Door-basket structure of refrigerator

Abstract

The present invention relates to a door-basket structure adapted to be inserted in a refrigerator, including a basket body installed slidably in a fore and aft direction at a rear surface of a door and having an upper surface in the form of a rack horizontally extended, the basket body adapted to store foodstuffs therein, a basket cover pivotably installed at an upper portion of the basket body so as to selectively open and close the interior of the basket body, the basket cover having a lower surface in the form of a pinion. The rack is adapted to interlock continuously with the pinion at every moment to allow the basket cover to be opened and closed in cooperation with movement of the basket body.

1 . A refrigerator, comprising:
 a main body providing a cooling compartment;   a door for opening and closing the cooling compartment; and   a door basket located on the door and adapted to store foodstuffs therein, the door basket including:
 a basket body slidable in a fore and aft direction, the basket body having a bottom wall and a pair of upwardly extending sidewalls, each upwardly extending sidewall including an upper edge having a rack extending therealong, the bottom wall including a finger-receiving recess on a lower side thereof for receiving a user's fingers for pulling the basket body outwardly; and 
 a basket cover located at an upper portion of the basket body and pivotably installed so as to selectively open and close the interior of the basket body, the basket cover having a top wall and a pair of downwardly extending sidewalls, each downwardly extending sidewall including a lower edge having a pinion thereon, the pinion interlocking with the rack to allow the basket cover to be opened and closed in cooperation with movement of the basket body. 
   
   
   
       2 . The refrigerator according to  claim 1 , wherein a contour of the lower edge of the downwardly extending sidewall of the basket cover forwardly of the pinion matches a contour of the upper edge of the upwardly extending sidewall of the basket body forwardly of the rack when the door basket is in a closed position. 
   
   
       3 . The refrigerator according to  claim 1 , wherein the rack is adapted to interlock continuously with the pinion at every position of movement from a fully retracted position where the basket cover is closed to a fully extended position where the basket cover is opened. 
   
   
       4 . The refrigerator according to  claim 1 , wherein the finger-receiving recess includes a front wall portion, a rear wall portion, and a top wall portion interconnecting the front wall portion and the rear wall portion. 
   
   
       5 . The refrigerator according to  claim 1 , wherein each of the sidewalls of the basket body includes a guide protrusion movable within a sliding guide provided on the door. 
   
   
       6 . The refrigerator according to  claim 5 , wherein the guide protrusion and sliding guide are configured to limit the extent of travel of the basket body away from the door. 
   
   
       7 . The refrigerator according to  claim 1 , wherein the basket cover is transparent. 
   
   
       8 . The refrigerator according to  claim 1 , wherein the cooling compartment is a refrigerating compartment, and the door is provided for opening and closing the refrigerating compartment. 
   
   
       9 . The refrigerator according to  claim 1 , wherein the rack is adapted to interlock continuously with the pinion at every position of movement from a fully retracted position where the basket cover is closed to a fully extended position where the basket cover is opened, and wherein the finger-receiving recess includes a front wall portion, a rear wall portion, and a top wall portion interconnecting the front wall portion and the rear wall portion. 
   
   
       10 . The refrigerator according to  claim 9 , wherein a contour of the lower edge of the downwardly extending sidewall of the basket cover forwardly of the pinion matches a contour of the upper edge of the upwardly extending sidewall of the basket body forwardly of the rack when the door basket is in a closed position. 
   
   
       11 . The refrigerator according to  claim 9 , wherein each of the sidewalls of the basket body includes a guide protrusion movable within a sliding guide provided on the door, and wherein the guide protrusion and sliding guide are configured to limit the extent of travel of the basket body away from the door. 
   
   
       12 . The refrigerator according to  claim 11 , wherein a contour of the lower edge of the downwardly extending sidewall of the basket cover forwardly of the pinion matches a contour of the upper edge of the upwardly extending sidewall of the basket body forwardly of the rack when the door basket is in a closed position. 
   
   
       13 . The refrigerator according to  claim 12 , wherein the basket cover is transparent. 
   
   
       14 . A refrigerator, comprising:
 a main body providing a cooling compartment;   a door for opening and closing the cooling compartment; and   a door basket located on the door and adapted to store foodstuffs therein, the door basket including:
 a basket body slidable in a fore and aft direction, the basket body having a bottom wall and a pair of upwardly extending sidewalls, each upwardly extending sidewall including an upper edge having a rack extending therealong; and 
 a basket cover located at an upper portion of the basket body and pivotably installed so as to selectively open and close the interior of the basket body, the basket cover having a top wall and a pair of downwardly extending sidewalls, each downwardly extending sidewall including a lower edge having a pinion thereon, the pinion interlocking with the rack to allow the basket cover to be opened and closed in cooperation with movement of the basket body, 
 wherein a contour of the lower edge of the downwardly extending sidewall of the basket cover forwardly of the pinion matches a contour of the upper edge of the upwardly extending sidewall of the basket body forwardly of the rack when the door basket is in a closed position. 
   
   
   
       15 . The refrigerator according to  claim 14 , wherein the rack is adapted to interlock continuously with the pinion at every position of movement from a fully retracted position where the basket cover is closed to a fully extended position where the basket cover is opened. 
   
   
       16 . The refrigerator according to  claim 14 , wherein each of the sidewalls of the basket body includes a guide protrusion movable within a sliding guide provided on the door. 
   
   
       17 . The refrigerator according to  claim 16 , wherein the guide protrusion and sliding guide are configured to limit the extent of travel of the basket body away from the door. 
   
   
       18 . The refrigerator according to  claim 14 , wherein the basket cover is transparent. 
   
   
       19 . The refrigerator according to  claim 14 , wherein the cooling compartment is a refrigerating compartment, and the door is provided for opening and closing the refrigerating compartment. 
   
   
       20 . A refrigerator, comprising:
 a main body providing a refrigerating compartment;   a door for opening and closing the refrigerating compartment; and   a door basket located on the door and adapted to store foodstuffs therein, the door basket including:
 a basket body slidable in a fore and aft direction, the basket body having a bottom wall and a pair of upwardly extending sidewalls, each of the upwardly extending sidewalls including a guide protrusion movable within a sliding guide provided on the door and configured to limit the extent of travel of the basket body away from the door, each upwardly extending sidewall including an upper edge having a rack extending therealong, the bottom wall including a finger-receiving recess on a lower side thereof for receiving a user's fingers for pulling the basket body outwardly, the finger-receiving recess including a front wall portion, a rear wall portion, and a top wall portion interconnecting the front wall portion and the rear wall portion; and 
 a transparent basket cover located at an upper portion of the basket body and pivotably installed so as to selectively open and close the interior of the basket body, the basket cover having a top wall and a pair of downwardly extending sidewalls, each downwardly extending sidewall including a lower edge having a pinion thereon, the pinion interlocking with the rack to allow the basket cover to be opened and closed in cooperation with movement of the basket body, 
 wherein a contour of the lower edge of the downwardly extending sidewall of the basket cover forwardly of the pinion matches a contour of the upper edge of the upwardly extending sidewall of the basket body forwardly of the rack when the door basket is in a closed position, and 
 wherein the rack is adapted to interlock continuously with the pinion at every position of movement from a fully retracted position where the basket cover is closed to a fully extended position where the basket cover is opened.