CN116265843A - Door storage unit for refrigerator and refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

An embodiment of the present invention provides a door storage unit for a refrigerator configured to be mountable on a door of a refrigerator for storing articles, wherein the door storage unit includes: a housing defining a first cavity and a receiving slot above the first cavity, wherein the first cavity has a first opening disposed on a front side of the housing, the receiving slot having a slot opening at a top of the housing; and an upper flap for closing the first opening, which is arranged to be able to be flipped up relative to the housing to open the first opening, wherein the receiving groove is configured to have a relief recess for the upper flap, such that in the open state of the upper flap, a portion of the upper flap can be received in the relief recess. In addition, the invention also provides a corresponding refrigerator. According to some embodiments of the present invention, an optimized modular door storage unit can be provided that improves the user experience.

Description

Door storage unit for refrigerator and refrigerator

Technical Field

The invention relates to the field of household appliances, in particular to a door storage unit for a refrigerator and a corresponding refrigerator.

Background

Nowadays, with the improvement of living standard of people, the refrigerating appliance has been put into thousands of households, such as refrigerators, sideboards, etc. In order to improve space utilization, refrigerators are generally provided with a door storage unit, such as a bottle rack, etc., mounted on a door for a user to store more articles.

Then, the existing door storage unit has a single function. For example, the door storage unit is generally provided as an open box-shaped bottle holder. The bottle rack is convenient for users to take and put articles, but the articles in the bottle rack and other articles in the refrigerator are easy to cause mutual odor.

A door storage unit having a case and a cover which are connected to each other in a openable and closable manner is also known. However, such door storage units generally have problems of a single storage mode, limited opening angle, inconvenient use, and the like.

Disclosure of Invention

It is an aim of embodiments of the present invention to provide an improved door storage unit for a refrigerator and a corresponding refrigerator, thereby improving the user experience.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, an embodiment of the present invention provides a door storage unit for a refrigerator, the door storage unit being configured to be mountable on a door of the refrigerator for storing articles, wherein the door storage unit includes: a housing defining a first cavity and a receiving slot above the first cavity, wherein the first cavity has a first opening disposed on a front side of the housing, the receiving slot having a slot opening at a top of the housing; and an upper flap for closing the first opening, which is arranged to be able to be flipped up relative to the housing to open the first opening, wherein the receiving groove is configured to have a relief recess for the upper flap, such that in the open state of the upper flap, a portion of the upper flap can be received in the relief recess. By avoiding the recess, a combined storage of the first chamber and the receiving groove can advantageously be achieved, so that the use of the storage space is optimized. Avoidance of the recess can reduce or even avoid obstruction of the flip-up lid, enabling the flip-up lid to open more freely, further improving the user experience.

According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the receiving groove has two groove side walls arranged opposite to each other and a front rail connected between the two groove side walls, wherein the two groove side walls and the front rail are arranged such that the groove opening of the receiving groove is at least partially delimited. Thereby, the articles in the accommodating groove can be prevented from falling.

According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the upper end portions of the front edges of the two groove side walls are connected to each other by a front rail, and the lower end portions of the front edges of the two groove side walls are spaced apart from each other by a free space. The free space can provide an opening for the upper edge of the flip-up lid into the relief recess.

According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the upper end portions of the front edges of the two slot side walls protrude in the direction of the front side of the housing relative to the lower end portions thereof, respectively. Thereby, the upward turning of the upper flap can be prevented from being hindered by the groove side wall.

According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the front barrier comprises a barrier upper wall, the projection of the rear edge of which downward in the height direction is located outside the rotation area of the upper edge of the upper flap. Thereby, the article placed in the accommodation groove can be prevented from obstructing the flip-up lid from being flipped over.

According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the front barrier comprises a barrier upper wall and a barrier front wall connected to each other, wherein the barrier upper wall extends between the upper edges of the two groove side walls and together with the two groove side walls at least partially delimits the groove opening of the receiving groove such that there is no overlap between projections of the upper flap and the groove opening in the same horizontal plane in the height direction during rotation of the upper flap relative to the housing. This is advantageous in that it prevents the upper flap from being obstructed by the articles placed in the receiving slot during rotation of the upper flap relative to the housing.

According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the housing comprises a first dividing wall for dividing the first chamber from the receiving groove, wherein the front rail, the two groove side walls and the first dividing wall together delimit a relief recess, such that in the open state of the upper flap a part of the upper flap can be received between the front rail and the first dividing wall. The avoidance concave part has a simple structure and can not influence the normal use of the accommodating groove and the first cavity.

According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the upper flap is connected to the housing by means of a first hinge structure located on an inner surface of the upper flap facing the first cavity and a first mating hinge structure formed on the housing, said first hinge structure being arranged so as to be completely obscured from the front by the upper flap in the closed state of the upper flap. This can improve the aesthetic appearance.

