US20140144175A1 - Undercounter ice maker with increased capacity ice storage bin - Google Patents
Undercounter ice maker with increased capacity ice storage bin Download PDFInfo
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- US20140144175A1 US20140144175A1 US14/091,659 US201314091659A US2014144175A1 US 20140144175 A1 US20140144175 A1 US 20140144175A1 US 201314091659 A US201314091659 A US 201314091659A US 2014144175 A1 US2014144175 A1 US 2014144175A1
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- Prior art keywords
- panel
- ice maker
- condenser
- undercounter
- openings
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Classifications
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25C—PRODUCING, WORKING OR HANDLING ICE
- F25C5/00—Working or handling ice
- F25C5/18—Storing ice
- F25C5/182—Ice bins therefor
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F25D23/00—General constructional features
- F25D23/003—General constructional features for cooling refrigerating machinery
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25C—PRODUCING, WORKING OR HANDLING ICE
- F25C2400/00—Auxiliary features or devices for producing, working or handling ice
- F25C2400/10—Refrigerator units
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F25D2323/00—General constructional features not provided for in other groups of this subclass
- F25D2323/002—Details for cooling refrigerating machinery
- F25D2323/0024—Filters in the air flow cooling refrigerating machinery
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F25D2323/00—General constructional features not provided for in other groups of this subclass
- F25D2323/002—Details for cooling refrigerating machinery
- F25D2323/0026—Details for cooling refrigerating machinery characterised by the incoming air flow
- F25D2323/00264—Details for cooling refrigerating machinery characterised by the incoming air flow through the front bottom part
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F25D2323/00—General constructional features not provided for in other groups of this subclass
- F25D2323/002—Details for cooling refrigerating machinery
- F25D2323/0026—Details for cooling refrigerating machinery characterised by the incoming air flow
- F25D2323/00266—Details for cooling refrigerating machinery characterised by the incoming air flow through the bottom
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F25D2323/00—General constructional features not provided for in other groups of this subclass
- F25D2323/002—Details for cooling refrigerating machinery
- F25D2323/0027—Details for cooling refrigerating machinery characterised by the out-flowing air
- F25D2323/00274—Details for cooling refrigerating machinery characterised by the out-flowing air from the front bottom
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F25D2323/00—General constructional features not provided for in other groups of this subclass
- F25D2323/002—Details for cooling refrigerating machinery
- F25D2323/0027—Details for cooling refrigerating machinery characterised by the out-flowing air
- F25D2323/00276—Details for cooling refrigerating machinery characterised by the out-flowing air from the bottom
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F25D2500/00—Problems to be solved
- F25D2500/02—Geometry problems
Definitions
- This invention relates generally to ice making machines and, more particularly, to an undercounter ice maker that has a larger capacity ice storage bin yet retains the same footprint of typical prior art ice makers.
- Undercounter ice making machines typically comprise a refrigeration and ice making system that employs a source of refrigerant flowing serially through a compressor, a condenser, a thermal expansion valve, and an evaporator assembly. Thermally coupled to the evaporator assembly is a freeze plate comprising a lattice-type cube mold. Additionally, typical ice makers employ gravity water flow and ice harvest systems that are well known and in extensive use. Undercounter ice makers having such a refrigeration and ice making system often include an ice storage bin, where ice that has been harvested is stored until it is needed. Such ice makers have received wide acceptance and are particularly desirable for commercial installations such as restaurants, bars, motels, coffee shops, etc.
- ice machines In these undercounter ice makers, water is supplied at the top of a freeze plate which directs the water in a tortuous path toward a water pump. A portion of the supplied water collects on the freeze plate, freezes into ice and is identified as sufficiently frozen by suitable means whereupon the freeze plate is defrosted such that the ice is slightly melted and discharged therefrom into an ice storage bin.
- these ice machines can be classified according to the type of ice they make.
- One such type is a grid style ice maker which makes generally square ice cubes that form within individual grids of the freeze plate which then form into a continuous sheet of ice cubes as the thickness of the ice increases beyond that of the freeze plate.
- ice maker which makes generally square ice cubes that form within individual grids of the freeze plate which do not form into a continuous sheet of ice cubes. Therefore, upon harvest individual ice cubes fall from the freeze plate and into the ice storage bin.
- Control means are provided to control the operation of the ice maker to ensure a constant supply of ice.
- Various embodiments of the present invention can be adapted to either type of ice maker, and to others not identified, without departing from the scope of the present invention.
- the principal components of a refrigeration and ice making system for use in an ice maker include a source of refrigerant flowing serially through a compressor, a condenser, a thermal expansion valve, and an evaporator assembly.
- the evaporator is thermally coupled to the freeze plate in order to freeze the supplied water into ice.
- the exterior size, or footprint, of typical undercounter ice makers is fixed so that kitchen and/or cabinet designers can allocate a predictable amount of space for the undercounter ice maker in any given design.
- a typical undercounter ice maker is 24 inches (60.96 centimeters) wide and 39 inches (99.06 centimeters) tall.
- NSF Standard NSF/ANSI 12-2009 for “Automatic Ice Making Equipment,” paragraph 5.19. requires a gap of 6 inches (15.24 centimeters) from the floor to the bottom of the appliance for access to under the appliance. This gap permits cleaning under the appliance and is required unless the appliance is permanently affixed to the floor.
- This standard applies to undercounter ice makers. It is rare that undercounter ice makers are permanently affixed to the floor, primarily due to the extra work of installation and the resulting permanence of the ice maker within the installation.
- one embodiment of the present invention is directed to an undercounter ice maker assembly
- an ice maker chassis having a bottom panel, a front panel, a left panel, a right panel, and a back panel.
- the back panel comprises a bottom portion and a top portion and the bottom panel includes one or more openings.
- the top portion of the back panel extends upwardly from the bottom panel to a point above the front, left and right panels.
- the bottom panel, front panel, left panel, right panel and the bottom portion of the back panel define a refrigeration system compartment.
- the undercounter ice maker assembly further includes an ice maker disposed in the ice maker chassis, wherein the ice maker comprises an evaporator disposed at the top portion of the back panel, a compressor, a condenser, and one or more condenser fans.
- the one or more condenser fans each have an axis of rotation which are disposed at an angle ⁇ with respect to the bottom panel and air can enter or exit the undercounter ice maker assembly through the one or more openings of the bottom panel.
- FIG. 1A is a front view of a typical prior art undercounter ice maker assembly
- FIG. 1B is a front view of an undercounter ice maker assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 2 is a top view of a portion of a typical prior art undercounter ice maker assembly as shown in FIG. 1A ;
- FIG. 3 is a right perspective view of an undercounter ice maker assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 4 is a schematic drawing of an ice maker having various components according to one embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 5 is a right perspective view of an ice maker chassis and portions of an ice maker of an undercounter ice maker assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention
- FIG. 6A is a partial right cross section view of a typical prior art undercounter ice maker assembly as shown in FIG. 1A ;
- FIG. 6B is a partial right cross section view of an undercounter ice maker assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 6C is a partial right cross section view of an undercounter ice maker assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 6D is a partial right cross section view of an undercounter ice maker assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 7 is a front view of a portion of an ice maker chassis of an undercounter ice maker assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 8A is a bottom view of an undercounter ice maker assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 8B is a bottom view of an undercounter ice maker assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 8C is a bottom view of an undercounter ice maker assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 8D is a rear partial cross section view of an undercounter ice maker assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention.
- FIGS. 1A , 2 and 6 A illustrate typical prior art undercounter ice makers assemblies 1010 .
- Typical prior art undercounter ice maker assemblies 1010 include an ice storage bin assembly 1030 removably attached to an ice maker chassis 1100 .
- the ice maker chassis 1100 has a refrigeration system compartment 1101 bounded in part by a bottom panel 1102 , a left panel 1108 a , a right panel 1108 b and a front panel 1104 .
- Various refrigeration components including a condenser 1014 , a condenser fan 1015 and a compressor 1012 are disposed on or in ice maker chassis 1100 within refrigeration system compartment 1101 .
- Prior art undercounter ice makers 1010 intake and exhaust air through a front panel 1104 of the undercounter ice maker 1010 , for example with the air intake through the right side of the front panel 1104 and with the air exhaust through the left side of the front panel 1104 as illustrated by arrow A in FIG. 2 .
- This airflow configuration creates a number of constraints. First, only half the width W IM of the undercounter ice maker 1010 can be used for air intake. Second, only half the width W IM of the undercounter ice maker 1010 can be used for air exhaust. Third, the condenser 1014 must be placed within either the intake or exhaust air stream, so it is also limited to half the width W IM of the undercounter ice maker 1010 .
- the condenser fan 1015 must be oriented so that the axis 1019 (see FIG. 6A ) of the condenser fan 1015 is parallel to the air stream and parallel with the bottom panel 1102 of the undercounter ice maker 1010 , thus the condenser fan 1015 blade diameter is oriented vertically. Because of this orientation, the height H RCPA of the refrigeration compartment 1101 (see FIG. 1A ) must be as tall as the diameter of the condenser fan 1015 blade. Five, because the warm exhaust air that is expelled out the front panel 1104 of the undercounter ice maker 1010 is adjacent to the air intake, a portion of that warm exhaust air will be drawn into the undercounter ice maker 1010 with the intake air and recirculated. This recirculation causes the temperature of the air entering the condenser 1014 to be warmer than the ambient air temperature and will thus reduce the performance of the refrigeration system compared to a system which draws in only the cooler ambient air.
