A refrigerator includes a main body having a refrigerating compartment and a freezing compartment. A refrigerating compartment door is rotatably coupled to the main body to open and close at least a part of the refrigerating compartment, and includes an ice-making compartment and a dispenser. An auxiliary door opens and closes the ice-making compartment, and a cold air duct connects the ice-making compartment to the freezing compartment to cool the ice-making compartment. The ice-making compartment is formed on a front surface of the refrigerating compartment door such that access to the ice-making compartment is allowed via the auxiliary door with the refrigerating compartment door closed. The auxiliary door has an opening corresponding to the dispenser such an access to the dispenser is allowed with the auxiliary door closed.

A water circuit assembly for a refrigerator that delivers water from a source to a first destination and a second destination spaced apart from the first destination. The water circuit assembly includes an inlet valve positioned outside a compartment of the refrigerator and a water filter assembly positioned adjacent a top wall and a first side wall of a liner that defines the compartment. The water circuit further includes a bracket secured to a rear wall of the liner, a water tank supported by the bracket along the rear wall of the liner, and a diverter valve attached to the bracket and fluidly connected to the inlet valve to thereby divert the flow of water from the inlet valve to a selected one of the first destination or the second destination.

A filter cartridge for operatively coupling to an appliance interface to treat a fluid, such as water, being supplied to the appliance. The interface comprises a bypass valve for actuating the interface between a bypass mode in which the fluid flowing through the interface does not flow through the filter cartridge and a treatment mode in which the fluid flowing through the interface is directed through the filter cartridge for treatment by the filter cartridge. The filter cartridge comprises a cartridge housing having a first end and a second end and extending along a housing longitudinal axis through the first end and the second end. A filter media is contained within the cartridge housing between the first end and the second end. The filter cartridge also has a first end cap on the first end of the cartridge housing and a second end cap on the second end of the cartridge housing. A bypass valve actuator is attached to the cartridge housing and extends distally to an actuator distal end. The bypass valve actuator is configured such that the actuator distal end actuates the bypass valve of the interface as the filter cartridge is coupled to interface.

A water filter cartridge is provided. The water filter cartridge includes a filter housing enclosing a filtration material therein. A port shield is connected at one end of the filter housing and disposed between the filter housing and a connector part adapted for securing the water filter cartridge to a refrigerator filter part. The port shield is provided for at least partially covering a water inlet port and a water outlet port extending at least between the connector part through the port shield and at least partially through the filter housing. The port shield at least partially encloses the water inlet and/or water outlet port therebetween and also separates the filtration material and unfiltered water within the filter housing from the portions of the water inlet and outlet port within the port shield.

A valve apparatus includes a housing including an inlet and first and second outlets, through which water introduced through the inlet is discharged, a first orifice including an opening communicating with the first outlet and a second orifice including an opening communicating with the second outlet, the first and second orifices being received in the housing, a first plunger for opening and closing the opening of the first orifice; and a second plunger for opening and closing the opening of the second orifice. Each of the orifices includes a rib surrounding the circumference of each of the plungers in a state in which each of the plungers closes the opening of each of the orifices.

A water purifying apparatus including a head having a water inlet portion and a water outlet portion; a shaft provided in the head and rotatably mounted between the water inlet portion and the water outlet portion; a bypass flow path passing through a circumference of the shaft, and communicating the water inlet portion with the water outlet portion according to rotation of the shaft; a filter detachably mounted to the head, and having a filter inserting portion in which the shaft is inserted when being mounted on the head; and a filtering flow path in which an inlet port and an outlet port are formed on the circumference of the shaft in a direction intersecting the bypass flow path, and communicated between the filter, the water inlet portion and the water outlet portion with each other according to the rotation of the shaft.

A water purifier having a small size and compact internal structure and enabling a water discharge part through which water is extracted to be rotated, and a control method of a water purifier.

A variable fluid dispenser for a refrigerator utilizes a variable control suitable for varying the rate of fluid dispensing by the dispenser. In some instances, the variable control may include a rotary control actuator that varies the fluid dispensing rate of the variable dispenser, and in some instances, the variable control may include a variable control actuator movable between a range of positions that includes a home position at which the variable dispenser is deactivated. In such instances, movement of the variable control actuator away from the home position both activates the variable dispenser to dispense fluid and increases the fluid dispensing rate of the variable dispenser.

A refrigerator comprising: a cabinet; a door operably connected to the cabinet, the door having a closed position relative to the cabinet and an opened position relative to the cabinet, and the door transitions from the closed position to the opened position in a non-circular path; a liquid outlet disposed at the cabinet; and a liquid receiver disposed at the door, the liquid receiver configured to receive liquid exiting the liquid outlet when the door is in the closed position but not in the opened position. The refrigerator can further include a gasket adjacent to the liquid receiver and a gasket adjacent to the liquid outlet. When the door is in the closed position, the gasket of the door can cooperate with the gasket of the cabinet to form a sealed channel to seal liquid transfer from the liquid outlet to the liquid receiver for use at the door.

A refrigerator and method utilize first and second sensors to determine a volume of fluid dispensed by a fluid dispenser that incorporates a fluid storage receptacle. The first sensor is disposed in upstream fluid communication with the fluid storage receptacle to generate a first signal representative of a volume of fluid entering the fluid storage receptacle and the second sensor is disposed downstream of the first sensor to generate a second signal representative of a volume of fluid exiting the fluid storage receptacle, and a controller determines the volume of fluid dispensed using the first and second signals output by the first and second sensors.