An ice vending machine automatically provides ice to a customer based upon a request from the consumer for the ice. In some embodiments, the ice vending machine includes a transfer box to transfer ice from a horizontal auger to an inclined auger. In some embodiments, the inclined auger motor is mounted at the top of the inclined auger. The inclined auger motor may drive the inclined auger by way of a chain and sprockets or directly drive the inclined auger without a chain or sprockets. In some embodiments, a lip shelf is located at an edge of the holding vessel floor. In some embodiments, a rear wall is removable from the holding vessel. In some embodiments, the ice machine includes an awning, a top hat, or an ice maker canopy. In some embodiments, the ice vending machine includes an improved motor and chain layout.

An ice vending machine automatically provides ice to a customer based upon a request from the consumer for the ice. In some embodiments, the ice vending machine includes a transfer box to transfer ice from a horizontal auger to an inclined auger. In some embodiments, the inclined auger motor is mounted at the top of the inclined auger. The inclined auger motor may drive the inclined auger by way of a chain and sprockets or directly drive the inclined auger without a chain or sprockets. In some embodiments, a lip shelf is located at an edge of the holding vessel floor. In some embodiments, a rear wall is removable from the holding vessel. In some embodiments, the ice machine includes an awning, a top hat, or an ice maker canopy. In some embodiments, the ice vending machine includes an improved motor and chain layout.

An ice delivery device includes a bin for storing ice, a rotatable helical auger for delivering ice, and a rotatable agitator wheel with multiple flexible arms to help break up agglomerations of ice. The agitator wheel is mounted such that as the auger is rotated the auger successively engages arms of the agitator wheel to rotate the agitator wheel. If the agitator wheel encounters an obstruction, such as a mass of agglomerated ice, the auger displaces the flexible arm out of the plane of the agitator wheel thus permitting the auger to continue rotate to deliver ice. The agitator wheel is mounted on a pair of flexible liners, which are displaceable by agglomerated ice.

A refrigerator appliance having an ice storage bin is generally provided herein. A door may define a bin opening and a dispenser recess to a cabinet of the refrigerator appliance. A dispensing assembly may be positioned within the dispenser recess and define an ice delivery passage. The ice storage bin may define a storage cavity in selective communication with an icemaker to receive ice therefrom. The ice storage bin may be in further communication with the dispensing assembly to direct ice to the ice delivery passage. The ice storage bin may be mounted to the door and selectively accessible through the bin opening.

An ice making appliance includes a sealed icebox compartment including a heat exchange opening with an ice maker disposed within the sealed icebox compartment. The ice maker includes a heat exchanger positioned at the heat exchange opening of the icebox compartment and a mold body configured for receiving liquid water and forming ice. The ice making appliance also includes a defrost conduit having a first portion positioned below the mold body, the first portion of the defrost conduit extends generally perpendicularly to a vertical direction and slopes towards a second portion of the defrost conduit, the second portion of the defrost conduit extends along the vertical direction between the first portion of the defrost conduit and a drain conduit. The ice making appliance also includes an air circulation conduit providing air circulation within the sealed icebox compartment.

A household cooling appliance includes an outer housing, a cooling compartment in the outer housing, and an ice maker unit, which is arranged in the cooling compartment. The ice maker unit includes a first sub-unit, which is configured for making crushed ice from ice form elements. The first sub-unit has a housing. A crusher device for crushing the ice form element is arranged in the housing. A cooling device cools the first sub-unit with cold air. The cooling device has an air duct. The air duct ends at the housing of the first sub-unit and at least partly is configured to extend along an outer side of the housing so that the cold air for cooling the housing flows along the outer side of the housing.

A refrigerator with an ice container is provided, and more particularly, a refrigerator with an ice container, in which ice stored in an ice container may be transferred by gravity, and the ice thus transferred may be discharged in a cubic ice state or a broken ice state.

An apparatus and a method for driving an icemaker for making ice cubes in a refrigerator. An ice-full state is sensed in such a way as to rotate an ejector and a cam gear in a reverse direction (opposite to an ice-ejecting direction), thereby preventing interference with the ice cubes present in the icemaker and thus enabling the ice-full state to be accurately sensed. A first torsion spring is mounted to an intermediate gear with a small rotation angle ratio to allow only a minimum amount of torque to be transferred to other components such as an ice-detecting lever, thereby increasing the durability of the components and providing a precise rotation force. The axial center of rotation of a second torsion spring is defined at a position that faces the other end (the revolving end) of the ice-detecting lever, to allow a minimum moment to be substantially constantly applied.

An apparatus and a method for driving an icemaker for making ice cubes in a refrigerator. An ice-full state is sensed in such a way as to rotate an ejector and a cam gear in a reverse direction (opposite to an ice-ejecting direction), thereby preventing interference with the ice cubes present in the icemaker and thus enabling the ice-full state to be accurately sensed. A first torsion spring is mounted to an intermediate gear with a small rotation angle ratio to allow only a minimum amount of torque to be transferred to other components such as an ice-detecting lever, thereby increasing the durability of the components and providing a precise rotation force. The axial center of rotation of a second torsion spring is defined at a position that faces the other end (the revolving end) of the ice-detecting lever, to allow a minimum moment to be substantially constantly applied.

Embodiments of the present invention provide a refrigerator comprising an ice machine, the refrigerator comprising: a main body, a door, a dispenser disposed on a front surface of the door, a compressor, a condenser and an expansion valve on the door, an ice tray disposed in the ice-making compartment, a refrigerant pipe configured to connect the compressor, the condenser, and the expansion valve, a heater disposed at a peripheral portion of the ice tray, a drain duct disposed under the ice tray, and a defrost water discharge pipe configured to couple the drain duct and the excess water tray.