- these units typically use an 8 inch (about 20.32 centimeter) diameter condenser fan 1015 .
- This condenser fan 1015 blade diameter in turn constrains the height H RCPA , of the refrigeration system compartment 1101 to be about 8 inches (about 20.32 centimeters). That height H RCPA , plus the NSF-mandated height underneath the machine of 6 inches (about 15.24 centimeters), means that the bottom of the ice storage bin assembly 1030 cannot be any lower than about 14 inches (about 35.56 centimeters) above the floor.
- the maximum height H ISBPA of prior art ice storage bin assemblies 1030 are limited to about 25 inches (about 63.5 centimeters).
- the height H ISBPA of prior art ice storage bin assemblies 1030 must be increased. The only way to do that, since the height of the top and bottom of the undercounter ice maker 1010 are fixed, is to reduce the height H RCPA , of the refrigeration system compartment 1101 .
- the height H RC of refrigeration system compartment 101 of ice maker chassis 100 can be reduced.
- the height H RC of refrigeration system compartment 101 may be reduced by orienting condenser fan 15 at an angle, preferably perpendicular, with respect to bottom panel 102 of undercounter ice maker assembly 10 (see FIGS. 5 , 6 B, 6 C and 6 D). By changing the orientation of condenser fan 15 , the vertical height required by condenser fan 15 is greatly reduced.
- a typical 8 inch (about 20.32 centimeter) diameter condenser fan 15 is only 3 inches (about 7.62 centimeters) deep.
- the vertical height required by condenser fan 15 can be reduced from about 8 inches (about 20.32 centimeters) to about 3 inches (about 7.62 centimeters).
- the airflow pattern for cooling condenser 14 can be changed from in-the-front-out-the-front to in-the-bottom-out-the-front.
- the resulting exhaust air stream can now be spread across the full width W IM of undercounter ice maker assembly 10 .
- the width W C of condenser 14 may now also be substantially equal to the full width W IM of undercounter ice maker assembly 10 (see FIG. 7 ) and may be disposed substantially parallel to front panel 104 (see FIGS. 5 , 6 B, 6 C, 6 D). Because condenser 14 may now be substantially wider than prior art condensers 1014 , the height H C of condenser 14 may now be reduced while maintaining its surface area (needed for heat transfer) (see FIG. 7 ). Accordingly, the height H ISB of ice storage bin assembly 30 can be increased, therefore increasing the volume of ice storage bin assembly 30 without changing the exterior dimensions of undercounter ice storage assembly 10 .
- the height H RC of refrigeration system compartment 101 can be reduced by half, from a typical height of about 8 inches (about 20.32 centimeters) to a reduced height of about 4 inches (about 10.16 centimeters).
- the height H RC of refrigeration system compartment 101 may be about 6 inches (about 15.24 centimeters) or less.
- the height H RC of refrigeration system compartment 101 may be about 4 inches (about 10.16 centimeters) or less.
- the height H ISB of ice storage bin assembly 30 may be about 27 inches (about 68.58 centimeters).
- the height H ISB of ice storage bin assembly 30 may be about 29 inches (about 73.66 centimeters).
- Undercounter ice maker assembly 10 may include an ice maker chassis 100 and an ice storage bin assembly 30 removably attached to ice maker chassis 100 . As is known in the art, certain embodiments of ice storage bin assembly 30 may slide forward in order to be removed from ice maker chassis 100 . Undercounter ice maker assembly 10 further includes an ice maker 11 (see FIG. 4 ) having a refrigeration and ice making system which may be disposed on or in ice maker chassis 100 . Ice storage bin assembly 30 includes an ice storage bin 31 having a cavity 36 (see FIGS.
- the ice storage bin 31 further includes an opening which provides access to cavity 36 and the ice stored therein.
- the cavity 36 and the opening are formed by a left wall 33 a , a right wall 33 b , a front wall 34 , a back wall 35 (see FIGS. 6B , 6 C, 6 D) and a bottom wall 41 (see FIGS. 6B , 6 C, 6 D).
- Ice storage bin assembly 30 may further include a top wall 32 .
- Ice storage bin assembly 30 further includes a door 40 that that can be opened to access cavity 36 . It will be understood that door 40 can be opened in any way known in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention.
- legs 114 may be affixed to the bottom of ice making chassis 100 in order to provide the required gap of 6 inches (15.24 centimeters) under the bottom of ice making chassis 100 . In other embodiments, for example, legs 114 may be replaced with casters or wheels.
- Ice maker 11 of undercounter ice maker assembly 10 may include a compressor 12 , a condenser 14 for condensing compressed refrigerant vapor discharged from the compressor 12 , a thermal expansion device 18 for lowering the temperature and pressure of the refrigerant, and an evaporator assembly 20 .
- a gaseous cooling medium e.g., air
- one or more condenser fans 15 may be positioned to blow the gaseous cooling medium across condenser 14 .
- the thermal expansion device 18 may include, but is not limited to, a capillary tube, a thermostatic expansion valve or an electronic expansion valve. Ice maker 11 also includes a freeze plate 60 thermally coupled to evaporator assembly 20 .
- freeze plate 60 may contain a large number of pockets (usually in the form of a grid of cells) on its surface where water flowing over the surface can collect. As water is pumped from sump 70 by water pump 62 through water line 63 and out of distributor manifold or tube 66 , the water impinges on freeze plate 60 , flows over the pockets of freeze plate 60 and freezes into ice.
- ice maker 11 may also include a temperature sensing bulb 26 placed at the outlet of the evaporator assembly 20 to control thermal expansion device 18 .
- a hot gas valve 24 may be used to direct warm refrigerant from compressor 12 directly to evaporator assembly 20 to remove or harvest ice cubes from freeze plate 60 when the ice has reached the desired thickness.
- a form of refrigerant serially cycles through these components via a lines 23 , 25 , 27 , 28 .
- Ice maker 11 may have other conventional components not described herein, including, but not limited to, a water supply, a controller, and a source of electrical energy.
- compressor 12 receives low-pressure, substantially gaseous refrigerant from evaporator assembly 20 through suction line 28 , pressurizes the refrigerant, and discharges high-pressure, substantially gaseous refrigerant through discharge line 25 to condenser 14 .
- condenser 14 heat is removed from the refrigerant, causing the substantially gaseous refrigerant to condense into a substantially liquid refrigerant.
- the high-pressure, substantially liquid refrigerant is routed through liquid line 27 to thermal expansion device 18 , which reduces the pressure of the substantially liquid refrigerant for introduction into evaporator assembly 20 .
- thermal expansion device 18 reduces the pressure of the substantially liquid refrigerant for introduction into evaporator assembly 20 .
- the refrigerant absorbs heat from the tubes contained within evaporator assembly 20 and vaporizes as the refrigerant passes through the tubes.
- Low-pressure, substantially gaseous refrigerant is discharged from the outlet of evaporator assembly 20 through suction line 28 , and is reintroduced into the inlet of compressor 12 .
- a water fill valve (not shown) is turned on to supply a mass of water to sump 70 , wherein ice maker 11 will freeze some or all of the mass of water into ice.
- the water fill valve may be closed.
- Water pump 62 is then turned on to supply water to freeze plate 60 via water line 63 and distributor manifold or tube 66 .
- Compressor 12 may be turned on to begin the flow of refrigerant through the refrigeration system. The water that is supplied by water pump 62 then begins to cool as it contacts freeze plate 60 , returns to water sump 70 below freeze plate 60 and is recirculated by water pump 62 to freeze plate 60 .
- Hot gas valve 24 is then closed and the cooling cycle can repeat.
- FIG. 5 one embodiment of ice maker chassis 100 is shown in detail. For ease of illustration, only portions of ice maker 11 are shown disposed inside ice maker chassis 100 . It will be understood that all or substantially all of ice maker 11 is typically disposed on or in ice maker chassis 100 .
- Various embodiments of ice maker chassis 100 have a bottom panel 102 , a front panel 104 , a left panel 108 a , a right panel 108 b , and back panel 110 .
- Bottom panel 102 , front panel 104 , left panel 108 a , right panel 108 b , and bottom portion 111 of back panel 110 may define refrigeration system compartment 101 .
- bottom panel 102 has one or more openings 106 through which air can flow.
- Back panel 110 has a top portion 112 which extends upwardly from bottom panel 102 to a point above the front, left and right panels 104 , 108 a , 108 b .
- Front panel 104 may be removable and may have one or more openings 105 which permit air to flow through front panel 104 .
- openings 105 of front panel 104 may comprise louvers.
- openings 105 may include, but are not limited to, holes, slots, screens, etc.
- one or more of front panel 104 , left panel 108 a , right panel 108 b , and back panel 110 may have one or more openings which permit air to flow through one or more of front panel 104 , left panel 108 a , right panel 108 b , and back panel 110 .
- openings may comprise louvers.
- openings 105 may include, but are not limited to, holes, slots, screens, etc.
