Ice-making apparatus with anti-contamination structure

Abstract

There is provided an ice-making apparatus with an anti-contamination structure, wherein the apparatus includes: a housing having an ice-storage chamber defined therein; a pivotally-movable door having an elongate top end, wherein an elongate clearance is defined between an elongate top end of the door and a front wall of the housing; an elongate contaminant-guide plate disposed below the elongate clearance, wherein the elongate contaminant-guide plate has opposing first and second side ends, and the housing has opposing first and second side walls, wherein the opposing first and/or second side ends are disposed at or adjacent to the opposing first and/or second side walls respectively; and first and/or second contaminant-discharge holes defined in the opposing first and/or second side walls respectively, wherein the elongate contaminant-guide plate is constructed to receive contaminants falling down from the elongate clearance and to guide the contaminants toward the first and/or second contaminant-discharge holes.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An ice-making apparatus with an anti-contamination structure, wherein the apparatus includes:
 a housing having an ice-storage chamber defined therein, and a front wall having a front opening partially defined therein;   a pivotally-movable door having an elongate top end, wherein the pivotally-movable door is constructed to pivotally move around the elongate top end thereof to open or close the front opening, wherein an elongate clearance is defined between the elongate top end and the front wall;   an elongate contaminant-guide plate disposed below the elongate clearance, wherein the elongate contaminant-guide plate has opposing first and second side ends, and the housing has opposing first and second side walls, wherein the opposing first and/or second side ends are disposed at or adjacent to the opposing first and/or second side walls respectively; and   first and/or second contaminant-discharge holes defined in the opposing first and/or second side walls respectively,   wherein the elongate contaminant-guide plate is constructed to receive contaminants falling down from the elongate clearance and to guide the contaminants toward the first and/or second contaminant-discharge holes, wherein each of the first and/or second contaminant-discharge holes is constructed to discharge the contaminants out of the housing.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the front wall has upper and lower portions, wherein the upper portion is tilted, wherein the upper portion has the front opening at least partially defined therein, wherein the elongate clearance is disposed at a higher level than the ice-storage chamber. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the elongate contaminant-guide plate extends in a downward inclined manner toward the first and/or second contaminant-discharge holes. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the opposing first and/or second side walls have first and second contaminant-receiving chambers defined therein respectively, wherein the first and/or second contaminant-receiving chambers are constructed to receive the contaminants from the elongate contaminant-guide plate,
 wherein the first and/or second contaminant-discharge holes communicate with the first and/or second contaminant-receiving chambers respectively,   wherein the first and/or second contaminant-discharge holes receive the contaminants from the first and second contaminant-receiving chambers respectively and discharge the contaminants out of the housing.   
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 4 , wherein the opposing first and second side walls have first and second pivotal axial protrusions extending inwardly therefrom respectively, wherein the pivotally-movable door has first and second pivotal axial grooves defined in first and second opposing side ends of the elongate top end thereof, wherein the first and second pivotal axial protrusions are rotatably inserted into the first and second pivotal axial grooves respectively,
 wherein the first and/or second contaminant-receiving chambers are partially defined in the first and/or second pivotal axial protrusions respectively; or the first and second contaminant-receiving chambers are defined in the opposing first and/or second side walls respectively while the first and/or second contaminant-receiving chambers level-correspond to the first and/or second pivotal axial protrusions respectively.   
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 4 , wherein the opposing first and/or second side ends of the elongate contaminant-guide plate extends into the first and second contaminant-receiving chambers respectively. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the opposing first and/or second side walls have first and/or second contaminant downward channels defined in outer face portions thereof respectively, wherein the first and/or second contaminant downward channels communicate with the first and second contaminant-discharge holes respectively, wherein the first and/or second contaminant downward channels are constructed to allow downward movement of the contaminants along the opposing first and/or second side walls respectively. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein the first and/or second contaminant downward channels extend downwardly from the first and/or second contaminant-discharge holes respectively, wherein first and/or contaminant containers are disposed on outer faces of the first and second side walls respectively, wherein the first and/or contaminant containers communicates the first and/or second contaminant downward channels respectively, wherein the first and/or contaminant containers are constructed to contain therein the contaminants, wherein the first and/or contaminant containers are removable from the outer faces of the first and second side walls respectively. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the opposing first and/or second side walls has first and/or second guide channels defined therein, wherein upper ends of the first and/or second guide channels communicate with the first and second contaminant-discharge holes respectively, wherein the apparatus further includes an ice-making water discharge channel used to discharge water used in ice-making, wherein each of lower ends of the first and/or second guide channels communicates with the ice-making water discharge channel, wherein the contaminants are discharged from the first and second contaminant-discharge holes to the first and/or second guide channels and then to the ice-making water discharge channel.