1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to the art of refrigerators and, more particularly, to an ice storage drawer arranged between a fresh food compartment and freezer compartment in a bottom mount refrigerator.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
There exist various styles of refrigerators on the market. The most common styles are side-by-side, top mount, and bottom mount models. In a side-by-side model, fresh food and freezer compartments are arranged laterally adjacent one another. A top mount refrigerator includes an upper freezer compartment and a lower fresh food compartment. Finally, bottom mount models locate the fresh food compartment above the freezer compartment. In many cases, the freezer compartment in a bottom mount model is constituted by a pull-out drawer.
In bottom mount models, refrigeration components, typically a compressor and evaporator, are mounted in a lower portion of the refrigerator behind the freezer compartment. With this configuration, a bottom rear portion of the freezer compartment must be angled so as to allow room for the refrigeration components. Alternatively, an overall length of the freezer compartment can be reduced to accommodate the compressor or other refrigeration components. In either case, an overall storage volume of the freezer compartment is reduced. In addition to the compressor robbing space from the freezer compartment, there is also a need to incorporate an automatic ice maker, as well as provide ice storage which further reduces storage volume for consumer purchased food items.
Based on the above, there is seen to exist a need for a bottom mount refrigerator configuration that provides for a more efficient allocation of space. More specifically, there exists a need for a bottom mount refrigerator that includes a dedicated ice storage drawer and re-positioned refrigeration components to provide greater storage capacity in the freezer compartment.
The present invention is directed to a refrigerator including a cabinet having top, bottom, rear and opposing side walls within which is positioned first and second liners that define a fresh food compartment and a freezer compartment respectively. More specifically, the fresh food and freezer compartments are in vertical alignment, with the fresh food compartment being positioned above the freezer compartment so as to define a bottom mount style refrigerator. The refrigerator includes a crisper bin shiftably mounted within the fresh food compartment. Preferably, the crisper bin includes a forward or deep portion that leads to a rear or shallow portion through a step section. More preferably, the step section slopes rearward from the deep portion up to the shallow portion.
In accordance with the invention, the refrigerator also includes a freezer drawer shiftably mounted between the fresh food compartment and the freezer compartment. Preferably, the freezer drawer extends substantially an entire width of the cabinet and is provided with a plurality of dividers that establish various storage zones. The storage zones can be employed to store for example, ice cubes, frozen foods, frozen juice concentrate and the like. Towards that end, an automatic ice maker is arranged above the freezer drawer adjacent to at least one of the storage zones.
In accordance with the most preferred embodiment of the invention, the automatic ice maker is positioned rearward of the step section of the crisper bin. In this manner, the crisper bin can be readily accessed, i.e., slid completely into and out of the fresh food compartment without interference. Furthermore, in order to increase an overall storage capacity of the freezer compartment, required refrigeration components are positioned between the fresh food and freezer compartments. Most notably, a compressor is mounted behind the freezer drawer and a evaporator coil is positioned below the freezer drawer. With this configuration, the freezer compartment can extend substantially a full width and substantially a full depth of the cabinet.
Additional objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment when taken in conjunction with the drawings wherein like reference numerals refer to corresponding parts in the several views.
With reference to both
Freezer compartment 16 is constituted by a freezer bin 39 slidably mounted within a lower portion (not separately labeled) of cabinet 6. In accordance with the invention, freezer bin 39 is accessed through a handle 40 that enables a consumer to shift freezer bin 39 from cabinet 6 in order to remove or replace food items contained therein. In a manner that will be detailed more fully below, freezer compartment 16 extends an entire width and depth of cabinet 6 to advantageously provide increased storage capacity for a consumer.
In accordance with a preferred form of the present invention, refrigerator 2 is provided with a freezer drawer 47 arranged between fresh food compartment 14 and freezer compartment 16. In the embodiment shown, freezer drawer 47 includes a front wall 49, rear wall 50, opposing side walls 51 and 52, and a bottom wall 53 that collectively define a storage cavity 54. As best illustrated in
As best shown in
In further accordance with the most preferred form of the present invention, mechanical or refrigeration component mounting zone 86 is arranged behind freezer drawer 47. Mechanical zone 86 provides space for mounting various refrigeration components, such as a compressor 90. By arranging refrigeration components behind freezer drawer 47, freezer compartment 16 can be formed so as to have a substantially rectangular cross-section. In other words, due to the preferred location of the refrigeration component, including compressor 90, there is no need to shorten or, for that matter, shape freezer compartment 16 in such a manner so as to accommodate refrigeration components that would otherwise be arranged in a lowermost portion (not separately labeled) of cabinet 6. Accordingly, freezer compartment 16 does not lose valuable storage space to accommodate the refrigeration components or other features, such as an automatic icemaker.
In still further accordance with the most preferred form of the invention, an evaporator coil 92 is positioned between freezer drawer 47 and freezer compartment 16. More specifically, evaporator coil 92 is arranged below bottom wall 53 and an exposed upper portion (not separately labeled) of freezer compartment 16 to provide cooling to both freezer drawer 47 and freezer compartment 16. At this point, it should be recognized that the particular location of ice maker 70 and the refrigeration components including compressor 90 and evaporator coil 92 advantageously provides consumers with added storage capacity in freezer compartment 16. Moreover, the incorporation of freezer drawer 47 allows consumers to conveniently store often accessed items in an easily accessible area of the refrigerator.
Although described with reference to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, it should be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that various changes and/or modifications can be made to the invention without departing from the spirit thereof. For instance, the number and location of storage zones in the freezer drawer could vary without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Also, while the freezer compartment is described as a bin shiftably mounted in the cabinet, other configurations, such as providing a door that pivots about a vertical axis, could also be employed. In general, the invention is only intended to be limited to the scope of the following claims.