refrigerator

Abstract

To provide a refrigerator to which a recycled resin is effectively applied.SOLUTION: A refrigerator 1 includes: a storage chamber 2r having an opening 1H0 in a front part and storing food products; storage chamber doors 2a, 2b for allowing the opening 1H0 to be freely opened and closed; and an inner chamber 2r1 installed to the storage chamber 2r and including a box 11 of which front side is freely opened and closed by an inner door 13. The inner door 13 includes a recycled resin having light transmissivity.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6A

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a refrigerator.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, recycled plastic has been used as plastic materials. Refrigerators, which are one type of home electric appliance, use a large amount of plastic materials for heat-insulating boxes forming storage compartments, doors, and the like. Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for applying recycled plastic to refrigerators.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problem to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Although Patent Document 1 describes a technique applied to recycled plastic, it lacks description of measures for applying recycled plastic to refrigerators. The present invention was devised in view of the above actual circumstances, and aims to provide a refrigerator that effectively applies recycled resin.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0005] To solve the above problem, the refrigerator of the present invention includes: a storage compartment having an opening at a front portion and storing food, a storage compartment door configured to open and close the opening, and an inner compartment provided in the storage compartment and having a box whose front side is openable and closable by an inner compartment door, The aforementioned interior door has a front panel positioned at the front and extending to the left and right, and a frame that surrounds the left, right, and lower parts of the front panel. The inner compartment door the aforementioned front plate is made of translucent recycled resin The frame is formed from a newly formed resin.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0006] [Figure 1]Front view of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] A perspective view of the refrigerator 1 of the embodiment, seen from the front at an oblique angle. [Figure 3A] Front view of the lower freezer compartment door. [Figure 3B] Rear view of the lower freezer compartment door. [Figure 4A] A perspective view of the lower freezer compartment door, seen from the upper right front. [Figure 4B] A perspective view of the lower freezer compartment door, seen from the lower right front. [Figure 5A] Front view of the top refrigerator compartment, seen from the front. [Figure 5B] Cross-sectional view II of Figure 5A. [Figure 6A] Perspective view of a chilled container inside the chilled compartment. [Figure 6B] Front view of a chilled container inside the chilled compartment. [Figure 7A] A perspective view showing the chilled compartment case pulled out of the chilled box. [Figure 7B] Figure 6B shows a cross-sectional view of line II-II with the chilled compartment case removed from the chilled box. [Figure 8] Front view of the cooling panel that makes up the refrigerator compartment. [Figure 9] Disassembled view of the cooling panel. [Figure 10] Figure 8 shows the section III-III. [Figure 11] Figure 8 shows the section between IV and IV. [Figure 12] Figure 1 shows a VV cross-section illustrating the flow of cold air. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0007] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings as appropriate. Figure 1 shows a front view of a refrigerator 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0008] Figure 2 shows a perspective view of the refrigerator 1 of the embodiment, seen from a diagonal front angle. In Figure 2, the ice-making compartment door 3, the upper freezer compartment door 4, and the lower freezer compartment door 5 are shown in the open position.

[0009] The refrigerator 1 of the embodiment has a refrigeration compartment 2r, an ice making compartment 3r, an upper-stage freezing compartment 4r, a lower-stage freezing compartment 5r, and a vegetable compartment 6r arranged from top to bottom.

[0010] The refrigerator 1 shown in Figure 1 includes a box body 1H and doors (2a, 2b, 3, 4, 5, 6). The box body 1H has an opening 1H0 (see Figure 2). The opening 1H0 of the box body 1H is opened and closed by the doors (2a, 2b, 3, 4, 5, 6). A refrigeration compartment left door 2a and a refrigeration compartment right door 2b are provided on the front face of the uppermost refrigeration compartment 2r. The second-stage ice making compartment 3r and the upper-stage freezing compartment 4r are each provided with an ice making compartment door 3 and an upper-stage freezing compartment door 4. A lower-stage freezing compartment door 5 is provided on the front face of the third-stage lower-stage freezing compartment 5r. A vegetable compartment door 6 is provided on the front face of the lowermost vegetable compartment 6r.

[0011] The refrigeration compartment left door 2a and the refrigeration compartment right door 2b are of a double swing type relative to the box body 1H. The refrigeration compartment left door 2a is configured to be rotatable toward the front by an upper hinge 7a and a lower hinge 8a. Similarly, the refrigeration compartment right door 2b is configured to be rotatable toward the front by an upper hinge 7b and a lower hinge 8b.

