Refrigerator and home appliance

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11480384-B2
Application number	US-202016998908-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 20, 2020
Priority date	Aug 20, 2019
Publication date	Oct 25, 2022
Grant date	Oct 25, 2022

Abstract

A refrigerator including a main body forming a storage compartment, and a door configured to open and close the storage compartment. The door includes a door body rotatably coupled to the main body and including an insulator therein, a panel body positioned in a front of the door body, a first trim disposed at a first edge of the panel body and configured to be coupled to the door body while being rotated with respect to the door body, and a second trim disposed at a second edge opposite to the first edge of the panel body and configured to be coupled to the door body when the first trim is coupled to the door body.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A refrigerator comprising:
a main body forming a storage compartment; and
a door configured to open and close the storage compartment, the door including:
a door body including:
an upper door cap,
a lower door cap,
a cover forming a front surface of the door body,
chassis forming opposite side surfaces of the door body,
a case forming a rear surface of the door body, and
an insulating material between the upper door cap, the lower door cap, the cover, the chassis, and the case, and

a door panel including:
a panel body having an upper end portion of the panel body bent rearward to thereby form an upper bent portion of the panel body, and a lower end portion of the panel body bent rearward to thereby form a lower bent portion of the panel body,
an upper trim fixed to a rear surface of the panel body, and
a lower trim fixed to the rear surface of the panel body,

wherein
the door panel, assembled with at least the panel body, the upper trim, and the lower trim, is detachably coupleable to the door body, assembled with at least the upper door cap, the lower door cap, the cover, the chassis, the case, and the insulating material, and,
when the door panel is coupled to the door body,
a front end portion of the upper door cap protrudes forward further than the cover to cover at least a portion of an upper surface of the upper bent portion of the panel body,
a front end portion of the lower door cap protrudes forward further than the cover to cover at least a portion of a lower surface of the lower bent portion of the panel body,
the upper bent portion of the panel body is disposed between the front end portion of the upper door cap and the upper trim, and
the lower bent portion of the panel body is disposed between the front end portion of the lower door cap and the lower trim.

2. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein
the panel body has first and second opposite side portions that are bent rearward to thereby form first and second opposite side panel bending portions, respectively, and
the chassis include a first chassis having a portion protruding forward further than the cover to cover at least a portion of an outer surface of the first opposite side panel bending portion when the door panel is coupled to the door body, and a second chassis having a portion protruding forward further than the cover to cover at least a portion of an outer surface of the second opposite side panel bending portion when the door panel is coupled to the door body.

3. The refrigerator according to claim 2 , wherein
the door panel includes side trims that are magnetic and are disposed along edges of opposite sides of the rear surface of the panel body, and
the door panel is attachable to the cover by magnetic forces due to the side trims being magnetically attracted to the cover.

4. The refrigerator according to claim 3 , wherein
when the door panel is coupled to the door body, the first opposite side panel bending portion is disposed between the portion of the first chassis protruding forward further than the cover and a first side trim of the side trims, and
when the door panel is coupled to the door body, the second opposite side panel bending portion is disposed between the portion of the second chassis protruding forward further than the cover and a second side trim of the side trims.

5. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein
the door further includes a fixing member that includes a fixing protrusion, and,
when the door panel is coupled to the door body, the fixing protrusion is coupled to the upper trim and the upper door cap such that the upper trim is fixed to the upper door cap.

6. The refrigerator according to claim 5 , wherein
the upper door cap includes an opening formed toward a front of the main body and a through-hole formed to be open on an upper surface of the upper door cap,
the upper trim includes an upper trim protrusion having an upper trim hole, and,
when the door panel is coupled to the door body,
the upper trim protrusion is inserted through the opening, and
the fixing member is inserted through the through-hole, coupled to the upper trim hole, and covers a portion of the through-hole.

7. The refrigerator according to claim 6 , wherein
the upper trim hole is formed to be vertically aligned with the through-hole when the door panel is coupled to the door body.

8. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein, while the door panel is detached from the door body, a portion of the upper door cap to which the upper trim is coupleable is exposed by the cover.

9. The refrigerator according to claim 3 , wherein
the door further includes an absorbing member that is disposed between the side trims on the rear surface of the panel body and that includes a buffer material or a sound absorbing material, and
when the door panel is coupled to the door body, the absorbing member is disposed between the door panel and the door body.

10. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein
the upper trim incudes an upper trim body having a rectangular shape and an upper trim protrusion protruding from the upper trim body,
the lower trim includes a lower trim body having a rectangular shape and a lower trim protrusion protruding from the lower trim body to form a lower trim groove, and
when the door panel is coupled to the door body, the upper trim protrusion is inserted into the upper door cap.

11. The refrigerator according to claim 10 , wherein
the lower door cap includes a lower cap protrusion that protrudes upward from the front end portion of the lower door cap and, when the door panel is coupled to the door body, is inserted into the lower trim groove.

12. The refrigerator according to claim 11 , wherein
the door body includes a space to allow the lower trim to move so that the lower cap protrusion is insertable into the lower trim groove when the door panel is being coupled to the door body.

13. The refrigerator according to claim 12 , wherein the upper trim is configured so that, when the door panel is being coupled to the door body with the lower cap protrusion inserted into the lower trim groove, the upper trim couples to the upper door cap.

14. The refrigerator according to claim 10 , wherein
the lower trim groove includes a first lower trim groove and a second lower trim groove spaced apart from the first lower trim groove along a direction in which the lower trim longitudinally extends.

15. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein, when the door panel is coupled to the door body, a front surface of the panel body is disposed in front of the upper door cap, the lower door cap, and the chassis so that the front surface of the panel body is not covered by the upper door cap, the lower door cap, and the chassis.

16. A refrigerator comprising:
a main body forming a storage compartment; and
a door configured to open and close the storage compartment, the door including:
a door body including:
an upper door cap,
a lower door cap,
a cover forming a front surface of the door body, and
chassis forming opposite side surfaces of the door body, the chassis including a first chassis and a second chassis, and

a door panel detachably coupleable to the door body, the door panel including:
a panel body having an upper end portion of the panel body bent rearward to thereby form an upper bent portion of the panel body, a lower end portion of the panel body bent rearward to thereby form a lower bent portion of the panel body, and first and second opposite side portions that are bent rearward to th

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Lee Chomin
• Gu Yang-Yeol
• Kim Dongyeong
• Kim Byoungmok
• Kim Yonghan
• Park Taecheol
• Seo Yongman
• Song Jinyoung
• Shin Yountae
• Yang Byungkwan

Classifications

• F25D23/028 Primary

  Details · CPC title

• F25D23/00

  General constructional features (F25D21/00 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F25D11/02 Primary

  with cooling compartments at different temperatures · CPC title

• E06B3/70

  Door leaves (wing frames E06B3/04) · CPC title

• F25D2400/18

  Aesthetic features · CPC title