Patent Publication Number: US-2011067433-A1

Title: Water tank for dispenser and refrigerator having the same

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 2009-0089519, filed on Sep. 22, 2009 in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Field 
     Embodiments relate to a water tank for a dispenser in which capacity of a subsidiary container is increased, and a refrigerator having the same. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     In general, refrigerators are apparatuses to store food at a low temperature, and include a freezing chamber in which food is stored at a comparatively low temperature, and a refrigerating chamber in which food is stored at a higher temperature than that of the freezing chamber. 
     Refrigerators having various additional functions have been developed and produced so as to satisfy customer requirements. Further, refrigerators having various configurations, each of which is provided with a dispenser, have also been developed. 
     The dispenser is a device to automatically dispense potable water. The dispenser is connected to a water service pipe or other water sources to supply potable water to a user, or is provided with a water tank to supply water in the water tank to the user. 
     In the case of a dispenser by which water in a water tank is dispensed and then is supplied to a user, if a water tank having an increased height in order to increase the capacity of the water tank is manufactured, the position of the dispenser to dispense water is necessarily lowered, thereby forcing the user to bend over excessively in order to dispense water. 
     SUMMARY 
     Therefore, it is one aspect to provide a water tank for a dispenser which secures a sufficient capacity, and a refrigerator having the same. 
     It is another aspect to provide a water tank for a dispenser which allows a user to easily dispense water, and a refrigerator having the same. 
     Additional aspects will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. 
     In accordance with one aspect, a refrigerator includes a freezing chamber disposed at a relatively high position, a refrigerating chamber disposed at a relatively low position, a water tank provided on a refrigerating chamber door opening and closing the refrigerating chamber, and a dispenser unit to discharge water in the water tank to the outside, wherein the water tank includes a water storage container to store water, a filter unit to purify water stored in the water storage container, and a subsidiary container including a filter mounting part, on which the filter unit is mounted, and mounted within the water storage container to divide the inner space of the water storage container, and the water storage container includes a protrusion protruded outwardly corresponding to the shape of the filter mounting part to increase a capacity of the subsidiary container. 
     The filter mounting part may be protruded downwardly from the lower surface of the subsidiary container, and the protrusion may be protruded downwardly from the lower surface of the water storage container corresponding to a space in which the filter unit and the filter mounting part invade the water storage container. 
     The dispenser unit may be disposed at the upper portion of the refrigerating chamber door such that a user may dispense water without bending over. 
     The protrusion may guide water purified by the filter unit to the inner space of the water storage container. 
     The protrusion may filter out foreign substances from water purified by the filter unit. 
     The capacity of the subsidiary container may be in the range of 1.5˜2.5 liters. 
     A mounting height of the dispenser unit may be in the range of 0.8˜1 m from the mounting surface of the refrigerator. 
     The filter mounting part may be disposed at the central portion of the subsidiary container, and the protrusion may be disposed at the central portion of the water storage container. 
     The water tank may further include a valve member to intermittently discharge water. 
     The water tank may further include a cover member to open and close the upper portion of the water storage container. 
     In accordance with a further aspect, a water tank for a dispenser includes a water storage container to store water, a filter unit to purify water stored in the water storage container, and a subsidiary container including a filter mounting part, on which the filter unit is mounted, and mounted within the water storage container to divide the inner space of the water storage container, wherein the water storage container includes a capacity securing part protruded from the lower surface of the water storage container so as to secure a capacity of the subsidiary container. 
     The filter mounting part may be protruded downwardly from the central portion of the subsidiary container, and the capacity securing part may accommodate the lower portion of the filter mounting part. 
     The capacity securing part may guide water purified by the filter unit to the inner space of the water storage container. 
     The capacity securing part may filter out foreign substances from water purified by the filter unit. 
     The capacity of the subsidiary container may be in the range of 1.5˜2.5 liters. 
