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RefrigeratorRelated Patent Categories: Refrigeration, With Indicator Or Tester, Operatively Correlated With Automatic ControlRefrigerator description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20050284159, Refrigerator. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 2004-0049146, filed on Jun. 28, 2004, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] 1. Field of the Invention [0003] The present invention relates to a refrigerator and, more particularly, to a refrigerator, in which an installation position of a wire assembly is conveniently altered in correspondence to an opening direction of a door. [0004] 2. Description of the Related Art [0005] Generally, a refrigerator comprises a refrigerator main body forming a refrigerating compartment, a door opening and closing the refrigerating compartment, and a hinge unit hingedly connecting the door with the main body. [0006] As an example of the refrigerator, there is a refrigerator disclosed in Korean Utility Model Application No. 1994-028441, in which a hinge shaft is coupled to the door via a through hole formed on an hinge plate coupled to the main body, so that a first door can be opened in a rightward direction. [0007] In a front of the first door is provided a control panel to select a freezing state and/or a cooling state of food stored in the refrigerating compartment, wherein a wire passes through the main body and the hinge shaft of the hinge unit formed in a top portion of the first door, thereby connecting the control panel with a control component (not shown) provided in the main body. [0008] Generally, the door of the refrigerator is opened in a rightward direction. However, there is a refrigerator in Korean Patent Application No. 1994-026610, in which a door can be opened leftward and rightward, namely, bi-directionally. [0009] In this refrigerator having a bi-directionally opening door, the hinge unit should be positioned in a right side and a left side in correspondence to the rightward opening direction and the leftward opening direction of the door, respectively. [0010] Thus, in the refrigerator having a bi-directionally opening door, the installation position of the hinge unit is altered according to the opening directions of the door, so that there arises a problem that it is inconvenient to treat the wire passing through the hinge unit of the door and connecting the control component with the control panel. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0011] Illustrative, non-limiting embodiments of the present invention overcome the above disadvantages and other disadvantages not described above. Also, the present invention is not required to overcome the disadvantages described above, and an illustrative, non-limiting embodiment of the present invention may not overcome any of the problems described above. [0012] Therefore, it is an aspect of the present invention to provide a refrigerator in which an installation position of a wire assembly is conveniently altered in correspondence to an opening direction of a door. [0013] The foregoing and/or other aspects of the present invention are also achieved by providing a refrigerator comprising a main body forming a refrigerating compartment; a door being rotated selectively in a first direction or in a second direction opposite to the first direction to open the refrigerating compartment; a wire assembly connecting the door with the main body; and a door cap coupled to the door, the door cap comprising a first accommodating section to receive the wire assembly when the door is rotated in the first direction, and a second accommodating section being opposite to the first accommodating section to receive the wire assembly when the door is rotated in the second direction. [0014] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the door cap is provided with a wire insertion portion formed on a surface thereof between the first and second accommodating sections, and through which the wire assembly is inserted in the door cap. [0015] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the refrigerator further comprises a first hinge unit connecting the door cap with the main body, the first hinge unit comprising a hinge bracket installed selectively at opposite sides of the main body and connecting the main body with the door cap; a hinge pin provided in the hinge bracket; first and second accommodating portions provided in opposite portions of the door cap and selectively accommodating the hinge pin. [0016] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the wire assembly comprises a sleeve selectively coupled to the first or second accommodating portion in correspondence to the first or second direction, and the hinge pin is rotatably accommodated in the sleeve and formed with a cutting portion to support the wire assembly. [0017] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the refrigerator further comprises a display portion provided in the door and connected to the wire assembly to adjust and display a state of the refrigerating compartment, wherein the wire assembly passes through the wire insertion portion and the first accommodating portion of the door cap and the cutting portion of the hinge pin and connects the display portion with the main body when the hinge pin is rotatably inserted in the sleeve accommodated in the first accommodating portion and allows the door to be rotated in the first direction, and the wire assembly passes through the wire insertion portion and the second accommodating portion of the door cap and the cutting portion of the hinge pin and connects the display portion with the main body when the hinge pin is rotatably inserted in the sleeve accommodated in the second accommodating portion and allows the door to be rotated in the second direction. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0018] The above and/or other aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the exemplary embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompany drawings of which: [0019] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator having a rightward opening door according to a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention; [0020] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a hinge bracket and a hinge cover in the refrigerator of FIG. 1; Continue reading about Refrigerator... Full patent description for Refrigerator Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Refrigerator patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. Start now! - Receive info on patent apps like Refrigerator or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: Air conditioning system and method for controlling the same Next Patent Application: Method of and apparatus for evaluating the performance of a control system Industry Class: Refrigeration ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Refrigerator patent info. IP-related news and info Results in 0.11538 seconds Other interesting Feshpatents.com categories: Qualcomm , Schering-Plough , Schlumberger , Seagate , Siemens , Texas Instruments , 174 |
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