Source: https://patents.justia.com/patent/20050061016
Timestamp: 2020-04-01 18:44:37
Document Index: 216417739

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 12', 'art 12', 'art 12', 'art 71', 'art 75', 'art 71', 'art 75', 'art 71', 'art 75', 'art 71', 'art 75', 'art 91', 'art 95', 'art 91', 'art 95', 'art 91', 'art 95', 'art 91', 'art 75', 'art 71', 'art 75', 'art 71', 'art 75', 'art 71', 'art 71', 'art 75', 'art 71', 'art 75', 'art 91', 'art 95', 'art 91', 'art 95', 'art 91', 'art 91', 'art 95', 'art 91', 'art 95']

US Patent Application for Refrigerator with icemaker Patent Application (Application #20050061016 issued March 24, 2005) - Justia Patents Search
Justia Patents US Patent Application for Refrigerator with icemaker Patent Application (Application #20050061016)
Referring to FIG. 1, the refrigerator of the present invention includes a refrigerating chamber 1 in an upper part of the refrigerator, and a freezing chamber 2 in a lower part of the refrigerator. There is a door 1a in a front part of the refrigerating chamber 1, with a water dispenser 3 provided thereto. The water dispenser 3 enables the user to be supplied with cold water directly at an outside of the refrigerator without opening the door 1 a. For this, there is a water tank (not shown) on an inside surface of the door 1a in contact with the refrigerating chamber 1. The water tank stores water, and the water in the water tank is cooled by the cold air in the refrigerating chamber 1. According to this, when the user operates the lever (not shown), the user can be supplied with the cold water from the water tank through the water dispenser 3.
Referring to FIG. 2, the icemaker 10 includes an ice tray 11, a water supplying part 12, an ejector 14, and a motor 13. As shown in FIG. 2, the ice tray 11 has a semi-cylindrical form with an opened top, for storing water or ice therein. There are a plurality of ribs 11a on an inside surface to divide an inside space thereof into a plurality of spaces. As shown in FIG. 2, the ribs 11a are projected in a radial direction, and enable the ice tray 11 to produce a plurality of ice pieces.
In the meantime, the ejector 14 includes a shaft 14a, and a plurality of pins 14b. As shown in FIG. 2, the shaft 14a is arranged to cross a center of an upper part of the ice tray 11 in a longitudinal direction. As shown in FIG. 2, the pins 14b are formed on an outside circumferential surface of the shaft 14a substantially perpendicular to the shaft 14a. It is preferable that the pins 14b are formed at regular intervals along a length direction of the shaft 14a, more preferably, one for each of the spaces in the ice tray 11 divided with the ribs 11a.
As shown in FIG. 2, the motor 13 is mounted on one point of an outside circumferential surface of the ice tray 11, and is connected to a shaft 14a. According to this, when the shaft 14a rotates by the motor 13, the pins 14b rotate together with the shaft 14a. Then, the pin 14b pushes the ice pieces in the ice tray 11 out to drop the ice pieces below the icemaker 10.
Referring to FIG. 3, there are a plurality of strips 16 in a front part of the ice tray 11, i.e., in an upper part of a side opposite to a side the brackets 15 are arranged. The strips 16 are extended from the upper part of the front side of the ice tray 11 to a part close to the shaft 14a, respectively. There is a gap between adjacent strips 16, through which the pins 14b pass when the shaft 14a rotates.
In the meantime, the ice pieces in the ice tray 11 are pushed by the pins 14b, separated from the ice tray 11, and drop on the strips 16 after the ice pieces are separated from the ice tray 11, fully. The ice pieces 16 dropped on the strips 16 are dropped below the icemaker 10, and stored in the ice container 20 under the icemaker 10. According to this, top surfaces of the strips 16 are required to guide the ice pieces separated from the ice tray 11, to drop below the icemaker 10, well. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, in the present invention, it is preferable that the strips 16 are sloped such that parts near to the shaft 14a are higher than the front part of the ice tray 11.
A structure is also required for preventing the ice pieces separated from the ice tray 11 by the pins 14b from dropping to a rear side of the ice tray 11. For this, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, in the present invention, it is preferable that a rear side end of the ice tray 11 is higher than the shaft 14a, so that the ice pieces moved backward, and separated from the ice tray 11 by the ice tray 11 are guided to a front side of the ice tray 11, and drop on the strips 16, naturally.
