U-line Corporation

Joseph H Zyduck

Andrew J Doberstein

Thomas W Rand

Jennifer U Straszewski

Kevin D Kinch

William A Reed

Jack L Vaughn

Beverage rack

Control display

Cooler front

Handle

A control assembly for a compact refrigeration unit and the like includes a display panel, a control board having an LED and a switch pad, a flexible extension extending between the switch and the display panel, and a mount supporting the display panel and control board and having a switch support laterally restraining the flexible extension and an open ended light guide directing light from the LED to the display panel. The mount can be a monolithic structure having a switch support and light guide for each of multiple switches and LEDs. The mount includes a removable back cover that clamps the control board in place.

Electronic control mount with switch support and light guide

A cooler unit has a control housing that is mounted to a floor of a cabinet liner that is sloped in a downward direction toward the opening of the cooler unit. The control housing retains consumable items that are stored on the floor of the cabinet liner so that the items do not fall out of the cooler unit. Particularly, the control housing can retain wine bottles. The control housing houses a controller that controls the operation of the cooler unit. The control housing can include a display and user inputs so that a user can easily manage the cooler unit.

Cooler unit with retaining control housing

Control

Control housing

A compact refrigerator has a split cabinet defining insulated refrigerator and clear ice maker sections. Its refrigeration system includes one external compressor and condenser and two evaporators, one for each section. The condenser is coupled to the inlet of the ice maker evaporator by a capillary tube and the evaporators are connected in series via a line having a refrigerator valve. The compressor receives return refrigerant from the outlet side of either the refrigerator evaporator or the ice maker evaporator depending on the state of a bypass valve, which is closed when the refrigerator valve is open, and vice versa. Refrigerant is thus routed to the ice maker evaporator to make ice and to both the ice maker and refrigerator evaporators when the refrigerator needs cooling. A hot gas bypass valve allows pre-condensed refrigerant exiting the compressor to bypass the condenser and be routed to the ice maker evaporator for harvesting the clear ice cubes.

Clear ice making refrigerator

Growing community of inventors

Mukwonago, WI, United States of America

Joseph H Zyduck