Abstract:
The present invention relates to a handle assembly for a refrigerator. According to the present invention, there is provided a handle assembly for a refrigerator. The handle assembly comprises a pair of handle holders each of which is formed with a cavity therein and mounted onto a front surface of a door by means of a screw that is fastened to the front surface of the door through the cavity; a handle body which is positioned between the handle holders and which is fastened to the handle holders by means of screws that penetrate the handle holders and are fastened thereto; and a handle cover elastically mounted to front ends of the handle holders and the handle body. According to the present invention, since the handle assembly can be mounted to the front surface of the door at the front of the door, the man-hour needed for the assembling works and the production costs can be reduced. Further, the external appearance of the handle assembly and the door can be made more elegant and the handle assembly can also be easily assembled to the door.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Field of Invention  
         [0002]     The present invention relates to a handle assembly for a refrigerator, and more particularly, to a handle assembly for a refrigerator which is gripped and operated by a user in order to open and close a door of the refrigerator.  
         [0003]     2. Description of the Prior Art  
         [0004]     A front surface of a door of a refrigerator is mounted with a handle assembly which is gripped by a user when the door is opened and closed.  FIG. 1  is a transverse sectional view of a major portion of a handle assembly for a refrigerator according to a prior art. According to the figure, a front plate  2   a  and a door liner  2   b  define front and rear external appearances of a door  2 , respectively. A fastening groove  2   c  is formed in the door liner  2   b  at a predetermined position. The fastening groove  2   c  concaves up to a position adjacent to a rear surface of the front plate  2   a . The fastening groove  2   c  is a portion which is penetrated by a screw Sb for fastening a handle holder  4 , which will be described bellow, to the door  2 . A cap  2   d  is fitted into an inlet of the fastening groove  2   c  and then covers the interior of the fastening groove  2   c . In addition, decoration caps  3  are installed on external appearances of portions of a front edge and side, upper, and lower surfaces of the door  2 .  
         [0005]     The front plate  2   a  of the door  2  is mounted with the handle holders  4 . Each of the handle holders  4  is fastened to the door  2  by the screw Sb which penetrates the decoration cap  3  and the door liner  2   b  in the fastening groove  2   c . The handle holders  4  are provided at upper and lower sides of a leading end or left and right sides of the front surface of the door  2 .  
         [0006]     Each of both ends of a handle  6  is fastened to the handle holder  4 . The handle  6 , which is shaped in an elongated bar, has a length as long as that between the handle holders  4 . Each of the ends of the handle  6  is fastened to the handle holder  4  by a screw Sa which penetrates the handle holder  4  from its interior.  
         [0007]     Upon review of an assembling process of the handle assembly according to the prior art, the handle holders  4  are first fastened to the handle  6  by using the screws Sa. In a state where the handle holders  4  are assembled to both the ends of the handle  6  as above, the handle holders  4  are fixed to the front surface of the door  2  by using the screws Sb.  
         [0008]     Here, the screw Sb for fixing the handle holder  4  to the front surface of the door  2  fastens the handle holder  4  to the door  2  through the fastening groove  2   c  formed in the door liner  2   b  defining the rear surface of the door  2 . Then, after the screw Sb fastens the handle holder  4  to the door  2  from the interior of the fastening groove  2   c , the separate cap  2   d  of rubber is used in order to close the inlet of the fastening groove  2   c.    
         [0009]     However, the handle assembly for the refrigerator according to the prior art as described above has the following problems.  
         [0010]     That is, in the prior art, since the separate fastening grooves  2   c  should be formed in the door liner  2   b , the door liner  2   b  are further complicated. In addition, due to the existence of the fastening grooves  2   c , there is a limitation on a thickness design of an insulating layer formed between the front plate  2   a  and the door liner  2   b . That is, the reason is that when a depth of the fastening grooves  2   c  is above a certain value, the fastening grooves  2   c  cannot be formed through a vacuum forming process for the door liner  2   b.    
         [0011]     Further, the caps  2   d  made of the rubber should be additionally used to cover the fastening grooves  2   c . Therefore, there is a problem in that the external appearance of the door liner  2   b  is relatively deteriorated.  
         [0012]     In addition, the screw Sb for fastening the handle holder  4  to the door  2  should be fastened to the rear surface of the door  2 . That is, it causes the problem that a process of fastening the screws Sb is relatively cumbersome because a worker are positioned opposite to the object to be fastened with respect to the door  2 . Particularly, when the door  2  is heavy, its assembling workability is further reduced.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0013]     Accordingly, the present invention is conceived to solve the aforementioned problems in the prior art. An object of the present invention is to provide a handle assembly with simplified components and peripheral parts.  
