U.S. patent application number 10/758127 was filed with the patent office on 2004-09-30 for refrigerator having storage chambers with improved airtightness.
This patent application is currently assigned to Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.. Invention is credited to An, Jae Koog.
Application Number | 20040189165 10/758127 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 32822762 |
Filed Date | 2004-09-30 |
United States Patent
Application |
20040189165 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
An, Jae Koog |
September 30, 2004 |
Refrigerator having storage chambers with improved airtightness
Abstract
A refrigerator including a door, a gasket, first and second
magnets, and at least one shield member. The door is attached to a
body which selectively opens and closes a storage chamber. The
gasket is arranged along an inside surface of the door to maintain
airtightness of the storage chamber. The first magnet is contained
in the gasket. The second magnet is embedded inside a front of the
body to face the first magnet. The shield member blocks surfaces of
one of the first and second magnets not facing a remaining
magnet.
Inventors: |
An, Jae Koog; (Kwangju-City,
KR) |
Correspondence
Address: |
STAAS & HALSEY LLP
SUITE 700
1201 NEW YORK AVENUE, N.W.
WASHINGTON
DC
20005
US
|
Assignee: |
Samsung Electronics Co.,
Ltd.
Suwon-si
KR
|
Family ID: |
32822762 |
Appl. No.: |
10/758127 |
Filed: |
January 16, 2004 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
312/405 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F25D 23/087 20130101;
E05C 19/161 20130101; F25D 2400/06 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
312/405 |
International
Class: |
A47B 096/04 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Mar 28, 2003 |
KR |
2003-19478 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A refrigerator, comprising: a door attached to a body and which
selectively opens and closes a storage chamber; a gasket along an
inside surface of the door which maintains airtightness of the
storage chamber; a first magnet in the gasket; a second magnet
inside a front of the body to face the first magnet; and at least
one shield member blocking surfaces of at least one of the first
and second magnets not facing the other magnet.
2. The refrigerator as set forth in claim 1, wherein the shield
member is a metallic plate surrounding surfaces of the one magnet
not facing the remaining magnet.
3. The refrigerator as set forth in claim 1, wherein the shield
member blocks surfaces of the second magnet.
4. The refrigerator as set forth in claim 1, wherein the shield
member blocks the north pole of the one magnet.
5. The refrigerator as set forth in claim 1, wherein the front of
the body is a non-magnetic substance.
6. A refrigerator having an improved magnetic seal between a
refrigerator door and a refrigerator body, comprising: the body;
the door, having a gasket along an inside surface, which moves
between an open and a closed position relative to the body; first
and second magnets, within the gasket and a front of the body,
respectively, which are attractive when the door is closed; and at
least one shield member blocking surfaces of at least one of the
first and second magnets not facing the other magnet.
7. The refrigerator as set forth in claim 6, wherein the shield
member is a metallic plate.
8. The refrigerator as set forth in claim 6, wherein at least two
shield members block surfaces of the first and second magnets.
9. The refrigerator as set forth in claim 6, wherein the south pole
of the first magnet faces the north pole of the second magnet.
10. The refrigerator as set forth in claim 6, wherein the north
pole of the first magnet faces the south pole of the second
magnet.
11. The refrigerator as set forth in claim 6, wherein the front of
the body is a non-magnetic substance.
12. A refrigerator having an improved magnetic seal between a
refrigerator door and a refrigerator body, comprising: a body; a
door, having a gasket along an inside surface, and which moves
between an open and a closed position relative to the body; first
and second magnets, within the gasket and a front of the body,
which are attractive when the door is closed; and at least one
shield member, wherein the shield member blocks lines of magnetic
force extending from at least one magnet which are substantially
repulsive to the other magnet.
13. The refrigerator as set forth in claim 12, wherein the shield
member is a metallic plate.
14. The refrigerator as set forth in claim 12, wherein at least two
shield members block surfaces of the first and second magnets.
15. The refrigerator as set forth in claim 12, wherein the south
pole of the first magnet faces the north pole of the second
magnet.
16. The refrigerator as set forth in claim 12, wherein the north
pole of the first magnet faces the south pole of the second
magnet.
17. The refrigerator as set forth in claim 12, wherein the front of
the body is a non-magnetic substance.
18. A refrigerator having a storage chamber with improved
airtightness, comprising: a refrigerator body, including the
storage chamber, coupled to a cooling system; a door to move
between open and closed positions relative to the storage chamber,
respectively; first and second magnets in the body and the door,
respectively, providing an airtight seal between the body and the
door; and at least one shield member blocking surfaces of at least
one of the first and second magnets which are not facing the other
magnet.
