REFRIGERATOR APPLIANCE WITH ILLUMINATED DISPENSER TUBES AND RELATED DISPENSER ASSEMBLY
A dispenser assembly for a refrigerator appliance may generally include a dispenser tube extending within a recessed area defined by the dispenser assembly. The dispenser tube may be in fluid communication with a fluid source. In addition, the dispenser assembly may include a light pipe positioned on the dispenser tube and a light source configured to direct light towards the light pipe, wherein the light directed from the light source is configured to illuminate the light pipe.
The present subject matter relates generally to refrigerator appliances and, more particularly, to an illuminated dispenser tube(s) for a refrigerator appliance.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONDispensers for liquids and/or ice are typically provided in refrigeration appliances, such as refrigerators, freezers and vending machines. In certain of such appliances, both hot and cold water may be provided. Moreover, in some appliances, coffee or other beverages may be dispensed as well. Often, these dispensers include some sort of recess or compartment into which a container or vessel, such as a cup, is placed to receive the dispensed substance.
In many instances, lighting may be provided for the dispenser compartment to assist the user in placing the vessel so as to receive the dispensed substance. Typically, such lighting is an incandescent bulb placed in a top portion of the compartment. While such a bulb will generally illuminate the compartment sufficiently, the bulb does not provide much information to a user.
Accordingly, an improved lighting arrangement for a dispenser assembly of a refrigerator appliance that enhances user experience of the dispenser assembly would be welcomed in the technology.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTIONAspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the following description, or may be obvious from the description, or may be learned through practice of the invention.
In one aspect, the present subject matter is directed to a refrigerator appliance including a cabinet defining a chilled chamber for receipt of food items for storage and a door rotatably mounted to the cabinet. The door may be configured for permitting selective access to the chilled chamber of the cabinet. In addition, the refrigerator appliance may include a dispenser assembly associated with the door. The dispenser assembly may include a dispenser tube extending within a recessed area defined by the dispenser assembly. The dispenser tube may be in fluid communication with a fluid source. The dispenser assembly may also include a light pipe positioned on the dispenser tube and a light source configured to direct light towards the light pipe, wherein the light directed from the light source is configured to illuminate the light pipe.
In another aspect, the present subject matter is directed to a dispenser assembly for a refrigerator appliance. The dispenser assembly may generally include a dispenser tube extending within a recessed area defined by the dispenser assembly. The dispenser tube may be in fluid communication with a fluid source. In addition, the dispenser assembly may include a light pipe positioned on the dispenser tube and a light source configured to direct light towards the light pipe, wherein the light directed from the light source is configured to illuminate the light pipe.
These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following description and appended claims. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.
A full and enabling disclosure of the present invention, including the best mode thereof, directed to one of ordinary skill in the art, is set forth in the specification, which makes reference to the appended figures, in which:
Reference now will be made in detail to embodiments of the invention, one or more examples of which are illustrated in the drawings. Each example is provided by way of explanation of the invention, not limitation of the invention. In fact, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. For instance, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment can be used with another embodiment to yield a still further embodiment. Thus, it is intended that the present invention covers such modifications and variations as come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.
In general, the present subject matter is directed to an illuminated dispenser tube(s) for a refrigerator appliance. Specifically, in several embodiments, a light pipe(s) may be positioned on and/or around the dispenser tube(s) forming part of the dispenser assembly of a refrigerator appliance. In addition, the dispenser assembly may include a light source(s) configured to direct light towards the light pipe(s) associated with each dispenser tube. As a result, the light generated by the light source(s) may be received by the light pipe(s) and transmitted along its length, thereby illuminating the light pipe. Such illumination of the light pipe may provide a visual indicator of the location of the dispenser tube within the dispenser assembly. Accordingly, a user of the dispenser assembly may quickly and easily locate a vessel (e.g., a cup) underneath the dispenser tube for receiving dispensed substances, such as ice, water, coffee and/or any other liquid.
