Source: http://www.google.com/patents/US20060145576?ie=ISO-8859-1&dq=6,108,703
Timestamp: 2014-03-14 11:43:12
Document Index: 641013264

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 32', 'art 32', 'art 32', 'art 32', 'art 32', 'art 32', 'art 32', 'art 32']

Patent US20060145576 - Mounting structure for display unit in refrigerator - Google PatentsSearch Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »Sign inAdvanced Patent SearchPatentsThe present invention relates to a mounting structure for a display unit in a refrigerator. The mounting structure of the present invention comprises an accommodating space formed by depressing a portion of a front surface of a door, an installation space formed in the door to communicate with a portion...http://www.google.com/patents/US20060145576?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US20060145576 - Mounting structure for display unit in refrigeratorAdvanced Patent SearchPublication numberUS20060145576 A1Publication typeApplicationApplication numberUS 11/275,389Publication dateJul 6, 2006Filing dateDec 29, 2005Priority dateJan 4, 2005Also published asDE102005063090A1, US7430111Publication number11275389, 275389, US 2006/0145576 A1, US 2006/145576 A1, US 20060145576 A1, US 20060145576A1, US 2006145576 A1, US 2006145576A1, US-A1-20060145576, US-A1-2006145576, US2006/0145576A1, US2006/145576A1, US20060145576 A1, US20060145576A1, US2006145576 A1, US2006145576A1InventorsIk Lee, Seung OhOriginal AssigneeLg Electronics Inc.Export CitationBiBTeX, EndNote, RefManReferenced by (6), Classifications (16), Legal Events (2) External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, EspacenetMounting structure for display unit in refrigeratorUS 20060145576 A1Abstract The present invention relates to a mounting structure for a display unit in a refrigerator. The mounting structure of the present invention comprises an accommodating space formed by depressing a portion of a front surface of a door, an installation space formed in the door to communicate with a portion of the accommodating space, a display unit retractably mounted to the accommodating space to display a variety of information and receive a plurality of operating signals, a first lead wire of which one end is led into the installation space through the door, and a second lead wire of which one end is connected to the display unit and the other end is led into the installation space and connected to the first lead wire. According to the present invention so configured, the external appearance of the refrigerator can be improved, the durability and operational reliability of the refrigerator can be ensured, and the usability can also be enhanced. Images(9) Claims(20)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments given in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator mounted with a related art display unit; FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing a main portion of a mounting structure for the display unit shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a preferred embodiment of a mounting structure for a display unit according to the present invention; FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 3; FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing another embodiment of a mounting structure for a display unit according to the present invention; FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the display unit and mounting structure which constitute the embodiment shown in FIG. 5; FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a state of a hinge assembly when the display unit is received in an accommodating space in the embodiment shown in FIG. 5; and FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a state of the hinge assembly when the display unit is withdrawn from the accommodating space in the embodiment shown in FIG. 5. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of a mounting structure for a display unit in a refrigerator according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 3 shows a preferred embodiment of a mounting structure for a display unit in a refrigerator according to the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 3. As shown in the figures, a front appearance of a refrigerator door 31 is defined by an outdoor part 32. A rear appearance of the refrigerator door 31 is defined by a door liner 33. Foam liquid is injected into a space defined between the outdoor part 32 and the door liner 33 to form an insulation layer 34. An accommodating space 37 is provided at a side on a front surface of the refrigerator door 31. A display unit 40, which will be described below, is retractably installed in the accommodating space 37. The accommodating space 37 is formed by depressing a portion of the outdoor part 32 toward the interior of the refrigerator door 31. A installation space 38 is provided at a side on a bottom surface defining