     A capacity of the water storage container may be in the range of 3˜4 liters. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       These and/or other aspects will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which: 
         FIG. 1  is a front view of a refrigerator in accordance with an embodiment; 
         FIG. 2  is a longitudinal-sectional view of the refrigerator of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a view illustrating mounting of a water tank on a refrigerating chamber door; 
         FIG. 4  is a detailed longitudinal-sectional view of a dispenser unit, on which the water tank is mounted; 
         FIGS. 5A to 5D  are detailed views of the water tank; 
         FIG. 6  is a detailed longitudinal-sectional view illustrating a water flow in the water tank, when water is dispensed; and 
         FIG. 7  is a view illustrating a user operation of dispensing water using the dispenser unit. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout. 
     Hereinafter, an embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
       FIG. 1  is a front view of a refrigerator in accordance with an embodiment,  FIG. 2  is a longitudinal-sectional view of the refrigerator of  FIG. 1 ,  FIG. 3  is a view illustrating mounting of a water tank on a refrigerating chamber door, and  FIG. 4  is a detailed longitudinal-sectional view of a dispenser unit, on which the water tank is mounted. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a refrigerator  1  in accordance with the embodiment includes a main body  10  having a freezing chamber  20  and a refrigerating chamber  30 , which are divided from each other by a diaphragm  15 . 
     Front surfaces of the freezing chamber  20  and the refrigerating chamber  30  are opened. The freezing chamber  20  disposed at the upper portion of the main body  10  is opened and closed by a freezing chamber door  40 , and the refrigerating chamber  30  disposed at the lower portion of the main body  10  is opened and closed by a refrigerating chamber door  50 . 
     At least one rack  25 , on which articles to be stored are put, is provided in the freezing chamber  20 , and at least one rack  35 , on which articles to be stored are put, is provided in the refrigerating chamber  30 . 
     A freezing chamber evaporator  21  to cool the freezing chamber  20  and a freezing chamber circulation fan  22  to circulate cool air in the freezing chamber  20  are installed at the rear region of the inside of the freezing chamber  20 . Further, a refrigerating chamber evaporator  31  to cool the refrigerating chamber  30  and a refrigerating chamber circulation fan  32  to circulate cool air in the refrigerating chamber  30  are installed at the rear region of the inside of the refrigerating chamber  30 . Here, non-described reference numeral  12  represents a compressor to compress a refrigerant supplied to the freezing chamber evaporator  21  and the refrigerating chamber evaporator  31 . 
     The freezing chamber door  40  and the refrigerating chamber door  50  are rotatably connected to the main body  10  such that the freezing chamber door  40  and the refrigerating chamber door  50  are rotated right and left to open and close the freezing chamber  20  and the refrigerating chamber  30 . 
     A plurality of receipt parts  27  and  37  to receive articles to be stored are respectively formed on the inner surfaces of the freezing chamber door  40  and the refrigerating chamber door  50 . 
     The dispositions and structures of the freezing chamber  20  and the refrigerating chamber  30  and the doors  40  and  50  to open and close the freezing chamber  20  and the refrigerating chamber  30  in this embodiment are only exemplary, and may be variously modified. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , a dispenser unit  200  to intermittently discharge water without opening of the refrigerating chamber door  50  is provided at the upper portion of the front surface of the refrigerating chamber door  50 , and a water tank  100  to supply water to the dispenser unit  200  is detachably provided at the upper portion of the rear surface of the refrigerating chamber door  50 . 
     The dispenser unit  200  includes a water supply unit  220  installed through the refrigerating chamber door  50 , and a lever unit  240  pressed to discharge water. 
     A valve member  190  of the water tank  100  is connected to and seated on the water supply unit  220 . Further, the water supply unit  220  serves as an intermediate between the valve member  190  of the water tank  100  and the dispenser unit  200 . 
     The lever unit  240  is pressed by a user so as to discharge water. An upper end of the lever unit  240  is rotatably hinged to the water supply unit  220 , and a press part  242  having a designated size, which is pressed by the user using a cup, is formed at a lower end of the lever unit  240 . 
     When the user presses the lever unit  240  using a cup, the lever unit  240  is rotated and thus presses the valve member  190 , and the valve member  190  is opened and thus water in the water tank  100  is dispensed through the front surface of the refrigerating chamber door  50 . 
