The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
May. 07, 2002
Filed:
May. 09, 2001
Koji Tsuchikawa, Aichi-ken, JP;
Hoshizaki Denki Kabushiki Kaisha, Toyoake, JP;
Abstract
Disclosed is an ice dispenser in which an agitating device ( ) is operated only when necessary to thereby prevent ice cubes in an ice storage vessel ( ) from sticking together, allowing ice to be smoothly discharged from the ice storage vessel ( ). The ice dispenser includes an ice-making device ( ), the ice storage vessel ( ), an ice discharge port ( ), an agitating device ( ) for agitating the ice in the ice storage vessel ( ), and an operation control device ( ) which operates the agitating device ( ) at the time of ice discharge or ice-making operation and which causes, when no ice-making operation is being performed, the agitating device ( ) to operate after an interval of a predetermined first set time for a predetermined second set time by timer means (TM , TM ), wherein when the agitating device ( ) is stopped by stopping the ice discharge or ice-making operation, the operation control device ( ) resets the timer means (TM ) to start the first set time.