# US 7,607,743 B2 · Home-bar door stopping structure for refrigerator > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 7,607,743 B2 - Document ID: US7607743B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 11/275,318 - Filed: 2005-12-22 - Published: 2006-06-29 - Granted: 2009-10-27 - Earliest claimed: 2004-12-28 - Assignees: LG Electronics Inc. - Inventors: Chan-Kyoo Jang - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7607743B2 ## CPC - F25D 23/12: Arrangements of compartments additional to cooling compartments; Combinations of refrigerators with other equipment, e.g. stove - F25D 23/028: {Details} - F25D 23/025: {Secondary closures} - F25D 2323/023: Door in door constructions - F25D 2400/06: Refrigerators with a vertical mullion - 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 A home-bar door stopping structure of a refrigerator includes an accommodating space provided behind a refrigerator door and communicating with the outside of the refrigerator through an opening formed on a portion of the refrigerator door, a home-bar door installed to the opening for selectively opening and closing the accommodating space and configured to be pivoted vertically about an lower end of the opening, and stoppers provided on both sides of the opening for supporting both sides of a lower end of a rear surface of the home-bar door to limit a pivot range of the home-bar door when the opening is opened. When the home-bar door stopping structure is so configured, although the thickness of the home-bar door is relatively increased due to the installation of an additional device onto the front surface of the home-bar door, the stopper does not hinders the pivotal rotation of the home-bar door until the home-bar is pivoted up to the predetermined angle. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A home-bar door stopping structure for a refrigerator, comprising: an accommodating space provided behind a refrigerator door and communicating with the outside of the refrigerator through an opening formed on a portion of the refrigerator door; and a home-bar door installed at the opening for selectively opening and closing the accommodating space and configured to be pivoted vertically about a lower end of the opening, the home-bar door comprising a rear surface facing the accommodating space, a protrusion portion protruding from the rear surface, and a seating space, the protrusion portion having a thickness at least equal to that of the seating space, wherein the accommodating space defines a stepped portion that is inward of a front surface of the portion of the refrigerator door and that extends vertically along a side of the opening from a top end of the opening to a position above the lower end of the opening such that the stepped portion defines a lower surface positioned to engage the rear surface of the home-bar door to limit a pivot range of the home-bar door when the accommodating space is opened. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The home-bar door stopping structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the seating space is provided on a front surface of the home-bar door for installing an additional device therein, and the thickness of the protrusion portion is greater than that of the seating space. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The home-bar door stopping structure as claimed in claim 2, wherein each side end of the protrusion portion is offset from the corresponding side end of the home-bar door by at least a width of a front surface of the stepped portion. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The home-bar door stopping structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one side of the protrusion portion is tapered so as not to interfere with vertical pivoting of the home-bar door about the lower end of the opening. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The home-bar door stopping structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the lower surface of the stepped portion defines a plane perpendicular to the side of the opening along which the stepped portion vertically extends. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The home-bar door stopping structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the lower surface of the stepped portion is positioned above the lower end of the opening such that the distance between the lower surface of the stepped portion and the lower end of the opening is greater than the distance from the rear surface of the home-bar door to a front surface of the home-bar door. ### Claim 7 A refrigerator, comprising: a refrigerator door; and a home-bar that is provided on the refrigerator door and that includes a home-bar door stopping structure, wherein the home-bar door stopping structure comprises: an accommodating space provided behind a refrigerator door and communicating with the outside of the refrigerator through an opening formed on a portion of the refrigerator door; and a home-bar door installed at the opening for selectively opening and closing the accommodating space and configured to be pivoted vertically about a lower end of the opening, the home-bar door comprising a rear surface facing the accommodating space, a protrusion portion protruding from the rear surface, and a seating space, the protrusion portion having a thickness at least equal to that of the seating space, wherein the accommodating space defines a stepped portion that is inward of a front surface of the portion of the refrigerator door and that extends vertically along a side of the opening from a top end of the opening to a position above the lower end of the opening such that the stepped portion defines a lower surface positioned to engage the rear surface of the home-bar door to limit a pivot range of the home-bar door when the accommodating space is opened. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The refrigerator as claimed in claim 7, wherein the seating space is provided on a front surface of the home-bar door for installing an additional device therein, and the thickness of the protrusion portion is greater than that of the seating space. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The refrigerator as claimed in claim 8, wherein each side end of the protrusion portion is offset from the corresponding side end of the home-bar door by at least a width of a front surface of the stepped portion. ### Claim 10 (depends on 7) The refrigerator as claimed in claim 7, wherein at least one side of the protrusion portion is tapered so as not to interfere with vertical pivoting of the home-bar door about the lower end of the opening. ### Claim 11 (depends on 7) The refrigerator as claimed in claim 7, wherein the lower surface of the stepped portion defines a plane perpendicular to the side of the opening along which the stepped portion vertically extends. ### Claim 12 (depends on 7) The refrigerator as claimed in claim 7, wherein the lower surface of the stepped portion is positioned above the lower end of the opening such that the distance between the lower surface of the stepped portion and the lower end of the opening is greater than the distance from the rear surface of the home-bar door to a front surface of the home-bar door.