Abstract: A method for preparing clear ice includes supporting an ice tray via a rotating assembly within a housing and separating an interior volume of the housing into a first air chamber and a second air chamber. The first air chamber is below the ice tray and the second air chamber is above the ice tray. Water is supplied into the ice tray and the ice tray is cooled with a cooling device thermally coupled to a bottom surface of the ice forming plate. The cooling device is exposed to chilled air from within the appliance in the first air chamber. Ambient air is supplied from outside the appliance into the second air chamber within the interior volume of the housing. The surface of the water in the ice tray is exposed to the ambient air.

Abstract: A system include a server configured to: receive a request from a computing device to unlock a delivery box; determine whether the request is authenticated; and send an unlock signal to the delivery box in response to the request being authenticated, such that when the unlock signal is sent to the delivery box, the delivery box is remotely unlocked in response thereto. The delivery box may include a container comprising an interior configured to hold an item; an access door configured to close the container; a system configured to be activated to disinfect/sanitize the interior. The controller is connected to a network and a user is configured to control the controller over the network.

Abstract: An ice maker assembly includes an ice making apparatus for an appliance with an ice making tray having a water basin formed by a metallic ice forming plate and at least one perimeter sidewall extending upwardly from a top surface of the ice forming plate. The ice making tray also has a grid with at least one dividing wall. The at least one perimeter sidewall and the at least one dividing wall and the top surface of the ice forming plate form at least one ice compartment having an upper surface and a lower surface. An ice body is formed in the at least one ice compartment. Moreover, the at least one perimeter sidewall and the at least one dividing wall form a draft angle with the top surface of the ice forming plate, of about 17 degrees to about 25 degrees.

Abstract: An ice making assembly within an appliance with a housing having an inlet and an outlet, and a lower portion and an upper portion. The assembly includes a rotatable shroud within the housing with a first slot in air communication with the inlet, and a second slot in air communication with the outlet. A thermoelectric device with a top side and a bottom side, and having a heat sink on the bottom side between the first slot and the second slot. An ice tray disposed above and thermally connected with the top side, a barrier wall within the housing and in contact with the shroud between the lower portion and the upper portion.

Abstract: A refrigerator is provided that includes a low energy defrost system and method for melting frost formed on an evaporator of a cooling system for the refrigerator. The low energy defrost system includes using air from the refrigerator compartment or external air adjacent the refrigerator to be directed to the evaporator and passed adjacent the evaporator coils to melt any frost formed thereon. As the air is above freezing temperature, it will melt any frost formed on the coils without the need of use an electrical heater. Re-cooled air from the melted frost may then be directed back into the refrigerator compartment to be used to aid in cooling the refrigerator compartment or keeping the refrigerator compartment at the programmed or predetermined temperature.

Abstract: A method for preparing clear ice includes supporting an ice tray via a rotating assembly within a housing and separating an interior volume of the housing into a first air chamber and a second air chamber. The first air chamber is below the ice tray and the second air chamber is above the ice tray. Water is supplied into the ice tray and the ice tray is cooled with a cooling device thermally coupled to a bottom surface of the ice forming plate. The cooling device is exposed to chilled air from within the appliance in the first air chamber. Ambient air is supplied from outside the appliance into the second air chamber within the interior volume of the housing. The surface of the water in the ice tray is exposed to the ambient air.

Abstract: A method for preparing clear ice includes supporting an ice tray via a rotating assembly. The rotating assembly includes a shroud enclosing a bottom surface of an ice forming plate of the ice tray, and forms an interior passage formed below the ice forming plate. The method further includes supplying water into the ice tray and supplying an air flow from an intake duct via an air duct inlet to the interior passage. The method also includes controlling an angular rotation of the rotating assembly. The rotating assembly rotates relative to the intake duct and the air duct inlet, and the air flow is continuously supplied from the intake duct throughout the angular rotation.

Abstract: An ice making assembly within an appliance with a housing having an inlet and an outlet, and a lower portion and an upper portion. The assembly includes a rotatable shroud within the housing with a first slot in air communication with the inlet, and a second slot in air communication with the outlet. A thermoelectric device with a top side and a bottom side, and having a heat sink on the bottom side between the first slot and the second slot. An ice tray disposed above and thermally connected with the top side, a barrier wall within the housing and in contact with the shroud between the lower portion and the upper portion.

Abstract: A method for preparing clear ice includes supporting an ice tray via a rotating assembly. The rotating assembly includes a shroud enclosing a bottom surface of an ice forming plate of the ice tray, and forms an interior passage formed below the ice forming plate. The method further includes supplying water into the ice tray and supplying an air flow from an intake duct via an air duct inlet to the interior passage. The method also includes controlling an angular rotation of the rotating assembly. The rotating assembly rotates relative to the intake duct and the air duct inlet, and the air flow is continuously supplied from the intake duct throughout the angular rotation.

Abstract: An ice maker assembly includes an ice making apparatus for an appliance with an ice making tray having a water basin formed by a metallic ice forming plate and at least one perimeter sidewall extending upwardly from a top surface of the ice forming plate. The ice making tray also has a grid with at least one dividing wall. The at least one perimeter sidewall and the at least one dividing wall and the top surface of the ice forming plate form at least one ice compartment having an upper surface and a lower surface. An ice body is formed in the at least one ice compartment. Moreover, the at least one perimeter sidewall and the at least one dividing wall form a draft angle with the top surface of the ice forming plate, of about 17 degrees to about 25 degrees.

