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:
Dec. 02, 2003
Filed:
Aug. 11, 2000
Joshua Stepen Wiseman, Elizabethtown, KY (US);
Stephen Bernard Froelicher, Shepardsville, KY (US);
Jeffery Wayne Borden, Louisville, KY (US);
Jeffrey Lynn Jessie, Mason, OH (US);
General Electric Company, Schenectady, NY (US);
Abstract
In one aspect, the present invention is directed to a refrigerator that includes an icemaker that is operable to .form ice at a first rate during normal operation, and at a second, faster, rate upon demand for additional ice. More specifically, and in an exemplary embodiment, the refrigerator includes a fresh food compartment and a freezer compartment. The refrigerator also includes a refrigeration circuit having a compressor, a condenser, and an evaporator connected in series. A condenser fan is positioned to blow air over the condenser and an evaporator fan is positioned to blow air over the evaporator. The icemaker is located in the freezer compartment and positioned so that the evaporator blows air over an ice mold of the icemaker. The refrigerator also includes a control coupled to a user interface and to the evaporator fan. The control includes a processor, and the processor is programmed to control energization of the evaporator fan upon selection of an ice rate booster mode at the user interface. By operating the evaporator fan to blow air over the ice mold upon command at the user interface, ice can be formed at a faster rate to satisfy the ice needs of the user. Such operation is more responsive to user needs than systems in which the ice forming rate is not responsive to user inputs.