[0012] The second-stage ice making compartment door 3, the upper-stage freezing compartment door 4, the third-stage lower-stage freezing compartment door 5, and the lowermost vegetable compartment door 6 shown in Figure 1 can be pulled out toward the front of the page. At the rear of each of the ice making compartment door 3, the upper-stage freezing compartment door 4, the lower-stage freezing compartment door 5, and the vegetable compartment door 6, an ice making compartment container 3u, an upper-stage freezing compartment container 4u, a lower-stage freezing compartment container 5u, and a vegetable compartment container 6u are respectively integrally provided.

[0013] The lowermost vegetable compartment 6r is a storage compartment for storing vegetables, fruits, plastic bottled beverages, and the like.

[0014] The outside and the inside of the refrigerator 1 are separated by the box body 1H, which is a heat insulating box body filled with a foam heat insulating material (not shown), and the doors (2a, 2b, 3, 4, 5, 6). As the foam heat insulating material, for example, foamed polyurethane or the like is used.

[0015] <Box 1H> The box body 1H, which constitutes the insulated box, is composed of an outer box 1s, an inner box 1u (see Figure 5A), and vacuum insulation material, as shown in Figure 2. The outer box 1s is a metal plate, such as a steel plate, that covers the box body 1H. A thin steel plate, for example, with a thickness of 0.5 mm to 0.4 mm, is used for the outer box 1s.

[0016] The inner box 1u is made of synthetic resin, for example, generally acrylonitrile butadiene styrene resin (ABS resin) by vacuum forming, but it may also be made of other synthetic resins such as polyethylene (PE), polypropylene resin (PP), or polyethylene terephthalate resin (PET resin).

[0017] <Lower freezer door 5> Figure 3A shows a front view of the lower freezer compartment door 5, and Figure 3B shows a rear view of the lower freezer compartment door 5.

[0018] Figure 4A shows a perspective view of the lower freezer compartment door 5 from the upper right front, and Figure 4B shows a perspective view of the lower freezer compartment door 5 from the lower right front. As shown in Figure 4A, the lower freezer compartment door 5 has a front door panel 5a and a guide rail 5b. A lower freezer container 5u (see Figure 2) is placed on the guide rail 5b. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the guide rail 5b can be easily moved in and out of the box body 1H. Therefore, the guide rail 5b is equipped with rollers 5b1 that roll on a rail section (not shown) provided on the box body 1H.

[0019] The front door panel 5a shown in Figures 4A and 4B has a front panel 5a1, an upper frame panel 5a2, a lower frame panel 5a3, a right frame panel 5a4, a left frame panel 5a5, and a rear panel 5a6 (see Figure 3B). The front door panel 5a is formed by filling the inside with foamed resin.

[0020] As shown in Figures 2 and 4A, a gripping portion 5at is formed on the upper frame plate 5a2. The gripping portion 5at is used to grip the lower freezer container 5u when the user inserts or removes it from the refrigerator 1. When the front panel 5a1 of the lower freezer compartment door 5 is made of steel plate, the front panel 5a1, the right frame plate 5a4, and the left frame plate 5a5 are all formed from a single sheet of steel plate by bending. The upper frame plate 5a2 is formed using a newly manufactured plastic. Because the upper frame plate 5a2 is easily visible to the user, a newly manufactured plastic with superior appearance is used.

[0021] The lower frame plate 5a3 is formed using recycled plastic. Recycled plastic is used for the lower frame plate 5a3 because it is not easily visible to the user. This is because recycled plastic is inferior in appearance to newly made plastic. On the other hand, in the case of the lower freezer door 5, if the front panel 5a1 is made of glass, only the front panel 5a1 is made of glass. The upper frame plate 5a2 is formed using newly manufactured plastic. The lower frame plate 5a3 is formed using recycled plastic.

[0022] Note that while newly manufactured plastic is used for the right frame plate 5a4 and the left frame plate 5a5, recycled plastic may also be used. In this case, it is advisable to decorate the right frame plate 5a4 and the left frame plate 5a5 by adding color or other embellishments. The rear plate 5a6 is made of ABS resin or polypropylene resin (PP), and since it is difficult for the user to see, it may be formed using recycled plastic.

