Refrigerator water supply system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-RE49314-E
Application number	US-201916394639-A
Country	US
Kind code	E1
Filing date	Apr 25, 2019
Priority date	Nov 20, 2007
Publication date	Nov 29, 2022
Grant date	Nov 29, 2022

Abstract

A refrigerator has a storage chamber opened and closed by a door and a water supply system to supply water to a water taking port disposed at the door. The water supply system includes a water tank and a plurality of connecting pipes. The water tank includes an elongated cylindrical shaped body and a cap configured to form a reservoir such that a section of the cap overlaps the body, a first port having a passageway integral with the elongated cylindrical shaped body, and a second port integral with the cap, the second port being aligned in a direction different from a longitudinal axis of the water tank. The connecting pipes include a first water line positioned in an opening of the first port in a direction different from the longitudinal axis of the water tank, and a second water line positioned in an opening of the second port.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A water tank to supply water from an external source to a water dispensing port disposed at a door of a refrigerator, the water tank comprising:
a body having a cylindrical shape, the body including:
a first opening on a semispherical end portion at a longitudinal end of the body,
a second opening at an end portion of the body opposite to the longitudinal end of the body, the second opening having a diameter larger than a diameter of the first opening of the body,
a cylindrical portion linearly extending from the second opening of the body to the semispherical end portion of the body, the semispherical end portion integrally extending from the cylindrical portion and curved inward with respect to a circumference of the cylindrical portion,

a cap having an opening and an end portion opposite to the opening, the cap configured to be coupled to the body via at least one coupling portion of the body,
wherein, while the cap is coupled to the body, the cap and the body define a reservoir extending from the end portion of the cap to the longitudinal end of the body to withstand water pressure within the reservoir resulting from water being supplied from the external source, the reservoir to store the water supplied from the external source which is cooled by cool air of a storage chamber to be supplied to the water dispensing port,

a first port extending from a first end portion of the reservoir, the first port having a portion along a longitudinal axis of the reservoir and a portion in a first direction different from the longitudinal axis of the reservoir, the first port configured to allow a first water line to be coupled to the first port in the first direction, and
a second port extending from a second end portion of the reservoir in a second direction different from the longitudinal axis of the reservoir, the second end portion being opposite to the first end portion of the reservoir, the second port configured to allow a second water line to be coupled to the second port in the second direction.

2. The water tank according to claim 1 , wherein the first port and the second port of the water tank comprise an inlet and an outlet, and at least one of the inlet and the outlet extends approximately perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the reservoir.

3. The water tank according to claim 2 , wherein the inlet and the outlet of the water tank are formed respectively by the body and the cap of the water tank.

4. The water tank according to claim 1 , wherein the first port is curved.

5. The water tank according to claim 1 , wherein the body and the cap are injection molded.

6. The water tank according to claim 1 , wherein the body and the cap are coupled to each other via a spin fusion method.

7. The water tank according to claim 1 , wherein the water tank consists of a single water tank having the body and the cap.

8. The water tank according to claim 1 , wherein water from the reservoir of the water tank flows to a water supply valve at a position adjacent to the water dispensing port at a downstream side of the water tank.

9. The water tank according to claim 1 , wherein the water tank receives filtered water from a water filter unit and stores the water filtered by the water filter.

10. The water tank according to claim 1 , wherein the water tank stores water to be supplied to the water dispensing port that is filtered through a water filter unit and a water supply valve is installed to a water supply path at a downstream side of the water tank.

11. The water tank according to claim 1 , wherein the portion of the first port in a direction different from the longitudinal axis of the reservoir and the second port extending from the cap in a direction different from the longitudinal axis of the reservoir are parallel to each other.

12. The water tank according to claim 1 , wherein the first direction and the second direction are substantially the same.

13. The water tank according to claim 1 , wherein the first direction is approximately perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the reservoir, and the second direction is approximately perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the reservoir.

14. The water tank according to claim 1 , wherein the portion of the cap overlapping with the portion of the body is an inner surface section of the cap, and the portion of the body is an outer edge surface section of the body.

15. The water tank according to claim 1 , wherein a longitudinal axis of the body and the longitudinal axis of the reservoir is the same.

16. The water tank according to claim 1 , wherein the cap is configured to be coupled to the body via the at least one coupling portion of the body by having a portion of the cap overlap with a portion of the body, the portion of the cap overlapping with the portion of the body is an inner surface section of the cap, and the portion of the body is an outer edge surface section of the body.

17. A refrigerator, comprising:
a main body having a storage chamber; a door for the storage chamber; and a water tank configured to store water to be cooled by cool air of the storage chamber and to be supplied to a water dispensing port disposed at the door, the water tank comprising:
a cylindrical portion,
a first curved portion coupled to one end of the cylindrical portion via a coupling portion of the cylindrical portion,
a second curved portion integrally extending from another end of the cylindrical portion,
a first port extending from a first opening disposed at an end portion of the water tank, the first port having a first section extending in a longitudinal axis direction of the cylindrical portion and a second section extending from the first section in a first direction different from the longitudinal axis direction of the cylindrical portion, the first port configured to allow a first water line to be coupled to the first port to extend in the first direction, and
a second port extending from a second opening disposed at another end portion of the water tank in a second direction different from the longitudinal axis direction of the cylindrical portion, the second port configured to allow a second water line to be coupled to the second port to extend in the second direction.

18. The refrigerator of claim 17, wherein, while the first curved portion is coupled to the cylindrical portion, the water tank defines a reservoir that withstands water pressure within the reservoir resulting from water being supplied from an external source.

19. The refrigerator of claim 17, wherein the first port is curved.

20. The refrigerator of claim 17, wherein the cylindrical portion and the second curved portion as a single piece are infection molded, and the first curved portion is injection molded.

21. The refrigerator of claim 17, wherein the water tank receives filtered water from a water filter detachably mounted at an upper portion of the storage chamber.

22. The refrigerator of claim 17, wherein the first direction is approximately perpendicular to the longitudinal axis direction of the cylindrical portion, and the second direction is approximately perpendicular to the longitudinal axis direction of the cylindrical portion.

23. The refrigerator of claim 17, the first curved portion when coupled to the cylindrical portion via the coupling portion of the cylindrical portion covers the one end of the cylindrical portion.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Park Sang Min

Classifications

• F25D2323/122

  the refrigerator is characterised by a water tank for the water/ice dispenser · CPC title

• Y10T137/86187

  Plural tanks or compartments connected for serial flow · CPC title

• F25D23/126 Primary

  Water cooler · CPC title

• E03B11/02

  for domestic or like local water supply · CPC title

• F25D3/02

  using ice, e.g. ice-boxes · CPC title