US20110239689A1 - Refrigerator - Google Patents
Refrigerator Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20110239689A1 US20110239689A1 US13/133,388 US200913133388A US2011239689A1 US 20110239689 A1 US20110239689 A1 US 20110239689A1 US 200913133388 A US200913133388 A US 200913133388A US 2011239689 A1 US2011239689 A1 US 2011239689A1
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- United States
- Prior art keywords
- refrigerator
- door
- hole
- front panel
- wall
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
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Classifications
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F25D23/00—General constructional features
- F25D23/12—Arrangements of compartments additional to cooling compartments; Combinations of refrigerators with other equipment, e.g. stove
- F25D23/126—Water cooler
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F25D23/00—General constructional features
- F25D23/02—Doors; Covers
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a refrigerator, more particularly to a house-hold or commercial refrigerator.
- a multifunctional refrigerator For example, such a refrigerator is conventionally well-known, on whose door a dispenser is arranged such that ice and water stored in the refrigerator can be taken off via the dispenser without opening the door of the refrigerator.
- the appearance of the door of the refrigerator is critical in consideration of the whole appearance of the refrigerator, factors such as material and color etc. of the front panel at the front surface of the refrigerator door should be specially taken into account by a designer.
- the front panel for the door of the refrigerator is formed of a metallic sheet which is bonded with foam material in foaming procedure of the door of the refrigerator.
- the refrigerator manufactory can change color/texture of the metallic sheet by applying paints having different colors/made of different materials on the metallic sheet such that the appearance of the refrigerator can be various as desired.
- the front panel of the refrigerator is made from glass plate. Due to specialty of glass, this kind of refrigerator is usually affected by consumer.
- the glass panel of the refrigerator has to be provided at a location other than the vicinity of the dispenser such that the glass panel cannot be disturbed by the dispenser.
- individual glass panels are arranged above and below the dispenser respectively and at locations other than the vicinity of the dispenser (especially not at both sides of it).
- This arrangement can cause that regions of the front surface of the refrigerator door which are above and below and around the dispenser are made of various materials such that these regions can hardly be in a same plane. Therefore, in the vicinity of the dispenser, the front surface of the refrigerator door looks being divided visually.
- the glass panels above and below the dispenser being separated from each other may increase the assembling cost of the refrigerator door.
- the present invention aims to overcome at least one of the above-mentioned problems and thus to provide an improved refrigerator.
- a refrigerator which comprises a door and a dispenser mounted on the door, the door comprises a front panel forming at least a part of the door's front surface, the front panel has a through-hole which at least partially corresponds to the dispenser, characterized in that the front panel is a glass plate and comprises an upper region above the through-hole, a lower region below the through-hole and side regions which are located between the upper region and the lower region and which connect with the upper region and the lower region.
- the front surface of the refrigerator's door which surrounds the dispenser can be made of glass panel as the front surface of the remaining portion of the door does such that it is anticipated that the front panel of refrigerator is constructed by a glass panel to achieve a neat and simple appearance.
- the front panel has a one-pieced structure. Therefore, portions of the front panel can be seamlessly connected. This reduces gap which will be inevitably existed between different portions of the front panel, and thus a neat and simple appearance of the refrigerator can be achieved.
- the sum of the longitudinal lengths of the upper portion, the lower region and one of the side regions is substantially equal to the longitudinal height of the door in value.
- the front surface of the door is substantially formed by the front panel.
- the lateral size of each of the side regions is at least 5 cm, for example 7 to 8 cm.
- the upper region, the lower region and the side regions are integrated with each other, it is particularly preferable since the risk of breaking off of the front panel around the through-hole can be reduced. The breaking off may be caused by insufficient strength of the front panel due to the existence of the though-hole.
- the door comprises a first wall forming a back surface of the door, a second wall separated at a predetermined interval from the first wall and a thermally insulated layer accommodated between the first wall and the second wall, and the front panel is attached at the front side of the second wall.
- a gap is formed in a front and back direction between the front panel and the second wall.
- the door comprises a shelter element for shielding the gap along the through-hole. Therefore, the gap between the front panel and the second wall is shielded from a dispensing chamber for the dispenser. This can facilitate preventing foreign matter from entering into the gap between the front panel and the second wall, and more particularly can facilitate obtaining a neat appearance.
- the dispenser comprises a dispenser housing, and the shelter element is formed by the dispenser housing.
- the dispenser comprises a dispensing chamber for accommodating at least a part of an additional device. At least a portion of the chamber's wall defining the dispensing chamber extends forwards into the through-hole.
- the chamber wall extending into the through-hole can shield the end face of the second wall and the gap between the second wall and the front panel.
- the gap and the end face of the second wall which are not in favor of the refrigerator's appearance are shielded by the chamber wall, which can facilitate reducing additional components.
- a refrigerator comprises a door, which comprises a front panel forming at least a part of the door's front surface, the front panel having a through-hole, whose lateral width is at least a half of the lateral width of the front panel, characterized in that the front panel is made of glass and comprises an upper region above the through-hole, a lower region below the through-hole and side regions which each are located at a corresponding side of the through-hole and which connect with the upper region and the lower region.
