Refrigerator

• US 7,571,619 B2
• Filed: 05/02/2006
• Issued: 08/11/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Park, Sang-min, An, Jae-koog
• Primary Examiner(s): Tapolcai; William E
• Application Number:
  US11/415,267
• Publication Number:
  US 20060248912A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,197 Days
• Field of Search: 623/20, 241/DIG.17
• US Class Current: 62/320
• CPC Class Codes: F25C 2400/08 for different type of ice
• 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 having: an ice storage container in a freezer formed with an opening at a side thereof; an ice breaking part for receiving ice cubes stored in the ice storage container and making shaved ice; a rotating blade which is rotatably provided in the opening; a first discharging part for discharging the ice cubes released to the opening and crushed ice broken by the rotating blade; a second discharging part that communicates with the ice breaking part to cause the ice cubes to be released from the opening and transferred by the rotating blade into the ice breaking part; and first and second discharging levers for opening and closing the first discharging part and the second discharging part, respectively. Thus, the invention provides a refrigerator for selectively distributing and supplying ice stored within an ice storage part to a single transferring unit.

Claims

1. A refrigerator having a freezer and a freezer door for opening and closing the freezer, the refrigerator comprising:

an ice storage container provided in the freezer and formed with an opening at a side thereof;

an ice breaking part for receiving ice cubes stored in the ice storage container and making shaved ice;

a rotating blade which is rotatably provided in the opening;

a first discharging part for discharging the ice cubes discharged to the opening and crushed ice broken by the rotating blade;

a second discharging part which communicates with the ice breaking part to cause the ice cubes which are released from the opening to be transferred by the rotating blade into the ice breaking part to form the shaved ice; and

first and second discharging levers for opening and closing the first discharging part and the second discharging part, respectively,

wherein the second discharging lever opens the second discharging part when discharging the shaved ice.

2. The refrigerator according to claim 1 further comprising an ice transferring unit, wherein the ice transferring unit has a driving motor provided in the ice storage container, a rotating shaft having a first end connected to the driving motor and a second end extended to the opening, and a spiral blade rotatably connected to the rotating shaft and transferring the ice cubes within the ice storage container into the opening.

3. The refrigerator according to claim 2, wherein the rotating blade has a plurality of blades and the blades are plurally disposed to be spaced with respect to each other at a predetermined interval on the second end of the rotating shaft.

4. The refrigerator according to claim 3 further comprising at least one fixed blade, wherein the fixed blades are disposed at a predetermined angle with respect to each of the respective rotating blades within the rotating radii of the plurality of rotating blades to break the ice cubes transferred by the rotating blades into crushed ice.

5. The refrigerator according to claim 4, wherein the fixed blade has the shape of a long rod extending downwardly from the rotating shaft.

6. The refrigerator according to claim 5, further comprising a lever driving part for driving the discharging levers.

7. The refrigerator according to claim 6, wherein the lever driving part rotates the first discharging lever to a position for opening the first discharging part and rotates the second discharging lever to a position for closing the second discharging part.

8. The refrigerator according to claim 6, wherein the lever driving part rotates the first discharging lever and the second discharging lever to positions for opening the first discharging part and closing the second discharging part when discharging the crushed ice.

9. The refrigerator according to claim 6, wherein the lever driving part rotates the first discharging lever to a position for closing the first discharging part and rotates the second discharging lever to a position for opening the second discharging part when discharging the shaved ice.

10. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the ice breaking part includes a fixing tray provided with a shaved ice discharging part, a blade provided in the shaved ice discharging part, and a rotating tray which is rotatably provided in the fixing tray to transfer the ice cubes induced into the fixing tray to the blade.

11. The refrigerator according to claim 1 further comprising a dispenser, wherein the dispenser is provided in the freezer door and an ice duct is provided in the freezer door to guide the ice discharged from the first discharging part and the second discharging part to the dispenser.

12. A refrigerator having a freezer and a freezer door for opening and closing the freezer, the refrigerator comprising:

an ice storage container provided in the freezer and formed with an opening at a side thereof;

an ice breaking part for receiving ice cubes stored in the ice storage container and making shaved ice;

a rotating blade which is rotatably provided in the opening and has three or more blades disposed at a predetermined angle therebetween for breaking the ice cubes into crushed ice;

a first discharging part for discharging the ice cubes discharged to the opening and the crushed ice broken by the rotating blade;

a second discharging part which communicates with the ice breaking part to induce the ice cubes discharged from the opening to be transferred by the rotating blade into the ice breaking part to form the shaved ice; and

first and second discharging levers for opening and closing the first discharging part and the second discharging part, respectively.

13. The refrigerator according to claim 12 further comprising an ice transferring unit, wherein the ice transferring unit has a driving motor provided in the ice storage container, a rotating shaft having a first end connected to the driving motor and a second end extended to the opening, and a spiral blade rotatably connected to the rotating shaft for transferring the ice cubes within the ice storage container into the opening.

14. The refrigerator according to claim 13, wherein the rotating blade has three blades and the blades are plurally disposed to be spaced from each other at a predetermined interval on the second end of the rotating shaft.

15. The refrigerator according to claim 14 further comprising at least one fixed blade, wherein the fixed blade is disposed at a predetermined angle with respect to the respective rotating blades within the rotating radii of the plurality of rotating blades to break the ice cubes transferred by the rotating blades into crushed ice.

16. The refrigerator according to claim 15, wherein the second discharging part is provided below the opening,

the first discharging part is adjacent to the second discharging part so that the ice discharged from the opening is transferred by the rotating blade and discharged to the ice breaking part, and

the fixed blade having a first end connected to the rotating shaft and a second end bent in the shape of ‘

L’

.

17. The refrigerator according to claim 15, further comprising a lever discharging part for driving the discharging levers.

18. The refrigerator according to claim 17, wherein the lever driving part rotates the first discharging lever to a position for opening the first discharging part and rotates the second discharging lever to a position for closing the second discharging part when discharging the ice cubes stored in the ice storage container.

19. The refrigerator according to claim 17, wherein the lever driving part rotates the first discharging lever and the second discharging lever to open the first discharging part and to close the second discharging part when discharging the crushed ice.

20. The refrigerator according to claim 17, wherein the lever driving part rotates the first discharging lever to a position for closing the first discharging part and rotates the second discharging lever to a position for opening the second discharging part when discharging the shaved ice.