CN101738052A

CN101738052A - Refrigeration appliance and manufacturing method thereof

Info

Publication number: CN101738052A
Application number: CN200810234163A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 鲁松涛; 柏玉发
Original assignee: BSH Electrical Appliances Jiangsu Co Ltd
Current assignee: BSH Electrical Appliances Jiangsu Co Ltd
Priority date: 2008-11-05
Filing date: 2008-11-05
Publication date: 2010-06-16
Anticipated expiration: 2028-11-05
Also published as: WO2010052650A3; PL2348268T3; EP2717006A1; EP2348268A2; EP2717006B1; CN101738052B; RU2011119251A; DE202009018876U1; EP2348268B1; WO2010052650A2

Abstract

The invention relates to a refrigeration appliance and a manufacturing method thereof. The refrigeration appliance (1) comprises a door (3) and a distributor (6) arranged on the door (3), wherein the door (3) comprises a door plate (5) having an opening (4); the distributor (6) comprises a distributor housing (7); the distributor housing (7) is connected with the door plate (5) and limits a cavity (8) corresponding to the opening (4); and at least one part of the cavity (8) is arranged to be suitable for holding an external container. According to the suggestion of the invention, the whole distributor housing (7) is not beyond the front surface of the door plate (5).

Description

Refrigeration device and method for producing same

[ technical field ]

The present invention relates to a refrigerator and a method for manufacturing the same, and more particularly, to a household or commercial refrigerator having a dispenser and a method for manufacturing the same.

[ background art ]

CN101071026 discloses a refrigeration appliance provided with a distributor on the door. In the refrigerator, the front panel of the door is provided with an opening for installing the dispenser. The dispenser has a dispenser housing defining a cavity. The dispenser housing is disposed along the opening of the door such that the cavity corresponds to the opening and a user can place an external container, such as a cup, within the cavity to receive ice or water stored within the refrigeration appliance. The dispenser housing includes a cavity edge disposed at a front end of the cavity, generally parallel to the front panel. The cavity rim has a shape corresponding to the opening of the front panel, but is larger in both width and length than the latter. When assembled, the dispenser housing extends from the front to the rear into the opening of the front panel. After the assembly is completed, the rear surface of the cavity edge is exposed on the front surface of the door by being attached to the front surface of the front panel, and thus the gap between the cavity edge and the front panel is also exposed. In order to cover such gaps, which are not generally perfectly flat, the refrigeration device is additionally provided with a frame body, and the frame body is arranged along the opening to shield the exposed cavity edge so as to obtain a neat and flat appearance. Meanwhile, a display and control unit is connected to the upper portion of the frame body and is connected to the door together.

KR2006-006246 discloses another dispenser housing structure of a refrigeration appliance. The dispenser housing has a slot formed at the end of the cavity parallel to the front panel of the door, and the edge of the opening of the front panel for mounting the dispenser is inserted into the slot of the dispenser housing, which allows the engagement between the dispenser housing and the front panel to be relatively tight and effectively prevents the occurrence of foam leakage during foaming. However, for an opening having a closed-loop edge, this structure does not easily achieve the connection of the dispenser housing and the opening, and the front surface of the dispenser housing (the front side wall of the socket) is inevitably exposed outside the front edge plate.

[ summary of the invention ]

It is therefore an object of the present invention to overcome at least one of the above-mentioned technical problems of the prior art, so that it is possible to make the appearance of the refrigeration appliance more tidy and this can be achieved at even lower costs.

One aspect of the present invention pertains to a refrigeration appliance. The refrigeration appliance comprises: a door comprising a door panel having an opening; a dispenser disposed on the door, the dispenser including a dispenser housing connected to the door panel and defining a cavity corresponding to the opening, at least a portion of the cavity being configured to receive an outer container, wherein the dispenser housing does not extend entirely beyond a front surface of the door panel.

Since the dispenser housing does not have a portion beyond the front surface of the door panel but is entirely located behind the door panel, an additional decorative frame is not required, thereby making it possible to reduce the number of assembly parts of the door, the material, and the management cost. In addition, the appearance of the door may thus be more concise and tidy.

Other features which are considered as characteristic for the invention, individually or in combination with other features, are set forth in the following appended claims.

