Abstract:
An improved icemaker is provided for a refrigerator. The improvements include tilting the ice mold to assure that the ice cavity nearest the thermostat is filled with water; controlling air flow to the mold to promote rapid freezing of water in the mold cavities; raising the perimeter walls of the mold to minimize water spillage; and providing hooks on the mold for routing electrical wires.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/140,100 filed May 27, 2005, which application is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     The present invention relates to an improved icemaker for freezer or icemaking compartments.  
         [0003]     The prior art icemakers suffer from a variety of issues relative to operation, ice formation, ice harvest without water spillage, quality issues, attachment issues to the inside of the refrigerator compartment, etc. These problems have been exasperated by the fact that a significant design effort has not been overtaken by the industry for many years. While the industry has seen some incremental changes to the icemaker design, they have focused mainly on components outside the icemaker mold as the mold portion is very expensive to redesign and place into production. In general, the industry has taken an attitude that the current icemakers work well enough.  
         [0004]     Unfortunately, the prior art icemakers do not work well. Ice is often formed with many trapped air bubbles forming “white” instead of clear ice. Additionally, production of ice cubes is slow and icemakers take up a significant portion of the freezer capacity. Moreover, service calls resulting from prior art icemaker malfunctions are high and detract from the bottom line of a company.  
         [0005]     The present invention solves or minimizes these problems and others as evident in the following specification and claims.  
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006]     The foregoing objectives may be achieved with an improved icemaker having an ice mold.  
         [0007]     A further feature of the present invention is an improved icemaker having an ice stripper that protects ice from falling back into the ice cavities after the ice is ejected but yet minimizes the amount of obstruction along a wall of the ice mold from cold freezer air used to freeze the water. The ice stripper may also include vertically extending ribs that help assist in creating convective air.  
         [0008]     A further feature of the present invention is an icemaker that may be positioned on different sides of the storage compartment without compromising the effectiveness of the icemaker.  
         [0009]     A further feature of the improved icemaker is multiple means of mounting the icemaker including plate mounting, button style mounting, and impingement duct mounting.  
         [0010]     A further feature of the present invention includes a control system that does not permit an external fan to blow while a heating coil is engaged.  
         [0011]     A further feature of the present invention is an externally mounted thermostat that sandwiches the thermostat between a control housing of the icemaker and the mold to firmly hold the thermostat in place for effective contact against the first ice cavity of the ice mold.  
         [0012]     A further feature of the present invention is an improved thermal cutoff switch location that is positioned to contact an extension member of the ice mold placed within the control housing.  
         [0013]     A further feature of the present invention is a modular bale arm that operates at a pivot point of the control housing.  
         [0014]     A further feature of the present invention is an icemaker heating coil clenching method that firmly positions the heating coil to the bottom of the ice mold.  
         [0015]     A further feature of the present invention are longitudinal running bottom fins that effectively transfer heat across the bottom of the ice mold in low air flow conditions from a convectional vent at the rear of the freezer department.  
         [0016]     A further feature of the present invention is an icemaker that has raised walls for a non-spill feature in conditions in which the icemaker is misplaced plus/minus 5.6 degrees from front to back and plus/minus 10.2 degrees from side to side.  
         [0017]     A further feature of the present invention is a tilted forward ice cube tray that positions the ice mold approximately 1.5 degrees higher at the back end than at the door end of the icemaker to ensure that the ice cube cavity closest to the thermostat is filled with water.  
         [0018]     A further feature of the present invention is the inclusion of two lower front weirs that assure that the ice cube portion nearest the control housing is filled with water.  
         [0019]     A further feature of the present invention is an improved ice ejector that does not interfere with the crown of ice that is formed during the normal freezing process.  
         [0020]     A further feature of the present invention is a mold with a center weir opening to assure that the ice mold is filled regardless of the mounting orientation of the mold within the storage compartment.  
         [0021]     A further feature of the present invention are wire ready mold hooks that permit a icemaker cord to be wrapped around the hooks to reduce its length to accommodate a variety of different positions within a freezer compartment.  
         [0022]     A further feature of the present invention is a fill cup funnel inlet that is splayed outward to facilitate more accurate installation and thereby reduce potential for water to be spilled within the ice storage compartment.  
