Patent Publication Number: US-2022214093-A1

Title: Refrigerator and method of manufacturing the same

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 16/898,895, filed on Jun. 11, 2020, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/501,491, filed on Apr. 12, 2012, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,845,114, which is a National Stage application under 35 U.S.C. § 371 of International Application No. PCT/KR2011/004498, filed on Jun. 20, 2011, which claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application Nos. 10-2010-0058853 and 10-2010-0058858, filed on Jun. 22, 2010. The disclosures of the prior applications are incorporated by reference in their entirety. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present disclosure relates to a refrigerator and a method of manufacturing the refrigerator. 
     BACKGROUND ART 
     Refrigerators are electric appliances for storing foods at low temperature in a storing space closed by a door. The storing space is cooled with cool air that exchanges heat with refrigerant in refrigeration cycles, thereby optimally storing foods. 
     Along with the change of people&#39;s eating patterns and preference, large and multifunctional refrigerators have been introduced, and various comfortable structures have been added to refrigerators. 
     For example, a refrigerator may include a dispenser for dispensing cool water without opening a door of the refrigerator. Such a dispenser is installed on an exterior part of a refrigerator door, and dispenses water according to a user&#39;s operation. 
     TECHNICAL PROBLEM 
     Embodiments provide a refrigerator including a main door having a storage space, and a sub door for opening and closing the storage space and including a dispenser, thereby improving user convenience. 
     Embodiments also provide a refrigerator manufacturing method in which an outer case is integrally formed with a dispenser through a forming process, thereby improving an appearance and simplifying a manufacturing process. 
     TECHNICAL SOLUTION 
     In one embodiment, a refrigerator includes: a cabinet forming one of a refrigerator compartment and a freezer compartment; a main door opening and closing the refrigerator compartment or the freezer compartment and including a storage space opened forward; a sub door installed on the main door and opening and closing the storage space of the main door; and a dispenser disposed on the sub door and dispensing water. 
     In another embodiment, a refrigerator includes: a cabinet forming one of a refrigerator compartment and a freezer compartment; a main door opening and closing the refrigerator compartment or the freezer compartment and including an opening; a sub door installed on the main door and opening and closing the opening of the main door; and a dispenser disposed on the sub door and dispensing water, wherein the dispenser includes: a recess formed by recessing an outer case that constitutes a front surface of the sub door and that is formed of a metal material; cut parts formed by cutting the outer case at an upper side and a lower side of the recess; and a dispensing member disposed in the cut part at the upper side of the recess to dispense drinking water. 
     In another embodiment, a refrigerator manufacturing method includes: forming an outer case constituting an exterior of a sub door and formed of a metal material, wherein the sub door is installed on a main door opening and closing a storing space of a cabinet and provided with a storage space opened forward, and opens and closes the storage space; cutting portions of the outer case to correspond to an upper end and a lower end of a recess, to dispense drinking water; recessing the outer case inward to form the recess; and installing a dispensing member for dispensing water, in the cut portion of the recess. 
     In another embodiment, a refrigerator includes: a cabinet forming a storing space; a main door opening and closing the storage space; a main hinge fixed to the cabinet and supporting an upper end and a lower end of the main door to rotate the main door; a storage unit forming a storage space in the main door and opened through a front surface of the main door; a sub door opening and closing the storage space; a sub hinge disposed between the main door and the sub door and supporting the sub door such that the sub door rotates; and a dispenser disposed in a front surface the sub door and dispensing drinking water. 
     The details of one or more embodiments are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims. 
     ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS 
     According to the embodiments, a storage space is disposed in a main door, and is opened and closed with a sub door. Thus, even when a food is frequently taken out or put in, a loss of cool air can be decreased, thereby reducing power consumption. 
     Since a dispenser is installed on the sub door, drinking water can be conveniently dispensed. In addition, since the main door is provided with the dispenser as well as the storage space, the refrigerator can be more conveniently used. 
     A cap decor constituting the upper end of the sub door also constitutes the upper end of the refrigerator door, and a handle is disposed in the cap decor, so that the handle is hidden from the outside, thereby improving the appearance of the refrigerator. 