According to a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the dispenser housing comprises a cavity edge arranged along the front end of the cavity, the cavity edge being connected to the rear surface of the door panel. Thus, the cavity edge does not have to be exposed at the front surface of the door panel while the dispenser housing can form a stable connection with the door panel through the cavity edge.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the door further comprises a sealing means between the rear surface of the door panel and the cavity edge. This can greatly reduce the possibility of foam liquid escaping from the gap between the door panel and the cavity edge during the foaming process. According to a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the sealing means forms a closed loop along the edge of the opening. Particularly preferably, the sealing means is an adhesive tape.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the door panel comprises an extension extending rearwardly from an edge of the opening. Thus, the extension portion extending in the front-rear direction is advantageous in preventing the blowing agent from overflowing from the opening during the foaming process.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the extension includes a flange bent back from an edge of the opening, which not only makes it unnecessary to significantly complicate the structure of the door panel, but also makes it particularly advantageous to manufacture, thereby reducing manufacturing costs.

In a particularly preferred embodiment, the extension is provided along the entire edge of the opening. Such an extension forming a closed loop is more advantageous for the quality control of the foaming process of the door.

In a particularly preferred embodiment, the extension is at least substantially perpendicular to the plane of the opening. This facilitates not only blocking of the blowing agent leakage during foaming but also the abutting of the extension and the connection, and is easy to manufacture.

In a particularly preferred embodiment, the extension is located outside the cavity so that the extension may not be exposed within the cavity, thereby avoiding the extension from adversely affecting the appearance of the dispenser.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the dispenser housing comprises a connection portion for connection with the extension portion, the extension portion and the connection portion forming a plug connection. In addition to the plug connection being advantageous for preventing blowing agent leakage, the connection between the two can also be realized very simply. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the connecting portion comprises a slot that interfaces with the extension.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the dispenser housing comprises a cavity wall defining the cavity, the slot being formed in the cavity wall and isolated from the cavity.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the entrance of the slot is directed towards the opening. This not only facilitates manufacture, but also the extension can be easily inserted into the slot.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the extension portion includes a hook portion, and the connecting portion includes a locking portion to be engaged with the hook portion to prevent the dispenser housing from being detached from the door panel in the front-rear direction. Thus, the dispenser housing and the door panel can be fixed together more reliably.

In one embodiment, the door panel constitutes a front surface of the door.

However, in an alternative embodiment, the door further comprises a front panel adjacent the door panel and having a front opening corresponding to the opening, the front panel forming at least a majority of a front surface of the door. The front panel is preferably made of glass.

Preferably, the cooling device further comprises a sealing strip disposed along an edge of the opening between the front panel and the door panel. Advantageously, the sealing strip forms a closed loop around the opening.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the control panel is at least partially received within the opening.

Another aspect of the invention relates to a method of manufacturing a refrigeration appliance. The method comprises the following steps: providing a cabinet defining at least one storage compartment; providing a door; and attaching the door to the box; wherein the step of providing a door comprises: a) providing a door panel having an opening; b) providing a dispenser housing, wherein the dispenser housing defines a cavity; c) the dispenser housing is attached to the door panel along the opening from the rear side of the door panel, the dispenser housing being entirely located behind the plane of the opening.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, in the step a), the door panel forms an extension extending rearward from the opening.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the dispenser housing comprises a slot for interfacing with the extension, and in step c), the extension is inserted into the slot.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, in the step c), a front surface of the dispenser housing is coupled to a rear surface of the door panel.

The construction of the present invention and other objects and advantages thereof will be more apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[ description of the drawings ]

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention. Wherein,

fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a refrigeration appliance according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a schematic perspective view of a door of a refrigeration appliance according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, in which a control panel is removed from the door.

Fig. 3 is a schematic partial sectional view taken along line I-I in fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a schematic enlarged view of a portion a in fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a partial perspective view illustrating a door panel and a dispenser housing separated according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 6 and 7 are schematic partial enlarged views of portions B and C in fig. 5, respectively.

Fig. 8 is a schematic partial sectional view of a door according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 9 is a schematic partial sectional view of a door according to still another preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[ detailed description of the invention ]

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a refrigeration appliance 1 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 1, the refrigeration appliance 1 includes a cabinet 2, and in the present embodiment, the cabinet 2 defines a plurality of storage compartments 26 (see fig. 3), including a freezing compartment and a refrigerating compartment, which are distributed side by side and partitioned by a partition (not shown).