         [0014]     Another object of the present invention is to provide a handle assembly which makes an external appearance of a door elegant.  
         [0015]     A further object of the present invention is to provide a handle assembly which makes its assembling process easy.  
         [0016]     According to the present invention for achieving the objects, there is provided a handle assembly for a refrigerator, comprising a pair of handle holders each of which is formed with a cavity therein and mounted to a front surface of a door by means of a screw fastened to the front surface of the door through the cavity; a handle body positioned between the handle holders and fastened to the handle holders by means of screws, the screws penetrating the handle holders and being fastened thereto; and a handle cover elastically mounted to front ends of the handle holders and the handle body.  
         [0017]     Preferably, the handle assembly as claimed in claim  1 , wherein a rear end of each of the handle holders is formed with an insertion portion, the front surface of the door is formed with concave portions, the insertion portion is inserted into each of the concave portions, and the insertion portion and the concave portion are shaped not to rotate relatively with respect to each other.  
         [0018]     Fastening projections for mounting the handle cover are formed on a front end of a fastening skirt in the front end of the handle holder, the fastening projections facing each other.  
         [0019]     Further, a side of the handle holder is further provided with a spacer, the spacer being seated in the handle body and preventing the handle body from rotating.  
         [0020]     Preferably, a front end of the handle body is formed with fastening projections, a rear end of the handle cover is formed with fastening grooves, the fastening projections are seated in the fastening grooves by elastically deforming the front end of the handle body, and thus, the handle cover is mounted to the handle body.  
         [0021]     The handle holder is formed with a tool through-hole through which the cavity communicates with an outside, the tool through-hole is formed in a side wall opposite to a side wall in which a fastening hole for fastening the handle holder to the handle body is formed.  
         [0022]     According to other aspect of the present invention, there is provided a handle assembly for a refrigerator, comprising a fixing holder formed with a fastening hole perforated forward and mounted to a front surface of a door; a handle holder formed with a fastening hole perforated forward and mounted to the front surface of the door while being spaced apart by a predetermined interval from the fixing holder; a handle with at least both ends formed with vent holes, the handle holder being press fitted into the vent hole of one end thereof; and a handle connector engaged to the other end of the handle and the fixing holder for engaging the handle with the fixing holder.  
         [0023]     Preferably, catching pieces to be engaged with the handle connector are formed on both sides of a front end of the fixing holder to protrude, front ends of the catching pieces are formed with catching projections facing each other, and both sides of a rear end of a connector body of the handle connector are formed with elongated catching channels, the catching projections being press fitted and seated into the catching channels.  
         [0024]     The handle connector is further provided with a flange which is in close contact with the catching piece and adjusts an extent of an insertion of the handle connector.  
         [0025]     Further, a combined length of the fixing holder and the handle connector is formed to be the same as a length of the handle holder so that the handle is spaced apart by a constant interval from the front surface of the door.  
         [0026]     The connection bosses, which are press fitted into the vent holes of both the ends of the handle, are formed on front end plates of the handle holder and handle connector, respectively; and front ends of the handle holder body and the handle connector body where the front end plates are formed are formed with seating surfaces into which outer surfaces of the both the ends of the handle are seated, the seating surfaces corresponding in shape to the outer surfaces.  
         [0027]     The front end plate is shaped in a disk with a larger diameter than that of the handle.  
         [0028]     According to the present invention so constructed, the man-hour needed for the assembling works can be reduced since the number of parts consisting of the handle assembly is minimized, causing the production costs to be reduced. Further, there are advantages in that the external appearance of the handle assembly and the door can be made elegant and in that it is easy to assemble the handle assembly to the door. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0029]     The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments given in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:  
         [0030]      FIG. 1  is a sectional view of a major portion of a handle assembly according to a prior art;  
         [0031]      FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view showing a first embodiment of a handle assembly for a refrigerator according to the present invention;  
         [0032]      FIG. 3  is a sectional view showing a major portion of the first embodiment according to the present invention;  
         [0033]      FIG. 4  is an exploded perspective view showing a second embodiment according to the present invention;  
         [0034]      FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view of a major portion of the second embodiment according to the present invention; and  
         [0035]      FIGS. 6   a  and  6   c  are views sequentially showing the processes of assembling the handle assembly according to the second embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0036]     Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of a handle assembly for a refrigerator according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.  
