CH657694A5 - METHOD FOR PRODUCING ICE PIECES. - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a method for producing pieces of ice.

The ice cubes are advantageously those which are generally used to cool drinks and the like.

It is an object of the present invention to show a new and improved method of making pieces of ice.

The invention is characterized by the features of claim 1.

The subject matter of the invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the drawings, for example.

It shows:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an apparatus for producing pieces of ice, in which the principles of the present invention are present;

Fig. 2 is a front view of part of the portion of the ice piece making apparatus shown in Fig. 1, in which the ice pieces are made;

3 is an exploded view of an ice formation section;

FIG. 4 shows, on an enlarged scale, a section through part of the section shown in FIG. 3;

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section of a water distribution member which is present in the arrangement of Fig. 4;

6 shows a longitudinal section through an enveloping member for the water distribution, which is present in the arrangement of FIG. 4;

Fig. 7 is a top view of the structure shown in Fig. 2;

FIG. 8 is a side view, with parts broken away, of one of the ice-forming parts that are present in the device shown in FIG. 1, these being drawn rotated by 90 ° from their normal operating position;

Fig. 9 is an enlarged scale of a cross section of one of the heat transfer elements and one of the associated refrigerant lines which are present in the lot shown in Fig. 8;

10 drawn on an enlarged scale a partial longitudinal section through a heat transfer element shown in FIG. 9;

Fig. 11 is an enlarged view of part of the assembly of a portion of the evaporator line and two of the associated heat transfer elements present in the ice formation section shown in Fig. 8;

Fig. 12 is an enlarged view of the side of a part of the heat transfer element shown in Fig. 10;

FIG. 13 is a view similar to FIG. 12, in which a part of the heat transfer element thereof is drawn in a preformed state;

Fig. 14 is an enlarged side view of the ice formation pockets which are present in the arrangement shown in Fig. 8;

Fig. 15 on an enlarged scale a section along the line 15-15 of Fig. 14, showing the shape of the ice piece which is formed in the ice formation pocket, showing how this ice piece during the freezing operation of the device for producing ice pieces -ken grows gradually;

16 is a side view of one of the pieces of ice produced by the device for making pieces of ice;

Fig. 17 is a section along the line 17-17 of Fig. 16;

18 shows a section along the line 18-18 of FIG. 16;

Fig. 19 is an enlarged side view of a portion of the lower end of one of the ice-forming sections present in the ice-making device;

Fig. 20 is a view similar to that of Fig. 8, showing a modified version of the ice formation section;

Fig. 21 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the line 21-21 of the refrigerant pipe which is present in the lot shown in Fig. 20;

Fig. 22 on an enlarged scale, a section along the line 22-22 of Fig. 20;

23 is a side view, with parts broken away, of another embodiment of the ice formation section;

Fig. 24 is a section along the line 24-24 of Fig. 23;

Fig. 25 is a view similar to that of Fig. 24, showing another embodiment of the ice formation section;

FIG. 26 is a view similar to that of FIG. 25, in which a still further embodiment of the present invention is shown, according to which the evaporator coil of the ice formation section is arranged helically;

27 shows a cross section through a further embodiment of the device according to the invention for producing pieces of ice, the application of the raw water for producing the ice being carried out by using a water spray device which is arranged below the ice formation part;

FIG. 28 is a view similar to that of FIG. 27, in which a still further embodiment of the present invention is shown, the ice formation section being arranged obliquely;

29 is a view similar to that of FIG. 2, in which a further embodiment of the device according to the invention for producing pieces of ice is shown;

Figure 30 is a view similar to that of Figure 7 showing a top view of the embodiment shown in Figure 29;

Fig. 31 is a side view of one of the ice formation sections present in the ice piece making apparatus shown in Figs. 29 and 30;

Fig. 32 is a side view of the ice formation portions shown in Fig. 31, along with them in operation

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associated raw water distribution line arrangements and water sump arrangements are drawn;

33 is an enlarged section along the line 33-33 of FIG. 32,

34 is a bottom view of the sump arrangement shown in FIG. 32, drawn in the direction of arrow 34 of FIG. 32,

35 is a side view of the sump arrangement shown in FIG. 34, in the direction of arrow 35 of FIG. 32,

36 is a top view, with parts broken away, of parts of the water distribution line shown in FIG. 32;

37 in an exploded arrangement and partially schematically the water distribution assembly shown in FIG. 36,

FIG. 38 shows a longitudinal section of one of the ice formation parts with the associated water distribution line and the associated sump, which are implemented in the arrangement of FIG. 32, and

Fig. 39 on an enlarged scale a section through part of the water distribution arrangement, which is shown in Fig. 38.

Reference is now made to the individual drawings. A device 10 for producing ice pieces is shown, which device 10 is produced according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. It generally has a housing 12 which contains an upper section 14 in which ice is made and a lower section 16 which serves to hold and / or store ice and which has an appropriate access door 18 or flap 18 is equipped. 7 that the top portion 14 of the housing 12, in which top portion 14 ice is made, has a pair of laterally spaced, generally perpendicular end wall portions 20, 22, and further a front wall portion and there is a rear wall section, which sections run transversely between the end wall sections 20, 22 and which are designated by the reference numbers 24 and 26, respectively. Within the section 14 in which ice is made is a load-bearing partition, generally designated 30, which is arranged to be generally parallel to the end wall sections 20, 22 and which is between the front wall section 24 and the rear wall section 26 extends in such a way that the interior of the section 14 is separated into a cooling area 32 and an ice-making area 34. According to a known conventional ice formation, a useful cooling compressor 36 is arranged in the cooling area 32, and further a condenser 38 is arranged which cooperate with the evaporator arrangement in the area 34 (which will be described in detail later), all of these parts being connected to one another by conventional refrigerant lines are connected and work in a conventional manner by the gaseous refrigerant, which is under a relatively high pressure, is conveyed from compressor 36 to the condenser 38, the refrigerant then being cooled and liquefied as it flows through the condenser 38. The refrigerant thus cooled and liquefied flows from the condenser 38 to the evaporator (or evaporators) in which the refrigerant is evaporated by transferring heat from water to the refrigerant, converting the water to ice. The gaseous refrigerant then flows from the evaporator (or from the evaporators) back to the inlet or suction side of the compressor 36, from where it is conveyed back into circulation.

It is obvious that the present invention should not be limited to the configuration of the housing 12 of the device 10 for producing ice pieces shown here (or to the housing 302 of the device 300, which will be described later), because the fundamentals of the invention can be arranged in the most varied embodiments of housings and / or can be installed in various already existing designs of devices for producing pieces of ice, which are not necessarily such that the various structural components from which the present invention is composed is in a housing, e.g. the housing 12 must actually be arranged. In addition, the structural relationship, namely that the section 14 in which ice is made is located above the ice receiving or storage section 16, as drawn in FIG. 1, is in no way intended to apply the principles of the present invention limit, because the ice storage area, which is assigned to the device for producing ice pieces according to the present invention, can be arranged above, next to or even away from this device without deviating from the scope of the present invention.