[0023] <Ice maker door 3, upper freezer door 4, vegetable compartment door 6> The other pull-out doors, the ice maker door 3, the upper freezer door 4, and the vegetable compartment door 6, are configured in the same way as the lower freezer door 5 described above. In other words, as shown in Figure 1, the upper frame plate 3a2 of the ice-making compartment door 3 is made using newly manufactured plastic, and the lower frame plate 3a3 is made using recycled plastic. The upper frame plate 4a2 of the upper freezer compartment door 4 is made using newly manufactured plastic, and the lower frame plate 4a3 is made using recycled plastic. The upper frame plate 6a2 of the vegetable compartment door 6 is made using newly manufactured plastic, and the lower frame plate 6a3 is made using recycled plastic.

[0024] <Refrigerator left door 2a, Refrigerator right door 2b> The upper frame plate 2a2 and lower frame plate 2a1 of the left refrigerator door 2a, and the upper frame plate 2b2 and lower frame plate 2b1 of the right refrigerator door 2b are made from recycled plastic. This is because the upper frame plate 2a2 and lower frame plate 2a1 of the left refrigerator door 2a, and the upper frame plate 2b2 and lower frame plate 2b1 of the right refrigerator door 2b are difficult for the user to see.

[0025] <Refrigerator compartment 2r> Figure 5A shows a front view of the uppermost refrigerator compartment 2r, seen from the front. Figure 5B shows a cross-sectional view of section II of Figure 5A. The refrigerator compartment 2r is divided into the chiller compartment 2r1 at the bottom right, the ice maker compartment 2r2 at the bottom left, and the refrigerator shelf compartment 2r3 above the chiller compartment 2r1 and the ice maker compartment 2r2. The refrigerated storage compartment 2r3 is divided vertically by the chilled compartment upper shelf t1 and the refrigerated shelves t2, t3, and t4.

[0026] <Chilled compartment 2r1> Figure 6A shows a perspective view of the chilled container 10 inside the chilled compartment 2r1, and Figure 6B shows a front view of the chilled container 10 inside the chilled compartment 2r1.

[0027] Figure 7A shows a perspective view of the chilled inner case 12 being pulled out of the chilled box 11, and Figure 7B shows a cross-sectional view of line II-II in Figure 6B of the chilled inner case 12 being pulled out of the chilled box 11.

[0028] A chilled container 10 is provided in the chilled compartment 2r1 shown in Figure 5A. As shown in Figure 7A, the chilled container 10 comprises a chilled box 11 and a chilled inner case 12 that is inserted into and removed from the chilled box 11. The chilled box 11 has a box shape with an opening 11a at the front. The chilled box 11 is located at the back of the refrigerator 1 and is difficult for the user of the refrigerator 1 to see. In addition, the chilled box 11 may be made of recycled plastic and is formed in a dark color such as black or dark gray, which is a color mixed with black.

[0029] Therefore, the chilled box 11 is formed in a dark color and, as shown in Figure 5B, is located at the back of the refrigerator compartment 2r, making it difficult for the user to see. In addition, foreign matter contained in the recycled plastic of the chilled box 11 is also difficult for the user to see.

[0030] As shown in Figure 7A, the chilled storage case 12 has a box-shaped case 12c that opens at the front and top for storing items, and a chilled door 13. The chilled door 13 is a door that opens and closes the opening 11a of the chilled box 11. The box-shaped case 12c is made from recycled plastic.

[0031] The chilled door 13 shown in Figures 7A and 7B is rotatably mounted around the shaft 12c1 at the front of the box-shaped case 12c. By rotating the chilled door 13, the chilled door 13 transitions between the closed state shown in Figures 6A and 6B and the open state shown in Figures 7A and 7B.

[0032] The chilled door 13 shown in Figure 6A has a frame 13a that forms the door body, a transparent or translucent flat front plate 13b, and a rod-shaped grip 13c. The rod-shaped gripping portion 13c is stretched across the left and right sides of the frame 13a. The gripping portion 13c is used by the user to grip the box-shaped case 12c when inserting or removing it from the chilled box 11. The frame 13a is made of new plastic. In addition, a decorative member 14 made of metal such as stainless steel or aluminum is provided from the upper surface to the front surface of the gripping portion 13c. The transparent or translucent front panel 13b is made of recycled plastic. In other words, the front panel 13b is made of light-transmitting recycled plastic (recycled resin).

[0033] The upper surface of the front panel 13b is textured, making it difficult to see fine details. Therefore, as shown in Figure 7B, when the chilled door 13 is open and viewed from the user's line of sight p1, it is possible to suppress the visibility of foreign objects within the transparent or translucent recycled plastic of the front panel 13b.

