The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Dec. 02, 2003
Filed:
Dec. 26, 2002
Tadahiro Kawamura, Koka-gun, JP;
Koji Suzuki, Kurita-gun, JP;
Toshiyuki Moriuchi, Osaka, JP;
Hidetomo Takanishi, Kusatsu, JP;
Akihiko Manabe, Koka-gun, JP;
Hirofumi Waki, Kusatsu, JP;
Takashi Aoki, Kusatsu, JP;
Katsuhiko Morimoto, Otsu, JP;
Takeshi Onaka, Kurita-gun, JP;
Kazuyoshi Takeuchi, Kusatsu, JP;
Matsushita Refrigeration Company, Osaka, JP;
Abstract
A refrigerator includes a thermally insulated housing opening forwardly at a front surface thereof; a door for selectively opening and closing the opening of the housing; a magnetic gasket fitted to a portion of the door which is engageable with an open edge of the housing; a pivotally supported handle connected to the door for movement between opened and closed positions for opening and closing the door, respectively; and a trigger member drivingly coupled with the handle for movement between projected and retracted positions. The trigger member is moved from the retracted position towards the projected position, as the handle is pivoted from the closed position towards the opened position, to abut the open edge to thereby physically release a contact between the magnetic gasket and the open edge. The trigger member is spaced a distance from an abutment face of the open edge of the housing so long as the handle is held in the closed position, but temporarily brought into engagement with the abutment face of the housing as the handle is pivoted from the closed position towards the opened position to open the door.