     Further, when force applied to the lever unit  240  is eliminated, the lever unit  240  is rotated and returned to its original state, and an elastic spring (not shown) within the valve member  190  is returned to its original state and thus the valve member  190  is closed. 
     Discharge of water in the water tank  100  may be achieved by a configuration in which a switch is provided instead of the lever unit  240  and the valve member  190  is turned on/off according to an electrical signal based on turning on/off of the switch as well as the above mechanical configuration using the lever unit  240 . 
     Hereinafter, the water tank  100  will be described in more detail. 
       FIG. 5A  is a detailed perspective view of the water tank,  FIG. 5B  is an exploded perspective view of the water tank,  FIG. 5C  is a rear view of the water tank, and  FIG. 5D  is a front view of the water tank. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 5A to 5D , the water tank  100  has a rectangular shape on the whole, and includes a water storage container  110  forming a space to store water, a filter unit  140  to purify water stored in the water storage container  110 , a subsidiary container  130  mounted within the water storage container  110  to divide the inner surface of the water storage container  110 , and a cover member  150  to close the upper portion of the water storage container  110 . 
     The water storage container  110  is provided with an opening  110   a  formed at the upper surface thereof, and has a designated water storage capacity. If the water tank  100  is mounted on the rear surface of the refrigerating chamber door  50 , the water storage capacity of the water storage container  110  is preferably in the range of 3-4 liters. Here, in order to prevent the water storage container  110  from excessively protruding toward the refrigerating chamber  30 , the height and width of the water storage container  110  may be adjusted. A protrusion  120  is formed on the lower surface of the central portion of the water storage container  110 . The protrusion  120 , in connection with the filter unit  140  and a filter mounting part  135 , will be described in detail later. 
     The valve member  190  is provided at the front surface of the lower portion of the water storage container  110 . The valve member  190  is connected to the water supply unit  220  of the dispenser unit  200 , and serves to intermittently discharge water to the outside. Discharge of water through the valve member  190  is achieved in connection with operation of the lever unit  240  in the above-described manner. 
     The subsidiary container  130  is mounted within the water storage container  110 . The subsidiary container  130  serves to divide the inner space of the water storage container  110  to upper and lower parts and to store water temporarily and then discharge water purified by the filter unit  140  to the outside. Therefore, water introduced into the water storage container  110  is supplied to a first water storage part  137  divided by the subsidiary container  130 , is purified by passing through the filter unit  140 , and then is stored in a second water storage part  117 . The water storage capacity of the subsidiary container  130  is preferably in the range of  1 . 5 - 2 . 5  liters. Such a capacity of the subsidiary container  130  is obtained by extending a conventional subsidiary container up and down. As the capacity of the subsidiary container  130  is increased, the protrusion  120  of the water storage container  110 , which will be described later, is formed. 
     The subsidiary container  130  includes the filter mounting part  135 , on which the filter unit  140  is mounted, and the filter mounting part  135  is a space, into which the filter unit  140  is inserted. The filter mounting part  135  is protruded downwardly from the central portion of the subsidiary container  130 . 
     The filter unit  140  serves to purify water introduced into the water tank  100 , and may employ general filter products, i.e., various kinds of filters in a single product type to purify water. The filter unit  140  purifies water stored in the first water storage part  137  under the condition that the filter unit  140  is inserted into the filter mounting part  135  of the subsidiary container  130 , and then discharges the purified water to the outside. 
     The protrusion  120  of the water storage container  110  is protruded downwardly corresponding to the filter mounting part  135  protruded downwardly, and is stepped from the lower surface of the water storage container  110 . 
     The protrusion  120  accommodates the lower portion of the filter mounting part  135 . The protrusion  120  is formed only by a portion of the lower surface of the water storage container  110  without influence on the entire height of the water storage container  110  according to extension of the capacity of the subsidiary container  130  up and down. That is, in order to increase the capacity of the subsidiary container  130 , the space of the first water storage part  137  of the subsidiary container  130  is extended up and down, and a portion of the water storage container  110  invaded by the filter unit  140  and the filter mounting part  135  is protruded downwardly and thus forms the protrusion  120 . Such a protrusion  120  may be referred to as a capacity securing part of the subsidiary container  130 , because the protrusion  120  secures the capacity of the subsidiary container  130 , which may be insufficient. 
