Egg boiler device for a refrigerator appliance

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11236940-B2
Application number	US-201916568497-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 12, 2019
Priority date	Sep 12, 2019
Publication date	Feb 1, 2022
Grant date	Feb 1, 2022

Abstract

An egg boiler device for a refrigerator appliance is provided. In one aspect, a refrigerator appliance has a refrigerator door that defines a dispenser recess. The egg boiler device includes an end cap and a canister for receiving one or more eggs for cooking. The egg boiler device is positioned within the dispenser recess and the end cap is mounted to a dispenser assembly. A dispenser of the dispenser assembly directs a volume of heated water into the egg boiler device. The heated water imparts thermal energy to the eggs, and consequently, the eggs are cooked.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of cooking eggs at a refrigerator appliance in a cooking operation, the method comprising:
detecting an egg boiler device mounted within a dispenser recess of the refrigerator appliance, the egg boiler device being mounted within the dispenser recess without need to open a door of the refrigerator appliance, the egg boiler device having one or more eggs loaded therein; and
in response to detecting the egg boiler device within the dispenser recess, directing a volume of heated water into the egg boiler device such that the volume of heated water imparts thermal energy to the one or more eggs loaded into the egg boiler device.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein detecting the egg boiler device mounted within the dispenser recess of the refrigerator appliance comprises:
receiving, by a controller of the refrigerator appliance from a proximity sensor, one or more signals indicating whether the egg boiler device is mounted within the dispenser recess; and
determining, by the controller, whether the egg boiler device is mounted within the dispenser recess based at least in part on the one or more signals; and
when the controller determines that the egg boiler device is mounted within the dispenser recess based at least in part on the one or more signals, causing, by the controller, an inlet valve to open such that the volume of heated water heated by a heating device is directed into the egg boiler device.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein proximity sensor is mounted to the refrigerator appliance and a magnet is mounted to the egg boiler device, wherein the one or more signals indicate that the egg boiler device is mounted within the dispenser recess when the proximity sensor detects the magnet of the egg boiler device within a proximity range of the proximity sensor.

4. The method of claim 2 ,
wherein the controller causes the inlet valve to open only if the volume of heated water is heated to a predetermined temperature or has been heated by the heating device for a predetermined time.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the volume of heated water directed into the egg boiler device is a predetermined volume of heated water.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
directing a second volume of heated water into the egg boiler device.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising:
receiving, by a controller of the refrigerator appliance from a temperature sensor, one or more signals indicating a temperature of the volume of heated water within the egg boiler device;
determining, by the controller, whether the temperature has passed a predetermined temperature threshold, and
wherein when the temperature has passed the predetermined temperature threshold, the second volume of heated water is directed into the egg boiler device.

8. The method of claim 6 , further comprising:
receiving, by the controller, a current time of the cooking operation;
determining, by the controller, whether the current time has passed a predetermined time threshold, and
wherein when the current time has passed the predetermined time threshold, the second volume of heated water is directed into the egg boiler device.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
receiving, by the controller, an input indicative of a number of eggs loaded into the egg boiler device;
setting, by the controller, the predetermined time threshold based at least in part on the number of eggs loaded into the egg boiler device.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
deactivating, by the controller, the heating device within a predetermined time of an end time of the cooking operation; and
directing a volume of relatively cool water into the egg boiler device such that the volume of relatively cool water displaces the volume of heated water within the egg boiler device, the volume of relatively cool water being cooler than the volume of heated water.

11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
causing, by the controller, a notification to be presented to a user that indicates the one or more eggs loaded into the egg boiler device are finished cooking.

12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
mounting the egg boiler device within the dispenser recess of the refrigerator appliance, wherein the mounting comprises inserting mounting tabs of a dispenser assembly into slots defined by an end cap of the egg boiler device.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:
moving a heated water line of a dispenser downward so that the water line is received at least in part within a port defined by an end cap of the egg boiler device.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein when the egg boiler device is mounted within the dispenser recess, an electrical connector of the end cap automatically connects with an electrical connector of the dispensing assembly to communicatively couple a temperature sensor of the end cap with a controller of the refrigerator appliance.

15. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
reheating the volume of heated water disposed within a canister of the egg boiler device with a flexible heater attached or embedded within the canister.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the egg boiler device has a canister and an egg tray receivable within an interior volume of the canister, and wherein the method further comprises:
positioning the one or more eggs in respective egg baskets of the egg tray, the egg baskets being formed by a plurality of arcuate wire frames spaced from one another; and
positioning the egg tray within the interior volume of the canister of the egg boiler device.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the egg baskets of the egg tray are snap fit together.

18. The method of claim 1 , wherein the egg boiler device has a canister defining an interior volume and an egg tray removably mounted in the interior volume of the canister, the egg tray having a first cover and a second cover removably connected with the first cover to form one or more egg baskets in which the one or more eggs are secured.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the first cover and the second cover are snapped together to secure the one or more eggs in respective ones of the one or more egg baskets.

20. A refrigerator appliance, comprising:
a cabinet defining a chilled chamber;
a door mounted to the cabinet, the door defining a dispenser recess accessible without need to open the door;
a dispenser mounted to the door;
a heating device disposed within the cabinet for heating water;
an egg boiler device containing one or more eggs, the egg boiler device positioned within the dispenser recess and mounted to the dispenser such that a volume of heated water from the heating device is receivable within the egg boiler device to impart thermal energy to the one or more eggs; and
a controller configured to:
receive one or more signals indicating that the egg boiler device has been mounted within the dispenser recess of the refrigerator appliance, the egg boiler device having the one or more eggs loaded therein; and
in response to detecting the egg boiler device within the dispenser recess, cause a volume of heated water to be directed into the egg boiler device such that the volume of heated water imparts thermal energy to the one or more eggs loaded into the egg boiler device.

Assignees

• Haier Us Appliance Solutions Inc

Inventors

• Ahmed Syed Moin
• Verma Gaurav Kumar
• Prasad Sharath Chandra
• Subrahmanya Praveena Alangar

Classifications

• F25D2331/807

  Eggs · CPC title

• A47J29/02

  for eggs or poached eggs; Time-controlled cookers · CPC title

• A23V2002/00

  Food compositions, function of food ingredients or processes for food or foodstuffs · CPC title

• A23L5/13

  using water or steam · CPC title

• F25D23/12 Primary

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