Refrigerator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11466928-B2
Application number	US-201916583726-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 26, 2019
Priority date	Jul 12, 2019
Publication date	Oct 11, 2022
Grant date	Oct 11, 2022

Abstract

A refrigerator includes a lift that moves a container upward and downward. The refrigerator may include: a cabinet having a storage chamber provided therein and an opening; at least one door provided such that a front of the storage chamber provided in the cabinet is opened and closed; a cooling device cooling the storage chamber; the lift provided at a side of the storage chamber to fold downward and unfold upward so as to move the container upward and downward; and an anti-loosening device provided at a side of the lift and allowing the lift to rotate relative to a front end thereof when the lift is removed upward so as to maintain a folded state of the lift.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A refrigerator, comprising:
a cabinet having a storage chamber provided therein and an opening to access the storage chamber;
a door to open and close the opening of the cabinet;
a lift that is configured to be received in the storage chamber, the lift including an upper frame provided at an upper side thereof, a lower frame provided at a lower side of the upper frame, and one or more legs that fold downward and unfold upward vertically to move a container; and
a lock including a lower fastener provided in the lower frame; and
a handle provided at a rear end of the lift and configured to be held by a user,
the lower fastener being movably provided in the lower frame and engaged to the upper frame when the lift is held by a user at the handle to be removed from the storage chamber, the lower fastener preventing the one or more legs from unfolding upward.

2. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein a support plate is provided on an upper end of the lift to support the container, and the handle is provided in the support plate.

3. The refrigerator of claim 2 , wherein one or more edges of the support plate protrude upward to seat the container on the support plate.

4. The refrigerator of claim 3 , wherein the edges of the support plate include:
a pair of side edges provided at opposite sides of the upper surface; and
wherein the handle is provided on one of the side edges.

5. The refrigerator of claim 4 , wherein the lift includes the handles that are provided at the rear end part of the side edges.

6. The refrigerator of claim 5 , wherein the handles is configured to be recessed from a corresponding one of the side edges.

7. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the door is a drawer including:
a storage bin to receive the container therein and to be positioned in the storage chamber when the drawer is closing the opening; and
a front panel provided at a front of the storage bin and be positioned at the front of the cabinet when the drawer closes the opening,
wherein the lift is configured to be installed in the storage bin.

8. The refrigerator of claim 7 , wherein
the lock includes an upper fastener provided in the upper frame, the lower fastener and the upper fastener being coupled together when the lock is engaged.

9. The refrigerator of claim 8 , wherein the lower fastener includes:
a locking mechanism casing fixed to a middle of the lower frame;
a lower hook moving in the locking mechanism casing; and
a spring that applies a force to the lower hook.

10. The refrigerator of claim 9 , wherein the lower hook includes:
a lower hook body having a particular vertical height;
a support end provided at a lower end of the lower hook body to support the lower hook body; and
a lower hook end protruding from an upper end of the lower hook body.

11. The refrigerator of claim 10 , wherein a hook hole is provided in an upper surface of the casing and formed through the upper surface to have a particular front to rear length, and the lower hook body vertically passes through the hook hole.

12. The refrigerator of claim 11 , wherein the front to rear length of the hook hole is larger than a front to rear thickness of the lower hook body such that when the lower hook body is received into the hook hole, the lower hook body moves a particular distance forward and backward.

13. The refrigerator of claim 12 , wherein
the support end is configured to extend forward and backward at the lower end of the lower hook body and to extend vertically therefrom and moves forward and backward in the casing, and
the spring is provided in the casing and applies an elastic force to push or pull the lower hook to a side of the casing.

14. The refrigerator of claim 13 , wherein the spring is a tension spring that pulls the lower hook forward by tensile elasticity.

15. The refrigerator of claim 10 , wherein the upper fastener protrudes downward from a lower surface of the upper frame and has a shape corresponding to a shape of the lower hook such that the upper fastener and the lower hook are configured to engage each other when the lock is engaged.

16. The refrigerator of claim 15 , wherein
an inner region of the lower hook body is hollow and a lower end of the lower hook body is open and has a protrusion groove, and
the storage bin includes a spacing protrusion extending upward on a middle part thereof,
wherein when the spacing protrusion is received in the protrusion groove, the lower fastener and the upper fastener are separated from each other.

17. The refrigerator of claim 16 , wherein the upper fastener includes
an upper hook body, and
an upper hook end extending from a side of the upper hook body at a lower end of the upper hook body.

18. The refrigerator of claim 17 , wherein a front surface of the lower hook end and a rear surface of the upper hook end are inclined to be parallel with each other.

19. The refrigerator of claim 18 , wherein
a lower surface of the lower hook end is horizontal and the front surface thereof is inclined to have height that gradually decreases forward, and
an upper surface of the upper hook end is horizontal and the rear surface thereof is inclined to have height that gradually increases backward.

20. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the lower fastener is provided movably forward and backward of the lower frame.

21. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the lower fastener is moved toward the door and engaged to the upper frame when the lift is held by a user at the handle to be removed from the storage chamber.

22. The refrigerator of claim 3 , wherein the edges of the support plate include:
a rear edge provided at rear end of the upper surface,
wherein the handle is provided on the rear edge.

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Hong Euddeum

Classifications

• A47B2210/175

  Refrigerators or freezers · CPC title

• F25D25/025 Primary

  Drawers · CPC title

• A47B2088/901

  Drawers having a lifting mechanism · CPC title

• F25D25/005 Primary

  using containers · CPC title

• A47B88/994

  in the form of trays or inserts · CPC title