U.S. patent application number 12/222727 was filed with the patent office on 2009-07-16 for ice making unit and refrigerator having the same.
This patent application is currently assigned to SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.. Invention is credited to Eui Young Chang, Young Jin Cho, Bu Kil Jeong, Hyo Sik Kang, Jae Seung Lee, Seak Haeng Park.
Application Number | 20090178428 12/222727 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 40513408 |
Filed Date | 2009-07-16 |
United States Patent
Application |
20090178428 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Cho; Young Jin ; et
al. |
July 16, 2009 |
Ice making unit and refrigerator having the same
Abstract
An ice making unit taking the form of a kit separably installed
in a freezing compartment of a refrigerator. The ice making unit
includes a water supply tank to supply water, an ice making case
defining an external appearance of the ice making unit, the ice
making case being formed, at an upper portion of a front surface
thereof, with a water supply tank installation hole to allow the
water supply tank to be slidably installed therethrough, at least
one ice making tray installed in the ice making case to receive the
water supplied from the water supply tank, and an ice separating
device to separate ice from the ice making tray, and the water
supply tank is coupled to or separated from the ice making case via
forward and rearward sliding movement thereof. Supply of water into
the ice making unit can be accomplished via simple coupling or
separation of the water supply tank, resulting in convenient use of
the ice making unit.
Inventors: |
Cho; Young Jin; (Gwangju,
KR) ; Park; Seak Haeng; (Gwangju, KR) ; Lee;
Jae Seung; (Gwangju, KR) ; Chang; Eui Young;
(Suwon-si, KR) ; Kang; Hyo Sik; (Gwangju, KR)
; Jeong; Bu Kil; (Gwangju, KR) |
Correspondence
Address: |
STAAS & HALSEY LLP
SUITE 700, 1201 NEW YORK AVENUE, N.W.
WASHINGTON
DC
20005
US
|
Assignee: |
SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO.,
LTD.
Suwon-si
KR
|
Family ID: |
40513408 |
Appl. No.: |
12/222727 |
Filed: |
August 14, 2008 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
62/344 ; 62/345;
62/459 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F25C 5/185 20130101;
F25D 2325/021 20130101; F25C 1/25 20180101; F25C 2400/10 20130101;
F25C 2400/06 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
62/344 ; 62/345;
62/459 |
International
Class: |
F25C 5/18 20060101
F25C005/18; F25C 5/02 20060101 F25C005/02 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jan 16, 2008 |
KR |
10-2008-4970 |
Claims
1. An ice making unit, which takes the form of a kit separably
installed in a freezing compartment, the ice making unit
comprising: a water supply tank to supply water; an ice making case
defining an external appearance of the ice making unit, the ice
making case being formed, at an upper portion of a front surface
thereof, with a water supply tank installation hole to allow the
water supply tank to be slidably installed therethrough; at least
one ice making tray installed in the ice making case to receive the
water supplied from the water supply tank; and an ice separating
device to separate ice from the at least one ice making tray,
wherein the water supply tank is coupled to or separated from the
ice making case via forward and rearward sliding movement
thereof.
2. The ice making unit according to claim 1, wherein the ice making
case is formed, at one side thereof, with a first opening to
observe ice making in the at least one ice making tray.
3. The ice making unit according to claim 2, wherein a transparent
window is rotatably installed, at an upper end thereof, to an upper
side of the first opening, to open or close the first opening.
4. The ice making unit according to claim 1, wherein the at least
one ice making tray includes an upper ice making tray and a lower
ice making tray arranged up and down in parallel within the ice
making case.
5. The ice making unit according to claim 4, further comprising a
guide tray, which is provided between the water supply tank and the
upper ice making tray, to distribute and supply the water
discharged from the water supply tank into the upper ice making
tray and the lower ice making tray.
6. The ice making unit according to claim 5, wherein the interior
of the guide tray is divided into two parts to distribute and
supply the water into the upper ice making tray and the lower ice
making tray, and includes a water supply hole to guide the water
into the upper ice making tray and a water supply tube to guide the
water into the lower ice making tray.
7. The ice making unit according to claim 4, wherein the ice
separating device includes a lever to be rotated about one end
thereof upon receiving an external force, a driving gear to be
rotated by the lever, and a pair of driven gears to be rotated by
the driving gear so as to rotate the upper ice making tray and
lower ice making tray, respectively.
