Patent Publication Number: US-9841223-B2

Title: Refrigerator

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION(S) 
     This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2014-0169984, filed on Dec. 1, 2014 in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a refrigerator having an improved structure of a gasket which maintains a seal between a main body and a door. 
     In general, refrigerators are home appliances that include storage compartments for storing food and cool air supply devices for supplying cool air to the storage compartments to keep the food fresh. 
     Refrigerators can be classified based on a type of the storage compartments and a type of the doors. When a storage compartment is horizontally partitioned by a horizontal partition, a refrigerator can be classified into a top mounted freezer (TMF) type refrigerator that has a freezing compartment at an upper side and a refrigerating compartment at a lower side, and a bottom mounted freezer (BMF) type refrigerator that has a refrigerating compartment at the upper side and a freezing compartment at the lower side. 
     Additionally, a side-by-side (SBS) type refrigerator has a storage compartment that is vertically partitioned by a vertical partition, with a freezing compartment on one side and a refrigerating compartment on an opposite side. A French door refrigerator (FDR) type refrigerator has a storage compartment that is horizontally partitioned by a horizontal partition, with a refrigerating compartment on an upper side, and a freezing compartment at a lower side, and the refrigerating compartment in the upper side is opened or closed by a pair of doors. 
     Meanwhile, a gasket is coupled to a rear side of a refrigerator door and seals a gap separating the door from a main body when the door is closed. 
     The gasket seals a gap separating the door from the main body, simultaneously absorbs an impact caused by a collision of the door and the main body when the door is closed, and plays a role to decrease energy consumption by minimizing or reducing heat transfer due to a temperature difference between an inside and outside of the main body. 
     The inside of the gasket is provided to have a complicated partitioning structure to absorb an impact caused by a collision of the door and the main body and minimize a heat transfer due to a temperature difference of an inside and outside of the main body. 
     The gasket is manufactured by extrusion molding to cause the inside of the gasket to have a complicated partitioning structure. 
     The gasket includes an upper gasket which corresponds to an upper edge of the rear side of the door, a lower gasket which corresponds to a lower edge of the rear side of the door, a left gasket which corresponds to a left edge of the rear side of the door and a right gasket which corresponds to a right edge of the rear side of the door. 
     After the upper gasket, the lower gasket, the left gasket, and the right gasket are separately manufactured by extrusion molding, magnets are inserted into the inside of these gaskets. 
     After magnets are inserted into the inside of the gaskets, the upper gasket, the lower gasket, the left gasket and the right gasket are bonded to each other and coupled to the rear side of the door. 
     Since the upper gasket, the lower gasket, the left gasket and the right gasket are coupled to the rear side of the door after the gaskets are bonded to each other, an oblique bonding trace remains in the gaskets, so there is a problem in which the oblique bonding trace is exposed to the outside when the door is open. 
     Additionally, when a distance between the main body and the door changes or the gasket gets dirty, and when the whole gasket should be replaced, the replacement cost is very high. 
     SUMMARY 
     Therefore, it is an aspect of the present disclosure to provide a refrigerator in which a gasket is divided into a first gasket formed by extrusion molding and coupled to a rear side of a door and a second gasket provided as an integrated injection molded product and coupled to a rear side of the first gasket, wherein the second gasket is detachably coupled to the first gasket. 
     In accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure, a refrigerator includes a main body, a storage compartment provided inside the main body such that a front side of the storage compartment is open, a door rotatably coupled to the main body to open or close the front side of the storage compartment that is open, and a gasket coupled to a rear side of the door to maintain a seal between the main body and the door when the door is closed, and the gasket includes a first gasket coupled to the rear side of the door to absorb an impact generated between the door and the main body when the door is closed and a second gasket provided as an integrated injection molded product and coupled to a rear side of the first gasket to maintain the seal between the door and the main body when the door is closed. 
     The first gasket may include an upper gasket which corresponds to an upper edge of the rear side of the door, a lower gasket which corresponds to a lower edge of the rear side of the door, a left gasket which corresponds to a left edge of the rear side of the door, and a right gasket which corresponds to a right edge of the rear side of the door. 
     Each part of the first gasket may be separately extrusion-molded and bonded to have a square shape corresponding to the edges of the rear side of the door. 
