CN101738052B - Refrigeration appliance and manufacturing method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a refrigeration tool and a manufacturing method thereof. A refrigeration device (1) comprises: a door (3), the door (3) comprising a door panel (5) having an opening (4); a dispenser (6) disposed on the door (3), the dispenser (6) including a dispenser housing (7), the dispenser housing (7) being connected to the door panel (4) and defining a cavity (8) corresponding to the opening (4), at least a portion of the cavity (8) being configured to receive an external container. According to the proposal of the invention, the whole distributor housing (7) does not exceed the front surface of the door panel (5).

Description

Refrigeration appliance and manufacturing method thereof

[technical field]

The present invention relates to a refrigeration appliance and a manufacturing method thereof, in particular to a domestic or commercial refrigeration appliance with a dispenser and a manufacturing method thereof.

[Background technique]

CN101071026 discloses a refrigeration appliance with a distributor on the door. In this refrigerating appliance, the front panel of the door is provided with an opening for installing the distributor. The dispenser has a dispenser housing defining a cavity. The dispenser housing is arranged along the opening of the door so that a cavity corresponds to the opening, and a user can place an external container such as a cup in the cavity to receive ice or water stored in the refrigeration appliance. The dispenser housing includes a cavity edge disposed at the front end of the concave cavity and substantially parallel to the front panel. The cavity lip has a shape corresponding to the opening of the front panel, but greater in width and length than the latter. When assembled, the dispenser housing projects from front to rear into the opening in the front panel. After the assembly is completed, the rear surface of the cavity edge is attached to the front surface of the front panel to be exposed on the front surface of the door, so the gap between the cavity edge and the front panel is also exposed. In order to cover such gaps that are usually not very smooth, the refrigeration appliance is additionally provided with a frame body, which is arranged along the opening to cover the exposed cavity edge, so as to obtain a neat and flat appearance. Meanwhile, a display and control unit is attached to the upper portion of this frame to be attached to the door together.

KR2006-006246 discloses another distributor housing structure of a refrigeration appliance. The distributor housing forms a slot parallel to the front panel of the door at the end of the cavity, and the edge of the opening of the front panel for installing the distributor is inserted into the slot of the distributor housing, which can make the distributor housing The joint with the front panel can be relatively tight, and can effectively prevent bubble leakage during the foaming process. However, for an opening with a closed ring edge, this structure is not easy to realize the connection of the distributor housing and the opening, and the front surface of the distributor housing (the front side wall of the slot) is inevitably exposed at the front off board.

[Content of the invention]

Therefore, the object of the present invention is to overcome at least one of the above-mentioned technical problems of the prior art, making it possible to make the appearance of the refrigeration appliance more tidy and this can be achieved at an even lower cost.

One aspect of the present invention relates to a refrigeration appliance. The refrigeration appliance includes: a door, the door includes a door panel with an opening; a distributor arranged on the door, the distributor includes a distributor housing, the distributor housing is connected to the door panel and defines A cavity corresponding to the opening, at least a part of the cavity is configured to accommodate an external container, wherein the dispenser housing as a whole does not protrude beyond the front surface of the door panel.

Since the dispenser housing has no portion protruding from the front surface of the door panel, but is entirely located behind the door panel, an additional decorative frame is not required, thereby making it possible to reduce the number of door assembly parts, material, and management costs. In addition, the appearance of the door can also be more concise and tidy.

Other features which are considered characteristic of the invention either alone or in combination with other features are set forth in the appended claims below.

According to a particularly preferred embodiment of the present invention, the dispenser housing includes a cavity rim arranged along the front end of the concave cavity, and the cavity rim is connected to the rear surface of the door panel. Therefore, while the distributor housing can form a stable connection with the door panel through the cavity edge, the cavity edge does not have to be exposed on the front surface of the door panel.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the door further includes a sealing device located between the rear surface of the door panel and the cavity edge. This can greatly reduce the possibility of foaming liquid overflowing from the gap between the door panel and the edge of the cavity during the foaming process. According to a particularly preferred embodiment of the present invention, the sealing device forms a closed-loop structure along the edge of the opening. Particularly preferably, the sealing means is an adhesive tape.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the door panel includes an extension extending backward from the edge of the opening. Thus, the extension extending in the front-to-rear direction is advantageous in preventing foaming agent from overflowing from the opening during the foaming process.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the extension part includes a flange bent backward from the edge of the opening, which not only does not need to significantly complicate the structure of the door panel, but also facilitates manufacturing, thereby reducing manufacturing costs.

