 53 is set to be the same as or slightly smaller than the vertical dimension from the top surface of the upper protrusion 58 to the bottom surface of the lower protrusion 58. The smaller the difference between these vertical dimensions, the smaller the clearance between the guide groove 53 and the guide protrusion 48 when the partition 6 is attached to the storage cabinet main body 3. This clearance can cause the partition 6 to rattle, so it is preferable to make it as small as possible.

As shown in Figure 4, notches 72 are formed at the left and right ends of the insulation material 20, into which insertion pieces 71 provided on each end case 24A and 24B are inserted. The insertion pieces 71 are formed by the rib walls 45 of each end case 24A and 24B. Notches 72 are formed at each vertex of the insulation material 20 to correspond to each insertion piece 71. A heater recess 73 is formed in the front of the rectangular pillar-shaped insulation material 20, into which a heater for preventing condensation is attached. Such a heater can be attached to the insulation material 20 as needed.

The procedure for assembling the partition 6 will now be explained. First, the worker places the rear case 22 on a workbench so that its rear surface abuts the workbench. Next, the worker connects the upper case 23A and the lower case 23B to the rear case 22. Specifically, the upper rear edge wall 31A (31) of the rear case 22 is inserted into the rear insertion groove 39 of the upper case 23A, connecting the rear case 22 to the upper case 23A. Similarly, the lower rear edge wall 31B (31) of the rear case 22 is inserted into the rear insertion groove 39 of the lower case 23B, connecting the rear case 22 to the lower case 23B. At this time, the upper and lower cases 23A and 23B are connected to the rear case 22 so that their partition surfaces face outward. The rear case 22, upper case 23A, and lower case 23B are then assembled on the workbench into a U-shaped frame with an upward opening.

Next, the insulation material 20 is inserted from above into the openings of the three assembled components (rear case 22, upper case 23A, and lower case 23B) in a U-shaped frame shape, and placed so that three sides of the insulation material 20 are surrounded by the rear case 22 and the upper and lower cases 23A and 23B. Next, the front case 21 is connected to the upper and lower cases 23A and 23B. Specifically, the upper front edge wall 28A is inserted into the front insertion groove 38 of the upper case 23A, and the lower front edge wall 28B is inserted into the front insertion groove 38 of the lower case 23B, thereby connecting the front case 21 and the upper and lower cases 23A and 23B. As a result, an intermediate assembly is obtained in which the front and rear cases 21 and 22 and the upper and lower cases 23A and 23B are assembled into a rectangular tube shape and the insulation material 20 is disposed inside. In this intermediate assembly state, the front and rear cases 21 and 22, the upper and lower cases 23A and 23B, and the insulation material 20 are not firmly connected to each other and will easily separate if not handled as a single unit. For this reason, adjacent components that make up the intermediate assembly may be temporarily secured together using weak adhesive tape or similar.

Next, the left end case 24A is assembled to the intermediate assembly. Specifically, the insertion piece 71 (rib wall 45) of the left end case 24A is aligned with the notch 72 in the insulation material 20 visible through the left-side opening of the front and rear cases 21 and 22 and the upper and lower cases 23A and 23B, which are assembled into a rectangular tube shape, and the left end case 24A is then inserted toward the opening (to the right). At this time, the insertion piece 71 is guided by the notch 72, allowing the left end case 24A to be inserted into the specified position in the opening.

When the left end case 24A is pushed further to the right from the above state, the main partition walls 35 of the upper and lower cases 23A and 23B and the left ends of the front and rear edge walls 28 and 31 are slightly elastically deformed outward, allowing the front and rear engagement protrusions 46 and 47 to slip inside the front and rear edge walls 28 and 31. When the left end case 24A is pushed further to the right from this state, the front engagement protrusion 46 inserts into the front engagement hole 29 and the rear engagement protrusion 47 inserts into the rear engagement hole 32, allowing the left end case 24A to be assembled to the intermediate assembly. In this state, the left ends of the front and rear cases 21 and 22 are connected by the left end case 24A.

