Refrigerator with dispenser

Abstract

A refrigerator contains a dispenser for ice and/or liquid. A dispenser housing covers an opening in an outer shell of the refrigerator. The dispenser housing delimits a dispenser recess that extends outward and upward over an upper edge of the opening and is assembled from at least one main part, which extends from a lower edge of the opening over a rear wall to a front edge of a ceiling of the dispenser housing, and a filling part, which extends from the front edge to an upper edge of the opening.

Claims

1. A refrigerator, comprising: an outer shell having an opening formed therein; and a dispenser for at least one of ice or liquid and having a dispenser housing covering said opening in said outer shell of the refrigerator, said dispenser housing delimiting a dispenser recess extending outward and upward over an upper edge of said opening, said dispenser housing being assembled from a main part having a rear wall, opposing side walls and a ceiling with a front edge, said main part extending from a lower edge of said opening along said rear wall to said front edge of said ceiling of said dispenser housing, said side opposing side walls each having a respective front edge with a flange extending there along, said opposing sidewalls each have a respective cutout in an upper front corner thereof, said flanges terminating at said cutout, said dispenser housing further having a filling part extending behind said outer shell from said front edge of said ceiling to said upper edge of said opening, said filling part having a web and a wall panel offset from said web, said web being flush with said flanges and extending between said flanges, said filling part having releasable attachments to said main part at said sidewalls and at said front edge of said ceiling.

2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, further comprising an operating component mounted in said dispenser housing adjacent to said upper edge of said opening.

3. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein said wall panel delimits said dispenser recess and is separated from said outer shell by a gap.

4. The refrigerator according to claim 3, wherein said web is a plurality of webs that extend to said outer shell.

5. The refrigerator according to claim 4, wherein one of said webs extends over an entire width of said wall panel and divides said gap into an upper, open-ended section and a lower section bounded on all sides.

6. The refrigerator according to claim 3, further comprising foam and said gap is at least partially filled with said foam.

7. The refrigerator according to claim 6, wherein said filling part has a ventilation passage leading into said dispenser recess.

8. The refrigerator according to claim 7, further comprising a mandrel projecting from said wall panel into said gap, said ventilation passage extends inside said mandrel.

9. The refrigerator according to claim 3, further comprising foam and said gap is at least partially filled with said foam.

10. The refrigerator according to claim 3, wherein a prefabricated insulation body is inserted into said gap.

11. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein said wall panel has a convex side facing said gap.

12. The refrigerator according to claim 1, further comprising holding brackets carried by said wall panel, said holding brackets engaging said sidewalls.

13. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein: said filling part has a groove formed therein; and said outer shell has an edge strip angled on said upper edge of said opening and engages into said groove of said filling part.

14. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein: said main part has a groove formed therein; and said outer shell has an edge strip angled on a lateral or lower edge of said opening and said edge strip is accommodated in said groove of said main part.

15. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein said main part and said filling part are connected by means of a tongue-and-groove joint.

16. The refrigerator according to claim 15, wherein an insertion direction of said tongue-and-groove joint is perpendicular to said outer shell.

17. The refrigerator according to claim 15, wherein: said filling part has a tongue; said main part has a linear groove formed therein; and said outer shell has an edge strip accommodated in said linear groove in a lower area and said tongue of said filling part is accommodated in an upper area of said linear groove.

18. The refrigerator according to claim 15, wherein said tongue-and-groove joint has a tongue and a groove formed therein, one of said tongue and said groove of said tongue-and-groove joint is formed on a side of said wall panel that faces away from said outer shell.

19. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein said wall panel delimits said dispenser recess and is separated from said outer shell by a gap, said gap is narrowest in a middle of the gap and widens toward both said opposing sidewalls.

20. A refrigerator, comprising: an outer shell having an opening formed therein; and a dispenser for at least one of ice or liquid and having a dispenser housing covering said opening in said outer shell of the refrigerator, said dispenser housing delimiting a dispenser recess extending outward and upward over an upper edge of the said opening, said dispenser housing being assembled from a main part having a rear wall, opposing side walls and a ceiling with a front edge, said main part extending from a lower edge of said opening along said rear wall to said front edge of said ceiling of said dispenser housing, said dispenser housing further having a filling part extending behind said outer shell from said front edge to said upper edge of said opening, said filling part having a wall panel delimiting said dispenser recess and being separated from said outer shell by a gap, said wall panel having a convex side being convex between said opposing sidewalls on a side facing said gap said gap being narrowest in a middle of the gap and widening toward both said opposing sidewalls.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

(1) FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic, perspective, external view of a refrigerator with a dispenser according to the invention;

(2) FIG. 2 is an exploded, perspective view of a main part and two different filling parts of a dispenser housing according to a first embodiment;