     The cap decor covers a sub hinge to hide the sub hinge from the outside, thus further improving the appearance of the refrigerator. 
     A recess of the dispenser is integrally formed with the outer case forming the appearance of the door. 
     Thus, the recess and the rest of the outer case except for the recess are formed of the same material and have the same figure or a continuous figure/pattern. Accordingly, the appearance of the refrigerator is improved. 
     In addition, the recess is formed of the same metal material as that of the outer case, instead of an injection-molded material having a metal texture, thereby providing the sense of unity, and improving the appearance. 
     Since the recess is naturally formed by forming the outer case, a process of manufacturing the refrigerator according to the embodiment can be further simplified than a process of manufacturing a refrigerator including a separate dispenser on a door, thus improving the productivity. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view illustrating a refrigerator according to an embodiment. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view illustrating a state in which a main door of the refrigerator of  FIG. 1  is opened. 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view illustrating a state in which a sub door of the refrigerator of  FIG. 1  is opened. 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view illustrating a water supply passage of the refrigerator of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 5  is an exploded perspective view illustrating a coupling structure of the main door of  FIG. 2  and the sub door of the  FIG. 3 . 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view illustrating rotations of the main door of  FIG. 2  and the sub door of the  FIG. 3 . 
         FIG. 7  is a schematic view illustrating a dispenser of the refrigerator of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 8  is an exploded perspective view illustrating the dispenser of  FIG. 7 . 
         FIG. 9  is a block diagram illustrating a method of manufacturing a refrigerator door of the refrigerator of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 10  is a perspective view illustrating a water supply passage of a refrigerator according to another embodiment. 
         FIG. 11  is a perspective view illustrating a water supply passage of a refrigerator according to another embodiment. 
     
    
    
     MODE FOR INVENTION 
     Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of the present disclosure, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The spirit and scope of the present disclosure, however, shall not be construed as being limited to embodiments provided herein. Rather, it will be apparent that other embodiments that fall within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure may easily be derived through adding, modifying, and deleting elements herein. 
     A top mount type refrigerator in which a freezer compartment is disposed over a refrigerator compartment will be exemplified in the following embodiments, for convenience in description, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and thus, the present disclosure may be applied to any refrigerator including a dispenser. 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view illustrating a refrigerator according to an embodiment. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , a refrigerator  1  according to an embodiment includes a cabinet  10  including a storage space therein, and doors  20  opening and closing the storage space. The cabinet  10  and the doors  20  form an appearance of the refrigerator  1 . 
     The storage space is divided into an upper part and a lower part. A freezer compartment  12  and a refrigerator compartment  14  are disposed in the upper and lower portions of the cabinet  10 , respectively. The doors  20  include a freezer door  22  and a refrigerator door  24 , which open and close the freezer compartment  12  and the refrigerator compartment  14 , respectively. 
     The doors  20  are rotatable, and include door handles  26  at a side thereof, so that a user can rotate the doors  20  to open and close the refrigerator compartment  14  and the freezer compartment  12 . 
     A display  28  may be disposed on the front surface of the door  20  to display an operation state of the refrigerator  1 . The display  28  may include manipulation buttons to manipulate the refrigerator  1 . The door  20  may include a dispenser  400  to dispense water outside the refrigerator  1 . 
     Hereinafter, a configuration of the refrigerator door  24  will now be described. 
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view illustrating a state in which a main door of a refrigerator is opened, according to the current embodiment.  FIG. 3  is a perspective view illustrating a state in which a sub door of a refrigerator is opened, according to the current embodiment.  FIG. 4  is a perspective view illustrating a water supply passage of a refrigerator according to the current embodiment.  FIG. 5  is an exploded perspective view illustrating a coupling structure of the main door of  FIG. 2  and the sub door of the  FIG. 3 , according to the current embodiment.  FIG. 6  is a perspective view illustrating rotations of the main door of  FIG. 2  and the sub door of the  FIG. 3 , according to the current embodiment. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 2 to 6 , the refrigerator door  24  includes a main door  100  and a sub door  200 . The main door  100  entirely covers a front opening of the refrigerator compartment  14 . 
