Refrigerator having reinforced receiving device

Abstract

A refrigerator which provides an improved structure of a receiving device to prevent a receiving container cover from being deformed or damaged. The refrigerator includes a receiving container, and a receiving container cover which covers an upper portion of the receiving container. The receiving container cover includes a front frame portion which forms a front structure, a guide rail extended from a rear portion of the receiving container cover toward a lower portion of the front frame portion, and a reinforcing member extended transversely in the lower portion of the front frame portion to reinforce the strength of the receiving container cover. The guide rail includes a through hole such that the reinforcing member passes through the through hole.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 2007-0019188, filed on Feb. 26, 2007 in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

The present invention relates to a refrigerator, and more particularly to a refrigerator which provides an improved installation structure of a receiving device disposed in a storage chamber.

2. Description of the Related Art

A refrigerator is an apparatus which supplies cool air generated by a refrigeration cycle to a storage chamber to maintain freshness of various food products for a long period of time. Generally, the refrigerator includes a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve and an evaporator. The refrigerator supplies cool air to the storage chamber, that is, a freezing chamber and a cooling chamber, using heat transfer according to phase change of a coolant.

A plurality of shelves is disposed in the storage chamber of the refrigerator to store food products thereon. A drawer type receiving device may be disposed in the storage chamber to freshly store food products such as vegetables, fruit, meat and fish.

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a receiving device of a conventional refrigerator. As shown in FIG. 1, the receiving device of the conventional refrigerator includes a receiving container 1 with an upper portion opened, and a receiving container cover 2 which covers the upper portion of the receiving container 1 to separate the inner space of the receiving container 1. A guide rail 3 for stably loading the receiving container 1 is disposed on a lower portion of the receiving container cover 2. The receiving container 1 is extracted outward and retracted inward while sliding along the guide rail 3.

The guide rail 3 serves to reinforce the strength for supporting the receiving container cover 2 while guiding the movement of the receiving container 1. However, in the above-mentioned receiving device, the guide rail 3 is placed at the rear side of the receiving container cover 2. Accordingly, the strength of a front portion of the receiving container cover 2 is weak. Thus, the receiving container cover 2 may be bent or damaged when a large load is exerted on the receiving container cover 2.

Particularly, the above-mentioned problem becomes more serious in a French type refrigerator which has been recently developed. The French type refrigerator includes a storage chamber having a relatively larger width compared to a side-by-side type refrigerator which has been previously widely used. Accordingly, in the French type refrigerator, the receiving container cover 2 is designed to have a larger width, and the receiving container cover 2 may be more easily bent or damaged.

SUMMARY

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above problems. It is an aspect of the invention to provide a refrigerator which provides an improved structure of a receiving device disposed in a storage chamber to prevent a receiving container cover from being deformed or damaged.

In accordance with an aspect of the invention, there is provided a refrigerator including a receiving container; a receiving container cover which covers an upper portion of the receiving container, the receiving container cover including a front frame portion which forms a front structure and a guide rail extended from a rear portion of the receiving container cover toward a lower portion of the front frame portion; and a reinforcing member extended transversely under the front frame portion to reinforce a strength of the receiving container cover.

The guide rail may include a through hole such that the reinforcing member passes through the through hole.

The receiving container cover may further include a cover panel installed on the guide rail, and the guide rail may include a support portion which supports the cover panel, an extended portion extended below the front frame portion and the support portion, and a rail part provided at an end portion of the extended portion to guide movement of the receiving container.

The extended portion may include a through hole such that the reinforcing member passes through the through hole.

The support portion may include a support surface extended in left and right directions from the extended portion.

The front frame portion may include a support rib which supports an end portion of the reinforcing member.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is provided a refrigerator including a receiving container; a receiving container cover which covers an upper portion of the receiving container, the receiving container cover including a front frame portion which forms a front structure, a rear frame portion which forms a rear structure and a support portion extended from the rear frame portion toward the front frame portion; and a reinforcing member extended transversely in the front frame portion to reinforce a strength of the receiving container cover.

The receiving container cover may further include an extended portion extended below the front frame portion and the support portion and a rail part protruded sideward from an end portion of the extended portion to guide movement of the receiving container, and the extended portion may include a through hole such that the reinforcing member passes through the through hole.

The front frame portion may include an engaging groove which engages with an end portion of the reinforcing member.

