A refrigerator with doors in a side-by-side configuration

Abstract

A refrigerator is provided. The refrigerator comprises a first door (12) and a second door (14) in a side-by-side door configuration. The first and second door are configured to open outwards away from each other. The first door comprises a handle (16). Further, a movable member (20) is provided in the first door, wherein the movable member is configured to project from a retracted rest position towards and to engage with the second door in response to operation of a trigger (27) located in the handle of the first door when the first door and the second door are in a closed position.

Description

[0001] A REFRIGERATOR WITH DOORS IN A SIDE-BY-SIDE CONFIGURATION TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The invention relates to a refrigerator. In particular, the present invention relates to a refrigerator having a pair of front doors configured side-by side.

[0003] BACKGROUND

[0004] Refrigerators, in particular household refrigerators, can be provided with doors in different configuration. One particular type of door configuration is with the doors side-by-side. Typically, such a configuration is referred to as French doors.

[0005] A refrigerator with a French door design has two doors in a side-by-side doors configuration. The doors are configured to open outwards from each other. Typically, the doors can be of equal size and opened from the center, but other configurations where the doors are opened from each other at an off-center position can exist. In such a configuration, a wide and unobstructed view of the refrigerator interior, can be provided.

[0006] In a typical design, the refrigerator features a two-door refrigerator compartment on the top and a pull-out freezer drawer on the bottom. Other configurations exist. For example, one of the doors can open a freezer compartment and the other door can open a fresh food compartment.

[0007] The doors may include built-in handles or recessed grips for easy grip of the doors when opening the doors.

[0008] There is a constant desire to improve refrigerators. Hence, there exists a need for an improved refrigerator with doors in a side-by-side configuration.

[0009] SUMMARY

[0010] It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved refrigerator with doors in a side-by-side configuration.

[0011] These objects and or others are obtained by a refrigerator as set out in the appended claims.

[0012] In accordance with the invention a refrigerator is provided. The refrigerator comprises a first door and a second door in a side-by-side door configuration. The first and second door are configured to open outwards away from each other. The first door comprises a handle. Further, a movable member is provided in the first door, wherein the movable member is configured to project from a retracted rest position towards and to engage with the second door in response to operation of a trigger located in the handle of the first door when the first door and the second doorare in a closed position. This system could be a mechanical version, utilizing a spring and lever, or it could be automatically powered by electricity to move and retract. Hereby the two doors can be connected and will open together when one door is opened. Typically, a user can pull one door with one hand and simultaneously activate the trigger with the same hand. Hereby both doors can be opened simultaneously using only one hand.

[0013] In accordance with one embodiment, the movable member can be a pin. The pin can for example cooperate with a recess provided in the second door.

[0014] In accordance with one embodiment, a spring is provided to return the movable member to the retracted rest position when the trigger is not activated. Hereby it is ensured that the movable member is always in a rest position when the trigger is not activated.

[0015] In accordance with one embodiment, the trigger comprises a grip that can be pulled to make the movable member project towards the second door. Hereby a trigger that facilitates opening the door at the same time as the trigger is activated can be provided.

[0016] In accordance with one embodiment, the trigger comprises a push button configured to make the movable member project towards the second door when pressed. Hereby an alternative trigger can be provided.

[0017] In accordance with one embodiment, a trigger mechanism is provided that comprises the trigger and a lever configured to directly or indirectly make the movable member project towards the second door when the trigger is activated. Hereby, an easy to implement mechanism for transferring a force from the trigger to the movable member can be provided.

[0018] In accordance with one embodiment, the trigger mechanism is provided in an insert configured to be installed in the handle of the first door. Hereby the trigger mechanism can be easily installed in the refrigerator.

[0019] In accordance with one embodiment, the first door is provided with an end cap at the bottom side of the door facing the second door and wherein the handle is provided in said low end cap of the first door. Hereby a user friendly location of a handle with a trigger can be provided.

[0020] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] The invention will now be described in more detail, by way of example, and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:Fig. 1 shows a refrigerator in a perspective view,

[0022] Fig. 2 shows a first door with a movable member in a perspective view, Fig. 3a is an exploded view of a trigger mechanism,

[0023] Fig. 3b is an exploded view of an alternative trigger mechanism, Fig. 4 is a view of a second door in a perspective view,

[0024] Fig. 5 is a view of a pair of doors in a position without a trigger being activated, and

[0025] Fig 6 is a view of a pair of doors in a position with a trigger being activated.

