Patent ID: 7681406
Filing Date: 2010-03-23
Classification: F25C,F25D

Abstract:
1. 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; a separate access door provided to each of the freezer compartment and the fresh food compartment, each separate access door being exposed to an ambient environment of the refrigeration appliance and 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; 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 and 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, the ice-making unit and the ice made in the ice-making unit being exposed to the temperature in the fresh food compartment, the ice-making unit further including: 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 ice pieces formed on the ice elements are able to be harvested; 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, the refrigeration system further including: a first evaporator in operative association with the freezer compartment 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 a second evaporator in operative association with the ice-making unit for furnishing to the ice-making unit a cooling effect sufficient to freeze water and form ice in the ice-making unit, the second evaporator providing a refrigerant to the 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 and form the ice pieces on the plurality of ice-forming elements.