Refrigerator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10458693-B2
Application number	US-201715646781-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 11, 2017
Priority date	Jul 13, 2016
Publication date	Oct 29, 2019
Grant date	Oct 29, 2019

Abstract

A refrigerator includes a main body, a door rotatably coupled to the main body, a first ice making compartment configured to generate and store ice and provided in the main body, a second ice making compartment configured to crush ice and provided in the door, and a transfer device provided to transfer the ice in the first ice making compartment to the second ice making compartment. Therefore, a structure of an ice bucket storing ice is simplified, and an ice making system is easily constructed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A refrigerator, comprising:
a main body;
a storage compartment provided in the main body;
a door rotatably coupled to the main body;
a first ice making compartment configured to generate and store ice, and provided in the main body;
a second ice making compartment provided in the door and configured to crush ice by a crushing device, disposed in the second ice making compartment; and
a transfer device configured to transfer the ice in the first ice making compartment to the second ice making compartment;
wherein the crushing device is disposed to be inclined such that the ice of the second ice making compartment is transferred upward.

2. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein when the door is closed, the first ice making compartment and the second ice making compartment communicate with each other.

3. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the door comprises a door body part provided to open and close the storage compartment and a second ice making housing in which the second ice making compartment is disposed.

4. The refrigerator according to claim 3 , wherein the second ice making housing protrudes from the door body part toward an inside of the main body when the door is closed.

5. The refrigerator according to claim 3 , wherein the door body part and the second ice making housing are configured to be detachably removable from one another.

6. The refrigerator according to claim 5 , wherein the door comprises a fixer member configured to couple the door body part to the second ice making housing.

7. The refrigerator according to claim 6 , wherein
the door body part comprises heat insulation, and
the fixer member is supported and fixed by the heat insulation.

8. The refrigerator according to claim 3 , wherein the door body part and the second ice making housing are integrally formed with each other.

9. The refrigerator according to claim 3 , wherein the second ice making housing comprises heat insulation provided to thermally insulate the second ice making compartment.

10. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the first ice making compartment comprises a first ice making housing coupled to the main body, the first ice making housing including:
a housing upper wall corresponding to an upper surface of the first ice making compartment;
a lower housing wall corresponding to a lower surface of the first ice making compartment; and
a housing sidewall corresponding to a side surface of the first ice making compartment.

11. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an ice making tray, disposed in the first ice making compartment, configured to store water to produce the ice; and
an ice bucket, disposed in the first ice making compartment, configured to store the ice.

12. The refrigerator according to claim 11 , wherein
the ice bucket comprises a bottom and at least one sidewall extending upwardly from the bottom to form an ice storage space, and
a sidewall among the at least one sidewall of the ice bucket is disposed adjacent to the second ice making compartment when the door is closed and comprises an ice through-hole through which ice of the ice bucket is discharged.

13. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the crushing device comprises a fixed blade, a rotating blade rotatably provided to crush the ice together with the fixed blade, and a crushing motor configured to provide rotational force to the rotating blade.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Jeong Jin
• Lee Jae Jin
• Yoon Seok Jun

Classifications

• F25C2400/10

  Refrigerator units · CPC title

• F25C5/22 Primary

  particularly adapted for household refrigerators · CPC title

• F25D23/04

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

• F25C5/046

  Ice-crusher machines · CPC title

• F25D2500/02

  Geometry problems · CPC title