Abstract:
A configurable refrigerator comprises a control box provided with a compressor and a fan, a plurality of cooling units that are mutually connected and are connected to the control box through fastening devices, gas tubes connected between the control box and the cooling units to allow a low-temperature gas generated by the control box to enter the cooling units and return to the control box after circulation in the cooling units, and a control panel of the control box, settled on the control box or any of the cooling units. Therein, the control box can be assembled with an adjustable number of the cooling unit. Thus, the number of the cooling units can be increased or decreased as needed, thereby achieving easy assembly, disassembly and reconfiguration of the configurable refrigerator and the control panel.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Technical Field 
     The present invention relates to refrigeration equipment, and more particularly, to a configurable refrigerator composed of a control box and at least one cooling unit that can be easily assembled and disassembled, wherein the number of the cooling unit and the positional arrangement of the control box and the cooling unit(s) are adjustable. Moreover, a control panel of the configurable refrigerator can be settled on any one of the control box and the cooling unit(s) at a user&#39;s will. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     Conventional refrigerators are usually unmodifiable combinations of single-door modules, French-door modules and/or drawer modules. Once the conventional refrigerators are fabricated and sold, it is impossible for users to reconfigure these modules, to remove some of the combined modules or add some more modules. Thus, in order to satisfy various consumers, every model of the conventional refrigerators must be manufactured in several door types, although not all of them are needed by the consumers. Besides, the conventional refrigerators usually have relatively large capacity, which means not only increased volume, weight and manufacturing costs, but also potential waste of energy. And yet the conventional refrigerators can never really satisfy every consumer&#39;s need. On the other hand, when people want to replace their current small refrigerators with new larger ones, disposition of the small refrigerators would be a problem. Furthermore, on certain special occasions, such as holidays, family reunions or having guests, one may temporarily need more refrigeration space. However, it is a waste of resources and space to prepare in advance a larger refrigerator only for such rare occasions. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Hence, the primary objective of the present invention is to provide a configurable refrigerator that allows a user to implement an adjustable number and arrangement of refrigerating unit(s) and/or freezing unit(s) (hereinafter referred to as cooling unit(s)), and to configure the cooling unit(s) with the desired door type. 
     To achieve the foregoing objective, the disclosed configurable refrigerator comprises a control box provided with a compressor and a fan, a plurality of cooling units that are mutually connected and are connected to the control box through fastening devices, gas tubes connected between the control box and the cooling units to allow a low-temperature gas generated by the control box to enter the cooling units and return to the control box after circulation in the cooling units, and a control panel of the control box, settled on the control box or any of the cooling units. Therein, the control box can be assembled with an adjustable number of the cooling units. In other words, the number of the cooling units can be increased or decreased as needed, thereby achieving easy assembly, disassembly and reconfiguration of the configurable refrigerator and the control panel. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The structure and technical means adopted by the present invention to achieve the above and other objects can be best understood by referring to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments and the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a first preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is another perspective view of the first preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  is a partially exploded view of the first preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a schematic drawing showing assembly of the first preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 5  is a schematic assembled view of the first preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 6  provides a first exemplificative configuration of the first preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 7  provides a second exemplificative configuration of the first preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 8  is a partially exploded view of a second preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 9  is a schematic drawing showing assembly of the second preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 10  is a schematic assembled view of the second preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 11  provides one exemplificative configuration of the second preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 12  provides another exemplificative configuration of the second preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 13  provides still another exemplificative configuration of the second preferred embodiment of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 14  provides yet another exemplificative configuration of the second preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Please refer to  FIGS. 1 ,  2  and  3  for perspective views and a partially exploded view of a first preferred embodiment of the present invention. Therein, a configurable refrigerator  1  of the present invention primarily comprises a control box  2 , a cooling unit  3 , a gas tube  4  and a fastening device  5 . 
     The control box  2  is formed with at least one vent  20  on an outer wall thereof for gaseous communication. A control panel  21  is affixed to a surface of the control box  2  or a surface of the cooling unit  3  by means of magnetic attachment, ridge-groove engagement, projection-recess engagement, or screw engagement. A connecting port  210  and a connecting slot  211  for signal transmission are provided on contacting surfaces of the control panel  21  and the control box  2  (or the cooling unit  3 ), respectively. 
