AU2020200142B2

AU2020200142B2 - Refrigerator

Info

Publication number: AU2020200142B2
Application number: AU2020200142A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Tatsuya Akiyama; Hiroyuki Fujiwara; Yasuhisa Ikeda; Mitsuhiro Maeda; Nobuhide Takahata
Original assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co Ltd
Current assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co Ltd
Priority date: 2019-02-13
Filing date: 2020-01-08
Publication date: 2021-07-01
Anticipated expiration: 2040-01-08
Also published as: CN111561799A; AU2020200142A1; CN111561799B

Abstract

Provided is a refrigerator capable of improving design properties. The refrigerator includes: a storage 2 provided with an opening; and a pair of thermal insulating doors 4 provided at the opening, wherein the pair of thermal insulating doors 4 are side-by-side doors, both side surfaces of the respective thermal insulating doors 4 that face each other are provided with attachment guide members 24, sealing members 26 that seal the storage 2 by being brought into close contact with each other when the respective thermal insulating doors 4 are closed, and caps 38 that prevent detachment of the sealing members 26, and upper surfaces 38B of the caps 38 have substantially same heights as heights of upper surfaces or lower surfaces of the respective thermal insulating doors 4. [Selected drawing] Fig. 3 3/6 FIG.3 38B 38 38C 20 38A 24D 35 35A 24 24E 34 26 24C 24B 28A 28D 10 30B1 28F1 12A 212 28C 24B 12A 24B 30A 24B3 30C 38C2 338A 322

Description

3/6

FIG.3 38B 38 38C 20 38A 24D

35 35A 24 24E 34 26 24C 24B

28A 28D 10

B1

28F1 12A

212 28C 24B

12A 24B 30A

30C 38C2 338A

24B3

[Technical Field]

[0001]

The present invention relates to a refrigerator.

[Background]

[0002]

In the related art, a refrigerator provided with a

storage and a pair of thermal insulating doors that are

side-by-side doors is known. Packings that are brought

into close contact with each other when these thermal

insulating doors are closed are provided on side surfaces

of the respective thermal insulating doors of such a

refrigerator via attachment members. Also, both ends of

these packings in the up-down direction are covered with

caps in order to block both the ends of the respective

packings.

[0003]

It is desired to address or ameliorate one or more

disadvantages or limitations associated with the prior

art, or to at least provide a useful alternative.

[Summary]

[0004]

However, end surfaces of the caps as described above

are provided so as to project from upper surfaces or

lower surfaces of the thermal insulating doors.

Therefore, design properties of the refrigerator may

deteriorate in some cases.

In at least one embodiment, the present invention

provides a refrigerator capable of improving the design

properties.

[0005]

In one embodiment, the present invention provides a

refrigerator comprising: a storage provided with an

opening; and a pair of thermal insulating doors provided

at the opening, in which the pair of thermal insulating

doors are side-by-side doors, both side surfaces of the

respective thermal insulating doors that face each other

are provided with attachment guide members, sealing

members that seal the storage by being brought into close

contact with each other when the respective thermal

insulating doors are closed, and caps that prevent

detachment of the sealing members, and upper surfaces of

the caps have substantially same heights as heights of

upper surfaces or lower surfaces of the respective

thermal insulating doors.

[0006]

According to an aspect of the present embodiment,

the caps are secured to surfaces of the respective

thermal insulating doors on a side of the opening with

securing members in the aforementioned refrigerator.

[00071

According to another aspect of the present

embodiment, the sealing members are slid along and

attached to the attachment guide members in the

aforementioned refrigerator.

[0008]

In a further embodiment, the present invention

provides a refrigerator comprising: a storage provided

with an opening; and a pair of thermal insulating doors

provided at the opening, the pair of thermal insulating

doors are side-by-side doors, both side surfaces of the

respective thermal insulating doors that face each other

are provided with attachment guide members, sealing

members that seal the storage by being brought into close

contact with each other when the respective thermal

insulating doors are closed, and caps that prevent

detachment of the sealing member, and the sealing members

are formed by packings and cover members that cover the

attachment guide members being integrally molded.

[0009]

According to an aspect of the present embodiment,

the sealing members are slid along and attached to the

attachment guide members in the aforementioned

refrigerator.

[0010]

According to another aspect of the present

embodiment, the packings are formed of a soft material, and the cover members are formed of a hard material in the aforementioned refrigerator.

[Effects of the invention]

[0011]

According to aspects of the the invention, it may be

possible to improve design properties.

