Shelf for supporting articles, particularly in refrigerated installations

Abstract

The invention relates to a shelf, particularly for a refrigerator or the like, comprising at least one panel and at least one attached plastic structure, the shelf being obtained by shrinking said structure after assembling the panel and the structure and/or the attached plastic structure mating and/or exerting lateral pressure on the edge of the panel.

1 . A shelf, particularly for a refrigerator or the like, comprising at least one panel and at least one attached plastic structure, wherein said shelf is obtained by shrinking said structure after the panel and the structure have been assembled.  
     
     
         2 . A shelf, notably as claimed in  claim 1 , comprising at least one panel and at least one attached plastic structure mating with and/or exerting lateral pressure on the edge of the panel.  
     
     
         3 . A shelf, notably as claimed in either of claims  1  or  2 , comprising at least one panel and at least one plastic structure formed with at least two plastics, one of which is more flexible and intended to be in contact with the panel and at least partly covering the other which is more rigid.  
     
     
         4 . The shelf as claimed in one of  claims 1  to  3 , wherein the panel is secured to the structure by shrinking of the structure and/or clipping and/or gluing.  
     
     
         5 . The shelf as claimed in one of  claims 1  to  4 , and which further comprises at least one elastic adhesive and/or at least one flexible insulating gasket.  
     
     
         6 . A shelf, notably as claimed in one of  claims 1  to  5 , comprising at least one panel and at least one plastic structure, and which further comprises at least one assembly element having at least a first part clipped under the panel against a vertical wall of the plastic structure, a second part clipped under the supporting surface of the plastic structure, and a third part which is bent so that it borders another part of the shelf or fashioned to form a runner intended to collaborate with additional means for the cantilever mounting in a unit.  
     
     
         7 . A shelf, notably as claimed in one of  claims 1  to  6 , and which slides with respect to a support formed as a single piece.  
     
     
         8 . A shelf, notably as claimed in one of  claims 1  to  7 , comprising at least one panel and at least one plastic structure obtained by air molding.  
     
     
         9 . A method of manufacturing a shelf, particularly for a refrigerator or the like, this shelf comprising at least one panel and one plastic structure, whereby the plastic structure is formed separately from the panel by hot molding, the panel being assembled with the plastic structure after molding before the plastic has fully shrunk.  
     
     
         10 . The method as claimed in  claim 9 , wherein the panel is assembled with the plastic structure after the mold has been opened, and preferably outside the mold, before shrinkage has reached 40% of the total shrinkage.  
     
     
         11 . The method as claimed in either of claims  9  and  10 , wherein the panel is assembled on the underside or top face of the structure, the panel possibly also being held in place by clipping.  
     
     
         12 . The method as claimed in one of  claims 9  to  11 , wherein, prior to assembly, (an) elastic adhesive(s) and/or at least one flexible insulating gasket is/are deposited on at least part of the structure that is to be in contact with the panel.  
     
     
         13 . The method as claimed in  claim 12 , wherein the adhesive or the gasket deposited has a conical shape and/or wherein the surface of the panel is pre-treated, prior to the application of the adhesive, for example by sandblasting, grooving, goffering, forming roughnesses or by plasma treatment so as to increase the area for contact between the plastic and the adhesive or the gasket and/or so as to create other attachment points.  
     
     
         14 . A method of manufacturing a shelf formed of a panel and of a plastic structure, notably as claimed in one of  claims 9  to  13 , wherein the plastic structure is formed by two-injection molding.  
     
     
         15 . A method of manufacturing a shelf, notably as claimed in one of  claims 9  to  14 , this shelf comprising at least one panel and one plastic structure, whereby the plastic structure is formed by air molding.  
     
     
         16 . An element for assembling a shelf in a unit, this element being intended to be fixed by clipping to the shelf, and advantageously having three parts, at least two of which are intended to be fixed following two different directions and the third of which is intended to border the shelf in a third direction or is intended to form a runner.  
     
     
         17 . A refrigerator comprising at least one shelf as claimed in  claims 1  to  8 .