The refrigeration appliance 1 comprises two doors 3 corresponding to the respective storage compartments 26. The doors 3 are pivotally connected to one side of the cabinet 2 by hinges 19, respectively, and can be rotated about rotation axes parallel to the longitudinal axis. In a normal case, the door 3 is closed to prevent the cool air from leaving the storage chamber 26. When necessary, the user may open the corresponding door 3 to perform an operation of, for example, taking out food from the freezing chamber or the refrigerating chamber or storing food into the corresponding storage chamber 26. The user can perform opening and closing motions of the door 3 by means of the handle 18.

One door 3 in the present embodiment has the corresponding storage room 26 fully opened or fully closed. It will be appreciated that the invention is not limited thereto but that other embodiments are possible. For example, in an alternative implementation, one storage compartment 26 is opened or closed by two doors 3, that is, one door 3 opens or closes only a portion of such a storage compartment 26.

The dispenser 6 is provided on one of the doors 3 of the refrigeration appliance 1 so that a user can access ice and/or beverages, such as ice stored in a freezer compartment and water from a water tank located in a refrigerator compartment, without opening the door 3. In the present embodiment, the dispenser 6 is provided at the door 3 corresponding to the freezing chamber. It is also possible, by proper arrangement, for the dispenser 6 to be arranged at the door 3 corresponding to the refrigerating compartment 26.

The door 3 includes a door panel 5 constituting a front surface of the door 3. In the present embodiment, the door panel 5 is made of a thin metal plate. The door panel 5 has an opening 4 corresponding to the dispenser 6, and the opening 4 is substantially square. The dispenser 6 is installed along the opening 4 and includes a dispensing chamber 20 communicating with the opening 4 to be exposed to the front surface of the door 3. An ice outlet (not shown) and a water outlet (not shown) are formed above the dispensing chamber 20. The dispensing chamber 20 is recessed rearward from the front surface of the door 3 by an arc to a predetermined depth and is configured to receive at least a portion of an external container such as a cup.

Fig. 2 shows a schematic partially exploded view of a door 3 according to a preferred embodiment of the invention. As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the refrigeration appliance 1 includes a control panel 17 provided on the door 3. The control panel 17 is provided along the upper end of the opening 4 and is housed in the opening 4. In the present embodiment, the front panel of the control panel 17 is flush with the front surface of the door panel 5.

The control panel 17 is arranged immediately above the dispensing chamber 20. The control panel 17 includes a display screen 21 and a plurality of switch devices 22. The display screen 21 can display information such as the status and/or selectable parameters of the refrigeration appliance 1.

The switch means 22 is located below the display screen 21 so as to be closer to the dispensing chamber 20 than the display screen 21. In the present embodiment, by the operation of the switch device 22, the user can select, for example, the supply of water, the supply of crushed ice, the supply of ice cubes, and the turning on of a lighting device (not shown) that illuminates the dispensing chamber 20.

As can be seen from fig. 1 and 2, the entirety of the dispenser 6 does not extend beyond the front surface of the door panel 5 (i.e., the front surface of the door 3 in the present embodiment), but is located rearward of the door panel 5.

Fig. 3 shows a schematic partial cross-sectional view of a door 3 according to a preferred embodiment of the invention. As shown in fig. 3, an ice storage unit 25 is provided in the storage room 26, and a downward discharge port is provided at the front of the ice storage unit 25. An ice discharge passage 27 is provided in the door 3, and an inlet of the ice discharge passage 27 faces a discharge port of the ice storage unit 25 so that the ice discharged from the ice storage unit 25 can enter the ice discharge passage 27 to be finally discharged toward the dispensing chamber 20.

The dispenser 6 includes a dispenser housing 7 housed between the door panel 5 and the inner liner 23, wherein the inner liner 23 constitutes a rear wall of the door 3, facing the storage compartment 26 when the door 3 is closed. The inner liner 23 protrudes toward the storage chamber 26 at a position corresponding to the dispenser housing 7, and a predetermined distance exists between the dispenser housing 7 and the protruding portion of the inner liner 23.

Thermal insulation 24 is distributed between the door panel 5 and the inner lining 23 and between the dispenser housing 7 and the inner lining 23 to reduce the cold loss from the storage compartment 26. The thermal insulation layer 24 is formed by foaming an insulating foaming agent.

The dispenser housing 7 forms an inwardly recessed, open-fronted cavity 8. The distributor 6 comprises a dividing plate 30 (not shown in fig. 2) dividing the cavity 8 into upper and lower parts. The portion of the cavity 8 below the partition plate 30 constitutes a distribution chamber 20 whose front end remains open. The partition plate 30 is provided with an ice outlet and a water outlet, from which ice and water are respectively discharged to an external container located in the distribution chamber 20.

