Countertop appliances and water supply therefor
AssigneeHaier US Appliance Solutions, Inc.
InventorLouis A. Wantland
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Systems and methods for providing water to a countertop appliance, and a pitcher which may be used with such systems and methods, are provided. The pitcher may include at least one pitcher wall and an internal volume defined within the at least one wall of the pitcher. The pitcher may be configured to be received in an autofill dispenser in a refrigerator appliance. The refrigerator appliance may include a cabinet defining a fresh food chamber. The pitcher may also be configured to couple to a countertop appliance whereby the internal volume of the pitcher is in fluid communication with the countertop appliance to provide water from the internal volume of the pitcher to the countertop appliance when coupled.
Claims8
A method of providing water to a countertop appliance, the method comprising:
- providing a refrigerator appliance, the refrigerator appliance comprising a cabinet defining a fresh food chamber and an autofill dispenser;
- providing the countertop appliance;
- providing a pitcher;
- and
- receiving the pitcher in the autofill dispenser in the refrigerator appliance, the pitcher comprising at least one pitcher wall, and an internal volume defined within the at least one pitcher wall of the pitcher, and a spout, wherein the at least one pitcher wall comprises a bottom wall, wherein the pitcher comprises a normally-closed check valve extending downward from the bottom wall away from the internal volume of the pitcher, wherein the bottom wall of the pitcher is configured to be received on a shelf of the autofill dispenser, wherein the shelf comprises a recess defined therein which accommodates the normally-closed check valve when the bottom wall of the pitcher is received on the shelf, whereby the normally-closed check valve remains in a closed position while the pitcher is received on the shelf,
- flowing a volume of water through the spout into the internal volume of the pitcher from the autofill dispenser in the refrigerator appliance;
- coupling the pitcher to the countertop appliance, by coupling the pitcher to the countertop appliance at the normally-closed check valve of the pitcher whereby the normally-closed check valve is moved to an open position and the internal volume of the pitcher is in fluid communication with the countertop appliance through the normally-closed check valve in the open position;
- and
- providing the volume of water from the internal volume of the pitcher to the countertop appliance through the normally-closed check valve in the open position when coupled.
A system for providing water to a countertop appliance, the system comprising:
- a refrigerator appliance, the refrigerator appliance comprising:
- a cabinet defining a fresh food chamber;
- and
- an autofill dispenser;
- the countertop appliance;
- and
- a pitcher, the pitcher comprising at least one pitcher wall, an internal volume defined within the at least one wall of the pitcher, and a spout, wherein the pitcher is configured to receive a volume of water into the internal volume of the pitcher from the autofill dispenser in the refrigerator appliance by flowing the volume of water into the internal volume through the spout, wherein the at least one pitcher wall comprises a bottom wall, wherein the pitcher comprises a normally-closed check valve extending downward from the bottom wall away from the internal volume of the pitcher,
- wherein the pitcher is configured to be received in the autofill dispenser in the refrigerator appliance, wherein the bottom wall of the pitcher is configured to be received on a shelf of the autofill dispenser, wherein the shelf comprises a recess defined therein which accommodates the normally-closed check valve when the bottom wall of the pitcher is received on the shelf, whereby the normally-closed check valve remains in a closed position while the pitcher is received on the shelf, and wherein the pitcher is configured to couple to the countertop appliance, by coupling the pitcher to the countertop appliance at the normally-closed check valve of the pitcher whereby the normally-closed check valve is moved to an open position and the internal volume of the pitcher is in fluid communication with the countertop appliance through the normally-closed check valve in the open position to provide water from the internal volume of the pitcher to the countertop appliance when coupled.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.