U.S. patent application number 12/588500 was filed with the patent office on 2010-08-12 for icemaker and refrigerator having the same.
This patent application is currently assigned to SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.. Invention is credited to Kook Jeong Seo, Won Jae Yoon.
Application Number | 20100199701 12/588500 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 42539243 |
Filed Date | 2010-08-12 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100199701 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Yoon; Won Jae ; et
al. |
August 12, 2010 |
Icemaker and refrigerator having the same
Abstract
Disclosed herein is an icemaker of a refrigerator including an
ice dispersing unit to disperse ice for uniform distribution of ice
in an ice making container. The icemaker includes an ice making
unit to make ice, and an ice making container to receive ice
separated from the ice making unit. The icemaker further includes
an ice dispersing unit arranged between the ice making unit and the
ice making container. The ice dispersing unit serves to guide the
ice moving from the ice making unit to the ice making container, to
assure uniform distribution of the ice in the ice making
container.
Inventors: |
Yoon; Won Jae; (Seoul,
KR) ; Seo; Kook Jeong; (Osan-si, 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: |
42539243 |
Appl. No.: |
12/588500 |
Filed: |
October 16, 2009 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
62/344 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F25C 5/08 20130101; F25C
2500/02 20130101; F25C 2400/10 20130101; F25C 5/185 20130101; F25C
5/22 20180101; F25C 5/24 20180101 |
Class at
Publication: |
62/344 |
International
Class: |
F25C 5/18 20060101
F25C005/18 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Feb 12, 2009 |
KR |
10-2009-11405 |
Claims
1. An icemaker comprising: an ice making unit to make ice; an ice
making container to receive the ice from the ice making unit; and
an ice dispersing unit arranged between the ice making unit and the
ice making container to guide the ice moving from the ice making
unit to the ice making container, to assure uniform distribution of
the ice in the ice making container.
2. The icemaker according to claim 1, wherein the ice dispersing
unit is tilted downwards and towards a side of the ice making
container.
3. The icemaker according to claim 1, wherein: the ice dispersing
unit includes a plate-shaped guide member; and the guide member has
a first end fixed to a wall of the ice making container and a
second end extending opposite to the wall of the ice making
container.
4. The icemaker according to claim 3, wherein the guide member has
a first end fixed to a rear surface of the ice making container and
a second end extending forward of the ice making container.
5. The icemaker according to claim 4, wherein a cross section of
the guide member has a curvature.
6. The icemaker according to claim 4, wherein the guide member
includes an ice guide opening for passage of the ice.
7. The icemaker according to claim 4, wherein the guide member
further includes a plurality of guidelines.
8. The icemaker according to claim 7, wherein the guidelines are
arranged radially a different directions.
9. The icemaker according to claim 7, wherein the guidelines have
different lengths from one another.
10. An icemaker comprising: an ice making unit to freeze water into
ice; an ice making container to receive the ice from the ice making
unit; and an ice dispersing unit to disperse the ice falling from
the ice making unit into the ice making container, to assure
uniform distribution of the ice in the ice making container,
wherein the ice dispersing unit includes a plate-shaped guide
member arranged between the ice making unit and the ice making
container and tilted downwards and towards a front of the ice
making container.
11. An icemaker comprising: an ice making unit to freeze water into
ice; an ice making container to receive the ice from the ice making
unit; and an ice dispersing unit to uniformly disperse the ice
falling from the ice making unit into the ice making container
using a plate-shaped guide member, wherein the guide member
includes a plurality of guidelines arranged radially to have
different directions.
12. A refrigerator comprising: a body having a storage compartment
and an icemaker provided in the storage compartment; wherein the
icemaker includes an ice making unit to freeze water into ice and
an ice making container to receive the ice from the ice making
unit, and wherein the icemaker further includes an ice dispersing
unit for guidance of the ice between the ice making unit and the
ice making container, the ice dispersing unit to disperse the ice
falling from the ice making unit into the ice making container, to
assure uniform distribution of the ice in the ice making
container.
13. The refrigerator according to claim 12, wherein the ice
dispersing unit is located relatively close to one of the sides of
the ice making unit.
14. The refrigerator according to claim 12, wherein the ice
dispersing unit includes a fixing member fixable to the body, and a
plate-shaped guide member connected to the fixing member to guide
the ice falling from the ice making unit.