19. The refrigerator as set forth in claim 18, wherein the shield
member is a metallic plate.
20. The refrigerator as set forth in claim 18, wherein at least two
shield members block the surfaces of the first and second
magnets.
21. The refrigerator as set forth in claim 18, wherein the south
pole of the first magnet faces the north pole of the second
magnet.
22. The refrigerator as set forth in claim 18, wherein the north
pole of the first magnet faces the south pole of the second
magnet.
23. The refrigerator as set forth in claim 18, wherein the front of
the body is a non-magnetic substance.
24. A refrigerator having a storage chamber with improved
airtightness, comprising: a refrigerator body, including the
storage chamber, coupled to a cooling system; a door able to occupy
an open and a closed position relative to the storage chamber;
first and second magnets in the body and the door, respectively,
providing an airtight seal between the body and the door; and at
least one shield member, wherein the shield member blocks lines of
magnetic force extending from at least one magnet which are
repulsive to the other magnet.
25. The refrigerator as set forth in claim 24, wherein the shield
member is a metallic plate.
26. The refrigerator as set forth in claim 24, wherein two shield
members blocks surfaces of the first and second magnets.
27. The refrigerator as set forth in claim 24, wherein the south
pole of the first magnet faces the north pole of the second
magnet.
28. The refrigerator as set forth in claim 24, wherein the north
pole of the first magnet faces the south pole of the second
magnet.
29. The refrigerator as set forth in claim 24, wherein the front of
the body is a non-magnetic substance.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit of Korean Application
No. 2003-19478, filed Mar. 28, 2003, in the Korean Intellectual
Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by
reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates generally to a refrigerator,
and more particularly to a refrigerator in which the structure of
magnets, which are disposed in both a door and a body to maintain
airtightness of a storage chamber, respectively, is improved.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] Generally, a refrigerator is an apparatus that provides cold
air generated in an evaporator to a storage chamber to maintain
various foods in a fresh condition. The storage chamber is
selectively opened and closed by a door, and an airtight device is
generally provided between a refrigerator body and the door to
maintain airtightness of the storage chamber when the door is
closed.
[0006] An airtight device may be exemplified by a gasket that is
arranged along a circumferential edge of the inside surface of the
door containing a magnet. The gasket causes the storage chamber to
be airtight as the magnet contained in the gasket adheres to the
front of the steel refrigerator body when the door is closed. Where
a body of a refrigerator is made of a non-magnetic substance, such
as synthetic resin, like a refrigerator disclosed in Korean
Unexamined Pat. Pub. No. 2001-0113245, a magnetic substance, such
as a steel plate, or magnet is embedded inside a front of the
refrigerator body to allow the magnet contained in the gasket
arranged on the door to adhere to the refrigerator body.
[0007] However, in the refrigerator having a front made of resin,
the magnetic substance or magnet is embedded in the front of the
refrigerator body, but the front of the refrigerator body made of
resin is interposed between the magnet contained in the gasket and
the magnetic substance or magnet embedded in the refrigerator body.
Thus, an attractive force between the magnet and the magnetic
substance or magnet is weak . Therefore, it is difficult to
maintain the airtightness of the storage chamber. There is a scheme
in which the width of the magnet contained in the gasket or the
magnetic substance or magnet embedded inside the front of the
refrigerator body is widened to overcome the problem of the weak
attractive force. However, this scheme causes difficulty in the
manufacture of the refrigerator and incurs excessive manufacturing
costs.
[0008] Furthermore, when a magnet is embedded inside the front of
the refrigerator body, the magnet must be embedded at a correct
position corresponding to that of the magnet contained in the
gasket. When a foam insulating material is injected into the
refrigerator body during the manufacture of the refrigerator, the
magnet may be pushed by the pressure of the foam insulating
material and removed from an initial correct position . Some amount
of repulsive force may be generated between the magnet embedded
inside the front of the refrigerator body and the magnet contained
in the gasket, so poor airtightness of the storage chamber may
result.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] Accordingly, it is an aspect of the present invention to
provide a refrigerator having an increased attractive force between
a door-side magnet and a body-side magnet without increasing the
sizes of the two magnets . A further aspect of this invention
provides an attractive force even though the two magnets are offset
from each other, thus preventing poor airtightness of the storage
chamber.
[0010] Additional aspects and advantages of the invention will be
set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part,
will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice
of the invention.
