Abstract:
A removable ice bucket for an ice making system for a refrigerator and more particularly a removable ice bucket disposable in a refrigerator for receipt of ice pieces from an ice maker disposed in the freezer compartment of the refrigerator. 
     The ice bucket has a base and a plurality of upwardly extending side walls cooperating to form a storage bin. A first handle is formed in an upper portion of a first side walls and a second handle is formed in a lower portion of a second of said side walls. A spout is formed above the first handle. The handles facilitate quick and sanitary removal of the ice bucket from the freezer and dispensing of the ice pieces.

Description:
The present application is a continuation-in-part application of application Ser. No. 09/482,397 entitled “ICE LEVEL SENSING SYSTEM FOR AN ICE MAKER”, filed on Jan. 12, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,286,324 issued Sep. 11, 2001 which is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 09/221,770, entitled “ICE MAKING AND STORAGE SYSTEM FOR A REFRIGERATOR”, filed on Dec. 28, 1998, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,050,097 issued Apr. 4, 2000. 
     The present application is also a continuation-in-part application of application Ser. No. 29/126,155 entitled “REMOVABLE ICE BUCKET”, filed on Jul. 11, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No. D447,493 issued Sep. 4, 2001. 
     The specifications and drawings of the three above listed parent applications are hereby incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The invention relates to a removable ice bucket for an ice making system for a refrigerator and more particularly a removable ice bucket disposable in a door of a refrigerator for use with an ice maker disposed in the freezer compartment of the refrigerator. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     Automatic ice making systems for use in a home refrigerator are well known. Typically, ice making systems include an ice maker mounted within the freezer compartment of the refrigerator and an ice storage receptacle or bin supported beneath the ice maker for receiving the formed ice from the ice maker. The ice maker is commonly mounted within the freezer compartment adjacent the side or rear wall of the freezer compartment such that water and power can be readily supplied to the ice maker. The ice storage receptacle is supported by a shelf structure beneath the ice maker within the freezer compartment. The ice storage receptacle generally extends across the freezer compartment and has a front end adjacent the freezer door. U.S. Pat. No. 4,942,979, to Linstromberg et al. is an example of a prior art ice making system. While many such ice makers provide for removable ice storage trays, they are strictly designed for capturing and holding the ice and are not adapted to be easy used remotely from the refrigerator for serving the ice. 
     The present invention addresses the need for easy and sanitary delivery of the ice remotely from the refrigerator by providing an ice bucket adapted for easy removal and reinstallation and for convenient one handed dispensing of the ice from the ice bucket. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is directed to door mounted ice storage bin systems for use in the freezer compartment of a refrigerator and in particular to an easily removable dispensing ice bucket. 
     The present invention is more particularly directed to an ice bucket removably mounted to the freezer compartment access door for use in conjunction with an ice maker disposed within the freezer compartment. 
     More particularly, according to the present invention, an ice storage bucket or bin is removably mounted to the door below the ice maker for receiving ice pieces from the ice maker. 
     The ice bucket or bin has a first handle disposed low on one of its sides and a second handle disposed high on its opposite side to facilitate removal and reinstallation of the ice bucket and to facilitate tilting the ice bucket for dispensing of the ice. A spout is preferably formed above the second handle to direct ice cubes dispensed from the ice bucket. A release button for releasing the ice bucket from the door is preferably disposed close to the second handle to further facilitate rapid removal of the ice bucket from the door. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a front view of a refrigerator apparatus having an ice storing and dispensing system and a removable ice bucket. 
     FIG. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating the ice storing and dispensing system within the freezer compartment of the refrigerator apparatus with the freezer door open. 
     FIG. 3 is a fragmentary, side sectional view of the ice storing and dispensing system of FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 4 is a fragmentary, perspective view of the ice storage and dispensing wherein the front cover of the ice maker has been removed and illustrating the ice bucket of the present invention, as disclosed in a parent application. 