[Brief Description of the Drawings]

[0012]

Preferred embodiments of the present invention are

hereinafter described, by way of example only, with

reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a front view of a refrigerator according

to an embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a thermal insulating

door.

Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view illustrating

the thermal insulating door, an attachment guide member,

and a sealing member.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken along IV-IV in Fig.

1.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view illustrating one end

side of the sealing member.

Fig. 6(A) is an exploded perspective view of a cap

and an upper surface of the thermal insulating door, and

Fig. 6(B) is a perspective view of the upper surface of

the thermal insulating door.

[Detailed Description]

[0013]

The first aspect of the invention is a refrigerator

including: a storage provided with an opening; and a pair

of thermal insulating doors provided at the opening, in

which the pair of thermal insulating doors are side-by

side doors, both side surfaces of the respective thermal

insulating doors that face each other are provided with

attachment guide members, sealing members that seal the

storage by being brought into close contact with each

other when the respective thermal insulating doors are

closed, and caps that prevent detachment of the sealing

members, and upper surfaces of the caps have

substantially same heights as heights of upper surfaces

or lower surfaces of the respective thermal insulating

doors.

In this manner, the caps do not project with respect

to the upper surfaces of the thermal insulating doors,

and the upper surfaces of the thermal insulating doors

are flat throughout.

Therefore, it is possible to improve design

properties of the refrigerator.

[00141

The second aspect of the invention is a refrigerator

in which the caps are secured to surfaces of the

respective thermal insulating doors on a side of the

opening with securing members.

In this manner, attachment and detachment of the

caps are performed using a tool or the like.

Therefore, it is possible to curb dropping of the

caps during ordinary utilization of the refrigerator and

during a maintenance operation.

[0015]

The third aspect of the invention is a refrigerator

in which the sealing members are slid along and attached

to the attachment guide members.

In this manner, the sealing members are secured to

the attachment guide members without using securing

members, a tool, and the like.

Therefore, it is possible to reduce the number of

components in the refrigerator and to facilitate

fabrication and a maintenance operation.

[0016]

In the related art, a refrigerator provided with a

storage and a pair of thermal insulating doors that are

side-by-side doors is known. On side surfaces of the

respective thermal insulating doors in such a

refrigerator, packings that are brought into close

contact with each other when these thermal insulating doors are closed and cover members that cover the attachment members are provided.

Also, the packings and the cover members are coupled

by the packings being slid along and inserted into

grooves provided in the cover members. Therefore, it is

easy to cause the packings and the cover members to slip

in the mutual up-down direction in a case in which

maintenance or the like is performed (see Patent

Literature 1, for example).

However, gaps may be generated between the packings

and the cover members, and dirt, dust, and the like may

be accumulated in the gaps in some cases since the

packings and the cover members are slid and inserted and

are thus coupled.

In at least some embodiments of the invention, a

refrigerator may be capable of curbing adhesion of dirt,

dust, and the like.

The fourth aspect of the invention is a refrigerator

including: a storage provided with an opening; and a pair

of thermal insulating doors provided at the opening, in

which the pair of thermal insulating doors are side-by

side doors, both side surfaces of the respective thermal

insulating doors that face each other are provided with

attachment guide members, sealing members that seal the

storage by being brought into close contact with each

other when the respective thermal insulating doors are

closed, and caps that prevent detachment of the sealing members, and the sealing members are formed by packings and cover members that cover the attachment guide members being integrally molded.

In this manner, the sealing members are formed

without providing any gap between the packings and the

cover members.

Therefore, it is possible to curb accumulation of

dirt, dust, and the like between the side surface

packings and the cover members.

[0017]

The fifth aspect of the invention is a refrigerator

in which the sealing members are slid along and attached

to the attachment guide members.

In this manner, the sealing members are secured to

the attachment guide members without using securing

members, a tool, and the like.

Therefore, it is possible to reduce the number of

components in the refrigerator and to facilitate

fabrication and a maintenance operation.

[0018]

The sixth aspect of the invention is a refrigerator

in which the packings are formed of a soft material, and

the cover members are formed of a hard material.

In this manner, the sealing members formed by the

packings and the cover members being integrally molded

include soft portions and hard portions.

- 8a

Therefore, it is possible to seal a gap between the

side surfaces of the thermal insulating doors while

allowing the sealing members to have predetermined

strength.

[0019]

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the invention will be

described with reference to drawings.

