Stand-Alone Ice Making Appliances

Abstract

A stand-alone ice making appliance includes a container defining a first storage volume for receipt of ice, a water tank defining a second storage volume for receipt of water, and a pump in fluid communication with the second storage volume. The appliance includes a reservoir defining a third storage volume, the third storage volume in fluid communication with the pump for receiving water that is actively flowed from the water tank. The appliance includes an ice maker which is in fluid communication with the third storage volume for receiving water from the reservoir, the ice maker including a sealed refrigeration system in thermal communication with the casing. The appliance includes a chute extending between the ice maker and the container for directing ice produced by the ice maker towards the first storage volume. The appliance includes a heating element, the heating element activatable to heat the casing.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]The present subject matter relates generally to stand-alone ice making appliances and in exemplary embodiments to stand-alone ice making appliances which produce nugget ice.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]Ice makers generally produce ice for the use of consumers, such as in drinks being consumed, for cooling foods or drinks to be consumed and / or for other various purposes. Certain refrigerator appliances include ice makers for producing ice. The ice maker can be positioned within the appliances' freezer chamber and direct ice into an ice bucket where it can be stored within the freezer chamber. Such refrigerator appliances can also include a dispensing system for assisting a user with accessing ice produced by the refrigerator appliances' ice maker. However, the incorporation of ice makers into refrigerator appliance can have drawbacks, such as limits on the amount of ice that can be produced and the reliance on the refrigeration system of the refrigerat...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The invention is a standalone ice making appliance that includes a container, a water tank, a pump, a reservoir, an ice maker, a chute, a heating element, and a removable container. The appliance can efficiently produce ice and maintain it at a constant temperature.

Problems solved by technology

However, the incorporation of ice makers into refrigerator appliance can have drawbacks, such as limits on the amount of ice that can be produced and the reliance on the refrigeration system of the refrigerator appliance to form the ice.

Additionally, many stand-alone ice makers do not allow for removal of the ice bucket, instead requiring that ice be scooped from the bucket for use.

Further, typical stand-alone ice makers are expensive, to the point of being cost-prohibitive to the typical consumer.

Still further, a concern with many presently known stand-alone ice makers is the lack of features for cleaning the ice makers, such as in preparation for storage (i.e. seasonal storage, long term storage, etc.).

This can result in the ice makers being stored with excess moisture in various of their components, which can undesirably lead to mold and other contaminates forming during storage.

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