15. The refrigerator according to claim 14, wherein the guide
member is tilted downwards and towards a front of the ice making
container.
16. The refrigerator according to claim 14, wherein the fixing
member is formed of a wire.
17. The refrigerator according to claim 14, wherein the fixing
member is made of an elastic material.
18. The refrigerator according to claim 14, wherein the guide
member includes a plurality of guidelines.
19. The refrigerator according to claim 18, wherein the guidelines
are arranged radially, in different directions.
20. The refrigerator according to claim 18, wherein the guidelines
have different lengths.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent
Application No. 2009-0011405, filed on Feb. 12, 2009 in the Korean
Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is
incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND
[0002] 1. Field
[0003] Embodiments of the present invention relate to an icemaker
of a refrigerator including an ice dispersing unit to disperse ice
for uniform distribution of ice in an ice making container.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] Generally, a refrigerator includes, e.g., a refrigerating
compartment for refrigeration of beverages and food, and a freezing
compartment for freezing of beverages and food.
[0006] The freezing compartment is provided with an icemaker. The
icemaker serves to freeze water received in the freezing
compartment into ice.
[0007] The icemaker takes the form of a box configured to receive
water therein and having an open upper side to assure easy
discharge of ice. To allow a user to select a size of ice, a
plurality of latticed partitions is arranged in the icemaker.
[0008] In operation, water is injected into spaces defined by the
latticed partitions of the icemaker through the open upper side of
the icemaker, and the icemaker containing the water is preserved in
the freezing compartment for a desired time. Once the water
received in the icemaker is frozen into ice, the icemaker is
inverted to discharge the ice through the open upper side of the
icemaker.
[0009] Recently, an automatic or semiautomatic icemaker has been
developed, wherein supply and freezing of water as well as
discharge of ice to a user are implemented under the control of a
refrigerator.
[0010] The automatic or semiautomatic icemaker includes a water
supply device to supply water from an external source into a
refrigerator, an icemaker to receive the water supplied from the
water supply device, and an ice storage container.
[0011] In the automatic or semiautomatic icemaker, water is
supplied from the water supply device into the icemaker under the
control of a refrigerator, or by manual operation of a user, and
the supplied water is received and frozen in the icemaker mounted
in a freezing compartment. The frozen ice is separated from the
icemaker by a delivery device of the icemaker and in turn, the
separated ice is accumulated in the ice storage container arranged
under the icemaker to be used based on a user's selection.
[0012] However, when the ice is accumulated in the storage
container, the ice may be concentrated on a lower end of the
storage container. This prevents efficient utilization of the
entire storage container and moreover, accumulation of the ice in a
specific region may lead to erroneous detection of an ice-full
state.
SUMMARY
[0013] Therefore, it is an aspect of the present invention to
provide an icemaker including an ice dispersing unit to disperse
ice for uniform distribution of ice in an ice making container.
[0014] Additional aspects of the invention will be set forth in
part in the description which follows and, in part, will be
apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the
invention.
[0015] The foregoing and/or other aspects of the present invention
are achieved by providing an icemaker including an ice making unit
to make ice, an ice making container to receive the ice from the
ice making unit, and an ice dispersing unit arranged between the
ice making unit and the ice making container and to guide the ice
moving from the ice making unit to the ice making container, to
assure uniform distribution of the ice in the ice making
container.
[0016] The ice dispersing unit may be tilted downwards and towards
one side of the ice making container.
[0017] The ice dispersing unit may include a plate-shaped guide
member, and the guide member may have one end fixed to a wall of
the ice making container and the other end extending opposite to
the wall of the ice making container.
[0018] The guide member may have one end fixed to a rear surface of
the ice making container and the other end extending forward of the
ice making container. A cross section of the guide member may have
a curvature. The guide member may include an ice guide opening for
passage of the ice. The guide member may further include a
plurality of guidelines. The guidelines may be arranged radially to
have different directions. The guidelines may have different
lengths from one another.
[0019] The foregoing and/or other aspects of the present invention
may be achieved by providing an icemaker, including an ice making
unit to freeze water into ice and an ice making container to
receive the ice from the ice making unit; and an ice dispersing
unit to disperse the ice falling from the ice making unit into the
ice making container, to assure uniform distribution of the ice in
the ice making container, and the ice dispersing unit includes a
plate-shaped guide member arranged between the ice making unit and
the ice making container and tilted downwards and towards a front
of the ice making container.