- the door has a dispensing chamber for accommodating at least a part of an additional device. At least a portion of the through-hole is constructed as an access to the dispensing chamber.
- the door comprises a table-forming door which can be used to selectively open or close the through-hole.
- the refrigerator comprises a control panel which is at least partially accommodated in the through-hole.
- the front panel has a one-pieced structure, and the front surface of the door is substantially formed by the front panel.
- FIG. 1 shows a schematic perspective view of a refrigerator according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention
- FIG. 2 shows a schematic exploded view of a door of the refrigerator according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention
- FIG. 3 shows a partially sectional view of the door of the refrigerator according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention
- FIG. 4 shows a detailed view of the part “A” in FIG. 3 ;
- FIG. 5 shows a schematic front view of the refrigerator according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention.
- a refrigerator 1 comprises a refrigerator body 18 .
- the refrigerator body 18 defines a freezing compartment (not shown) and a refrigerating compartment (not shown) which are arranged side-by-side.
- the refrigerator further comprises a freezing compartment door 2 and a refrigerating compartment door 2 ′ which are connected to the refrigerator body 18 .
- the freezing compartment door 2 and the refrigerating compartment door 2 ′ each are pivotally connected to a corresponding side of the refrigerator body 18 such that the freezing compartment and the refrigerating compartment can be opened or closed selectively.
- the freezing compartment door 2 and the refrigerating compartment door 2 ′ each are provided with a handle 19 thereon such that a user can easily open or close the corresponding door.
- the freezing compartment door 2 is provided with a dispenser 3 .
- the dispenser 3 is provided so that ice and/or water stored in the refrigerator 1 can be discharged even in case of the freezing compartment door 2 being not opened.
- the present invention is not limited to this.
- the dispenser 3 is provided on the refrigerating compartment door 2 ′.
- the dispenser 3 has a dispensing chamber 4 which is opened at its front end to receive an additional device such as a cup.
- the dispenser 4 is recessed backwards at a depth from the front surface of the freezing compartment door 2 .
- the refrigerator 1 comprises a control panel 17 arranged on the door 2 .
- the control panel 17 is arranged directly adjacent to and above the dispensing chamber 4 .
- the control panel 17 comprises a display screen 20 and a plurality of switch devices 21 .
- the display screen 20 is used to display information such as operating status and/or setting parameter of the refrigerator 1 .
- the switch devices 21 are located below the display screen 20 such that the switch devices 21 are closer to the dispensing chamber 4 than the display screen 21 .
- a user can carry out operations such as water dispensing, flake ice dispensing and ice cake dispensing and can turn on a lighting device for illuminating the dispensing chamber 4 .
- the freezing compartment door 2 comprises a first wall 10 forming a back surface of the freezing compartment door 2 and a front panel 5 forming a front surface of the freezing compartment door 2 .
- the first wall 10 faces toward the freezing compartment when the freezing compartment door 2 is closed.
- the freezing compartment door 2 further comprises a second wall 11 located between the first wall 10 and the front panel 5 .
- the second wall 11 is preferably made of metallic sheet.
- the thermally insulated layer 12 is preferably formed by foaming of thermally insulated foam material.
- the dispenser 3 comprises a dispenser housing 26 , which dispenser housing defines a concave chamber 27 recessed in a front and back direction.
- the front end opening of the concave chamber 27 is in a substantially quadrangle shape.
- the second wall 11 is provided with an opening 23 corresponding with the concave chamber 27 .
- the position and the size of the opening 23 substantially correspond to those of the front end opening of the concave chamber 27 .
- the concave chamber 27 is divided into an upper portion and a lower portion by a partition wall 28 . More particularly, a portion of the concave chamber 27 which is below the partition wall 28 is opened at its front end such that a dispensing chamber 4 is formed to receive an additional device. A portion of the concave chamber 27 which is above the partition wall 28 is closed by the control panel 17 . An ice discharging opening 30 is provided on the partition wall 28 such that ice stored in the freezing compartment is entered into the portion of the concave chamber 27 which is above the partition wall 28 via an ice transporting chute 29 and then is entered into the dispensing chamber 4 via the ice discharging opening 30 . When it is not necessary to transport ice, the ice transporting passage 29 is closed by a closure element 44 .
- the dispenser housing 26 comprises a mounting edge 31 which is matably attached to the second wall 11 .
- the front surface of the mounting edge 31 is pressed against the inner surface of the second wall 11 along the opening 23 .
- a sealing device is provided between the front surface of the mounting edge 31 and the rear surface of the second wall 11 so as to prevent foam material from escaping during foaming.
- Such a sealing device is preferably formed by adhesive tape, which facilitates the dispenser housing 26 being secured on the inner surface of the second wall 11 .
- the dispenser housing 26 comprises a connecting slot 32 arranged around the concave chamber 27 .
