Patent Application
20190337790
The present application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2018-0050792, filed May 2, 2018, the entire contents of which is incorporated herein for all purposes by this reference.
Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to an automatic water fill dispenser for a refrigerator appliance. More particularly, embodiments of the present invention also relate to a refrigerator appliance having such an automatic fill dispenser.
A refrigerator, is an appliance that maintains various kinds of food items stored inside and fresh. The appliance typicallyhas a freezing chamber that is maintained at subzero temperatures to freeze and store the food items, and a refrigerating chamber that is maintained at temperatures lower than room temperature so as to maintain food freshness without freezing. Since the introduction of home refrigerator appliances in the 1900s, much research and development have been continuously conducted for improving food storage and user convenience.
As part of this development, a refrigerator may be provided with a water supply system so that users can dispense drinking water from the refrigerator. For example, in the document of Korean Patent No. 10-0430217, there is disclosed a drinking water dispenser that allows a user to dispense water outside of the refrigerator.
In the case of a drinking water dispenser that is provided outside the refrigerator, the drinking water can be supplied without the user opening the refrigerator door, but there is a disadvantage in that this design limits the degrees of freedom available in designing the exterior of the refrigerator. Further, a large space or volume is required to automatically store/supply a large amount of cold water, which thereby increases manufacturing costs of the appliance. In addition, if the outer material of the refrigerator door is made of glass, it is required to provide a port or hole located where the dispenser is disposed to allow access thereto. The provision of such a port is a difficult task in glass and therefore increases the manufacturing costs of the appliance.
Therefore, it is advantageous to provide an automatic water fill dispenser for a refrigerator appliance which can automatically supply a large amount of cold water more efficiently with better user convenience.
The foregoing is intended merely to aid in the understanding of the background of the present invention, and is not intended to mean that the present invention falls within the purview of the related art that is already known to those skilled in the art.
Accordingly, embodiments of the present invention have been made considering the above problems occurring in the related art, and it is an object of the present invention to provide an automatic water fill dispenser that is provided inside the refrigerator.
Further, it is another object of the present invention to provide an automatic water fill dispenser for a refrigerator appliance, in which the automatic water fill dispenser design provides increased flexibility allowed in the design and production of the refrigerator exterior and also in helping to provide a clean appearance thereof.
Further, it is a further object of the present invention to provide an automatic water fill dispenser for a refrigerator that is capable of providing large amounts of cold water while maintaining a low manufacturing cost.
Further, it is still a further object of the present invention to provide an automatic water fill dispenser for a refrigerator, in which water is automatically supplied to the dispenser.
It is to be understood that the objects of the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned objects, and other objects not mentioned can be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs (hereinafter, referred to as those skilled in the art) from the following description.
In order to accomplish the objects of the present invention as described above and to carry out the characteristic functions of the present invention described below, features of the present invention are as follows.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, an automatic water fill dispenser for a refrigerator includes: a storage unit provided in an inner side surface of a refrigerator door and configured to store water; and a container unit provided on a side of the storage unit in fluid communication with the storage unit and configured to automatically receive water from the storage unit.
Preferably, the automatic water fill dispenser further includes a water level sensor disposed on a rear side of the container unit and configured to detect the water level inside the container unit, wherein water is automatically supplied to the container unit by detection by the water level sensor.
Preferably, the automatic water fill dispenser further includes a water supply unit disposed between the storage unit and the container unit and configured to supply water from the storage unit to the container unit.
Preferably, the water supply unit includes: a water supply hose configured to be in fluid communication with the storage unit and the container unit; and a valve configured to regulate water flow through the water supply hose.
Preferably, the automatic water fill dispenser further includes a water level sensor disposed on a rear side of the container unit and configured to detect the water level inside the container unit, wherein the valve is configured to be selectively opened and closed by detection by the water level sensor.
Preferably, the container unit is mounted to a receiving unit disposed inside the refrigerator door.
Preferably, the container unit includes a lower concave portion recessed toward a surface side on a lower surface thereof, and the receiving unit includes a protruding rod that protrudes from a surface thereof, and vertically moveable, and engageable with the lower concave portion.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, an automatic water fill dispenser for a refrigerator appliance includes: a storage unit disposed in an inner side surface of a refrigerator door and configured to store water; a container unit disposed on a side of the storage unit in fluid communication with the storage unit and configured to automatically receive water from the storage unit; and a water supply unit disposed between the storage unit and the container unit to supply water from the storage unit to the container unit.
Preferably, the storage unit includes: a hole formed in a lower surface of the storage unit; a sealing member mounted in the hole; a pin coupled to the sealing member and configured to protrude from the sealing member; and a spring member mounted to an outer surface of the pin protruding from the sealing member, and further where the water supply unit includes a water receiving portion having an inner space defined by a protruding portion protruding from a surface thereof.
Preferably, the hole includes: a multi-perforated surface; and a partition member configured to partition the multi-perforated surface.
Preferably, the water supply unit is configured such that a lower surface thereof is provided with a coupling rod that protrudes therefrom and is vertically moveable, and an upper surface thereof is provided with an upper concave portion that is recessed toward a surface side to be engageable with the coupling rod.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, an automatic water fill dispenser for a refrigerator appliance includes: a storage unit disposed in an inner side surface of a refrigerator door and configured to store water; a container unit disposed on a side of the storage unit in fluid communication with the storage unit and configured to receive water automatically supplied from the storage unit; and a water supply unit disposed between the storage unit and the container unit and configured to supply water from the storage unit to the container unit, further wherein the storage unit includes a hole formed in a lower surface thereof, and a protruding portion that protrudes from the lower surface thereof to surround the hole, and where the water supply unit includes a coupling portion that protrudes from an upper surface thereof and is engageable with the protruding portion, and a through-hole disposed inside the coupling portion.