- An evaporator assembly 20 may be disposed at top portion 112 of back panel 110 . Affixed to evaporator assembly 20 is freeze plate 60 and disposed under freeze plate 60 is sump 70 .
- Water pump 62 may be disposed in sump 70 and can pump water through water line 63 and out of distributor manifold or tube 66 above freeze plate 60 .
- Compressor 12 may be disposed in ice maker chassis 100 on bottom panel 102 proximate back panel 110 . Additionally, disposed in ice maker chassis 100 in refrigeration system compartment 101 may be condenser 14 and condenser fan 15 .
- condenser fan 15 has an axis 19 about which the blades of condenser fan 15 rotate.
- axis 19 of condenser fan 15 may be disposed at an angle ⁇ with respect to bottom panel 102 .
- the height H RC of refrigeration system compartment 101 can be reduced in comparison to the H RCPA of the prior art refrigeration system compartment 1101 (see FIGS.
- axis 19 may be disposed an angle ⁇ of between about 0° to about 90° with respect to bottom panel 102 (e.g., about 0°, about 10°, about 20°, about 30°, about 40°, about 50°, about 60°, about 70°, about 80°, about 90°).
- axis 19 of condenser fan 15 may be disposed substantially perpendicular to bottom panel 102 , such that axis 19 of condenser fan 15 is disposed at an angle ⁇ of about 90° with respect to bottom panel 102 (see FIGS. 6C and 6D ).
- axis 19 of condenser fan 15 may be disposed substantially parallel to bottom panel 102 , such that axis 19 of condenser fan 15 may be disposed at an angle ⁇ of about 0° with respect to bottom panel 102 .
- the axes of one or more small diameter condenser fans 15 may be disposed substantially parallel to bottom panel 102 and can draw or push air through one or more openings 106 of bottom panel 102 .
- one or more condenser fans 15 may draw or push air through one or more openings 106 of bottom panel 102 .
- axis 19 of condenser fan 15 is substantially perpendicular to bottom panel 102 , air may flow through one or more openings 106 in a direction substantially perpendicular to bottom panel 102 .
- condenser fan 15 does not need to be reduced to increase the volume of ice storage bin assembly 30 . Additionally, condenser fan 15 may be increased in size without requiring the height H RC of refrigeration system compartment 101 to be increased.
- the diameter of condenser fan 15 may range from about 8 inches (about 20.32 centimeters) to about 12 inches (about 30.48 centimeters) (e.g., about 8 inches (about 20.32 centimeters), about 9 inches (about 22.86 centimeters), about 10 inches (about 25.4 centimeters), about 11 inches (27.94 centimeters), about 12 inches (about 30.48 centimeters)).
- condenser fan 15 may comprise a variety of fan types and/or constructions, including, but not limited to, electronically commutated motors (ECM), brushed motors, brushless motors, etc.
- condenser fan 15 can intake cool air that resides at the floor or ground through the one or more openings 106 in bottom panel 102 and into ice maker chassis 100 . That cool air is then directed through condenser 14 . By using the cooler air located adjacent to the floor, the ability of condenser 14 to reject heat may be improved over prior art undercounter ice makers 1010 . The air is warmed as it passes through condenser 14 , then the air is exhausted out one or more openings 105 of front panel 104 . The warmed air then rises upward. Arrows B illustrate the flow of air into and out of undercounter ice maker assembly 10 .
- warm air may be exhausted out one or more openings 105 of front panel 104
- left panel 108 a , right panel 108 b , and/or back panel 110 may have one or more openings similar to the openings 105 of front panel 104 .
- ambient air may be taken in through one or more openings 106 in bottom panel 102 and warm air may be exhausted through openings in one or more of front panel 104 , left panel 108 a , right panel 108 b , and back panel 110 .
- warm air may be exhausted through openings 105 in front panel 104 .
- warm air may be exhausted through openings in front panel 104 and left panel 108 a .
- warm air may be exhausted through openings in front panel 104 , left panel 108 a , and right panel 108 b .
- warm air may be exhausted through openings in front panel 104 , left panel 108 a , right panel 108 b , and back panel 110 .
- warm air may be exhausted through openings in front panel 104 , left panel 108 a , and back panel 110 .
- warm air may be exhausted through openings in front panel 104 and right panel 108 b .
- warm air may be exhausted through openings in front panel 104 , right panel 108 b , and back panel 110 .
- warm air may be exhausted through openings in left panel 108 a .
- warm air may be exhausted through openings in left panel 108 a and right panel 108 b .
- warm air may be exhausted through openings in left panel 108 a , right panel 108 b , and back panel 110 .
- warm air may be exhausted through openings in left panel 108 a and back panel 110 .
- warm air may be exhausted through openings in right panel 108 b .
- warm air may be exhausted through openings in right panel 108 b and back panel 110 .
- warm air may be exhausted through openings in back panel 110 .
- warm air may be exhausted through openings in front panel 104 and back panel 110 .
- typical prior art undercounter ice makers 1010 intake and exhaust air through the front panel which can result in the warmer exhausted air to be recirculated through the condenser 1014 .
- Bringing in cool air off of the floor and exhausting it through front panel 104 , left panel 108 , right panel 108 b , and/or back panel 110 minimizes the recirculation of air through condenser fan 15 because the warmer exhaust air will rise and will tend not to be sucked back into undercounter ice maker assembly 10 through the one or more openings 106 in bottom panel 102 .
- This resulting reduction in recirculation of air improves overall refrigeration performance of undercounter ice maker assembly 10 .
- condenser fan 15 turn in a direction to intake cool air through one or more openings 106 in bottom panel 102
- condenser fan 15 may turn in a direction which intakes cool air through one or more openings 105 of front panel 104 , through condenser 14 , and exhausts warm air through one or more openings 106 in bottom panel 102 .
- Arrows C illustrate the flow of air into and out of undercounter ice maker assembly 10 in this alternative embodiment.
- ambient air intake may be through one or more openings 105 of front panel 104
- left panel 108 a , right panel 108 b , and/or back panel 110 may have one or more openings similar to the openings 105 of front panel.
- ambient air may be taken in through openings in one or more of front panel 104 , left panel 108 a , right panel 108 b and back panel 110 , and exhausted through one or more openings 106 in bottom panel 102 .
- ambient air may be taken in through openings 105 in front panel 104 .
- ambient air may be taken in through openings in front panel 104 and left panel 108 a .
- ambient air may be taken in through openings in front panel 104 , left panel 108 a , and right panel 108 b . In another embodiment, for example, ambient air may be taken in through openings in front panel 104 , left panel 108 a , right panel 108 b , and back panel 110 . In another embodiment, for example, ambient air may be taken in through openings in front panel 104 , left panel 108 a , and back panel 110 . In another embodiment, for example, ambient air may be taken in through openings in front panel 104 and right panel 108 b . In another embodiment, for example, ambient air may be taken in through openings in front panel 104 , right panel 108 b , and back panel 110 .
- ambient air may be taken in through openings in left panel 108 a . In another embodiment, for example, ambient air may be taken in through openings in left panel 108 a and right panel 108 b . In another embodiment, for example, ambient air may be taken in through openings in left panel 108 a , right panel 108 b , and back panel 110 . In another embodiment, for example, ambient air may be taken in through openings in left panel 108 a and back panel 110 . In another embodiment, for example, ambient air may be taken in through openings in right panel 108 b . In another embodiment, for example, ambient air may be taken in through openings in right panel 108 b and back panel 110 . In another embodiment, for example, ambient air may be taken in through openings in back panel 110 . In another embodiment, for example, ambient air may be taken in through openings in front panel 104 and back panel 110 .
- the increase in the volume available for ice storage in ice storage bin 30 may also be permitted by reducing the height H C (see FIG. 7 ) of condenser 14 as compared to the height of condensers 1014 of prior art undercounter ice makers 1010 .
- the height H C of condenser 14 may be about 6 inches (about 15.24 centimeters) or less. In yet other embodiments, the height H C of condenser 14 may be about 4 inches (about 10.16 centimeters) or less.
- condenser 14 may also be disposed substantially parallel to front panel 104 .
- condenser 1014 is often placed at an angle greater than zero with respect to front panel 1104 (see FIG. 2 ).
- the width W C (see FIG. 7 ) of condenser 14 can be substantially equal to the width W IM (see FIG. 7 ) of undercounter ice maker assembly 10 .
- the width W c of condenser 14 is greater than the width of condensers 1014 in many prior art undercounter ice makers 1010 .
- condenser 14 By making condenser 14 wider, the overall face area of condenser 14 is comparable to prior art condensers 1014 , thus the cooling capacity of condenser 14 may be maintained even though the height H C of condenser 14 has been reduced. Additionally, in certain embodiments, the number of cooling fins (not shown) on condenser 14 may be increased in order to maintain or increase the cooling capacity of condenser 14 . In other embodiments, for example, the depth Dc (see FIGS. 6B , 6 C, 6 D) of condenser 14 may also be increased in order to maintain or increase the cooling capacity of condenser 14 .
- the number of coil passes in condenser 14 may also be increased in order to maintain or increase the cooling capacity of condenser 14 .
