# US 11,078,697 B2 · Home appliance > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,078,697 B2 - Document ID: US11078697B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/058,320 - Filed: 2018-08-08 - Published: 2019-02-28 - Granted: 2021-08-03 - Earliest claimed: 2017-08-28 - Assignees: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. - Applicants: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. - Inventors: Hyung-kwen Ham; Hyeon-kyu Lim; Nam-soo Park; Sang-jin Jeong - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11078697B2 ## CPC - E05C 7/005: {for "Dutch doors", i.e. upper and lower wings} - A47L 15/4259: {Arrangements of locking or security/safety devices for doors, e.g. door latches, switch to stop operation when door is open} - D06F 39/14: Doors or covers; Securing means therefor - E05C 7/00: Fastening devices specially adapted for two wings - E05C 7/02: for wings which lie one behind the other when closed {(E05C7/002 takes precedence)} - E05C 19/12: pivotally mounted {around an axis (E05C3/045, E05C3/40 take precedence)} - E06B 3/485: {Sectional doors} - E06B 5/00: Doors, windows, or like closures for special purposes {(insulated compound frames specially adapted for sliding doors or windows E06B3/26347)}; Border constructions therefor - F24C 15/02: Doors specially adapted for stoves or ranges - F24C 15/022: {Latches} - F24C 15/023: {Mounting of doors, e.g. hinges, counterbalancing} - F24C 15/024: {Handles} - F25D 23/025: {Secondary closures} - E05C 3/30: in the form of a hook {(hook-like fastenings E05C19/10; locks for sliding wings with pivoting bolts E05B65/0811, E05B65/0835)} - E05D 15/48: allowing alternative movements ({E05D15/0604 takes precedence } ; for vertically-sliding wings E05D15/22) - E05Y 2900/308: for ovens - F24C 15/026: {stowing of door in open position} - E05C: BOLTS OR FASTENING DEVICES FOR WINGS, SPECIALLY FOR DOORS OR WINDOWS (latching means for sideboard or tailgate structures for vehicles B62D, {B62D33/02}; fastening devices for constructional or engineering elements E04, F16B; locks, fastening devices structurally or operatively combined or having significant cooperation with locks E05B; means for operating or controlling wing fasteners in conjunction with mechanisms for moving the wing E05F) - A47L: DOMESTIC WASHING OR CLEANING (brushes A46B; cleaning quantities of bottles or of other hollow articles of one kind B08B9/00; laundry D06F); SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL (cleaning in general B08) - D06F: LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES - E06B: FIXED OR MOVABLE CLOSURES FOR OPENINGS IN BUILDINGS, VEHICLES, FENCES OR LIKE ENCLOSURES IN GENERAL, e.g. DOORS, WINDOWS, BLINDS, GATES (shades or blinds for greenhouses A01G9/22; curtains A47H; lids for car boots or bonnets B62D25/10; skylights E04B7/18; sunshades, awnings E04F10/00) - F24C: DOMESTIC STOVES OR RANGES (exclusively for solid fuels F24B); DETAILS OF DOMESTIC STOVES OR RANGES, OF GENERAL APPLICATION - 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) - E05D: HINGES OR SUSPENSION DEVICES FOR DOORS, WINDOWS OR WINGS (pivotal connections in general F16C11/00) - E05Y: INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES E05D AND E05F, RELATING TO CONSTRUCTION ELEMENTS, ELECTRIC CONTROL, POWER SUPPLY, POWER SIGNAL OR TRANSMISSION, USER INTERFACES, MOUNTING OR COUPLING, DETAILS, ACCESSORIES, AUXILIARY OPERATIONS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR, APPLICATION THEREOF ## Abstract A home appliance is provided. The home appliance includes a main body having an accommodation space, a first door rotatably coupled to the main body to open and close the accommodation space and having an opening, a second door rotatably coupled to the first door to open and close the opening, and a locking device configured to fix or separate the first door to or from the main body or fix or separate the second door to or from the first door. The locking device includes a main ring unit, an operating lever configured to separate the second door from the first door by pressure, and a dual opening preventing member configured to maintain a fixed state of the second door with respect to the first door when the operating lever is pressed in a state in which the first door is open. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A home appliance comprising: a main body having an accommodation space opened to one side; a first door rotatably coupled to the main body to open and close the accommodation space and having an opening connected to the accommodation space; a second door rotatably coupled to the first door to open and close the opening; and a locking device configured to: fix or separate the first door to or from the main body, or fix or separate the second door to or from the first door to allow the first door and the second door to be selectively rotated, wherein the locking device comprises: a main ring unit provided in the main body, an operating lever configured to separate the second door from the first door by pressure, and a dual opening preventing member configured to maintain a fixed state of the second door with respect to the first door when the operating lever is pressed in a state in which the first door is open by interfering with an operation of the operating lever. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The home appliance of claim 1, wherein the locking device further comprises: a first locking unit provided in the first door and selectively coupled to the main ring unit; and a second locking unit provided in the second door and selectively coupled to the first locking unit, and wherein the operating lever is installed in the second door and is configured to press the second locking unit to separate the second locking unit from the first locking unit. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The home appliance of claim 2, wherein the main ring unit comprises: a body provided in the main body; a main ring selectively coupled with the first locking unit; and a pair of pressing members installed below the main ring and installed to be movable up and down with respect to the main body. