Patent ID: 9010580
Filing Date: 2015-04-21
Classification: F25D

Abstract:
1. A refrigerator, comprising: a refrigerator cabinet; a refrigerating compartment within the refrigerator cabinet; a beverage dispensing system having a beverage dispensing area configured to receive a container, the beverage dispensing system operatively connected to the refrigerator cabinet and configured to dispense a stream of a beverage; the beverage dispensing system comprising a light source and a light sensor positioned on opposite sides of the stream of the beverage within the beverage dispensing area, wherein light from the light source is directed through the stream of the beverage and to the light sensor to measure optical properties of the beverage after the beverage has been dispensed into the beverage dispensing area, wherein the beverage dispensing system configured to detect if dispensement of the beverage is occurring and to characterize an amount of the beverage being dispensed by monitoring the light sensor; a user interface operatively connected to the beverage dispensing system above the dispensing area and wherein the beverage dispensing system being further configured to use the user interface to provide feedback to a user on the beverage being dispensed based on the optical properties associated with the beverage being dispensed; and an alert for informing the user when the beverage dispensing system dispenses a beverage that is not what the user intended to be dispensed.