In a particularly preferred embodiment, the extension is provided along the entire edge of the opening. Such an extension forming a closed loop is more conducive to the quality control of the foaming procedure of the door.

In a particularly preferred embodiment, the extension is at least approximately perpendicular to the plane of the opening. This is not only beneficial to stop the foaming agent from leaking during the foaming process, but also facilitates the docking of the extension part and the connecting part, and is easy to manufacture.

In a particularly preferred embodiment, the extension is located outside the cavity, so that the extension may not be exposed in the cavity, thus preventing the extension from adversely affecting the appearance of the dispenser.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the distributor housing includes a connection part for connecting with the extension part, and the extension part and the connection part form a plug connection. Except that the plug-in connection mode is beneficial to prevent the foaming agent from leaking, the connection between the two can also be realized very simply. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the connection portion includes a slot that abuts with the extension portion.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the distributor housing includes a cavity wall defining the cavity, and the slot is formed on the cavity wall and is isolated from the cavity.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the entrance of the slot faces the opening. Not only is this easier to manufacture, but the extension can be easily inserted into the slot.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the extension part includes a hook part, and the connecting part includes a locking part for cooperating with the hook part to prevent the dispenser housing from detaching from the door panel in the front-rear direction . Thereby, the dispenser housing and the door panel can be fixed together more reliably.

In one embodiment, the door panel forms the front face of the door.

However, in an alternative embodiment, the door further comprises a front panel proximate to the door panel and having a front opening corresponding to the opening, the front panel forming at least a majority of the front surface of the door . The front panel is preferably made of glass.

Preferably, the cooling device further includes a sealing strip disposed between the front panel and the door panel and along the edge of the opening. Advantageously, the sealing strip forms a closed loop structure around the opening.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a control panel is further included, and the control panel is at least partially accommodated in the opening.

Another aspect of the present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a refrigeration appliance. The method comprises: providing a cabinet defining at least one storage compartment; providing a door; and connecting the door to the cabinet; wherein the step of providing the door comprises: a) providing a door panel having an opening b) providing a dispenser housing, wherein the dispenser housing defines a cavity; c) connecting the dispenser housing to the door panel along the opening from the rear side of the door panel, the dispensing The device housing as a whole is located behind the plane where the opening is located.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, in the step a), the door panel forms an extension extending backward from the opening.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the distributor housing includes a slot for abutting with the extension part, and in the step c), the extension part is inserted into the slot.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, in the step c), the front surface of the distributor housing is connected to the rear surface of the door panel.

The structure of the present invention as well as its other invention objectives and beneficial effects will be more clearly understood through the description of the preferred embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[Description of drawings]

As part of the specification and to provide a further understanding of the invention, the following drawings illustrate specific embodiments of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention. in,

Fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a refrigeration appliance according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the door of the refrigeration appliance according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, wherein the control panel is removed from the door.

Fig. 3 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view along line I-I in Fig. 1 .

FIG. 4 is a schematic enlarged view of part A in FIG. 3 .

Fig. 5 is a partial perspective view showing the separation of the door panel and the dispenser housing according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 6 and Fig. 7 are schematic partial enlarged views of part B and part C in Fig. 5, respectively.

Fig. 8 is a schematic partial sectional view of a door according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 9 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view of a door according to yet another preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[Detailed ways]

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a refrigeration appliance 1 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the refrigeration appliance 1 includes a box body 2. In this embodiment, the box body 2 defines a plurality of storage chambers 26 (see FIG. 3), including storage chambers distributed side by side and separated by partitions (not shown). Freezer and refrigerator.

The refrigeration appliance 1 comprises two doors 3 corresponding to the corresponding storage compartments 26 . The doors 3 are respectively pivotally connected to one side of the box body 2 through hinges 19, and can rotate around a rotation axis parallel to the longitudinal axis. Under normal conditions, the door 3 is closed to prevent cold air from leaving the storage compartment 26 . When needed, the user can open the corresponding door 3 to perform operations such as taking out food from the freezer or refrigerating room or storing food in the corresponding storage room 26 . The user can open and close the door 3 through the handle 18 .