In the meantime, referring to FIG. 4, there is a heater on an underside of the ice tray 11. The heater 17 heats a surface of the ice tray 11 for a short time period, and melts the ice pieces on a surface of the ice tray 11, slightly. According to this, the ice in the ice tray 11 can be separated easily when the shaft 14a and the pins 14b rotate.
Once the icemaker 10 and the ice container 20 are provided to the freezing chamber 2, a plurality of ice pieces produced from the icemaker 10 is stored in the ice container 20. According to this, without requiring separation of the ice pieces from the ice tray, the user may open the door 2a on the freezing chamber 2, and take out the ice pieces from the ice container 20, which is convenient to the user. However, in this case, it is still not convenient, since opening of the door 2a is required, and frequent opening of the door 2a causes waste of energy, still.
Therefore, though not shown in FIG. 1, an ice dispenser may be provided to the door 2a on the freezing chamber 2 of the refrigerator of the present invention. In this instance, the ice dispenser, provided separate from the water dispenser 3, supplies the ice pieces produced in the icemaker 10 and stored in the ice container 20 to the user.
To do this, as shown in FIG. 3, the discharge opening 21 may include a first discharge opening 21a and a second discharge opening 21b, and the shutter 41 is arranged to open the second discharge opening 21b selectively. As shown in FIG. 3, the first discharge opening 21a is formed under the crusher 30, and the second discharge opening 21b is formed under an end part of the transfer device 22 on a side of the crusher 30.
If the user desired to have crushed ice supplied thereto, the second discharge opening 21b is closed with the shutter 41. Then, the ice pieces in the ice container 20 is transferred to the crusher 30 by the transfer device 22, and the ice crushed at the crusher 30 is discharged through the opened first discharge opening 21a.
On the other hand, if the user desires the uncrushed ice, the shutter 41 opens the second discharge opening 21b. Then, the ice stored in the ice container is discharged through the second discharge opening 21b before the ice is transferred to the crusher 30. According to this, the user can have the uncrushed ice supplied thereto.
If the controller (not shown) determines that there is shortage of ice in the ice container 20 by the operation of the sensing arm 18, water is supplied to the water supplying part 12 in the ice container 10. The water supplied to the water supplying part 12 in turn fills the spaces between the ribs 11a of the ice tray 11, are frozen by the cold air in the freezing chamber 2. Accordingly, the ice tray 11 can produce the ice pieces of fixed sizes by the ribs 11a.
When the ice is formed as a preset time is passed, the heater 17 heats the ice tray 11 for a short while. According to this, the ice on the surface of the ice tray 11 melts slightly, and separated from the ice tray 11. Then, as the motor 13 is put into operation, the shaft 14a and the pins 14b rotate. Then, the pin 14b pushes out the ice between adjacent ribs 11a in a circumferential direction of the ice tray 11 until the ice, separated from the ice tray 11 fully by the pin 14b, drops onto the strip 16, therefrom, below the icemaker 10, and received at the ice container 20.
In the meantime, when the user operates a control panel on an outside surface of the door 2a, in a state the ice is stuffed in the ice container 20, the user can have the crushed, or uncrushed ice supplied thereto through the ice dispenser, which process will be described, hereafter.
When the user operates the control panel, to select a function for having the crushed ice supplied thereto, as described before, the shutter 41 closes the second discharge opening 21b a little, or opens the discharge opening 21, a little. Under this state, the motor 23 is rotated, to transfer large sized ice from the ice container 20 to the crusher 30. Then, the ice in the ice container 20 is transferred to the crusher 30, entirely. According to this, the ice crushed in the crusher 30 is discharged through the first discharge opening 21a. Thereafter, the discharged ice is supplied to the user through the ice dispenser.
On the other hand, if the user selects a function for having large sized uncrushed ice supplied thereto by operating the control panel, the shutter 41 opens the second discharge opening 21b, or the discharge opening 21, almost fully. Then, the ice transferred to the crusher 30 by the transfer device 22 is discharged through the discharge opening 21 before the ice reaches to the crusher 30, and supplied to the user through the ice dispenser.
The refrigerating chamber 52 and the freezing chamber 51 are provided with doors 52a and 51a, respectively. The door 52a on the refrigerating chamber 52 is provided with a case 61 and a dispenser 55, and the case 61 has an icemaker 10 and an ice container 20 provided therein. Of course, the ice container 20 may have the transfer device and the crusher described with reference to FIG. 3.