     The first gasket may include a coupling part coupled to the rear side of the door, a shock absorbing unit configured to absorb an impact generated between the door and the main body when the door is closed, and a plurality of coupling projections coupled to the second gasket. 
     The second gasket may be injection molded to be integral with a magnet to embed the magnet in inside the second gasket. 
     A plurality of coupling grooves corresponding to the plurality of coupling projections may be provided in the second gasket, so that the first gasket is detachably coupled to the second gasket. 
     The second gasket may be coupled to the rear side of the first gasket to prevent exposure of a bonded trace of the first gasket to the outside. 
     The second gasket may be formed in plural number by varying sizes of magnetic forces of the magnets. 
     The second gasket may be replaced according to a distance between the main body and the door. 
     The second gasket may be formed in plural number by varying colors of the second gasket. 
     The second gasket may be replaced according to a color of the rear side of the door. 
     In accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure, a refrigerator includes a main body, a storage compartment provided inside the main body such that a front side of the storage compartment is open, a door rotatably coupled to the main body to open or close the front side that is open, and a gasket formed in a square shape to correspond to edges of the rear side of the door and coupled to a rear side of the door to maintain a seal between the main body and the door when the door is closed, wherein the gasket includes a first gasket coupled to the rear side of the door to absorb an impact generated between the door and the main body when the door is closed and a second gasket coupled to the rear side of the first gasket to maintain the seal between the door and the main body when the door is closed. The second gasket is divided into corner sections arranged in corners of a square shape and connecting sections connecting the corner sections and provided as an injection molded product. 
     The second gasket may be used by replacing only the connection sections according to the size of the door. 
     In accordance with still another embodiment of the present disclosure, a refrigerator includes a main body, a storage compartment provided inside the main body such that front side of the storage compartment is open, a door rotatably coupled to the main body to open or close the front side of the storage compartment that is open, and a gasket coupled to a rear side of the door to maintain a seal between the main body and the door when the door is closed, wherein the gasket includes a first gasket coupled to the rear side of the door to absorb an impact generated between the door and the main body when the door is closed and a second gasket coupled to a rear side of the first gasket to maintain a seal between the door and the main body when the door is closed and provided as an injection molded product integrally formed with a magnet to embed the magnet inside of the second gasket. 
     The first gasket may be divided into a plurality of pieces, extrusion-molded and bonded to have a square shape corresponding to the edges of the rear side of the door. 
     A coupling part coupled to the rear side of the door, a shock absorbing unit which absorbs an impact generated between the door and the main body when the door closed, and a plurality of coupling projections coupled to the second gasket may be provided in the first gasket. 
     A plurality of coupling grooves corresponding to the plurality of coupling projections may be provided in the second gasket, so that the first gasket and the second gasket are detachably coupled. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       These and/or other aspects of the disclosure 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  illustrates a front view of a refrigerator in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 2  illustrates a gasket in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 3  illustrates the gasket illustrated in  FIG. 2  being divided into a first gasket and a second gasket and the first gasket being divided into a plurality of pieces; 
         FIG. 4  illustrates the first gasket and the second gasket being coupled after the plurality of pieces of the first gasket as illustrated in  FIG. 3  are bonded; 
         FIG. 5  illustrates the second gasket being detachably coupled to the first gasket in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 6  illustrates a gasket in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 7  illustrates the gasket illustrated in  FIG. 6  being divided into a first gasket and a second gasket and the first gasket and the second gasket being separately divided into a plurality of pieces; and 
         FIG. 8  illustrates the first gasket and the second gasket being coupled after the plurality of pieces of the first gasket illustrated in  FIG. 7  are bonded. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , a refrigerator  300  includes a main body  10  forming the exterior of the refrigerator  300 , a storage compartment  20  forming an interior of the main body  10  being horizontally partitioned, a door  30  which opens or closes the storage compartment  20  and a cool air supply device (not shown) supplying cool air to the storage compartment  20 . 
     The main body  10  includes an inner shell (not shown) forming the storage compartment  20 , an outer shell (not shown) coupled to an external part of the inner shell and forming the exterior of the inner shell, and an insulator (not shown) foamed between the inner shell and the outer shell and preventing cool air from leaking out of the storage compartment  20 . 
     The cool air supply device may include a compressor (not shown) compressing a refrigerant, a condenser (not shown) condensing the refrigerant, an expanding valve (not shown) expanding the refrigerant and an evaporator (not shown) evaporating the refrigerant. 
