Patent Abstract:
The water tank for a refrigerator, and refrigerator having the same, is capable of reducing a material loss, being easily manufactured, withstanding a high water pressure and easily adjusting a storage capacity according to demands by changing installation conditions. The water tank for a refrigerator includes a plurality of reservoir containers each having an inlet and an outlet, and at least one connecting pipe which is bendable to connect the reservoir containers in series.

Full Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 2007-0118412, filed on Nov. 20, 2007 in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    1. Field 
         [0003]    The present invention relates to a water tank for a refrigerator and a refrigerator having the same, and, more particularly, to a water tank for a refrigerator capable of being easily manufactured, easily changing a storage capacity according to demands and withstanding a high water pressure and a refrigerator having the same. 
         [0004]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0005]    A refrigerator, which is disclosed in Korean Patent Registration No. 10-728340 (published on Jun. 13, 2007), includes a water supply device which allows drinking water to be taken out at a front surface of a door, or an ice making device which makes ice in a storage chamber. Further, the refrigerator includes a water tank which stores water in a cooled state to supply water into the water supply device or the ice making device. 
         [0006]      FIG. 1  illustrates a perspective view of a conventional water tank for a refrigerator.  FIG. 2  illustrates a cross-sectional view taken along a line II-II′ of  FIG. 1 . As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a conventional water tank  1  includes a reservoir portion  2  formed like a bent tube, an inlet  3  through which water is introduced into the reservoir portion  2  and an outlet  4  through which water is discharged from the reservoir portion  2 . The inlet  3  and the outlet  4  are respectively disposed at opposite ends of the reservoir portion  2  such that water is introduced at one side and discharged at the other side. 
         [0007]    When the water tank  1  is manufactured, the reservoir portion  2  having a bent tube shape is formed by heating a member having an empty inner portion and made of a resin material and pressing both sides of the member with a mold having a shape of the reservoir portion  2 . In this case, the reservoir portion  2  is formed to contain water after molding by blowing gas into an inner space  2   a  of the reservoir portion  2 . 
         [0008]    Further, in a water supply system of the refrigerator employing the water tank, a water purification filter, a water supply valve and a water tank are sequentially connected to a water supply path led from a water supply source (a tap or the like) to a taking-out port through which drinking water is discharged. When the water supply valve is opened, water supplied from the water supply source is purified by the water purification filter and, then, the water sequentially passes through the water supply valve and the water tank to be discharged through the taking-out port. 
         [0009]    Since the above-mentioned water tank for a refrigerator is molded by pressing both sides of a hollow member with a mold, as shown in  FIG. 1 , connecting portions  5  are formed between neighboring portions of the reservoir portion  2  to define a flow path of the reservoir portion  2 . Accordingly, there is a large material loss in the molding of the water tank  1 . Further, as shown in  FIG. 2 , the connecting portions  5  are adhered to each other by a pressing molding method and portions  6  adjacent to the connecting portions  5  have a thin thickness. Accordingly, there is a problem that the water tank cannot withstand a high water pressure. 
         [0010]    Further, since the above-mentioned water tank  1  for a refrigerator is molded as a single body, it is impossible to change a storage capacity and it is difficult to apply a common water tank to refrigerators having different capacities. Accordingly, it is required to separately produce a water tank having a large storage capacity and a water tank having a small storage capacity. 
         [0011]    Further, in the water supply system of the refrigerator employing the above-mentioned water tank, since the water tank has a structure incapable of withstanding a high water pressure, the water supply valve is generally installed at an upstream side of the water tank such that a high water pressure is not applied to the water tank. However, in the water supply system, when the water supply valve is opened, water stored in the water tank is discharged directly to the taking-out port through the water supply path. Accordingly, there is a problem that water is irregularly taken out due to air or the like existing in the water tank. Further, since water stored in the water tank for a long period of time is directly discharged, there is a problem that discharged water has a smell of the water tank. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0012]    The present invention has been made in order to solve the above problems. It is an aspect of the invention to provide a water tank for a refrigerator capable of reducing a material loss in the molding, being easily manufactured, and withstanding a high water pressure and a refrigerator having the same. 
         [0013]    It is another aspect of the invention to provide a water tank for a refrigerator capable of easily adjusting a storage capacity according to demands by changing installation conditions and a refrigerator having the same. 
         [0014]    It is yet another aspect of the invention to provide a water tank for a refrigerator capable of easily changing an installation state according to the installation environment to be easily applied to various models of refrigerators and a refrigerator having the same. 
         [0015]    It is yet another aspect of the invention to provide a refrigerator employing a water tank with a high strength, wherein a water purification filter and a water supply valve are installed close to a taking-out port disposed at a downstream side of the water tank, whereby drinking water can be uniformly discharged through the taking-out port and it is possible to remove a smell of the water tank from the discharged water. 
