Refrigerator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9651295-B2
Application number	US-201414898373-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 16, 2014
Priority date	Jun 14, 2013
Publication date	May 16, 2017
Grant date	May 16, 2017

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a refrigerator including a cabinet ( 10 ) defining a first storage region ( 2 ) for storing food, a door ( 20 ) opening and closing the first storage region ( 2 ) and filled with a thermal insulator therein, a gasket ( 26 ) provided on an inner surface of the door ( 20 ) and sealing the first storage region ( 2 ) from outdoor air by forming a sealing boundary when the door ( 20 ) closes the first storage region ( 2 ), a first hinge member ( 40 ) rotatably connecting the door ( 2 ) to the cabinet ( 10 ), a container ( 100 ) defining a second storage region for storing food and received in the first storage region ( 2 ), a second hinge member ( 200 ) rotatably connecting the door ( 20 ) to the container ( 100 ), and a connection member ( 260 ) structurally coupled to the second hinge member ( 200 ) within the door ( 20 ), in order to prevent distortions of a direction and a position of a rotary shaft ( 206 ) of the second hinge member ( 200 ) relative to a rotary shaft ( 42 ) of the first hinge member ( 40 ).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A refrigerator comprising:
a cabinet defining a first storage region and configured to store food;
a door rotatably connected to the cabinet and configured to opens and closes the first storage region, the door configured to be filled with a thermal insulator;
a gasket provided on an inner surface of the door and configured to define a sealing boundary that seals the first storage region from outdoor air in a state in which the door closes the first storage region;
a first hinge member that comprises a first rotary shaft and that is configured to rotatably connect the door to the cabinet;
a container defining a second storage region configured to store food, the container configured to rotate relative to the door and relative to the cabinet such that the container is received within the first storage region of the cabinet in a state in which the door closes the first storage region;
a second hinge member that comprises a second rotary shaft and that is configured to rotatably connects the door to the container; and
a connection member coupled to the second hinge member at a coupling location within a body of the door, the connection member configured to provide support to the second hinge member so as to maintain an axial direction and a position of the second rotary shaft of the second hinge member relative to the first rotary shaft of the first hinge member.

2. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the connection member is provided within the thermal insulator that fills the door.

3. The refrigerator according to claim 2 , wherein the connection member is provided with a through-hole configured to provide an opening through which the thermal insulator is inserted to fill the door.

4. The refrigerator according to claim 3 , wherein the connection member has a plate shape and comprises a planar portion having a surface that faces toward a front surface of the door.

5. The refrigerator according to claim 4 , wherein the through-hole is provided on the planar portion of the connection member.

6. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the door comprises an outside panel defining a front external appearance of the door and an inside panel defining a rear external appearance of the door, and wherein the inside panel and the outside panel define a space therebetween that is configured to be filled with the thermal insulator.

7. The refrigerator according to claim 6 , wherein:
the connection member is provided separately from the inside panel, the outside panel, and the thermal insulator, and
the connection member is directly or indirectly coupled with at least one of the inside panel or the outside panel within the body of the door so as to distribute a load applied by the second hinge member to the door or to transfer the loads to the first hinge member.

8. The refrigerator according to claim 6 , wherein
the first hinge member comprises an upper first hinge member provided at an upper portion of the door and a lower first hinge member provided at a lower portion of the door,
the second hinge member comprises an upper second hinge member provided at the upper portion of the door and a lower second hinge member provided at the lower portion of the door, and
the connection member is configured to vertically extend along one side of the door so as to be connected to both the upper first hinge member and the lower first hinge member or both the upper second hinge member and the lower second hinge member.

9. The refrigerator according to claim 6 , comprising a mounting member configured to couple the second hinge member with the connection member within the body of the door, the mounting member configured to be directly coupled to the second hinge member and directly coupled to the connection member.

10. The refrigerator according to claim 9 , wherein the mounting member defines a second hinge member receiving portion configured to receive at least a portion of the second hinge member, the at least a portion of the second hinge member having a rotation portion through which the second hinge member rotatably connects the door to the container.

11. The refrigerator according to claim 9 , further comprising a bracket fixed to the inside panel of the door and provided between the inside panel of the door and the mounting member.

12. The refrigerator according to claim 6 , further comprising a plurality of coupling members that are configured to be coupled with the first rotary shaft of the first hinge member and that extend horizontally along the door at an upper portion of the connection member and at a lower portions of the connection member.

13. The refrigerator according to claim 12 , wherein the plurality of coupling members, together with the inside panel of the door and the outside panel of the door, define a space that is configured to be filled with the thermal insulator.

14. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein:
the first hinge member comprises an upper first hinge member provided at an upper portion of the door and a lower first hinge member provided at a lower portion of the door, and
the second hinge member comprises an upper second hinge member provided at the upper portion of the door and a lower second hinge member provided at the lower portion of the door.

15. The refrigerator according to claim 14 , wherein the connection member is provided between the lower first hinge member and the lower second hinge member.

16. The refrigerator according to claim 15 , wherein:
the lower second hinge member is provided at a vertical position that is above a vertical position of the lower first hinge member,
the lower first hinge member comprises a lower first rotary shaft,
the lower second hinge member comprises a lower second rotary shaft, and
the connection member connects the lower first rotary shaft with the lower second rotary shaft such that the lower first rotary shaft and the lower second rotary shaft are spaced apart from each other.

17. The refrigerator according to claim 16 , further comprising a second hinge bush interposed between the connection member and the second hinge member, the second hinge member being rotatably coupled to the second hinge bush.

18. The refrigerator according to claim 14 , wherein:
the lower first hinge member comprises a connection piece fixedly attached to the door; and
the connection member is coupled to the connection piece within the body of the door.

19. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein a first side of the second hinge member is fixedly attached to the container at an inner side of the sealing boundary towards the inner surface of the door and a second side of the second hinge member is rotatably connected to the door.

20. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the first rotary shaft of the first hinge member is provided at an outer side of the sealing boundary towards an outer surface of the door, the first rotary shaft configured to be vertically aligned with the second rotary shaft of the second hinge member.

21. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , further comprising a latch configured to selectively couple the container with the door, wherein:
in a state in which the latch couples the container with the door, the container and the door are configured to be opened simultaneously, and
in a state in which the latch decouples the container from the door, the door is configured to be opened independently of the container.

22. The refrig

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Kim Hyunbum
• Kim Jindong
• Im Jihyun
• Lee Jaeyoul
• Choo Ayoung
• Kim Nami
• Kim Myunghwan
• Park Raeyoung

Classifications

• E05D5/02

  Parts for attachment, e.g. flaps · CPC title

• E05D5/06

  Bent flaps · CPC title

• E05Y2600/41

  Concealed · CPC title

• E05D2005/067

  gooseneck shaped · CPC title

• E05D3/022

  allowing an additional lateral movement, e.g. for sealing · CPC title