- the second wall 11 comprises a connecting flange 32 extending backwards from the edge of the opening 23 .
- the connecting flange 33 is inserted into the connecting slot 32 such that the dispenser housing 26 is secured on the second wall 11 .
- the dispenser housing 26 does not project beyond the front side of the second wall 11 , and thus partially overlaps with the front surface of the second wall 11 .
- the front panel 5 can be tightly pressed against the front side of the second wall 11 .
- the front panel 5 is explained as follow.
- the front panel 5 is made of tempered glass and comprises a through-hole 6 adapted for the dispenser 3 .
- the size and the position of the through-hole 6 substantially correspond to those of the front end opening of the concave chamber 27 .
- the upper portion of the through-hole 6 is closed by the control panel 17 , and the lower portion of the through-hole 6 is constructed as an access to the dispensing chamber 4 .
- the front panel 5 is preferably bonded to the front surface of the second wall 11 by means of adhesive means, which specially facilitates the front surface of the front wall 5 being completely exposed outwards.
- the adhesive means is a double-face adhesive tape which can implement strong adhesion.
- the adhesive means comprises a first adhesive section 24 arranged at the peripheral edge of the front panel 5 and a second adhesive section 25 arranged along the edge region of the through-hole 6 .
- the first adhesive section 24 and the second adhesive section 25 each comprise a plurality of bar-shaped adhesive tapes which preferably adhere with each other to form a closed-loop adhesive frame, which can prevent foreign matter such as dust from entering between the front panel 5 and the second wall 11 .
- the front panel 5 is divided into an upper region 7 above the through-hole 6 , a lower region 8 below the through-hole 6 and side regions 9 a and 9 b which each are at a corresponding one of both sides of the through-hole 6 and which connects with the upper region 7 and the lower region 8 .
- the front panel 5 has an outline in oblong shape.
- the widths of the upper region 7 and the lower region 8 are at least substantially identical with the width of the freezing compartment 2 .
- the sum of the longitudinal lengths of the lower region 7 , the upper region 8 and one of the side regions 9 a and 9 b is substantially equal to the longitudinal height of the door 2 in value. Therefore, the front surface of the second wall 11 can be completely covered by the front panel 5 .
- the front panel 5 has a one-pieced structure such that the upper region 7 , the lower region 8 and the side regions 9 a and 9 b connect with each other without any gap. This can facilitate reducing any possible gap on the front surface of the freezing compartment such that a neat and perfect appearance of the refrigerator can be anticipated.
- the lateral width of the through-hole 6 is at least a half of the width of the front panel 5 .
- the side regions 9 a and 9 b are symmetrical with respect to the longitudinal center axis of the front panel 5 .
- the lateral sizes of the side regions 9 a and 9 b are larger than 5 cm, for example larger than 7 ⁇ 8 cm.
- the width of the front panel 5 is 40 cm
- the width of the through-hole 6 is 24 cm
- the width of each of the side regions 9 a and 9 b is 8 cm.
- the lateral sizes of the side regions 9 a and 9 b are different from each other.
- Small holes 41 are provided on the front panel 5 to mount a handle 19 therein.
- a front end of a handle mounting portion 42 secured on the second wall 11 projects into a corresponding one of the small holes 41 so as to be connected with a connecting root 43 of the handle 19 .
- a gap 13 is formed between the front panel 5 and the second wall 11 in a front and back direction.
- the interval in the front and back direction of the gap 13 is substantially identical to the thickness of each of the first adhesive section 24 after being pressed and the second adhesive section 25 after being pressed.
- the gap 13 is about 1 mm in size.
- the end of a chamber wall 15 of the dispenser housing 26 for defining the concave chamber 27 extends beyond the second wall 11 and projects into the through-hole 6 such that the end of the chamber wall 15 forms a shelter element 14 used to isolate the second wall 11 and the gap 13 from the concave chamber 27 .
- the dispensing chamber 4 is formed of a portion of the concave chamber 27 , the second wall 11 and the gap 13 are not exposed in the dispensing chamber 4 .
- the dispensing chamber wall 15 extends into the through-hole 6 and not beyond the front surface of the front panel 5 .
- FIG. 5 shows a schematic perspective view of a refrigerator 1 ′′ according to another embodiment of the present invention.
- the refrigerator 1 ′′ comprises a refrigerating compartment door 34 which is provided with a table-forming opening 35 .
- the table-forming opening 35 is provided through the refrigerating compartment door 34 in a front and back direction.
- the table-forming opening 35 is selectively closed or opened by a table-forming door 16 provided on the refrigerating compartment door 34 .
- the front surface of the refrigerating compartment door 34 is formed by a front panel 36 .
- the front panel 36 is made of glass and has a one-pieced structure.
- a through-hole 37 is formed on the front panel 36 and its position and size substantially correspond to those of the table-forming opening 35 .
- the lateral width of the through-hole 37 is larger than a half of the total width of the front panel 36 .
