US-12624881-B2 - Cleaning a stand-alone ice making appliance

Abstract

A stand-alone ice making appliance includes an upper reservoir fluidly coupled to a lower reservoir via a first valve. An ice maker is disposed within the casing. A pump is disposed within the casing and is operable to flow water from the lower reservoir to upper reservoir and the ice maker. A controller is positioned in the casing. A method of operating the stand-alone ice making appliance includes opening the first valve between the upper reservoir and the lower reservoir. The method also includes draining the liquid from the upper reservoir to the lower reservoir and closing the first valve between the upper reservoir and the lower reservoir. The method further includes operating a descale or cleaning operation of the stand-alone ice making appliance.

Inventors

• Mark Aaron Weaver

Assignees

• HAIER US APPLIANCE SOLUTIONS, INC.

Dates

Publication Date

20260512

Application Date

20240305

Claims (18)

1. 1 . A stand-alone ice making appliance, comprising: a casing; a user interface on the casing; a container within the casing; a lower reservoir removably mounted beneath the container; an upper reservoir disposed within the casing, the upper reservoir fluidly coupled to the lower reservoir via a first valve; an ice maker disposed within the casing; a pump disposed within the casing, the pump in fluid communication with each of the lower reservoir, the upper reservoir and the ice maker, the pump operable to flow water from the lower reservoir to the upper reservoir and the ice maker; and a controller positioned in the casing, the controller in signal communication with the first valve between the upper reservoir and the lower reservoir, the controller configured to: open the first valve between the upper reservoir and the lower reservoir; drain fluid from the upper reservoir to the lower reservoir; close the first valve between the upper reservoir and the lower reservoir; and operate a descale or cleaning operation of the stand-alone ice making appliance, wherein operating the descale operation further comprises the controller configured to pump fluid from the lower reservoir into the upper reservoir and through the ice maker, and wherein after the descale operation, the controller further configured to: open the first valve between the upper reservoir and the lower reservoir; drain fluid from the upper reservoir to the lower reservoir; and close the first valve between the upper reservoir and the lower reservoir.
2. 2 . The stand-alone ice making appliance of claim 1 , wherein the first valve comprises a siphon extending into the upper reservoir, whereby fluid is siphoned from the upper reservoir into the lower reservoir.
3. 3 . The stand-alone ice making appliance of claim 1 , wherein the container within the casing comprises a second valve fluidly coupled to a drain hole in the container.
4. 4 . The stand-alone ice making appliance of claim 3 , wherein the second valve comprises a poppet valve configured to close in response to removal of the lower reservoir.
5. 5 . The stand-alone ice making appliance of claim 1 , wherein the lower reservoir comprises a third valve fluidly coupled between the lower reservoir and the pump.
6. 6 . The stand-alone ice making appliance of claim 5 , wherein the third valve comprises a poppet valve configured to close in response to removal of the lower reservoir.
7. 7 . The stand-alone ice making appliance of claim 1 , wherein the first valve is positioned between the upper reservoir and the lower reservoir such that fluid drains via gravity when the first valve is open.
8. 8 . The stand-alone ice making appliance of claim 1 , wherein the ice maker comprises an auger rotatably mounted therein.
9. 9 . The stand-alone ice making appliance of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured for repeating the descaling operation between one and five times.
10. 10 . A method of operating a stand-alone ice making appliance, the stand-alone ice making appliance comprising a casing, a user interface on the casing, a container within the casing, a lower reservoir removably mounted beneath the container, an upper reservoir disposed within the casing, the upper reservoir fluidly coupled to the lower reservoir via a first valve, an ice maker disposed within the casing, a pump disposed within the casing, the pump in fluid communication with each of the lower reservoir, the upper reservoir and the ice maker, the pump operable to flow water from the lower reservoir to the upper reservoir and the ice maker, and a controller positioned in the casing, the controller in signal communication with the first valve between the upper reservoir and the lower reservoir, the method comprising: opening, by the controller, the first valve between the upper reservoir and the lower reservoir; draining, by the controller, fluid from the upper reservoir to the lower reservoir; closing, by the controller, the first valve between the upper reservoir and the lower reservoir; and operating, by the controller, a descale operation of the stand-alone ice making appliance, wherein operating the descale operation further comprises pumping fluid from the lower reservoir into the upper reservoir and through the ice maker, and wherein after the descale operation, the method further comprises: opening the first valve between the upper reservoir and the lower reservoir; draining fluid from the upper reservoir to the lower reservoir; and closing the first valve between the upper reservoir and the lower reservoir.
11. 11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the first valve comprises a siphon extending into the upper reservoir, whereby the method includes siphoning fluid from the upper reservoir into the lower reservoir.