the accommodating space 37. The installation space 38 is formed by relatively further depressing a portion of the bottom surface of the accommodating space 37 toward the interior of the refrigerator door 31. The installation space 38 is open forward to communicate with the accommodating space 37. First and second lead wires W1 and W2, which will be described below, are led into the installation space 38. To this end, an inlet opening 32 a through which the first lead wire W1 is led is formed at a side of the outdoor part 32 corresponding to a bottom surface defining the installation space 38. Coupling slots 32 b are formed at positions on the bottom surface defining the accommodating space 37 in the vicinity of upper and lower sides of the installation space 38, respectively. Each of the coupling slots 32 b is formed by cutting out a portion of the outdoor part 32, which corresponds to the bottom surface defining the accommodating space 37, such that the coupling slot is elongated in a lateral direction. A coupling opening 32 c is formed at a portion of the outdoor part 32, which corresponds to the bottom surface defining the accommodating space 37, in the vicinity of any one of the coupling slots 32 b. The coupling slots 32 b and the coupling opening 32 c are used to fix a bracket 51 that will be described below. The display unit 40 is retractably installed in the accommodating space 37. A casing 41 defines an appearance of the display unit 40. A plurality of openings and holes are formed in a front surface of the casing 41. An installation space is provided inside the casing 41. A pair of coupling openings 41 a are formed in a rear surface of the casing 41. The coupling openings 41 a are used to fix a mounting plate 53 that will be described below. A control unit 43 is installed mounted at an upper portion of the installation space of the casing 41. The control unit 43 comprises a display section 44 for displaying a variety of information related to the operation of the refrigerator, and an input section 45 for receiving a variety of operational input signals for the operation of the refrigerator. The control unit 43 is exposed to the outside through the openings and/or holes formed in the front surface of the casing 41. A communication unit 47 is installed at a lower portion of the installation space of the casing 41, which is below the control unit 43. The communication unit 47 is exposed to the outside through the openings and/or holes formed in the front surface of the casing 41. The communication unit 47 outputs various images or sounds or displays information via the Internet, and also receives a variety of operational input signals. For example, a television kit for use in watching a television broadcast or a tablet computer for accessing to the Internet may be used as the communication unit 47. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, speaker holes 49 are formed at a side of the front surface of the casing 41. Sounds outputted from the control unit 43 or the communication unit 47 can be transmitted to the outside through the speaker holes 49. Meanwhile, the display unit 40 is connected by the first and second lead wires W1 and W2 to a main control unit 39 provided on a top surface of a refrigerator body (not shown). The display unit 40 is supplied with power or various electric signals from the main control unit 39 through the first and second lead wires W1 and W2. Although one end of the first lead wire W1 is connected to the main control unit 39 in the illustrated embodiment, it is possible to consider that the first lead wire W1 is connected directly to an external power supply for supplying power to the display unit 40. The end of the first lead wire W1 is connected to the main control unit 39. The other end of the first lead wire W1 is led into the installation space 38 while sequentially passing through a hinge (not shown) for pivotally supporting the refrigerator door 31 with respect to the refrigerator body and the refrigerator door 31. One end of the second lead wire W2 is connected to the display unit 40. The other end of the second lead wire W2 is led into the installation space 38 through a link mechanism that will be described below. The other ends of the first and second lead wires W1 and W2 led into the installation space 38 are provided with connectors C1 and C2, respectively. The other end of the first lead wire W1 is provided with a male connector C1. The other end of the second lead wire W2 is provided with a female connector C2. By connecting the connectors C1 and C2 to each other, the main control unit 39 is connected to the display unit 40. The link mechanism is provided to tiltably support the display unit 40, which has been withdrawn out of the accommodating space 37, at a certain angle. The link mechanism comprises the bracket 51 fixed to the bottom surface defining the accommodating space 37, the mounting