Entrance refrigerator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11525609-B2
Application number	US-202016798778-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 24, 2020
Priority date	Feb 25, 2019
Publication date	Dec 13, 2022
Grant date	Dec 13, 2022

Abstract

An entrance refrigerator includes a cabinet installed to pass through a front door or a wall and forming a storage compartment for storing goods, a housing coupled to a lower end of the cabinet, an outdoor side door coupled to a front surface of the cabinet to open or close the storage compartment and exposed to an outside, an indoor side door coupled to a rear surface of the cabinet to open or close the storage compartment and exposed to an inside, a cold air supply device accommodated in a space defined by a lower portion of the cabinet and the housing and supplying cold air to the storage compartment, and at least one guide duct mounted on a bottom surface of the housing and extending in a front-to-rear direction of the housing, the at least one guide duct having a discharge port formed therein.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An entrance refrigerator, comprising:
a cabinet configured to extend through an entrance door or a wall, the cabinet including a storage compartment therein for storing goods;
a housing located at a lower side of the cabinet;
an outdoor side door coupled to an outdoor portion of the cabinet to open or close the storage compartment;
an indoor side door coupled to an indoor portion of the cabinet to open or close the storage compartment;
a cold air supplier configured to supply cold air to the storage compartment, at least a portion of the cold air supplier being located in a space defined by the housing and the lower side of the cabinet; and
at least one guide duct located at a bottom side of the housing, the at least one guide duct extending in a front-to-rear direction of the housing, the at least one guide duct having a guide duct discharge port located therein,
wherein the at least one guide duct comprises:
a bottom portion in which the guide duct discharge port is located;
a left side portion extending upward from a left edge of the bottom portion; and
a right side portion extending upward from a right edge of the bottom portion.

2. The entrance refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one guide duct comprises:
a left guide duct located at a left edge of the bottom side of the housing; and
a right guide duct located at a right edge of the bottom side of the housing.

3. The entrance refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the guide duct discharge port is located in a front end of the bottom portion, and
wherein front ends of the left side portion and the right side portion of the at least one guide duct are configured to be located in close proximity to the entrance door or the wall.

4. The entrance refrigerator according to claim 3 , wherein a portion of the bottom portion spaced rearward of the guide duct discharge port by a predetermined distance is rounded upward toward a rear end of the at least one guide duct.

5. The entrance refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the housing includes a front discharge port provided in a front portion of the housing, the front discharge port being configured to face a rear surface of the entrance door or the wall.

6. The entrance refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the housing includes a rear discharge port provided in a rear portion of the housing, the rear discharge port being covered by the indoor side door.

7. The entrance refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the housing includes:
a suction hole provided in a bottom portion of the housing; and
a suction plate located at the suction hole, the suction plate including a plurality of through-holes provided therein through which indoor air is suctioned.

8. The entrance refrigerator according to claim 7 , wherein the cold air supplier comprises:
a thermoelectric element having a heat absorbing surface and a heat generating surface;
a cold sink in contact with the heat absorbing surface;
a heat absorption fan disposed above the cold sink;
a heat sink in contact with the heat generating surface; and
a heat dissipation fan disposed below the heat sink,
wherein, when the heat dissipation fan is driven, indoor air is introduced into the housing through the suction plate, and
wherein the indoor air introduced into the housing is discharged out of the housing through the guide duct discharge port in a state in which a temperature of the indoor air is increased through heat exchange with the heat sink.

9. The entrance refrigerator according to claim 8 , wherein the cold air supplier further comprises an insulation material located between the cold sink and the heat sink to reduce heat transfer between the heat sink and the cold sink.

10. The entrance refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the housing includes:
a front discharge port provided in a front portion of the housing, the front discharge port being configured to face a rear surface of the entrance door or the wall;
a rear discharge port provided in a rear portion of the housing, the rear discharge port being covered by the indoor side door; and
a bottom discharge port provided in a bottom portion of the housing, the bottom discharge port being configured to discharge air from the housing and into the at least one guide duct.

11. The entrance refrigerator according to claim 10 , wherein the at least one guide duct comprises:
a left guide duct located at a left edge of the bottom side of the housing; and
a right guide duct located at a right edge of the bottom side of the housing, and
wherein the housing further includes:
a suction hole provided in the bottom portion of the housing and located between the left guide duct and the right guide duct; and
a suction plate located at the suction hole, the suction plate including a plurality of through-holes provided therein through which indoor air is suctioned.

12. The entrance refrigerator according to claim 11 , wherein the left guide duct and the right guide duct each include a bottom wall portion in which the guide duct discharge port is located, the guide duct discharge port being located in a front end of the bottom wall portion, and
wherein front ends of the left guide duct and the right guide duct are configured to be located in close proximity to the entrance door or the wall, so that air discharged from the guide duct discharge port is directed downwardly along the entrance door or the wall.

13. An entrance refrigerator, comprising:
a cabinet configured to extend through a door or a wall, the cabinet including a storage compartment therein for storing goods;
a housing located at a lower side of the cabinet;
an outdoor side door coupled to an outdoor portion of the cabinet to open or close the storage compartment;
an indoor side door coupled to an indoor portion of the cabinet to open or close the storage compartment;
a cold air supplier configured to supply cold air to the storage compartment, at least a portion of the cold air supplier being located in a space defined by the housing and the lower side of the cabinet; and
at least one guide duct located at a bottom side of the housing, the at least one guide duct extending in a front-to-rear direction of the housing, the at least one guide duct having a guide duct discharge port located therein,
wherein the housing includes:
a suction hole provided in a bottom portion of the housing; and
a suction plate located at the suction hole, the suction plate including a plurality of through-holes provided therein through which indoor air is suctioned, and

wherein the housing further includes a bottom discharge port provided in the bottom portion of the housing, the bottom discharge port being configured to discharge air from the housing and into the at least one guide duct.

14. A refrigerator, comprising:
a cabinet configured to be located partially within a barrier of a building, the cabinet including a storage compartment therein, the cabinet having a first opening into the storage compartment and a second opening into the storage compartment, the second opening being spaced from the first opening;
a housing located at a lower side of the cabinet;
a first door coupled to the cabinet to open or close the first opening;
a second door coupled to the cabinet to open or close the second opening;
a cold air supplier configured to supply cold air to the storage compartment, at least a portion of the cold air supplier being located within the housing; and
at least one guide duct located at a bottom side of the housing, the at least one guide duct extending in a front-to-re

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Oh Minkyu
• Kim Minseok
• Yeo Insun
• Lee Deukwon
• Lee Wonjin
• Choi Kyukwan
• Yun Yezo

Classifications

• F25B21/02 Primary

  using Peltier effect; using Nernst-Ettinghausen effect · CPC title

• F25D31/005

  Combined cooling and heating devices · CPC title

• A47G2029/147

  the receptacle comprising heating or cooling means · CPC title

• F25D2400/36

  Visual displays · CPC title

• F25D2323/02

  Details of doors or covers not otherwise covered · CPC title