[0034] As shown in Figures 7A and 7B, when the chilled inner case 12 is pulled out from the chilled box 11, the chilled door 13 is tilted at θ1 degrees (see Figure 7B) relative to the box-shaped case 12c, with its upper part facing forward. For example, the tilt angle θ1 is set to approximately 45 degrees plus or minus 5 degrees. As a result, as shown in Figures 7B and 7A, the front panel 13b, which is made of recycled plastic, is difficult for the user p1 to see.

[0035] <Ice maker container 3u, upper freezer container 4u, lower freezer container 5u, and vegetable compartment container 6u> The vegetable compartment container 6u of the vegetable compartment 6 and the ice-making compartment container 3u of the ice-making compartment 3, as shown in Figure 2, are molded from a single layer of new plastic. This is because recycled plastic materials are not used in the vegetable compartment container 6u and the ice compartment container 3u, as these may come into direct contact with food. This ensures the safety of the food stored in the vegetable compartment container 6u and the ice compartment container 3u.

[0036] The upper freezer container 4u and the lower freezer container 5u are made of recycled plastic. This is because the food stored in the upper freezer container 4u and the lower freezer container 5u does not come into direct contact with the containers (5u and 4u).

[0037] <Cooling panel 15> Figure 8 shows a front view of the cooling panel 15 that constitutes the refrigerator compartment 2r. As shown in Figure 5B, the cooling panel 15 is located at the back of the refrigerator compartment 2r. The cooling panel 15 forms the back wall of the refrigerator compartment 2r and has an air passage 15f inside. Cooling air flows through the air passage 15f to cool the refrigerator compartment 2r. The cooling panel 15 has multiple cold air outlets 15i for the cooling air from the air passage 15f, and multiple cold air return outlets 15o1, 15o2, and 15o3 for the cooling air.

[0038] Furthermore, a deodorizer is installed in the cold air return vent 15o2 at the lower right of the cooling panel 15 (details will be provided later). Figure 9 shows an exploded view of the cooling panel 15. The cooling panel 15 consists of an upper cooling panel 15U and a lower cooling panel 15S. The upper cooling panel 15U is formed from newly manufactured plastic because it is visible to the user.

[0039] The lower cooling panel 15S is positioned behind the chilled box 11 of the chilled compartment 2r1 shown in Figure 5A, and the rear end of the chilled compartment shelf t1, which is positioned above the chilled box 11, is positioned close to the cooling panel 15 and hidden (see Figure 5B). Because it is difficult for the user to see, it is formed using recycled plastic. Therefore, an environmentally friendly cooling panel 15 can be created.

[0040] Figure 10 shows the section III-III of Figure 8. Figure 11 shows the section IV-IV of Figure 8. The upper cooling panel 15U and the lower cooling panel 15S are joined by a claw-type fitting 16 (see Figure 10) and screw fastening 17 (see Figure 11). The claw-type fitting 16 (see Figure 10) utilizes the elasticity of the plastic. The screw fastening 17 (see Figure 11) is secured by screws.

[0041] As mentioned above, recycled plastics tend to be harder and more brittle than virgin plastics (newly produced plastics). Therefore, in the case of the claw-fitting 16 shown in Figure 10, the claw 16a is provided on the upper cooling panel 15U made of virgin material (new plastic), and the claw receiving portion 16b is provided on the lower cooling panel 15S made of recycled plastic. This is because the claw 16a has a large amount of deformation, while the claw receiving portion 16b has a small amount of deformation. As a result, the reliability of the claw-fitting 16 is high.

[0042] In the case of the screw fastening 17 shown in Figure 11, the screw boss 17a, through which the threads are cut, is the upper cooling panel 15U, which is made of virgin material (new plastic). The hole 17b through which the screw passes is provided in the lower cooling panel 15S, which is made of recycled plastic. Therefore, the reliability of the screw fastening 17 is high. The cooling panel 15, which combines the upper cooling panel 15U and the lower cooling panel 15S, is fixed to the inner box 1u (see Figure 5A) by the upper cooling panel 15U made of virgin material. As a result, the cooling panel 15 is fixed to the inner box 1u by the upper cooling panel 15U made of soft and tough virgin material, thus providing a highly reliable fixation.