- condenser 14 is shown as being substantially straight, it will be understood that condenser 14 can take a variety of shapes including, but not limited to, curved, circular, L-shaped, etc. without departing from the scope of the present invention. Additionally, it will be understood that condenser 14 can be placed in a variety of locations on or in ice maker chassis 100 without departing from the scope of the present invention.
- recessed area 42 is adapted to fit around compressor 12 and permits ice storage bin assembly 30 to be easily removed from ice maker chassis 100 .
- This recessed area 42 slightly reduces the volume of ice storage bin assembly 30 , however this slight reduction in volume is offset by the increase in volume of ice storage bin 30 afforded by reducing the height H RC of refrigeration system compartment 101 . Accordingly, the volume of ice storage bin assembly 31 can be increased over prior art undercounter ice makers.
- condenser fan 15 may be disposed within ice maker chassis 100 so that the fan blades of condenser fan 15 are not substantially co-planar with opening 106 . Accordingly, condenser fan 15 may be raised slightly above opening 106 . Additionally, in certain embodiments, as shown in FIG. 8A , a wire grill 17 may cover opening 106 to reduce or eliminate the possibility that a person can insert their fingers into opening 106 . It will be understood that any type and/or construction of grill, louver, mesh, etc. which reduces or eliminates the possibility that a person can insert their fingers into opening 106 while maintaining air flow through opening 106 may be used without departing from the scope of the present invention.
- undercounter ice maker assembly 10 may also include an air filter 120 for filtering the air that can enter or exit through one or more openings 106 of bottom panel 102 .
- an air filter 120 may be placed in or over one or more openings 106 in bottom panel 102 such that air filter 120 covers one or more openings 106 .
- Air filter 120 can filter the air that will be drawn into refrigeration system compartment 101 of ice maker chassis 100 .
- the inclusion of an air filter may reduce the amount of dirt, dust and/or other contaminants entering refrigeration system compartment 101 , which may assist in keeping condenser 14 clean and maintaining condenser 14 cooling capacity.
- Air filter 120 may be removably affixed to bottom panel 102 in a variety of ways including, but not limited to, magnets, tape, adhesives, hook-and-loop style fasteners, screws, clips, etc.
- a channel 122 may be disposed on bottom panel 102 .
- Channel 122 may be on two or more sides of opening 106 to hold air filter 120 in place.
- Preferably, channel 122 may be on three sides.
- Air filter 120 can be slid in and out of channel 122 from the front of undercounter ice maker assembly 10 . It will be understood that any type and/or construction of air filter may be used without departing from the scope of the invention including, but not limited to, paper filters, foam filters, fiberglass or polyester filters, HEPA filters, etc.
- embodiments of undercounter ice maker assembly 10 may include more than one condenser fan 15 and/or more than one opening 106 in bottom 102 panel, as illustrated in FIG. 8B .
Abstract
An undercounter ice maker assembly comprising an ice maker chassis having a bottom panel, a front panel, a left panel, a right panel, and a back panel. The back panel comprises a bottom portion and a top portion and the bottom panel includes one or more openings. The bottom panel, front panel, left panel, right panel, and the bottom portion of the back panel define a refrigeration system compartment having a reduced height. The undercounter ice maker assembly further includes an ice maker disposed in the ice maker chassis, wherein the ice maker comprises an evaporator, a compressor, a condenser, and one or more condenser fans. The one or more condenser fans each have an axis of rotation which are disposed at an angle Θ with respect to the bottom panel and air can enter or exit the undercounter ice maker assembly through the one or more openings of the bottom panel.
Description
- This invention relates generally to ice making machines and, more particularly, to an undercounter ice maker that has a larger capacity ice storage bin yet retains the same footprint of typical prior art ice makers.
- Undercounter ice making machines, or undercounter ice makers, typically comprise a refrigeration and ice making system that employs a source of refrigerant flowing serially through a compressor, a condenser, a thermal expansion valve, and an evaporator assembly. Thermally coupled to the evaporator assembly is a freeze plate comprising a lattice-type cube mold. Additionally, typical ice makers employ gravity water flow and ice harvest systems that are well known and in extensive use. Undercounter ice makers having such a refrigeration and ice making system often include an ice storage bin, where ice that has been harvested is stored until it is needed. Such ice makers have received wide acceptance and are particularly desirable for commercial installations such as restaurants, bars, motels, coffee shops, etc.
- In these undercounter ice makers, water is supplied at the top of a freeze plate which directs the water in a tortuous path toward a water pump. A portion of the supplied water collects on the freeze plate, freezes into ice and is identified as sufficiently frozen by suitable means whereupon the freeze plate is defrosted such that the ice is slightly melted and discharged therefrom into an ice storage bin. Typically, these ice machines can be classified according to the type of ice they make. One such type is a grid style ice maker which makes generally square ice cubes that form within individual grids of the freeze plate which then form into a continuous sheet of ice cubes as the thickness of the ice increases beyond that of the freeze plate. After harvesting, the sheet of ice cubes will break into individual cubes as they fall into the ice storage bin. Another type of ice maker is an individual ice cube maker which makes generally square ice cubes that form within individual grids of the freeze plate which do not form into a continuous sheet of ice cubes. Therefore, upon harvest individual ice cubes fall from the freeze plate and into the ice storage bin. Control means are provided to control the operation of the ice maker to ensure a constant supply of ice. Various embodiments of the present invention can be adapted to either type of ice maker, and to others not identified, without departing from the scope of the present invention.
- Traditionally, the principal components of a refrigeration and ice making system for use in an ice maker include a source of refrigerant flowing serially through a compressor, a condenser, a thermal expansion valve, and an evaporator assembly. The evaporator is thermally coupled to the freeze plate in order to freeze the supplied water into ice.
- The exterior size, or footprint, of typical undercounter ice makers is fixed so that kitchen and/or cabinet designers can allocate a predictable amount of space for the undercounter ice maker in any given design. A typical undercounter ice maker is 24 inches (60.96 centimeters) wide and 39 inches (99.06 centimeters) tall. NSF Standard NSF/ANSI 12-2009 for “Automatic Ice Making Equipment,” paragraph 5.19. requires a gap of 6 inches (15.24 centimeters) from the floor to the bottom of the appliance for access to under the appliance. This gap permits cleaning under the appliance and is required unless the appliance is permanently affixed to the floor. This standard applies to undercounter ice makers. It is rare that undercounter ice makers are permanently affixed to the floor, primarily due to the extra work of installation and the resulting permanence of the ice maker within the installation.
- Accordingly, there is a constant need in the art to make undercounter ice makers more space efficient, so that higher capacities of ice can be stored within the standard footprint of an undercounter ice maker.
- Briefly, therefore, one embodiment of the present invention is directed to an undercounter ice maker assembly comprising an ice maker chassis having a bottom panel, a front panel, a left panel, a right panel, and a back panel. The back panel comprises a bottom portion and a top portion and the bottom panel includes one or more openings. The top portion of the back panel extends upwardly from the bottom panel to a point above the front, left and right panels. The bottom panel, front panel, left panel, right panel and the bottom portion of the back panel define a refrigeration system compartment. The undercounter ice maker assembly further includes an ice maker disposed in the ice maker chassis, wherein the ice maker comprises an evaporator disposed at the top portion of the back panel, a compressor, a condenser, and one or more condenser fans. The one or more condenser fans each have an axis of rotation which are disposed at an angle Θ with respect to the bottom panel and air can enter or exit the undercounter ice maker assembly through the one or more openings of the bottom panel.
- These and other features, aspects and advantages of the invention will become more fully apparent from the following detailed description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings, wherein the drawings illustrate features in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present invention, and wherein:
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FIG. 1A is a front view of a typical prior art undercounter ice maker assembly; -
FIG. 1B is a front view of an undercounter ice maker assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 2 is a top view of a portion of a typical prior art undercounter ice maker assembly as shown inFIG. 1A ; -
FIG. 3 is a right perspective view of an undercounter ice maker assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 4 is a schematic drawing of an ice maker having various components according to one embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 5 is a right perspective view of an ice maker chassis and portions of an ice maker of an undercounter ice maker assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 6A is a partial right cross section view of a typical prior art undercounter ice maker assembly as shown inFIG. 1A ; -
FIG. 6B is a partial right cross section view of an undercounter ice maker assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 6C is a partial right cross section view of an undercounter ice maker assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 6D is a partial right cross section view of an undercounter ice maker assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 7 is a front view of a portion of an ice maker chassis of an undercounter ice maker assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 8A is a bottom view of an undercounter ice maker assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 8B is a bottom view of an undercounter ice maker assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 8C is a bottom view of an undercounter ice maker assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention; and -
FIG. 8D is a rear partial cross section view of an undercounter ice maker assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention. - Before any embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it will be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the following drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Also, it will be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of “including,” “comprising,” or “having” and variations thereof herein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items.
