Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc.

Electrolux Consumer Products, Inc.

Lokesha Kodigenahalli Chinnappa Reddy

Jeffrey Michael Colyer

Jordan Andrew Waymeyer

Louis Anthony Wantland

Bradley Nicholas Gilkey

Jason Andrew May

Rodrigo Marge Pagnozzi

Jarvis Ward

Eduardo Nicolas Orthmann Da Silva

Eduardo Henrique Sare

Thomas Mccollough

An autofill pitcher system of a refrigerator appliance includes a pitcher and a dispenser. The pitcher defines an internal volume. A cavity of the dispenser is configured to receive the pitcher. The dispenser also includes a fill tube and a chute. Water is provided to the pitcher via the fill tube and ice pieces are provided to the pitcher via the chute. The refrigerator appliance may be operable for, and methods of operating the refrigerator appliance may include filling the pitcher with water via the fill tube, filling the pitcher with ice pieces via the chute, and stopping fill when a level of water and ice within the internal volume of the pitcher reaches a preset level.

Autofill pitcher system with ice and water fill

An autofill pitcher system includes a pitcher and a dispenser. The pitcher includes at least one pitcher wall and an internal volume defined within the at least one pitcher wall. The dispenser defines a cavity. The cavity is configured to receive the pitcher. The dispenser also includes a fill tube and a sensor. The fill tube is positioned and configured to direct a flow of water from a water supply into the internal volume of the pitcher when the pitcher is received within the cavity. The sensor is positioned above the cavity and is operable to detect a fill level within the internal volume of the pitcher.

Autofill pitcher with fill sensor

A refrigeration appliance includes an ice maker for freezing water into ice pieces. The ice maker () includes an ice maker housing (), an ice making unit () for making the ice pieces, a removeable ice bin () receiving the ice pieces, and an ice dispenser having a rotatable auger () that drives the ice pieces out of the removable ice bin to a bin aperture () at the ice bin via a driving force applied in a first direction. A latching assembly is provided at least partially at each of the removeable ice bin and the ice maker housing, and is configured to apply a resisting force to the ice bin at least along a second direction opposite the first direction. The removable ice bin is selectively removable from the ice maker housing by the user applying a removal force greater than the driving force to the ice bin in the first direction.

Refrigerator appliance ice storage bin retention

A pitcher assembly includes a pitcher including a wall connected to a bottom defining a picture volume. The wall defines an opening at the top edge of the pitcher and a spout is formed at the top edge of the pitcher. A lid is removably fitted to the opening, the lid having a vertical wall extending from the skirt at the spout, and a second wall extending into the spout. The first and second walls cooperate with the spout and the skirt to at least partially block liquid from unintentionally splashing out of the pitcher volume. The lid may also include an energy-absorbing material disposed between a vertically displaceable float body and the lid.

Pitcher assembly for refrigerator appliance

A pitcher with an alternate dispensing feature for use in an autofill pitcher system in a chamber of a refrigerator appliance is provided. The pitcher defines a height direction, a width direction, and a depth direction. The pitcher comprises a pitcher wall connected to a pitcher bottom defining a pitcher volume. The pitcher further comprises a spigot defining an axis, with the spigot disposed on the pitcher wall such that the axis is generally parallel to the width direction.

Growing community of inventors

Louisville, KY, United States of America

Lokesha Kodigenahalli Chinnappa Reddy