U.S. patent application number 09/750713 was filed with the patent office on 2001-10-04 for structure for mounting monitor on refrigerator.
Invention is credited to Cho, Jin Cheol, Kim, Kwang Choon, Roh, Young Hoon.
Application Number | 20010025497 09/750713 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 19660240 |
Filed Date | 2001-10-04 |
United States Patent
Application |
20010025497 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Roh, Young Hoon ; et
al. |
October 4, 2001 |
Structure for mounting monitor on refrigerator
Abstract
Structure for mounting a monitor on a refrigerator including the
monitor mounted on a front face of the refrigerator for presenting
a picture, and a controlling part mounted on a top of the
refrigerator for providing a picture signal to the monitor for
presenting a state of the refrigerator and internet information,
wherein cables connecting the displaying part and the driving
circuit are resistant to noise, thereby permitting no trespass into
a food space at all and an easy mounting on the door.
Inventors: |
Roh, Young Hoon; (Seoul,
KR) ; Kim, Kwang Choon; (Kyonggi-do, KR) ;
Cho, Jin Cheol; (Kyonggi-do, KR) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BIRCH STEWART KOLASCH & BIRCH
PO BOX 747
FALLS CHURCH
VA
22040-0747
US
|
Family ID: |
19660240 |
Appl. No.: |
09/750713 |
Filed: |
January 2, 2001 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
62/125 ;
348/E5.099; 348/E5.128 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04N 5/64 20130101; F25D
29/005 20130101; H04N 5/445 20130101; F25D 2400/06 20130101; F25D
2400/36 20130101; F25D 23/00 20130101; H04N 21/414 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
62/125 |
International
Class: |
F25B 049/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Mar 30, 2000 |
KR |
2000-16564 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A structure for mounting a monitor on a refrigerator comprising:
the monitor mounted on a front face of the refrigerator for
presenting a picture; and, a controlling part mounted on a top of
the refrigerator for providing a picture signal to the monitor for
presenting a state of the refrigerator and internet
information.
2. A structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the controlling part
includes an operation controller for controlling operation of the
refrigerator.
3. A structure as claimed in claim 1 or 2, further including plate
of a thickness fitted to the top of the refrigerator, and the
controlling part being mounted on the plate.
4. A structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the monitor includes
a displaying part for presenting a visible picture to a user and a
driving circuit for transmitting a picture signal to the displaying
part, wherein the displaying part is mounted in a front face of the
refrigerator and the driving circuit is mounted in the controlling
part on the top of the refrigerator separate form the displaying
part, and displaying part and the controlling part are electrically
connected to each other.
5. A structure as claimed in claim 4, wherein cables electrically
connecting the displaying part in the monitor and the driving
circuit are lead passed through a hinge bracket at a corner of an
upper portion of the refrigerator.
6. A structure as claimed in claim 4, wherein the cables connecting
the displaying part in the monitor and the driving circuit are LVDS
or TMDS, resistant to noise.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to a refrigerator, and more
particularly, to a structure for mounting a computer and a monitor,
an output device thereof, on a refrigerator.
[0003] 2. Background of the Related Art
[0004] As well known, as an appliance for fresh storage of food and
cooking materials by producing cooled air therein, the refrigerator
is developed to have a variety of functions for satisfying demands
of the consumers, recently. Particularly, it is recent trend that
home appliances are required to present information on states of
the home appliances themselves, or a variety of information
provided from the internet, to users, keeping pace with
popularization of the internet. Other than the above information
presentation, the home appliances are required to present
information to the users required for controlling operation and the
like of the home appliances from outside of the house. Accordingly,
to meet such requirements, there are the home appliances,
particularly the refrigerators, each having a computer with the
foregoing functions provided thereto, developed recently. The
refrigerator having the computer can present not only information
on a state of the refrigerator itself, but also cooking information
from the internet and a data base, and even information on data of
cooking material stored in the refrigerator. FIG. 1 schematically
illustrates a related art refrigerator having a computer with the
above functions, provided with a control part 4 in a rear wall of
the a cabinet 11 of the refrigerator 1, inclusive of a controller
(hereafter called as "information processor") acting as a computer
body and an operation controller for controlling operation of the
refrigerator, and a monitor 2 having a camera 3 at a central
portion of a door 12 in a front portion of the refrigerator, for
receiving a picture signal from the control part 4 and presenting
desired information to the user. As the monitor 2, a thin LCD
(Liquid Crystal Display) is the most suitable, considering a
thickness of the door 12, rather than other displays, such as Braun
tube. However, the related art refrigerator having the computer
mounted thereon has the following problems.
[0005] First, a driving circuit 22 with a thickness fitted to a
rear surface of the LCD 21 mounted in the door 12 can not but
trespass into a food space on an inner side of the door 12 to some
extent, which results in a smaller the food and poor
appearance.
[0006] Second, cables (not shown) for connecting the LCD 21 to the
information processor in the control part 4 for reception of the
picture signal are complicate as the cables are required to run
from back to front of the refrigerator.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a
structure for mounting a monitor on a refrigerator that
substantially obviates one or more of the problems due to
limitations and disadvantages of the related art.