     FIG. 5 is a fragmentary, enlarged, perspective view of the ice storage bin of FIG. 1, with a cut away portion illustrating the ice crusher assembly, as disclosed in a parent application; 
     FIG. 6 is an enlarged, perspective view of the components of the ice storage and dispensing system of FIG. 1 mounted to the freezer door wherein the freezer door liner, wrapper and insulation have been removed; 
     FIG. 7 is an enlarged, perspective view of the bottom of an ice bucket according to the present invention; 
     FIG. 8 is a right perspective view of the removable ice bucket of the present invention. 
     FIG. 9 is a left perspective view of the removable ice of the present invention. 
     FIG. 10 is a front elevation view of a removable ice bucket of the present invention. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The above drawings were taken without alteration from the three parent applications. Since the parent applications did not claim the present invention, FIGS. 2,  3  and  5  of the drawing show an unclaimed first embodiment of ice bucket, while FIGS. 4, and  6 - 10  show an ice bucket having made according to the present invention. FIGS. 2,  3 , and  5  have been included, however, for purposes of background to illustrate the environment of the preferred embodiment of the ice bucket of the present invention. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art the ice bucket of the present invention can be used in conjunction with other ice maker or freezer compartment configurations. 
     1. Description of the Refrigerator and Ice Maker 
     In the illustrative embodiment of a refrigerator and an ice maker shown in FIGS. 1-3, a refrigerator  10 , comprising a side-by-side fresh food/freezer configuration, is provided having a cabinet  12  forming an above freezing fresh food compartment  14  and a below freezing freezer compartment  16 . Both the fresh food compartment  14  and the freezer compartment  16  are provided with access openings. A fresh food closure member or door  18  and a freezer closure member or door  20  are hingedly mounted to the cabinet  12  for closing the access openings, as is well known. 
     An ice making assembly  22  (FIGS. 2,  3  and  4 ) is disposed within the freezer compartment  16  having side walls  21  and  23  (see FIG. 4) and a top wall  24 . The ice making assembly  22  is mounted to the inside surface of the top wall  24  of the freezer compartment  16 . An ice dispensing system  26 , mounted to the freezer door  20 , is provided below the ice making assembly  22  for receiving ice pieces therefrom. The ice dispensing system  26  includes an ice bucket or bin  28 , having an ice crushing system  30  both described later in greater detail. When operated, the ice dispensing system  26  transfers ice pieces from the bin  28  through the freezer door  20  whereby ice pieces may be dispensed through a conventional, forwardly exposed ice dispenser station or external ice service area  31 . 
     The ice bucket of the present invention may be beneficially employed with any type of known ice maker. In the preferred embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the ice maker assembly  22  is a conventional ice piece making apparatus which forms crescent shaped ice pieces. The ice maker  22  includes an ice mold body  36 , an ice stripper  38 , a rotatable ejector (not shown) and a control module  40 . The ice stripper  38  includes a ramp  38   a  for directing harvested ice into the ice storage bin  28 . The ramp  38   a  may be integrally formed with the ice stripper, as shown, or may be a separate member. The control module surrounds a control motor (not shown) and gearing system (not shown) which operate to rotate the ejector when ice pieces are ready for harvesting. The ice makers disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,649,717 and 5,160,094, herein incorporated by reference, are illustrative of the type of ice maker used in the present invention. 
     The ice maker  22  may be supported by a mounting bracket  42  along the upper, front portion of the freezer compartment  16 . The mounting bracket  42  is attached to the top wall  24  (FIG. 3) of the freezer compartment and forms a member having a generally U-shaped cross section. The bracket  42  includes top mounting surfaces  43  which attach to the top wall  24 . Side walls  44  extend downwardly along the sides of the ice maker  22 . A bottom wall  46  joins the side walls  44  and forms a heat shield beneath the bottom of the ice maker  22 . The ice maker  22  is attached to the mounting bracket  42  via mounting legs (not shown). An air baffle member  52  may be connected to the back of the ice maker  22  to direct the flow of air within the freezer compartment  16  across the ice mold  36  but is certainly not necessary to practice the present invention. 
     The manner in which the ice maker  22  is supported within the freezer compartment does not form part of the invention and may be readily varied—as can be appreciated by those skilled in the art. For example, the ice maker may be supported on bracket type elements extending from the side walls of the freezer compartment. 
