Patent ID: 8365548

Claim:
An ice making apparatus for a refrigerator, comprising: an ice maker configured to make ice; a dispenser configured to dispense ice; an ice bank that is configured to store ice made by the ice maker and that has an opening that enables passage of ice from within the ice bank to the dispenser; an ejector that is configured to open and close the opening and that is configured to rotate to promote movement of ice from within the ice bank toward the opening, the ejector being disposed within the ice bank; a sensor that is configured to sense a position of the ejector relative to the opening of the ice bank; and a controller that is configured to, in response to completion of an ice dispensing operation: stop rotation of the ejector; determine whether the ejector closes the opening of the ice bank based on output from the sensor; in response to a determination that the ejector does not close the opening of the ice bank, control the ejector to rotate to a position in which the ejector closes the opening of the ice bank; and in response to a determination that the ejector closes the opening of the ice bank, control the ejector to maintain its position which closes the opening of the ice bank.