Refrigerator

• US 20080024685A1
• Filed: 04/29/2005
• Published: 01/31/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Lee, Ik-Kyu
• Granted Patent: US 8,303,058 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/836
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 23/12 Arrangements of compartments additional to cooling compartments; Combinations of refrigerators with other equipment, e.g. stove
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2400/361 Interactive visual displays
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/414 Specialised client platforms, e.g. receiver in car or embedded in a mobile appliance
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/44 Receiver circuitry for the reception of television signals according to analogue transmission standards H04N5/14 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/63 Generation or supply of power specially adapted for television receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/64 Constructional details of receivers, e.g. cabinets or dust covers furniture aspects of television cabinets A47B81/06

Abstract

A refrigerator allow a user to watch a TV broadcast program or listen to a radio broadcast, by including a main controller (40) for selecting a TV function or radio function according to a user'"'"'s request, a radio tuner (30) for receiving voice data included in a frequency band of a radio set when the radio function is selected by the main controller (40), a TV driving circuit (50) for receiving a TV broadcast program when the TV function is selected by the main controller (40), and outputting image data and voice data included in the TV broadcast program, a TV screen (24) for displaying the image data, and a speaker (22) for outputting the voice data included in the TV broadcast program or the voice data included in the frequency band.

Claims

1. A refrigerator comprising:

a main controller for selecting a TV function or a radio function according to a user'"'"'s request;

a radio tuner for receiving voice data included in a frequency band of a radio set when the radio function is selected by the main controller;

a TV driving circuit for receiving a TV broadcast program when the TV function is selected by the main controller, and outputting image data and voice data included in the TV broadcast program;

a TV screen for displaying the image data; and

a speaker for outputting the voice data included in the TV broadcast program or the voice data included in the frequency band.

2. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the radio tuner receives the voice data included in the frequency band selected by a user and controls a volume of the received voice data according to a volume control signal inputted by the user.

3. The refrigerator of claim 1, further comprising:

a cooling fan for externally releasing heat generated when the TV function or the radio function is selected.

4. The refrigerator of claim 3, wherein the main controller drives the cooling fan when a pre-set time elapses.

5. The refrigerator of claim 3, wherein the main controller drives the cooling fan after controlling the TV driving circuit or the radio tuner.

6. The refrigerator of claim 3, wherein the main controller immediately stops the cooling fan when the operation of the TV driving circuit and the radio tuner is stopped.

7. The refrigerator of claim 3, wherein the main controller applies power to the cooling fan when a pre-time elapses after a switch for applying power to the TV driving circuit or to the radio tuner is turned on.

8. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the main controller stores a select signal generated when the switch for selecting the TV function or the radio function is turned on, and when main power for controlling the radio tuner and the TV driving circuit is newly applied according to a user'"'"'s request, the main controller automatically applies power to the TV driving circuit or to the radio tuner based on the stored select signal.

9. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the TV screen is an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or a PDP (Plasma Display Panel).

10. A refrigerator comprising:

a first display unit for displaying a temperature inside a refrigerator;

a main controller for selecting a TV function or a radio function according to a user'"'"'s request;

a radio tuner for receiving voice data included in a frequency band of a radio set when the radio function is selected by the main controller;

a TV driving circuit for receiving a TV broadcast program when the TV function is selected by the main controller, and outputting image data and voice data included in the TV broadcast program;

a TV screen for displaying the image data;

a speaker for outputting the voice data included in the TV broadcast program or the voice data included in the frequency band; and

a second display unit for displaying the frequency band of the radio set and a volume of the voice data included in the frequency band, or displaying a TV channel number corresponding to the broadcast program and a volume of the voice data included in the broadcast program.

11. The refrigerator of claim 10, further comprising:

a cooling fan for externally releasing heat generated when the TV function or the radio function is selected.

12. The refrigerator of claim 11, wherein the main controller drives the cooling fan when a pre-set time elapses.

13. The refrigerator of claim 11, wherein the main controller drives the cooling fan after controlling the TV driving circuit or the radio tuner.

14. The refrigerator of claim 11, wherein the main controller applies power to the cooling fan when a pre-se time elapses after the switch for applying power to the TV driving circuit or to the radio tuner is turned on.

15. The refrigerator of claim 11, wherein the main controller immediately stops the cooling fan when the operation of the TV driving circuit and the radio tuner is stopped.

16. The refrigerator of claim 10, wherein the main controller stores a select signal generated when the switch for selecting the TV function or the radio function is turned on and stops the function of the TV driving circuit and the radio function according to a user'"'"'s request, and when main power for controlling the radio tuner and the TV driving circuit is newly applied according to a user'"'"'s request, the main controller automatically applies power to the TV driving circuit or to the radio tuner based on the stored select signal.

17. The refrigerator of claim 10, wherein the TV screen is an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or a PDP (Plasma Display Panel).

18. A refrigerator comprising:

a first display unit for displaying a temperature inside a refrigerator;

a main controller for selecting a TV function or a radio function according to a user'"'"'s request;

a radio tuner for receiving voice data included in a frequency band of a radio set when the radio function is selected by the main controller;

a TV driving circuit for receiving a TV broadcast program when the TV function is selected by the main controller, and outputting image data and voice data included in the TV broadcast program;

an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) for displaying the image data;

a speaker for outputting the voice data included in the TV broadcast program or the voice data included in the frequency band;

a second display unit for displaying the frequency band of the radio set and a volume of the voice data included in the frequency band, or displaying a TV channel number corresponding to the broadcast program and a volume of the voice data included in the broadcast program; and

a cooling fan for externally releasing heat generated when the TV function or the radio function is selected,

wherein, when a switch for applying power to the TV driving circuit or to the radio tuner is turned on, the main controller applies power to the cooling fan after a pre-set time elapses, and when the operation of the TV driving circuit and the radio tuner is stopped, the main controller immediately stops the cooling fan.

19. The refrigerator of claim 18, wherein the main controller stores a select signal generated when the switch for selecting the TV function or the radio function is turned on and stops the function of the TV driving circuit and the radio function according to a user'"'"'s request, and when main power for controlling the radio tuner and the TV driving circuit is newly applied according to a user'"'"'s request, the main controller automatically applies power to the TV driving circuit or to the radio tuner based on the stored select signal.