     A front side of the storage compartment  20  is provided to be open, and the storage compartment  20  is horizontally partitioned by a partition  11  such that a refrigerating compartment  21  is provided at a top or an upper side and a freezing compartment  23  is provided at a bottom or a lower side of the partition  11 . 
     A plurality of shelves  25  in which foods, and the like, may be stacked and stored, and a plurality of storage containers  27  in which foods, and the like, may be accommodated and stored, may be provided inside the refrigerating compartment  21 . 
     The storage compartment  20  is opened or closed by the door  30 , the refrigerating compartment  21  of the storage compartment  20  may be opened or closed by a pair of doors—a first door  31  and a second door  33 , rotatably coupled to the main body  10 . The freezing compartment  23  of the storage compartment  20  may be opened or closed by a sliding door  35  slidably coupled to the main body  10 . 
     The pair of the first door  31  and the second door  33  which open or close the refrigerating compartment  21  may be separately disposed as left and right sides. In the embodiments, the first door  31  is disposed on the left side, and the second door  33  is disposed as the right side. 
     The first door  31  may open or close to expose a portion or all of the left side of the front of the refrigerating compartment  21 . Conversely, the second door  33  may open or close to expose a portion or all of the right side of the front of the refrigerating compartment  21 . 
     Door guards  31   a ,  33   a  in which foods, and the like, may be stored are separately provided on respective rear sides of the first door  31  and the second door  33 . A gasket  100  that seals a gap between the first door  31  and the main body  10 , and similarly, the second door  33  and the main body  10 , when the first door  31  and the second door  33  are closed, may be provided on respective rear edges of the first door  31  and the second door  33 . 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the gasket  100  coupled to rear edges of the door  30  includes a first gasket  110  which is coupled to the rear edge of the door  30 , and absorbs an impact generated between the door  30  and the main body  10  when the door  30  is closed. Similarly, the gasket  100  also includes a second gasket  120  which is coupled to the rear side of the first gasket  110  and maintains a seal between the door  30  and the main body  10  when the door  30  is closed. 
     The first gasket  110  may include an upper gasket  111  which corresponds to an upper edge of the rear side of the door  30 , a lower gasket  113  which corresponds to a lower edge of the rear side of the door  30 , a left gasket  115  which corresponds to a left edge of the rear side of the door  30 , and a right gasket  117  which corresponds to a right edge of the rear side of the door  30 . 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 3 and 5 , the upper gasket  111 , the lower gasket  113 , the left gasket  115 , and the right gasket  117  of the first gasket  110  are separately manufactured by extrusion molding. 
     After the upper gasket  111 , the lower gasket  113 , the left gasket  115 , and the right gasket  117  are manufactured by extrusion molding, the upper gasket  111 , the lower gasket  113 , the left gasket  115 , and the right gasket  117  are bonded to approximate a square or rectangular shape corresponding to the edges of the rear side of the door  30 . 
     Since the upper gasket  111 , the lower gasket  113 , the left gasket  115 , and the right gasket  117  are coupled after being separated formed, oblique bonded traces remain at corner sections of the first gasket  110  having a square or rectangular shape. 
     The oblique bonded traces inhibit the appearance of the door  30  having a straight line shape when the door  30  is opened. 
     Therefore, the second gasket  120  is detachably coupled to the rear side of the first gasket  110  to prevent the bonded traces of the first gasket  110  from being exposed. 
     A coupling part  110   a  coupled to the rear side of the door  30 , a shock absorbing unit  110   b  which absorbs an impact generated between the door  30  and the main body  10  when the door  30  closed, and a plurality of coupling projections  110   c  detachably coupled to the second gasket  120  are provided at the first gasket  110 . 
     Though not illustrated in the figures, a groove in which the coupling part  110   a  of the first gasket  110  is inserted and fixed may be provided at the rear side of the door  30  along the edges of the rear side of the door  30 . 
     The shock absorbing unit  110   b  is provided inside of the first gasket  110  as a plurality of vacant spaces to absorb an impact generated between the door  30  and the main body  10 . 
     Since the inside of the first gasket  110  has a complicated partitioning structure due to the shock absorbing unit  110   b , an impact generated between the door  30  and the main body  10  is absorbed and an energy consumption is decreased by minimizing a heat transfer due to a temperature difference between an inside and outside of the main body  10 . 