[0026] DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] The invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which certain embodiments of the invention are shown. The invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided by way of example so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. For example, like or similar components of different embodiments can be exchanged between different embodiments. Some components can be omitted from different embodiments. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout the description.

[0028] In Fig. 1, a general view in perspective of an exemplary refrigerator 10 is shown. The refrigerator 10 can be a typical household refrigerator 10 comprising a cooling circuit for cooling one or a plurality of cooled compartments. To access the cooled compartment(s), a first door 12 and a second door 14 are provided in a side-by-side configuration. The first door 12 and the second door 14 are configured to open outwards away from each other. In the embodiment of Fig. 1 , the two doors 12, 14 are configured in an off-center configuration where the right door 12 is wider than the left door 14. The doors can also be of equal size.

[0029] To open the doors handles can be provided. In accordance with some embodiments one handle 16, 18 is provided for each door 12, 14. The handle can in accordance with some embodiments be located at a bottom section of the door at the side at which the door opens. For example, for the right door of Fig. 1 , the handle 16 is located at the bottom left side of the door. One of 15 the doors 12, 14 can be provided with a movable member 20. In the embodiment of Fig. 1 , the right door 12 is provided with a movable member 20.

[0030] The movable member 20 is configured to project towards and engagewith the second door in response to operation of a trigger mechanism in the first door when the first door and the second door are in a closed position. In particular, the trigger mechanism can be located in the handle of the first door. When the trigger mechanism is operated, the two doors will be connected such that both doors will open when one door is opened. This makes it easier to access the entire inside of the refrigerator since both doors can be opened by only opening one of them.

[0031] In Fig. 2, the handle 16 of the first door 12 is shown in more detail. A movable member 20 is provided in the first door 12. The movable member can be made to project out from the side of the right door 12 to engage with the left door 14. The mechanism to make the movable member 20 project out from the door 12 can be any type of mechanism. For example, the back end of the movable member can be pushed directly. The handle 16 is in the embodiment of Fig. 2 provided in the low end cap of the right door 12. The end cap for the right door 12 is a component designed to cover and protect the end of the right door 12, providing a finished appearance and preventing damage. It is typically made of durable materials such as plastic or metal and is designed to be easily attachable to the door structure of the right door 12. In the exemplary embodiment of Fig, 2, the movable member is a pin. However, the movable member can be another device adapted to engage with the left door such as a movable magnet or hook or some other structure designed to be moved into a position where it engages the left door.

[0032] In Fig. 3a, an exploded view of a trigger mechanism 25 comprising a movable member 20 that can be employed to make the movable member 20 project out from the side of the door is shown. The trigger mechanism 25 can be installed in the handle 16 of the right door in the exemplary embodiment shown in Fig. 2. In the exemplary embodiment of Fig. 3a, the trigger mechanism comprises a trigger 27 that is configured to move a lever 22 that acts on the movable member 20 to make the movable member project out 20 from the side of the door 12. The movable member 20 can be spring biased by a spring 28 such that the movable member is pulled back to a retracted position when the trigger 27 is not operated. Some or all of the parts of the trigger mechanism 25 can be located in an insert 30 that can be easily installed in the handle 16 of the right door 12. In the embodiment of Fig. 3a, the trigger 27 is a grip that a user can hold and pull to make the movable member leave a retracted rest position and project out from the side of the right door.

[0033] In accordance with some embodiments the lever 22 is configured to beactivated directly by the trigger 27. In the exemplary embodiment of Fig. 3, a second intermediate lever 24 is provided between the lever 22 and the trigger 27 to transfer the force from the trigger 27 to the lever 22. Thus, in the embodiment of Fig. 3a, a pulling force on the trigger 27 will, via the levers 22, 24, translate to a force pushing the movable member 20 out from the side of the first door 12.

[0034] When the trigger 27 is pulled towards a user, the movable member 20 projects out from the door 12 by the force conveyed via the lever 22 and the intermediate lever 24. The lever 22 or some other mechanism used to make the movable member 20 project out from the door 12 is advantageously located in the handle 16. In the embodiment of Fig. 3a, when the trigger is pulled, the movable member 20 projects and engages with the left door 14 and at the same time the door 12 is opened. Hereby the door 12 can be opened while at the same time operating the trigger 27 to make the movable member 20 project out from the door 12. This can for example, be advantageous when only one hand is available for opening the refrigerator 10 and a user wants to open the entire inside of the refrigerator. Thus, when a user opens the door 12 by pulling the trigger 27 this will open both doors 12, 14 because the movable member 20 engages with the left door 14 as the user pulls the right door into an open position. During opening of the two doors 12, 14, the movable member 20 will disengage from the left door as the distance between the right door 12 and the left door 14 increases to a position where the movable member no longer interacts with the left door 14. If the user only wants to open the right door, the right door can be pulled without pulling the trigger 27. The movable member will then stay in its rest position while opening the right door.

