U.S. patent application number 10/814794 was filed with the patent office on 2005-10-06 for refrigerator with door handle.
This patent application is currently assigned to Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.. Invention is credited to Kwon, Doo Soon, Song, Yo Hyun.
Application Number | 20050218765 10/814794 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 35049696 |
Filed Date | 2005-10-06 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050218765 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Song, Yo Hyun ; et
al. |
October 6, 2005 |
Refrigerator with door handle
Abstract
The present invention relates to a refrigerator with door
handles, which include buffer members for providing safety in use
and good tactile sensations when opening or closing doors of the
refrigerator, and deviating prevention members for preventing the
buffer members from being deviated. The refrigerator of the present
invention comprises doors for opening or closing storage chambers,
door handles respectively provided at the doors, buffer members of
an elastic material respectively provided for the door handles to
make good tactile sensations when gripping the door handles, and
deviating prevention members for preventing the buffer members from
being deviated from the door handles.
Inventors: |
Song, Yo Hyun;
(Gwangju-City, KR) ; Kwon, Doo Soon;
(Gwangju-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: |
35049696 |
Appl. No.: |
10/814794 |
Filed: |
April 1, 2004 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
312/405 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F25D 2400/06 20130101;
F25D 23/028 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
312/405 |
International
Class: |
A47B 096/04 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Mar 30, 2004 |
KR |
2004-21492 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A refrigerator, comprising: doors for opening or closing storage
chambers; door handles respectively provided at the doors; buffer
members of an elastic material respectively provided for the door
handles to make good tactile sensations when gripping the door
handles; and deviating prevention members for preventing the buffer
members from being deviated from the door handles.
2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein each of the door
handles comprises: a fixing portion fixed to a free end of the
door; a front extension, which extends in a front direction of the
door from the fixing portion; a side extension, which is bent to
extend from an end of the front extension to a center of rotation
of the door; and an insertion groove formed at an inner surface of
the side extension for inserting the buffer member and the
deviating prevention member.
3. The refrigerator according to claim 2, wherein the door handle
and the insertion groove extend vertically along a lengthwise
direction of the door; the buffer member is vertically elongated
along the lengthwise direction of the doors; and the deviating
prevention member is provided to support one or more ends of
opposite ends of the buffer member.
4. The refrigerator according to claim 3, wherein the buffer member
is formed with an uneven portion for preventing slippage on an
outer surface thereof to be gripped by the user.
5. The refrigerator according to claim 3, wherein the deviating
prevention member is provided with a fixing protrusion for fixing
the deviating prevention member to the insertion groove, and the
side extension member is formed with a fixing groove to be inserted
by the fixing protrusion.
6. The refrigerator according to claim 5, wherein the deviating
prevention member is slidably supported, at opposite sides thereof,
in the insertion groove, and provided, at a center thereof, with an
elastic deformation portion, which deforms such that the fixing
protrusion can be vertically varied.
7. The refrigerator according to claim 6, wherein the deviating
prevention member is provided with an uneven portion such that the
deviating prevention member has the same outer surface as that of
the uneven portion of the buffer member.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent
Application No. 2004-21492, filed on Mar. 30, 2004 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 to a refrigerator, and, more
particularly, to a refrigerator with door handles, which include
buffer members inserted for providing a good tactile sensation when
gripping the handles for opening or closing doors of the
refrigerator, and deviating prevention members for preventing the
buffer members from deviating.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] Generally, a refrigerator includes a body defined with a
storage chamber for storing food at low temperature, a door hinged,
at one side thereof, to a front end of the body to open or close
the storage chamber, and a door handle for gripping the door when
opening or closing the door.
[0006] As an example of a conventional refrigerator, Japanese
Laid-open Patent Application No. Heisei 7-218103 discloses a
large-size refrigerator with a door handle structure. The
refrigerator includes two storage chambers respectively provided,
in a partitioned state, at both sides of the refrigerator, and two
doors respectively provided at the front of the storage chambers
such that the doors may be opened in accordance with hinge
movements thereof in opposite directions.
[0007] The refrigerator disclosed in the application is provided
with door handles at ends of respective doors facing each other
such that a space is narrowly defined between the ends
(specifically, the ends at respective free ends) of the doors
facing each other in order to provide an excellent appearance. Each
of the door handles comprises a flat plate-shaped fixing portion
fixed to the free end of the door and vertically elongated
corresponding to the height of the door, and a grip portion
extending toward the front of the door from the fixing portion by a
predetermined length and then bent in the direction of the center
of rotation of the door to extend by a predetermined length.
