Ice storage bucket for refrigerator

• US 8,925,343 B1
• Filed: 04/28/2010
• Issued: 01/06/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Original Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Inventors: Flores, Laura Esther
• Primary Examiner(s): Wilkens, Janet M
• Assistant Examiner(s): ROERSMA, ANDREW MARK
• Application Number:
  US12/768,984
• Time in Patent Office: 1,714 Days
• Field of Search: 623/77, 623/37, 623/44, 624/59, 623/82
• US Class Current: 62/377
• CPC Class Codes: F25C 5/182 Ice bins therefor
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 23/04 with special compartments, e.g. butter conditioners

Abstract

A refrigerator includes a refrigerator housing and at least one compartment displaced within the refrigeration housing. There is a door for providing access to one or more of the at least one compartments. There is an ice storage bucket placed beneath an ice making unit for collecting and storing ice. The ice storage bucket includes an open top end and an opposite bottom surface. A first and a second cylindrical protrusion are positioned proximate the bottom surface of the ice storage bucket. There is a mounting plate beneath the ice storage bucket, the mounting plate operatively connected to the door. The first and the second cylindrical protrusions assist in fixation and rotation of the ice storage bucket relative to the mounting plate.

Claims

1. A refrigerator, comprising:

a refrigerator housing;

at least one compartment disposed within the refrigerator housing;

a door for providing access to one or more of the at least one compartments;

an ice storage bucket placed beneath an ice chute for receiving ice from an ice making unit remote from the door into the door, the ice storage bucket configured for collecting and storing ice when in an ice harvesting position;

wherein the ice storage bucket includes an open top end and an opposite bottom surface with an insulated exterior wall with a window therein;

a first and a second cylindrical protrusion proximate the bottom surface of the ice storage bucket and on opposite sides of the ice storage bucket;

a mounting plate beneath the ice storage bucket, the mounting plate operatively connected to the door and having opposite side walls, each of the side walls having a top end and an opposite bottom end;

a first guide member and a second guide member in the opposite side walls of the mounting plate, each of the guide members being a slot having a lower closed end and an upper open end at the top end of the side wall, the lower closed end and the upper open end spaced apart by front and back track portions, the guide member having an arcuate portion beginning at the lower closed end, the arcuate portion extending upwardly from the lower closed end towards a vertical portion, the vertical portion extending upwardly from the arcuate portion to the upper top end of the side wall, the vertical portion having the front and back track portions;

wherein each of the guide members is configured to receive one of the cylindrical protrusions and guide the movement of the ice storage bucket between the ice harvesting position at the lower closed end and an ice bucket removal position at the upper open end;

a first and a second hemispherical indentation associated with the first guide member and the second guide member of the mounting plate for mating with the first and the second cylindrical protrusions, each of the hemispherical indentations located along the back track portion of the vertical portion of the guide member between the upper open end and the lower closed end of the guide member and proximate the top end of the side wall, the front track portion of each vertical portion terminating proximate the upper top end of the side wall opposite the hemispherical indentation;

wherein mating of the first and second hemispherical indentations with the cylindrical protrusions occurs at an intermediate position between the ice harvesting position and ice bucket removal position;

a first and a second horizontal support on opposite sides of the ice storage bucket, each of the horizontal supports configured for mating with the top end of the side wall of the mounting plate when the ice storage bucket is in the ice harvesting position.

2. The refrigerator of claim 1 wherein the ice storage bucket is mounted at the door.

3. The refrigerator of claim 1 wherein the at least one compartment includes a fresh food compartment and wherein the door is a fresh food compartment door.

4. The refrigerator of claim 1 wherein the door is a French door providing access to a refrigeration compartment.

5. The refrigerator of claim 4 wherein a freezer compartment is disposed below the refrigeration compartment.

6. A refrigerator, comprising:

a refrigerator housing;

a fresh food compartment disposed within the housing;

a freezer compartment disposed within the housing;

a fresh food compartment door for providing access to the fresh food compartment;

a mounting plate at the fresh food compartment door, having opposite side walls;

an ice storage bucket for collecting and storing ice, having an insulated front wall with a window therein;

an ice chute for receiving ice from an ice making unit into the ice storage bucket when the ice storage bucket is mounted at the mounting plate at the fresh food compartment door;

wherein the ice storage bucket includes an open top end and an opposite bottom surface;

a first and a second cylindrical protrusion proximate the bottom surface of the ice storage bucket on opposite sides of the ice storage bucket;

a first guide member and a second guide member in the opposite side walls of the mounting plate and configured to receive the first and the second cylindrical protrusions;

wherein the guide members have an upper open entrance point at a top surface of the mounting plate and a lower closed end point near the bottom surface of the mounting plate and wherein the guide members have opposing front and back vertical portions extending downwardly from the upper open entrance point, and opposing arcuate portions extending from the opposing front and back vertical portions to the lower closed end point;

a first and a second hemispherical indentation in the opposing back vertical portions within the first and the second guide members of the mounting plate for mating with the first and the second cylindrical protrusions;

wherein the first and the second cylindrical protrusions assist in fixation and rotation of the ice storage bucket relative to the mounting plate;

wherein the first and second hemispherical indentations are at an intermediate position between the upper open entrance point at the top surface of the mounting plate and the lower closed end point near the bottom surface of the mounting plate, the intermediate position located along the vertical portion of the guide member and extending inwardly;

wherein the ice storage bucket rests in an open, tilted position when the cylindrical protrusions mate with the hemispherical indentation;

a first and a second horizontal support on opposite sides of the ice storage bucket, each of the horizontal supports configured for mating with the top end of the side wall of the mounting plate when the ice storage bucket is in the open, tilted position.

7. The refrigerator of claim 6 wherein the freezer compartment is positioned below the fresh food compartment.

8. The refrigerator of claim 6 wherein the ice storage bucket is insulated from the fresh food compartment.