Patent Publication Number: US-2022228797-A1

Title: Door for refrigerator, refrigerator and method of manufacturing the door

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to the field of household appliance and in particular to a door for a refrigerator, a refrigerator and a method of manufacturing the door. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Usually, a foaming material of a door is polyurethane, and a foaming process is divided into  3  stages: a cream time stage, a gelation stage, and a curing stage. In addition, after foaming, air inside the door needs to be discharged. For example, the Chinese utility model patent CN205300095U as granted and announced on Jun. 8, 2016 discloses a door for a refrigerating device, comprising a door front panel and a door liner opposed to each other, and door end covers between the door front panel and the door liner, wherein a cavity for injecting the foaming material is formed between the door front panel, the door liner and the door end covers; a material-injecting hole is disposed on one of the door end covers opposed to each other, and an air discharge hole adapted for inserting an air discharge pipe is disposed on the other of the door end covers; during air discharge, the foaming material in the gelation state will be discharged through the air discharge hole out of the door end covers and needs to be manually cleaned. As such, not only the man power is wasted and the manufacturing cost is increased, but also the foaming material cannot be cleaned thoroughly, thereby affecting the quality of the products of the door. 
     SUMMARY 
     An object of the present invention is to provide a door for a refrigerator, a refrigerator and a method of manufacturing the door, which makes the manufacturing cost lower and the quality of products of the door higher. 
     To achieve one of the above objects of the present invention, an embodiment of the present invention provides a door for a refrigerator. the door comprising a door frame enclosed at a periphery, and a first side plate and a second side plate located on two opposed sides of the door frame, the door frame, the first side plate and the second side plate forming a receiving space for receiving a foaming material, wherein 
     the door frame is provided with at least one material overflow preventing assembly which comprises an air discharge hole disposed on the door frame, a receiving cavity communicated with the air discharge hole, and a material discharging passage communicated with the receiving cavity, the air discharge hole is communicated with the external, and the material discharging passage is communicated with the receiving space. 
     As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, wherein the air discharge hole extends along an extension axis, a plane perpendicular to the extension axis is defined as a first plane, a projection area of the receiving cavity on the first plane is greater than a projection area of the air discharge hole on the first plane, and the projection area of the receiving cavity on the first plane is greater than the projection area of the material discharging passage on the first plane. 
     As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, wherein each material overflow preventing assembly comprises a plurality of air discharge holes, and projections of the plurality of air discharge holes on the first plane are all located in a range of the projection of the receiving cavity on the first plane. 
     As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, wherein the projection of the material discharging passage on the first plane is located out of the range of the projection of the receiving cavity on the first plane. 
     As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, wherein the material overflow preventing assembly comprises a protrusion formed on the door frame and forming the receiving cavity, and a cap disposed at an outer circumference of the protrusion and covering the receiving cavity, and wherein the protrusion extends from the door frame inward the receiving cavity, and the material discharging passage is defined between the protrusion and the cap. 
     As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, wherein the material discharging passage comprises a longitudinal through slot disposed on the outer circumference of the protrusion and extending in an extension direction of the protrusion, the longitudinal through slot is communicated with the receiving space, and remaining outer circumference of the protrusion except for the longitudinal through slot abuts against an inner side of the cap. 
     As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, wherein a plurality of longitudinal through slots are provided and evenly distributed on the outer circumference of the protrusion. 
     As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, wherein the cap comprises an edge portion abutting against the door frame and a bottom portion opposed to the edge portion, the material discharging passage further comprises a groove disposed on the door frame and communicated with the longitudinal through slot, and an extension direction of the groove is perpendicular to the extension direction of the longitudinal through slot. 
     As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, wherein the door frame comprises an upper molding strip, a lower molding strip opposed to the upper molding strip, a left side rim and a right side rim opposed to the left side rim, the left side rim and right side rim are connected to the upper molding strip and lower molding strip, and the material overflow preventing assembly is disposed on the upper molding strip and/or lower molding strip. 
     As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, wherein the air discharge hole comprises a conical hole portion communicated with the receiving cavity and a round hole portion connected with the conical hole portion, the round hole portion being connected with the external. 
     To achieve one of the above objects of the present invention, another embodiment of the present invention further provides a refrigerator, comprising a cabinet defining a storage space, and a door connected to the cabinet to open or close at least part of the storage space, wherein the door is set as the door according to the above technical solution. 
