Water ballast clear icemaking device and refrigerator appliance including the same
AssigneeHaier US Appliance Solutions, Inc.
InventorCharles Benjamin Miller
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An icemaker appliance includes a container defining a liquid reservoir, an ice mold selectively received within a portion of the liquid reservoir, a temperature sensor provided within the liquid reservoir and configured to monitor a temperature of the liquid, a water level sensor provided within the liquid reservoir and configured to determine a level of the liquid within the container, and a controller attached to the container, the controller being operably connected with the temperature sensor and the water level sensor, the controller including a wireless communication module configured to wirelessly communicate with a remote terminal.
Claims18
An icemaker appliance defining a vertical direction, a lateral direction, and a transverse direction, the icemaker appliance comprising:
- a container defining a single liquid reservoir storing a liquid, wherein the container comprises:
- a frame shell,
- an inner shell provided within the frame shell, wherein the frame shell and the inner shell collectively define an insulation receiving space therebetween, and
- a top connecting the frame shell with the inner shell, wherein a length of the top along the transverse direction is greater than a distance between the frame shell and the inner shell along the transverse direction such that a portion of the top is positioned over the single liquid reservoir;
- an ice mold selectively received within a portion of the liquid reservoir, the ice mold defining a plurality of cavities accepting the liquid therein, wherein each of the plurality of cavities is received within the single liquid reservoir;
- a temperature sensor provided within the liquid reservoir and configured to monitor a temperature of the liquid surrounding the ice mold;
- and
- a controller attached to the container, the controller being operably connected with the temperature sensor, the controller comprising a wireless communication module configured to wirelessly communicate with a remote terminal, wherein the controller is configured to perform an operation, the operation comprising:
- determining, via the temperature sensor, that a temperature within the liquid reservoir is at or below a predetermined harvest temperature;
- and
- emitting a notification to a user upon determining that the predetermined harvest temperature has been reached, wherein the notification comprises a prompt to activate a heater to selectively provide heat to the liquid reservoir.
A refrigerator appliance defining a vertical direction, a lateral direction, and a transverse direction, the refrigerator appliance comprising:
- a cabinet defining a fresh food chamber and a freezer chamber;
- and
- an icemaker provided within the freezer chamber, wherein the icemaker comprises:
- a container defining a single liquid reservoir storing a liquid, wherein the container comprises:
- a frame shell,
- an inner shell provided within the frame shell, wherein the frame shell and the inner shell collectively define an insulation receiving space therebetween, and
- a top connecting the frame shell with the inner shell, wherein a length of the top along the transverse direction is greater than a distance between the frame shell and the inner shell along the transverse direction such that a portion of the top is positioned over the single liquid reservoir;
- an ice mold selectively received within a portion of the liquid reservoir, the ice mold defining a plurality of cavities accepting the liquid therein, wherein each of the plurality of cavities is received within the single liquid reservoir;
- a temperature sensor provided within the liquid reservoir and configured to monitor a temperature of the liquid surrounding the ice mold;
- and
- a controller attached to the container, the controller being operably connected with the temperature sensor, the controller comprising a wireless communication module configured to wirelessly communicate with a remote terminal, wherein the controller is configured to perform an operation, the operation comprising:
- determining, via the temperature sensor, that a temperature within the liquid reservoir is at or below a predetermined harvest temperature;
- and
- emitting a notification to a user upon determining that the predetermined harvest temperature has been reached, wherein the notification comprises a prompt to activate a heater to selectively provide heat to the liquid reservoir.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.