Referring now to the drawings,
Moreover, the refrigerator appliance 100 may also include one or more doors for permitting selective access to the chilled chamber(s) 112, 114. For example, as shown in
As shown in the illustrated embodiment, the refrigerator appliance 100 is configured as a bottom mount refrigerator appliance. However, it should be appreciated that the refrigerator appliance 100 shown in
Moreover, as shown in
Additionally, the dispenser assembly 120 may also include a control or user interface panel 126 facing outwardly from the assembly 120. In general, the user interface panel 126 may include one or more user interface elements (e.g., buttons, knobs, etc.) to allow a user to control the mode of operation of the dispenser assembly 120. For example, the user interface elements may allow the user to select a desired solid/liquid to be dispensed from the dispenser assembly 120, such as by selecting between crushed or whole ice and/or between heated or chilled water.
Referring now to
Additionally, as indicated above, one or more outlets or dispenser tubes may be housed within the recessed area 124. For example, in several embodiments, the dispenser assembly 120 may include an ice outlet 140 for dispensing ice and separate water outlets 142, 144 for dispensing chilled and heated water. Specifically, as shown in
To allow for ice and/or water to be dispensed, each respective outlet/tube may be connected to a suitable ice/water source. For example, the ice outlet 140 may be connected to an ice maker (not shown) of the refrigerator appliance 100. Similarly, the chilled and heated dispenser tubes 142, 144 may be in fluid communication with a suitable fluid or water source(s) 146. For instance, as shown in
Moreover, in several embodiments, the dispenser assembly 120 may also include one or more actuatable paddles for accessing the ice and/or water dispensable from the assembly 120. For example, as shown in
Alternatively, the dispenser assembly 120 may be configured without any actuatable paddles. For example, in one embodiment, one or more of the interface elements included within the user interface panel 126 may correspond to a button(s) for accessing ice/water to be dispensed, such as by including a chilled water dispensing button (not labeled), an ice-dispensing button (not labeled) and/or a heated water dispensing button (not labeled) for selecting between chilled water, heated water and/or ice, respectively. In another embodiment, the dispenser assembly 120 may include one or more sensors configured to detect when a vessel is positioned adjacent to one or more of the outlets 140, 142, 144. In such an embodiment, the dispenser assembly 120 may be configured to automatically dispense ice/water upon detection of the vessel.
It should be appreciated that, although the dispenser assembly 120 shown in
Referring still to
It should be appreciated that, although
Additionally, it should be appreciated that, as used herein, the term “light pipe” generally refers to any object that is capable of receiving light from a light source and transmitting the light around all or a portion the object. For instance, various transparent and semi-transparent plastic materials (e.g., polycarbonate) and optics-grade materials are available that are capable of transmitting light received from a light source through all a portion of the material(s) for the purpose of illumination. Such material(s) may be utilized in accordance with aspects of the present subject matter to form the disclosed light pipes. Similarly, examples of commercially available light pipes include the light pipes or light guides provided by 3M under the trade names Precision Lighting Element and Light Pipe.
Referring now to
As shown in
Additionally, as indicated above, the dispenser assembly 120 may also include a light source 176 configured to project light in the direction of the light pipe 172. In one embodiment, the light source 176 may correspond to one or more high-intensity light-emitting diodes (LEDs). However, in other embodiments, the light source 176 may correspond to any other suitable light emitting device that is capable of directing light towards the light pipe 172.
In several embodiments, the light source 176 may be configured to be positioned above the light pipe 172. For example, as shown in
As shown in
Referring now to
Referring now to
Additionally, as shown in
It should be appreciated that the specific light pipe configurations shown in
It should also be appreciated that, in several embodiments, each light source 176 may be configured to illuminate its respective light pipe in one or more colors. In such embodiments, it may be desirable to select the color in which a given light pipe is to be illuminated based on temperature of the liquid(s) being dispensed from the corresponding dispenser tube(s). For example, in one embodiment, the light pipe 170 associated with the chilled water dispenser tube 142 may be illuminated in a blue color to indicate the cooler temperature of the liquid being dispensed whereas the light pipe 172 associated with the heated water dispenser tube 144 may be illuminated in a red color to indicate the warmer temperature of the liquid being dispensed.
