Refrigerator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11137200-B2
Application number	US-202016747949-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 21, 2020
Priority date	Jan 21, 2019
Publication date	Oct 5, 2021
Grant date	Oct 5, 2021

Abstract

Provided is a refrigerator including a storeroom, an inner casing including a first plate to define the storeroom, a partition coupled to the first plate to divide the storeroom into multiple storerooms, and a bracket arranged on the first plate to couple the partition to the first plate, wherein the first plate includes a plurality of holes formed at a location corresponding to a location where the bracket is coupled to the first plate.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A refrigerator comprising:
a storeroom;
an inner casing including a first plate to define the storeroom; and
a partition coupled to the first plate to divide the storeroom into a plurality of storerooms in one of a vertical direction and a horizontal direction, wherein
the first plate comprises holes formed in an area of the first plate over which the partition is coupled,
a first plurality of holes of the holes formed in the area define a first row of holes at a first level in the one of the vertical direction and the horizontal direction, and a second plurality of holes of the holes formed in the area define a second row of holes at a second level in the one of the vertical direction and the horizontal direction,
at least some holes of the second plurality of holes have a larger cross-section than the holes of the first plurality of holes, and
the vertical direction and the horizontal direction are directions with respect to a standing upright position of the refrigerator.

2. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of storerooms have respective side walls aligned in a direction defined by the first plate.

3. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the first plate comprises a metal material.

4. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein
the inner casing comprises a second plate arranged parallel to the first plate, and
the first and second plates are not connected to each other.

5. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein
the first and second rows are parallel to each other, and
at least a portion of a hole of the first plurality of holes defining the first row of holes and at least a portion of a hole of the second plurality of holes defining the second row overlap each other in the one of the vertical direction and the horizontal direction.

6. The refrigerator of claim 5 , wherein
a third plurality of holes of the holes formed in the area define a third row of holes at a third level in the one of the vertical direction and the horizontal direction,
the second row of holes is between the first row of holes and the third row of holes, and
at least some holes of the second plurality of holes have a larger cross-section than the holes of the third plurality of holes.

7. The refrigerator of claim 6 , wherein the first plurality of holes and the third plurality of third holes are aligned with each other in the one of the vertical direction and the horizontal direction, and the second plurality of holes overlap some of the first plurality of holes and some of the third plurality of holes in the one of the vertical direction and the horizontal direction.

8. The refrigerator of claim 6 , wherein
a fourth plurality of holes of the holes formed in the area define a fourth row of holes at a fourth level in the one of the vertical direction and the horizontal direction, and
the second plurality of holes and the third plurality of holes are between the first plurality of holes and the fourth plurality of holes.

9. The refrigerator of claim 6 , wherein:
first mid-spaces are formed in the area of the first plate in the first row between the holes of the first plurality of holes,
second mid-spaces are formed in the area of the first plate in the third row between the holes of the third plurality of holes, and
the holes of the second plurality of holes are aligned with the first mid-spaces and the second mid-spaces in the one of the vertical direction and the horizontal direction and are larger than the first mid-spaces and the second mid-spaces in the other of the one of the vertical direction and horizontal direction.

10. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein:
mid-spaces are formed in the area of the first plate in the first row between the holes of the first plurality of holes, and
the holes of the second plurality of holes are aligned with the mid-spaces in the one of the vertical direction and the horizontal direction and are larger than the mid-spaces in the other of the one of the vertical direction and horizontal direction.

11. The refrigerator of claim 1 , further comprising:
a bracket arranged on the first plate to couple the partition to the first plate,
wherein the bracket is over the area of the first plate in which the holes are formed.

12. The refrigerator of claim 1 , further comprising:
an outer casing coupled onto an outer side of the inner casing to define an exterior of the refrigerator, and
an insulation filling in between the inner casing and the outer casing,
wherein the inner casing further comprises a cover member attached onto an outer side of the first plate to cover the holes formed in the area in order to prevent the insulation from leaking out into the storeroom through the holes formed in the area during filling of the insulation.

13. The refrigerator of claim 1 , further comprising:
an outer casing coupled onto an outer side of the inner casing to define an exterior of the refrigerator, and
an insulation filling in between the inner casing and the outer casing,
wherein the insulation flows from outside of the inner casing to the holes formed in the area, and fills in the holes formed in the area.

14. The refrigerator of claim 1 , further comprising:
an outer casing coupled onto an outer side of the inner casing to define an exterior of the refrigerator, and
an insulation filling in between the inner casing and the outer casing,
wherein the holes formed in the area are filled with an auxiliary insulation.

15. The refrigerator of claim 1 , further comprising:
a first duct for supplying cold air produced by a first evaporator to the storeroom; and
a second duct for supplying cold air produced by a second evaporator to the storeroom,
wherein the partition divides the storeroom into a first storeroom corresponding to the first duct and a second storeroom corresponding to the second duct.

16. A refrigerator comprising:
a storeroom;
an inner casing comprising a first wall formed of a metal to define a first side of the storeroom, wherein the first wall includes a buffer section;
an outer casing coupled onto an outer side of the inner casing to define an exterior of the refrigerator;
an insulation filling in between the inner casing and the outer casing; and
a partition coupled to the first wall, and being positioned over the buffer section, to divide the storeroom into first and second storerooms,
wherein
the buffer section includes a plurality of holes extending through the first wall, so that the buffer section is thereby configured to contain heat transfer from one of the first and second storerooms to the other of the first and second storerooms,
the plurality of holes include a first plurality of holes defining a first row of holes at a first level in one of a vertical direction and a horizontal direction, and a second plurality of holes defining a second row of holes at a second level in the one of the vertical direction and the horizontal direction, and
at least some holes of the second plurality of holes have a larger cross-section than the holes of the first plurality of holes.

17. The refrigerator of claim 16 , wherein
the refrigerator is configured to keep the second storeroom at a lower temperature than the first storeroom, and
the plurality of holes are arranged such that a heat transfer path extends through the buffer section in a non-linear manner from a side of the buffer section adjacent to the second storeroom to a side of the buffer section adjacent to the first storeroom.

18. The refrigerator of claim 17 , wherein
the partiti

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kang Chang Gu
• Shin Chun Youp
• Hong Kun Eui
• Hong Ki Hak

Classifications

• F25D23/067

  Supporting elements · CPC title

• F25D23/062

  defining a cabinet · CPC title

• F25D23/069 Primary

  Cooling space dividing partitions · CPC title

• F25D2317/0663

  from the mullion · CPC title

• F25D23/065

  Details · CPC title