IP Library Granted Patent US 12,372,295
Granted Patent B2
US 12,372,295 · App. 18/091,709 · Granted Jul 29, 2025

Refrigerator and home appliance

Inventor: Jonghwa Lee (Seoul, KR)
Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
F25D23/028F25D11/00F25D23/10F25D2323/02F25D2400/18
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,372,295
App. No.
18/091,709
Granted
Jul 29, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A appliance includes: a cabinet defining define a storage space, and a door configured to open and close the storage space. The door comprises a door body, a door panel defining a front surface of the door, a cap decoration defining a lower surface of the door body, and a bracket provided at a rear surface of the door panel and configured to be coupled to the cap decoration. The bracket comprises a buffer rib protruding from a first surface of the bracket and configured to, based on the bracket being coupled to the cap decoration, define a space between the bracket and the cap decoration.

Claims (53)

1. A appliance comprising:

a cabinet defining a storage space; and

a door configured to open and close the storage space,

wherein the door comprises:

a door body,

a door panel defining a front surface of the door,

a cap decoration defining a lower surface of the door body, and

a bracket provided at a rear surface of the door panel and configured to be coupled to the cap decoration,

wherein the cap decoration comprises:

a seating portion, and

a restriction portion protruding upward from the seating portion,

wherein the bracket comprises a mounting portion that defines a space configured to receive the restriction portion,

wherein the mounting portion comprises:

a body portion extending toward the seating portion along a rear side of the space, and

a buffer rib protruding downward from the body portion, and

wherein the buffer rib is configured to, based on the bracket being coupled to the cap decoration, contact the seating portion,

wherein the bracket includes an inclined portion that is inclined toward the door panel from a lower end of bracket,

wherein the cap decoration includes a decoration inclined portion that faces the inclined portion,

wherein the bracket includes a round portion at a first end of the inclined portion, and

wherein the round portion is configured to define at least a portion of the front surface of the door.

2. The appliance according to claim 1 , wherein the cap decoration defines a recess and provides the seating portion at the recess.

3. The appliance according to claim 2 , wherein the body portion is spaced apart from a front surface of the bracket, and

wherein the mounting portion further comprises:

a connecting portion extending from both side ends of the body portion toward the front surface of the door, and

an opening into which the restriction portion is inserted.

4. The appliance according to claim 3 , the body portion is configured to, based on the restriction portion being inserted into the mounting portion, be spaced apart from the seating portion.

5. The appliance according to claim 3 , wherein the mounting portion extends along a left and right direction in which the body portion extends and includes a hook protrusion protruding toward the cap decoration, and

wherein the hook protrusion is configured to, based on the bracket being coupled to the cap decoration, contact a front surface of the cap decoration.

6. The appliance according to claim 5 , wherein the bracket includes a partition portion disposed inside the mounting portion and connecting the front surface of the bracket to the body portion.

7. The appliance according to claim 1 , wherein the bracket includes:

a coupling part configured to be coupled to the door panel at a front side of the door panel, and

an accommodation groove recessed at a first end of the coupling part and including a plurality of ribs arranged in a left-right direction in which the bracket extends.

8. The appliance according to claim 7 , wherein the door panel is recessed at a first end to define a bending portion configured to be inserted between the accommodation groove and the buffer rib.

9. The appliance according to claim 1 , wherein the bracket further includes a bracket rib protruding rearward from a rear surface of the bracket and extending in a direction in which the mounting portion extends.

10. The appliance according to claim 1 , wherein the door comprises:

an upper bracket disposed at the rear surface of the door panel and providing a mounting protrusion that protrudes rearward,

an upper cap decoration providing a protrusion accommodation portion that defines an opening at a front side to receive the mounting protrusion, and

a decoration cover mounted on an upper portion of the upper cap decoration to define an outer surface of the upper cap decoration, and

wherein the decoration cover is mounted in a direction crossing an insertion direction of the mounting protrusion to block the protrusion accommodation portion and the mounting protrusion from being separated from each other.

11. The appliance according to claim 10 , wherein the upper cap decoration defines a decoration opening, and

wherein a shape of the decoration cover corresponds to the decoration opening.

12. The appliance according to claim 11 , wherein the decoration cover includes a pair of restriction portions extending to an inside of the decoration opening, and

wherein the pair of restriction portions are configured to block the protrusion accommodation portion and the mounting protrusion from being separated from each other.

13. The appliance according to claim 12 , wherein the mounting protrusion is configured to, based on the mounting protrusion inserting into the protrusion accommodation portion, elastically deform the protrusion accommodation portion in a direction crossing the insertion direction of the mounting protrusion, and

wherein the pair of restriction portion are configured to contact an outer surface of the protrusion accommodation portion so as to block the elastic deformation of the protrusion accommodation portion.

14. The appliance according to claim 13 , wherein the protrusion accommodation portion includes a pair of accommodation members that extend forward and that are spaced apart from each other at an interval through which the mounting protrusion is inserted.

15. The appliance according to claim 14 , wherein the mounting protrusion comprises:

an extension portion extending rearward from a rear surface of the bracket, and

an insertion portion disposed at an end of the extension portion and having a width greater than a thickness of the extension portion so as to be inserted between the pair of accommodation members.

16. The appliance according to claim 15 , wherein the insertion portion has a width that gradually decreases as the insertion portion protrudes rearward.

17. The appliance according to claim 15 , wherein each of the pair of accommodation members comprises:

an inlet portion (i) configured to define an opening configured to receive the insertion portion and (ii) extending outward as the inlet portion extends forward, and

a fixing portion disposed at a rear end of the inlet portion and having a shape corresponding to an outer surface of the insertion portion to surround the outer surface of the insertion portion.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 27, 2023
From: LEE, JONGHWA
To: LG ELECTRONICS INC.
Reel/Frame 063467/0483 →
Priority Claims (2)
KR 10-2021-0194293 · Dec 31, 2021 · national
KR 10-2021-0194298 · Dec 31, 2021 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20230213270A1 · Jul 6, 2023
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