Patent Publication Number: US-2019178556-A1

Title: Refrigerator icemaking console

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     Residential refrigerators generally include both fresh food compartments and freezer compartments, with the former maintained at a temperature above freezing to store fresh foods and liquids, and the latter maintained at a temperature below freezing for longer-term storage of frozen foods. For many years, most refrigerators have fallen in to one of two categories. Top mount refrigerators, for example, include a freezer compartment near the top of the refrigerator, either accessible via a separate external door from the external door for the fresh food compartment, or accessible via an internal door within the fresh food compartment. Side-by-side refrigerators, on the other hand, orient the freezer and fresh food compartments next to one another and extending generally along most of the height of the refrigerator. 
     Door-mounted ice dispensers (which are often combined with water dispensers) are common convenience features on many of these residential refrigerators. Incorporating these features into top mount and side-by-side refrigerators has generally been straightforward because it is generally possible to mount such dispensers on the external door for the freezer compartment at a convenient height for a user, as well as at a location suitable for receiving ice produced by an ice maker mounted in the freezer compartment. 
     More recently, however, various types of bottom mount refrigerator designs have become more popular with consumers. Bottom mount refrigerators orient the freezer compartment below the fresh food compartment and near the bottom of the refrigerator. For most people, the fresh food compartment is accessed more frequently than the freezer compartment, so many of the items that a user accesses on a daily basis are accessible at a convenient height for the user. Some bottom mount refrigerators include a single door for each of the fresh food and freezer compartments, while other designs commonly referred to as “French door” refrigerators include a pair of side-by-side doors for the fresh food compartment. Some designs may also utilize sliding doors instead of hinged doors for the freezer compartment, and in some designs, multiple doors may be used for the freezer compartment. 
     Placing the freezer compartment at the bottom of a refrigerator, however, complicates the design of door-mounted ice dispensers, since every freezer compartment door is generally located too low for a door-mounted ice dispenser, and since placement of an ice dispenser on a fresh food compartment door orients the ice dispenser opposite the above-freezing fresh food compartment. Most ice dispensers rely at least in part on gravity to convey ice from an ice maker mold to a storage receptacle and/or to convey ice from the storage receptacle to an exit chute for the ice dispenser, so it is generally desirable to orient the ice maker at a higher elevation than the ice dispenser. 
     Moreover, while bottom mount refrigerators generally provide a relatively large fresh food compartment that extends the full width of the refrigerator, access to some food items maintained by shelves and/or bins may be difficult, particularly when many food items are stored in the refrigerator. 
     Accordingly, a need continues to exist in the art for an improved manner of providing externally-accessible ice dispensing, particularly within a bottom mount refrigerator, as well as of providing convenient access to food items stored in a refrigerator. 
     SUMMARY 
     The herein-described embodiments address these and other problems associated with the art by providing a refrigerator that utilizes a center console in a fresh food compartment that extends only a portion of the height of the fresh food compartment and separated from each of the side walls of the fresh food compartment. In some instances, the center console may be insulated and house an icemaker, as well as provide an ability to support fully extendible sliding shelves, baskets and/or storage bins within the fresh food compartment. In some instances, the fully extendible sliding shelves, baskets and/or storage bins may be supported by a top of the center console, while in other instances, they may be supported along the sides of the center console. 
     Therefore, consistent with one aspect of the invention, a bottom mount refrigerator may include a cabinet, a freezer compartment disposed in the cabinet, a fresh food compartment disposed in the cabinet above the freezer compartment and having a top wall, a bottom wall, and first and second side walls, the bottom wall separating the fresh food compartment from the freezer compartment, an icemaking console extending upwardly from the bottom wall of the fresh food compartment only a portion of a height of the fresh food compartment and spaced apart from each of the top wall, the first side wall, and the second side wall, the icemaking console including one or more walls that insulate an interior compartment of the icemaking console from the fresh food compartment, and an icemaker disposed within the icemaking console. 
     In addition, some embodiments may also include one or more fresh food doors closing the fresh food compartment, and one or more freezer doors closing the freezer compartment. In addition, in some embodiments, the one or more fresh food doors include one or more hinged doors. In some embodiments, the one or more freezer doors include one or more hinged doors. Further, in some embodiments, the one or more freezer doors include one or more sliding doors. 
     In addition, some embodiments may also include an ice dispenser coupled to the icemaking console to dispense ice generated by the icemaker, where the ice dispenser is externally accessible when the one or more fresh food doors and the one or more freezer doors are closed. Further, in some embodiments, the icemaking console includes a sealing surface against which at least one door among the one or more fresh food doors and the one or more freezer doors forms a seal when closed. Moreover, in some embodiments, the freezer compartment has a top wall extending generally parallel to the bottom wall of the fresh food compartment, where the icemaking console further extends downwardly from the top wall of the freezer compartment only a portion of a height of the freezer compartment, and where the ice dispenser extends below a bottom edge of the one or more fresh food doors. Further, in some embodiments, a front of the icemaking console is covered by at least one door among the one or more fresh food doors and the one or more freezer doors. 
     In some embodiments, the icemaking console includes first and second side walls respectively facing the first and second side walls of the fresh food compartment, and the bottom mount refrigerator further includes one or more first sliding storage elements extending between the first side wall of the fresh food compartment and the first side wall of the icemaking console and configured to slide outwardly from the fresh food compartment, and one or more second sliding storage elements extending between the second side wall of the fresh food compartment and the second side wall of the icemaking console and configured to slide outwardly from the fresh food compartment, where each first sliding storage element and each second sliding storage element is configured to support a food item within the fresh food compartment. 
     Moreover, in some embodiments, each first sliding storage element and each second sliding storage element includes a shelf, a basket or a storage bin. Further, in some embodiments, at least one of the one or more first sliding storage elements and the one or more second sliding storage elements is supported by a plurality of full extension slide rails permitting substantially full extension thereof outwardly from the fresh food compartment. 