         [0037]      FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view showing a first embodiment of the handle assembly for the refrigerator according to the present invention.  FIG. 3  is a sectional view showing a major portion of the first embodiment according to the present invention.  
         [0038]     Referring to the figures, a door  10  selectively opens and closes a storage space formed in a refrigerator main body. A front plate  12  defines a front surface of the door  10 . In addition, decoration caps  13  are installed in order to define external appearances of a front edge and side and upper surfaces of the door  10 .  
         [0039]     The front surface of the door  10  is formed with concave portions  14 . In the present embodiment, although the concave portions  14  are formed in the decoration cap  13 , the concave portions  14  may be formed up to an insulating layer in the door  10  through the front plate  12  and the decoration caps  13 . Positions where the concave portions  14  are formed are changed according to a structure for opening and closing the door  10 . For example, if a side end of the door  10  is opened and closed around hinge assemblies at an opposite side end of the refrigerator main body, the concave portions  14  are formed at upper and lower ends of a leading end of the front surface of the door  10 , wherein the leading end is a portion relatively far from the pivotal center of the door  10 . In such a case, the handle assembly is installed in the vertical direction. In addition, as in the present embodiment, in the case that the door  10  is opened and closed in drawer-like fashion, the respective concave portions  14  are formed at both sides of the upper end of the front surface of the door  10 . In such a case, the handle assembly is installed in the horizontal direction, as viewed from the front of the door  10 .  
         [0040]     Handle holders  20  are installed at the concave portions  14  formed in the front surface of the door  10 , respectively. The handle holders  20  cause a handle  30 , which will be described bellow, to be spaced apart by a constant interval from the front surface of the door  10  and to be supported. The handle holder  20  is formed by injection molding of synthetic resin and is shaped in a hollow hexahedron. That is, a cavity  21  is formed in the handle holders  20 .  
         [0041]     The handle holders  20  are fastened to the front surface of the door  10  by means of the screws Sb. From the cavity  21 , the screw Sb penetrates a rear end of the handle holder  20  and is fastened into a fastening hole  14 ′ of the concave portion  14 . According to the above configuration of the present invention, it is noted that the fastening process of the screws Sb can be performed at the front surface of the door  10 . The number of the screws Sb is determined according to conditions of length, weight or the like of the handle  30  which will be described bellow.  
         [0042]     For reference, in order to securely fix the screw Sb, metal brackets (not shown) may be installed to the insulating layer of urethane foam formed in an interior of the door  10 .  
         [0043]     The handle holder  20  is formed with an insertion portion  22 . The insertion portion  22 , which is inserted into the concave portion  14 , is relatively narrower than the other portions of the handle holder  20 . In the present embodiment, the insertion portion  22  and the concave portion  14  are shaped in a hexahedron so that the handle holder  20  does not rotate with respect to the door  10 .  
         [0044]     A side wall of the handle holder  20  is formed with a tool through-hole  24  so that the cavity  21  of the handle holder  20  communicates with the outside. A fastening hole  25  is formed through a side wall opposite to the side wall of the handle holder  20  in which the tool through-hole  24  is formed. The fastening hole  25  is formed at a position corresponding to the near center of the tool through-hole  24 . The fastening hole  25  is for fixing the handle  30  to the handle holder  20 .  
         [0045]     Fastening skirts  27 , which are extended forward, are formed at upper and lower portions of a front end (with respect to  FIG. 2 ) of the handle holder  20 . The fastening skirts  27  are portions to which both ends of a handle cover  35 , which will be described bellow, are engaged. A front end of each fastening skirt  27  is provided with a fastening projection  28 .  
         [0046]     A front end of the side wall of the handle holder  20 , in which the fastening hole  25  is formed, is formed with a spacer  29 . The spacer  29 , which is formed in a plate shape, is positioned within a handle body  31 , which will be described bellow, and thus, functions to securely engage the handle body  31  and the handle holder  20  to each other and to prevent the handle  30  from rotating inadvertently.  
         [0047]     Both side ends of the handle  30  are fastened to the respective handle holders  20  by means of screws Sa. Both the side ends of the handle  30  are in close contact with the side walls of the handle holders  20  provided on the door  10 , which are spaced apart by a predetermined distance from each other.  
