Ice maker dispenser structure
AssigneeWhirlpool Corporation
InventorWalter C. Barnard
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An ice maker dispenser structure wherein a removable chute is provided as a portion of a discharge duct leading from a discharge opening in a collecting bin for storing a plurality of discrete ice bodies to be dispensed. An agitator is disposed within the collecting bin adjacent the discharge opening and is operated to agitate the ice bodies adjacent the opening when a closure member is removed from the opening to effect the dispensing operation. An interlock is provided for preventing movement of the closure member away from the discharge opening in the event the chute is removed from the ice maker such as for servicing of the chute, thereby preventing injury to the user's fingers which may inadvertently be passed inwardly through the discharge opening into contact with the operating agitator.
Claims14
In an ice maker having a storage receptacle for holding a plurality of discrete ice bodies having a discharge opening, agitating means in the receptacle for agitating the ice bodies adjacent the discharge opening to promote free delivery of the ice bodies through the discharge opening during a dispensing operation, closure means for selectively closing the discharge opening, means for removing the closure means from said opening and concurrently energizing the agitating means to effect a delivery of ice bodies therethrough, and guide means for conducting delivered ice bodies from said opening to a dispense position, at least a portion of said guide means comprising removable means, said discharge opening being accessible to a user's fingers upon removal of said removable means, the improvement comprising:
- means responsive to removal of said removable means of the guide means to prevent removal of the closure means from said opening thereby to prevent injury to said user's fingers by said agitating means during an attempted dispensing operation.
In an ice maker having a storage receptacle for holding a plurality of discrete ice bodies having a discharge opening, agitating means in the receptacle for agitating the ice bodies adjacent the discharge opening to promote free delivery of the ice bodies through the discharge opening during a dispensing operation, a closure member movably mounted adjacent said discharge opening for selectively closing the discharge opening, means for moving the closure means from said opening and concurrently energizing the agitating means to effect a delivery of ice bodies therethrough, and duct means for conducting delivered ice bodies from said opening to a dispense position, said duct means defining a removable chute, said discharge opening being accessible to a user's fingers upon removal of said removable chute, the improvement comprising:
- interlock means having a first portion adjacent said closure member, and a second portion responsive to removal of said removable means of the duct means to cause said first portion to block movement of said closure member to prevent removal of the closure member from said opening thereby to prevent injury to said user's fingers by said agitating means during an attempted dispensing operation.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.