8. The ice making unit according to claim 1, wherein an ice storage
vessel is provided in a lower region of the ice making case, to
receive the ice separated from the ice making tray, and wherein the
ice making case is formed, at a lower portion of the front surface
thereof, with a second opening, to allow the ice storage vessel to
be slidably installed therethrough.
9. A refrigerator comprising: a body having a freezing compartment;
a door to open or close the freezing compartment; and an ice making
unit taking the form of a kit separably installed to any one of the
freezing compartment and the door, wherein the ice making unit
comprises: a water supply tank to supply water; an ice making case
defining an external appearance of the ice making unit, the ice
making case being formed, at an upper portion of a front surface
thereof, with a water supply tank installation hole to allow the
water supply tank to be slidably installed therethrough; at least
one ice making tray installed in the ice making case to receive the
water supplied from the water supply tank; and an ice separating
device to separate ice from the at least one ice making tray, and
wherein the water supply tank is coupled to or separated from the
ice making case via forward and rearward sliding movement
thereof.
10. The refrigerator according to claim 9, wherein the ice making
case is formed, at one side thereof, with a first opening to
observe ice making in the at least one ice making tray.
11. The refrigerator according to claim 10, wherein a transparent
window is rotatably installed, at an upper end thereof, to an upper
side of the first opening, to open or close the first opening.
12. The refrigerator according to claim 9, wherein the at least one
ice making tray includes an upper ice making tray and a lower ice
making tray arranged up and down in parallel within the ice making
case.
13. The refrigerator according to claim 12, further comprising a
guide tray, which is provided between the water supply tank and the
upper ice making tray, to distribute and supply the water
discharged from the water supply tank into the upper ice making
tray and the lower ice making tray.
14. The refrigerator according to claim 13, wherein the interior of
the guide tray is divided into two parts to distribute and supply
the water into the upper ice making tray and the lower ice making
tray, and includes a water supply hole to guide the water into the
upper ice making tray and a water supply tube to guide the water
into the lower ice making tray.
15. The refrigerator according to claim 12, wherein the ice
separating device includes a lever to be rotated about one end
thereof upon receiving an external force, a driving gear to be
rotated by the lever, and a pair of driven gears to be rotated by
the driving gear so as to rotate the upper ice making tray and
lower ice making tray, respectively.
16. The refrigerator according to claim 9, wherein an ice storage
vessel is provided in a lower region of the ice making case, to
receive the ice separated from the ice making tray, and wherein the
ice making case is formed, at a lower portion of the front surface
thereof, with a second opening, to allow the ice storage vessel to
be slidably installed therethrough.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the priority benefit of Korean
Patent Application No. 2008-0004970, filed on Jan. 16, 2008 in the
Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is
incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND
[0002] 1. Field
[0003] The present invention relates to an ice making unit and a
refrigerator having the same, and, more particularly, to an ice
making unit separably installed in a freezing compartment and a
refrigerator having the same.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] In general, a refrigerator is an apparatus incorporating a
refrigeration cycle, to refrigerate or freeze articles stored
therein using cold air generated from components of the
refrigeration cycle. Some refrigerators have an ice making unit
installed in a freezing compartment.
[0006] Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 10-2003-0060633
discloses an ice making unit and a refrigerator having the same.
The disclosed conventional refrigerator includes a body having a
freezing compartment therein, an ice making tray, an ice receptacle
disposed below the ice making tray to receive ice, and a
vessel-shaped ice maker body installed to be pulled out and pushed
into the freezing compartment, in which the ice making tray and the
ice receptacle are separably installed.
[0007] In this case, a plurality of water receiving members is
rotatably installed in the ice making tray. Also, a plurality of
grips are installed at a front surface of the ice making tray, to
rotate the plurality of water receiving members, so as to separate
ice made in the respective water receiving members. When any one of
the plurality of grips is rotated, the ice made in the
corresponding water receiving member can be separated.
[0008] However, the above-described conventional ice making unit
and refrigerator having the same have a problem of inconvenient
supply of water for use in ice making because the ice making tray
must be separated from the ice maker body in order to fill water in
the water receiving members of the ice making tray.
[0009] Another problem of the above-described conventional ice
making unit and refrigerator having the same is that it is
necessary to fill water in the plurality of water receiving members
one by one, and this further complicates supply of water for use in
ice making.