According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the first hinge structure protrudes from the inner surface of the upper flap, and the first mating hinge structure is located in a first groove recessed inwardly and facing downwards from the housing surface. This is advantageous in improving the aesthetic appearance, and in reducing interference between the upper folder and the housing, and in increasing the maximum opening angle of the upper folder.

According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the first hinge structure is spaced from the upper edge of the upper flap and the first slot is spaced from the side edge of the housing. This facilitates shielding the hinge structure between the lower flap and the housing from various directions.

According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the maximum opening angle of the flip-up cover is greater than 90 degrees. This is advantageous in that the convenience of the user in picking and placing the article from the first opening is improved.

According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the upper flap is provided with a first handle projecting outwardly from its outer surface facing away from the first cavity, said first handle extending along a first distal edge of the upper flap facing away from its axis of rotation relative to the housing. The first handle has simple structure, small occupied volume and convenient use.

According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the door storage unit further comprises a first sealing strip arranged on the housing around the first opening, the upper flap pressing against the first sealing strip in the closed state so as to sealingly close the first cavity. This is advantageous in enhancing the sealing of the first chamber to prevent contamination or tainting of the contents of the first chamber by bacteria.

According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the door storage unit further comprises a first magnetic attraction structure comprising a first magnetic body fixed to the upper flap and a second magnetic body fixed to the housing, the first and second magnetic bodies being arranged to be able to provide a force that resists opening of the closed upper flap. The first magnetic structure can conveniently and stably keep the upper flip cover in a closed state so as to prevent the upper flip cover from being opened accidentally.

According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the housing further delimits a second cavity below the first cavity, said second cavity having a second opening provided on the front side of the housing, the door storage unit further comprising a lower flip for closing the second opening, which is arranged to be able to flip down in relation to the housing to open the second opening. Thus, a more diversified storage mode can be provided for the user, and the storage space can be more fully utilized.

According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the lower flap is located in front of the housing in the closed state of the lower flap; in a state in which the lower flap is rotated to a maximum opening angle of the lower flap with respect to the housing, a portion of the lower flap is located directly under the housing. Thus, the lower flip cover can be realized with a simple structure without being blocked by the shell in the process of turning down.

According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, no limiting structure is arranged between the upper flip cover and the shell for preventing the upper flip cover from rotating from the open position to the closed position; and/or the door storage unit comprises a lower flip cover limiting structure arranged to block the lower flip cover from further turning downwards when the lower flip cover rotates to a maximum opening angle of the lower flip cover relative to the shell, wherein the maximum opening angle of the lower flip cover is between 40 degrees and 45 degrees. Thereby, it is possible to avoid damage to the upper folder due to forgetting to close the upper folder by the user. The lower flip limit structure can avoid the overlarge angle of the lower flip to be opened, thereby being convenient for users to use.

According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the door storage unit comprises a flip box secured to the lower flip, wherein the lower flip and the flip box form an upwardly open receiving box. The combination of the lower folder and the flip box enables a user to more conveniently take and put articles from the second cavity located at the lower portion of the door storage unit. Optionally, the door storage unit further includes a partition plate 45 connected to the inversion box for partitioning the receiving space of the receiving box in a direction perpendicular to the bottom surface of the inversion box to prevent the articles in the inversion box from being toppled over. The partition plate 45 may be arranged parallel to the lower folder. Slots may be provided on both side walls of the turn-over case, which are disposed opposite to each other, respectively, so that both ends of the partition board 45 can be detachably inserted into the slots.

According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the lower flap is provided with a second handle projecting outwardly from its outer surface facing away from the second cavity, said second handle extending along a second distal edge of the lower flap facing away from its axis of rotation relative to the housing. The second handle has simple structure, small occupied volume and convenient use.

According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the door storage unit further comprises a second sealing strip arranged on the housing around the second opening, the lower flap pressing against the second sealing strip in the closed state so as to sealingly close the second cavity. This is advantageous in enhancing the sealability of the second chamber to prevent contamination or tainting of the contents of the second chamber by bacteria.

According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the door storage unit further comprises a second magnetic attraction structure comprising a third magnetic body fixed to the lower flap and a fourth magnetic body fixed to the housing, the third and fourth magnetic bodies being arranged to be able to provide a force that counteracts opening of the closed lower flap. The second magnetic structure can conveniently and stably keep the lower flip cover in a closed state so as to prevent the lower flip cover from being opened accidentally.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, an embodiment of the present invention provides a refrigerator including a cabinet, a door connected to the cabinet, and a door storage unit mounted on the door, wherein the door storage unit is configured as the door storage unit according to the above-described embodiments.