     In addition, some embodiments may also include one or more shelves extending substantially between the first and second side walls of the fresh food compartment above the icemaking console and supported by the icemaking console. In addition, in some embodiments, the one or more shelves includes a first sliding shelf configured to slide outwardly from the fresh food compartment. Also, in some embodiments, the first sliding shelf is supported by at least one full extension slide rail permitting substantially full extension of the first sliding shelf outwardly from the fresh food compartment. Moreover, in some embodiments, the at least one full extension slide rail includes at least one undermount slide rail extending along an underside of the first sliding shelf and slidably coupling the first sliding shelf to the icemaking console. 
     In some embodiments, the bottom wall of the fresh food compartment defines an opening into the freezer compartment, where the icemaking console is positioned over the opening such that the interior compartment of the icemaking console is open to the freezer compartment and is cooled by air circulated within the freezer compartment. Further, in some embodiments, the interior compartment of the icemaking console is maintained at a below freezing temperature. 
     Some embodiments may also include an evaporator disposed within or behind the icemaking console. Further, in some embodiments, the evaporator is disposed rearwardly from the icemaker. Also, in some embodiments, the evaporator is a fresh food evaporator and the icemaking console includes an interior wall separating the icemaker from the fresh food evaporator. In addition, in some embodiments, the evaporator includes a tube extending through the interior wall and coupled to the icemaker to provide direct cooling of the icemaker. 
     Consistent with another aspect of the invention, a bottom mount refrigerator may include a cabinet, a freezer compartment disposed in the cabinet, a fresh food compartment disposed in the cabinet above the freezer compartment and extending substantially a full width of the cabinet, the fresh food compartment having a top wall, a bottom wall, and first and second side walls, the bottom wall separating the fresh food compartment from the freezer compartment, an insulated console extending upwardly from the bottom wall of the fresh food compartment only a portion of a height of the fresh food compartment and spaced apart from each of the top wall, the first side wall, and the second side wall, the insulated console including one or more walls that insulate an interior compartment of the insulated console from the fresh food compartment, the one or more walls including first and second side walls respectively facing the first and second side walls of the fresh food compartment, one or more full width shelves extending between the first and second side walls of the fresh food compartment above the insulated console, one or more first sliding storage elements extending between the first side wall of the fresh food compartment and the first side wall of the insulated console and configured to slide outwardly from the fresh food compartment, and one or more second sliding storage elements extending between the second side wall of the fresh food compartment and the second side wall of the insulated console and configured to slide outwardly from the fresh food compartment. 
     Moreover, in some embodiments, the one or more full width shelves includes a first sliding shelf supported by the insulated console between the first and second side walls of the fresh food compartment and configured to slide outwardly from the fresh food compartment. In some embodiments, each first sliding storage element and each second sliding storage element includes a shelf, a basket or a storage bin, and where at least one of the one or more first sliding storage elements and the one or more second sliding storage elements is supported by a plurality of full extension slide rails permitting substantially full extension thereof outwardly from the fresh food compartment. Some embodiments may further include an icemaker disposed within the insulated console. In addition, in some embodiments, the insulated console further includes an ice dispenser. 
     Consistent with another aspect of the invention, a refrigerator may include a cabinet, fresh food and freezer compartments respectively disposed in the cabinet at first and second elevations relative to one another, the fresh food compartment having first and second side walls, a dividing wall that separates the fresh food compartment from the freezer compartment and an end wall that extends generally parallel to the dividing wall proximate a top or bottom end of the cabinet, an icemaking console extending substantially vertically from the dividing wall of the fresh food compartment only a portion of a height of the fresh food compartment and spaced apart from each of the end wall, the first side wall, and the second side wall, the icemaking console including one or more walls that insulate an interior compartment of the icemaking console from the fresh food compartment, and an icemaker disposed within the icemaking console. 
     Moreover, in some embodiments, the first elevation is higher than the second elevation, where the dividing wall is a bottom wall of the fresh food compartment, where the end wall is a top wall of the fresh food compartment, and where the icemaking console extends upwardly from the bottom wall of the fresh food compartment. Further, in some embodiments, the first elevation is lower than the second elevation, where the dividing wall is a top wall of the fresh food compartment, where the end wall is a bottom wall of the fresh food compartment, and where the icemaking console extends downwardly from the top wall of the fresh food compartment. 
     Consistent with another aspect of the invention, a refrigerator may include a cabinet, fresh food and freezer compartments respectively disposed in the cabinet at first and second elevations relative to one another, the fresh food compartment having first and second side walls, a dividing wall that separates the fresh food compartment from the freezer compartment and an end wall that extends generally parallel to the dividing wall proximate a top or bottom end of the cabinet, a console extending substantially vertically from the dividing wall of the fresh food compartment only a portion of a height of the fresh food compartment and spaced apart from each of the end wall, the first side wall, and the second side wall, a sliding shelf extending substantially between the first and second side walls of the fresh food compartment above the console and supported by the console, where the sliding shelf is supported by at least one full extension slide rail coupled to the console and permitting substantially full extension of the sliding shelf outwardly from the fresh food compartment. 
     In some embodiments, the at least one full extension slide rail includes at least one undermount slide rail extending along an underside of the sliding shelf and slidably coupling the sliding shelf to the console. Also, in some embodiments, the at least one full extension slide rail includes first and second full extension slide rails extending generally parallel to one another and slidably coupling the sliding shelf to the console. Some embodiments may also include one or more glides extending generally parallel to the at least one full extension slide rail to guide the sliding shelf. Moreover, in some embodiments, the one or more glides includes at least one glide supported by the console. In addition, in some embodiments, the sliding shelf has first and second sides respectively extending along the first and second side walls of the fresh food compartment, and where the first and second sides are unsupported by the first and second side walls of the fresh food compartment. Also, in some embodiments, the console includes first and second side walls respectively facing the first and second side walls of the fresh food compartment, where the refrigerator further includes one or more first storage elements extending between the first side wall of the fresh food compartment and the first side wall of the console and one or more second storage elements extending between the second side wall of the fresh food compartment and the second side wall of the console, where each first storage element and each second storage element is configured to support a food item within the fresh food compartment, and where the first and second sides of the sliding shelf are unsupported by any of the first and second storage elements. 
     In some embodiments, the console is an icemaking console including one or more walls that insulate an interior compartment of the console from the fresh food compartment, and where the refrigerator further includes an icemaker disposed in the console. 