         [0048]     The handle  30  mainly consists of the handle body  31  and the handle cover  35 . As shown in the figures, a cross section of the handle body  31  is shaped in an ellipse, and a front end thereof is opened along its whole length. Although the handle body  31  may be formed of metal or synthetic resin, it is most preferably formed by extrusion molding of aluminum.  
         [0049]     A fastening portion  32  is provided within the handle body  31 . In the case the handle body  31  is formed by the extrusion molding, the fastening portion  32  is formed over the whole of the handle body  31 . The screws Sa are fastened at both the side ends of the fastening portion  32 .  
         [0050]     Upper and lower portions of the front end of the handle body  31 , i.e., portions of the handle body  31  facing the same direction as the front of the door  10 , are formed with fastening projections  34 , respectively. Distal ends of the fastening projections  34  are formed to face each other. The respective fastening projections  34  are formed along the whole length of the handle body  31 . The front end of the handle body  31 , in which the fastening projections  34  are formed, is flat formed corresponding to the fastening skirts  27 . The cross sections of the front end of the handle body  31  and the fastening skirt  27  can be fully shown in  FIG. 3 .  
         [0051]     The handle cover  35 , of which both sides of a rear end are formed with fastening grooves  37 , is mounted on the front end of the handle body  31 . The respective fastening grooves  37  are formed along a whole length of the handle cover  35 . The fastening projections  34  of the handle body  31  and the fastening projections  28  of the handle holders  20  are seated into the fastening grooves  37  by elastic deformation.  
         [0052]     The handle cover  35 , which defines a front external appearance of the handle  30 , may be formed of metal or synthetic resin. It is preferred that the handle cover  35  be formed by extrusion molding of aluminum. The cross section of the handle cover  35  is fully shown in  FIG. 3 .  
         [0053]     In the meantime,  FIG. 4  is an exploded perspective view of a second embodiment according to the present invention.  FIG. 5  is a transverse sectional view showing a major portion of the second embodiment according to the present invention.  
         [0054]     As shown in the figures, a pair of fastening holes  112  are perforated at each of upper and lower ends of a side of a front surface of a door  110  for the refrigerator which is pivotably installed at a side of the refrigerator main body corresponding to the other opposite side of the door. For reference, although in the present embodiment, the respective two pairs of the fastening holes  112  are perforated at the upper and lower ends of the side of the door  110  at a predetermined vertical interval, the two pairs of the fastening holes  112  may be perforated at both the sides of the door  110  at a predetermined lateral interval according to an opening and closing fashion of the door  110 .  
         [0055]     The fastening holes  112  which are provided at the relatively upper end out of the two pairs thereof are mounted with a fixing holder  120 . A fixing holder body  121  of the fixing holder  120  is shaped substantially in a hexahedron. At least one fastening hole  121 ′ is perforated forward through the fixing holder body  121 . Although in the present embodiment, two of the fastening holes  121 ′ are perforated, only one fastening hole  121 ′ may be formed.  
         [0056]     Then, in order to securely mount the fixing holder  120  to the door  110 , as in the first embodiment, a front surface of the door  110  in which the fastening holes  112  are formed may be relatively concaved, and a rear end of the fixing holder body  121  corresponding thereto may be formed to protrude in the shape corresponding to the concave portion formed in the front surface of the door  110 . It is preferred that the concave portion of the door  110  and the protruding portion of the fixing holder body  121  be formed in shapes not to rotate with respect to each other.  
         [0057]     Catching pieces  123  are provided at both sides of a front end of the fixing holder body  121  to face each other. Each of the catching pieces  123 , which is shaped into a quadrangular plate, is extended to the front of the fixing holder body  121  by a predetermined length. Catching projections  124  are formed on distal ends of the catching pieces  123  to face each other. The respective catching projections  124  are formed on the distal ends of the catching pieces  123  and vertically elongated.  
         [0058]     The fastening holes  112  which are provided at the relatively lower end out of the two pairs thereof are mounted with a handle holder  125 . A handle holder body  126  of the handle holder  125  is shaped substantially in an elongated hexahedron. At least one fastening hole  126 ′ is perforated forward through the handle holder body  126 . For reference, in order to securely fix the handle holder  125  to the door  110 , as described in relation to the fixing holder  120 , a rear surface of the handle holder body  126  and a corresponding portion of the door  110  may be provided with uneven shaped portions corresponding to each other.  
