Refrigerator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11448458-B2
Application number	US-202117531496-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 19, 2021
Priority date	Mar 24, 2017
Publication date	Sep 20, 2022
Grant date	Sep 20, 2022

Abstract

A refrigerator includes a cabinet, a door configured to open/close the cabinet, an outer plate defining a front surface of the door and having an opening formed therein to pass through the door, a door liner defining a rear surface of the door, lighting members configured to illuminate storage spaces of the door and the cabinet, a transparent panel assembly mounted to shield the opening and allowing the storage spaces to be selectively seen according to an ON/OFF state of the lighting members, an insulator filled between the outer plate and the door liner, and a blocking part arranged inside the door along a periphery of the transparent panel assembly and detachably coupled to a peripheral surface of the transparent panel assembly to fix the transparent panel assembly.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A refrigerator comprising:
a cabinet that defines a storage space; and
a door configured to open and close at least a portion of the storage space, the door comprising:
an outer plate that defines a front surface of the door, the outer plate having an opening,
a door liner that defines a rear surface of the door,
a transparent panel assembly disposed in the opening,
an insulator disposed in a space defined by the outer plate and the door liner, and
a blocking part that is disposed between the insulator and the transparent panel assembly and separates the insulator and the transparent panel assembly from each other.

2. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the transparent panel assembly comprises a front panel, a rear panel, and a spacer disposed between the front panel and the rear panel, and
wherein the spacer is disposed at peripheries of the front panel and the rear panel, and the blocking part is disposed at a periphery of the spacer.

3. The refrigerator of claim 2 , further comprising a coupler that fixes the blocking part to the spacer.

4. The refrigerator of claim 3 , wherein the coupler comprises a screw.

5. The refrigerator of claim 3 , further comprising a sealant disposed at a periphery of the transparent panel assembly and configured to seal an inner space defined by the front panel, the rear panel, and the spacer.

6. The refrigerator of claim 5 , wherein the sealant is disposed between the spacer and the blocking part.

7. The refrigerator of claim 5 , wherein the coupler passes through the sealant and the blocking part.

8. The refrigerator of claim 2 , further comprising a support frame that is disposed at a periphery of the opening of the outer plate and supports the outer plate and the transparent panel assembly,
wherein the support frame comprises the blocking part.

9. The refrigerator of claim 8 , wherein the support frame has a bent portion that supports a rear surface of the outer plate and a rear surface of the transparent panel assembly.

10. The refrigerator of claim 8 , wherein the support frame further comprises:
a plate support that is disposed at a rear surface of the outer plate; and
an adhesive disposed at the plate support and attached to the plate support and the outer plate.

11. The refrigerator of claim 10 , wherein the support frame further comprises a panel support disposed at a rear surface of the front panel,
wherein the blocking part extends rearward relative to the panel support and covers a periphery of the spacer.

12. The refrigerator of claim 11 , wherein the door further comprises a heater disposed at the rear surface of the front panel, and
wherein the panel support defines a heater groove that receives the heater.

13. The refrigerator of claim 11 , wherein the support frame defines a plate accommodating groove between the plate support and the panel support, and
wherein the outer plate comprises a bent plate part that is received in the plate accommodating groove and that extends rearward relative to the front panel, the bent plate part extending along the opening of the outer plate.

14. The refrigerator of claim 3 , wherein the transparent panel assembly further comprises a spacer protrusion that protrudes from the spacer toward the blocking part, the spacer protrusion defining a hole that receives the coupler.

15. The refrigerator of claim 3 , wherein the door further comprises an insulation panel disposed between the front panel and the rear panel,
wherein the spacer comprises a first spacer that supports the insulation panel and the front panel, and a second spacer that supports the insulation panel and the rear panel, and
wherein the coupler is coupled to the first spacer or the second spacer.

16. The refrigerator of claim 2 , wherein the door further comprises an insulation panel disposed between the front panel and the rear panel, and
wherein the spacer defines a groove that receives an end portion of the insulation panel.

17. The refrigerator of claim 2 , wherein the outer plate comprises:
a front surface part that defines a portion of the front surface of the door; and
a mounting part that is stepped rearward from an end of the front surface part and supports the front panel, and
wherein the blocking part extends from an end of the mounting part toward the rear panel.

18. The refrigerator of claim 2 , wherein the door further comprises a support frame, the support frame comprising a liner support that supports the door liner, and a panel support that supports a periphery of the rear panel, and
wherein the blocking part extends forward relative to the panel support.

19. The refrigerator of claim 2 , wherein the door liner defines a liner opening,
wherein the door further comprises a mounting part that is stepped from the door liner and supports the rear panel, the mounting part defining a periphery of the liner opening, and
wherein the blocking part extends from an end of the mounting part toward the front panel.

20. The refrigerator of claim 5 , wherein the transparent panel assembly further comprises:
a display disposed between the front panel and the rear panel and configured to output screen information; and
a cable connected to the display and arranged along a periphery of the spacer, the cable passing through the sealant.

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Kang Chanuk
• Kwon Hyuk
• Lee Sangmyung

Classifications

• F25D2400/40

  Refrigerating devices characterised by electrical wiring · CPC title

• F25D2323/021

  French doors · CPC title

• F25D2201/12

  using an insulating packing material · CPC title

• F25D2400/18

  Aesthetic features · CPC title

• A47F3/0434

  Glass or transparent panels · CPC title