Refrigerator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12163726-B2
Application number	US-202217870149-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 21, 2022
Priority date	Sep 24, 2021
Publication date	Dec 10, 2024
Grant date	Dec 10, 2024

Abstract

A refrigerator including: a main body; a storage room inside the main body; a door opening and closing the storage room; and a food dispenser installed on the door and configured to withdraw food to outside. The food dispenser includes: a food withdrawal portion, and a food storage portion being detachable from the food withdrawal portion and provided above the food withdrawal portion, and the food storage portion includes an opening and closing device including: a resting body forming an outlet through which food stored in the food storage portion moves, the resting body rested on the food withdrawal portion; a push member coupled with the resting body and being movable in a front-rear direction; a shutter moving in an opposite direction of a moving direction of the push member by interworking with the push member to open and close the outlet; and a locker to lock the shutter.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A refrigerator comprising:
a storage room;
a door to open and close the storage room; and
a food dispenser attachable to and detachable from an interior side of the door,
wherein the food dispenser includes,
a food storage portion having a food storage case to store an item, and an opening and closing assembly coupleable to a lower portion of the food storage case to control discharge of the item stored in the food storage case, and
a food withdrawal portion, arrangeable below the food storage portion, such that while the food withdrawal portion is arranged below the food storage portion, the item discharged from the food storage portion is accommodated in the food withdrawal portion,
wherein the opening and closing assembly includes,
a resting body having an outlet through which the item stored in the food dispenser is discharged, the resting body being attachable to and detachable from an upper surface of the food withdrawal portion,
a push member coupleable to the resting body in such a way as to be movable along a front-rear direction of the food dispenser while being coupled to the resting body, and
a shutter movable along the front-rear direction of the food dispenser which is opposite to a moving direction of the push member by interworking with the push member whereby the shutter moves along a first direction of the front-rear direction to open the outlet of the resting body and discharge the item, and the shutter moves along a second direction of the front-rear direction to close the outlet of the resting body and maintain the item in the food storage portion.

2. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the push member is movable between a first position of closing the outlet and a second position of opening the outlet.

3. The refrigerator of claim 2 , wherein the push member includes:
a button positioned in front of the resting body; and
a first rack gear formed to extend from the button to the resting body, and positioned at both sides of the outlet.

4. The refrigerator of claim 3 , wherein the shutter includes a second rack gear being movable along the opposite direction of the moving direction of the push member between the first position of closing the outlet and the second position of opening the outlet by interworking with the push member.

5. The refrigerator of claim 4 , wherein the opening and closing assembly further comprises a transfer gear moving the second rack gear along an opposite direction of a moving direction of the first rack gear, while changing a gear ratio of the first rack gear and the second rack gear.

6. The refrigerator of claim 3 , wherein the opening and closing assembly further comprises a pair of springs of which a first end is fixed to the resting body and a second end is coupled with the first rack gear, wherein the pair of springs elastically bias the push member to move the push member to the first position.

7. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the shutter further includes a shutter protrusion preventing the item from being lumped together.

8. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the food storage case further comprises:
a cover opening and closing the food storage case; and
a coupling member coupling the food storage case with the resting body.

9. A refrigerator comprising:
a storage room;
a door to open and close the storage room; and
a food dispenser attachable to and detachable from an interior side of the door,
wherein the food dispenser includes,
a food storage portion having a food storage case to store an item, and an opening and closing assembly coupleable to a lower portion of the food storage case to control discharge of the item stored in the food storage case, and
a food withdrawal portion, arrangeable below the food storage portion, such that while the food withdrawal portion is arranged below the food storage portion, the item discharged from the food storage portion is accommodated in the food withdrawal portion,

wherein the opening and closing assembly includes,
a resting body having an outlet through which the item stored in the food dispenser is discharged, the resting body being attachable to and detachable from an upper surface of the food withdrawal portion,
a push member coupleable to the resting body in such a way as to be movable along a front-rear direction of the food dispenser while being coupled to the resting body,
a shutter movable along an opposite direction of a moving direction of the push member by interworking with the push member, and opening and closing the outlet, and
a locker to limit movement of the shutter.

10. The refrigerator of claim 9 , wherein the shutter further includes a catching protrusion, and
the locker includes a locker body, and a catching member formed to protrude from the locker body and prevent the catching protrusion from moving.

11. The refrigerator of claim 9 , wherein the opening and closing assembly further comprises a locker guide coupled with the food withdrawal portion and guiding an up-down movement of the locker.

12. The refrigerator of claim 11 , wherein the food withdrawal portion comprises a housing on which the resting body is rested, and a food withdrawal container being withdrawable from the housing to an outside of the housing, and
the housing is hook-coupled with the resting body.

13. The refrigerator of claim 12 , wherein the housing comprises an upper surface, a side wall recessed downward from the upper surface and guiding the resting body, and a guide surface extending from the side wall, and
the resting body comprises a lower surface corresponding to the upper surface and coupled with the upper surface, and a resting surface recessed downward from the lower surface and rested on the guide surface.

14. The refrigerator of claim 13 , wherein the resting body includes an insertion protrusion protruding downward from the lower surface toward a rear direction, and a coupling protrusion located at a more front position than the insertion protrusion, and
the housing comprises an insertion groove in which the insertion protrusion is inserted, and a fixing protrusion hook-coupled with the coupling protrusion.

15. The refrigerator of claim 9 , wherein the locker unlocks the shutter upon coupling of the resting body with the food withdrawal portion.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Park Hyunnam
• Kim Hyunbum
• Hwang Jisick
• An Taesu

Classifications

• F25D2331/806

  Dispensers · CPC title

• F25D23/04 Primary

  with special compartments, e.g. butter conditioners · CPC title

• F25D2323/02

  Details of doors or covers not otherwise covered · CPC title

• F25D23/028

  Details · CPC title

• F25D23/062 Primary

  defining a cabinet · CPC title