Patent ID: 8240519

Claim:
An ice dispenser comprising: a supply container defining a volume in which pieces of ice are retained; a shaft extending into the volume defined by the supply container; a stirrer rotatable about the shaft which extends through the supply container, the stirrer being connectable to a rotation drive device that rotates the stirrer; an output chamber communicated with the supply container, the output chamber having an outlet opening via which the ice in the output container can exit from the output chamber; a slider rotatable in the output chamber, a rotation of the slider in a predetermined manner operating to bring the slider into moving engagement with the ice located in the output chamber; and a coupling selectively disposable between an active coupling disposition in which the coupling operatively interconnects the stirrer and the slider to one another such that the slider rotates in correspondence with a rotation of the stirrer and a decoupling disposition in which the coupling does not operatively interconnect the stirrer and the slider to one another for corresponding rotation of the slider in correspondence with a rotation of the stirrer.