Apparatus for tilting door for refrigerator

• US 20070035222A1
• Filed: 08/10/2006
• Published: 02/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kim, Young, Lee, Chang, Moon, Gi-Yong
• Granted Patent: US 7,815,268 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 312/405
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/31 for refrigerators
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 23/021 Sliding doors
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2323/024 Door hinges
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2500/02 Geometry problems

Abstract

Disclosed is an apparatus for tilting a door for a refrigerator. The apparatus includes: the door selectively opening and closing a storage chamber; a basket frame provided on a rear surface of the door and having a basket detachably installed on the basket frame; a tilting hinge connecting the door to the basket frame so that the door is tilted by a desired angle; and a tilting prevention pin having one end extending through a side of the tilting hinge and the other end supported by a side of the basket frame, for restricting and allowing the tilting of the door.

Claims

1. An apparatus for tilting a door by a desired angle for a refrigerator in which the door can open and close a storage chamber, the apparatus comprising:

a pair of receptacles provided to both sides of a basket frame and having rollers rotatably installed on the receptacles, respectively, the basket frame being disposed on a rear surface of the door and having a basket detachably installed on the basket frame;

a pair of door hinges having one end rotatably connected to the rear surface of the door and the other end fixed to a side of the receptacle; and

a tilting hinge having one end rotatably connected to the rear surface of the door, and the other end formed with a roller reception portion in which the roller is received according to the tilting of the door,

wherein the tilting hinge is moved by the roller along a predetermined trajectory so that the roller reception portion receives the roller, when the door rotates around the door hinge and is tilted.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the roller is a ball bearing including an inner race restrictedly mounted on a roller pin which is horizontally provided to the receptacle, and an outer race rotating with respect to the inner race depending on the movement of the tilting hinge.

3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the roller is a sliding bearing which is rotatably mounted on a roller pin which is horizontally provided to the receptacle, and in which lubricant is supplied between the roller and the roller pin.

6. The apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1, wherein the door hinge has one end rotatably connected by means of a first hinge pin to a side of a hinge supporter fixed to the rear surface of the door, and the tilting hinge connected to the other side of the hinge supporter corresponding to an upper portion of the door hinge connected to the hinge supporter by the first hinge pin so as to rotate around a second hinge pin.

7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the tilting hinge has one end opposed to the roller reception portion and rotatably connected to a lower end of a support member which is movably mounted on the hinge supporter, and is subjected to elasticity from a spring mounted on the support member so as to rotate around an axis of the second hinge in a direction that an upper surface of the tilting hinge comes into close contact with an outer peripheral surface of the roller.

4. An apparatus for tilting a door by a desired angle for a refrigerator in which the door can open and close a storage chamber, the apparatus comprising:

a receptacle provided to both sides of a basket frame and having rollers rotatably installed to the receptacle, the basket frame being disposed on a rear surface of the door and having a basket detachably installed on the basket frame;

a door hinge having one end rotatably connected to the 20 rear surface of the door and the other end fixed to a side of the receptacle; and

a tilting hinge having one end rotatably connected to the rear surface of the door, and the other end formed with a stopper reception portion in which the stopper is received according to the tilting of the door,

wherein the tilting hinge is moved by the roller along a predetermined trajectory so that the roller reception portion receives the stopper, when the door rotates around the door hinge and is tilted.

5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the tilting hinge further includes a roller reception portion receiving the roller when the door is tilted, and the stopper is received in the stopper reception portion according to the tilting of the door before the roller is received in the roller reception portion.

8. An apparatus for tilting a door by a desired angle for a refrigerator in which the door can open and close a storage chamber and has a basket frame, to which a basket is detachably installed, provided to a rear surface of the door, the apparatus comprising:

a pair of hinge supporters fixed to the rear surface of the door;

a pair of receptacles fixed to both sides of a basket frame near the rear surface of the door, and having rollers rotatably installed to the receptacles, respectively;

a pair of door hinges having one end rotatably connected to the hinge supporter and the other end fixed to a side of the receptacle;

a tilting hinge connected to a side of the hinge supporter so as to rotate around the side of the hinge supporter and having one end formed with a roller reception portion in which the roller is received;

a pair of support members mounted on the hinge supporter so as to move upward and downward, and having a lower end rotatably connected to one end of the tilting hinge; and

a pair of elastic members provided on the support member and providing elasticity to the tilting hinge in a direction that the tilting hinge rotates around a side of the tilting hinge so that the upper surface of the tilting hinge comes into close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the roller.

