Patent Publication Number: US-8966931-B2

Title: Refrigerator and icemaker with lever assembly

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present disclosure relates to a refrigerator. 
     BACKGROUND ART 
     A related art refrigerator is an appliance that cools its contents to a temperature below an ambient temperature. The refrigerator provides cold air generated by means of a refrigerant cycle to its storage compartments. The storage compartments consist of a freezer compartment and a refrigeration compartment. 
     The freezer may include an icemaker used to make ice. The icemaker may be disposed in the door of the refrigeration compartment or in the freezer. 
     However, when the freezer is disposed at the lower part of a main body of the refrigerator, the icemaker is also disposed in the lower part of the main body. In this case, a user needs to stoop to get ice from the icemaker. 
     Additionally, the related art refrigerator has a freezer with a significantly smaller capacity than that of the refrigeration compartment. Therefore, when an icemaker is installed in such a freezer with a relatively small capacity, the capacity of the freezer is further decreased, so that the freezer of the refrigerator is unable to meet the needs of a user. 
     DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION 
     Technical Problem 
     Embodiments provide an opening and closing structure of an icemaker case in a refrigerator, in which an icemaker door is equipped at the icemaker case on a door of the refrigerator, thereby providing an independent icemaker space. 
     Embodiments also provide an opening and closing structure of an icemaker case of a refrigerator, in which an icemaker door is selectively restricted by a lever assembly rotating perpendicular to an opening and closing direction of the icemaker door that selectively screens an icemaker case. 
     Technical Solution 
     In one embodiment, a refrigerator includes: an icemaker case on a door; an icemaker door on the icemaker case, the icemaker door being rotatable; a holding part on the icemaker case; and a lever assembly coupled to the icemaker door to be rotatable in order to engage or disengage with the holding part. 
     The lever assembly may include: a handle on an outer surface of the icemaker door; a lever extending from the handle and coupled to the icemaker door to be rotatable; and a protrusion part extending from the lever, and engaging or disengaging with the holding part of the icemaker case by rotating the handle. 
     The handle may rotate perpendicular to open and close directions of the icemaker door. 
     The lever may extend from one side of the handle and is bent over toward the holding part. 
     The protrusion part may be bent over at the end portion of the lever. 
     The refrigerator may further include a fixing bracket for allowing the lever to rotate in the icemaker door. 
     A portion of the handle may be bent over to be spaced from the outer surface of the icemaker door. 
     The refrigerator may further include a stopper on both sides of the lever, the stopper allowing the lever to rotate within a predetermined angular range. 
     The refrigerator may further include a disengagement preventing member on the outside of the lever, the disengagement preventing member preventing the lever from being disengaged from the icemaker door. 
     One side of the holding part may be formed slant to allow the icemaker door to be pulled toward the icemaker case when the protrusion part rotates to engage with the holding part. 
     The refrigerator may further include a holding groove on one side of the holding part, the holding groove preventing the protrusion part from moving when the protrusion part is inserted into the holding part. 
     The refrigerator may further include a cover on the icemaker door, the cover covering a portion of the lever. 
     The refrigerator may further include a gasket, the gasket coupled to the icemaker door to seal an inner space of the icemaker case when the door is closed. 
     The refrigerator may further include a cool air duct, the cool air duct being connected to the icemaker case when the door is closed. 
     The cool air duct may include: a supply duct supplying cool air to the icemaker case; and a discharge duct discharging the cool air from the icemaker case. 
     The refrigerator may further include a damper on the cool air duct, the damper preventing cool air supplying when the door is open. 
     The refrigerator may further include a refrigeration compartment on the upper part of a main body of the refrigerator, the refrigeration compartment including a cool air duct. 
     Advantageous Effects 
     According to an embodiment, an icemaker is installed in a door of a refrigerator, such that a user does not need to stoop to get ice in a case where a refrigeration compartment is disposed on the upper part of the refrigerator. 
     According to an embodiment, although a door of a refrigeration compartment receives impacts from the left and right directions while opening and closing the door, an icemaker door is not opened or closed due to an impact of opening and closing the door of the refrigeration by operating a lever assembly of the icemaker door up and down to open and close the icemaker door. 