     Particularly, the connecting port  210  and the connecting slot  211  of control panel  21  may be in mutual communication through RS232, USB, PS/2, IEEE1394 or any other interface for signal transmission. Besides, the control panel  21  is equipped with a switch  212  for generating control signals, a control circuit  213  and a display  214  for displaying temperature and other conditions inside the cooling unit  3  that are detected by sensors (not shown) installed in the cooling unit  3 . The control box  2  is substantially in the form of a known refrigerator, having a compressor serving to generate a low-temperature gas for refrigeration cycles and a fan serving to blow the low-temperature gas to the cooling unit  3 . The compressor and the technology for low-temperature gaseous transmission implemented in the present invention are well known in the art and need not be discussed at length herein. 
     The cooling unit  3  may be provided in the number of one or more. Each said cooling unit  3  is formed with at least one vent  20  that is in gaseous communication with an accommodating space  31  in the cooling unit  3 . A door  32  is provided at a lateral surface of the cooling unit  3  and may be a sliding door, a hinged door, a side-open door, a drawer-type door or a French door. 
     The gas tube  4  is provided in the number of one or more for gaseous communication. 
     The fastening device  5  functions as a connector between the control box  2  and the cooling unit  3  while comprising a plurality of receiving portions  51  and projecting portions  52 . The receiving portions  51  and the projecting portions  52  are coupled to each other by means of magnetic attachment, ridge-groove engagement, projection-recess engagement, or screw engagement. A connecting port  53  and a connecting slot  54  may be arranged adjacent to the fastening device  5  according to coupling portions of the control box  2  and the cooling unit  3 , for transmitting electrical signals between the control box  2  and a plurality of the cooling units  3 . For example, the connecting port  53  and the connecting slot  54  may be arranged in such a way that they are coupled to each other vertically or horizontally. Moreover, the connecting port  53  and the connecting slot  54  may be connected through an L-shaped wiring so as to realize an L-shaped configuration of the control box  2  and the cooling unit  3 . 
     Particularly, the connecting port  53  and the connecting slot  54  may be in communication with each other through RS232, USB, PS/2, IEEE1394 or any other interface for electrical signal transmission. 
     Please also refer to  FIGS. 3 ,  4  and  5  for the partially exploded view and schematic assembled views of the first preferred embodiment of the present invention. According to the drawings, the projecting portions  52  and the connecting slot  54  of the fastening device  5  are provided at a bottom of the control box  2  while the receiving portions  51  and connecting port  53  of the fastening device  5  are provided at a top of the cooling unit  3 . Therefore, to assemble the control box  2  with the cooling unit  3 , the bottom of the control box  2  is placed on the top of the cooling unit  3  so as to couple the receiving portions  51  with the projecting portions  52 , and the connecting port  53  with the connecting slot  54 . Afterward, one end of the gas tube  4  is connected to the vent  20  of the control box  2  and an opposite end of the gas tube  4  is connected to the vent  20  of the cooling unit  3 . At last, the connecting port  210  of control panel  21  is connected to the connecting slot  211  of the control box  2  and the configurable refrigerator  1  of the present invention is completed. Thus, the low-temperature gas in the control box  2  can enter the cooling unit  3  through one said vent  20  as well as the gas tube  4 , while the used low-temperature gas can return to the control box  2  through another said vent  20  after circulation in the cooling unit  3 . 
     The control panel  21  serves to adjust and display the conditions of the control box  2 . By operating the switch  212  to generate a control signal to the control circuit  213 , the control circuit  213  accordingly helms the fan and the compressor in the control box  2 , thereby controlling output conditions of the low-temperature gas, such as temperature, humidity and so on. These output conditions can be presented in the display  214  of the control panel  21  at any time. Furthermore, the switch  212  may be a button switch, a DIP switch, a toggle switch, a knob switch, a stepless knob, a touch panel or an integrated touch display  214 . On the other hand, the display  214  may be a liquid crystal display. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 3 and 6  for the partially exploded view and a first exemplificative configuration of the first embodiment of the present invention, the control panel  21  is affixed to a surface of the cooling unit  3  by means of magnetic attachment, ridge-groove engagement, projection-recess engagement, or screw engagement. A connecting port  210  and a connecting slot  211  for electrical signal transmission are provided on contacting surfaces of the control panel  21  and the cooling unit  3 , respectively. 
