# US 11,029,071 B2 · Refrigerator

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- Number: US 11,029,071 B2
- Document ID: US11029071B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/372,770
- Filed: 2019-04-02
- Published: 2019-07-25
- Granted: 2021-06-08
- Earliest claimed: 2015-08-28
- Assignees: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Jung Wook Bae; Kook Jeong Seo; Young Don Jeong
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11029071B2

## CPC

- F25D 11/006: {with cold storage accumulators}
- F25D 17/062: {in household refrigerators}
- F25D 21/08: by electric heating
- F25D 17/067: {Evaporator fan units}
- F25D 23/067: {Supporting elements}
- F25D 2317/067: characterised by air ducts
- F25D: REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR (refrigerated showcases A47F3/04; thermally-insulated vessels for domestic use A47J41/00; refrigerated vehicles, see the appropriate subclasses of classes B60 - B64; containers with thermal insulation in general B65D81/38; heat-transfer, heat-exchange or heat-storage materials, e.g. refrigerants, or materials for the production of heat or cold by chemical reactions other than by combustion C09K5/00; thermally-insulated vessels for liquefied or solidified gases F17C; air-conditioning or air-humidification F24F; refrigeration machines, plants, or systems F25B; cooling of instruments or comparable apparatus without refrigeration G12B)

## Abstract

Disclosed herein is a refrigerator configured to delay increase in temperature of a storage compartment by lowering temperature of air that is heated by a defrost heater. A refrigerator includes a defrost heater, a lower cool air duct including a first flow path configured to guide cool air generated by the evaporator to be supplied to the storage compartment and an upper cool air duct disposed in an upper side of the lower cool air duct and provided with a second flow path configured to guide cool air generated by the evaporator to be supplied to the storage compartment. A cool pack in which cold storage material is filled stores cold storage energy from cool air that is delivered to the second flow path to decrease a temperature of air passing via the second flow path, so that increase of an internal temperature of the storage compartment is delayed.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A refrigerator comprising:
a body;
a storage compartment provided inside of the body having an opening;
an evaporator provided in a rear side of the storage compartment to generate cool air;
a defrost heater provided in a lower side of the evaporator;
a first air duct provided with the evaporator mounted thereto and, the first air duct having a flow path in front of the evaporator and a first plurality of air discharging ports located in front of the flow path, the first plurality of air discharging ports configured to guide the cool air generated by the evaporator to the storage compartment;
a second air duct disposed above the first air duct, the second air duct having a second plurality of air discharging ports configured to guide the cool air to the storage compartment; and
a cool pack disposed to an upper surface of an inside of the storage compartment, the cool pack being provided outside of the first air duct and the second air duct,
wherein the cool pack is configured to store cold storage energy from the cool air discharged from the second plurality of air discharging ports and perform heat exchange with air heated by the defrost heater while the defrost heater is being operated.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The refrigerator of claim 1, further comprising:
a fan disposed above the evaporator and configured to guide the cool air to the first air duct and the second air duct.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The refrigerator of claim 2, wherein the first air duct is disposed below the fan and the second air duct is disposed above the fan so that the fan delivers the cool air to the first air duct and the second air duct.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The refrigerator of claim 3, wherein the fan is configured to blow the cool air in a first direction toward the first air duct and in a second direction toward the second air duct that is opposite to the first direction.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the cool pack comprises:
a coupling hole configured to allow the cool pack to be coupled to the upper surface of the inside of the storage compartment by a coupling member.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The refrigerator of claim 1, comprising:
a plurality of fixation protrusions provided to the upper surface of the inside of the storage compartment, and
a plurality of fixation members provided to the cool pack to be fixed by being coupled to the plurality of fixation protrusions.

### Claim 7

A refrigerator comprising:
a body;
a storage compartment provided inside of the body having an opening;
an evaporator provided in a rear side of the storage compartment to generate cool air;
a defrost heater provided below the evaporator;
an air duct including a first plurality of discharging ports and a second plurality of discharging ports and configured to guide the cool air generated by the evaporator to the storage compartment via the first plurality of discharging ports and the second plurality of discharging ports, the air duct having a flow path formed in front of the evaporator, the first plurality of discharging ports located in front of the flow path;
a cool pack provided to an upper portion of an inside of the storage compartment, the cool pack configured to store cold energy from the cool air discharged via the second plurality of discharging ports and perform heat exchange with air heated by the defrost heater while the defrost heater is being operated,
wherein the cool pack is disposed above the first plurality of discharging ports and the second plurality of discharging ports.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The refrigerator of claim 7, further comprising:
a fan disposed above the evaporator and configured to guide the cool air to the air duct.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The refrigerator of claim 8, wherein the air duct including a first air duct disposed below the fan and a second air duct disposed above the fan so that the fan delivers the cool air to the first air duct and the second air duct.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The refrigerator of claim 9, wherein the fan is configured to blow the cool air in a first direction toward the first air duct and in a second direction toward the second air duct that is opposite to the first direction.

### Claim 11 (depends on 8)

The refrigerator of claim 8, wherein the cool air duct comprises:
a front cover provided to a front surface of the air duct to form a rear wall of the storage compartment, and the front cover having the first plurality of discharging ports configured to discharge cool air that is delivered to the storage compartment.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The refrigerator of claim 11, wherein
a coupling hole configured to allow the cool pack to be coupled to the upper portion of the inside of the storage compartment by a coupling member.

### Claim 13 (depends on 11)

The refrigerator of claim 11, comprising:
a plurality of fixation protrusions provided to the upper portion of the inside of the storage compartment, and
a plurality of fixation members provided to the cool pack to be fixed by being coupled to the plurality of fixation protrusions.