Refrigerator

• US 10,302,349 B2
• Filed: 07/06/2017
• Issued: 05/28/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Park, Wan Su, Kim, Po Cheon
• Primary Examiner(s): Roersma, Andrew M
• Application Number:
  US15/642,830
• Publication Number:
  US 20180031302A1
• Time in Patent Office: 691 Days
• CPC Class Codes: E05D 11/0054 Covers, e.g. for protection
• CPC Class Codes: E05D 11/0081 for transmitting energy, e.g. electrical cable routing
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/31 for refrigerators
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 11/00 Self-contained movable devices, e.g. domestic refrigerators
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 23/028 Details
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2323/022 Doors that can be pivoted either left-handed or right-handed
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2323/024 Door hinges
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2400/361 Interactive visual displays
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2400/40 Refrigerating devices characterised by electrical wiring
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 29/005 Mounting of control devices

Abstract

A refrigerator includes a main body on which a hinge for rotatably supporting the door is mounted, a base frame mounted on the main body and having a first hinge accommodating portion formed at one end portion and a second hinge accommodating portion formed at the other end portion that is opposite to the one end portion, a hinge cover mounted on one of the first hinge accommodating portion and the second hinge accommodating portion, and configured to cover the hinge, and a cover frame configured to be coupled with the base frame by sliding in a first direction or by sliding in a second direction that is opposite to the first direction.

Claims

1. A refrigerator comprising:

a main body;

a storage compartment formed in the main body;

a door to open and close the storage compartment to store food;

a hinge mounted to the main body to rotatably support the door;

a base frame mounted to the main body, and the base frame having a first hinge accommodating portion formed at one end portion thereof and a second hinge accommodating portion formed at the other end portion thereof that is opposite to the one end portion to accommodate the hinge;

a hinge cover mounted to one of the first hinge accommodating portion and the second hinge accommodating portion, and the hinge cover configured to cover the hinge accommodated in the one of the first hinge accommodating portion and the second hinge accommodation portion; and

a cover frame including a pair of cover supporting portions at one end portion thereof and a cavity, corresponding to the hinge cover, formed between the pair of cover supporting portions, the cover frame configured to be coupled with the base frame by sliding in a first direction when the hinge is accommodated in the first hinge accommodating portion or by sliding in a second direction that is opposite to the first direction when the hinge is accommodated in the second hinge accommodating portion,

wherein, the pair of cover supporting portions are inserted into the hinge cover so that the cavity accommodates the hinge cover while the pair of cover supporting portions support the hinge cover.

2. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the cover frame is coupled with the base frame by sliding in the first direction when the hinge cover is mounted to the first hinge accommodating portion, and the cover frame is coupled with the base frame by sliding in the second direction when the hinge cover is mounted to the second hinge accommodating portion.

3. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein

the first direction is a direction from the other end portion of the base frame to the one end portion of the base frame, and

the second direction is a direction from the one end portion of the base frame to the other end portion of the base frame.

4. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the cover frame is configured to cover an entire of one of the first hinge accommodating portion and the second hinge accommodating portion, and a part of the other one of the first hinge accommodating portion and the second hinge accommodating portion.

5. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein

the cover frame includes a frame hook, and

the base frame includes a frame connecting portion connected to the frame hook.

6. The refrigerator of claim 5, wherein the frame hook comprises:

a first extending portion configured to restrict a movement of the cover frame in a direction in which the cover frame slides and in a third direction that is perpendicular to the direction in which the cover frame slides; and

a second extending portion configured to restrict a movement of the cover frame in a fourth direction that is perpendicular to the direction in which the cover frame slides and perpendicular to the third direction.

7. The refrigerator of claim 5, wherein the frame connecting portion includes:

a hook inserting portion into which the frame hook is inserted;

a first hook fixing portion extending from the hook inserting portion in the first direction of the base frame; and

a second hook fixing portion extending from the hook inserting portion in the second direction of the base frame.

8. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the door includes at least one of a camera, a display and a Universal Serial Bus (USB) connecting unit, and

the main body includes space formed therein to accommodate one or more electronic components of the refrigerator so that a wire disposed in the space passes through inside of the hinge cover and extends to be connected to the at least one of a camera, a display and a USB connecting unit to connect with the one or more electronic components.

9. The refrigerator claim 1, wherein the hinge cover includes a wire guiding part configured to guide a wire disposed in inside of the hinge cover to be spaced apart from the hinge.

10. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein

the base frame includes a first connecting portion formed in the first hinge accommodating portion and a second connecting portion formed in the second hinge accommodating portion, and

the hinge cover includes a hinge cover hook having elasticity and configured to be hooked to one of the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion.

11. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the hinge cover includes a cover inserting portion which a portion of a front end portion of the cover frame is inserted into and fixed in along a direction in which the cover frame slides.

12. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the base frame is coupled with the main body by at least one of hook coupling and screw coupling.

13. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein one end portion of the hinge cover is supported by the base frame, and the other end portion of the hinge cover that is opposite to the one end portion of the hinge cover is supported by the cover frame.

14. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein one end portion of the cover frame is supported by the hinge cover, and the other end portion of the cover frame that is opposite to the one end portion of the cover frame is supported by the base frame.

15. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the base frame is formed such that one side of the base frame in which the first hinge accommodating portion is formed and the other side of the base frame in which the second hinge accommodating portion is formed are symmetrical with respect to a center of the base frame in a direction in which the cover frame slides.

16. A refrigerator, comprising:

a main body having space formed at an upper portion thereof to accommodate electronic components;

a base frame mounted to the main body to cover an open front portion of the space, the base frame including a first hinge accommodating portion formed at a right end portion thereof and a second hinge accommodating portion formed at a left end portion thereof;

a hinge cover mounted to one of the first hinge accommodating portion and the second hinge accommodating portion and configured to cover a hinge accommodated in the one of the first hinge accommodating portion and the second hinge accommodation portion; and

a cover frame including a pair of cover supporting portions at one end portion thereof and a cavity, corresponding to the hinge cover, formed between the pair of cover supporting portions, the cover frame configured to be coupled with the base frame by sliding from a left of the base frame to a right of the base frame when the hinge cover is mounted to the first hinge accommodating portion, and to be coupled with the base frame by sliding from the right of the base frame to the left of the base frame when the hinge cover is mounted to the second hinge accommodating portion,

wherein, the pair of cover supporting portions are inserted into the hinge cover so that the cavity accommodates the hinge cover while the pair of cover supporting portions support the hinge cover.

17. The refrigerator of claim 16, wherein the hinge cover includes a wire guiding part to guide a wire disposed inside of the hinge cover to be spaced apart from the hinge.

18. The refrigerator of claim 16, wherein the base frame is formed to be symmetrical with respect to a center of the base frame in a direction in which the cover frame slides.

19. A refrigerator comprising:

a main body having electronic component accommodating space formed therein to accommodate electronic components;

a base frame mounted to the main body to cover an open portion of the space, the base frame including a first hinge accommodating portion formed at one end portion thereof and a second hinge accommodating portion formed at the other end portion thereof that is opposite to the one end portion;

a hinge cover mounted to one of the first hinge accommodating portion and the second hinge accommodating portion and configured to cover a hinge accommodated in the one of the first hinge accommodating portion and the second hinge accommodation portion; and

a cover frame including a pair of cover supporting portions at one end portion thereof and a cavity, corresponding to the hinge cover, formed between the pair of cover supporting portions, the cover frame configured to cover an entire of one of the first hinge accommodating portion and the second hinge accommodating portion, and a part of the other one of the first hinge accommodating portion and the second hinge accommodating portion,

wherein, the pair of cover supporting portions are inserted into the hinge cover so that the cavity accommodates the hinge cover while the pair of cover supporting portions support the hinge cover.

20. The refrigerator of claim 19, wherein the cover frame is coupled with the base frame by sliding in a first direction when the hinge cover is mounted to the first hinge accommodating portion, and the cover frame is coupled with the base frame by sliding in a second direction that is opposite to the first direction when the hinge cover is mounted to the second hinge accommodating portion.