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FIGS. 1A , 2 and 6A illustrate typical prior art undercounterice makers assemblies 1010. Typical prior art undercounterice maker assemblies 1010 include an icestorage bin assembly 1030 removably attached to anice maker chassis 1100. Theice maker chassis 1100 has arefrigeration system compartment 1101 bounded in part by abottom panel 1102, aleft panel 1108 a, aright panel 1108 b and afront panel 1104. Various refrigeration components, including acondenser 1014, acondenser fan 1015 and acompressor 1012 are disposed on or inice maker chassis 1100 withinrefrigeration system compartment 1101. Prior artundercounter ice makers 1010 intake and exhaust air through afront panel 1104 of theundercounter ice maker 1010, for example with the air intake through the right side of thefront panel 1104 and with the air exhaust through the left side of thefront panel 1104 as illustrated by arrow A inFIG. 2 . This airflow configuration creates a number of constraints. First, only half the width WIM of theundercounter ice maker 1010 can be used for air intake. Second, only half the width WIM of theundercounter ice maker 1010 can be used for air exhaust. Third, thecondenser 1014 must be placed within either the intake or exhaust air stream, so it is also limited to half the width WIM of theundercounter ice maker 1010. Four, thecondenser fan 1015 must be oriented so that the axis 1019 (seeFIG. 6A ) of thecondenser fan 1015 is parallel to the air stream and parallel with thebottom panel 1102 of theundercounter ice maker 1010, thus thecondenser fan 1015 blade diameter is oriented vertically. Because of this orientation, the height HRCPA of the refrigeration compartment 1101 (seeFIG. 1A ) must be as tall as the diameter of thecondenser fan 1015 blade. Five, because the warm exhaust air that is expelled out thefront panel 1104 of theundercounter ice maker 1010 is adjacent to the air intake, a portion of that warm exhaust air will be drawn into theundercounter ice maker 1010 with the intake air and recirculated. This recirculation causes the temperature of the air entering thecondenser 1014 to be warmer than the ambient air temperature and will thus reduce the performance of the refrigeration system compared to a system which draws in only the cooler ambient air. - Because of the orientations and geometries of the prior art
undercounter ice makers 1010, these units typically use an 8 inch (about 20.32 centimeter)diameter condenser fan 1015. Thiscondenser fan 1015 blade diameter in turn constrains the height HRCPA, of therefrigeration system compartment 1101 to be about 8 inches (about 20.32 centimeters). That height HRCPA, plus the NSF-mandated height underneath the machine of 6 inches (about 15.24 centimeters), means that the bottom of the icestorage bin assembly 1030 cannot be any lower than about 14 inches (about 35.56 centimeters) above the floor. Because the total height of typicalundercounter ice makers 1010 is limited to about 39 inches (about 99.06 centimeters) to fit under a counter, the maximum height HISBPA of prior art icestorage bin assemblies 1030 are limited to about 25 inches (about 63.5 centimeters). In order to store more ice, the height HISBPA of prior art icestorage bin assemblies 1030 must be increased. The only way to do that, since the height of the top and bottom of theundercounter ice maker 1010 are fixed, is to reduce the height HRCPA, of therefrigeration system compartment 1101. - Thus as illustrated in
FIG. 1B , by altering the configuration of various components of embodiments of undercounterice maker assembly 10, the height HRC ofrefrigeration system compartment 101 ofice maker chassis 100 can be reduced. As will be described more fully elsewhere herein, in various embodiments of undercounterice maker assembly 10, the height HRC ofrefrigeration system compartment 101 may be reduced by orientingcondenser fan 15 at an angle, preferably perpendicular, with respect tobottom panel 102 of undercounter ice maker assembly 10 (seeFIGS. 5 , 6B, 6C and 6D). By changing the orientation ofcondenser fan 15, the vertical height required bycondenser fan 15 is greatly reduced. For example, a typical 8 inch (about 20.32 centimeter)diameter condenser fan 15 is only 3 inches (about 7.62 centimeters) deep. Thus, in certain embodiments, by rotating the orientation ofcondenser fan 15 by 90° from the prior art orientation, the vertical height required bycondenser fan 15 can be reduced from about 8 inches (about 20.32 centimeters) to about 3 inches (about 7.62 centimeters). Additionally, the airflow pattern for coolingcondenser 14 can be changed from in-the-front-out-the-front to in-the-bottom-out-the-front. By altering the orientation ofcondenser fan 15, the resulting exhaust air stream can now be spread across the full width WIM of undercounterice maker assembly 10. Additionally, in certain embodiments the width WC ofcondenser 14 may now also be substantially equal to the full width WIM of undercounter ice maker assembly 10 (seeFIG. 7 ) and may be disposed substantially parallel to front panel 104 (seeFIGS. 5 , 6B, 6C, 6D). Becausecondenser 14 may now be substantially wider thanprior art condensers 1014, the height HC ofcondenser 14 may now be reduced while maintaining its surface area (needed for heat transfer) (seeFIG. 7 ). Accordingly, the height HISB of icestorage bin assembly 30 can be increased, therefore increasing the volume of icestorage bin assembly 30 without changing the exterior dimensions of undercounterice storage assembly 10. In various embodiments, the height HRC ofrefrigeration system compartment 101 can be reduced by half, from a typical height of about 8 inches (about 20.32 centimeters) to a reduced height of about 4 inches (about 10.16 centimeters). In certain embodiments, for example, the height HRC ofrefrigeration system compartment 101 may be about 6 inches (about 15.24 centimeters) or less. In other embodiments, for example, the height HRC ofrefrigeration system compartment 101 may be about 4 inches (about 10.16 centimeters) or less. Thus, in certain embodiments, for example, the height HISB of icestorage bin assembly 30 may be about 27 inches (about 68.58 centimeters). In other embodiments, for example, the height HISB of icestorage bin assembly 30 may be about 29 inches (about 73.66 centimeters). - Referring now to
FIG. 3 certain principal components of various embodiments of undercounterice maker assembly 10 are described in greater detail. Undercounterice maker assembly 10 may include anice maker chassis 100 and an icestorage bin assembly 30 removably attached toice maker chassis 100. As is known in the art, certain embodiments of icestorage bin assembly 30 may slide forward in order to be removed fromice maker chassis 100. Undercounterice maker assembly 10 further includes an ice maker 11 (seeFIG. 4 ) having a refrigeration and ice making system which may be disposed on or inice maker chassis 100. Icestorage bin assembly 30 includes anice storage bin 31 having a cavity 36 (seeFIGS. 6B , 6C, 6D) in which ice produced byice maker 11 falls into and is stored until retrieved. Theice storage bin 31 further includes an opening which provides access tocavity 36 and the ice stored therein. Thecavity 36 and the opening are formed by aleft wall 33 a, aright wall 33 b, afront wall 34, a back wall 35 (seeFIGS. 6B , 6C, 6D) and a bottom wall 41 (seeFIGS. 6B , 6C, 6D). Icestorage bin assembly 30 may further include atop wall 32. The walls ofice storage bin 31 may be thermally insulated with various insulating materials including, but not limited to, fiberglass insulation or open- or closed-cell foam comprised, for example, of polystyrene or polyurethane, etc. in order to retard the melting of the ice stored inice storage bin 31. Icestorage bin assembly 30 further includes adoor 40 that that can be opened to accesscavity 36. It will be understood thatdoor 40 can be opened in any way known in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention. Additionally,legs 114 may be affixed to the bottom ofice making chassis 100 in order to provide the required gap of 6 inches (15.24 centimeters) under the bottom ofice making chassis 100. In other embodiments, for example,legs 114 may be replaced with casters or wheels. - Referring now to
FIG. 4 , one embodiment of anice maker 11 having refrigeration and ice making system is described in detail.Ice maker 11 of undercounterice maker assembly 10 may include acompressor 12, acondenser 14 for condensing compressed refrigerant vapor discharged from thecompressor 12, athermal expansion device 18 for lowering the temperature and pressure of the refrigerant, and anevaporator assembly 20. In certain embodiments that utilize a gaseous cooling medium (e.g., air) to provide condenser cooling, one ormore condenser fans 15 may be positioned to blow the gaseous cooling medium acrosscondenser 14. Thethermal expansion device 18 may include, but is not limited to, a capillary tube, a thermostatic expansion valve or an electronic expansion valve.Ice maker 11 also includes afreeze plate 60 thermally coupled toevaporator assembly 20. In certain embodiments, freezeplate 60 may contain a large number of pockets (usually in the form of a grid of cells) on its surface where water flowing over the surface can collect. As water is pumped fromsump 70 bywater pump 62 throughwater line 63 and out of distributor manifold ortube 66, the water impinges onfreeze plate 60, flows over the pockets offreeze plate 60 and freezes into ice.Sump 70 may be positioned belowfreeze plate 60 to catch the water coming off offreeze plate 60 such that the water may be recirculated bywater pump 62. In certain embodiments, wherethermal expansion device 18 is a thermostatic expansion valve or an electronic expansion valve,ice maker 11 may also include atemperature sensing bulb 26 placed at the outlet of theevaporator assembly 20 to controlthermal expansion device 18. In addition, ahot gas valve 24 may be used to direct warm refrigerant fromcompressor 12 directly toevaporator assembly 20 to remove or harvest ice cubes fromfreeze plate 60 when the ice has reached the desired thickness. As described more fully elsewhere herein, a form of refrigerant serially cycles through these components via alines Ice maker 11 may have other conventional components not described herein, including, but not limited to, a water supply, a controller, and a source of electrical energy. - Having described each of the individual components of one embodiment of