     These and other advantages and features, which characterize the invention, are set forth in the claims annexed hereto and forming a further part hereof. However, for a better understanding of the invention, and of the advantages and objectives attained through its use, reference should be made to the Drawings, and to the accompanying descriptive matter, in which there is described example embodiments of the invention. This summary is merely provided to introduce a selection of concepts that are further described below in the detailed description, and is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in limiting the scope of the claimed subject matter. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a refrigerator consistent with some embodiments of the invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a block diagram of an example control system for the refrigerator of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a front elevational view of the refrigerator of  FIG. 1  with the fresh food compartment doors open. 
         FIG. 4  is an exploded perspective view of the icemaking console for the refrigerator of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the refrigerator of  FIG. 1 , with the fresh food compartment doors removed, and with a storage bin in a fully extended position. 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the refrigerator of  FIG. 1 , with the fresh food compartment doors removed, and with a full width shelf in a fully extended position. 
         FIG. 7  is a functional top plan view of an alternate full width shelf support to that illustrated in  FIG. 6 . 
         FIG. 8  is a functional top plan view of another alternate full width shelf support to that illustrated in  FIG. 6 . 
         FIG. 9  is a functional front elevational view illustrating a top mount refrigerator utilizing an icemaking console consistent with some embodiments of the invention. 
         FIG. 10  is a functional front elevational view illustrating a bottom mount refrigerator utilizing an icemaking console covered by the fresh food compartment doors consistent with some embodiments of the invention. 
         FIG. 11  is a functional front elevational view illustrating a bottom mount refrigerator utilizing an icemaking console that additionally extends into a freezer compartment consistent with some embodiments of the invention. 
         FIG. 12  is a side cross-sectional view of the icemaking console in the refrigerator of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 13  is a perspective cross-sectional view of the icemaking console in the refrigerator of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 14  is a perspective cross-sectional view of the icemaking console in the refrigerator of  FIG. 1 , with the upper and lower ice storage bins pulled to open positions. 
         FIG. 15  is a perspective view of an alternate lower ice storage bin to that illustrated in  FIG. 4 . 
         FIG. 16  is a flowchart illustrating a sequence of operations for making ice in the refrigerator of  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Turning now to the drawings, wherein like numbers denote like parts throughout the several views,  FIG. 1  illustrates an example refrigerator  10  in which the various technologies and techniques described herein may be implemented. Refrigerator  10  is a residential-type refrigerator, and as such includes a cabinet or case  12 , a fresh food compartment  14 , a freezer compartment  16 , one or more fresh food compartment doors  18 ,  20  and one or more freezer compartment doors  22 ,  24 . 
     Fresh food compartment  14  is generally maintained at a temperature above freezing for storing fresh food such as produce, drinks, eggs, condiments, lunchmeat, cheese, etc. Various shelves, drawers, and/or sub-compartments may be provided within fresh food compartment  14  for organizing foods, and it will be appreciated that some refrigerator designs may incorporate multiple fresh food compartments and/or zones that are maintained at different temperatures and/or at different humidity levels to optimize environmental conditions for different types of foods. Freezer compartment  16  is generally maintained at a temperature below freezing for longer-term storage of frozen foods, and may also include various shelves, drawers, and/or sub-compartments for organizing foods therein. 
     Refrigerator  10  as illustrated in  FIG. 1  is a type of bottom mount refrigerator commonly referred to as a French door refrigerator, and includes a pair of side-by-side fresh food compartment doors  18 ,  20  that are hinged along the left and right sides of the refrigerator to provide a wide opening for accessing the fresh food compartment, as well as a pair of sliding freezer compartment doors  22 ,  24  that are similar to drawers and that pull out to provide access to items in the freezer compartment. Both the fresh food compartment and the freezer compartment may be considered to be full width as they extend substantially across the full width of the cabinet  12 . It will be appreciated, however, that other door designs may be used in other embodiments, including various combinations and numbers of hinged and/or sliding doors for each of the fresh food and freezer compartments (e.g., a pair of French freezer doors, a single sliding freezer door, or one hinged fresh food and/or freezer door). Moreover, while refrigerator  10  is a bottom mount refrigerator with freezer compartment  16  disposed below fresh food compartment  14 , the invention is not so limited, and as such, the principles and techniques may be used in connection with other types of refrigerators in other embodiments, e.g., top mount refrigerators, side-by-side refrigerators, etc. 
     Refrigerator  10  also includes a cabinet-mounted dispenser  26  for dispensing ice and/or water. In the illustrated embodiments, dispenser  26  is an ice and water dispenser capable of dispensing both ice and chilled water, while in other embodiments, dispenser  26  may be an ice only dispenser for dispensing only cubed and/or crushed ice. In still other embodiments, dispenser  26  may additionally dispense hot water, coffee, beverages, or other liquids, and may have variable and/or fast dispense capabilities. In some instances, ice and water may be dispensed from the same location, while in other instances separate locations may be provided in the dispenser for dispensing ice and water. 
     A refrigerator consistent with the invention also generally includes one or more controllers configured to control a refrigeration system as well as manage interaction with a user.  FIG. 2 , for example, illustrates an example embodiment of a refrigerator  10  including a controller  40  that receives inputs from a number of components and drives a number of components in response thereto. Controller  40  may, for example, include one or more processors  42  and a memory  44  within which may be stored program code for execution by the one or more processors. The memory may be embedded in controller  40 , but may also be considered to include volatile and/or non-volatile memories, cache memories, flash memories, programmable read-only memories, read-only memories, etc., as well as memory storage physically located elsewhere from controller  40 , e.g., in a mass storage device or on a remote computer interfaced with controller  40 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , controller  40  may be interfaced with various components, including a cooling or refrigeration system  46 , an ice and water system  48 , one or more user controls  50  for receiving user input (e.g., various combinations of switches, knobs, buttons, sliders, touchscreens or touch-sensitive displays, microphones or audio input devices, image capture devices, etc.), and one or more user displays  52  (including various indicators, graphical displays, textual displays, speakers, etc.), as well as various additional components suitable for use in a refrigerator, e.g., interior and/or exterior lighting  54 , among others. User controls and/or user displays  50 ,  52  may be disposed, for example, on one or more control panels disposed in the interior and/or on doors and/or other external surfaces of the refrigerator. Further, in some embodiments audio feedback may be provided to a user via one or more speakers, and in some embodiments, user input may be received via a spoken or gesture-based interface. Additional user controls may also be provided elsewhere on refrigerator  10 , e.g., within fresh food and/or freezer compartments  14 ,  16 . In addition, refrigerator  10  may be controllable remotely, e.g., via a smartphone, tablet, personal digital assistant or other networked computing device, e.g., using a web interface or a dedicated app. 
