Ice bank and refrigerator

Abstract

An ice storage capacity can adjusted according to a needed amount of ice, and a user can obtain a required amount of the ice to increase the user's convenience. For this, an ice bank is provided. The ice bank includes an external case and an internal case. The internal case is disposed inside the external case and includes an interior space in communication with an interior space of the external case. One of the external case and the internal case overlappingly moves toward the other case to vary an ice storage capacity.

1 . An ice bank comprising:
 an external case; and   an internal case within the external case, the internal case including an interior space in communication with an interior space of the external case,   wherein one of the external case and the internal case overlappingly moves toward the other case to vary an ice storage capacity.   
   
   
       2 . The ice bank according to  claim 1 , wherein the external case has a hexahedral shape in which upper and bottom surfaces are opened and the internal case has a hexahedral shape in which an upper surface is opened to allow the internal case vertically move in a state that a side of outer surfaces of the internal case are adjacent to a side of inner surfaces of the external case. 
   
   
       3 . The ice bank according to  claim 1 , wherein further comprising:
 guide slots vertically disposed on the inner surfaces of opposite walls of the external case; and   guide ribs vertically disposed on the outer surfaces of opposite walls of the internal case such that the guide slots are guided.   
   
   
       4 . The ice bank according to  claim 3 , wherein further comprising:
 at least two hook recesses spaced along a length direction in the guide slots; protruding arms on the guide ribs, the protruding arms being elastically deformable in a perpendicular direction with respect to the length direction of the guide slots; and   hook protrusions protruded from outer surfaces of the protruding arms, the hook protrusions being mounted on the hook recesses, selectively.   
   
   
       5 . The ice bank according to  claim 4 , wherein the guide slots are disposed between a pair of guide channels which are vertically disposed on the both inner surfaces of the external case, and the hook recesses are recessed in a side of the guide channels on which side surfaces of the guide slots are disposed. 
   
   
       6 . The ice bank according to  claim 4 , wherein the protruding arms are provided by cut recesses which are disposed in upper central portions of the guide ribs and vertically cut by a predetermined length. 
   
   
       7 . A refrigerator comprising:
 a door defining a low temperature space within the refrigerator;   a home bar door provided at the door;   a home bar receiving space opened and closed by the home bar door; and   an ice bank within the home bar receiving space,   wherein the ice bank comprising:   an external case; and   an internal case within the external case,   wherein one of the external case and the internal case is movable with respect to the other case to vary an ice storage capacity.   
   
   
       8 . The refrigerator according to  claim 7 , further comprising a manual ice maker above the ice bank. 
   
   
       9 . The refrigerator according to  claim 8 , wherein the manual ice maker is disposed inside the home bar receiving space. 
   
   
       10 . The refrigerator according to  claim 7 , wherein one of the external case and the internal case vertically movable within the home bar receiving space. 
   
   
       11 . The refrigerator according to  claim 7 , wherein the ice bank further comprises an elastic hook mechanism disposed on a portion at which a wall of the internal case is adjacent to a wall of the external case. 
   
   
       12 . The refrigerator according to  claim 11 , wherein the elastic hook mechanism comprises:
 a guide slot vertically disposed in a direction on any one of the external case and the internal case; and   a guide rib disposed on any one of the external case and the internal case, the guide rib being elastically deformable during a movement along the guide slot such that the guide rib is hung on a predetermined position of the guide slot.   
   
   
       13 . The refrigerator according to  claim 11 , wherein the elastic hook is provided on a pair of opposite walls. 
   
   
       14 . The refrigerator according to  claim 7 , further comprising an automatic ice maker above the ice maker. 
   
   
       15 . The refrigerator according to  claim 14 , wherein the automatic ice maker is disposed outside the home bar receiving space. 
   
   
       16 . The refrigerator according to  claim 7 , wherein a movable one of the external case and the internal case automatically moves. 
   
   
       17 . The refrigerator according to  claim 16 , wherein the ice bank comprises:
 a rack on the movable one of the external case and the internal case; and   a motor and pinion on the other case of the external case and the internal case.   
   
   
       18 . The refrigerator according to  claim 7 , wherein the external case is drawn in a front direction from the home bar receiving space. 
   
   
       19 . A refrigerator comprising:
 an automatic ice maker;   an ice bank receiving an ice made by the automatic ice maker;   an ice bank capacity adjustment adjusting an interior capacity of the ice bank; and   a control unit controlling the ice bank capacity adjustment and the ice maker.   
   
   
       20 . The refrigerator according to  claim 19 , wherein further comprising a manipulation unit in which at least required amount of ice is inputted to transmit the inputted data to the control unit, the manipulation unit being manipulated by a user. 
   
   
       21 . The refrigerator according to  claim 19 , wherein the ice bank comprises:
 an external case; and   an internal case moving in a direction in the external case to vary the interior capacity receiving the ice together with the external case.   
   
   
       22 . The refrigerator according to  claim 19 , wherein the ice bank capacity adjustment comprises:
 a rack provided at the internal case;   a pinion within the external case, the pinion being engaged with the rack; and   a motor within the external case, the motor rotating the pinion.   
   
   
       23 . An ice bank comprising:
 a first case defining a first ice receiving space; and   a second case defining a second ice receiving space,   wherein the second case is movable into the first case, and the second ice receiving space overlaps with the first ice receiving space to vary a total ice receiving space.   
   
   
       24 . The ice bank according to  claim 23 , wherein the first case comprises an upper opening receiving the ice and a lower opening passing through the second case, and the second case is movable in upward and downward directions. 
   
   
       25 . A refrigerator comprising:
 an ice maker;   an ice bank below the ice maker, the ice bank receiving ice made by the ice maker; and   an ice bank capacity adjustment adjusting an interior capacity of the ice bank to increase the capacity of the ice bank when a fully-filled state of the ice bank is detected by the ice maker.