Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080238278 | REFRIGERATOR HAVING BASKET LIFT APPARATUS - Disclosed is a refrigerator having a basket lift apparatus capable of improving convenience for a user by lifting up a basket when the basket disposed at a lower portion of a body is opened. The refrigerator comprises: a refrigerator body having cooling chambers for storing food items; a frame slidingly received in a cooling chamber disposed at a lower portion of the body; a basket put on the frame and storing food items; a door positioned at the front of the frame and hingedly connected to the frame; a first link, one side of the first link being rotatably connected to the basket or the frame and the other side being slidably coupled with the frame or the basket; a second link disposed across the first link, one side of the second link being rotatably connected to the basket or the frame and the other side being slidably coupled with the frame or the basket; and a link drive unit connected to the first link or the second link and driving the link to allow the basket to ascend with respect to the frame. | 10-02-2008 |
20090145157 | ICE DISPENSING TECHNOLOGY - Disclosed are an ice bin installed in a refrigerator or the like and a refrigerating machine having the same. One auger having spiral transfer wings rotates to transfer ice cubes that are introduced between the transfer wings, which allows a constant amount of ice or an amount of ice selected by a user to be dispensed. In addition, a shutter is disposed at a lower side of the auger to define a dispensing space, which may reduce a length of a casing in a depth direction and, thereby, result in a reduced size of the ice bin. | 06-11-2009 |
20090151380 | REFRIGERATOR - Refrigerator for enabling putting in or taking out food to/from a basket ( | 06-18-2009 |
20090167131 | REFRIGERATOR - A refrigerator includes a body having a compartment in the body and a door for opening and closing the compartment, an electrical device movable with respect to the body along a first direction, a conductor electrically connecting the electrical device with the body, and a winding device to apply a tension to the conductor in the first direction toward the compartment. | 07-02-2009 |
20090255279 | REFRIGERATOR AND ICE MAKER THEREOF - An ice detecting apparatus of an ice maker disposed to make ice in a refrigerator includes an ice maker and an ice detecting sensor to detect an ice-full state of ice discharged from the ice maker. The ice detecting sensor may be disposed at the ice maker. The ice detecting sensor may also be heated by a heater. | 10-15-2009 |
20090255280 | REFRIGERATOR AND ICE MAKER THEREOF - An ice detecting apparatus for an ice maker provided in a refrigerator includes an ice maker, and an ice detecting sensor attached to the ice maker and detecting an amount of ice collected in an ice container. The ice detecting sensor includes at least one optical transmitter or emitter provided on one side of the ice maker and at least one receiver at another side of the ice maker. The optical transmitter and receiver are separated by a prescribed distance and, at least one heater is provided to generate heat to be transferred to at least one of the optical transmitter or receiver. | 10-15-2009 |
20090255283 | REFRIGERATOR AND ICE MAKER THEREOF - An ice detecting apparatus for a refrigerator the apparatus includes an ice maker, an ice container to collect ice made by the ice maker, and an ice detecting sensor to detect an amount of ice stored in the ice container. The ice detecting sensor has a transmitter module provided on one side of the ice maker and a receiver module provided on another side of the ice maker. The transmitter module is separated by a prescribed distance from the receiver module. At least one of the transmitter module or receiver module includes at least one optical element and at least one heater, and the heater is made of an electroconductive heating material. | 10-15-2009 |
20090272130 | ICE DETECTING APPARATUS OF ICE MAKER FOR REFRIGERATOR AND ICE DETECTING METHOD THEREOF - An ice detecting apparatus for a refrigerator comprising and ice maker, a storage container to collect ice from the ice maker, and an ice detecting sensor provided at the ice maker including a transmitting unit to transmit one or more pulses, and a receiving unit to detect the pulses transmitted from the transmitting unit. A controller to determine whether the storage container is full or nearly full based on the pulses detected by the receiving unit among one or more pulses transmitted by the transmitting unit. | 11-05-2009 |
20090293509 | ICE AMOUNT DETECTING METHOD OF ICE DETECTING APPARATUS OF ICE MAKER FOR REFRIGERATOR - A method of detecting an amount of ice stored in a storage bin made by an ice maker of a refrigerator, the method comprises applying heat to the ice detecting sensor of the ice maker, detecting an amount stored in the storage bin, and controlling heat application according to the detected amount. The ice maker has an ice detecting sensor attached thereto. A sensor heater provides the heat. | 12-03-2009 |
20090293510 | ICE DETECTING METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR A REFRIGERATOR - A method of determining a amount of ice collected in a storage container of a refrigerator, the ice being discharged into the storage container by an ice maker having an ice detecting sensor with a heater, the method comprises determining whether or not the ice storage container is full or nearly full of ice by turning on the detecting sensor for a prescribed period of time. In one embodiment, the heater is turned on while the determining step is preformed. In an alternative embodiment, the heater is continuously maintained in an “ON” state. | 12-03-2009 |