- the front panel 36 comprises an upper region 38 above the through-hole 36 , a lower region 39 below the through-hole 37 and side regions 40 a and 40 b which each are located at a corresponding one of both sides of the through-hole 36 and which connect with the upper region 38 and the lower region 39 .
- the front surface of the refrigerating compartment door 34 which comprises the surrounding area of the table-forming opening 35 can be made of only a piece of glass panel. This facilitates to solve the technical problem that material is not unified and connect seams are excessive in a case that the refrigerating compartment door 34 provided with the table-forming door 16 is made of glass panel.
Abstract
A refrigerator includes a door and a dispenser mounted on the door. The door includes a front panel forming at least a part of the door's front surface. The front panel has a through-hole which is configured to at least partially correspond to the dispenser. The front panel is a glass plate, and has an upper region above the through-hole, a lower region below the through-hole and side regions which are located between the upper region and the lower region and which connect with the upper region and the lower region.
Description
- The present invention relates to a refrigerator, more particularly to a house-hold or commercial refrigerator.
- Recently, consumer has increased requirement for a multifunctional refrigerator. For example, such a refrigerator is conventionally well-known, on whose door a dispenser is arranged such that ice and water stored in the refrigerator can be taken off via the dispenser without opening the door of the refrigerator.
- Furthermore, since the appearance of the door of the refrigerator is critical in consideration of the whole appearance of the refrigerator, factors such as material and color etc. of the front panel at the front surface of the refrigerator door should be specially taken into account by a designer. Conventionally, the front panel for the door of the refrigerator is formed of a metallic sheet which is bonded with foam material in foaming procedure of the door of the refrigerator. The refrigerator manufactory can change color/texture of the metallic sheet by applying paints having different colors/made of different materials on the metallic sheet such that the appearance of the refrigerator can be various as desired. Besides, it is also known in the prior art that the front panel of the refrigerator is made from glass plate. Due to specialty of glass, this kind of refrigerator is usually affected by consumer.
- However, in the prior art, in a case that a refrigerator is provided with a dispenser, the glass panel of the refrigerator has to be provided at a location other than the vicinity of the dispenser such that the glass panel cannot be disturbed by the dispenser. For example, individual glass panels are arranged above and below the dispenser respectively and at locations other than the vicinity of the dispenser (especially not at both sides of it). This arrangement can cause that regions of the front surface of the refrigerator door which are above and below and around the dispenser are made of various materials such that these regions can hardly be in a same plane. Therefore, in the vicinity of the dispenser, the front surface of the refrigerator door looks being divided visually. Furthermore, the glass panels above and below the dispenser being separated from each other may increase the assembling cost of the refrigerator door.
- The present invention aims to overcome at least one of the above-mentioned problems and thus to provide an improved refrigerator.
- Therefore, according to an aspect of the present invention, a refrigerator is provided, which comprises a door and a dispenser mounted on the door, the door comprises a front panel forming at least a part of the door's front surface, the front panel has a through-hole which at least partially corresponds to the dispenser, characterized in that the front panel is a glass plate and comprises an upper region above the through-hole, a lower region below the through-hole and side regions which are located between the upper region and the lower region and which connect with the upper region and the lower region.
- Therefore, the front surface of the refrigerator's door which surrounds the dispenser can be made of glass panel as the front surface of the remaining portion of the door does such that it is anticipated that the front panel of refrigerator is constructed by a glass panel to achieve a neat and simple appearance.
- Further individual or combined technical features are explained in the following claims and they are regarded as possessing the characteristics of the present invention.
- According to a particularly preferred embodiment of the present invention, the front panel has a one-pieced structure. Therefore, portions of the front panel can be seamlessly connected. This reduces gap which will be inevitably existed between different portions of the front panel, and thus a neat and simple appearance of the refrigerator can be achieved.
- According to a particularly preferred embodiment of the present invention, the sum of the longitudinal lengths of the upper portion, the lower region and one of the side regions is substantially equal to the longitudinal height of the door in value. Particularly and preferably, the front surface of the door is substantially formed by the front panel.
- According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the lateral size of each of the side regions is at least 5 cm, for example 7 to 8 cm. When the upper region, the lower region and the side regions are integrated with each other, it is particularly preferable since the risk of breaking off of the front panel around the through-hole can be reduced. The breaking off may be caused by insufficient strength of the front panel due to the existence of the though-hole.
- According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the door comprises a first wall forming a back surface of the door, a second wall separated at a predetermined interval from the first wall and a thermally insulated layer accommodated between the first wall and the second wall, and the front panel is attached at the front side of the second wall.
- According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a gap is formed in a front and back direction between the front panel and the second wall. The door comprises a shelter element for shielding the gap along the through-hole. Therefore, the gap between the front panel and the second wall is shielded from a dispensing chamber for the dispenser. This can facilitate preventing foreign matter from entering into the gap between the front panel and the second wall, and more particularly can facilitate obtaining a neat appearance.
- According to a particularly preferred embodiment of the present invention, the dispenser comprises a dispenser housing, and the shelter element is formed by the dispenser housing.
