Refrigerator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9879902-B2
Application number	US-201615044485-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 16, 2016
Priority date	Feb 17, 2015
Publication date	Jan 30, 2018
Grant date	Jan 30, 2018

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a refrigerator which includes a carbonated water production assembly, wherein the carbonated water production assembly includes a structure in which purified water or carbonated water which overflow from a carbonated water container in which the carbonated water is produced is discharged by detouring. Through this, cleanliness of the carbonated water container may be improved, and safety may be improved during the carbonated water production.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A refrigerator comprising:
a refrigerator main body including a cooling space; and
a carbonated water production assembly provided in the refrigerator main body,
wherein the carbonated water production assembly includes:
a production module;
a carbon dioxide supply module connected to the production module to supply carbon dioxide;
a carbonated water container which is provided to be detachable from the production module, and in which carbonated water is produced; and
a discharge module provided to discharge a discharging fluid which overflows from the carbonated water container from the carbonated water container.

2. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the carbonated water container includes an opening having one open side, and the opening is sealed by the production module when the carbonated water container is installed in the production module.

3. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the carbonated water container is configured to be sealed by the production module, and the carbonated water production assembly further includes at least one relief valve which has one side facing the opening of the carbonated water container, and discharges a discharging fluid which overflows from the carbonated water container to the discharge module.

4. The refrigerator of claim 3 , wherein the relief valve is provided to communicate with an inner portion of the carbonated water container when the carbonated water container is installed in the production module.

5. The refrigerator of claim 3 , wherein the discharge module includes:
a discharge module body provided to surround a discharge portion of the relief valve; and
a discharge hole which discharges carbonated water discharged to the discharge module body to an outside of the discharge module.

6. The refrigerator of claim 5 , wherein the carbonated water production assembly includes a dispenser housing forming a water dispensing space exposed to the outside, and the discharge hole is provided facing a rear surface of the dispenser housing.

7. The refrigerator of claim 5 , wherein the discharge module further includes a discharge bottom portion provided at a lower portion of a discharge module body, and the discharge bottom portion is provided to be inclined toward the discharge hole.

8. The refrigerator of claim 5 , wherein the discharge module further includes a plurality of discharge ribs which forms a discharge flow path such that a discharging fluid discharged from the relief valve flows to the discharge bottom portion.

9. The refrigerator of claim 8 , wherein the discharge module further includes a discharging space connected to a discharge portion of the relief valve in the discharge module body, and the discharging space and the discharge bottom portion are connected to each other through the discharge flow path.

10. The refrigerator of claim 8 , wherein the plurality of discharge ribs are disposed to alternately intersect with each other.

11. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the production module includes an installation body provided such that the carbonated water container is installable.

12. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the carbonated water production assembly includes a water dispensing space which is exposed to the outside, and in which the carbonated water container is accommodated, and the production module further includes an installation body in which the carbonated water container is installable, and which is exposed in the water dispensing space.

13. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the production module further includes a packing portion which seals the opening when the carbonated water container is installed in the production module.

14. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the carbonated water production assembly includes an overflow sensor which is provided to be inserted into the opening when the carbonated water container is coupled to the production module, and senses overflow of carbonated water in the carbonated water container.

15. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the discharge module is provided such that a discharging fluid which overflows from the carbonated water container is discharged from the carbonated water container by detouring.

16. A refrigerator comprising:
a refrigerator main body including a cooling space; and
a carbonated water production assembly provided in the refrigerator main body,
wherein the carbonated water production assembly includes:
a water dispensing space exposed at the refrigerator main body to the outside;
a production module having one side exposed in the water dispensing space;
a carbon dioxide supply module connected to the production module to supply carbon dioxide;
a carbonated water container which is detachably provided at one side of the exposed production module, and in which carbonated water is produced;
at least one relief valve provided in the production module to discharge carbonated water which overflows from the carbonated water container; and
a discharge module provided to discharge carbonated water discharged through the at least one relief valve by detouring the carbonated water container.

17. The refrigerator of claim 16 , wherein the discharge module includes:
a discharge module body provided to surround a discharge portion of the relief valve; and
a discharge hole provided in the discharge module body to discharge carbonated water discharged from the relief valve to outside of the discharge module body.

18. The refrigerator of claim 17 , wherein the carbonated water production assembly includes a dispenser housing forming a water dispensing space exposed to an outside of the refrigerator main body, and the discharge hole is provided facing a rear surface of the dispenser housing.

19. The refrigerator of claim 17 , wherein the discharge module body includes a discharge bottom portion forming a lower portion, and the discharge bottom portion is provided to be inclined toward the discharge hole.

20. A refrigerator comprising:
a refrigerator main body including a cooling space; and
a carbonated water production assembly provided in the refrigerator main body,
wherein the carbonated water production assembly includes:
a water dispensing space provided to be exposed at the refrigerator main body to the outside;
a production module having one side exposed in the water dispensing space;
a purified water module configured to supply purified water and a carbon dioxide supply module configured to supply carbon dioxide, which are connected to the production module;
a carbonated water container which is detachably provided at one side of the exposed production module, receives purified water from the purified water module, and receives carbon dioxide from the carbon dioxide supply module, and in which carbonated water is produced; and
at least one relief valve provided such that a discharging fluid such as purified water, carbon dioxide, and carbonated water which overflow from the carbonated water container is discharged.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• An Jae Koog
• Yu Byung Mo

Classifications

• F25D23/126 Primary

  Water cooler · CPC title

• F25D11/02 Primary

  with cooling compartments at different temperatures · CPC title

• A23L2/00

  Non-alcoholic beverages; Dry compositions or concentrates therefor (soup concentrates A23L23/10); Preparation or treatment thereof (preparation of non-alcoholic beverages by removal of alcohol C12H3/00) · CPC title

• F25D23/12 Primary

  Arrangements of compartments additional to cooling compartments; Combinations of refrigerators with other equipment, e.g. stove · CPC title

• B01F3/04787

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic