IP Library Granted Patent US 10,345,037
Granted Patent B2
US 10,345,037 · App. 15/652,935 · Granted Jul 9, 2019

Refrigerator

Inventors: Po Cheon Kim (Suwon-si, KR); Sun Hwan Joo (Suwon-si, KR); Sung Mo Kim (Seoul, KR); Youn Tae Shin (Suwon-si, KR); Sang Cheol Lee (Bucheon-si, KR); Oun Gu Lee (Seoul, KR); Woo Chul Cho (Suwon-si, KR)
Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
F25D29/005F25D23/028F25D23/12F25D29/008F25D2323/022F25D2400/36F25D2400/361
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,345,037
App. No.
15/652,935
Granted
Jul 9, 2019
Kind
B2
Abstract

A refrigerator includes a speaker assembly disposed on an upper side of the cabinet so as to be inclined forward, and the speaker assembly is disposed to be exposed to the outside to efficiently transmit sound to the outside of the refrigerator. Further, the cover member disposed on the upper side of the speaker assembly may prevent the penetration of water, foreign matter, etc. on the outside. The refrigerator also includes a rotatable USB port located above the door so that the user may easily connect the USB device to the USB port.

Claims (32)

1. A refrigerator comprising:

a cabinet;

a storage compartment formed inside of the cabinet; and

a door rotatably coupled to the cabinet to open or close the storage compartment, the door having

a front panel,

a rear portion disposed on an opposite side of the front panel,

side panels to connect the front panel to the rear portion,

a recess portion formed on one of the side panels, and

a Universal Serial Bus (USB) connector provided in the recess portion, the USB connector comprising a USB port and a rotating member configured to rotate the USB connector with respect to the recess portion,

wherein the USB connector is configured to rotate, along an axis of rotation substantially perpendicular to the front panel, between a first position and a second position so that when the USB connector is rotated to the first position to open an inside of the recess portion, the USB port is exposed and available for connection, and when the USB connector is rotated to the second position to close the inside of the recess portion, the USB port is not available for connection.

2. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein

the recess portion is recessed from a surface of the one of the sides thereby having an opening.

3. The refrigerator of claim 2 , wherein

the USB connector comprises an opening/closing portion configured to open or close the opening by a rotation of the rotating member, and

the opening/closing portion opens the opening when the rotating member rotates to the first position and the opening/closing portion closes the opening when the rotating member rotates to the second position.

4. The refrigerator of claim 3 , wherein

the USB connector further comprises a stopper configured to limit a rotation of the rotating member.

5. The refrigerator of claim 3 , wherein the USB port is provided to be located outside the opening by the rotation of the rotating member when the rotating member is rotated to the first position.

6. The refrigerator of claim 3 , further comprising:

a display mounted on the door to provide a user interface for functions of the refrigerator; and

a switch electrically connected to the display and disposed inside the recess portion.

7. The refrigerator of claim 6 , wherein the switch is disposed on the rotating member and rotates in conjunction with the rotating member.

8. The refrigerator of claim 2 , further comprising:

a speaker assembly disposed on an upper surface of the cabinet to be inclined with respect to the upper surface of the cabinet; and

a cover member slidably disposed above the speaker assembly to cover the speaker assembly,

wherein the speaker assembly is selectively exposed to the outside of the refrigerator by sliding the cover member.

9. The refrigerator of claim 4 , wherein the stopper limits the rotation of the rotating member so that the an angle between the first position and the second position is less than or equal to 100 degrees.

10. A refrigerator comprising:

a cabinet including a storage compartment having an opening; and

a door rotatably connected to the cabinet to open and close the opening of the storage compartment, and including a recess and a rotating member configured to rotate into and out of the recess on an axis of rotation perpendicular to a front surface of the door,

wherein the front surface of the door is parallel to a front of the opening when the door is closed, and

wherein the rotating member includes a Universal Serial Bus port that is exposed when the rotating member is rotated out of the recess and covered when the rotating member is rotated into the recess.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 20, 2017
From: KIM, PO CHEON; JOO, SUN HWAN; KIM, SUNG MO; SHIN, YOUN TAE; LEE, SANG CHEOL; LEE, OUN GU; CHO, WOO CHUL
To: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 043050/0163 →
Priority Claims (1)
KR 10-2016-0096485 · Jul 28, 2016 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20180031312A1 · Feb 1, 2018
Cited By (1)
US 12,329,278