# US 12,111,096 B2 · Refrigerator > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,111,096 B2 - Document ID: US12111096B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/378,516 - Filed: 2023-10-10 - Published: 2024-02-01 - Granted: 2024-10-08 - Earliest claimed: 2016-08-29 - Assignees: LG Electronics Inc. - Applicants: LG Electronics Inc. - Inventors: Kyutae Park; Minsub Kim; Kyongsok Oh; Sangmyung Lee; Hangbok Lee - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12111096B2 ## CPC - F25D 23/028: {Details} - F25D 27/005: {combined with control means} - E06B 3/70: Door leaves (wing frames E06B3/04) - E06B 7/30: Peep-holes; Devices for speaking through; Doors having windows - F25D 23/02: Doors; Covers (F25D23/08 takes precedence {locks or fastenings E05B65/0042}) - F25D 27/00: Lighting arrangements (in general F21) - F25D 29/00: Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices - F25D 29/005: {Mounting of control devices} - H04L 12/28: characterised by path configuration, e.g. LAN [Local Area Networks] or WAN [Wide Area Networks] (wireless communication networks H04W {; arrangements for dividing the transmission path H04W40/00}) - F25D 23/025: {Secondary closures} - F25D 2323/023: Door in door constructions - F25D 2400/361: Interactive visual displays - 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) - 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) - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) ## Abstract A refrigerator includes: a cabinet forming a storage space; a door for opening and closing the storage space and provided with a receiving space; a see-through portion extending through the door and communicating with the receiving space; a door light for illuminating a rear space of the door; a transparent panel assembly for shielding the see-through portion and becoming transparent or opaque so as to selectively visualize the see-through portion according to On/Off states of the door light; and a heat insulating member, formed along a perimeter of the transparent panel assembly, for insulating a perimeter portion of the transparent panel assembly. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A refrigerator comprising: a cabinet having (i) a refrigerating compartment disposed at an upper portion of the cabinet and (ii) a freezing compartment disposed at a lower portion of the cabinet; a main door configured to open and close at least a portion of the refrigerating compartment, the main door having (i) a door storage space and (ii) an opening that provides access to the door storage space; a sub door disposed at a front side of the main door and configured to open and close the opening of the main door, the sub door comprising a viewing portion that faces an outside of the refrigerator; a lighting member configured to illuminate the door storage space to thereby allow the door storage space of the main door to be visible from the outside through the viewing portion of the sub door; and an opening device disposed at the sub door and configured to couple the sub door to the main door and to release the sub door from the main door, wherein the sub door further comprises: a panel assembly comprising (i) a front panel defining a front surface of the panel assembly, (ii) a rear panel defining a rear surface of the panel assembly, and (iii) a spacer disposed between the front panel and the rear panel, and a plate having a plate opening at a portion corresponding to the panel assembly, the plate including (i) a front part that surrounds the plate opening and (ii) a side part that extends rearward from the front part and defines a side surface of the panel assembly, wherein the spacer defines a first space between the front panel and the rear panel, and wherein the sub door further comprises: a door liner that defines a rear surface of the sub door, the door liner having a liner opening at an area corresponding to the panel assembly, an upper cap décor that defines a top surface of the sub door and is coupled to upper ends of the plate and the door liner, a lower cap décor that defines a bottom surface of the sub door and is coupled to lower ends of the plate and the door liner, and an insulation member provided in a second space that is defined by the panel assembly, the plate, the door liner, the upper cap décor, and the lower cap décor. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The refrigerator of claim 1, further comprising a freezing compartment door configured to open and close at least a portion of the freezing compartment, wherein the sub door defines a first handle groove recessed upward from a lower surface of the sub door, and wherein the freezing compartment door defines a second handle groove that faces the first handle groove and is recessed downward from an upper surface of the freezing compartment door. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The refrigerator of claim 2, wherein the opening device comprises: a manipulation lever disposed at the first handle groove and configured to be manipulated by a user; a rod guide disposed between the side part of the plate and the side surface of the panel assembly; a connecting rod that is connected to the manipulation lever and passes through the rod guide; and a latch that protrudes from a rear surface of the sub door toward the main door, the latch being configured to move to the main door based the user manipulating the manipulation lever to thereby release the sub door from the main door, and wherein the main door comprises a locking unit configured to catch or release the latch. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The refrigerator of claim 3, wherein the locking unit has a latch hole configured to receive the latch. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The refrigerator of claim 3, wherein the opening device further comprises an accommodation cover that is disposed between the side part of the plate and the side surface of the panel assembly and accommodates the latch. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the front panel comprises a bezel that is disposed at a circumference of the front panel and surrounds the viewing portion. