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US 12,222,150 B2Granted
Ice maker and refrigerator
AssigneeLG Electronics Inc.
InventorYonghyun Kim
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A refrigerator includes a cabinet forming a storage space, a door configured to open or close the storage space, and an ice maker provided in the storage space or the door. The ice maker includes an upper tray including an upper chamber forming an upper portion of an ice chamber, a lower tray including a lower chamber forming a lower portion of the ice chamber, and an upper heater disposed along a circumference of the upper chamber so that at least two heating regions are formed at different positions in a vertical direction in the upper chamber.
Claims21
A refrigerator comprising:
- a cabinet that defines a storage space;
- a door configured to open or close at least a portion of the storage space;
- and
- an ice maker provided in the storage space or the door,
- wherein the ice maker comprises:
- a first tray comprising a first chamber that is configured to define a first portion of an ice chamber,
- a second tray comprising a second chamber that is configured to define a second portion of the ice chamber, and
- a heater disposed along a circumference of the first chamber and configured to heat the first chamber, and
- wherein the first tray further comprises:
- a first heat transfer portion that protrudes from the first chamber and that is configured to transfer heat of the heater to the first chamber, and
- a second heat transfer portion that protrudes from the first chamber and that is configured to transfer the heat of the heater to the first chamber, and
- wherein the second heat transfer portion is configured to surround at least one region around the first chamber.
9 more elements
An ice maker comprising:
- a first tray comprising a first chamber that is configured to define a first portion of an ice chamber;
- a first case coupled to the first tray from one side of the first tray;
- a second tray comprising a second chamber that is configured to define a second portion of the ice chamber based on being in contact with the first chamber;
- and
- a heater disposed along a circumference of the first chamber,
- wherein the first tray further comprises:
- a first heat transfer portion that protrudes from the first chamber and that is configured to transfer heat of the heater to the first chamber, and
- a second heat transfer portion that protrudes from the first chamber and that is configured to transfer the heat of the heater to the first chamber,
- wherein the first case comprises a heater insertion portion into which the heater is inserted,
- wherein the heater insertion portion comprises:
- a first heater insertion portion into which a portion of the heater is inserted, and
- a second heater insertion portion into which another portion of the heater is inserted, and
- wherein a region of the heater inserted into the second heater insertion portion is located closer to the second tray than a region of the heater inserted into the first heater insertion portion.
10 more elements
A refrigerator comprising:
- a cabinet that defines a storage space;
- a door configured to open or close at least a portion of the storage space;
- and
- an ice maker provided in the storage space or the door,
- wherein the ice maker comprises:
- a first tray comprising a first chamber that is configured to define a first portion of an ice chamber,
- a second tray comprising a second chamber that is configured to define a second portion of the ice chamber, and
- a heater disposed along a circumference of the first chamber and configured to heat the first chamber,
- wherein the first tray further comprises:
- a first heat transfer portion that protrudes from the first chamber and that has a first contact end in contact with a portion of the heater, and
- a second heat transfer portion that protrudes from the first chamber and that has a second contact end in contact with another portion of the heater, and
- wherein a distance between the first contact end and the second tray in an arrangement direction of the first and second trays is greater than a distance between the second contact end and the second tray in the arrangement direction of the first and second trays.
9 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.