Shelf assembly for a domestic cooling appliance

Abstract

A domestic cooling appliance includes a cabinet having a set of inner walls defining a cooling space, and a shelf assembly provided in the cooling space. The shelf assembly includes a shelf panel and a pair of left and right support brackets disposed adjacent one of the pair of lateral edges of the shelf panel and extend between front and rear edges of the shelf panel. Each support bracket includes at least one mounting member for mounting the support bracket to an inner rear wall of the cabinet and one or more coupling members for coupling the shelf panel to the pair of support brackets where at least one of the one or more coupling members is configured with a first pocket, where the shelf panel engages the first pocket.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A shelf assembly comprising:
 a shelf panel having a front edge, a rear edge and a pair of lateral edges extending between the front edge and the rear edge;   a pair of left and right support brackets each disposed adjacent a respective one of the pair of lateral edges of the shelf panel, each support bracket including at least one mounting member for mounting the support bracket to a rear wall structure; and   one or more coupling members for coupling the shelf panel to the pair of left and right support brackets, at least one of the one or more coupling members being configured with a first pocket, wherein the shelf panel engages the first pocket.   
     
     
         2 . The shelf assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the shelf panel is clamped between opposite side surfaces of the first pocket. 
     
     
         3 . The shelf assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the shelf panel is fixated in the first pocket by an adhesive. 
     
     
         4 . The shelf assembly of  claim 3 , wherein at least a portion of the adhesive is provided between an upper surface of the shelf panel and an adjacent side surface of the first pocket. 
     
     
         5 . The shelf assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one of the one or more coupling members is further configured with a second pocket, wherein one of the pair of left and right support brackets engages the second pocket. 
     
     
         6 . The shelf assembly of  claim 5 , wherein the first pocket and the second pocket extend in mutually orthogonal planes. 
     
     
         7 . The shelf assembly of  claim 5 , wherein the one of the pair of left and right support brackets is at least one of: clamped between opposite side surfaces of the second pocket, and fixated in the second pocket by an adhesive. 
     
     
         8 . The shelf assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one of the one or more coupling members is fixedly attached to one of the pair of left and right support brackets by a weld or solder connection. 
     
     
         9 . The shelf assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one of the one or more coupling members is designed as an elongated profile member mounted to extend alongside the rear edge of the shelf panel. 
     
     
         10 . The shelf assembly of  claim 9 , wherein the profile member has opposite longitudinal end portions each connected to one of the pair of left and right support brackets by a bolt connection. 
     
     
         11 . The shelf assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one of the one or more coupling members is designed as an elongated profile member mounted to extend alongside one of the lateral edges of the shelf panel. 
     
     
         12 . The shelf assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one of the one or more coupling members is disposed in a corner region of the shelf panel, wherein a portion of the rear edge and a portion of one of the pair of lateral edges of the shelf panel extend into the first pocket. 
     
     
         13 . The shelf assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the first pocket has a general U-shape in cross-section and the shelf panel extends into the first pocket substantially as far as a bottom area of the first pocket. 
     
     
         14 . The shelf assembly of  claim 5 , wherein the second pocket has a general U-shape in cross-section and the one of the pair of left and right support brackets extends into the second pocket substantially as far as a bottom area of the second pocket. 
     
     
         15 . A domestic cooling appliance comprising:
 a cabinet having a set of inner walls defining a cooling space, the set of inner walls including an inner rear wall;   a door mounted to the cabinet to close the cooling space; and   a shelf assembly provided in the cooling space, the shelf assembly comprising:
 a shelf panel having a front edge, a rear edge and a pair of lateral edges extending between the front edge and the rear edge; 
 a pair of left and right support brackets each disposed adjacent a respective one of the pair of lateral edges of the shelf panel, each of the pair of left and right support brackets includes at least one mounting member for mounting to the inner rear wall; and 
 one or more coupling members for coupling the shelf panel to the pair of left and right support brackets, at least one of the one or more coupling members being configured with a first pocket, wherein the shelf panel engages the first pocket.