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US 7,437,885 B2Granted
Water spillage management for in the door ice maker
AssigneeWhirlpool Corporation
InventorsGuolian Wu, Kevin M. Chase, Marcus R. Fischer, Jim J. Pastryk, Shawn F. Olsson, Michele E. Wilcox, Jerry M. Visin, Martin D. Lewis
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A refrigerator freezer having an ice maker positioned on a refrigerator compartment or freezer compartment door. The ice maker is arranged to prevent or manage spills from the ice maker in the event the door on which the ice maker is mounted is opened or closed when unfrozen water is present in the ice maker. Spill management embodiments for a number of fixed and movable tray ice makers are disclosed.
Claims35
A refrigerator freezer comprising:
- a freezer compartment maintained at a temperature below 0° C. and having an insulated freezer compartment door;
- a refrigerator compartment maintained at a temperature above 0° C. and having an insulated refrigerator compartment door;
- a refrigeration system for cooling the freezer compartment and the refrigerator compartment;
- an automatic ice maker positioned on one of the refrigerator compartment door and the freezer compartment door;
- a tray mounted below the ice maker arranged to collect water spillage that may occur when door on which the ice maker is positioned is moved when water is present in the ice maker.
2 more elements
A refrigerator freezer comprising:
- a freezer compartment maintained at a temperature below 0° C. and having an insulated freezer compartment door;
- a refrigerator compartment maintained at a temperature above 0° C. and having an insulated refrigerator compartment door;
- a refrigeration system for cooling the freezer compartment and the refrigerator compartment;
- an automatic ice maker positioned on one of the refrigerator compartment door and the freezer compartment door comprising:
- an ice mold;
- an ice piece stripper having a base strip mounted along one edge of the ice mold, and having a plurality of fingers extending from the base strip and positioned above a portion of the ice mold;
- an ice rake having a plurality of tines rotatably mounted above the ice mold and arranged for the tines to rotate between the plurality of fingers and through the ice mold to carry ice pieces out of the ice mold;
- and
- a cover including a longitudinally extending domed portion substantially covering the ice mold, wherein the domed portion is hinged to the ice maker along a first edge and includes a plurality of tongues adjacent a second edge and arranged to extend into and substantially fill the spaces between adjacent ice piece stripper fingers.
6 more elements
A refrigerator freezer comprising:
- a freezer compartment maintained at a temperature below 0° C. and having an insulated freezer compartment door;
- a refrigerator compartment maintained at a temperature above 0° C. and having an insulated refrigerator compartment door;
- a refrigeration system for cooling the freezer compartment and the refrigerator compartment;
- an automatic ice maker positioned on one of the refrigerator compartment door and the freezer compartment door;
- a tray mounted below the ice maker arranged to collect water spillage that may occur when door on which the ice maker is positioned is moved when water is present in the ice maker;
- and
- a spill sensor to detect water in the tray and arranged to provide a signal to the user that a spill has occurred.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.