     Main hinges  110  are installed at the upper and lower ends of the main door  100 , respectively. The main hinges  110  are fixed to the cabinet  10 , and are coupled through shafts to the upper and lower ends of the main door  100 , so that the main door  100  can rotate to open and close the refrigerator compartment  14 . 
     One of the main hinges  110  may be disposed between the refrigerator door  24  and the freezer door  22  to support the upper end of the refrigerator door  24  and the lower end of the freezer door  22 . Alternatively, although not shown, the main hinges  110  may be disposed on the upper and lower ends of each of the refrigerator door  24  and the freezer door  22 , respectively. 
     The main door  100  may include a storage space  300  for storing a food. The storage space  300  is formed by a storage unit  310  installed on the rear surface of the main door  100 . A food can be put in or taken out from the storage space  300  through an opening  320  of the front surface of the main door  100 . 
     In detail, the storage unit  310  is disposed on the rear surface of the main door  100 , and includes a frame  312  forming an appearance of the storage unit  310 , and storage members  314  disposed inside the frame  312 . The frame  312  extends from the lower side of the opening  320  to the upper end of the main door  100  to form the storage space  300 , and protrudes rearward. A plurality of covers  316  may be disposed on the frame  312  to open and close separate rooms in the storage space  300  after the main door  100  is opened. 
     Cool air inlets  318  may be disposed in a side portion of the storage unit  310 . The cool air inlets  318  contact an inner wall of the refrigerator compartment  14  when the main door  100  is closed. A cool air duct (not shown) may be disposed in the inner wall of the refrigerator compartment  14 . When the main door  100  is closed, the cool air duct is connected to the cool air inlets  318  to discharge cool air into the storage space  300 . 
     The storage members  314  disposed inside the frame  312  may have various shapes including a basket shape and a shelf shape according to the types of foods to store. Since the storage members  314  disposed inside the frame  312  can be freely removed, various shaped spaces can be formed by combining the storage members  314 . 
     Access to the storage space  300  formed by the storage unit  310  is allowed by opening the main door  100 , so that a food can be stored in the storage space  300  through the rear portion of the main door  100 . When the main door  100  is closed, access to the storage space  300  may be allowed by opening the sub door  200 . In this case, a food can be stored in the storage space  300  through the opening  320  at the front side of the main door  100 . 
     The main door  100  may include a water tank  120 . The water tank  120  stores water to supply to the dispenser  400 , and may be removably attached to the rear surface of the main door  100 . The water tank  120  may be disposed in the storage space  300 , or be disposed in the rear surface of the main door  100  outside the storage space  300 . 
     The sub door  200  is coupled to the main door  100 . The sub door  200  opens and closes the storage members  314 , and has a size corresponding to the opening  320 . 
     The sub door  200  includes an outer case  500  forming an appearance of the sub door  200 , and a door liner  710  coupled to the outer case  500  to form a rear surface of the sub door  200 . A thermal insulator (not shown) is disposed between the outer case  500  and the door liner  710 . 
     The outer case  500  may be formed of a metal such as a stainless steel plate. The outer case  500  constitutes the front surface of the sub door  200 , and at least one portion of the edge of the sub door  200 . When the door  20  is closed, the outer case  500  constitutes a front appearance of the door  20 . 
     A film may be attached to the front surface of the outer case  500 , and may have various figures or patterns through a hair line process or a corrosion process. The outer case  500  may have a planar front surface or a curved front surface that is at least partially curved forward. A part constituting the appearance of the main door  100  may be formed of the same material as that of the outer case  500  of the sub door  200 . 
     When the sub door  200  is closed, the sub door  200  may be flush with the front surface of the main door  100 . The upper end of the sub door  200  and the upper end of the main door  100  are disposed at the same height. That is, the sub door  200  and the main door  100  share the upper end of the refrigerator door  24 . The left, right, and lower ends of the sub door  200  are disposed inward from the left, right, and lower ends of the main door  100 . 
     The sub door  200  may have a width corresponding to the display  28  disposed in the lower end of the freezer door  22 . The distance between the left end of the sub door  200  and the left end of the main door  100  may be equal to the distance between the right end of the sub door  200  and the right end of the main door  100 . 