         [0023]     A further feature of the present invention is an impingement duct which accelerates the formation of ice within the ice mold.  
         [0024]     A further feature of the present invention is a water fill location at the center or one end of the ice mold to facilitate the thermostat being able to better determine that it is proper to eject ice from the cavities.  
         [0025]     A further feature of the present invention is multiple water fill level sensors to better determine the optimum fill volume of the ice cavities.  
         [0026]     A further feature of the present invention is an ice mold having a larger cube near the temperature sensor to better facilitate control of the ice ejector of the icemaker.  
         [0027]     A further feature of the present invention is individual fill of ice mold cavities to assure proper filling of all ice mold cavities.  
         [0028]     A further feature of the present invention is a straight shot of fill water down the mold lower rear side to assure that all ice cavities are filled with water.  
         [0029]     A still further feature of the present invention is a step mold icemaker that reduces the amount of problems an ice mold may have as a result of unlevel mounting.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0030]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the icemaker of the present invention within a storage compartment of the refrigerator.  
         [0031]      FIG. 2  is a top perspective view of the icemaker of the present invention.  
         [0032]      FIG. 3A  is a perspective view of the icemaker of the present invention being installed upon a bottom plate for mounting within the refrigerator wall.  
         [0033]      FIG. 3B  is a perspective view of a refrigerator having mounting buttons upon a wall of the refrigerator for mounting the icemaker.  
         [0034]     FIGS.  4 A-C show different aspects of the button mounting for the icemaker.  
         [0035]      FIGS. 5A and 5B  illustrate different mounting bracket configurations for the icemaker.  
         [0036]     FIGS.  6 A-C illustrate a mounting method of placing the icemaker upon button mountings.  
         [0037]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of the icemaker in use within a specialty icemaking compartment (icebox).  
         [0038]      FIGS. 8-14  illustrate aspects of the icemaker&#39;s thermostat and thermal cutoff sensor.  
         [0039]      FIG. 15  illustrates a side view of the icemaker and its modular bale arm.  
         [0040]      FIG. 16  is a bottom view of the icemaker illustrating the crimping of the heating element.  
         [0041]      FIG. 17  is a side cross sectional view of the icemaker.  
         [0042]      FIG. 18  is a side view of the icemaker within the freezer compartment showing the 1.5 degree forward tilt of the icemaker.  
         [0043]      FIG. 19  is a cross sectional view of the icemaker showing the weir configuration and the positioning of the ice ejector arm.  
         [0044]      FIG. 20  is a sectional view of a weir of the icemaker.  
         [0045]      FIG. 21  is a side view of the icemaker showing the wire cable and wire mounting hooks.  
         [0046]      FIGS. 22 and 23  illustrate the impingement duct in use with the icemaker of the present invention.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0000]     Overview  
         [0047]     With initial reference to  FIG. 1 , a refrigerator, generally indicated by numeral  10 , includes a cabinet  12  within which is defined a storage compartment  14 . Storage compartment  14  may be selectively accessed through the pivoting of door  16 . As shown, refrigerator  10  is a side-by-side style unit. However, it should be understood that the refrigerator may be a top freezer refrigerator, a bottom freezer refrigerator, a stand alone freezer, a stand alone refrigerator with a specialty icemaker compartment, a bottom freezer having a specialty ice making compartment in the refrigerator compartment, or other refrigerators known in the art.  
         [0048]     Arranged within the storage compartment  14  is an icemaker  22 . The icemaker  22  has positioned underneath it an ice storage bin  24 . The icemaker  22  is shown to include a bale arm  26  which is rotatable upward and downward based on the amount of ice retained in the ice storage bin  24 .  
         [0049]     The icemaker  22  includes an ice mold  28 . The icemaker  22  receives water directed to the ice mold  28  through a fill tube  30 .  
         [0050]     As seen more clearly in  FIG. 18 , the fill tube  30  may be positioned adjacent a fill cup  32  which prevents the water from spilling or splashing into the storage compartment. The fill cup  32  may receive the fill tube  30  from a rear opening  34  or a top opening  36 . The fill cup  32  directs the water into the ice mold  28 . The ice mold  28  has weirs  38  partitioning the ice mold  28  into individual cube cavities  42 . The weirs  38  have an opening  40  which permits water to move from the fill cup  32  into individual cavities for forming ice cubes. In use, the water is turned into ice primarily through either conductive or convective heat exchange within the storage compartment  14 .  