     In addition, the connecting port  210  and connecting slot  211  may be in communication with each other through RS232, USB, PS/2, IEEE1394 or any other interface for electrical signal transmission. 
     After the control panel  21  is connected to the cooling unit  3 , the control signal generated by the switch  212  is transmitted to the control box  2  through the control circuit  213 , the connecting port  210 , the connecting slot  211 , the connecting port  53  and the connecting slot  54 . Alternatively, when the receiving portions  51  and the projecting portions  52  are in electrical communication with each other, the control signal generated by the switch  212  is transmitted to the control box  2  through the control circuit  213 , the connecting port  210 , the connecting slot  211 , the receiving portions  51  and the projecting portions  52 . Consequently, the fan and the compressor in the control box  2  can control the output conditions of the low-temperature gas, such as temperature, humidity, and so on, while the output conditions are presented in the display  214  of the control panel  21 . 
     Reference is now made to  FIGS. 3 and 7  for the partially exploded view and a second exemplificative configuration of the first embodiment of the present invention. Therein, the projecting portions  52  and the connecting slot  54  of the fastening device  5  are provided at a right (or left) lateral of the control box  2  while the receiving portions  51  and the connecting port  53  of the fastening device  5  are provided at a left (or right) lateral of the cooling unit  3 . Therefore, to assemble the control box  2  with the cooling unit  3 , the left (or the right) lateral of the control box  2  is set beside the right (or the left) lateral of the cooling unit  3  so as to couple the receiving portion  51  with the projecting portions  52 , and the connecting port  53  with the connecting slot  54 . Afterward, one end of the gas tube  4  is connected to the vent  20  of the control box  2  and an opposite end of the gas tube  4  is connected to the vent  20  of the cooling unit  3 . At last, the connecting port  210  of control panel  21  is connected to the connecting slot  211  of the control box  2  and the configurable refrigerator  1  of the present invention is completed. 
     As can be seen in  FIGS. 8 ,  9 , and  10 , which are a partially exploded view and schematic assembled views of a second preferred embodiment of the present invention, the configurable refrigerator I comprises a control box  2 , two cooling units  3 , a plurality of gas tubes  4  and fastening device  5 . Therein, the control box  2  and the cooling units  3  are vertically stacked. 
     In the present embodiment, the projecting portions  52  and the connecting slots  54  of the fastening devices  5  are provided at the bottoms of the control box  2  and the cooling unit  3 , respectively, while the receiving portions  51  and connecting ports  53  of the fastening devices  5  are provided the tops of the cooling units  3 . Therefore, to assemble the control box  2  with the cooling units  3 , the control box  2  is placed on the top of one said cooling unit  3 , and then another said cooling unit  3  is placed therebelow, so as to couple the receiving portions  51  with the projecting portions  52 , and the connecting ports  53  with the connecting slots  54 . Afterward, one end of each said gas tube  4  is connected to the vent  20  of the control box  2  and an opposite end of each said gas tube  4  is connected to the vent  20  of each said cooling unit  3 . At last, the connecting port  210  of control panel  21  is connected to the connecting slot  211  of the control box  2  and the configurable refrigerator  1  of the present invention is completed. Thus, the low-temperature gas of the control box  2  can enter the cooling units  3  through one said vents  20  as well as the gas tubes  4  while the used low-temperature gas can return to the control box  2  through the other said vents  20  after circulation in the cooling units  3 . 
       FIG. 11  provides a first exemplificative configuration of the second preferred embodiment of the present invention, wherein the control panel  21  is affixed to one of the cooling units  3 . 
       FIG. 12  provides a second exemplificative configuration of the second preferred embodiment of the present invention, wherein the control box  2  and the cooling units  3  are arranged abreast. 
     Also referring to  FIGS. 13 and 14 , which respectively provide a third and a fourth exemplificative configuration of the second preferred embodiment of the present invention, the control box  2  and the cooling units  3  can be configured into an L shape and an inverted T shape, in addition to the upright and recumbent I shapes shown in  FIGS. 9 and 12 .