Refrigerator

Abstract

Disclosed is a refrigerator having a body cabinet formed with a storage compartment, a door opening and closing the storage compartment and a storage basket received in the storage compartment to be movable by sliding, having a grid-shaped basket body with wires having a plurality of vertical wires and a first horizontal wire, comprising support parts formed on internal wall faces of the body cabinet, supporting the storage basket, slide rails coupled with both sides of the storage basket so as to correspond to the support parts, being moved by sliding relative to the support part, and roller members coupled with the slide rails, being rotatable so as to contact the support parts by rolling. With this configuration, there is provided a refrigerator having a storage basket capable of being smoothly operated when it is connected to and disconnected from a storage compartment, thereby making it convenient in use, and whose external appearance is graceful.

1 . A refrigerator having a body cabinet formed with a storage compartment, a door opening and closing the storage compartment and a storage basket received in the storage compartment to be movable by sliding, having a grid-shaped basket body with wires having a plurality of vertical wires and a first horizontal wire, comprising: 
 a support part formed on both internal wall faces of the body cabinet, supporting the storage basket;    a slide rail coupled with both sides of the storage basket corresponding to the support part, being moved by sliding relative to the support part; and    a roller member coupled with the slide rail, being rotatable to contact the support part by rolling.    
   
   
       2 . The refrigerator as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the storage basket further comprises a second horizontal wire disposed at external opposite sides of the basket body and coupling with the slide rail.  
   
   
       3 . The refrigerator as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the roller member comprises an upper roller member mounted on an upper part of the slide rail, and a lower roller member mounted on a lower part of the slide rail; and 
 an upper roller receiving part and a lower roller receiving part in which the upper roller member and the lower roller member are respectively received are formed on the upper part and the lower part of the slide rail.    
   
   
       4 . The refrigerator as claimed in  claim 3 , wherein a guide rail guiding sliding movement of the slide rail is mounted on the support part.  
   
   
       5 . The refrigerator as claimed in  claim 4 , wherein the lower roller member is disposed in front of and separately from the upper roller member; and 
 at least one projection to define movement of the lower roller member is formed on a front area or a rear area of the guide rail.    
   
   
       6 . The refrigerator as claimed in  claim 5 , wherein a horizontal region is formed on the front area of the guide rail and a lower inclined region is formed on the rear area thereof.  
   
   
       7 . The refrigerator as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein an engagement part to maintain an engagement of the slide rail with the storage basket or disengaging the slide rail from the storage basket is formed on the slide rail and the storage basket respectively.  
   
   
       8 . The refrigerator as claimed in  claim 7 , wherein the engagement part comprises a region of the wire of the basket body, and a wire inserting part formed on the slide rail, in which the wire is inserted.  
   
   
       9 . The refrigerator as claimed in  claim 7 , wherein the slide rail comprises a rail body coupled to a side part of the basket body; a rear coupling part extended from the rail body and coupled to a rear part of the basket body; and a front coupling part extended from the rail body and coupled to a front part of the basket body.  
   
   
       10 . The refrigerator as claimed in  claim 9 , wherein the engagement part comprises a horizontal engagement part having the second horizontal wire and a horizontal wire inserting part formed in the rail body and inserted with the second horizontal wire; and a vertical engagement part having the vertical wire and a vertical wire inserting part formed in the rail body and inserted with the vertical wire.  
   
   
       11 . The refrigerator as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the roller member comprises a roller body, a rotational shaft formed on the roller body, and a roller support part coupled with the rotational shaft, rotatably supporting the roller body.  
   
   
       12 . The refrigerator as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the storage basket further comprises a cover coupled to one side of the basket body.  
   
   
       13 . A method of detachably coupling a slide rail to a storage basket formed with a vertical wire and a horizontal wire, comprising: 
 coupling a first side of the slide rail to one of vertical wires disposed on a front part and a rear part of the storage basket;    positioning a corresponding part of the slide rail to a horizontal wire disposed at external opposite sides of the storage basket and coupling them;    coupling a second side of the slide rail to the other one of vertical wires disposed on a front part and a rear part of the storage basket.    
   
   
       14 . The method as claimed in  claim 13 , wherein the coupling the slide rail to the side part of the storage basket comprising coupling the slide rail to the side part of the storage basket without an extra tool by applying pressure.