| CPC F25D 25/00 (2013.01) [B67D 1/0009 (2013.01); B67D 1/0085 (2013.01); F25D 23/028 (2013.01); F25D 23/126 (2013.01); B67D 2210/00036 (2013.01); F25D 2323/122 (2013.01)] | 18 Claims |
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1. A refrigerator, comprising:
a cabinet including a case having one or more food storage compartments defined therein and one or more doors positioned to insulate the one or more food storage compartments from an exterior environment; and
a fluid dispenser coupled to the cabinet and including a fluid dispenser outlet configured to dispense a fluid in response to user input, the fluid dispenser further including;
a splitter including first, second and third ports;
a fill valve in upstream fluid communication with the first port of the splitter and configured to supply a fluid;
a fluid dispensing valve in downstream fluid communication with the second port of the splitter and configured to regulate fluid flow to the fluid dispenser outlet;
a dock in fluid communication with the third port of the splitter;
a fluid storage receptacle removably supported by the dock and including a receptacle body configured to store fluid; and
a combined inlet/outlet coupling the fluid storage receptacle to the dock to place the fluid storage receptacle in fluid communication with the splitter when the fluid storage receptacle is removably supported by the dock to both fill the fluid storage receptacle with fluid supplied by the fluid supply and dispense fluid through the fluid dispensing valve to the fluid dispenser outlet;
wherein the combined inlet/outlet includes an inlet/outlet port disposed on the fluid storage receptacle and a fill/dispense port disposed on the dock and configured to mate with the inlet/outlet port when the fluid storage receptacle is removably supported by the dock; and
wherein the inlet/outlet port is sized and configured to provide a fluid dispense rate to the fluid dispensing valve that is greater than a fluid supply rate provided to the inlet of the fluid storage receptacle by the fill valve.
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