- According to a particularly preferred embodiment of the present invention, the dispenser comprises a dispensing chamber for accommodating at least a part of an additional device. At least a portion of the chamber's wall defining the dispensing chamber extends forwards into the through-hole. In one aspect, the chamber wall extending into the through-hole can shield the end face of the second wall and the gap between the second wall and the front panel. In another aspect, the gap and the end face of the second wall which are not in favor of the refrigerator's appearance are shielded by the chamber wall, which can facilitate reducing additional components.
- According to another aspect of the present invention, a refrigerator is provided. The refrigerator comprises a door, which comprises a front panel forming at least a part of the door's front surface, the front panel having a through-hole, whose lateral width is at least a half of the lateral width of the front panel, characterized in that the front panel is made of glass and comprises an upper region above the through-hole, a lower region below the through-hole and side regions which each are located at a corresponding side of the through-hole and which connect with the upper region and the lower region.
- In a particularly preferred embodiment of the present invention, the door has a dispensing chamber for accommodating at least a part of an additional device. At least a portion of the through-hole is constructed as an access to the dispensing chamber. In another preferred embodiment, the door comprises a table-forming door which can be used to selectively open or close the through-hole.
- In a preferred embodiment, the refrigerator comprises a control panel which is at least partially accommodated in the through-hole.
- Particularly and preferably, the front panel has a one-pieced structure, and the front surface of the door is substantially formed by the front panel.
- The construction of the present invention and other objectives and beneficial effects of the present invention will be well understood by the following description of preferred embodiments in accompany with the drawings.
- In order that the present invention can be understood, preferred embodiments of the present invention are explained in accompany with the drawings which together with the description is used to interpret the principle of the present invention. In the drawings:
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FIG. 1 shows a schematic perspective view of a refrigerator according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 2 shows a schematic exploded view of a door of the refrigerator according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 3 shows a partially sectional view of the door of the refrigerator according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 4 shows a detailed view of the part “A” inFIG. 3 ; and -
FIG. 5 shows a schematic front view of the refrigerator according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. - Refer to figures, especially
FIG. 1 . Arefrigerator 1 comprises arefrigerator body 18. In this embodiment, therefrigerator body 18 defines a freezing compartment (not shown) and a refrigerating compartment (not shown) which are arranged side-by-side. The refrigerator further comprises afreezing compartment door 2 and a refrigeratingcompartment door 2′ which are connected to therefrigerator body 18. Thefreezing compartment door 2 and the refrigeratingcompartment door 2′ each are pivotally connected to a corresponding side of therefrigerator body 18 such that the freezing compartment and the refrigerating compartment can be opened or closed selectively. Thefreezing compartment door 2 and the refrigeratingcompartment door 2′ each are provided with ahandle 19 thereon such that a user can easily open or close the corresponding door. - The
freezing compartment door 2 is provided with adispenser 3. Thedispenser 3 is provided so that ice and/or water stored in therefrigerator 1 can be discharged even in case of thefreezing compartment door 2 being not opened. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For instance, in an alternative embodiment, it is also possible that thedispenser 3 is provided on the refrigeratingcompartment door 2′. - In this embodiment, the
dispenser 3 has a dispensingchamber 4 which is opened at its front end to receive an additional device such as a cup. Thedispenser 4 is recessed backwards at a depth from the front surface of the freezingcompartment door 2. - The
refrigerator 1 comprises acontrol panel 17 arranged on thedoor 2. In this embodiment, thecontrol panel 17 is arranged directly adjacent to and above the dispensingchamber 4. Preferably, thecontrol panel 17 comprises adisplay screen 20 and a plurality ofswitch devices 21. Thedisplay screen 20 is used to display information such as operating status and/or setting parameter of therefrigerator 1. Preferably, theswitch devices 21 are located below thedisplay screen 20 such that theswitch devices 21 are closer to the dispensingchamber 4 than thedisplay screen 21. In this embodiment, for example, by means of manipulation of a corresponding one of theswitch devices 21, a user can carry out operations such as water dispensing, flake ice dispensing and ice cake dispensing and can turn on a lighting device for illuminating the dispensingchamber 4. - As shown in
FIGS. 2 and 3 , the freezingcompartment door 2 comprises afirst wall 10 forming a back surface of the freezingcompartment door 2 and afront panel 5 forming a front surface of the freezingcompartment door 2. Thefirst wall 10 faces toward the freezing compartment when the freezingcompartment door 2 is closed. The freezingcompartment door 2 further comprises asecond wall 11 located between thefirst wall 10 and thefront panel 5. Thesecond wall 11 is preferably made of metallic sheet. - There is an interval between the
