Water dispenser abstract
A water dispenser for a refrigerator door having a water delivery
port. The dispenser includes a base mounted to the door for forming
a compartment enclosing the water delivery port. The base has an
aperture for accessing the interior of the compartment and the water
delivery port. A cover is pivotably supported by the base and is
biased for closing the aperature. The cover pivots inwardly into
the e compartment for accessing the water delivery port.
Water dispenser claims
We claim:
1. In a refrigerator having a door which includes a water delivery
port, the improvement comprising: a water dispenser structure forming
a compartment wherein the water delivery port is situated within
the compartment and wherein the water dispenser is mounted on the
outside of the door, said dispenser structure further comprising:
a shell; an elastically loaded cover supported by the shell and
arranged to close within the shell; an aperture giving access to
the compartment, and a base for connection to the door.
2. The improvement to a refrigerator according to claim 1 wherein
the cover is hinged to the shell.
3. The improvement to a refrigerator according to claim 1 further
comprising: an electrical contact member supported by the base and
operated by the cover.
4. The improvement to a refrigerator according to claim 3 wherein
the electrical contact member is operated by the cover via an arm
thereof.
5. The improvement to a refrigerator according to claim 4 wherein
the arm elastically urges the cover into the position in which it
closes the aperture, and bears against the base.
6. The improvement to a refrigerator according to claim 4 wherein
the arm is an elastic member which is formed integrally with the
cover.
7. The improvement to a refrigerator according to claim 1 wherein
the base carries the delivery port.
8. The improvement to a refrigerator according to claim 1 wherein
the cover presents a positioning recess.
9. The improvement to a refrigerator according to claim 1 wherein
the base presents support means for control circuit parts.
10. The improvement to a refrigerator according to claim 1 wherein
the shell is snap-fitted to the base, in such a manner as to be
removable.
11. The improvement to a refrigerator according to claim 1 wherein
the cover defines a droplet collection compartment.
12. The improvement to a refrigerator according to claim 1 wherein
the cover presents lateral walls (A) connected to a rear wall which
bears elastically against the base.
13. The dispenser for a refrigerator according to claim 1 further
comprising: an elastic arm for biasing the cover into contact with
the base wherein the electrical contact member is operated by the
arm.
14. The dispenser for a refrigerator according to claim 13 herein
the arm elastically urges the cover into the position in which it
closes the aperture, and bears against the base.
15. A dispenser for a refrigerator having a door which includes
a water delivery port, the dispenser comprising: a base mounted
on the door for forming a compartment exterior of the door enclosing
the water delivery port, the base including an aperture for accessing
the interior of the compartment and the water delivery port; and
a cover pivotably supported by the base and biased for closing the
aperature, the cover being supported to pivot inwardly into the
compartment for accessing the water delivery port.
16. The dispenser for a refrigerator according to claim 15 further
comprising: a shell mounted to the base for forming the compartment,
the shell extending outwardly from the base and defining the aperature,
the cover being hinged to the shell.
17. The dispenser for a refrigerator according to claim 15 further
comprising: an electrical contact member supported by the base and
operated by the cover.
18. A dispenser for a refrigerator door having an outer wall through
which a water delivery port extends, the dispenser comprising: a
base mounted to the outer wall of the door; a shell mounted to the
base and extending outwardly from the base, the shell and base forming
a compartment enclosing the water delivery port wherein the shell
has an aperture for accessing the interior of the compartment; and
a cover pivotably supported by the shell and biased for closing
the aperature, the cover being supported to pivot inwardly into
the compartment for accessing the water delivery port.
Water dispenser description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a through-the-door water dispenser for
refrigerators.
2. Description of the Related Art
The most developed current domestic refrigerators comprise a system
for producing refrigerated water which can be procured without having
to gain access to the refrigerator interior. In practice, a connection
to the domestic water supply is provided, together with a hydraulic
circuit inside the refrigerator (positioned to cool the water passing
through it and provided with a delivery port for the refrigerated
water) and a valve member operated by the user to obtain the refrigerated
water. In these refrigerators it is normal to provide inside the
refrigerator door a compartment open towards the refrigerator exterior
and containing this delivery port and an underlying support surface
for the glass or the like to be filled with the refrigerated water.