         [0051]     A control housing  44  is attached to the ice mold  28 . The control housing  44  contains the electromechanical components of the icemaker  22 . An on/off switch  46  is provided on the outside of the control housing  44 . A cord  48  is provided for power and/or control commands to be routed to the control housing  44 . A plug  50  is provided at the end of the cord  48  to mate with a socket placed within a wall or ceiling of the storage compartment  14 . The cord  48  may be held in place against the ice mold  28  by at least one routing hook  51 .  
         [0052]     The control housing encloses a motor to activate an ejector arm  54 . The ejector arm  54  has fingers  56  for each cavity  42 . The control housing also encloses a thermostat  58  and a thermal cut-off unit  60  (See  FIGS. 11 and 12 ).  
         [0053]     The thermostat  58  is positioned in contact with the ice mold next to the cavity  42  nearest the control housing. The thermostat  58  is selected to close an electrical circuit at a designated temperature to engage the motor powering the ejector arm  54  and thus initiate an ice harvest. Under normal operating conditions which has some degree of inconsistent convection, this temperature registered by the thermostat is selected to be 15°-17° F.; however, under low or repentable airflow conditions the thermostat may be selected to send a signal at temperatures as high as 30°-31° F. In any event, the thermostat should not initiate the ejector arm when any of the cavities have liquid within them. When only one thermostat is being used, it is preferred that the icemaker is biased such that the cavity to which the thermostat is in contact has water in it that freezes last. Alternatively, multiple thermostats may be used and a control system utilized that only initiates the ejector arm  54  when all thermostats are below a set-point temperature.  
         [0054]     The thermal cut-off unit  60  is provided as a safety measure. The icemaker utilizes a high wattage heating coil  57  ( FIG. 17 ) to heat the underside of the ice mold  28 . The thermal cut-off unit  60  is provided to cut power to the high wattage heating coil  57  in the event that the high wattage heating coil  57  malfunctions. During a malfunction, the high wattage heating coil  57  remains on creating a temperature rise outside normal operating parameters.  
         [0055]     In normal operation, the water in the cavities  42  is frozen, the heating coil  57  turned on, and the motor engaged to release ice cubes. The motor moves the ejector arm  54  to rotate the fingers  56  through notches in the ice stripper  62  to engage the ice and remove them from the ice mold  28 . The ice stripper  62  prevents ice from reentering into the ice mold  28 . The ejector arm  54  returns to its starting position after two revolutions and engages a switch which indicates that water may again fill the ice mold  28 .  
         [0000]     Improved Ice Stripper  
         [0056]     As seen in the  FIG. 2 , the ice stripper  62  has a small strip skirt  63 . The strip skirt  63  slides upon a longitudinal rail of the ice mold  28 . The strip skirt  63  permits the side of the ice mold  28  to be exposed for heat transfer. This is in sharp contrast to the prior art which had a skirt that extended substantially down along the side of the icemaker and consequently heat exchange from cool air hitting the icemaker  22  did not transfer to the ice mold  28 .  
         [0057]     An additional improvement to the ice stripper  62  may include upward extending fins (not shown). The ice stripper  62  as shown in  FIG. 2  has ribs that extend over the cavities  42 . These ribs are separated by notches through which the ejector fingers  56  pass through. Each rib may have an upward extending fin (not shown). These fins are centered upon the rib. The rib&#39;s midline is preferably centered upon each of the weirs  38  thus placing the fins directly above the weirs  38 . The fins enhance airflow and improve the rate that ice is formed.  
         [0000]     Icemaker Positioning  
         [0058]     The icemaker  22  may be positioned in the storage compartment  14  at different positions. The present icemaker assembly permits positioning upon various sides of the storage compartment  14 . Moreover, the icemaker unit  22  may be positioned within different compartments of the refrigerator including a top mount freezer, a side-by-side freezer, a bottom mount freezer, and within an ice box.  
         [0000]     Icemaker Mounting  
         [0059]     The icemaker unit may be attached to the storage compartment  14  with different mountings. These mountings may include hangers, platforms and/or compartments. Mounting brackets are provided upon the icemaker assembly. The brackets are typically integrally formed with the ice mold  28 .  
