EP1462741A2 - A refrigerator having storage chambers - Google Patents
A refrigerator having storage chambers Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP1462741A2 EP1462741A2 EP03257021A EP03257021A EP1462741A2 EP 1462741 A2 EP1462741 A2 EP 1462741A2 EP 03257021 A EP03257021 A EP 03257021A EP 03257021 A EP03257021 A EP 03257021A EP 1462741 A2 EP1462741 A2 EP 1462741A2
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- refrigerator
- magnet
- set forth
- door
- magnets
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Ceased
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Classifications
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F25D23/00—General constructional features
- F25D23/02—Doors; Covers
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- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E05—LOCKS; KEYS; WINDOW OR DOOR FITTINGS; SAFES
- E05C—BOLTS OR FASTENING DEVICES FOR WINGS, SPECIALLY FOR DOORS OR WINDOWS
- E05C19/00—Other devices specially designed for securing wings, e.g. with suction cups
- E05C19/16—Devices holding the wing by magnetic or electromagnetic attraction
- E05C19/161—Devices holding the wing by magnetic or electromagnetic attraction magnetic gaskets
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F25D23/00—General constructional features
- F25D23/08—Parts formed wholly or mainly of plastics materials
- F25D23/082—Strips
- F25D23/087—Sealing strips
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F25D2400/00—General features of, or devices for refrigerators, cold rooms, ice-boxes, or for cooling or freezing apparatus not covered by any other subclass
- F25D2400/06—Refrigerators with a vertical mullion
Definitions
- the present invention relates generally to refrigerators, and more particularly, though not exclusively, 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- this scheme causes difficulty in the manufacture of the refrigerator and incurs excessive manufacturing costs.
- the magnet 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.
- the magnet 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.
- 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 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.
- the shield member may be a metallic plate surrounding the remaining surfaces of the one magnet not facing the remaining magnet.
- the shield member blocks surfaces of the second magnet.
- the shield member blocks the north pole of the one magnet.
- the front of the body may be a non-magnetic substance.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- a refrigerator of an embodiment 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- An airtight device 30 provided on the gaskets 20 and the front 16 of the body 10, as illustrated in Figures 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 Figure 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.
- 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 Figure 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.
- 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 Figure 6 with lines of magnetic force around the second magnet 32 with the shield member 33 shown in Figure 5.
- the lines of magnetic force extending from a north pole to a south pole of the magnet are distributed around the magnet.
- the effective distance L of the magnetic force contributing to actual attractive force between the first and second magnets 31 and 32 is short.
- 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.
- this embodiment 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.
- 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.
- Figure 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.
- the refrigerator of preferred embodiments 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.
- the refrigerator of preferred embodiments 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.
- Preferred embodiments of the present invention encompass a method for increasing the attractive force between a door 14 and15 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
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- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
- Thermal Sciences (AREA)
- General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Electromagnetism (AREA)
- Refrigerator Housings (AREA)
Abstract
Description
- The present invention relates generally to refrigerators, and more particularly, though not exclusively, 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Accordingly, it is an aim of preferred embodiments 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 aim of preferred embodiments of this invention to provide an attractive force even though the two magnets are offset from each other, thus preventing poor airtightness of the storage chamber.
- According to the present invention in a first aspect there is provided 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 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.
- 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.
- In an embodiment of the invention, the shield member blocks surfaces of the second magnet.
- In an embodiment of the invention, the shield member blocks the north pole of the one magnet.
- In an embodiment of the invention, the front of the body may be a non-magnetic substance.
- According to the present invention in a second aspect, there is provided 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.
- According to the present invention in a third aspect, there is provided 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.
- According to the present invention in a fourth aspect, there is provided 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.
- According to the present invention in a fifth aspect, there is provided 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.
- Further features of the present invention are set out in the appended claims.