20090301126 | REFRIGERATOR - The present invention relates to refrigerators. More specifically, the present invention relates to a refrigerator which has a residue tray for holding residue of water or ice from a dispenser when the dispenser is pushed in the door, thereby permitting to make simple and effective disposing of the residue of water or ice from the dispenser in the door. | 12-10-2009 |
20100139299 | REFRIGERATOR AND FULL ICE LEVEL SENSING APPARATUS THEREOF - A refrigerator and an ice level sensing apparatus are provided. The refrigerator may include a main body, and an ice level sensing apparatus including an optical element for sending or receiving a signal, and an alignment device for aligning and maintaining alignment of the optical element in a preset direction. The sensing apparatus may sense whether an ice storage container in which ice cubes made by an ice maker is at a full ice level. The optical element may be aligned at a preset position, thus preventing movement of the optical element, resulting in improved reliability of the sensing apparatus. | 06-10-2010 |
20110048052 | Refrigerator - A refrigerator includes an ice storage bin, an opening provided in the ice storage bin through which ice is discharged, and a plurality of blades provided in the ice storage bin, such that the plurality of blades can rotate in a forward direction or in a reverse direction, to selectively discharge ice through the opening as whole ice or crushed ice, where gravity and the plurality of blades are the only forces exerted on the ice collected in the ice storage bin. | 03-03-2011 |
20110067429 | REFRIGERATOR - A refrigerator includes an ice maker to make pieces of ice and an ice storage bin to receive the pieces of ice made by the ice maker. A plurality of blades is rotatably disposed at a bottom portion of the ice storage bin and an ice separating device to separate clumped pieces of ice discharged from the ice maker is disposed in the ice storage bin between the ice maker and the plurality of blades, where the ice separating device is disposed on at least a rear wall, a front wall, or a side wall of the ice storage bin. | 03-24-2011 |
20110100039 | ICE-FULL STATE DETECTING APPARATUS AND REFRIGERATOR HAVING THE SAME - An ice-full state detecting apparatus and a refrigerator having the same are disclosed. The refrigerator including an ice-full state detecting apparatus includes: a refrigerator body including a cooling chamber; a cooling chamber door to open and close the cooling chamber; an ice maker installed at the cooling chamber or at the cooling chamber door; an ice storage container to store ice made by the ice maker; and the ice-full state detecting apparatus to detect an ice-full state of the ice storage container, wherein the ice-full state detecting apparatus includes: a ice-full state detecting sensor to detect an ice-full state of the ice storage container; a sensor heater to heat the ice-full state detecting sensor; a detecting unit to detect whether the ice-full state detecting sensor is in contact with external air; and a controller to control the operation of the sensor heater based on the detection result of the detecting unit. The ice-full state detecting sensor can be restrained from being frosted to thus prevent degradation of detection performance of the ice-full state detecting sensor. In addition, power consumption required for a defrosting operation can be reduced. | 05-05-2011 |
20110126576 | ICE STORAGE DEVICE AND REFRIGERATOR INCLUDING THE SAME AND AN WATER PURIFIER INCLUDING THE SAME - An ice storage device and a refrigerator and purifier including the ice storage device are disclosed. The ice storage device includes an ice storage box, a plurality of ice outlets provided in the ice storage box and an ice transfer member provided in the ice storage box, to transfer ice to the plurality of the ice outlets selectively. An object of the present invention is to provide an ice storage device capable of discharging ice along various directions, and a refrigerator and purifier including the ice storage device. | 06-02-2011 |
20120017627 | APPARATUS FOR PURIFYING WATER - An apparatus for purifying water comprises: a cold water unit configured to store cold water therein; an ice making unit configured to make the cold water into ice cubes; a first heat exchanger configured to supply cold air to the ice making unit; and a second heat exchanger configured to supply cold air to the cold water unit. Since the heat exchangers are individually disposed at the cold water unit and the ice making unit, the temperature of the cold water supplied from the cold water unit may be easily controlled. Furthermore, this may allow the cold water to be supplied to a user with a uniform temperature. | 01-26-2012 |
20120036883 | APPARATUS FOR PURIFYING WATER - An apparatus for purifying water comprises: an ice making unit configured to make introduced water into ice cubes, and to store the ice cubes; a cold water unit configured to generate cold water by receiving the ice cubes made by the ice making unit; and a cooling unit configured to supply cold air to the ice making unit. Firstly, since cold water is generated by using ice cubes made by the ice making unit, may be solved the conventional problem that the ice cubes cling to each other due to contact with the cold water. Secondly, the ice making unit, the cold water unit, etc. may be installed so as to be stacked with each other in upper and lower directions, the apparatus for purifying water may have a slim configuration. | 02-16-2012 |