Next, the right end case 24B is assembled to the intermediate assembly. The assembly method for this right end case 24B is the same as for the left end case 24A described above, except that the pushing direction is reversed. When the right end case 24B is assembled to the intermediate assembly, the right ends of the front and rear cases 21 and 22 are connected by the right end case 24B. This completes the assembly of the partition body 6.

As shown in FIG. 6, the partition 6 has the inner surface of the front main wall 27 of the front case 21 in close contact with the front surface of the insulation 20 excluding the heater recess 73, and the inner surface of the rear main wall 30 of the rear case 22 in close contact with the rear surface of the insulation 20. The lower surface of the vertical wall 36 of the upper case 23A is in close contact with the upper surface of the insulation 20, and the upper surface of the vertical wall 36 of the lower case 23B is in close contact with the lower surface of the insulation 20. As shown in FIG. 5, the right surface of the end main wall 42 of the left end case 24A is in close contact with the left surface of the insulation 20, and the left surface of the end main wall 42 of the right end case 24B is in close contact with the right surface of the insulation 20. In this way, the insulation 20 is stored inside the case 19 with all of its front, rear, top, bottom, left and right surfaces in contact with the cases 21 to 24 that make up the case 19.

As shown in FIG. 1, the protruding ends of the front engagement protrusions 46 and rear engagement protrusions 47 of the left and right end cases 24A and 24B located on the upper side abut against the inner surface of the main partition wall 35 of the upper case 23A, and the protruding ends of the front engagement protrusions 46 and rear engagement protrusions 47 of the left and right end cases 24A and 24B located on the lower side abut against the inner surface of the main partition wall 35 of the lower case 23B. The tip (rear end) of the front edge wall 28 inserted into the front insertion groove 38 abuts against the groove bottom of the front insertion groove 38, and the tip (front end) of the rear edge wall 31 inserted into the rear insertion groove 39 abuts against the groove bottom of the rear insertion groove 39.

As described above, the left and right end cases 24A and 24B are connected to the insulation material 20 by inserting the insertion pieces 71 of the left and right end cases 24A and 24B into the cutouts 72 of the insulation material 20. By connecting the end cases 24A and 24B to the insulation material 20 in this manner through the engagement of the insertion pieces 71 and the cutouts 72, the front-to-back, up-down, and left-to-right movement of the end cases 24A and 24B is restricted. Additionally, the engagement protrusions 46 and 47 of the end cases 24A and 24B are inserted into the engagement holes 29 and 32 of the front and rear cases 21 and 22, respectively, and the engagement between the two connects the front and rear cases 21 and 22 to the left and right end cases 24A and 24B. By connecting the front and rear cases 21 and 22 to the left and right end cases 24A and 24B in this manner through the engagement of the engagement protrusions 46 and 47 with the engagement holes 29 and 32, the front and rear cases 21 and 22 are restricted from moving forward, backward, up-down, and left-to-right.

As shown in Figure 6, the front and rear edge walls 28, 31 are inserted into the front and rear insertion grooves 38, 39, restricting the up-down and front-to-back movement of the upper and lower cases 23A, 23B. Also, as shown in Figure 5, the left end of the vertical wall 36 of the upper case 23A abuts against the top wall 43 of the left end case 24A, and the right end of the vertical wall 36 abuts against the top wall 43 of the right end case 24B. Similarly, the left end of the vertical wall 36 of the lower case 23B abuts against the bottom wall 44 of the left end case 24A, and the right end of the vertical wall 36 abuts against the bottom wall 44 of the right end case 24B, thereby restricting the left-to-right movement of the upper and lower cases 23A, 23B. In this way, the cases 21-24 and the insulation 20 that make up the case 19 are assembled so that their relative movement is restricted.

