Refrigerator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9482463-B2
Application number	US-201414476220-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 3, 2014
Priority date	Nov 18, 2013
Publication date	Nov 1, 2016
Grant date	Nov 1, 2016

Abstract

A refrigerator may prevent an internal door from being opened together by an inertial force when an external door is opened, and may also prevent the external door from being opened together by an inertial force when the internal door is opened. The refrigerator includes a main body, a storage chamber provided in the main body so that a front surface thereof is opened, an internal door rotatably provided at a front surface of the main body so as to open and close the storage chamber and having an opening part in which a plurality of door guards are provided, an external door rotatably provided at a front surface of the internal door so as to open and close the opening part, and an internal door opening prevention device allowing or preventing opening of the internal door according to whether the external door is opened or closed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A refrigerator comprising:
a main body;
a storage chamber provided in the main body so that a front surface thereof is open;
an internal door rotatably provided at the front surface of the main body so as to open and close the storage chamber and having an opening part in which a plurality of door guards are provided;
an external door rotatably provided at a front surface of the internal door so as to open and close the opening part; and
an internal door opening prevention device to allow or prevent opening of the internal door according to whether the external door is opened or closed,
wherein the internal door opening prevention device comprises
a stopper coupled to a lower portion of the main body;
a locking part rotatably coupled to a lower portion of the internal door and rotated according to whether the external door is opened or closed so as to be locked and unlocked with the stopper;
a spring configured to elastically support the locking part;
a cover configured to cover the locking part so as to prevent the locking part from being exposed to an outside and having a rotational protrusion to which the locking part is rotatably coupled; and
a protruding part coupled to a lower portion of the external door, the protruding part being configured to be in contact with the locking part and thus to rotate the locking part to be unlocked from the stopper when the external door is in a closed position,
wherein when the external door is in an open position, the protruding part is configured to not be in contact with the locking part whereby the locking part is elastically rotated by the spring to be locked to the stopper.

2. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the locking part is rotatably coupled to the lower portion of the internal door by the rotational protrusion, and comprises:
a rotational hole into which the rotational protrusion is inserted;
a contact portion which is in contact with the protruding part;
a locking hook which is rotated according to whether the external door is opened or closed and locked and unlocked with the stopper; and
a spring coupling portion to which the spring is coupled.

3. The refrigerator according to claim 2 , wherein the stopper comprises a hook which has a shape corresponding to the locking hook so that the locking hook is locked and unlocked according to the rotation of the locking hook.

4. The refrigerator according to claim 3 , wherein parts of front and rear surfaces of the cover are opened so that the locking part is rotated forward and backward around the rotational protrusion, and the cover comprises a spring supporting portion supporting one end of the spring, an other end of the spring being coupled to the spring coupling portion.

5. The refrigerator according to claim 4 , wherein, when the external door is closed, the protruding part is in contact with the contact part so that the locking part is rotated around the rotational protrusion in a counterclockwise direction, and when the locking part is rotated around the rotational protrusion in the counterclockwise direction, the locking hook is unlocked with the stopper and the internal door is allowed to be opened.

6. The refrigerator according to claim 5 , wherein, when the external door is opened, the protruding part is released from contact with the contact part, and the locking part is rotated around the rotational protrusion by the spring in a clockwise direction, and when the locking part is rotated around the rotational protrusion in the clockwise direction, the locking hook is locked with the stopper and the internal door is prevented from being opened.

7. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the internal door opening prevention device is configured to allow the internal door to be opened with respect to the main body when the external door is closed with respect to the internal door, and to prevent the internal door from being opened with respect to the main body when the external door is opened with respect to the internal door.

8. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the stopper and the cover are respectively coupled to the lower portion of the main body and the lower portion of the internal door by fastening members.

9. A refrigerator comprising:
a main body having a storage chamber;
an internal door rotatably provided at a front surface of the main body so as to open and close the storage chamber and having an opening part in which a plurality of door guards are provided;
an external door rotatably provided at a front surface of the internal door so as to open and close the opening part; and
an internal door opening prevention device to allow or prevent opening of the internal door according to whether the external door is opened or closed,
wherein the internal door opening prevention device comprises
a stopper coupled to a lower portion of the main body;
a locking part rotatably coupled to a lower portion of the internal door and rotated according to whether the external door is opened or closed so as to be locked and unlocked with the stopper;
a spring coupled to the locking part; and
a protruding part coupled to a lower portion of the external door, the protruding part being configured to be in contact with the locking part and thus to rotate the locking part to be unlocked from the stopper when the external door is in a closed position, wherein when the external door is in an open position, the protruding part is configured to not be in contact with the locking part whereby the locking part is elastically rotated by the spring to be locked to the stopper.

10. The refrigerator according to claim 9 , wherein the internal door opening prevention device further comprises a cover having a rotational protrusion to which the locking part is rotatably coupled.

11. The refrigerator according to claim 10 , wherein the locking part is rotatably coupled to the lower portion of the internal door by the rotational protrusion, and comprises:
a rotational hole into which the rotational protrusion is inserted;
a contact portion which is in contact with the protruding part;
a locking hook which is rotated according to whether the external door is opened or closed and locked and unlocked with the stopper; and
a spring coupling portion to which the spring is coupled.

12. The refrigerator according to claim 11 , wherein the stopper comprises a hook which has a shape corresponding to the locking hook so that the locking hook is locked and unlocked.

13. The refrigerator according to claim 12 , wherein parts of front and rear surfaces of the cover are opened so that the locking part is rotated forward and backward around the rotational protrusion, and the cover comprises a spring supporting portion supporting one end of the spring, the other end of which is coupled to the spring coupling portion.

14. The refrigerator according to claim 13 , wherein the stopper and the cover are respectively coupled to the lower portion of the main body and the lower portion of the internal door by fastening members.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Choi Sung Pil
• Shin Dong In
• Noh Hyo Seok
• Moon Young Kyu
• Sun Mu Yeol

Classifications

• E05B65/0042

  For refrigerators or cold rooms (E05B17/0075 takes precedence; magnetic E05C19/16) · CPC title

• E05Y2900/31

  for refrigerators · CPC title

• E05D7/081

  the pivot axis of the wing being situated near one edge of the wing, especially at the top and bottom, e.g. trunnions · CPC title

• Y10T292/1043

  Swinging · CPC title

• E05D11/10

  Devices for preventing movement between relatively-movable hinge parts · CPC title