The device 10 for producing pieces of ice and in particular its ice-making area 34 has one or more ice-forming sections which are designed such that they can absorb raw water for the production of ice from a suitable source of raw water and can cooperate with the device in the area 32 of the housing 12 to create the ice cubes. For example, in FIG. 2 the device 10 for making ice pieces is drawn in such a way that it has four of the ice making parts mentioned above, which are generally designated by the reference number 50 and which are arranged generally parallel and at a distance from one another within the region 34 in the housing are. It is obvious that the device 10 for making pieces of ice (or the device 300, which will be described later) can contain a larger or smaller number of such ice making parts 50 without departing from the scope or the honest opinion of the present invention and that the position thereof within the housing 12 can also be changed somewhat without departing from the present inventive concepts.

3, 4 and 19, it can best be seen that each of the sections 50 has an upper water distribution section 52, a central ice formation section 54, which is generally in the form of a flat plate, and further a lower section 56, which acts as a water Sump and ice guide section is used, the various parts 50, which are described above, are arranged next to each other within the ice making area 34 of the housing 12, which is best seen in FIG. 2. Due to the fact that each of the lots 50 illustrated in FIG. 2 of the present invention and in particular because the sections 52, 54 and 56 thereof are largely identical in construction and operation, the following detailed description is one of the lots 50 is intended to also be applicable to each of the lots 50 arranged in the device 10 for producing pieces of ice.

4 and 6, it is best seen that the water distribution section 52 of the ice formation sections 50 includes an elongated, open-top housing 58, and a pair of spaced, parallel, generally vertically arranged side walls 60, 62 and one Has bottom plate, which extends generally horizontally between the side walls 60, 62, and thus an elongated cavity

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describes which is generally designated by reference numeral 66. 6, the opposite ends of the housing 58 are terminated by upstanding end wall portions and the inner side of the bottom portions 64 is formed with a generally downwardly sunk central region 68 within which a succession of generally longitudinally oriented , vertically extending slots 70 are formed, which connect the interior of the cavity 66 with the underside of the housing 58. The underside of the bottom portion 64 has an elongated, uninterrupted recess 72 which cooperates with the ice formation portion 54 of the section 50 in a manner as will be described below. One end of the housing 58 is provided with an overflow section, generally designated 74, which has a convenient overflow passage 76 at its lower end and in which a quantity of raw ice making water greater than that which is necessary for the formation of the ice in the lot 50, which occurs during the freezing operation, with which excess amount undesirable impurities in the water can flow away, which excess amount can be returned to the end of the lot or a similar component,

this in a manner known in the art.

According to FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, a generally tubular water pipe member, which is generally designated by the reference number 80, is arranged within the elongate cavity 66 of the housing 58. This link 80 has a generally cylindrical body portion 82 which includes a downward water distribution portion 84 which is formed along the lower side thereof and extends in the same direction. The cylindrical section 82 has an elongated, inner, converging interior space 86, which has an inlet end 88 at one end and is intended to be connected to a suitable source of raw water for producing pieces of ice (not shown), for example a pipe, by means of which the line member 80 is connected to the associated water sump by means of a suitable water pump. The opposite end of the converging interior 86 is closed off in such a way that any water that is brought into it

a plurality of vertically extending outlet openings 90, generally spaced longitudinally. It is best seen from FIG. 4 that the outlet openings 90 are arranged generally vertically above the plurality of slots 70, which slots 70 are formed in the bottom section 64 of the housing 58. The reason for the formation of the interior 86 converging is that there is an even distribution of water to the plurality of outlet openings 90, the diameter decrease of the interior 86 from the inlet end 88 of the same to the closed, opposite end of the same from the sum of the cross-sectional area of the outlet openings 90 such depends on the fact that a relatively uniform amount of water is dispensed downward along the entire lengthwise majority thereof, so that a uniform water supply is formed inside the housing 58, which water flows down through the plurality of slots for the reasons described later.

Reference will now be made in detail to the ice formation section 54 of the lot 50, which is best seen in FIGS. 3 and 8, and which section 54 includes a relatively thin, generally rectangular, one-piece body 96 which has a plurality of pockets or recesses for forming ice,

which are generally designated by reference numeral 98 and are formed on both opposite sides of the body 96. These ice formation pockets 96 are arranged in vertical rows, the rows on one side of section 54 being staggered relative to the rows of the other, opposite side, but with pockets 98 in each of the rows relative to pockets 98 of the row on the opposite Side of the body 96 are arranged vertically aligned. In section 54 there is an elongated evaporator line, generally designated by the reference numeral 100, which is arranged in a serpentine fashion and has a plurality of generally horizontally arranged, spaced parallel line sections 102, which are connected to one another in series by means of curved pieces 104, which is best seen in FIG. 11. The evaporator pipe 100 has an inlet end section 106 and an outlet section 108, which sections are connected in a conventional manner to the cooling system of the ice making device 10, by means of which the refrigerant can be made to flow through the pipe 100 to Freeze the ice-making tubing water that is supplied to the plurality of pockets 98 during the freezing operation of the present invention, and wherein hot refrigerant gases can be passed through line 100 during the profit operation to cause the ice cubes released during the operation to be released preceding freezing operation have been formed, as will be described in detail later.

A heat transfer element 110 is arranged between each pair of adjacent line sections 102 of the evaporator line 100, which heat transfer elements 110 together with the line 100 are advantageously made of a highly heat-conducting material, for example copper. The heat transfer members 110 embedded in section 54 are best seen in Figs. 11-13 and may be made from originally shaped, relatively thin, stamped metal strips that are such that along their opposite, longitudinally extending edges thereof a plurality of ears 112 are present, which ears 112 delimit recesses or notches 114 between them, as best seen in FIG. 13. The heat transfer elements 110 are formed (for example by means of stamping) with a series of pockets or recesses, which are generally designated by the reference number 114. In particular, and as drawn in FIGS. 9 and 11, a series of longitudinal recesses 116 are alternately arranged in the links 110 such that when the links 110 are viewed from the side, these links 110 are a series alternate bulged and indented surface sections show, the indented surface sections on each side thereof describing the recesses 116. Each of these pockets or recesses 116 has a pair of the above ears laterally aligned with them, and during the aforesaid molding or punching, during which the pockets 116 are formed in the elements 110, the associated ears 112 after bent upwards and downwards (according to the view of FIG. 9) relative to the plane of the limbs 110, depending on the bulged or indented formation which is formed in the limbs 110 during the shaping, with the result that laterally aligned ears 112, which alternately point upwards and downwards along the length of the links 110, the upwardly curved ears 112 in FIG. 9 being designated by the reference number 112a and the downwardly curved ears 112 in FIG. 9 with the

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Reference number 112b.