Next, the partition 6 configured as described above is attached to the storage cabinet main body 3. To do this, first, brackets 55 are secured to the left and right interior surfaces 5A and 5B (see Figures 9 and 10). That is, the brackets 55 are secured to the left and right interior surfaces 5A and 5B at the height where the partition 6 is to be attached. The brackets 55 are secured by threading fixing screws 77 into the storage cabinet main body 3 through screw holes 76 provided above and below the fastening seats 63. Once the brackets 55 are secured to the left and right interior surfaces 5A and 5B, the guide protrusions 48 of the partition 6 are aligned with the guide grooves 53 of the brackets 55, and the partition 6 is then moved rearward until the rear ends of the guide protrusions 48 are inserted into the guide grooves 53. Next, from this state, the partition 6 is pushed further rearward until the protrusion-side guide surfaces 60 of the locking protrusions 49 and the claw-side guide surfaces 67 of the locking claws 65 abut against each other. At this time, the guide protrusion 48 is guided along the guide groove 53, causing the partition body 6 to slide rearward in the correct position.

When the partition 6 is further slid rearward from the above state, the protrusion-side guide surface 60 presses the claw-side guide surface 67, and the resulting contact reaction force elastically deforms the elastic piece 64 toward the retreat hole 68. When the partition 6 is further slid and the locking claw 65 overcomes the locking protrusion 49, the elastic restoring force of the elastic piece 64 locks the locking claw 65 against the front surface of the locking protrusion 49, completing the attachment of the partition 6 to the storage cabinet main body 3. The limit of rearward sliding movement of the partition 6 is regulated by the upper and lower stoppers 62, 62 abutting against the rear end surfaces of the end main wall 42 and the upper and lower protrusions 58, 58.

The forward-backward movement of the partition 6 attached to the storage body 3 is restricted by the engagement between the locking projections 49 and locking claws 65 that constitute the locking structure 54, and by the abutment between the ribs 58 and stoppers 62 (see Figure 7). The vertical movement of the partition 6 is restricted by the engagement between the upper and lower ribs 58 and the upper and lower receiving surfaces 66 (see Figure 8). The left-right movement of the partition 6 is restricted by the abutment between the end main wall 42 (the longitudinal end face of the partition 6) and the bracket base 61 (bracket 55) (see Figure 8). As described above, the partition 6 is attached to the storage body 3 in a doubly supported beam-like manner, with its positioning determined in the forward-backward, up-down, and left-right directions.

When the partition 6 is attached to the storage cabinet main body 3, the front side of the bracket 55 is covered by the front case 21, the upper and lower sides of the bracket 55 are covered by the upper and lower cases 23 (23A and 23B), and the left and right ends of the front case 21 each slightly overlap the front surface of the storage cabinet main body 3. This prevents the bracket 55 from being seen from outside the storage cabinet 1. In addition, because the fixing screw 77 is located in the fastening seat 63 formed rearward from the bracket base 61, the partition 6 prevents the fixing screw 77 from being seen when the storage cabinet 1 is viewed from the front.

As described above, in this embodiment, the front and rear cases 21 and 22 that make up the front and rear surfaces of the partition 6 are constructed from stainless steel plates, thereby enhancing the structural strength of the case 19 on both the front and rear sides, thereby increasing the rigidity of the partition 6. Additionally, the front and rear cases 21 and 22 have a U-shaped cross section, which increases the moment of inertia compared to flat plate-shaped components, thereby further increasing the rigidity of the partition 6. Furthermore, by forming the front and rear cases 21 and 22 into a U-shaped cross section, the torsional strength of the partition 6 around its longitudinal axis can be improved. Therefore, according to the present invention, the rigidity of the partition 6 can be increased compared to conventional structures, preventing deformation of the partition 6 due to the impact when the door 4 is closed and preventing a decrease in the thermal insulation of the storage facility 1. Furthermore, heat conduction between the front case 21, which is exposed to the outside air, and the rear case 22, which is exposed to the air inside the storage facility 5, can be inhibited by the upper and lower cases 23A and 23B and the left and right end cases 24A and 24B, which are made of synthetic resin, making it possible to prevent a decrease in the insulation properties of the storage facility 1 in terms of heat conduction inside and outside the storage facility.