     Controller  40  may also be interfaced with various sensors  56  located to sense environmental conditions inside of and/or external to refrigerator  10 , e.g., one or more temperature sensors, humidity sensors, etc. Such sensors may be internal or external to refrigerator  10 , and may be coupled wirelessly to controller  40  in some embodiments. Sensors  56  may also include additional types of sensors such as door switches, switches that sense when a portion of an ice dispenser has been removed, and other status sensors, as will become more apparent below. 
     In some embodiments, controller  40  may also be coupled to one or more network interfaces  58 , e.g., for interfacing with external devices via wired and/or wireless networks such as Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC, cellular and other suitable networks, collectively represented in  FIG. 2  at  60 . Network  60  may incorporate in some embodiments a home automation network, and various communication protocols may be supported, including various types of home automation communication protocols. In other embodiments, other wireless protocols, e.g., Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, may be used. 
     In some embodiments, refrigerator  10  may be interfaced with one or more user devices  62  over network  60 , e.g., computers, tablets, smart phones, wearable devices, etc., and through which refrigerator  10  may be controlled and/or refrigerator  10  may provide user feedback. 
     In some embodiments, controller  40  may operate under the control of an operating system and may execute or otherwise rely upon various computer software applications, components, programs, objects, modules, data structures, etc. In addition, controller  40  may also incorporate hardware logic to implement some or all of the functionality disclosed herein. Further, in some embodiments, the sequences of operations performed by controller  40  to implement the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented using program code including one or more instructions that are resident at various times in various memory and storage devices, and that, when read and executed by one or more hardware-based processors, perform the operations embodying desired functionality. Moreover, in some embodiments, such program code may be distributed as a program product in a variety of forms, and that the invention applies equally regardless of the particular type of computer readable media used to actually carry out the distribution, including, for example, non-transitory computer readable storage media. In addition, it will be appreciated that the various operations described herein may be combined, split, reordered, reversed, varied, omitted, parallelized and/or supplemented with other techniques known in the art, and therefore, the invention is not limited to the particular sequences of operations described herein. 
     Numerous variations and modifications to the refrigerator illustrated in  FIGS. 1-2  will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art, as will become apparent from the description below. Therefore, the invention is not limited to the specific implementations discussed herein. 
     Icemaking Console 
     Now turning to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , some embodiments consistent with the invention, as mentioned above, are directed in part to the use of an icemaking console disposed at least partially within a fresh food compartment and extending only a portion of the height of the fresh food compartment. In particular, an icemaking console  70  may be disposed in fresh food compartment  14  and may extend upwardly from a bottom wall  72  of the fresh food compartment  14  only a portion of a height H of the fresh food compartment and spaced apart from each of a top wall  74 , right side wall  76 , and left side wall  78  of the fresh food compartment. Console  70  may include a front wall  82 , top wall  84 , right side wall  86  and left side wall  88 , and in some instances, at least portions of front wall  82  may be externally-accessible when doors  18 ,  20  are closed. In some instances, for example, front wall  82  may include a sealing surface  90  against which gaskets  92 ,  94  on doors  18 ,  20  may form a seal when doors  18 ,  20  are closed. 
     Console  70  may extend in some instances to a back wall  96  of fresh food compartment  14 , while in other instances, and as shown in  FIG. 4 , a separate housing  98  may project from back wall  96  (e.g., formed integrally with back wall  96 , or formed as a separate component that is fastened or otherwise attached to back wall  96 ). Housing  98  may be used, for example, to provide space for an evaporator and/or other cooling system component, for control electronics, for air ducts, or for other suitable purposes. 
     Moreover, the walls  82 ,  84 ,  86  and  88  of console  70  may be insulated (e.g., via foam or another suitable insulator) such that console  70  is an insulated console and such that an interior compartment of console  70  is maintained at a below-freezing temperature for the purposes of making and storing ice. In the illustrated embodiment, console  70  is in fluid communication with freezer compartment  16  through an opening  100  formed in bottom wall  72  of fresh food compartment  14 , such that while console  70  is physically disposed within the boundary of fresh food compartment  14 , the interior of console  70  is insulated from the fresh food compartment and in fluid communication with freezer compartment  16 , thus effectively operating as an extension of freezer compartment  16 . In other embodiments, console  70  may be separate from freezer compartment  16 , e.g., insulated from freezer compartment  16  and including a separate cooling system, e.g., a thermoelectric cooling system, or separated from freezer compartment  16  but fluidly coupled via ducts or vents to receive cool air circulated by the freezer compartment cooling system. 
     Further, it will be appreciated that console  70  is formed separate from the shell or liner used to form the fresh food and/or freezer compartments. In other embodiments, however, console  70  may be formed integrally with the shell or liner of a fresh food and/or freezer compartment. 
     Console  70  in some embodiments may also provide a convenient location for a control panel  102  suitable for controlling various functions of refrigerator  10 . For example, control panel  102  may include displays, buttons, sliders, switches, etc., and may be used to perform various control operations such as setting temperature setpoints, controlling ice and/or water functions, displaying alarms or alerts, etc. As shown in the illustrated embodiment, top wall  84  of console  70  may be bi-level to accommodate control panel  102 , although in other embodiments, no control panel may be used, and top wall  84  may be at a substantially consistent elevation along its depth. 
     Console  70  in some instances may be an icemaking console insofar as the console is used to make, dispense and/or store ice. As will become more apparent below, however, console  70  may not be an icemaking console in some embodiments. In some embodiments, however, console  70  may be configured to receive one or more drawers or storage bins, e.g., upper and lower ice storage bins  104 ,  106 . Upper ice storage bin  104  includes a front face  108  that insulates console  70  from the external environment when the bin is pushed into the console and forms a front surface of the upper ice storage bin, while lower ice storage bin  106  includes a front face  110  that similarly insulates console  70  from the external environment when the bin is pushed into the console and forms a front surface of the lower ice storage bin. Front faces  108 ,  110  also house at least a portion of an externally-accessible ice and water dispenser, discussed in greater detail below. In some embodiments, a single front face may be used, whereby the upper and lower ice storage bins may be coupled to the same front face. 
