Refrigerator with home bar and hot air transferring unit for the same

Abstract

A refrigerator with a home bar. The refrigerator reuses waste heat emitted from the electrical units (e.g., compressor and condenser) to heat the home bar frame, thereby preventing or reducing dew formation thereon. An air flow path is coupled to the machine room to supply air that is heated by the waste heat from the machine room to the home bar frame.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A refrigerator with a home bar, the refrigerator comprising:
 a main body comprising a storage room;   a main door configured to cover the storage room;   an electrical unit configured to generate cool air to be supplied to the storage room, wherein the electrical unit produces waste heat during operation;   a machine room housing the electrical unit;   a home bar opening providing access to the storage room when the main door is closed;   a home bar frame surrounding the home bar opening; and   an air transferring unit configured to transfer the waste heat from the machine room to the home bar frame.   
     
     
         2 . The refrigerator of  claim 1 , wherein the waste heat is transferred to the home bar frame to reduce moisture condensation thereon. 
     
     
         3 . The refrigerator of  claim 1 , wherein the storage room comprises a compartment accessible through the home bar opening. 
     
     
         4 . The refrigerator of  claim 1 , wherein the electrical unit comprises one of a compressor, a condenser, an expansion device and an evaporator, and wherein the machine room houses a plurality of electrical units. 
     
     
         5 . The refrigerator of  claim 1 , wherein the home bar opening is formed on the main door. 
     
     
         6 . The refrigerator of  claim 5  further comprising a home bar door coupled to the home bar frame and configured to cover the home bar opening. 
     
     
         7 . The refrigerator of  claim 1 , wherein the machine room is located at a lower rear side of the main body and extends in a traverse direction of the main body. 
     
     
         8 . The refrigerator of  claim 1 , wherein the air transferring unit comprises an air flow path configured to supply an air flow from the machine room to the home bar frame. 
     
     
         9 . The refrigerator of  claim 8 , wherein the air flow path comprises a pipe obliquely extending from a lower rear portion of the main body toward the home bar frame, wherein the home bar frame is disposed proximate to an upper front portion of the main body. 
     
     
         10 . The refrigerator of  claim 8 , wherein one end of the air flow path is coupled to one side of an upper portion of the machine room and the other end of the air flow path is coupled to an upper surface of the home bar frame. 
     
     
         11 . The refrigerator of  claim 10 , wherein the air flow path comprises a plurality of injection holes disposed on the upper surface of the home bar frame. 
     
     
         12 . The refrigerator of  claim 6  further comprising a home bar gasket operable to seal a gap between home bar door and the home bar opening, wherein the home bar gasket is disposed on the home bar frame and faces an inner surface of the home bar door. 
     
     
         13 . The refrigerator of  claim 8 , wherein the air transferring unit comprises an extendable bellows tube coupled between the main body and the main door. 
     
     
         14 . The refrigerator of  claim 13 , wherein, when the main door is in a closed position, the extendable bellows tube is coupled to the air flow path, and wherein, when the main door is in an open position, the extendable bellows tube is decoupled from the air flow path. 
     
     
         15 . The refrigerator of  claim 8 , wherein the air transferring unit further comprises an intake fan disposed at one end of the air flow path, wherein the intake fan is configured to drive air flowing from the machine room. 
     
     
         16 . A hot air transferring unit for a refrigerator, the hot air transferring unit comprising:
 an air flow path coupled between a machine room of the refrigerator and a home bar frame;   a plurality of injection holes formed at one end of the air flow path and proximate to the home bar frame; and   an extendable tube coupled between a main body of the refrigerator and a main door of the refrigerator, wherein, when the main door is in a closed position, the extendable tube is coupled to the air flow path, and wherein, when the main door is in an open position, the extendable tube is decoupled from the air flow path.   
     
     
         17 . The hot air transferring unit of  claim 16 , wherein the air flow path obliquely extends from a lower rear portion of the main body toward the home bar frame, and wherein one end of the air flow path is coupled to one side of an upper portion of the machine room, and the other end of the air flow path is proximate to an upper surface of the home bar frame. 
     
     
         18 . The hot air transferring unit of  claim 16 , wherein a home bar gasket is disposed on the home bar frame and faces an inner surface of a home bar door. 
     
     
         19 . A refrigerator with a home bar, the refrigerator comprising:
 a main body comprising a storage room;   a main door coupled to the main body and configured to cover the storage room, wherein the main door comprises a home bar opening providing user access to the storage room while the main door remains closed;   a home bar frame surrounding the home bar opening;   a home bar door coupled to the home bar frame and configured to cover the home bar opening;   a machine room housing electrical units that are configured to generate cool air to be supplied to the storage room, wherein the electrical units emit waste heat during operation; and   a hot air transferring unit configured to transfer waste heat to the home bar frame,   wherein the hot air transferring unit comprises:   an air flow path configured to transport an air flow from the machine room to the home bar frame; and   an injection hole formed at one end of the air flow path and proximate to the home bar frame for injecting air toward the home bar frame.   
     
     
         20 . The refrigerator of  claim 19 , wherein the hot air transferring unit further comprises an extendable bellows tube disposed in the air flow path, wherein the extendable bellows tube is coupled between the main body and the main door when the main door is closed, and wherein the extendable bellows tube is configured to be decoupled from the main door when the main door is open.