Further, the door handle is configured such that it may be mounted
at the end of the door after being manufactured by typical
extrusion molding of a metallic material.
[0008] However, although the door handle of the conventional
large-size refrigerator can provide an elegant front appearance for
the refrigerator, since the door handle is manufactured by the
extrusion molding of the metallic material, there occur problems
that when the user grips the grip portion to open or close the
door, the user may feel tactile discomfort due to coldness of the
door handle made of the metal, and in that hardness of the material
of the door handle may cause the user's fingernails to break.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] Therefore, an aspect of the invention is to provide a
refrigerator provided with door handles, which includes a member
for ensuring safety in use and good tactile sensation when opening
or closing doors, and a structure for preventing the member from
being deviated.
[0010] In accordance with one aspect, the present invention
provides a refrigerator, comprising: doors for opening or closing
storage chambers; door handles respectively provided on the doors;
buffer members of an elastic material respectively provided for the
door handles to provide good tactile sensations when gripping the
door handles; and deviating prevention members for preventing the
buffer members from being deviated from the door handles.
[0011] Each of the door handle may comprise: a fixing portion fixed
to a free end of the door; a front extension, which extend in the
front direction of the door from the fixing portion; a side
extension, which is bent to extend from an end of the front
extension to a center of rotation of the door; and an insertion
groove formed on an inner surface of the side extension for
inserting the buffer member and the deviating prevention
member.
[0012] The door handles and the insertion grooves may be vertically
elongated along the lengthwise direction of the door. The buffer
members may be vertically elongated along the lengthwise direction
of the doors, respectively, and the deviating prevention members
are provided to support one or more ends of opposite ends of the
buffer members.
[0013] The buffer members may be formed with uneven portions, for
preventing slippage on an outer surface thereof, to be gripped by
the user, respectively.
[0014] The deviating prevention members may be respectively
provided with fixing protrusions for fixing the deviating
prevention members to the insertion grooves, and the side extension
members may be respectively formed with fixing grooves to be
inserted by the fixing protrusions, respectively.
[0015] Each deviating prevention member may be slidably supported,
at opposite sides thereof, in the insertion groove, and provided,
at a center thereof, with an elastic deformation portion, which
deforms such that the fixing protrusion can be varied
vertically.
[0016] Each deviating prevention member may be provided with an
uneven portion such that the deviating prevention member may have
the same outer surface as that of the uneven portion of the buffer
member.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0017] The above aspects, other features and advantages of the
present invention will become more apparent after reading the
following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the
drawings, in which:
[0018] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an appearance of a
refrigerator according to a preferred embodiment of the present
invention;
[0019] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a door and a
door handle of the refrigerator according to the preferred
embodiment of the present invention;
[0020] FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the door handle of
the refrigerator according to the preferred embodiment of the
present invention; and
[0021] FIGS. 4 and 5 are cross-sectional views illustrating a
mounted state of a deviation prevention member, taken along line
IV-IV of FIG. 3, according to the present invention,
respectively.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0022] An illustrative, non-limiting embodiment of the present
invention will now be described in detail with reference to the
accompanying drawings.
[0023] As shown in FIG. 1, a refrigerator according to the present
invention includes: two storage chambers 11 and 12 respectively
provided, in a partitioned state, at both sides of the
refrigerator; two doors 13 and 14 respectively hinged, at each side
thereof, to front ends of the storage chambers 11 and 12 such that
respective storage chambers 11 and 12 may be independently opened
or closed; and door handles 20 respectively provided for each end
at free ends of respective doors 13 and 14 such that the user may
easily open or close the doors 13 and 14.
[0024] As shown in FIG. 2, each of the door handles 20 and 30 is
formed through extrusion molding of a metallic material, such as
aluminum, and includes a flat plate-shaped fixing portion 21 having
a narrow width to entirely cover the free end of the door 13 and
having a vertical length corresponding to the height of the door
13, and a grip portion 29 extending from an end of the fixing
portion 21 to the front of the door 13 such that the user may
easily grip the grip portion. Like the fixing portion 21, the grip
portion 29 also has a vertical length corresponding to the height
of the door 13.
