Refrigerator appliance with mixing dispenser
AssigneeHaier US Appliance Solutions, Inc.
InventorJianwu Li
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A refrigerator appliance includes a cabinet with a food storage chamber defined in the cabinet. The refrigerator appliance also includes a door rotatably mounted to the cabinet. The door includes an outer surface and an opposing inner surface, wherein the inner surface faces towards the food storage chamber when the door is in the closed position and the outer surface faces away from the food storage chamber when the door is in the closed position. The refrigerator appliance also includes a dispenser assembly with a plurality of liquid sources fluidly coupled to the dispenser assembly and a multi-fluid tube. Each liquid source of the plurality of liquid sources is fluidly coupled to the dispenser assembly through the multi-fluid tube.
Claims16
A refrigerator appliance defining a vertical direction, a lateral direction, and a transverse direction, the vertical, lateral, and transverse directions being mutually perpendicular, the refrigerator appliance comprising:
- a cabinet;
- a food storage chamber defined in the cabinet, the food storage chamber extending between a front portion and a back portion along the transverse direction, the front portion of the food storage chamber defining an opening for receipt of food items;
- a door rotatably mounted to the cabinet at the front portion of the food storage chamber, the door rotatably mounted to the cabinet by a hinge, the door movable between a closed position and an open position to selectively sealingly enclose the food storage chamber, the door comprising an outer surface and an opposing inner surface, wherein the inner surface faces towards the food storage chamber when the door is in the closed position and the outer surface faces away from the food storage chamber when the door is in the closed position;
- a dispenser assembly formed in the outer surface of the door;
- a plurality of liquid sources fluidly coupled to the dispenser assembly, each liquid source of the plurality of liquid sources located within the cabinet;
- and
- a multi-fluid tube, wherein each liquid source of the plurality of liquid sources is fluidly coupled to the dispenser assembly through the multi-fluid tube and the multi-fluid tube extends between the plurality of liquid sources and the dispenser assembly through the hinge from within the cabinet;
- wherein the multi-fluid tube comprises a single conduit with a plurality of distinct chambers defined therein.
A refrigerator appliance, comprising:
- a cabinet;
- a food storage chamber defined in the cabinet, the food storage chamber defining an opening for receipt of food items;
- a door rotatably mounted to the cabinet at the opening of the food storage chamber, the door rotatably mounted to the cabinet by a hinge, the door movable between a closed position and an open position to selectively sealingly enclose the food storage chamber, the door comprising an outer surface and an opposing inner surface, wherein the inner surface faces towards the food storage chamber when the door is in the closed position and the outer surface faces away from the food storage chamber when the door is in the closed position;
- a dispenser assembly formed in the outer surface of the door;
- a plurality of liquid sources fluidly coupled to the dispenser assembly, each liquid source of the plurality of liquid sources located within the cabinet;
- and
- a multi-fluid tube, wherein each liquid source of the plurality of liquid sources is fluidly coupled to the dispenser assembly through the multi-fluid tube and the multi-fluid tube extends between the plurality of liquid sources and the dispenser assembly through the hinge from within the cabinet;
- wherein the multi-fluid tube comprises a single conduit with a plurality of distinct chambers defined therein.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.