     A front cover  50  (FIG. 3) is attached to the bracket in front of the ice maker  22 . The front cover  50  is a generally flat member or wall having a back surface  52   a  and a front surface  52   b  and is pivotably supported in front of the ice maker  22 . To pivotably support the cover  50 , the bracket  42  may include tabs  48 . A pair of support extensions  54  extending from the back surface  52   a  are rotatably captured by the tabs  48  and allow the cover  50  to swing or pivot about the tabs  48 . 
     In the disclosed embodiment, when ice pieces are ready to be harvested from the ice mold body  36 , the ejector and stripper  38  cooperate to remove ice pieces from the mold body  36  and urge the harvested ice pieces to slide forwardly along the stripper  38 . The ice pieces slide forward off the stripper  38  and are directed to slide down the ramp  38   a.  The spacing between the back wall of the cover  50  and the bottom edge of the ramp  38   a  is such that ice pieces are not able to fit through the elongated gap which separates the ramp  38   a  and the cover  50 . Accordingly, ice pieces sliding down the ramp  38   a  make contact with the cover  50 . However, the mass of the ice pieces and the slope of the ramp  38   a  is such that the ice pieces push the cover  50  forward upon contact, rotating the cover  50  about the tabs  48 , wherein the ice pieces are able to fall into the storage bin  28  which is supported by the freezer door  20 . 
     The ice maker assembly  22  is designed to prevent ice harvesting when the ice storage bin  28  is full of ice pieces, when the door  20  is open, or when the ice bucket is removed from the door. The need for this function is well recognized in the ice maker art and a means for providing this function is described in detail in the parent applications. 
     2. Description of the Ice Bucket 
     Referring now to FIGS. 9-10, the preferred embodiment of the ice bucket or bin  28  is illustrated. The ice bucket has preferably has a base  162  and an upper body  160 . The upper body  160  has a plurality of vertical walls extending upwardly from the base member  162  including a front wall  64 , side walls  66  and  68 , and a back wall  70 . Together with the base member, the walls define a hollow receptacle for collecting ice pieces from the ice maker assembly  22 . The upper body  160  is formed from a clear plastic material such that the quantity of ice pieces stored within the ice bin  28  is easily visually determined, while the base  162  is preferably opaque to hide the mechanisms contained therein. 
     A contoured handle  72  and a spout  74  are formed at the uppermost portion of side wall  66  to facilitate lifting and dispensing of ice pieces from the ice bucket  28 . Side wall  64  and handle  72  are preferably convex so as to comfortably cooperate with the palm a user lifting or tilting the ice bucket. 
     A second handle, preferably consisting if a cutaway portion  78  of the base member below side wall  68 . This two handled configuration permits a user to reliably grip the ice bucket, on both sides and comfortably tilt it for dispensing the ice pieces stored therein through the spout into a glass or other point-of-use article. 
     Turning now back to FIGS. 3 and 5, the ice dispensing system  26  contained within the ice bucket  28  can be further explained. 
     The base  162  is rigidly connected to the upper body  160  and includes a funnel wall portion  164 , a cylindrical wall portion  166  and a bottom wall portion  168 . The bottom wall portion  168  includes an ice outlet opening  170  through which the ice pieces must pass to be dispensed. 
     Rotatably supported within the ice bucket  28  is an auger  172  having a shaped upper end  174  and a bottom shaft  176 . The upper end  174  is supported within the upper ice bin member  160  and is designed to break up any large clumps of ice pieces which may be formed when ice pieces partially melt and then refreeze. Accordingly, rotation of the auger  172  ensures that the ice pieces are free to move downwardly, under the urgings of gravity, through the lower ice bin member and the ice crushing system  30  such that ice pieces may be dispensed. The upper end  174  of the auger  172  is also configured to avoid pushing ice pieces up and over the rim of the upper body  160 . 
     As best seen in FIGS. 3 and 5, the bottom shaft  176  of the auger  172  is disposed within the lower ice bin member. The bottom shaft  176  is provided with a flat surface such that various parts may be assembled to the shaft for co-rotation therewith. The upper end  176   a  of the bottom shaft  176  is positioned within the funnel wall portion  164  and the bottom end  176   b  of the bottom shaft  176  extends through the bottom wall for coupling to a drive shaft  178 . The coupling between the drive shaft  178  and the bottom shaft  176  may be accomplished through use of a coupling member. 