Abstract: A refrigerator having a cooling application, a heating application, and a thermoelectric device having a warm side and a cold side is disclosed. The refrigerator has a first fluid supply pathway in communication between the cold side and the cooling application, and a second fluid supply pathway in communication between the warm side and the heating application. The refrigerator has a first fan positioned to move air through the first fluid supply pathway to the cooling application, a flow pathway in communication between the thermoelectric device and the freezer compartment, and an air return pathway in communication between the fresh food compartment and at least one of the cooling application and the heating application for exhausting air to the fresh food compartment.

Abstract: An ice making assembly within an appliance with a housing having an inlet and an outlet, and a lower portion and an upper portion. The assembly includes a rotatable shroud within the housing with a first slot in air communication with the inlet, and a second slot in air communication with the outlet. A thermoelectric device with a top side and a bottom side, and having a heat sink on the bottom side between the first slot and the second slot. An ice tray disposed above and thermally connected with the top side, a barrier wall within the housing and in contact with the shroud between the lower portion and the upper portion.

Abstract: An ice-making apparatus for an appliance having a housing with an interior volume and an ice tray horizontally suspended in the interior volume. The ice tray has a cold plate with a top surface and a bottom surface and a containment wall surrounding an edge portion of the cold plate to retain water. A cooling source is thermally coupled to the bottom surface of the cold plate. An intake conduit extends into the interior volume over the ice tray and is configured to draw ambient air into the interior volume over the ice tray, and the ambient air is above freezing.

Abstract: An ice maker assembly includes an ice making apparatus for an appliance with an ice making tray having a water basin formed by a metallic ice forming plate and at least one perimeter sidewall extending upwardly from a top surface of the ice forming plate. The ice making tray also has a grid with at least one dividing wall. The at least one perimeter sidewall and the at least one dividing wall and the top surface of the ice forming plate form at least one ice compartment having an upper surface and a lower surface. An ice body is formed in the at least one ice compartment. Moreover, the at least one perimeter sidewall and the at least one dividing wall form a draft angle with the top surface of the ice forming plate, of about 17 degrees to about 25 degrees.

Abstract: A refrigerator is provided that includes a low energy refrigerator heat source. The refrigerator includes a heat source positioned at a source of latent heat. The heat source harvested heat from the source of latent heat and stores said heat in a fluid within that heat reservoir or heat exchanger. The warmed fluid is then supplied via a fluid pathway to an application requiring a heat output. Thus, the heat reservoir provides heat to the application without use of an energy-consuming device, which reduces the energy consumption of the refrigerator.

Abstract: A refrigerator may include a refrigerator cabinet and at least one compartment disposed within the refrigerator cabinet, an ice maker for making wet ice disposed within the refrigerator cabinet, a bucket for storing the ice, the bucket positioned to receive the wet ice from the ice maker, and a drain in the bucket for draining water from the bucket. A method of making ice in a refrigerator includes making ice using an ice maker of the refrigerator, conveying the ice from the ice maker to a bucket having a drain, maintaining the ice in the bucket at a temperature above freezing to allow the ice to melt to water, and draining the water from the bucket.

Abstract: An ice maker includes an ice making tray having an array of individual ice cube compartments. The ice making tray having a transverse axis and at least one pivot axle aligned with the transverse axis. The tray defines a median wall extending parallel with the transverse axis and having a uniform height along the length of the wall. A mechanical oscillating mechanism is coupled to the ice making tray. The oscillating mechanism rotates the tray from a horizontal plane along the longitudinal axis at an angle ? of about 20° to about 40° such that water in the tray cascades over the median wall.

Abstract: An icemaker is mounted remotely from a freezer compartment. The icemaker includes an ice mold. A thermoelectric device is provided and includes a warm side and an opposite cold side. A flow pathway is connected in communication between the cold side of the thermoelectric device and the icemaker. In one aspect, a fan is operatively positioned to move air from the fresh food compartment across the warm side of the thermoelectric device and a pump moves fluid from the cold side of the thermoelectric device to the icemaker. Cold air, such as from a refrigerator compartment, may be used to dissipate heat from the warm side of the thermoelectric device for providing cold fluid to and for cooling the ice mold of the icemaker.

Abstract: An ice making assembly within an appliance with a housing having an inlet and an outlet, and a lower portion and an upper portion. The assembly includes a rotatable shroud within the housing with a first slot in air communication with the inlet, and a second slot in air communication with the outlet. A thermoelectric device with a top side and a bottom side, and having a heat sink on the bottom side between the first slot and the second slot. An ice tray disposed above and thermally connected with the top side, a barrier wall within the housing and in contact with the shroud between the lower portion and the upper portion.

Abstract: An ice maker having a housing defining an interior volume, with an ice tray rotatably coupled with the housing and horizontally suspended across the interior volume thereof. The ice tray has ice wells, defined along the bottom by a bottom surface and the sides by an interior surface of at least one containment wall, wherein the containment wall has an upper portion, including a top surface of the containment wall and the interior surface adjacent the top surface. The upper portion of the containment wall has an insulating layer applied thereto. A tray for use in the ice maker and method of manufacturing the tray are also provided.