The majority of the upwardly and downwardly curved ears 112a and 112b along each of the heat transfer members 110 describe elongated or longitudinal edge channels, as best seen in FIG. 9 and designated by reference numeral 118,

the dimensions of these channels being such that they correspond to the lateral distance between the spaced parallel sections 102 of the evaporator line 100, with the result that the heat transfer members 110 of each section 54 between the line sections 102 are from the opposite sides of their serpentine configuration can be used, and in a manner as best seen in FIG. 11. Thus, the plurality of links 110 can be inserted from the opposite side edges of the serpentine conduit 10 in a manner shown in Fig. 11 to a point where they are fully inserted between the portions 102 thereof, such as 8 can be seen. After the majority of the links 110 have been applied in this way from the evaporator line 100, their entire assembly is advantageously subjected to soldering or a similar advantage, by means of which the links 110 are connected to the line 100 in such a way that an effective heat transfer between the Line sections 102 and the members 110 is achieved. The assembly of line 100 and heat transfer members 110 is then determined to be placed in a suitable mold or the like, for example in a plastic injection mold, followed by a suitable polymeric plastic, for example polyethylene or another suitable material, which has the necessary casting properties and hygienic properties to attach the aforementioned assembly to form a one-piece monolithic body 96. During the casting process, flowable plastic will flow in and around the various interstices and outer surfaces of the evaporator line 100 and the plurality of heat transfer elements 110, so that the structural unity of these respective components is ensured in their respective operating position and at the same time the majority of the ice formation pockets 98 in the opposite sides of the body 96 are formed, with each of the pockets 98 corresponding to one of the pockets 116 formed in the heat transfer members 110 such that the above staggered arrangement of the ice formation pockets 98 is created, the individual configuration or shape of which will be described later becomes.

It can be seen from FIG. 4 that the plastic from which the section 54 is made and which is generally designated by the reference number 120 is formed with a plurality of spaced, parallel, laterally extending recesses 122 within the upper ends 124 thereof. The upper end 124 is formed such that it can be inserted into the recess 72, which is arranged on the underside of the housing 58, so that raw water, which is intended for producing the ice and flows down through the slots, within the Recesses 122 flows laterally outwards relative to section 54 and is then led downwards as soon as the water reaches the generally vertically running surface areas 125 which are arranged at the lower edges of the recess 72, which has the consequence that the raw water which Ice is to be reshaped, deflected downward such that it cascades along and over the opposite sides of section 54, flowing over and into the plurality of ice formation pockets 98 during operation of the machine, as will be described below.

Reference is now made to FIG. 19. The ice guide section 56 is generally designed to guide the ice pieces 163 formed in the plurality of pockets 98 and to guide these ice pieces 163 away from the water sump at the lower end of the section 50 during ice making operations such that the ice pieces 163 follow 1 and fall into some form of ice storage area, for example the ice storage section 16 shown in Figure 1, with the section 56 serving secondarily, raw water intended for making the ice and over the opposite sides of the section 54 cascades down to separate from the ice such that the raw water will flow into the associated sump and will be used during the subsequent operating step of the device 10. 19 is intended to be the same width as the associated section 54, which section 56 has a generally flat or horizontal bottom section 126 and upstanding side walls 128 and 130 which are inclined upwards and inwards are as shown at 132 and 134 and end at generally horizontal top edge portions 136 and 138 located along the opposite sides of portion 54. The sloping side sections 132 and 134 serve to deflect or lead away the ice pieces 163 falling down from the sides of section 54 from the lower end of section 54, which side sections 132 and 134 are provided with convenient openings or perforations which are general are designated by the reference numeral 140, so that the raw water intended for producing the ice, which cascades downward on the opposite sides of section 54, flows through the perforations 140 into an inner sump area 142 which is operated with a suitable water pump or similar devices can be connected so that the water can be brought back into circulation. It should be noted that the section 56 shown in FIG. 19 is shown more or less schematically and that the arrangement shown in connection with the device 300 for making ice cubes and which will be described further below, from one more preferred form of the invention. Regardless of this, however, section 56 is intended to show how the pieces of ice 163 formed within pockets 98 and subsequently falling down therefrom during a winning operation are deflected outward and away from the lower end of section 56 and then in an associated ice storage area fall.

Reference is now made to FIGS. 14 and 15.

Each of these pockets 98, when viewed from its side, has a generally square shape (ie, it has four side edges each of the same length) and has a central recessed or bulged portion 150 which is defined by the outer surface of the portion of FIG Heat transfer element 110, which is arranged below, and is limited by four inwardly inclined side surfaces 152, 154 and 156, 158, which generally have an arcuate shape and is formed in the plastic 120, in which the section 54 is embedded. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the longitudinal side edges and the side side edges of each of the pockets 98 are formed together with the pockets 98 adjacent thereto, as shown in FIG. 14, so that the ice-making capacity of the section 54 is maximized, i.e. the number of pieces of ice 163 made along each of their sides

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can. It will also be seen that while the central portion of each of the pockets 98 is formed by the central portion of the associated recess 116 of the adjacent heat transfer element 110, the outer edge or end faces of each of the pockets 98 are increasingly against the outer end edges of the pockets 98 has an increasing distance from the surface of the recess 116 underneath. Thus, the thickness of the plastic 120 between the heat transfer elements 110 and the inner surface of each of the pockets 98 gradually increases from zero (0) thickness (or a film of the plastic 120 of minimum thickness in the area above the central part of the underlying heat transfer element 110) to a maximum thickness immediately at the perimeter of the pockets 98, which formation contributes to one of the primary features of the present invention. In particular, the above-mentioned design causes the pieces of ice 163 formed within the pockets 98 to generally have a symmetrical shape on their opposite sides, although the ice is formed in pouring cavities (or pockets) which are used to freeze the raw water during manufacture of ice are only arranged next to one of the sides of the ice piece 163 that is being formed. In other words, and referring to Figures 16-18, the piece of ice 163 formed according to the principles of the present invention has a generally square shape, i.e. it has four sides of the same length, which piece of ice

163 seen from the side, has upper and lower opposite bulged sides 164 and 166, respectively, which has spaced parallel side edges 168 and 170 and which has parallel upper and lower edges 172 and 174 which are perpendicular to side edges 168 and 170 run. The opposite side faces