     That is, the sub door  200  is spaced apart from the left and right ends of the main door  100 . Thus, the door handle  26  may be disposed on a portion of the main door  100  at a side of the sub door  200 . Spaces in which the main hinges  110  are installed are disposed at another side of the sub door  200 . 
     The rear surface of the sub door  200  may protrude in a shape corresponding to a stepped part of the opening  320 . Thus, when the sub door  200  is closed, the sub door  200  can seal the storage space  300 . A gasket  210  is disposed on the edge of the rear surface of the sub door  200 , and closely contacts the main door  100  to prevent leakage of cool air. The gasket  210  may include a magnet, and thus, can closely contact the main door  100  by magnetic force of the magnet. The sub door  200  may include a locking structure such as a latch structure to selectively lock the sub door  200  to the main door  100 . 
     A cap decor  220  is disposed in the upper end of the sub door  200 . The cap decor  220  constitutes the upper portion of the sub door  200 , and may be formed of a plastic material that is different from the material constituting the front surface of the sub door  200 . The cap decor  220  may be coupled to a main body of the sub door  200 . 
     The cap decor  220  may include a sub door handle  228 . The sub door handle  228  is recessed downward. A user can hold the sub door handle  228 , so that a user can easily rotate the sub door  200 . The sub door handle  228  is disposed on the cap decor  220  at a position far away from sub hinges  240  to be described later, and facilitates a rotation of the sub door  200 . 
     Since the sub door handle  228  is disposed at the upper end of the sub door  200 , when the sub door  200  and the main door  100  are closed, the sub door handle  228  is disposed just under the freezer door  22 . Thus, a user may put his/her hand into a space between the freezer door  22  and the refrigerator door  24 , and holds the sub door handle  228 , to open the sub door  200 . The sub door handle  228  may be hidden from the front side when the main door  100  and the sub door  200  are closed. 
     The cap decor  220  includes a fixing part  222  coupled to the upper end of a main body  230  of the sub door  200 , and a cover  224  covering the sub hinge  240  to be described later. The fixing part  222  and the cover  224  are coupled to each other to constitute a hinge installation part  226  on which an upper sub hinge  250  disposed at the upper side of the sub door  200  is installed. 
     In detail, the fixing part  222  is installed on the upper end of the main body  230  of the sub door  200 , and then, the upper sub hinge  250  is installed on the hinge installation part  226 . The cover  224  is installed on the fixing part  222  to fix and hide the upper sub hinge  250 . Accordingly, when the sub door  200  is closed, the sub hinge  240  is not exposed to the outside. 
     In detail, the sub hinges  240  include the upper sub hinge  250  supporting the upper end of the sub door  200 , and a lower sub hinge  260  supporting the lower end thereof. 
     The upper sub hinge  250  may be disposed on the upper side of the main door  100  and the opening  320 . The upper sub hinge  250  includes a coupling part  252  coupled to the main door  100 , and a hinge part  254  installed on the hinge installation part  226 . The coupling part  252  has a plate shape, and is fixed to the upper portion of the main door  100  by a coupling member such as a screw. The hinge part  254  protrudes perpendicularly to the coupling part  252 , and is inserted in the hinge installation part  226 . A hinge shaft  251  extends from an end of the hinge part  254 , and is perpendicular to the hinge part  254 , and is inserted in the cap decor  220 . 
     The lower sub hinge  260  may be disposed at the upper side of the main door  100  and the opening  320 . The lower sub hinge  260  protrudes upward from the lower end of the opening  320  of the main door  100 , and is inserted in the lower end of the sub door  200  to function as a rotation shaft of the sub door  200 . 
     The lower sub hinge  260  may be fixed to the main door  100 . A hinge hole  262  for receiving the lower sub hinge  260  may be disposed in the bottom surface of the sub door  200  at a position corresponding to the lower sub hinge  260 . Alternatively, the lower sub hinge  260  may protrude downward from the bottom surface of the sub hinge  240 , and the hinge hole  262  corresponding to the lower sub hinge  260  may be disposed in the main door  100 . 
     The lower sub hinge  260  may have a hollow tube shape. The lower sub hinge  260  may have upper and lower openings. A water supply passage for supplying water to the dispenser  400  and/or a wire  420  for supplying power to electric/electronic parts of the sub door  200  may be guided by the lower sub hinge  260 . 