In this embodiment, one door 3 makes the corresponding storage compartment 26 fully open or completely close. It should be understood that the present invention is not limited thereto, but may also have other implementations. For example, in an alternative implementation, a storage room 26 is opened or closed by two doors 3 , that is, one door 3 only opens or closes a part of such storage room 26 .

There is a dispenser 6 on a door 3 of the refrigerating appliance 1, so that the user can obtain ice and/or beverages without opening the door 3, such as ice stored in the freezer compartment and water from a water tank located in the freezer compartment. In this embodiment, the dispenser 6 is provided corresponding to the door 3 of the freezing compartment. It is also possible that the dispenser 6 is arranged at the door 3 corresponding to the refrigerating compartment 26 by rational arrangement.

The door 3 includes a door panel 5 constituting a front surface of the door 3 . In this embodiment, the door panel 5 is made of metal sheet. The door panel 5 has an opening 4 corresponding to the dispenser 6, and the opening 4 is roughly square. The dispenser 6 is installed along this opening 4 and includes a dispensing chamber 20 communicating with the opening 4 to be exposed on the front surface of the door 3 . An ice outlet (not shown) and a water outlet (not shown) are formed above the distribution chamber 20 . The dispensing cavity 20 is recessed rearwardly from the front surface of the door 3 to a predetermined depth with a certain arc, and is configured to accommodate at least a part of an external container such as a cup.

Fig. 2 shows a schematic partially exploded view of a door 3 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , the refrigeration appliance 1 includes a control panel 17 arranged on the door 3 . The control panel 17 is arranged along the upper end of the opening 4 and accommodated in the opening 4 . In this embodiment, the front panel of the control panel 17 is flush with the front surface of the door panel 5 .

The control panel 17 is arranged immediately above the dispensing chamber 20 . The control panel 17 includes a display screen 21 and a plurality of switch devices 22 . The display screen 21 can display information such as the status and/or selectable parameters of the refrigeration appliance 1 .

The switch device 22 is located below the display screen 21 so as to be closer to the dispensing cavity 20 than the display screen 21 . In this embodiment, by operating the switch device 22 , the user can choose, for example, to supply water, to supply crushed ice, to supply ice cubes, and to turn on a lighting device (not shown) that illuminates the dispensing cavity 20 .

As can be seen from FIGS. 1 and 2 , the dispenser 6 as a whole does not exceed the front surface of the door panel 5 (in this embodiment, that is, the front surface of the door 3 ), but is located behind the door panel 5 .

FIG. 3 shows a schematic partial sectional view of a door 3 according to a preferred embodiment of the invention. As shown in FIG. 3 , an ice storage unit 25 is provided in the storage room 26 , and a downward discharge port is provided at the front of the ice storage unit 25 . The door 3 is provided with an ice discharge channel 27 , and the entrance of the ice discharge channel 27 faces the outlet of the ice storage unit 25 , so that the ice discharged from the ice storage unit 25 can enter the ice discharge channel 27 and finally be discharged to the dispensing chamber 20 .

The dispenser 6 comprises a dispenser housing 7 housed between the door panel 5 and an inner lining 23 constituting the rear wall of the door 3 facing the storage compartment 26 when the door 3 is closed. The inner liner 23 protrudes toward the storage chamber 26 at the position corresponding to the dispenser housing 7 , and there is a predetermined distance between the dispenser housing 7 and the raised portion of the inner liner 23 .

A thermal insulation layer 24 is distributed between the door panel 5 and the inner lining 23 and between the distributor housing 7 and the inner lining 23 to reduce the cold loss of the storage room 26 . The heat insulating layer 24 is formed by foaming an insulating foam.

The distributor housing 7 forms a cavity 8 that is recessed inward and has an open front end. The distributor 6 comprises a partition plate 30 (not shown in FIG. 2 ) which divides the cavity 8 into upper and lower parts. The part of the cavity 8 below the partition plate 30 forms a dispensing chamber 20 whose front end remains open. The partition plate 30 is provided with an ice outlet and a water outlet, and the ice and water are respectively discharged from the corresponding outlets to the external container located in the dispensing chamber 20 .