     Drivingly connected to the upper end  176   a  of the bottom shaft  176  is a bridge breaker blade  180 . The bridge breaker blade  180  rotates above a blade cover  182 . The blade cover  182  is a plate which is attached to the lower ice bin member at the junction between the funnel wall portion  164  and the cylindrical wall portion  166 . The cover  182 , together with the funnel wall portion  164 , forms a bottom wall of the upper body  160 . An inlet opening  184  is formed into the cover  182  through which ice pieces must pass to be discharged. The inlet opening  184  is positioned 180 degrees opposite of the outlet opening  170 . As the auger  172  rotates, ice pieces are directed by the funnel wall portion  164  toward the inlet opening  184 . The bridge breaker blade  180  ensures that the inlet opening  184  does not become jammed or bridged by ice pieces thereby preventing ice dispensing. 
     Once ice pieces pass through the inlet opening  184  they are disposed within a cylindrical ice crushing region  186  defined by the cylindrical wall portion  166 , the cover  182  and the bottom wall portion  168 . The bottom shaft  176  passes through the center of this region. Extending from the bottom shaft  176  are a plurality of ice crusher blades  188 . The ice crusher blades  188  are connected to the bottom shaft for co-rotation therewith. A plurality of stationary blades  190  extend between the bottom shaft  176  and the cylindrical wall portion  166 . The stationary blades  190  are positioned adjacent the side edge  170   a  of the ice outlet opening. 
     Rotation of the auger  172  causes the ice pieces to pass through the inlet opening  184  and fall into the ice crushing region  186 . If the auger  172  is rotated counterclockwise, as shown by arrow  192 , the ice pieces within the crushing region  186  are swept by the ice crushing blades  188  from the inlet opening  184  around within the crushing region  186  to fall through the outlet opening  170 . The ice pieces move from the inlet opening  184  to the outlet opening  170  without having to pass through the stationary crusher blades. In this manner, when the auger  172  is rotated in the direction of arrow  192 , whole ice pieces are dispensed though the outlet opening  170  and no ice crushing occurs. 
     If the auger  172  is rotated clockwise, as shown by arrow  194 , the ice pieces within the crushing region  186  are swept by the ice crushing blades  188  from the inlet opening and are driven into the stationary ice crushing blades  190 . The rotation of the auger  172  rotates the blades  188  past the stationary blades  190  resulting in the ice pieces being crushed. The crushed ice pieces, once past the stationary blades  190 , fall through the outlet opening  170 . In this manner, when the auger  172  is rotated in the direction of arrow  194 , crushed ice pieces are dispensed though the outlet opening  170 . Once the ice pieces, in either a whole or crushed form, are passed through the ice outlet opening  170 , they fall through a chute  196  (FIG. 6) formed into the freezer door  20  to a waiting receptacle positioned within the service area  31 . 
     While the dispensing of the ice pieces have been described with regard to the use of a plurality of crusher blades  188 , the invention could readily be practiced with just one crusher blade  188  and one stationary blade  190 . Moreover, the invention could dispense ice from the ice storage bin  28  without use of rotating and stationary crushing blades. For example, the rotary blades  188  and stationary blades  190  could be omitted and replaced with a paddle or other valving devices such as a pivotable or rotary door. 
     As just described, rotation of the auger  172  and the associated ice crusher blades  188  causes ice to be moved from the area of the upper ice bin member  160 , through the ice inlet opening  184  and outlet opening  170  such that ice pieces are dispensed. The auger  172  is rotated by the drive shaft  178  which extends from a motor  200 . The motor  200  is supported on the freezer door  20  below the ice service. The drive shaft  178  extends a relatively large distance between the motor and the ice bin  28 . 
