Patent Application
20130160481
The present technology relates to a dispensing unit (e.g., water, ice, etc.) for a refrigerator, including a liquid collecting apparatus.
Known dispensing units often have liquid collecting apparatuses with covers that are difficult to remove.
What is needed is a dispensing unit with a liquid collecting apparatus having a cover that effectively passes liquids to the tray and is easy to remove from the tray.
One aspect of the technology relates to an apparatus for collecting liquids comprising a tray including a bottom wall and at least one outer sidewall defining a collection area. A cover member covers the collection area and includes a pressing area. At least one support member is disposed interior of the outer sidewall for supporting the cover member. A downward force against the cover member in the pressing area causes the cover member to move relative to (e.g., pivot about) the at least one support member such that a portion of the cover member is raised above the at least one outer sidewall to facilitate removal of the cover member.
One aspect of the technology relates to a dispensing unit that comprises at least one of an ice dispenser and a liquid dispenser. The dispensing unit further includes an apparatus for collecting liquids having a cover member designed to facilitate easy removal.
One aspect of the technology relates to a refrigerator having a dispensing unit for dispensing ice and/or a liquid and at least one compartment for storing items. The refrigerator further includes an apparatus for collecting liquids having a cover member designed to facilitate easy removal.
Other aspects, features, and advantages of this technology will become apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which are a part of this disclosure and which illustrate, by way of example, principles of this technology.
The accompanying drawings facilitate an understanding of the various examples of this technology. In such drawings:
The following description is provided in relation to several examples which may share common characteristics and features. It is to be understood that one or more features of any one example may be combinable with one or more features of the other examples. In addition, any single feature or combination of features in any of the examples may constitute additional examples.
As shown in
Referring to
The drip tray cover 300 has an upper surface 320 which comprises a plurality of troughs 330. The troughs are configured to collect liquids which may contact the drip tray cover. For example, stray ice cubes or water dispensed from the dispensing unit 120 may fall onto the drip tray cover.
Each trough 330 has a pair of side walls 330(1), a pair of end walls 330(2), and a bottom surface 330(3). However, the trough 330 could have a different configuration (e.g., a pair of angled sidewalls and a single end wall). A hole 330(4) is disposed in the bottom surface 330(3) to allow liquids to pass from the trough into the tray 200. The side walls 330(1), the end walls 330(2) and the bottom surface 330(3) may be angled to force liquids toward the hole 330(4). The hole 330(4) could also have a funnel shape or any other shape that may cause liquids to more easily flow towards and pass through the hole 330(4).
In addition to the troughs 330, the upper surface 320 also has a plurality of intermediate portions 320(1) interspersed with the troughs 330. In the illustrated example, the intermediate portions 320(1) are disposed between adjacent troughs. However any suitable configuration may be employed. The upper surface further includes a tab 310 to aid a user in grasping or moving the drip tray cover.
Referring to
The inner support wall 230 is situated adjacent the outer surrounding wall 220 and functions to support the drip tray cover 300. In the illustrated example, the inner support wall 230 abuts against the outer surrounding wall. The inner support wall 230 is formed of a plurality of sidewalls 231, 232, 233, 234. In the illustrated example, the inner support wall has four sidewalls, with the sidewall 234 being a partial wall. It is noted that any number of the sidewalls may be partial walls. Further, the inner support wall 230 may include more or less than the four illustrated sidewalls 231, 232, 233, 234. Moreover, one skilled in the art will understand that the sidewalls need not be connected to one another. The inner support wall 230 may also include protruding supports 230(1) to aid in supporting the drip tray cover 300. The illustrated protruding supports 230(1) have a semi-circle configuration projecting from the inner support wall 230 thereby providing additional surface area for the drip tray cover 300 to rest. The protruding supports 230(1) may have other shapes (e.g., square, rectangular, triangular, etc.)
A pivoting support 230(2) is disposed in the collection area 250. In the illustrated example, the sidewall 234 forms the pivoting support 230(2). However, it is noted that the pivoting support may be constructed so as not to form part of the inner support wall 230. As will be described later, the pivoting support 230(2) forms a fulcrum about which the drip tray cover 300 pivots.
As shown in
The pivoting support 230(2) divides the collection area 250 to form an action area at one end portion of the drip tray 200, e.g., toward the rear. The drip tray cover 300 is not supported by the inner support wall 230 in the action area, i.e., a portion of the drip tray cover 300 is cantilevered or unsupported. The action area 240 is indicated by the dotted line in
Referring to
The drip tray cover includes a pressing area 360 which corresponds to the action area 240 of the drip tray 200. The pressing area 360 is indicated by the dotted line in
The pivoting support 230(2) is positioned in the collection area 250 toward a rear portion 260 of the drip tray 200. The pivoting support 230(2) is positioned such that the center of gravity of a container (e.g., cup) placed on the drip tray cover will be positioned forward of the fulcrum 230(2) so as to not cause the drip tray cover to pivot on the pivoting support 230(2). For example, the fulcrum is positioned more than about half, preferably 70-90% the depth D of the drip tray 200. However, even if a container causes the drip tray cover to pivot thereby tipping the container, the sidewalls 127 and/or the rear wall 128 can be arranged to support a tipped container and prevent the container from tipping completely.
While the technology has been described in connection with what are presently considered to be the most practical and preferred examples, it is to be understood that the technology is not to be limited to the disclosed examples, but on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the disclosure.