second wall 11 and thefirst wall 10 such that a space is formed between thesecond wall 11 and thefirst wall 10 to accommodate a thermally insulatedlayer 12. The thermally insulatedlayer 12 is preferably formed by foaming of thermally insulated foam material. - The
dispenser 3 comprises adispenser housing 26, which dispenser housing defines aconcave chamber 27 recessed in a front and back direction. The front end opening of theconcave chamber 27 is in a substantially quadrangle shape. Thesecond wall 11 is provided with anopening 23 corresponding with theconcave chamber 27. The position and the size of theopening 23 substantially correspond to those of the front end opening of theconcave chamber 27. - The
concave chamber 27 is divided into an upper portion and a lower portion by apartition wall 28. More particularly, a portion of theconcave chamber 27 which is below thepartition wall 28 is opened at its front end such that a dispensingchamber 4 is formed to receive an additional device. A portion of theconcave chamber 27 which is above thepartition wall 28 is closed by thecontrol panel 17. Anice discharging opening 30 is provided on thepartition wall 28 such that ice stored in the freezing compartment is entered into the portion of theconcave chamber 27 which is above thepartition wall 28 via anice transporting chute 29 and then is entered into the dispensingchamber 4 via theice discharging opening 30. When it is not necessary to transport ice, theice transporting passage 29 is closed by aclosure element 44. - As shown in
FIG. 4 , thedispenser housing 26 comprises a mountingedge 31 which is matably attached to thesecond wall 11. Preferably, the front surface of the mountingedge 31 is pressed against the inner surface of thesecond wall 11 along theopening 23. Preferably, a sealing device is provided between the front surface of the mountingedge 31 and the rear surface of thesecond wall 11 so as to prevent foam material from escaping during foaming. Such a sealing device is preferably formed by adhesive tape, which facilitates thedispenser housing 26 being secured on the inner surface of thesecond wall 11. Thedispenser housing 26 comprises a connecting slot 32 arranged around theconcave chamber 27. Correspondingly, thesecond wall 11 comprises a connecting flange 32 extending backwards from the edge of theopening 23. The connectingflange 33 is inserted into the connecting slot 32 such that thedispenser housing 26 is secured on thesecond wall 11. Thedispenser housing 26 does not project beyond the front side of thesecond wall 11, and thus partially overlaps with the front surface of thesecond wall 11. Thefront panel 5 can be tightly pressed against the front side of thesecond wall 11. Thefront panel 5 is explained as follow. - The
front panel 5 is made of tempered glass and comprises a through-hole 6 adapted for thedispenser 3. The size and the position of the through-hole 6 substantially correspond to those of the front end opening of theconcave chamber 27. In this embodiment, the upper portion of the through-hole 6 is closed by thecontrol panel 17, and the lower portion of the through-hole 6 is constructed as an access to the dispensingchamber 4. - The
front panel 5 is preferably bonded to the front surface of thesecond wall 11 by means of adhesive means, which specially facilitates the front surface of thefront wall 5 being completely exposed outwards. Preferably, the adhesive means is a double-face adhesive tape which can implement strong adhesion. In this embodiment, the adhesive means comprises a firstadhesive section 24 arranged at the peripheral edge of thefront panel 5 and a secondadhesive section 25 arranged along the edge region of the through-hole 6. The firstadhesive section 24 and the secondadhesive section 25 each comprise a plurality of bar-shaped adhesive tapes which preferably adhere with each other to form a closed-loop adhesive frame, which can prevent foreign matter such as dust from entering between thefront panel 5 and thesecond wall 11. - With respect to the through-
hole 6, thefront panel 5 is divided into anupper region 7 above the through-hole 6, alower region 8 below the through-hole 6 andside regions hole 6 and which connects with theupper region 7 and thelower region 8. - The
front panel 5 has an outline in oblong shape. Preferably, the widths of theupper region 7 and thelower region 8 are at least substantially identical with the width of the freezingcompartment 2. The sum of the longitudinal lengths of thelower region 7, theupper region 8 and one of theside regions door 2 in value. Therefore, the front surface of thesecond wall 11 can be completely covered by thefront panel 5. - The
front panel 5 has a one-pieced structure such that theupper region 7, thelower region 8 and theside regions - The lateral width of the through-
hole 6 is at least a half of the width of thefront panel 5. Preferably, theside regions front panel 5. In order to ensure that thefront panel 5 has a sufficient strength, the lateral sizes of theside regions front panel 5 is 40 cm, the width of the through-hole 6 is 24 cm, the width of each of theside regions side regions -
Small holes 41 are provided on thefront panel 5 to mount ahandle 19 therein. A front end of ahandle mounting portion 42 secured on thesecond wall 11 projects into a corresponding one of thesmall holes 41 so as to be connected with a connectingroot 43 of thehandle 19. - As shown in