The compartment is hence of appreciable depth. The electromagnetically
controlled delivery valve member is opened by the user, who manually
operates an electric switch.
This briefly described solution has certain drawbacks: the door
presenting the compartment has to be specially constructed, in the
sense that being so different from conventional doors it demands
its own production cycle and specific equipment; the presence of
the compartment has considerable negative influence on the refrigerator
appearance; the glass or container receiving the refrigerated water
cannot be greater than a certain size given that for constructional
and appearance reasons the compartment itself cannot exceed given
dimensions; from the hygiene aspect the known solution can be highly
criticized, being open to the air and as such accessible to insects,
dust and dirt in general; and, in certain cases, the nuisance of
having firstly to place the glass in the compartment and then open
the delivery valve.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of this invention is to provide a refrigerated water
dispenser which only modestly disturbs the visual impact of the
refrigerator, which does not have an insect, dirt and dust accessible
compartment in which to place the glass or container, which does
not require two operations to deliver the refrigerated water, which
does not require substantial production modifications for the door
in which the dispenser is installed, which is of simple construction,
considerable functionality and ease of operation, and which enables
the user to use glasses or containers of any dimensions.
These and other objects are attained by a water dispenser for a
refrigerator door having a water delivery port. The dispenser includes
a base mounted to the door for forming a compartment enclosing the
water delivery port. The base has an aperture for accessing the
interior of the compartment and the water delivery port. A cover
is pivotably supported by the base and is biased for closing the
aperature.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention will be better understood from the detailed description
of a preferred embodiment thereof given hereinafter by way of non-limiting
example and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator provided with the
dispenser of the invention;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the dispenser at the moment of
use;
FIG. 3 is a longitudinal section through the dispenser of the invention;
FIG. 4 is a section through a detail relative to the snap-connection
of parts of the dispenser, and a particular shaping for adapting
to the profile of one of these parts;
FIG. 5 is a sectional detail relative to the hinging between two
parts of the dispenser; and
FIG. 6 is a partial perspective view of a detail of the dispenser.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Before commencing the description it should be noted that the term
"dispenser" as used herein identifies that component of
a water feed, cooling and delivery system which performs the delivery
function.
With reference to the drawings, the reference numeral 1 indicates
a refrigerator presenting, in this example, a lower freezer compartment
and an upper refrigerating compartment closed by respective double
wall doors 2 and 3 with an interspace in which the thermoinsulating
material is present.
The dispenser of the invention, indicated overall by 4 is applied
against the outer wall 3a of the door 3 which can be of conventional
type in its general structure.
The dispenser 4 forms a compartment and comprises a substantially
plate-like base 5 preferably of plastic material which is directly
applied to the door and fixed by conventional means, for example
of screw type, only one of which is shown in FIG. 3 in which it
is indicated by 6 or by conventional plastic rivets. The base 5
has a surrounding wall 7 which can for example assume the configuration
of FIG. 3 or of FIG. 4. In FIG. 3 the wall has a continuous projection
8 to enable another component of the dispenser to be snap-fitted,
this component being described in detail hereinafter and being indicated
by 9. In the alternative of FIG. 4 the wall 7' has a recess 8' to
enable said component 9 to be snap-fitted. In both solutions the
wall 7 7' is provided peripherally with a flexible flange, rib
or end 25 the purpose of which is described hereinafter.
The base 5 presents, preferably integral therewith, a projecting
port 10 with a downwardly directed opening, through which the refrigerated
water is delivered. Coinciding therewith on the inner side of the
base 5 there is a connector 11 which extends for a short distance
inwards of the outer wall 3a of the door 3 to allow the connection,
by conventional means, not shown, of a pipe 12 forming part of the
water feed and cooling system (traditional and well known in this
sector) comprising, by way of example, a heat exchanger 13 a solenoid
valve 14 and a connector 15 for connection to the domestic water
supply, and possibly an electrically powered pump.