- 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, by way of example only, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:
- Figure 1 is a perspective view showing an appearance of a refrigerator, according to the present invention;
- Figure 2 is a cross section of the refrigerator of Figure 1;
- Figure 3 is a detailed view of a portion of Figure 2;
- Figure 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;
- Figure 5 is a view showing lines of magnetic force formed around a second magnet of the refrigerator of the present invention;
- Figure 6 is a view showing lines of magnetic force formed around a general magnet;
- Figure 7 is a sectional view of an airtight device of the refrigerator with the second magnet offset from an appropriate position;
- Figure 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
- Figure 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.
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- 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.
- As illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, a refrigerator of an embodiment of the present invention is constructed so that a storage chamber defined inside a
body 10 of the refrigerator is divided by acentral partition 11 into a freezer compartment 12 on the left and arefrigerator compartment 13 on the right. Further, afreezer compartment door 14 and arefrigerator compartment door 15 are situated in front of the freezer compartment 12 and in front of therefrigerator compartment 13, respectively. Both thefreezer compartment door 14 and the refrigerator compartment door may occupy open 1 and closed 2 positions. -
Gaskets 20 are arranged along circumferential edges of inside surfaces of thedoors refrigerator compartment 13, respectively, to maintain airtightness of the freezer compartment 12 and therefrigerator compartment 13. - A
front 16 of thebody 10 that comes into contact with thegaskets 20 is integrated with twoinner casings 17 into a single body through a resin forming process. This construction of thefront 16 of thebody 10 provides thefront 16 of thebody 10 with a pleasant appearance and reduces manufacturing costs by allowing the twoinner casings 17 of the freezer compartment 12 and therefrigerator compartment 13 to be integrally fabricated. - An
airtight device 30 provided on thegaskets 20 and thefront 16 of thebody 10, as illustrated in Figures 3 and 4, includesfirst magnets 31 contained in thegaskets 20 andsecond magnets 32 embedded inside thefront 16 of thebody 10 to face thefirst magnets 31, respectively. Thefirst magnets 31 are arranged to face thesecond magnets 32, with opposite poles thereof facing each other. This creates an attractive force between the first andsecond magnets 31 and 32 (see Figure 4). The construction takes into account the fact that thefront 16 of thebody 10 is made of resin that is a non-magnetic substance. In this case, the airtightness of the freezer compartment 12 and therefrigerator compartment 13 is maintained by an attractive force between thefirst magnet 31 contained in thegaskets 20 and themagnets 32 embedded in thefront 16 of thebody 10. - A
shield member 33 is attached to each of thesecond magnets 32 embedded in thefront 16 of thebody 10 so that side surfaces and a rear surface of thesecond magnet 32 are covered to enhance the attractive force between the first andsecond magnets second magnet 32 facing each of thefirst magnets 31 is uncovered. Theshield member 33 is formed of a metallic plate made of a magnetic substance, and is positioned in tight contact with inside surfaces of thesecond magnet 32 to surround the three surfaces of thesecond magnet 32. This construction, as depicted in Figure 5, causes lines of magnetic force extending from a north pole to a south pole of thesecond magnet 32 to be blocked by theshield member 33 and be prevented from leaking through the inside surfaces of themagnet 32 . Therefore, the flux density of the lines of magnetic force is increased in an area between the first andsecond magnets second magnets - The effect obtained by the
shield member 33 can be easily appreciated by comparing lines of magnetic force around a magnet without theshield member 33 shown in Figure 6 with lines of magnetic force around thesecond magnet 32 with theshield member 33 shown in Figure 5. As shown in Figure 6, in the case of the magnet without theshield 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 andsecond magnets - In contrast, as shown in Figure 5, in the case of the
second magnet 32 with theshield member 33, the lines of magnetic force extending from a north pole to a south pole of thesecond magnet 32 are blocked by theshield member 33 and, therefore, most lines of the magnetic force are directed through the open front surface of thesecond magnet 32. Thus, the effective distance L' of the magnetic force contributing to actual attractive force between the first andsecond magnets second magnet 32 to thefirst magnet 31 is increased and the attractive force between the first andsecond magnets gasket 20 to be brought into tight contact with thefront 16 of thebody 10 and, therefore, securely maintaining the airtightness of each of thecompartments 12 and 13. - Further, as illustrated in Figure 7, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, even when the
second magnet 32 positioned inside thefront 16 of thebody 10 is pushed by the foam insulating material formed in thebody 10 and somewhat setoff from a position corresponding to that of thefirst magnet 31, repulsive force is not generated between the first andsecond magnets second magnets second magnet 32, which may contribute to the repulsive force, are blocked by theshield member 33 and accordingly do not affect thefirst magnet 31. As a consequence, the construction of this embodiment of the present invention can suppress a repulsive force between the first andsecond magnets second magnet 32 embedded in thebody 10 is somewhat offset from an appropriate position thereof during the manufacture of the refrigerator, thus preventing poor airtightness of the compartment. - Figure 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 thefirst magnet 31. Figure 9 is a sectional view showing a refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present invention, in whichshield members first magnet 31 and outside surfaces of thesecond magnet 32, respectively. The effects of these aforementioned refrigerators are similar to that of the refrigerator of the first embodiment. - As described above in detail, the refrigerator of preferred embodiments 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.