[0020] The foregoing and/or other aspects of the present invention
may be achieved by providing an icemaker, including an ice making
unit to freeze water into ice; an ice making container to receive
the ice from the ice making unit; an ice dispersing unit to
uniformly disperse the ice falling from the ice making unit into
the ice making container using a plate-shaped guide member, and the
guide member includes a plurality of guidelines arranged radially
to have different directions.
[0021] The foregoing and/or other aspects of the present invention
may be achieved by a refrigerator including a body having a storage
compartment and an icemaker provided in the storage compartment;
wherein the icemaker includes an ice making unit to freeze water
into ice and an ice making container to receive the ice from the
ice making unit, and the icemaker further includes an ice
dispersing unit for guidance of the ice between the ice making unit
and the ice making container, the ice dispersing unit to disperse
the ice falling from the ice making unit into the ice making
container, to assure uniform distribution of the ice in the ice
making container.
[0022] The ice dispersing unit may be located closer to one side of
the ice making unit.
[0023] The ice dispersing unit may include a fixing member
configured to be fixable to the body, and a plate-shaped guide
member connected to the fixing member and to guide the ice falling
from the ice making unit.
[0024] The guide member may be tilted downwards and towards a front
of the ice making container.
[0025] The fixing member may be formed of a wire. The fixing member
may be made of an elastic material. The guide member may include a
plurality of guidelines. The guidelines may be arranged radially to
have different directions. The guidelines may have different
lengths from one another.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0026] These and/or other aspects of the invention will become
apparent and more readily appreciated from the following
description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with the
accompanying drawings of which:
[0027] FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically illustrating a
refrigerator according to a first embodiment of the present
invention;
[0028] FIG. 2 is a side sectional view schematically illustrating
an icemaker of the refrigerator according to the embodiment of FIG.
1;
[0029] FIG. 3 is a perspective view schematically illustrating an
ice dispersing unit of the icemaker according to the embodiment of
FIG. 1;
[0030] FIG. 4 is a side sectional view schematically illustrating
the ice dispersing unit of the icemaker according to the embodiment
of FIG. 1;
[0031] FIG. 5 is a perspective view schematically illustrating an
ice dispersing unit according to a second embodiment of the present
invention;
[0032] FIG. 6 is a perspective view schematically illustrating an
ice dispersing unit according to a third embodiment of the present
invention;
[0033] FIG. 7 is a perspective view schematically illustrating an
ice dispersing unit according to the third embodiment of the
present invention; and
[0034] FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of the portion A in FIG. 6.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
[0035] Hereinafter, a refrigerator according to an exemplary
embodiment of the present invention will be described with
reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0036] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the refrigerator according to the
first embodiment of the present invention includes a body 10
defining an external appearance of the refrigerator, storage
compartments 12 and 13 defined vertically lengthwise in the body 10
and having open front sides, doors 14 and 15 to open or close the
open front sides of the storage compartments 12 and 13, an icemaker
100 provided in one of the storage compartments 12 and 13, i.e. a
freezing compartment 13, and a dispenser 20 to discharge ice in the
icemaker 100 to a front surface of the door 15 of the freezing
compartment 13.
[0037] An evaporator 33 to produce cold air is provided at a rear
wall of the body 10, and a machine room 30 is defined in a rear
bottom region of the body 10. Electric elements including, e.g., a
compressor 31 are received in the machine room 30.
[0038] For heat insulation, a foam material 32 is filled between an
outer shell 10b and an inner shell 10a of the body 10.
[0039] Although not shown, the body 10 further contains various
elements, such as, e.g., a condenser and an expander constituting a
refrigeration cycle.
[0040] The storage compartments 12 and 13 are horizontally
separated from each other by a partition. The refrigerating
compartment 12 is located at the right side of the drawing and may
preserve food in a refrigerated state, and the freezing compartment
13 is located at the left side of the drawing and may preserve food
in a frozen state.
[0041] The evaporator 33 is located at the rear of the storage
compartments 12 and 13 and implements heat exchange with
surrounding air to produce cold air to be supplied into the storage
compartments 12 and 13. A circulating fan 34 is provided to blow
the heat-exchanged cold air having passed through the evaporator 33
into the storage compartments 12 and 13.
