Ice-making system for refrigeration appliance

A refrigeration appliance comprising:

• a freezer compartment maintained at a temperature of zero degrees Centigrade or less and a fresh food compartment maintained at a temperature greater than zero degrees Centigrade;
• the freezer compartment and the fresh food compartment being in fluid communication with one another whereby air may be circulated between the freezer compartment and fresh food compartment;
• an air mover for circulating air between the freezer compartment and the fresh food compartment;
• an ice-making unit located in the fresh food compartment, the ice-making unit and the ice made in the ice-making unit being exposed to the temperature in the fresh food compartment;
• and
• a refrigeration system in operative association with the freezer compartment and the ice-making unit for furnishing to the freezer compartment a cooling effect sufficient to maintain the freezer compartment at a temperature of zero degrees Centigrade or less and for separately furnishing to the ice-making unit a cooling effect sufficient to freeze water and form ice in the ice-making unit,
• a reservoir located in the fresh food compartment for holding water, the reservoir and the ice-making unit together comprising an ice-making system, the reservoir being adapted to be in fluid communication with a source of water outside the refrigeration appliance whereby water from the source of water outside the refrigeration appliance may be delivered to the reservoir, and wherein the reservoir is in fluid communication with the ice-making unit both for the delivery of water from the reservoir to the ice-making unit and for the return of water from the ice-making unit to the reservoir;
• and
• a food or beverage storage unit located sufficiently proximate the reservoir so that the storage unit is cooled by the water in the reservoir, wherein
• the reservoir includes walls having inside surfaces that are in contact with and confine the water in the reservoir and outer surfaces, the walls of the reservoir being configured so that the storage unit is at least partially contained within the confines of the outer surfaces of the walls of the reservoir whereby the storage unit is cooled by the water in the reservoir.

A refrigeration appliance comprising:

• a freezer compartment maintained at a temperature of zero degrees Centigrade or less and a fresh food compartment maintained at a temperature greater than zero degrees Centigrade;
• the freezer compartment and the fresh food compartment being in fluid communication with one another whereby air may be circulated between the freezer compartment and fresh food compartment;
• an air mover for circulating air between the freezer compartment and the fresh food compartment;
• an ice-making unit located in the fresh food compartment, the ice-making unit and the ice made in the ice-making unit being exposed to the temperature in the fresh food compartment;
• and
• a refrigeration system in operative association with the freezer compartment and the ice-making unit for furnishing to the freezer compartment a cooling effect sufficient to maintain the freezer compartment at a temperature of zero degrees Centigrade or less and for separately furnishing to the ice-making unit a cooling effect sufficient to freeze water and form ice in the ice-making unit,
• a reservoir located in the fresh food compartment for holding water, the reservoir and the ice-making unit together comprising an ice-making system, the reservoir being adapted to be in fluid communication with a source of water outside the refrigeration appliance whereby water from the source of water outside the refrigeration appliance may be delivered to the reservoir, and wherein the reservoir is in fluid communication with the ice-making unit both for the delivery of water from the reservoir to the ice-making unit and for the return of water from the ice-making unit to the reservoir;
• and
• a door for closing off as well as providing access to the fresh food compartment, a dispensing port in the door of the fresh food compartment and a water dispensing path extending between the dispensing port and the reservoir along which water from the reservoir may flow to the dispensing port.

A refrigeration system adapted to be used with a refrigeration appliance that includes a freezer compartment maintained at a temperature of zero degrees Centigrade or less, a fresh food compartment maintained at a temperature greater than zero degrees Centigrade and an ice-making unit located in the fresh food compartment, the ice-making unit and the ice made in the ice-making unit being exposed to the temperature of the fresh food compartment, the refrigeration system comprising:

• a refrigerant;
• a compressing unit for compressing the refrigerant and having an entry side and an exit side;
• a condensing unit for condensing the refrigerant after it has been compressed and having an entry side in fluid communication with the exit side of the compressing unit and an exit side;
• a first evaporator having an entry side in fluid communication with the exit side of the condensing unit for receiving a first portion of the refrigerant and adapted to be operatively associated with the freezer compartment for furnishing a cooling effect to the freezer compartment sufficient to maintain the freezer compartment at a temperature of zero degrees Centigrade or less;
• a second evaporator having an entry side in fluid communication with the exit side of the condensing unit independently of the first evaporator for receiving a second portion of the refrigerant and adapted to be operatively associated with the ice-making unit for furnishing a cooling effect to the ice-making unit sufficient to freeze water and form ice in the ice-making unit, the second evaporator providing the second portion of the refrigerant to an ice-making tray containing a pool of water, the second portion of the refrigerant being at a temperature sufficiently low to cause the water in the ice making tray, via a thermal conductor, to form ice pieces in the ice-making tray;
• a fluid conduit connecting the exit side of the compressing unit and the entry side of the second evaporator for placing the exit side of the compressing unit in fluid communication with the entry side of the second evaporator whereby at least another portion of the refrigerant from the compressing unit may bypass the condensing unit and flow from the exit side of the compressing unit to the entry side of the second evaporator;
• a valve operatively associated with the fluid conduit for selectively opening and closing the fluid conduit to the flow of compressed refrigerant from the exit side of the compressing unit to the entry side of the second evaporator;
• a first capillary tube having an entry end and an exit end, the entry end of the first capillary tube being in fluid communication with the exit side of the condensing unit and the exit end of the first capillary tube being in fluid communication with the entry side of the first evaporator that is operatively associated to cool the freezer compartment;
• and
• a second capillary tube having an entry end and an exit end, the entry end of the second capillary tube being in fluid communication with the exit side of the condensing unit and the exit end of the second capillary tube being in fluid communication with the entry side of the second evaporator that is operatively associated to furnish the cooling effect to the ice-making unit,
• wherein the first capillary tube and the second capillary tube are of such respective sizes that the temperature of the refrigerant in the second evaporator is greater than the temperature of the refrigerant in the first evaporator when the refrigerant is being delivered to both the first and second evaporators.

An ice-making system comprising:

• an ice-making unit adapted to operate within a section of a refrigeration appliance that is maintained at a temperature above zero degrees Centigrade and to be placed in operative association with a refrigeration system for furnishing to the ice-making unit a cooling effect sufficient to freeze water and form ice in the ice-making unit, the ice-making unit and the ice made in the ice-making unit being exposed to the temperature of the section of the refrigeration appliance that is maintained at a temperature above zero degrees Centigrade;
• and
• a reservoir for holding water, the reservoir being adapted to be located within the same section of the refrigeration appliance as the ice-making unit and further adapted to be in fluid communication with a source of water outside the refrigeration appliance whereby water from the source of water may be delivered to the reservoir, a valve for automatically controlling the delivery of water to the reservoir from the source of water outside the refrigerator appliance in response to the quantity of water in the reservoir, the reservoir being in fluid communication with the ice-making unit whereby water from the reservoir may be delivered to the ice-making unit and water from the ice-making unit may be returned to the reservoir,
• a filter disposed between the source of water outside the refrigerator appliance and the reservoir to filter water from the source of water outside the refrigerator before the water is delivered to the reservoir;
• the ice-making unit further including an ice storage area for holding ice pieces formed by the ice-making unit, and
• the ice storage area including at least one opening through which water may pass, the at least one opening being in fluid communication with the reservoir for returning water from the ice storage area to the reservoir, such that said water returned from the ice storage area to the reservoir may be delivered to the ice-making unit;
• the ice-making unit further including:
• an ice-making tray adapted to contain a pool of water and a plurality of ice-forming elements disposed in the pool of water;
• and
• a dumping mechanism operatively associated with the ice-making tray for rotating the ice-making tray about the ice-making elements, the dumping mechanism including at least one rod coupled to a side of the ice-making tray and having a longitudinal axis, the ice-making tray rotating about the longitudinal axis of the rod from a first position where the ice-making elements are located within the ice-making tray to a second position where the ice-making tray has rotated out from under the ice-making elements and the ice pieces formed on the ice elements are able to be harvested.

A method of operating a refrigeration appliance comprising a freezer compartment and a fresh food compartment in which an ice-making unit is located so that the ice-making unit and the ice pieces made thereby are exposed to the temperature in the fresh food compartment, the freezer compartment and the fresh food compartment each selectively enclosed by a separate access door but being in fluid communication with one another whereby air may be circulated between the freezer compartment and the fresh food compartment, wherein one of the separate access doors is openable to grant access to one of the freezer compartment and the fresh food compartment without exposing another of the freezer compartment and the fresh food compartment to the ambient environment, the method comprising:

• providing to the freezer compartment a cooling effect sufficient to maintain the freezer compartment at a temperature of zero degrees Centigrade or less;
• circulating air between the freezer compartment and the fresh food compartment while maintaining the fresh food compartment at a temperature greater than zero degrees Centigrade;
• providing to the ice-making unit in the fresh food compartment a cooling effect separate from the cooling effect provided to the freezer compartment, the cooling effect provided to the ice-making unit being sufficient to freeze water and form the ice pieces in the ice-making unit,
• the cooling effect to the freezer compartment being provided by means of a first evaporator and the cooling effect to the ice-making unit being provided by means of a second evaporator, each of the first and second evaporators being independently supplied with first and second portions of a refrigerant, respectively,
• the method further including the steps of:
• filtering water from a source of water outside the refrigerator appliance with a filter provided to the refrigeration along a water line extending between the source of water outside the refrigerator appliance and a reservoir for storing filtered water within the fresh food compartment of the refrigerator appliance;
• providing from the reservoir a pool of filtered water within an ice-making tray in the ice-making unit;
• providing the second portion of refrigerant, via the second evaporator, to a plurality of ice-forming elements that are disposed in the pool of filtered water, the ice-forming elements being made of a material that is a thermal conductor and the second portion of refrigerant being at a temperature sufficiently low to cause the filtered water in the vicinity of the ice-forming elements to freeze;
• forming the ice pieces on the plurality of ice-forming elements;
• rotating the ice-making tray about a longitudinal axis of at least one rod coupled to a side of the ice-making tray from a first position where the ice-making elements are located within the ice-making tray to a second position where the ice-making tray has rotated out from under the ice-making elements and ice pieces formed on the ice elements are able to be harvested;
• releasing from the ice-making tray any filtered water that has not been made into ice;
• freeing the ice pieces from the plurality of ice-forming elements;
• and
• at least a portion of the filtered water released from the ice-making tray is returned to the reservoir of water;
• and
• rotating the ice-making tray about the longitudinal axis of the at least one rod back to the first position.

A method of operating a refrigeration appliance having a freezer compartment and a fresh food compartment in which an ice-making unit is located so that the ice-making unit and the ice pieces made thereby are exposed to the temperature in the fresh food compartment, the freezer compartment and the fresh food compartment being in fluid communication with one another whereby air may be circulated between the freezer compartment and the fresh food compartment, the method comprising:

• providing to the freezer compartment a cooling effect sufficient to maintain the freezer compartment at a temperature of zero degrees Centigrade or less;
• circulating air between the freezer compartment and the fresh food compartment while maintaining the fresh food compartment at a temperature greater than zero degrees Centigrade;
• providing to the ice-making unit in the fresh food compartment a cooling effect separate from the cooling effect provided to the freezer compartment, the cooling effect provided to the ice-making unit being sufficient to freeze water and form the ice pieces in the ice-making unit,
• wherein the cooling effect to the freezer compartment is provided by means of a first evaporator and the cooling effect to the ice-making unit is provided by means of a second evaporator,
• wherein the ice pieces are made in the ice-making unit by:
• providing from a source of water a pool of water within an ice-making tray in the ice-making unit;
• providing a refrigerant to a plurality of ice-forming elements that are disposed in the pool of water, the ice-forming elements being made of a material that is a thermal conductor and the refrigerant being at a temperature sufficiently low to cause the water in the vicinity of the ice-forming elements to freeze;
• forming the ice pieces on the plurality of ice-forming elements;
• releasing from the ice-making tray any water that has not been made into ice;
• and
• freeing the ice pieces from the plurality of ice-forming elements,
• wherein the ice pieces are freed from the plurality of ice-forming elements by:
• providing to the ice-forming elements a refrigerant that is at a temperature sufficiently great enough to break the bond causing the ice pieces to adhere to the ice-forming elements,
• wherein the source of water is a reservoir of water located in the fresh food compartment of the refrigeration appliance;
• and
• at least a portion of the water released from the ice-making tray is returned to the reservoir of water,
• wherein water is provided to the ice-making tray from the reservoir of water to an extent that the water overflows the ice-making tray;
• and
• at least a portion of the water that overflows the ice-making tray is returned to the reservoir of water,
• wherein the freed ice pieces are allowed to fall and are initially collected in a collection area of the ice-making unit located below the ice-making tray, wherein the ice pieces are moved from the collection area to an ice storage area located in the fresh food compartment,
• wherein any water resulting from the melting of the ice pieces in the ice storage area is returned to the reservoir of water, and
• the method further including the step of dispensing water from the water reservoir through a dispensing port in a door that closes off the fresh food compartment to the ambient air in which the refrigeration appliance is located.