Rotatable Cover Reservoir for Stand-Alone Ice Maker
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current stand-alone ice making appliances often have difficult access for users to add liquid water, requiring multiple steps and disassembly to fill the reservoir.
Innovation Solution
A stand-alone ice making appliance design featuring a rotatable cover with a hinge that allows easy access to the reservoir, coupled with a pump for fluid communication to the ice maker, facilitating water flow and simplifying the water addition process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the reservoir is made accessible by disassembling portions of the ice making appliance, then the reservoir can be removed and filled with water, but the process becomes complex and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The appliance is divided into separable components: the reservoir is detached from the main housing, and the cover is separated from the reservoir body. This segmentation allows the reservoir to be easily removed and filled without disassembling the entire appliance, reducing access complexity while maintaining ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The cover is designed to rotate dynamically between a closed position (covering the reservoir opening) and an open position (allowing water addition). This dynamic mechanism eliminates the need for complete disassembly, simplifying the water addition process while maintaining secure closure when needed.
2Ease of operation
If the reservoir is made easily accessible, then water can be added quickly, but the sealing and connection integrity may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The reservoir opening is pre-equipped with a gasket that provides sealing capability before the cover is attached. This preliminary sealing preparation ensures that when the cover is rotated into the closed position, water-tight sealing is achieved without compromising reliability, while still allowing easy access for water addition.
Solution Approach 2:
A gasket acts as an intermediary element between the reservoir body and the cover. This intermediary component ensures proper sealing and connection integrity while allowing the cover to rotate freely for easy water addition, resolving the conflict between accessibility and sealing reliability.
3Ease of operation
If a rotatable cover with hinge is used, then access to the reservoir is simplified, but additional components increase device complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The cover and reservoir opening are merged into a single integrated assembly where the cover rotates directly over the reservoir opening. This merging eliminates the need for separate access mechanisms or complex mounting structures, simplifying the overall device while maintaining easy reservoir access through rotation.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enhances user convenience by simplifying the process of adding water, reducing the complexity of accessing the reservoir, and improving the overall usability of the appliance.
Implementation Method 1
A hinge rotatably couples the cover to the external surface of the casing over the reservoir
Implementation Method 2
The pump is in fluid communication with the reservoir and the ice maker. The pump is operable to flow water from the reservoir to the ice maker
Implementation Method 3
liquid water is added to the stand-alone ice making appliance, and the ice maker operates to freeze the liquid water and form ice
Data Source
AI summary
An ice making appliance includes a casing, a user interface on the casing, a container within the casing, and a reservoir disposed within the casing. The reservoir includes an internal lid. The stand-alone ice making appliance also includes a cover disposed on an external surface of the casing. The cover is rotatable over the reservoir. The internal lid of the reservoir is coupled to the cover. A hinge rotatably couples the cover to the external surface of the casing over the reservoir.