Refrigerator and ice making assembly for producing high-quality ice
AssigneeHaier US Appliance Solutions, Inc.
InventorsAlan Joseph Mitchell, Choonjae Ryu, Stephanos Kyriacou
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A refrigerator appliance includes a cabinet, a door, an interior liner, an icemaker, a guide plate, and an electric heating element. The cabinet defines a chilled chamber. The door is movably mounted to the cabinet. The interior liner defines an icebox within the chilled chamber. The icemaker is mounted within the icebox. The guide plate is horizontally offset from the icemaker within the icebox. The guide plate defines a convection channel extending generally along a vertical direction from a channel inlet to a channel outlet disposed above the channel inlet. The electric heating element is disposed along the convection channel to heat air therein.
Claims20
A refrigerator appliance defining a vertical direction, the refrigerator appliance comprising:
- a cabinet defining a chilled chamber;
- a door movably mounted to the cabinet;
- an interior liner defining an icebox within the chilled chamber;
- an icemaker mounted within the icebox, the icemaker defining a rotation axis;
- a guide plate horizontally offset from the icemaker within the icebox, the guide plate defining a convection channel extending generally along the vertical direction and perpendicular to the rotation axis from a channel inlet to a channel outlet disposed above the channel inlet;
- and
- an electric heating element disposed along the convection channel to heat air therein.
An ice making assembly comprising:
- an interior liner defining an icebox;
- an icemaker mounted within the icebox, the icemaker comprising an ice mold for receiving and freezing water, the ice mold defining a rotation axis and a mold opening directed upward to receive water therethrough;
- a guide plate horizontally offset from the icemaker within the icebox, the guide plate defining a convection channel extending generally along a vertical direction and perpendicular to the rotation axis from a channel inlet to a channel outlet disposed above the channel inlet;
- an electric heating element disposed along the convection channel to heat air therein;
- and
- an ice bucket disposed below the icemaker and the convection channel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.