The dispensing chamber 20 has a substantially flat support wall 28 so that the outer container can rest thereon smoothly. The support wall 28 has a plurality of small through holes (not shown), through which liquid accidentally splashed or overflowed during dispensing of ice or water flows into the water receiving groove 29 located below the support wall 28 .

The part of the opening 4 above the partition 30 is adapted to the outer contour of the control panel 17 so that the control panel 17 engages with the corresponding edge of the opening 4 and closes the part of the opening 4 above the partition 30 .

Fig. 4 is a partially enlarged view of part A in Fig. 3 . FIG. 5 shows a schematic partial perspective view of the distributor housing 7 separated from the door panel 5 . As shown in FIGS. 3 , 4 and 5 , the distributor housing 7 includes a cavity edge 9 arranged along the front end of the concave cavity 8 . In the present exemplary embodiment, the cavity edge 9 is arranged over the entire edge of the cavity 8 . In this embodiment, the front surface of the cavity edge 9 is located at the front end of the distributor housing 7 and is parallel to the edge region of the opening 4 .

The cavity edge 9 is connected to the rear surface of the door panel 5 . Specifically, the cavity edge 8 is connected to the rear surface of the door panel 5 along the edge of the opening 4 , so the cavity edge 8 is hidden behind the door panel 5 instead of being exposed on the outer surface of the door 3 .

The door 3 includes an extension 11 disposed along the edge of the opening 4 and extending rearward. In this embodiment the extension 11 is formed by a flange bent back from the edge of the opening 4 . The extension portion 11 is arranged along all the edges of the opening 4, thus forming a closed-loop structure. The length of the extension 11 in the front-rear direction is preferably 2 to 4 mm, for example 3 mm.

The distributor housing 7 includes a connecting portion 12 for connecting with the extension portion 11 . In this embodiment, the connection part 12 includes a slot 13 for receiving the extension part 11 , so that the extension part 11 and the connection part 12 form an insertion fit.

The slot 13 is arranged along the front end of the distributor housing 7 , specifically, the slot 13 extends rearwardly from the front face of the cavity wall 14 defining the cavity 8 , thus having an entrance towards the door panel 5 . This makes the structure of the extension part 11 relatively simple to form, and it is easy to realize the docking of the two. In this embodiment, the extension part 11 and the slot 13 are located on a plane perpendicular to the opening 4 . Slots 13 are provided around the entire circumference of the cavity 8 to correspond to the extensions 11 .

As shown in FIG. 4 , the socket 13 is not exposed in the cavity 8 , but is separated from the cavity 8 . Therefore, after the extension part 11 is inserted into the slot 13 , the extension part 11 is located outside the cavity 8 . That is to say, since the extension part 11 is not exposed in the concave cavity 8 , the influence of the extension part 11 on the appearance of the dispenser 6 is reduced.

Fig. 6 and Fig. 7 are partial enlarged views of part B and part C in Fig. 5 respectively. Referring to FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 in conjunction with FIG. 5 , the extension portion 11 disposed along the longitudinal edge of the opening 4 further includes a plurality of first fixing portions 31 distributed at predetermined intervals. The first fixing portion 31 is sheet-shaped, and hook portions 33 are respectively formed on the upper and lower edges. Correspondingly, the dispenser housing 7 includes a second fixing portion 32 cooperating with the first fixing portion 31 . The second fixing part 32 includes a locking block 34 corresponding to the hook part 33 . The second fixing portion 32 extends backward from the slot 13 to be exposed outside the chamber wall 14 . After the first fixing part 31 is fixed on the second fixing part 32 , the hook part 33 is limited by the locking block 34 to prevent the dispenser housing 7 from detaching from the door panel 5 in the front-rear direction.

Fig. 8 schematically shows a partial cross-sectional view of a door according to another embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 8, the difference from the above embodiment is that a sealing device 10 is provided between the rear surface of the door panel 5 and the front surface of the cavity edge 9, and in this embodiment, the entire circumference of the cavity edge 9 is provided with a sealing device Form a closed loop with the device 10, thereby sealing the device 10, to better prevent foaming agent from leaking during the foaming process.