         [0000]     a. Plate Mounting  
         [0060]     As seen in  FIG. 3A , the icemaker  22  may be mounted to a plate  70 . The plate  70  may then be attached to a wall of the storage compartment  14 .  
         [0000]     b. Button Style Mounting  
         [0061]     As seen in  FIG. 4A , a button  72 A may be attached to the inner surface of a storage compartment  14 . The button  72 A may be attached by a screw as previously done by Maytag Corporation. The button  72 A is used primarily with refrigerators  10  that are retrofit to include an icemaker.  
         [0062]     An improved button  72 B may be provided as illustrated in  FIGS. 4B-4C  for refrigerators that come preassembled with an icemaker  22 . In this scenario, it is more industrious to provide button  72 B which does not include a separate threaded fastener but rather utilizes a twist and lock fastener  74 . During the manufacture of the refrigerator storage compartment  14  a lateral slit is provided in the wall  18 . A twist and lock fastener  74  has a lateral dimension greater than its longitudinal dimension. Therefore, the twist and lock fastener  74  may be inserted into the lateral slit on wall  18  when its lateral dimension is aligned with the lateral slit. The twist and lock fastener  74  is then fully inserted into the wall until a back plate  76  of the button  72 B strikes the wall  18 .  
         [0063]     The back plate  76  has a square top  78 . As the user is putting this in sideways, the shape difference between the flat square top  78  and a rounded bottom  84  provides a reference for the user to turn button  72 B to place it in an optimal position such that the twist and lock fastener  74  may not come out of the lateral slit. The user may use a hex fitting to assist in rotating the button  72 B into a locked position.  
         [0064]     The button, either  72 B or  72 A, has a small inner diameter  80  and a larger outer diameter  82 . Two buttons together cooperate with brackets  64  upon the icemaker unit  22 . As seen in  FIG. 2 , the brackets  64  may both be designed with a longitudinal opening.  
         [0065]     As seen in  FIG. 5A , the bracket  64 A may be designed to have a first diameter (D1) which accommodates insertion of the outer diameter  82  of the button and then have the button slide up the bracket  64  to a portion that has a second diameter (D2) that engages the inner diameter  80 . Alternatively as seen in  5 B, the bracket  64 B may be a longitudinal channel having a diameter (D3) which is less than the outer diameter  82 . When installing the icemaker having the bracket  64 A, the bracket is moved laterally over the button  72  and then slid downward upon the button. Using the bracket  64 B, the user is able to slide the bracket down over the button, without moving the bracket laterally over the button prior to downward movement of the bracket  64 B.  
         [0066]     An alternative form of the brackets is seen in  FIG. 6A -C. In these figures, two different types of brackets are provided, namely a first bracket  64  with longitudinal channel a second bracket  66  with a lateral channel. The lateral channel bracket  66  is of a position on the icemaker that is away from the installer. As seen in  FIG. 6A , the installer inserts the lateral channel bracket  66  upon the button  72  laterally. Then, as seen in  6 B, the user rotates the icemaker assembly downward such that the longitudinal channel bracket  64  comes down upon another button  72 .  
         [0000]     c. Impingement Duct Mounting  
         [0067]      FIG. 7  illustrates a third way of mounting the icemaker within a storage compartment  14  by placing it within an ice box  86 . The icemaker  22  is fastened to an assembly that includes a fan assembly  88 , an impingement duct  90  connected to the fan assembly  88  and positioned beneath the ice mold  28 , and an auger assembly  92 . The impingement duct  90  has an integrally molded rail (not shown) that slides within a guide  94  upon the side of the ice box  86 . The icemaker  22  is attached to the impingement duct  90  and held within the ice box  86  by virtue of the molded rail upon the impingement duct  90 .  
         [0000]     Control of External Fan  
         [0068]     As shown in  FIG. 7 , the fan assembly  88  is used to blow air onto the mold body. A control system may be provided for the icemaker  22  which controls when the fan assembly  88  operates. Using such a control system, the fan assembly  88  is not permitted to turn on when the icemaker is harvesting ice because at this time heat is applied to the icemaker mold body during harvest through a heating coil  57 . If cold freezer air is not forced to the mold body during an ice harvest, the mold body heats up faster, allowing a faster ice harvest rate. It should be noted that the control system may be used to control the freezer&#39;s evaporator or other fan not illustrated in  FIG. 7 .  