Drawings

The principles, features and advantages of the present invention may be better understood by describing the present invention in more detail with reference to the drawings. The drawings include:

fig. 1 schematically illustrates a refrigerator according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 2A and 2B schematically illustrate a door storage unit in different states according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 3 schematically illustrates a front view of a door storage unit according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 4 schematically shows a partially enlarged view of the portion encircled by the dotted line in fig. 2B;

fig. 5 schematically illustrates a bottom view of a door storage unit according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and

fig. 6 schematically illustrates a side view of a door storage unit according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

List of reference numerals

10. Box body

20. Refrigerating chamber

30. Door

40. Door storage unit

41. Shell body

411. First cavity

4111. A first opening

4112. First partition wall

4113. First groove

412. Accommodating groove

4121. Slot opening

4122. Avoidance recess

4123. Groove side wall

4124. Front barrier strip

4124a barrier rib upper wall

4124b barrier front wall

413. Second cavity

4131. A second opening

42. Upper flip cover

421. Upper edge of upper flip cover

422. Lower edge of upper flip cover

423. First handle

4231. First handle recess

42a first hinge structure

42b first mating hinge structure

43. Down turning cover

431. Second handle

4311. Second handle recess

432. Upper edge of lower flip cover

433. Lower edge of lower flip cover

43a second hinge structure

43b second mating hinge structure

44. Turnover box

45. Partition plate

46. First sealing strip

47. Second sealing strip

48a first magnetic body

48b second magnetic body

49a third magnetic body

49b fourth magnetic body

Detailed Description

In order to make the technical problems, technical solutions and advantageous technical effects to be solved by the present invention more apparent, the present invention will be further described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and a plurality of exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

First, in order to facilitate understanding, returning to the description of the background art section, the prior art refrigerator has problems of a single storage mode of the door storage unit, inconvenient use, and the like.

In view of at least one of the above technical problems, or other possible technical problems, one exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides a door storage unit for a refrigerator configured to be mountable on a door of the refrigerator for storing articles, wherein the door storage unit includes: a housing defining a first cavity and a receiving slot above the first cavity, wherein the first cavity has a first opening disposed on a front side of the housing, the receiving slot having a slot opening at a top of the housing; and an upper flap for closing the first opening, which is arranged to be able to be flipped up relative to the housing to open the first opening, wherein the receiving groove is configured to have a relief recess for the upper flap, such that in the open state of the upper flap, a portion of the upper flap can be received in the relief recess.

For a better understanding of the present invention, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Before beginning the detailed description, it should be noted that directional terms used in the description refer to a conventional use state of a refrigerator for convenience of description, and are not to be construed as absolute limitations on the corresponding features. In some of the drawings, the height direction H, the width direction W, and the depth direction D, which are perpendicular to each other, are schematically shown by arrows.

Fig. 1 schematically illustrates a refrigerator according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

As can be seen in fig. 1, the refrigerator includes a cabinet 10, a refrigerating compartment 20 located within the cabinet 10, and a door 30 mounted to the cabinet 10. The door 30 is pivotably connected to the cabinet 10 and is rotatable about a pivot axis extending in a height direction to open or close the refrigerating compartment 20. The refrigerator further includes a door storage unit 40 for accommodating articles to be cooled, the door storage unit 40 being mounted on the door 30. For example, the door storage unit 40 may be attached to an inner surface of the door 30, the inner surface of the door 30 referring to a surface facing the case 10 in a state where the door 30 is closed. The items to be cooled may include food such as beverages, meat, fish, milk and/or dairy products. In particular, the articles to be cooled may also include household products, such as cosmetic products.

As can also be seen from fig. 1, the refrigerator may further include a freezing chamber located below the refrigerating chamber 20, the interior of which is not visible since the freezing chamber is in an unopened state in fig. 1. In addition, since the main portion to which the present invention relates is not so, a detailed description thereof will not be made. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the door storage unit 40 of the present invention may be equally mounted to the door 30 for closing the freezing chamber. As shown in fig. 1, the refrigerator is a combined refrigerator-freezer. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention is equally applicable to other types of refrigerators, such as a refrigerator alone or a freezer. In addition, the present invention can be applied to other household refrigeration appliances other than a refrigerator, such as a wine cabinet, as needed.

Fig. 2A and 2B schematically illustrate a door storage unit 40 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 2A and 2B, the door storage unit 40 includes: a housing 41 defining a first cavity 411 and a receiving groove 412 above the first cavity 411, wherein the first cavity 411 has a first opening 4111 provided on a front side of the housing 41, and the receiving groove 412 has a groove opening at a top of the housing 41; and an upper folder 42 for closing the first opening 4111, which is arranged to be capable of being flipped upward with respect to the housing 41 to open the first opening 4111. The receiving groove 412 is configured to have a relief recess 4122 for the upper flap 42 such that a portion of the upper flap 42 can be received in the relief recess 4122 in the opened state of the upper flap 42.

