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US 8,006,502 B2Granted
Dispenser related technology
AssigneeLG Electronics Inc.
InventorsSeong Jae Kim, Nam Gi Lee
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Refrigerator including a door, a dispenser mounted to the door, the dispenser having a dispensing opening for dispensing content, a button and tray combination device for controlling the dispensing of the content, as well as holding residue from the dispensing opening after the dispensing of the content, and a sensing device for sensing a height of the residue in the button and tray combination device.
Claims21
A refrigerator comprising:
- a compartment;
- a door configured to open and close at least a portion of the compartment;
- a dispenser that is positioned on a surface of the door and that is configured to dispense content through a dispenser outlet
- a button and tray combination device that is configured to control the dispenser to dispense content through the dispenser outlet and that is configured to receive and store residual content discharged from the dispenser outlet after a container used in actuating the button and tray combination device is moved from beneath the dispenser outlet;
- a sensing device configured to sense an amount of residual content stored in the button and tray combination device;
- and
- a controller configured to perform an operation directed to prevent overflow of the button and tray combination device based on the sensing device sensing that the amount of residual content exceeds a threshold.
4 more elements
A method for controlling a refrigerator comprising:
- receiving, in a button tray that is configured to control a dispenser to dispense content through a dispenser outlet, residual content discharged from the dispenser outlet after a container used in actuating the button tray is moved from beneath the dispenser outlet;
- sensing an amount of residual content stored in the button tray;
- and
- performing an operation directed to prevent overflow of the button tray in response to sensing that the amount of residual content stored in the button tray exceeds a threshold.
1 more element
A refrigerator comprising:
- a compartment;
- a door configured to open and close at least a portion of the compartment;
- a dispenser that is positioned on a surface of the door and that is configured to dispense content through a dispenser outlet
- a button and tray combination device that is configured to control the dispenser to dispense content through the dispenser outlet and that is configured to receive and store residual content discharged from the dispenser outlet after a container used in actuating the button and tray combination device is moved from beneath the dispenser outlet;
- means for sensing an amount of residual content stored in the button and tray combination device;
- and
- means for performing an operation directed to prevent overflow of the button and tray combination device in response to sensing that the amount of residual content stored in the button and tray combination device exceeds a threshold.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.