         [0000]     Externally Mounted Thermostat  
         [0069]     As seen in  FIG. 8-12 , the externally mounted thermostat  58  is positioned between the control housing  44  and the mold  28 . The mold  28  in  FIGS. 8 and 9  is illustrated with only components that are integrally molded together. The mold is preferably made from aluminum or other heat conductive material.  
         [0070]     As most clearly illustrated in  FIG. 8 , the thermostat  58  is placed within an orifice  100 . Opposite the orifice  100 , a flat surface of the mold  28  is provided to press against the thermostat  58  and hold it firmly in place. As seen in  FIG. 10 , the back side of the thermostat  58  has electrical connectors extending through the orifice  100 . A cross section of the thermostat  58  within the orifice illustrates that a thin gap  102  may be present between the thermostat  58  and the mold  28 . The gap  102  may be filled with a conductive grease-like material to facilitate effective heat transmission from the mold  28  to the thermostat  58 . This improvement is in contrast to the prior art which used a spring to push the thermostat into intimate contact with the mold; in sharp contrast, the externally mounted thermostat  58  is locked between the control housing  22  and the mold  28 .  
         [0000]     Improved Thermal Cut-Off Location  
         [0071]     As also in  FIG. 8-10 ,  13 - 14 , the thermal cut-off switch  60  is positioned to contact mold  28  at an integrally formed extension member  104 . The extension member  104  is inserted into the control housing  44  through an opening  106 . The thermal cut-off switch (TCO)  60  is a safety element. The thermal cut-off switch  60  is a fuse that melts if the mold body temperature rises above 160° F. When the TCO melts, the current flow stops and cuts off power to the icemaker or the heater coil from the icemaker thus preventing excessive temperature rise.  
         [0072]     As seen in  FIGS. 13-14 , the thermal cut-off switch  60  is held in contact with the extension member  104  by a finger  108  biased toward the opening  106 . As opposed to the prior art that positions the thermal cut-off switch  60  within the opening  106 , the improved thermal cut-off location protects the switch  60  from damage within the control housing and forms better contact with the mold  28  by contacting the extension member  104 . Additionally, the prior art requires the use of a conductive grease-like material to facilitate effective heat transmission as opposed to applicant&#39;s thermal cut-off switch  60  which is positioned in intimate contact with the extension member without a conductive grease-like material. It should be noted that applicant&#39;s invention may use a conductive grease-like material as an additional precaution.  
         [0000]     Modular Bale Arm  
         [0073]     As seen in  FIG. 15 , the modular bale arm  26  is mounted to the control housing  44  by a rotating base  110 . The bale arm  26  is comprised of three different formed portions. When in a lowered position these portions are identified as a first portion that angles downward from the rotating base  110 , a second, center portion that is parallel relative the icemaker, and a third portion that angles upward from the second portion. The bale arm  26  pivots for movement in a vertical plane between a lowered position in which ice is permitted to be made and an upper position in which ice production is stopped.  
         [0000]     Icemaker Heating Coil  
         [0074]     The bottom side of the icemaker  22  is illustrated in  FIG. 16 . Along the bottom of the mold  28 , the individual ice cube cavities  42  have a bottom side that is slightly curved as it approaches the weirs  38 . Each weir  38  bottom side is shown with a slight indentation.  
         [0075]     A heating coil  57  runs along the channel defined by an outer ridge  122  and an inner ridge  120 . The heating coil  57  has side portions that have a higher wattage than the end away from the control housing. This difference in wattage prevents the ice cube portion  42  furthest from the control housing  44  from melting faster than the other cubes. The heating coil is held within this channel by a series of crimps  124 . The crimps  124  are preferably located over the weirs  38 . Alternatively, the crimps  124  may be located upon the ice cube cavities  42 . These crimps  124  assist in conduction of energy from the heating coil to the ice mold  28 . Thermally conductive grease or mastic may be provided between the heating coil and the bottom of the mold  28  to further enhance heat conduction.  