Both the first cavity 411 and the receiving slot 412 located above it can be used to receive items to be cooled. The receiving groove 412 is directly opened to facilitate a user to directly take and put the article. Closing the first opening 4111 of the first cavity 411 with the upper folder 42 can isolate the first cavity 411 from other storage spaces in the refrigerating compartment 20, thereby preventing odor tainting and the like. The receiving slot 412 and the first cavity 411 are advantageously designed to be suitable for different articles and different use scenarios. For example, the receiving slot 412 is particularly suitable for storing packaged milk or bottled beverages, etc., and the first cavity 411 is particularly suitable for cosmetic products or pharmaceuticals, etc. This combination of the first cavity 411 and the receiving groove 412 can optimize the use of the storage space in the refrigerator. However, the upper folder 42 for closing the first cavity 411 is easily blocked by the housing portion of the receiving groove 412 during the opening process, which results in the upper folder 42 being opened only by a small angle, not being utilized for the user to take and put the article from the first opening 4111. In the present invention, the avoidance recess 4122 of the accommodation groove 412 can reduce or even avoid the obstruction of the upper folder 42, so that the upper folder 42 can be opened more freely, thereby improving the use experience of the user.

Fig. 2A shows a state in which the upper flap 42 is flipped up to its maximum opening angle with respect to the housing 41. The maximum opening angle of the flip-up cover 42 is in particular greater than 90 degrees. Fig. 2B shows the upper flap 42 in its closed position. In the closed state of the upper folder 42, the upper folder 42 is located in front of the housing 41. During the flip-up of the upper flap 42, the upper edge of the upper flap 42 will enter the relief recess 4122. The upper edge of the upper folder 42 refers to the edge of the upper folder 42 at the top thereof in the closed state of the upper folder 42.

Alternatively, the receiving groove 412 has two groove side walls 4123 arranged opposite to each other and a front barrier rib 4124 connected between the two groove side walls 4123, wherein the two groove side walls 4123 and the front barrier rib 4124 are arranged so as to be able to at least partially define a groove opening of the receiving groove 412. The front barrier rib 4124 can block the articles accommodated in the accommodating groove 412 at the front side to prevent the articles in the accommodating groove 412 from falling.

As shown in fig. 2A and 2B, the housing 41 may include a first partition wall 4112 for partitioning the first cavity 411 from the receiving groove 412, wherein the front barrier rib 4124, the two groove side walls 4123, and the first partition wall 4112 together define a avoidance recess 4122 such that a portion of the upper folder 42 can be received between the front barrier rib 4124 and the first partition wall 4112 in the opened state of the upper folder 42. In particular, an upper edge of the upper folder 42 can be received between the front barrier rib 4124 and the first partition wall 4112.

The upper end portions of the front edges of the two groove side walls 4123 may be connected to each other by a front barrier strip 4124, and the lower end portions of the front edges of the two groove side walls 4123 may be spaced apart from each other by a free space. The free space provides an opening for the upper edge of the upper flap 42 into the relief recess 4122.

The upper end portions of the front edges of the two groove side walls 4123 may protrude toward the front side of the housing 41 with respect to the lower end portions thereof, respectively. In other words, the lower end portion of the front edge of the slot sidewall 4123 is recessed with respect to the upper end portion thereof, thereby avoiding the slot sidewall 4123 from obstructing the flip-up of the upper lid 42.

In other embodiments, the upper end portions of the front edges of the two slot side walls 4123 may also be aligned with the lower end portions. In this case, the length of the upper edge of the upper folder 42 may be made smaller than the distance between the front edges of the two slot side walls 4123, thereby avoiding the slot side walls 4123 from obstructing the upward tilting of the upper folder 42.

Alternatively, the front barrier 4124 may include a barrier upper wall 4124a, and a projection of a rear edge of the barrier upper wall 4124a downward in the height direction is located outside a rotation area of an upper edge of the upper folder 42. Thereby, the article, such as a bottle, placed in the receiving groove 412 will be blocked by the stopper upper wall to be located outside the rotation area of the upper edge of the upper folder 42, so that the article placed in the receiving groove 412 can be prevented from obstructing the turnover of the upper folder 42.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 2A and 2B, the front barrier rib 4124 includes a barrier rib upper wall 4124a and a barrier rib front wall 4124B that are connected to each other, wherein the barrier rib upper wall 4124a extends between the upper edges of the two slot side walls 4123 and, together with the two slot side walls 4123, at least partially defines a slot opening that accommodates the slot 412 such that there is no overlap between projections of the upper flap 42 and the slot opening in the same horizontal plane in the height direction during rotation of the upper flap 42 relative to the housing 41. Since the articles, such as bottles, placed in the receiving groove 412 are restrained in the area of the groove opening, the upper folder 42 can be prevented from being obstructed by the articles placed in the receiving groove 412 during the rotation of the upper folder 42 relative to the housing 41. The barrier strip front wall 4124b may connect upper end portions of front edges of the two slot side walls 4123 and be disposed in the same plane as the upper folder 42 in the closed state, thereby improving the flatness of the outer appearance of the door storage unit 40.

