U.S. patent application number 12/518182 was filed with the patent office on 2010-01-21 for refrigerator and ice reservoir container for it.
This patent application is currently assigned to BSH BOSCH UND SIEMENS HAUSGERATE GMBH. Invention is credited to Martin Buchstab, Irene Dumkow, Adolf Feinauer, Klaus Flinner, Bernd Heger, Helen Lewis, Peter Nalbach, Craig Duncan Webster, Nathan Wrench, Kasim Yazan.
Application Number | 20100011797 12/518182 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 39166906 |
Filed Date | 2010-01-21 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100011797 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Buchstab; Martin ; et
al. |
January 21, 2010 |
REFRIGERATOR AND ICE RESERVOIR CONTAINER FOR IT
Abstract
An ice reservoir container for a refrigerator is provided and
includes a reservoir chamber which has a base that slopes along a
first vertical section plane towards an outlet opening. The
gradient of the base decreases along the section plane as the
distance from the outlet opening increases.
Inventors: |
Buchstab; Martin;
(Bopfingen, DE) ; Dumkow; Irene; (Sontheim,
DE) ; Feinauer; Adolf; (Giengen, DE) ;
Flinner; Klaus; (Zoschingen, DE) ; Heger; Bernd;
(Haunsheim, DE) ; Lewis; Helen; (Worcestershire,
GB) ; Nalbach; Peter; (Kirchheim/Nabern, DE) ;
Webster; Craig Duncan; (Cambridgeshire, GB) ; Wrench;
Nathan; (Cambridge Cambridgeshire, GB) ; Yazan;
Kasim; (Ulm, DE) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BSH HOME APPLIANCES CORPORATION;INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY DEPARTMENT
100 BOSCH BOULEVARD
NEW BERN
NC
28562
US
|
Assignee: |
BSH BOSCH UND SIEMENS HAUSGERATE
GMBH
Munich
DE
|
Family ID: |
39166906 |
Appl. No.: |
12/518182 |
Filed: |
December 10, 2007 |
PCT Filed: |
December 10, 2007 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/EP2007/063609 |
371 Date: |
June 8, 2009 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
62/344 ;
62/459 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F25C 5/182 20130101;
F25C 5/22 20180101 |
Class at
Publication: |
62/344 ;
62/459 |
International
Class: |
F25C 5/18 20060101
F25C005/18; F25D 3/02 20060101 F25D003/02 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Dec 22, 2006 |
DE |
10 2006 061 093.8 |
Claims
1-7. (canceled)
8. An ice reservoir container for a refrigerator, the ice reservoir
comprising: an outlet opening; and a reservoir chamber having a
base sloping downwardly along a first vertical sectional plane to
the outlet opening, the gradient of the slope of the base along the
sectional plane reducing as the distance from the outlet opening
increases.
9. The ice reservoir container as claimed in claim 8, wherein the
gradient reduces continuously along the first sectional plane.
10. The ice reservoir container as claimed in claim 8, wherein the
gradient reduces in stages along the first sectional plane.
11. The ice reservoir container as claimed in claim 8 and further
comprising an agitator capable of being rotated around an axis in
the sectional plane.
12. The ice reservoir container as claimed in claim 11, wherein the
agitator includes pushers projecting radially from the axis, with
the length of the pushers in the radial direction decreasing as the
distance from the outlet opening increases.
13. The ice reservoir container as claimed in claim 11, wherein the
agitator is a rod with a shape curved in one plane.
14. A refrigerator comprising: a housing; and an ice reservoir
container having an outlet opening and a reservoir chamber having a
base sloping downwardly along a first vertical sectional plane to
the outlet opening, the gradient of the slope of the base along the
sectional plane reducing as the distance from the outlet opening
increases.
Description
[0001] The present invention relates to a refrigerator, especially
a household refrigerator or fridge-freezer combination, with an ice
dispenser, as well as to an ice container reservoir for such an ice
dispenser.
[0002] An ice dispenser for a refrigerator is known from U.S. Pat.
No. 5,273,219 which is divided into a storage bin and a crusher,
with a lifting and metering drum being arranged between the storage
bin and the crusher which, by its rotation, is intended to
transport ice cubes in a controlled manner out of the storage bin
into the crusher. The storage bin has a floor sloping down towards
the lifting and metering drum, so that the ice cubes tend to
collect at the end of the storage bin adjacent to the lifting and
metering drum. Such an tendency is desirable when the quantity of
ice cubes in the storage bin is small in order to ensure that ice
cubes can always be caught and transported away by the drum. If
however the fill level of the storage bin is high, the inclination
of the floor increases the pressure of the ice cubes against the
lifting and metering drum, which leads to ice cubes in the vicinity
of the lifting and metering drum having an increased tendency to
wedge against each other and freeze solid. Although the ice cubes
can be broken loose again by an agitator fitted in the storage bin,
over the long term this leads to the ice cubes in the storage bin
fragmenting and possibly freezing together into irregularly formed
chunks.