     To achieve one of the above objects of the present invention, a further embodiment of the present invention further provides a method of manufacturing a door for a refrigerator, wherein the method comprises: 
     providing a door frame enclosed at a periphery; 
     providing a first side plate attached to a side of the door frame; 
     injecting a foaming material into a receiving space formed by the door frame and the first side plate; 
     providing a second side plate attached to the other side of the door frame to enclose the receiving space; 
     the door frame is provided with at least one material overflow preventing assembly which comprises an air discharge hole disposed on the door frame, a receiving cavity communicated with the air discharge hole, and a material discharging passage communicated with the receiving cavity; the air discharge hole is communicated with the external, and the material discharging passage is communicated with the receiving space; after the foaming material flows into the receiving cavity through the material discharging passage, the foaming material is in a gelation state upon passing through the material discharging passage and gets cured upon reaching the interior of the receiving cavity, and air in the receiving space is discharged out through the air discharge hole after foaming. 
     As compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantageous effects: with the technical solutions being employed, the material overflow preventing assembly comprises the receiving cavity communicated with the air discharge hole, and the material discharging passage communicated with the receiving cavity, the air discharge hole is communicated with the external, and the material discharging passage is communicated with the receiving space. Therefore, the foaming material is in a gelation state upon passing through the material discharging passage, and gathers in the receiving cavity after passing through the material discharging passage. When the foaming material advances forward into the receiving cavity under a pressure, the foaming material will transition from the gelation state to a cured state and the foaming fluidity is very poor, so the foaming material will not overflow through the air discharge hoe out of the door frame, and the air in the receiving space after foaming will be discharged through the air discharge hole. To sum up, no foaming material outside the door frame need be manually cleaned additionally, thereby substantially reducing the manufacturing cost and improving the quality of products. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a door for a refrigerator in a specific embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a partially exploded view of the door of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a front view of the door of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a partially enlarged view of position B of  FIG. 4 ; 
         FIG. 6  is an enlarged left view of the door of  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view of an upper molding strip of the door of  FIG. 1 , whereupon a cap is removed; 
         FIG. 8  is a partially enlarged view of positon C of  FIG. 7 ; 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective view of an upper molding strip of  FIG. 7 , whereupon the cap is mounted; 
         FIG. 10  is a partially enlarged view of positon D of  FIG. 9 ; 
         FIG. 11  is an exploded perspective view of the upper molding strip of  FIG. 7 ; 
         FIG. 12  is a partially enlarged view of positon E of  FIG. 11 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The present invention will be described in detail below in conjunction with specific embodiments shown in the figures. However, these embodiments are not intended to limit the present invention. Variations in structures, methods or functions made by those having ordinary skill in the art according to these embodiments are all comprised in the extent of protection of the present invention. 
     In the depictions of the specific embodiments of the present invention, directional or positional relationship as indicted by terms such as “up”, “down”, “front”, “rear”, “left”, “right”, “vertical”, “horizontal”, “bottom”, “in” and “out” is based on the directional or positional relationship shown in the figures usually with reference to the normal in-use state of the refrigerator, and does not indicate that the designated position or element must be in a specific direction. 
     Moreover, it should be appreciated that although the terms such as “first” and “second” may be used to describe various elements or structures herein, the described objects should not be limited by the above terms. The above terms are only used to distinguish the described objects from each other. For example, a first side plate may also be referred to as a second side plate, and also the second side plate may also be referred to as the first side plate, which does not depart from the extent of protection of the present invention. 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , an embodiment of the present invention provides a refrigerator comprising a cabinet (not shown) and a door  10  connected to the cabinet, wherein the cabinet defines a storage space, and the door  10  is operable to open or close at least part of the storage space. The storage space may comprise a plurality of storage components whose number and structural forms may be configured according to different needs. The storage components usually comprise a refrigerating chamber and a freezing chamber. 
     Further referring to  FIG. 1  through  FIG. 5 , the door  10  comprises a door frame  12  enclosed at the periphery, and a first side plate  14  and a second side plate  16  located on two opposed sides of the door frame  12 , the door frame  12 , the first side plate  14  and the second side plate  16  forming a receiving space  23  for receiving a foaming material. The door frame  12  is provided with at least one material overflow preventing assembly which comprises an air discharge hole  18  disposed on the door frame  12 , a receiving cavity  20  communicated with the air discharge hole  18 , and a material discharging passage  22  communicated with the receiving cavity  20 , the air discharge hole  18  is communicated with the external, and the material discharging passage  22  is communicated with the receiving space  23 . 
