Patent ID: 9139415
Filing Date: 2015-09-22
Classification: B67D,F16K,F25D

Abstract:
1. A refrigerator, comprising: a cabinet formed with at least one refrigerated compartment; a door pivotally mounted to the cabinet via a hollow hinge to selectively open and close at least a portion of the refrigerated compartment; a water heater mounted on an exterior surface of the cabinet about the hollow hinge and configured to heat water supplied from the refrigerator; a hot water dispenser positioned on the door that is configured to dispense hot water supplied from the water heater into a receiver vessel, further comprising a dispenser nozzle selectively movable between a first position and a second position, the first position being a non-dispensing position and the second position being a dispensing position; at least one nozzle switch that is actuated when the dispensing nozzle is moved to a selected one of the first position and the second position; a hot water conduit guided through the hollow hinge and extending from the water heater to the hot water dispenser to supply the hot water from the water heater to the hot water dispenser; a hot water dispensing switch that, when actuated, selectively controls dispensing of the hot water from the dispenser nozzle; a control unit in operational communication with the at least one nozzle switch and the hot water dispensing switch, the control unit initiating the dispensing of hot water from the dispensing nozzle upon input from at least two distinct operations, wherein actuation of the at least one nozzle switch comprises one of said at least two distinct operations and permits but does not require the control unit to initiate the dispensing of hot water from the dispensing nozzle, wherein actuation of the hot water dispensing switch comprises another of said at least two distinct operations, and wherein initiating dispensing of the hot water from the dispenser nozzle is inhibited by the control unit unless both of the at least one nozzle switch and the hot water dispensing switch are actuated; and a hot water activation switch configured to selectively operate the hot water heater, wherein dispensing of the hot water from the dispenser nozzle is inhibited unless all of the at least one nozzle switch, the hot water dispensing switch, and the hot water activation switch are actuated.