- Additionally, the refrigerator of preferred embodiments 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.
- Preferred embodiments of the present invention encompass a method for increasing the attractive force between a
door 14 and15 and arefrigerator body 10. The first and second steps comprise installingmagnets gasket 20 and thefront 16 of thebody 10. This creates an attraction between themagnets doors shield member 33 is provided to at least one of themagnets - 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.
- Attention is directed to all papers and documents which are filed concurrently with or previous to this specification in connection with this application and which are open to public inspection with this specification, and the contents of all such papers and documents are incorporated herein by reference.
- All of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), and/or all of the steps of any method or process so disclosed, may be combined in any combination, except combinations where at least some of such features and/or steps are mutually exclusive.
- Each feature disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings) may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is one example only of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.
- The invention is not restricted to the details of the foregoing embodiment(s). The invention extends to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), or to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the steps of any method or process so disclosed.
Claims (29)
- A refrigerator, comprising:a door (14,15) attached to a body (10) and which selectively opens and closes a storage chamber;a gasket (20) along an inside surface of the door (14,15) which maintains airtightness of the storage chamber;a first magnet (31) in the gasket (20);a second magnet (32) inside a front (16) of the body (10) to face the first magnet (31); andat least one shield member (33) blocking surfaces of at least one of the first and second magnets (31,32) not facing the other magnet (32,31).
- The refrigerator as set forth in claim 1, wherein the shield member (33) is a metallic plate surrounding surfaces of the one magnet (31,32) not facing the remaining magnet (32,31).
- The refrigerator as set forth in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the shield member (33) blocks surfaces of the second magnet (32).
- The refrigerator as set forth in any preceding claim, wherein the shield member (33) blocks the north pole of the one magnet (31,32).
- The refrigerator as set forth in claim 1, wherein the front (16) of the body (10) is a non-magnetic substance.
- A refrigerator having a magnetic seal between a refrigerator door (14,15) and a refrigerator body (10), comprising:the body (10);the door (14,15), having a gasket (20) along an inside surface, which moves between an open and a closed position relative to the body (10);first and second magnets (31,32), within the gasket (20) and a front (16) of the body (10), respectively, which are attractive when the door (14,15) is closed; andat least one shield member (33) blocking surfaces of at least one of the first and second magnets (31,32) not facing the other magnet (32,31).
- The refrigerator as set forth in claim 6, wherein the shield member (33) is a metallic plate.
- The refrigerator as set forth in claim 6 or claim 7, wherein at least two shield members (33) block surfaces of the first and second magnets (31,32).
- The refrigerator as set forth in any one of claims 6-8, wherein the south pole of the first magnet (31) faces the north pole of the second magnet (32).
- The refrigerator as set forth in any one of claims 6-9, wherein the north pole of the first magnet (31) faces the south pole of the second magnet (32).
