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  Bottom drawer type refrigerator having basket lift deviceUSPTO Application #: 20060022564Title: Bottom drawer type refrigerator having basket lift device Abstract: A refrigerator includes a main body having at least a lower cooling chamber disposed at a lower portion of the main body, a base frame disposed to be movable in inward/outward directions at the lower cooling chamber and having a drawer door at a front side thereof, a lift frame disposed at an upper surface of the base frame, on which a basket is placed, a gas spring mounted vertically at an upper surface of the base frame and connected with the lift frame for lifting the lift frame, and lift rails at a rear side of the drawer door and guiding the lift frame to be moved up and down. (end of abstract) Agent: Greenblum & Bernstein, P.L.C - Reston, VA, US Inventors: Seung-Hwan Oh, Kyung-Han Jeong, Sung-Hoon Chung, Myung-Ryul Lee USPTO Applicaton #: 20060022564 - Class: 312402000 (USPTO) The Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20060022564. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a refrigerator of the so-called `drawer` type having a basket lift device and more particularly, to a basket lift device capable of lifting a basket received at a lower portion of a main body of such a refrigerator, to thereby enhance users' convenience. [0003] 2. Description of the Background Art [0004] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator and FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a lower portion of the refrigerator showing how a basket is received in a main body of the refrigerator in accordance with the conventional art. [0005] A typical bottom drawer-type refrigerator includes a main body 102 having an opened front side and a receiving space, an upper cooling chamber 106 disposed at an upper portion of the main body 102, having a pair of upper (`French` style side-by-side) doors 104 respectively opening swingably at both sides, for keeping food items stored therein cold, and a lower cooling chamber 112 (e.g. a freezer compartment) disposed at a lower portion of the main body 102, separated by a barrier wall 108 from the upper cooling chamber 106 and having a drawer door 110 opening slidably outwardly. [0006] A mechanical chamber 116, which includes a compressor 114 and other components for generating cooling air supplied to the upper cooling chamber 106 and the lower cooling chamber 112, is provided at a rear portion of the main body 102. [0007] A basket 120 for receiving food items therein is slidably disposed in the lower cooling chamber 112, and the drawer door 110 is fixed at the front side of the basket 120 like a drawer front panel. Accordingly, when the drawer door 110 is pulled out, the basket 120 is thereby opened, and when the drawer door 110 is pushed in, the basket 120 is thereby closed. A guide rail 124 is respectively installed between each of the outer sides of the basket 120 and inner sides of the lower cooling chamber 112 to guide the basket 120 to be slid the inward/outward directions. [0008] One or more of drawers 126 for keeping food items therein may be provided above the basket 120 so as to be slidably opened. [0009] In such conventional bottom drawer-type refrigerator, when a food item kept in the lower cooling chamber 112 needs to be taken out or a food item needs to be put into the lower cooling chamber 112, the drawer door 110 is pulled outwardly so that the basket 120 can be slidably moved and opened. After the food item stored in the basket 120 is taken out or the food item is put into the basket 120, the drawer door 110 is pushed inwardly so that the basket 120 can be slidably closed. [0010] However, the conventional bottom drawer-type refrigerator has a problem in that, because the installation position of the basket is too low, a user must lower his/her posture, that is, for example, the user must bend his/her back or crouch down in order to put in or take out the food items, causing users' inconvenience. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0011] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a bottom drawer type refrigerator having a basket lift device capable of enhancing users' convenience by lifting a position of the basket in such a manner that when a basket disposed at a lower portion of a main body of the refrigerator is drawn out, it is lifted upwardly. [0012] To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, there is provided a bottom drawer type refrigerator including: a main body having upper and lower cooling chambers respectively disposed at upper and lower portions of the main body; a base frame disposed to be movable inwardly/outwardly at the lower cooling chamber and having a drawer door at a front side thereof; a lift frame disposed atop the base frame, on which a basket is placed; a gas spring mounted vertically at an upper surface of the base frame and connected with the lift frame to generate force for lifting the lift frame; and a pair of lift rails mounted at a rear side of the drawer door and guiding the lift frame to be moved up and down. [0013] The gas spring includes a cylinder charged with high pressure gas, fixed at the base frame and disposed vertically; and an operation rod inserted into the cylinder and movable up and down linearly, the operation rod being urged upwardly by the pressure of the gas charged inside the cylinder, and fixed at the lift frame. [0014] A locking unit is installed between the lift rail and a guide protrusion, and locks the lift frame to maintain a maximum lifted position and a maximum lowered position. The locking unit includes an upper stopping groove formed at an upper side of the lift rail; a lower stopping groove formed at a lower side of the lift rail; a locking member inserted to be linearly moved into the guide protrusion and locked one of the upper stopping groove and the lower stopping groove; and a spring inserted into an insertion groove and gives an elastic force to allow the locking member to maintain the state of being caught by the stopping groove. [0015] The foregoing and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0016] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention. [0017] In the drawings: [0018] FIG. 1 is a frontal perspective view of a bottom drawer type refrigerator in accordance with the conventional art; [0019] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a lower portion of the bottom drawer type refrigerator in accordance with the conventional art; [0020] FIG. 3 is a frontal perspective view of a bottom drawer type refrigerator in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention with a basket thereof shown in an opened condition; [0021] FIG. 4 is a elevation side view showing a basket lift device of the refrigerator in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention; Continue reading... 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