Refrigerator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10006691-B2
Application number	US-201715488036-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 14, 2017
Priority date	Jun 8, 2016
Publication date	Jun 26, 2018
Grant date	Jun 26, 2018

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a refrigerator. The refrigerator includes a body provided with a storage compartment, a door unit provided with a first door provided with an opening and rotatably coupled to the body, and a second door configured to open or close the opening and provided in front of the first door, a latch unit provided in the door unit and configured to selectively fix the second door to the first door each other, and a first hinge unit provided in the body to support a rotation of the first door and provided with a push portion configured to selectively operate the latch unit according to the rotation of the first door.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A refrigerator comprising:
a body provided with a storage compartment;
a door unit provided with
a first door provided with an opening and rotatably coupled to the body to open or close to cause the storage compartment of the body to open or close, respectively, and
a second door provided in front of the first door and configured to open or close to cause the opening of the first door to open or close, respectively;

a latch unit provided in the door unit and configured to selectively couple the second door to the first door; and
a first hinge unit on the body to support a rotation of the first door and provided with a portion configured to selectively operate the latch unit according to the rotation of the first door to cause the latch unit to couple and decouple the second door to the first door based on the rotation of the first door
wherein the latch unit includes
a latch lever rotatably coupled to the first door and couplable to the second door, and
a torsion member configured to apply a torque to the latch lever so that the latch lever rotates toward a direction in which the latch lever is couplable to the second door.

2. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein to selectively couple the second door to the first door, the latch unit is configured to
couple the second door to the first door when the first door opens the storage compartment, and
decouple the first door and the second door when the first door closes the storage compartment.

3. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the latch lever includes
a rotation portion rotatably coupled to the first door,
a first connecting portion configured to extend from the rotation portion in a first direction and couplable to the second door, and
a power transmission part configured to extend from the rotation portion in a second direction that is different from the first direction, and
the portion of the first hinge unit selectively presses power transmission part to selectively operate the latch lever of the latch unit.

4. The refrigerator of claim 3 , wherein
one end portion of the torsion member is fixed to the first door, and
the other end portion of the torsion member, which is opposite to the one end portion, is fixed to the power transmission part.

5. The refrigerator of claim 3 , wherein
the second door includes a second connecting portion provided on a rear surface thereof and configured to be selectively couplable to the first connecting portion.

6. The refrigerator of claim 5 , wherein
the second connecting portion is detachably provided on the second door.

7. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the latch unit further includes
a latch bracket configured to rotatably fix the latch lever to the first door.

8. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein
the latch unit is provided in the first door.

9. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein
the portion is detachably provided in the first hinge unit.

10. The refrigerator of claim 1 , further comprising:
a second hinge unit provided on the first door to guide a rotation of the second door.

11. A refrigerator comprising:
a body provided with a storage compartment;
a door unit provided with
a first door provided with an opening and rotatably coupled to the body to open or close to cause the storage compartment of the body to open or close, respectively, and
a second door provided in front of the first door and configured to open or close to cause the opening of the first door to open or close, respectively;

a latch unit provided in the door unit and configured to selectively couple the second door to the first door; and
a first hinge unit on the body to support a rotation of the first door and provided with a portion configured to selectively operate the latch unit according to the rotation of the first door to cause the latch unit to couple and decouple the second door to the first door based on the rotation of the first door,
wherein the first door includes
an auto close lever having one end portion thereof fixed to the first door and having an elasticity, and
a roller rotatably installed in the other end portion that is opposite to the one end portion of the auto close lever.

12. The refrigerator of claim 11 , wherein
the portion selectively makes contact with the roller and presses the roller toward a direction in which the first door is closed, when the first door is closed.

13. The refrigerator of claim 11 , wherein
when the first door is closed, the portion pushes and rotates the latch unit to decouple the first door and the second door while the portion also presses the roller.

14. The refrigerator of claim 11 , wherein
the portion includes a first push surface and a second push surface, and
when the first door is closed, the first push surface presses the roller and the second push surface pushes and rotates the latch unit.

15. A refrigerator comprising:
a body provided with a storage compartment;
a first door provided with an opening and configured to be rotatably coupled to the body to open or close to cause the storage compartment of the body to open or close, respectively;
a second door configured to be rotatably provided in the same direction as the first door to open or close to cause the opening of the first door to open or close, respectively;
a latch unit provided on the first door and configured to selectively couple the second door to the first door;
a first hinge unit provided on the body to rotatably support the first door and configured to selectively operate the latch unit according to a rotation of the first door to cause the latch unit to couple and decouple the second door to the first door based on the rotation of the first door; and
an automatic closing device provided in the first door and configured to be pressable by the first hinge unit, and when the first door is closed by an angle the first hinge unit presses the automatic closing device and causes the automatic closing device to automatically perform a closing operation thereafter,
wherein the first hinge unit is disposed to be apart from the latch unit and the automatic closing device, when the first door opens the storage compartment, and
the first hinge unit is disposed to apply a force to the latch unit and the automatic closing device by making contact with the latch unit and the automatic closing device, when the first door closes the storage compartment.

16. The refrigerator of claim 15 , wherein the latch unit includes
a latch lever rotatably coupled to the first door and couplable to the second door, and
a torsion member configured to apply a torque to the latch lever so that the latch lever rotates towards a direction in which the latch lever is couplable to the second door,
wherein the torque of the torsion member is set to be smaller than the force received by the latch lever from the first hinge unit when the latch lever and the first hinge unit are in contact with each other.

17. The refrigerator of claim 16 , wherein
the latch lever includes a power transmission part configured to be selectively pressable by the first hinge unit, and
the first hinge unit includes a portion having a first push surface selectively in contact with the power transmission part and a second push surface selectively in contact with the automatic closing device.

18. The refrigerator of claim 15 , wherein the automatic closing device includes
an auto close lever having one end portion thereof fixed to the first door and having an elasticity, and
a roller rotatably installed on

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Jung Moon Gyo

Classifications

• E05D3/02 Primary

  with one pin · CPC title

• F25D2323/024

  Door hinges · CPC title

• E05B65/0042

  For refrigerators or cold rooms (E05B17/0075 takes precedence; magnetic E05C19/16) · CPC title

• E05D11/1014

  for maintaining the hinge in only one position, e.g. closed · CPC title

• E05Y2900/31

  for refrigerators · CPC title