Refrigerator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9534828-B2
Application number	US-201414161087-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 22, 2014
Priority date	Jan 21, 2013
Publication date	Jan 3, 2017
Grant date	Jan 3, 2017

Abstract

A refrigerator preventing a door thereof from drooping downward and allow the door to be automatically closed. The refrigerator includes a body, a storage compartment provided in the body, a front thereof being open, a door rotatably coupled to the body to open and close the storage compartment, a support unit coupled to a center of a lower portion of the body, the support unit including at least one rotating member arranged to protrude from a front of the body to correspond to a position of the lower portion of the door, and at least one droop prevention unit coupled to the lower portion of the door at a position corresponding to the rotating member, and supported by the rotating member to prevent the door from drooping downward, the droop prevention unit cooperating with the rotating member to support the door in an upward direction when the door is closed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A refrigerator comprising:
a body;
a storage compartment provided in the body, a front portion thereof being open;
at least one door rotatably coupled to the body to open and close the storage compartment;
a support unit coupled to a center portion of a lower portion of the body, the support unit including at least one rotating member arranged to protrude from a front portion of the body to correspond to a position of a lower portion of the at least one door; and
at least one droop prevention unit coupled to the lower portion of the at least one door at a position corresponding to the at least one rotating member, and supported by the at least one rotating member to prevent the at least one door from drooping downward, the at least one door droop prevention unit cooperating with the at least one rotating member to support the at least one door in an upward direction when the at least one door is closed,
wherein the at least one droop prevention unit arranged to transfer force produced by the at least one droop prevention unit, which cooperates with the at least one rotating member, to the at least one door in the moving direction of the at least one door when the at least one door is opened and closed,
wherein the at least one droop prevention unit comprises:
a housing provided at the lower portion of the at least one door; and
a support rotatably coupled to the housing, and configured not to be moved before contacting the at least one rotating member, and when contacting the at least one rotating member, slide from an upper portion of the at least one rotating member in a closing direction of the at least one door and rotate in cooperation with the at least one rotating member.

2. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one door comprises a refrigeration compartment door and a freezer compartment door,
wherein the at least one droop prevention unit is coupled to lower portions of the refrigeration compartment door and the freezer compartment door at positions corresponding to the at least one rotating member.

3. The refrigerator according to claim 2 , wherein a number of the at least one rotating members corresponds to a number of the at least one droop prevention unit.

4. The refrigerator according to claim 3 , wherein the support unit comprises a frame coupled to the body, the at least one rotating member rotatably coupled to the frame, and a cover to cover an upper portion of the frame.

5. The refrigerator according to claim 4 , wherein the frame comprises a first frame member coupled to the lower portion of the body, and a second frame member extending forward from the first frame member to be exposed outside of the front portion of the body,
wherein the at least one rotating member is arranged at the second frame member.

6. The refrigerator according to claim 5 , wherein the second frame member is provided with a coupling portion to which the at least one rotating member is coupled,
wherein the at least one rotating member and the coupling portion are provided with a first rotation hole at positions corresponding to each other such that the at least one rotating member is coupled, via a first rotation shaft inserted in the first rotation hole, to the coupling portion to be rotatable about the first rotation shaft.

7. The refrigerator according to claim 6 , wherein the cover is arranged to cover an upper portion of the second frame member and is provided with an opening allowing an upper portion of the at least one rotating member to be exposed outside of the cover.

8. The refrigerator according to claim 3 , wherein each of the lower portions of the refrigeration compartment door and the freezer compartment door is provided with a coupling groove allowing a part of the at least one droop prevention unit to be accommodated therein and coupled.

9. The refrigerator according to claim 8 , wherein a part of the housing being accommodated in and coupled to the coupling groove.

10. The refrigerator according to claim 9 , wherein the housing and the support are provided with a second rotation hole at positions corresponding to each other such that the support is coupled, by a second rotation shaft inserted in the second rotation hole, to the housing to be rotatable about the second rotation shaft.

11. The refrigerator according to claim 10 , wherein an elastic member is installed at the second rotation shaft to allow the support maintained in a fixed state to slide on the at least one rotating member in a closing direction of the at least one door and rotate along with the at least one rotating member when the support contacts the at least one rotating member.

12. The refrigerator according to claim 11 , wherein force of the support sliding into the closing direction of the at least one door is transferred to the at least one door when the at least one door is closed and force of the support sliding into an opening direction of the at least one door is transferred to the at least one door when the a least one door is opened.

13. The refrigerator according to claim 12 , wherein a lower portion of the housing is shaped to be open to allow the support to contact the at least one rotating member.

14. The refrigerator according to claim 13 , wherein the support comprises a first support provided at a front portion of the second rotation hole into which the second rotation shaft is inserted to contact the at least one rotating member when the at least one door is closed, and a second support provided at a rear portion of the second rotation hole to contact the at least one rotating member and support the at least one door together with the first support when the support rotates along with the at least one rotating member.

15. A refrigerator comprising:
a body;
a storage compartment provided in the body, a front portion thereof being open;
at least one door rotatably coupled to the body to open and close the storage compartment, the at least one door comprising a refrigeration compartment door and a freezer compartment door;
a support unit coupled to a lower portion of the body to protrude from a front portion of the body to support the at least one door; and
at least one droop prevention unit coupled to each of lower portions of the refrigeration compartment door and the freezer compartment door to be supported by the support unit to prevent the freezer compartment door and the refrigeration compartment door from drooping downward,
wherein the at least one droop prevention unit arranged to transfer force produced by sliding of the at least one droop prevention unit which cooperates with the support unit to the at least one door in the moving direction of the at least one door when the at least one door is opened and closed,
the support unit is coupled to a center of the lower portion of the body, and comprises a frame coupled to the body and a plurality of rotating members rotatably coupled to the frame,
wherein the at least one droop prevention unit comprises:
a housing provided at a lower portion of the at least one door; and
a support rotatably coupled to the housing, and configured not to be moved before contacting the plurality of rotating members, and when contacting the plurality of rotating members, slide from an upper portion of the plurality of rotating members in a closing direction of the at least one door and rotate in cooperation with the plurality of rotating members.

16. The refrigerator according to claim 15 , wherein the support unit comprises a cover to cover an upper portion of the frame.

17. The refriger

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kim Byoung Mok
• Kim Seong Woo
• Seo Yong Bum
• Yang Seung Yong

Classifications

• E05F7/06

  Devices for taking the weight of the wing, arranged away from the hinge axis · CPC title

• F25D2323/021

  French doors · CPC title

• F25D23/00

  General constructional features (F25D21/00 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F25D2323/024

  Door hinges · CPC title

• F25D23/028 Primary

  Details · CPC title