     To ensure proper operation of the ice delivery system of the present invention, it is important to rigidly and securely support the motor  200  and the ice bin  28  on the freezer door  20  since these parts must align for proper operation. The construction of the freezer door, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, provides the necessary strength and rigidity. The freezer door  20  comprises a metallic outer wrapper  202 , an inner liner  204  with a foam material  206  disposed between the wrapper  202  and the liner  204 . The ice service area  31  is formed by a service housing  205  which attaches to an opening in the wrapper  202 . The fabrication of the door  20  may be such that the foam material  206  is foamed in place between the wrapper  202 , the liner  204  and service housing  205  and bonds to the inner surfaces of the wrapper  202 , liner  204  and service housing  205  providing a great deal of strength and rigidity. 
     FIGS. 3 and 6 illustrate the components used to support the motor and the ice storage bin  28 . The motor  200  is mounted to a bracket  207  within a cup-shaped support member or housing  208  which is connected to the inner liner  204  prior to the foaming operation. A motor cover plate  209  is placed over the open end of the housing  208  after the motor is assembled to the door. The ice bin  28  is mounted to a mounting plate  210  which is connected to the inner liner  204 . A conduit  212  extends between the mounting plate  210  and the housing  208  through which the drive shaft  178  can extend. A wiring conduit  214  is also connected to the motor housing  208  and extends upwardly to connect to the housing  205 . In this manner, wiring can be routed between the motor  20  and controls placed in the ice service area  31 . 
     Accordingly, it can be understood that that during fabrication of the freezer door  20 , the housing  208 , the mounting plate  210 , the conduit  212  and the wiring conduit  214  are assembled to the inner liner  204  and then the foam  206  is foamed between the liner  204  and the wrapper  202  such that the components are bonded into position. Moreover, it can be readily appreciated by one skilled in the art that the conduits  212  and  214  may be integrally formed as part of the mounting plate  210  or the housing  208 . Likewise, the mounting plate  210  or the housing  208  may be able to be integrally formed as part of the service housing  205 . 
     One of the benefits of the present invention is that the ice bin  28  is removable from the freezer door. This allows a user to readily remove the ice bin  28  and dump a large quantity of ice into a receptacle such as an insulated cooler. FIGS. 6,  7  and  8  best show how this is accomplished. The lower ice bin member  162  is provided with a pair of cylindrical bosses  218  or receptacles which correspond to mounting pins  220  provided on the mounting plate  210 . When the ice storage bin  28  is properly set upon the mounting plate  210 , the receptacles  218  and pins  220  align. Moreover, when the bin  28  is properly placed on the plate  210 , the drive shaft  178  is coupled with the auger  172  and the ice outlet  170  is disposed over the chute  196 . 
     Means are provided for securing the bin  28  to the mounting plate  210 . Each of the pins  220  are provided with an annular groove  222 . A retention bar  224  is slidingly supported by the lower ice bin member  162 . A button  226 , connected to the bar  224 , is provided for longitudinally moving the retention bar  224  which is biased toward the button  226 . The retention bar  224  has a pair of cut out portions (not shown) corresponding to the grooves  222 . When the bin  28  is placed onto the mounting plate  210 , the pins  220  are received into the receptacles  218  and the cut out portions of the retention bar  224  are engaged into the grooves  222  provided on the pins  220 . When it is desired to remove the bin  28 , the button  226  is depressed such that the cut out portions of the retention bar  224  are disengaged from the grooves  222 , allowing separation between the plate  210  and the base  162 . 
     It will be appreciated that the button  226  is advantageously disposed near the second handle  78  so that the button  226  can be easily depressed to release the ice bucket from the door  20  at the same time as the handle is gripped to lift it. 
     It can be seen, therefore, that the present invention provides an easy and sanitary means for removing an ice bucket from a refrigerator, dispensing ice pieces at the point of use, and reinstalling the ice bucket in the refrigerator. The ice bucket of the present invention is compatible, as described above, with through-the-door ice making systems. Moreover, the present system is beneficially combined with an in-door ice maker that automatically detects removal of the ice bucket and temporarily deactivates the ice maker. 
     Many changes can readily be made to the above described embodiments without departing from the scope of the claims. For example, a similar ice bucket may configures for use with an ice maker in a top mount refrigerator. 
     The present invention is not intended to be limited by any particular geometric configuration for the ice bucket and can be beneficially employed with any type of ice maker. 
     Accordingly, while the present invention has been described with reference the above described embodiment, those of skill in the Art will recognize that changes may be made thereto without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.