     According to an embodiment, since an icemaker door is not opened due to the impact of a door of a refrigeration compartment, a refrigerator does not cool its contents below a target temperature (“below a target temperature” may be caused by cool air of an icemaker case, which flows into the refrigeration compartment). Accordingly, the contents stored in the refrigeration compartment do not freeze and ice in the icemaker does not melt. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a refrigerator according to an embodiment. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a lever assembly opening and closing an icemaker door of the refrigerator of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a sectional view of an icemaker door and an icemaker case of  FIG. 2  restricted by a level assembly. 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of when the lever assembly of  FIG. 2  releases an icemaker door. 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of when the icemaker door of  FIG. 2  is open. 
     
    
    
     BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION 
     Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of the present disclosure, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. However, the idea of the present disclosure is not limited to an embodiment, and another embodiment within the range of the present disclosure of retrogressive another present disclosure may be easily provided by addition, modification, and deletion of another components. 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a refrigerator according to an embodiment. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , the inside in a main body  100  of the refrigerator is divided into the top portion and bottom portion by a barrier  120 . A refrigeration compartment  200  is disposed above the barrier  120  to keep its contents cool, and a freezer  300  is disposed below the barrier  120  to keep its contents frozen. 
     There are a plurality of drawers and shelves for efficiently storing the contents in the refrigeration compartment  200  and the freezer  300 , and various sizes of storage spaces are additionally formed if necessary. 
     A freezer door  320  is installed at the open front of the freezer  300  to open and close the freezer  300 . The tilting type freezer door  320  opens in a frontal direction, with its upper end rotating outward within a predetermined angular range about an axis at the bottom end of the freezer  300 . The description relating to a tilting structure of the freezer door  320  will be omitted for conciseness. 
     Baskets or drawers are installed at the freezer door  320  to store contents below a freezing point. 
     A cool air duct  140  is installed in the inner side surface of the main body  100  to guide the flow of cool air. The cool air duct  100  includes a supply duct  142  and a discharge duct  144 . The supply duct  142  provides cool air from the freezer  300  into an icemaker case  400 . The discharge duct  144  guides the cool air from the icemaker case  400  into the freezer  300 . The supply duct  146  further includes a damper  146  that prevents the supply duct  146  from supplying the cool air when a refrigeration compartment door is open. 
     The end portions of the supply duct  142  and the discharge duct  144  are exposed at the inner side surface to form a main body discharge port  142 ′ and a main body inlet port  144 ′ respectively. The main discharge port  142 ′ discharges the cool air guided through the supply duct  142 , and the main body inlet port  144 ′ suctions the cool air discharged from the icemaker case  400  into the discharge duct  144 . 
     Additionally, since the other end portions of the supply duct  142  and the discharge duct  144  are connected to the inside of the freezer  300 , the cool air circulates between the freezer  300  and the icemaker case  400 . 
     The open front of the refrigeration compartment  200  is opened and closed by the refrigeration compartment door  220 . The refrigeration compartment doors  220  are installed to be respectively rotatable toward the left and right of the main body  100 . 
     An outer case  222  is disposed on the front of the refrigeration compartment door  220 , and an inner case is disposed on the rear of the refrigeration compartment door  220 . An insulating material such as foamy polyurethane is filled between the outer case  222  and the inner case  224 . 
     The icemaker case  400  is disposed at the refrigeration compartment door  220 . The icemaker case  400  protrudes toward the refrigerator to form an ice making compartment. The icemaker case  400  may be coupled to the inner case  224 , or the icemaker case  400  and the inner case  224  may be manufactured in an integral type. 
     A door inlet port  420  and a door discharge port  440  are respectively formed at the side of the icemaker case  400 . The door inlet port  420  and the door discharge port  440  are formed in order to contact the main body discharge port  142  and the main body inlet port  144  while the refrigeration compartment door  220  is closed, such that the cool air duct  140  is connected to the icemaker case  400 . At this point, the door inlet port  420  is connected to the main body discharge port  142 ′ and the door discharge port  440  is connected to the main body inlet port  144 ′. 
     The inside of the icemaker case  400  includes an icemaker (not shown) for making ice, an ice bank (not shown) for storing and providing ice, and an ice transferring device (not shown) for transferring ice. Additionally, a dispenser (not shown) may be disposed at the front of the refrigeration compartment door  220  for dispensing ice from the ice bank (not shown) into the outside. Once again, the ice maker, the ice maker, the ice bank, and the ice transferring device are not shown in  FIG. 1 . 