[0010] In addition, in the above-described conventional ice making
unit and refrigerator having the same, every grip used to rotate
each of the plurality of water receiving members must be rotated to
separate ice made in the plurality of water receiving members,
resulting in inconvenient separation of ice made in the water
receiving members.
SUMMARY
[0011] In an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an
ice making unit to achieve more easy supply of water for use in ice
making, and a refrigerator having the same.
[0012] In an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an
ice making unit to achieve more easy supply of water into a
plurality of ice making trays, and a refrigerator having the
same.
[0013] In an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an
ice making tray to achieve more convenient separation of ice made
in a plurality of ice making trays, and a refrigerator having the
same.
[0014] In accordance with an aspect of the invention, there is
provided an ice making unit, which takes the form of a kit
separably installed in a freezing compartment, wherein the ice
making unit includes a water supply tank to supply water; an ice
making case defining an external appearance of the ice making unit,
the ice making case being formed, at an upper portion of a front
surface thereof, with a water supply tank installation hole to
allow the water supply tank to be slidably installed therethrough;
at least one ice making tray installed in the ice making case to
receive the water supplied from the water supply tank; and an ice
separating device to separate ice from the at least one ice making
tray, and the water supply tank is coupled to or separated from the
ice making case via forward and rearward sliding movement
thereof.
[0015] The ice making case may be formed, at one side thereof, with
a first opening to observe ice making in the at least one ice
making tray, and the at least one ice making tray may include a
plurality of ice making trays.
[0016] A transparent window may be rotatably installed, at an upper
end thereof, to an upper side of the first opening, to open or
close the first opening.
[0017] The at least one ice making tray may include an upper ice
making tray and a lower ice making tray arranged up and down in
parallel within the ice making case.
[0018] A guide tray may be provided between the water supply tank
and the upper ice making tray, to distribute and supply the water
discharged from the water supply tank into the upper ice making
tray and the lower ice making tray.
[0019] The interior of the guide tray may be divided into two parts
to distribute and supply the water into an upper ice making tray
and a lower ice making tray, and may include a water supply hole to
guide the water into the upper ice making tray and a water supply
tube to guide the water into the lower ice making tray.
[0020] The ice separating device may include a lever to be rotated
about one end thereof upon receiving an external force, a driving
gear to be rotated by the lever, and a pair of driven gears to be
rotated by the driving gear so as to rotate the upper ice making
tray and lower ice making tray, respectively.
[0021] An ice storage vessel may be provided in a lower region of
the ice making case, to receive the ice separated from the ice
making tray, and the ice making case may be formed, at a lower
portion of the front surface thereof, with a second opening, to
allow the ice storage vessel to be slidably installed
therethrough.
[0022] In accordance with another aspect of the present invention,
there is provided a refrigerator including a body having a freezing
compartment, a door to open or close the freezing compartment, and
an ice making unit taking the form of a kit separably installed to
any one of the freezing compartment and the door, wherein the ice
making unit includes a water supply tank to supply water; an ice
making case defining an external appearance of the ice making unit,
the ice making case being formed, at an upper portion of a front
surface thereof, with a water supply tank installation hole to
allow the water supply tank to be slidably installed therethrough;
at least one ice making tray installed in the ice making case to
receive the water supplied from the water supply tank; and an ice
separating device to separate ice from the at least one ice making
tray, and the water supply tank being coupled to or separated from
the ice making case via forward and rearward sliding movement
thereof.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0023] These and/or other aspects, features, and advantages of
exemplary embodiments of the invention will become apparent and
more readily appreciated from the following description of
exemplary embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying
drawings, of which:
[0024] FIG. 1 is a side sectional view illustrating a refrigerator
in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present
invention;
[0025] FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating an ice making unit
of the refrigerator in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of
the present invention;
[0026] FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the ice making
unit of the refrigerator in accordance with an exemplary embodiment
of the present invention; and
[0027] FIGS. 4 and 5 are perspective views illustrating operation
of the ice making unit of the refrigerator in accordance with an
exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
[0028] Reference will now be made in detail to exemplary
embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are
illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference
numerals refer to like elements throughout. Exemplary embodiments
are described below to explain the present invention by referring
to the figures.
[0029] Referring to FIG. 1 illustrating a refrigerator in
accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention,
the refrigerator includes a body 10 defining an external appearance
of the refrigerator and having an open front surface, the body 10
being formed therein with a freezing compartment 11 to freeze
articles stored therein, and a door 20 hingedly coupled at one side
of the body 10 to open or close the freezing compartment 11.
