Refrigerator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12241674-B2
Application number	US-202318238354-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 25, 2023
Priority date	Jun 17, 2020
Publication date	Mar 4, 2025
Grant date	Mar 4, 2025

Abstract

A refrigerator includes a cabinet and a door. The door includes a door liner, a front plate, a first cap decor coupled to the door liner and the front plate, a second cap decor coupled to the door liner and the front plate at a position facing the first cap decor, an insulator filled into a space defined by coupling of the door liner, the front plate, and the cap decors, and a panel assembly disposed detachably in front of the front plate. The panel assembly includes a panel defining an outer appearance of a front surface of the door, a first bracket protruding from a rear surface of the panel and inserted into the first cap decor, and a second bracket provided on the rear surface of the panel and supported by the second cap decor.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A refrigerator comprising:
a cabinet that defines a storage space; and
a door configured to open and close at least a portion of the storage space, the door comprising:
a door liner that defines a rear surface of the door,
a front plate disposed forward relative to the door liner,
an upper cap decor configured to be coupled to the door liner and an upper end of the front plate,
a lower cap decor configured to be coupled to the door liner and a lower end of the front plate,
an insulator provided in a space defined by the door liner, the front plate, the upper cap decor, and the lower cap decor,
a panel that defines an outer appearance of a front surface of the door, the panel being made from a metal material and comprising a lower bent portion at a lower end of the panel that is bent away from the front surface of the door, and
a lower plastic portion provided at the lower end of the panel at a rear surface of the panel, the lower plastic portion including a downward protrusion that is configured to be disposed at the lower bent portion between the rear surface of the panel and a rearmost portion of the lower bent portion,

wherein the lower cap decor includes an upward protrusion that protrudes upward and is configured to be inserted into and restricted by the lower bent portion or the lower plastic portion or both,
wherein the lower bent portion of the panel defines one or more through-holes that are configured to receive the upward protrusion of the lower cap decor to thereby couple the lower end of the panel to the lower cap decor,
wherein the lower plastic portion defines therein one or more insert portions that are configured to overlap with the upward protrusion of the lower cap decor to thereby couple the lower end of the panel to the lower cap decor, the one or more insert portions being recesses that are opened downward, and
wherein a length of the one or more insert portions in a front-to-rear direction is greater than a length of the one or more through-holes in the front-to-rear direction, and the length of the one or more through-holes in the front-to-rear direction is greater than a length of the upward protrusion in the front-to-rear direction.

2. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the panel is configured to, based on the lower end of the panel being coupled to the lower cap decor by the upward protrusion, be rotated toward the front plate to thereby bring an upper end of the panel into contact with the upper cap decor, and wherein the door further includes a fastening member that is inserted through the upper cap decor from an upper side of the upper cap decor to thereby couple the upper end of the panel to the upper cap decor.

3. The refrigerator of claim 2 , wherein the panel comprises an upper bent portion at the upper end of the panel that is bent rearward, the upper bent portion being configured to become fixed to the upper cap decor based on the fastening member being inserted through the upper cap decor.

4. The refrigerator of claim 3 , wherein an upper support bracket is provided at the upper end of the panel at the rear surface of the panel, the upper support bracket being configured to receive the fastening member.

5. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the lower plastic portion is attached to the rear surface of the panel.

6. The refrigerator of claim 5 , wherein the lower plastic portion is attached to the rear surface of the panel via an adhesive.

7. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the upward protrusion of the lower cap decor is configured to be inserted into the one or more through-holes of the lower bent portion to thereby become restricted by the lower bent portion and the lower plastic portion.

8. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the panel comprises:
a pair of side bent portions that are bent rearward from sides of the panel; and
a plurality of magnets coupled to the rear surface of the panel, at least one of the plurality of magnets being provided adjacent to each of the side bent portions.

9. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the lower plastic portion is coupled to the lower bent portion at the lower end of the panel.

10. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the lower cap decor includes a handle that is recessed upward from a bottom surface of the lower cap decor.

11. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the length of the one or more insert portions in the front-to-rear direction is greater than twice the length of the upward protrusion in the front-to-rear direction.

12. A refrigerator comprising:
a cabinet that defines a storage space; and
a door configured to open and close at least a portion of the storage space, the door comprising:
a door body,
a door panel that is configured to be removably coupled to the door body to thereby define an outer appearance of a front surface of the refrigerator, and
upper and lower coupling members that are configured to couple the door panel to the door body,

wherein the door panel is made from a metal material and includes (i) an upper bent portion at an upper end of the door panel and (ii) a lower bent portion at a lower end of the door panel, the upper and lower bent portions being bent rearward,
wherein a lower bracket is provided at the lower end of the door panel at a rear surface of the door panel, at least a portion of the lower bracket being disposed at the lower bent portion between the rear surface of the door panel and a rearmost portion of the lower bent portion,
wherein the lower coupling member includes an upward protrusion that protrudes upward and is configured to be sequentially inserted into the lower bent portion and then into the lower bracket to thereby couple the lower end of the door panel to the lower end of the door body,
wherein the lower bracket defines therein one or more insert portions that are configured to receive the upward protrusion of the lower coupling member to thereby couple the lower end of the door panel to the lower end of the door body, the one or more insert portions being recesses that are opened downward, and
wherein a length of the one or more insert portions in a front-to-rear direction is greater than a length of the upward protrusion in the front-to-rear direction.

13. The refrigerator of claim 12 , wherein the door panel is configured to, based on the lower end of the door panel being coupled to the lower end of the door body via the lower coupling member, be subsequently rotated toward the door body to thereby couple the upper end of the door panel to an upper end of the door body via the upper coupling member, the door further including a fastening member that is configured to be sequentially inserted through the upper coupling member to thereby affix the upper end of the door panel.

14. The refrigerator of claim 13 , wherein an upper bracket is provided at the upper end of the door panel at the rear surface of the door panel, the upper bracket being configured to receive the fastening member.

15. The refrigerator of claim 12 , further comprising an insulator provided in a space defined by the door body, the door panel, the upper coupling member, and the lower coupling member.

16. The refrigerator of claim 12 , wherein the upper and lower coupling members define upper and lower surfaces of the door, respectively.

17. The refrigerator of claim 12 , wherein the lower bent portion of the door panel defines one or more through-holes that are configured to receive the upward protrusion of the lower coupling member to thereby affix the lower end of the door panel.

18. Th

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Moon Jiwook
• Jung Sangho
• Kang Daekil
• Park Gyunghyun

Classifications

• A47B96/20

  Furniture panels or like furniture elements · CPC title

• F25D23/028

  Details · CPC title

• F25D23/10

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

• F25D23/063

  formed by an assembly of panels · CPC title

• A47B2096/208

  Decorative panels for household appliances · CPC title