Ice bank of ice-making device for refrigerator

• US 7,111,473 B2
• Filed: 04/29/2004
• Issued: 09/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Lee, Wook Yong, Lee, Myung Ryul, Oh, Seung Hwan, Chung, Eui Yeop
• Primary Examiner(s): Tapolcai, William E.
• Application Number:
  US10/834,178
• Publication Number:
  US 20040261442A1
• Time in Patent Office: 880 Days
• Field of Search: 623/20, 623/46, 241/DIG.17
• US Class Current: 62/320
• CPC Class Codes: F25C 2400/08 for different type of ice
• CPC Class Codes: F25C 2400/10 Refrigerator units
• CPC Class Codes: F25C 5/046 Ice-crusher machines
• CPC Class Codes: F25C 5/24 for storing bins ice bins F25C5/182
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 241/17 Ice crushers

Abstract

An ice bank of an ice-making device for a refrigerator is disclosed, for smooth crush and discharge of ice, which includes a housing for storing ice made in an icemaker, and provided rotatably to apply the power to the stored ice at a rotation direction; an ice discharger having at least one hole through which the ice is discharge to the external; a crusher provided in the inside of the housing, the crusher guiding the stored ice to the hole of the ice discharge and crushing the ice as a predetermined size before discharging the ice to the hole according to a user'"'"'s select; and rotating means for rotating the housing. Also, the crusher includes fixed crushing means fixed to the inside of the housing, and rotation crushing means rotated for being synchronized with the housing so as to crush the ice before discharging the ice to the external according to a user'"'"'s select.

Claims

1. An ice bank of an ice-making device comprising:

a rotatably mounted housing for storing ice made in an icemaker, and to move the stored ice in a predetermined direction;

an ice discharger having at least one hole through which the ice is discharged to the exterior of the housing;

a crusher provided inside of the housing, the crusher crushing the ice before discharging the ice from the hole according to a user'"'"'selection;

a separator provided in the housing, the separator separating ice pieces stuck together by applying a force to the ice pieces in the housing, before the ice pieces are crushed by the crusher; and

a rotating device for rotating the housing.

2. The ice bank as claimed in claim 1, wherein the housing includes:

an open top through which the ice made in an icemaker enters; and

a sliding preventor configured to apply a force to the ice stored in the housing during rotation of the housing for rotating the stored ice in the housing.

3. The ice bank as claimed in claim 2, wherein the sliding preventor comprises a plurality of projections provided on an upper inner wall of the housing.

4. The ice bank as claimed in claim 1, wherein the ice discharger comprises a base plate, the base plate provided as a bottom of the housing and is not rotatable.

5. The ice bank as claimed in claim 4, wherein the ice discharger further includes an uncrushed ice hole, through which uncrushed ice is discharged to the exterior, the uncrushed ice hole being provided in the base plate.

6. The ice bank as claimed in claim 5, wherein the ice discharger further includes a damper to selectively open the uncrushed ice hole.

7. The ice bank as claimed in claim 1, wherein the crusher includes:

a fixed part provided in the housing and that is not rotated; and

a rotating part rotatably provided in the housing and selectively crushing the ice together with the fixed part.

8. The ice bank as claimed in claim 7, wherein the fixed part includes:

a fixed rod provided in the housing; and

at least one fixed crushing member having one end connected with the fixed rod to crush the ice together with the rotating part.

9. The ice bank as claimed in claim 8, wherein the fixed part further includes a guide member that is connected with the fixed rod so as to guide the stored ice to the fixed crushing member as the housing rotates.

10. The ice bank as claimed in claim 9, wherein the guide member includes a fixed plate through which the stored ice passes, the fixed plate being provided between the open top of the housing and the fixed crushing member.

11. The ice bank as claimed in claim 10, wherein the fixed plate includes an ice passage hole through which the stored ice passes, the ice-passage hole being spaced circumferentially with respect to the hole of the ice discharger so as to prevent the ice from directly dropping through the hole of the ice discharger.

12. The ice bank as claimed in claim 11, wherein the separator is provided in the upper side of the fixed plate, the separator separating the ice pieces into ice have having a size suitable for passing through the ice passage hole of the fixed plate.

13. The ice bank as claimed in claim 12, wherein the separator includes at least one arm having one end connected with the fixed rod, and the other end extending toward the inner wall of the housing.

14. The ice bank as claimed in claim 12, wherein the separator includes at least one curved part extending from the fixed rod toward the inner wall of the housing.

15. The ice bank as claimed in claim 8, wherein the fixed crushing member includes a fixed cutter having one end connected with the fixed rod, the other end extending toward the inner wall of the housing, and a cutting edge.

16. The ice bank as claimed in claim 15, wherein the fixed cutter is provided above the ice discharger and crushes the ice with the rotating part the ice approaches the hole of the ice discharger by rotation of the rotating part when a user selects crushed ice.

17. The ice bank as claimed in claim 15, wherein, the ice discharger includes two holes for discharging the ice, the fixed cutter is provided between the holes of the ice discharger.

18. The ice bank as claimed in claim 8, wherein the rotating part includes a rotatable crushing member fixed to and supported by an inner wall of the housing.

19. The ice bank as claimed in claim 18, wherein the rotatable crushing member includes at least one rotating cutter each having a cutting edge.

20. The ice bank as claimed in claim 19, wherein the rotatable crushing member further includes a hollow-shaped support fixed to the inner wall of the housing and supporting the rotating cutter.

21. The ice bank as claimed in claim 8, wherein the rotating part includes a rotatable crushing member means having one end fixed to the inner wall of the housing, and the other end rotatably connected with the fixed rod.

22. The ice bank as claimed in claim 21, wherein the rotatable crushing member includes at least one rotating cutter having a cutting edge.

23. The ice bank as claimed in claim 10, wherein the rotating part includes at least one rotating arm extending in a direction to cross an upper space of the fixed plate, the rotating arm being rotated by the housing.

24. The ice bank as claimed in claim 1, wherein the rotating device includes a belt driven by a driving motor.

25. The ice bank as claimed in claim 1, wherein the rotating device includes a gear train driven by a driving motor.

26. The ice bank as claimed in claim 25, wherein the gear train includes:

a driving gear connected with the driving motor; and

a driven gear provided on an outer circumferential surface of the housing, and being rotated by the driving gear.

27. The ice bank as claimed in claim 25, wherein the gear train includes:

a driving gear connected with the driving motor;

a ring gear having an outer circumferential surface fixed to the inner wall of the housing, and an inner circumferential surface having an internal gear thereon; and

a shaft gear positioned to extend into the ice discharger and to be rotated by the driving gear, and the shaft gear mating with the ring gear to avoid interference with the crusher.

28. The ice bank as claimed in claim 1, wherein, the ice bank is provided in a refrigerator, the ice bank is provided in the an inner wall of a door of a freezer of the refrigerator.