Home appliance

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11078697-B2
Application number	US-201816058320-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 8, 2018
Priority date	Aug 28, 2017
Publication date	Aug 3, 2021
Grant date	Aug 3, 2021

Abstract

A home appliance is provided. The home appliance includes a main body having an accommodation space, a first door rotatably coupled to the main body to open and close the accommodation space and having an opening, a second door rotatably coupled to the first door to open and close the opening, and a locking device configured to fix or separate the first door to or from the main body or fix or separate the second door to or from the first door. The locking device includes a main ring unit, an operating lever configured to separate the second door from the first door by pressure, and a dual opening preventing member configured to maintain a fixed state of the second door with respect to the first door when the operating lever is pressed in a state in which the first door is open.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A home appliance comprising:
a main body having an accommodation space opened to one side;
a first door rotatably coupled to the main body to open and close the accommodation space and having an opening connected to the accommodation space;
a second door rotatably coupled to the first door to open and close the opening; and
a locking device configured to:
fix or separate the first door to or from the main body, or
fix or separate the second door to or from the first door to allow the first door and the second door to be selectively rotated,

wherein the locking device comprises:
a main ring unit provided in the main body,
an operating lever configured to separate the second door from the first door by pressure, and
a dual opening preventing member configured to maintain a fixed state of the second door with respect to the first door when the operating lever is pressed in a state in which the first door is open by interfering with an operation of the operating lever.

2. The home appliance of claim 1 ,
wherein the locking device further comprises:
a first locking unit provided in the first door and selectively coupled to the main ring unit; and
a second locking unit provided in the second door and selectively coupled to the first locking unit, and

wherein the operating lever is installed in the second door and is configured to press the second locking unit to separate the second locking unit from the first locking unit.

3. The home appliance of claim 2 , wherein the main ring unit comprises:
a body provided in the main body;
a main ring selectively coupled with the first locking unit; and
a pair of pressing members installed below the main ring and installed to be movable up and down with respect to the main body.

4. The home appliance of claim 3 ,
wherein the pair of pressing members are configured as torsion springs, and
wherein a first end of each of the torsion springs is fixed to the body and a second end of each of the torsion springs in contact with the first locking unit has a sloped portion.

5. The home appliance of claim 4 ,
wherein the first locking unit comprises a first holder installed in the first door and having first and second coupling holes formed on an inner side and first and second engagement protrusions respectively disposed in the first and second coupling holes,
wherein the main ring unit comprises:
the body installed in the main body; and
a first ring member rotatably installed in the body and rotating in the first rotation direction to be coupled with the first engagement protrusion and rotating in the second rotation direction to be separated from the first engagement protrusion,

wherein the second locking unit comprises:
a second holder installed in the second door; and
a second ring member rotatably installed in the second holder and rotating in a third rotation direction to be coupled with the second engagement protrusion and rotating in a fourth rotation direction to be separated from the second engagement protrusion, and

wherein the dual opening preventing member interferes with the second ring member to block rotation of the second ring member in the fourth rotation direction in a state in which the first and second doors are closed.

6. The home appliance of claim 5 , wherein, when the dual opening preventing member is pressed by the operating lever in a state in which the first and second doors are closed, the dual opening preventing member is released from interference with the second ring member and interferes with the first ring member to block rotation of the first ring member in the second rotation direction.

7. The home appliance of claim 5 , wherein, when the first door is opened, the dual opening preventing member interferes with an operation of the operating lever.

8. The home appliance of claim 2 ,
wherein the first locking unit comprises:
a first holder installed in the first door;
a first hook member rotatably installed in the first holder; and
a first elastic member configured to apply an elastic force to the first hook member to cause the first hook member to rotate in a first rotation direction to be coupled with the main ring unit,

wherein the second locking unit comprises:
a second holder installed in the second door;
a second hook member rotatably installed in the second holder; and
a second elastic member configured to apply an elastic force to the second hook member to cause the second hook member to rotate in the first rotation direction, and

wherein the second hook member elastically supports the first hook member to be separated from the main ring unit in a state in which the first and second doors are closed.

9. The home appliance of claim 8 , wherein the dual opening preventing member comprises:
a rotary ring member rotatably installed in the first holder; and
a third elastic member configured to apply an elastic force to the rotary ring member to cause the rotary ring member to rotate in the first rotation direction to be coupled with the second hook member.

10. The home appliance of claim 9 ,
wherein, when the first and second doors are closed, the rotary ring member is pressed by the main ring unit in a state in which the rotary ring member is coupled with the second hook member, and
wherein, when the first door is opened, the rotary ring member is separated from the main ring unit and elastically supported by the second hook member.

11. The home appliance of claim 10 , wherein the second hook member is pressed by the operating lever to rotate in a second rotation direction to be separated from the rotary ring member.

12. The home appliance of claim 11 , wherein, when the operating lever is pressed in a state in which the first and second doors are closed, the second hook member rotates in the second rotation direction to be separated from the rotary ring member and the first hook member rotates in the first rotation direction to be coupled with the main ring unit.

13. The home appliance of claim 12 , wherein, when the operating lever is pressed in a state in which the first door is open and the second door is closed, the rotary ring member rotates in the first rotation direction in a state in which the rotary ring member is coupled with the second hook member which rotates in the second rotation direction.

14. The home appliance of claim 13 , wherein the elastic force of the second elastic member is greater than a sum of the elastic force of the first elastic member and the elastic force of the third elastic member.

15. The home appliance of claim 11 ,
wherein the operating lever comprises:
a lever body having a grip portion and a pressing portion extending from one end of the grip portion; and
a lever case in which the lever body is rotatably installed, and

wherein, when the grip portion is pressed, the lever body rotates to allow the pressing portion to press the second hook member.

16. The home appliance of claim 15 , further comprising:
a door handle installed in the second door,
wherein the operating lever is installed in the door handle.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Ham Hyung-Kwen
• Lim Hyeon-Kyu
• Park Nam-Soo
• Jeong Sang-Jin

Classifications

• F24C15/024

  Handles · CPC title

• F24C15/022

  Latches · CPC title

• E06B3/485

  Sectional doors · CPC title

• F24C15/023

  Mounting of doors, e.g. hinges, counterbalancing · CPC title

• E05D15/48

  allowing alternative movements ({E05D15/0604 takes precedence } ; for vertically-sliding wings E05D15/22) · CPC title