Abstract:
A refrigerator includes a refrigerator cabinet having a fresh food compartment and a freezer compartment. There is a fresh food compartment door for providing access to the fresh food compartment and an ice compartment mounted at the fresh food compartment door. A cold plate is mounted within the fresh food compartment and adapted for cooling the ice compartment when the fresh food compartment door is in a closed position.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates to the field of refrigeration. More specifically, the present invention relates to refrigerators where an ice compartment is remote from the freezer compartment. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Dispensing ice through the door in a refrigerator may sometimes be desirable to consumers as it enables them to access ice without opening the cabinet door. Currently side-by-side refrigerator-freezers provide this capability by making ice in the freezer compartment, storing it in the freezer compartment or its door and dispensing it through the door. Thus the side-by-side configuration is well-suited for dispensing ice from the door. 
         [0003]    Some manufacturers of bottom-mount refrigerator-freezers, a configuration in which the freezer compartment is mounted below the refrigeration or fresh food compartment, have provided an ice-dispenser through the fresh food compartment door. They have accomplished this by bringing cold air to the fresh food compartment from the freezer compartment to make and store ice and dispense the stored ice through the fresh food compartment door. Others have placed a secondary evaporator inside the fresh food compartment to produce and store ice. Such approaches can be problematic in that they use significant space in the fresh food compartment that is highly desired by the customer of bottom-mount refrigerators. Hence, problems exist. 
         [0004]    Therefore what is needed is refrigerator with an ice compartment remote from the freezer compartment which requires only limited space in the fresh food compartment. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    Therefore, it is a primary object, feature, or advantage of the present invention to improve over the state of the art. 
         [0006]    It is a further object, feature, or advantage of the present invention to provide for a refrigerator with an ice compartment remote from the freezer compartment. 
         [0007]    It is a still further object, feature, or advantage of the present invention to provide for an ice dispenser in a fresh food door that does not overly limit the useable space in the refrigeration compartment available to consumers. 
         [0008]    One or more of these and/or other objects, features, or advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the specification and claims that follow. 
         [0009]    According to one aspect of the present invention, a refrigerator includes a refrigerator cabinet having a fresh food compartment and a freezer compartment. There is a fresh food compartment door for providing access to the fresh food compartment and an ice compartment mounted at the fresh food compartment door. The ice compartment houses an icemaker and includes an ice storage bin. A cold plate is mounted within the fresh food compartment and adapted for cooling the ice compartment when the fresh food compartment door is in a closed position. 
         [0010]    According to another aspect of the present invention, a refrigerator includes a refrigerator cabinet having a fresh food compartment and a freezer compartment and a fresh food compartment door for providing access to the fresh food compartment. There is an ice compartment mounted at the fresh food compartment door and an ice maker within the ice compartment. A cold plate is mounted within the fresh food compartment and adapted for cooling the ice compartment sufficiently to produce ice with the ice maker when the fresh food compartment door is in a closed position. The cold plate also provides cooling for ice in the storage bin of the ice compartment. There is an opening in the ice compartment corresponding with the cold plate when the fresh food compartment door is in the closed position. Another opening in the ice compartment enables the customer to access bulk ice. 
         [0011]    According to yet another aspect of the present invention, a refrigerator includes a refrigerator cabinet having a fresh food compartment and a freezer compartment, the freezer compartment mounted below the fresh food compartment. There is a fresh food compartment door for providing access to the fresh food compartment. There is also an ice and water dispenser mounted on the fresh food compartment door. An ice compartment is mounted at the fresh food compartment door and there is an ice maker within the ice compartment. A cold plate is mounted within the fresh food compartment and adapted for cooling the ice compartment sufficiently to produce and store ice when the fresh food compartment door is in a closed position. There is an opening in the ice compartment corresponding with the cold plate when the fresh food compartment door is in the closed position. There is also an annular gasket mounted at the opening to assist in sealing the cold plate to the ice compartment when the fresh food compartment door is in the closed position. 
         [0012]    According to another aspect of the present invention, a method is provided for making ice in a bottom mount refrigerator having a refrigerator cabinet and a fresh food compartment and a freezer compartment within the fresh food compartment, the freezer compartment below the fresh food compartment, and a fresh food compartment door providing access to the fresh food compartment. The method includes cooling an ice compartment mounted at the fresh food compartment door with a cold plate mounted within the fresh food compartment while the fresh food compartment door is in a closed position and making and storing ice within the ice compartment. 
         [0013]    The cooling plate can be cooled by various means, including the use of a refrigerant, a secondary refrigerant (such as glycol and other secondary coolants), air from the freezer compartment, or a thermoelectric device. 
         [0014]    Although the cold plate and other aspects of the invention disclosed herein are intended primarily for use with bottom mount refrigerators, the invention is also suitable for use with other configurations, such as conventional side-by-side and top mount refrigerator platforms. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0015]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of one embodiment of a bottom mount refrigerator. 
           [0016]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the refrigerator of  FIG. 1  with a cold plate mounted in a top wall of the refrigerator cabinet. 