The dispensing chamber 20 has a generally flat support wall 28 so that the outer container can be placed thereon smoothly. The support wall 28 has a plurality of fine through holes (not shown) through which ice or liquid inadvertently spilled or spilled during water dispensing flows into a drip tray 29 located below the support wall 28.

The portion of the opening 4 above the divider plate 30 is adapted to the outer contour of the control panel 17, so that the control panel 17 and the corresponding edge of the opening 4 engage and close the portion of the opening 4 above the divider plate 30.

Fig. 4 is a partially enlarged view of a portion a in fig. 3. Fig. 5 shows a schematic partial perspective view of the dispenser housing 7 when detached from the door panel 5. As shown in fig. 3, 4 and 5, the dispenser housing 7 includes a cavity rim 9 provided along the front end of the cavity 8. In this embodiment, the cavity rim 9 is provided on the entire edge of the cavity 8. The front surface of the cavity edge 9 is located at the foremost end of the dispenser housing 7 in this embodiment and is parallel to the edge area of the opening 4.

The cavity edge 9 is attached to the rear surface of the door panel 5. Specifically, the cavity edge 8 is connected to the rear surface of the door panel 5 along the edge of the opening 4, and thus, the cavity edge 8 is hidden behind the door panel 5 rather than being exposed to the outer surface of the door 3.

The door 3 includes an extension 11 provided along an edge of the opening 4 and extending rearward. The extension 11 is formed by a turned-over edge bent back from the edge of the opening 4 in this embodiment. The extension 11 is provided along the entire edge of the opening 4 and is thus a closed loop structure. The length of the extended portion 11 in the front-rear direction is preferably 2 to 4 mm, for example, 3 mm.

The dispenser housing 7 comprises a connection portion 12 for connection with the extension 11. In the present embodiment, the connection portion 12 includes a slot 13 for receiving the extension portion 11, so that the extension portion 11 and the connection portion 12 form a plug-fit.

A slot 13 is provided along the front end of the dispenser housing 7, in particular the slot 13 extends rearwardly from the front end face of a cavity wall 14 defining the cavity 8, thus having an entrance towards the door panel 5. This allows the structure of the extension 11 to be formed relatively simply and easily to achieve the butt joint of the two. In this embodiment, the extension 11 and the slot 13 are located on a plane perpendicular to the plane of the opening 4. The insertion groove 13 is provided around the entire circumference of the cavity 8 to correspond to the extension 11.

As shown in fig. 4, the insertion groove 13 is not exposed in the cavity 8, but is separated from the cavity 8. Thus, after the extension 11 is inserted into the slot 13, the extension 11 is located outside the cavity 8. That is, since the extension portion 11 is not exposed to the inside of the cavity 8, the influence of the extension portion 11 on the appearance of the distributor 6 is reduced.

Fig. 6 and 7 are partially enlarged views of portions B and C of fig. 5, respectively. Referring to fig. 6 and 7 in conjunction with fig. 5, the extension portion 11 disposed along the longitudinal edge of the opening 4 further includes a plurality of first fixing portions 31 distributed at a predetermined interval. The first fixing portion 31 is sheet-shaped, and has hooks 33 formed at upper and lower edges thereof, respectively. Accordingly, the dispenser housing 7 includes a second fixing portion 32 that is fitted with the first fixing portion 31. The second fixing portion 32 includes a lock block 34 corresponding to the hook portion 33. The second fixing portion 32 extends rearward from the insertion groove 13 so as to be exposed to the outside of the cavity wall 14. After the first fixing portion 31 is fixed to the second fixing portion 32, the hook 33 is stopped by the stopper 34 to prevent the dispenser housing 7 from being detached from the door panel 5 in the front-rear direction.

Fig. 8 schematically shows a partial cross-sectional view of a door according to another embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 8, the difference from the above embodiment is that a sealing means 10 is provided between the rear surface of the door panel 5 and the front surface of the cavity edge 9, and in this embodiment, the entire cavity edge 9 is provided with the sealing means and means 10, so that the sealing means 10 forms a closed loop to better prevent leakage of the foaming agent during foaming.