     In detail, a water supply passage  410  and the wire  420  are provided to the sub door  200  to drive electric/electronic parts provided to the dispenser  400  and the sub door  200 . The water supply passage  410  and the wire  420  are guided from the main door  100  to the sub door  200  through the inner space of the lower sub hinge  260 . 
     The water supply passage  410  is disposed in the main door  100  and the sub door  200  to guide water from the water tank  120  to the dispenser  400 . The water supply passage  410  is connected to the water tank  120  in the main door  100 , and is guided into the sub door  200  through the lower sub hinge  260  at a side of the main door  100 . The water supply passage  410  is connected to the dispenser  400  in the sub door  200  to supply water. 
     A valve  414  and a pump  412  for supplying water to the dispenser  400  may be disposed on the water supply pipe  400 . The valve  414  and the pump  412  may be disposed in the main door  100 , or at least one of the valve  414  and the pump  412  may be disposed in the sub door  200 . 
     Hereinafter, a dispenser as described above will now be described in more detail. 
       FIG. 7  is a schematic view illustrating a dispenser according to the current embodiment.  FIG. 8  is an exploded perspective view illustrating the dispenser of  FIG. 7 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 7 and 8 , the dispenser  400  may include a recess  430 , a dispensing member  440 , decor members  450 , and a manipulation member  460 . 
     In detail, the recess  430  provides a space for receiving a container such as a cup during the dispensing of drinking water, and is integrally formed with the outer case  500 . The recess  430  may be formed by recessing a portion of the outer case  500  inward. The recess  430  may have a curved surface increasing in depth toward the center thereof. 
     Portions of the outer case  500 , which correspond to the upper and lower ends of the recess  430 , are cut, and then, the recess  430  is formed. Cut parts  432  and  434  formed by cutting the portions of the recess  430  may correspond to the width of the recess  430 . The recess  430  may have a depth corresponding to the diameter of the dispensing member  440  to be described later. 
     The cut parts  432  and  434  may be formed before forming the recess  430 , and may receive the dispensing member  440 . The cut parts  432  and  434  are naturally opened by forming the recess  430 , and an open depth thereof is determined according to a depth of the recess  430 . 
     The cut parts  432  and  434  may be disposed at the upper and lower sides of the recess  430 , respectively, and are opened toward the center of the recess  430 . The cut parts  432  and  434  may have the same shape. Alternatively, the cut part  432  may be larger than the cut part  434 . In this case, the recess  430  may be inclined. 
     The dispensing member  440  may be disposed in the center of the cut part  432  at the position having the largest width. The dispensing member  440  has a pipe or tube shape, and may be exposed to the recess  430  through the cut part  432 . The dispensing member  440  may be integrally formed with an upper decor  452  to be described later. 
     The decor members  450  are disposed on the cut part  432  disposed over the recess  430  and the cut part  434  disposed under the recess  430 , respectively. The decor members  450  cover the cut part  432  and the cut part  434 , and may be formed of a different material from that of the outer case  500 . The decor members  450  may be formed of a plastic material, and be colored or coated with a metal texture after injection molding. 
     The decor members  450  may include the upper decor  452  and a lower decor  454 . The upper decor  452  covers the cut part  432  disposed over the recess  430 . The upper decor  452  is installed upward from the outside of the recess  430  to cover the cut part  432 . The dispensing member  440  may be installed in the middle of the upper decor  452 . A portion of the upper decor  452  constitutes a portion of an appearance over the recess  430 . 
     The lower decor  454  covers the cut part  434  disposed under the recess  430 . 
     The lower decor  454  is installed downward from the outside of the recess  430  to cover the cut part  434 . The lower decor  454  may include a water collecting part  236  recessed downward. The water collecting part  236  collects the remainder of water dropping to the recess  430 . The lower decor  454  may be removed to dump out the water from the water collecting part  236 . 
     The manipulation member  460  is disposed in the center of the recess  430 . The manipulation member  460  may be pressed to operate it, like a button or a lever. Alternatively, since the recess  430  is shallow, the manipulation member  460  may sense a touch to determine whether to supply water. 
