Refrigerator door with replaceable door panel

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12339054-B2
Application number	US-202118012971-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 18, 2021
Priority date	Jun 30, 2020
Publication date	Jun 24, 2025
Grant date	Jun 24, 2025

Abstract

The present invention provides a refrigerator door with a replaceable door panel, comprising: a foam door body, and a door panel detachably connected with the foam door body; the foam door body comprises: a foam main body, and a hook-catching portion embedded from a front surface of the foam main body; the door panel comprises a door panel face and a hook disposed in engagement with the hook-catching portion; the hook-catching portion comprises a first groove formed by recessing from the front surface of the foam main body towards an interior of the foam main body, where a first sliding groove disposed inclinedly and a second sliding groove connected to the first sliding groove are formed in the first groove; the hook comprises: a first sliding rod and a second sliding rod that engage the first sliding groove and the second sliding groove, respectively.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A refrigerator door, comprising a foam door body, and a door panel detachably connected with the foam door body; wherein the foam door body comprises: a foam main body, and a hook-catching portion is inserted to a front surface of the foam main body; the door panel comprises a door panel face and a hook disposed on a rear surface of the door panel, the hook is disposed in engagement with the hook-catching portion;
wherein the hook-catching portion comprises a first groove by recessing into an interior of the foam main body relative to the front surface of the foam main body, and the first groove has a first surface disposed close to an upper end of the foam main body, a second surface connected to the first surface and disposed close to the foam main body, and a third surface and a fourth surface connected to the first surface and second surface, respectively;
the first surface is an inclined surface disposed inclined from down to up and towards outside the first groove;
the hook-catching portion further comprises a first inclined surface being configured to be spaced apart from the third surface and the fourth surface, and to protrudingly extend from the second surface to face the first surface, where the first surface and the first inclined surface are parallel to each other, a first sliding groove is formed between the first surface and the first inclined surface, and an entrance to the first sliding groove is formed between ends of the first surface and the first inclined surface to be exposed at the front surface of the foam main body; a second sliding groove is formed between the third surface and one sidewall beside the first inclined surface, and a third sliding groove is formed between the fourth surface and another sidewall beside the first inclined surface;
the hook comprises a first sliding rod disposed in parallel with the door panel, and two second sliding rods connecting the first sliding rod with the door panel;
the first sliding rod is disposed in the first sliding groove, and spaced apart from the entrance to the first sliding groove; the two second sliding rods are disposed in the second sliding groove and the third sliding groove, respectively.

2. The refrigerator door according to claim 1 , wherein the first surface and the second surface are connected by a circular arc surface.

3. The refrigerator door according to claim 2 , wherein a stopper is disposed extending from the second surface toward the first surface, and the stopper forms the first inclined surface; the stopper further comprises a second connecting surface facing the fourth surface, a third connecting surface disposed facing and parallel to the third surface, and a fourth connecting surface extending from the first inclined surface to the second surface.

4. The refrigerator door according to claim 3 , wherein the fourth connecting surface extends from an end of the second surface away from the first sliding groove towards the first inclined surface.

5. The refrigerator door according to claim 4 , wherein the fourth connecting surface comprises a first sub-connecting surface perpendicular to the second surface, and a second sub-connecting surface connecting the first sub-connecting surface with the first inclined surface, the second sub-connecting surface being an inclined surface disposed from down to up and inclined inward the first groove.

6. The refrigerator door according to claim 5 , wherein a transition between the first sub-connecting surface and the second sub-connecting surface is formed as a circular arc surface, and a transition between the second sub-connecting surface and the first inclined surface is formed as a circular arc surface.

7. The refrigerator door according to claim 3 , wherein the two second sliding rods being parallel to each other.

8. The refrigerator door according to claim 7 , wherein the two second sliding rods are perpendicular to a rear wall surface of the door panel.

9. The refrigerator door according to claim 7 , wherein the hook-catching portion is configured as a hook-catching sheet, a middle portion of the hook-catching sheet being recessed towards the interior of the foam door body to form the first groove;
a U-shaped boss is disposed on a wall surface of the hook-catching sheet facing towards the door panel and below the first groove, a U-shaped opening of the boss faces towards a top of the foam door body, and a U-shaped first positioning groove is formed on the wall surface of the hook-catching sheet facing towards the door panel;
the hook further comprises a fixing plate disposed on the rear surface of the door panel, a raised sheet protrudes in a middle of the fixing plate towards the foam door body, and the two second sliding rods are disposed on the raised sheet;
a second positioning groove is formed by inwardly recessing from a surface of the raised sheet facing towards the foam door body, at a position next to the first sliding rod, and the second positioning groove extending through a wall surface of the raised sheet facing towards the foam door body;
the refrigerator door further comprises a magnetic attraction sheet and an iron sheet which cooperate with each other in a magnetically-attractive manner;
the magnetic attraction sheet is disposed at a position on a wall surface of the hook-catching sheet facing the door panel, and corresponding to a position of the first positioning groove, and the iron sheet is disposed protrudingly from a bottom surface of the second positioning groove, and the iron sheet extends toward an opening of the second positioning groove with a protrusion height of the iron sheet not greater than a depth of the second positioning groove.

Assignees

• Chongqing Haier Refrigeration Electric Appliance Co Ltd
• Qingdao haier refrigerator co ltd
• Haier Smart Home Co Ltd

Inventors

• Li Xiaofeng
• Wang Wenchun
• Zhang Hao
• Ji Xuan
• Li Jiaming

Classifications

• A47B2096/209

  Magnetic decorative panels · CPC title

• A47B2096/208

  Decorative panels for household appliances · CPC title

• A47B96/20

  Furniture panels or like furniture elements · CPC title

• F25D23/028 Primary

  Details · CPC title

• F25D2201/12

  using an insulating packing material · CPC title