[0043] The chilled compartment upper shelf t1 and cold air return cover 19 shown in Figure 5A are fixed to the cooling panel 15U, which is made of flexible and tough new plastic, above the cooling panel 15. All components that are fixed to or supported by the inner box 1u of the refrigerator compartment 2r are installed on the newly formed, virgin plastic parts.

[0044] <Deodorizer> Figure 12 shows a cross-sectional view II of Figure 1 illustrating the flow of cold air. A cooling panel 15 (see Figure 5A) at the rear of the refrigerator compartment 2r houses a refrigerating evaporator (not shown). The cold air generated by the evaporator for refrigeration is blown into the refrigerator compartment 2r from the cold air outlet 15i of the cooling panel 15 (see Figure 5A) (arrow α11 in Figure 12). Then, it is exhausted into the air passage 20f1 at the back of the refrigerator compartment 2r (see Figure 12) from the cold air return outlets 15o1, 15o2, and 15o3 shown in Figure 8.

[0045] Furthermore, evaporators (not shown) for freezing are located at the rear of the ice-making compartment 3r, the upper freezer compartment 4r, and the lower freezer compartment 5r, which are the freezer compartments Fr shown in Figure 12. The cold air generated by the evaporator for freezing is blown into the freezer compartment Fr from the outlet fr1 at the rear upper part of the freezer compartment Fr shown in Figure 12 (arrow α12 in Figure 12). Then, it is exhausted into the air passage 20f2 at the rear of the freezer compartment Fr (see Figure 12) from the cold air return outlet fr2 at the rear lower part of the freezer compartment Fr shown in Figure 12.

[0046] Subsequently, the cold air from the air passage 20f2 (see Figure 12) is discharged into the vegetable compartment 6r, circulates within the vegetable compartment 6r (arrow α13 in Figure 12), and returns to the air passage 20f2 at the back of the freezer compartment Fr. By the way, recycled plastics can sometimes have an unpleasant odor. For example, if an odorous object is placed near the cold air outlet (inlet) 15i (see Figure 5A) in the refrigerator compartment 2r, the odor may be carried by the airflow and attach to other food items in the refrigerator compartment 2r. Therefore, odorous materials are stored near the cold air return port 1502 (see Figure 8). Then, the deodorizer 21 is placed near the cold air return port 1502.

[0047] Therefore, as shown in Figure 8, the refrigerator 1 has a grid-like deodorizer case 21c in front of the cold air return vent 1502. The deodorizer 21 is placed on the deodorizer case 21c. This prevents odors from settling in the refrigerator compartment 2r. In the above example, the deodorizer 21 is shown to be placed at the cold air return port 15o2 (see Figure 8) of the refrigerator compartment 2r. However, the deodorizer case and deodorizer may also be provided at the cold air return port fr2 (see Figure 12) at the rear lower part of the freezer compartment Fr or at the cold air return port fr3 (see Figure 12) of the vegetable compartment 6r.

[0048] <How to use recycled plastic (recycled resin)> In the refrigerator 1 shown in Figures 1 and 2, recycled plastic (recycled resin) is installed in a location that is difficult to see from the user's line of sight when standing in front of the refrigerator 1. As shown in Figures 8 and 9, the cooling panel 15 consists of an upper cooling panel 15U and a lower cooling panel 15S. The upper cooling panel 15U is made of recycled plastic because it is visible to the user. On the other hand, the lower cooling panel 15S, as shown in Figure 5A, is located behind the chiller box 11 and the upper shelf t1 of the chiller compartment 2r1 when the refrigerator door 2 is open, and is therefore difficult to see for the user, and is made of recycled plastic. This eliminates the need to visually inspect for foreign objects contained in recycled plastic (recycled resin).

[0049] With the above configuration, recycled plastic components are used in the refrigerator 1, making it possible to create an environmentally friendly refrigerator 1. Furthermore, the use of recycled plastic components in the refrigerator 1 makes it possible to reduce costs.