[0035] In Fig. 3b an exploded view illustrating an alternative implementation of the trigger mechanism 25 is shown. In Fig, 3b, the movable member is electrically driven such as by an electro magnet or by an electric motor. Thus, Fig. 3b shows a trigger 27 that is configured to activate an electrically driven movable member 20a. The trigger 27 and the electrically driven movable member 20a can be placed in an insert 30 as in the embodiment shown in Fig. 3a. Thus, some or all of the parts of the trigger mechanism 25 can be located in an insert 30.

[0036] In an alternative embodiment a push button is configured to make the movable member project towards the second door when pressed. The push button can act directly or indirectly on the movable member 20. In accordance with some embodiments, the movable member is driven by an electrical motor, as also discussedabove. In such an embodiment, the electrical motor can be activated by the trigger 27, such as a push button. The electrical motor can be controlled to make the movable member 20 project as long as the trigger is activated and to return the movable member when the trigger is no longer activated.

[0037] In order to facilitate engagement between the movable member 20 and the 20 second door, the left door in Fig. 1, the second door can be provided with a recess 26 cooperating with the movable member. This is illustrated in Fig. 4. In the embodiment of Fig. 4, the recess is formed by a hole in the bottom part of the side, such as the bottom end cap of the left door 14. As an alternative to a recess 26, the left door 14 can be provided with a hook ora magnet or some other member facilitating the movable member 20 to connect to the left door 14.

[0038] In Fig. 5, a bottom view in perspective of the doors 12, 14 in a closed position. In the view of Fig. 5, the trigger 27 is not activated and the movable member is in a retracted rest position.

[0039] In Fig. 6, a bottom view in perspective of the doors 12, 14 in a closed position. In the view of Fig. 6, the trigger 27 is activated. In this embodiment the trigger 27 is pulled towards the user. The activation of the trigger 27 causes the movable member 20 to move towards the second door 14 from the rest position and to project out from the first door 12.

[0040] Using the opening mechanism for a refrigerator as described herein allows both the left and right doors configured in a side-by-side configuration of a refrigerator to be opened simultaneously using only one of the doors, such as the right door. The opening mechanism can be provided on the lower endcap of the door, in particular in the handle of the door. This opening mechanism engages on the left (or right) door, ensuring both doors open simultaneously with the movement of the right (left) door. The mechanism allows for both doors to be opened together or individually, according to the preference of the user. Thus, in operation, the user can open the right and left doors independently. If desired, with the doors closed, the user can activate the trigger located on one of the doors, for example on the bottom endcap to engage both doors, allowing them to open simultaneously.

Claims

SET OF CLAIMS1. A refrigerator (10), comprising:a first door (12) and a second door (14) in a side-by-side door configuration, wherein the first door and the second door are configured to 5 open outwards away from each other,- a handle (16) in the first door,- a movable member (20) in the first door, wherein the movable member is configured to project from a retracted rest position towards and to engage with the second door in response to operation of a trigger (27) located in the handle of the first door when the first door and the second door are in a closed position.

2. The refrigerator (10) according to claim 1, wherein the movable member (20) is a pin.

3. The refrigerator (10) according to claim 1 or 2 wherein the second door (14) comprises a recess (26) in a side surface facing the first door, the recess being configured to receive the movable member (20).

4. The refrigerator (10) according to any one of claims 1 - 3 wherein a spring (28) is provided to return the movable member (20) to the retracted rest position when the trigger (27) is not activated.

5. The refrigerator (10) according to any one of claims 1 - 4 wherein the trigger (27) comprises a grip that can be pulled to make the movable member project towards the second door.

6. The refrigerator (10) according to any one of claims 1 - 4 wherein the trigger (27) comprises a push button configured to make the movable member project towards the second door when pressed.

7. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 - 6, comprising a trigger mechanism (25) that comprises the trigger and a lever configured to directly or indirectly make the movable member project towards the second door when the trigger is activated.

8. The refrigerator according to claim 7, wherein the trigger mechanism is provided in an insert (30) configured to be installed in the handle of the first door.

9. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 - 8, wherein the first door is provided with an end cap at the bottom side of the door facing the second door and wherein the handle is provided in said low end cap of the first door.

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