plate 53 fixed to the rear surface of the display unit 40, and a link member 55 of which both ends are pivotally connected to the bracket 51 and the mounting plate 53, respectively. The bracket 51 is fixed to the bottom surface defining the accommodating space 37 to cover an open front face of the installation space 38. To this end, a fixing piece 51 a and a coupling piece 51 b are provided at upper and lower ends of the bracket 51, respectively. The fixing piece 51 a and the coupling piece 51 b are inserted into the respective coupling slots 32 b in the accommodating space 37. The fixing piece 51 a extends rearward perpendicularly to a rear surface of the bracket 51 at the upper end thereof. The coupling piece 51 b extends rearward perpendicularly to the rear surface of the bracket 51 at the lower end thereof and has a leading end bent to be declined in a downward direction. A through-hole 51 c is formed at a portion of the bracket 51 corresponding to the coupling opening 32 c in the accommodating space 37, i.e., at a portion of the bracket 51 close to the fixing piece 51 a. A fastener S2 passes through the through-hole 51 c of the bracket 51 and is fastened to the coupling opening 32 c in the accommodating space 37. An inlet opening 51 d is formed at a side of the bracket 51. The inlet opening 51 d serves as an inlet through which the end of the second lead wire W2 is led into the installation space 38. A pair of through-holes 53 a are formed in the mounting plate 53. A fastener S2 passes through each of the through-holes 53 a of the mounting plate 53 and is fastened to the coupling opening 41 a of the display unit 40. Further, an outlet opening 53 b is formed at a side of the mounting plate 53. The outlet opening 53 b serves as an outlet through which the other end of the second lead wire W2 with the one end connected to the display unit 40 is led into the link member 55. Both ends of the link member 55 are rotated relatively with respect to the bracket 51 or the mounting plate 53 so that the link member can function to allow the display unit 40 to be substantially tilted upward/downward or rightward/leftward. A channel 55 a is provided longitudinally through link member 55. The second lead wire W2 led out through the outlet opening 53 b of the mounting plate 53 passes through the channel 55 a. The second lead wire W2 passing through the channel 55 a is led through the inlet opening 5 id of the bracket 51 into the installation space 38. A process of mounting the display unit will be described in detail below in connection with the preferred embodiment of the mounting structure for the display unit in a refrigerator according to the present invention. First, when the refrigerator door 31 is constructed, the one end of the first lead wire W1 is led through the interior of the refrigerator door 31 into the installation space 38. This is achieved by forming the insulation layer 34 through injection of foam liquid into a space defined between the outdoor part 32 and the door liner 33 of the refrigerator door 31 in a state where the one end of the first lead wire W1 passes through the space defined between the outdoor part 32 and the door liner 33 and is then led into the installation space 38. At this time, the other end of the first lead wire W1 is connected to the main control unit 39. Meanwhile, the other end of the first lead wire W1 led into the installation space 38 is terminated with the male connector C1. Next, the one end of the second lead wire W2 is connected to a side of the display unit 40. Then, the pre-assembled link mechanism is fixed to the display unit 40. At this time, the other end of the second lead wire W2 passes through the interior of the link device, i.e., the outlet opening 53 b of the mounting plate 53, the channel 55 a of the link member 55 and the inlet opening 51 d of the bracket 51 in sequence. The other end of the second lead wire W2 that has passed through the link mechanism in such a manner is terminated with the female connector C2. Then, the female connector C2 is connected to the male connector C1 positioned in the installation space 38. In the state where the connectors C1 and C2 are connected to each other in the installation space 38, the bracket 51 is fixed to the bottom surface defining the accommodating space 37. Accordingly, the mounting of the display unit is completed. Then, a procedure for using the display unit mounted by means of the preferred embodiment of the mounting structure for a display unit in a refrigerator according to the present invention will be described. First, the display unit 40 is tilted at a certain angle depending on the position of a user. To this end, the display unit 40 accommodated in the accommodating space 37 is pulled forward to be withdrawn out of the accommodating space 37. Then, the display unit 40 is moved upward/downward or rightward/leftward to be tilted at a certain angle. The