Abstract:
A tilt-stem valve controlling the flow from a household water line to a water reservoir for a refrigerator ice maker. The reservoir has a float pivotally supported therein on a transverse pivot at a top end wall edge of the float intermediate the valve upper inlet and the subjacent reservoir outlet. The valve stem extends vertically downwardly from the valve plug beyond the float bottom wall whereby upon a fall in the water level pivots the float into engagement with the distal end of the stem to open the valve providing improved sensitivity to changes in the reservoir water level obviating the need for user adjustment of the water level in the ice maker tray throughout a domestic water pressure range of about 20 to 120 psi.
Abstract:
In the preferred form, a closed tube is provided with fixed shoulders on the opposite sides of a ring-shaped elastic seal member and a washer surrounding and having close fit with a rod extending into a viscous silicone thermal expansion fluid. At the open end of the tube the rod has a shoulder adapted on the inward movement to engage a double throw switch to move it from engagement with an outer contact into engagement with an inner contact. The rod is urged inwardly by a coil spring having its inner end pressing against a spring retainer fixed to the rod and having its outer end pressing against a second seal ring surrounding the rod for preventing leakage into an outer part of the tube.
Abstract:
A pull-out tray attachment for a refrigerator wire shelf wherein a tray is rotatably mounted on a pair of transverse rollers journalled in spaced relation by a center longitudinal spacer guide member which rollers are in turn in rolling contact with the wire shelf. The spacer guide has upper groove means for retaining and tracking a rib of the tray which the guide is in turn retained and tracked on a supporting wire of the shelf by lower groove means in the guide. As the rollers engage both the tray and the wire shelf the rollers and center guide provide a two to one rolling ratio between the tray and the rollers which allows the tray to be extended from the shelf about twice the distance traversed by the rollers.
Abstract:
A clear cube ice maker has a control circuit incorporating the defrost timer of a freezer and a bistable relay switch in the harvest mechanism. The relay switch, in response to a signal from the defrost timer, conditions the ice maker for a deferred harvest when the weigh switch is open (ice bucket full or ice bucket not in place) at the time of the signal or during the harvest. The relay switch is also in a circuit with an extra tray bottom heater to prevent the water from freezing to the bottom of the tray while awaiting the deferred harvest and is closed by the defrost timer and opened by a cam in the harvest mechanism.
Abstract:
An automatic ice maker having an ice level sensing arm and control permitting the horizontally driven rack bar of a Scotch yoke tray driving mechanism for inverting the ice piece tray to also engage a cam finger portion of a pivotal holder member causing rotation of the sensing arm out of an ice collecting bin and the opening of a normally closed reset and ice level switch to interrupt the operation of the ice maker when the mechanism is harvesting and/or when the collecting bin reaches a predetermined level.