Refrigerator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11709012-B2
Application number	US-202217744330-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 13, 2022
Priority date	May 17, 2019
Publication date	Jul 25, 2023
Grant date	Jul 25, 2023

Abstract

A refrigerator with an enhanced door includes a main body including a storeroom, first and second doors pivotally coupled to the main body to open or close the storeroom and a pivot bar pivotally installed at the first door. The pivot bar is movable between a first position between the first and second doors and a second position pivoted toward the first door to prevent cold air leaks from the storeroom. A locking device separably locks the pivot bar to the first door when the pivot bar is in the second position.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A refrigerator comprising:
a main body including a storeroom;
first and second doors coupled to the main body to open or close the storeroom;
a pivot bar coupled to the first door, and movable between a first position between the first and second doors and a second position adjacent the first door, to reduce cold air leaks from the storeroom; and
a lock configured to lock the pivot bar in the second position when the pivot bar is in the second position, the lock comprising:
a first locking member coupled to at least one of the pivot bar and the first door and including a projection protruding from the first locking member, and
a second locking member coupled to at least the other of the pivot bar and the first door, the second locking member comprising a locking body rotationally coupled to at least one of the pivot bar and the first door and defining an exterior, and having a locking hole configured to receive the projection of the first locking member, and the locking hole being on a front of the locking body, and a locking body fixer being arranged on the back of the locking body which is rotationally coupled to the at least one of the pivot bar and the first door,

at least one of the pivot bar or the first door being provided with a first locking member installation part on which the first locking member is allowed to be installed,
at least another one of the pivot bar or the first door being provided with a second locking member installation part on which the second locking member is allowed to be installed,
at least a portion of the first locking member installation part being provided with a contact surface that is inclined to come in contact with the second locking member, and
the second locking member installation part including a rotation guide formed to be inclined to enable at least a portion of the second locking member to rotate.

2. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the projection further comprises a stuck portion protruding further outward than the projection to be locked with the locking hole.

3. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the contact surface is provided on one side of the first locking member.

4. The refrigerator of claim 3 , wherein the contact surface is disposed on an outer side of the projection.

5. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the contact plane is positioned at a first angle, and
wherein the second locking member is arranged to be rotated within the first angle such that at least a portion of the front of the locking body comes into contact with the contact plane.

6. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein
the second locking member installation part includes a second locking member through hole formed to allow at least a portion of the second locking member to be inserted thereinto, and
the second locking member through hole further includes a fixing rib provided to support the locking body fixer.

7. The refrigerator of claim 5 , wherein the rotation guide includes
a support plane configured to be spaced apart from a bottom surface of the locking body, and
a support rib protruding from the support plane toward the locking body to support a center of a rear surface of the locking body.

8. The refrigerator of claim 5 , wherein the support plane is formed at a first angle.

9. The refrigerator of claim 6 , wherein the locking body fixer protrudes toward a rear of the locking body, and includes a first fixer corresponding to the second locking body through hole and a second fixer extending from the first fixer while protruding outside.

10. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the second locking member comprises rubber or silicon.

11. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the locking hole further comprises a guide hole configured to guide coupling of the projection.

12. The refrigerator of claim 9 , wherein the guide hole extends from edges of the locking hole.

13. The refrigerator of claim 3 , wherein the locking hole of the second locking member comprises elastic pieces configured to face each other to be engaged in coupling with the stuck portion of the projection, and
wherein the elastic pieces have a first thickness t 1 , which is smaller than a thickness t of the locking body.

14. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the pivot bar is positioned in parallel with the first door in the first position, and is configured to be pivoted from the first position so that the first and second locking members are locked to each other in the second position.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Park Chanbin
• Gu Yang-Yeol
• Lee Jaejin
• Lee Jeonghyun

Classifications

• F25D23/028 Primary

  Details · CPC title

• E05B65/0042

  For refrigerators or cold rooms (E05B17/0075 takes precedence; magnetic E05C19/16) · CPC title

• F25D23/025

  Secondary closures · CPC title

• E05Y2800/71

  Secondary wings, e.g. pass doors · CPC title

• E05Y2900/31

  for refrigerators · CPC title