Dual hopper icemaking refrigerator
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsAndrew Philip Shapiro, Steve Paraszczak, Jerome Johnson Tiemann, Lorina June White, Martin Scott Mershon, Scott Russell King, Samuel Vincent DuPlessis
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A refrigerator includes a freezer compartment and access door. An icemaker is disposed in the freezer compartment. An upper hopper is disposed inside the freezer door below the icemaker, and includes a rotary auger and first and second ice ports below opposite ends thereof. A receptacle is disposed outside the freezer door below the upper hopper, and a lower hopper is disposed inside the freezer door below the receptacle. A chute joins the second port of the upper hopper to the lower hopper for storing ice cubes therein.
Claims19
A refrigerator comprising:
- a refrigeration compartment and access door therefor;
- a freezer compartment and access door therefor;
- an automatic icemaker disposed in said freezer compartment for making ice cubes;
- an upper hopper disposed inside said freezer door below said ice maker, and including a rotary auger and first and second ice ports below axially opposite ends thereof;
- a receptacle disposed outside said freezer door below said upper hopper;
- a lower hopper disposed inside said freezer door below said receptacle;
- and
- a first chute joining said first port to said receptacle for dispensing ice cubes, a second chute joining said second port to said lower hopper for storing said ice cubes;
- and
- a reversible motor jointed to said auger for rotating said auger in a first direction for dispensing said ice cubes through said first port and chute, and in an opposite direction for dispensing said ice cubes through said second port and chute.
A refrigerator comprising:
- a freezer compartment and access door therefor;
- an automatic icemaker disposed in said freezer compartment for making ice cubes;
- an upper hopper disposed inside said freezer door below said icemaker, and including a rotary auger and first and second ice ports below axially opposite ends thereof;
- a receptacle disposed outside said freezer door below said upper hopper, in flow communication with said first port;
- a lower hopper disposed inside said freezer door below said receptacle;
- a chute joining said second port to said lower hopper for storing said ice cubes;
- and
- means for selectively rotating said auger in a first direction for dispensing said ice cubes through said first port, and in an opposite second direction for dispensing said ice cubes through said second port and chute.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.