Source: https://insight.rpxcorp.com/pat/US10641541B2
Timestamp: 2020-06-01 15:25:32
Document Index: 423153311

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 22', 'art 22', 'art 22', 'art 22', 'art 22', 'art 22', 'art 22', 'art 22', 'art 22', 'art 22', 'art 22', 'art 22', 'art 22', 'art 22', 'art 22', 'art 22', 'art 22', 'arts 22', 'art 22', 'art 22', 'art 22', 'art 22', 'art 22', 'art 22', 'art 22', 'art 22', 'art 22', 'art 22', 'art 22', 'art 22', 'art 22', 'art 22', 'art 22', 'art 22', 'art 22', 'art 22', 'art 22', 'art 22', 'art 22', 'art 22', 'art 22', 'art 22', 'art 22']

Patent US 10,641,541 B2
Refrigerator door and manufacturing method of the same
US 10,641,541 B2
Filed: 11/15/2019
a front panel made of a steel material, the front panel forming a front appearance of the refrigerator door and including;
a display part formed by a plurality of first through holes, andan input part defined next to the display part;
a touch sensor assembly received in the receiving unit and fixed to the rear surface of the front panel at a position at which the input part is defined,wherein the display assembly includes;
a cover display attached to the rear surface of the front panel,a frame display coupled to the cover display,a printed circuit board (PCB),a light emitting diode (LED) disposed on the PCB to emit light, andan electric wire connector formed at a rear of the PCB.
REFRIGERATOR AND DOOR THEREOF
US 20100313592A1
US 7,155,923 B2
Home refrigerator systems imaging their interior and methods
US 20060096303A1
US 20130327075A1
US 8,608,330 B2
US 8,770,684 B2
US 20140300265A1
US 20140293060A1
a sensor unit terminal to which an electric wire extending from the sensor unit is connected, andwherein the sensor unit terminal is disposed at a rear of the case.
3. The refrigerator door according to claim 2, wherein the touch sensor assembly further includes a PCB connection terminal to which an electric wire extending from the electric wire connector is connected, andwherein the PCB connection terminal is disposed at the rear of the case.
4. The refrigerator door according to claim 3, wherein the receiving unit is provided with a through hole through which the electric wire passes, andwherein the through hole is formed at a position at which the PCB connection terminal and the sensor unit terminal are disposed, when the touch sensor assembly is mounted in the receiving unit.
8. The refrigerator door according to claim 7, further comprising a reflector disposed on the PCB,wherein the reflector includes a plurality of third through holes, through which the light emitted from the LED passes.
10. The refrigerator door according to claim 8, further comprising a diffusion plate disposed between the reflector and the PCB,wherein a size of the third through hole is less than a size of the second through hole at a connection point between the third through hole and the second through hole.
a second side edge which is opposite of the first side edge, andwherein the electric wire connector is disposed on an upper end of the second side edge of the PCB to minimize a damage by static electricity.
That is, as shown in FIG. 11, a first through hole 22 formed at the front panel 20 may include a first through part 22a located at the rear of the front panel 20 and a second through part 22b located at the front of the front panel 20. The first through part 22a may be a part formed through the rear of the front panel 20, and the second through part 22b may be a part formed through the front of the front panel 20.
The first through part 22a and the second through part 22b communicate with each other such that the hole is formed through the front panel 20 from the front to the rear thereof. The first through part 22a and the second through part 22b have different sectional sizes.
The first through part 22a may be formed by etching in a state in which a dry film is disposed at the rear of the front panel 20. That is, the first through part 22a may be formed such that a portion of the first through part 22a disposed at the rear of the front panel 20 has a relatively large section.
The second through part 22b may be formed by etching in a state in which a dry film is disposed at the front of the front panel 20. That is, the second through part 22b may be formed such that a portion of the second through part 22b disposed at the front of the front panel has a relatively large section.
As shown in FIG. 11A, the first through hole 22 may have one first through part 22a and one second through part 22b communicating with each other.
