Refrigerator

• US 20060065007A1
• Filed: 09/09/2005
• Published: 03/30/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Park, Sang Min, Park, Yong Pil
• Granted Patent: US 7,360,377 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 62/344
• CPC Class Codes: F25C 2400/08 for different type of ice
• CPC Class Codes: F25C 5/046 Ice-crusher machines
• CPC Class Codes: F25C 5/12 Ice-shaving machines
• CPC Class Codes: F25C 5/22 particularly adapted for household refrigerators
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 241/17 Ice crushers

Abstract

A refrigerator including a shaved ice dispensing unit positioned within a freezing compartment door and plural ice dispensing units positioned in an ice cube container to selectively dispense ice cubes, crushed ice and shaved ice. First and second ice dispensing units are positioned in parallel in a freezing compartment. The first ice dispensing unit supplies ice cubes to the shaved ice dispensing unit, and the second ice dispensing unit selectively dispenses the ice cubes and crushed ice through an ice cube/crushed ice discharge port positioned in the freezing compartment door. The shaved ice dispensing unit includes a case having a shaved ice outlet formed therethrough, at least one blade positioned to the shaved ice outlet, a rotational barrel rotatably positioned within the case to be rotated by a driving motor and a reduction gear assembly. The rotational barrel includes a spiral wing provided on an inner peripheral surface of the rotational barrel to force the ice cubes to be conveyed to the blade and shaved into the shaved ice.

Claims

1. A refrigerator, comprising:

a freezing compartment;

a freezing compartment door to open and close the freezing compartment;

an icemaker positioned in the freezing compartment to produce ice cubes;

an ice cube container to contain the ice cubes produced by the icemaker;

first and second ice dispensing units positioned in the ice cube container;

a shaved ice dispensing unit positioned in front of the first ice dispensing unit to make the ice cubes supplied from the first ice dispensing unit into shaved ice; and

a control unit to control the first and second ice dispensing units to independently operate and to control the first ice dispensing unit and the shaved ice dispensing unit to operate in connection with each other when producing the shaved ice.

2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the shaved ice dispensing unit is positioned in the freezing compartment door.

3. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the ice cube container comprises a partition plate disposed longitudinally therein to separate the first and second ice dispensing units in the ice cube container.

4. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the second ice dispensing unit comprises an outlet adjusting device and a plurality of cutters to allow the ice cubes and crushed ice to be selectively dispensed through the second ice dispensing unit.

5. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the shaved ice dispensing unit comprises a case having a shaved ice outlet formed therethrough, at least one blade positioned at the shaved ice outlet, a rotational barrel rotatably positioned within the case to convey the ice cubes towards the blade, and a driving motor to rotate the rotational barrel.

6. The refrigerator according to claim 5, wherein the shaved ice dispensing unit further comprises a reduction gear assembly coupled with the driving motor, and a torus gear formed around an outer peripheral surface of the rotational barrel while engaging with the reduction gear assembly to allow the rotational barrel to rotate at a constant velocity.

7. The refrigerator according to claim 5, wherein the rotational barrel comprises a spiral wing provided on an inner peripheral surface of the rotational barrel to force the ice cubes to be conveyed to the blade and shaved into the shaved ice.

8. The refrigerator according to claim 5, wherein the freezing compartment door comprises a recess part formed therein to accommodate the shaved ice dispensing unit, and the shaved ice dispensing unit further comprises a housing coupled with the recess part to fix the case, the driving motor, and the reduction gear assembly therein.

9. The refrigerator according to claim 8, wherein the housing comprises a first hollow protrusion formed at a center of the housing in an axial direction to penetrate the center of the case, and the rotational barrel comprises a second hollow protrusion formed at a center of the rotational barrel and fitted onto the first hollow protrusion to allow the rotational barrel to stably rotate.

10. The refrigerator according to claim 9, wherein the recess part comprises a vertical protrusion formed through the center of the recess part such that first hollow protrusion is fitted onto the vertical protrusion to securely fix the housing within the recess part.

11. The refrigerator according to claim 3, wherein the freezing compartment door comprises a shaved ice discharge port communicated with the shaved ice dispensing unit, and an ice cube/crushed ice discharge port located below the second ice dispensing unit.

12. A refrigerator, comprising:

a freezing compartment;

a freezing compartment door to open and close the freezing compartment;

first and second ice dispensing units positioned in parallel in the ice cube container;

a shaved ice dispensing unit positioned in front of the first ice dispensing unit to make the ice cubes supplied from the first ice dispensing unit into shaved ice;

a shaved ice discharge port formed through the freezing compartment door below the shaved ice dispensing unit to discharge the shaved ice produced through the shaved ice dispensing unit; and

an ice cube/crushed ice discharge port formed through the freezing compartment door below the second ice dispensing unit to discharge the ice cube or crushed ice produced through the second ice dispensing unit.

13. The refrigerator according to claim 12, wherein the ice cube container comprises a partition plate between the ice cube conveyer and the crushed ice dispensing unit to allow the ice cubes to be smoothly supplied into the ice cube conveyer and the crushed ice dispensing unit, respectively.

14. The refrigerator according to claim 12, wherein the shaved ice dispensing unit comprises a case having a shaved ice outlet formed therethrough, at least one blade equipped at the shaved ice outlet, a rotational barrel rotatably equipped within the case to convey the ice cubes towards the blade, and a driving motor to rotate the rotational barrel.

15. The refrigerator according to claim 14, wherein the shaved ice dispensing unit further comprises a reduction gear assembly coupled with the driving motor, and a torus gear formed around an outer peripheral surface of the rotational barrel while being engaged with the reduction gear assembly to allow the rotational barrel to rotate in a constant velocity.

16. The refrigerator according to claim 12, wherein the second ice dispensing unit comprises an outlet adjusting device and a plurality of cutters to allow the ice cubes and crushed ice to be selectively dispensed through the second ice dispensing unit.