         [0076]     In normal operation, the last cube to be frozen should be the ice cube portion in contact with the thermostat  58  because as soon as the thermostat  58  registers that ice has been formed in that ice cube portion the thermostat will trigger the ejector arm  54  to empty the ice mold  28 . If the ice cube portion nearest the control housing  44  were to freeze prior to the others, the ejector arm may be operated when the other ice cubes have not been completely formed, thus causing a spill.  
         [0077]     In the prior art, only one or two crimps are formed through a clinching process on the side wall of the icemaker  10  to press it against the heat exchanger. The prior art crimps were designed to basically hold the heat exchanger against the bottom of the icemaker  22 . However, having only one or two crimps causes inconsistent hot spots and excess residual water.  
         [0000]     Longitudinal Running Bottom Fins  
         [0078]     As further seen in  FIG. 16 , the icemaker  22  has fins  126  on the bottom of the mold  28 . The fins  126  promote convective heat transfer away from the bottom of the ice mold  28  and more rapid freezing of water within ice cavities  42 .  
         [0079]     As seen in  FIG. 17 , the fins are tapered from a wide portion away from the control housing  44  to a narrow portion near the control housing. The shape is particularly useful should the icemaker  22  be used with a refrigerator with a conventional vent at the rear of the freezer compartment. The fins  126  make a marked improvement by directing this air along a pathway along the bottom of the icemaker mold.  
         [0000]     Raised Walls for Non-Spill Feature  
         [0080]     As further seen in  FIGS. 7 and 8 , the icemaker  22  is provided with side walls  27 ,  29  and end walls  31 ,  33  which cooperate to have a no-spill feature that prevents water from going over the side of the icemaker  22  and into the ice storage bin  24 . At least the side wall  27  and the end wall  31  extend above the tops of the weirs  38 . The side and end walls of the ice mold  28  cooperate to have a minimum continual wall height about the periphery based on end user potential alignments. For example, an icemaker  22  may be mounted incorrectly or the refrigerator may be placed on uneven ground. Specifically, the walls provide the icemaker with tolerances which permits the icemaker to be positioned +/−5.6 from front to back and +/−10.2 from side to side.  
         [0000]     Tilted Forward Ice Cube Tray  
         [0081]     As seen in  FIG. 18 , the icemaker  22  may be positioned with the control housing  44  mounted toward the front of the cabinet  12  and plugged into a ceiling of the cabinet  12 . As illustrated the icemaker  22  is mounted at an angle such that the ice mold  28  is approximately 1.5° higher at the back end than at the door end of the icemaker.  
         [0082]     During a fill cycle, water enters into the fill cup  32  and flows along the ice mold  28 . An angled icemaker  22  helps assure that the ice cube cavity  42  nearest the control housing  44  is filled so that the thermostat  58  will get an accurate reading. The thermostat reads the temperature in the ice cube cavity  42  and controls the function of the ice ejector  54  to release ice from the ice cube cavities  42 . The ice cube tray  16  is 1.5° higher at the back of the ice mold  28  than at the front end of the ice mold  28 . This orientation assures that the ice cube portion  42  nearest the control housing  44  is filled so that an accurate measurement of the temperature is recorded by the thermostat  58 .  
         [0083]     Additionally, the 1.5° tilt allows extra aluminum  24  to be added at a back end of the icemaker  22  (see  FIG. 2 ) to provide greater heat transfer to the back ice cube portions to enable them to freeze prior to the ice cube portion  42  in contact with the thermostat  58 .  
         [0000]     Lower Front Weirs  
         [0084]     Preferably, the weirs  38  are of different heights to accommodate the 1.5° tilt. An alternate icemaker may have the first 1-2 weirs from the control housing having a bottom point opening lower than the weirs farthest from the control housing  44 . This configuration assures that water enters into the ice cube cavity  42  nearest the control housing  44  and adjacent the thermostat  58 .  
         [0000]     Improved Ice Ejector  
         [0085]     As seen in the cross section of the icemaker  FIG. 19 , an ejector arm  54  having fingers  56  is used to eject ice from the ice mold  28 . The ejector arm  54  is located approximately 0.5″ above the lowermost opening of the weir  38  and turns in a circular path about a central axis. The present invention&#39;s ejector arm  54  is positioned and turns such that the ejector arm  54  does not interfere with the crown of ice that is formed during the normal freezing process. The present ejector arm  54  is in contrast with prior art ejector arms that are mounted lower, or are offset or eccentrically mounted so as to turn in a non-circular or elliptical path.  
