Apparatus to close a door of a refrigerator

• US 6,845,545 B2
• Filed: 03/05/2003
• Issued: 01/25/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Myung-Wouk, Park, Yong-Pil, Han, Jae-Myeong
• Primary Examiner(s): MAH, CHUCK Y
• Application Number:
  US10/378,902
• Publication Number:
  US 20040040118A1
• Time in Patent Office: 692 Days
• Field of Search: 162/77, 162/81, 162/86, 162/87, 16/80, 16/70, 16/50, 163/74, 163/75, 163/19, 312/401, 312/405, 312/325, 312/326, 312/329, 312/319.2, 493/99, 491/09
• US Class Current: 16/277
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 1/1066 with a traction spring
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 1/1269 with a traction spring
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 1/14 with double-acting springs, e.g. for closing and opening or checking and closing no material
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 3/108 with piston rod protruding from the closer housing; Telescoping closers
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 5/02 specially for preventing the slamming of swinging wings during final closing movement, e.g. jamb stops
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/31 for refrigerators
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 23/028 Details
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2323/024 Door hinges

Abstract

An apparatus to automatically close a refrigerator door when the door is opened at a predetermined angle or less. The apparatus includes a hinge mechanism having a first hinge shaft provided at the door, which allows the door to be coupled to a refrigerator cabinet and allows the door to be rotated about the hinge shaft, a tension spring provided at the refrigerator cabinet to apply the door with a tension force for closing the door, and a unit to asborb shock generated when the door is closed by the tension spring, and the a unit to absorb shock includes a housing coupled to the cabinet, and a movable shaft which is received in the housing at its one end and connected to the door at the other end to be linearly moved in the housing, and wherein the tension spring is connected to the cabinet at its one end and connected to the movable shaft at the other end to apply the door with a tension force of closing the door. Thus, when the door is opened at an angle of 90 degrees or less, the door is automatically closed and when the door is opened at an angle greater than 90 degrees, the door remains in its position. Accordingly, use of the refrigerator is convenient, and the maximum rotation angle of the door can be controlled according to a user'"'"'s desire.

Claims

1. An apparatus to close a door of a refrigerator, comprising:

a hinge mechanism having a first hinge shaft provided at the door to allow the door to be coupled to a refrigerator cabinet and to allow the door to be rotated about the hinge shaft;

a tension spring provided in the refrigerator cabinet to apply a tension force to the door, to close the door;

a shock absorbing unit to absorb shock generated when the door is closed by the tension spring, the shock absorbing unit to absorb shock includes a housing coupled to the cabinet and a movable shaft which is received in the housing at one end and connected with the door at the other end to be linearly moved in the housing, and wherein the tension spring is connected with the cabinet at one end and connected with the movable shaft at the other end to apply the tension force to close the door.

2. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the shock absorbing unit further comprises a piston provided at the one end of the movable shaft received in the housing so that air in a space defined by the housing and the piston absorbs shock generated by the quick closing of the door due to the tension force of the tension spring.

3. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the shock absorbing unit further comprises:

a piston provided at the one end of the movable shaft received in the housing; and

a shock-absorbing spring provided in the housing, wherein the piston and the shock absorbing spring absorb shock generated by the quick closing of the door due to the tension force of the tension spring.

4. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the one end of the tension spring is connected to the housing.

5. The apparatus as set forth in claim 4, wherein the one end of the tension spring is connected to a front or rear end of the housing.

6. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a second hinge shaft provided at the door to be spaced from the first hinge shaft, and a connecting lever hingedly connected to the movable shaft at its one end and hingedly connected to the second hinge shaft to transmit the tension force of the tension spring to the door.

7. The apparatus as set forth in claim 6, further comprising a leg part which supports the refrigerator cabinet and serves as a cylinder, wherein the tension spring and the shock absorbing unit to absorb shock are provided in the leg part.

8. The apparatus as set forth in claim 7, wherein the leg part comprises a front plate provided with a connecting lever hole, to allow the connecting lever to freely pass therethrough while preventing the movable shaft from projecting to an outside of the leg part.

9. The apparatus as set forth in claim 8, further comprising a displacement control unit including a female threaded hole formed at the front plate of the leg part and a control bolt engaged with the female threaded hole, and a stop protrusion provided at the connecting lever, which comes into contact with the control bolt when the door is opened, thereby stopping the opening motion of the door.

10. The apparatus as set forth in claim 6, wherein the connecting lever is laterally bent at a region where the connecting lever comes into contact with the first hinge shaft to allow the door to be opened at a predetermined angle.

11. The apparatus as set forth in claim 6, wherein the connecting lever is provided with a seat cut at a region where the connecting lever comes into contact with the first hinge shaft to allow the first hinge shaft to seat in the seat cut, thereby allowing the door to be opened at a predetermined angle.

12. An apparatus to close a door of a refrigerator, comprising:

a hinge mechanism having first and second hinge shafts, to be coupled to a refrigerator cabinet and to allow the door to rotate;

a tension spring provided in the refrigerator cabinet to apply a tension force to the door, to close the door; and

an absorbing unit to absorb the shock generated when the door is closed by the tension force,

wherein when the door is opened within a range of 0 to 90 degrees, the tension force is applied to the door, and a rotational torque derived from the tension force is applied to the door, causing the door to automatically close, and when the door is opened within a range of 90 to 135 degrees, the tension force applied to the door moves in a direction corresponding to an extension line defined by the first and second hinge shafts, the rotational torque is not applied to the door, and the door remains in place.