         [0016]    In accordance with an aspect of the invention, there is provided a water tank for a refrigerator, including: a plurality of reservoir containers each having an inlet and an outlet; and at least one connecting pipe which is bendable to connect the reservoir containers in series. 
         [0017]    Each of the reservoir containers may include a cylindrical reservoir portion and cone-shaped inner diameter reducing portions, which are disposed at opposite sides of the reservoir portion and have the inlet and the outlet, respectively. 
         [0018]    The connecting pipe may have a fused connecting portion. 
         [0019]    In accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is provided a water tank for a refrigerator, including: a cylindrical reservoir portion; and cone-shaped inner diameter reducing portions, which are disposed at opposite sides of the reservoir portion and have an inlet and an outlet, respectively. 
         [0020]    In accordance with yet another aspect of the invention, there is provided a refrigerator including: a water taking port; and a water supply system which guides water to the water taking port, wherein the water supply system includes a water supply line and a water tank connected to the water supply line, and wherein the water tank includes a plurality of reservoir containers each having an inlet and an outlet, and at least one connecting pipe which is bendable to connect the reservoir containers in series. 
         [0021]    In accordance with yet another aspect of the invention, there is provided a refrigerator including: a main body having a storage chamber; a door which opens and closes the main body; and a water supply system which is installed at the main body and the door to supply water to a water taking port disposed at the door, wherein the water supply system includes a water tank which stores water to be supplied to the water taking port and is cooled by cool air of the storage chamber; a water purification filter which is installed on a water supply path at a downstream side of the water tank; and a water supply valve which is installed on a water supply path at a downstream side of the water purification filter. 
         [0022]    In accordance with yet another aspect of the invention, there is provided a refrigerator including: a main body having a storage chamber; a door which opens and closes the main body; and a water supply system which is installed at the main body and the door to supply water to a water taking port disposed at the door, wherein the water supply system includes a water tank which stores water to be supplied to the water taking port and is cooled by cool air of the storage chamber; a water purification filter which is installed on a water supply path at an upstream side of the water tank; and a water supply valve which is installed on a water supply path at a downstream side of the water tank. 
         [0023]    The water tank for a refrigerator according to the present invention is formed by connecting the reservoir containers, which are separately manufactured, using the connecting pipe. Accordingly, it is possible to easily manufacture the water tank and there is an effect of minimizing a material loss in a molding process. 
         [0024]    Further, the water tank for a refrigerator according to the present invention includes the reservoir containers having a uniform thickness and a stable cylindrical structure. Accordingly, the water tank can withstand a high water pressure. 
         [0025]    Further, the water tank for a refrigerator according to the present invention includes the bendable connecting pipe which connects the reservoir containers. Accordingly, there is an effect of freely changing the installation positions of the respective reservoir containers to prevent interference with peripheral parts according to the installation environment. 
         [0026]    Further, the water tank for a refrigerator according to the present invention can adjust a storage capacity by increasing or decreasing the number of the reservoir containers when they are installed in the refrigerator. Accordingly, there is an effect of easily applying the water tank to various models of refrigerators without changing the design. 
         [0027]    Further, in the refrigerator including the water tank according to the present invention, since the water tank can withstand a high water pressure of a water supply source, the water supply valve can be installed at a position adjacent to the water taking port at a downstream side of the water tank. Thus, there is an effect of accurately controlling a water taking amount. 
         [0028]    Further, in the refrigerator including the water tank according to the present invention, since water which has passed through the water tank is purified by the water purification filter which is installed at a downstream side of the water tank, there is an effect of removing a smell of the water tank from water taken out. 
         [0029]    Additional aspects and/or advantages of the invention 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. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0030]    These and/or other aspects and advantages of the exemplary embodiments of the invention will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, of which: 
           [0031]      FIG. 1  illustrates a perspective view of a conventional water tank for a refrigerator; 
           [0032]      FIG. 2  illustrates a cross-sectional view taken along a line II-II′ of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0033]      FIG. 3  illustrates a perspective view of a water supply system of a refrigerator including a water tank according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0034]      FIG. 4  illustrates a perspective view of the water tank for a refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0035]      FIG. 5  illustrates a cross-sectional view of the water tank for a refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0036]      FIG. 6  illustrates a cross-sectional view taken along a line VI-VI′ of  FIG. 5 ; 
           [0037]      FIG. 7  illustrates an installation example of the water tank for a refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention; and 
           [0038]      FIG. 8  illustrates a perspective view of a water supply system of a refrigerator including a water tank according to another embodiment of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS 
       [0039]    Reference will now be made in detail to exemplary embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout. The embodiments are described below to explain the present invention by referring to the figures. 