[0003] The object of the present invention is to create a storage
reservoir in which ice cubes can be stored intact over a long
period and out of which they can be transported at any time without
difficulty.
[0004] The object is achieved by, in an ice reservoir container
with a reservoir chamber which features a floor sloping down along
a first vertical sectional plane to an outlet opening, the gradient
in the floor along the sectional plane reducing as the distance
from the outlet opening increases. Thus the weight of ice cubes
which are in the ice reservoir far from the outlet opening makes no
or little contribution to the pressure to which the ice cubes are
subjected with a high fill level at the outlet opening. This
reduces the tendency of the ice cubes to freeze together and there
is a correspondingly small probability of them fragmenting if it is
necessary to break them apart.
[0005] The gradient can decrease continually along the sectional
plane; however a cross-sectional form with a gradient which reduces
in stages also comes in consideration. To enable ice cubes to be
broken apart where necessary an agitator is provided in the storage
reservoir. This agitator is preferably able to be rotated around an
axis running in the cross-sectional plane
[0006] The agitator preferably features pushers projecting radially
from the axis, with the length of the pushers in the radial
direction reducing as the distance from the outlet opening
increases, so that over the overall length of the agitator a gap
width that remains approximately equal between the radial ends of
the pushers and the floor of the storage reservoir is able to be
realized.
[0007] The agitator can be a rod which a shape curved in one
plane.
[0008] The object is also achieved by a refrigerator featuring an
ice reservoir container as defined above.
[0009] Further features and advantages of the invention emerge from
the subsequent description which refers to the enclosed figures.
The figures show:
[0010] FIG. 1 a schematic section through a household appliance
with an ice reservoir container in accordance with the
invention;
[0011] FIG. 2 a perspective view of one of two shells forming the
ice reservoir container;
[0012] FIG. 3 a schematic cross section of the reservoir container;
and
[0013] FIG. 4 a schematic longitudinal section of a reservoir
container in accordance with a modified embodiment.
[0014] The refrigerator shown in FIG. 1 in a schematic cross
section has a heat-insulating carcass 1 and a door 2, which delimit
an interior 3. The interior 3 is kept at a temperature of below
0.degree. C. by an evaporator, which is accommodated in an
evaporator chamber divided off in the upper area of the carcass 1.
An automatic ice maker 5 is arranged in the immediate vicinity of
the evaporator chamber 4 in the interior 3, so that it can
preferably have cold air applied to it from the evaporator chamber
4. In a known way not shown in detail in the figure, the ice maker
comprises a plurality of molds, means for automatically dosing
water into the molds and also means for automatically ejecting the
completed ice cubes from the molds. Below the ice maker 5 is a
reservoir chamber 6 open to the top of an ice dispensing module 7
which receives the ejected ice cubes. The ice dispensing module 7
extends over a majority of the depth of the interior 3 and can for
example be injection molded in one piece from plastic or be
assembled from a plurality of injection-molded elements.
Accommodated in a rear recess 8 of the ice dispensing module 7 is
an electric motor for driving an agitator 9. The electric motor can
be permanently mounted in the refrigerator or can be integrated
into the ice dispensing module and be removable along with the
latter. The agitator 9 extends in the vertical direction of the
interior 3 or in the longitudinal direction of the reservoir
chamber 6 through the latter and through a crusher chamber 10
adjoining the reservoir chamber 6 adjacent to the door 2.
[0015] The agitator 9 is a metal rod, which in its section
extending through the reservoir chamber is bent in a plane parallel
to its axis of rotation in a zig-zag form. Attached in the section
of the agitator 9 penetrating into the crusher chamber 10 are
knives of a crushing unit, so that they rotate with the rotation of
the the agitator 9. Further knives 12 accommodated in the crusher
chamber 10 can be switched between a state in which they rotate
jointly with the knives 11 and like these merely act as pushers on
the ice cubes penetrating into the crusher chamber 10, and a fixed
state in which the ice cubes are crushed between them and the
knives 11, for example with the aid of a bar (not shown), which is
able to be pushed through the wall of the crusher chamber 10, in
order to block or to enable the rotation of the knives 12 as
required.
[0016] Through an opening on the underside of the crusher chamber
10 the ice, either crushed or in cubes depending on the state of
the knives 12, arrives in a passage 13 which extends through a
layer of insulation material of the door 2 and opens out into a
recess 14 open to the outside of the door 2. A flap 15 normally
holds the passage 13 closed to prevent the penetration of warm air
into the interior 3. The flap is only open for as long as the
agitator 9 is rotating to dispense ice through the passage 13 into
a container placed in the recess 14.