tilting of the display unit 40 is achieved by the link mechanism. The first and second lead wires W1 and W2 for supplying power and electric signals to the display unit 40 pass through the link mechanism are connected to each other within the installation space 38. Accordingly, in the state where the display unit 40 is withdrawn out of the accommodating space 37, the first and second lead wires W1 and W2 and the connectors C1 and C2, which are provided at the ends of the first and second lead wires W1 and W2 and connected to each other, are not exposed outside. Hereinafter, another embodiment of a mounting structure for a display unit in a refrigerator according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 5 shows another embodiment of a mounting structure for a display unit according to the present invention, and FIG. 6 shows a display unit and a mounting mechanism in this embodiment shown in FIG. 5. As shown in the figures, an accommodating space 77 is provided in a front surface of a refrigerator door 71. The accommodating space 77 is formed by depressing a portion of the front surface of the refrigerator door 71 toward the interior of the refrigerator door 71. In the illustrated embodiment, the accommodating space 77 is formed by means of a recess member 78 that is provided in the front surface of the refrigerator door 71. A display unit 80 is retractably installed in the accommodating space 77. In a state where the display unit 80 is accommodated in the accommodating space 77, it is preferred that a lower side of the accommodating space 77 is spaced apart from a lower surface of the display unit 80 by a certain distance. A handle 80 h is provided on the lower surface of the display unit 80. The handle 80 h is a part grasped by a user with his/her hand in order to withdraw the display unit 80 out of the accommodating space 77. The handle 80 h may be formed by inwardly depressing a portion of the lower surface of the display unit 80. Since the configuration of the display unit 80 for displaying a variety of information and for inputting operational signals therethrough in the embodiment of FIG. 5 is the same as the display unit 40 in the embodiment of FIGS. 2 and 3, a detailed description of the display unit 80 will be omitted. A link mechanism is provided to support the display unit 80 when the display unit 80 is withdrawn out of the accommodating space 77. The link mechanism comprises a bracket 91 fixed to a bottom surface defining the accommodating space 77; a mounting plate 93 fixed to a rear surface of the display unit 80; a pair of link members 95 and 97 each of which has both ends pivotally connected respectively to the bracket 91 and the mounting plate 93; and a hinge assembly 100 provided at a side of the bracket 91 to rotate one link member 95 of the link members 95 and 97 in a direction in which the display unit 80 is withdrawn out of the accommodating space 77. The mounting plate 93 and the bracket 91 may be fixed to the bottom surface defining the accommodating space 77 or to the rear surface of the display unit 80 by means of an additional fastener (not shown). At least one mounting flange 92 is provided at a front surface of the bracket 91. The mounting flange 92 is used to fix the hinge assembly 100. The mounting flange 92 may be formed integrally with the bracket 91 or separately therefrom and then fixed to the front surface of the bracket 91. The hinge assembly 100 functions to apply an external force to one of the link members in the direction in which the display unit 80 is withdrawn out of the accommodating space 77. More specifically, the hinge assembly 100 functions to rotate the link member 95 in the direction in which the display unit 80 is withdrawn out of the accommodating space 77. Hereinafter, the structure of the hinge assembly 100 will be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 7 shows the state of the hinge assembly when the display unit is accommodated in the accommodating space in the embodiment of FIG. 5, and FIG. 8 shows the state of the hinge assembly when the display unit is withdrawn from the accommodating space in the embodiment of FIG. 5. As shown in the figures, a frame 110 of the hinge assembly 100 comprises a pair of support plates 111 and 112 and a pair of support bars 117 to support the support plates 111 and 112 therebetween. Both ends of each of the support bars 117 are fixed to opposite sides of the support plates 111 and 112, respectively. At this time, the both ends of each of the support bars 117 are fixed to edge portions of the opposite sides of the support plates 111 and 112, respectively. Thus, a certain space, i.e., a space enclosed by the support plates 111 and 112 and the support bars 117, is formed inside the frame 110. A plurality of through-holes 111 a and 112 a are formed at corresponding positions on the support plates 111 and 112, respectively. The through-holes 