12. 12 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the container within the casing comprises a second valve fluidly coupled to a drain hole in the container.
13. 13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the second valve comprises a poppet valve configured to close in response to removal of the lower reservoir.
14. 14 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the lower reservoir comprises a third valve fluidly coupled between the lower reservoir and the pump.
15. 15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the third valve comprises a poppet valve configured to close in response to removal of the lower reservoir.
16. 16 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the first valve is positioned between the upper reservoir and the lower reservoir such that fluid drains via gravity when the first valve is open.
17. 17 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the ice maker comprises an auger rotatably mounted therein.
18. 18 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising repeating the descaling operation between one and five times.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present subject matter relates generally to ice making appliances, and more particularly to systems and methods for cleaning components of stand-alone ice making appliances. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Ice makers generally produce ice for use by consumers, such as in beverages, for cooling food items, etc. Certain refrigerator appliances include ice makers for producing ice. The ice maker can be positioned within the appliance's freezer chamber and direct ice into an ice bucket where the ice is stored within the freezer chamber. Such refrigerator appliances can also include a dispensing system for assisting a user with accessing ice produced by the refrigerator appliance's ice maker. However, the incorporation of ice makers into refrigerator appliances can have drawbacks, such as limits on the amount of ice that can be produced and the reliance on the refrigeration system of the refrigerator appliance to form the ice. Stand-alone ice makers are separate from refrigerator appliances and provide independent ice supplies. Generally, liquid water is added to the stand-alone ice makers, and the ice makers operate to freeze the liquid water and form ice. Users frequently add tap water to the stand-alone ice makers. Tap water may include various impurities that negatively affect the appearance and/or taste of ice cubes formed from the tap water. Further, tap water may, over time, lead to scale buildup within the ice maker. Traditional methods of cleaning some ice makers may include moving the whole ice machine closer to a sink or use a big bucket to drain the water used to clean and rinse, which is manually intensive. Accordingly, a system for cleaning an ice maker that removes the manual intensity of traditional methods would be advantageous. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the following description, or may be obvious from the description, or may be learned through practice of the invention. In one example embodiment, A stand-alone ice making appliance is provided. The stand-alone ice making appliance includes a casing and a user interface on the casing. A container is within the casing. A lower reservoir is removably mounted beneath the container. An upper reservoir is disposed within the casing. The upper reservoir is fluidly coupled to the lower reservoir via a first valve. An ice maker is disposed within the casing. A pump is disposed within the casing and is in fluid communication with each of the lower reservoir, the upper reservoir, and the ice maker. The pump is operable to flow water from the lower reservoir to the upper reservoir and the ice maker. A controller is positioned in the casing and is in signal communication with the first valve between the upper reservoir and the lower reservoir. The controller is configured to open the first valve between the upper reservoir and the lower reservoir. The controller is also configured to drain the liquid from the upper reservoir to the lower reservoir and close the first valve between the upper reservoir and the lower reservoir. The controller is further configured to operate a descale or cleaning operation of the stand-alone ice making appliance. In another example embodiment, a method of operating a stand-alone ice making appliance is provided. The stand-alone ice making appliance includes a casing and a user interface on the casing. A container is within the casing. A lower reservoir is removably mounted beneath the container. An upper reservoir is disposed within the casing. The upper reservoir is fluidly coupled to the lower reservoir via a first valve. An ice maker is disposed within the casing. A pump is disposed within the casing and is in fluid communication with each of the lower reservoir, the upper reservoir, and the ice maker. The pump is operable to flow water from the lower reservoir to the upper reservoir and the ice maker. A controller is positioned in the casing and is in signal communication with the first valve between the upper reservoir and the lower reservoir. The method includes opening the first valve between the upper reservoir and the lower reservoir. The method also includes draining the liquid from the upper reservoir to the lower reservoir and closing the first valve between the upper reservoir and the lower reservoir. The method further includes operating a descale operation of the stand-alone ice making appliance. These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following description and appended claims. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS A full and enabling disclosure of the present invention, including the best mode thereof, directed