Referring to FIGS. 6˜9, the case 61 is provided with a door 52a. The case 61 is formed of a thermal insulating material, for preventing heat exchange between the refrigerating chamber 52 and the cavity 61.
The case 61 is provided, for an example, in an upper part of the door 52a, for arranging the dispenser 55 at a height convenient to use, i.e., at a height of waist or breast of an average people using the refrigerator. That is, this is because, if the case 61 is arranged at a high position, an appropriate height ‘H’ for arranging the dispenser 55 which is required to be arranged at a position lower than the case 61 can be secured. Meanwhile, the appropriate height ‘H’ may be set, not with reference to the height of waist or breast of the user, but with reference to other criteria.
Referring to FIGS. 6˜9, the dispenser 55 is provided to a door 52a on the refrigerating chamber 52. There is an ice chute 54 in the door 52a making the cavity 61 and the dispenser 55 in communication. According to this, the ice can be supplied from the ice container 20 to the user at the dispenser 55 via the ice chute 54.
Referring to FIG. 6, the first duct 70 includes a first part 71 and a second part 75. As shown in FIG. 6, the first part is provided to the door 52a, and has one end arranged at a lower end of the door 52a, and the other end in communication with the cavity 61.
In the meantime, in the foregoing first duct 70, the first part 71 is separated from the second part 75 when the door 52a is opened, and vice versa. Therefore, for preventing the cold air in the first duct 70 from leaking to an outside of the refrigerator when the door 52a is closed, there is a gasket 70a provided to a connection part of the first part 71 and the second part 75.
In the meantime, referring to FIG. 6, the case 60 has a hole 60a for making the refrigerating chamber 52 and the cavity 61 in communication. The hole 60a enables supply of the cold air supplied to the cavity 61 through the first duct 70 to the refrigerating chamber 52. Then, production of the ice as well as cooling of the refrigerating chamber 52 are made possible by using the cold air in the neighborhood of the evaporator 65.
It is preferable that the hole 60a is provided to a top of the case 60, because the cold air discharged into the refrigerating chamber 52 through the hole 60a has a temperature lower than the refrigerating chamber 52, and tends to go down. Therefore, if the hole 60a is formed in the top of the case 60, the cold air can be supplied to every part of the refrigerating chamber 52.
As shown in FIG. 6, in the case the hole 60a is formed to the case 60 thus, it is preferable that the hole 60a is provided with a damper 60b. The damper 60b closes/opens, or regulates opening of the hole 60a. Once the damper 60b is provided to the hole 60a, the cold air supplied to the cavity 61 can be supplied to the refrigerating chamber 52 only when a temperature of the refrigerating chamber 52 is outside of a preset temperature range.
The ice stored in the ice container 20 is supplied to the user through the dispenser 55 in an outside surface of the door 52a. Since the dispenser 55 is at the waist or breast height of the user, the user can have the ice supplied thereto without bending oneself forward.
In the meantime, if the temperature of the refrigerating chamber 52 is outside of the preset temperature range, the damper 60b on the hole 60a of the case 60 is opened. Therefore, the cold air is supplied from the cavity 61 to the refrigerating chamber 52, to cool down the refrigerating chamber 52 again, to maintain the preset temperature range.
In the meantime, when the door 52a is opened thus, the first part 71 of the first duct 70 is separated from the second part 75. Therefore, for preventing the cold air from leaking to the outside of the refrigerator, the first fan 66 and the second fan 68 stop when the door 52a is opened.
For an example, the refrigerator in accordance with a second preferred embodiment of the present invention includes all other parts described in the first embodiment, such as the first and second fans 66, and 68, and the damper 60b, and the like. As the refrigerator in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the present invention is described with reference to FIG. 6, the characteristics of the second embodiment distinctive from the first embodiment, i.e., only the second duct 80 will be described.
When the temperature of the refrigerating chamber 52 reaches to a present temperature range, both of the dampers 60b and 67 are closed. Then, the cold air is supplied from the neighborhood of the evaporator 65 only to the cavity 61. The cold air supplied to the cavity 61 maintains the cavity 61 to be at a subzero temperature, such that, not only the icemaker 10 can produce ice, but also the ice stored in the ice container 20 can be conserved for a long time period.
Next, if the temperature of the refrigerating chamber 52 rises to a temperature outside of the preset temperature range, at least one of the dampers 60b and 67 are opened. If both of the dampers 60b and 67 are opened, enabling much of the cold air to flow in the front part and the rear part of the refrigerating chamber 52 uniformly, every part of the refrigerating chamber 52 can be cooled down within a short time period, uniformly.
