Patent 10190810 was granted and assigned to Molon Motor & Coil Corporation on January, 2019 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
A compact, miniaturized motor assembly for use in an ice making and harvesting device in an appliance is provided. The miniaturized motor assembly includes a gear train assembly having an output shaft engaged with an ice receiving and storage component. A DC motor powers the gear train assembly, which rotates the output shaft in a plurality of directions to effectively loosen and release ice from an ice making device while offering less stress on the ice making device. A method for releasing ice from an ice making device and completing an ice harvesting cycle using the miniaturized motor assembly is also provided.