Storage system for house entrance

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11512894-B2
Application number	US-202016886207-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 28, 2020
Priority date	Jan 2, 2020
Publication date	Nov 29, 2022
Grant date	Nov 29, 2022

Abstract

A storage system for a house entrance includes an entrance refrigerator, a first storage disposed above the entrance refrigerator, and a second storage disposed below the entrance refrigerator.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A storage system for a house entrance, the storage system comprising:
an entrance refrigerator comprising:
a cabinet including:
a front opening;
a side opening adjacent to the front opening; and
an interior space,
wherein the cabinet is configured to be embedded in an outer wall partitioning an indoor area and an outdoor area to receive one or more articles into the interior space from the outdoor area through the front opening and to access a first article among the one or more articles in the interior space from the indoor area through the side opening;

an outer door configured to selectively open and close the front opening and having an outer surface exposed to the outdoor area;
an inner door configured to selectively open and close the side opening and having an outer surface exposed to the indoor area;
a cold air supply module configured to supply cold air to the interior space, the cold air supply module including:
an endothermic surface positioned in a cold air generating compartment to absorb heat from air in the interior space of the cabinet, the cold air generating compartment being at a rear of the interior space and including an intake grille and a discharge grille; and
an exothermic surface mounted at a rear surface of the cabinet and exposed to the indoor area to dissipate heat to the air in the indoor area;

a guide plate partitioning the interior space into a storage compartment at a front of the interior space; and
a guide duct connecting a front surface of the guide plate to a bottom of the interior space;

a first storage positioned above the entrance refrigerator, the first storage having a first storage compartment to receive a second article among the at least one or more articles from the outdoor area;
a second storage positioned below the entrance refrigerator, the second storage having a second storage compartment to receive a third article among the at least one or more articles from the outdoor area; and
a supply duct extending to fluidly connect the cabinet and the second storage compartment to supply cold air from the cabinet to the second storage compartment,
wherein a first end of the guide duct is connected to at least a part of the discharge grille and a second end of the guide duct is connected to the supply duct, the first end of the guide duct being opposite to the second end of the guide duct,
wherein a length of the first storage in a front-rear direction is greater than a length of the cabinet, such that an exterior bottom surface of the first storage is divided into a first exterior bottom portion contacting an upper surface of the cabinet and a second exterior bottom portion spaced from the upper surface of the cabinet and extending past the rear surface of the cabinet to be exposed to the indoor area,
wherein the storage system further comprises:
an intake duct passing through the second exterior bottom portion, and having a first end which is in communication with the first storage compartment and a second end which is exposed to the indoor area; and
an exhaust duct mounted at the second exterior bottom portion of the first storage, and having a first end which is in communication with the first storage compartment and a second end which is exposed to the indoor area,

wherein the second end of the intake duct is positioned directly above the exothermic surface to allow indoor air heated by exchanging heat with the exothermic surface to be introduced into the first storage compartment through the intake duct, and
wherein the second end of the exhaust duct is spaced apart in a lateral direction from the second end of the intake duct and the exothermic surface.

2. The storage system of claim 1 , further comprising a supply duct damper rotatably mounted in the supply duct and configured to selectively open and close the supply duct.

3. The storage system of claim 1 , further comprising an intake duct damper provided inside the intake duct,
wherein the intake duct damper is configured to selectively open and close the intake duct.

4. The storage system of claim 3 , further comprising:
a fan housing positioned at a bottom surface of the first storage compartment corresponding to the first end of the intake duct; and
an intake fan positioned in the fan housing to pull air heated from the exothermic surface.

5. The storage system of claim 4 , wherein the cold air supply module further includes:
a thermoelectric element including the endothermic surface and the exothermic surface;
a cold sink attached to the endothermic surface of the thermoelectric element;
a heat sink attached to the exothermic surface of the thermoelectric element;
a heat absorption fan placed in front of the cold sink;
a heat dissipation fan placed behind the heat sink; and
an insulation block surrounding edges of the thermoelectric element.

6. The storage system of claim 5 , further comprising:
an exhaust duct damper positioned in the exhaust duct and configured to selectively open and close the exhaust duct.

7. The storage system of claim 5 , further comprising:
a heat dissipation cover configured to cover the heat sink; and
a heat guide extending from an upper surface of the heat dissipation cover toward the intake duct,
wherein at least the upper surface of the heat dissipation cover includes a plurality of heat dissipation holes.

8. The storage system of claim 5 , further comprising a heat guide extending from the upper surface of the heat dissipation cover to the intake duct.

9. The storage system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a return duct extending between a bottom of the cabinet and an upper surface of the second storage; and
a return duct damper positioned in the return duct and configured to selectively open and close the return duct.

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Kwon Boan
• Oh Minkyu
• Kim Daewoong

Classifications

• F25D23/10 Primary

  Arrangements for mounting in particular locations, e.g. for built-in type, for corner type · CPC title

• F25D31/005

  Combined cooling and heating devices · CPC title

• F25D23/061

  with conduit means · CPC title

• F25D19/04

  with more than one refrigeration unit · CPC title

• F25D2317/0682

  Two or more fans · CPC title