FIGS. 3 and 4 , agap 13 is formed between thefront panel 5 and thesecond wall 11 in a front and back direction. The interval in the front and back direction of thegap 13 is substantially identical to the thickness of each of the firstadhesive section 24 after being pressed and the secondadhesive section 25 after being pressed. In this embodiment, thegap 13 is about 1 mm in size. - In an preferred embodiment according to the present invention, the end of a
chamber wall 15 of thedispenser housing 26 for defining theconcave chamber 27 extends beyond thesecond wall 11 and projects into the through-hole 6 such that the end of thechamber wall 15 forms ashelter element 14 used to isolate thesecond wall 11 and thegap 13 from theconcave chamber 27. Since the dispensingchamber 4 is formed of a portion of theconcave chamber 27, thesecond wall 11 and thegap 13 are not exposed in the dispensingchamber 4. Preferably, the dispensingchamber wall 15 extends into the through-hole 6 and not beyond the front surface of thefront panel 5. -
FIG. 5 shows a schematic perspective view of arefrigerator 1″ according to another embodiment of the present invention. As shown inFIG. 5 , therefrigerator 1″ comprises a refrigeratingcompartment door 34 which is provided with a table-formingopening 35. The table-formingopening 35 is provided through the refrigeratingcompartment door 34 in a front and back direction. The table-formingopening 35 is selectively closed or opened by a table-formingdoor 16 provided on therefrigerating compartment door 34. - The front surface of the refrigerating
compartment door 34 is formed by afront panel 36. Thefront panel 36 is made of glass and has a one-pieced structure. At a location corresponding to the table-formingopening 35, a through-hole 37 is formed on thefront panel 36 and its position and size substantially correspond to those of the table-formingopening 35. The lateral width of the through-hole 37 is larger than a half of the total width of thefront panel 36. Thefront panel 36 comprises anupper region 38 above the through-hole 36, alower region 39 below the through-hole 37 andside regions hole 36 and which connect with theupper region 38 and thelower region 39. Therefore, the front surface of the refrigeratingcompartment door 34 which comprises the surrounding area of the table-formingopening 35 can be made of only a piece of glass panel. This facilitates to solve the technical problem that material is not unified and connect seams are excessive in a case that the refrigeratingcompartment door 34 provided with the table-formingdoor 16 is made of glass panel.
Claims (16)
1-14. (canceled)
15. A refrigerator, comprising:
a door comprising a front panel forming at least a part of a front surface of the door and having a through-hole; and
a dispenser mounted on the door, with the through-hole being configured to at least partially correspond to the dispenser,
wherein the front panel is a glass plate and comprises an upper region above the through-hole, a lower region below the through-hole, and side regions which are located between the upper region and the lower region and which connect with the upper region and the lower region.
16. The refrigerator of claim 15 , wherein the front panel has a one-pieced structure.
17. The refrigerator of claim 15 , wherein the upper and lower regions and the side regions are each defined by a longitudinal length, wherein a sum of the longitudinal lengths of the upper and lower regions and one of the side regions is substantially equal to a longitudinal height of the door in value.
18. The refrigerator of claim 15 , wherein the front surface of the door is substantially formed by the front panel.
19. The refrigerator of claim 15 , wherein each of the side regions has a lateral size which is at least 5 cm.
20. The refrigerator of claim 19 , wherein the lateral size is 7 to 8 cm.
21. The refrigerator of claim 15 , wherein the door comprises a first wall forming a back surface of the door, a second wall which is separated at a predetermined interval from the first wall, and a thermally insulated layer accommodated between the first wall and the second wall, said front panel being attached at a front side of the second wall.
22. The refrigerator of claim 21 , wherein a gap is formed in a front and back direction between the front panel and the second wall, said door comprising a shelter element for shielding the gap along the through-hole.
23. The refrigerator of claim 22 , wherein the dispenser comprises a dispenser housing, said shelter element being formed by the dispenser housing.
24. The refrigerator of claim 15 , wherein the dispenser comprises a dispensing chamber for accommodating at least a part of an additional device, and a chamber wall for defining the dispensing chamber, said chamber wall extending forwards into the through-hole.
25. A refrigerator, comprising a door comprising a front panel which forms at least a part of a front surface of the door and has a through-hole defined by a lateral width which is at least a half of a lateral width of the front panel, said front panel being made of glass and comprising an upper region above the through-hole, a lower region below the through-hole, and side regions which each are located at a corresponding side of the through-hole and which connect with the upper region and the lower region.
26. The refrigerator of claim 25 , wherein the door has a dispensing chamber for accommodating at least a part of an additional device, at least a portion of the through-hole being constructed as an access to the dispensing chamber.
27. The refrigerator of claim 25 , wherein the door comprises a table-forming door which is used to selectively open or close the through-hole.
28. The refrigerator of claim 25 , further comprising a control panel which is at least partially accommodated in the through-hole.
29. The refrigerator of claim 25 , wherein the front panel has a one-pieced structure and substantially forms the front surface of the door.
