Refrigerator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9605891-B2
Application number	US-201514643612-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 10, 2015
Priority date	Mar 11, 2014
Publication date	Mar 28, 2017
Grant date	Mar 28, 2017

Abstract

Provided is a refrigerator having only a second door opened/closed or having both of a first door and a second door opened/closed using one handing by allowing a latch device to fix the second door to the first door or release the second door from being fixed to the first door. The refrigerator includes a main body having a storage compartment, a first door that is rotatably disposed in front of the main body and has an opening formed therein, a second door that is rotatably disposed in front of the first door to open/close the opening, a handle coupled to a front side of the second door to open/close the first door and the second door, and a latch device allowing the second door to be fixed and released to/from the first door.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A refrigerator comprising:
a main body having a storage compartment;
a first door that is rotatably disposed in front of the main body and has an opening formed therein;
a second door that is rotatably disposed in front of the first door to open and close the opening;
a handle coupled to the second door and configured to open and close the first door and the second door; and
a latch device allowing the second door to be fixed to and released from the first door, wherein the latch device comprises:
a fixing unit provided on the first door and including a protrusion;
a support accommodated in a rear side of the handle; and
a handle lever rotatably coupled to the support by a rotation shaft, and including a first handle lever and a second handle lever, the handle lever being configured so that the first handle lever is rotatable backward from a perspective of the refrigerator about the rotation shaft to cause the second handle lever to rotate upward to be hung with the protrusion, and so that the first handle lever is rotatable forward from the perspective of the refrigerator about the rotation shaft without passing through a front side of the handle to cause the second handle lever to rotate downward to be released from the protrusion, wherein

the rotation of the first handle lever forward from the perspective of the refrigerator indicates that the first handle lever rotates away the main body, to thereby rotate in a forward direction,
the rotation of the first handle lever backward from the perspective of the refrigerator indicates that the first handle lever rotates toward from the main body, to thereby rotate in a backward direction,
the handle is provided at the rear side thereof with a support accommodation portion in which the support is accommodated, and
the support comprises:
a housing coupled to the support accommodation portion while accommodated in the support accommodation portion, and having a rear side that is open, and
a rear cover coupled to the open rear side of the housing.

2. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the fixing unit comprises:
a hanging portion in which the second handle lever is hung, and from which hanging of the second handle is released;
a flow prevention portion configured to fix the hanging portion to prevent the hanging portion from being moved at an inside of the first door; and
a cover coupled to a rear side of the flow prevention portion to prevent heat insulating material filled at an inside of the first door from penetrating into a space formed between the cover and the flow prevention portion.

3. The refrigerator of claim 2 , wherein the hanging portion comprises:
a fixing hole fixed to the flow prevention portion; and
a hanging hook provided at a lower portion of the fixing hole and in which the second handle lever is hung and from which hanging of the second handle lever is released.

4. The refrigerator of claim 3 , wherein the flow prevention portion comprises:
a front side portion exposed to an outside of a front side of the first door;
a fixing protrusion protruding from a rear side of the front side portion and around which the fixing hole is inserted; and
an accommodation portion protruding from the rear side of the front side portion to form an accommodation space in the rear side of the front side portion.

5. The refrigerator of claim 4 , wherein the fixing protrusion is provided at an upper portion of the accommodation portion, and the accommodation portion has a front side and an upper side which are open, so that when the hanging portion is fixed to the flow prevention portion as the fixing hole is inserted around the fixing protrusion, the hanging hook is accommodated in the accommodation portion through the open upper side of the accommodation portion, and the hanging hook accommodated in the accommodation portion is exposed to the outside through the open front side of the accommodation portion.

6. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the support accommodation portion is provided with a first coupling hole to which the housing is coupled, and the housing is provided with a second coupling hole at a position corresponding to the first coupling hole, so that the housing is coupled to the support accommodation portion by a fastening member.

7. The refrigerator of claim 6 , further comprising:
the rotation shaft,
wherein the housing comprises: a rotation hole to which the rotation shaft is rotatably coupled; a first support portion that supports one side of a spring elastically supporting the first handle lever; and a third coupling hole to which the rear cover is coupled.

8. The refrigerator of claim 7 , wherein:
the first handle lever is provided in a shape extending downward of the rotation shaft and configured to rotate about the rotation shaft forward and backward; and
the second handle lever is provided in a shape extending backward of the rotation shaft and configured to rotate about the rotation shaft upward and downward.

9. The refrigerator of claim 8 , wherein the rear cover comprises an opening opened so that a rear side of the first handle lever is exposed to the outside, a guide portion that guides the second handle lever not to be exposed to the outside, and a fourth coupling hole disposed in a position corresponding to the third coupling hole.

10. The refrigerator of claim 9 , wherein a second support portion elastically supported by the spring and supporting the other side of the spring supported against the housing is provided at a lower portion of the first handle lever.

11. The refrigerator of claim 10 , wherein the second handle lever is provided with a hanging protrusion that is hung with and released from the hanging hook when the second handle lever rotates about the rotation shaft upward and downward, and the hanging protrusion is accommodated through the open front side of the accommodation portion and moved upward and downward at an inside of the accommodation portion.

12. The refrigerator of claim 11 , wherein the second door is provided with a guide configured to guide the second handle lever to be hung with and released from the hanging portion by passing through the second door, the guide communicating with the guide portion of the rear cover.

13. The refrigerator of claim 12 , wherein the first handle lever is rotated about the rotation shaft forward when a lower portion of the first handle lever is pressurized, so that the second handle lever is rotated about the rotation shaft downward, and the downward rotation of the second handle lever causes the hanging protrusion hung with the hanging hook to be released, thereby releasing the second door from being fixed to the first door.

14. The refrigerator of claim 13 , wherein when a force pressurizing the lower portion of the first handle lever disappears, the first handle lever is rotated backward about the rotation shaft by an elastic force of the spring, so that the second handle lever is rotated about the rotation shaft upward, and the upward rotation of the second handle lever causes the hanging protrusion to be hung with the hanging hook, thereby fixing the second door to be fixed to the first door.

15. A refrigerator comprising:
a main body having a storage compartment;
a first door that is rotatably disposed in front of the main body and has an opening formed therein;
a second door that is rotatably disposed in front of the first door to open and close the opening;
a handle coupled to the second door and configured to open and close the first door and the second door; and
a latch device including a fixing unit provide

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Lee Hyung Bum
• Kim Beom Gon
• Son Su Hyeong
• Yoo Woo Yeol
• Lee Wan Hyeong
• Shin Youn Tae
• Hwang Ji Sick

Classifications

• F25D23/025

  Secondary closures · CPC title

• E05B65/0042

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

• F25D23/02 Primary

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

• E05C1/16

  the handle or member moving essentially in a plane substantially parallel to the wing or frame · CPC title

• F25D23/028

  Details · CPC title