JP3583946B2 - Ice dispenser - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an ice dispenser.
[0002]
[Prior art]
FIG. 11 shows a side view of a conventional ice dispenser disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 55-5056. An ice storage tank 2 and a piece making device 3 are housed inside the ice dispenser body 1. An ice piece chute 5 is provided below the ice piece discharge port 4 of the ice storage tank 2. The lower end of the ice chute 5 is exposed outside the body 1 through an opening formed in the front plate 6 of the body 1. The ice chute 5 is supported on the front plate 6 of the body 1 by a decorative screw 7. Ice produced by the piece making device 3 is stored in the ice storage tank 2. When the supply of ice is requested, the ice in the ice storage tank 2 is provided to the customer through the ice piece chute 5.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in such an ice dispenser, a gap 8 is inevitably formed between the point where the decorative screw 7 can be seen from the outside and the ice piece chute 5 and the opening portion of the front plate 6 through which the ice piece chute 5 penetrates. From the point of view, the product appearance was not good. In addition, dust and the like easily accumulate around the ice piece discharge port 4, but cleaning for removing dust and the like is performed from the opening of the front plate 6 after removing the ice piece chute 5. However, the only part that comes off is the ice piece chute, and the opening is small, so that cleaning work has been difficult.
[0004]
Another conventional ice dispenser is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. Sho 60-13025. In this ice dispenser, the ice chute portion is directly screwed to a hopper (corresponding to an ice storage tank) inside the front panel constituting the front surface of the body in order to eliminate the gap 8 described above. However, when cleaning around the ice chip discharge port, after removing the front panel screwed to the body, it is necessary to further remove the chute screwed to the hopper. It was troublesome. In addition, when the front panel is removed, there is a problem that parts that are not desired to be touched by general users, such as control parts such as a control box, are exposed.
[0005]
Therefore, the present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, and a cleaner can easily access the vicinity of an ice discharge port of an ice storage without exposing parts that the general user does not want to touch. It is an object of the present invention to provide an ice dispenser which can be accessed.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an ice storage mechanism and an ice storage in a body, stores the ice produced by the ice making mechanism in an ice storage, and, when a supply of ice is requested, the ice storage. An ice dispenser that provides ice via a discharge chute connected to an ice discharge port of a front panel that forms an upper part of the body front wall, a first apron panel that forms a lower part of the body front wall, A second apron panel disposed between the front panel and the first apron panel and covering a connection between the ice discharge port and the discharge chute, wherein the second apron panel is attached to and detached from the body. It is characterized by being mounted as possible.
[0007]
Preferably, the second apron panel is attached to the body via a plurality of attachment / detachment means, at least one of the attachment / detachment means includes a lock mechanism, and the other attachment / detachment means includes a magnet. Consisting of a mechanism.
Further, it is preferable that one of the first apron panel and the discharge chute is formed with a claw portion, and the other is formed with a hole or a concave portion with which the claw portion engages.
Further, it is preferable that an ice discharge port of the ice storage is formed in a window frame protruding outside the ice storage, and the discharge chute is preferably covered by the window frame.
Further, a water pipe may be detachably attached to the discharge chute.
[0008]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. 1 and 2 show the front and side surfaces of the ice dispenser according to the present embodiment. In the following description, it is assumed that the up-down direction in FIG. 2 is set as the up-down direction, and the left-right direction in the drawing is set as the front-rear direction. The directions such as up and down, front and back, and the like of each component are set with reference to the paper surface of FIG. 2 in a state where the components are assembled as an ice dispenser.
[0009]
In the body 12 of the ice dispenser 11, a control component 16 such as an ice making mechanism 13, an ice storage 14, a refrigeration circuit 15, and a control box is mainly stored. On the front surface of the ice storage 14, a cylindrical window frame 17 protruding outward from the ice storage 14 is provided. An ice discharge port 18 is formed at an end of the window frame 17. A cylindrical discharge chute 19 extending downward is connected to the ice discharge port 18. That is, the upper end of the discharge chute 19 is covered on the end of the window frame 17. A water pipe 20 is supported at the front of the discharge chute 19. Further, an ice storage switch (not shown) for stopping the ice making operation is provided inside the ice storage 14 when the ice storage is full of ice.