     The purpose of the formation of the protrusion  120  on the water storage container  110  is to extend the capacity of the subsidiary container  130  without increasing the height of a space of the rear surface of the refrigerating chamber door  50 , on which the water tank  100  is mounted. When the vertical length of the space of the rear surface of the refrigerating chamber door  50 , on which the water tank  100  is mounted, increases, the dispenser unit  200  is located at a lower position of the refrigerating chamber door  50  in direct proportion thereto, and thus a user needs to bend over much more to dispense water using the dispenser unit  200 . 
     Further, the protrusion  120  guides water purified by the filter unit  140  such that the purified water is uniformly dispersed throughout the second water storage part  117  of the water storage container  110 . 
     Water is temporarily stored in the protrusion  120 , and then is dispersed to the second water storage part  117 . Foreign substances contained in the water do not escape the protrusion  120 , and are retained in the protrusion  120 . Therefore, the protrusion  120  serves to filter out foreign substances from water. 
     The cover member  150  is provided on the upper surface of the water storage container  110 . The cover member  150  closes the opening  110   a  of the water storage container  110 , and prevents foreign substances from entering the water storage container  110 . The cover member  150  includes an inlet  153 , through which water is injected into the water storage container  110 , formed at the central portion of the cover member  150 , and a cap member  155  to open and close the inlet  153 . 
     Hereinafter, dispensation of water using the water tank  100  in the refrigerator  1  in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention will be described. 
       FIG. 6  is a detailed longitudinal-sectional view illustrating a water flow in the water tank, when water is dispensed, and  FIG. 7  is a view illustrating a user operation of dispensing water using the dispenser unit. 
     With reference to  FIGS. 6 and 7 , when a user opens the cap member  155  and then injects water into the first water storage part  137  of the subsidiary container  130  through the inlet  153 , water flows to the filter mounting part  135  protruded downwardly and passes through the filter part  140 , thus being purified. 
     The purified water temporarily passes through the protrusion  120 , and then is uniformly dispersed throughout the second water storage part  117 . Here, the protrusion  120  serves both to guide the purified water to the inside of the second storage part  117  and to filter out foreign substances from the purified water, as described above. 
     Thereafter, when the user presses the lever unit  240  of the dispenser unit  200  using a cup, the purified water within the second water storage part  117  of the water storage container  110  is discharged into the user&#39;s cup through the valve member  190 . Here, the dispenser unit  200  is disposed at a position having a height H from the mounting surface of the refrigerator  1 . The height H is a height, which allows the user to hold out his/her hand to press the lever unit  240  using the cup without excessive bending over, and is preferably in the range of 0.8˜1 m. Thereby, the user may easily dispense water through the dispenser unit  200 . 
     In a conventional refrigerator in which a refrigerating chamber is disposed at the lower portion of a main body, if water stored in a water tank on the rear surface of a refrigerating chamber door is dispensed using a dispenser, when the dispenser is disposed at a proper position for a user, the capacity of the water tank is insufficient, and when the capacity of the water tank is much increased, the position of the dispenser is located at a relatively low position of the refrigerating chamber door, the user has difficulty in using the dispenser. The water tank  100  in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention is provided to solve the above problems. 
     The water tank  100  in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention is disposed at a height that is convenient to use while having an increased capacity. 
     Further, since the dispenser unit  200  is disposed at the upper portion of the refrigerating chamber door  50 , the design of the refrigerator  1  is improved. 
     As is apparent from the above description, in a water tank for a dispenser and a refrigerator having the same in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, a protrusion is formed on the lower surface of a water storage container, thereby increasing a capacity of the water tank. 
     Further, the total height of the water tank is reduced while increasing the capacity of the water tank. 
     Moreover, a disperser unit is located at a relatively higher position of a refrigerating chamber according to the reduction of the height of the water tank, thereby allowing a user to easily dispense water. 
     Although a few embodiments have been shown and described, it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined in the claims and their equivalents.