[0008] An object of the present invention is to provide a structure
for mounting a monitor on a refrigerator, which permits no trespass
into a food space at all and an easy mounting on the door.
[0009] Additional features and advantages of the invention will be
set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be
apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the
invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention
will be realized and attained by the structure particularly pointed
out in the written description and claims hereof as well as the
appended drawings.
[0010] To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with
the purpose of the present invention, as embodied and broadly
described, the structure for mounting a monitor on a refrigerator
including the monitor mounted on a front face of the refrigerator
for presenting a picture, and a controlling part mounted on a top
of the refrigerator for providing a picture signal to the monitor
for presenting a state of the refrigerator and internet
information, wherein cables connecting the displaying part and the
driving circuit are resistant to noise.
[0011] It is to be understood that both the foregoing general
description and the following detailed description are exemplary
and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of
the invention as claimed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a
further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and
constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of
the invention and together with the description serve to explain
the principles of the invention:
[0013] In the drawings:
[0014] FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a disassembled view of a
related art computer mounting type refrigerator with a monitor
mounted thereto;
[0015] FIG. 2 schematically illustrates a disassembled view of a
computer mounting type refrigerator with a monitor mounted thereto
in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;
and,
[0016] FIG. 3 illustrates a system of a control part in the
refrigerator.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0017] Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred
embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are
illustrated in the accompanying drawings. FIG. 2 schematically
illustrates a disassembled view of a computer mounting type
refrigerator with a monitor mounted thereto in accordance with a
preferred embodiment of the present invention.
[0018] Referring to FIG. 2, there is a monitor, for example, a
displaying part 210 of an LCD, having a camera 300 at a central
portion in a refrigerator door 12, and a controlling part 400 on a
top of a refrigerator cabinet 11. And, there is steel plate 500 of
a thickness, preferably approx. 1 mm thick, under the controlling
part 400, i.e., between the top of the cabinet 11 and a bottom of
the controlling part 400, for preventing damage to an outer skin of
the cabinet 11 of thin plate if various controllers in the
controlling part is fitted to the top of the cabinet 11 directly,
or for firm fitting of the various controllers. In the refrigerator
of the present invention, it is preferable that the monitor mounted
to the refrigerator has the displaying part 210 for presenting a
picture and the driving circuit (see FIG. 1) for providing the
picture signal to the displaying part 210 separated from each
other. In this instance, as described, the displaying part 210 is
mounted in the door 12, the driving circuit in the controlling part
400, and the displaying part 210 and the driving part are connected
with cable which is resistant to noise. Though different types of
display may be used as the monitor, an LCD is preferable, and, the
LCD with a touch panel is the most preferably, which is operable by
touching on a screen thereof directly, without using a keypad or
the like.
[0019] In the meantime, referring to FIG. 3, the controlling part
400 includes an information processor 410 for serving as a
computer, a driving circuit 220 connected to the information
processor 410 for transmitting a signal receiving from the
information processor to the displaying part 210 (see FIG. 2) as a
picture signal, a modem 420 connected to the information process
410 for making a distant communication, and a TV tuner 415. The
controlling part 400 may includes an operation controller 430 for
controlling operation of the refrigerator, such as operation of a
refrigerating cycle of the refrigerator. And, there are a speaker
440 and an amplifier PCB 445 in front of the controlling part 400,
and a power source 450 in rear of the controlling part 400 for
supplying power to the above controlling devices. The cables for
transmitting the picture signal from the driving circuit 220 to the
displaying part 210 (see FIG. 2) are very thin lines 221 of LVDS
(Low-Voltage Differential Signaling) or TMDS (Transition Minimized
Differential Signaling), which are resistant to noise, lead to the
displaying part 210 in the door 12 through a hole 13a in the hinge
bracket 13. As the cables 221, connecting the displaying part 210
of the monitor and the driving circuit 220, are lead through the
hinge bracket 13 in the door 12, the cables affect no
opening/closing of the door, while permitting mounting of the
displaying part 210 and the driving circuit 220, separately.
Therefore, when the information processor 410 in the controlling
part 400 processes data on a state of the refrigerator and data
received through the internet, and the like, and transmits to the
driving circuit part 220 as a picture signal, the driving circuit
220 processes the picture signal as a picture signal suitable for
displaying and transmits to the displaying part 210 through the
cables, and the displaying part 210 presents the picture signal to
the user as a picture.
[0020] As has been explained, the structure for mounting a monitor
on a refrigerator of the present invention has the following
advantages.
[0021] The mounting of various controllers on top of the
refrigerator for presenting various picture signals to the monitor
and controlling operation of the refrigerator permits an easy
utilization of a space of the refrigerator itself.
[0022] The mounting of only the displaying part in the door
separate from the driving part permits the displaying part mounted
in the door without trespassing the food space, at all.
[0023] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various
modifications and variations can be made in the structure for
mounting a monitor on a refrigerator of the present invention
without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus,
it is intended that the present invention cover the modifications
and variations of this invention provided they come within the
scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.
* * * * *