Patent Publication Number: US-6708509-B1

Title: Ice maker assembly for a refrigerator

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention pertains to the art of refrigerators and, more particularly, to an ice maker assembly for a refrigerator. 
     2. Discussion of the Prior Art 
     It is now common practice in the art of refrigerators to provide an automatic ice maker within a freezer compartment of a refrigerator, wherein the ice maker is linked to a water supply line used to fill an ice cube tray which is emptied into a bin following a freezing period. The stored ice can be retrieved directly from the bin located in the freezer compartment or the refrigerator can incorporate a dispensing arrangement wherein the ice is directed into a recessed receiving area formed in a front panel of the refrigerator by the selective activation of a drive unit, such as a rotatable auger, located in the bin. Most often, such ice dispensing arrangements incorporate a mechanism whereby the ice can be selectively crushed prior to reaching the receiving area. 
     Typically, the overall ice maker unit is fixed within the freezer compartment with the bin arranged beneath the unit. The level of ice maintained in the bin is generally established by a variable position bale arm which projects into the bin. As the level of ice in the bin rises, the bale arm is shifted. When a prerequisite amount of ice is present, the bale arm functions to terminate the production of additional ice. In any event, the fixed mounting of the ice maker unit represents a design constraint on the overall design of the freezer compartment. 
     In at least one known arrangement as represented by U.S. Pat. No. 6,148,624, the amount of ice produced and stored in a bin is controlled, not by shifting a bale arm relative to an ice maker unit, but by actually shifting the entire ice maker unit relative to the bin. Although this arrangement does enable adjusting the positioning of an ice maker, since the bin is essentially fixed, the arrangement is actually more detrimental to the storage capacity and design of the freezer compartment as more space must be dedicated to accommodate desired adjustments. That is, a substantial amount of space is maintained available above the ice maker is enable shifting of the unit when desired. Regardless of whether the unit is ever adjusted, a substantial amount of potential storage space is dedicated to the system. 
     Based on the above, there exists a need in the art for an ice maker assembly which can be readily, vertically repositioned is a simple manner, preferably as desired by the consumer, in order to easily reconfigure the overall storage design of a refrigerator freezer compartment. In addition, there exists a need for a versatile and efficiently configured ice maker assembly which, while being vertically adjustable, still enhances the overall food storage arrangement in the freezer compartment. Particularly, there exists a need for enabling an entire ice maker assembly, including the ice maker unit and bin, to be vertically adjustable such that the amount of space which needs to be dedicated to the system is unchanged. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is directed to an ice maker assembly that is adapted to be selectively, vertically adjustable within a freezer compartment of a refrigerator. The ice maker assembly includes an ice maker unit supported beneath a shelf of the assembly. Both the shelf and the ice maker unit are preferably suspended from a pair of spaced, vertically extending support rails arranged within the freezer compartment. The assembly also includes a slidably supported bin located below the ice maker unit into which ice, developed by the ice maker unit, is ejected. 
     In accordance with the most preferred form of the invention, the assembly includes a pair of spaced support arms that can be cantilevered from the support rails provided on a back wall of the refrigerator freezer. Extending across the top of the arms is the shelf which is preferably transparent. The arms also slidably support the bin that is adapted to store the ice. The ice maker is actually supported by a back plate attached to the support arms, while being electrically connected to a power supply port provided at the back wall of the freezer compartment. A water fill tube is also directed to the ice maker. 
     With this construction, the overall ice maker assembly generally appears as a combination shelf and bin arrangement in the freezer compartment. The ice maker assembly can be readily, vertically adjusted as an integral unit, with the range of adjustability being merely limited by the electrical and water connections. Preferably, the ice maker assembly can be repositioned between an upper portion of the freezer compartment to a substantially mid-level position. 
    
