Dispenser device for ice and water, components thereof and process of cleaning same

A low profile combination ice maker and ice and water dispenser device for home and/or office use that comprises a self-contained unit, including:

• (a) a structure of no more than 18 inches in height comprising said device, for disposition in a vertical opening on top of a countertop and beneath an overhanging cabinet and including a front, rear, left and right sides and a top and a bottom;
• (b) said device having a water inlet for connecting to a source of inlet water and a water conduit line therein, and an electrical connection to a source of electric currents for operating motors and/or switches within said device;
• (c) said device including a water discharge outlet at the front of the device spaced adjacent one of the left and right sides of the device, connected to the water conduit line, a water discharge valve for opening the water discharge outlet and a water discharge actuator for actuating the water discharge valve to dispense water into a vessel disposed beneath the water discharge outlet;
• (d) said device including an ice nugget discharge outlet at the front of the device separate from the water discharge outlet and spaced adjacent the other one of said left and right sides of the device, and an ice discharge actuator for actuating the dispensing ice nuggets into a vessel disposed beneath the ice discharge outlet;
• (e) a tray disposed beneath the water discharge outlet and beneath the ice nugget discharge outlet;
• (f) the tray comprising a container for holding excess water from the water discharge outlet and/or the ice discharge outlet and a perforate grate in the container at an upper end thereof on which the vessels can be situate for receiving ice or water therein;
• (g) refrigeration cycle means inside said device at a lower end thereof for making ice nuggets from water delivered thereto via said water conduit line;
• (h) delivery conduit means for delivering ice nuggets from the means for making ice nuggets from the refrigeration cycle means at a lower end of the device in a vertically upward direction into an ice nuggets storage bin;
• (i) the ice nugget storage bin located inside said device located a higher end of the device for storing ice nuggets received via said delivery conduit means;
• and
• (j) an ice conveying means within said ice nugget storage bin for conveying ice nuggets in a vertically upward direction in said bin for gravity discharge of ice nuggets from the bin via the ice nugget discharge outlet;
• with the ice nugget discharge outlet being located at an upper end of the bin, for discharge of ice into a vessel disposed on the tray beneath the ice nugget discharge outlet;
• and
• (k) wherein the ice conveying means within the ice nugget storage bin comprises a rotatable auger having lower and upper ends and disposed in the storage bin for rotating about a central auger access and conveying ice in a path of travel from a lower end of the bin toward an upper end of the bin at an angle, toward the ice nugget discharge outlet at an upper end of the bin;
• (l) the auger being of a generally helically configured wire construction that defines, when rotated, an auger outside diameter;
• (m) an ice baffle carried by the upper end of the storage bin and having a lower baffle end protruding into the auger outside diameter toward the central axis of the auger at the upper end of the auger, and above the ice discharge outlet;
• (n) the ice baffle comprising metering means for allowing ice nuggets delivered by the auger to an upper end of the auger and below the baffle, to pass into the ice discharge outlet and for engaging ice nuggets at the upper end of the auger and above the lower end of the baffle, to be diverted upward and back down toward the lower end of the storage bin, for recirculation in the storage bin;
• and
• (o) wherein the baffle includes lower edge portions of different heights;
• with one edge height comprising means for shearing undesirably long ice nuggets into shorter ice nuggets.