111 a and 112 a are used to fix the support bars 117. That is, fasteners 113 pass through the through-holes 111 a and 112 a and are then fastened to the both ends of each of the support bars 117, so that the support plates 111 and 112 and the support bars 117 can be fixed to each other. Hereinafter, for the sake of convenience of description, the right support plate 111 of the support plates 111 and 112 will be referred to as �first support plate,� while the left support plate 112 of the support plates 111 and 112 will be referred to as �second support plate�. A hollow guide boss 114 is provided on the first support plate 111. The guide boss 114 extends perpendicularly to one side of the first support plate 111 toward one side of the second support plate 112 by a predetermined length. A through-hole 115 is formed in the second support plate 112. A coupling section 118 is provided at the support bar 117. The coupling section 118 is used to fix the hinge assembly 100 to the bracket 91. To this end, a plurality of through-holes (not shown) may be formed in the coupling section 118. A fastener 119 passes through the through-hole of the coupling section 118 and is then fastened to the bracket 91. A rotary cam 120 is provided inside the frame 110. The rotary cam 120 is reciprocally rotated within a predetermined angular range so as to substantially rotate the link member 95 in the direction in which the display unit 80 is withdrawn out of the accommodating space 77. To this end, the rotary cam 120 is reciprocally rotated within the predetermined angular range in cooperation with a linearly reciprocating motion of a sliding cam 130 that will be described below. FIG. 7 shows the state of the rotary cam 120 when the display unit 80 is accommodated in the accommodating space 77. FIG. 8 shows the state of the rotary cam 120 when the display unit 80 is withdrawn out of the accommodating space 77. A rotational shaft 121 and a connection shaft 122 are provided at both sides of the rotary cam 120, respectively. The rotational shaft 121 and the connection shaft 122 extend perpendicularly to the both sides of the rotary cam 120 by predetermined lengths, respectively. The rotational shaft 121 is rotatably coupled into the guide boss 114. The connection shaft 122 passes through the through-hole 115 of the second support plate 112. As specifically shown in FIG. 8, a cam surface 123 is formed on the rotary cam 120. The cam surface 123 of the rotary cam 120 is formed to be slanted at a predetermined angle from one side of the rotary cam 120 close to the first support plate 111 toward the other surface of the rotary cam 120 close to the second support plate 112. A locking groove 124 is formed at an end of the cam surface 123 of the rotary cam 120 close to the first support plate 111. The sliding cam 130 is slidably installed on the rotational shaft 121. The sliding cam 130 linearly reciprocates along the rotational shaft 121 to cause the rotary cam 120 to be reciprocally rotated in the direction in which the display unit 80 is accommodated in the accommodating space 77 or the display unit 80 is withdrawn out of the accommodating space 77. The sliding cam 130 is adapted to be only linearly moved without being rotated together with the rotational shaft 121. To this end, the rotational shaft 121 and the sliding cam 130 are installed to be rotated relative to each other. Although not shown in the figures, a guide groove may be formed on an outer peripheral surface of the support bar 117 to guide the linear motion of the sliding cam 130, and a guide protrusion that is to be slidably inserted into the guide groove may be provided on an outer peripheral surface of the sliding cam 130. The sliding cam 130 is provided with a cam surface 131 that complementarily matches the cam surface 123 of the rotary cam 120 in view of their shapes. The cam surface 131 of the sliding cam 130 is formed to be slanted at a predetermined angle from one surface of the sliding cam 130 close to the second support plate 112 toward the other surface of the sliding cam 130 close to the first support plate 111. A locking protrusion 132 is provided at an end of the cam surface 131 of the sliding cam 130 close to the second support plate 112. The locking protrusion 132 and the locking groove 124 serve to selectively restrain the rotation of the rotary cam 120 for withdrawing the display unit 80 out of the accommodating space 77. That is, in the state where the display unit 80 is accommodated in the accommodating space 77, the locking protrusion 132 is inserted into the locking groove 124, as shown in FIG. 7. Thus, the rotation of the rotary cam 120 in cooperation with the linear motion of the sliding cam 130 is restrained. Since the link member 95 that is in cooperation with the rotation of the rotary cam 120 cannot be rotated, the display unit 80 is prevented from being arbitrarily withdrawn from the accommodating