Abstract:
A modular cabinet for an ice maker or other refrigeration appliance, having a frame formed from a base, a tub resting on the base, and a pair of opposing side panels affixed to opposing sides of side tub and base assembly and a top panel. 
     The refrigeration appliance has a refrigerated compartment defined by the tub, the top panel and the door. A door hingedly mounted to the frame sealingly closes the refrigerated compartment.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to cabinet construction for ice makers or other refrigeration appliances and more particularly to refrigeration appliances of the type generally designed for under counter installation. Such appliances typically are either miniature refrigerators, with or without a freezer compartment, or an ice maker having an ice storage compartment enclosing an ice forming and dispensing apparatus and an underlying ice storage bin. 
     The present invention is directed to providing a modular design for such an appliance that facilitates brand differentiation and re-use of components for creating ice makers, refrigerators and wine coolers. 
     The present invention also is directed to the problem of permitting easy manual access to the ice storage bin while maximizing the effective capacity of the ice storage bin and reducing the likelihood of spillage of ice. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides a modular design for an ice maker or other refrigeration appliance wherein the frame is constructed from a base member or deck, preferably a U-shaped stamping, a tub, preferably formed of plastic, and a pair of side panels slip fit over the base and tub subassembly. A top panel is removably mounted to the top of the side panels to form the top of the frame and optionally at least partially form the top of the refrigeration compartment defined by the tub. A door is hingedly mounted to the frame such as to rotate about a horizontal or a vertical axis to selectively close said refrigeration compartment or provide access thereto. 
     In the preferred embodiment, the present invention further provides an ice chute or flipper hingedly mounted to the front of the tub to provide access to the ice storage bin defined by the tub while increasing the effective size of the ice storage bin. The ice chute is adapted to guide back into the ice storage bin any ice that is inadvertently dropped thereon when ice is being removed. 
     The chute is provided with a lower surface which cooperates with the door such as to be lowered into an open position extending outwardly of the refrigeration compartment when the door is opened and to be raised into an upper position entirely within the refrigeration compartment when the door is closed. 
     The present invention therefore provides a design for such an ice maker that readily facilitates brand differentiation among differently branded models of the same ice maker by providing a design sufficiently robust to permit alternative appearing access doors, and alternative control configurations, including having doors on one model that may be opened about a vertical axis for one model and doors on another that may be opened about a horizontal axis for an alternate model. 
     Furthermore, the present invention provides a modular design for a refrigeration appliance compartment that is easily accessible for assembly, cleaning and repair. 
     Furthermore, the present invention provides a modular design for an ice maker refrigeration compartment that is easily adaptable for constructing a compact under counter refrigerator or wine cooler. 
     These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments in conjunction with the attached drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the novel ice maker of the present invention wherein a full outer door rotates about a vertical axis, shown with the outer door and the inner door or chute open. 
     FIGS. 2,  3 ,  4  and  5  are perspective views of the novel ice maker of FIG. 1 illustrating the cooperation of the outer door and the flipper or inner doors of the ice maker as the outer door is progressively closed or opened. 
     FIG. 6 is a front elevation view of the inner surface of the outer door of the novel ice maker of FIGS. 1 through 5 showing the camming element. 
     FIGS. 7,  8  and  9  are bottom, side and front elevation views of the chute of the ice maker of FIGS. 1 through 5. 
     FIGS. 10 and 11 are perspective views of the novel ice maker of the present invention provided with a first alternative outer door or a drop down door that rotates about a horizontal axis, shown respectively with the inner and outer doors open and closed. 
     FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the main housing of the novel ice maker of the FIG. 1 with the top panel and a few selected interior components removed. 
     FIG. 13 is an exploded view of the novel modular components of main housing of FIG.  12 . 
     FIG. 14 is an exploded view of the novel modular components of FIG. 13 but modified for the assembly of a compact refrigerator or wine cooler from common parts with the ice maker of the present invention having an escutcheon outer door. 
     FIG. 15 is a perspective view of an alternative ice maker according to the present invention. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The present invention provides a novel and robust modular design for an ice maker as illustrated in the drawings and described herein. While features of the design can be adapted for use in larger refrigeration appliances of various types, and the claims appended hereto are not intended to be limited hereby, the preferred embodiment for carrying out the present invention comprises a compact under counter ice maker  10  having a width of between 15 inches and 24 inches, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 5 or a compact ice maker  10 ′ as illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7. 
     As shown in FIGS. 1 through 5, generally and in FIG. 1 in particular, an ice maker  10  has an outer housing or main housing  12  having a top wall  14 , a back wall (not shown) and two side walls  16  (only one shown) defining there between a refrigerated compartment  18  having an access opening  20 . As is well known in the art, the refrigeration compartment  18  contains controls  22 , a cooling system (not shown), an ice forming and dispensing apparatus  24 , and an ice storage bin  26  disposed below the ice dispensing apparatus. 
     In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, a first door or outer door  30  is hingedly attached to the main housing  12  to selectively close the access opening  20 . The access opening  20  must be sufficiently large not only to permit access to the ice in the ice storage bin  26  but to permit cleaning and servicing of the ice storage bin and the ice forming and dispensing apparatus  24 . As is well known, The outer door  30  is provided with a thermal seal  32  that cooperates with the main housing  12 . 
     The ice storage bin  26  is provided with a second or inner door or chute  40  to facilitate access to the ice while reducing the likelihood of spilling ice on the floor and to increase the effective storage capacity of the ice storage bin  26 . 