As shown in FIG. 11B, on the other hand, the first through hole 22 may have one first through part 22a and a plurality of second through parts 22b communicating with each other.
The size of the first through part 22a is generally greater than that of the second through part 22b.
At a primary etching step, the first through part 22a is formed. Before etching, the front panel 20 has the original thickness. Consequently, the first through part 22a having a relatively large size may be formed by etching.
Subsequently, at a secondary etching step, the second through part 22b is formed. Since the primary etching step has been completed, the thickness of a portion of the front panel 20 at which the first through part 22a is formed is less than that of the remaining portion of the front panel 20. Since the thickness of the portion of the front panel 20 at which the first through part 22a is formed is reduced by etching, the thickness of the portion of the front panel 20 at which the first through part 22a is formed is less than that of the remaining portion of the front panel 20. Consequently, the second through part 22b having the size less than that of the first through part 22a may be formed by etching.
The display assembly 70 and the touch sensor assembly 120 may be disposed at the rear of the front panel 20. Consequently, light introduced into the front panel 20 through the first through part 22a having a relatively large size may be provided to the user as an image of the light refined through the second through part 22b.
In addition, a second sealing member 26 for sealing the first through hole 22 at the rear of the front panel 20 may be provided. The second sealing member 26 may be a transparent paint or spray 26a for sealing the first through hole 22. Alternatively, the second sealing member 26 may be a transparent tape 26b for sealing the first through hole 22.
As shown in FIG. 12C, the second sealing member 26 may be silk screened urethane 26c. When the first through part 22a of the first through hole 22 is silk screened, the urethane 26c may be applied over the inside of the first through hole 22 and the second through part 22b of the first through hole 22.
Since the size of the second through part 22b is less than that of the first through part 22a, the second through part 22b may be silk screened to easily seal the first through hole 22. That is, since the size of the first through part 22a is greater than that of the second through part 22b, the urethane 26c silk screened at the first through part 22a may move to the second through part 22b along the inside of the first through hole 22.
First, the front panel 20 may be etched such that the first through hole 22 is formed through the front panel 20 (S10). At this time, the first through part 22a of the first through hole 22 may be formed by primary etching, and the second through part 22b of the first through hole 22 may be formed by secondary etching. The etching process shown in FIG. 10 may be carried out two times to form the first through part 22a and the second through part 22b of the first through hole 22. Alternatively, the etching process may be carried out simultaneously in a state in which dry films are disposed at the front and the rear of the front panel 20. Accordingly, the hole may be formed through the front panel 20 by etching.
Referring to FIG. 27, two PCBs, i.e. a first PCB 102a and a second PCB 102b, may be provided unlike FIG. 26. The first PCB 102a and the second PCB 102b each may be a single-sided PCB having a pattern printed on one major surface thereof.
An LED 103 for emitting light may be provided at the first PCB 102a. On the other hand, a LED control chip 105 for controlling the LED and a sensor unit control chip 104 for controlling the sensor unit 140 may be provided at the second PCB 102b. The first PCB 102a and the second PCB 102b may be physically separated from each other and may be electrically connected to each other via an electric wire.
The first PCB 102a may be coupled to the cover display 80 such that the first PCB 102a is thus attached to the front panel 20.
On the other hand, the second PCB 102b may be fixed to the frame display 90 such that the second PCB 102b can slide relative to the cover display 80.
That is, the first PCB 102a may be fixed to the inside of the front panel 20 together with the cover display 80. On the other hand, the second PCB 102b may be fixed to the frame display 90. Consequently, the first PCB 102a and the second PCB 102b may be separately assembled.
LG ELECTRONICS INC. / SUNYOUNG INTERNATIONAL PATENT & LAW FI
Park, Kihyun, Park, Seungje, Kim, Minchel, Kim, Hyunki
US 20200080765A1
362 92- 94
US 9,791,204 B2
US 10,082,327 B2
US 10,281,192 B2
US 10,401,078 B2
US 10,508,856 B2
Current Assignee: LG ELECTRONICS INC. / SUNYOUNG INTERNATIONAL PATENT & LAW FI