ice maker 11 of undercounterice maker assembly 10, the manner in which the components interact and operate various embodiments may now be described. During operation ofice maker 11 of undercounterice maker assembly 10 in a cooling cycle,compressor 12 receives low-pressure, substantially gaseous refrigerant from evaporatorassembly 20 throughsuction line 28, pressurizes the refrigerant, and discharges high-pressure, substantially gaseous refrigerant throughdischarge line 25 tocondenser 14. Incondenser 14, heat is removed from the refrigerant, causing the substantially gaseous refrigerant to condense into a substantially liquid refrigerant. - After exiting
condenser 14, the high-pressure, substantially liquid refrigerant is routed throughliquid line 27 tothermal expansion device 18, which reduces the pressure of the substantially liquid refrigerant for introduction intoevaporator assembly 20. As the low-pressure expanded refrigerant is passed through tubing ofevaporator assembly 20, the refrigerant absorbs heat from the tubes contained withinevaporator assembly 20 and vaporizes as the refrigerant passes through the tubes. Low-pressure, substantially gaseous refrigerant is discharged from the outlet ofevaporator assembly 20 throughsuction line 28, and is reintroduced into the inlet ofcompressor 12. - In certain embodiments of the present invention, at the start of the cooling cycle, a water fill valve (not shown) is turned on to supply a mass of water to
sump 70, whereinice maker 11 will freeze some or all of the mass of water into ice. After the desired mass of water is supplied tosump 70, the water fill valve may be closed.Water pump 62 is then turned on to supply water to freezeplate 60 viawater line 63 and distributor manifold ortube 66.Compressor 12 may be turned on to begin the flow of refrigerant through the refrigeration system. The water that is supplied bywater pump 62 then begins to cool as it contacts freezeplate 60, returns to watersump 70 belowfreeze plate 60 and is recirculated bywater pump 62 to freezeplate 60. Once the water is sufficiently cold, water flowing acrossfreeze plate 60 starts forming ice cubes. After the ice cubes are formed,water pump 62 is turned off andhot gas valve 24 is opened allowing warm, high-pressure gas fromcompressor 12 to flow through hot gas bypass line 23 to enterevaporator assembly 20, thereby harvesting the ice by warmingfreeze plate 60 to melt the formed ice to a degree such that the ice may be released fromfreeze plate 60 and falls intoice storage bin 31 where the ice can be temporarily stored and later retrieved.Hot gas valve 24 is then closed and the cooling cycle can repeat. - Turning now to
FIG. 5 , one embodiment ofice maker chassis 100 is shown in detail. For ease of illustration, only portions ofice maker 11 are shown disposed insideice maker chassis 100. It will be understood that all or substantially all ofice maker 11 is typically disposed on or inice maker chassis 100. Various embodiments ofice maker chassis 100 have abottom panel 102, afront panel 104, aleft panel 108 a, aright panel 108 b, andback panel 110.Bottom panel 102,front panel 104,left panel 108 a,right panel 108 b, andbottom portion 111 ofback panel 110 may definerefrigeration system compartment 101. In various embodiments,bottom panel 102 has one ormore openings 106 through which air can flow.Back panel 110 has atop portion 112 which extends upwardly frombottom panel 102 to a point above the front, left andright panels Front panel 104 may be removable and may have one ormore openings 105 which permit air to flow throughfront panel 104. Preferably,openings 105 offront panel 104 may comprise louvers. In other embodiments,openings 105 may include, but are not limited to, holes, slots, screens, etc. In other embodiments, one or more offront panel 104,left panel 108 a,right panel 108 b, andback panel 110 may have one or more openings which permit air to flow through one or more offront panel 104,left panel 108 a,right panel 108 b, andback panel 110. Preferably, openings may comprise louvers. In other embodiments,openings 105 may include, but are not limited to, holes, slots, screens, etc. - An
evaporator assembly 20 may be disposed attop portion 112 ofback panel 110. Affixed toevaporator assembly 20 isfreeze plate 60 and disposed underfreeze plate 60 issump 70.Water pump 62 may be disposed insump 70 and can pump water throughwater line 63 and out of distributor manifold ortube 66 abovefreeze plate 60.Compressor 12 may be disposed inice maker chassis 100 onbottom panel 102proximate back panel 110. Additionally, disposed inice maker chassis 100 inrefrigeration system compartment 101 may be condenser 14 andcondenser fan 15. - As shown in
FIG. 6B ,condenser fan 15 has anaxis 19 about which the blades ofcondenser fan 15 rotate. Unlike prior artundercounter ice makers 1010 where theaxis 1019 of priorart condenser fans 1015 are disposed substantially parallel to bottom panel 1102 (seeFIG. 6A ), in various embodiments of the present invention as shown inFIG. 6B ,axis 19 ofcondenser fan 15 may be disposed at an angle Θ with respect tobottom panel 102. As described above, by orientingcondenser fan 15 at an angle Θ with respect tobottom panel 102, the height HRC ofrefrigeration system compartment 101 can be reduced in comparison to the HRCPA of the prior art refrigeration system compartment 1101 (seeFIGS. 1B , 6B, 6C and 6D). By reducing the height HRC ofrefrigeration system compartment 101, the volume ofcavity 36 of icestorage bin assembly 30 can be increased over the volume ofcavity 1036 of prior art icestorage bin assemblies 1030. In various embodiments, for example,axis 19 may be disposed an angle Θ of between about 0° to about 90° with respect to bottom panel 102 (e.g., about 0°, about 10°, about 20°, about 30°, about 40°, about 50°, about 60°, about 70°, about 80°, about 90°). Preferably,axis 19 ofcondenser fan 15 may be disposed substantially perpendicular tobottom panel 102, such thataxis 19 ofcondenser fan 15 is disposed at an angle Θ of about 90° with respect to bottom panel 102 (seeFIGS. 6C and 6D ). In other embodiments,axis 19 ofcondenser fan 15 may be disposed substantially parallel tobottom panel 102, such thataxis 19 ofcondenser fan 15 may be disposed at an angle Θ of about 0° with respect tobottom panel 102. Accordingly, in various embodiments, for example, the axes of one or more smalldiameter condenser fans 15 may be disposed substantially parallel tobottom panel 102 and can draw or push air through one ormore openings 106 ofbottom panel 102. In any embodiment, one ormore condenser fans 15 may draw or push air through one ormore openings 106 ofbottom panel 102. Whenaxis 19 ofcondenser fan 15 is substantially perpendicular tobottom panel 102, air may flow through one ormore openings 106 in a direction substantially perpendicular tobottom panel 102. In certain embodiments whereaxis 19 ofcondenser fan 15 is oriented perpendicular with respect tobottom panel 102, the size ofcondenser fan 15 does not need to be reduced to increase the volume of icestorage bin assembly 30. Additionally,condenser fan 15 may be increased in size without requiring the height HRC ofrefrigeration system compartment 101 to be increased. Thus, in certain embodiments, the diameter ofcondenser fan 15 may range from about 8 inches (about 20.32 centimeters) to about 12 inches (about 30.48 centimeters) (e.g., about 8 inches (about 20.32 centimeters), about 9 inches (about 22.86 centimeters), about 10 inches (about 25.4 centimeters), about 11 inches (27.94 centimeters), about 12 inches (about 30.48 centimeters)). Thus by orientingcondenser fan 15 flat inice maker chassis 100 such thataxis 19 is substantially perpendicular tobottom panel 102, the height HRC ofrefrigeration system compartment 101 ofice maker chassis 100 can be reduced, thus allowing for icestorage bin assembly 30 to increase in height and volume. In various embodiments,condenser fan 15 may comprise a variety of fan types and/or constructions, including, but not limited to, electronically commutated motors (ECM), brushed motors, brushless motors, etc. - As illustrated in
FIGS. 6B , 6C and 6D,condenser fan 15 can intake cool air that resides at the floor or ground through the one ormore openings 106 inbottom panel 102 and intoice maker chassis 100. That cool air is then directed throughcondenser 14. By using the cooler air located adjacent to the floor, the ability ofcondenser 14 to reject heat may be improved over prior artundercounter ice makers 1010. The air is warmed as it passes throughcondenser 14, then the air is exhausted out one ormore openings 105 offront panel 104. The warmed air then rises upward. Arrows B illustrate the flow of air into and out of undercounterice maker assembly 10. While it is shown that the warm air may exhausted out one ormore openings 105 offront panel 104, it will be understood thatleft panel 108 a,right panel 108 b, and/orback panel 110 may have one or more openings similar to theopenings 105 offront panel 104. Accordingly, in certain embodiments, ambient air may be taken in through one ormore openings 106 inbottom panel 102 and warm air may be exhausted through openings in one or more offront panel 104,left panel 108 a,right panel 108 b, andback panel 110. In one embodiment, for example, warm air may be exhausted throughopenings 105 infront panel 104. In another embodiment, for example, warm air may be exhausted through openings infront panel 104 and leftpanel 108 a. In another embodiment, for example, warm air may be exhausted through openings infront panel 104,left panel 108 a, andright panel 108 b. In another embodiment, for example, warm air may be exhausted through openings infront panel 104,left panel 108 a,right panel 108 b, andback panel 110. In another embodiment, for example, warm air may be exhausted through openings infront panel 104,left panel 108 a, andback panel 110. In another embodiment, for example, warm air may be exhausted through openings infront panel 104 andright panel 108 b. In another embodiment, for example, warm air may be exhausted through openings infront panel 104,right panel 108 b, andback panel 110. In another embodiment, for example, warm air may be exhausted through openings inleft panel 108 a. In another embodiment, for example, warm air may be exhausted through openings inleft panel 108 a andright panel 108 b. In another embodiment, for example, warm air may be exhausted through openings inleft panel 108 a,right panel 108 b, andback panel 110. In another embodiment, for example, warm air may be exhausted through openings inleft panel 108 a andback panel 110. In another embodiment, for example, warm air may be exhausted through openings inright panel 108 b. In another embodiment, for example, warm air may be exhausted through openings inright panel 108 b andback panel 110. In another embodiment, for example, warm air may be exhausted through openings inback panel 110. In another embodiment, for example, warm air may be exhausted through openings infront panel 104 andback panel 110. - As stated above, typical prior art
