US 7,188,479 B2Granted

Ice and water dispenser on refrigerator compartment door

AssigneeWhirlpool Corporation

InventorsJeffery J. Anselmino, Marcus R. Fischer, Tushar Kulkarni, Andrew M. Tenbarge, Frank W. Maglinger

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Abstract

An ice and water dispenser for a bottom freezer refrigerator positioned on a refrigerator compartment door. The ice maker and ice cube storage bin can have below 0° C. air provided to maintain the ice maker and ice cube storage bin below 0° C. Supply and return ducts can convey below 0° C. air to the ice maker and ice cube storage bin. The supply and return ducts can lead from the bottom freezer compartment or from an evaporator compartment. The ice maker and ice cube storage bin can be located in insulated sub-compartment to allow normal refrigerator compartment temperatures to be maintained in the above freezing refrigerator compartment.

Claims47

Dependent claims

An ice maker and dispenser for a bottom freezer refrigerator comprising:

a freezer compartment maintained at a temperature below 0° C.;
a refrigerator compartment positioned above the freezer compartment maintained at a temperature above 0° C.;
an insulated freezer compartment door;
an insulated refrigerator compartment door liner;
a refrigeration system for cooling the freezer compartment and the refrigerator compartment;
an ice maker positioned in an insulated ice maker sub-compartment on the refrigerator compartment door liner;
an insulated ice cube storage bin positioned on the refrigerator door liner below the ice maker;
an ice dispenser positioned on the refrigerator door liner below the ice cube storage bin for dispensing ice pieces from the ice cube storage bin through the refrigerator door liner;
an air delivery system leading to the ice maker and ice cube storage bin from a source of below 0° C. air for supplying air cooled to below 0° C. to the ice maker and to the storage bin;
and
wherein the ice cube storage bin is positioned in an insulated ice cube storage bin sub-compartment, the ice cube storage bin sub-compartment comprises a space enclosed by an insulated cover pivotally mounted on the refrigerator door liner, and wherein the insulated cover includes a gasket for forming a seal to the refrigerator door liner.

8 more elements

An ice maker and dispenser for a bottom freezer refrigerator comprising:

a freezer compartment maintained at a temperature below 0° C.;
a refrigerator compartment positioned above the freezer compartment maintained at a temperature above 0° C.;
an insulated freezer compartment door.
an insulated refrigerator compartment door;
a refrigeration system for cooling the freezer compartment and the refrigerator compartment;
an ice maker positioned in an insulated ice maker sub-compartment on the refrigerator compartment door and having a mold for forming ice pieces, the mold having side walls and a bottom wall and the ice maker further comprises a housing enclosing the side walls and bottom wall of the ice mold forming an air flow passage around the ice maker mold;
an ice cube storage bin positioned on the refrigerator door below the ice maker;
an ice dispenser positioned on the refrigerator door below the ice cube storage bin for dispensing ice pieces from the ice cube storage bin through the refrigerator door;
an air delivery system including a supply duct and a return duct leading to the ice maker and ice cube storage bin from a source of below 0° C. air for supplying air cooled to below 0° C. to the ice maker and to the ice storage bin;
an ice maker fan connected to the air delivery system wherein operation of the ice maker fan causes air from the source of below 0° C. air to flow to the ice maker and to the ice storage bin;
and
wherein the supply duct and the return duct include a first air delivery portion carried on the refrigerator door and a second air delivery portion leading from the bottom of the refrigerator door to the source of below 0° C. air.