The sealing means 10 may be formed by an adhesive tape, for example a single-sided adhesive tape, which is glued to the cavity edge 9 or the door panel 5. The sealing device 10 is particularly advantageously a double-sided adhesive tape, so that it not only prevents the foaming agent from leaking during the foaming process, but also serves to fix the door panel 5 and the cavity edge 9. When using an applicator device with a sufficiently strong adhesive force, it is possible to fix the dispenser housing 7 and the door panel 5 only or mainly by the applicator device.

Fig. 9 schematically shows a partial cross-sectional view of a door 3 according to yet another preferred embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 9, the present embodiment is different from the above embodiments mainly in that the door 3 further includes a front panel 15 located in front of the door panel 5. The front panel 15 covers at least most of the door panel 5, thereby constituting the front surface of the door 3. The front panel 15 is preferably made of glass and completely covers the door panel 5.

The front panel 15 is arranged next to the door panel 5 and may be attached to the door panel 5 by means of, for example, adhesive tape distributed along the edge area of the front panel 15, or the front panel 15 may be fixed to the door 3 by providing longitudinally extending slots on both sides of the door 3 for receiving the longitudinal edges of the front panel 15.

The front panel 15 has a front opening 16 corresponding to the opening 4. The front opening 16 may be the same shape and size as the opening 4. The door 3 includes a sealing strip 35 provided along an edge of the opening 4 and/or the front opening 16 between the front panel 15 and the door panel 5 to prevent outside air from entering a gap between the front panel 15 and the door panel 5 from the opening 4 and the front opening 16 to form, for example, fog or dew on the rear side of the front panel 15. The sealing strip 35 forms a closed loop around the opening 4. In a most simple and effective embodiment, such a sealing strip 35 is an adhesive tape.

A method of manufacturing a refrigerator according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described below.

The manufacture of the refrigeration appliance 1 essentially comprises 1) providing a cabinet 2, wherein the cabinet 2 defines at least one storage compartment 26; 2) providing a door 3 of the refrigeration appliance 1; and 3) attaching the door 3 to the cabinet 2.

The provision of the cabinet 2 and the attachment of the door 3 to the cabinet 2 may be performed by methods known in the art and will not be described in detail herein. The method of obtaining the door is described in detail below.

First, a door panel 5 having an opening 4 is provided. The door panel 5 is preferably made of a thin metal sheet. The openings 4 may be obtained by means of stamping. By processing the opening 4, the edge of the opening 4 forms a flange extending rearward. The flange is substantially perpendicular to the door panel 5.

Next, a door tray is formed using the door panel 5 as a main body. In a preferred embodiment, upper and lower side covers 36 and left and right side covers forming the peripheral wall of the door 3 are attached to the upper and lower edges and left and right edges of the door panel 5, respectively, to form a door tray. Alternatively, both longitudinal side ends of the door panel 5 are bent backward to form longitudinal side walls 37 of the door 3, and upper and lower edge covers 36 are attached to both upper and lower ends of the door panel 5 to form upper and lower boundaries of the door tray.

Then, the dispenser housing 7 prepared in advance is attached to the door panel 5 from the rear side of the door panel 5. The dispenser housing 7 forms a slot 13 at the front end of the chamber wall 14, the entrance to the slot 13 being forward. When installed, the slot 13 of the dispenser housing 7 is aligned with the flanged edge of the opening 4 and the dispenser housing 7 is pushed forward to insert the flanged edge into the slot 13. Finally, the cavity edge 9 rests against the rear surface of the edge region of the opening 4, so that the dispenser housing 7 does not project beyond the front surface of the door panel 5 but lies entirely behind the door panel 5. Preferably, a single-sided or double-sided adhesive tape is distributed on the door panel 5 or the cavity edge 9 before the dispenser housing 7 is attached to the door panel 5.

After the insulating foaming agent is injected into the door panel that has been assembled, the inner liner 23 closes the open end of the door panel. During foaming, since the edge of the opening 4 has a flange extending in the front-rear direction and the flange is inserted into the insertion slot 13 of the dispenser housing 7, the possibility of blowing agent escaping along the gap between the cavity edge 9 and the door panel 5 is greatly reduced. After the foaming is completed, the control panel 17 is installed in the opening 4 from the front side of the door 3.

