Refrigerator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9945600-B2
Application number	US-201515312158-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 18, 2015
Priority date	Jun 4, 2015
Publication date	Apr 17, 2018
Grant date	Apr 17, 2018

Abstract

Disclosed is a refrigerator an outer case, an inner case including storage spaces integrally manufactured so as to have a first set value, a barrier disposed within the storage space to vertically divide the storage space into a plurality of storage chambers so that the heights of openings of the respective storage chambers have a second set value and a third set value, and including first communication parts on the side surfaces of the barrier, second communication parts formed on the inner case, and a foamed heat insulating material filling the inside of the barrier by causing a foaming liquid, injected from the outer case, to pass through the second communication parts and the first communication parts and then foaming the foaming liquid within the barrier, wherein the first set value is 1.5 times or more at least one of the second set value and the third set value.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A refrigerator comprising:
an outer case;
an inner case provided within the outer case and including a storage space;
a barrier disposed within the storage space to vertically divide the storage space formed in the inner case into a plurality of storage chambers, and including first communication parts on the side surfaces of the barrier;
second communication parts formed on the inner case opposite the first communication parts;
a foamed heat insulating material filling the inside of the barrier by causing a foaming liquid, injected from the outer case, to pass through the second communication parts and the first communication parts and then foaming the foaming liquid within the barrier;
first stair parts protruding in a convex shape from the side surfaces of the barrier around the first communication parts; and
insertion holes provided on the inner case so that the first stair parts are inserted into the insertion holes and protrude to a space between the inner case and the outer case, wherein the first communication parts and the second communication parts communicate with each other to form communication paths, and wherein a vertical length of the communication paths gradually decrease in a forward direction.

2. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein an area of the communication paths gradually decreases in the forward direction.

3. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the first communication parts include injection channels provided to divide the communication paths, and the injection channels have a circular or polygonal shape.

4. The refrigerator according to claim 3 , wherein an area of the injection channels provided at the front portion of the first communication parts is smaller than an area of the injection channels provided at the rear portion of the first communication parts.

5. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein outer circumferential surfaces of the first stair parts and inner circumferential surfaces of the insertion holes have a same shape.

6. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , further comprising support parts depressed in a concave shape within the storage space of the inner case, wherein the barrier is supported by the support parts.

7. The refrigerator according to claim 6 , further comprising second stair parts protruding in a convex shape from the barrier, wherein the second stair parts are supported by the support parts.

8. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , further comprising deformation prevention ribs formed in a convex shape on the upper surface or lower surface of the barrier to prevent deformation of the barrier.

9. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein:
the barrier includes an upper barrier part and a lower barrier part; and
a plurality of posts are provided between the upper barrier part and the lower barrier part to prevent deformation of the barrier during foaming.

10. The refrigerator according to claim 9 , wherein each post protrudes from the upper barrier part and includes:
a post insertion part provided at a first end of each of the plurality of posts; and
a post fixing part provided on the lower barrier part so that the post insertion part is inserted into the post fixing part.

11. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the barrier includes adsorption ribs formed integrally with the barrier within the barrier to increase a contact surface area between the foamed heat insulating material and the barrier.

12. A refrigerator comprising:
an outer case;
an inner case provided within the outer case and including a storage space;
a barrier disposed within the storage space to vertically divide the storage space formed in the inner case into a plurality of storage chambers, and including first communication parts on the side surfaces of the barrier;
second communication parts formed on the inner case opposite the first communication parts;
a foamed heat insulating material filling the inside of the barrier by causing a foaming liquid, injected from the outer case, to pass through the second communication parts and the first communication parts and then foaming the foaming liquid within the barrier;
first stair parts protruding in a convex shape from the side surfaces of the barrier around the first communication parts; and
insertion holes provided on the inner case so that the first stair parts are inserted into the insertion holes and protrude to a space between the inner case and the outer case, wherein the first communication parts and the second communication parts communicate with each other to form communication paths, and wherein the communication paths include front communication paths provided at front portions of the side surfaces of the inner case and rear communication paths provided at a rear of the front communication paths.

13. The refrigerator according to claim 12 , wherein an area of the front communication paths is smaller than an area of the rear communication paths.

14. The refrigerator according to claim 12 , wherein an area of the front communication paths or the rear communication paths gradually decreases in a forward direction.

15. A refrigerator comprising:
an outer case;
an inner case provided within the outer case and including a storage space;
a barrier disposed within the storage space to vertically divide the storage space formed in the inner case into a plurality of storage chambers, and including first communication parts on the side surfaces of the barrier;
second communication parts formed on the inner case opposite the first communication parts;
a foamed heat insulating material filling the inside of the barrier by causing a foaming liquid, injected from the outer case, to pass through the second communication parts and the first communication parts and then foaming the foaming liquid within the barrier;
first stair parts protruding in a convex shape from the side surfaces of the barrier around the first communication parts; and
insertion holes provided on the inner case so that the first stair parts are inserted into the insertion holes and protrude to a space between the inner case and the outer case, wherein the first stair parts are provided such that an area of the first stair parts gradually decrease in a forward direction.

16. A refrigerator comprising:
an outer case;
an inner case provided within the outer case and including a storage space;
a barrier disposed within the storage space to vertically divide the storage space formed in the inner case into a plurality of storage chambers, and including first communication parts on the side surfaces of the barrier;
second communication parts formed on the inner case opposite the first communication parts;
a foamed heat insulating material filling the inside of the barrier by causing a foaming liquid, injected from the outer case, to pass through the second communication parts and the first communication parts and then foaming the foaming liquid within the barrier;
first stair parts protruding in a convex shape from the side surfaces of the barrier around the first communication parts; and
insertion holes provided on the inner case so that the first stair parts are inserted into the insertion holes and protrude to a space between the inner case and the outer case, wherein the first communication parts are provided at one end of each of the first stair parts.

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Kang Daekil

Classifications

• F25D23/069

  Cooling space dividing partitions · CPC title

• F25D23/066 Primary

  Liners · CPC title

• F25D2201/126

  of cellular type · CPC title

• F25D2400/04

  Refrigerators with a horizontal mullion · CPC title

• F25D23/064

  formed by moulding, e.g. moulding in situ · CPC title