[0010]
The front wall portion 21 constituting the front surface of the body 12 includes a front panel 22, a first apron panel 23, and a second apron panel 24. The front panel 22 forms an upper portion of the body front wall portion 21 and covers the control components 16 such as a control box disposed at an upper portion in the body 12. Further, the first apron panel 23 forms a lower portion of the body front wall portion 21, is located one step behind the front panel 22, and covers the refrigeration circuit 15 and the like. The second apron panel 24 is disposed between the front panel 22 and the first apron panel 23, and covers the ice discharge port 18, the discharge chute 19, the water pipe 20, and their respective connections. In the second apron panel 24, a first opening window 27 for exposing the breaker 25 and the ice making switch 26 and a second opening window 29 for exposing the changeover switch 28 are formed. The changeover switch 28 is for switching between the release modes of “ice / water”, “ice only”, and “water only”.
[0011]
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the first apron panel 23 is a substantially flat member having a connection portion 30 formed on an upper portion thereof, and is screwed to the body 12 at the connection portion 30. The connecting portion 30 is formed with a pair of laterally extending holes 31 and 32 for supporting the discharge chute 19. The lower hole 32 has a larger extension length and width than the upper hole 31. A discharge switch 33 is provided slightly above the first apron panel 23.
As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the discharge chute 19 is a cylindrical member, and two claw portions 40 and 41 extending rearward are provided below the discharge chute 19. The tip of the upper claw portion 40 is formed in a wedge shape so that the claw portion 40 can be easily inserted into the upper hole 31 formed in the connection portion 30 of the first apron panel 23. In addition, a projection 42 is provided on the upper surface of the wedge-shaped portion so that the claw portion 40 does not accidentally come out of the upper hole 31. On the other hand, a curved portion 43 protruding upward is formed at the tip of the lower claw portion 41. The curved portion 43 prevents the lower claw portion 41 from accidentally falling out of the lower hole 32. A holding member 44 for supporting the water pipe 20 is provided on the front surface of the discharge chute 19. That is, the water supplied by the water pipe 20 is not mixed with the ice of the discharge chute 19. The holding member 44 is formed of a flexible member, and thereby detachably holds the water pipe 20 without using a tool.
[0012]
In this configuration, when attaching the discharge chute 19 to the first apron panel 23, first, the lower claw 41 is inserted into the lower hole 32 of the first apron panel 23, and then the upper claw 40 is connected to the first apron panel 23. It is inserted into the hole 31 above the panel 23. At this time, since the upper claw portion 40 is shorter than the lower claw portion 41, it can be easily inserted into the upper hole 31. Thus, when the discharge chute 19 is attached to the first apron panel 23, the inside of the curved portion 43 of the lower claw portion 41 is locked by the formation portion of the lower hole 32, and the upper claw portion is formed. By locking the projections 42 of 40 at the upper hole forming portions, the ejection chute 19 is prevented from being accidentally removed from the first apron panel 23. Further, since the pair of holes 31 and 32 are formed to be larger than the two claws 40 and 41, a slight distance is formed between the pair of holes 31 and 32 and the two claws 40 and 41. Even if there is a dimensional error, the discharge chute 19 can be attached to the first apron panel 23 without any problem.
[0013]
As shown in FIGS. 7, 8 and 9, the second apron panel 24 is a rectangular member on the front side, and is attached to and detached from the body 12 through four attaching / detaching means 50, 51, 52 and 53 provided at four corners. Mounted as possible. In the lower portion of the second apron panel 24, a portion 55 excluding a portion 54 that covers the discharge chute 19 and the like when attached to the body 12 is curved rearward.
