Refrigerator

• US 10,345,032 B2
• Filed: 11/13/2017
• Issued: 07/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/11/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kang, Daekil
• Primary Examiner(s): Roersma, Andrew M
• Application Number:
  US15/810,316
• Publication Number:
  US 20180135909A1
• Time in Patent Office: 603 Days
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 23/021 Sliding doors
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 23/025 Secondary closures
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 23/062 defining a cabinet
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 23/069 Cooling space dividing partitions
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 25/00 Charging, supporting, and discharging the articles to be cooled

Abstract

A refrigerator includes a cabinet, a partition wall partitioning the cabinet, an accommodating unit defining an accommodating space and an opening, where the accommodating space is recessed downward from a horizontal top surface of the partition wall, and the opening is located at an upper portion of the accommodating unit and configured to introduce food therethrough, an accommodating unit door located at the upper portion of the accommodating unit and configured to open and close the opening by moving in a direction parallel to the horizontal top surface, a roller located below the accommodating unit door, where the roller supports the accommodating unit door and allows the accommodating unit door to slidingly move with respect to the partition wall, and an upper rib provided at each of left and right portions of the accommodating unit door and configured to restrict splaying of the accommodating unit door.

Claims

1. A refrigerator comprising:

a cabinet defining a first storage compartment and a second storage compartment vertically below the first storage compartment;

a partition wall partitioning the cabinet into the first storage compartment and the second storage compartment, the partition wall having a horizontal top surface;

an accommodating unit defining an accommodating space and an opening, the accommodating space being recessed downward from the horizontal top surface of the partition wall, and the opening being located at an upper portion of the accommodating unit and being configured to introduce food therethrough;

an accommodating unit door located at the upper portion of the accommodating unit and configured to open and close the opening by moving in a direction parallel to the horizontal top surface of the partition wall;

a roller located below the accommodating unit door, the roller supporting the accommodating unit door and allowing the accommodating unit door to slidingly move with respect to the partition wall; and

an upper rib provided at each of left and right portions of the accommodating unit door and configured to restrict splaying of the accommodating unit door,

wherein the upper rib is located in the partition wall and spaced apart from a lateral side surface and a top surface of the accommodating unit door,

wherein the partition wall includes a rail rib that protrudes upward and that contacts and supports the roller,

wherein the refrigerator further comprises a guide rib extending downward from left and right portions of the roller and surrounding both sides of the rail rib,

wherein the rail rib is spaced apart from the guide rib by a predetermined distance in a width direction, and

wherein the predetermined distance is less than a distance between the lateral side surface of the accommodating unit door and the upper rib in the width direction.

2. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein a length of the upper rib is shorter than a side length of the accommodating unit door.

3. The refrigerator of claim 2, wherein the accommodating unit door has a rectangular plate shape including straight sides and round corners.

4. The refrigerator of claim 3, wherein the accommodating unit door includes transition portions between the straight sides and the round corners, respectively, and

wherein the upper rib is configured to cover at least one of the transition portions based on the accommodating unit door closing the opening.

5. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the roller includes a first pair of rollers located at the left portion of the accommodating unit door and a second pair of rollers located at the right portion of the accommodating unit door, and

wherein the guide rib includes a first pair of guide ribs located at the left portion of the accommodating unit door and a second pair of guide ribs located at the right portion of the accommodating unit door.

6. The refrigerator of claim 1, further comprising a transfer unit located at the partition wall, the transfer unit including an elastic portion configured to provide elasticity to the accommodating unit door based on the accommodating unit door moving to open the opening of the accommodating unit.

7. The refrigerator of claim 6, wherein the transfer unit further includes a speed control portion configured to decelerate movement of the accommodating unit door based on the accommodating unit door moving to close the opening of the accommodating unit.

8. The refrigerator of claim 6, wherein the transfer unit further includes:

a transfer unit body being coupled to the partition wall and defining a transfer space extending in a direction parallel to movement of the accommodating unit door; and

a slider movably provided in the transfer space and coupled to the accommodating unit door, and

wherein the elastic portion includes a first end connected to the transfer unit body and a second end connected to the slider.

9. The refrigerator of claim 8, wherein the transfer unit is located rearward of a center portion of the accommodating unit door.

10. The refrigerator of claim 9, further comprising:

a transfer unit accommodating groove that is defined at the top surface of the partition wall and that receives the transfer unit; and

a cover that is located vertically above the transfer unit accommodating groove and that protects the transfer unit accommodating groove from foreign substances.