The upper folder 42 and the housing 41 may be coupled to each other by a hinge structure. As shown in fig. 2B, the upper folder 42 may be connected to the housing 41 by a first hinge structure 42a located on an inner surface of the upper folder 42 facing the first cavity 411 and a first mating hinge structure 42B formed on the housing 41, the first hinge structure 42a being arranged to be completely shielded from the front by the upper folder 42 in a closed state of the upper folder 42. Fig. 3 schematically illustrates a front view of the door storage unit 40 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, in which the upper folder 42 is in a closed state. As can be seen more clearly in fig. 3, in the closed state of the upper flap 42, the first hinge structure 42a is completely obscured by the upper flap 42. This allows the user to see the flat upper folder 42 from the front without seeing the first hinge structure 42a and the first mating hinge structure 42b when using the door storage unit 40, thereby enabling to improve the aesthetic appearance.

It should be appreciated that the first hinge structure 42a may be configured to include a hinge hole and the first mating hinge structure 42b may be correspondingly configured to include a hinge shaft that is capable of being pivotally inserted into the hinge hole, or vice versa.

The hinge structure between the upper folder 42 and the housing 41 is further described below with reference to fig. 4. Fig. 4 schematically shows a partially enlarged view of the portion encircled by the dotted line in fig. 2B. The first hinge structure 42a protrudes from the inner surface of the upper folder 42, and the first mating hinge structure 42b is located in the first groove 4113 recessed downward and inward from the surface of the housing 41. This is advantageous in reducing interference between the upper folder 42 and the housing 41 and increasing the maximum opening angle of the upper folder 42.

The first hinge structure 42a is spaced apart from the upper edge of the upper folder 42, and the first groove 4113 is spaced apart from the side edge of the housing 41. This facilitates shielding the hinge structure between the upper folder 42 and the housing 41 from various directions.

Returning again to fig. 2A and 2B, to facilitate opening of the first opening 4111, the upper flap 42 is provided with a first handle 423 projecting outwardly from an outer surface thereof facing away from the first cavity 411, said first handle 423 extending along a first distal edge of the upper flap 42 facing away from its axis of rotation relative to the housing 41. In other words, the first handle 423 extends along a lower edge of the upper folder 42 opposite the upper edge, and in particular, along the lower edge 422 of the upper folder 42 over the entire width of the lower edge 422 of the upper folder 42.

The first handle 423 is formed with a first handle recess 4231 recessed inward from a lower surface of the first handle 423, and the first handle recess 4231 extends along a length direction of the first handle 423. For example, the first handle recess 4231 may extend over more than 90% of the length of the first handle 423. When the user uses the first handle 423, fingers can be inserted into the first handle recess 4231 to facilitate holding and flip up the upper folder 42.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 2A and 2B, the housing 41 further defines a second cavity 413 located below the first cavity 411, the second cavity 413 having a second opening 4131 provided on the front side of the housing 41, the door storage unit 40 further comprising a lower flip 43 for closing the second opening 4131, which is arranged to be capable of being flipped down with respect to the housing 41 to open the second opening 4131. This combination can provide a user with a more varied storage means, and more fully utilize the storage space. The arrangement in which the lower flap 43 is located below the upper flap 42 is particularly advantageous. The upper cover 42 is turned upward to open the first opening 4111 at the upper portion, so that the first opening 4111 is advantageously completely opened to the direction of the user without being blocked by the upper cover 42. The second opening 4131 located at the lower portion is advantageously opened by the lower flap 43 being turned downward to open the second opening 4131 in the direction of the user, particularly, the direction of the user's sight line and the direction of the hand extension, so that the opened second opening 4131 is prevented from being blocked by the lower flap 43.

In the closed state of the lower folder 43, the lower folder 43 may be located in front of the housing 41. The upper flap 42 and the lower flap 43 can in particular lie in the same plane in the closed state. Thereby, the flatness of the appearance of the door storage unit 40 can be improved.

In a state in which the lower folder 43 is rotated to the maximum opening angle of the lower folder 43 with respect to the housing 41, a portion of the lower folder 43 may be located directly under the housing 41. Thereby, it is possible to realize with a simple structure that the lower flap 43 is not obstructed by the housing 41 during the downward turning.

The lower folder 43 and the housing 41 may be coupled to each other by a hinge structure. Fig. 5 schematically illustrates a bottom view of the door storage unit 40 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 5, the lower folder 43 may be connected to the housing 41 by a second hinge structure 43a located on an inner surface of the lower folder 43 facing the second chamber 413 and a second mating hinge structure 43b formed on the housing 41. The second hinge structure 43a is arranged to be completely shielded from the front by the lower folder 43 in a closed state of the lower folder 43, as shown in fig. 3. This allows the user to see only the flat lower folder 43 without seeing the second hinge structure 43a and the second mating hinge structure 43b when using the door storage unit 40, thereby enabling to improve the aesthetic appearance. The second hinge structure 43a may be configured to include a hinge hole, for example, and the second mating hinge structure 43b may be correspondingly configured to include a hinge shaft that is capable of being pivotally inserted into the hinge hole, or vice versa.

The second hinge structure 43a may extend protruding from the inner surface of the lower folder 43, and the second mating hinge structure 43b is located in a second groove recessed downward and inward from the surface of the housing 41. This is advantageous in reducing interference between the lower folder 43 and the housing 41, and in hiding the hinge structure between the lower folder 43 and the housing 41.