         [0059]     A front end of the handle holder body  126  is formed with a seating surface  121   f  corresponding in shape to an outer surface of a handle  130 , which will be described below. A portion of the outer surface of the handle  130  is seated onto the seating surface  121   f . A front end plate  127  is provided to extend forward from a lower portion of the front end of the handle holder body  126  in which the seating surface  121   f  is formed. The front end plate  127  is formed in a circular disk shape with the same diameter as a diameter of at least the handle  130 . A connection boss  128  to be press fitted into a vent hole  132  of the handle  130  is formed on the front end plate  127  to protrude upward.  
         [0060]     The handle  130  has a length as long as an interval between the two pairs of the fastening holes  112 . The handle  130  is a portion which a user grips and applies a force to in order to open and close the door  110 . The handle  130  is manufactured of metal or synthetic resin. For example, it is preferred that the handle  130  be manufactured by extrusion molding of aluminum.  
         [0061]     The handle  130  is preferably formed in a pipe shape. Otherwise, if the handle  130  is not hollow, the vent holes  132  should be formed in at least both ends of the handle  130 . The vent holes  132  have diameter to the extent that the connection boss  128  of the handle holder  125  and a connection boss  145  of a handle connector  140 , which will be described bellow, are press fitted into the vent holes  132 , respectively.  
         [0062]     The handle connector  140  connects the fixing holder  120  and an end of the handle  130  to each other. A connector body  141  of the handle connector  140  is also shaped substantially in an elongated hexahedron. A combined length of the handle connector  140  and the fixing holder  120  should be the same as a length of the handle holder  125 . It is for the purpose of generally spacing the handle  130  apart by a constant distance from the front surface of the door  110 .  
         [0063]     A front end of the connector body  141  is formed with a seating surface  141   f  corresponding in shape to the outer surface of the handle  130 . An opposite portion of the outer surface of the handle  130  is seated onto the seating surface  141   f.    
         [0064]     Elongated catching channels  142  are vertically formed in both side surfaces of a rear end of the connector body  141 , respectively. The catching channels  142  are portions into which the catching projections  124  of the fixing holder  120  are seated. Therefore, a distance from the rear end of the connector body  141  to the catching channels  142  should be the same as a distance from a proximal portion of the catching pieces  123  to the catching projections  124 . The connector body  141  and the catching pieces  123  are sized so that the connector body  141  is press fitted between the catching pieces  123 .  
         [0065]     A front end plate  143  is extended forward from an upper portion of the front end of the connector body  141 . The front end plate  143  is shaped in a circular disk with the same diameter as a diameter of at least the handle  130 . The connection boss  145  to be press fitted into the vent hole  132  of the handle  130  is formed on the front end plate  143  to protrude downward.  
         [0066]     In the meantime, a flange  147  is formed on an upper surface of the connector body  141 . The flange  147  protrudes more than both side surfaces of the connector body  141 . The flange  147  is formed in at least the rear end of the connector body  141 . The flange  147  is in contact with an upper end of the catching pieces  123  of the fixing holder  120 , and thus, determines a position where the handle connector  140  is inserted into the fixing holder  120 . Therefore, the flange  147  may be formed only in a position corresponding to the catching pieces  123 .  
         [0067]     Hereinafter, the operation of the handle assembly according to the present invention so constructed will be described in detail.  
         [0068]     First, an assembling process of the handle assembly of the first embodiment shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3  will be described. The insertion portion  22  of the handle holder  20  is seated into the concave portion  14  of the door  10 . Through the cavity  21  of the handle holder  20 , the screws Sb penetrate the handle holder  20  and are fastened into the fastening holes  14 ′ of the concave portion  14 . After two of the handle holders  20  are fastened onto the door  10  in the same manner, the handle body  31  is fastened to the handle holders  20 .  
         [0069]     That is, the handle body  31  is inserted between both the handle holders  20 . At this time, the spacers  29  are seated within both side ends of the handle body  31 , and both the side ends of the handle body  31  are in close contact with the side walls of the handle holders  20 , respectively. In such a state, the screws Sa penetrate the fastening holes  25  and then are fastened into the fastening portions  32  of the handle body  31 . A tool for fastening the screw Sa is introduced into the cavity  21  through the tool through-hole  24 .  