The sealing device 10 can be formed by an adhesive tape, for example a single-sided adhesive tape pasted on the cavity edge 9 or the door panel 5 . Particularly advantageously, the sealing device 10 is a double-sided adhesive tape, so that it can not only prevent the foaming agent from leaking during the foaming process, but also has the function of fixing the door panel 5 and the cavity edge 9 . When using an adhesive with a sufficiently strong adhesive force, it is possible to fix the dispenser housing 7 and the door panel 5 only or mainly by the adhesive.

Fig. 9 schematically shows a partial cross-sectional view of a door 3 according to yet another preferred embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 9 , the main difference between this embodiment and the above embodiments is that the door 3 further includes a front panel 15 located in front of the door panel 5 . The front panel 15 covers at least most of the door panel 5 , thereby constituting the front surface of the door 3 . The front panel 15 is preferably made of glass and completely covers the door panel 5 .

The front panel 15 is arranged next to the door panel 5, and it can be connected to the door panel 5, for example, by adhesive tape distributed along the edge area of the front panel 15, or slots extending in the longitudinal direction can be provided on both sides of the door 3 to receive the front panel 15 to fix the front panel 15 on the door 3.

The front panel 15 has a front opening 16 corresponding to the opening 4 . The front opening 16 may be the same shape and size as the opening 4 . The door 3 includes a sealing strip 35 arranged between the front panel 15 and the door panel 5 and along the edge of the opening 4 and/or the front opening 16 to prevent outside air from entering the front panel from the opening 4 and the front opening 16 15 and the gap between the door panel 5 forms such as mist or condensation on the rear side of the front panel 15. The sealing strip 35 forms a closed loop structure around the opening 4 . In a most simple and effective embodiment, this sealing strip 35 is an adhesive tape.

A method of manufacturing a refrigeration appliance according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described below.

The manufacture of the refrigeration appliance 1 mainly includes 1) providing the cabinet 2 , wherein the cabinet 2 defines at least one storage compartment 26 ; 2) providing the door 3 of the refrigeration appliance 1 ; and 3) connecting the door 3 to the cabinet 2 .

The provision of the box body 2 and the connection of the door 3 to the box body 2 can adopt methods known in the art, which will not be described in detail here. The method of obtaining the gate is described in detail below.

First, a door panel 5 with an opening 4 is provided. The door panel 5 is preferably made of sheet metal. The opening 4 can be obtained by stamping. Through the processing of the opening 4, the edge of the opening 4 forms a flange extending backward. The flange is approximately perpendicular to the door panel 5 .

Next, a door panel is formed with the door panel 5 as a main body. In a preferred embodiment, the upper and lower side covers 36 and the left and right side covers forming the peripheral wall of the door 3 are respectively connected to the upper and lower edges and the left and right edges of the door panel 5 to form a door panel. Alternatively, the longitudinal side ends of the door panel 5 are bent backwards to form the longitudinal side walls 37 of the door 3, and the upper and lower side covers 36 are connected to the upper and lower ends of the door panel 5 to form the upper and lower boundaries of the door panel.

Then, the dispenser housing 7 prepared in advance is attached to the door panel 5 from the rear side of the door panel 5 . The distributor housing 7 forms a slot 13 at the front end of the cavity wall 14, and the entrance of the slot 13 is forward. During installation, after aligning the slot 13 of the distributor housing 7 with the flange of the opening 4 , push the distributor housing 7 forward to insert the flange into the slot 13 . Finally, the cavity rim 9 abuts against the rear surface of the edge region of the opening 4 , so that the distributor housing 7 does not protrude beyond the front surface of the door panel 5 , but is located entirely behind the door panel 5 . Preferably, a single-sided or double-sided adhesive tape is distributed on the door panel 5 or the cavity edge 9 before the dispenser housing 7 is connected to the door panel 5 .

After the insulating foaming agent is injected into the assembled door panel, the inner liner 23 closes the open end of the door panel. During the foaming process, since the edge of the opening 4 has a flange extending in the front-to-rear direction, and the flange is inserted into the slot 13 of the distributor housing 7, the foaming agent flows along the gap between the cavity edge 9 and the door panel 5. The possibility of spillage between the gaps is greatly reduced. After foaming is completed, the control panel 17 is installed in the opening 4 from the front side of the door 3 .

