Refrigerator appliance with a mesmerizing dispenser

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11858798-B2
Application number	US-202017117651-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 10, 2020
Priority date	Dec 10, 2020
Publication date	Jan 2, 2024
Grant date	Jan 2, 2024

Abstract

A refrigerator appliance includes a dispensing assembly. The dispensing assembly includes a dispenser recess with a flexible hose that is in fluid communication with a water supply to deliver water to the dispenser recess. The dispensing assembly also includes an actuating mechanism in operative communication with the water supply to cause the water supply to deliver a flow of water to the flexible hose when the actuating mechanism is activated. The dispensing assembly further includes a vibration generator coupled to the flexible hose and in operative communication with the actuating mechanism such that the vibration generator is activated when the actuating mechanism is activated. The vibration generator moves the flexible hose relative to the dispenser recess when the vibration generator is activated, thereby providing a wave pattern flow of water from the flexible hose.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A refrigerator appliance defining a vertical direction, a lateral direction, and a transverse direction, the vertical, lateral, and transverse directions being mutually perpendicular, the refrigerator appliance comprising:
a cabinet;
a food storage chamber defined in the cabinet, the food storage chamber extending between a front portion and a back portion along the transverse direction, the front portion of the food storage chamber defining an opening for receipt of food items;
a door rotatably mounted to the cabinet at the front portion of the food storage chamber, the door movable between a closed position and an open position to selectively sealingly enclose the food storage chamber, the door comprising an outer surface and an opposing inner surface, wherein the inner surface faces towards the food storage chamber when the door is in the closed position and the outer surface faces away from the food storage chamber when the door is in the closed position; and
a dispensing assembly formed in the outer surface of the door, the dispensing assembly comprising:
a dispenser recess;
a flexible hose configured for fluid communication with a water supply to deliver water to the dispenser recess;
an actuating mechanism operable to cause the water supply to deliver a flow of water to the flexible hose when the actuating mechanism is activated; and
a vibration generator coupled to the flexible hose and in operative communication with the actuating mechanism, whereby the vibration generator is activated when the actuating mechanism is activated, and wherein the vibration generator moves the flexible hose relative to the dispenser recess along the lateral direction and along the transverse direction when the vibration generator is activated, thereby providing a spiral pattern flow of water from the flexible hose.

2. The refrigerator appliance of claim 1 , wherein the vibration generator comprises a motor directly coupled to the flexible hose.

3. The refrigerator appliance of claim 2 , wherein the motor is configured to vibrate the flexible hose at a predetermined frequency to provide the spiral pattern flow of water with a predetermined wavelength.

4. The refrigerator appliance of claim 1 , wherein the vibration generator comprises a speaker adjacent to the flexible hose.

5. The refrigerator appliance of claim 4 , further comprising a controller, the controller configured to provide a specified frequency to the speaker to produce a predetermined wave pattern in the flow of water from the flexible hose.

6. The refrigerator appliance of claim 1 , further comprising an array of light emitting diodes in the dispenser recess.

7. The refrigerator appliance of claim 6 , wherein the array of light emitting diodes is synchronized with the vibration generator.

8. The refrigerator appliance of claim 1 , further comprising a loudspeaker configured to play music when the actuating mechanism is activated.

9. The refrigerator appliance of claim 8 , further comprising an array of light emitting diodes in the dispenser recess, the array of light emitting diodes connected in series with the loudspeaker, whereby the array of light emitting diodes is activated when the loudspeaker is activated.

10. A refrigerator appliance, comprising:
a cabinet;
a food storage chamber defined in the cabinet, the food storage chamber comprising a front portion, the front portion of the food storage chamber defining an opening for receipt of food items;
a door rotatably mounted to the cabinet at the front portion of the food storage chamber, the door movable between a closed position and an open position to selectively sealingly enclose the food storage chamber, the door comprising an outer surface and an opposing inner surface, wherein the inner surface faces towards the food storage chamber when the door is in the closed position and the outer surface faces away from the food storage chamber when the door is in the closed position; and
a dispensing assembly formed in the outer surface of the door, the dispensing assembly comprising:
a dispenser recess;
a flexible hose configured for fluid communication with a water supply to deliver water to the dispenser recess;
an actuating mechanism operable to cause the water supply to deliver a flow of water to the flexible hose when the actuating mechanism is activated;
a vibration generator coupled to the flexible hose and in operative communication with the actuating mechanism, whereby the vibration generator is activated when the actuating mechanism is activated, and wherein the vibration generator moves the flexible hose relative to the dispenser recess when the vibration generator is activated, thereby providing a wave pattern flow of water from the flexible hose; and
an array of light emitting diodes in the dispenser recess, the array of light emitting diodes synchronized with the vibration generator.

11. The refrigerator appliance of claim 10 , wherein the vibration generator comprises a motor directly coupled to the flexible hose.

12. The refrigerator appliance of claim 11 , wherein the motor is configured to vibrate the flexible hose at a predetermined frequency to provide the wave pattern flow of water with a predetermined wavelength.

13. The refrigerator appliance of claim 10 , wherein the vibration generator comprises a speaker adjacent to the flexible hose.

14. The refrigerator appliance of claim 13 , further comprising a controller, the controller configured to provide a specified frequency to the speaker to produce a predetermined wave pattern in the flow of water from the flexible hose.

15. The refrigerator appliance of claim 10 , further comprising a loudspeaker configured to play music when the actuating mechanism is activated.

16. The refrigerator appliance of claim 15 , further comprising the array of light emitting diodes in the dispenser recess, the array of light emitting diodes connected in series with the loudspeaker, whereby the array of light emitting diodes is activated when the loudspeaker is activated.

17. The refrigerator appliance of claim 10 , wherein the wave pattern flow of water from the flexible hose is a sinusoidal wave pattern comprising an amplitude and a wavelength.

Assignees

• Haier Us Appliance Solutions Inc

Inventors

• Sayyad Ramij Ismail
• Ahmed Syed Moin
• Pasham Srinivas
• Karanam Chaitanya Krishna

Classifications

• B67D1/0861 Primary

  the evaporator acting through an intermediate heat transfer means · CPC title

• F25D23/028

  Details · CPC title

• F25D31/002

  Liquid coolers, e.g. beverage cooler (receptacle coolers F25D31/006) · CPC title

• F25D23/126 Primary

  Water cooler · CPC title

• F25D2327/001

  Lighting arrangements on the external side of the refrigerator, freezer or cooling box · CPC title