In the meantime, the refrigerator in accordance with the third preferred embodiment of the present invention may include all other parts described in the first preferred embodiment, such as the first and second fans 66 and 68, and the damper 60b. As the refrigerator in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described with reference to FIG. 6, characteristics of the third preferred embodiment of the present invention, distinctive from he first embodiment, i.e., the third duct 90 will only be described.
Referring to FIG. 8, the third duct 90 has one end in communication with the freezing chamber 51, and the other end in communication with the cavity 61. The third duct 90 is provided to the case 60, or the door 52a, and passes through the mullion wall 64. The third duct 90 provided thus supplies the cold air from the cavity 61 to the freezing chamber 51. Therefore, since the cold air formed in the neighborhood of the evaporator 65 cools down the freezing chamber 51 again, after cooling down the cavity 61, an energy efficiency can be enhanced.
In the meantime, referring to FIG. 8, the third duct 90 includes a third part 91 and a fourth part 95. The third part 91 has one end provided at a lower end of the door 52a, and the other end in communication with the cavity 61. The fourth part 95 passes through the mullion wall 64, and has one end provided on an upper surface of the mullion wall 64, and the other end in communication with the freezing chamber 51.
In the third duct 90, the third part 91 is separated from the fourth part 95 when the door 52a is opened, vice versa. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8, for preventing the cold air from leaking to an outside of the refrigerator when the door 52a is closed, a gasket 90a is provided to a connection part of the third part 91 and the fourth part 75.
Since the refrigerator in accordance with a third preferred embodiment of the present invention supplies the cold air to the cavity 61 through the first duct 70, the icemaker 10 can produce the ice by using the cold air supplied to the cavity 61, and the ice container 20 can store the ice. Since the cold air, supplied to the cavity 61, is supplied to the refrigerating chamber 51 through the third duct 90, an energy efficiency can be enhanced. In the meantime, if the refrigerating chamber 52 temperature rises to a temperature outside of the present temperature range, the damper 60b is opened. Therefore, the cold air supplied to the cavity 61 is supplied to the refrigerating chamber 52.
The third duct 70 includes a first part 71 provided to the door 52a, and a second part 75 provided to the sidewall of the cabinet 50. The first part 71 is in communication with the cavity 61, and the second part 75 makes the freezing chamber 51 and the first part 71 in communication. The first part 71 and the second part 75 are connected to each other when the door 52a is closed, and there is a gasket 70a at a connection part of the first part 71 and the second part 75 for prevention of the cold air from leaking.
The third duct 90 includes a third part 91 provided to the door 52a and a fourth part 95 provided to the sidewall of the cabinet 50. The third part 91 is in communication with the cavity 61, and the fourth part 95 makes the freezing chamber 51 and the third part 91 in communication. The third part 91 and the fourth part 95 are connected to each other when the door 52a is closed, and there is a gasket 90a at a connection part of the third part 91 and the fourth part 95.
3. The refrigerator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first duct includes;
a first part in the door in communication with the cavity, and
5. The refrigerator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first duct includes;
7. The refrigerator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first duct includes;
a first part provided to the door in communication with the cavity, and
9. The refrigerator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the case further includes a damper on the hole.
10. The refrigerator as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a second duct having one end arranged adjacent to the evaporator, and the other end arranged in the refrigerating chamber, for supplying the cold air to the refrigerating chamber.
14. The refrigerator as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a third duct having one end in communication with the cavity, and the other end in communication with the freezing chamber, for supplying the cold air from the cavity to the freezing chamber.
15. The refrigerator as claimed in claim 14, wherein the third duct includes;
a third part provided to the door so as to be in communication with the cavity, and
a fourth part in communication with the freezing chamber passed through the mullion wall, and fitted so as to be in communication with the third part when the door is closed.
16. The refrigerator as claimed in claim 15, wherein the third duct further includes a gasket provided to a part where the third part and the fourth part are connected when the door is closed.
17. The refrigerator as claimed in claim 14, wherein the third duct includes;
a fourth part provided to the sidewall of the cabinet, and fitted so as to be in communication with the third part when the door is closed.
Publication number: 20050061016
Patent Grant number: 7076967
Inventors: Myung Lee (Sungnam-si), Seong Kim (Ansan-si), Chang Seo (Seoul), Sung Chung (Seoul)
Application Number: 10/769,814
Current U.S. Class: 62/340.000; 62/407.000; 62/419.000