Fig. 1 is a front view of a refrigerator 1 according

to the embodiment of the invention.

The refrigerator 1 is an under-counter-type

refrigerator for business use as illustrated in Fig. 1,

and the refrigerator 1 includes a storage 2, a plurality

of thermal insulating doors 4, a machine chamber 5, and a

top table 6.

The storage 2 has a box-shaped member provided with

thermal insulating walls, and the storage 2 incudes a

storage chamber provided inside and is opened on the

front side.

[0020]

The plurality of thermal insulating doors 4 are

rectangular door members that close the opening of the

storage 2. The refrigerator 1 according to the

embodiment includes a pair of thermal insulating doors 4,

and these thermal insulating doors 4 are disposed such

that side surfaces on one side are adjacent to each

other. Also, hinges 8 are provided at portions located

on the side of the other side surface of each of the

thermal insulating doors 4 in an upper surface and a

lower surface of each of the thermal insulating doors 4.

These hinges 8 enable the pair of thermal insulating

doors 4 to be opened and closed in the left-right direction of the refrigerator 1. In other words, the pair of thermal insulating doors 4 are side-by-side doors.

Also, handles 10 are provided in both the front

surfaces of the respective thermal insulating doors 4 on

the sides of the side surfaces that are adjacent to each

other.

[0021]

The machine chamber 5 is disposed beside the storage

2. Devices that configure a freezing cycle, such as a

compressor, a condenser, an expander, and an evaporator,

are accommodated in the machine chamber 5, and cool air

is fed into the storage chamber by these devices being

driven.

Also, the top table 6 is attached to upper surfaces

of the storage 2 and the machine chamber 5.

[0022]

Next, the thermal insulating doors 4 will be

described in detail.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of one of the thermal

insulating doors 4. Note that Fig. 2 is a view of the

thermal insulating door 4 when seen from the side of the

rear surface.

Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view illustrating

the thermal insulating door 4, an attachment guide member

24, and a sealing member 26, and Fig. 4 is a sectional

view taken along IV-IV in Fig. 1. Note that in Fig. 3, dots are applied to a side surface packing 28 formed of a soft material and a fin member 32 for convenience of explanation.

The thermal insulating door 4 is a flat plate-shaped

member with a predetermined thickness, and all of a front

surface, both side surfaces, an upper surface, a lower

surface, and outer edge of a rear surface of the thermal

insulating door 4 are configured of a door exterior panel

12 that is integrally formed of metal such as a stainless

steel plate. In addition, the center of the rear surface

of the thermal insulating door 4 is configured of a door

interior panel 14 formed of a hard resin. The door

interior panel 14 projects further inward toward the

storage chamber than the outer edge of the rear surface

of the thermal insulating door 4.

A space surrounded by the door exterior panel 12 and

the door interior panel 14 is filled with a thermal

insulating material 16 such as styrene foam or hard

urethane foam.

Note that the door exterior panel 12 is not limited

to metal and may be formed of a hard resin such as an ABS

resin.

[0023]

An outer edge packing attachment groove 18 is

provided over the entire outer edge (outer

circumferential portion) of the thermal insulating door 4

on the side of the rear surface. A plurality of outer edge packings 20 are attached to the outer edge packing attachment groove 18.

The plurality of outer edge packings 20 are formed

of a soft resin such as rubber and are respectively

molded into linear shapes so as to correspond to the

respective sides of the outer edge of the thermal

insulating door 4. A front surface of each outer edge

packing 20 is smoothly molded throughout in the

longitudinal direction of the outer edge packing 20, and

a projecting portion 20A is provided so as to project

from a rear surface of each outer edge packing 20

throughout in the longitudinal direction of the outer

edge packing 20.

Each outer edge packing 20 is attached to the door

exterior panel 12 by the projecting portion 20A being

inserted into the outer edge packing attachment groove

18.

[0024]

Also, each outer edge packing 20 is formed into a

hollow shape having a space inside. An outer edge magnet

accommodation portion 20B with a rectangular sectional

shape is provided in the space on the side of the front

surface of the outer edge packing 20 throughout in the

longitudinal direction. Furthermore, four bar-shaped

outer edge magnets 22 are accommodated in the outer edge

magnet accommodation portion 20B. Each outer edge magnet

22 has a length that is similar to each side of the rear surface of the thermal insulating door 4, and each outer edge magnet 22 is inserted into each outer edge magnet accommodation portion 20B along each side.