     Beyond ice-related functions, however, console  70  also provides a number of structural features associated with the storage of food items within fresh food compartment  14 . For example, as illustrated in  FIG. 5 , side walls  86 ,  88  of console  70  respectively face side walls  76 ,  78  of fresh food compartment  14 , and may provide structural support for one or more sliding storage elements (e.g., storage elements  112 ,  114 ,  116 ,  118 ,  120 ,  122 ) within fresh food compartment  14 . A storage element within the context of the disclosure may include any structural member capable of storing or otherwise supporting a food item, e.g., a shelf, a basket, a storage bin, a drawer, a rack, etc., and a sliding storage element may be considered to be a storage element capable of sliding within a horizontal plane, e.g., along a generally horizontal axis extending from the rear to the front of refrigerator  10 . 
     Storage elements  112  and  118 , for example, are sliding shelves, while storage elements  114 ,  116 ,  120  and  122  are sliding storage bins or drawers. It will also be appreciated that storage bins or drawers may be configured with customizable environmental conditions (e.g., different temperatures, humidity levels, etc.) suitable for storing food items such as meats, cheeses, vegetables, fruits, etc. Further, not all of storage elements  114 - 122  need be configured as sliding storage elements, and moreover, different numbers and types of storage elements may be used for any of the storage elements illustrated in  FIG. 5 , so the invention is not limited to the particular combination of storage elements illustrated herein. 
     Moreover, despite the fact that storage elements  112 - 122  are disposed within a full width fresh food compartment  14 , console  70  provides greater support for these storage elements, so much so that in some embodiments it may be desirable to utilize full extension slide rails (e.g., slide rails  124 ,  126  for storage element  120 ) to support a sliding storage element, permitting the sliding storage element to be fully extended outwardly from the fresh food compartment, thereby providing greater access to the rear portion of the interior of a storage bin, drawer or basket, or to the rear portion of a shelf or rack. A full extension slide rail, in this regard, is configured to extend at least substantially the full depth of a sliding storage element, including overextension beyond the full depth of the sliding storage element in some embodiments. 
     Likewise, and with further reference to  FIG. 6 , console  70  may also provide structural support for storage elements located above the console, e.g., full width shelf  128 , which is disposed underneath a pair of non-sliding shelves  130 ,  132  (which could also be sliding shelves in some embodiments as well). It will be appreciated that in conventional full width fresh food compartments, a full width shelf, extending substantially between the side walls of the fresh food compartment, would be exceptionally prone to sagging given the typical dimensions of such refrigerators. Moreover, configuring such a shelf to slide would generally strain any slide rails mounted to the side walls of the fresh food compartment, and adding full extension capability would provide even greater challenges. 
     In the illustrated embodiment, in contrast, top wall  84  of console  70  may provide adequate support for full width shelf  128  to enable a full width shelf to substantially span the entire width of fresh food compartment  14 . In one embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 6 , for example, a pair of undermount slide rails  134 ,  136  (i.e., substantially horizontally oriented slide rails) support full width shelf  128  and extend along an underside thereof and generally parallel to one another. Further, in some embodiments, slide rails  134 ,  136  may be full extension slide rails to permit substantially full extension of full width shelf  128 . Moreover, slide rails  134 ,  136  may provide sufficient support for full width shelf  128  to eliminate the need to support the shelf from side walls  76 ,  78 , such that while the shelf extends substantially between the side walls of the fresh food compartment, the ends of the shelf do not necessarily contact or couple with the side walls themselves. Moreover, even if any additional storage elements are disposed underneath shelf  128  (e.g., storage elements  112  and  118 ), console  70  generally provides sufficient support such that shelf  128  need not be supported by any storage elements or other components disposed proximate the sides of the shelf. 
     Other manners of supporting full width shelf  128  may be used in other embodiments, including various combinations of undermount, top mount or side mount slide rails, glides (i.e., low friction tracks or surfaces), etc.  FIG. 7 , for example, illustrates a top view of an alternate full width shelf  140  supported by a console  142  using a single full extension undermount slide rail  144  and a pair of undermount glides  146 ,  148  extending generally parallel thereto.  FIG. 8 , as another example, illustrates a top view of an alternate full width shelf  150  supported by a console  152  using a pair of side wall mounted full extension slide rails  154 ,  156  and a pair of undermount glides  158 ,  159 . Other combinations of components may be used to slidably support a full width shelf in other embodiments, as will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the instant disclosure. 
     As noted above, in the illustrated embodiment of  FIGS. 1 and 3-6 , console  70  extends upwardly from a bottom wall of a fresh food compartment of a bottom mount refrigerator only a portion of the height of the fresh food compartment, and further supports an externally-accessible ice and water dispenser that may be accessed without opening any door to the fresh food or freezer compartment. However, in other embodiments, various modifications may be used. 