The second hinge structure 43a may be spaced apart from the lower edge 433 of the lower folder 43 (see fig. 6), and the second groove may be spaced apart from the side edge of the housing 41. This facilitates shielding the hinge structure between the lower folder 43 and the housing 41 from various directions.

Optionally, no limiting structure is provided between the upper folder 42 and the housing 41 to block the upper folder 42 from rotating from the open position to the closed position. Accordingly, the upper folder 42 will naturally flip down to the closed state in the event that the user's support is lost, thereby avoiding the upper folder 42 from being bumped or even damaged by a partition disposed in the refrigerating compartment 20 or an article or the like placed in the refrigerating compartment 20, caused by the user closing the door 30 of the refrigerator in the event that the user forgets to close the upper folder 42 that has been opened. In the case where the maximum opening angle of the upper folder 42 is large, for example, greater than 90 degrees, the opened upper folder 42 is particularly vulnerable to being crushed by the articles in the refrigerating compartment 20. It is apparent that the present invention does not simply omit the stopper structure between the upper folder 42 and the housing 41 for the sake of simplifying the structure.

Conversely, the door storage unit 40 may include a lower folder limit structure arranged to be able to block the lower folder 43 from being further turned down when the lower folder 43 is rotated to a maximum opening angle of the lower folder 43 with respect to the housing 41, the maximum opening angle of the lower folder 43 being between 40 degrees and 45 degrees. Thereby, the lower folder 43 can be prevented from being opened downward by an excessive angle. Just because the maximum opening angle of the lower folder 43 is between 40 degrees and 45 degrees, the lower folder 43 is pushed to the closed state only by the articles in the refrigerating chamber 20 even if the user forgets to close the opened lower folder 43 to close the door 30 of the refrigerator. The lower folder limit structure may be configured to include, for example, a protrusion provided on the second hinge structure 43a and a catching portion provided on the second mating hinge structure 43b for being caught by the protrusion, so that the protrusion is caught by the catching portion and prevents the lower folder 43 from being further turned down when the lower folder 43 is turned to its maximum opening angle. The lower clamshell cook-in limit structure may be implemented in other ways as well.

The door storage unit 40 may further include a flip case 44 fixed to the lower folder 43, wherein the lower folder 43 and the flip case 44 form a receiving case opened upward. Thus, as the lower folder 43 is turned downward, the housing case is also inclined outward so that the opening of the housing case is inclined toward the direction of the user. This enables a user to more conveniently take and put items from the second chamber 413 located at the lower portion of the door storage unit 40. The design of the flip box 44 is particularly suited for use in conjunction with a lower flip stop feature to avoid dropping items from the flip box 44 due to the lower flip 43 opening downward through an excessive angle.

Similar to the upper flap 42, the lower flap 43 is provided with a second grip 431 projecting outwardly from the outer surface of the lower flap 43 facing away from the second cavity 413, said second grip 431 extending along a second distal edge of the lower flap 43 facing away from its axis of rotation relative to the housing 41. In other words, the second grip 431 extends along the upper edge 432 of the lower flap 43, in particular along the upper edge 432 of the lower flap 43 over the entire width of the upper edge 432 of the lower flap 43.

The second handle 431 is formed with a second handle recess 4311 recessed inward from an upper surface of the second handle 431, and the second handle recess 4311 extends along a length direction of the second handle 431. For example, the second handle recess 4311 may extend over more than 90% of the length of the second handle 431. When the user uses the second handle 431, fingers may be inserted into the second handle recess 4311 to facilitate gripping and flipping the lower folder 43 downward.

Referring to fig. 2A, the door storage unit 40 further includes: a first seal strip disposed on the housing 41 around the first opening 4111, the upper lid 42 pressing against the first seal strip in the closed state to hermetically close the first cavity 411; and/or a second sealing strip arranged on the housing 41 around the second opening 4131, against which the lower flap 43 in the closed state presses to sealingly close the second chamber 413. Thereby, the first cavity 411 and/or the second cavity 413 can be hermetically closed. This facilitates storing the articles disposed in the first and/or second chambers 411, 413 separately to prevent the articles in the first and/or second chambers 411, 413 from being contaminated with bacteria or tainted with smell, etc.

Alternatively, the first seal strip may be arranged to completely surround the first opening 4111 for a full revolution and the second seal strip may be arranged only partially around the second opening 4131. In the case where the flip box 44 fixed to the lower folder 43 is provided, the second sealing strip may be arranged to avoid the lower edge of the second opening 4131 while extending only along a portion of both side edges of the upper edge of the second opening 4131.

