Refrigerator with automatic liquid dispenser

摘要

A refrigerator includes a cabinet defining a fresh food compartment and a door pivotally mounted to the cabinet and including an interior surface in communication with the fresh food compartment when the door is closed. A liquid dispenser is arranged on the interior surface of the door, and a container is supported on the door and configured to receive liquid from the liquid dispenser. A sensor is configured to sense a property of the container, and a control is in communication with the sensor. The control is configured to regulate dispensing of liquid into the container based upon the sensed property of the container. In one example, the sensor is resiliently biased into contact with the container to sense a property of the container. In another example, the control indicates a stale liquid condition if a timer expires before the container has been removed from the door.

主权项

1. A method of dispensing a liquid from a refrigerator, comprising the steps of:
sensing a presence of a container on an interior surface of a door in communication with a fresh food compartment of the refrigerator; sensing a presence of liquid within the container; initiating a timer that tracks time; indicating a stale liquid condition if a predetermined amount of time, tracked by the timer, has elapsed before the container has been removed from the door; and adjusting the predetermined amount of time via a user interface of said refrigerator.