(3) FIG. 3 is a perspective, enlarged partial view of the main part of FIG. 2 and an inserted filling part;

(4) FIG. 4 is a schematic sectional view through the door of a refrigerator according to the first embodiment with a small operating component;

(5) FIG. 5 is a schematic sectional view through the door of a the first embodiment with a large operating component;

(6) FIG. 6 is a vertical sectional view through the upper edge of the opening in the outer shell of the door and the area surrounding it according to the first embodiment;

(7) FIG. 7 is a horizontal sectional view through a lateral edge of the opening in the outer shell of the door at the level of the filling part according to the first embodiment;

(8) FIG. 8 is a horizontal sectional view through the lateral edge of the opening at the level of the operating component;

(9) FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a dispenser housing according to a second embodiment;

(10) FIG. 10 is a vertical sectional view through the upper edge of the opening in the outer shell of the door and the area surrounding it according to the second embodiment; and

(11) FIG. 11 is a partial horizontal cross sectional view of the refrigerator door at the level of the filling part according to the second embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(12) Referring now to the figures of the drawings in detail and first, particularly to FIG. 1 thereof, there is shown a perspective external view of a refrigerator 1 with a dispenser 2 according to the present invention. The refrigerator 1 shown here is a combination appliance with double doors 3, 4, which together close a contiguous storage area, or which each close their own storage area, and a storage area formed below the double doors as a drawer 5. The dispenser 2 is flush-mounted into the door 3 in a manner that is known per se. For this purpose an opening 7, behind which a dispenser housing 8 is installed, is cut into a metallic outer shell 6 of the door 3. The dispenser housing 8 surrounds a dispenser recess, in which a receptacle to be filled with ice or water can be placed. An upper area of the opening 7 is occupied by an operating component 9, which, in the usual way, has buttons or other control elements (not shown in FIG. 1) for controlling the output of ice and/or water by the dispenser 2 and/or an operating status indicator. The operating component 9 conceals outlets for ice and water in an upper area of the dispenser recess. A filler tube 47, which is partially visible below the operating component 9, marks the position in which a receptacle can be placed for filling. Outlets for ice and water are arranged in a manner that is known per se above the filler tube 47 in such a way that dispensed ice only touches the inner surfaces of the filler tube on the way to the receptacle, and a dispensed water stream passes freely through the filler tube 47 without touching it. An operating paddle 10 on a rear wall of the dispenser housing 8 can be activated by the receptacle placed in the recess, in order to dispense ice or water into the receptacle.

(13) FIG. 2 shows a deconstructed perspective view of a main part 11 and two different filling parts 12, 13, which may optionally be assembled with the main part 11 to form the complete dispenser housing 8 according to a first embodiment of the invention. The main part 11 is essentially shaped as a cuboid with the front side open. Front edges 14 of side walls 15 and a floor plate 16 of the main part 11 extend in the same vertical plane and are each provided with a groove 17 that opens to the front.

(14) A front edge 18 of a ceiling 19 of the main part 11 is recessed against this plane. It is likewise provided with a groove 20 that is open toward the front. A passage is made in a vertex 21 of the ceiling 19, through which, in the fully assembled appliance, a water conduit is extended to an outlet in the upper area of the dispenser housing 8, above the filler tube 47. In an inclined wall section between the ceiling 19 and a rear wall 22, a hole 23 can be seen, which will form the outlet of an ice chute, as well as projections 24 for fastening a pivoting flap for closing the hole 23 when it is not in use.

(15) The two filling parts 12, 13 are identical in terms of their construction; they differ only in the height at which they are located. A ridge 26, 27, 28 protrudes respectively along the lateral edges and the lower edge of a side of a vertical wall panel 25 facing toward the observer; a further ridge 29 parallel to the lower edge links lateral ridges 26, 27. As can be seen more clearly in FIGS. 4, 5 and 6, a groove 30 is made in the edge of the lower ridge 28 facing toward the observer. A tongue 31 protrudes from an upper edge of the wall panel 25 on the side facing away from the observer. The function of a ventilation mandrel 34, which protrudes from the wall panel above the ridge 29, will be explained later.

(16) The ridges 26, 27 are widened into a flange 32 on their edge facing toward the observer, from the rear side of which a tongue 33 in turn protrudes.

(17) FIG. 3 is an enlarged view showing an upper area of the main part 11 and the filling part 12 joined to the main part 11 by the interlocking of the tongues and grooves in a direction perpendicular to the outer shell 6 and to the wall panel 25. The tongue 31 has disappeared into the groove 20 on the front edge 18 of the ceiling 19; the tongues 33 engage into the grooves 17 of the side walls 15. The interlocking can easily be seen here particularly on an angled upper end of the ridge 26. The flanges 32 and the vertices of the ridges 28, 29 are located on a plane with the front edges 14 of the side walls 15.