     The manipulation member  460  may be installed in an installation part  436  further recessed from the center of the recess  430 . The installation part  436  may include an installation hole  438  in which electric/electronic parts such as an LED lighting device  462  and a switch connected to the manipulation member  460  can be installed. A wire may be connected through the installation hole  438  to the LED lighting device  462  provided to the manipulation member  460 . The installation part  436  may allow a back-and-forth movement or a rotation of the manipulation member  460 . 
     Hereinafter, a method of manufacturing a door of a refrigerator as configured above will now be described according to the current embodiment. 
       FIG. 9  is a block diagram illustrating a method of manufacturing a refrigerator door according to the current embodiment. 
     Referring to  FIG. 9 , first, the outer case  500  is formed to form the door  20 . In operation S 100 , the outer case  500  is formed by cutting a stainless steel plate wound in a roll shape, to correspond to the size of the door  20 . 
     A surface of the cut stainless steel plate is treated with a figure or pattern in operation S 200 . For example, a hairline process may be performed on the surface of the stainless steel plate to provide a rich texture or anti-fingerprint characteristics. In addition, a figure may be formed using a corrosion such as etching, or various textures can be expressed through a grinding process. 
     Then, edges of the outer case  500  are bent to form edges of the sub door  200 . The outer case  500  may have a curved surface that protrudes in the center thereof, according to a shape of the door  20 . 
     When the forming of the outer case  500  is completed, the outer case  500  is cut to form the cut parts  432  and  434  at positions corresponding to the upper and lower ends of the recess  430  in operation S 300 . At this point, the installation hole  438  may be formed in the installation part  436 . The cut parts  432  and  434  are formed to correspond to the width of the recess  430 . At this point, if necessary, other holes may be formed in the outer case  500 . 
     After the forming of the cut parts  432  and  434 , a portion of the outer case  500  corresponding to the recess  430  is recessed in operation S 400 . Thus, the recess  430  has a curved surface protruding rearward. The cut parts  432  and  434  are naturally formed at the upper and lower sides of the recess  430  by forming the recess  430 . 
     While the recess  430  is formed, the installation part  436  may also be formed. Alternatively, after the recess  430  is formed, the installation part  436  may be formed through a separate forming process. 
     After the forming of the recess  430 , the decor members  450  are installed on the cut parts  432  and  434  in operation S 500 . That is, the upper decor  452  is installed on the cut part  432  disposed over the recess  430 . At this point, the dispensing member  440  coupled to the upper decor  452  may be installed in the cut part  432 , together with the upper decor  452 . Alternatively, after the upper decor  452  is installed on the cut part  432 , the dispensing member  440  may be coupled to the upper decor  452 . 
     Then, the lower decor  454  is fixed to the cut part  434  disposed under the recess  430 . The lower decor  454  may be detachably fixed to the cut part  434  to remove the remainder of water. 
     In operation S 600 , the manipulation member  460  is installed in the installation part  436 . The manipulation member  460  can be operated in the installation part  436  according to a method of manipulating the manipulation member  460 . 
     A button switch for driving the manipulation member  460  may be installed in the installation hole  438  of the installation part  436 . The lighting device  462  such as an LED provided to the manipulation member  460 , or a wire connected to electric/electronic parts pass through the installation hole  438 . 
     After the installing of the manipulation member  460  and the installing of the decor members  450 , a water supply passage and a power line, which extend to the recess  430 , are fixed. Next, the outer case  500  is coupled to the door liner  710  constituting the inner surface of the door  20 . A cap decor constituting an edge of the door  20  may be installed to form an appearance of the door  20 . 
     A space between the outer case  500  and the door liner  710  may be filled with a thermal insulator through a foaming process, thereby completing the forming of the door  20 . 
     Hereinafter, operations of a refrigerator configured as described above will now be described. 
     The freezer door  22  is opened to take out a food from the freezer compartment  12 . The refrigerator door  24  is opened to take out a food from the refrigerator compartment  14 . 
