Method and apparatus for coolant control within refrigerators
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsEric K. Watson, Omar Haidar, Matthew William Davis, Ronald Scott Tarr
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method for cooling an icemaker is disclosed. The icemaker includes an ice mold body having a channel for transport of coolant and a plurality of ice cavities. The method includes the steps of injecting a coolant into the channel, adding water to the ice cavities, forming ice cubes in the ice cavities, removing coolant from the channel, heating the ice mold body, and ejecting the ice cubes from the ice mold body. The removal step is performed by reversing direction of a coolant pump.
Claims10
A method of cooling an icemaker, the icemaker comprising an ice mold body having a channel for transport of coolant and a plurality of ice cavities, the method comprising the steps of:
- (a) injecting a coolant into the channel;
- (b) adding water to the ice cavities;
- (c) forming ice cubes in the ice cavities;
- (d) removing the coolant from the channel;
- (e) heating the ice mold body;
- and
- (f) ejecting the ice cubes from the ice mold body.
A refrigerator comprising:
- a food storage compartment;
- an access door operable to selectively close the food storage compartment;
- an icemaker compartment on the access door;
- an icemaker disposed in the icemaker compartment and comprising an ice mold body, the ice mold body defining therein a plurality of ice cavities for containing water therein for freezing into ice cubes, and a channel for transport of a coolant within the ice mold body;
- at least one heating element attached to the ice mold body;
- a reversible coolant pump;
- a conduit for transport of a coolant between the ice mold body and the reversible coolant pump;
- and
- a controller for regulating the reversible coolant pump direction.
A method of removing a door from a main body of a refrigerator, the door comprising an icemaker compartment, an ice mold body disposed in the icemaker compartment and having a plurality of ice cavities for containing water therein for freezing into ice cubes, a conduit extending from the main body into the icemaker compartment for delivering an ice forming medium to the icemaker compartment, the refrigerator comprising a reversible pump for moving the ice forming medium from a tank to the icemaker compartment along the conduit, the method comprising:
- reversing a direction of the reversible pump to move the ice forming medium from the icemaker compartment back to the tank;
- and
- separating the door from the main body after the door is substantially free of the ice forming medium.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.