Ice dispenser

US8240519B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgeräte GmbH · DE

Inventors

• Martin Buchstab · Bopfingen, DE
• Irene Dumkow · Sontheim, DE
• Adolf Feinauer · Giengen an der Brenz, DE
• Klaus Flinner · Mössingen, DE
• Bernd Heger · Gundelfingen an der Donau, DE
• Helen Lewis · Worcester, GB
• Peter Nalbach · Owen, DE
• Craig Webster · Plano, US
• Nathan Wrench · Swaffham Prior, GB
• Kasim Yazan · Ulm, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Aug 22, 2007
• Grant date: Aug 14, 2012
• Expiry date: May 8, 2029

Classification

• Technology area (CPC F): Mechanical Engineering; Lighting; Heating
• CPC primary: F25D23/126
• WIPO field: Thermal processes and apparatus
• WIPO sector: Mechanical engineering

Abstract

An ice dispenser including an ice supply container; a shaft extending into the supply container; a stirrer rotatable about the shaft which extends into the supply container, the stirrer being connectable to a rotation drive device that rotates the stirrer; an output chamber communicated with the supply container, the output chamber having an ice outlet opening; a slider rotatable in the output chamber, a rotation of the slider in a predetermined manner operating to bring the slider into moving engagement with ice located in the output chamber; and a coupling selectively disposable between an active coupling disposition in which the coupling operatively interconnects the stirrer and the slider to one another such that the slider rotates in correspondence with a rotation of the stirrer and a decoupling disposition in which the coupling does not operatively interconnect the stirrer and the slider to one another.