    
     Additional objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment when taken in conjunction with the drawings wherein like reference numerals refer to corresponding parts in the several views. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a upper left, partial sectional view, of a side-by-side refrigerator incorporating the ice maker assembly of the invention; and 
     FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the ice maker assembly of FIG.  1 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     With initial reference to FIG. 1, the present invention will be described with respect to a side-by-side refrigerator which is generally indicated at  2 . As shown, refrigerator  2  includes a cabinet shell  5  within which is provided a freezer compartment  9  defined, at least in part, by a side wall  11  and a back wall  10 . Freezer compartment  9  can be selectively accessed by means of a pivotally mounted freezer door  16 . Adjacent freezer door  16  is a fresh food door  17 , behind which is arranged a fresh food compartment (not shown). Obviously, this basic structure for refrigerator  2  is widely known in the art and therefore has only been provided for the sake of completeness. In a manner also known in the art, freezer compartment  9  is preferably provided with a plurality of storage baskets  22  and  23 , as well as a pair of vertically extending support rails  26  and  27  provided at laterally spaced positions along back wall  12 . 
     The present invention is particularly directed to the incorporation of ice maker assembly  32  within refrigerator  2 . As shown in each of FIGS. 1 and 2, ice maker assembly  32  includes a pair of laterally spaced support arms  37  and  38 , each of which is preferably provided with a plurality of rear hook elements  42 . Interconnecting support arms  37  and  38  are a plurality of fore-to-aft spaced cross braces  51 - 53 . Each support arm  37 ,  38  is preferably made of metal and, as best shown in FIG. 2, includes a pair of spaced tabs  58  and  59  which are lanced out of a respective support arm  37 ,  38 . Provided across the rear of support arms  37  and  38  is a back plate  63  which, in the most preferred embodiment shown, wraps around and is fixedly secured to support arms  37  and  38 . As will be discussed more fully below, support arms  37  and  38  are adapted to be hung, in a cantilevered manner, from support rails  26  and  27  with the use of hook elements  42 . 
     Ice maker assembly  32  also includes an ice maker unit  70  including a main body portion  72 , a trough portion  73 , a motor end mount  75 , an end cover  76 , and a bale arm  78 . In general, the general construction and operation of ice maker unit  70  is known in the art and does not form part of the present invention. However, in accordance with the invention, ice maker unit  70  is secured to back plate  63  so as to be suspended at a select vertical location upon support rails  26  and  27  through support arms  37  and  38 . Although ice maker unit  70  could be attached to support arms  37  and  38  in a variety of ways, in accordance with the most preferred form of the invention, ice maker unit  70  is provided with a pair of brackets  80  and  81  which are fixed to back plate  63  by means of screws  84  and  85 . 
     Also preferably provided as part of ice maker assembly  32  is a pair of side rails  99  and  100 . As shown, each side rail  99 ,  100  is formed with a pair of spaced openings  104  and  105 , as well as a central aperture  109 . With this construction, each side rail  99 ,  100  can be positioned against a respective support arm  37 ,  38  with openings  104  and  105  receiving a pair of tabs  58  and  59 . A screw  112  is provided which extends through aperture  109  and is threadably received in an opening  115  provided in a respective support arm  37 ,  38 . 
     Ice maker assembly  32  also includes a bin  122 . Most preferably, bin  122  is integrally molded of plastic to include a front wall  126 , side walls  127  and  128 , a bottom wall  129 , and an open rear wall portion  131 . In addition, bin  122  preferably includes a ledge member  134  having a base  136 , upstanding sides  137  and  138 , and an upper plateau portion  140 . Furthermore, bin  122  is provided with a separate front panel  147  having a recessed zone  149  and a handle portion  150 . As shown, side walls  127  and  128  lead to front, out-turned flanges  155  and  156 . In the embodiment shown, front panel  147  is fixed across front wall  126  by means of a plurality of screws  160  which extend through flanges  155  and  156  and into front panel  147  from behind. 
     In accordance with the most preferred form of the invention, ice maker assembly  32  further includes a shelf  166  including a peripheral rim  168 , an upstanding rear strip  170  and a platform  173  which is preferably made from visually transparent material such as glass, but which could be opaque. In general, platform  173  is encapsulated by rim  168  to define a spill-proof shelf. It should be recognized that encapsulated shelving of this type is known for use in at least fresh food compartments of refrigerators. In accordance with the present invention, shelf  166  is mounted upon support arms  37  and  38 , above ice maker unit  70 . In the embodiment shown, shelf  166  is fixed upon support arms  37  and  38 . However, it should be understood that shelf  166  could be readily mounted for sliding movement into and out of freezer compartment  9  relative to support arms  37  and  38 . Finally, a wire harness  180  is provided. Wire harness  180  includes opposing terminal connectors  183  and  184  for providing required electrical connections to ice maker unit  70 , preferably through back wall  12 . Although not shown, a water supply tube would also be routed to ice maker unit  70 . 
     With this overall construction for ice maker assembly  32 , ice maker unit  70  is fixed relative to support arms  37  and  38 , shelf  166  is supported atop support arms  37  and  38 , and bin  122  is slidably supported for movement relative to support arms  37  and  38  through side rails  99  and  100 . When bin  122  is in a rearmost position, ledge member  134  projects below and about the ends of ice maker unit  70 . As ice maker unit  70  produces ice, that ice will be dispensed into bin  122 . Bale arm  78  projects into bin  122  so that ice maker unit  70  will automatically stop producing ice when the ice stored in bin  122  reaches a predetermined level. A user can visually observe the level of ice stored in bin  122  through platform  173 , at least when platform  173  is made visually transparent so as to expose the interior of bin  122 . The user can readily retrieve the ice by slidably withdrawing bin  122  upon side rails  99  and  100  from freezer compartment  9 . In addition, the entire ice maker assembly  32  can advantageously be selectively, vertically re-positioned upon support rails  26  and  27  within freezer compartment  9 , with the degree of adjustability essentially being only limited by the slack provided for wire harness  180  and the water flow tube for ice maker unit  80 . In any event, it should be readily apparent that ice maker assembly  32  defines an extremely versatile and aesthetically pleasing overall arrangement which enhances the overall food storage system in freezer compartment  9 . 
     Although described with reference to a preferred embodiment of the invention, it should be readily understood that various changes and/or modifications can be made to the invention without departing from the spirit thereof. For instance, other support arrangements for bin  122 , shelf  166  and the overall ice maker  32  assembly could be readily employed while still providing the overall adjustability and relative movements desired. In general, the invention is only intended to be limited by the scope of the following claims.