     As shown in  FIG. 9 , for example, an icemaking console may extend downwardly rather than upwardly in some embodiments. The figure illustrates a top mount refrigerator  160  including a top mount freezer compartment  162  covered by a single freezer door  164  and disposed at a higher elevation from a fresh food compartment  166  covered by a pair of French doors  168 ,  170 . In this design, an icemaking console  172  may extend downwardly from a dividing wall  174  that functions as a top wall for the fresh food compartment and separates fresh food compartment  166  from freezer compartment  162 . However, the icemaking console  172  extends only a portion of the height of fresh food compartment  166 , and is thus separated from an end wall  176  and side walls  178 ,  180  of the fresh food compartment. French doors  168 ,  170  also have cut-outs such that console  172  is externally-accessible without opening any of doors  164 ,  168  and  170 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 10 , an icemaking console may not be externally-accessible in some embodiments, and may be covered by one or more of the fresh food and/or freezer doors. The figure illustrates a bottom mount refrigerator  182  that includes a fresh food compartment  184  at a higher elevation than a freezer compartment  186 , with each compartment  184 ,  186  covered by a pair of French doors  188 ,  190  and  192 ,  194 . An icemaking console  196  extends upwardly from a dividing wall  198  separating the fresh food and freezer compartments; however, no cut-outs are provided on any of the doors such that console  196  is only accessible by opening one or more of doors  188 - 194 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 11 , an icemaking console may not only extend into a fresh food compartment, but also into a freezer compartment. Doing so, for example, may assist in positioning an ice and water dispenser at a more convenient height. Thus, as shown in  FIG. 11 , a bottom mount refrigerator  200  may include a fresh food compartment  202  at a higher elevation than a freezer compartment  204 , with each compartment  202 ,  204  covered by a pair of French doors  206 ,  208  and  210 ,  212 . An icemaking console  214  extends upwardly from a dividing wall  216  separating the fresh food and freezer compartments. Dividing wall  216  functions as both a bottom wall for fresh food compartment  202  and a top wall for freezer compartment  204 , and in this embodiment, console  214  not only extends upwardly but also extends downwardly from dividing wall  216  a portion of the height of the freezer compartment. Moreover, at least a portion of the console (and if included, an ice and/or water dispenser) is disposed below the bottom edges of the fresh food doors  206 ,  208 . Furthermore, in this embodiment, cut-outs are provided on each of doors  206 ,  208 ,  210 ,  212 . 
     Other variations will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the instant disclosure. Therefore, the invention is not limited to the particular console designs described herein. 
     Icemaking System 
     Now turning to  FIGS. 12-14 , some embodiments of the invention may include an icemaking system incorporating a pair of tandem ice storage bins as well as a removable dispenser recess portion consistent with this invention. The icemaking system may include an icemaker  220  disposed within cabinet  12 , and in particular, within icemaking console  70 , e.g., proximate a top of the icemaking console. Produced ice is ejected out of a front end  222  of icemaker  220  and drops into an intermediate area of upper ice storage bin  104 , which is disposed below icemaker  220  and configured to receive ice produced by the icemaker. It will be appreciated that various icemaker designs may be used in the alternative, including icemakers capable of producing different shapes and/or quantities of ice, icemakers that rotate to dump ice into a storage bin, etc. Further, while icemaker  220  extends generally from front to back within console  70 , in other embodiments icemaker  220  may extend transversely (i.e., from side to side). Therefore, the invention is not limited to the particular icemaker design illustrated herein. 
     Upper ice storage bin  104  also includes a reversible ice mover  224 . Ice mover  224  may be driven by a motor  226  or other drive, which in the illustrated embodiment is external to upper ice storage bin  104  and removably and mechanically coupled to ice mover  224  to drive ice mover  224  in two opposing directions when upper ice storage bin  104  is in an operating position, but to separate from the upper ice storage bin when the upper ice storage bin is slid outwardly from console  70 . In other embodiments, an ice mover drive may be incorporated into upper ice storage bin  104  itself, and may be removable from refrigerator  10  along with the upper ice storage bin. 
     Ice mover  224  in the illustrated embodiment may be configured as an auger. In other embodiments, however, ice mover  224  may be configured as a conveyor, a paddle, or other suitable component. Moreover, while no ice crusher is specifically illustrated in the figures, it will be appreciated that various types of ice crusher configurations may be used, and may provide selective crushing of ice dispensed by the icemaking system. 
     As noted above, ice mover  224  is reversible, and in this regard, may be actuated to push ice disposed in upper ice storage bin  104  in two opposing directions. In a first, forward direction, ice mover  224  pushes ice towards an ice dispenser  228 , which in the illustrated embodiment includes portions disposed on each of the front faces  108 ,  110  of upper and lower ice storage bins  104 ,  106 . Specifically, ice mover  224  may be configured to push ice towards the front of refrigerator  10 , and towards an ice chute  230  disposed in front face  108  of the upper ice storage bin. Doing so causes ice (cubed or crushed) to fall through the ice chute and into a container positioned within a dispenser recess portion  232  defined on front face  110  of lower ice storage bin  106 . In some embodiments, a flap  234  or other closure may also be provided proximate ice chute  230  to provide some insulation for the ice chute and reduce heat loss from icemaking console  70 . 
     In a second, rearward direction, ice mover  224  pushes ice away from ice dispenser  228 , and towards a rearwardly-disposed aperture  236  formed in upper ice storage bin at an opposite end from ice dispenser  228  such that ice pushed into aperture  236  drops into lower ice storage bin  106  positioned below upper ice storage bin  104 . While aperture  236  is illustrated as being formed in a bottom wall of upper ice storage bin  104 , aperture  236  may alternatively be disposed elsewhere, e.g., on an end or side wall of upper ice storage bin  104 . Moreover, while aperture  236  is illustrated as being always open, in other embodiments a movable closure element such as a hinged or sliding trap door may be used, e.g., so that aperture  236  is closed when upper ice storage bin  104  is removed from icemaking console  70 . For example, in some embodiments aperture may be normally closed but opened when ice mover  224  is pushing ice in the second, rearward direction. 
     Lower ice storage bin  106  in the embodiment illustrated in  FIGS. 12-14  includes an ice bucket  238  that is fastened or otherwise secured to front face  110 . In other embodiments, however, and as illustrated in  FIG. 15 , a lower ice storage bin (e.g., lower ice storage bin  106 ′) may include a removable ice bucket  238 ′ that rests on a base  240  that is fastened or otherwise secured to a front face  110 ′. In some embodiments, an ice bucket may also include one or more handles, e.g., handles  242  of ice bucket  238 ′, that facilitate carrying the ice bucket when loaded down with ice. Ice bucket  238 ′ may be removed, for example, by first sliding lower ice storage bin  106 ′ out of icemaking console  70  and then lifting the ice bucket out of the lower ice storage bin. 