[0042] The storage compartments 12 and 13 contain shelves 16 and
drawers 17 for food storage.
[0043] A pair of the doors 14 and 15 is provided to open or close
the refrigerating compartment 12 and the freezing compartment 13,
respectively. The doors 14 and 15 include a refrigerating
compartment door 14 rotatably coupled to the body 10 to open or
close the refrigerating compartment 12, and the freezing
compartment door 15 rotatably coupled to the body 10 to open or
close the freezing compartment 13.
[0044] A plurality of door baskets 14a for food storage is provided
at inner surfaces of the refrigerating compartment door 14 and
freezing compartment door 15.
[0045] The dispenser 20 is provided at the freezing compartment
door 15, to allow a user to discharge a substance, such as water or
ice, without opening the door 15. The icemaker 100 is provided in a
top space of the freezing compartment 13 and serves to supply ice
to the dispenser 20.
[0046] The dispenser 20 includes a discharge chamber 21 indented
inward from the front surface of the freezing compartment door 15,
an opening/closing member 23 to open or close the discharge chamber
21 for discharge of a substance, an operating lever 22 provided in
the discharge chamber 21 and serving not only to operate the
opening/closing member 23 but also to operate the icemaker 100
provided in the freezing compartment 13, and an ice discharge
passage 24 extending from a rear surface to the front surface of
the freezing compartment door 15 to guide ice from the icemaker 100
to the discharge chamber 21.
[0047] The icemaker 100 provided in the top space of the freezing
compartment 13 includes an ice making unit 110 to make ice, and an
ice making container 120 arranged under the ice making unit 110, in
which ice made in the ice making unit 110 is stored.
[0048] The ice making unit 110 includes a metallic ice making tray
112 to freeze water supplied from an external source into ice, a
scraper 113 to discharge the ice from the ice making tray 112, a
drive motor 111 to operate the scraper 113, and a heater (not
shown) to melt one side of ice in contact with the ice making tray
112 to assure smooth separation of ice by the scraper 113.
[0049] A water supply tube 101 is arranged at a rear surface of the
body 10 and extends to the top of the ice making unit 110 thus
serving to supply water, for use in ice making, into the ice making
unit 110.
[0050] Although the present embodiment exemplifies the ice making
unit 110 including the metallic ice making tray 112, scraper 113,
drive motor 111 and heater, another configuration may be employed,
wherein ice is discharged downward from an ice making tray as a
resin injection molded article via sequential rotating and twisting
motions of the ice making tray.
[0051] The ice making container 120 arranged under the ice making
unit 110 takes the form of a drawer extending lengthwise from the
front to the rear, the ice making container 120 having an open
upper side to receive ice falling from the ice making unit 110.
[0052] The ice making container 120 includes a receiving chamber
120a defined therein, an ice discharge opening 121 perforated in a
front bottom thereof to discharge ice into the ice discharge
passage 24, and a delivery unit 130 to move the ice in the ice
receiving chamber 120a to the ice discharge opening 121.
[0053] The delivery unit 130 includes a spiral delivery member 132
rotatably installed in the receiving chamber 120a, and a delivery
motor 131 fixed to a rear surface of the ice making container 120
and used to rotate the spiral delivery member 132.
[0054] Accordingly, if a predetermined time passes after water is
filled in the ice making tray 112 through the water supply tube
101, the water in the ice making tray 112 is frozen into ice by
cold air circulating in the freezing compartment 13.
[0055] The ice falls into the ice making container 120 via
operation of the heater (not shown) and the scraper 113.
[0056] In this case, if the user attempts to remove the ice via the
dispenser 20, the delivery unit 130 is operated to discharge the
ice from the ice making container 120 into the discharge chamber 21
through the ice discharge opening 121 and ice discharge passage 24.
After the ice stored in the ice making container 120 is discharged,
water is again supplied into the ice making tray 112 to thereby be
frozen into ice. These ice making and discharge operations are
implemented under the control of a controller (not shown) coupled
to the icemaker 100.
[0057] In the case where the ice in the icemaker 100 is supplied to
the user via the dispenser 20 with the above-described serial
operations, in the conventional art, it would have been necessary
to store a great amount of ice because of a limited ice production
speed when it is desired to use a great amount of ice at once.
