METAL MEMBER FOR HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCE AND HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCE

Abstract

A metal member for a household appliance includes a first surface and a second surface connected to each other. The second surface is inclined with respect to the first surface, and the second surface has a reflectivity higher than that of the first surface. A household appliance having the metal member is also provided.

Claims

1. A metal member for a household appliance, the metal member comprising: a first surface and a second surface being connected to each other; said second surface being inclined relative to said first surface, and said second surface having a reflectivity higher than a reflectivity of said first surface.

2. The metal member according to claim 1, which further comprises a groove extending along a length direction of the metal member, said second surface being located in said groove.

3. The metal member according to claim 2, wherein said second surface includes two sub-surfaces in mirror symmetry with each other.

4. The metal member according to claim 3, wherein said two sub-surfaces form an angle of 120° between said two sub-surfaces.

5. The metal member according to claim 2, which further comprises a mark disposed on said first surface, said mark being disposed on one side of one end of said groove and said groove extending toward said mark.

6. The metal member according to claim 1, wherein said second surface extends in an edge area of the metal member along a length direction of the metal member.

7. The metal member according to claim 1, wherein a surface roughness of said second surface is less than a surface roughness of said first surface, said surface roughness of said second surface is not greater than 0.4 μm, and said surface roughness of said first surface is greater than 0.1 mm.

8. The metal member according to claim 1, wherein the metal member is elongated, said first surface extends along an entire length of the metal member, and said second surface extends along an entire or partial length of the metal member.

9. A household appliance, comprising a metal member according to claim 1.

10. The household appliance according to claim 9, which further comprises: a front of the household appliance; a panel located at said front of the household appliance, said panel having an edge area and at least one edge; said metal member being disposed on said edge area of said panel; and said metal member extending along said at least one edge of said panel.

11. The household appliance according to claim 10, wherein said panel has a notch matching an outer contour of said metal member, and said metal member is embedded in said notch.

12. The household appliance according to claim 9, wherein said first surface extends in a direction perpendicular to a horizontal plane, and said second surface is inclined backward from said first surface.

13. The household appliance according to claim 10, wherein said panel has a front surface, and said first surface is flush with said front surface of said panel.

14. The household appliance according to claim 9, which further comprises a light emitting module, said metal member being disposed close enough to said light emitting module to permit said second surface to be adapted for reflecting light emitted from said light emitting module.

15. The household appliance according to claim 14, wherein said second surface is closer than said first surface to said light emitting module.

16. The household appliance according to claim 9, which further comprises: a first door and a second door being adjacent to each other; said metal member being disposed along a side of said first door in a vicinity of said second door; said second door being provided with a light emitting module on a side of said second door in a vicinity of said first door; and said second surface being closer than said first surface to said second door.

17. The household appliance according to claim 9, which further comprises: a third door and a fourth door being adjacent to each other and defining a gap between said third door and said fourth door; said metal member being disposed along a side of said third door in a vicinity of said gap; and said second surface being closer than said first surface to said gap.

18. The household appliance according to claim 9, which further comprises: a fifth door and a sixth door being adjacent to each other; said metal member being disposed on said fifth door; another metal member being disposed on said sixth door and having first and second surfaces; and said metal member disposed on said fifth door and said metal member disposed on said sixth door being flush with each other causing said second surfaces of said fifth and sixth doors to extend in an identical direction.

19. The household appliance according to claim 9, which further comprises: a handle slot having a front side; a grip portion located on said front side of said handle slot; said metal member being located at said grip portion and extending along said handle slot; and said second surface being closer than said first surface to said handle slot.

20. The household appliance according to claim 9, which further comprises a door extending along a vertical direction and having a middle part and an upper part, said metal member being disposed on at least one of said middle part or said upper part of said door.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

[0041] FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic, front-elevational view of a metal member according to an embodiment of the invention;

[0042] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 1 taken along a line A-A, in the direction of the arrows;

[0043] FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of an area B in FIG. 2;

[0044] FIG. 4 is a front-elevational view of a metal member according to another embodiment of the invention;

[0045] FIG. 5 is a front-elevational view of a metal member according to another embodiment of the invention;

[0046] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 5 taken along a line B-B, in the direction of the arrows;

[0047] FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of an area C in FIG. 6;

[0048] FIG. 8 is a diagrammatic, partial view of a household appliance according to an embodiment of the invention;

[0049] FIG. 9 is a partial cross-sectional view of a household appliance according to an embodiment of the invention;

[0050] FIG. 10 is a diagrammatic view of a household appliance according to another embodiment of the invention; and

[0051] FIG. 11 is a diagrammatic, partial view of a household appliance according to another embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0052] A detailed description is provided below in conjunction with embodiments, for a further understanding of the objectives, structures, features and functions of the invention.

[0053] Referring now to the figures of the drawings in detail and first, particularly, to FIGS. 1-3 thereof, it is seen that FIG. 1 is a front view of a metal member according to an embodiment of the invention; FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 1 taken along a line A-A; and FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of an area B in FIG. 2.

