Whirlpool Corp , the world's top appliance maker, lost a round in a patent fight with LG Electronics Inc as the companies battle for the premium U.S. appliance market.

The International Trade Commission, which hears patent cases that involve imports, said that it would not reconsider its February decision that LG Electronics did not infringe a Whirlpool patent for storing ice in the doors of side-by-side refrigerators.

Whirlpool had initially accused LG of infringing five patents, but four were subsequently withdrawn.

Appliance makers such as Whirlpool and Sweden's Electrolux AB are facing competition from rivals such as LG and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd of South Korea. (Reuters)