[0058] In addition, when the ice made in the ice making unit 110
falls into the ice making container 120, in the conventional art,
the ice is mainly accumulated immediately under the ice making unit
110 because the ice making unit 110 is smaller than the ice making
container 120. For example, if the ice making unit 110 is located
above the rear of the ice making unit 120, the ice will be
accumulated only in the rear of the ice making container 120, thus
causing deteriorated space utilization of the entire ice making
container 120.
[0059] Accordingly, to enhance utilization of the ice making
container 120 and increase a storage amount of ice, an ice
dispersing unit 200 is provided to disperse the ice falling from
the ice making unit 110 for uniform distribution of the ice in the
ice making container 120.
[0060] The ice dispersing unit 200 is arranged between the ice
making unit 110 and the ice making container 120 and is tilted
downwards and towards one side of the ice making container 120 to
guide the ice into the ice making container 120.
[0061] FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate the icemaker 100 including the ice
dispersing unit 200 according to the first embodiment of the
present invention.
[0062] The ice dispersing unit 200 includes a guide member 201 to
guide the ice falling from the ice making unit 110 into the ice
making container 120, one end of the guide member 201 being fixed
to a rear surface of the ice making container 120.
[0063] The fixed end of the guide member 201 is located higher than
a free end of the guide member 201 such that the ice falling from
the ice making unit 110 may slide along the tilted guide member
201.
[0064] Specifically, the guide member 201 has one end fixed to the
rear surface of the ice making container 120, whereas the other end
of the guide member 201 is positioned to provide the guide member
201 with a predetermined inclination .theta..sub.1, thus causing
the guide member 201 to be tilted downwards and towards the center
of the ice making container 120.
[0065] The guide member 201 has a plate form and more particularly,
an arched cross section suitable to smoothly guide the ice falling
from the ice making unit 110 into the ice making container 120.
[0066] The guide member 201 extends lengthwise in a longitudinal
direction of the ice making container 120, thus guiding the ice
forward of the ice making container 120.
[0067] The guide member 201 has an ice guide opening 202 perforated
in a rear center thereof by a predetermined width to allow the ice
to be directly accumulated in the ice making container 120 through
the guide member 201.
[0068] Of the ice falling from the ice making unit 110, a part of
the ice may directly fall from the ice making unit 110 into the ice
making container 120 through the ice guide opening 202, and the
remaining part may be moved forward of the ice making container 120
along the guide member 201 of the ice dispersing unit 200.
[0069] Accordingly, a part of the ice falling from the ice making
unit 110 may be received in a rear region of the ice making
container 120, and the remaining ice may be received in a front
region of the ice making container 120, resulting in uniform
distribution of the ice in the front and rear regions of the ice
making container 120.
[0070] Referring to FIG. 5 illustrating a second embodiment of the
present invention, an ice dispersing unit 200' of the icemaker 100
includes a plurality of guidelines 201' along which the ice falling
from the ice making unit 110 may slide into the ice making
container 120.
[0071] The guidelines 201' are arranged radially to have different
lengths and directions.
[0072] Specifically, although a first guideline 201'a has the same
longitudinal direction as the ice making container 120, a second
guideline 201'b is positioned to the right of the first guideline
201'a and in turn, a third guideline 201'c is positioned to the
light of the second guideline 201'b.
[0073] In this case, a rightmost sixth guideline 201'f has the same
direction as a transversal direction of the ice making container
120.
[0074] Accordingly, the guidelines 201', which extend in different
directions from one another, are arranged fanwise, allowing the ice
falling from the ice making unit 110 to be dispersed to different
regions of the ice making container 120.
[0075] In addition, the first guideline 201'a has a greater length
L.sub.1 than the second guideline 201'b located at the right side
thereof, the second guideline 201'b is longer than the third
guideline 201'c located at the right side thereof, and the third
guideline 201'c is longer than a fourth guideline 201'd located at
the right side thereof. Similarly, the fourth guideline 201'd is
longer than a fifth guideline 201'e, and the fifth guideline 201'e
has a greater length than a length L.sub.2 of the sixth guideline
201'f.
[0076] The ice dispersing unit 200' including the guidelines 201'
is tilted downwards and towards a front end thereof by a
predetermined angle .theta..sub.1, and is also tilted downwards and
towards an outer end thereof by a predetermined angle
.theta..sub.2.