         [0000]     Mold with Center Weir Opening  
         [0086]     As seen in both  FIGS. 19 and 20 , the weir  38  has a bottom point  130  of the opening  40  located along the weir centerline. This placement of the weir bottom point  130  allows the maximum side to side angle flexibility. The weirs as illustrated permit an ice mold  28  to function properly at angles between +/−5.6° about the lateral axis in between +/−10.2° about the longitudinal axis. This is in contrast to the prior art icemakers that position the weir openings  40  significantly off to one side of the ice mold  28 .  
         [0000]     Wire Routing Mold Hooks  
         [0087]     As seen in  FIG. 21 , the icemaker  22  has wire routing hooks  51 . These hooks  51  are integrally formed with the ice mold  28 . These hooks  51  together form a runway for the cable  48 . These hooks  51  are particularly useful because they permit a single length cord  48  to be preassembled to the icemaker  22  and used for many different refrigerator models despite the icemaker  22  being positioned at different locations in the ice storage compartment  14  for these models. The cord  48  fits a variety of different icemakers but because it must be longer to accommodate some icemakers and shorter for others, portions of it are wrapped around the hooks  51 .  
         [0000]     Fill Cup Funnel Inlet  
         [0088]     As further seen in  FIG. 21 , the fill cup  32  may be provided with a funnel inlet that is outwardly splayed to permit easier installation of the icemaker upon a production line or for a consumer to install a retrofit icemaker within a freezer. The funnel inlet solves the problem associated with a water inlet tube missing the fill cup  32  during installation and causing water to fill the ice storage compartment  14  as opposed to the ice mold  28 .  
         [0000]     Impingement Duct  
         [0089]     As seen in  FIGS. 7, 22  and  23 , the impingement duct or manifold  90  is provided directing an array of air jets  140  to the ice mold. As shown in  FIG. 7 , the impingement duct  90  can be mounted under applicant&#39;s improved icemaker  22  or under a prior art icemaker as illustrated in  FIG. 22 . The icemaker  22  using the impingement duct  90  produces ice two to three times faster than an icemaker without an impingement duct. Thus, the impingement duct  90  is particularly useful for refrigerators having a compact icemaker or rapid ice production feature.  
         [0090]     As seen in  FIG. 23 , the impingement duct  90  has a rectangular base  142  from which the air jets  140  extend upward. As illustrated, the air jets  140  have a diameter between 0.2-0.25 inches. There are eight rows of air jets  140  that are directed under each of the eight ice cavities. These eight rows may be further divided into four columns, two outer rows  144  and two inner rows  146 . The outer rows  144  are higher than the inner rows  146  to follow the shape of the ice cavity  42 . It is understood that the number of rows and columns of air jets may be varied without departing from the scope of the invention.  
         [0091]     The air jets  140  are specifically designed to disrupt the thin boundary layer of air that is warmed by the water freezing in the ice mold  28  and to provide a continuous supply of freezer temperature air. The configurations of the nozzles are either round, slotted or the like. The actual diameter of the nozzles, the space between adjacent nozzles, and distance between the surface of icemakers and nozzles are optimally designed to obtain the largest heat transfer coefficient for an airflow rate.  
         [0092]     An air channel or plenum  148  is beneath the air jets  140 . The air channel has a wide end  150  that receives air from a fan assembly  88  and than tapers to a closed end  152 . The taper permits a balanced airflow distribution to all air jets  140 .  
         [0093]     The cooling capacity of the air jets is provided from the freezer itself. The fan assembly  88  has an AC or DC power supply with a small power consumption of up to 3-5 watts in order to reduce impact of heat from the fan motor in the refrigerated space. Water-Fill Location at the Sensor End of the Icemold  
         [0094]     The icemaker  22  may be altered to have the water fill tube  30  fill the ice cavity  42  in contact with the thermostat  58  first. This fill location is significant because it increases the probability that the thermostat  58  will measure a properly filled ice cavity  42 .  
