Patent ID: 9366474
Filing Date: 2016-06-14
CPC Classification: B01D,B65D,C02F,F25D

Claim Text:
1. A refrigerator, comprising: an insulated cabinet forming a refrigerated internal space; a powered refrigeration system providing controlled cooling of the refrigerated internal space; a water system configured to distribute water from an external source to a dispenser, the water system including at least one fluid conduit; a replaceable water filter unit detachably connected to the fluid conduit wherein water flowing through the conduit is filtered by the water filter, and wherein, upon initial installation of the water filter in the refrigerator, the filter is purged by causing a necessary amount of water to flow through the water filter; a control feature actuated by a user to cause water to flow through the water filter unit; a user interface configured to prompt a user to actuate the control feature to purge the water filter by causing water to flow through the water filter upon installation of a water filter; a controller that is operably connected to the user interface; a sensor that generates a signal that is utilized by the controller to determine if a water filter is installed; and a memory unit mounted on the replaceable water filter, the memory unit being mounted in a shallow recess or cavity formed by upstanding sidewalls of a cylindrical body of the replaceable water filter unit; wherein the memory unit communicates with the controller when the water filter is installed in the refrigerator, and wherein the memory unit stores information relating to at least one of an amount of water that has passed through the water filter and an allowable amount of water that can pass through the water filter before replacement of the water filter is required; the memory unit includes a first electrical contact arrangement, and the refrigerator includes a second electrical contact arrangement that abuts the first electrical contact arrangement in response to the water filter being installed and thereby electrically interconnects the controller to the memory unit.