Preferably, a water supply hose is mounted in the through-hole, and a valve is connected with the water supply hose to regulate the flow of water through the water supply hose.
Preferably, the automatic water fill dispenser further includes a water level sensor disposed on a rear side of the container unit and configured to detect the water level inside the container unit, wherein the valve is configured to be selectively opened and closed by water level detection by the water level sensor.
According to embodiments of the present invention, there is provided an automatic water fill dispenser disposed inside the refrigerator.
Further, according to embodiments of the present invention, there is provided an automatic water fill dispenser for a refrigerator appliance, in which the automatic water fill dispenser is capable of improving the design flexibility in designing the exterior of the refrigerator and also providing a clean appearance thereof.
Further, according to embodiments of the present invention, there is provided an automatic water fill dispenser for a refrigerator, in which the automatic water fill dispenser is capable of providing a large volume of cold water while maintaining a low manufacturing cost.
Further, according to the embodiments of the present invention, there is provided an automatic water fill dispenser for a refrigerator, in which water is automatically supplied to the dispenser.
The effects of the present invention are not limited to those described above, and other effects not mentioned may be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.
The above and other objects, features and other advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
Specific structural or functional descriptions in the embodiments of the present invention disclosed in the specification or application are only for description of the embodiments of the present invention. The descriptions can be embodied in various forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments described in the specification or application. Further, the present invention may be embodied in many different forms without departing from the spirit and significant characteristics of the invention. Therefore, the embodiments of the present invention are disclosed only for illustrative purposes and should not be construed as limiting the present invention.
Meanwhile, it will be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element, from another element. For instance, a first element discussed below could be termed a second element without departing from the teachings of the present invention. Similarly, the second element could also be termed the first element.
It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being “coupled” or “connected” to another element, it can be directly coupled or connected to the other element or intervening elements may be present therebetween. In contrast, it should be understood that when an element is referred to as being “directly coupled” or “directly connected” to another element, there are no intervening elements present. Other expressions that explain the relationship between elements, such as “between”, “directly between”, “adjacent to”, or “directly adjacent to”, should be construed in the same way.
The same reference numerals will be used throughout the drawings and the description to refer to the same or like parts. Meanwhile, the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprise”, “include”, “have”, etc. when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or combinations thereof but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or combinations thereof.
An automatic water fill dispenser for a refrigerator appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a storage unit disposed in an inner side surface of a refrigerator door and configured to store water; and a container unit disposed on a side of the storage unit in fluid communication with the storage unit and configured to automatically receive water from the storage unit.
Hereinbelow, an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
As shown in
Preferably, the storage unit 2 is disposed at an upper portion of the container unit 4, and the container unit 4 is supported by a support unit 8. The support unit 8 may be a receiving unit 18 of multiple receiving units provided on the inner side of the refrigerator door 1, and may be mounted to a mount 28 provided in the receiving unit 18 and shaped corresponding to the shape of the container unit 4.
Referring to
The lower lid 32, according to an embodiment of the present invention, will be described with reference to
According to embodiments of the present invention, a sealing member 52, a pin 62, and a spring member 72 are disposed at the hole 1132 so that when the storage unit 2 is removed for cleaning, water is prevented from flowing out and thus it is possible to easily mount and dismount the storage unit 2. The sealing member 52 is inserted in the hole 1132, and the pin 62 is coupled to the center of the sealing member 52. The pin 62 is mounted to the lower surface of the lower lid 32 and configured to protrude therefrom. The spring member 72 is mounted to an outer surface of the protruding pin 62. The sealing member 52 and the pin 62 are configured to be moved together under pressure. When the storage unit 2 is mounted, the pin 62 is pressed and the sealing member 52 is separated from the hole 1132, whereby water is discharged through a gap defined by the sealing member 52 and the hole 1132. When the storage unit 2 is dismounted and the pressure applied to the pin 62 is removed, the spring member 72 is restored and the sealing member 52 is seated in the hole 1132 to prevent water from being discharged. As shown in
The lower surface of the lower lid 32 may be formed with a protruding portion 232 protruding therefrom. The protruding portion 232 may form a space for receiving water by being coupled with a frame 16 of water supply unit 6 to be described below.
The water supply unit 6 delivers water from the storage unit 2 to the container unit 4. Referring to
According to an embodiment of the present invention, as shown in
Referring to
Further, as shown in
Referring to
According to the present invention, the automatic water fill dispenser is disposed in the inner side surface of the refrigerator door, so that a large volume of cold water can be conveniently supplied. Further, the water level sensor and the valve are operated by automatic water level detection, thereby increasing user convenience by eliminating any need for a user to observe the water level and manually fill the water. Further, since a detachable structure of the container unit is adopted, it is possible to facilitate mounting and dismounting of the container unit while locking the container unit firmly. Further, a waterproof structure is used when mounting and dismounting the storage unit, e.g., for cleaning, thereby increasing user convenience.
Although a preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-2018-0050792 | May 2018 | KR | national |
