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  RefrigeratorUSPTO Application #: 20070228909Title: Refrigerator Abstract: A refrigerator includes a bottle receiving shelf to receive bottle-shaped containers containing contents. The refrigerator includes a body having a storage chamber defined therein, and a bottle receiving shelf in the storage chamber to allow a bottle-shaped container to be stored in a laid state. The bottle receiving shelf includes a first partition shelf having a first seat, and a second partition shelf having a second seat. The second partition shelf is positioned at a front side of the first partition shelf to move backward and forward, and overlaps the first partition shelf when being moved backward. The first and second seats are alternately arranged in a transverse direction to allow the second partition shelf to overlap the first partition shelf when the second partition shelf is moved backward, so that the bottle-shaped containers can be received in an upright state in the storage chamber. (end of abstract) Agent: Staas & Halsey LLP - Washington, DC, US Inventors: Jin Ha Hwang, Young Shin Jang USPTO Applicaton #: 20070228909 - Class: 312408 (USPTO) The Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070228909. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001]This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2006-0028097, filed on Mar. 28, 2006 in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002]1. Field of the Invention [0003]The present invention relates to a refrigerator which includes a bottle receiving shelf to receive bottle-shaped containers containing contents. [0004]2. Description of the Related Art [0005]Generally, a conventional refrigerator includes a storage chamber maintained at a low temperature, to store food or other contents in a fresh state for a long time period. The conventional refrigerator includes a body which constitutes an outer appearance of the refrigerator and includes the storage chamber defined therein to store the contents therein, a door hingably coupled to one side of the body to open the storage chamber at a front side of the body, a refrigerating system received in the body to refrigerate the storage chamber, and the like. [0006]One type of conventional refrigerator is a wine refrigerator as disclosed in Korean Patent Laid-open No. 2005-110383. [0007]The conventional wine refrigerator stores wine contained in a bottle-shaped container (i.e. a wine bottle). A storage chamber of the wine refrigerator includes a plurality of bottle receiving shelves that divide the storage chamber into upper and lower spaces to allow a plurality of wine bottles to be efficiently received in or drawn out of the storage chamber. [0008]In general, an inlet of the wine bottle stored in the wine refrigerator is closed by a cork. Since the cork must be maintained in a wet state to prevent oxidation of wine caused by induction of air from an exterior, it is desirable that the bottle having the wine therein be stored in a laid state. [0009]In the conventional wine refrigerator, the bottles are stored in the laid state on the bottle receiving shelves, which are generally spaced from each other a distance slightly wider than the diameter of the wine bottle so as to allow the plurality of wine bottles to be efficiently laid and stored on the shelves. [0010]Meanwhile, since it is very difficult to achieve complete resealing of the inlet of the bottle having been opened once even when closing the wine bottle by use of the cork to store remaining wine in the bottle, there is a likelihood of leakage of the wine through a fine gap between the inlet of the wine and the cork in the event where the bottle is received in the laid state in the storage chamber. [0011]Thus, for the wine bottle having been once opened, it is more desirable to be stored in an upright state. However, since the conventional wine refrigerator is configured to have the bottle receiving shelves spaced slightly wider than the diameters of the wine bottles, there is a problem in that the wine bottle cannot be stored in the upright state in the conventional wine refrigerator. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0012]Accordingly, it is an aspect of the present invention to provide a refrigerator which can receive containers, such as wine bottles, having contents, in any state selected from a laid state and an upright state. [0013]It is another aspect of the present invention to provide the refrigerator, which allows an easy withdrawal of the containers containing the contents and being received deeply inside a storage room. [0014]Additional aspects and/or advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. [0015]The foregoing and/or other aspects of the present invention are achieved by providing a refrigerator including a body having a storage chamber defined therein, and a bottle receiving shelf positioned in the storage chamber to allow a bottle-shaped container having contents therein to be stored in a laid state, the bottle receiving shelf including a first partition shelf having a first seat on which the bottle-shaped container is seated in the laid state, and a second partition shelf having a second seat on which the bottle-shaped container is seated in the laid state, wherein the second partition shelf is positioned at a front side of the first partition shelf to move backward and forward, and overlaps the first partition shelf when being moved backward, and the first and second seats are alternately arranged in a transverse direction to allow the second partition shelf to overlap the first partition shelf when the second partition shelf is moved backward. [0016]According to an aspect of the present invention, the first partition shelf includes a plurality of the first seats spaced a predetermined distance from each other in the transverse direction, and the second partition shelf includes a plurality of the second seats spaced a predetermined distance from each other in the transverse direction, wherein as the second partition shelf is moved backward, the plurality of second seats enter spaces between the plurality of first seats, respectively. [0017]According to an aspect of the present invention, the bottle receiving shelf further includes a pair of first guide rails extending forward on opposite sides of the first partition shelf and having first guide recesses to receive opposite sides of the second partition shelf such that the second partition shelf can be moved backward and forward in the first guide recesses. [0018]According to an aspect of the present invention, The storage chamber includes a pair of second guide rails extending backward and forward on opposite walls of the storage chamber, and including second guide recesses to receive the first guide rails such that the first guide rails are moved backward and forward in the second guide recesses. [0019]According to an aspect of the present invention, the first guide rail includes a stopper to force the backward and forward movement of the second partition shelf to be performed in the first guide recess. [0020]The refrigerator further includes a locking device to maintain a state of the second partition shelf being disposed at the front side of the first guide rail. [0021]The locking device includes a locking member positioned at either side of the second partition shelf to be moved in the transverse direction, and a latch jaw protruding from the first guide rail to latch a rear end of the locking member advanced in the transverse direction. Continue reading... Full patent description for Refrigerator Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Refrigerator patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. 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