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The refrigerator of claim 6, wherein the front panel comprises a protruding portion that protrudes laterally outward relative to the rear panel, and wherein the bezel is disposed at a rear surface of the protruding portion of the front panel. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The refrigerator of claim 6, further comprising a heater disposed at the bezel and configured to heat the circumference of the front panel. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The refrigerator of claim 8, wherein the heater comprises a wire-type heater or a film-type heater and is disposed along the bezel. ### Claim 10 (depends on 6) The refrigerator of claim 6, wherein the bezel has a black color and is printed on a rear surface of the front panel. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the front panel is made of a transparent glass material comprising blue glass. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the rear panel is made of a transparent glass material comprising a low-emission coating layer, the rear panel being configured to reduce heat transfer from the refrigerating compartment and the door storage space to the outside. ### Claim 13 (depends on 2) The refrigerator of claim 2, wherein the first space is a vacuum or accommodating an insulation gas. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the insulation member is in contact with the plate and surrounds the panel assembly. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The refrigerator of claim 14, wherein the insulation member is disposed between the plate and the door liner, the insulation member comprising: an upper insulation disposed above an upper surface of the panel assembly; a lower insulation disposed below a lower surface of the panel assembly; and a pair of side insulations disposed at sides of the panel assembly, respectively, and wherein one of the pair of side insulations defines a recess at a position corresponding to the opening device. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The refrigerator of claim 1, further comprising a supplement member that is disposed between the insulation member and the panel assembly. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The refrigerator of claim 16, wherein the supplement member comprises an adhesive or a sealing that couples the insulation member to the panel assembly. ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) The refrigerator of claim 1, further comprising a damper that is disposed at a lower portion of the sub door and protrudes rearward from a rear surface of the sub door, wherein the damper is configured to: contact the front surface of the main door based on the sub door closing the opening of the main door; and apply pressure to the front surface of the main door based on the opening device releasing the sub door from the main door to thereby provide a gap between the sub door from the main door. ### Claim 19 A refrigerator comprising: a cabinet having (i) a refrigerating compartment disposed at an upper portion of the cabinet and (ii) a freezing compartment disposed at a lower portion of the cabinet; a main door configured to open and close at least a portion of the refrigerating compartment, the main door having (i) a door storage space and (ii) an opening that provides access to the door storage space; a sub door disposed at a front side of the main door and configured to open and close the opening of the main door, the sub door comprising a viewing portion that faces an outside of the refrigerator; a freezing compartment door configured to open and close at least a portion of the freezing compartment; a lighting member configured to illuminate the door storage space to thereby allow the door storage space to be visible from the outside through the viewing portion of the sub door; and an opening device disposed at the sub door and configured to couple the sub door to the main door and to release the sub door from the main door, wherein the sub door further comprises: a panel assembly comprising (i) a front panel defining a front surface of the panel assembly, (ii) a rear panel defining a rear surface of the panel assembly, and (iii) a spacer that defines a first space between the front panel and the rear panel, a plate that defines a plate opening that receives a portion of the panel assembly, the plate including (i) a front part that surrounds the plate opening and (ii) a side part that extends rearward from the front part and defines a side surface of the panel assembly, a door liner that defines a rear surface of the sub door, the door liner having a liner opening at an area corresponding to the panel assembly, an upper cap décor that defines a top surface of the sub door and is coupled to upper ends of the plate and the door liner, a lower cap décor that defines a bottom surface of the sub door and is coupled to lower ends of the plate and the door liner, and an insulation member provided in a second space that is defined by the panel assembly, the plate, the door liner, the upper cap décor, and the lower cap décor, wherein the sub door defines a first handle groove recessed upward from a lower surface of the sub door, wherein the freezing compartment door defines a second handle groove that faces the first handle groove and is recessed downward from an upper surface of the freezing compartment door, wherein the opening device comprises: a manipulation lever disposed at the first handle groove and configured to be manipulated by a user, a rod guide disposed within the second space of the sub door; a connecting rod that is connected to the manipulation lever and passes through the rod guide, and a latch that protrudes from the rear surface of the sub door toward the main door, the latch being configured to move to the main door based the user manipulating the manipulation lever to thereby release the sub door from the main door, and wherein the main door comprises a locking unit configured to catch or release the latch based the user manipulating the manipulation lever.