In one embodiment of the invention, the base 5 presents a seat
16 in which a lever microswitch 17 is mounted to control the solenoid
valve 14 (and the possible pump 15). The base also presents a projecting
support 18 (FIGS. 3 and 6) provided with two side walls 19 20 and
an interconnecting crosspiece 21 to which there is fixed in any
known manner a plate 22 (for example of a printed circuit) with
which pushbuttons or the like 23 are associated, sealedly projecting
to the outside of the component 9. These pushbuttons can be used
to prevent the use of the dispenser by a child (for example to prevent
the valve 14 from being opened), to enable a gas (CO2) to be added
to the refrigerated water (by connecting a relative vessel with
valve to the hydraulic system of FIG. 3), or to modify the water
flow rate and hence its temperature (for example by not only allowing
the valve 14 to be opened and closed by the action of the microswitch
17 but also be varied in its extent of opening by a command imparted
by said pushbuttons). In a variant the printed circuit can be positioned
on the top of the projecting support 18 as shown by dashed and dotted
lines in FIG. 3 in which it is indicated by 22', the pushbuttons
23 then being positioned in relation thereto. The microswitch 17
can also be mounted on the support 18.
The aforesaid component 9 is of shell shape, this term being used
hereinafter for its identification. It is preferably constructed
of plastic material and is snap-fitted to the base 5 for which
purpose projections or recesses 24 are provided on its periphery,
to cooperate with recesses or projections 8 provided on the base
5 (see the alternatives of FIGS. 3 and 4). This snap-fitting enables
the shell 9 to be removed for maintenance and/or cleaning purposes.
It can be understood, therefore, that the base and the shell combine
to form a compartment or enclosure for surrounding the water delivery
port. The base and shell could be formed as a single integral member.
As the face or outer wall 3a of the refrigerator door 3 may be
arched, the periphery of the base 5 or the relative surrounding
wall 7 7', is provided with said flexible flange or end 25 which
when fitted against the wall 3a conceals from view (and also acts
as a seal gasket) the discontinuity or gap present between the (substantially
flat) base and the (arched) wall 3a of the door 3.
The shell 9 presents frontally an aperture 26 of judiciously chosen
shape and dimensions, intercepted by a cover 27.
The cover 27 has a central recess 28 (the function of which is
stated hereinafter with reference to FIG. 2). In one embodiment
the cover 27 has on its inner side, integral therewith, an elastic
profiled arm 29 dimensioned such as to bear against the base 5 and
urge the cover 27 into a position in which it closes the aperture
26 in the shell 9.
In its lower part, the cover 27 defines a small closed compartment
30 acting as a droplet collector. In a variant of the invention,
the arm 29 is formed by the actual rear wall of the cover 27 which
hence comprises side walls, the upper profile of which is represented
by the dashed and dotted line indicated by A in FIG. 3. The flexibility
of the chosen material provides the closure thrust for the cover
27.
The cover 27 is hinged at its lower end (see FIGS. 3 and 5) to
the shell 9. This hinging comprises a pair of slightly flattened
axially aligned pins 31 (see FIG. 5) projecting from opposite sides
of the cover 27 and inserted into respective narrow-mouth seats
32 present in parallel ribs 33 situated on the inner side of the
shell 9.
When water is required (FIG. 2), the user rests the glass against
the cover 27 utilizing, for correct support, the recess 28 therein
which facilitates its centering; he then presses against the cover,
which then rotates inwards, about the hinge 31 32 against the
reaction of the elastic arm 29 or (in the case of the variant) of
the rear wall of the cover 27. After a certain extent of rotation,
when the mouth of the glass lies below the port 10 the microswitch
17 is operated (by the arm 29 or by another part of the cover 27),
to open the valve 14 with resultant delivery of the refrigerated
water. When filled to the required extent, the user withdraws the
glass from the cover 27. The cover moves towards its closure position
under the thrust of the elastic arm 29 and the microswitch 17 interrupts
delivery.
The applicant claims as their invention all combinations covered
by the appended claims. The claimed invention is not intended to
be limited to only the exact embodiment shown in the drawings and
detailed description. Rather, it is intended that the claims shall
cover all minor and obvious modifications and applications that
do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
For example, there are many ways in which the cover may mount to
the shell and the invention is not meant to be limited to the particular
configuration disclosed in the drawing and description. Further,
it can be readily appreciated that parts--such as the base and the
shell--may be formed as a single part through advance plastic part
molding techniques. Other modifications and applications will occur
to those skilled in the art.
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