Refrigerator appliance

• US 9,874,386 B2
• Filed: 05/05/2015
• Issued: 01/23/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc. DBA GE Appliances (Haier Group Company)
• Original Assignee: Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc. DBA GE Appliances (Haier Group Company)
• Inventors: Mitchell, Alan Joseph, Seenivasan, Ansuraj
• Primary Examiner(s): Jones, Melvin
• Application Number:
  US14/703,920
• Publication Number:
  US 20160327326A1
• Time in Patent Office: 994 Days
• Field of Search: 62320, 62340, 62344, 62377, 62 66
• CPC Class Codes: F25C 1/04 by using stationary moulds
• CPC Class Codes: F25C 5/22 particularly adapted for household refrigerators
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 23/025 Secondary closures
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2700/121 of particular compartments

Abstract

A refrigerator appliance has a dispenser conduit that defines an inner volume. An inlet of the inner volume is positioned adjacent a nugget style ice maker, and an outlet of the inner volume is positioned adjacent a dispenser recess. The dispenser conduit has a projection that extends from an inner surface of the dispenser conduit into the inner volume of the dispenser conduit at the outlet of the inner volume.

Claims

1. A refrigerator appliance, comprising:

a cabinet defining a chilled chamber and an opening for accessing the chilled chamber of the cabinet;

a door mounted to the cabinet at the opening of the cabinet, the door defining a dispenser recess;

a nugget ice maker; and

a dispenser conduit defining an inner volume, the inner volume of the dispenser conduit configured for directing ice from the nugget ice maker to the dispenser recess of the door, the inner volume of the dispenser conduit extending between an inlet and an external discharging outlet, the inlet of the inner volume positioned adjacent the nugget ice maker, the external discharging outlet of the inner volume mounted in the dispenser recess adjacent a top portion of the dispenser recess, the dispenser conduit having a projection that extends from an inner surface of the dispenser conduit into the inner volume of the dispenser conduit at the external discharging outlet of the inner volume, wherein the projection and the inner surface are integrally formed of a single, continuous piece of material.

2. The refrigerator appliance of claim 1, wherein the projection extends across the inner volume of the dispenser conduit at the outlet of the inner volume.

3. The refrigerator appliance of claim 1, wherein the dispenser conduit further comprises at least one additional projection, each projection of the at least one additional projection integrally formed of the single, continuous piece of material and extending from the inner surface of the dispenser conduit into the inner volume of the dispenser conduit at the external discharging outlet of the inner volume.

4. The refrigerator appliance of claim 3, wherein the at least one additional projection comprises three additional projections.

5. The refrigerator appliance of claim 3, wherein the projection and each projection of the at least one additional projection are uniformly distributed on the inner surface of the dispenser conduit at the external discharging outlet of the inner volume.

6. The refrigerator appliance of claim 3, wherein the projection and each projection of the at least one additional projection extend vertically upward on the inner surface of the dispenser conduit from the external discharging outlet of the inner volume.

7. The refrigerator appliance of claim 1, wherein the projection is positioned and oriented for obstructing non-vertical motion of ice sliding on the inner surface of the dispenser conduit.

8. The refrigerator appliance of claim 1, wherein the single, continuous piece of material comprises molded plastic.

14. The refrigerator appliance of claim 1, wherein the projections of the plurality of projections are positioned and oriented for obstructing non-vertical motion of ice sliding on the inner surface of the dispenser conduit.

9. A refrigerator appliance, comprising:

a cabinet defining a chilled chamber and an opening for accessing the chilled chamber of the cabinet;

a door mounted to the cabinet at the opening of the cabinet, the door defining a dispenser recess;

a nugget ice maker; and

a dispenser conduit defining an inner volume, the inner volume of the dispenser conduit configured for directing ice from the nugget ice maker to the dispenser recess of the door, the inner volume of the dispenser conduit extending between an inlet and an external discharging outlet, the inlet of the inner volume positioned adjacent the nugget ice maker, the external discharging outlet of the inner volume mounted in the dispenser recess adjacent a top portion of the dispenser recess, the dispenser conduit having a plurality of projections, each projection of the plurality of projections extending from an inner surface of the dispenser conduit into the inner volume of the dispenser conduit at the external discharging outlet of the inner volume wherein the plurality of projections and the inner surface are integrally formed of a single, continuous piece of material.

10. The refrigerator appliance of claim 9, wherein at least one of the projections of the plurality of projections extends across the inner volume of the dispenser conduit at the outlet of the inner volume.

11. The refrigerator appliance of claim 9, wherein the plurality of projections comprises at least four projections.

12. The refrigerator appliance of claim 9, wherein the projections of the plurality of projections are uniformly distributed on the inner surface of the dispenser conduit at the external discharging outlet of the inner volume.

13. The refrigerator appliance of claim 9, wherein each projection of the plurality of projections extends vertically upward on the inner surface of the dispenser conduit from the external discharging outlet of the inner volume.

15. The refrigerator appliance of claim 9, wherein the single, continuous piece of material comprises molded plastic.