164 and 166 of the ice piece 163 are largely symmetrical to each other and complementary to the inner surface of the pockets 98, with the result that the ice piece 163 is pillow-shaped in the final shape. The important reason why the piece of ice 163 is generally symmetrical - this is according to the principles of the present invention - is that the plastic 120, which describes the outer edge sections of the ice pockets 98, acts as an insulating medium between the raw water for producing the ice cascades down the opposite sides of section 54 and acts on heat transfer elements 110, which heat transfer elements 110 transfer heat between the coolant flowing through evaporator line 100 and the raw water to form the ice. In particular, and as best shown in FIG. 15, it can be seen that due to the fact that the heat transfer elements 110 are located immediately adjacent to each of the pockets 98 and in fact form the central portion thereof, the center of which is the The greatest heat transfer takes place due to the fact that there is little or no plastic 120 between the surface of the elements 110 and the pockets 98. Accordingly, the raw water to form the ice will freeze faster at the central portion of the pockets 98 during freezing. However, because the thickness of the plastic 120 increases between the heat transfer elements 110 and the outer end edges of the pockets 98, a gradually reduced amount of heat is transferred from the elements 110 against the outer edges of the pockets 98 due to the fact that the plastic 120 as heat insulating (non-heat-conducting) medium acts between the water for producing the ice and the adjacent surface sections of the heat transfer element 110. Accordingly, piece of ice 163 is gradually built up in pockets 98 in a manner best illustrated in FIG. 15, with piece of ice 163 growing thicker and thicker at the central portion of the ice product, as with the successive "growth lines" during one Freezing operation is shown. As a result, the outer surfaces of the ice piece 163, i.e. that outer surface which does not touch the inner surface of the pocket 98 has a bulged shape and has a shape which is largely the same as that which has the surface of the ice piece 163 which is in actual contact with the circumference of the pockets 98, which results in the final piece of ice 163 being generally symmetrical (having a symmetrical shape), as represented by the cross sections of FIGS. 17 and 18.

Reference is now made in particular to FIG. 15. It can be seen from this that each piece of ice 163 which is formed within one of the pockets 98 has a side which faces the pocket 98 and faces outwards, i.e. has a larger bulged shape than the opposite side thereof, i.e. the side facing away from pocket 98; however, when a subsequent winning operation is performed and hot gases are passed through the evaporator line 100, the elements 110 begin to heat, with the result that part of the ice piece 163 formed, which is present next to the elements 100, begins to melt. Such melting causes the ice pieces 163 to detach from the pockets 98 and also that that side of the ice pieces 163 which has the larger bulged shape is melted away, so that the ice pieces 163 assume a shape which is shown in FIG and 18, and take this form at the time they fall out of pockets 98 into an ice storage area below. Therefore, one of the advantages of the present invention resides in the fact that pieces of ice 163 are formed which first have a bulged side which has a larger bulge than its opposite side, but which has melted away from the device during the profit operation, such that both sides of the ice piece 163 ultimately obtained are symmetrical when the product is finally extracted. Obviously and in addition, one of the other important advantages of the present invention is that a generally symmetrical piece of ice 163 can be obtained, i.e. an ice piece 163, which has largely symmetrical, bulged sides, which can be produced in an ice mold, which has only a single indented side surface, this result due to a perfect ratio of the amount of the relatively non-heat-conducting material 120 between a centrally arranged heat transfer element and the inner peripheral surface of the recess.

This ice piece 163 mentioned above can be considered a considerable advantage of the present invention in that it has been found that this ice piece 163 has a number of greatly improved properties compared to the ice pieces known in the art. In particular, due to the fundamentally square, but arcuate shape of the ice piece, greatly improved anti-bridging properties are achieved. This is due to the fact that a "point" contact largely takes place in a storage container of ice cubes, in contrast to surface or line contact in known ice cubes, so that bridging between adjacent ice cubes or freezing together of adjacent ice cubes is extremely minimized with the result that even after a long storage the same goes out easily

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the same takes place. Another property of the piece of ice that can be obtained resides in an extremely greatly improved space requirement and also in the property that a greatly reduced splashing occurs. Due to the fact in particular that the piece of ice can be stacked in a greatly improved manner, a larger number of pieces of ice can be arranged within a container or receptacle of predetermined dimensions, so that commercially desirable liquid space requirement properties are the result. In the same way, due to the fact that the piece of ice has no hollows or relatively flat surfaces, the splashing of liquid is minimized to the utmost when it is poured in or otherwise led into a container, so that an undesirable splashing of the Liquid is prevented.

20 to 22, reference is now made. Here, a modified version of the invention is shown and in particular a modified version of the ice formation section, which is designated by the reference number 200. Lot 200 is different from section 54 described above in that instead of using a plurality of heat transfer elements 110 and a separate refrigerant line. The primary heat transfer path between the refrigerant and the raw water for making the ice is formed using a plurality of spaced parallel lines, generally designated by reference numeral 202, which are best seen in FIG. 20. The conduits 202 are connected at their opposite ends to a pair of generally laterally extending manifolds 204 and 206 which are configured such that a series flow of the refrigerant from the inlet conduit 218 through the entire series of conduits 202 to an outlet conduit 220 can take place, together with line 218, which is connected to the associated freezer. The conduits 202 are provided with alternately staggered ice mold pockets or recesses 208, each disposed on opposite sides thereof and generally flattened in a manner best seen in FIGS. 21 and 22 such that the Pockets 208 are formed and also that flow paths 210 and 212 of the refrigerant are formed, which flow paths run along opposite side sections of the lines 202, as shown in FIG. 21. With this arrangement, the lines serve two purposes, namely to form flow paths for the refrigerant and to form heat transfer surfaces for the central sections of the ice-forming pockets 216, which are formed analogously to the pockets 98 mentioned above and which are formed in a one-piece plastic body 214, again analogously to the The aforementioned plastic 120. It is contemplated that the plurality of conduits 202 may be formed into a corrugated, pocket-forming configuration in a convenient press, punch, or similar machine, as shown in FIG. 22, and thereafter at their opposite ends can be connected to the associated distribution links 204 and 206,

whereupon the entire assembly consisting of the distribution lines 204 and 206 and a plurality of the lines 202 can be arranged again in the moldings or tools of the press, with the double aim of serving as a mold in which the plastic 214 is injected . Therefore, the same device can be used to deform the lines 202 and form a mold for the plastic 214. In a preferred embodiment of the ice formation section 200, the lines 202 are made from a thin 3/4 inch copper tube which can be deformed to have the shape shown in FIGS. 21 and 22. Obviously, tubes of other dimensions can also be used without departing from the scope of the present invention.

