Method and apparatus for crushing ice within a refrigerator

Abstract

An apparatus and method for crushing ice within a refrigerator are disclosed. The apparatus includes an ice making, storage and dispensing compartment; an ice storage bin, an agitator, an axle, and a crusher. The crusher includes a plurality of fixed blades, a plurality of rotatable crusher arms affixed to the axle, a front wall having an opening vertically above the fixed blades, sidewalls sealing a portion of the front wall to a portion of the back wall, leaving a predetermined void and a motor for rotating the axle to drive the agitator and crusher. The method includes the steps of rotating an axle, in first direction and second directions to dispense whole ice cubes or crushed ice cubes, respectively, from the ice dispenser.

1 . A refrigerator comprising:
 an ice making, storage and dispensing compartment;   an ice storage bin positioned within the ice making, storage and dispensing compartment and configured to store whole ice cubes therein;   an axle;   an agitator drivingly connected to the axle;   a crusher comprising:
 a plurality of fixed blades; 
 a plurality of rotatable crusher arms affixed to the axle; 
 a front wall having an opening vertically above the fixed blades which puts the crusher housing in communication with the ice storage bin; 
 a back wall; and 
 a sidewall sealing a portion of the front wall to a portion of the back wall, leaving a predetermined exit void in the sidewall to allow whole or crushed ice cubes to exit the crusher; and 
   a motor drivingly connected to the axle, the rotatable crusher arms being configured to crush whole ice cubes between the plurality of fixed blades and the plurality of rotatable crusher arms to pass crushed ice to the exit void when rotated in a first direction and to deliver whole ice cubes to the exit void when rotated in a second opposite direction.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of rotatable crusher arms is pitched in a first direction. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein each of the plurality of rotatable crusher arms is pitched at about 60° from the axis of the axle. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the ice bin is positioned within a fresh food compartment of the refrigerator. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the agitator has one or more raised portions, the raised portions extending at an angle from a face of the agitator closest to the crusher. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of rotatable crusher arms comprise three rotatable crusher arms. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein the plurality of rotatable crusher arms comprise three rotatable crusher arms. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of fixed blades comprise three fixed blades. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein the plurality of fixed blades comprise three fixed blades. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the motor is drivingly connected to the axle in a fork/coupling arrangement. 
     
     
         11 . A method of dispensing ice cubes from a refrigerator, the refrigerator including an ice making, storage and dispensing compartment and a controller for controlling the direction of rotation of an axle based on a user's input, the ice making, storage and dispensing compartment including an ice storage bin, a motor, the axle, the axle being drivingly connected to the motor, and an ice dispenser, the ice dispenser including an agitator mounted for rotation by the axle, for moving ice in the storage bin, a crusher housing, a plurality of rotatable crusher arms, the plurality of rotatable crusher arms being affixed to the axle, a plurality of fixed blades, an opening in the crusher housing allowing ice to be dispensed to a user and a wall between the crusher housing and ice storage bin configured to allow whole ice cubes to pass from the ice storage bin to the crusher housing, the method comprising:
 rotating the axle, in either a first direction or a second direction to facilitate the movement of whole ice cubes or crushed ice cubes, respectively, from the ice storage bin to the ice dispenser.