Applications Claiming Priority (3)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
CN200910028341.9A CN101776364B (en) | 2009-01-08 | 2009-01-08 | Refrigerator |
CN200910028341.9 | 2009-01-08 | ||
PCT/EP2009/068013 WO2010079111A2 (en) | 2009-01-08 | 2009-12-30 | Refrigerator |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US20110239689A1 true US20110239689A1 (en) | 2011-10-06 |
Family
ID=42316898
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US13/133,388 Abandoned US20110239689A1 (en) | 2009-01-08 | 2009-12-30 | Refrigerator |
Country Status (5)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US20110239689A1 (en) |
EP (2) | EP3056844A1 (en) |
CN (1) | CN101776364B (en) |
PL (1) | PL2386049T3 (en) |
WO (1) | WO2010079111A2 (en) |
Cited By (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20140157600A1 (en) * | 2012-12-06 | 2014-06-12 | Whirlpool Corporation | Utility routing for a door-mounted icemaker |
US20160265836A1 (en) * | 2013-12-18 | 2016-09-15 | Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. | Refrigerator |
US11150004B1 (en) * | 2020-08-03 | 2021-10-19 | Electrolux Home Products, Inc. | Integrated ice chute with dispenser housing |
Families Citing this family (7)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
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CN102072609B (en) * | 2011-02-14 | 2012-11-28 | 合肥美的荣事达电冰箱有限公司 | Refrigerator door body and refrigerator having same |
CN102213531B (en) * | 2011-05-30 | 2013-05-22 | 合肥美的荣事达电冰箱有限公司 | Refrigerator door, manufacture method thereof and refrigerator with refrigerator door |
JP2013061134A (en) * | 2011-09-14 | 2013-04-04 | Sharp Corp | Refrigerator |
JP2013061133A (en) * | 2011-09-14 | 2013-04-04 | Sharp Corp | Refrigerator |
CN102706078A (en) * | 2012-06-12 | 2012-10-03 | 海尔集团公司 | Refrigerator door body equipped with bar counter |
CN104457121A (en) * | 2014-12-23 | 2015-03-25 | 合肥美的电冰箱有限公司 | Distributor and refrigerator |
DE102016221211A1 (en) * | 2016-10-27 | 2018-05-03 | BSH Hausgeräte GmbH | Refrigeration device with beverage dispenser |
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CN2881490Y (en) * | 2006-01-18 | 2007-03-21 | 海尔集团公司 | Refrigerator distributor with lighting device |
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- 2009-01-08 CN CN200910028341.9A patent/CN101776364B/en active Active
- 2009-12-30 US US13/133,388 patent/US20110239689A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 2009-12-30 EP EP16155000.9A patent/EP3056844A1/en not_active Withdrawn
- 2009-12-30 PL PL09796758.2T patent/PL2386049T3/en unknown
- 2009-12-30 WO PCT/EP2009/068013 patent/WO2010079111A2/en active Application Filing
- 2009-12-30 EP EP09796758.2A patent/EP2386049B1/en active Active
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US5520453A (en) * | 1991-11-07 | 1996-05-28 | Matsushita Refrigeration Company | Heat insulating door wall structure |
US7340915B2 (en) * | 2003-03-22 | 2008-03-11 | Lg Electronics Inc. | Refrigerator door having dispenser |
US7137272B2 (en) * | 2003-09-06 | 2006-11-21 | Lg Electronics Inc. | Refrigerator having dispenser |
US20090282856A1 (en) * | 2005-11-30 | 2009-11-19 | Bsh Bosch Und Siemens Hausgerate Gmbh | Refrigeration Device Comprising a Dispensing Device |
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Cited By (7)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20140157600A1 (en) * | 2012-12-06 | 2014-06-12 | Whirlpool Corporation | Utility routing for a door-mounted icemaker |
US9851137B2 (en) * | 2012-12-06 | 2017-12-26 | Whirlpool Corporation | Utility routing for a door-mounted icemaker |
US20180094845A1 (en) * | 2012-12-06 | 2018-04-05 | Whirlpool Corporation | Utility routing for a door-mounted icemaker |
US10619904B2 (en) * | 2012-12-06 | 2020-04-14 | Whirlpool Corporation | Utility routing for a door-mounted icemaker |
US11293679B2 (en) * | 2012-12-06 | 2022-04-05 | Whirlpool Corporation | Utility routing for a door-mounted icemaker |
US20160265836A1 (en) * | 2013-12-18 | 2016-09-15 | Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. | Refrigerator |
US11150004B1 (en) * | 2020-08-03 | 2021-10-19 | Electrolux Home Products, Inc. | Integrated ice chute with dispenser housing |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
EP2386049B1 (en) | 2016-05-04 |
CN101776364B (en) | 2014-12-31 |
CN101776364A (en) | 2010-07-14 |
WO2010079111A2 (en) | 2010-07-15 |
EP3056844A1 (en) | 2016-08-17 |
WO2010079111A3 (en) | 2010-12-09 |
PL2386049T3 (en) | 2016-09-30 |
EP2386049A2 (en) | 2011-11-16 |
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Legal Events
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AS | Assignment |
Owner name: BSH BOSCH UND SIEMENS HAUSGERAETE GMBH, GERMANY Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:BAI, YUFA;MA, JINGDONG;REN, XIAOGUANG;AND OTHERS;SIGNING DATES FROM 20110504 TO 20110607;REEL/FRAME:026407/0319 |
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STCB | Information on status: application discontinuation |
Free format text: ABANDONED -- FAILURE TO RESPOND TO AN OFFICE ACTION |