By inserting the upper and lower front edge walls 28A (28) and 28A (28) of the front case 21 into the front insertion grooves 38 and 38 of the front and rear cases 23A (23) and 23B (23), respectively, and inserting the upper and lower rear edge walls 31A (31) and 31B (31) of the rear case 22 into the rear insertion grooves 39 and 39 of the cases 23A and 23B, respectively, and connecting the front case 21 and rear case 22 with the left and right end cases 24A (24) and 24B (24), the front and rear cases 21 and 22, the upper and lower cases 23A and 23B, and the left and right end cases 24A and 24B can be joined together in the shape of a rectangular box. This allows the front and rear cases 21, 22 and the top and bottom cases 23A, 23B to be connected simply by inserting them together, and furthermore, by simply connecting the front and rear cases 21, 22 with the left and right end cases 24A, 24B, each of the components 21 to 24 that make up the case 19 can be formed into a hollow rectangular box shape, making it easy to assemble the partition body 6.

Front engagement holes 29, 29 are opened at both longitudinal ends of each leading edge wall 28A, 28B, penetrating in the thickness direction of the plate, and rear engagement holes 32, 32 are opened at both longitudinal ends of each trailing edge wall 31A, 31B, penetrating in the thickness direction of the plate. Front and rear engagement protrusions 46, 47, which are inserted into the front engagement holes 29 and rear engagement holes 32, are formed on each end case 24 and protrude toward the upper and lower cases 23. The front and rear cases 21 and 22 are connected by a pair of end cases 24, with the front and rear engagement protrusions 46 and 47 of each end case 24 inserted into the front and rear engagement holes 29 and 32 of the front and rear cases 21 and 22. This allows the front and rear cases 21 and 22 to be connected together to form the case 19 into a hollow rectangular box by simply inserting the engagement protrusions 46 and 47 into the engagement holes 29 and 32, simplifying assembly of the partition 6. Furthermore, tightening operations such as screws can be omitted.

The protruding ends of the front and rear engagement protrusions 46, 47 inserted into the front and rear engagement holes 29, 32 abut against the upper and lower case 23. Therefore, unless a gap is formed between the upper and lower case 23 and the protruding ends of the engagement protrusions 46, 47, the engagement holes 29, 32 will not come out of the inserted engagement protrusions 46, 47. This prevents the case 19, which is formed in the shape of a hollow rectangular box, from being accidentally separated.

The end cases 24 are provided with insertion pieces 71 that protrude toward the insulation material 20, and notches 72 into which the insertion pieces 71 are inserted are formed at the ends of the insulation material 20 facing the end cases 24. Inserting the insertion pieces 71 into the notches 72 prevents relative movement between the end cases 24 and the insulation material 20, except in the insertion direction. This prevents the insulation material 20 from rotating around the longitudinal axis of each end case 24. Therefore, the insulation material 20 can improve the torsional strength of the partition body 6 around the longitudinal axis, further increasing the rigidity of the partition body 6.

The distance between the interior surfaces 5A and 5B across which the partition 6 spans varies depending on the size of the storage facility. Therefore, if the pair of upper and lower cases 23/23 were made from injection-molded synthetic resin, a molding die would need to be prepared for each length. In this embodiment, the pair of upper and lower cases 23/23 are made from strip material extruded from synthetic resin. This allows the upper and lower cases 23 to be formed by cutting the strip material to a predetermined length. This eliminates the need to prepare multiple molds, thereby reducing the manufacturing costs of the partition 6.

In the above embodiment, the partition 6 is a horizontal rail that spans the interior surfaces of the storage cabinet main body 3 on both sides. However, the partition 6 can also be applied to so-called center pillars that are erected on the interior surfaces of the storage cabinet main body 3 on both sides in a horizontal refrigerator.

