Ice maker fill tube assembly
AssigneeMaytag Corporation
InventorsDouglas Pohl, William Vestal, Kenton Widmer
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An ice maker assembly in a refrigerator freezer includes a fill tube for transporting liquid to a mold. The freezer includes an outer wall spaced apart from an inner wall, with a plenum formed therebetween. An opening is formed within the inner wall, through which the fill tube extends with a clearance. Warm air generated by a defrost cycle passes through the clearance in the inner wall and around the fill tube, thereby warming the fill tube. In addition, the fill tube includes vents formed therein to allow active ventilation of the fill tube and to prevent ice formation within the fill tube.
Claims15
1-4. (canceled)
An ice maker assembly comprising:
- a mold cavity for collecting liquid to be frozen;
- and
- a fill tube for transporting liquid to the mold cavity, said fill tube including at least one vent formed along its length, wherein the at least one vent includes a plurality of axially spaced vents for a ventilating flow of air.
A refrigerator freezer comprising:
- an outer wall spaced apart from an inner wall, said inner wall being formed with an opening;
- and
- an ice maker assembly including:
- a mold cavity for collecting liquid to be frozen;
- and
- a liquid fill tube for transporting liquid to the mold cavity, wherein the liquid fill tube extends through the opening in the inner wall, said fill tube being formed with a plurality of axially spaced vents for a ventilating flow of air.
A method of preventing ice from forming in an ice maker fill tube of a refrigerator comprising the steps of:
- generating a flow of warm air in a plenum located between an inner wall, which is formed with an opening, and an outer wall of a refrigerator freezer compartment by running a defrost cycle in the refrigerator;
- and
- warming the fill tube, that extends through the plenum and the opening in the inner wall, by allowing the warm air to enter at least one hole formed within the fill tube.
(currently canceled)
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.