Refrigerator appliance having an ice storage bin

A refrigerator appliance defining a mutually-orthogonal vertical direction, lateral direction, and transverse direction, the refrigerator appliance comprising:

• a cabinet defining a chilled chamber;
• a door defining a dispenser recess on an exterior portion of the refrigerator appliance that is outside of the chilled chamber, the dispenser recess having a transverse opening extending vertically from a top recess end to a bottom recess end and laterally from a first recess side to a second recess side, the door being rotatably hinged to the cabinet to rotate between a closed position restricting access to the chilled chamber and an open position permitting access to the chilled chamber;
• a dispensing assembly defining an ice delivery passage and a water delivery passage, the ice delivery passage and the water delivery passage being directed toward the dispenser recess;
• an ice-making assembly comprising an icemaker attached to the cabinet;
• and
• a removable ice storage bin comprising a transparent bin body defining a storage cavity rearward from the water delivery passage along the transverse direction, the transparent bin body being selectively mounted to the door within the dispenser recess at the exterior portion of the refrigerator appliance to receive ice from the dispensing assembly, the transparent bin body extending vertically from the top recess end to the bottom recess end and laterally from the first recess side to the second recess side,
• wherein the dispensing assembly further comprises a dispenser actuator positioned within the dispenser recess rearward from the removable ice storage bin along the transverse direction, the dispenser actuator comprising a paddle, and
• wherein the bin body comprises a sidewall defining a paddle groove as a concave surface that is complementary to the paddle of the dispenser actuator to receive the paddle therein, the sidewall further defining a curved exterior surface as a negative of at least a portion of the dispenser recess such that the removable ice storage bin may be transversely aligned and supported on the dispenser recess.

A refrigerator appliance defining a mutually-orthogonal vertical direction, lateral direction, and transverse direction, the refrigerator appliance comprising:

• a cabinet defining a chilled chamber;
• a door defining a dispenser recess on an exterior portion of the refrigerator appliance that is outside of the chilled chamber, the dispenser recess having a transverse opening extending vertically from a top recess end to a bottom recess end and laterally from a first recess side to a second recess side, the door being rotatably hinged to the cabinet to rotate between a closed position restricting access to the chilled chamber and an open position permitting access to the chilled chamber;
• a dispensing assembly defining an ice delivery passage directed to the dispenser recess;
• an ice-making assembly comprising an icemaker attached to the cabinet;
• and
• a removable ice storage bin comprising a bin body defining a storage cavity, the bin body being selectively mounted to the door within the dispenser recess at the exterior portion of the refrigerator appliance to receive ice from the dispensing assembly, the bin body extending vertically from the top recess end to the bottom recess end and laterally from the first recess side to the second recess side,
• wherein the dispensing assembly further comprises a dispenser actuator positioned within the dispenser recess rearward from the ice storage bin along the transverse direction,
• wherein the bin body comprises a sidewall and a base wall below the sidewall, the sidewall defining a paddle groove as a generally concave surface that is complementary to the dispenser actuator to receive the dispenser actuator therein, the sidewall further defining a curved exterior surface as a negative of at least a portion of the dispenser recess such that the removable ice storage bin may be transversely aligned and supported on the dispenser recess,
• wherein the removable ice storage bin further defines a cavity outlet extending in fluid communication between the storage cavity and a front face of the bin body, and
• wherein a bin paddle is mounted to the sidewall opposite from the paddle groove to selectively move between a release position permitting ice passage from the cavity outlet and a block position restricting ice passage from the storage cavity through the cavity outlet.