     Returning to  FIGS. 12-14 , and with particular reference to  FIG. 14 , in the illustrated embodiment both of upper and lower ice storage bins  104 ,  106  are removable from icemaking console  70 . In some embodiments upper and lower ice storage bins  104 ,  106  are both fully removable, while in other embodiments one or both of upper and lower ice storage bins  104 ,  106  may be only partially removable, e.g., to provide access to the ice stored therein, but without fully disengaging from icemaking console  70 . Also, as noted above both ice storage bins may share the same front face, and may be removable together. Further, in some embodiments, a stop, tab or latch (e.g., stop  244  for upper ice storage bin  104 ) may be provide on either or both of upper and lower ice storage bins  104 ,  106  to enable upper and lower ice storage bins  104 ,  106  to be withdrawn at most a predetermined amount from icemaking console  70 , but thereafter allow the upper and lower ice storage bins  104 ,  106  to be fully withdrawn after actuation of the stop. 
     In one example embodiment, for example, lower ice storage bin  106  may be used as a primary ice storage bin from which a user may obtain ice when a large quantity of ice is needed by the user. The lower ice storage bin  106  may lack a stop and thus may be easily removed from icemaking console  70 , even when doors  18 ,  20 ,  22  and  24  are all closed. Upper ice storage bin  104 , in contrast, may be primarily used to hold ice for dispensing purposes, and thus may not be frequently removed from icemaking console  70  by a user. The upper ice storage bin, however, also provides access to ice mover  224  and icemaker  220 , and thus in the event of an obstruction or other issue that may inhibit the production, dispensing and/or storage of ice, the upper ice storage bin may be removed to enable a user to clear any obstructions. In this regard, upper ice storage bin  104  may include stop  244  such that it is not fully removed by a user in most circumstances, yet is still fully removable through actuation of stop  244 , e.g., for use by service personnel or when wider access to the upper area of the icemaking console is needed or desired. 
     Each of upper and lower ice storage bins  104 ,  106  may be configured to be slidably removed from icemaking console  70 , either with or without the use of slide rails or other tracking guides. In the embodiment of  FIGS. 12-14 , for example, upper ice storage bin  104  lacks any tracking guides, while lower ice storage bin  106  slides along slide rails  246 ,  248 . In other embodiments, other configurations may be used, and moreover, ice storage bins may be mounted for other movement relative to icemaking console  70  in other embodiments, e.g., through rotation or some combination of linear and rotational movement, and through openings in other walls of the icemaking console. 
     In addition, as discussed above, housing  98  in some embodiments provides additional space within fresh food compartment, e.g., for a fresh food, freezer, or other evaporator, a fan, a compressor, or other cooling system component, for control electronics, or for other purposes. The interior of housing  98  may insulated from fresh food compartment in some embodiments, or may be in fluid communication with the fresh food compartment via vents. In other embodiments, housing  98  may be omitted, and console  70  may extend all of the way to back wall  96 . In some embodiments, and as shown in dashed lines in  FIG. 12 , an evaporator  250  for fresh food compartment  14  may be disposed within housing  98 . Further, it may be desirable in some embodiments to route one or more cooling tubes  252  to icemaker  220  to provide direct cooling of the icemaker using the fresh food evaporator. The cooling tubes  252  may extend through an interior wall  254  of console  70  that insulates console  70  from housing  98 . In embodiments where housing  98  is omitted, an evaporator may be disposed within console  70 , rather than behind console  70  as is the case in  FIG. 12 . It will be appreciated that by placing fresh food evaporator  250  either within or behind console  70 , additional space on the back wall of the fresh food compartment is available, thereby enabling the fresh food compartment to be deeper than would otherwise be possible with the evaporator spread across the back of the cabinet, and thereby increasing the capacity of refrigerator  10 . 
     Turning now with particular reference to  FIG. 13 , refrigerator  10  includes ice and water dispensing functionality. In this regard, at least portions of ice dispenser  228  are formed by front faces  108 ,  110  of upper and lower ice storage bins  104 ,  106 , with front face  108  housing ice chute  230  and flap  234 , and front face  110  housing a dispenser recess portion  232 . Dispenser recess portion  232  is recessed relative to ice chute  230  such that a container (e.g., a cup, glass, bowl, bucket, cooler, etc.) placed into dispenser recess portion  232  will be aligned with ice chute  230  to receive ice dispensed by ice dispenser  228 . Moreover, dispenser recess portion may also include one or more ice dispenser controls  256  for actuating ice dispenser  228 . In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 13 , for example, a single ice dispenser control  256  configured as a paddle may be used in dispenser recess portion  232 , and may be actuated by a user&#39;s finger or by pressing a container against the paddle. In some instances, a separate control or setting may be used to select from between cubed and crushed ice, or in some instances, two paddles or other controls may be used to separately dispense cubed and crushed ice. 
     In addition to ice dispenser  228 , refrigerator  10  also includes a water dispenser  258  disposed on icemaking console  70 . Water dispenser  258 , as with ice dispenser  228 , is externally-accessible when doors  18 ,  20 ,  22 , and  24  are closed. Unlike ice dispenser  228 , however, water dispenser  258  is disposed at a fixed location in icemaking console  70 , e.g., on a cantilevered extension  260  having a profile that conforms with front face  108  of upper ice storage bin  104 . Water dispenser  258  includes an outlet  262  coupled to a supply line  264 , and further includes a valve (not shown) that controls the supply of water to outlet  262 . A water dispenser control  266 , e.g., a paddle or button, may be disposed underneath outlet  262 , e.g., on front face  108  of upper ice storage bin  104 , may be used to selectively actuate water dispenser  258  either through pressing by a user&#39;s finger or by pressing the edge of a container against the control. 
     By providing at least the water supply and outlet of water dispenser  258  on a fixed component of refrigerator  10 , no detachable couplings or flexible hoses are needed in order to support movement of the water dispenser relative to icemaking console  70 . In addition, since at least outlet  262  of water dispenser  258  is separate from ice dispenser  228 , ice storage bins  104 ,  106  are readily removable without concern for the water supply to water dispenser  258 . 
     It will be appreciated, however, that other dispenser configurations may be used in other embodiments. In some embodiments, for example, ice and water may be dispensed from the same dispenser recess portion, and in some instances using the same control (e.g., where a separate dispenser mode switch is used to select between ice, water, and in some instances, crushed ice). Further, different dispenser controls may be used in other embodiments, e.g., various combinations of buttons, paddles, proximity sensors, mode switches, etc. In addition, in other embodiments the various components of the ice and/or water dispensers may be disposed on removable or fixed components in refrigerator  10 . Therefore, the invention is not limited to the particular configuration disclosed herein. 