     In the present preferred embodiment, the material overflow preventing assembly comprises the receiving cavity  20  communicated with the air discharge hole  18 , and the material discharging passage  22  communicated with the receiving cavity  20 , the air discharge hole  18  is communicated with the external, and the material discharging passage  22  is communicated with the receiving space  23 . Therefore, the foaming material is in a gelation state upon passing through the material discharging passage  22 , and gathers in the receiving cavity  20  after passing through the material discharging passage  22 . When the foaming material advances forward into the receiving cavity  20  under a pressure, the foaming material will transition from the gelation state to a cured state and the foaming fluidity is very poor, so the foaming material will not overflow through the air discharge hoe  18  out of the door frame  12 , and the air in the receiving space  23  after foaming will be discharged through the air discharge hole  18 . As such, no foaming material outside the door frame  12  need be manually cleaned additionally, thereby substantially reducing the manufacturing cost and improving the quality of products. 
     Specifically, the air discharge hole  18  extends along an extension axis  24 , a plane perpendicular to the extension axis  24  is defined as a first plane, a projection area of the receiving cavity  20  on the first plane is greater than a projection area of the air discharge hole  18  on the first plane, and the projection area of the receiving cavity  20  on the first plane is greater than the projection area of the material discharging passage  22  on the first plane. It is further ensured that the foaming material reaches a cured state after passing through the narrow material discharging passage  22 , and then entering the wide receiving cavity  20  under a certain pressure, thereby gathering in the receiving cavity  20  and preventing the overflow of the foaming material. 
     Further referring to  FIG. 6  through  FIG. 12 , each material overflow preventing assembly comprises a plurality of air discharge holes  18 , and projections of the plurality of air discharge holes  18  on the first plane are all located in a range of the projection of the receiving cavity  20  on the first plane. In the present preferred embodiment, four air discharge holes  18  are provided, the four air discharge holes  18  are uniformly distributed in the receiving cavity  20 , and the four air discharge holes  18  are all set the same so that they can be processed and manufactured conveniently. Certainly, the air discharge holes  18  may be set in another number, and the air discharge holes  18  may also set partially the same and partially different. It is also possible to set all the air discharge holes  18  different from one another. 
     Furthermore, the projection of the material discharging passage  22  on the first plane is located out of the range of the projection of the receiving cavity  20  on the first plane. One, two or more material overflow preventing assemblies may also be provided. 
     Specifically, the material overflow preventing assembly comprises a protrusion  26  formed on the door frame  12  and forming the receiving cavity  20 , and a cap  28  disposed at the outer circumference of the protrusion  26  and covering the receiving cavity  20 ; the protrusion  26  extends from the door frame  12  inward the receiving cavity  23 , and the material discharging passage  22  is defined between the protrusion  26  and the cap  28 . 
     In the present embodiment, the material discharging passage  22  comprises a longitudinal through slot  30  disposed on the outer circumference of the protrusion  26  and extending in an extension direction of the protrusion  26 , the longitudinal through slot  30  is communicated with the receiving space  23 , and remaining outer circumference of the protrusion  26  except for the longitudinal through slot  30  abuts against an inner side of the cap  28 . Such an arrangement makes the structure simple and easy to manufacture. A plurality of longitudinal through slots  30  are provided and evenly distributed on the outer circumference of the protrusion  26 . Certainly, the plurality of longitudinal through slots  30  may not be evenly distributed on the outer circumference of the protrusion  26 . In the present embodiment, four longitudinal through slots  30  are provided, and may also be set in another number. The protrusion  26  is set in a cylindrical shape, and certainly may also be set in another shape. The four longitudinal through slots  30  are evenly distributed on the outer circumference of the protrusion  26 . Certainly, the four longitudinal through slots  30  may also be set to be arranged unevenly. In addition, the four longitudinal through slots  30  are set to be the same so that they can be processed and manufactured conveniently. Likewise, the four longitudinal through slots  30  may also be set partially the same and partially different. Certainly, the four longitudinal through slots  30  may also be set different from one another. 