The door storage unit 40 may further include: a first magnetic structure including a first magnetic body 48a fixed to the upper folder 42 and a second magnetic body 48b fixed to the housing 41, the first magnetic body 48a and the second magnetic body 48b being arranged so as to be able to provide a force that resists opening of the closed upper folder 42; and/or a second magnetic structure including a third magnetic body 49a fixed to the lower folder 43 and a fourth magnetic body 49b fixed to the housing 41, the third magnetic body 49a and the fourth magnetic body 49b being arranged so as to be able to provide a force that resists opening of the closed lower folder 43. Thereby, the upper folder 42 and/or the lower folder 43 can be closed in a magnetic manner, so that the upper folder 42 and/or the lower folder 43 can be conveniently and stably maintained in a closed state to prevent the upper folder 42 and/or the lower folder 43 from being opened due to inertia when the door 30 of the refrigerator is rapidly opened. This magnetic attraction also provides a force that presses the upper and/or lower flaps 42, 43 against the respective first and/or second sealing strips, thereby improving the sealing effect.

The first magnetic body 48a and the second magnetic body 48b may be formed of a magnet or a metal that is attracted to a magnet, respectively. Similarly, the third magnetic body 49a and the fourth magnetic body 49b may be formed of a magnet or a metal formed of a magnet and a metal capable of being attracted to the magnet, respectively. In fig. 2A, a second magnetic body 48b and a fourth magnetic body 49b are schematically indicated with broken lines, which are embedded in the housing 41 so as not to affect the appearance of the housing 41. The first magnetic body 48a and the third magnetic body 49a are more clearly shown in fig. 6. Fig. 6 schematically illustrates a side view of the door storage unit 40 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, in which the upper folder 42 and the lower folder 43 are respectively in a state of being opened to a maximum opening angle. As shown in fig. 6, the first magnetic body 48a and the third magnetic body 49a may be disposed on the inner surfaces of the upper folder 42 and the lower folder 43, respectively.

It is also clear from fig. 6 that the maximum opening angle of the upper flap 42 is significantly greater than 90 degrees, even greater than 100 degrees or greater than 110 degrees. When the upper folder 42 is flipped up to the maximum opening angle, the upper edge 421 thereof is rotated to just above the first partition wall 4112 for partitioning the first cavity 411 from the receiving groove 412. Due to the presence of the relief recess 4122, the upper flap 42 is not obstructed during the upward turning, but can be turned over until, for example, the upper edge of the upper flap 42 contacts the upper surface of the first partition wall 4112. It is also clear from fig. 6 that in a state in which the lower flap 43 is turned down to its maximum opening angle, the lower edge 433 of the lower flap 43 is located directly below the housing 41.

Although specific embodiments have been described above, these embodiments are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure, even where only a single embodiment is described with respect to a particular feature. The characteristic examples provided in the present disclosure are intended to be illustrative, not limiting, unless stated differently. In a specific implementation, the features may be combined with one another where technically feasible according to the actual requirements. In particular, features from different embodiments may also be combined with one another. Various substitutions, alterations, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims (19)

1. A door storage unit (40) for a refrigerator, the door storage unit (40) being configured to be mountable on a door (30) of a refrigerator for storing articles, wherein the door storage unit (40) comprises:

a housing (41) defining a first cavity (411) and a receiving groove (412) located above the first cavity (411), wherein the first cavity (411) has a first opening (4111) provided on a front side of the housing (41), and the receiving groove (412) has a groove opening (4121) located at a top of the housing (41); and

an upper lid (42) for closing the first opening (4111) arranged to be capable of being flipped up relative to the housing (41) to open the first opening (4111),

wherein the receiving groove (412) is configured with a relief recess (4122) for the upper flap (42) such that in the open state of the upper flap (42), a portion of the upper flap (42) can be received in the relief recess (4122).

2. The door storage unit (40) of claim 1, wherein,

the receiving groove (412) has two groove side walls (4123) arranged opposite to each other and a front rail (4124) connected between the two groove side walls (4123), wherein the two groove side walls (4123) and the front rail (4124) are arranged such that a groove opening (4121) of the receiving groove (412) can be at least partially delimited.

3. The door storage unit (40) of claim 2, wherein,

the upper end portions of the front edges of the two groove side walls (4123) are connected to each other by a front dam (4124), and the lower end portions of the front edges of the two groove side walls (4123) are spaced apart from each other by a free space.

4. A door storage unit (40) according to claim 3, wherein,

the upper end portions of the front edges of the two groove side walls (4123) protrude toward the front side of the housing (41) with respect to the lower end portions thereof, respectively.

5. The door storage unit (40) according to any one of claims 2-4, wherein,

the front barrier rib (4124) comprises a barrier rib upper wall (4124 a) and a barrier rib front wall (4124 b) which are connected with each other, wherein the barrier rib upper wall (4124 a) extends between the upper edges of the two groove side walls (4123) and at least partially delimits a groove opening (4121) accommodating the groove (412) together with the two groove side walls (4123), so that during rotation of the upper flap (42) relative to the housing (41), there is no overlap between projections of the upper flap (42) and the groove opening (4121) in the same horizontal plane in the height direction; or alternatively

The front barrier rib (4124) includes a barrier rib upper wall (4124 a), and a projection of a rear edge of the barrier rib upper wall (4124 a) downward in a height direction is located outside a rotation area of an upper edge (421) of the upper folder (42).

