Refrigerator and method of manufacturing inner cabinet of refrigerator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9506686-B2
Application number	US-201514688912-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 16, 2015
Priority date	Apr 17, 2014
Publication date	Nov 29, 2016
Grant date	Nov 29, 2016

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a refrigerator in which a level difference between an inner cabinet and an outer cabinet is improved in coupling the inner cabinet with the outer cabinet by forming a corner of the inner cabinet located at a portion coupled with the outer cabinet to have a smaller radius. The refrigerator includes an inner cabinet in which a storage chamber is formed. The refrigerator also includes an outer cabinet coupled with an outside of the inner cabinet and configured to form an exterior. The refrigerator further includes an insulating material filling between the inner cabinet and the outer cabinet. The inner cabinet includes a storage portion configured to form the storage chamber. The inner cabinet also includes an edge portion configured to extend in a vertical direction toward the outside of the storage portion from a front surface edge of the storage portion and exposed to the outside. The inner cabinet further includes a contact portion configured to extend in a vertical direction toward a rear direction from the edge portion and in contact with the outer cabinet when coupling with the outer cabinet. The inner cabinet includes a seating portion disposed in a rear direction of a front surface portion of the outer cabinet in contact with the contact portion and in parallel with the edge portion. The contact portion extends in a rear direction more than an end of the seating portion adjacent to the contact portion from the edge portion.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A refrigerator, comprising:
an inner cabinet in which a storage chamber is formed;
an outer cabinet coupled with an outside of the inner cabinet and configured to form an exterior; and
an insulating material filling between the inner cabinet and the outer cabinet,
wherein the inner cabinet comprises:
a storage portion configured to form the storage chamber;
an edge portion configured to extend in a vertical direction toward the outside of the storage portion from a front surface edge of the storage portion and exposed to the outside;
a contact portion configured to extend straight in a vertical direction toward a rear direction from the edge portion and in contact with the outer cabinet when coupling with the outer cabinet; and
a seating portion disposed in a rear direction of a front surface portion of the outer cabinet in contact with the contact portion and in parallel with the edge portion,

wherein the contact portion extends in a rear direction more than an end of the seating portion adjacent to the contact portion from the edge portion.

2. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the contact portion and the seating portion are connected by a first extending portion extending in a vertical direction toward a rear direction from the end of the seating portion, a second extending portion extending from the first extending portion to connect the first extending portion, and an end of the contact portion.

3. The refrigerator of claim 2 , wherein a connection groove in a rectangular shape formed by the first extending portion, the second extending portion, and the contact portion is disposed between the contact portion and the seating portion.

4. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the inner cabinet is manufactured by vacuum-forming a resin-based sheet having a thickness of 3.5 mm to 5.0 mm, and a portion adjacent to a corner formed by the edge portion and the contact portion is forcibly elongated to extend in a rear direction more than an end of the seating portion to have a thickness of 1.5 mm or less.

5. The refrigerator of claim 4 , wherein the corner formed by the edge portion and the contact portion is formed to have a radius of 1.5 mm or less.

6. The refrigerator of claim 5 , wherein the corner formed by the edge portion and the contact portion is formed to be vertical.

7. The refrigerator of claim 6 , wherein a radius of the corner formed by the edge portion and the contact portion is equal to or smaller than a radius of a corner of the front surface portion of the outer cabinet.

8. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the inner cabinet is formed by heating and softening a resin-based sheet.

9. The refrigerator of claim 8 , wherein the inner cabinet is formed by contacting the softened resin-based sheet and an inner cabinet forming mold.

10. The refrigerator of claim 9 , wherein the inner cabinet is formed by exhausting an air between the softened resin-based sheet and the inner cabinet forming mold to the outside of the inner cabinet forming mold so that the softened resin-based sheet is vacuum-adsorbed to the inner cabinet forming mold.

11. The refrigerator of claim 10 , wherein the inner cabinet is formed by cooling the softened resin-based sheet formed corresponding to a shape of the inner cabinet forming mold, and extracting the softened resin-based sheet from the inner cabinet forming mold.

12. The refrigerator of claim 11 , wherein a periphery of at least one corner of the inner cabinet is forcibly elongated to have a smaller thickness when the softened resin-based sheet is vacuum-adsorbed to the inner cabinet forming mold so that at least one radius of the corners of the inner cabinet is formed to be smaller.

13. An inner cabinet for use in a refrigerator, the inner cabinet comprising a storage chamber, the inner cabinet comprising:
a storage portion configured to form the storage chamber;
an edge portion configured to extend in a vertical direction toward the outside of the storage portion from a front surface edge of the storage portion and exposed to an outside of the inner cabinet;
a contact portion configured to extend straight in a vertical direction toward a rear direction from the edge portion and in contact with an outer cabinet when coupling with the outer cabinet; and
a seating portion configured to be disposed in a rear direction of a front surface portion of the outer cabinet when in contact with the contact portion and in parallel with the edge portion, and
wherein the contact portion extends in a rear direction more than an end of the seating portion adjacent to the contact portion from the edge portion.

14. The inner cabinet of claim 13 , wherein the contact portion and the seating portion are connected by a first extending portion extending in a vertical direction toward a rear direction from the end of the seating portion, a second extending portion extending from the first extending portion to connect the first extending portion, and an end of the contact portion.

15. The inner cabinet of claim 14 , wherein a connection groove in a rectangular shape formed by the first extending portion, the second extending portion, and the contact portion is disposed between the contact portion and the seating portion.

16. The inner cabinet of claim 13 , wherein the inner cabinet is manufactured by vacuum-forming a resin-based sheet having a thickness of 3.5 mm to 5.0 mm, and a portion adjacent to a corner formed by the edge portion and the contact portion is forcibly elongated to extend in a rear direction more than an end of the seating portion to have a thickness of 1.5 mm or less.

17. The inner cabinet of claim 16 , wherein the corner formed by the edge portion and the contact portion is formed to have a radius of 1.5 mm or less.

18. The inner cabinet of claim 17 , wherein the corner formed by the edge portion and the contact portion is formed to be vertical.

19. The inner cabinet of claim 18 , wherein a radius of the corner formed by the edge portion and the contact portion is equal to or smaller than a radius of a corner of the front surface portion of the outer cabinet.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Ko Jae Hong
• Yoon Seung Ho
• Kim Suk Hwan
• Ban Soo Hyung

Classifications

• F25D2201/10

  with respect to heat · CPC title

• F25D23/065 Primary

  Details · CPC title

• B29K2105/255

  Blocks or tablets · CPC title

• B29C51/10

  Forming by pressure difference, e.g. vacuum · CPC title

• F25D23/064

  formed by moulding, e.g. moulding in situ · CPC title