Refrigerator appliance including multiple in-door ice makers
AssigneeHaier US Appliance Solutions, Inc.
InventorsMichael Goodman Schroeder, Choonjae Ryu
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A refrigerator appliance includes a cabinet forming a fresh food compartment and a freezer compartment, the cabinet including a water inlet; a first ice maker configured to produce a first style of ice; a second ice maker configured to produce a second style of ice different from the first style of ice; and a water tank in fluid communication with each of the first ice maker and the second ice maker, the water tank being configured to store a quantity of water, wherein the first ice maker is upstream from the water tank and the water tank is upstream from the second ice maker, and wherein water from the first ice maker is selectively supplied to the water tank after a harvesting operation is performed within the first ice maker.
Claims20
A refrigerator appliance defining a vertical direction, a lateral direction, and a transverse direction, the refrigerator appliance comprising:
- a cabinet forming a fresh food compartment and a freezer compartment, the cabinet comprising a water inlet;
- a first ice maker provided within the freezer compartment, the first ice maker configured to produce a first style of ice;
- a second ice maker provided within the freezer compartment adjacent to the first ice maker, the second ice maker configured to produce a second style of ice different from the first style of ice;
- and
- a water tank in fluid communication with each of the first ice maker and the second ice maker, the water tank being configured to store a quantity of water, wherein the first ice maker is upstream from the water tank and the water tank is upstream from the second ice maker, and wherein water from the first ice maker is selectively supplied to the water tank after a harvesting operation is performed within the first ice maker.
A refrigerator appliance defining a vertical direction, a lateral direction, and a transverse direction, the refrigerator appliance comprising:
- a cabinet forming a fresh food compartment and a freezer compartment, the cabinet comprising a water inlet;
- a first ice maker provided within the freezer compartment, the first ice maker configured to produce a first style of ice;
- a second ice maker provided within the freezer compartment adjacent to the first ice maker, the second ice maker configured to produce a second style of ice different from the first style of ice;
- a water tank in fluid communication with each of the first ice maker and the second ice maker, the water tank being configured to store a quantity of water, wherein the first ice maker is upstream from the water tank and the water tank is upstream from the second ice maker;
- a first water level sensor configured to detect a minimum water level within the water tank;
- a second water level sensor configured to detect a maximum water level within the water tank;
- and
- a controller operably coupled with each of the first ice maker, the second ice maker, and the water tank, the controller configured to perform an operation, the operation comprising:
- performing a harvesting operation at the first ice maker;
- determining, via the second water lever sensor, that the quantity of water within the water tank is below the maximum water level;
- supplying leftover water from the first ice maker to the water tank after performing the harvesting operation and determining that the quantity of water within the water tank is below the maximum water level;
- receiving an input request from the second ice maker;
- and
- supplying a predetermined amount of water from the water tank to the second ice maker in response to receiving the input request from the second ice maker.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.