     To take out a food from the refrigerator compartment  14 , a user rotates the main door  100  with holding the door handle  26  of the main door  100  and opens the refrigerator compartment  14 . When the main door  100  is opened, the front surface of the refrigerator compartment  14  is completely exposed, and a food can be put in the refrigerator compartment  14 . 
     The main door  100  or the sub door  200  is opened to take out a food from the storage space  300  in the main door  100 . 
     When the main door  100  is rotated and completed opened, the refrigerator compartment  14  is opened, and simultaneously, the rear surface of the main door  100  can be exposed. Thus, the rear surface of the storage space  300  can be exposed, and the cover  316  covering the storage space  300  can be opened and closed to take out or put in a food in the storage members  314 . After the main door  100  is opened, the water tank  120  may be removed from the main door  100  to provide the water tank  120  with water to supply to the dispenser  400 . 
     The sub door  200  may be rotated to open the storage space  300 . To this end, a hand may be put into the sub door handle  228  between the refrigerator door  24  and the freezer door  22 , and the sub door  200  may be pulled and rotated. 
     The sub door  200  rotates about the sub hinge  240  as an axis, and thus, the front portion of the storage space  300  is exposed. When the storage space  300  is opened, a user can take out or put in a food in the storage space  300 . 
     A user can dispense water outside the refrigerator by manipulating the dispenser  400 . When the dispenser  400  is manipulated, water is supplied from the water tank  120  through the water supply passage  410  to the dispenser  400  disposed in the sub door  200 . After water is completely discharged from the water tank  120 , the main door  100  may be opened, then, the water tank  120  may be removed, then, the water tank  120  may be filled with water, and then, the water tank  120  may be installed again on the main door  100  to use the dispenser  400 . 
     A refrigerator according to various other embodiments may be exemplified. Hereinafter, a refrigerator will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings according to another embodiment. 
     In the current embodiment, the dispenser is provided to the sub door, and a water tank disposed in the refrigerator compartment is connected to the dispenser through a water supply passage, so that water can be dispensed outside of the refrigerator. Thus, in the current embodiment, the rest parts except for the water tank and the water supply passage are the same as those of the previous embodiment, a description thereof will be omitted, and like reference numeral denote like elements. 
       FIG. 10  is a perspective view illustrating a water supply passage of a refrigerator according to the current embodiment. 
     Referring to  FIG. 10 , the refrigerator  1  includes the cabinet  10  forming a storage space, the refrigerator door  24  opening and closing the refrigerator compartment  14  in the cabinet  10 , and the freezer door  22  opening and closing the freezer compartment  12  in the cabinet  10 . The cabinet  10 , the refrigerator door  24 , and the freezer door  22  form an appearance of the refrigerator  1 . 
     The refrigerator door  24  includes the main door  100  opening and closing the refrigerator compartment  14 , and the sub door  200  opening and closing the storage space  300  disposed in the main door  100 . The sub door  200  includes the dispenser  400  to dispense water at the outside of the refrigerator  1 . 
     The main door  100  can be rotated through a main hinge  510  supporting the upper and lower ends of the main door  100 . The sub door  200  can be rotated through sub hinges  520  including an upper sub hinge  522  and a lower sub hinge  524 . 
     Water to be supplied to the dispenser  400  is stored in a water tank  530  disposed in the refrigerator compartment  14 . The water tank  530  disposed in the refrigerator compartment  14  can be removed from the refrigerator compartment  14  to fill the water tank  530  with water. 
     The dispenser  400  is connected to the water tank  530  through a water supply passage  540 . A pump  542  and a valve  544  may be installed on the water supply passage  540 , and thus, the dispenser  400  operates to supply water from the water tank  530  to the dispenser  400 . 
     The water supply passage  540  for supplying water from the water tank  530  in the refrigerator compartment  14  to the dispenser  400  of the sub door  200  sequentially passes through the main hinge  510  and the sub hinge  520 . 
     The water supply passage  540  is connected to the water tank  530  in the refrigerator compartment  14 . Thus, the water supply passage  540  is guided into the main door  100  through the main hinge  510  disposed under the main door  100 , and is guided into the sub door  200  through the lower sub hinge  524 , and thus, can be connected to the dispenser  400 . The water supply passage  540  is disposed in the cabinet  10 , the main door  100 , and the sub door  200 , and may be embedded in a thermal insulator. 