It should be noted that the preferred embodiment is not necessarily limited to an arrangement in which a plurality of ice-forming pockets are arranged along one or both sides of a generally flat or planar ice-forming part, as in the apparatus for producing Ice is the case that has been described above and also in the device 300, which will be described below. In particular, it is anticipated that the embodiments of the present invention i5 can also be used for an arrangement of an ice formation section in which a plurality of ice-forming pockets are arranged on the sides of a multi-sided (more than two-sided) structure, and in this regard reference is now made to FIG 23 and 24, in which an alternate embodiment of the ice formation section is shown, generally designated by reference numeral 230.

The drawn member 230 is shown, by way of example only and without the intent to limit the scope of the present invention, as member 230 having a four-sided heat transfer member 232 consisting of largely identical vertical sides 234, 236, 238 and 240 which are on their respective edges adjoin each other. The link 230 is made from a suitable heat transfer material, for example from a sheet of copper, each of the four sides 234-240 being formed with a plurality of three ice-forming pockets 242 arranged at a vertical distance, as can best be seen from FIG. 23. A generally cylindrical shaped manifold 244 is disposed within the heat transfer element 232, the outer periphery of this manifold 244 being configured to be in continuous contact with the inner surface of the central portion of each of the pockets 242, the manifold 244 a middle chamber describes which can be brought into connection with a capillary tube 257 for the refrigerant and an outlet tube 258, which serve to guide the refrigerant between an associated freezing system and the interior of the distribution member 244, in which case the Heat transfer takes place between the distribution line 244 and the middle part of each of the several ice formation pockets 242, which pockets 242 are formed on the sides 234-240 of the heat transfer element 232. The four vertices 254 of the heat transfer element, together with the outer circumference of the distribution line or the distribution element 244, describe a plurality of four chambers 246, 248, 250 and 252, which can serve as a means of receiving tap water or drinking water that thaws during the profit operation. to assist in releasing the ice cubes 163 from the pockets 242. The outer surface of the heat transfer member 230 comprises a suitable heat insulating material, which is generally designated by the reference number 259 and which has been manufactured and shaped in the same way as is the case with the plastic 120 of the device 10, so that this material can cooperate with the indented surfaces of the pockets 242 to form the recesses for forming the ice, into which recesses water is introduced during the freezing operation. It should be noted that instead of "5 directing water into chambers 246-252 during freezing, hot gas can be supplied to the chambers, in accordance with the principles of other embodiments of the invention described herein.

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23 to 24 can be easily modified such that the refrigerant flows into and through the chambers 246, 248, 250 and 252 and the defrost make-up water enters the cylindrical member 244 can without departing from the scope of the present invention.

25 and 26 show still further embodiments of the present invention, in which a plurality of ice-forming pockets or recesses do not necessarily have to be arranged on relatively flat or flat evaporator members. In particular, these figures show multi-sided heat transfer members (8-sided members are shown), each side being aligned with a series of vertically oriented pockets in which pockets the ice cubes 163 are formed. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 25, the heat transfer member is designated by reference numeral 260 and is shown to consist of a plurality of sides 262 which form apex 264 between them and in which a plurality of ice-forming pockets 266 are arranged is. Each of the pockets 266 is configured to cooperate with an evaporator line 268 which is generally parallel to the rows of pockets 266 and connected within the member 260 such that heat transfer between the evaporator lines 268 and the central portion of each pocket 266 takes place in substantially the same manner as described above. The embodiment shown in Fig. 26 is the same as that shown in Fig. 25, with the corresponding parts being given the same reference numerals; however, rather than the generally vertical evaporator lines 268 being located adjacent to each of the vertical rows of pockets 266 of the embodiment of FIG. 25, a generally helical evaporator line 270 is disposed within the assembly 260 'and configured to be the middle one Portion of each of the pockets 266 'contacts so that heat transfer takes place between the refrigerant in the line 270 and the raw water for making the ice which is introduced into the pockets 266' during freezing.

27 and 28 show two additional alternative embodiments of the present invention, which embodiments show that the principles of the invention can also be applied to devices for producing pieces of ice, in which the raw water from which the ice is to be formed, is sprayed directly onto ice formation sections, as opposed to cascading flow over such ice formation sections as is the case with devices 10 and 300 for making ice pieces described herein. In addition, FIGS. 27 and 28 show that the principles of the present invention can also be applied when the ice formation section is arranged in a horizontal or inclined position, in contrast to the vertical orientation. In particular, and with reference to FIG. 27, there is shown an ice formation section 272 which is basically the same configuration as that shown in FIG. 8, except that this assembly 272 has pockets 274 for forming the ice which are only there bottom side are present. The assembly 272 has appropriate evaporator lines 276, which can be configured analogously to the line 100 described above and which has a plurality of heat transfer elements 278, which are arranged between adjacent parts of the line 276, in such a way that they partially delimit the pockets 274 for forming the ice which pockets 274 face down. The assembly is equipped with the heat-insulating plastic described above, which is generally designated by the reference number 280, and which, together with the heat transfer elements 278, forms the pockets 274, which advantageously have largely the same shape as the case with the pockets 98 described above is. The entire assembly 272 is arranged on a generally horizontally arranged flange 282, with a spray housing 284, in which a water spray rod 286 is enclosed, which is arranged next to the lower end thereof and has suitable drive means 288, which serve to Rotate or reciprocate the spray bar 286 so that the raw water to form the ice is sprayed up against the bottom of the assembly 272 and into the pockets 274 such that ice cubes are formed therein during freezing will. A convenient sieve or the like 290 is present between the underside of the assembly 272 and the spray bar 286 so that ice that is released from the pockets 274 during a subsequent freezing operation falls down onto this sieve and then removed to one through the ice openings 292 arranged ice storage area or the like, which is generally designated by the reference number 294 and which area 294 may be arranged below the housing 282.

The arrangement shown in FIG. 28 is largely identical to that of FIG. 27, with the corresponding components being identified by the same reference numerals and additionally an apostrophe, with the exception of the ice formation section 272 ', which is in a relatively inclined position Position is arranged, in contrast to the generally horizontal position shown in FIG. 27. This inclined arrangement enables rapid release of the pieces of ice 163 generated during a previous freezing operation by spraying or directing a defroster of hot gas and / or hot water onto the underside of the ice formation section 272 ', as is still associated with the whole Operation of the embodiment of the present invention will be described.

Reference is now made to Figs. 29-39. This shows a device 300 for producing pieces of ice, which is designed in accordance with a further preferred exemplary embodiment of the present invention. This device 300 generally has an outer housing or envelope 302, which housing 302 has a front generally vertically arranged wall section 304 and a rear generally vertically arranged wall section 306. A pair of upstanding end wall sections 308 and 310 extend between the front wall section 304 and the rear wall section 306 at the side, opposite sides or ends of the housing 302. A generally vertical partition 312 also extends between the wall sections 304,306 and divides the interior of the Housing 312 in a cooling area 314 and in an ice making area 320, which are arranged in the left and right side of the device 300, as shown in FIGS. 29 and 30.