     The icemaker door  500  is mounted at the icemaker case to be rotatable. The icemaker door  500  having the upper part and lower part at the right side, which are hinged on the icemaker case  400 , selectively opens and closes the open front of the icemaker case  400  by rotating the icemaker door  500 . 
     While the icemaker door  500  is closed, the outline of the icemaker case  400  and the rear outline of the icemaker door  500  contact each other to seal the icemaker case  400 , and also a gasket  520  is installed along the rear outline of the icemaker door  500  to prevent the leakage of cool air. 
     Moreover, a lever assembly  600  is disposed in the icemaker door  500  to attach and detach the icemaker door  500  to and from the icemaker case  400 . 
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the lever assembly  600  opening and closing the icemaker door  500  of the refrigerator of  FIG. 1 .  FIG. 3  is a sectional view of the icemaker door  500  and the icemaker case  400  of  FIG. 2  restricted by the lever assembly  600 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , a mounting part  540  to which the lever assembly  600  is attached is formed at the left of the icemaker door  500 . The mounting part  540  is depressed toward the bottom in a semicircular shape, and the depressed range is greater than the rotation range of the lever assembly  600 . 
     The lever assembly  600  is mounted to be rotatable in up and down directions perpendicular to the open and close directions of the icemaker door  500 . 
     The lever assembly  600  includes a handle  620  disposed outward the icemaker door  500 , a lever  640  extending from the handle  620 , and a protrusion part  660  extending from the lever  640 . 
     The handle  620  is disposed to be exposed to the outer of the mounting part  540 . The handle  620  is bent toward the front to be spaced from one side of the mounting part  540 , such that a user can easily grab the handle  620 . 
     The lever  640  is bent toward a holding part  460  of the icemaker case  400 . At this point, the lever  640  includes a first extension part extending toward the left of the handle  620 , a second extension part  644  perpendicularly bent with a predetermined angle from the first extension part  642 , and a third extension part  646  bent perpendicular to the first extension part  642  from the second extension part  644 . The lever  640  may be in a thin and long pole shape or a plate shape. 
     The protrusion part  660  is formed perpendicular to the third extension part  646  of the lever  640 . The protrusion part  660  rotates inside the holding part  460  of the icemaker case  400  according to control of the handle  620  for locking and unlocking. The protrusion part  660  prevents the icemaker door  500  from being opened when the protrusion part  660  is restricted by the holding part  460 . 
     The protrusion part  660  is formed by mounting an additional member to the third extension part  646 , or by bending the end portion of the third extension part  646 . Additionally, the length of the protrusion part  660  may be formed smaller than the opened size of the holding part  460 . 
     The lever  640  is fixed at the icemaker door  500  by using a fixing bracket  560 . At this point, an insertion part with a semicircular form is formed at the center of the fixing bracket  560  to allow the third extension part  646  to be rotatable. Additionally, the fixing bracket  560  prevents the lever  640  from being disengaged and allows it to rotate. 
     A stopper  580  may be formed at the mounting part  540  of the icemaker door  500  for allowing the lever  640  to rotate within a predetermined angular range. The stoppers  580  are spaced a predetermined distance apart from each other at the both sides of the first extension part  642 , and protrudes with a predetermined height at the mounting part  540 . 
     At this point, the protruding height of the stopper  580  may be higher than the first extension part  642  of the lever assembly  600 . Accordingly, the first extension part  642  is restricted by the stopper  580  when the lever assembly  600  rotates. 
     Additionally, a disengagement preventing member  582  is coupled to the outer surface of the stopper  580  to prevent the lever  640  from disengaging from the icemaker door  500 . At this point, the disengagement preventing member  582  is coupled to the top of the stopper  580  by using a coupling member  584 . The disengagement preventing member  582  is in a thin and long plate form. 
     A cover  590  is attached to the mounting part  540  to cover a portion of the lever assembly  600 . The cover  590  covers a portion of the lever  649 , the fixing bracket  560 , and the disengagement preventing member  582 . 
     The inside of the holding part  460  includes a space broader than the opened surface of the holding part  460 , such that the protrusion part  660  is rotatable. The opened surface of the holding part  460  has a form extending in the top and down directions by the protruding length of the protrusion part  660  and extending in the right and left directions with a relatively narrow width. Accordingly, when the protrusion part  660  rotates in the holding part  460 , it is restricted by the holding part  460  and stays at the inside of the holding part  460 . 