[0077] Accordingly, the ice falling from the ice making unit 110 is
guided along the guidelines 201' located at different positions to
be uniformly dispersed and received in the ice making container
120.
[0078] Referring to FIGS. 6 and 8 illustrating a third embodiment
of the present invention, an ice dispersing unit 200'' of the
icemaker 100 is fixed to the body 10 and is arranged between the
ice making unit 110 and the ice making container 120 of the
icemaker 100.
[0079] The ice dispersing unit 200'' is located close to one side
of the ice making unit 110, to transfer the ice falling from the
ice making unit 110 into the ice making container 120.
[0080] The ice dispersing unit 200'' includes a plate-shaped guide
member 201'' to guide the ice falling from the ice making unit 110
for uniform dispersion of the ice in the ice making container 120,
and fixing members 210 to connect the guide member 201'' to the
body 10 of the refrigerator.
[0081] The fixing members 210 may take the form of wires and may be
made of an elastic material.
[0082] Both ends of each of the fixing members 210 are formed with
fixing portions 210a to be coupled respectively to an inner upper
end of the body 10 and the guide member 201''.
[0083] Although the present embodiment illustrates the fixing
portion 210a of the fixing member 210 as taking the form of a hook,
other shapes suitable to couple to the body or guide member 201''
may be adopted.
[0084] The guide member 201'' has an arched cross section having a
curvature for sliding of the ice and is tilted downwards and
towards the front of the ice making container 120.
[0085] The guide member 201'' is perforated in front and rear ends
thereof with coupling holes 213 to couple the respective fixing
members 210.
[0086] Accordingly, the fixing portion 210a formed at a lower end
of the fixing member 210 is coupled with the coupling hole 213 of
the guide member 201''. Although not shown, an upper end of the
fixing member 210 is coupled with a fixing recess indented in an
upper surface of the body 10 of the refrigerator. In this way, the
ice dispersing unit 200'' is located between the ice making unit
100 and the ice making container 120.
[0087] In this case, the fixing members 210 used to fix the front
end of the guide member 201'' are longer than the fixing members
210 used to fix the rear end of the guide member 201'', such that
the guide member 201'' is tilted downwards and towards the front of
the ice making container 120.
[0088] In a further embodiment of the present invention, an ice
dispersing unit 200''' includes a plurality of guidelines 201'''
having different lengths and directions. As the ice falling from
the ice making unit 110 is guided along the guidelines 201'''
located at different positions, the ice may be uniformly
distributed in the ice making container 120.
[0089] In this case, both ends of the ice dispersing unit 200'''
are fixed by fixing members 210'. A configuration of the fixing
members 210' is identical to the description above, and a detailed
description thereof will be omitted.
[0090] The fixing members 210' used to fix the ice dispersing unit
200''' are installed such that the fixing members 210' used to fix
a front end of the ice dispersing unit 200''' are longer than the
fixing members 210' used to fix a rear end of the ice dispersing
unit 200''' and consequently, the ice dispersing unit 200''' is
tilted downwards and towards a front thereof. In addition, of the
fixing members 210' used to fix the rear end of the ice dispersing
unit 200''', the outer fixing member 210' is longer than the inner
fixing member 210'. Thereby, the ice dispersing unit 200''' is
tilted downwards and towards a front end thereof and
simultaneously, is tilted downwards and towards an outer end
thereof.
[0091] Accordingly, the ice dispersing unit 200''' including the
guidelines 201''' is tilted downwards and toward a front end
thereof by a predetermined angle .theta..sub.1, and also, is tilted
downwards and towards an outer end thereof by a predetermined angle
.theta..sub.3. With this configuration, the ice falling from the
ice making unit 110 is uniformly dispersed into the ice making
container 120 along the guidelines 201'''a-201'''f located at
different positions so as to be received in the entire ice making
container 120.
[0092] As is apparent from the above description, an icemaker of a
refrigerator according to the embodiments of the present invention
includes an ice dispersing unit to achieve uniform distribution of
ice in an ice making container.
[0093] The uniform distribution of ice in the ice making container
may not only achieve enhanced utilization of the entire ice making
container, but also achieve an increased storage amount of ice.
[0094] Although a few 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 embodiments without
departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the
scope of which is defined in the claims and their equivalents.
* * * * *