[0030] A compressor 12 to compress a refrigerant is installed in a
rear lower region of the body 10. An evaporator 13 to generate cold
air and a blowing fan 14 to generate suction and blowing force for
circulation of the cold air generated from the evaporator 13 within
the freezing compartment 11 are installed at the rear side of the
freezing compartment 11. The freezing compartment 11 incorporates a
plurality of shelves 15 to divide the interior of the freezing
compartment 11 for efficient storage of various articles. The door
20 is provided at an inner surface thereof with a plurality of door
shelves 21 to store beverage cans or containers, etc.
[0031] A refrigerator in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of
the present invention includes an ice making unit 30 installed in
the freezing compartment 11 to make ice. The ice making unit 30,
used in the refrigerator in accordance with an exemplary embodiment
of the present invention, is an independent kit, and the ice making
unit 30 is separably installed in the freezing compartment 11 of
the refrigerator. Specifically, the ice making unit 30 is put on a
shelf in the freezing compartment 11, and thus, as shown in FIG. 1,
a vertical position of the ice making unit 30 can be freely changed
if necessary.
[0032] The ice making unit 30, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, includes
an ice making case 300 defining an external appearance of the ice
making unit 30, a plurality of ice making trays 310U and 310L
disposed in the ice making case 300 to make ice therein, a water
supply tank 320 disposed above the plurality of ice making trays
310U and 310L to receive water to be supplied into the plurality of
ice making trays 310U and 310L, a guide tray 330 to distribute the
water from the water supply tank 320 so as to guide the water into
the plurality of ice making trays 310U and 310L, an ice separating
device 340 to separate ice, made in the ice making trays 310U and
310L, from the ice making trays 310U and 310L, and an ice storage
vessel 350 disposed below the ice making trays 310U and 310L to
receive the ice separated from the plurality of ice making trays
310U and 310L. By allowing the water supply tank 320 to be
separably installed to the ice making case 300 of the ice making
unit 30, supply of water for use in ice making can be carried out
by simply coupling the water supply tank 320 into the ice making
case 30.
[0033] The ice making case 300 is installed at a front surface
thereof with the ice separating device 340. The ice making case 300
includes a case body 301 in which the plurality of ice making trays
310U and 310L are arranged, a front cover 302 to cover a front
surface of the case body 301, and a top cover 303 to define an
upper surface of the case body 301. The case body 301 of the ice
making case 300 is formed with a first opening 301a to allow a user
to observe ice making in the ice making trays 310U and 310L. The
first opening 301a is provided with a transparent window 304. The
transparent window 304 is rotatably connected, at an upper end
thereof, at the upper side of the first opening 301a, to open or
close the first opening 301a via pivotal rotation thereof. In the
present exemplary embodiment, the upper end of the transparent
window 304 is rotatably coupled to one side of the top cover 303
that defines the upper surface of the ice making case 300.
Accordingly, even in a state wherein the transparent window 304
closes the first opening 301a, it is possible to observe ice making
in the plurality of ice making trays 310U and 310L from the outside
through the transparent window 304.
[0034] The front cover 302 of the ice making tray 300 is formed, at
one side of an upper portion thereof, with a water supply tank
installation hole 302a, to allow the water supply tank 320 to slide
forward and rearward therethrough, thereby being pulled out and
pushed into the ice making case 300, or being completely separated
from the ice making case 300. The case body 301 is formed, at a
lower portion of a front surface thereof, with a second opening
301b to allow the ice storage vessel 350 to slide forward and
rearward therethrough, thereby being pulled out and pushed into the
ice making case 300.
[0035] The top cover 303 of the ice making case 300 is formed with
a plurality of through-holes 303a, to introduce cold air in the
freezing compartment 11 into the case body 301.
[0036] In the present exemplary embodiment, a pair of ice making
trays 310U and 310L is arranged up and down in parallel. For
convenience of description, one of the ice making trays 310U
disposed above is referred to as an upper ice making tray 310U, and
the other one disposed below is referred to as a lower ice making
tray 310L.
[0037] The pair of ice making trays 310U and 310L is rotatably
installed up and down in parallel, and each is formed, at an upper
surface thereof, with a plurality of ice making recesses 311 having
an arched cross section.