[0014]
The attachment / detachment means 50 and 51 provided at each lower corner of the second apron panel 24 are formed by a lock mechanism. That is, each of the attachment / detachment means 50 and 51 includes a key member 60 rotatably provided on the second apron panel 24 and a linear key hole formed at a corresponding position of the body 12 (see FIG. ) Is indicated by reference numeral 70). The key member 60 has a front head portion 62 provided on the front side of the second apron panel 24, for example, with a recess 61 (see FIG. 7) into which a coin or the like fits, and on the back side of the second apron panel 24. And a straight rear head portion 63 through which the key hole can be inserted. The front head part 62 and the rear head part 63 are connected by a shaft part 64 that penetrates the second apron panel 24 rotatably. Therefore, when the front head portion 62 is turned by a coin or the like from the front side of the second apron panel 24, the rear head 63 also rotates by the same angle.
The attaching / detaching means 52 and 53 provided at each upper corner of the second apron panel 24 are formed by a magnet mechanism. That is, the attachment / detachment means 52 and 53 are respectively composed of a magnet provided at the upper corner of the second apron panel 24 and a metal part provided at a corresponding position of the body 12 (indicated by reference numeral 71 in FIG. 10A). ).
[0015]
In such a configuration, when attaching the second apron panel 24 to the body 12, the angle of the rear head 63 is adjusted to the angle of the hole, the rear head 63 is inserted into the key hole, and the angle of the rear head is changed to the angle of the key hole. When the second apron panel 24 is displaced, the rear head 63 is caught on the periphery of the key hole of the body 12 and does not come off even if the second apron panel 24 is pulled forward. When the second apron panel 24 is detached from the body 12, the front head 62 is turned so that the rear head 63 can pass through the key hole, and the second apron panel 24 can be detached from the body 12 by pulling the second apron panel 24 forward. . In the present embodiment, the angle range in which the key member 60 can rotate is set to 90 degrees, and at one end of the angle range, the angle of the rear head 63 matches the angle of the key hole. It has become.
[0016]
Next, the operation of the ice dispenser configured as described above will be described. When the ice making switch 26 is turned on while the breaker 25 is on, the ice dispenser starts an ice making operation. Ice produced by the ice making mechanism 13 is stored in the ice storage 14. When releasing the ice, when the user selects “ice only” in the changeover switch 28 and presses the release button 33, a shutter mechanism (not shown) opens and the ice in the ice storage 14 is moved through the window frame 17 and the discharge chute 19. Released. Further, the user can receive only ice water or water by switching the changeover switch 28 and selecting “ice / water” or “water only”, respectively. At this time, the release button 33 projects sufficiently forward from the front surface of the first apron panel 23 in the non-operation state so that the user can easily visually determine the operation or non-operation state of the release button 33. .
[0017]
When cleaning the periphery of the ice discharge port 18 in the ice dispenser 11, the user first removes the second apron panel 24 as shown in FIG. That is, by turning the key member 60 at each lower corner of the second apron panel 24 by 90 degrees with a coin or the like and pulling the second apron panel 24 toward the user, the second apron panel 24 can be easily removed from the body 12. it can. Therefore, the second apron panel 24 can be easily removed without using a tool such as a screwdriver. Next, as shown in FIG. 10B, the water pipe 20 is removed from the discharge chute 19. Such an operation can also be performed without using a special tool. Further, as shown in FIG. 10C, the release chute 19 is removed from the first apron panel 23. This removal operation can be easily performed without using a special tool because the two claw portions 40 and 41 of the discharge chute 19 are simply pulled out from the pair of holes 31 and 32 of the first apron panel 23. As described above, the second apron panel 24, the water pipe 20, and the discharge chute 19 can be easily removed without any tools, and further, since there are no screws or the like, the user works while paying attention to the falling off of the screws. Nothing.