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The home appliance of claim 3, wherein the pair of pressing members are configured as torsion springs, and wherein a first end of each of the torsion springs is fixed to the body and a second end of each of the torsion springs in contact with the first locking unit has a sloped portion. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The home appliance of claim 4, wherein the first locking unit comprises a first holder installed in the first door and having first and second coupling holes formed on an inner side and first and second engagement protrusions respectively disposed in the first and second coupling holes, wherein the main ring unit comprises: the body installed in the main body; and a first ring member rotatably installed in the body and rotating in the first rotation direction to be coupled with the first engagement protrusion and rotating in the second rotation direction to be separated from the first engagement protrusion, wherein the second locking unit comprises: a second holder installed in the second door; and a second ring member rotatably installed in the second holder and rotating in a third rotation direction to be coupled with the second engagement protrusion and rotating in a fourth rotation direction to be separated from the second engagement protrusion, and wherein the dual opening preventing member interferes with the second ring member to block rotation of the second ring member in the fourth rotation direction in a state in which the first and second doors are closed. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The home appliance of claim 5, wherein, when the dual opening preventing member is pressed by the operating lever in a state in which the first and second doors are closed, the dual opening preventing member is released from interference with the second ring member and interferes with the first ring member to block rotation of the first ring member in the second rotation direction. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The home appliance of claim 5, wherein, when the first door is opened, the dual opening preventing member interferes with an operation of the operating lever. ### Claim 8 (depends on 2) The home appliance of claim 2, wherein the first locking unit comprises: a first holder installed in the first door; a first hook member rotatably installed in the first holder; and a first elastic member configured to apply an elastic force to the first hook member to cause the first hook member to rotate in a first rotation direction to be coupled with the main ring unit, wherein the second locking unit comprises: a second holder installed in the second door; a second hook member rotatably installed in the second holder; and a second elastic member configured to apply an elastic force to the second hook member to cause the second hook member to rotate in the first rotation direction, and wherein the second hook member elastically supports the first hook member to be separated from the main ring unit in a state in which the first and second doors are closed. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The home appliance of claim 8, wherein the dual opening preventing member comprises: a rotary ring member rotatably installed in the first holder; and a third elastic member configured to apply an elastic force to the rotary ring member to cause the rotary ring member to rotate in the first rotation direction to be coupled with the second hook member. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The home appliance of claim 9, wherein, when the first and second doors are closed, the rotary ring member is pressed by the main ring unit in a state in which the rotary ring member is coupled with the second hook member, and wherein, when the first door is opened, the rotary ring member is separated from the main ring unit and elastically supported by the second hook member. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The home appliance of claim 10, wherein the second hook member is pressed by the operating lever to rotate in a second rotation direction to be separated from the rotary ring member. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The home appliance of claim 11, wherein, when the operating lever is pressed in a state in which the first and second doors are closed, the second hook member rotates in the second rotation direction to be separated from the rotary ring member and the first hook member rotates in the first rotation direction to be coupled with the main ring unit. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The home appliance of claim 12, wherein, when the operating lever is pressed in a state in which the first door is open and the second door is closed, the rotary ring member rotates in the first rotation direction in a state in which the rotary ring member is coupled with the second hook member which rotates in the second rotation direction. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The home appliance of claim 13, wherein the elastic force of the second elastic member is greater than a sum of the elastic force of the first elastic member and the elastic force of the third elastic member. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) The home appliance of claim 11, wherein the operating lever comprises: a lever body having a grip portion and a pressing portion extending from one end of the grip portion; and a lever case in which the lever body is rotatably installed, and wherein, when the grip portion is pressed, the lever body rotates to allow the pressing portion to press the second hook member. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The home appliance of claim 15, further comprising: a door handle installed in the second door, wherein the operating lever is installed in the door handle.