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:
Jan. 11, 2011
Filed:
Aug. 05, 2009
Bruce A. Kopf, Cedar Rapids, IA (US);
Bruce A. Kopf, Cedar Rapids, IA (US);
Whirlpool Corporation, Benton Harbor, MI (US);
Abstract
An icemaker system provided in a refrigerator is designed to reduce an amount of time required to produce ice. The refrigerator includes a refrigeration system including a number of refrigeration components and a refrigeration loop. The refrigeration loop includes an icemaker section that carries a flow of refrigerant to an ice mold portion of the icemaker system and a bypass section that isolates the icemaker system from the flow of refrigerant. A control system automatically activates the icemaker system regardless of a need for cooling. That is, upon sensing a demand for ice, the control system opens a valve to cause refrigerant to flow through the icemaker section and activates the refrigeration components to speed ice production whether or not additional cooling is required in fresh food and/or freezer compartments.