Icemaker and ice storage system for a refrigerator appliance

Abstract

A refrigerator appliance includes a cabinet defining a chilled chamber, a door rotatably mounted to the cabinet and rotatable between a closed position enclosing the chilled chamber and an open position providing access to the chilled chamber, an icemaker mounted to the door, and an ice storage system for storing ice produced by the icemaker. The ice storage system includes a door-mounted ice bucket positioned below the icemaker for storing the ice formed by the icemaker; an ice storage drawer positioned within the chilled chamber, and a damper mounted at a bottom end of the door-mounted ice bucket, the damper being movable between a closed position to retain the ice within the door-mounted ice bucket and an open position to direct the ice into the ice storage drawer.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A refrigerator appliance defining a vertical direction, a lateral direction, and a transverse direction, comprising:
 a cabinet defining a chilled chamber;   a door rotatably mounted to the cabinet and rotatable between a closed position enclosing the chilled chamber and an open position providing access to the chilled chamber;   an icemaker mounted to the door; and   an ice storage system for storing ice produced by the icemaker, the ice storage system comprising:
 a door-mounted ice bucket positioned below the icemaker for storing the ice formed by the icemaker; 
 an ice storage drawer positioned within the chilled chamber; and 
 a damper mounted at a bottom end of the door-mounted ice bucket, the damper being movable between a closed position to retain the ice within the door-mounted ice bucket and an open position to direct the ice into the ice storage drawer. 
   
     
     
         2 . The refrigerator appliance of  claim 1 , wherein the ice storage drawer is not attached to the door and remains within the chilled chamber when the door is in the open position. 
     
     
         3 . The refrigerator appliance of  claim 1 , wherein the ice storage drawer is slidably mounted within the chilled chamber. 
     
     
         4 . The refrigerator appliance of  claim 1 , wherein the ice storage system further comprises:
 a receiving ramp positioned proximate a front of the ice storage drawer, wherein the damper is seated over the receiving ramp in the open position.   
     
     
         5 . The refrigerator appliance of  claim 1 , wherein the icemaker produces ice when the damper is in the closed position. 
     
     
         6 . The refrigerator appliance of  claim 1 , wherein the ice storage system further comprises:
 a drive motor operably coupled to the damper for moving the damper between the closed position and the open position.   
     
     
         7 . The refrigerator appliance of  claim 1 , wherein the ice storage system further comprises:
 a microswitch for detecting when the damper reaches the open position.   
     
     
         8 . The refrigerator appliance of  claim 1 , wherein the ice storage system further comprises:
 an infrared sensor mounted to the ice storage drawer to detect when the ice storage drawer is full.   
     
     
         9 . The refrigerator appliance of  claim 1 , wherein the door-mounted ice bucket is pivotable relative to the door. 
     
     
         10 . The refrigerator appliance of  claim 9 , wherein the door-mounted ice bucket defines an arcuate slot and the door defines a pin that is received within the arcuate slot to permit pivoting of the door-mounted ice bucket. 
     
     
         11 . The refrigerator appliance of  claim 9 , wherein the door-mounted ice bucket comprises a pivoting bucket holder and a removable storage bucket slidably received within the pivoting bucket holder. 
     
     
         12 . The refrigerator appliance of  claim 1 , wherein the icemaker is a lower icemaker, the refrigerator appliance further comprising an upper icemaker vertically above the lower icemaker, wherein the upper icemaker dispenses ice through a dispenser recess defined on a front of the door. 
     
     
         13 . The refrigerator appliance of  claim 1 , wherein the refrigerator appliance is a side-by-side refrigerator appliance and the chilled chamber is a freezer chamber. 
     
     
         14 . An ice storage system for storing ice produced by an icemaker mounted to a door of a refrigerator appliance, the ice storage system comprising:
 a door-mounted ice bucket positioned below the icemaker for storing the ice formed by the icemaker;   an ice storage drawer positioned within a chilled chamber of the refrigerator appliance; and   a damper mounted at a bottom end of the door-mounted ice bucket, the damper being movable between a closed position to retain the ice within the door-mounted ice bucket and an open position to direct the ice into the ice storage drawer.   
     
     
         15 . The ice storage system of  claim 14 , wherein the ice storage drawer is not attached to the door and remains within the chilled chamber when the door is in the open position. 
     
     
         16 . The ice storage system of  claim 14 , wherein the ice storage drawer is slidably mounted within the chilled chamber. 
     
     
         17 . The ice storage system of  claim 14 , further comprising:
 a receiving ramp positioned proximate a front of the ice storage drawer, wherein the damper is seated over the receiving ramp in the open position.   
     
     
         18 . The ice storage system of  claim 14 , further comprising:
 a drive motor operably coupled to the damper for moving the damper between the closed position and the open position.   
     
     
         19 . The ice storage system of  claim 14 , further comprising:
 a microswitch for detecting when the damper reaches the open position.   
     
     
         20 . The ice storage system of  claim 14 , wherein the door-mounted ice bucket is pivotable relative to the door.