US 12,442,578 B2
Refrigerator appliance ice storage bin retention
Thomas McCollough, Anderson, SC (US); Eduardo Nicolas Orthmann Da Silva, Curitiba (BR); Rodrigo Marge Pagnozzi, Curitiba (BR); Lokesha Kodigenahalli Chinnappa Reddy, Louisville, KY (US); and Eduardo Henrique Sare, Curitiba (BR)
Assigned to Electrolux Consumer Products, Inc., Charlottle, NC (US)
Appl. No. 17/918,379
Filed by Electrolux Home Products, Inc., Charlotte, NC (US)
PCT Filed May 20, 2020, PCT No. PCT/US2020/033687
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Oct. 12, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/236072, PCT Pub. Date Nov. 25, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2023/0194138 A1, Jun. 22, 2023
Int. Cl. F25C 5/182 (2018.01); F16B 5/06 (2006.01); F25C 1/04 (2018.01); F25C 5/20 (2018.01)
CPC F25C 5/182 (2013.01) [F16B 5/0664 (2013.01); F25C 5/22 (2018.01); F25C 1/04 (2013.01); F25C 2400/10 (2013.01)] 21 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A refrigeration appliance, comprising:
at least one of a fresh food compartment for storing food items in a refrigerated environment having a target temperature above zero degrees Centigrade or a freezer compartment for storing food items in a sub-freezing environment having a target temperature below zero degrees Centigrade;
an ice maker assembly disposed within the fresh food compartment or the freezer compartment for freezing water into ice pieces, the ice maker assembly comprising an ice maker housing and a removable ice bin for storing the ice pieces produced by an ice making apparatus within the ice maker housing;
a rotatable auger positioned within the ice bin and configured to drive the ice pieces out of the ice bin via a driving force applied in a first direction; and
a latch assembly having a pair of angled mating elements configured to engage one another along at least one linearly extending mating line to apply a resisting force to the ice bin along a second direction opposed to the first direction, the resisting force being sufficient to counter a portion of the driving force applied to the ice bin when the latch assembly is in a fully engaged orientation,
wherein the pair of angled mating elements includes a tang and a receiver, wherein the tang includes a longitudinally extending arm and a distal snap extending from said arm, wherein at least one distal rib extends from said distal snap, wherein the receiver includes a pair of opposed angled surfaces, including a receiver lead surface and a receiver engagement surface, with a receiver intermediate surface therebetween, wherein during assembly of the latch assembly into the ice bin, the at least one distal rib and the receiver lead surface are configured to engage one another first,
wherein the receiver further includes a resting surface adjacent to the receiver engagement surface, wherein the resting surface is configured to abut a tang intermediate surface that extends between a pair of opposed tang angled surfaces when the latch assembly is in the fully engaged orientation,
wherein a removal force applied by a user to remove the ice bin from the ice maker housing causes separation of the pair of angled mating elements relative to one another, said separation occurring in a direction transverse to each of the first direction and the second direction.