Refrigerator

Abstract

A refrigerator is provided. The refrigerator may include a cabinet having a storage compartment, a door rotatably coupled to a front surface of the cabinet that opens and closes the storage compartment, a housing provided at a rear surface of the door to define an accommodation space, a cool air inlet hole provided at an upper surface of the housing, a basket provided inside the housing and mounted to the door, the basket having a recess to provide an opening between the basket and the door, a circulation fan provided at an inner upper surface of the cabinet that corresponds to an upper side of the cool air inlet hole when the door is closed, and configured to circulate cool air from the storage compartment into an inside of the housing, and a cool air flow path formed by the opening to allow the cool air to flow through the inside of the accommodation space.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A refrigerator, comprising:
 a cabinet having a storage compartment;   a door rotatably coupled to a front surface of the cabinet that opens and closes the storage compartment;   a housing provided at a rear surface of the door to define an accommodation space;   a cool air inlet hole provided at an upper surface of the housing;   a basket provided inside the housing and mounted to the door, the basket having a recess to provide an opening between the basket and the door; and   a circulation fan provided at an inner upper surface of the cabinet that corresponds to an upper side of the cool air inlet hole when the door is closed, and configured to circulate cool air from the storage compartment into an inside of the housing; and   a cool air flow path formed by the opening to allow the cool air to flow through the inside of the accommodation space.   
     
     
         2 . The refrigerator according to  claim 1 , wherein the circulation fan introduces the cool air from the storage compartment into the housing through the cool air inlet hole, and the cool air introduced into the housing flows down along the cool air flow path. 
     
     
         3 . The refrigerator according to  claim 2 , further comprising at least one cool air outlet port formed at a rear surface of the housing,
 wherein the cool air flowing down along the cool air flow path is discharged into the storage compartment through the cool air outlet port.   
     
     
         4 . The refrigerator according to  claim 1 , wherein a fan seating groove is recessed from the inner upper surface of the cabinet at which the circulation fan is installed such that the circulation fan does not interfere with the upper surface of the housing when the door is closed. 
     
     
         5 . The refrigerator according to  claim 4 , wherein the upper surface of the housing is inclined at a gradient, and the circulation fan is inclined at a gradient that corresponds to the gradient of the upper surface of the housing. 
     
     
         6 . The refrigerator according to  claim 4 , wherein a width of the fan seating groove extends further into a rear of the cabinet than a rear surface of the housing while the door is closed such that the cool air in the storage compartment is suctioned to the circulation fan. 
     
     
         7 . The refrigerator according to  claim 1 , wherein the door includes an inner door, in which the housing is provided at a rear surface thereof, and an outer door, which is rotatably connected to the inner door. 
     
     
         8 . The refrigerator according to  claim 7 , wherein an edge of the rear surface of the inner door is in close contact with the front surface of the cabinet while the inner door is closed, and an edge of a rear surface of the outer door is in close contact with a front surface of the inner door while the outer door is closed. 
     
     
         9 . The refrigerator according to  claim 7 , wherein an access hole is formed inside the inner door and is opened and closed by the outer door, the access hole having a same size as a front end of the housing. 
     
     
         10 . The refrigerator according to  claim 7 , wherein the inner door includes a door case, of which a front surface is in close contact with the rear surface of the outer door, a door liner, which is coupled to a rear surface of the door case, and a door dike, which protrudes from an edge of the door liner and is in close contact with a front surface of the housing. 
     
     
         11 . The refrigerator according to  claim 10 , wherein the door dike includes a pair of vertical portions that extend along a left edge and a right edge of the access hole;
 and one or more fastening ribs that protrude from an inner surface of each of the pair of vertical portions.   
     
     
         12 . The refrigerator according to  claim 11 , wherein the basket includes a front portion; a rear portion; left and right side portions that connect ends of the front portion and the rear portion; a bottom portion that connects the front portion, the left and right side portions, and the rear portion; and a basket installation mount, to which the fastening rib is fastened, that extends out from left and right edges of the front portion. 
     
     
         13 . The refrigerator according to  claim 12 , wherein the basket installation mount includes a fastening groove that extends vertically in the basket installation mount and has a depth that corresponds to a protrusion size of the fastening rib. 
     
     
         14 . The refrigerator according to  claim 13 , wherein, while the outer door is in close contact with the inner door, a front end of the basket installation mount and the rear surface of the outer door are spaced apart from each other at a predetermined distance. 
     
     
         15 . The refrigerator according to  claim 12 , wherein, while the outer door is in close contact with the inner door, a forward and backward width of a center of the cool air flow path is a distance from the rear surface of the outer door to the front portion of the basket. 
     
     
         16 . The refrigerator according to  claim 12 , further comprising a basket supporting rib that extends from an inner side surface of the housing toward a center of the housing and with which the bottom portion of the basket is in close contact when the fastening rib is completely inserted into the fastening groove. 
     
     
         17 . A refrigerator, comprising:
 a cabinet having a storage compartment;   a door rotatably coupled to a front surface of the cabinet that opens and closes the storage compartment;   a housing provided at a rear surface of the door to define an accommodation space;   a cool air inlet hole provided at an upper surface of the housing;   a basket provided inside the housing;   a circulation fan provided at an inner upper surface of the cabinet that corresponds to an upper side of the cool air inlet hole when the door is closed, and configured to introduce the cool air from the storage compartment into the housing through the cool air inlet hole;   a cool air flow path formed between the basket and the door to allow the cool air to flow down; and   at least one cool air outlet port formed at a rear surface of the housing to discharge the cool air flowing down through the accommodation space into the storage compartment.   
     
     
         18 . The refrigerator according to  claim 17 , wherein the door includes an inner door, in which the housing is provided at a rear surface thereof, and an outer door, which is rotatably connected to the inner door, and wherein an edge of the rear surface of the inner door is in close contact with the front surface of the cabinet while the inner door is closed, and an edge of a rear surface of the outer door is in close contact with a front surface of the inner door while the outer door is closed. 
     
     
         19 . The refrigerator according to  claim 18 , wherein, while the outer door is in close contact with the inner door, a forward and backward width of a center of the cool air flow path is a distance from the rear surface of the outer door to a front portion of the basket. 
     
     
         20 . A refrigerator, comprising:
 a cabinet having a storage compartment;   an inner door, rotatably coupled to a front surface of the cabinet that opens and closes the storage compartment;   an outer door, which is rotatably connected to the inner door;   a housing provided at a rear surface of the inner door to define an accommodation space;   a cool air inlet hole provided at an upper surface of the housing;   a basket provided inside the housing;   a circulation fan provided at an inner upper surface of the cabinet that corresponds to an upper side of the cool air inlet hole when the inner door is closed, and configured to introduce the cool air from the storage compartment into the housing through the cool air inlet hole;   a cool air flow path formed between a rear surface of the outer door and a front portion of the basket to allow the cool air to flow down; and   at least one cool air outlet port formed at a rear surface of the housing to discharge the cool air flowing down through the accommodation space into the storage compartment.