[0011] The foregoing and/or other aspects of the present invention
are achieved by providing a refrigerator, including a door attached
to a body which selectively opens and closes a storage chamber, a
gasket along an inside surface of the door to maintain airtightness
of the storage chamber, a first magnet in the gasket, a second
magnet inside a front of the body facing the first magnet, and at
least one shield member blocking surfaces of at least one of the
first and second magnets not facing a remaining magnet.
[0012] In an embodiment of the invention, the shield member may be
a metallic plate surrounding the remaining surfaces of the one
magnet not facing the remaining magnet.
[0013] In an embodiment of the invention, the shield member blocks
surfaces of the second magnet.
[0014] In an embodiment of the invention, the shield member blocks
the north pole of the one magnet.
[0015] In an embodiment of the invention, the front of the body may
be a non-magnetic substance.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0016] These and/or other aspects and advantages of the invention
will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the
following description of the preferred embodiments, taken in
conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:
[0017] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an appearance of a
refrigerator, according to the present invention;
[0018] FIG. 2 is a cross section of the refrigerator of FIG. 1;
[0019] FIG. 3 is a detailed view of a portion of FIG. 2;
[0020] FIG. 4 is a sectional view of an airtight device of the
refrigerator according to one embodiment of the present invention,
showing an arrangement of magnets;
[0021] FIG. 5 is a view showing lines of magnetic force formed
around a second magnet of the refrigerator of the present
invention;
[0022] FIG. 6 is a view showing lines of magnetic force formed
around a general magnet;
[0023] FIG. 7 is a sectional view of an airtight device of the
refrigerator with the second magnet offset from an appropriate
position;
[0024] FIG. 8 is a sectional view of an airtight device of the
refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present
invention with a shield member attached to a first magnet; and
[0025] FIG. 9 is a sectional view of an airtight device of the
refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present
invention with shield members attached to the first and second
magnets.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0026] Reference will now be made in detail to the present
preferred embodiments of the present invention, examples of which
are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like
reference numerals refer to like elements throughout. The
embodiments are described below in order to explain the present
invention by referring to the figures.
[0027] As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, a refrigerator of the
present invention is constructed so that a storage chamber defined
inside a body 10 of the refrigerator is divided by a central
partition 11 into a freezer compartment 12 on the left and a
refrigerator compartment 13 on the right. Further, a freezer
compartment door 14 and a refrigerator compartment door 15 are
situated in front of the freezer compartment 12 and in front of the
refrigerator compartment 13, respectively. Both the freezer
compartment door 14 and the refrigerator compartment door may
occupy open 1 and closed 2 positions.
[0028] Gaskets 20 are arranged along circumferential edges of
inside surfaces of the doors 14 and 15, which are used to
selectively open and close the freezer compartment 12 and the
refrigerator compartment 13, respectively, to maintain airtightness
of the freezer compartment 12 and the refrigerator compartment
13.
[0029] A front 16 of the body 10 that comes into contact with the
gaskets 20 is integrated with two inner casings 17 into a single
body through a resin forming process. This construction of the
front 16 of the body 10 provides the front 16 of the body 10 with a
pleasant appearance and reduces manufacturing costs by allowing the
two inner casings 17 of the freezer compartment 12 and the
refrigerator compartment 13 to be integrally fabricated.
[0030] An airtight device 30 provided on the gaskets 20 and the
front 16 of the body 10, as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, includes
first magnets 31 contained in the gaskets 20 and second magnets 32
embedded inside the front 16 of the body 10 to face the first
magnets 31, respectively. The first magnets 31 are arranged to face
the second magnets 32, with opposite poles thereof facing each
other. This creates an attractive force between the first and
second magnets 31 and 32 (see FIG. 4). The construction takes into
account the fact that the front 16 of the body 10 is made of resin
that is a non-magnetic substance. In this case, the airtightness of
the freezer compartment 12 and the refrigerator compartment 13 is
maintained by an attractive force between the first magnet 31
contained in the gaskets 20 and the magnets 32 embedded in the
front 16 of the body 10.
