Patent ID: 7673469

Claim:
A refrigerator, comprising: a main body; an ice dispenser mounted on the main body and having an ice duct for dispensing ice; a duct cap that moves between an open position and a closed position to open and close the ice duct; and a delay unit that delays movement of the duct cap between the open and closed positions for a predetermined period of time, wherein the delay unit comprises: a hollow, elongated body having screw threads on an inner surface; a shaft mounted within the hollow body, wherein the shaft is operably coupled to the duct cap such that the shaft moves into and out of the hollow body as the duct cap moves between the open and closed positions; and folding catch members mounted on the shaft, wherein the folding catch members move between a folded position where they are folded back against the shaft and a deployed position where they extend out from the shaft.