9. The apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein the receptacle and the tilting hinge further include a stopper reception portion to receive a stopper when the door is tilted, and the stopper is received in the stopper reception portion before the roller is received in the roller reception portion due to the tilting of the door.

10. An apparatus for tilting a door for a refrigerator, comprising:

a door having an upper end tilted around a lower end by a desired angle, for opening and closing a storage chamber;

a basket frame provided on a rear surface of the door, and having a basket detachably attached to the basket frame; and

a tilting prevention member having one end simultaneously extending through the door and the basket frame, and the other end extending through only the basket frame, for restricting and allowing the tilting of the door.

11. The apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein both ends of the tilting prevention member are inserted into a locking hole formed at a side of the basket frame and a first insertion hole formed at a side of a door bracket provided on the rear surface of the door, respectively, in the state of restricting the tilting of the door, while both ends of the tilting prevention member are inserted into the first and second insertion holes formed at a side of the door bracket, respectively, in the state of allowing the tilting of the door.

12. The apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein the tilting prevention member includes:

a grip portion having a desired length; and

first and second insertion portions extending normally to the grip portion in the same direction so as to be inserted into the locking hole and the first insertion hole, or the first and second insertion holes, respectively.

13. The apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein the tilting prevention member includes:

a grip portion having a desired length;

a first insertion portion extending normally to one end of the grip portion by a predetermined distance and inserted into the first insertion hole;

a second insertion portion extending from the other end of the grip portion in the same direction as the first insertion portion and having a shorter length than the first insertion portion, so as to be inserted into the second insertion hole; and

a removal prevention ring provided to one end of the first insertion portion for preventing the first insertion portion from being completely removed from the first insertion hole.

14. An apparatus for tilting a door for a refrigerator, comprising:

the door selectively opening and closing a storage chamber;

a basket frame provided on a rear surface of the door and having a basket detachably installed on the basket frame;

a tilting hinge connecting the door to the basket frame so that the door is tilted by a desired angle; and

a tilting prevention pin having one end extending through a side of the tilting hinge and the other end supported by a side of the basket frame, for restricting and allowing the tilting of the door.

15. The apparatus as claimed in claim 14, wherein the tilting prevention pin has one end inserted into a locking hole formed in a side of the tilting hinge, and the other end supported by a support member provided to a side of the basket frame.

16. The apparatus as claimed in claim 15, wherein one end of the tilting prevention pin extending through the locking hole is inserted into an insertion hole formed at a side of the basket frame to correspond to the locking hole in the state in which the door shields the storage chamber.

17. The apparatus as claimed in claim 14, wherein the basket frame has an insertion hole formed at a side of the basket frame, in which one end of the tilting prevention pin is inserted and held in the state of allowing the tilting of the door.

18. The apparatus as claimed in claim 17, further comprising a support member disposed on a side of the basket frame for supporting the other end of the tilting prevention pin, in the state of allowing the tilting of the door.

19. The apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 14, wherein the tilting prevention pin includes a grip portion formed in a ring shape with a desired diameter, a first end extending from a side of the grip portion in a normal direction to a plane surface formed by the grip portion and inserted into the locking hole and/or the insertion hole, and a second end extending from the other side of the grip portion in a tangent direction of the grip portion and supported by the support member, which has a desired elasticity so that one of the first and second ends is elastically deformed with respect to the residual one.

20. The apparatus as claimed in claim 19, further comprising a buffer member provided to a contact portion between the rear surface of the door and one end of the tilting hinge so as to absorb impact occurring between the door and tilting hinge, in the state in which the door is tilted at a desired angle.