Refrigerator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9879901-B2
Application number	US-201615017404-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 5, 2016
Priority date	Mar 18, 2015
Publication date	Jan 30, 2018
Grant date	Jan 30, 2018

Abstract

A refrigerator may include a main door pivotably mounted to the cabinet to allow access to a storage compartment, the main door having an opening for an auxiliary storage compartment; a sub door pivotably mounted to the main door; a support shelf having at least one rotating shaft pivotably mounted at a lower vicinity of the opening; a case mounted in a recess formed in the main door, the case having an opening through which a slider slides, and a rotating gear provided with a pinion and coupled to the at least one rotating shaft. The slider includes a rack engaged with the pinion such that a movement of the sub door to close the auxiliary compartment rotates the support shelf to a vertical position, and a movement of the sub door to open the auxiliary compartment rotates the support shelf to a horizontal position.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A refrigerator comprising:
a cabinet having a storage compartment;
a main door pivotably mounted to the cabinet to allow access to the storage compartment, the main door having an opening for an auxiliary storage compartment within the main door;
a sub door pivotably mounted to the main door to enable access to the auxiliary storage compartment;
a support shelf having at least one rotating shaft pivotably mounted at a lower part of the opening of the main door;
a case mounted in a recess formed in the main door, the case having an opening through which a slider is configured to slide forward and rearward; and
a rotating gear provided with a pinion at a circumferential surface and coupled to the at least one rotating shaft of the support shelf,
wherein the slider includes a rack engaged with the pinion such that a movement of the sub door to close the auxiliary storage compartment rotates the support shelf to a vertical position, and a movement of the sub door to open the auxiliary storage compartment rotates the support shelf to a horizontal position.

2. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the support shelf comprises:
a shelf having a rectangular shape; and
at least one rotating shaft includes a first rotating shaft and a second rotating shaft laterally protruding respectively from both side surfaces of the shelf, wherein the rotating gear is coupled to the second rotating shaft.

3. The refrigerator according to claim 2 , further comprising a guide pin secured to the case in a front-and-rear direction and mounted to penetrate the slider so as to guide movement of the slider.

4. The refrigerator according to claim 2 , wherein the opening of the case is provided at a front surface of the case, and the slider includes a protrusion protrudes through the opening when the support shelf is moved to the horizontal orientation.

5. The refrigerator according to claim 4 , wherein the sub door comprises a protrusion formed at a rear surface thereof so as to push the protrusion of the slider when the sub door is pivoted to close the auxiliary storage compartment.

6. The refrigerator according to claim 5 , wherein the protrusion of the sub door comprises a slanted rear surface, a side surface, and a rounded corner connected between the rear surface and the side surface.

7. The refrigerator according to claim 3 , further comprising at least one elastic spring configured to apply restoration force to push the slider forward when the slider is moved rearward.

8. The refrigerator according to claim 7 , wherein the case further includes first and second mounting pins, one end of each first and second mounting pins secured to the case and other end of each first and second mounting pins penetrating the slider, and the at least one elastic spring includes first and second springs provided around the first and second mounting pins, respectively, the guide pin being provided between the first and second mounting pins.

9. The refrigerator according to claim 2 , wherein the shelf of the support shelf comprises:
a first case having a first shaft mounting guide at a first side and a second shaft mounting guide at a second side, the first and second shaft mounting guide being configured to receive the first rotating shaft and the second rotating shaft, respectively, the first and second sides being opposite sides; and
a second case coupled to the first case.

10. The refrigerator according to claim 9 , wherein the support shelf further includes an elastic spring provided between one side of the first shaft mounting guide and the first rotating shaft and configured to apply restoration force in a direction in which the first rotating shaft protrudes through the first side of the first case.

11. The refrigerator according to claim 10 , wherein the first rotating shaft comprises a shaft portion configured to selectively protrude from a side surface of the first side and a sliding portion slidably mounted in the first shaft mounting guide.

12. The refrigerator according to claim 11 , wherein the first shaft mounting guide includes a lower surface with a shaft movement hole such that the first rotating shaft movably penetrates the shaft movement hole when the first rotating shaft is mounted, and
wherein the sliding portion includes an outer surface with a recess to allow a user to push the sliding portion in a prescribed direction through the shaft movement hole.

13. The refrigerator according to claim 2 , further comprising a mount provided at a lower end of the opening formed in the main door and having shaft holes to receive the first rotating shaft and the second rotating shaft of the support shelf, the mount supporting the support shelf at the vertical position and at the horizontal position.

14. The refrigerator according to claim 13 , wherein the mount includes a support rib configured to support an upper surface of the support shelf at the vertical position, and a bottom surface configured to support a lower surface of the support shelf at the horizontal position.

15. The refrigerator according to claim 14 , wherein the mount is provided with a concave surface to prevent the mount from interfering with a rear end of the support shelf when the support shelf is pivoted.

16. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , further comprising a damper mounted in the case and configured to allow the support shelf to gradually moved downward when the sub door is opened.

17. The refrigerator according to claim 16 , wherein the damper comprises:
a case having an inner space to store hydraulic fluid;
a pivot shaft rotatably mounted in the case such that one end thereof protrudes outward;
a plurality of rotating members mounted on the pivot shaft so as to be spaced apart from one another by a prescribed distance, the rotating members being rotated along with the pivot shaft, and
a plurality of stationary members mounted between the rotating members such that one side of each stationary member is supported by an inner surface of the case to prevent rotation of the stationary members.

18. The refrigerator according to claim 17 , wherein the damper further comprises:
a damper driving gear coupled to the rotating gear so as to be rotated along with the rotating gear; and
a driven gear configured to be rotated by the damper driving gear and mounted at one end of the pivot shaft.

19. The refrigerator according to claim 18 , wherein the damper driving gear has a greater radius than a radius of the rotating gear.

20. The refrigerator according to claim 19 , wherein the damper further comprises:
a cover coupled to an open side of the case by a plurality of fastening members; and
a bearing disc slidably mounted on an inner side surface of the cover and an inner circumferential surface of the case and configured to support the pivot shaft.

21. The refrigerator according to claim 4 , wherein the main door includes:
a mounting recess formed at an edge of the opening defining the auxiliary storage compartment such that the case is mounted in the mounting recess; and
a cover configured to cover the mounting recess.

22. The refrigerator according to claim 21 , wherein a shaft hole for insertion of the second rotating shaft is perforated in a wall surface between the opening formed in the main door and a side surface of the mounting recess.

23. The refrigerator according to claim 22 , wherein the main door is provided with a through-hole in a front surface

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Lim Kiyoung

Classifications

• E05F1/00

  Closers or openers for wings, not otherwise provided for in this subclass · CPC title

• F25D23/062

  defining a cabinet · CPC title

• F25D11/00 Primary

  Self-contained movable devices, e.g. domestic refrigerators · CPC title

• E05F15/53

  for swinging wings · CPC title

• F25D23/028 Primary

  Details · CPC title