[0031] A shield member 33 is attached to each of the second magnets
32 embedded in the front 16 of the body 10 so that side surfaces
and a rear surface of the second magnet 32 are covered to enhance
the attractive force between the first and second magnets 31 and
32. A front surface of the second magnet 32 facing each of the
first magnets 31 is uncovered. The shield member 33 is formed of a
metallic plate made of a magnetic substance, and is positioned in
tight contact with inside surfaces of the second magnet 32 to
surround the three surfaces of the second magnet 32. This
construction, as depicted in FIG. 5, causes lines of magnetic force
extending from a north pole to a south pole of the second magnet 32
to be blocked by the shield member 33 and be prevented from leaking
through the inside surfaces of the magnet 32 . Therefore, the flux
density of the lines of magnetic force is increased in an area
between the first and second magnets 31 and 32, thus increasing the
attractive force between the first and second magnets 31 and
32.
[0032] The effect obtained by the shield member 33 can be easily
appreciated by comparing lines of magnetic force around a magnet
without the shield member 33 shown in FIG. 6 with lines of magnetic
force around the second magnet 32 with the shield member 33 shown
in FIG. 5. As shown in FIG. 6, in the case of the magnet without
the shield member 33, the lines of magnetic force extending from a
north pole to a south pole of the magnet are distributed around the
magnet. Thus, the effective distance L of the magnetic force
contributing to actual attractive force between the first and
second magnets 31 and 32 is short.
[0033] In contrast, as shown in FIG. 5, in the case of the second
magnet 32 with the shield member 33, the lines of magnetic force
extending from a north pole to a south pole of the second magnet 32
are blocked by the shield member 33 and, therefore, most lines of
the magnetic force are directed through the open front surface of
the second magnet 32. Thus, the effective distance L' of the
magnetic force contributing to actual attractive force between the
first and second magnets 31 and 32 is lengthened. That is, in the
present invention, the effective distance L' of the magnetic force
in a direction from the second magnet 32 to the first magnet 31 is
increased and the attractive force between the first and second
magnets 31 and 32 is increased thereby causing the gasket 20 to be
brought into tight contact with the front 16 of the body 10 and,
therefore, securely maintaining the airtightness of each of the
compartments 12 and 13.
[0034] Further, as illustrated in FIG. 7, in accordance with an
embodiment of the present invention, the present invention, even
when the second magnet 32 positioned inside the front 16 of the
body 10 is pushed by the foam insulating material formed in the
body 10 and somewhat setoff from a position corresponding to that
of the first magnet 31, repulsive force is not generated between
the first and second magnets 31 and 32 and, therefore, the first
and second magnets 31 and 32 effectively adhere to each other. This
is because lines of magnetic force extending through both sides of
the second magnet 32, which may contribute to the repulsive force,
are blocked by the shield member 33 and accordingly do not affect
the first magnet 31. As a consequence, the construction of the
present invention can suppress a repulsive force between the first
and second magnets 31 and 32 even though the second magnet 32
embedded in the body 10 is somewhat offset from an appropriate
position thereof during the manufacture of the refrigerator, thus
preventing poor airtightness of the compartment.
[0035] FIG. 8 is a sectional view showing a refrigerator according
to another embodiment of the present invention, in which a shield
member 34 is attached to inside surfaces of the first magnet 31.
FIG. 9 is a sectional view showing a refrigerator according to
another embodiment of the present invention, in which shield
members 33 and 34 are attached to inside surfaces of the first
magnet 31 and outside surfaces of the second magnet 32,
respectively. The effects of these aforementioned refrigerators are
similar to that of the refrigerator of the first embodiment.
[0036] As described above in detail, the refrigerator of the
present invention can increase attractive force between the first
and second magnets by the attachment of at least one shield member
to at least one of the first and second magnets, so the
refrigerator can maintain the secure airtightness of the
compartment of the refrigerator.
[0037] Additionally, the refrigerator of the present invention can
block remaining lines of magnetic force except for lines of
magnetic force contributing to an attractive force between the two
magnets, so proper attractive force can be maintained between the
two magnets even though the magnets are offset from each other
during the manufacture of the refrigerator, thus preventing poor
airtightness of the refrigerator.
[0038] The present invention may also be understood as a method for
increasing the attractive force between a door 14 and 15 and a
refrigerator body 10. The first and second steps comprise
installing magnets 31 and 32 in the gasket 20 and the front 16 of
the body 10. This creates an attraction between the magnets 31 and
32 when the doors 14 and 15 are closed. A shield member 33 is
provided to at least one of the magnets 31 and 32 along surfaces of
the magnet not facing the other magnet
[0039] Although a few embodiments of the present invention have
been shown and described, it would be appreciated by those skilled
in the art that changes may be made in these embodiments without
departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the
scope of which is defined in the claims and their equivalents. It
is also understood that the advantages found in this invention have
applications in technologies outside that which has been discussed
above.
* * * * *