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Refrigerator

  • US 10,436,504 B2
  • Filed: 12/12/2017
  • Issued: 10/08/2019
  • Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2016
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A refrigerator comprising:

  • a cabinet defining a storage space;

    a door configured to open and close at least a portion of the cabinet, the door comprising an outer plate that defines an opening therein; and

    a transparent display assembly that covers the opening and that allows an inner space of the refrigerator to be visible through the transparent display assembly,wherein the transparent display assembly comprises;

    a front panel defining at least a portion of a front surface of the door,a rear panel defining at least a portion of a rear surface of the door,an outer spacer disposed along circumferences of the front panel and the rear panel, and configured to maintain a first distance between the front panel and the rear panel, the outer spacer defining a first sealed space between the front panel and the rear panel,a display provided at a rear surface of the front panel in the first sealed space,an insulation panel provided between the front panel and the rear panel,an inner spacer that is disposed on a rear surface of the insulation panel, that is configured to maintain a second distance between the insulation panel and the rear panel, and that defines a second sealed space between the insulation panel and the rear panel, the second sealed space being provided within the first sealed space, anda display cable that passes through the rear panel and the outer spacer and that is connected with the display,wherein the display, the insulation panel, and the inner spacer are provided within the first sealed space, andwherein the transparent display assembly is configured to have any one of a plurality of states, the plurality of states comprising;

    a transparent mode state in which a light provided in the cabinet or the door is turned on to allow the inner space of the refrigerator to be visible through the transparent display assembly, the display being configured to not operate based on the transparent display assembly being in the transparent mode state,an opaque mode state in which the light is turned off to make the inner space of the refrigerator invisible through the transparent display assembly, the display being configured to not operate based on the transparent display assembly being in the opaque mode state, anda display mode state in which the light is turned off, the display being configured to, based on the transparent display assembly being in the display mode state, operate and output display information through the transparent display assembly.

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