     Moreover, the inner surface of the holding part  460  is formed slant to pull the icemaker door  500  toward the icemaker case  400  when the protrusion part  660  rotates for engagement. At this point, a holding groove  465  may be formed at the inner surface  461  of the holding part  460  to prevent the protrusion part  660  from moving when the protrusion part  660  is coupled to the holding part  460 . 
     An operation of an embodiment having the above components is described below. 
     When power is applied from the external, the refrigeration compartment  200  and the freezer  300  maintains a predetermined low temperature by means of a cooling cycle. A portion of cool air supplied to the inner of the freezer  300  is supplied to the icemaker case  400  through the supply duct  142 , such that ice can be made inside the icemaker case  400 . The temperature of the cool air at the icemaker case  400  increases, such that the cool air returns to the freezer  300  through the discharge duct  144 . Due to the cool air circulation, ice is made inside the icemaker case  400 . 
       FIG. 4  is a perspective view of when the lever assembly  600  of  FIG. 2  releases the icemaker door  500 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 4 , the handle  620  rotates toward the upper for opening the icemaker door  500 . At this point, the lever assembler  600  rotates using the third extension part  646  fixed by the fixing bracket  560  as an axis. Additionally, when the handle  620  rotates with a predetermined angle, the first extension part  642  of the lever  640  engages with the upper portion of the stopper  580 , such that the lever assembly  640  does not rotate beyond the upper portion. 
     When the handle  620  rotates up to the opening position, the protrusion part  660  freely enters and leaves the opened portion of the holding part  460 . The protruding direction of the protruding part  660  is toward the bottom to correspond to the opened form of the holding part  460 , and at this point, the space in the up and down directions of the holding part  460  is greater than the protruding protrusion part  660 , such that the protrusion part  660  can freely enters and leaves the holding part  460  without restriction. 
       FIG. 5  is a perspective view of when the icemaker door is open. 
     Referring to  FIG. 5 , when the icemaker door  500  is pulled, the protrusion part  660  releases from the opened portion of the holding part  460 . 
     Then, the icemaker door  500  rotates toward the icemaker case  400 . At this point, the handle  620  is located at the opening position. The icemaker door  500  rotates furthermore, and the protrusion part  660  is inserted into the inside of the holding part  460  as illustrated in  FIG. 4 . 
     When the protrusion part  660  is inserted into the holding part  460  and the handle  620  rotates toward the bottom, the handle  620  is positioned at the closing position. At this point, since the lever assembly  600  rotates using the third extension part  646  of the lever  640  as an axis, the protrusion part  660  bent toward a direction corresponding to the handle  620  at the bottom of the third extension part  646  rotates toward the top. Additionally, since the first extension part  642  of the lever  640  is restricted by the stopper  580  at the lower part, the lever assembly  600  does not rotate toward the bottom. 
     Referring to  FIG. 2 , when the protrusion part  660  rotates while being inserted in the holding part  460 , it contacts the inner surface  462  of the holding part  460  and its contact between them increases. According to the contact between protrusion part  660  and the inner surface  462 , the icemaker door  500  is pulled toward the icemaker case  400 . Additionally, when the protrusion part  660  is placed on the holding groove  462  of the holding part  460 , it does not fall into the holding groove  462 . 
     At this point, the gasket  520  formed along the outline of the icemaker door  500  is compressed according to the contact of the icemaker door  500 , such that the icemaker door  500  and the inner case  224  forming the outline of the icemaker case  400  completely contact each other in order to seal the inner space of the icemaker case  400 . 
     On the other hand, when the protrusion part  660  completely rotates by continuously rotating the handle  620 , the protrusion part  660  faces toward a direction perpendicular to the opened portion of the holding part  460 . At this point, since the protrusion part  660  and the inner surface of the holding part  460  engage with each other, the protrusion part  660  is not easily disengaged from the holding part  460  and maintains its engagement with the holding part  460 . Accordingly, the icemaker door  500  maintains its closed state. 
     INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY 
     In the refrigerator according to the embodiment, although its freezer is disposed on the lower part of the main body, a user does not need to stoop for getting ice, and since the icemaker door does not open by the impact of when the refrigerating door is opened and closed, the refrigerator can be used for industrial purpose.