     The plurality of the coupling projections  110   c  is provided at the opposite side of the coupling part  110   a  coupled to the rear side of the door  30  and is detachably coupled to a plurality of the coupling grooves  121  of the second gasket  120 . 
     The second gasket  120  is injection molded to be integral with or embed a magnet  130 . 
     Since the second gasket  120  is injection molded to be integral with the magnet  130 , the second gasket  120  has no bonded trace. When the second gasket  120  is coupled to the rear side of the first gasket  110 , the bonded traces of the first gasket  110  are not exposed. 
     In the second gasket  120 , the plurality of the coupling grooves  121  are provided to correspond to the plurality of the coupling projections  110   c  included in the first gasket  110 , and serve to detachably couple the first gasket  110  to the second gasket  120  and a contact portion  123 , which contacts with the main body  10  and maintains a seal between the main body  10  and the door  30  when the door  30  is closed. 
     The second gasket  120  may be formed in a plural number according to a size of a magnetic force of the magnet  130 , and also be formed in a plural number by colors. 
     A distance between the main body  10  and the door  30  is changeable while using the refrigerator  300 , and a size of the magnetic force of the magnets  130  of the gasket  100  may be changed according to changes in the distance between the main body  10  and the door  30 . 
     Since the second gasket  120  may be molded into a plurality according to a size of the magnetic force of the magnet  130  and the second gasket  120  is detachably coupled to the first gasket  110 , the changes in the distance between the main body  10  and the door  30  may be adjusted by only replacing the second gasket  120  to fit the distance between the main body  10  and the door  30 . 
     Additionally, since the second gasket  120  is an exposed part when the door  30  is opened, a desired appearance may be achieved by only replacing the second gaskets  120  having different colors. 
     In addition to achieving a desired appearance, since the exposed second gasket  120  is easily contaminated, it is also possible to save replacement costs of the gasket  100  by replacing second gasket  120  instead of the gasket  100  when the second gasket  120  becomes contaminated. 
     Next, another embodiment of a gasket will be reviewed with reference to  FIGS. 6 through 8 . 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 6 through 8 , a gasket  200  includes a first gasket  210  which is coupled to the rear side of the door  30  and absorbs an impact generated between the door  30  and the main body  10  when the door  30  is closed and a second gasket  220  which is coupled to a rear side of the first gasket  210 , contacted with the main body  10  and maintains a seal between the door  30  and the main body  10  when the door  30  is closed. 
     The first gasket  210  includes an upper gasket  211 , a lower gasket  213 , a left gasket  215 , and a right gasket  217 , which are similar to those of the first gasket  110  illustrated in  FIGS. 2 through 5   itted.    
     The second gasket  220  having a square or rectangular shape to correspond to edges of the rear side of the door  30  may include a plurality of corner sections  221  arranged on a plurality of corners of the square or rectangular shape, and connecting sections  233  connecting each of the corner sections  221 . 
     The corner sections  221  and the connecting sections  223  are separately injection molded to be embedded with magnets (e.g., similar to the magnet  130  of  FIG. 5 ), for example, in the corner sections  221  and the connecting sections  223 , similar to the second gasket  120  as illustrated in  FIGS. 2 through 5 . 
     Each of the injection molded corner sections  221  and the connecting sections  223  is detachably coupled to the first gasket  210 . 
     In embodiment shown, the second gasket  220  is detachably coupled to the first gasket  210 , similarly to those of the second gasket  120  as illustrated in  FIGS. 2 through 5 . 
     Since the second gasket  220  is formed by being divided into the corner sections  221  and the connecting sections  223 , only the connecting sections  223  may be replaced according to the size of the door  30 , and the corner sections  221  may be used in common regardless the size of the door  30 . 
     Additionally, since the second gasket  220  is divided into a plurality of the corner sections  221  and a plurality of the connecting sections  223 , when a part of the second gasket  220  becomes contaminated, only the contaminated part may be replaced by separating it from the first gasket  210 . 
     According to the embodiments of the present disclosure, the appearance quality of a refrigerator can be improved and replacement costs of a gasket can be decreased. 
     Although a few embodiments of the present disclosure have been shown and described, it will 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 disclosure, the scope of which is defined in the claims and their equivalents.