Note that the outer edge packings 20 are not limited

to linear shapes and may be an integrally molded

rectangular frame element.

[0025]

Next, a configuration of side surfaces of the

thermal insulating doors 4 will be described.

Although a side surface of one of the thermal

insulating doors 4 will be described, the other thermal

insulating door 4 also has a similar configuration.

As illustrated in Fig. 3, the sealing member 26 is

provided on a side surface of each thermal insulating

door 4 on a side on which the thermal insulating door 4

is adjacent to the other thermal insulating door 4 via

the attachment guide member 24.

[0026]

The attachment guide member 24 is formed of a hard

resin that is a hard material. The attachment guide

member 24 is a rail-shaped member molded to have a length

that is as long as the length of the side surface of the

thermal insulating door 4 and have a U-shaped section,

and the attachment guide member 24 is attached such that

an up-down direction follows the up-down direction of the

thermal insulating door 4 as illustrated in Fig. 4.

Also, the attachment guide member 24 is formed to have a width dimension that is similar to the width dimension of the side surface of the thermal insulating door 4, and the attachment guide member 24 is secured to the side surface of the thermal insulating door 4 by being screwed at several portions in a bottom surface 24A. Therefore, a plurality of screw holes 12A and 24B are provided in the side surface of the thermal insulating door 4 and the bottom surface 24A of the attachment guide member 24, respectively.

[0027]

A tubular packing guide groove 24C is provided at

the attachment guide member 24 on the side of the storage

2 throughout in the up-down direction of the attachment

guide member 24. The packing guide groove 24C is

provided so as to project from the bottom surface 24A

toward the side surface of the other thermal insulating

door 4, and the packing guide groove 24C has a part

opened at a portion located on the side of the storage 2.

An insertion portion 28F1 provided in the side surface

packing 28, which will be described later, is inserted

into the packing guide groove 24C.

[0028]

Also, a heater holding portion 24D that holds a

heater 36, which will be described later, is provided at

the packing guide groove 24C on the side of the front

surface of the thermal insulating door 4. The heater

holding portion 24D is formed into a groove shape and is opened on the side of the side surface of the other thermal insulating door 4.

Furthermore, a holding portion engagement piece 24E

is provided at the heater holding portion 24D on the side

of the front surface of the thermal insulating door 4.

The holding portion engagement piece 24E is formed into a

claw shape projecting on the side of the front surface of

the thermal insulating door 4. A cover member engagement

piece 30B provided in a cover member 30, which will be

described later, is engaged with the holding portion

engagement piece 24E.

[0029]

A latching portion 24F is provided at the attachment

guide member 24 on the side of the front surface of the

thermal insulating door 4. The latching portion 24F is

provided so as to project from the bottom surface 24A

toward the side surface of the other thermal insulating

door 4 similarly to the packing guide groove 24C, and the

latching portion 24F has a distal end curved in a claw

shape. The latching portion 24F is inserted into a

latching groove 30C provided in the cover member 30,

which will be described later.

[0030]

Next, the sealing member 26 will be described.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view illustrating one end

side of the sealing member 26. Note that in Fig. 5, dots

are applied to the side surface packing 28 formed of a soft material and the fin member 32 for convenience of explanation.

The sealing member 26 includes the side surface

packing 28, the cover member 30, and the fin member 32 as

illustrated in Figs. 3 and 5 and is formed by the side

surface packing 28, the cover member 30, and the fin

member 32 being integrally molded. The sealing member 26

is a rail-shaped member molded to have a length that is

similar to the length of the attachment guide member 24

and have a U-shaped section, and the sealing member 26 is

attached such that the up-down direction follows the up

down direction of the thermal insulating door 4.

[0031]

The side surface packing 28 configures a portion of

the sealing member 26 located on the side of the storage

2, and the side surface packing 28 is formed of a soft

resin such as rubber that is a soft material. The side

surface packing 28 is molded to have an L-shaped section,

and a side surface magnet accommodation portion 28A with

a section partitioned to have a rectangular space is

provided at a portion corresponding to a corner of the L

shape.

A bar-shaped side surface magnet 34 is inserted into

the side surface magnet accommodation portion 28A.

[0032]

Also, both ends of the side surface magnet

accommodation portion 28A accommodating the side surface magnet 34 are closed with stopper members 35. The stopper members 35 are plate-shaped member formed by being bent to have an L-shaped section. An insertion portion 35A that is one end of each stopper member 35 is inserted to each end of the side surface magnet accommodation portion 28A in the up-down direction and is thus attached to the side surface packing 28 to prevent the side-surface magnet 34 from dropping.