     In addition, the material discharging passage  22  may also be set in other structural forms in addition to the longitudinal through slot  30 , so long as a passage is formed between the protrusion  26  and the cap  28  to communicate the receiving space  23  with the receiving cavity  20 . For example, the longitudinal through slot  30  is not disposed on the outer circumference of the protrusion  26 , and a certain gap is ensured between the outer circumference of the protrusion  26  and the cap  28  to form the material discharging passage  22  to allow the foaming material and air to pass therethrough. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , the door frame  12  comprises an upper molding strip  32 , a lower molding strip  34  opposed to the upper molding strip  32 , a left side rim  36  and a right side rim  38  opposed to the left side rim  36 , the left side rim  36  and right side rim  38  are connected to the upper molding strip  32  and lower molding strip  34 , and the material overflow preventing assembly is disposed on the upper molding strip  32  and/or lower molding strip  34 . In the present embodiment, both the upper molding strip  32  and lower molding strip  34  are provided with the material overflow preventing assembly. The material overflow preventing assemblies on the upper molding strip  32  and lower molding strip  34  may be set to be symmetrical with each other. Certainly, the material overflow preventing assemblies on the upper molding strip  32  and lower molding strip  34  may also be set asymmetrical. In addition, the structural forms of the material overflow preventing assemblies on the upper molding strip  32  and lower molding strip  34  may be set completely the same. Likewise, the structural forms of the material overflow preventing assemblies on the upper molding strip  32  and lower molding strip  34  may also be set not completely the same. 
     The air discharge hole  18  comprises a conical hole portion communicated with the receiving cavity  20  and a round hole portion connected with the conical hole portion, the round hole portion being connected with the external. Such an arrangement enables a better air-discharging performance and better prevents the overflow of the material. 
     Furthermore, the cap  28  comprises an edge portion  40  abutting against the door frame  12  and a bottom portion  42  opposed to the edge portion  40 , the bottom portion  42  is used to enclose the receiving cavity  20 , the material discharging passage  22  further comprises a groove  44  disposed on the door frame  12  and communicated with the longitudinal through slot  30 , and an extension direction of the groove  44  is perpendicular to the extension direction of the longitudinal through slot  30 . Each longitudinal through slot  30  is communicated with the groove  44  so that the foaming material and air enter the longitudinal through slot  30  through the groove  44  and then enter the receiving cavity  20 . 
     The present invention further provides a method of manufacturing a door  10  for a refrigerator, wherein the method comprises: 
     providing a door frame  12  enclosed at a periphery; 
     providing a first side plate  14  attached to a side of the door frame  12 ; 
     injecting a foaming material into a receiving space  23  formed by the door frame  12  and the first side plate  14 ; 
     providing a second side plate  16  attached to the other side of the door frame  12  to enclose the receiving space  23 ; 
     the door frame  12  is provided with at least one material overflow preventing assembly which comprises an air discharge hole  18  disposed on the door frame  12 , a receiving cavity  20  communicated with the air discharge hole  18 , and a material discharging passage  22  communicated with the receiving cavity  20 , wherein the air discharge hole  18  is communicated with the external, and the material discharging passage  22  is communicated with the receiving space  23 . After the foaming material flows into the receiving cavity  20  through the material discharging passage  22 , the foaming material is in a gelation state upon passing through the material discharging passage  22  and gets cured upon reaching the interior of the receiving cavity  20 , and air in the receiving space  23  is discharged out through the air discharge hole  18  after foaming. 
     In the present preferred embodiment, the first side plate  14  is a front panel forming the front of the door  10 , and the second side plate  16  is a door liner forming the rear of the door  10 . Certainly, the first side plate  14  may also set as the door liner forming the rear of the door  10 , and correspondingly, the second side plate  16  is set as the front panel forming the front of the door  10 . In the manufacturing process, a mold is used to attach the first side plate  14  to the door frame  12 , then the foaming material is injected, then the mold is used to mount the second side plate  16 , and finally the foaming material foams and expands. Partial foaming material enters the receiving space  20  as air is pushed and pressed, and gets cured in the receiving space  20 , and air is discharged out through the air discharge port  18 , thereby preventing the overflow of the foaming material so that no foaming material need be manually cleaned, reducing the processing and manufacturing cost, making the door  10  pleasant in appearance and improving the quality of products. 
     It should be understood that although the description is described according to the embodiments, not every embodiment only comprises one independent technical solution, that such a description manner is only for the sake of clarity, that those skilled in the art should take the description as an integral part, and that the technical solutions in the embodiments may be suitably combined to form other embodiments understandable by those skilled in the art. 
     The detailed descriptions set forth above are merely specific illustrations of feasible embodiments of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. All equivalent embodiments or modifications that do not depart from the art spirit of the present invention should fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.