         [0040]    Hereinafter, embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
         [0041]      FIG. 3  illustrates a refrigerator including a water tank according to the present invention. The refrigerator includes a main body  10  which is divided into a freezing chamber (not shown) on the left side and a cooling chamber (not shown) on the right side, and a freezing chamber door  11  and a cooling chamber door  12  which are installed at opposite sides of a front surface portion of the main body  10  to open and close the freezing chamber and the cooling chamber, respectively. Although not shown in the drawings, a refrigerating device is installed in the main body  10  to refrigerate the freezing chamber and the cooling chamber. The refrigerating device includes an evaporator, a condenser, a compressor, a coolant expansion device and the like in the same way as in a general refrigerator. 
         [0042]    A water taking space  13  is disposed on the freezing chamber door  11  to allow the user to take water at the outside of the refrigerator. The water taking space  13  is formed to be recessed to a certain depth from the front surface of the freezing chamber door  11  toward the rear of the refrigerator. Although the water taking space  13  is disposed on the freezing chamber door  11  in the example shown in  FIG. 3 , the water taking space  13  may be disposed on the cooling chamber door  12 . 
         [0043]    A water taking port  25  is disposed at an upper portion of the water taking space  13  to discharge water. A water supply system  20  is disposed at the main body  10  and the freezing chamber door  11  to supply water to the water taking port  25 . The water supply system  20  includes first, second and third water supply lines  31 ,  32  and  33  to guide water supplied from an external water supply source  36  to the water taking port  25 ; a water purification filter  22  to purify water; a water tank  40  to store water in a cooled state; and a water supply valve  24  which opens and closes the water taking port  25  to supply water. 
         [0044]    The first water supply line  31  is connected to the external water supply source  36  (a tap or the like) through a connecting pipe  34 . The water purification filter  22  is detachably mounted on a filter socket  22   a  disposed at an inner upper portion or the like of the cooling chamber (not shown). The first water supply line  31  is connected to the filter socket  22   a . Water supplied from the outside is introduced into the water purification filter  22  through the first water supply line  31  and is purified through the water purification filter  22 . 
         [0045]    The water tank  40  stores a specified amount of water which is purified through the water purification filter  22 . In the water tank  40 , an inlet  41   d  is connected to the water purification filter  22  via the second water supply line  32 , and an outlet  43   e  is connected to the water taking port  25  disposed on the freezing chamber door  11  via the third water supply line  33 . The water tank  40  is installed at the inner rear side of the cooling chamber to maintain a specified amount of water which is purified through the water purification filter  22  in a cooled state. Accordingly, the water tank  40  is exposed to cool air of the cooling chamber, so that the water tank  40  can be maintained in a cooled state. 
         [0046]    The water supply valve  24  is installed close to the water taking port  25  disposed at the upper side of the water taking space  13 . The water supply valve  24  opens the water taking port  25  when the user operates an operating lever  14  disposed in the water taking space  13  such that water is discharged through the water taking port  25 . The first, second and third water supply lines  31 ,  32  and  33  forming a water supply path are buried in a thermal insulating layer of the main body  10  and the freezing chamber door  11 . Although the water tank  40  is connected to the water taking port  25  through the third water supply line  33  in the example shown in  FIG. 1 , an additional water supply line (not shown) and an additional water supply valve (not shown) may be installed in a refrigerator having an ice making device (not shown) in the freezing chamber to supply water from the water tank  40  to the ice making device. 
         [0047]    As shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , the water tank  40  includes a plurality of reservoir containers  41 ,  42  and  43  and a plurality of connecting pipes  45  and  46  which connects the reservoir containers  41 ,  42  and  43  in series. The first connecting pipe  45  connects an outlet  41   e  of the first reservoir container  41  to an inlet  42   d  of the second reservoir container  42 . The second connecting pipe  46  connects an outlet  42   e  of the second reservoir container  42  to an inlet  43   d  of the third reservoir container  43 . The inlet  41   d  of the first reservoir container  41  is connected to the second water supply line  32 . The outlet  43   e  of the third reservoir container  43  is connected to the third water supply line  33 . Water introduced from the second water supply line  32  sequentially passes through the first to third reservoir containers  41 ,  42  and  43  to flow into the third water supply line  33 . 
         [0048]    The respective reservoir containers  41 ,  42  and  43  include long cylindrical reservoir portions  41   a ,  42   a  and  43   a  having a specified diameter and cone-shaped inner diameter reducing portions  41   b ,  41   c ,  42   b ,  42   c ,  43   b  and  43   c , which are disposed at opposite ends of the respective reservoir portions  41   a ,  42   a  and  43   a . The inlets  41   d ,  42   d  and  43   d  and the outlets  41   e ,  42   e  and  43   e  are disposed at the cone-shaped inner diameter reducing portions  41   b ,  41   c ,  42   b ,  42   c ,  43   b  and  43   c  disposed at opposite ends. As shown in  FIG. 6 , the reservoir portions  41   a ,  42   a  and  43   a  have the same circular cross section. The reservoir containers  41 ,  42  and  43  can withstand a high pressure due to the characteristics of a cylindrical container. Accordingly, even when water is supplied at a high pressure from the water supply source  36 , the reservoir containers  41 ,  42  and  43  can be stably used. 