1 Storage 2 Front opening 3 Storage body 5A Storage inner surface 5B Storage inner surface 6 Partition body 19 Case 20 Heat insulating material 21 Front wall body (front case)
22 Rear wall (rear case)
23A (23) Partition wall (upper case)
23B (23) Partition wall (lower case)
24A (24) End wall body (left end case)
24B (24) End wall body (right end case)
27 Front main wall 28A (28) Upper front edge wall (front edge wall)
28B (28) Lower leading edge wall (leading edge wall)
29 Front engagement hole 30 Rear main wall 31A (31) Upper rear edge wall (rear edge wall)
31B (31) Lower trailing edge wall (trailing edge wall)
32 Rear engagement hole 35 Main partition wall 38 Front insertion groove 39 Rear insertion groove 46 Front engagement protrusion 47 Rear engagement protrusion 71 Insertion piece 72 Notch

Claims (7)

A storage compartment partition that is bridged between opposing interior surfaces (5A, 5B) of a storage compartment main body (3) and separates a front opening (2) of the storage compartment main body (3) into upper and lower or left and right sections,
The device comprises a long hollow rectangular box-shaped case (19) and a heat insulating material (20) that is formed into a predetermined shape in advance and stored inside the case (19),
The case (19) includes a front wall (21) constituting a front surface facing the outside of the container, a rear wall (22) constituting a rear surface facing the container interior (5), a pair of partition walls (23, 23) arranged between the front and rear walls (21, 22) and constituting partition surfaces facing areas partitioned vertically or horizontally, and a pair of end walls (24, 24) constituting end surfaces facing the container interior surfaces (5A, 5B),
The front wall (21) and the rear wall (22) are made of a metal material, and the pair of partition walls (23, 23) and the pair of end walls (24, 24) are made of a resin material.
A storage compartment partition body characterized in that the front wall body (21) is formed with a U-shaped cross section by a front main wall (27) forming a front surface and a pair of front edge walls (28, 28) connected rearward from the longitudinally extending edge portion of the front main wall (27), and the rear wall body (22) is formed with a U-shaped cross section by a rear main wall (30) forming a rear surface and a pair of rear edge walls (31, 31) connected forward from the longitudinally extending edge portion of the rear main wall (30). Each partition wall body (23) includes a partition main wall (35) forming a partition surface, a front insertion groove (38) opening on the front side and into which the leading edge wall (28) is inserted in the front-rear direction, and a rear insertion groove (39) opening on the rear side and into which the trailing edge wall (31) is inserted in the front-rear direction,
The partition body of a storage facility described in claim 1 is configured so that the front and rear walls (21, 22), the pair of partition walls (23, 23), and the pair of end walls (24, 24) can be joined together in the shape of a square box by connecting the front wall body (21) and the rear wall body (22) with a pair of end walls (24, 24) while the front edge wall (28) of the front wall body (21) is inserted into the front insertion groove (38) of each partition wall body (23) and the rear edge wall (31) of the rear wall body (22) is inserted into the rear insertion groove (39) of each partition wall body (23). A front engagement hole (29) is formed at both longitudinal ends of each leading edge wall (28) so as to penetrate in the thickness direction of the plate, and a rear engagement hole (32) is formed at both longitudinal ends of each trailing edge wall (31) so as to penetrate in the thickness direction of the plate,
Each end wall (24) has front and rear engagement protrusions (46, 47) that are inserted into the front engagement hole (29) and the rear engagement hole (32) and that protrude toward each partition wall (23),
A storage compartment partition as described in claim 2, wherein the front wall (21) and the rear wall (22) are connected by a pair of end walls (24, 24) by inserting the front and rear engaging protrusions (46, 47) of each end wall (24) into the front and rear engaging holes (29, 32) of the front and rear walls (21, 22). A storage compartment partition as described in claim 3, wherein the protruding ends of the front and rear engagement protrusions (46, 47) inserted into the front and rear engagement holes (29, 32) abut against each partition wall (23). The end wall (24) is provided with an insert (71) that protrudes toward the heat insulating material (20),
A notch (72) into which the insert piece (71) is inserted is formed at the end of the heat insulating material (20) facing the end wall body (24),
A storage compartment as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the insert piece (71) is inserted into the notch (72) to prevent relative movement between the end wall body (24) and the insulation material (20) except in the insertion direction. A storage compartment partition according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the pair of partition walls (23, 23) are made of strip material extruded from synthetic resin. A storage facility characterized in that the front opening (2) of the storage facility main body (3) is partitioned vertically or horizontally by the partition body (6) described in any one of claims 1 to 4.