     In addition, given that controls  256 ,  266  are disposed on removable components (upper and lower ice storage bins  104 ,  106 ), it may be desirable in some embodiments to include a dispenser shut off circuit for one or both of the ice dispenser  228  and water dispenser  258  in response to movement of either of upper and lower ice storage bins  104 ,  106  away from an operating position. In some embodiments, for example, a dispenser shut off circuit may include one or more switches (e.g., contact switches, magnetic switches, etc.) that disconnect controls  256 ,  266  from controller  40  when an upper and/or lower ice storage bin  104 ,  106  is moved away from the operating position. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 12 and 14 , for example, a contact switch  270  may be disposed on a front face of icemaking console  70  to contact a contact pad  272  disposed on a rearwardly-facing surface of front face  108  of upper ice storage bin  104  when upper ice storage bin  104  is pushed back into an operating position. Likewise, a second contact switch  274  may be disposed on a front face of icemaking console  70  to contact a contact pad  276  disposed on a rearwardly-facing surface of front face  110  of lower ice storage bin  106  when lower ice storage bin  106  is pushed back into an operating position. 
     Controller  40  may be configured to deactivate ice and/or water dispenser  228 ,  258  whenever one or both of upper and lower ice storage bins  104 ,  106  have been pulled away from icemaking console  70 . For example, it may be desirable in some instances to disable both dispensers in response to either ice storage bin  104 ,  106  being out of an operating position. 
     In some embodiments, control signals generated by controls  256 ,  266  may be passed through contact switches  270 ,  274  and contact pads  272 ,  276 . In other embodiments, separate electrical contacts or wiring may be used to communicate control signals. In addition, while contact switches are illustrated as being located on surfaces that are generally transverse to the sliding axes of ice storage bins  104 ,  106 , in other embodiments the contact switches may be disposed on surfaces that are generally parallel to the sliding axes, or in other locations suitable for detecting the presence of an ice storage bin in an operating position. Moreover, while electrical contact switches are illustrated in  FIGS. 12 and 14 , in other embodiments other types of switches may be used, e.g., magnetic switches, mechanical switches, optical switches, etc. Further, while in the illustrated embodiment controls  256 ,  266  include electrical switches that close upon actuation, in other embodiments electrical switches may be disposed in icemaking console and mechanical linkages may be coupled to each control  256 ,  266  to depress the electrical switches only when ice storage bins  104 ,  106  are in an operating position. Other manners of coupling controls  256 ,  266  to controller  40  and/or of disabling the ice and/or water dispensers  228 ,  258  upon removal of one or both of upper and lower ice storage bins  104 ,  106  will be apparent to those of ordinary skill having the benefit of the instant disclosure. 
     Control of ice production with icemaker  220  may be based in part on the sensed level of ice in each of upper and lower ice storage bins  104 ,  106 . In some embodiments, for example, an upper level sensor  280  and a lower level sensor  282  may be configured to sense the level of ice within each of upper and lower ice storage bins  104 ,  106 . Level sensors  280 ,  282  may be configured as optical or photoelectric sensors, although other sensors may be used in other embodiments, e.g., weight sensors, or sensor arrays capable of sensing ice level at multiple locations in each ice storage bin. 
     As shown in  FIG. 16 , controller  40  may implement a sequence of operations  300  for producing ice and storing the ice in the upper and lower ice storage bins  104 ,  106 . Starting in block  302 , an ice production operation, using any of various known icemaking techniques, may be initiated. Block  304  may then determine whether the icemaker is ready to release the ice, and if not, passes control to block  306  to wait for a next interval before returning control to block  304  to again check if the icemaker is ready to release the ice. 
     Once the ice production process is complete and the icemaker is ready to release the ice, block  304  passes control to block  308  to determine (e.g., from sensor  280 ) whether the upper storage bin is full. If not, control passes to block  310  to operate ice mover  224  in the forward direction a predetermined amount to push ice forward towards dispenser  228 . By pushing ice forward, the ice may be positioned proximate dispenser  228  to reduce the amount of time ice mover  224  needs to be actuated before ice is dispensed to a user. Control then passes to block  312  to release the ice, thereby dropping the ice into the upper ice storage bin  104 . Control then returns to block  302  to initiate another ice production operation. 
     Returning to block  308 , if the upper storage bin is determined to be full, block  308  instead passes control to block  314  to determine (e.g., using sensor  282 ) whether the lower ice storage bin is full. If so, control returns to block  304  to wait until the upper storage bin is no longer full (e.g., after a user has dispensed some ice using the ice dispenser), such that the produced ice is retained in the icemaker, and no additional ice is produced, until sufficient room exists in the upper ice storage bin. 
     Returning to block  314 , if the lower storage bin is determined to not be full, block  314  passes control to block  316  to operate ice mover  224  in the opposite, rearward direction a predetermined amount to push ice rearward so that at least some of the ice will drop into lower ice storage bin  106 . Block  318  then determines if the upper storage bin is still full, and if so, returns control to block  316  to continue pushing ice rearward and thus from the upper ice storage bin to the lower ice storage bin. Once the upper ice storage bin is no longer full, block  318  then passes control to block  312  to release the ice, and then to block  302  to initiate another ice production operation. 
     Other manners of managing ice production will be apparent to those of ordinary skill having the benefit of the instant disclosure, so the invention is not limited to the particular ice production management disclosed herein. 
     It will be appreciated that various additional modifications may be made to the embodiments discussed herein, and that a number of the concepts disclosed herein may be used in combination with one another or may be used separately. For example, an icemaking console consistent with the invention may be used in connection with other icemaking systems in other embodiments, and conversely, an icemaking system consistent with the invention may be used in other refrigerator designs, including those without an icemaking console and/or those in which an icemaking system is at least partially disposed elsewhere in a fresh food compartment, a freezer compartment, or door of a refrigerator. Furthermore, an icemaking system consistent with the invention may incorporate tandem ice storage bins without a removable dispenser recess portion in some embodiments, or alternatively, a removable dispenser recess portion without tandem ice storage bins. Therefore, the invention lies in the claims hereinafter appended.