           [0017]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the refrigerator of  FIG. 1  with a cold plate mounted in a side wall of the cabinet. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0018]    The present invention relates to the use of an ice maker and ice storage bin remote from the freezer compartment. Such a need exists in a bottom mount refrigerator where the ice maker and ice storage bin are located at the fresh food compartment door. The following exemplary embodiment is shown and described in the context of a bottom mount refrigerator. However, this disclosure is not meant to be limiting, as the invention can also be applied to other configurations, such as conventional side-by-side and top mount refrigerators. 
         [0019]      FIG. 1  illustrates one embodiment of a refrigerator  10 . The refrigerator  10  includes a refrigerator housing or cabinet  12 . A first fresh food compartment door  14  and a second fresh food compartment door  16  provide access to a fresh food compartment  18 . A freezer door  20  provides access to the freezer compartment  22 . The refrigerator  10  is shown in a bottom mount configuration in that the freezer compartment  22  is positioned below the refrigeration or fresh food compartment  18 . An ice and water dispenser  24  is positioned on the first fresh food compartment door  14 . Note that the ice and water dispenser  24  is positioned remotely from the freezer compartment  22 . 
         [0020]      FIG. 2  illustrates the refrigerator  10  of  FIG. 1  with the first fresh food compartment door  14  in an open position. For purposes of illustration, the freezer compartment door is not shown and the second fresh food compartment door is also not shown. A mullion  40  is shown which separates the fresh food compartment  18  and the freezer compartment  22 . The mullion  40  is an insulated wall to assist in maintaining separate temperatures in the different compartments  18 ,  22 . An ice compartment  30  is shown which is positioned at the inside of the first refrigeration compartment door  14 . The ice compartment  30  includes a direct contact ice maker  32  and an ice storage area or ice bin  34 . The ice compartment  30  also permits access to bulk ice, as a tilting bucket portion is movable between a closed position and an open position. This tilt out bucket feature is disclosed in more detail in pending application “Tilt-Out Ice Bin For Refrigerator”, application Ser. No. 11/283,970 filed on Nov. 21, 2005. 
         [0021]    The ice maker  32  is cooled conductively through use of a cold plate  42  when the first fresh food compartment door  14  is closed. The cold plate  42  may be placed in the top wall  44  of the cabinet  12 . Alternatively, the cold plate  42  may be placed in the sidewall  46  of the cabinet  12 . The contact between the ice mold and the cold plate  42  may be augmented in various ways such as through use of magnetic attraction or use of a thermally conductive flexible pad or a Hg or glycol filled boot. The cold plate  42  is preferably cooled by means of a primary or secondary refrigerant. It is also possible to cool the cold plate  42  with cold air from the freezer compartment  22  or a thermoelectric device. 
         [0022]    The ice compartment  30  is an insulated compartment at the door  14 . As shown in  FIG. 2 , the ice compartment  30  has an opening  50  to communicate with the cold plate  42 . When the fresh food compartment door  14  is closed, the ice compartment  30  closes with the top wall  44  of the cabinet  12  thereby forming an insulated and sealed compartment to make and store ice. To further enhance heat transfer from the ice maker and storage bin of the ice compartment  30  to the cold plate, the opening  50  may have an annular gasket  52  extending along the periphery to assist in sealing and preventing air leaks. The present invention also contemplates that numerous other methods may be used to enhance heat transfer from the ice maker and storage bin within the ice compartment to the cold plate. For example, a fan may be used to circulate air. 
         [0023]    It is expected that the cold plate  42  may become frosted up, such as from ambient air that enters while the door  14  is open, from sublimation of ice, or from evaporation of water in the ice mold. The present invention also contemplates that the frost may be removed from the cold plate. One way to do so is to periodically heat the cold plate using either an electric heater or hot gas from the condenser of the refrigerator. The heating removes frost buildup on the surface of the hot plate. An alternative way to reduce frost build up on the cold plate is maintain a portion of the cold plate at a temperature colder than the entire plate. This coldest portion would service to collect the frost. This portion of the cold plate may be defrosted periodically by heating it and the defrost water could be collected in the drain-pan of the refrigerator or in a tray about the water dispenser  24 . 
         [0024]      FIG. 3  illustrates the refrigerator  10  of  FIG. 1  with the first fresh food compartment door  14  in an open position and with a different placement of the cold plate  42  than shown in  FIG. 2 . In  FIG. 3 , the cold plate  42  is positioned along a sidewall  46  of the cabinet  12 . The contact between the ice maker  32  within the ice compartment  30  and the cold plate  42  provides for conductive cooling when the first fresh food compartment door  14  is closed. 
         [0025]    The description provided herein is merely exemplary in nature and, thus, contemplates numerous variations, options, and alternatives. For example, variations in the configuration of the refrigerator, variations in the placement of the cold plate, variations in the manner in which frost buildup is avoided or reduced, and other variations, options and alternatives are within the spirit and scope of the invention.