[0017] A water tank 16 is embedded on the rear wall of the recess
14 in the insulation material of the door 2. The watertank 16 is
connected on one side like the ice maker 5 via a supply line 17 and
a stop valve 18 to the drinking water network and on the other side
to a dispenser tap 19 in the recess 14.
[0018] FIG. 2 shows the perspective view of a shell 20 of the ice
dispenser module 7 which together with an opposing piece
essentially symmetrical to it in a mirror image, not shown in the
figure, delimits the reservoir chamber 6. Visible on the rear side
of the shell 20 is the recess for accommodating the motor not shown
in the diagram. A cutout on a rear wall 25 of the shell 20 facing
towards the recess 8, together with its opposing piece, forms a
circular window 21 which is intended to accommodate an essentially
cylindrical coupling piece 22 so that it can rotate. The coupling
piece 22 has on its front side facing towards the observer in FIG.
2 a slit 23 into which an angled end section of the agitator 9 (not
shown in FIG. 2) can be inserted. Cutouts not shown on the rear
side of the coupling piece 22 make possible a interlocking
engagement of the motor.
[0019] The reservoir chamber 6 has a base 27 which slopes in the
longitudinal direction from the rear wall 25 to a front wall 26
adjoining the crushing chamber 10, which on a rotation of the
agitator 9 causes ice cubes carried by the agitator to move towards
the crushing chamber 10 and finally to arrive through an opening 28
in the front wall 26 in the crushing chamber 10 (not shown in FIG.
2). The gradient of the base 27 increases continuously from the
rear wall 25 to the front wall 26 so that the tendency of the ice
cubes to move towards the crushing chamber 10 is all the greater
the closer to said chamber they are. Ice cubes located close to the
rear wall 25 thus make little contribution to the pressure acting
on the ice cubes located in the vicinity of the front wall 26 and
applied to these cubes in the direction of the crushing chamber 10.
This means that the tendency of these ice cubes to freeze together
or to jam is small even with a high fill level of the ice in the
reservoir chamber 6.
[0020] FIG. 3 shows a section through the ice dispenser module 7 at
right angles to the axis of rotation of the agitator. The base 27
has a semicircular cross-sectional shape, with the axis of rotation
of the agitator 9 running through the center point of the rounding
of the base 27. This means that there are no corners in the
reservoir chamber 6 in which ice cubes can wedge and can block the
rotation of the agitator 9.
[0021] To be able to effectively prevent the ice cubes in the
reservoir chamber 6 freezing together, it is desirable to be able
to rotate the agitator 9 from time to time, even when no ice is to
be dispensed. Various solutions enter into consideration for
avoiding an undesired output of ice during a rotation of the
agitator 9. One solution is based on the fact already mentioned
that the knives 12 in the crushing chamber are able to be rotated
jointly with the knives 11. It is thus sufficient to provide a
closable flap at the output of the crushing chamber 10 which is
closed when no output of ice is desired and to rotate the knives 12
jointly with the agitator 9. In this case the ice cubes will be
moved both in the reservoir chamber 6 and also in the crushing
chamber at 10, but not crushed.
[0022] A second solution is to provide a closable flap between
reservoir chamber 6 and crushing chamber 10. When it is closed the
agitator 9 and the knives 11 can rotate--without recourse to the
state--fixed or rotatable--of the knives 12.
[0023] A third solution is to provide a coupling between the knives
11 and the agitator 9 which allows the agitator 9 to rotate while
the knives 11 remain at rest and thus block the incursion of ice
into the crushing chamber 10 or the output of ice from said
chamber.
[0024] FIG. 4 shows a longitudinal section through a second
embodiment of the reservoir chamber 6. Whereas this curved shape of
the base 27 in its longitudinal section in the diagram depicted in
FIG. 2 is shown with a gradient continuously increasing towards the
front wall 26, in the embodiment depicted in FIG. 4 the reservoir
container is divided up in the longitudinal direction into a number
of sections 29, 30, 31, with the gradient of the base 27 being
constant in each case in each section and increasing in stages from
the rear wall 25 to the front wall 26 at the boundaries of sections
29, 30, 31. The design of the agitator 9 is adapted to the shape of
the base 27; the amplitude of the individual waves 32 formed in the
agitator 9 increases towards the front side 26 so that the crests
of all waves 32 move across the base 27 at an essentially equal
distance.
[0025] The cross-section depicted in FIG. 4 also shows the end
piece of the agitator already mentioned with reference to FIG. 1,
labeled with the number 24 in this diagram, which is inserted into
the slits 23 of the coupling piece 22, as well as two cutouts 33 on
the rear side of the coupling piece which allow a positive and
non-positive engagement of the motor.
* * * * *