Beverage dispensing apparatus for a refrigerator
First Claim
1. A refrigerator comprising:
- a body forming a refrigerating compartment;
a door for closing the refrigerating compartment;
a beverage storage vessel disposed in the refrigerating compartment and including a valved spigot which projects through a hole in the door when the door is closed so as to extend outside of the door;
a sealing structure for creating an air-tight seal between the spigot and hole when the door is closed;
a retainer for retaining the vessel in place during opening of the door; and
a valve actuator mounted on the door for opening the valved spigot when the door is closed;
wherein the spigot includes a spigot body forming a beverage passage, and a valve disposed within the spigot body and movable between a passage-opening position and a passage-closing position, and a first magnet attached to the valve;
the valve actuator movably mounted on the door between valve-opening and valve-closing positions, the valve actuator carrying a second magnet positioned to react with the first magnet to move the valve to its passage-opening position when the door is closed and the valve actuator is in its valve-opening position.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A refrigerator includes a beverage dispenser mounted in a refrigerating compartment thereof for dispensing a beverage through the refrigerator door. The dispenser includes a beverage-storing vessel having a beverage outlet in the form of a valved spigot which is arranged to project through a hole in the door when the door is closed. The spigot includes an internal valve which is attached to a first magnet. The door carries a valve actuator which includes a second magnet adapted to generate a magnetic repulsive force against the first magnet to open the valve against a valve-closing spring force when the actuator is moved to a valve-opening position. A sealing arrangement is provided to create an air-tight seal between the spigot and hole when the door is closed. A manually releasable latch is disposed within the refrigerator for releasably retaining the vessel against accidental removal.
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Citations
10 Claims
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1. A refrigerator comprising:
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a body forming a refrigerating compartment; a door for closing the refrigerating compartment; a beverage storage vessel disposed in the refrigerating compartment and including a valved spigot which projects through a hole in the door when the door is closed so as to extend outside of the door; a sealing structure for creating an air-tight seal between the spigot and hole when the door is closed; a retainer for retaining the vessel in place during opening of the door; and a valve actuator mounted on the door for opening the valved spigot when the door is closed; wherein the spigot includes a spigot body forming a beverage passage, and a valve disposed within the spigot body and movable between a passage-opening position and a passage-closing position, and a first magnet attached to the valve;
the valve actuator movably mounted on the door between valve-opening and valve-closing positions, the valve actuator carrying a second magnet positioned to react with the first magnet to move the valve to its passage-opening position when the door is closed and the valve actuator is in its valve-opening position. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A beverage storage vessel adapted to be mounted in a refrigerating compartment of a refrigerator for dispensing a cold beverage through a door of the refrigerator, the vessel comprising:
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a vessel body for storing a beverage and having a beverage outlet; a spigot mounted on the vessel body and adapted to project through a refrigerator door when the door is closed, the spigot including; a spigot body forming a beverage passage communicating with the outlet, a valve movably disposed within the spigot body between a passage-opening position and a passage-closing position, and a magnet attached to the valve, adapting the valve to be moved to its passage-opening position by a magnetic force generated between the magnet and another magnet carried by the door. - View Dependent Claims (9)
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10. A refrigerator comprising:
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a body forming a refrigerating compartment; a door for closing the refrigerating compartment; a beverage storage vessel disposed in the refrigerating compartment and including a valved spigot which projects through the door when the door is closed so as to extend outside of the door; a sealing structure for creating an air-tight seal between the spigot and hole when the door is closed; and a retainer for retaining the vessel in place during opening of the door; wherein the sealing structure includes a first sealing element, a fixing member for attaching the first sealing element to the door such that the first sealing element presses against the spigot when the door is closed;
the sealing structure further including a second sealing element mounted on the vessel and being pressed against the fixing member when the door is closed.
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Specification