(18) FIG. 4 shows a vertical section through the dispenser housing 8 already installed in the door 3. An edge strip 35, 36 of the outer shell 6 on the upper and lower edge of the opening 7 is angled in each case toward the interior of the door. The lower edge strip 36 engages into the groove 17 at the front edge of the floor plate 16. The upper edge strip 35 engages into the groove 30 of the ridge 28. A gap 37 between the wall panel 25 and the outer shell 6 above the opening 7 is divided by the ridge 29 into an upper section 38 open at the top and a lower section 39 enclosed on all sides. When, following the installation of the dispenser housing 8 and the joining of the outer shell 6 to an inner wall (not shown) of the door 3, the cavity thus obtained is filled with foam, the foam can thus penetrate unimpeded from above into the upper section 38; to reach the lower section 39, however, is only possible if the ridge 29 does not rest closely against the outer shell 6 along its entire length. Any leakage of foam is precluded both on the upper edge of the wall panel 25 by the tongue 31 being engaged in the groove 20 and on its lower edge by the edge strip 35 being engaged in the groove 30.

(19) The operating component 9 is installed directly below the ridge 28 and closes the opening 7 above an edge 40.

(20) FIG. 5 shows a section analogous to FIG. 4 through a dispenser housing with an operating component 41, the installation level of which is ?h higher than that of the operating component 9. The level of the opening 7 in the outer shell 6 is likewise increased by ?h; in contrast the distance between the groove 30 and the tongue 31 on the filling part 13 is ?h smaller than on the filling part 12, so that the useful level of the opening 7, between the edge 40 and the edge strip 36, is the same as in FIG. 4. The main part 11 is the same in both figures.

(21) FIG. 6 shows a further enlarged detail from FIG. 4. Narrow passages 42 can be seen here in the ventilation mandrel 34, which extend from a front surface 43 of the ventilation mandrel 34 opposite and at a short distance from the outer shell, through the wall panel 25 and into the dispenser recess. The air enclosed in the upper section 38 of the gap 37 can escape via these passages 42 while the foam is penetrating into the upper section 38. The small gap between the front surface 43 and the outer shell 6 ensures that the foam only advances to the front surface 43 when the ventilation mandrel 34 is completely surrounded by foam. The cross-section of the passages 42 is even smaller in comparison to the gap between front surface 43 and outer shell 6; if it is at or below the same order of magnitude as the bubble size of the foam, the foam cannot pass through the passages 42.

(22) The pressure of the foam may cause the outer shell 6 to be pushed away from the ridge 29 slightly. To prevent the foam from penetrating over the ridge 29 and into the lower section 39, the latter can be filled in advance by insertion of a preformed insulation body 44, e.g. made from expanded polystyrene; it may however already be sufficient if the gap between the ridge 29 and the outer shell 6 is narrow enough to inhibit the penetration of the foam so that the quantity of foam passing through to constrict the gap is too small to fill the lower section 39.

(23) FIG. 7 shows a horizontal section through the lateral ridge 26 and a section of the wall panel 25 of the filling part 12. The flange 32 and the front edge 14 of the side wall 15 rest against the outer shell 6. A latching projection 45 can be formed on the tongue 33, which securely interlocks the filling part 12 in the groove 17.

(24) FIG. 8 shows a further horizontal section at the level of the opening 7 and of the operating component 9. As on the upper and lower edge of the opening, an edge strip 46 is also angled inwardly toward the interior of the door 3 on each of the lateral edges. The edge strip 46 engages into a lower area of the same groove 17, the upper area of which is filled by the tongue 32 of the filling part 12 as shown in FIG. 7. The length of the section of the groove 17, which is filled by one or the other, varies depending on the level of the opening 7 and of the filling part 12 or 13.

(25) FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a dispenser housing 108 according to a second embodiment of the invention. Generally, reference numerals of components of the second embodiment are derived from their counterparts in the first embodiment by adding 100. The housing 108 contains a main part 111 and a filling part 112. Similar to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the main part 111 has an approximately cuboid shape containing substantially flat rear and side walls 122, 115, 115, a floor plate 116 and a ceiling 119, and a front edge 118 of the ceiling 119 is recessed with respect to front edges 114 of the side walls 115 and of the floor plate 116. The front edges 114 contain a groove 117 that is to accommodate angled edge strips 46 of outer shell 6 extending along lower and lateral edges of opening 7, as shown in FIG. 8, and flanges 149 that rest on an inner side of outer shell 6 when the dispenser housing is mounted in an appliance door 3.

(26) A cutout 148 is formed in an upper front corner of each sidewall 115, so that the flanges 149 and grooves 117 do not extend up to the ceiling 119 but only along a lower portion of the sidewalls 115.