         [0049]    When the respective reservoir containers  41 ,  42  and  43  are manufactured, a cylindrical member made of a resin material is heated and put in a mold, thereby molding the reservoir containers. In the molding process, the cone-shaped inner diameter reducing portions  41   b ,  41   c ,  42   b ,  42   c ,  43   b  and  43   c  are formed at the opposite ends. Further, in the molding process, gas is injected into the reservoir containers  41 ,  42  and  43  to form a reservoir space capable of containing water. This method enables the manufacture of the reservoir containers  41 ,  42  and  43  having a uniform thickness while minimizing the material loss. Accordingly, it is possible to increase durability and strength of the respective reservoir containers  41 ,  42  and  43 . 
         [0050]    The first and second connecting pipes  45  and  46  have their ends, which are coupled to the inlets or outlets of the reservoir containers  41 ,  42  and  43  by a heat fusion method. When the first and second connecting pipes  45  and  46  are coupled to the inlets or outlets by a heat fusion method, it is possible to prevent water leakage of connecting portions by firmly coupling each other. Of course, the opposite ends of the connecting pipes  45  and  46  may be coupled to the reservoir containers  41 ,  42  and  43  by fasteners such as nuts. However, it is preferable to couple the opposite ends of the connecting pipes  45  and  46  by a heat fusion method in order to allow the water tank  40  to withstand a high water pressure and in order to prevent water leakage in the long-term use. 
         [0051]    The first and second connecting pipes  45  and  46  are formed of a bendable pipe. Accordingly, installation positions of the respective reservoir containers  41 ,  42  and  43  can be freely changed to prevent interference between the water tank  40  and peripheral parts, which may be generated according to the installation environment. As in the example of  FIG. 7 , it is possible to uprightly install the first and second reservoir containers  41  and  42  and transversely install the third reservoir container  43 . That is, there may be various installation configurations. This configuration enables a designer to variously change installation conditions of the water tank  40 , thereby facilitating the design of the refrigerator and improving space efficiency inside the refrigerator. 
         [0052]    The water tank  40  can easily adjust a storage capacity by increasing or decreasing the number of the reservoir containers  41 ,  42  and  43 . When it is intended to decrease the storage capacity, only the first and second reservoir containers  41  and  42  are installed. When it is intended to increase the storage capacity, all of the first to third reservoir containers  41 ,  42  and  43  are installed. The water tank  40  can accommodate a larger amount of water by installing four or more reservoir containers. As described above, in the water tank  40  of this embodiment, it is possible to adjust the storage capacity by increasing or decreasing the number of the reservoir containers. Accordingly, it is possible to easily apply the water tank to various models of refrigerators having different inner volumes without changing the design. 
         [0053]    In the water supply system  20  of the refrigerator employing the water tank  40 , since the water tank  40  can withstand a high water pressure, as shown in  FIG. 3 , the water supply valve  24  can be arranged at a position adjacent to the water taking port  25  at the downstream side of the water tank  40 . That is, this arrangement allows water supplied from the water supply source  36  to sequentially pass through the water purification filter  22 , the water tank  40  and the water supply valve  24 . Even though a high water pressure of the water supply source  36  is applied on the water tank  40 , this arrangement is available since the water tank  40  can withstand such a high water pressure. Further, in the water supply system  20 , the water supply valve  24  is positioned right before the water taking port  25 . Accordingly, since a water taking operation can be accurately controlled, it allows the user to accurately take a desired amount of water. 
         [0054]      FIG. 8  illustrates a water supply system of a refrigerator employing the water tank  40  according to another embodiment of the present invention. In the example shown in  FIG. 8 , both the water purification filter  22  and the water supply valve  24  are disposed at the downstream side of the water tank  40 . That is, this arrangement allows water supplied from the water supply source  36  to sequentially pass through the water tank  40 , the water purification filter  22  and water supply valve  24  and to be discharged through the water taking port  25 . This arrangement can be also used since the water tank  40  can withstand a high water pressure of the water supply source  36 . In the water supply system  20 ′, since the water supply valve  24  is positioned right before the water taking port  25 , it is possible to accurately control a water taking amount. Further, in the water taking process, since water of the water tank  40  is purified while passing through the water purification filter  22 , there is an effect of removing a smell of the water tank from water taken out. 
         [0055]    Although embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in this embodiment without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined in the claims and their equivalents.

Technology Classification (CPC): 5