[0054] This embodiment relates to a metal member 10 for a household appliance, including a first surface 100 and a second surface 200 connected to each other.

[0055] The second surface 200 is inclined with respect to the first surface 100, and the second surface 200 has a reflectivity higher than that of the first surface 100. The reflectivity of the second surface 200 is equal to or close to a reflectivity of a mirror surface, so as to reflect light irradiated on the metal member to provide the second surface 200 with a bright light effect, thereby achieving a bright light decoration effect similar to an electrified light source.

[0056] A surface roughness of the second surface 200 of the metal member 10 of this embodiment is less than a surface roughness of the first surface 100. The surface roughness of the second surface 200 is not greater than 0.4 μm, and the surface roughness of the first surface 100 is greater than 0.1 mm. In this embodiment, the surface roughness of the second surface 200 is 0.1 μm, and the surface roughness of the first surface 100 is 0.15 mm.

[0057] In this embodiment, the first surface 100 is a surface having a line pattern formed by a metal wire drawing process. The second surface 200 is a surface formed by metal cutting.

[0058] As shown in FIG. 1, the metal member 10 is elongated. The first surface 100 extends along an entire length of the metal member 10. The second surface 200 extends along a partial length of the metal member 10.

[0059] As shown in FIG. 2, the first surface 100 of this embodiment extends along a plane.

[0060] The metal member 10 of this embodiment includes a groove 11 extending along a length direction of the metal member 10, where the second surface 200 is located in the groove 11.

[0061] As shown in FIG. 3, the second surface 200 includes two sub-surfaces 200a and 200b in mirror symmetry with each other. An angle formed between the sub-surface 200a and the sub-surface 200b is 120°. The sub-surface 200a and the sub-surface 200b respectively extend along two planes. The two sub-surfaces are connected or close to each other so that the groove 11 is a groove having a V-shaped cross-section.

[0062] The metal member 10 of this embodiment is made of aluminum, and has a width of 30 mm. A width W1 of the groove 11 is 3.5 mm.

[0063] Next, referring to FIG. 4, it is seen that FIG. 4 is a front view of a metal member according to another embodiment of the invention. Structures in this embodiment that are the same as or similar to those in the foregoing embodiment are denoted by same or similar reference numerals, and have the same or similar functions or effects, so that the details will not be repeated herein. A difference from the foregoing embodiment is that the metal member 10 of this embodiment further includes a mark 12 disposed on the first surface 100, where the mark 12 is shown as a “Logo” in FIG. 4. In fact, the mark 12 may be a trademark, a brand logo, a pattern, or the like. The mark 12 is disposed on one side of one end of the groove 11 so that the groove 11 extends toward the mark 12.

[0064] Next, referring to FIG. 5 to FIG. 7, it is seen that FIG. 5 is a front view of a metal member according to another embodiment of the invention; FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 5 taken along a line B-B; and FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of an area C in FIG. 6. Structures in this embodiment that are the same as or similar to those in the foregoing embodiment are denoted by the same or similar reference numerals, and have the same or similar functions or effects, so that the details will not be repeated herein. A difference from the foregoing embodiment, is that in this embodiment, the second surface 200 extends along the entire length of the metal member 10. Moreover, the second surface 200 extends in an edge area of the metal member 10 along the length direction of the metal member 10. The second surface 200 extends along a plane. An angle formed between the first surface 100 and the second surface 200 is 159°.

[0065] A width H of the metal member of this embodiment is 30 mm. A width W2 of the second surface 200 is 6.4 mm. Certainly, in another embodiment, the width of the metal member may also be 20 mm.

[0066] The metal member 10 of this embodiment is disposed on a surface of the household appliance by pasting. As shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, a surface of the metal member opposite to the first surface 100 is provided with a glue 13.

[0067] Next, an embodiment of the invention relating to a household appliance is introduced. Referring to FIG. 8, it is seen that FIG. 8 is a diagrammatic, partial view of a household appliance according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0068] The household appliance of this embodiment is a refrigerator. The household appliance 1 includes a panel 2 located in the front of the household appliance 1 and a metal member 10 described in the above embodiment. The metal member 10 is disposed on an edge area of the panel 2, and the metal member 10 extends along at least one edge of the panel 2.

[0069] The panel 2 has a notch 210 matching an outer contour of the metal member 10, where the metal member 10 is embedded in the notch 210. Therefore, the metal member 10 fills up part of the notch 210 so that the other part of the notch 210 forms an opening 211 for a person to put a hand into. A person puts a hand into the notch 210 through the opening 211 to hold a grip portion 31, so as to open or close a door. The metal member 10 is disposed on the grip portion 31. Reference is made to FIG. 9 for details of a related structure.

[0070] FIG. 9 is a partial cross-sectional view of a household appliance according to an embodiment of the invention. The household appliance 1 includes a handle slot 30 and the grip portion 31 located on a front side of the handle slot 30. The metal member 10 is located at the grip portion 31 and extends along the handle slot 30, and the second surface 200 is closer to the handle slot 30 than the first surface 100.