Claims

1. A refrigeration appliance (1) comprising:

a door (3), the door (3) comprising a door panel (5) having an opening (4);

a dispenser (6) disposed on the door (3), the dispenser (6) including a dispenser housing (7), the dispenser housing (7) being connected to the door panel (4) and defining a cavity (8) corresponding to the opening (4), at least a portion of the cavity (8) being configured to receive an external container,

characterized in that the dispenser housing (7) does not extend over the front surface of the door panel (5) as a whole.

2. The refrigeration appliance (1) according to claim 1, wherein the distributor housing (7) comprises a cavity edge (9) arranged along the front end of the cavity (8), the cavity edge (9) being connected with the rear surface of the door panel (5).

3. The refrigeration appliance (1) according to claim 2, wherein said door (3) further comprises a sealing means (10) located between the rear surface of said door panel (5) and said cavity edge (9).

4. A refrigerator appliance (1) as in claim 3, characterized by the sealing means (10) forming a closed loop along the edge of the opening (4).

5. A refrigerator appliance (1) as in claim 3 or 4, characterized by the sealing means (10) comprising an adhesive tape.

6. The refrigeration appliance (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the door panel (5) comprises an extension (11) extending rearwardly from an edge of the opening (4).

7. The refrigeration appliance (1) according to claim 6, wherein said extension (11) comprises a flange bent back from the edge of said opening (4).

8. The refrigeration appliance (1) according to any of the claims 6 or 7, wherein the extension (11) is provided along the entire edge of the opening (4).

9. A cold appliance (1) according to any of the claims 6, 7 or 8, wherein the extension (11) is at least substantially perpendicular to the plane of the opening (4).

10. The refrigeration appliance (1) according to any of the claims 6 to 9, wherein the extension (12) is located outside the cavity (8).

11. The refrigeration appliance (1) according to any of the claims 6 to 10, wherein the distributor housing (7) comprises a connection portion (12) for connecting with the extension portion (11), the extension portion (11) and the connection portion (12) forming a plug connection.

12. The refrigeration appliance (1) according to claim 11, wherein the connecting portion (12) comprises a socket (13) for interfacing with the extension (11).

13. The refrigeration appliance (1) according to claim 12, wherein the distributor housing (7) comprises a cavity wall (14) defining the cavity (8), the insert groove (13) being formed on the cavity wall (14) and being isolated from the cavity (8).

14. The refrigeration appliance (1) according to claim 11, 12 or 13, wherein the inlet of the socket (13) is directed towards the opening (4).

15. The refrigeration appliance (1) according to any one of claims 11 to 14, wherein the extension portion (11) comprises a hook portion (33), and the connecting portion (12) comprises a locking portion (34) to connect with the hook portion (34) to prevent the dispenser housing (7) from being detached from the door panel (5) in the front-rear direction.

16. The refrigeration device (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the door panel (5) constitutes a front surface of the door (3).

17. The refrigeration appliance (1) according to any of the claims 1 to 15, wherein said door (3) further comprises a front panel (15), said front panel (15) being immediately adjacent to said door panel (5) and having a front opening (16) corresponding to said opening (4), said front panel (15) forming at least a majority of the front surface of said door (3).

18. The refrigeration appliance (1) according to claim 17, further comprising a sealing strip (35) disposed along an edge of said opening (4) between said front panel (15) and said door panel (5).

19. The refrigeration appliance (1) according to claim 17 or 18, wherein the front panel (15) is made of glass.

20. The refrigeration appliance (1) according to any of the preceding claims, further comprising a control panel (17), said control panel (17) being at least partially housed within said opening (4).

21. A method of manufacturing a refrigeration appliance (1), the method comprising:

providing a cabinet (2) defining at least one storage compartment (26);

-providing a door (3),

-connecting said door (3) to said box (2);

wherein the step of providing a door (3) comprises:

a) providing a door panel (5), the door panel (3) having an opening (4),

b) providing a dispenser housing (7), wherein the dispenser housing (7) defines a cavity (8),

c) -connecting the dispenser housing (7) to the door panel (5) along the opening (4) from the rear side of the door panel (5), the dispenser housing (7) being entirely located behind the plane of the opening (4).

22. A method as claimed in claim 21, wherein, in step a), the door panel (5) forms an extension (11) extending rearwardly from an edge of the opening (4).

23. Method according to claim 22, wherein the dispenser housing (7) comprises a slot (13) for interfacing with the extension (12), wherein in step c) the extension (11) is inserted into the slot (13).

24. The method according to claim 21, 22 or 23, wherein in step c) a front surface of the dispenser housing (7) is connected with a rear surface of the door panel (5).