[00331

A first sealing portion 28B is provided at the side

surface magnet accommodation portion 28A on the side of

the storage 2. The first sealing portion 28B extends on

the side of the outer edge packing 20, and a second

sealing portion 28C is provided at the distal end of the

first sealing portion 28B. The second sealing portion

28C projects on the side of the storage 2 and is then

bent and extends on the side of the other thermal

insulating door 4. In other words, the first sealing

portion 28B and the second sealing portion 28C are formed

to have U-shaped sections as illustrated in Fig. 4.

Also, a distal end 28C1 of the second sealing

portion 28C extends up to a position that is

substantially the same as a surface of the side surface

magnet accommodation portion 28A located on the side of

the other thermal insulating door 4.

The length of the second sealing portion 28C in the

up-down direction is shorter than the length of the side surface packing 28 in the up-down direction and is a length that is substantially the same as the length of the door interior panel 14 in the up-down direction.

[0034]

Also, a fin portion 28D is provided at the first

sealing portion 28B on the side of the outer edge packing

20. The fin portion 28D is formed into a thin plate

shape with flexibility that extends on the side of the

outer edge packing 20 and has a free end on the distal

end side. The distal end of the fin portion 28D abuts on

the outer edge packing 20.

[0035]

A coupling portion 28E is provided at the side

surface magnet accommodation portion 28A on the side of

the front surface of the thermal insulating door 4. The

coupling portion 28E is formed into a thin plate shape

with flexibility that extends on the side of the front

surface of the thermal insulating door 4, and the distal

end of the coupling portion 28E is coupled to a bottom

surface 30A of the cover member 30.

[0036]

An extending portion 28F is provided at the side

surface magnet accommodation portion 28A on the side of

the side surface of the thermal insulating door 4. The

extending portion 28F extends from the side surface

magnet accommodation portion 28A on the side of the side

surface of the thermal insulating door 4 toward the side surface of the thermal insulating door 4 and then extends toward the front surface of the thermal insulating door

4. In other words, the extending portion 28F is formed

to have an L-shaped section. Also, an insertion portion

28F1 formed to have a T-shaped section is provided at the

distal end of the extending portion 28F. The insertion

portion 28F1 is inserted into the packing guide groove

24C as described above.

[0037]

Next, the cover member 30 will be described.

The cover member 30 is formed of a hard resin that

is a hard material. The cover member 30 is formed to

have a U-shaped section, and the coupling portion 28E of

the side surface packing 28 is coupled to the end of the

bottom surface 30A of the cover member 30 located on the

side of the storage 2 as described above.

Also, a cover member engagement piece 30B is

provided at the end of the bottom surface 30A of the

cover member 30 located on the side of the storage 2.

The cover member engagement piece 30B projects toward the

side surface of the thermal insulating door 4, and the

distal end of the cover member engagement piece 30B is

formed into a claw shape. As described above, the cover

member engagement piece 30B is engaged with the holding

portion engagement piece 24E.

Furthermore, a rib 30B1 is provided at the cover

member engagement piece 30B. The rib 30B1 projects toward the side of the storage 2, and the rib 30B1 closes an opened portion of the heater holding portion 24D holding the heater 36.

[00381

The latching groove 30C is provided at an end of the

bottom surface 30A of the cover member 30 located on the

side of the front surface of the thermal insulating door

4. The latching groove 30C projects toward the side

surface of the thermal insulating door 4, and the

latching groove 30C has an opened portion located on the

side of the side surface of the thermal insulating door

4. The latching portion 24F is inserted into the

latching groove 30C as described above.

[00391

The fin member 32 is integrally provided at the

distal end of the latching groove 30C located on the side

of the front surface of the thermal insulating door 4.

The fin member 32 is formed of a soft resin such as

rubber that is a soft material and has flexibility

similarly to the side surface packing 28. Also, the fin

member 32 is formed into a thin plate shape with a free

end on the distal end side and extends toward the side

surface of the thermal insulating door 4, and the distal

end of the fin member 32 abuts on the side surface of the

thermal insulating door 4.

[0040]

Also, the linear heater 36 is sandwiched between the

attachment guide member 24 and the sealing member 26.

