Abstract: An ice making unit taking the form of a kit separably installed in a freezing compartment of a refrigerator. The ice making unit includes a water supply tank to supply water, an ice making case defining an external appearance of the ice making unit, the ice making case being formed, at an upper portion of a front surface thereof, with a water supply tank installation hole to allow the water supply tank to be slidably installed therethrough, at least one ice making tray installed in the ice making case to receive the water supplied from the water supply tank, and an ice separating device to separate ice from the ice making tray, and the water supply tank is coupled to or separated from the ice making case via forward and rearward sliding movement thereof. Supply of water into the ice making unit can be accomplished via simple coupling or separation of the water supply tank, resulting in convenient use of the ice making unit.

Abstract: This invention relates to a refrigerator having an air distribution apparatus in which the temperature distribution throughout the whole volume of a compartment is maintained in uniform by evenly dispersing the evaporated cool air, and it achieves concentrated refrigeration on a specified area of the compartment requiring a special refrigeration by controlling the discharging direction and quantity of the evaporated cool air. The refrigerator comprises a body 4 partitioned into a freezing compartment 2 and a refrigerating compartment 3; an evaporator 12 disposed in the body 4; and an air distribution apparatus 17 disposed on one wall of the refrigerating compartment 3.

Abstract: A refrigerator includes a refrigerating compartment and a cool air distributing system on the back wall thereof. The distributing system includes vertical passages which divide a flow of incoming cool air and conduct the air to vertically spaced discharge openings communicating with the refrigerating compartment. Disposed in the path of air flow is an air directing structure having adjustable vanes for controlling the horizontal direction in which the air flows enter the refrigerating compartment. Each vane is motor driven and can comprise vertical plates or helical elements rotated about a vertical axis. Alternatively, each vane can be a helical vane disposed on the inside surface of a hollow cylinder for guiding an air flow from within the cylinder outwardly through openings formed in a wall of the cylinder.

Abstract: A refrigerator includes a food storage compartment having a rear wall. Mounted on the rear wall is a vertical air duct for conducting cool air to the compartment. The air duct includes first and second vertical air passages, and a row of vertically spaced discharge openings disposed between the air passages. Each discharge opening includes first and second horizontally adjacent discharge portions, one of which extends higher than the other. The higher discharge portion communicates with a respective air passage by a branch duct. One of the branch ducts of each discharge opening intersects both its respective discharge portion and its respective air passage at higher levels than does the other branch duct of that same discharge opening. Each branch duct includes vertically spaced upper and lower walls, the lower wall projecting farther into the respective air passage than the upper wall.