As is the case in connection with the ice piece making apparatus 10 described above, the cooling section 314 has a conventional cooling device, generally designated by reference numeral 316, which has a compressor, condenser, etc., in which Area 314 there is also a water pump 318 which is intended to supply raw water to the ice making device which is arranged in the ice making area 320 in a manner which follows

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Generally speaking, the ice making device within the ice making area 320 of the ice piece making device 300 has a water distribution assembly, generally indicated at 322, has a water sump assembly, generally designated 324, and has a plurality of four ice formation sections each, which are generally designated by the reference number 326 and whose structure and operation are identical to those of the aforementioned ice formation sections 54, which have already been described above. As will be described in connection with the overall operation of the ice making device 300, the water distribution assembly 322 is designed to supply water to the plurality of ice forming and evaporating members 326 which operate to freeze the water so that pieces of ice 163 are formed, which have a shape as already described above. Excess raw water is collected in the water sump 324 and returned to the water distribution arrangement 322, as will be described in detail below.

Reference will now be made in detail to the ice formation of the water sump assembly 324 shown in FIGS. 34, 35 and 38. This arrangement 324 has a one-piece molded body 330 which is made of a polymer material which has the necessary hygienic properties and which is completely open on its upper side. The body 330 has an elongated central portion 332 which is transverse to the housing 302, i.e. is arranged parallel to the front wall section 304 and the rear wall section 306 and at a location which is provided below the plurality of evaporator members 326. Extending generally perpendicular to the central section 332 is a plurality of eight arm sections 334 arranged in four spaced parallel rows, each of which includes two aligned arm sections 334, as best seen in Figure 34, each row is arranged immediately below one of the evaporator members 326. The sump assembly 324 has a generally vertically disposed side wall portion 336 which extends completely around the body 330 and which is integrally connected at its lower end to a bottom wall or bottom cover of the water sump 324. In particular, the middle section 332 of the body 330 has a bottom wall section 338 which slopes obliquely downwards and which circumscribes a water container 340 at its lowermost section which, if desired, can be provided with a suitable cleaning arrangement 342, for example a plug for cleaning a drain line, etc That end of the middle section 332 of the water sump arrangement 324 which is arranged next to the storage container 340 has a plurality of three openings each, namely a lower opening 346, a central opening 348 and an upper opening 350, which openings therefor are intended to cooperate with appropriate water pipes which will be described below and which are intended to guide water between the interior of the sump arrangement 324 and the water pump 318 described above. Each of the arm portions 334 of the body 330 has an inclined bottom 352, all of which bottom portions are inclined downward from the outer end thereof toward the central portion 332, as best seen in FIG. 35, water being the after will drip down into the arm portions 334, flow inward or toward the center against the central portion 332, and then be guided against and into the container 340 located in the lower portion of the central portion 332 of the body 330 by means of the inclined bottom 338. As best seen in Fig. 31, the lower end of each of the arm portions 334 has a bead 354 in its side wall portion 336, 5 which beads 354 circumscribe inner recesses 356 which, in a manner to be described below, serve the entire Support water sump assembly 324 on the lower ends of the plurality of four ice formation and evaporator members 326.

io Reference is now made to the design of the water distribution assembly 322, which is best seen in FIGS. 36, 37 and 39. This arrangement 322 has a primary supply line section, generally designated by reference numeral 360, which is intended to be connected to the aforementioned water pump 318 in a manner to be described below. The line section 360 extends laterally within the ice formation area 320 of the housing 302, i.e. parallel to the front wall section 304 and rear wall section 306, and 2o this at a location immediately above the evaporator members 326 and which is generally vertically aligned with and parallel to the central section 332 of the water sump assembly 324. The line section 360 has a central inlet connector 362, which is arranged between the opposite ends thereof and is intended to be connected to a water supply line 454, which is connected to the water pump 318, as best shown in FIG. 29 can be seen. As shown in FIG. 37, the primary line section 360 30 has a plurality of four pairs of longitudinally spaced pairs of oppositely arranged outlet sections 364, 366, 368 and 370, each of which has a distance from one another that is equal to the lateral distance of the Evaporator members 326 is. An elongated manifold is connected to each of the outlet sections 364-370, one of which is shown in FIG. 39 and is generally designated by reference numeral 372. 39 that each of the distributing members 372 has an elongated hole 374 which is formed to converge radially inwards 40, i.e. the cross-sectional area of the same decreases toward the outer end of the distributing member 372. Hole 374 of each of links 372 may be connected to a plurality of generally vertically spaced 45 outlet openings 376 which extend between hole 374 and the interior of an elongated cavity 378, which cavity 378 is in the bottom of each Distribution members 372 is formed. 38 that the cavity 378 is delimited between a pair of 50 spaced, downwardly projecting side sections 380 and 382, which are integrally arranged with the distribution member 372, which is advantageous according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention 55 is made of a cast, polymeric material, for example "Celcon" or the like. The lower ends of the side portions 380 and 382 describe water deflection recesses or surface portions 384 for deflecting water, which act in a manner described below such that water that flows down from the 60 holes 374 through the outlet openings 376 is directed into the cavity 378 and flows from this cavity 378 against and over the opposite sides of the ice formation and evaporator members 326, which are arranged below the distribution members 372. 65 The end of each of the distributing members 372, which is connected to the primary line section 360, has a countersunk section 386 with an enlarged diameter, which is arranged coaxially to the associated hole 374.

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39 is such that one of the laterally outwardly extending outlet sections 364-370 can be inserted in a manner as shown in FIG. 39, the outlet section 364 being within the lowered section 386 of the distributing member 372 is inserted. The end of the distributor member 372 which faces the line section 360 has a semicircular end surface 388, the shape of which is complementary to the shape of the outer surface of the line section 360 and is intended to be uniform therein when the distributor member is assembled onto the associated outlet sections 364-370 intervene. The length of the surfaces 388 of each of the distributing members 372 is advantageously somewhat greater than half the circumference of the associated line section 360, such that the line member 372 can be snapped onto the line section 360. 36 that the uppermost portion of the inner end of each of the distributing members 372 has a generally stepped shape, as shown at 390, the upper ends of the oppositely disposed members 372 are inserted one into the other when they are on the primary line section 360 are applied. As will be described in more detail below, the raw water for making ice, which is supplied to the primary conduit section 360 through the inlet connector 362, is guided longitudinally along the entire length of the conduit section 360. This water is then passed out through the plurality of outlet sections 364-370 and introduced into the holes 374 of the plurality of manifolds 372 connected to the opposite sides of the primary pipe section 360. The water that flows into the holes 374 is discharged downward through the plurality of outlet openings 376 and will then flow into the cavity 378 of each of the members 372, after which the water will flow down from the cavity 378 and over the opposite sides of the ice formation portions 326 will cascade, which links 326 are arranged below.