space 77. Meanwhile, if an external force is applied to the display unit 80 accommodated in the accommodating space 77 in the direction in which the display unit 80 is withdrawn out of the accommodating space 77, the locking protrusion 132 escapes from the locking groove 124, as shown in FIG. 8. Thus, the rotary cam 120 is rotated in cooperation with the linear motion of the sliding cam 130. As the link member 95 is rotated in cooperation with the rotation of the rotary cam 120, the display unit 80 is withdrawn out of the accommodating space 77. A support flange 133 is provided at one surface of the sliding cam 130 close to the first support plate 111. One end of a coil spring 140, which will be described below, is supported by the support flange 133. The support flange 133 can radially extend from the surface of the sliding cam 130 depending on the size of the coil spring 140. The coil spring 140 is provided to enclose the guide boss 114 and the rotational shaft 121. The coil spring 140 applies an elastic force to the sliding cam in a sliding direction of the sliding cam 130 so that the rotary cam 120 can be rotated in the direction in which the display unit 80 is withdrawn out of the accommodating space 77. To this end, both ends of the coil spring 140 are supported by one surface of the first support plate 111 and the support flange 133 of the sliding cam 130, respectively. It is preferred that the coil spring 140 apply a predetermined elastic force to the sliding cam 130 regardless of the accommodation or withdrawal of the display unit 80. This is to maintain the state where the display unit 80 is withdrawn out of the accommodating space 77. A link mounting plate 150 is fixed to the connection shaft 122. The link mounting plate 150 serves to connect the rotary cam 120 and the link member 95 to each other so that the link member 95 can be rotated in cooperation with the rotation of the rotary cam 120. To this end, the link mounting plate 150 is fixed to the connection shaft 122. A pair of through-holes 151 are formed in the link mounting plate 150. A fastener passes through each of the through-holes 151 of the link mounting plate 150 and is then fastened to one end of the link member 95. In the illustrated embodiment, the link mounting plate 150 is formed separately from the link member 95. However, it is possible to fix the end of the link member 95 directly to the connection shaft 122. The mounting flange 92 of the bracket 91 is connected to the connection shaft 122 outside the link mounting plate 150. The mounting flange 92 is connected to the connection shaft 122 so that they can be rotated relative to each other. A side cam 160 is fixed to a leading end of the connection shaft 122. The side cam 160 is screwed to the leading end of the connection shaft 122 to be rotated in cooperation with the rotation of the rotary cam 120. Hereinafter, a process of withdrawing or accommodating the display unit, which is mounted by the mounting structure for the display unit in the refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 5, from or into the accommodating space will be described. First, when the display unit 80 is received in the accommodating space 77, the hinge assembly 100 is in a state as shown in FIG. 7. That is, since the locking protrusion 132 of the sliding cam 130 is inserted into the locking groove 124 of the rotary cam 120, the sliding cam 130 is restrained from being rotated. Therefore, the display unit 80 is prevented from being inadvertently withdrawn from the accommodating space 77. In order to take the display unit 80 received in the accommodating space 77 out of the accommodating space 77, a user grips the handle 80 h of the display unit 80 with his/her hand and pulls the display unit 80 forward from the accommodating space 77. As such, the locking protrusion 132 is detached from the locking groove 124 due to a force for pulling the display unit 80 forward from the accommodating space 77. At this time, the magnitude of the force for pulling the display unit 80 forward from the accommodating space 77 is at least greater than the elastic force of the coil spring 140. If the locking protrusion 132 is detached from the locking groove 124, the sliding cam 130 is linearly moved leftward as viewed from FIG. 7 due to the elastic force of the coil spring 140. As the sliding cam 130 is linearly moved, the cam surface 131 of the sliding cam 130 pushes the cam surface 123 of the rotary cam 120. Accordingly, the rotary cam 120 is rotated clockwise A as viewed from FIG. 7 in cooperation with the linear motion of the sliding cam 130. The link mounting plate 150 is also rotated clockwise A in the same direction as the rotary cam 120 in cooperation with the rotation of the rotary cam 120. Accordingly, the link member 95 to which the link mounting plate 150 is fixed is also rotated clockwise A in the same direction as the link mounting plate 