Lighted water dispensing
View Patent ↗A refrigeration appliance that includes a cabinet defining a storage compartment. A door is pivotably coupled to the cabinet and movable between a closed position for closing the storage compartment and an open position for allowing access to the storage compartment. A dispensing assembly is disposed on at least one of the cabinet and the door for supplying water and/or ice. The dispensing assembly includes a dispensing tube fluidly connected to a source of water and having an outlet opening for allowing a stream of water to exit the dispensing tube upon command and an illumination system for illuminating a predetermined target location that corresponds to a position of a terminal end of the stream of water exiting from the dispensing tube.
1. A refrigeration appliance comprising:
a cabinet defining a storage compartment;
a door pivotably coupled to the cabinet and movable between a closed position for closing the storage compartment and an open position for allowing access to the storage compartment; and
a dispensing assembly disposed on at least one of the cabinet and the door for supplying water and/or ice, the dispensing assembly including:
a dispensing tube fluidly connected to a source of water and having an outlet opening for allowing a stream of water to exit the dispensing tube upon command;
a first illumination device disposed proximate the dispensing tube for illuminating the stream of water exiting from the dispensing tube; and
a reflective housing surrounding the outlet opening of the dispensing tube and the first illumination device and having a reflective cladding layer on a contoured sidewall of the housing for directing light from the first illumination device to an outlet opening of the reflective housing.
2. The refrigeration appliance of claim 1 , further comprising a second illumination device for illuminating a predetermined target location that corresponds to a position of a terminal end of the stream of water exiting from the dispensing tube.
3. The refrigeration appliance of claim 2 , wherein at least one of the first illumination device and the second illumination device is configured to produce light of various colors.
4. The refrigeration appliance of claim 1 , wherein the first illumination device is configured to produce light of various colors.
5. The refrigeration appliance of claim 1 , wherein the first illumination device and the outlet opening of the dispensing tube both extend into an upper surface of the reflective housing.
6. The refrigeration appliance of claim 1 , further comprising a second illumination device, the first and second illumination devices disposed on opposite sides of the outlet opening of the dispensing tube.