Appliance with ice packer

An ice packer assembly for a refrigerator appliance, comprising:

• a reciprocating mechanism;
• and
• an ice packing compartment comprising:
• an enclosure defining a pass-through opening extending between an upper end and a lower end thereof,
• a door pivotally coupled to the enclosure and rotatable between a first orientation and a second orientation, wherein the door opens the pass-through opening when it is rotated to the first orientation, and wherein the door closes the pass-through opening when it is rotated to the second orientation, and
• an ice mold slidably supported by the enclosure and pivotally coupled to the reciprocating mechanism, and wherein the reciprocating mechanism is configured to translate the ice mold between a first position and a second position relative to the enclosure,
• wherein the ice mold further comprises a guide extending from a bottom wall thereof, wherein the guide is configured to urge the door toward the second orientation when the ice mold is translated to the second position.

An ice packer for producing chewable ice cubes, comprising:

• an enclosure defining a pass-through opening extending between an upper end and a lower end thereof;
• a door coupled to the enclosure and movable between a first position and a second position, wherein the door opens up the pass-through opening of the enclosure when it is moved to the first position, and wherein the door closes the pass-through opening and defines a platform for receiving ice thereon when it is moved to the second position;
• and
• an ice mold slidably supported by the enclosure and configured to reciprocate between a first location and a second location, wherein the ice mold is configured to form said chewable ice cube when it is reciprocated to the second location,
• wherein when the ice mold is translated toward the first position, it causes the door to rotate to the first orientation thereby opening up the pass-through opening, and wherein when the ice mold is translated to the second position, it causes the door to rotate to the second orientation thereby closing the pass-through opening and defining the platform for receiving ice thereon, and
• wherein the ice mold further comprises a guide extending from a bottom wall thereof that is configured urge the door to rotate from the first orientation to the second orientation.

An ice packer for an appliance to form chewable ice cubes, comprising:

• an enclosure defining a pass-through opening extending between an upper end and a lower end thereof;
• a door pivotally coupled to the enclosure and rotatable between a first orientation and a second orientation, wherein the door opens the pass-through opening when it is rotated to the first orientation, and wherein the door closes the pass-through opening when it is rotated to the second orientation;
• and
• an ice mold slidably supported by the enclosure and configured to translate between a first position and a second position, wherein the ice mold defines a cavity therein,
• wherein when the door is rotated to the second orientation, it defines a platform for receiving ice thereon that is compacted in the cavity of the ice mold when the ice mold is translated toward the second position,
• wherein when the ice mold is translated toward the first position, it causes the door to rotate to the first orientation thereby opening up the pass-through opening, and wherein when the ice mold is translated to the second position, it causes the door to rotate to the second orientation thereby closing the pass-through opening and defining the platform for receiving ice thereon, and
• wherein the ice mold further comprises a guide extending from a bottom wall thereof that is configured urge the door to rotate from the first orientation to the second orientation.