The heater 36 is adapted to heat the sealing member 26 to

curb occurrence of dew condensation or freezing, and the

heater 36 is disposed in a loop shape through in the up

down direction of the side surface of the thermal

insulating door 4. Also, the heater 36 is sandwiched at

the heater holding portion 24D as described above and is

further secured between the attachment guide member 24

and the sealing member 26 by the opened portion of the

heater holding portion 24D being closed with the rib

B1.

[0041]

Next, caps 38 will be described. Although one of

the caps 38 will be described below, the other cap 38

also has a similar configuration.

Fig. 6(A) is an exploded perspective view of the cap

38 and the upper surface of the thermal insulating door

4, and Fig. 6(B) is a perspective view of the upper

surface of the thermal insulating door.

Both ends of the attachment guide member 24 and the

sealing member 26 in the up-down direction are closed

with the caps 38. Each cap 38 is a plate member formed

into an L shape in a top view, and one end of the cap 38

extends in a short-side direction of the side surface of

the thermal insulating door 4 as illustrated in Fig. 3

and Fig. 6. Also, the other end of the cap 38 is bent on the side of the outer edge of the rear surface of the thermal insulating door 4 and extends along the outer edge and the upper surface of the outer edge packing 20.

[0042]

A pair of insertion portions 38A projecting downward

are provided in the rear surface of the cap 38. The

insertion portions 38A are inserted into the space

surrounded by the attachment guide member 24 and the

sealing member 26. Specifically, one of the insertion

portion 38A is inserted along the inside of the bottom

surface 24A of the attachment guide member 24, and the

other insertion portion 38A is inserted along the inside

of the bottom surface 30A of the cover member 30. In

this manner, invasion of dirt or dust between the

attachment guide member 24 and the sealing member 26 is

curbed, and the heater 36 is covered and protected.

[0043]

A screwing hole 38C is provided at the distal end of

the cap 38 located on the side of the other end. Also, a

screw hole 12B is provided at an outer edge of the rear

surface of the thermal insulating door 4. The cap 38 is

secured to the thermal insulating door 4 by screws 40

being screwed at the screwing hole 38C and the screw hole

12B.

Some refrigerators in the related art are configured

such that users can easily detach side surface packings

and cover members. According to such refrigerator, there is a concern that the side surface packings and the cover members are damaged or mixed into products in the refrigerator due to detachment of the side surface packings and the cover members for maintenance, cleaning, or the like.

In the embodiment, it is possible to curb dropping

of the caps 38 during ordinary utilization and a

maintenance operation of the refrigerator 1 by securing

the caps 38 using securing members such as screws 40.

Therefore, it is possible to curb missing of the caps 38

and mixing into products in the storage chamber.

Also, it is possible to curb sliding of the sealing

member 26 in the up-down direction and to curb dropping

of the sealing member 26 from the attachment guide member

24.

Furthermore, the screws 40 are disposed at locations

at which the screws 40 are not visually recognized from

the front side of the refrigerator 1 when the respective

thermal insulating doors 4 are closed, and it is thus

possible to improve design properties of the refrigerator

1, by screwing the caps 38 on the side of the outer edges

of the rear surfaces of the thermal insulating doors 4.

[0044]

Also, the upper surface 38B of the caps 38 attached

to the thermal insulating doors have heights that are

substantially the same as heights of the upper surfaces

of the thermal insulating doors 4.

[0045]

Next, effects of the embodiment will be described.

First, a procedure for attaching the sealing member

26 to the attachment guide member 24 will be described.

First, the heater 36 is sandwiched at the heater

holding portion 24D. Then, one end of the sealing member

26 is inserted into one end of the attachment guide

member 24 while being slid in the up-down direction, and

the sealing member 26 is thus secured to the attachment

guide member 24.

In this manner, the sealing member 26 is secured to

the attachment guide member 24 without using securing

members, a tool, and the like. Therefore, it is possible

to reduce the number of components in the refrigerator 1

and to facilitate fabrication and a maintenance operation

of the refrigerator.

[0046]

If the pair of thermal insulating doors 4 of the

refrigerator 1 are closed, the outer edge magnets 22 are

attracted to the storage 2 due to a magnetic force, and

portions lying along side surfaces of the thermal

insulating doors 4 on the side of the hinges 8 and the

upper surfaces and the lower surfaces of the thermal

insulating doors 4 in the outer edge packings 20 are

brought into close contact with the storage 2.