         [0095]     Icemakers that fill the ice mold  28  from the opposite end of the mold in relation to the sensor may leave the cube nearest the thermostat unfilled. This is particularly a problem in low water fill situations such as homes with low water pressure and may result in quality problems and service calls. When the cube nearest the thermostat is not properly filled, the ejector arm  54  is likely to be engaged while some of the ice cavities  42  still contain liquid.  
         [0000]     Multiple Temperature and Water Fill Level Sensors  
         [0096]     The icemaker  22  may be altered to include multiple temperature sensors. Icemakers that initiate an ice harvest based upon a single temperature sensor are subject to a variety of failures that are caused by the combination of water quantity, air flow/heat transfer, levelness of the icemaker, temperature sensor location, and other. Essentially, the icemaker  22  may be determined to be too long with respect to the location of a single temperature sensor.  
         [0097]     The icemaker  22  may incorporate multiple water level sensors positioned along the length the row of ice cavities  42 . Using two or more water level sensors will provide information about the fill volume and levelness condition of the icemaker. This information can be used in an icemaker control algorithm to provide the optimum fill volume and the correct harvest initiation. The use of multiple water level sensors results in reliable ice production with conventional water supply technology, conventional temperature sensing means, and typical airflow/heat transfer, and typical installation parameters.  
         [0000]     Icemold Having a Larger Ice Cavity Near Temperature Sensor  
         [0098]     The icemaker  22  may be altered to include a larger ice cavity  42  near the thermostat  58 . Such a larger ice cavity  42  would produce a large ice cube that would freeze slower than the rest of the ice cubes. As the thermostat registers the temperature of the large ice cube, this would prevent premature ice harvest, one reason for failures and service calls on refrigerators containing icemakers in their freezer portion. The larger ice may have a modified dispensing system and may require slightly longer ejector fingers  56 .  
         [0099]     This inventive feature is in contrast to icemakers with symmetrical compartments for all ice cubes. The prior art thermostat controlled icemakers often have a time delay or other active means to compensate for the possibility for a hollow ice problem (where the center of the ice cube is still liquid water). In the present invention, the large ice cube portion located next to the thermostat passively delays the activation of the thermostat and subsequent harvest mechanism. This has the potential to be an energy savings and the modification is passive requiring no other energy to be expended. This invention is particularly useful to applications that require increased ice harvest rates.  
         [0000]     Individual Fill of Ice Mold Cavities  
         [0100]     The icemaker  22  may be altered to include multiple water fill tubes. Such a configuration permits more uniform distribution of water to each cavity  42 . One such method of accomplishing this is through the utilization of a supply manifold.  
         [0101]     In contrast, current icemakers use a single point in which the mold body is filled with supply water. As the mold body is filled, the supply water over flows the dividing walls (weirs  38 ) of the individual ice cube cavities with the intent of filling the entire mold with supply water. An unlevel installation creates problems for this type of design. The tilt of the icemaker may not allow the supply water to sufficiently fill the cavities on the high end of the mold body, and/or may cause too much water in cavities on the low end. This can lead to an overflow of the icemaker and/or problems with ice harvesting such as hollow cubes, excessive wetting, and ejector arm stalls. Straight Shot of Fill Water Down the Mold Lower Weir Side  
         [0102]     As seen in  FIGS. 19 and 20 , the ice mold  28  has one side of the weir  38  open for water flow. The icemaker  22  may be altered to position the fill tube  30  in alignment with this opening so that water flowing from the fill tube takes a direct path.  
         [0103]     The prior art icemakers provides a fill tube that directs water flowing into the mold body along a circuitous path that slows the entry of the water into the ice cavities  42 . As proposed, this may be improved upon by getting water to flow in a direct path down the open side of the weir  38  and thereby allowing momentum to minimize water surface tension and its effects upon water flow and filling of the individual ice cube cavities.  
         [0000]     Stepped Mold  
         [0104]     The icemaker  22  may be altered to included a stepped ice mold to improve the ability of the icemaker to operate correctly when installed in an unlevel condition. The icemaker mold is given a stepped orientation in which the mold fills from the top, and cascades into each lower cube. The harvest or fill sensor can be located at any cube, but top and/or bottom are thought to be the preferred sensor locations. The stepped orientation of the ice mold would make the icemaker no more sensitive to unlevelness than any single cube. The slope of the icemaker steps must be greater than the largest degree of unlevelness that the icemaker will see.