[0018]
As described above, by removing the second apron panel 24, the water pipe 20, and the discharge chute 19, a large space for cleaning is formed on the front surface of the body 12, and thereby, the vicinity of the ice discharge port 18 which tends to be contaminated. The portion A can be easily and reliably cleaned. On the other hand, there is an advantage that the removed second apron panel 24, water pipe 20 and discharge chute 19 can be washed in a circle. Further, the front panel 22 forming the front wall 21 of the body 12 does not need to be removed while the peripheral portion A of the ice discharge port 18 can be suitably cleaned as described above. The control component 16 inside 22 is not seen or touched by the user.
[0019]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the ice dispenser of the present invention, by removing only the second apron panel from the body, the parts that the general user does not want to touch are not exposed, and the front surface of the body is cleaned. This will create a large space for the skies and allow cleaners to easily access the area around the ice outlet of the ice storage. Thus, the cleaner can easily and reliably clean the periphery of the ice discharge port.
According to the second aspect of the present invention, the second apron panel can be easily attached and detached without using a special tool. Also, since some of the attaching / detaching means are made of a magnet mechanism, it is possible to sufficiently prevent the second apron panel from falling off. Is even easier.
According to the third aspect of the present invention, the discharge chute can be easily attached and detached without using a special tool.
According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the discharge chute is covered on the window frame, dust and the like are less likely to collect around the ice discharge port than when there is a gap between the discharge chute and the ice discharge port. It is possible to do.
According to the invention described in claim 5, the water pipe can be easily attached and detached without using a special tool.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a front view of an ice dispenser according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a side view of FIG.
FIG. 3 is a front view of a first apron panel in the ice dispenser according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a side view of FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is a side view of a discharge chute in the ice dispenser according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a plan view of FIG. 5;
FIG. 7 is a front view of a second apron panel in the ice dispenser according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a rear view of FIG. 7;
FIG. 9 is a side view of FIG. 7;
FIGS. 10A and 10B are front views showing the vicinity of an ice discharge port in the ice dispenser according to the embodiment of the present invention, wherein FIG. 10A shows a state in which a second apron panel is removed, and FIG. It is a figure which shows the state which removed the water pipe and the state which removed the 2nd apron panel, the water pipe, and the discharge chute.
FIG. 11 is a side view of a conventional ice dispenser.
[Explanation of symbols]
11 ... ice dispenser, 12 ... body, 13 ... ice making mechanism, 14 ... ice storage, 17 ... window frame, 18 ... ice discharge port, 19 ... discharge chute, 20 ... water pipe, 21 ... front wall, 22 ... front Panel, 23: first apron panel, 24: second apron panel, 31, 32: hole, 40, 41: claw portion, 50, 51, 52, 53: attaching / detaching means.

Claims (5)

The ice making mechanism and the ice storage are stored in the body, and the ice produced by the ice making mechanism is stored in the ice storage. When the supply of ice is required, the ice is discharged through the discharge chute connected to the ice discharge opening of the ice storage. In an ice dispenser that provides ice,
A front panel constituting an upper part of the body front wall,
A first apron panel constituting a lower portion of the body front wall portion,
A second apron panel disposed between the front panel and the first apron panel and covering a connection between the ice discharge port and the discharge chute;
An ice dispenser, wherein the second apron panel is detachably attached to the body. The second apron panel is attached to the body via a plurality of attachment / detachment means,
2. The ice dispenser according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the attachment / detachment means comprises a lock mechanism, and the other attachment / detachment means comprises a magnet mechanism. 3. A claw portion is formed on one of the first apron panel and the discharge chute, and a hole or a recess for engaging the claw portion is formed on the other. Ice dispenser. The ice discharge port of the ice storage is formed in a window frame projecting outward from the ice storage, and the discharge chute is covered by the window frame. Item 2. The ice dispenser according to item 1. The ice dispenser according to claim 1, wherein a water pipe is detachably attached to the discharge chute.

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