[0050] <<Other Embodiments>> 1. The present invention is not limited to the embodiments and modified configurations described above, and various modified and specific forms are possible within the scope of the appended claims. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0051] 1. Refrigerator 1H0 aperture 2. Refrigerator door (storage room door) 2a2 Upper left frame plate (upper frame member of the storage room door in the upper section) 2b2 Upper right frame plate (upper frame member of the storage room door on the upper level) 2r Refrigerated room (storage room) 2r1 Chilled compartment (indoor) 3. Ice-making room door (storage room door) 3a3 Lower frame plate (lower frame component for storage room door) 3r Ice-making room (storage room) 3U Ice maker container (freezer compartment container) 4. Upper freezer compartment door (storage compartment door) 4a3 Lower frame plate (lower frame component for storage room door) 4r Upper freezer compartment (storage compartment) 4u Upper freezer compartment container (freezer compartment container) 5. Lower freezer compartment door (storage compartment door) 5a3 Lower frame plate (lower frame component for storage room door) 5r Lower freezer compartment (storage compartment) 5u Lower freezer compartment container (freezer compartment container) 6. Vegetable compartment door (storage compartment door) 6a3 Lower frame plate (lower frame component for storage room door) 6r Vegetable compartment (storage room) 6u Vegetable compartment container 11. Chilled box (box, container for the chilled compartment) 12c Case (Chilled compartment container) 13. Chilled door (interior door) 15 Cooling Panel 1502 Cold air return vent 15S Lower Cooling Panel 15U Top Cooling Panel 16. Claw interlock 16a Claw 16b Claw receiver (claw receiver) 17 Screw fixing 17a Screw boss (female thread portion) 20f1 Air path (cooling air path) 21 Deodorizer

Claims

1. It has an opening at the front and a storage room for storing food, A storage room door that allows the aforementioned opening to be opened and closed, The storage room is provided with an inner room having a box at the front that can be opened and closed by an inner room door, The aforementioned interior door has a front panel positioned at the front and extending to the left and right, and a frame that surrounds the left, right, and lower parts of the front panel. The front panel of the aforementioned interior door is made of a translucent recycled resin. The aforementioned frame is formed from new resin. A refrigerator designed for that purpose.

2. In Claim 1, The storage room has a vegetable compartment, an ice-making compartment, a freezer compartment, and the chilled compartment which is the inner compartment. The container for the vegetable compartment and the container for the ice-making compartment are made of new resin. The containers of the freezer compartment and the containers of the chiller compartment are made of recycled resin. The lower frame member of the storage room door is made of recycled resin. The upper frame member of the uppermost storage compartment door is made of recycled resin. A refrigerator characterized by the following features.

3. In Claim 1, The refrigerator compartment, which serves as the storage room, is provided with a cooling panel that forms the back wall and also forms a cooling air passage for the refrigerator compartment. The aforementioned cooling panel is formed by joining an upper cooling panel and a lower cooling panel. The upper cooling panel is made of newly formed resin, and the lower cooling panel is made of recycled resin. The upper cooling panel and the lower cooling panel are secured by a claw-fitting mechanism, where the claw is provided on the upper cooling panel made of new resin, and the claw receiver is provided on the lower cooling panel made of recycled resin. A refrigerator characterized by the following features.

4. In Claim 1, The refrigerator compartment, which serves as the storage room, is provided with a cooling panel that forms the back wall and also forms a cooling air passage for the refrigerator compartment. The aforementioned cooling panel is formed by joining an upper cooling panel and a lower cooling panel. The upper cooling panel is made of newly formed resin, and the lower cooling panel is made of recycled resin. The upper cooling panel and the lower cooling panel are fixed together by screws, and the female thread portion is provided on the upper cooling panel made of new resin. A refrigerator characterized by the following features.

5. A refrigerator having an opening at the front for storing food, A refrigerator door that allows the aforementioned opening to be opened and closed, The refrigerator compartment includes a cooling panel that forms the back wall of the refrigerator compartment and also forms a cooling air passage for the refrigerator compartment. The aforementioned cooling panel is formed by joining an upper cooling panel and a lower cooling panel. The upper cooling panel is made of newly formed resin, and the lower cooling panel is made of recycled resin. The upper cooling panel and the lower cooling panel are secured by a claw-fitting mechanism, where the claw is provided on the upper cooling panel made of new resin, and the claw receiver is provided on the lower cooling panel made of recycled resin. A refrigerator characterized by the following features.

6. A refrigerator having an opening at the front for storing food, A refrigerator door that allows the aforementioned opening to be opened and closed, The refrigerator compartment includes a cooling panel that forms the back wall of the refrigerator compartment and also forms a cooling air passage for the refrigerator compartment. The aforementioned cooling panel is formed by joining an upper cooling panel and a lower cooling panel. The upper cooling panel is made of newly formed resin, and the lower cooling panel is made of recycled resin. The upper cooling panel and the lower cooling panel are fixed together by screws, and the female thread portion is provided on the upper cooling panel made of new resin. A refrigerator characterized by the following features.

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