- The refrigerator as set forth in any one of claims 6-10, wherein the front (16) of the body (10) is a non-magnetic substance.
- A refrigerator having a magnetic seal between a refrigerator door (14,15) and a refrigerator body (10), comprising:a body (10);a door (14,15), having a gasket (20) along an inside surface, and which moves between an open and a closed position relative to the body (10);first and second magnets (31,32), within the gasket (20) and a front (16) of the body (10), which are attractive when the door (14,15) is closed; andat least one shield member (33), wherein the shield member (33) blocks lines of magnetic force extending from at least one magnet (31,32) which are substantially repulsive to the other magnet (32,31).
- The refrigerator as set forth in claim 12, wherein the shield member (33) is a metallic plate.
- The refrigerator as set forth in claim 12 or claim 13, wherein at least two shield members (33) block surfaces of the first and second magnets (31,32).
- The refrigerator as set forth in any one of claims 12-14, wherein the south pole of the first magnet (31) faces the north pole of the second magnet (32).
- The refrigerator as set forth in any one of claims 12-15, wherein the north pole of the first magnet (31) faces the south pole of the second magnet (32).
- The refrigerator as set forth in any one of claims 12-16, wherein the front (16) of the body (10) is a non-magnetic substance.
- A refrigerator having a storage chamber, comprising:a refrigerator body (10), including the storage chamber, coupled to a cooling system;a door (14,15) to move between open and closed positions relative to the storage chamber, respectively;first and second magnets (31,32) in the body (10) and the door (14,15), respectively, providing an airtight seal between the body (10) and the door (14,15); andat least one shield member (33) blocking surfaces of at least one of the first and second magnets (31,32) which are not facing the other magnet (32,31).
- The refrigerator as set forth in claim 18, wherein the shield member (33) is a metallic plate.
- The refrigerator as set forth in claim 18 or claim 19, wherein at least two shield members (33) block the surfaces of the first and second magnets (31,32).
- The refrigerator as set forth in any one of claims 18-20, wherein the south pole of the first magnet (31) faces the north pole of the second magnet (32).
- The refrigerator as set forth in any one of claims 18-21, wherein the north pole of the first magnet (31) faces the south pole of the second magnet (32).
- The refrigerator as set forth in any one of claims 18-22, wherein the front (16) of the body (10) is a non-magnetic substance.
- A refrigerator having a storage chamber, comprising:a refrigerator body (10), including the storage chamber, coupled to a cooling system;a door (14,15) able to occupy an open and a closed position relative to the storage chamber;first and second magnets (31,32) in the body (10) and the door (14,15), respectively, providing an airtight seal between the body (10) and the door (14,15); andat least one shield member (33), wherein the shield member (33) blocks lines of magnetic force extending from at least one magnet (31,32) which are repulsive to the other magnet (32,31).
- The refrigerator as set forth in claim 24, wherein the shield member (33) is a metallic plate.
- The refrigerator as set forth in claim 24 or claim 25, wherein two shield members (33) blocks surfaces of the first and second magnets (31,32).
- The refrigerator as set forth in any one of claims 24-26, wherein the south pole of the first magnet (31) faces the north pole of the second magnet (32).
- The refrigerator as set forth in any one of claims 24-27, wherein the north pole of the first magnet (31) faces the south pole of the second magnet (32).
