Refrigerator appliance having an ice storage bin

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10260790-B2
Application number	US-201715624747-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 16, 2017
Priority date	Jun 16, 2017
Publication date	Apr 16, 2019
Grant date	Apr 16, 2019

Abstract

A refrigerator appliance having an ice storage bin is generally provided herein. A door may define a bin opening and a dispenser recess to a cabinet of the refrigerator appliance. A dispensing assembly may be positioned within the dispenser recess and define an ice delivery passage. The ice storage bin may define a storage cavity in selective communication with an icemaker to receive ice therefrom. The ice storage bin may be in further communication with the dispensing assembly to direct ice to the ice delivery passage. The ice storage bin may be mounted to the door and selectively accessible through the bin opening.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A refrigerator appliance comprising:
a cabinet defining a chilled chamber;
a door defining a bin opening and a dispenser recess, the door being rotatably hinged to the cabinet to rotate between a closed position restricting access to the chilled chamber and an open position permitting access to the chilled chamber;
a dispensing assembly positioned within the dispenser recess and defining an ice delivery passage;
an icemaker attached to the cabinet;
an ice storage bin defining a storage cavity in selective communication with the icemaker to receive ice therefrom, the ice storage bin being in further communication with the dispensing assembly to direct ice to the ice delivery passage, the ice storage bin being mounted to the door at the bin opening, the ice storage bin being selectively accessible through the bin opening in the closed position, the storage bin being movably attached to the door to move between a limiting position restricting access to the storage cavity and an ajar position permitting access to the storage cavity; and
an illumination assembly mounted to the door, the illumination assembly comprising a light source positioned below the storage bin and directed toward the storage cavity in the limiting position.

2. The refrigerator appliance of claim 1 , wherein the storage bin is pivotally attached to the door to move between the limiting position restricting access to the storage cavity and the ajar position permitting access to the storage cavity.

3. The refrigerator appliance of claim 1 , wherein the bin opening is defined above the dispenser recess along a vertical direction.

4. The refrigerator appliance of claim 1 , wherein the storage bin comprises a transparent front panel selectively positioned across the bin opening.

5. The refrigerator appliance of claim 1 , wherein the storage bin comprises an insulated sidewall at least partially defining the storage cavity, the sidewall comprising a front panel and a rear panel defining a transparent insulation gap therebetween.

6. The refrigerator appliance of claim 1 , wherein the icemaker is mounted above the storage bin along a vertical direction.

7. The refrigerator appliance of claim 1 , wherein the door is an inner door, and wherein the refrigerator appliance further comprises
an outer door rotatably hinged to the inner door and selectively disposed across the bin opening.

8. The refrigerator appliance of claim 7 , wherein the outer door comprises a planar internal surface selectively disposed across an external panel of the inner door.

9. The refrigerator appliance of claim 7 , further comprising a motion sensor in operable communication with the outer door to detect movement of the outer door relative to the inner door.

10. The refrigerator appliance of claim 9 , wherein the storage bin is movably attached to the inner door to move between the limiting position restricting access to the storage cavity and the ajar position permitting access to the storage cavity, the refrigerator assembly further comprising
a controller operably coupled to the motion sensor to receive a detection signal therefrom,
wherein the illumination assembly is operably coupled to the controller, and wherein the controller is configured to activate the illumination assembly based on the detection signal from the motion sensor.

11. A refrigerator appliance comprising:
a cabinet defining a chilled chamber;
an inner door defining a bin opening and a dispenser recess below the bin opening, the inner door being rotatably hinged to the cabinet to rotate between a closed position restricting access to the chilled chamber and an open position permitting access to the chilled chamber, the inner door comprising an external panel positioned about the bin opening and the dispenser recess;
an outer door rotatably hinged to the inner door to rotate between a covered position restricting access to the dispenser recess in the closed position of the inner door and an uncovered position permitting access to the dispenser recess in the closed position of the inner door;
a dispensing assembly positioned within the dispenser recess and defining an ice delivery passage;
an icemaker attached to the cabinet; and
an ice storage bin defining a storage cavity in selective communication with the icemaker to receive ice therefrom, the ice storage bin being further in communication with the dispensing assembly to direct ice to the ice delivery passage, the ice storage bin being mounted to the inner door and through the external panel of the inner door at the bin opening, the ice storage bin being selectively accessible through the bin opening,
wherein the outer door comprises a planar internal surface positioned forward from the external panel of the inner door,
wherein the planar internal surface of the outer door extends across the bin opening, the dispenser recess, and the external panel of the inner door in the covered position, and
wherein the outer door further comprises a solid external surface defined opposite of the planar internal surface of the outer door.

12. The refrigerator appliance of claim 11 , wherein the storage bin is pivotally attached to the inner door to move between a limiting position restricting access to the storage cavity and an ajar position permitting access to the storage cavity.

13. The refrigerator appliance of claim 11 , wherein the bin opening is defined above the dispenser recess along a vertical direction.

14. The refrigerator appliance of claim 11 , wherein the storage bin comprises a transparent front panel selectively positioned across the bin opening.

15. The refrigerator appliance of claim 11 , wherein the storage bin is movably attached to the inner door to move between a limiting position restricting access to the storage cavity and an ajar position permitting access to the storage cavity, the refrigerator assembly further comprising
an illumination assembly mounted to the inner door, the illumination assembly comprising a light source positioned below the storage bin and directed toward the storage cavity in the limiting position.

16. The refrigerator appliance of claim 11 , wherein the storage bin comprises an insulated sidewall at least partially defining the storage cavity, the sidewall comprising a front panel and a rear panel defining a transparent insulation gap therebetween.

17. The refrigerator appliance of claim 11 , further comprising a motion sensor in operable communication with the outer door to detect movement of the outer door from the covered position.

18. The refrigerator appliance of claim 17 , further comprising
a controller operably coupled to the motion sensor to receive a detection signal therefrom; and
an illumination assembly mounted to the inner door and operably coupled to the controller, wherein the controller is configured to activate the illumination assembly based on the detection signal from the motion sensor, and wherein the illumination assembly comprises a light source positioned below the storage bin and directed toward the storage cavity.

Assignees

• Haier Us Appliance Solutions Inc
• Haier Us Applicance Solutions Inc

Inventors

• Hottenroth Marc Eric
• Platts Lauren Nicole

Classifications

• F25D2700/02

  Sensors detecting door opening · CPC title

• F25D23/04

  with special compartments, e.g. butter conditioners · CPC title

• F25D27/005

  combined with control means · CPC title

• F25D2323/023

  Door in door constructions · CPC title

• F25C5/22 Primary

  particularly adapted for household refrigerators · CPC title