Reference is now made to the majority of the ice formation lots 326, each of the lots 326 advantageously having the same formation and also having the same operation, and therefore the description below of only one of the lots will be understood to also refer to each of the lots 326 is to be used, which is present in the device 300 for producing pieces of ice.

The section 326 preferably has the same design and the same operation as the ice-forming sections 54 already described above and as such consists of a molded plastic body which is generally designated by the reference number 400 and which has a generally serpentine evaporator line 402, which is arranged within the same and whose formation and operation is analogous to the evaporator line 100, which is present in the above-mentioned section 54. The evaporator section 402 of each of the lots 326 can be associated with the associated freezing arrangement of the freezing area 314 using a supply line 404 and a return flow line 406.

A plurality of heat transfer elements, generally designated 408, the composition and operation of which are the same as those of elements 110 of ice formation section 54, are disposed between the spaced parallel portions of evaporator line 402, line 402 and plurality of elements 408 is embedded within the plastic of the body 400 in a manner as described above. The opposite sides of body 400 are provided with a plurality of vertical rows of pockets or recesses for forming pieces of ice 163, generally designated by reference numeral 410, which are again, in terms of design and operation, identical to the aforementioned pockets or recesses 98 of the section 54, and accordingly a further description is omitted, it being sufficient to state that the pockets 410 are designed to receive and freeze water cascaded therethrough during freezing operation, and then this being so resulting ice piece (s) 163, which are released during the subsequent winning operation, fall down into an associated ice receiving area, which is arranged below the plurality of lots 326, as described in the foregoing description of the device 10 for producing ice pieces of the present invention can be seen.

31,38 and 39, it can best be seen that the upper end of each section 326 has a reduced thickness portion 412 which is intended to be inserted into the lower end of the cavity 378 of the two associated distribution members 372. The upper end portion 412 is formed with a plurality of laterally spaced, spaced parallel slots or recesses 416 which are arranged along the upper edge of the portion 326 in the longitudinal direction and which are intended to connect to the interior of the cavities 378 of the associated ones Distribution slider 372 to stand, so that raw water for producing the ice, which is present within the cavities 378, can flow down into the slots 416 and then flow outwards and hit the surfaces 384, where the raw water is then deflected downwards so that it can cascade down the opposite sides of the body 400.

Each ice formation section 326 has a lower end 418 that is provided with a pair of oppositely disposed outwardly projecting shoulders or ribs 420, which ribs 420 extend along substantially the entire length of body 400 and outwardly and downwardly inclined upper ice deflection surfaces 422 describe. The shoulders or ribs 420 on the opposite sides of the body 400 are provided with a plurality of spaced, vertically arranged slots 424 through which raw water is to flow after flowing over the opposite sides of the body 400, such water subsequently entering the associated arm sections 334 of the sump assembly 324 drips. The sloping upper side surfaces 422 of the shoulders 420 are intended to serve as ice deflecting means, with pieces of ice 163 released from the plurality of pockets 410 during the profitable operation of the entire operation of the device 300 for making pieces of ice falling and falling down the surfaces 420 will impinge, the pieces of ice 163 then being deflected outwards and away from the adjacent sump arm section 334 and thus guided into an ice receiving area which is present below the sump arrangement 324, the raw water for producing ice being cascaded over the opposite sides of body 400 flows, flows down through the plurality of slots or recesses 424, and flows directly into sump assembly 324 so that it can be recirculated.

It is best seen from Fig. 31 that each ice formation section 326 has a pair of cylindrical pegs located on the opposite sides thereof and generally at the center of the lowermost parts thereof

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available. These pins 426, 428 are designed to cooperate with shoulders 430 in the form of an inverted "V" and the flanges 432, which are located between the pins 426, 428 and are provided on each side of the body 400, engage a plurality of covers of the To hold the sump, generally designated by reference numeral 460, which covers 460 are located over the central portion 332 of the sump assembly 324 and are each located between an adjacent pair of portions 326 so that the piece of ice 163 is prevented from forms in the pockets 410 of the paries 326, falls down into the middle section 332 of the swamp 324. In the embodiment of the present invention, shown in FIGS. 29 and 30, three of the links 460 are located between the four ice formation sections 326 and are supported at their respective opposite ends by means of the cylindrical pins 426, 428, the shoulders 430 and the holding flanges 432. Although not shown here, the opposite ends of each of the sump arm portions 334 may be provided with like lid members which prevent pieces of ice 163 from falling into the ends of the sump arm portions 334, as is known to those skilled in the art .

The lower opposite edges of each of the ice formation sections 326 have a pair of outwardly extending trunnions 434 and 436, which are designed (as best seen in FIG. 31) into the recesses 356 of the associated beads 354 of the arm portions 334 of the sump Arrangement 324 to be used, whereby the entire sump assembly 324 is releasably supported at the lower ends of the plurality of sections 326 and points downward from there. The entire assembly consisting of the plurality of ice formation sections 326, the sump arrangement 324 and the distribution arrangement 322, which is arranged on the upper edges of the sections 326, is designed such that it faces outwards within the ice production area 320 of the housing 302 by means of a plurality Pins 440, 442, and 444 may be carried, which pins are located on the opposite side edges of the portions 326, and the rear of which 440 and 442 are designed to fit appropriately shaped openings in the rear wall 306 (or hygienic cover etc.) of the ice making area 320 of the housing 302, so that the support members 326 are supported. The forward edges of the portions 326 have the pins 444 which are arranged vertically such that they can be inserted in useful openings 448 within a horizontally extending support bar 450 which support bar 450 extends between the end wall 310 and the partition wall 312 in a manner , which can best be seen from FIGS. 29 and 31. With this arrangement, the portions 326 are conveniently carried within the area 320, with the manifold assembly 322 located on their upper edges and also the entire water sump arrangement 324 carried from its lowermost portion. It is apparent that various other embodiments of the support assemblies can be used to support the lots 326, the distribution assembly 322 and the sump assembly 324 within the area 320 without departing from the scope of the present invention; however, the above-mentioned arrangement of carrying or supporting these components allows simple construction, simple assembly and disassembly in the event that cleaning or similar operations have to be carried out.

