US 7,467,834 B2Granted

Door apparatus for drawer type refrigerator

AssigneeLG Electronics Inc.

InventorsYoung-Nam Kim, Jee-Suck Lee, Ju-Hwan Kim, Seon-Il Yu, Seon-Kyu Kim, Kun-Jun Seok

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Abstract

A door apparatus for a drawer for a drawer type refrigerator where the drawer is slidably coupled to a main body of the refrigerator is provided. The door apparatus includes a door with a thermally isolating layer, and a frame that moves simultaneously with the door and which provides a storage space for accommodating stored goods. The door is rotatably coupled to a front end of the frame, thus allowing the door to rotate through a predetermined angle with respect to the frame. An amount of rotation of the door with respect to the frame may be selectively limited to utilize a tilting function of the door and to provide access to goods in the storage space.

Claims10

Dependent claims

A door apparatus for a drawer of a drawer type refrigerator, the door apparatus comprising:

a door with a thermally isolating layer;
a frame coupled to a rear of the door such that the frame slidably moves together with the door relative to a main body of the refrigerator, wherein the frame defines a storage space that receives items to be stored;
a coupler that rotatably couples a lower end of the door to a lower front end of the frame and allows the door to rotate through a predetermined angle with respect to the frame from a first, substantially vertical position to a second, tilted position;
and
a rotation limiter that selectively limits a rotation of the door with respect to the frame, wherein the rotation limiter is positioned at a predetermined distance upward from an axis of rotation of the door, wherein the rotation limiter comprises:
at least one locking portion provided on the frame;
and
at least one corresponding tilting lock provided on the door wherein the at least one tilting lock is selectively and elastically deformed by the at least one locking portion as the door rotates with respect to the frame between the first and second positions, and when the door is tilted, the locking portion and the corresponding tilting lock are disengaged.

5 more elements

A door apparatus for a drawer for a drawer type refrigerator, the door apparatus comprising:

a frame slidably coupled to a main body of a refrigerator;
a door rotatably coupled to a front end of the frame so as to move together with the frame;
rotating means for coupling the door and the frame;
and
rotation limiting means for selectively limiting rotation of the door relative to the frame, comprising:
locking portions;
and
tilting locks selectively and elastically deformed by the locking portions, wherein the locking portions and the tilting locks are provided at corresponding positions on the frame and the door, wherein each of the tilting locks comprises:
a base plate;
an elastically deformable resilient piece connected to one end of the base plate and spaced apart from an upper surface of the base plate;
a locking step provided on an upper surface of the resilient piece, wherein the locking step is configured to be caught by a locking portion when a force smaller than a force required for elastically deforming the resilient piece is applied;
and
a spacer inserted into a space formed between the base plate and the resilient piece, wherein the spacer limits an amount of elastic deformation of the resilient piece.

10 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 10/508,976Filed 4 Mar 2003
Priority: KR 10-2002-00183323 Apr 2002
Published: US 2005/0127804 A116 Jun 2005
Granted: 23 Dec 2008
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification10 codes

F25D 23/021
Doors; Covers: sliding doors
F25D 25/025
Slidable shelves: drawers
F25B 2500/13
Problems to be solved: vibrations
F25D 2400/04
General features of, or devices for refrigerators, cold rooms, ice-boxes, or for cooling or freezing apparatus not covered by any other subclass:…