Single paddle ice and water dispenser

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10926989-B2
Application number	US-201916545056-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 20, 2019
Priority date	Dec 9, 2011
Publication date	Feb 23, 2021
Grant date	Feb 23, 2021

Abstract

A dispensing unit is operatively associated with a refrigeration appliance for selectively dispensing water and ice at a dispensing station. The dispensing unit includes an actuator that is movable to selected positions in order to support the dispensing of the water and ice. The dispensing unit can include a passageway through which ice is dispensed, and an ice door can be provided for selectively opening and closing the passageway to the dispensing of ice. In one aspect, the ice door can be opened and closed mechanically and in another aspect, the ice door can be opened and closed electromechanically. The dispensing unit also can provide for the position of a water-dispensing nozzle to be adjusted for the purpose of dispensing water to receptacles outside a recessed area at which the nozzle is located and to provide for the activation of illuminating devices to indicate operating conditions at the refrigeration appliance.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A dispensing unit operatively associated with a refrigeration appliance for dispensing water at a dispensing station at the refrigeration appliance, the dispensing unit including:
a nozzle configured to direct a stream of the water from a source of the water to a receptacle placed at the dispensing station,
wherein the nozzle is located within a recess at the dispensing station and is angularly adjustable from a substantially vertical position within the recess to an inclined position at which a stream of water dispensed by the nozzle is directed towards a front of the recess; and
a supporting structure for the nozzle and an actuating device configured to activate delivery of the water to the nozzle, the actuating device being operatively associated with the supporting structure, whereby the supporting structure is configured to activate the actuating device when the nozzle is placed in the inclined position, the supporting structure being pivotally held at a bracket by a pair of mounting arms, whereby a bottom of the supporting structure, together with the lower portion of the nozzle, can be rotated away from the bracket.

2. The dispensing unit of claim 1 , wherein when the nozzle is in a substantially vertical position, the nozzle can subsequently be placed in the inclined position by grasping and pulling outwardly on the nozzle.

3. The dispensing unit of claim 1 , further comprising at least one spring member located on the supporting structure and placed under compression when the nozzle is moved into the inclined position to thereby resiliently bias the nozzle towards the vertical position.

4. The dispensing unit of claim 1 , further including a water dispensing selector for selecting water to be dispensed at the dispensing station when the actuating device is activated and the water dispensing selector has been activated.

5. A dispensing unit operatively associated with a refrigeration appliance for dispensing water at a dispensing station at the refrigeration appliance, the dispensing unit including:
a nozzle configured to direct a stream of the water from a source of the water to a receptacle placed at the dispensing station,
wherein the nozzle is located within a recess at the dispensing station and is movable in a vertical direction within the recess between a retracted position and an extended position at the dispensing unit; and
a supporting structure for the nozzle and an actuating device configured to activate delivery of the water to the nozzle, the actuating device being operatively associated with the supporting structure, whereby the supporting structure is configured to activate the actuating device when the nozzle is placed in the extended position.

6. The dispensing unit of claim 5 , further including an actuating mechanism that is operatively associated with the nozzle for retracting the nozzle and extending the nozzle,
wherein the actuating mechanism is pivotally mounted to a vertically displaceable member at a pivot point and includes a manipulating tab that can be used to rotate the actuating mechanism about the pivot point for extending and retracting the nozzle.

7. The dispensing unit of claim 6 , wherein movement of the manipulating tab causes rotation of the actuating mechanism about the pivot point to cause a positioning pin attached to the vertically displaceable member to be pulled downwardly to thereby extend the nozzle downwardly from a supporting structure of the nozzle.

8. The dispensing unit of claim 7 , wherein the actuating mechanism further includes a positioning spring that engages a fixed holding pin in one of two depressed positions,
wherein when the nozzle is in the retracted position, the holding pin engages the positioning spring at a first depressed position so as to retain the actuating mechanism in an attitude wherein the nozzle remains retracted unless the manipulating tab is moved to a position at which the nozzle is extended, and
wherein when the nozzle is in the extended position, the holding pin engages the positioning spring at a second depressed position so as to retain the actuating mechanism in an attitude wherein the nozzle remains extended unless the manipulating tab is returned to a position at which the nozzle is retracted.

9. The dispensing unit of claim 6 , wherein the nozzle includes a retaining pin at an upper portion, and the actuating mechanism further includes a ring with a retaining slot within which the retaining pin releasably resides,
wherein the nozzle is releasably attachable to the actuating mechanism by removing the retaining pin from the retaining slot.

10. The dispensing unit of claim 9 , wherein the retaining pin and retaining slot form a bayonet connection.

11. The dispensing unit of claim 6 , wherein the actuating mechanism is operatively associated with the nozzle for inclining the nozzle outwardly from the recess, and for activating an actuating device that causes water to be dispensed when the nozzle is in the inclined position.

12. The dispensing unit of claim 1 , further including at least one illuminating device configured to illuminate the nozzle in a manner indicating a status of an operating condition of a separate component of the refrigeration appliance.

13. The dispensing unit of claim 12 , wherein said at least one illuminating device comprises a plurality of illuminating devices, each said illuminating devices being configured to produce a color light different from the color light produced by another of said illuminating devices, and each color light representing a different operating condition of a separate component of the refrigeration appliance.

14. The dispensing unit of claim 12 , wherein the at least one illuminating device is operably energized when the stream of water is dispensed by the nozzle.

15. A dispensing unit operatively associated with a refrigeration appliance for dispensing water at a dispensing station at the refrigeration appliance, the dispensing unit including:
a nozzle configured to direct a stream of the water from a source of the water to a receptacle placed at the dispensing station,
wherein the nozzle is located within a recess at the dispensing station and is angularly adjustable from a substantially vertical position within the recess to an inclined position at which a stream of water dispensed by the nozzle is directed towards a front of the recess; and
a supporting structure for the nozzle and an actuating device configured to activate delivery of the water to the nozzle, the actuating device being operatively associated with the supporting structure, whereby the supporting structure is configured to activate the actuating device when the nozzle is placed in the inclined position,
wherein the nozzle includes a retaining pin at an upper portion, and wherein the nozzle is releasably attachable to the supporting structure by removing the retaining pin from a retaining slot.

Assignees

• Electrolux Home Prod Inc

Inventors

• Sanchez Jorge Carlos Montalvo
• Mccollough Thomas W
• Bertolini Nilton Carlos
• Mcmahan Travis
• Morgan Justin

Classifications

• F25D23/126 Primary

  Water cooler · CPC title

• F25C5/22

  particularly adapted for household refrigerators · CPC title

• F25D23/12

  Arrangements of compartments additional to cooling compartments; Combinations of refrigerators with other equipment, e.g. stove · CPC title

• F25D25/00

  Charging, supporting, and discharging the articles to be cooled · CPC title

• B67D1/0857

  Cooling arrangements (cooling systems per se F25B) · CPC title