Patent ID: 8161767

Claim:
An ice making apparatus of a refrigerator, comprising: a plurality of ice trays, each ice tray having an open top configured to receive drinking water for ice-making, the ice trays including a first ice tray and a second ice tray laterally spaced from the first ice tray; a drive gear transferring a rotational force to the plurality of ice trays; a plurality of driven gears coupled to one side of the plurality of ice trays, respectively, and receiving the rotational force from the drive gear; a switching gear having gear teeth and provided between the drive gear and the plurality of driven gears, the switching gear adapted to switch rotation of the driven gears such that one of the driven gears is rotated counter to the direction of another one of the driven gears; and a container in which ice cubes separated from the ice trays are stored, wherein the open tops of the first ice tray and the second ice tray are rotated to face each other during an ice-separating operation.