Patent ID: 7520138

Claim:
A refrigerator comprising: a refrigerator body; a refrigerating compartment and a freezing compartment being configured to maintain operating temperatures that differ, with the freezing compartment having an operating temperature that is lower than an operating temperature of the refrigerating compartment; a refrigerator door configured to open and close at least a portion of the refrigerating compartment; an ice compartment defined, by one or more insulating walls, as an independent structure within the refrigerating compartment such that, when the refrigerator door is oriented in an open position, the ice compartment remains in the refrigerating compartment and is closed by the one or more insulating walls; an ice storage bin located within the ice compartment; and an ice discharge duct configured to define a passage though at least one of the one or more insulating walls, wherein the ice discharge duct is configured to define the passage though a front surface of the insulating walls, which is configured to cover a surface of the ice compartment that is otherwise exposed as a consequence of the refrigerator door being oriented in the open position.