undercounter ice makers 1010 intake and exhaust air through the front panel which can result in the warmer exhausted air to be recirculated through thecondenser 1014. This results in ineffective cooling of thecondensers 1014 in typical prior artundercounter ice makers 1010. Bringing in cool air off of the floor and exhausting it throughfront panel 104, left panel 108,right panel 108 b, and/orback panel 110 minimizes the recirculation of air throughcondenser fan 15 because the warmer exhaust air will rise and will tend not to be sucked back into undercounterice maker assembly 10 through the one ormore openings 106 inbottom panel 102. This resulting reduction in recirculation of air improves overall refrigeration performance of undercounterice maker assembly 10. - While it is preferred that
condenser fan 15 turn in a direction to intake cool air through one ormore openings 106 inbottom panel 102, in certain embodiments, as illustrated inFIG. 6D ,condenser fan 15 may turn in a direction which intakes cool air through one ormore openings 105 offront panel 104, throughcondenser 14, and exhausts warm air through one ormore openings 106 inbottom panel 102. Arrows C illustrate the flow of air into and out of undercounterice maker assembly 10 in this alternative embodiment. While it is shown that the ambient air intake may be through one ormore openings 105 offront panel 104, it will be understood thatleft panel 108 a,right panel 108 b, and/orback panel 110 may have one or more openings similar to theopenings 105 of front panel. Accordingly, in certain embodiments, ambient air may be taken in through openings in one or more offront panel 104,left panel 108 a,right panel 108 b andback panel 110, and exhausted through one ormore openings 106 inbottom panel 102. In one embodiment, for example, ambient air may be taken in throughopenings 105 infront panel 104. In another embodiment, for example, ambient air may be taken in through openings infront panel 104 and leftpanel 108 a. In another embodiment, for example, ambient air may be taken in through openings infront panel 104,left panel 108 a, andright panel 108 b. In another embodiment, for example, ambient air may be taken in through openings infront panel 104,left panel 108 a,right panel 108 b, andback panel 110. In another embodiment, for example, ambient air may be taken in through openings infront panel 104,left panel 108 a, andback panel 110. In another embodiment, for example, ambient air may be taken in through openings infront panel 104 andright panel 108 b. In another embodiment, for example, ambient air may be taken in through openings infront panel 104,right panel 108 b, andback panel 110. In another embodiment, for example, ambient air may be taken in through openings inleft panel 108 a. In another embodiment, for example, ambient air may be taken in through openings inleft panel 108 a andright panel 108 b. In another embodiment, for example, ambient air may be taken in through openings inleft panel 108 a,right panel 108 b, andback panel 110. In another embodiment, for example, ambient air may be taken in through openings inleft panel 108 a andback panel 110. In another embodiment, for example, ambient air may be taken in through openings inright panel 108 b. In another embodiment, for example, ambient air may be taken in through openings inright panel 108 b andback panel 110. In another embodiment, for example, ambient air may be taken in through openings inback panel 110. In another embodiment, for example, ambient air may be taken in through openings infront panel 104 andback panel 110. - The increase in the volume available for ice storage in
ice storage bin 30 may also be permitted by reducing the height HC (seeFIG. 7 ) ofcondenser 14 as compared to the height ofcondensers 1014 of prior artundercounter ice makers 1010. In certain embodiments, the height HC ofcondenser 14 may be about 6 inches (about 15.24 centimeters) or less. In yet other embodiments, the height HC ofcondenser 14 may be about 4 inches (about 10.16 centimeters) or less. By reducing the height HC ofcondenser 14, additional volume is provided for icestorage bin assembly 30. As illustrated inFIGS. 5 , 6B, 6C, 6D and 7, in various embodiments,condenser 14 may also be disposed substantially parallel tofront panel 104. In prior artundercounter ice makers 1010,condenser 1014 is often placed at an angle greater than zero with respect to front panel 1104 (seeFIG. 2 ). By orientingcondenser 14 substantially parallel tofront panel 104, the width WC (seeFIG. 7 ) ofcondenser 14 can be substantially equal to the width WIM (seeFIG. 7 ) of undercounterice maker assembly 10. Thus in various embodiments the width Wc ofcondenser 14 is greater than the width ofcondensers 1014 in many prior artundercounter ice makers 1010. By makingcondenser 14 wider, the overall face area ofcondenser 14 is comparable toprior art condensers 1014, thus the cooling capacity ofcondenser 14 may be maintained even though the height HC ofcondenser 14 has been reduced. Additionally, in certain embodiments, the number of cooling fins (not shown) oncondenser 14 may be increased in order to maintain or increase the cooling capacity ofcondenser 14. In other embodiments, for example, the depth Dc (seeFIGS. 6B , 6C, 6D) ofcondenser 14 may also be increased in order to maintain or increase the cooling capacity ofcondenser 14. In other embodiments, for example, the number of coil passes incondenser 14 may also be increased in order to maintain or increase the cooling capacity ofcondenser 14. Whilecondenser 14 is shown as being substantially straight, it will be understood thatcondenser 14 can take a variety of shapes including, but not limited to, curved, circular, L-shaped, etc. without departing from the scope of the present invention. Additionally, it will be understood thatcondenser 14 can be placed in a variety of locations on or inice maker chassis 100 without departing from the scope of the present invention. - While the volume of ice
storage bin assembly 30 can be increased by reducing the height HRC ofrefrigeration system compartment 101, typicallyavailable compressors 12 do not vary significantly in size. Thus, as illustrated inFIGS. 6B , 6C and 6D, in order to obtain the benefit of the reduced height HRC of refrigeration system compartment 101 a recessedarea 42, as known in the art, may be disposed proximate to backwall 35 ofice storage bin 31. Accordingly, recessedarea 42 is adapted to fit aroundcompressor 12 and permits icestorage bin assembly 30 to be easily removed fromice maker chassis 100. This recessedarea 42 slightly reduces the volume of icestorage bin assembly 30, however this slight reduction in volume is offset by the increase in volume ofice storage bin 30 afforded by reducing the height HRC ofrefrigeration system compartment 101. Accordingly, the volume of icestorage bin assembly 31 can be increased over prior art undercounter ice makers. - In order to reduce the potential for a person's hand to be damaged by
condenser fan 15,condenser fan 15 may be disposed withinice maker chassis 100 so that the fan blades ofcondenser fan 15 are not substantially co-planar withopening 106. Accordingly,condenser fan 15 may be raised slightly aboveopening 106. Additionally, in certain embodiments, as shown inFIG. 8A , awire grill 17 may cover opening 106 to reduce or eliminate the possibility that a person can insert their fingers intoopening 106. It will be understood that any type and/or construction of grill, louver, mesh, etc. which reduces or eliminates the possibility that a person can insert their fingers intoopening 106 while maintaining air flow throughopening 106 may be used without departing from the scope of the present invention. - Additionally, in certain embodiments, as illustrated in
FIGS. 6B , 6C, 8C and 8D, undercounterice maker assembly 10 may also include anair filter 120 for filtering the air that can enter or exit through one ormore openings 106 ofbottom panel 102. Accordingly, anair filter 120 may be placed in or over one ormore openings 106 inbottom panel 102 such thatair filter 120 covers one ormore openings 106.Air filter 120 can filter the air that will be drawn intorefrigeration system compartment 101 ofice maker chassis 100. The inclusion of an air filter may reduce the amount of dirt, dust and/or other contaminants enteringrefrigeration system compartment 101, which may assist in keepingcondenser 14 clean and maintainingcondenser 14 cooling capacity. In embodiments where ambient air is taken in through one ormore openings 106 ofbottom panel 102, dirt, dust and/or other contaminants could get deposited on an inner side ofcondenser 14. The inner side ofcondenser 14 may be difficult to access with icestorage bin assembly 30 in place. Accordingly, by includingair filter 120, the inner side ofcondenser 14 may be kept cleaner than in applications that do not employ an air filter. Instead of having to remove icestorage bin assembly 30 and/orfront panel 104 to cleancondenser 14, a user could instead removeair filter 120 frombottom panel 102 to cleanair filter 120.Air filter 120 may be removably affixed tobottom panel 102 in a variety of ways including, but not limited to, magnets, tape, adhesives, hook-and-loop style fasteners, screws, clips, etc. In certain embodiments, as illustrated inFIGS. 8C and 8D , achannel 122 may be disposed onbottom panel 102.Channel 122 may be on two or more sides of opening 106 to holdair filter 120 in place. Preferably,channel 122 may be on three sides.Air filter 120 can be slid in and out ofchannel 122 from the front of undercounterice maker assembly 10. It will be understood that any type and/or construction of air filter may be used without departing from the scope of the invention including, but not limited to, paper filters, foam filters, fiberglass or polyester filters, HEPA filters, etc. - While one
condenser fan 15 and oneopening 106 is shown inFIGS. 5 , 6B, 6C, 6D and 8A, embodiments of undercounterice maker assembly 10 may include more than onecondenser fan 15 and/or more than oneopening 106 inbottom 102 panel, as illustrated inFIG. 8B . - Thus, there has been shown and described novel methods and apparatuses of an undercounter ice maker assembly with an increased capacity ice storage bin, which overcome many of the problems of the prior art set forth above. It will be apparent, however, to those familiar in the art, that many changes, variations, modifications, and other uses and applications for the subject devices and methods are possible. All such changes, variations, modifications, and other uses and applications that do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention are deemed to be covered by the invention which is limited only by the claims which follow.