11. The refrigerator of claim 10, wherein the cover is configured to move together with the accommodating unit door in rearward and forward directions.

12. The refrigerator of claim 11, wherein the cover is coupled to the slider and configured to move together with the slider based on the accommodating unit door moving forward to close the opening.

13. The refrigerator of claim 10, wherein the cover is fixed to the partition wall and allows relative movement of the accommodating unit door with respect to the cover.

14. The refrigerator of claim 13, wherein the cover comprises:

a pair of coupling portions located at rear left and right portions of the cover, respectively; and

an open portion located forward of the pair of coupling portions and configured to receive the accommodating unit door between the partition wall and a lower surface of the cover based on the accommodating unit door moving rearward to open the opening.

15. The refrigerator of claim 14, wherein the cover slopes upward with respect to the top horizontal surface of the partition wall toward a front portion of the cover, and

wherein a distance between the top horizontal surface of the partition wall and the lower surface of the cover is greater at the front portion of the cover than at a rear portion of the cover.

16. The refrigerator of claim 14, wherein the accommodating unit door includes an upper surface configured to slidingly contact the lower surface of the cover based on the accommodating unit door moving toward a rear portion of the cover, and

wherein the upper surface of the accommodating unit door slopes upward toward the rear portion of the cover with respect to the top horizontal surface of the partition wall.

17. A refrigerator comprising:

a cabinet defining a first storage compartment and a second storage compartment vertically below the first storage compartment;

a partition wall partitioning the cabinet into the first storage compartment and the second storage compartment, the partition wall having a horizontal top surface;

an accommodating unit defining an accommodating space and an opening, the accommodating space being recessed downward from the horizontal top surface of the partition wall, and the opening being located at an upper portion of the accommodating unit and being configured to introduce food therethrough;

an accommodating unit door located at the upper portion of the accommodating unit and configured to open and close the opening by moving in a direction parallel to the horizontal top surface of the partition wall;

a roller located below the accommodating unit door, the roller supporting the accommodating unit door and allowing the accommodating unit door to slidingly move with respect to the partition wall; and

an upper rib provided at each of left and right portions of the accommodating unit door and configured to restrict splaying of the accommodating unit door,

wherein the upper rib is located in the partition wall and spaced apart from a lateral side surface and a top surface of the accommodating unit door,

wherein the partition wall includes a rail rib that protrudes upward and that contacts and supports the roller,

wherein the refrigerator further comprises a transfer unit located at the partition wall, the transfer unit including an elastic portion configured to provide elasticity to the accommodating unit door based on the accommodating unit door moving to open the opening of the accommodating unit,

wherein the transfer unit further includes;

a transfer unit body being coupled to the partition wall and defining a transfer space extending in a direction parallel to movement of the accommodating unit door, and

a slider movably provided in the transfer space and coupled to the accommodating unit door, and

wherein the elastic portion includes a first end connected to the transfer unit body and a second end connected to the slider.

18. The refrigerator of claim 17, wherein the transfer unit is located rearward of a center portion of the accommodating unit door.

19. The refrigerator of claim 18, further comprising:

a transfer unit accommodating groove that is defined at the top surface of the partition wall and that receives the transfer unit; and

a cover that is located vertically above the transfer unit accommodating groove and that protects the transfer unit accommodating groove from foreign substances.

20. The refrigerator of claim 19, wherein the cover is configured to move together with the accommodating unit door in rearward and forward directions.

21. The refrigerator of claim 19, wherein the cover is fixed to the partition wall and allows relative movement of the accommodating unit door with respect to the cover.

22. The refrigerator of claim 21, wherein the cover comprises:

a pair of coupling portions located at rear left and right portions of the cover, respectively; and

an open portion located forward of the pair of coupling portions and configured to receive the accommodating unit door between the partition wall and a lower surface of the cover based on the accommodating unit door moving rearward to open the opening.

23. The refrigerator of claim 22, wherein the cover slopes upward with respect to the top horizontal surface of the partition wall toward a front portion of the cover, and

wherein a distance between the top horizontal surface of the partition wall and the lower surface of the cover is greater at the front portion of the cover than at a rear portion of the cover.

24. The refrigerator of claim 22, wherein the accommodating unit door includes an upper surface configured to slidingly contact the lower surface of the cover based on the accommodating unit door moving toward a rear portion of the cover, and

wherein the upper surface of the accommodating unit door slopes upward toward the rear portion of the cover with respect to the top horizontal surface of the partition wall.