Also, the side surface magnets 34 provided in the

respective sealing members 26 of the respective thermal insulating doors 4 are attracted to each other due to a magnetic force. In this manner, the respective extending portions 28F and the coupling portions 28E mutually extend toward the side surfaces of the other thermal insulating doors 4. In addition, the gap between the side surfaces of the respective thermal insulating doors

4 is sealed by the accommodation portion side surfaces

28A1 located at the respective side surface magnet

accommodation portions 28A on the side of the other

thermal insulating doors 4 being brought into close

contact with each other.

[0047]

Also, when the accommodation portion side surfaces

28A1 are brought into close contact with each other, the

distal ends 28C1 of the respective second sealing

portions 28C abut on each other. In this manner, a space

Si surrounded by the respective first sealing portions

28B and the respective second sealing portions 28C is

formed. Air in the space S1 acts as a thermal insulating

air layer, curbs invasion of heat from the gap between

the side surface packings 28 into the storage chamber,

and curbs leakage of cool air from the inside of the

storage chamber.

[0048]

Furthermore, a space S2 surrounded by the attachment

guide member 24, the extending portion 28F, the first

sealing portion 28B, the fin portion 28D, and the outer edge packing 20 is formed in the side surface of each thermal insulating door 4. Air in the space S2 also acts as a thermal insulating air layer.

In addition, the fin members 32 abut on the side

surfaces of the thermal insulating doors 4 as described

above. These thermal insulating air layers and the fin

members 32 curb invasion of heat from between the side

surfaces of the thermal insulating doors 4 and the

attachment guide members 24 into the storage chamber and

to curb leakage of cool air from the inside of the

storage chamber.

[0049]

Since the sealing members 26 are formed by the side

surface packings 28 formed of a soft resin and the cover

members 30 formed of a hard resin being integrally

molded, it is possible to seal the gap between the side

surfaces of the thermal insulating doors 4 while allowing

the sealing members 26 to have predetermined strength.

Also, it is possible to curb accumulation of dirt, dust,

and the like between the side surface packings 28 and the

cover members 30.

Furthermore, it is not necessary for a user to

individually detach the side surface packings 28 and the

cover members 30 for maintenance, cleaning, or the like,

and it is possible to curb damaging or dropping of the

side surface packings 28 and the cover members 30.

In addition, it is not necessary to provide a

structure or a mechanism for coupling the side surface

packings 28 to the cover members 30, and it is thus

possible to reduce the size of the sealing members 26 and

to reduce the thickness and the weight of the thermal

insulating doors 4.

[00501

As described above, the upper surfaces 38B of the

caps 38 attached to the thermal insulating doors 4 have

substantially the same heights as the heights of the

upper surfaces of the thermal insulating doors 4.

In this manner, the caps 38 do not project from the

upper surfaces of the thermal insulating doors 4, and the

upper surfaces of the thermal insulating doors 4 become

flat throughout. Therefore, it is possible to improve

design properties of the refrigerator 1.

[0051]

According to the aforementioned embodiment, the

following advantages are achieved.

[0052]

The refrigerator 1 according to the embodiment

includes the storage 2 provided with the opening and the

pair of thermal insulating doors 4 provided at the

opening. These thermal insulating doors 4 are side-by

side doors, and both the side surfaces of the respective

thermal insulating doors 4 that face each other are

provided with the attachment guide members 24, the sealing members 26, and pairs of caps 38. Also, the configuration in which the upper surfaces 38B of the caps

38 have substantially the same heights as the heights of

the upper surfaces or the lower surfaces of the

respective thermal insulating doors 4 is employed.

In this manner, the caps 38 do not project from the

upper surfaces of the thermal insulating doors 4, and the

upper surfaces of the thermal insulating doors 4 become

flat throughout. Therefore, it is possible to improve

design properties of the refrigerator 1.

[00531

Also, the embodiment employs the configuration in

which the respective caps 38 are secured to the outer

edges of the respective thermal insulating doors 4 on the

side of the rear surfaces with screws that are securing

members. In this manner, it is possible to curb dropping

of the caps 38 during ordinary utilization and a

maintenance operation of the refrigerator 1. Also, the

screws 40 are disposed at locations at which the screws

are not visually recognized from the front side of the

refrigerator 1 when the respective thermal insulating

doors 4 are closed, and it is thus possible to improve

design properties of the refrigerator 1.

[0054]

Also, the embodiment employs the configuration in

which the sealing members 26 are slid along and attached

to the attachment guide members 24. In this manner, the user can secure the sealing members 26 to the attachment guide members 24 without using securing members, a tool, and the like.