(27) The filling part 112 contains an upright wall panel 125. The wall panel 125 can be cylindrically curved, with a convex side facing the outer shell 6, so that a gap 137 (see FIG. 11) between the outer shell 6 and the wall panel 125 is narrowest in the middle of the gap 137 and widens to both sides, approaching the cutouts 148.

(28) The gap 137 is open at both sides and at the top, along front edge 118. At its bottom, the gap 137 is delimited by at least one web or ridge 128, 129 projecting from the wall panel 125 and resting at the inner side of the outer shell 6. A groove 130 for accommodating the edge strip 35 formed at an upper edge of opening 7 is provided in ridge 128. As in the first embodiment, a preformed insulation body 44 can be accommodated in the cavity delimited between the two horizontally extending ridges 128, 129 and the sidewalls 115.

(29) The vertical section through the filler part 112 and its vicinity shown in FIG. 10 is therefore quite similar to FIG. 6, the main difference being that the filler part 112 lacks the ventilation mandrel of FIG. 6.

(30) FIG. 11 illustrates a partial horizontal section of door 3. The section plane is mostly located above the opening 7 of outer shell 6 and extends through the curved wall panel 125 of filling part 112; in a lower left corner of FIG. 11, the section plane extends within horizontal ridge 128, showing part of the groove 130 formed at a forward edge of the ridge 128, and of an upper edge strip 35 of outer shell 6 received in the groove 117.

(31) A foam-tight tongue- and groove connection between the filler part 112 and the main part 111 contains a groove 150 in the front edge of each sidewall 115, facing the cutout 148, a web 151 extending along lateral and upper edges of the wall panel 125 and facing away from the outer shell 6, and a plurality of holding brackets 152. In a lower right corner of FIG. 11, the section plane extends through one of these holding brackets 152. The holding brackets 152 are tabs that extend along an outer side of the sidewalls 115 or of the ceiling 119 and have a central opening 153 engaged by a wedge-shaped projection 154 of the sidewall 115 which locks the filling part 112 to the main part 111 when the web 151 is inserted into the groove 150.

(32) A rear wall 155 of the door 3 has portions 156 parallel to the outer shell 6 and portions 157 parallel to the sidewalls 115. When during assembly of the door 3 foam is injected into the cavity between the outer shell 6 and the rear wall 155, and is allowed to expand therein, it will enter the gap 137 from both sides, through the cutouts 148, and air can escape upwards from the gap 137. While the foam is still expanding, and air is escaping freely from the cavity through some vent hole, not shown, the pressure of the foam is close to atmospheric pressure. When the foam has filled the cavity but is not allowed to escape through the vent hole, pressure of the foam rises. In order to prevent bloating of the door 3, the door 3 is constrained in a mold while the foam is expanding and for some time afterwards. Waiting for the foam to cure completely would take several hours, therefore the door is released from the mold before that, and the mold is re-used before the foam is completely cured and set. A remaining tendency of the foam to expand and to exercise pressure on the outer shell 6 is largest in the regions adjacent to the sidewalls 115, the ceiling 119 and the floor plate 116 since the thickness of the foam layer measured perpendicular to outer shell 6 is highest there. Since the foam is not yet completely cured then, foam can be displaced, and the pressure may spread, into the gap 137. It was observed that in the first embodiment, the fact that the gap 37 is shielded laterally by the sidewalls 15, the pressure may not spread sufficiently into the gap 37, so that the camber of the outer shell in front of the gap 37 may be different from that in its vicinity. Such an inhomogeneity may become visible, in particular if the outer shell is reflecting, by distorting specular images of objects. In the second embodiment, the fact that the gap 137 is wide open to both sides via the cutouts 148 favors spreading of the pressure into the gap 137, thus avoiding a distortion of specular images if the outer shell 6 has a glossy, reflecting surface.

(33) The following is a list of reference numerals used in the above description of the invention with reference to the drawing figures: 1 Refrigerator 2 Dispenser 3 Door 4 Door 5 Drawer 6 Outer shell 7 Opening 8 Dispenser housing 9 Operating component 10 Operating paddle 111 Main part 112 Filling part 13 Filling part 114 Front edge 115 Side wall 116 Floor plate 117 Groove 118 Front edge 119 Ceiling 120 Groove 121 Passage 122 Rear wall 23 Hole 24 Projection 125 Wall panel 26 Ridge 27 Ridge 128 Ridge 129 Ridge 130 Groove 31 Tongue 323 Flange 333 Tongue 34 Ventilation mandrel 35 Edge strip 36 Edge strip 137 Gap 38 Upper section 39 Lower section 40 Edge 41 Operating component 42 Ventilation Passage 43 Front surface 44 Insulation body 45 Latching projection 46 Edge strip 47 Filler tube 148 Cutout 149 Flange 150 Groove 151 Web 152 Holding bracket 153 Opening 154 Projection 155 Rear wall 156 Portion of rear wall 157 Portion of rear wall