Refrigerator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12385689-B2
Application number	US-202418583596-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 21, 2024
Priority date	Aug 29, 2016
Publication date	Aug 12, 2025
Grant date	Aug 12, 2025

Abstract

A refrigerator includes: a cabinet forming a storage space; a door for opening and closing the storage space and provided with a receiving space; a see-through portion extending through the door and communicating with the receiving space; a door light for illuminating a rear space of the door; a transparent panel assembly for shielding the see-through portion and becoming transparent or opaque so as to selectively visualize the see-through portion according to On/Off states of the door light; and a heat insulating member, formed along a perimeter of the transparent panel assembly, for insulating a perimeter portion of the transparent panel assembly.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A refrigerator comprising:
a cabinet that defines a storage compartment;
a door configured to open and close at least a portion of the storage compartment;
a hinge that rotatably connects the door to the cabinet, the hinge having (i) a first portion that has a plate shape and is coupled to the cabinet and (ii) a second portion comprising a hinge shaft that is coupled to the door;
a wire that is disposed above the hinge and extends from the cabinet toward the door; and
a hinge cover that is disposed above the hinge and covers at least a portion of the wire, the hinge cover defining a connection hole above the second portion of the hinge,
wherein the wire extends through a wire passage defined below the hinge cover and then extends to an outside of the hinge cover through the connection hole,
wherein the connection hole is defined above the hinge shaft and aligned with the hinge shaft,
wherein the hinge cover defines the connection hole at an end of the wire passage, and
wherein the wire passes through the connection hole and extends to an upper portion of the hinge cover.

2. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the second portion of the hinge is curved from the first portion of the hinge outward toward a side edge of the door.

3. The refrigerator of claim 2 , wherein the wire is curved along the second portion of the hinge and extends outward toward the side edge of the door.

4. The refrigerator of claim 2 , wherein the hinge cover comprises an extension part that is disposed above the door and extends toward the hinge shaft along the second portion of the hinge.

5. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the wire extends from the first portion of the hinge to the second portion of the hinge through the wire passage of the hinge cover.

6. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein a portion of the wire is disposed outside the hinge cover and extends laterally along a front surface of the door.

7. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the wire is disposed at an upper surface of the first portion of the hinge and extends to an upper surface of the cabinet.

8. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the door comprises a hinge mounting part that is disposed at an upper surface of the door and defines a hinge hole receiving the hinge shaft.

9. The refrigerator of claim 8 , wherein the hinge hole is one of a plurality of openings defined at the upper surface of the door.

10. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the connection hole has a circular shape.

11. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein an extension line of the hinge shaft passes through the connection hole.

12. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the wire extends along an upper surface of the hinge, and an end of the wire extends to an inside of the cabinet.

13. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the first portion of the hinge is fixed to an upper surface of the cabinet, and the second portion of the hinge is disposed above an upper surface of the door, and
wherein the hinge shaft extends through the upper surface of the door and rotatably connects the door to the cabinet.

14. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the wire is configured to move together with the door based on the door opening and closing the storage compartment.

15. A refrigerator comprising:
a cabinet that defines a storage compartment;
a door configured to open and close at least a portion of the storage compartment;
a hinge that rotatably connects the door to the cabinet, the hinge having (i) a first portion that has a plate shape and is coupled to the cabinet and (ii) a second portion comprising a hinge shaft that is coupled to the door;
a wire that is disposed above the hinge and extends from the cabinet toward the door; and
a hinge cover that is disposed above the hinge and covers at least a portion of the wire, the hinge cover defining a connection hole above the second portion of the hinge,
wherein the hinge that is disposed closer to a first side of the door than to a second side of the door opposite to the door,
wherein the wire extends in an upward direction through the connection hole of the hinge cover and then extends in a direction from the first side of the door toward the second side of the door,
wherein the connection hole is defined above the hinge shaft and aligned with the hinge shaft,
wherein the hinge cover defines the connection hole at an end of a wire passage defined below the hinge cover, and
wherein the wire passes through the connection hole and extends to an upper portion of the hinge cover.

16. The refrigerator of claim 15 , wherein the connection hole is defined at a position closer to the first side of the door than to the second side of the door opposite to the door.

17. The refrigerator of claim 15 , wherein the wire extends through the wire passage and then extends to an outside of the hinge cover through the connection hole.

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Park Kyutae
• Kim Minsub
• Oh Kyongsok
• Lee Sangmyung
• Lee Hangbok

Classifications

• E06B3/70

  Door leaves (wing frames E06B3/04) · CPC title

• F25D29/00

  Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices · CPC title

• F25D23/02

  Doors; Covers (F25D23/08 takes precedence {locks or fastenings E05B65/0042}) · CPC title

• F25D27/00

  Lighting arrangements (in general F21) · CPC title

• H04L12/28

  characterised by path configuration, e.g. LAN [Local Area Networks] or WAN [Wide Area Networks] (wireless communication networks H04W {; arrangements for dividing the transmission path H04W40/00}) · CPC title