[00551

Also, the embodiment employs the configuration in

which the sealing members 26 are formed by the side

surface packings 28 and the cover members 30 that cover

the attachment guide members 24 being integrally molded.

In this manner, it is possible to curb accumulation

of dirt, dust, and the like between the side surface

packings 28 and the cover members 30.

Also, it is not necessary for the user to

individually detach the side surface packings 28 and the

cover members 30 for maintenance, cleaning, or the like,

and it is possible to curb damaging or dropping of the

side surface packings 28 and the cover members 30.

Furthermore, it is not necessary to provide a

structure or a mechanism for coupling the side surface

packings 28 to the cover members 30, and it is thus

possible to reduce the size of the sealing members 26 and

to reduce the thickness and the weight of the thermal

insulating doors 4.

[00561

Also, the embodiment employs the configuration in

which the side surface packings 28 are formed of a soft

material and the cover members 30 are formed of a hard

material. In this manner, it is possible to seal the gap between the side surfaces of the thermal insulating doors

4 while allowing the sealing members 26 to have

predetermined strength.

[0057]

The aforementioned embodiment describes an aspect of

the invention as an example, and modifications and

applications can arbitrarily be made without departing

from the gist of the invention.

[0058]

For example, although the refrigerator 1 is a two

door under-counter-type refrigerator in the embodiment,

the invention is not limited thereto and can be applied

to a refrigerator with a different number of doors such

as a four-door vertical refrigerator.

[0059]

Throughout this specification and the claims which

follow, unless the context requires otherwise, the word

"comprise", and variations such as "comprises" and

"comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion

of a stated integer or step or group of integers or steps

but not the exclusion of any other integer or step or

group of integers or steps.

[0060]

The reference in this specification to any prior

publication (or information derived from it), or to any

matter which is known, is not, and should not be taken as

an acknowledgment or admission or any form of suggestion that that prior publication (or information derived from it) or known matter forms part of the common general knowledge in the field of endeavor to which this specification relates.

[Description of Reference Signs]

[0061]

1 Refrigerator

2 Storage

4 Thermal insulating door

12 Door exterior panel

12A, 12B, 24B Screw hole

14 Door interior panel

20 Outer edge packing

20A Projecting portion

24 Attachment guide member

24A Bottom surface

24C Packing guide groove

24D Heater holding portion

24E Holding portion engagement piece

24F Latching portion

26 Sealing member

28 Side surface packing (packing)

28A Side surface magnet accommodation portion

28A1 Accommodation portion side surface

28B First sealing portion

28C Second sealing portion

28C1 Distal end

28D Fin portion

28E Coupling portion

28F Extending portion

Cover member

A Bottom surface

B1 Rib

C Latching groove

32 Fin member

34 Side surface magnet

Stopper member

A, 38A Insertion portion

36 Heater

38 Cap

38B Upper surface

38C Screwing hole

Screw

S1, S2 Space

Claims

THE CLAIMS DEFINING THE INVENTION ARE AS FOLLOWS:

[Claim 1]

A refrigerator comprising:

a storage provided with an opening; and

a pair of thermal insulating doors provided at the

opening,

wherein the pair of thermal insulating doors are

side-by-side doors,

both side surfaces of the respective thermal

insulating doors that face each other are provided with

attachment guide members,

sealing members that are slid along and are

attached to the attachment guide members, and that seal

the storage by being brought into close contact with each

other when the respective thermal insulating doors are

closed, and

caps that prevent detachment of the sealing

members, and

upper surfaces of the caps have substantially same

heights as heights of upper surfaces or lower surfaces of

the respective thermal insulating doors.
[Claim 2]

The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the

caps are secured to surfaces of the respective thermal

insulating doors on a side of the opening with securing

members.
[Claim 3]

A refrigerator comprising:

a storage provided with an opening; and

a pair of thermal insulating doors provided at the

opening,

wherein the pair of thermal insulating doors are

side-by-side doors,

both side surfaces of the respective thermal

insulating doors that face each other are provided with

attachment guide members,

sealing members that are slid along and are

attached to the attachment guide members, and seal the

storage by being brought into close contact with each

other when the respective thermal insulating doors are

closed, and

caps that prevent detachment of the sealing

member, and

the sealing members are formed by packings and cover

members that cover the attachment guide members being

integrally molded.
[Claim 4]

The refrigerator according to claim 4 or 5, wherein

the packings are formed of a soft material, and the cover

members are formed of a hard material.