- The refrigerator as set forth in any one of claims 24-28, wherein the front (16) of the body (10) is a non-magnetic substance.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
KR1020030019478A KR20040084418A (en) | 2003-03-28 | 2003-03-28 | Refrigerator |
KR2003019478 | 2003-03-28 |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
EP1462741A2 true EP1462741A2 (en) | 2004-09-29 |
EP1462741A3 EP1462741A3 (en) | 2005-10-12 |
Family
ID=32822762
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP03257021A Ceased EP1462741A3 (en) | 2003-03-28 | 2003-11-06 | A refrigerator having storage chambers |
Country Status (4)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US20040189165A1 (en) |
EP (1) | EP1462741A3 (en) |
KR (1) | KR20040084418A (en) |
CN (1) | CN1283969C (en) |
Cited By (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
WO2006120106A1 (en) | 2005-05-11 | 2006-11-16 | BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgeräte GmbH | Refrigerator comprising a plastic front frame |
CN101846430A (en) * | 2009-03-26 | 2010-09-29 | 株式会社东芝 | Refrigerator |
DE102011014985A1 (en) * | 2011-02-23 | 2012-10-11 | Liebherr-Hausgeräte Ochsenhausen GmbH | Cool and/or freezing apparatus for cooling or freezing goods, has support region partially or completely formed by inner container and/or by element that is arranged in or on support region of inner container |
WO2018164590A1 (en) | 2017-03-09 | 2018-09-13 | Fisher & Paykel Appliances Limited | Refrigeration appliance door-sealing arrangement |
Families Citing this family (7)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
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CN102997576B (en) * | 2012-12-17 | 2015-08-26 | 合肥美的电冰箱有限公司 | For door body and the refrigerator with this body of refrigerator |
JP6073199B2 (en) * | 2013-08-02 | 2017-02-01 | 日立アプライアンス株式会社 | refrigerator |
FR3042251B1 (en) * | 2015-10-13 | 2018-03-09 | L'air Liquide, Societe Anonyme Pour L'etude Et L'exploitation Des Procedes Georges Claude | MAGNETIC JOINT FOR CRYOGENIC MACHINES |
DE202015107063U1 (en) * | 2015-12-23 | 2017-03-27 | Rehau Ag + Co. | Profile arrangement, in particular for a refrigerator and / or freezer |
JP6320437B2 (en) * | 2016-02-26 | 2018-05-09 | 東芝ライフスタイル株式会社 | refrigerator |
CN107272079A (en) * | 2017-04-28 | 2017-10-20 | 青岛高智高新科技有限公司 | A kind of resistance to compression water-proof type hand-held marine locator |
CN112228626A (en) * | 2020-10-16 | 2021-01-15 | 王威朝 | Self-sensing compression type high-sealing straight-through gate valve |
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- 2003-03-28 KR KR1020030019478A patent/KR20040084418A/en active IP Right Grant
- 2003-11-03 CN CNB2003101047882A patent/CN1283969C/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 2003-11-06 EP EP03257021A patent/EP1462741A3/en not_active Ceased
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2004
- 2004-01-16 US US10/758,127 patent/US20040189165A1/en not_active Abandoned
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Cited By (7)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
WO2006120106A1 (en) | 2005-05-11 | 2006-11-16 | BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgeräte GmbH | Refrigerator comprising a plastic front frame |
US9885202B2 (en) | 2005-05-11 | 2018-02-06 | BSH Hausgeräte GmbH | Refrigerator comprising a plastic front frame |
CN101846430A (en) * | 2009-03-26 | 2010-09-29 | 株式会社东芝 | Refrigerator |
DE102011014985A1 (en) * | 2011-02-23 | 2012-10-11 | Liebherr-Hausgeräte Ochsenhausen GmbH | Cool and/or freezing apparatus for cooling or freezing goods, has support region partially or completely formed by inner container and/or by element that is arranged in or on support region of inner container |
WO2018164590A1 (en) | 2017-03-09 | 2018-09-13 | Fisher & Paykel Appliances Limited | Refrigeration appliance door-sealing arrangement |
EP3592927A4 (en) * | 2017-03-09 | 2021-01-06 | Fisher&Paykel Appliances Limited | Refrigeration appliance door-sealing arrangement |
US11112165B2 (en) | 2017-03-09 | 2021-09-07 | Fisher & Paykel Appliances Limited | Refrigeration appliance door-sealing arrangement |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
EP1462741A3 (en) | 2005-10-12 |
CN1283969C (en) | 2006-11-08 |
KR20040084418A (en) | 2004-10-06 |
US20040189165A1 (en) | 2004-09-30 |
CN1534262A (en) | 2004-10-06 |
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