     As best shown in FIGS. 7,  8  and  9 , the chute  40  has a concave and upwardly opening upper surface  42  to define a guide path for directing dropped ice back into the ice storage bin  26 . In the preferred embodiment, this concavity is formed by having raised side edges  44  and  46 . 
     The chute  40  is hingedly fastened to the ice storage bin  26  so as to rotate about a horizontal axis  47  between an upwardly oriented, generally vertical position and a lower, generally horizontal position (shown in FIG.  1 ). 
     The chute  40  is also provided with a contoured convex lower surface  48 . A camming element  50 , shown in FIG. 6, is mounted to the inner surface  52  of the outer door to cooperate with the lower surface  48  of the chute  40  such that, as the outer door  30  is progressively rotated, as shown in FIGS. 1 through 5, about its hinges from its open position shown in FIG. 1 to its closed position, shown in FIG. 5, the chute  40  is progressively rotated from its lower position to its upper position. The axis of rotation of the chute  40  is preferably disposed sufficiently recessed from the location of the camming element  50  such that the chute  40  is rests against the camming element in its upper position and is pulled downwardly by gravity to follow the camming element when the outer door  30  is opened. 
     In the lower position, the a portion of the lower surface  48  of the chute  40  rests against an abutment  54  (FIGS. 1 through 3) of the ice storage bin  26  such that the chute is angled slightly upwardly and outwardly of the refrigerated compartment  18  such as to better catch dropped ice and redirect it into the ice storage bin and to better retain ice within the ice storage bin when it is filled to capacity. 
     It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the use of the chute  40  increases the useful capacity of the ice storage bin  26  while facilitating access to its contents by effectively increasing the height of the barrier front wall  60  of the ice storage bin. 
     It will further be appreciated that, in the preferred embodiment, the functional concave upper surface  42  provided for guiding the ice nicely complements the functional convex lower surface  48  adapted for following the camming element  50  so as to provide a lightweight attractive and unobtrusive moldable or stampable component. 
     FIGS. 10 and 11 show an ice maker  10 ′ of the present invention configured with an alternate outer door  30 ′ that rotates about a horizontal axis. The alternate outer door  30 ′ is approximately two-thirds the height of door  30  and is mounted such as to hinge about an axis just below and outward of the rotational axis  47  of the chute  40  such that the inner surface  52 ′ of the door will engage and raise the chute  40  when the outer door  30 ′ is raised and closed. A panel  64  aesthetically matching the door  30 ′ is secured to the main housing  12  below the door  30 ′ to close and seal the lower portion of the access opening  18 . 
     It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the concave lower surface  48  of the chute  40  is adapted to cooperate with either door  30  or door  30 ′, facilitating branded model differentiation without modifications between the ice maker  10  and the ice maker  10 ′ other than replacing door  30  with door  30 ′ and panel  64 . While additional model differentiation may be achieved by modifications to the controls  22 , the ice forming apparatus  24 , and the cooling system (not shown), the manufacturer can restrict such modifications to those which provide substantive feature distinctions without needless added expense for manufacturing and inventorying alternative main housings  12  and chutes  40 . 
     As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, in the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the main housing  12  is comprised of modular construction of panels  80  through  88  which may be, for example, pre-painted steel or stainless steel which are assembled with a plastic ice storage tub  90 . 
     The side panels  84  and  88  incorporate a roll form cross-section into the four edges of the cabinet formed by the main housing  12 . All other cabinet components, except the top, then fit into this common roll form section. The cross section is designed to fit the thickest component that must fit inside of it, the plastic liner, and then other components with thinner material have a formed edge, such as a hem seam, that provide them with the same effective edge thickness as the liner. All components are designed for slip fits so that they made be manually placed into position, with final sizing and positioning occurring in the foam fixture, well known in the art, used for adding insulation. A rigid foam insulation, preferably 35 mm thick, is provided between the tub  90  and the panels to maximize ice storage capacity and eliminate condensate dripping into the machine compartment. 
     The main housing  12  is provided with a removable top  14  (see FIG. 1) to facilitate assembly, cleaning and service from the top of the unit. 
     As shown in FIG. 14, the modular design for the main housing  12  of the ice maker  10  maybe adapted to the manufacture of a compact refrigerator  110 , by substituting a refrigerator liner  190  for the plastic ice storage tub  90  and by the use of identical or modified panels  180  through  188 . 
     It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the modular design for the ice maker  10  facilitates rapid assembly of the main housing  12  and the ice maker  10  or  10 ′. It will further be appreciated that significant cost savings and increased product offerings can be facilitated by the interchangeability of main housing components between the ice maker  10  and a compact refrigerator or a wine cooler  110 . It will also be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the door  30  of ice maker  10  may be used, preferably with minor modifications to its inner surface  52  as the door for an refrigerator or wine cooler  110 . 
     Additional branded model differentiation for ice makers may be achieved, as shown in FIG. 15, by providing an ice maker with a control  22 ′ that extends outwardly from the ice storage compartment to define a front surface flush with the front surface of a door  30 ″ of reduced height. Except for height, door  30 ″ is similar to door  30  of ice maker  10  as shown, or similar to door  30 ′ of ice maker  10 ′, not shown. Such modification of the control  22 ′ is facilitated by the modular open top construction of the ice maker frame  12 . 
     Similarly, a wine cooler or refrigerator  110  may be provided with a control similar in footprint to control  22  or control  22 ′ to provide brand differentiation between refrigerator and wine cooler models, but a family resemblance between similarly branded ice makers, refrigerators and wine coolers. 
     The above description includes the best mode contemplated at the time of filing the present invention and recites many known details, advantages and objects of the present invention, which are in no way intended to limit the scope of the claims appended hereto.