[0038] The guide tray 330 is installed at an upper portion of a
rear surface of the case body 301 of the ice making case 300. The
guide tray 330 is divided into two parts, namely, a first water
supply guide portion 330a and a second water supply guide portion
330b, to distribute and guide the water discharged from the water
supply tank 320 into the upper ice making tray 310U and the lower
ice making tray 310L. The first water supply guide portion 330a of
the guide tray 330 is located immediately above the upper ice
making tray 310U, and the second water supply guide portion 330b is
located beside and above the upper ice making tray 310U. The first
water supply guide portion 330a is formed with a water supply hole
331 to supply the water from the first water supply guide portion
330a into the upper ice making tray 310U. The second water supply
guide portion 330b is formed with a water supply tube 332 to supply
the water from the second water supply guide portion 330b into the
lower ice making tray 310L. For this, the water supply tube 332
extends obliquely downward.
[0039] Accordingly, a part of the water discharged from the water
supply tank 320 into the guide tray 330 is delivered to the upper
ice making tray 310U through the water supply hole 331 formed at
the first water supply guide portion 330a, and the remaining water
is delivered to the lower ice making tray 310L through the water
supply tube 332 formed at the second water supply guide portion
330b. As the water in the water supply tank 320 is distributed into
the pair of ice making trays 310U and 310L through the guide tray
330, supply of water into the pair of ice making trays 310U and
310L can be accomplished in a very simple manner.
[0040] The ice separating device 340 is a device to rotate the ice
making trays 310U and 310L so as to separate the ice made in the
ice making trays 310U and 310L. In the present exemplary
embodiment, the ice separating device 340 simultaneously rotates
the pair of ice making trays 310U and 310L, thereby simultaneously
separating the ice from the pair of ice making trays 310U and
310L.
[0041] The ice separating device 340 includes a lever 341 to be
rotated about one end thereof upon receiving an external force, a
driving gear 342 to be rotated by the lever 341, and a pair of
driven gears 343 to be rotated upon receiving rotating force of the
driving gear 342 so as to rotate the pair of ice making trays 310U
and 310L, respectively. In this case, the driving gear 342 and the
pair of driven gears 343 are installed at the front surface of the
case body 301. A gear cover 306 is provided between the case body
301 and the front cover 302, to cover the driving gear 342 and the
pair of driven gears 343. The gear cover 306 is centrally formed
with a lever installation hole 306a, to allow one end of the lever
341 to be coupled to the driving gear 342. Also, a lever guide slot
302b extends lengthwise vertically in one side of the front cover
302, to guide vertical movement of the lever 341.
[0042] One end of the lever 341 is coupled to the center of the
driving gear 342. Accordingly, as the lever 341 is rotated about
one end thereof, the driving gear 342 is rotated together with the
lever 341. The pair of driven gears 343 are arranged at upper and
lower positions of the front surface of the ice making case 300 and
are engaged with the driving gear 342. As the driven gears 343 are
rotated according to rotation of the driving gear 342, they rotate
the pair of ice making trays 310U and 310L, respectively. In this
case, the driving gear 342 is elastically supported in a
circumferential direction thereof by a torsion spring (not shown),
such that it is rotated in a direction upon receiving an external
force applied to the lever 341, and then, is returned to an
original position thereof.
[0043] As shown in FIG. 4, if the user forces the lever 341 to
rotate about one end thereof in a state wherein the ice making
recesses 311 face upward, the driving gear 342 is rotated in a
direction together with the lever 341, and simultaneously, the pair
of driven gears 343 and the pair of ice making trays 310U and 310L
connected to the respective driven gears 343 are rotated as shown
in FIG. 5, causing the ice made in the pair of ice making trays
310U and 310L to be separated on the whole. Accordingly, with
operation of the single lever 341, all the ice made in the pair of
ice making trays 310U and 310L can be separated, resulting in
convenient use of the ice making unit 30.
[0044] After the manual external force applied to the lever 341 is
released, the driving gear 342 is rotated in an opposite direction
by an elastic restoration force of the torsion spring, causing the
lever 341, the driven gears 343, and the pair of ice making trays
310U and 310L to be returned to their original positions as shown
in FIG. 4.
[0045] Although a few exemplary embodiments of the present
invention have been shown and described, it would be appreciated by
those skilled in the art that changes may be made in these
exemplary embodiments without departing from the principles and
spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined in the
claims and their equivalents.
* * * * *