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US 9,651,296 B2Granted
Refrigerator
AssigneeSamsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
InventorJae-koog An
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A refrigerator includes a body configured to be equipped with a storage, a door configured to be hinge-engaged with the body to open or close the storage, a water supply line configured to respectively supply water provided from a water source to an ice maker placed in the storage and a dispenser placed outside the door. One or more filters are configured to be engaged with the water supply line, and one or more bypass valves for respective water tanks are configured to be engaged with the water supply line at a part which is lower than an engagement point of the one or more filters. The one or more water tanks are configured to be placed inside the door and to be detachably engaged with the bypass valve for water tank.
Claims20
A refrigerator, comprising:
- a body including a storage;
- a door engaged with the body to open or close the storage;
- a water supply line to selectively supply water provided from a water source to an ice maker and a dispenser;
- a filter bypass valve engaged with the water supply line and engageable with a filter;
- and
- a water tank bypass valve engaged with the water supply line at an engagement point downstream from an engagement point of the filter bypass valve;
- and
- at least one water tank provided inside the door and detachably engaged with the water tank bypass valve,
- wherein the water tank bypass valve comprises:
- a valve housing including an inlet and an outlet which are respectively engaged with the water supply line,
- a flow path selecting member including a first flow path and a second flow path which communicate in a mutually selective manner with an inflow path engaged with the inlet and an outflow path engaged with the outlet, and
- an engagement unit which is engageable with a mouth of the at least one water tank to mount the at least one water tank to the water tank bypass valve,
- wherein
- when the mouth of the at least one water tank is mounted to the engagement unit, the first flow path leads water from the water supply line to pass through the at least one water tank, and
- when the mouth of the at least one water tank is detached from the engagement unit, water from the water supply line flows through the second flow path without passing through the at least one water tank.
12 more elements
A refrigerator, comprising:
- a body including a storage;
- a door engaged with the body to open or close the storage;
- a water supply line to selectively supply water provided from a water source to an ice maker and a dispenser;
- a plurality of filters placed inside the door and configured to be detachably engaged with the water supply line;
- a plurality of water tanks placed inside the door and configured to be detachably engaged with the water supply line at an engagement point which is downstream from an engagement point of the plurality of filters;
- and
- a plurality of water tank bypass valves configured to be engaged with the water supply line and detachably engaged with the plurality of water tanks, respectively,
- wherein in response to one of the plurality of filters or one of the plurality of water tanks being detached from the water supply line, water is supplied to one of the ice maker and the dispenser through the water supply line without passing through the detached filter or water tank,
- wherein at least one water tank bypass valve among the plurality of water tank bypass valves comprises:
- a valve housing including an inlet and an outlet which are respectively engaged with the water supply line,
- a flow path selecting member including a first flow path and a second flow path which communicate in a mutually selective manner with an inflow path engaged with the inlet and an outflow path engaged with the outlet, and
- an engagement unit which is engageable with a mouth of a respective water tank among the plurality of water tanks to mount the respective water tank to the at least one water tank bypass valve,
- wherein
- when the mouth of the respective water tank is mounted to the engagement unit, the first flow path leads water from the water supply line to pass through the respective water tank, and
- when the mouth of the respective water tank is detached from the engagement unit, water from the water supply line flows through the second flow path without passing through the respective water tank.
12 more elements
A refrigerator, comprising:
- a body including a storage;
- a door engaged with the body to open or close the storage;
- a water supply line to selectively supply water provided from a water source to an ice maker and a dispenser;
- a plurality of filters placed inside the door and detachably engaged with a plurality of filter bypass valves which are engaged with the water supply line;
- a plurality of water tanks placed inside the door and detachably engaged with a plurality of water tank bypass valves which are engaged with the water supply line;
- and
- a sterilizer to sterilize water provided from the water source through electrolysis, the sterilizer being engaged with the water supply line at an engagement point which is upstream from engagement points of the plurality of filters,
- wherein at least one water tank bypass valve among the plurality of water tank bypass valves comprises:
- a valve housing including an inlet and an outlet which are respectively engaged with the water supply line,
- a flow path selecting member including a first flow path and a second flow path which communicate in a mutually selective manner with an inflow path engaged with the inlet and an outflow path engaged with the outlet, and
- an engagement unit which is engageable with a mouth of a respective water tank among the plurality of water tanks to mount the respective water tank to the at least one water tank bypass valve,
- wherein
- when the mouth of the respective water tank is mounted to the engagement unit, the first flow path leads water from the water supply line to pass through the respective water tank, and
- when the mouth of the respective water tank is detached from the engagement unit, water from the water supply line flows through the second flow path without passing through the respective water tank.
11 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.