[0025] The fixing portion 21 is provided with a front combining
protrusion 22 and a rear combining protrusion 23 respectively
extending toward the door 13 such that some portion of the front
and rear faces of the door 13 is covered by a predetermined width,
such that opposite sides of the free end of the door 13 are
combined with the protrusions 21 and 23, respectively. Further, the
fixing portion 21 is formed therethrough with a thread hole 25 to
be screwed by a fixing screw 26 in order to mount the fixing
portion 21 to the door 13. The front combining protrusion 22 is
integrally provided, at an inner surface thereof, with a screw
portion 24 to which a fixing screw 27 is fastened when a cover for
covering upper and lower ends of the door 13 is mounted on the
door. The screw portion 24 has an arcuate cross-sectional shape. A
secure combination of the fixing portion 21 and the door 13 is
attributed to the structure of the screw portion and the thread
hole to be fastened by the screws 26 and 27, respectively, after
secure attachment of the fixing portion 21 to the door 13.
[0026] The grip portion 29 extending from the fixing portion 21
comprises a front extension 29a, which extends in the front
direction of the door 13 by a predetermined length with its outer
surface being in a coplanar state with the fixing portion 21, and a
side extension 29b, which is bent to extend from the end of the
front extension 29a to a center of rotation of the door 13 by a
predetermined length. These structures enable the user to grip the
grip portion 29 of the door 13 by grasping it with their hand when
opening or closing the door 13.
[0027] Inside the side extension 29b of the grip portion 29, there
are provided a buffer member 30 of an elastic material to provide a
safety in use together with good tactile sensations when opening or
closing the door 13, and with a deviating prevention member 40
manufactured by injecting a plastic resin for preventing the buffer
member 30 from being deviated from the door handles. The side
extension 29b is formed with an insertion groove 29c at an inner
surface thereof for inserting the buffer member 30 and the
deviating prevention member 40, thereby supporting opposite sides
thereof.
[0028] The buffer member 30 is vertically elongated along the side
extension 29b, and made of an elastic material such as rubber,
silicone, soft plastic or the like. The buffer member 30 is formed
with an uneven portion 31 at the outer surface thereof for
preventing slippage. The buffer member 30 is press-fitted into the
insertion groove 29c by elastic deformation, and bonded to the side
extension portion 29b with an adhesive applied to a portion
contacting the inner surface of the side extension 29b.
[0029] In general, if the refrigerator is used for long time, due
to a weakened adhesive force of the buffer member 30, the buffer
member 30 can slide down or can be pushed up along the insertion
groove 29c resulting in deviation from the insertion groove 29c.
Thus, in order to prevent the deviation of the buffer member 30,
the deviating prevention member 40 is fixed to the insertion groove
29c to support opposite ends of the buffer member 30. The deviating
prevention member 40 is slidably supported, at opposite ends
thereof, in the insertion groove 29c such that the deviating
prevention member 40 is detachably provided to the insertion groove
29c. Like the uneven portion of the buffer member 30, the deviating
prevention member 40 is formed with an uneven portion 41 on the
outer surface thereof and with a fixing protrusion 42 protruded
toward the side extension 29b on the inner surface thereof. The
side extension 29b is provided with a fixing groove 29d such that
when the deviating prevention member 40 is inserted there into, the
fixing protrusion 42 is received in the fixing groove 29d, thereby
fixing the deviating prevention member 40. The deviating prevention
member 40 is provided at the center thereof with an elastic
deformation portion 43 divided by two vertically elongated grooves
thereon. The fixing protrusion 42 is provided on the rear side of
the elastic deformation portion 43, and as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5,
the elastic deformation portion 43 is deformed such that the fixing
protrusion 42 can be varied vertically when fitting the deviation
prevention member 40 in the insertion groove 29c, thereby providing
easy mounting.
[0030] The buffer member 30 may provide good tactile sensation to
the hands resulting from a predetermined amount of elastic
deformation thereof, and also prevents the user from feeling the
coldness of the metal when gripping the door handle to open or
close the door 13. In addition, the buffer member 30 may prevent
user's fingernails from breaking. The deviation prevention member
40 may prevent the buffer member 30 from sliding down or being
pushed up in the insertion groove due to the weakened adhesive
force of the buffer member 30, so that the buffer member 30 is not
deviated from insertion groove 29c.
[0031] As apparent from the above description, in accordance with
the present invention, there are provided advantageous effects that
the buffer members of the elastic material in the door handles of
the refrigerator provide good tactile sensations and buffering
functions, thereby preventing the user's fingernails from breaking
even though an excessive force is applied to the door handles when
opening or closing the doors.
[0032] Further, there is also provided an advantageous effect that
the deviation prevention members prevent the buffer members from
being deviated from the insertion grooves even though the
refrigerator is used for long time.
[0033] Although the preferred embodiments of the invention have
been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art
will appreciate that various modifications, additions and
substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and
spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying
claims.
* * * * *