Claims (22)

1. A refrigeration appliance (1) comprising:

a door (3), the door (3) comprising a door panel (5) having an opening (4);

a dispenser (6) disposed on the door (3), the dispenser (6) including a dispenser housing (7), the dispenser housing (7) being connected to the door panel (5) and defining a cavity (8) corresponding to the opening (4), at least a portion of the cavity (8) being configured to receive an external container,

characterized in that the dispenser housing (7) does not extend over the front surface of the door panel (5) as a whole, the door panel (5) comprising an extension (11) extending rearwardly from the edge of the opening (4).

2. The refrigeration appliance (1) according to claim 1, wherein the distributor housing (7) comprises a cavity edge (9) arranged along the front end of the cavity (8), the cavity edge (9) being connected with the rear surface of the door panel (5).

3. The refrigeration appliance (1) according to claim 2, wherein said door (3) further comprises a sealing means (10) located between the rear surface of said door panel (5) and said cavity edge (9).

4. A refrigerator appliance (1) as in claim 3, characterized by the sealing means (10) forming a closed loop along the edge of the opening (4).

5. The refrigeration appliance (1) according to claim 4, wherein said sealing means (10) comprises an adhesive tape.

6. The refrigeration appliance (1) according to claim 1, wherein the extension (11) comprises a flange bent back from the edge of the opening (4).

7. The refrigeration appliance (1) according to claim 1, wherein said extension (11) is provided along the entire edge of said opening (4).

8. The refrigeration appliance (1) according to claim 1, wherein the extension (11) is at least substantially perpendicular to the plane of the opening (4).

9. The refrigeration appliance (1) according to claim 1, wherein said extension (11) is located outside said cavity (8).

10. The refrigeration appliance (1) according to any of the claims 1 to 9, wherein the distributor housing (7) comprises a connection portion (12) for connecting with the extension portion (11), the extension portion (11) and the connection portion (12) forming a plug connection.

11. The refrigeration appliance (1) according to claim 10, wherein the connecting portion (12) comprises a socket (13) interfacing with the extension (11).

12. The refrigeration appliance (1) according to claim 11, wherein the distributor housing (7) comprises a cavity wall (14) defining the cavity (8), the insertion slot (13) being formed on the cavity wall (14) and being isolated from the cavity (8).

13. The refrigeration appliance (1) according to claim 10, wherein the inlet of the socket (13) is directed towards the opening (4).

14. The refrigeration appliance (1) according to claim 10, wherein the extension portion (11) comprises a hook portion (33), and the connecting portion (12) comprises a locking portion (34) to connect with the hook portion (34) to prevent the dispenser housing (7) from being detached from the door panel (5) in the front-rear direction.

15. The refrigeration appliance (1) according to any of the claims 1 to 9, wherein the door panel (5) constitutes a front surface of the door (3).

16. The refrigeration appliance (1) according to any of the claims 1 to 9, wherein said door (3) further comprises a front panel (15), said front panel (15) being immediately adjacent to said door panel (5) and having a front opening (16) corresponding to said opening (4), said front panel (15) forming at least a majority of the front surface of said door (3).

17. The refrigeration appliance (1) according to claim 16, further comprising a sealing strip (35) disposed along an edge of said opening (4) between said front panel (15) and said door panel (5).

18. The refrigeration appliance (1) according to claim 16, wherein said front panel (15) is made of glass.

19. The refrigeration appliance (1) according to any of the claims 1 to 9, further comprising a control panel (17), said control panel (17) being at least partially housed within said opening (4).

20. A method of manufacturing a refrigeration appliance (1), the method comprising:

providing a cabinet (2) defining at least one storage compartment (26);

-providing a door (3),

-connecting said door (3) to said box (2);

wherein the step of providing a door (3) comprises:

a) providing a door panel (5), the door panel (3) having an opening (4), the door panel (5) forming an extension (11) extending rearwardly from an edge of the opening (4);

b) providing a dispenser housing (7), wherein the dispenser housing (7) defines a cavity (8),

c) -connecting the dispenser housing (7) to the door panel (5) along the opening (4) from the rear side of the door panel (5), the dispenser housing (7) being entirely located behind the plane of the opening (4).

21. Method according to claim 20, wherein the dispenser housing (7) comprises a slot (13) for interfacing with the extension (11), wherein in step c) the extension (11) is inserted into the slot (13).

22. The method according to claim 20 or 21, wherein in step c) a front surface of the dispenser housing (7) is connected with a rear surface of the door panel (5).

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