Claims (20)
1. An undercounter ice maker assembly comprising:
(i) an ice maker chassis comprising a bottom panel, a front panel, a left panel, a right panel, and a back panel, the back panel comprising a bottom portion and a top portion and the bottom panel comprising one or more openings,
a) wherein the top portion extends upwardly from the bottom panel to a point above the front, left and right panels, and
c) wherein the bottom panel, front panel, left panel, right panel, and bottom portion of the back panel define a refrigeration system compartment; and
(ii) an ice maker disposed in the ice maker chassis, the ice maker comprising an evaporator disposed at the top portion of the back panel, a compressor, a condenser, and one or more condenser fans, wherein the one or more condenser fans each have an axis of rotation which are disposed at an angle Θ with respect to the bottom panel and wherein air can enter or exit the undercounter ice maker assembly through the one or more openings of the bottom panel.
2. The undercounter ice maker assembly of claim 1 , wherein the angle Θ of the axes of the one or more condenser fans with respect to the bottom is about 90°.
3. The undercounter ice maker assembly of claim 1 , wherein the angle Θ of the axes of the one or more condenser fans with respect to the bottom is greater than about 45°
4. The undercounter ice maker assembly of claim 1 , wherein the one or more condenser fans are adapted to: (i) intake ambient air from below the bottom panel through the one or more openings of the bottom panel, (ii) push the ambient air through the condenser where the ambient air is warmed, and (iii) exhaust the warmed air.
5. The undercounter ice maker assembly of claim 4 , wherein the one or more condenser fans are adapted to exhaust the warmed air out one or more openings in the front panel.
6. The undercounter ice maker assembly of claim 4 , wherein the one or more condenser fans are adapted to exhaust the warmed air out one or more openings in one or more of the front panel, the left panel, the right panel and the back panel.
7. The undercounter ice maker assembly of claim 1 , wherein the one or more condenser fans are adapted to: (i) intake ambient air, (ii) draw the ambient air through the condenser where the air is warmed, and (iii) exhaust the warmed air out the one or more openings of the bottom panel.
8. The undercounter ice maker assembly of claim 7 , wherein the one or more condenser fans are adapted to intake ambient air through one or more openings in the front panel.
9. The undercounter ice maker assembly of claim 7 , wherein the one or more condenser fans are adapted to intake ambient air through one or more openings in one or more of the front panel, the left panel, the right panel and the back panel.
10. The undercounter ice maker assembly of claim 1 , further comprising an ice storage bin removably attached to the ice maker chassis.
11. The undercounter ice maker assembly of claim 1 , wherein the condenser is substantially parallel to the front panel.
12. The undercounter ice maker assembly of claim 11 , wherein the width of the condenser is substantially equal to the width of the front panel.
13. The undercounter ice maker assembly of claim 1 , wherein the height of the refrigeration system compartment is about 6 inches.
14. The undercounter ice maker assembly of claim 1 , wherein the height of the refrigeration system compartment is about 4 inches.
15. The undercounter ice maker assembly of claim 1 , wherein the height of the condenser is about 6 inches.
16. The undercounter ice maker assembly of claim 1 , wherein the height of the condenser is about 4 inches.
17. The undercounter ice maker assembly of claim 1 , wherein the diameter of the condenser fan is about 8 inches.
18. The undercounter ice maker assembly of claim 1 , wherein the diameter of the condenser fan is about 10 inches.
19. The undercounter ice maker assembly of claim 1 , wherein the diameter of the condenser fan is about 12 inches.
20. The undercounter ice maker assembly of claim 1 further comprising an air filter for filtering the air that can enter or exit the undercounter ice maker assembly through the one or more openings of the bottom panel.
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
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US14/091,659 US20140144175A1 (en) | 2012-11-28 | 2013-11-27 | Undercounter ice maker with increased capacity ice storage bin |
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
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US201261730516P | 2012-11-28 | 2012-11-28 | |
US14/091,659 US20140144175A1 (en) | 2012-11-28 | 2013-11-27 | Undercounter ice maker with increased capacity ice storage bin |
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US20140144175A1 true US20140144175A1 (en) | 2014-05-29 |
Family
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US14/091,659 Abandoned US20140144175A1 (en) | 2012-11-28 | 2013-11-27 | Undercounter ice maker with increased capacity ice storage bin |
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US (1) | US20140144175A1 (en) |
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US20140137984A1 (en) * | 2012-11-21 | 2014-05-22 | True Manufacturing Company, Inc. | Ice maker with bucket filling feature |
USD937909S1 (en) * | 2020-03-30 | 2021-12-07 | Ningbo Aquart Electrical Appliance Co., Ltd. | Ice maker |
US11255589B2 (en) | 2020-01-18 | 2022-02-22 | True Manufacturing Co., Inc. | Ice maker |
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US11578905B2 (en) | 2020-01-18 | 2023-02-14 | True Manufacturing Co., Inc. | Ice maker, ice dispensing assembly, and method of deploying ice maker |
US11602059B2 (en) | 2020-01-18 | 2023-03-07 | True Manufacturing Co., Inc. | Refrigeration appliance with detachable electronics module |
US11656017B2 (en) | 2020-01-18 | 2023-05-23 | True Manufacturing Co., Inc. | Ice maker |
US11674731B2 (en) | 2021-01-13 | 2023-06-13 | True Manufacturing Co., Inc. | Ice maker |
US11686519B2 (en) | 2021-07-19 | 2023-06-27 | True Manufacturing Co., Inc. | Ice maker with pulsed fill routine |
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US11802727B2 (en) | 2020-01-18 | 2023-10-31 | True Manufacturing Co., Inc. | Ice maker |
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2013
- 2013-11-27 US US14/091,659 patent/US20140144175A1/en not_active Abandoned
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Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
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US20140137984A1 (en) * | 2012-11-21 | 2014-05-22 | True Manufacturing Company, Inc. | Ice maker with bucket filling feature |
US11255589B2 (en) | 2020-01-18 | 2022-02-22 | True Manufacturing Co., Inc. | Ice maker |
US11391500B2 (en) | 2020-01-18 | 2022-07-19 | True Manufacturing Co., Inc. | Ice maker |
US11578905B2 (en) | 2020-01-18 | 2023-02-14 | True Manufacturing Co., Inc. | Ice maker, ice dispensing assembly, and method of deploying ice maker |
US11602059B2 (en) | 2020-01-18 | 2023-03-07 | True Manufacturing Co., Inc. | Refrigeration appliance with detachable electronics module |
US11656017B2 (en) | 2020-01-18 | 2023-05-23 | True Manufacturing Co., Inc. | Ice maker |
US11913699B2 (en) | 2020-01-18 | 2024-02-27 | True Manufacturing Co., Inc. | Ice maker |
US11802727B2 (en) | 2020-01-18 | 2023-10-31 | True Manufacturing Co., Inc. | Ice maker |
US11519652B2 (en) | 2020-03-18 | 2022-12-06 | True Manufacturing Co., Inc. | Ice maker |
US11774155B2 (en) * | 2020-03-19 | 2023-10-03 | Whirlpool Corporation | Icemaker assembly |
USD937909S1 (en) * | 2020-03-30 | 2021-12-07 | Ningbo Aquart Electrical Appliance Co., Ltd. | Ice maker |
WO2022104837A1 (en) * | 2020-11-23 | 2022-05-27 | 常熟市雪科电器有限公司 | Snowflake ice maker having heat-dissipation system |
US11674731B2 (en) | 2021-01-13 | 2023-06-13 | True Manufacturing Co., Inc. | Ice maker |
US11686519B2 (en) | 2021-07-19 | 2023-06-27 | True Manufacturing Co., Inc. | Ice maker with pulsed fill routine |
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Owner name: TRUE MANUFACTURING COMPANY, INC., MISSOURI Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:BROADBENT, JOHN ALLEN;REEL/FRAME:032401/0342 Effective date: 20140117 |
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STCB | Information on status: application discontinuation |
Free format text: ABANDONED -- FAILURE TO RESPOND TO AN OFFICE ACTION |