Refrigerator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12326290-B2
Application number	US-202217592166-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 3, 2022
Priority date	Aug 31, 2015
Publication date	Jun 10, 2025
Grant date	Jun 10, 2025

Abstract

A refrigerator includes: a cabinet in which a refrigerating compartment is provided; a first door connected to the cabinet to open and close the refrigerating compartment and having an opening; a housing provided in the first door and accessible through the opening therein; an ice making room provided in the housing; a storage room that is provided below the ice making room and maintained at a temperature different from that of the refrigerating compartment; a guide duct provided below the ice making room to guide discharge of ice; a second door connected to the first door; a dispenser disposed on a front surface of the second door; and a discharge duct provided in the second door, wherein, when the second door is closed, the guide duct communicates with the discharge duct, and ice made in the ice making room is discharged to the dispenser.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A refrigerator, comprising:
a cabinet that defines a storage compartment;
a first door configured to open and close at least a portion of the storage compartment;
a second door disposed forward relative to the first door and coupled to the first door, the second door having a rear surface that is configured to be in contact with a front surface of the first door based on the second door being closed;
a control panel disposed at the second door;
a first door hinge that connects the first door to the cabinet;
a second door hinge that is laterally spaced apart from the first door hinge and connects the second door to the first door; and
a first cable and a second cable that extend from the cabinet and that are inserted into the first door hinge,
wherein the second cable passes through the first door and is inserted into the second door hinge,
wherein the first door hinge includes a first door upper hinge that connects an upper end of the first door to an upper surface of the cabinet,
wherein the first door upper hinge includes:
a first door upper hinge bracket having a first end fixed to the upper surface of the cabinet and a second end fixed to an upper surface of the first door, and
a first door upper hinge shaft that extends from the second end of the first door upper hinge bracket and that is inserted into the first door,

wherein the first cable and the second cable are inserted into the first door upper hinge shaft,
wherein the second door hinge includes a second door upper hinge that connects an upper end of the second door to the upper end of the first door,
wherein the second door upper hinge includes:
a second door upper hinge bracket having a first end fixed to the upper surface of the first door and a second end fixed to an upper surface of the second door, and
a second door upper hinge shaft that extends from the second end of the second door upper hinge bracket and that is inserted into the second door,

wherein the second cable is inserted into the second door upper hinge shaft, and
wherein the second cable extends to the control panel after passing through the second door upper hinge shaft.

2. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the first door hinge further includes
a first door lower hinge that connects a lower end of the first door to the cabinet.

3. The refrigerator of claim 2 , wherein the second door hinge further includes
a second door lower hinge that connects a lower end of the second door to the first door.

4. The refrigerator of claim 3 , wherein a diameter of the first door upper hinge shaft is greater than a dimeter of the second door upper hinge shaft.

5. The refrigerator of claim 4 , wherein the first door defines:
a first recess that is recessed downward from the upper surface of the first door and that receives a portion of the first door upper hinge bracket and a portion of the second door upper hinge bracket; and
a cable through hole that is defined in a point of the first recess to receive the second cable.

6. The refrigerator of claim 5 , wherein the cable through hole is defined adjacent to the second door upper hinge bracket.

7. The refrigerator of claim 5 , wherein a second recess that is recessed downward from the upper surface of the second door and that receives another portion of the second door upper hinge bracket.

8. The refrigerator of claim 5 , further comprising:
a main water supply tube that extends from the cabinet to an inside of the first door by passing through the first door upper hinge shaft;
a dispenser configured to discharge water or ice, or both; and
a dispenser water supply tube that is branched from the main water supply tube and extends to a water faucet disposed on a top surface of the dispenser.

9. The refrigerator of claim 8 , further comprising:
an ice maker accommodated in the first door; and
an ice maker water supply tube that is branched from the main water supply tube and extends along a side edge of the first door towards the ice maker.

10. The refrigerator of claim 9 , further comprising:
a water tank connected to an end of the main water supply tube; and
a switching valve mounted to an outlet of the water tank,
wherein the dispenser water supply tube and the ice maker water supply tube extend from the switching valve.

11. The refrigerator of claim 10 , wherein the first door includes:
an ice making room that receives the ice maker;
an additional room to accommodate at least a portion of the dispenser; and
a partition wall partitioning the ice making room and the additional room.

12. The refrigerator of claim 11 , wherein the additional room is disposed below the ice making room and configured to maintain a temperature to be different from a temperature of the ice making room or the storage compartment.

13. The refrigerator of claim 11 , wherein the dispenser water supply tube passes through a lower end of the front surface of the first door and extends along a side edge of the second door by passing through the second door lower hinge.

14. The refrigerator of claim 13 , wherein the second door lower hinge includes:
a second door lower hinge bracket having a first end fixed to the first door; and
a second door lower hinge shaft that extends from a second end of the second door lower hinge bracket and that is inserted in the second door by passing through a lower surface of the second door, and
wherein the dispenser water supply tube is configured to be inserted into the second door lower hinge shaft to extend along the side edge of the second door.

15. A refrigerator, comprising:
a cabinet that defines a storage compartment;
a first door configured to open and close at least a portion of the storage compartment, the first door being configured to rotate about a first rotational axis;
a second door configured to rotate about a second rotational axis that is parallel to the first rotational axis and laterally spaced apart from the first rotational axis;
a first door upper hinge that connects an upper end of the first door to the cabinet, the first door upper hinge comprising (i) a first door upper hinge shaft through which the first rotational axis passes and (ii) a first door upper hinge bracket fixed to an upper end of the cabinet;
a second door upper hinge that connects an upper end of the second door to the upper end of the first door, the second door upper hinge comprising (i) a second door upper hinge shaft through which the second rotational axis passes and (ii) a second door upper hinge bracket fixed to the upper end of the first door;
a first cable and a second cable that extend from the cabinet;
a main water supply tube that extends from the cabinet to an inside of the first door through the first door upper hinge shaft;
a dispenser configured to discharge water or ice, or both; and
a dispenser water supply tube that is branched from the main water supply tube and extends to a water faucet disposed at a top surface of the dispenser,
wherein the first cable and the second cable are inserted into the first door upper hinge shaft and received inside the first door, and
wherein the second cable extends out of the first door through the upper end of the first door, is inserted into the second door upper hinge shaft, and is received inside the second door.

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Lee Donghoon
• Lee Donghoon
• Lee Wookyong
• Cho Seungyoon
• Lee Heejun
• Yeom Seungseob

Classifications

• F25D23/04

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

• F25D23/028 Primary

  Details · CPC title

• F25D23/025 Primary

  Secondary closures · CPC title

• F25C2400/14

  Water supply · CPC title

• F25C5/182

  Ice bins therefor · CPC title