9 more elements

An ice maker and dispenser for a bottom freezer refrigerator comprising:

a freezer compartment maintained at a temperature below 0° C.;
a freezer compartment positioned above the freezer compartment maintained at a temperature above 0° C.;
an insulated freezer compartment door;
an insulated refrigerator compartment door;
a refrigerator system for coding the freezer compartment and the refrigerator compartment including a compressor;
an automatic ice maker positioned on the refrigerator compartment door;
an ice cube storage bin positioned on the refrigerator door below the ice maker;
an ice cube storage bin temperature sensor adjacent the ice cube storage bin;
an ice dispenser positioned on the refrigerator door below the ice cube storage bin for dispensing ice pieces from the ice cube storage bin through the refrigerator door;
an air delivery system leading to the ice maker and ice cube storage bin from a source of below 0° C. air for supplying air cooled to below 0° C. to the ice maker and ice cube storage bin and having at least one port adjacent the ice storage bin;
an ice cube storage bin damper to control air flow through the at least one port;
an ice maker fan connected to the air delivery system wherein operation of the ice maker fan causes air from the source of below 0° C. air to flow to the ice maker and to the ice storage bin;
and
an ice maker control for the automatic ice maker, the ice maker fan, and the ice cube storage bin damper arranged to:
open the ice cube storage bin damper and operate the ice maker fan when the ice cube storage bin temperature sensor indicates the ice cube storage bin needs cooling;
and
operate the ice maker fan when the ice maker is producing ice.

14 more elements

A method of producing and storing ice pieces in a bottom freezer refrigerator having a freezer compartment maintained at a temperature below 0° C.;

a refrigerator compartment positioned above the freezer compartment maintained at a temperature above 0° C.;
an insulated refrigerator compartment door,
a refrigeration system including an evaporator and an evaporator fan for cooling the freezer compartment and the refrigerator compartment having a compressor;
an ice maker positioned on the refrigerator door;
an ice cube storage bin positioned on the refrigerator door below the ice maker;
an air delivery system leading to the ice maker and ice cube storage bin from a source of below 0° C. air for supplying air cooled to below 0° C. to the ice maker and ice cube storage bin and having at least one port adjacent the ice bin and having an ice bin damper for selectively opening and closing the at least one port;
and
an ice maker fan connected to the air delivery system wherein operation of the ice maker fan supplies air cooled to below 0° C. to the ice maker and ice storage bin;
the method comprising:
opening the ice bin damper and operating the ice maker fan when the ice cube storage bin needs cooling and closing the ice bin damper when the ice cube bin no longer requires cooling.

7 more elements

An ice maker and dispenser for a bottom freezer refrigerator comprising:

a freezer compartment maintained at a temperature below 0° C.;
a refrigerator compartment positioned above the freezer compartment maintained at a temperature above 0° C.;
an insulated freezer compartment door,
an insulated refrigerator compartment door;
a refrigeration system for cooling the freezer compartment and the refrigerator compartment;
an ice maker positioned in an insulated ice maker sub-compartment on the refrigerator compartment door and having a mold for forming ice pieces;
an ice cube storage bin positioned on the refrigerator door below the ice maker;
an ice dispenser positioned on the refrigerator door below the ice cube storage bin for dispensing ice pieces from the ice cube storage bin through the refrigerator door;
an air delivery system including a supply duct and a return duct leading to the ice maker and ice cube storage bin from a source of below 0° C. air for supplying air cooled to below 0° C. to the ice maker and to the ice storage bin;
an ice maker fan connected to the air delivery system wherein operation of the ice maker fan causes air from the source of below 0° C. air to flow to the ice maker and to the ice storage bin;
a first air delivery portion carried on the refrigerator door and a second air delivery portion leading from the bottom of the refrigerator door to the source of below 0° C. air wherein the first air delivery portion of the supply duct and the return duct includes a vertical portion extending from the bottom of the refrigerator door to the ice maker sub compartment;
and
an inlet port in the vertical portion of the supply duct adjacent the ice cube storage bin and an outlet port in the vertical portion of the return duct adjacent the ice storage bin.

10 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 10/973,543Filed 26 Oct 2004
Published: US 2006/0086130 A127 Apr 2006
Granted: 13 Mar 2007
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification7 codes

F25C 5/22
Distributing ice: particularly adapted for household refrigerators
F25C 2400/10
Auxiliary features or devices for producing, working or handling ice: refrigerator units
F25D 23/12
General constructional features: arrangements of compartments additional to cooling compartments; Combinations of refrigerators with other…
F25D 2317/062
With forced air circulation: along the inside of doors