         [0070]     The handle cover  35  is mounted to the handle body  31  both the side ends of which are fixed to the handle holders  20 . While the fastening projections  34 , which are formed at the upper and lower portions of the front end of the handle body  31  in the lengthwise direction, are elastically deformed and then restored to its original form, the fastening projections  34  are securely seated in the fastening grooves  37 , respectively, so that the handle cover  35  is mounted to the handle body  31 . Accordingly, both the ends of the handle cover  35  are engaged to the handle holders  20 . That is, the fastening projections  28  formed in the fastening skirts  27  are seated in the fastening grooves  37  of the handle cover  35 , respectively, so that the handle cover  35  is engaged to the handle holders  20 .  
         [0071]     For reference, when the handle assembly of the present embodiment is horizontally installed, it is preferred that separate caps be installed so that the side walls of the handle holders  20 , i.e., portions where the tool through-holes  24  are formed do not appear. It is also preferred that the caps be configured so that the whole side walls of the handle holders  20  and even both the sides of the handle cover  35  are covered with the caps.  
         [0072]     Next, an assembling process of the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to  FIG. 6 .  
         [0073]     First, at the front of the door, the fixing holder  120  and the handle holder  125  are mounted on the front surface of the door  110 . That is, screws Sc penetrate the fastening holes  121 ′ of the fixing holder body  121  and the fastening holes  126 ′ of the handle holder body  126  and then are fastened into the fastening holes  112  of the front surface of the door  110 , respectively. Such a state is shown in  FIG. 6   a.    
         [0074]     Next, as shown in  FIG. 6   b , the handle  130  is engaged to the handle holder  125 . That is, the connection boss  128  of the handle holder body  126  is press fitted into the vent hole  132  opened to the lower end of the handle  130 . At this time, the portion of the outer surface of the handle  130  is in contact with the seating surface  121   f  of the handle holder body  126 .  
         [0075]     After engaging the lower end of the handle  130  to the handle holder  125 , as shown in  FIG. 6   c , the upper end of the handle  130  is connected to the fixing holder  120  by means of the handle connector  140 . That is, the catching channels  142  of the handle connector  140  are placed at positions corresponding to the catching projections  124  of the fixing holder  120 , and the connection boss  145  of the handle connector  140  is placed at a position corresponding to the vent hole  132  of the handle  130 .  
         [0076]     Then, as shown in  FIG. 6   c , by moving the handle connector  140  downward, the catching projections  124  and the connection boss  145  are press fitted into the catching channels  142  and the upper end of the handle  130 , respectively. Here, the extent of the insertion of the handle connector  140  is determined by the front end plate  143  and the flange  147 . That is, if a lower surface of the front end plate  143  is in close contact with the upper end of the handle  130  and the flange  147  is in contact with the upper end of the catching pieces  123 , the handle connector  140  no more moves downward. Accordingly, the portion of the outer surface of the handle  130  is seated onto the seating surface  141   f  of the connector body  141 .  
         [0077]     According to the handle assembly for the refrigerator of the present invention so constructed, the following advantages can be expected.  
         [0078]     First, since the components for mounting the handle assembly are provided only in the front surface of the door, the structure of the rear surface of the door can be simplified. Thus, the rear surface of the door is in close contact with a front surface of the refrigerator main body, so that cooling air can be effectively prevented from leaking out.  
         [0079]     In addition, in the present invention, since the constructions provided in the door for installing the handle assembly are covered with the handle holder or fixing holder and thus do not appear from the outside, it is possible to make the external appearance of the door elegant.  
         [0080]     Furthermore, in the present invention, since the mounting process of the handle assembly is performed entirely in front of the door, the mounting process of the handle assembly can be more easily performed, improving efficiency for assembling the refrigerator.  
         [0081]     Particularly, in the second embodiment of the present invention, since a screw may not be used for installing the handle to the handle holder or the fixing holder, an additional part for covering the screw is not necessary. Thus, there are advantages in that the fastening process can be easily performed and the production costs of the refrigerator door are reduced.  
         [0082]     The scope of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described and illustrated above but is defined by the appended claims. It will be apparent that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and changes thereto within the scope of fundamental technical spirit of the present invention. Therefore, the true scope of the present invention should be defined on the basis of the appended claims.  
         [0083]     For example, although in the second embodiment, the handle  130  is shaped in a pipe and the connection bosses  128  and  145  are shaped to correspond to both the ends of the handle  130 , the handle  130  may be shaped into a pillar having a polygonal sectional area and the connection bosses  128  and  145  are shaped to correspond to the handle  130 .