6. The door storage unit (40) according to any one of claims 2-5, wherein,

the housing (41) comprises a first partition wall (4112) for separating the first cavity (411) from the receiving groove (412), wherein the front barrier rib (4124), the two groove side walls (4123) and the first partition wall (4112) together delimit a relief recess (4122) such that, in the open state of the upper flap (42), a portion of the upper flap (42) can be received between the front barrier rib (4124) and the first partition wall (4112).

7. The door storage unit (40) according to any one of claims 1-6, wherein,

the upper flap (42) is connected to the housing (41) by means of a first hinge structure (42 a) located on an inner surface of the upper flap (42) facing the first cavity (411) and a first mating hinge structure (42 b) formed on the housing (41), said first hinge structure (42 a) being arranged so as to be completely obscured from the front by the upper flap (42) in the closed state of the upper flap (42).

8. The door storage unit (40) of claim 7, wherein,

the first hinge structure (42 a) protrudes from the inner surface of the upper flip cover (42), and the first matching hinge structure (42 b) is located in a first groove (4113) with the surface of the shell (41) facing downwards and recessed inwards.

9. The door storage unit (40) of claim 8, wherein,

the first hinge structure (42 a) is spaced from an upper edge (421) of the upper folder (42), and the first groove (4113) is spaced from a side edge of the housing (41).

10. The door storage unit (40) according to any one of claims 1-9, wherein,

the maximum opening angle of the upper flip cover (42) is greater than 90 degrees.

11. The door storage unit (40) according to any one of claims 1-10, wherein,

the upper flap (42) is provided with a first handle (423) protruding outwards from its outer surface facing away from the first cavity (411), said first handle (423) extending along a first distal edge of the upper flap (42) remote from its axis of rotation relative to the housing (41).

12. The door storage unit (40) according to any one of claims 1-11, wherein,

the door storage unit (40) further includes:

a first sealing strip (46) arranged on the housing (41) around the first opening (4111), the upper lid (42) pressing against the first sealing strip (46) in the closed state to hermetically close the first cavity (411); and/or

A first magnetic structure comprising a first magnetic body (48 a) fixed to the flip-up lid (42) and a second magnetic body (48 b) fixed to the housing (41), the first magnetic body (48 a) and the second magnetic body (48 b) being arranged to be able to provide a force that resists opening of the closed flip-up lid (42).

13. The door storage unit (40) according to any one of claims 1-12, wherein,

the housing (41) further defines a second cavity (413) located below the first cavity (411), the second cavity (413) having a second opening (4131) provided on a front side of the housing (41), the door storage unit (40) further comprising a lower flip (43) for closing the second opening (4131) arranged to be capable of being flipped down relative to the housing (41) to open the second opening (4131).

14. The door storage unit (40) of claim 12, wherein,

in the closed state of the lower flap (43), the lower flap (43) is located in front of the housing (41);

in a state in which the lower flap (43) is rotated to a maximum opening angle of the lower flap (43) with respect to the housing (41), a part of the lower flap (43) is located directly below the housing (41).

15. Door storage unit (40) according to claim 13 or 14, wherein,

a limiting structure for preventing the upper flip cover (42) from rotating from the open position to the closed position is not arranged between the upper flip cover (42) and the shell (41); and/or

The door storage unit (40) comprises a lower flip cover limiting structure arranged to block the lower flip cover (43) from further flip down when the lower flip cover (43) rotates relative to the housing (41) to a maximum opening angle of the lower flip cover (43), the maximum opening angle of the lower flip cover (43) being between 40 degrees and 45 degrees.

16. The door storage unit (40) according to any one of claims 13-15, wherein,

the door storage unit (40) includes a flip case (44) fixed to a lower folder (43), wherein the lower folder (43) and the flip case (44) form a receiving case opened upward.

17. The door storage unit (40) according to any one of claims 13-16, wherein,

the lower flap (43) is provided with a second handle (431) protruding outwards from its outer surface facing away from the second cavity (413), said second handle (431) extending along a second distal edge of the lower flap (43) remote from its axis of rotation relative to the housing (41).

18. The door storage unit (40) according to any one of claims 13-17, wherein,

the door storage unit (40) further includes:

a second sealing strip (47) arranged on the housing (41) around the second opening (4131), the lower flap (43) pressing against the second sealing strip (47) in a closed state to hermetically close the second chamber (413); and/or

A second magnetic structure including a third magnetic body (49 a) fixed to the lower folder (43) and a fourth magnetic body (49 b) fixed to the housing (41), the third magnetic body (49 a) and the fourth magnetic body (49 b) being arranged so as to be able to provide a force that resists opening of the closed lower folder (43).

19. A refrigerator comprising a cabinet (10), a door (30) connected to the cabinet (10), and a door storage unit (40) mounted on the door (30), wherein the door storage unit (40) is configured as the door storage unit (40) according to any one of claims 1-18.

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