Patent ID: 7841198

Claim:
An ice maker comprising: a refrigeration system for cooling an ice forming surface below a freezing temperature of water, a water supply inlet, a water supply inlet valve arranged to admit water from the water supply inlet when in an open position and to prevent admission of water from the water supply inlet when in a closed position, a flow sensor associated with the water supply inlet valve to determine a volume of water admitted through the water supply inlet, a control arranged to control a position of the water supply inlet valve based upon input from the flow sensor, a user interface associated with the control to permit a user to select different volumes of water to be admitted to a water collecting device through the inlet valve as sensed by the flow sensor, the water collecting device connected to receive a supply of water from the water supply inlet directly through the water supply inlet valve and without the water first contacting the ice forming surface and arranged to separately receive a flow of water from the ice forming surface, a level sensor associated with the water collecting device to determine a level of water in the water collecting device, a recirculating pump having an inlet connected to the water collecting device and an outlet, a recirculating passage connected at a first end to the outlet of the recirculating pump and arranged to direct water toward the ice forming surface, the control being arranged to initiate an ice harvesting routine based on input from the level sensor indicating that a level of water in the water collecting device has been reduced to a predetermined level, a drain outlet formed in the water collecting device, a drain flow control device communicating with the drain outlet and operated by the control to selectively discharge water from the water collecting device through the drain flow control device, and a drain conduit leading away from the drain flow control device.