150, i.e. the rotary cam 120. The display unit 80 is withdrawn from the accommodating space 77 due to the rotation of the link member 95. At this time, the hinge assembly 100 is in a state as shown in FIG. 8. The coil spring 140 continues to impart the elastic force to the sliding cam 130 leftward as viewed from FIG. 8, i.e. in a direction in which the sliding cam 130 is linearly moved to cause the rotary cam 120 to rotate such that the display unit 80 can be withdrawn from the accommodating space 77. Accordingly, unless an external force greater than the elastic force of the coil spring 140 is applied, the display unit 80 is still kept at a state where it has been withdrawn from the accommodating space 77. On the other hand, a process of accommodating the display unit 80 into the accommodating space 77 is performed in an order reverse to the aforementioned withdrawer process. That is, the display unit 80 is pushed into the accommodating space 77 with a force greater than the elastic force of the coil spring 140. Accordingly, both the link member 95 and the rotary cam 120 are rotated counterclockwise B as viewed from FIG. 8. As the rotary cam 120 is rotated as described above, the cam surface 123 of the rotary cam 120 pushes the cam surface 131 of the sliding cam 130 rightward as viewed from FIG. 8. Therefore, the sliding cam 130 is linearly moved rightward as viewed from FIG. 8. When the display unit 80 is accommodated in the accommodating space 77, the locking protrusion 132 is inserted into the locking groove 124. Accordingly, since the rotary cam 120 is restrained from being rotated, the display unit 80 cannot be inadvertently withdrawn from the accommodating space 77. According to the present invention so configured, the following advantages can be expected. First, a plurality of components connected to the external power supply or the main control unit of the refrigerator for supplying electric power to or transmitting the plurality of electric signals the display unit, i.e. the lead wires and the connectors, are not exposed to the outside. Therefore, even though the display unit is withdrawn from the accommodating space of the door, an overall aesthetic sense of the refrigerator is not deteriorated. Further, since the lead wires and the connectors for supplying electric power and/or transmitting the plurality of electric signals to the display unit are not exposed to the outside as described above, the lead wires and/or the connectors are prevented from being damaged while the display unit is being accommodated into or withdrawn from the accommodating space. Therefore, the durability and operational reliability of products can be improved. Furthermore, if the display unit is pulled forward from the accommodating space with a predetermined force, the display unit can be withdrawn from the accommodating space due to the hinge assembly. Therefore, since the display unit can be more easily withdrawn or accommodated, the filed of view can be easily ensured regardless of the positions of the user. Accordingly, the usability of the display unit can be improved. It is apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and changes thereto can be made within the fundamental technical spirit of the present invention. Therefore, the true scope of the present invention should be defined by the technical spirit of the appended claims. Referenced byCiting PatentFiling datePublication dateApplicantTitleUS7618295Jan 4, 2007Nov 17, 2009Whirlpool CorporationAdapter and consumer electronic device functional unitUS7736179Aug 18, 2008Jun 15, 2010Whirlpool CorporationRefrigerator with plug-in power supplyUS7934958Mar 29, 2010May 3, 2011Whirlpool CorporationSystem for mounting a device to a hostUS20110085287 *Oct 14, 2010Apr 14, 2011Whirlpool CorporationModular system with appliance and cover having antennaUS20110152024 *Dec 21, 2009Jun 23, 2011Whirlpool CorporationMechanical Power Service Communicating Device and SystemWO2009112499A1 *Mar 10, 2009Sep 17, 2009BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausger�te GmbHRefrigerator comprising a multimedia transmission device* Cited by examinerClassifications U.S. Classification312/406International ClassificationA47B96/04Cooperative ClassificationF25D2400/361, F16M11/04, F16M11/2092, F16M2200/041, F25D2400/40, F16M11/24, F16M13/02, F25D2400/06, F25D29/005European ClassificationF16M11/20C, F16M13/02, F16M11/04, F16M11/24, F25D29/00DLegal EventsDateCodeEventDescriptionDec 14, 2011FPAYFee paymentYear of fee payment: 4Feb 21, 2006ASAssignmentOwner name: LG ELECTRONICS INC., KOREA, REPUBLIC OFFree format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:LEE, IK KYU;OH, SEUNG JIN;REEL/FRAME:017192/0409Effective date: 20060104RotateOriginal ImageGoogle Home - Sitemap - USPTO Bulk Downloads - Privacy Policy - Terms of Service - About Google Patents - Send FeedbackData provided by IFI CLAIMS Patent Services©2012 Google