Refrigerator

Abstract

A refrigerator comprises: an opening disposed at one side of a door; an ice bank disposed on a rear surface of the door, and configured to be drawn out through the opening, for storing ice pieces; a guide unit for guiding the ice bank to be drawn out; and a volume control unit for changing a volume of the ice bank step by step. A volume of the ice bank is varied according to users necessity. This solves a users inconvenience to make ice pieces a plurality of times, for example, in summer when a large amount of ice pieces are required.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD[0001]The present invention relates to a refrigerator, and more particularly, to an ice bank for a refrigerator capable of storing ice pieces therein.BACKGROUND ART[0002]Generally, a refrigerator serves to freshly store food items for a long time in a frozen state or in a cooled state.[0003]The refrigerator is provided with a refrigerator body divided into a freezing chamber and a refrigerating chamber. The refrigerator body is provided with a freezing chamber door and a refrigerating chamber door through which the freezing chamber and the refrigerating chamber are opened or closed. The freezing chamber door and the refrigerating chamber door are respectively installed at one side of the refrigerator body, such that one ends thereof are rotatable in back and forth directions of the refrigerator body centering around another ends thereof.[0004]At each one side of the freezing chamber door and the refrigerating chamber door, provided are supplementary storage chambers (...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0018]The refrigerator according to the present invention has the following advantages.

[0019]A volume of the ice bank is varied according to a users necessity. This may solve a users inconvenience to make ice pieces a plurality of times, for example, in summer when a large amount of ice pieces are required.

[0020]Also, ice pieces stored in the ice bank are take out through the home bar. This may enable the ice bank to be drawn out of the refrigerator in a state that the door is not opened. Accordingly, a user can easily take ice pieces out of the refrigerator.

[0021]Furthermore, the ice bank is drawn out of the refrigerator through the home bar by downward slantly moving. This may prevent food items stored in the home bar from being drawn out with interfering with the ice bank, or prevent the ice bank from being drawn out with interfering with ice pieces stored therein.

[0022]Futhermore, the ice bank is installed at a predetermined space on a rear surface of the freezing chamber door. This may prevent the ice pieces stored in the ice bank from being soaked with odor of food items stored in the ice storage space of the refrigerator. Accordingly, a user may use the ice pieces in a sanitary and comfortable manner.

Problems solved by technology

Firstly, in order to draw out the ice bank for storing ice pieces made by the ice-making device, the freezing chamber has to be opened by rotating the freezing chamber door. This may cause a difficulty in drawing out the ice bank.

Secondly, once the freezing chamber is opened in order to draw out the ice bank, cool air inside the freezing chamber is leaked out. As cool air inside the freezing chamber is unnecessarily leaked out, power consumption of the refrigerator is increased.

Thirdly, since the ice bank is accommodated in the freezing chamber, ice pieces in the ice bank may be soaked with odor of other food items stored in the freezing chamber.

Fourthly, since the ice bank is provided in the refrigerating chamber with a limited volume, the ice-making device has to make ice pieces a plurality of times when a large amount of ice pieces are required in summer, for example.

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