Additional aspects and/or advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and/or other aspects and advantages of the exemplary embodiments of the invention will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, of which:

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a receiving device of a conventional refrigerator;

FIG. 2 is a front view showing an external appearance of a refrigerator according to the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of the refrigerator according to the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a receiving device in the refrigerator according to the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along a line I-I of FIG. 4; and

FIGS. 6 and 7 are perspective views showing configurations of portions of the receiving device shown in FIG. 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Reference will now be made in detail to exemplary 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 to explain the present invention by referring to the figures.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 2 is a front view showing an external appearance of a refrigerator according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of the refrigerator according to the present invention.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the refrigerator according to the present invention includes a main body 10 having a storage chamber 11 which stores food products, a door 20 which opens and closes the storage chamber 11, and a drawer type receiving device 100 which forms a separated storage space to freshly store food products such as vegetables and fruit without drying the food products out.

The main body 10 includes an outer housing 12 which forms an outer surface of the main body 10, and an inner housing 13 which is disposed at a specified distance from the outer housing 12 to form the storage chamber 11 therein. Between the outer housing 12 and the inner housing 13 a thermal insulator 14 is formed by foaming to prevent cool air from dissipating.

The refrigerator shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 is a so-called French type refrigerator. The storage chamber 11 is divided into an upper portion and a lower portion by a middle partition, thereby forming a cooling chamber 11a which cools and stores food products at the upper side and a freezing chamber 11b which freezes and stores food products at the lower side. Cooling chamber doors 20a rotate while being hinge-connected to the main body 10 to open and close the cooling chamber 11a. A freezing chamber door 20b is slidably installed on the main body 10 and moves forward and backward to open and close the freezing chamber 11b.

Evaporators 15 and 16 are installed at the rear of the storage chamber 11 to generate cool air to be supplied to the storage chamber 11 by heat exchange with the surrounding air. Circulation fans 17 and 18 are respectively installed adjacent to the evaporators 15 and 16 to circulate air in the storage chamber 11.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a configuration of the receiving device in the refrigerator according to the present invention. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along a line I-I of FIG. 4. Since the receiving device has a symmetrical structure, FIG. 4 shows only one side portion for simplicity. FIGS. 6 and 7 are perspective views showing configurations of portions of the receiving device shown in FIG. 4.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the receiving device 100 includes support members 101 respectively installed on the opposite side surfaces of the cooling chamber 11a, receiving containers 102 with upper portions opened to load and unload food products, and a receiving container cover 103 which covers the upper portions of the receiving containers 102 to separate inner portions of the receiving containers 102. Although the receiving device 100 shown in FIG. 2 is installed in the cooling chamber 11a and has two receiving containers 102 arranged on the left and right sides, an installation position of the receiving device 100 and the number of the receiving containers 102 may be appropriately changed as required by the design without being limited thereto.

The support members 101 are fixed to the inner side surfaces of the inner housing 13 (see FIG. 2) using clamping parts such as screws. The opposite ends of the receiving container cover 103 are stably loaded on the upper surfaces of the support members 101. Each of the support members 101 includes a guide part 111 protruded toward the inside of the cooling chamber 11a such that each of the receiving containers 102 is slidably installed on the guide part 111. The guide part 111 guides the sliding movement of the receiving container 102 when the receiving container 102 is extracted and retracted while supporting a flange part 121 formed at one side of the receiving container 102. A guide roller 112 is installed on the guide part 111 to smoothly move the receiving container 102.

The receiving container cover 103 includes a cover panel 131 which is formed in a rectangular flat plate shape and a frame 132 which supports the edge of the cover panel 131. The frame 132 includes a front frame portion 132a and a rear frame portion 132b which form the front and rear structure, and a side frame portion 132c which connects the front frame portion 132a with the rear frame portion 132b. The frame 132 has a rectangular shape having a relatively long horizontal length. Meanwhile, the cover panel 131 covers an opened upper portion of the receiving container 102 to separate the receiving container 102 from the cooling chamber 11a. The cover panel 131 is generally formed of a transparent tempered glass or panel made of a resin material.