Additionally, it should be appreciated that, in one embodiment, the light source(s) 176 described herein may be configured to illuminate its respective light pipe(s) 172 continuously. Alternatively, the light source(s) 176 may only be configured to illuminate its respective light pipe(s) 172 during certain times and/or based on certain trigger events. For example, in one embodiment, the light source 176 configured to direct light towards the light pipe 172 associated with the heated water dispenser tube 144 may be configured to be activated or otherwise turned on only when heated water (or any other suitable heating liquid) is ready to be dispensed from the dispenser tube 144.
This written description uses examples to disclose the invention, including the best mode, and also to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the invention, including making and using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scope of the invention is defined by the claims, and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they include structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if they include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from the literal languages of the claims.
Claims
1. A refrigerator appliance, comprising:
- a cabinet defining a chilled chamber for receipt of food items for storage;
- a door rotatably mounted to the cabinet and configured for permitting selective access to the chilled chamber of the cabinet; and
- a dispenser assembly associated with the door, the dispenser assembly comprising: a dispenser tube extending within a recessed area defined by the dispenser assembly, the dispenser tube being in fluid communication with a fluid source; a light pipe positioned on the dispenser tube; and a light source configured to direct light towards the light pipe,
- wherein the light directed from the light source is configured to illuminate the light pipe.
2. The refrigerator appliance of claim 1, wherein the light pipe comprises a light pipe ring configured to extend around an outer perimeter of the dispenser tube.
3. The refrigerator appliance of claim 2, wherein the light pipe further comprises a leader section extending from the light pipe ring, the light source being configured to direct light towards the leader section.
4. The refrigerator appliance of claim 1, wherein the light pipe corresponds to an elongated pipe section configured to extend lengthwise along at least a portion of a length of the dispenser tube.
5. The refrigerator appliance of claim 1, wherein the light source corresponds to at least one light-emitting diode.
6. The refrigerator appliance of claim 1, wherein the light source is spaced apart from the light pipe.
7. The refrigerator appliance of claim 1, wherein the light source is positioned directly adjacent to the light pipe.
8. The refrigerator appliance of claim 1, wherein a color in which the light pipe is illuminated is selected based on whether the fluid source corresponds to at least one of a heated fluid source or a chilled fluid source.
9. The refrigerator appliance of claim 8, wherein the color corresponds to a red color for the heated fluid source and a blue color for the chilled fluid source.
10. A dispenser assembly for a refrigerator appliance, the dispenser assembly comprising:
- a dispenser tube extending within a recessed area defined by the dispenser assembly, the dispenser tube being in fluid communication with a fluid source;
- a light pipe positioned on the dispenser tube; and
- a light source configured to direct light towards the light pipe,
- wherein the light directed from the light source is configured to illuminate the light pipe.
11. The dispenser assembly of claim 10, wherein the light pipe comprises a light pipe ring configured to extend around an outer perimeter of the dispenser tube.
12. The dispenser assembly of claim 11, wherein the light pipe further comprises a leader section extending from the light pipe ring, the light source being configured to direct light towards the leader section.
13. The dispenser assembly of claim 10, wherein the light pipe corresponds to an elongated pipe section configured to extend lengthwise along at least a portion of a length of the dispenser tube.
14. The dispenser assembly of claim 10, wherein the light source corresponds to at least one light-emitting diode.
15. The dispenser assembly of claim 10, wherein the light source is spaced apart from the light pipe.
16. The dispenser assembly of claim 10, wherein the light source is positioned directly adjacent to the light pipe.
17. The dispenser assembly of claim 10, wherein a color in which the light pipe is illuminated is selected based on whether the fluid source corresponds to at least one of a hot fluid source or a cold fluid source.
18. The dispenser assembly of claim 17, wherein the color corresponds to a red color for the heated fluid source and a blue color for the chilled fluid source
Type: Application
Filed: Jan 21, 2015
Publication Date: Jul 21, 2016
Inventor: Christopher Francis Bird (Louisville, KY)
Application Number: 14/601,551