Refrigerator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11480377-B2
Application number	US-201916685346-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 15, 2019
Priority date	Nov 16, 2018
Publication date	Oct 25, 2022
Grant date	Oct 25, 2022

Abstract

Provided is a refrigerator including a cabinet having a freezing compartment defined therein, an ice-maker mounted in the freezing compartment, wherein the ice-maker makes spherical ice and removes the made spherical ice downwards, an ice bin disposed below the ice-maker, and retractable and extendable in a front and rear direction, wherein the removed ice is stored in the ice bin, and a cover plate extending downward from a rear face of the ice-maker, wherein the cover plate shields a space between the ice bin and the ice-maker.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A refrigerator comprising:
a cabinet defining a freezing compartment therein;
an ice maker mounted in the freezing compartment, the ice maker being configured to make spherical ice and release the made spherical ice in a downward direction;
an ice bin disposed below the ice maker and configured to receive the ice released from the ice maker, the ice bin being configured to be withdrawn from and retracted into the freezing compartment along a front and rear direction, respectively; and
a cover plate extending downward from a rear face of the ice maker,
wherein a lower portion of the ice maker is configured, based on the ice bin being retracted into the freezing compartment, to be positioned at least partially within the ice bin,
wherein a bin opening is defined at a rear face of the ice bin and configured to allow the ice maker to pass therethrough based on the ice bin being withdrawn and retracted, and
wherein the cover plate is configured, based on the ice bin being retracted into the freezing compartment, to shield the bin opening to thereby restrict the ice in the ice bin from falling out of the ice bin.

2. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the ice maker is mounted at a top face of the freezing compartment.

3. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein a top face of the freezing compartment defines a recessed space that is recessed upward, and
wherein at least a portion of an upper portion of the ice maker is accommodated in the recessed space.

4. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the bin opening is recessed downward from a top of the ice bin, and
wherein the bin opening extends vertically downward to a vertical level that is higher than a bottom of the bin by at least a diameter of the spherical ice.

5. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the ice maker includes an ice-full state detection lever that pivots to detect an ice-full state of the ice bin, and
wherein width and height of the bin opening are greater than a pivot radius of the ice-full state detection lever.

6. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the ice maker includes an upper casing that defines an outer shape of the ice maker, and
wherein the cover plate is mounted on a rear face of the upper casing.

7. The refrigerator of claim 6 , wherein the upper casing has a plate seat protruding therefrom, wherein an upper portion and a lower portion of the upper casing are stepped by the plate seat, and
wherein a plate bent portion is provided at a top of the cover plate such that the cover plate is seated on the plate seat.

8. The refrigerator of claim 7 , wherein a pair of bosses protrude from a rear face of the upper casing, and
wherein a pair of boss-receiving portions for respectively receiving the pair of bosses therein are provided on the cover plate at locations corresponding to the pair of bosses, wherein a screw is fastened to each of the pair of boss-receiving portions.

9. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the ice maker includes an upper casing defining an outer shape of the ice maker, and
wherein a portion of the upper casing extends downward to form the cover plate.

10. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein a cold-air outlet is provided at a rear of the ice maker to discharge cold-air toward the ice maker, and
wherein a cold-air hole is defined at a rear face of the ice maker above the cover plate such that cold-air discharged from the cold-air outlet flows into the ice maker through the cold-air hole in a front direction.

11. The refrigerator of claim 10 , wherein a ventilation hole is defined in the cover plate, the ventilation hole penetrating the cover plate such that the cold-air discharged from the cold-air outlet flows into the ice bin.

12. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein a plate rib protrudes along a perimeter of the cover plate to reinforce the cover plate.

13. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the freezing compartment includes a freezing compartment drawer configured to be withdrawn from and retracted into the freezing compartment along the front and rear direction, and
wherein the ice bin is seated in the drawer to be withdrawn and retracted together with the freezing compartment drawer.

14. The refrigerator of claim 13 , wherein the lower portion of the ice maker is configured, based on the freezing compartment drawer being retracted into the freezing compartment, to be positioned at least partially within the freezing compartment drawer, and
wherein a drawer opening is defined at a rear face of the freezing compartment drawer at a position corresponding to the bin opening.

15. The refrigerator of claim 14 , wherein a bin opening guide extends rearwardly along a perimeter of the bin opening.

16. The refrigerator of claim 14 , wherein a plurality of bin mounting guides protrude upward from a bottom face of the freezing compartment drawer, each of the plurality of bin mounting guides being configured to receive a corner portion of the ice bin to guide a mounting position of the ice bin and maintain a coupled state of the ice bin.

17. The refrigerator of claim 14 , wherein a range of movement of the freezing compartment drawer includes a region between a front end and a rear end of the ice maker.

18. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein, based on the ice bin being retracted into the freezing compartment, the cover plate is positioned rearward of the ice bin.

19. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the cover plate has a flat shape.

20. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the cover plate has a rectangular plate shape.

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Kim Yonghyun
• Hong Jinil
• Park Hyunji

Classifications

• F25D11/02 Primary

  with cooling compartments at different temperatures · CPC title

• F25C5/22 Primary

  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

• F25C5/187 Primary

  with ice level sensing means · CPC title

• F25C2700/02

  Level of ice · CPC title