[0071] The first surface 100 extends in a direction perpendicular to a horizontal plane, that is, the first surface 100 extends vertically. The first surface 100 is flush with a front surface 2a of the panel 2.

[0072] The second surface 200 is inclined backward from the first surface 100. To be specific, the second surface 200 is inclined backward and upward from the first surface 100 (shown in FIG. 9). Therefore, the second surface 200 is closer to the handle slot 30 than the first surface 100. Such a configuration enables the second surface 200 to better reflect light to form an elongated bright strip, so as to prompt the position of the handle slot 30 to the user. Because the grip portion 31 is located in the front of the handle slot 30, the handle slot 30 is shielded.

[0073] Referring to FIG. 8 again, in an embodiment of the invention, the household appliance 1 further includes a light emitting module 220, where the metal member 10 is disposed close to the light emitting module 220 so that the second surface 200 is adapted for reflecting light emitted from the light emitting module 220. The second surface 200 is closer to the light emitting module 220 than the first surface 100 is. Therefore, the second surface 200 may be brighter.

[0074] In this embodiment, the household appliance 1 includes a first door 21 and a second door 22 adjacent to each other, where the metal member 10 is disposed along a side of the first door 21 close to the second door 22. The second door 22 is provided with a light emitting module 220 on a side thereof close to the first door 21, and the second surface 200 is closer than the first surface 100 to the second door 22. In this way, the possibility that light is blocked from arriving at the second surface 200 is reduced, thereby improving the brightness of the second surface 200.

[0075] In another embodiment of a household appliance of the invention, as shown in FIG. 10, it is seen that FIG. 10 is a diagrammatic view of a household appliance according to another embodiment of the invention. The household appliance 1 includes a third door 23 and a fourth door 24 adjacent to each other. One of the third door 23 and the fourth door 24 is configured to uncover or cover a refrigerating space, and the other one of the third door 23 and the fourth door 24 is configured to uncover or cover a freezing space. In this embodiment, the third door 23 is configured to uncover or cover the freezing space, and the fourth door 24 is configured to uncover or cover the refrigerating space. The metal member 10 is disposed along a side of the third door 23 close to the fourth door 24, and the second surface 200 is closer than the first surface 100 to the fourth door 24. Therefore, a bright light effect formed by the metal member 10 visually distinguishes the refrigerating space and the freezing space.

[0076] In this embodiment, a gap P is formed between the third door 23 and the fourth door 24. The metal member 10 is disposed along a side of the third door 23 close to the gap P, and the second surface 200 is closer than the first surface 100 to the gap P. The gap P forms a dark area, which produces a contrast against the second surface 200, to make the bright light effect of the second surface 200 more prominent.

[0077] Referring to FIG. 11, it is seen that FIG. 11 is a diagrammatic, partial view of a household appliance according to another embodiment of the invention.

[0078] The household appliance 1 includes a fifth door 25 and a sixth door 26 adjacent to each other, where one metal member 10 is disposed on a bottom side of the fifth door 25, and one metal member 10 is disposed on a bottom side of the sixth door 26. The second surface 200 of the metal member 10 disposed on the fifth door 25 extends along a partial length of the metal member 10. The second surface 200 of the metal member 10 disposed on the sixth door 26 extends along the entire length of the metal member 10.

[0079] Moreover, the metal member 10 disposed on the fifth door 25 and the metal member 10 disposed on the sixth door 26 are flush with each other so that the second surfaces 200 extend in the same direction. Therefore, in terms of the visual effect, the bright light effect formed by the second surface 200 extends from the bottom side of the fifth door 25 to the bottom side of the sixth door 26.

[0080] As can be seen from the embodiments shown in FIG. 8 to FIG. 11, the metal member 10 is disposed on a middle part and/or an upper part of the door.

[0081] Various embodiments of individual components illustrated with reference to FIG. 1 to FIG. 11 may be combined with each other in any given manner to realize the advantages of the invention.

[0082] The invention has been described by the foregoing related embodiments, but the foregoing embodiments are only examples for implementing the invention. It is to be pointed out that the disclosed embodiments do not limit the scope of the invention. On the contrary, changes and modifications made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention fall within the protection scope of the invention.

[0083] The following is a summary list of reference numerals and the corresponding structure used in the above description of the invention: [0084] 1—household appliance; [0085] 2—panel; [0086] 2a—front surface; [0087] 10—metal member; [0088] 11—groove; [0089] 12—mark; [0090] 13—glue; [0091] 21—first door; [0092] 22—second door; [0093] 23—third door; [0094] 24—fourth door; [0095] 25—fifth door; [0096] 26—sixth door; [0097] 30—handle slot; [0098] 31—grip portion; [0099] 100—first surface; [0100] 200—second surface; [0101] 200a, 200b—sub-surface; [0102] 210—notch; [0103] 211—opening; [0104] 220—light emitting module; [0105] P—gap.