As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the receiving container cover 103 includes a guide rail 140 extended from the rear toward a lower portion of the front frame portion 132a and a reinforcing member 150 extended transversely in the lower portion of the front frame portion 132a to reinforce the strength of the receiving container cover 103. Since a front portion of the receiving container cover 103 is close to the user who loads and unloads products, when products are stored in the receiving container 102 or on the receiving container cover 103, the load may be concentrated on the front portion of the receiving container cover 103. Accordingly, as described above, the guide rail 140 is extended to the front frame portion 132a and the reinforcing member 150 is installed on the lower portion of the front frame portion 132a such that a concentrated load exerted on the receiving container cover 103 can be dispersed to prevent the receiving container cover 103 from being deformed or damaged.

The guide rail 140 is disposed between the two receiving containers 102. The guide rail 140 includes a support portion 141 extended from the rear frame portion 132b toward the front frame portion 132a, an extended portion 142 provided below the support portion 141 and the front frame portion 132a, and a rail part 143 protruded sideward from the end portion of the extended portion 142.

The support portion 141 which is extended forward and backward serves to disperse the load exerted on the receiving container cover 103 in the forward and backward direction. Preferably, the support portion 141 has a support surface 141a at a position where the support portion 141 is in contact with the cover panel 131, and the support surface 141a is extended in the left and right direction from the extended portion 142. The support surface 141a can efficiently disperse the load exerted on the cover panel 131.

The rail part 143 guides the extraction and retraction of the receiving container 102 together with the guide part 111 of the support member 101 while supporting a flange part 122 formed at the other side of the receiving container 120. In the same way as the guide part 111, a guide roller 143a is installed on the rail part 143 to smoothly move the receiving container 102.

Since the guide rail 140 is extended toward a lower portion of the front frame portion 132a and the reinforcing member 150 is installed transversely in the lower portion of the front frame portion 132a, the reinforcing member 150 interferes with the guide rail 140. Thus, a through hole 142a is formed in the extended portion 142 of the guide rail 140 such that the reinforcing member 150 passes through the through hole 142a.

As shown in FIG. 7, an end portion of the reinforcing member 150 is supported by the front frame portion 132a. For this, the front frame portion 132a has a support rib 132d which supports the end portion of the reinforcing member 150. The support rib 132d forms an engaging groove 132e into a shape corresponding to the cross-section of the reinforcing member 150. The engaging groove 132e is coupled with the end portion of the reinforcing member 150.

The reinforcing member 150 may be made of stainless steel having corrosion resistance and high strength or reinforced plastics having low weight and high strength.

As described above, according to the present invention, the front portion of the receiving container cover is reinforced by the guide rail and the reinforcing member. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the receiving container cover from being deformed or damaged due to the load exerted on the receiving container cover.

Further, according to the present invention, the guide rail is extended toward a lower portion of the front frame portion of the receiving container cover. Accordingly, it is possible to lengthen an extraction path of the receiving container.

Although 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 this embodiment without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined in the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A refrigerator comprising:

a receiving container;

a receiving container cover which covers an upper portion of the receiving container, the receiving container cover including a front frame portion which forms a front structure and a guide rail extended from a rear portion of the receiving container cover toward a lower portion of the front frame portion; and

a reinforcing member extended transversely under the front frame portion to reinforce a strength of the receiving container cover.

2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the guide rail includes a through hole such that the reinforcing member passes through the through hole.

3. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the receiving container cover further includes a cover panel installed on the guide rail, and

the guide rail includes a support portion which supports the cover panel, an extended portion extended below the front frame portion and the support portion, and a rail part provided at an end portion of the extended portion to guide movement of the receiving container.

4. The refrigerator according to claim 3, wherein the extended portion includes a through hole such that the reinforcing member passes through the through hole.

5. The refrigerator according to claim 3, wherein the support portion includes a support surface extended in left and right directions from the extended portion.

6. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the front frame portion includes a support rib which supports an end portion of the reinforcing member.

7. A refrigerator comprising:

a receiving container;

a receiving container cover which covers an upper portion of the receiving container, the receiving container cover including a front frame portion which forms a front structure, a rear frame portion which forms a rear structure and a support portion extended from the rear frame portion toward the front frame portion; and

a reinforcing member extended transversely in the front frame portion to reinforce a strength of the receiving container cover.

8. The refrigerator according to claim 7, wherein the receiving container cover further includes an extended portion extended below the front frame portion and the support portion and a rail part protruded sideward from an end portion of the extended portion to guide movement of the receiving container, and

the extended portion includes a through hole such that the reinforcing member passes through the through hole.

9. The refrigerator according to claim 8, wherein the front frame portion includes an engaging groove which engages with an end portion of the reinforcing member.