     Also when the dispenser  400  includes a lighting device or electric/electronic parts, a wire to be connected to the dispenser  400  can be guided to the dispenser  400  or the sub door  200  through the main hinge  510  and the sub hinges  520 . 
     A refrigerator according to various other embodiments than the previous embodiments may be exemplified. Hereinafter, a refrigerator will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings according to another embodiment. 
     In the current embodiment, the dispenser is provided to the sub door, and a water supply pipe connected to the dispenser is connected to a water supply source disposed outside the refrigerator, so that water can be dispensed through the dispenser. Thus, in the current embodiment, the rest parts except for the water supply passage are the same as those of the previous embodiments, a description thereof will be omitted, and like reference numeral denote like elements. 
       FIG. 11  is a perspective view illustrating a water supply passage of a refrigerator according to the current embodiment. 
     Referring to  FIG. 11 , the refrigerator  1  includes the cabinet  10  forming a storage space, the refrigerator door  24  opening and closing the refrigerator compartment  14  in the cabinet  10 , and the freezer door  22  opening and closing the freezer compartment  12  in the cabinet  10 . The cabinet  10 , the refrigerator door  24 , and the freezer door  22  form an appearance of the refrigerator  1 . 
     The refrigerator door  24  includes the main door  100  opening and closing the refrigerator compartment  14 , and the sub door  200  opening and closing the storage space  300  disposed in the main door  100 . The sub door  200  includes the dispenser  400  to dispense water at the outside of the refrigerator  1 . 
     The main door  100  can be rotated through a main hinge  610  supporting the upper and lower ends of the main door  100 . The sub door  200  can be rotated through sub hinges  620  including an upper sub hinge  622  and a lower sub hinge  624 . 
     Water dispensed by the dispenser  400  is supplied from a water supply source  630  disposed outside the refrigerator  1 . The water supply source  630  is connected to a water pipe or a water supply passage  640  at the outside of the refrigerator  1  to supply water from the outside of the refrigerator  1 . 
     The water supply passage  640  connects the water supply source  630  to the dispenser  400 . Thus, a portion of the water supply passage  640  is exposed out of the refrigerator  1 , and is connected to the water supply source  630 . A portion of the water supply passage  640  in the refrigerator  1  passes through the cabinet  10 . The water supply passage  640  is guided into the main door  100  through the main hinge  610  disposed under the main door  100 , and is guided into the sub door  200  through the lower sub hinge  624 , and thus, can be connected to the dispenser  400 . 
     At least one pump  642  and at least one valve  644  are disposed on the water supply passage  640 , and thus, the dispenser  400  operates to supply water from a water tank  646  to the dispenser  400 . The water supply passage  640 , the pump  642 , and the valve  644  are disposed in the cabinet  10 , the main door  100 , and the sub door  200 , and may be embedded in a thermal insulator. 
     Also when the dispenser  400  includes a lighting device or electric/electronic parts, a wire to be connected to the dispenser  400  can be guided to the dispenser  400  or the sub door  200  through the main hinge  610  and the sub hinges  620 . 
     Although the main door and the sub door constitute the refrigerator door in the previous embodiments, the main door and the sub door may constitute a freezer door in another embodiment. Furthermore, the main door and the sub door may constitute a refrigerator door including only a single rotatable door, and thus, may be applied to any refrigerator including a dispenser. 
     Although embodiments have been described with reference to a number of illustrative embodiments thereof, it should be understood that numerous other modifications and embodiments can be devised by those skilled in the art that will fall within the spirit and scope of the principles of this disclosure. More particularly, various variations and modifications are possible in the component parts and/or arrangements of the subject combination arrangement within the scope of the disclosure, the drawings and the appended claims. In addition to variations and modifications in the component parts and/or arrangements, alternative uses will also be apparent to those skilled in the art. 
     INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY 
     According to the embodiments, since the dispenser is installed on the sub door, the dispenser can be conveniently used. In addition, since the dispenser is integrally from with the outer case forming an appearance of the door, the appearance of the refrigerator is improved, and a manufacturing process is simplified, thereby improving the productivity.