The water system of the device 300 for producing pieces of ice has the water pump mentioned above

318, which is intended to be connected to the water sump assembly 324 by means of the openings 346, 348 and 350 which are arranged in the end wall section 344 thereof. In particular, the opening 346 is designed in such a way that it can be connected to the inlet section of the water pump 318 by means of a suitable water line 452, the outlet part of the pump 318 being designed in such a way that it can be used by means of the aforementioned water supply pipe or the water supply line io 454 can be brought into connection with the water distribution arrangement 322. The discharge from the pump 318 is also connected to the sump arrangement 324 by means of a suitable line 454, which line 454 can be connected to the opening 348. Finally, i5 the pump 318 is connected to the opening 350 of the sump assembly 324 by a convenient overflow line 456 for reasons that are best seen in U.S. Patent No. 3,559,424, which is expressly incorporated herein by reference to the original disclosure. It should be briefly noted, however, that the pump 318 has a useful impeller or the like (not shown) which impeller is drivingly connected to the pump motor by a drive shaft, with water from the water sump assembly 324 through the conduit 454 is pumped to the distribution assembly 322 as soon as the motor is energized. The purpose of line 456 is to direct any water that tends to flow back up to sump assembly 324 along the drive shaft mentioned above during operation of the pump motor, such that the need for glands, seals or the like is at the top End of the shaft is minimized, as described in detail in the '424 patent just mentioned. A suitable float-operated water valve (not shown) is preferably used to sense the water level in the sump assembly 324 and to allow the water to be replenished at convenient times from any convenient water source that is commonly available, as would be known to those skilled in the art is obvious.

4 <) The operation of each of the ice-making devices described above is basically the same, in that during the freezing operation, raw water for making the ice is supplied to the ice-forming section, whereupon the water cascades over and into the majority of the ice-forming 45 pockets, the excess Water is returned to an associated sump, from which the water can be brought back into circulation. At the same time, a coolant is passed through the evaporator line or evaporator coils in order to lower the temperature of the ice-forming pockets, so that the raw water for forming the ice subsequently freezes in a manner which can best be seen from FIG. 15. After a predetermined period of time, which primarily depends on the size and shape of the piece of ice to be produced, 55 the freezing operation is ended and the profit operation is initiated. During the winning operation, pre-shaped pieces of ice are released from the ice-forming pockets in any way (a number of ways) in accordance with the principles of the present invention. Above all, a hot, gaseous refrigerant can be passed through the evaporator coil (evaporator coils) in order to increase the temperature of the heat transfer elements and thus to increase the temperature of the associated pockets, whereupon the ice pieces inside the pockets are released 65 and under the influence of gravity fall down against an associated ice collection and storage area. The loosening of the ice cubes from the pockets can be accelerated by continuing to run water over the cubes

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is cascaded over it or sprayed on it, so that the period of profitable operation is reduced. Obviously, various combinations of the use of hot gas and continuous water flows can be used, or alternatively one of these methods can be used exclusively. After the profit operation has ended, the next subsequent freezing operation can be initiated, with cooled and liquefied refrigerant being recirculated through the evaporator line in order to generate the next batch of ice cubes within the pockets of the ice formation sections. As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, a convenient automatic shutdown device may be arranged to control the electrical circuitry for the embodiments of the present invention. Such switch-off controls usually have a link which senses the level of the ice level, which link responds when a predetermined level of the ice level within the associated storage container is reached in order to open the control circuit so that the device for producing ice pieces is brought to a standstill , until the time when the ice level falls below a predetermined size.

One of the advantages of the present invention, which can be achieved, for example, by means of the device 300 for producing pieces of ice, is based on the fact that the majority of the ice-forming parts are aligned in a vertical position and are spaced apart from one another, as is the case with their associated Is swelling of water, ie the water distribution pipes and the water swamp. This arrangement allows a plurality of devices to be stacked one on top of the other, arranged one on top of the other, whereby the pieces of ice produced in an upper device can fall down through a suitable opening in the lower end of the housing of the upper device and then down between the water distribution lines the evaporator members and the sump of an underlying device may fall into any ice storage or containment area that is below the stacked device. Therefore, a plurality of such devices can be stacked one on top of the other, with the various evaporator members, distribution and sump sections generally aligned in the vertical direction so that there are paths therebetween for the movement of the pieces of ice, such that pieces of ice from The upper devices can fall down and on the evaporator members, the distributing members and sump members of the lower devices without these pieces of ice interfering in any way with the operation of the devices located below, so that an extremely high ice production capacity for a given amount of floor space is available.

As already described above, other properties of embodiments of the present invention can be based on the fact that the resulting pieces of ice have a high resistance to splashing and have very good spatial stress properties, in comparison with ice pieces according to the prior art. This is achieved by the fact that the piece of ice has no cavities at all and basically has a square, but “rounded” circumferential shape, which also helps to allow improved storage capacity without substantial bridging or freezing of the pieces of ice during prolonged storage the same takes place. In addition, the embodiments of the present invention can provide universal applicability due to the fact that their ice formation sections can be placed in vertical, horizontal or inclined positions for operation and that water can be supplied to them from a water source from which the water is cascaded this flows down, or alternatively water can be supplied from a source of spray water. Due to the fact that the number of moving parts is minimized to an extreme, the maintenance work of the embodiments of the present invention is also minimized, for example downtime for maintenance work, maintenance work, etc. In addition, the designs can the present invention find a large and varied application due to the fact that a larger or smaller number of ice-forming parts can be used in a given device and that such parts can be replaced very easily with similarly shaped parts which have ice-forming pockets , which have either larger or smaller dimensions, so that a corresponding change in the size of the piece of ice used can be achieved. A still further property of the embodiments of the present invention resides in the extremely high degree of crowding of its ice-forming components, so that there is an increased capacity for ice production per given dimension of a device. Moreover, and no less important, is the fact that it has been found that the ice making capacity of the embodiments of the invention is greatly increased compared to prior art devices which use energy consuming cooling components of the same dimensions, with the result that the device for producing ice cubes according to the present invention will generate a larger volume of ice cubes for a predetermined amount of available energy, so that energy saving is achieved and / or lower operating costs are incurred.

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Claims (3)

657 694 1. A method for producing pieces of ice, characterized in that at least one open-sided recess (98) for receiving water to be frozen is arranged, which has at least in part a round-hollow surface section (116), at least a section of the surface section (116) is formed by a moldable heat insulation material, that water to be frozen is introduced into the at least one recess (98) and heat is extracted from the water, and that the amount of heat withdrawn at defined sections of the recess (98) is changed by using the moldable heat insulation material of different thickness is arranged in the defined sections of the recess, so that an ice piece is produced which has a first side which is complementary to the shape of the round-hollow surface section and a second side opposite the first, the shape of which is largely identical to the former is. 2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the heat insulation material contains a polymeric plastic. 2nd PATENT CLAIMS 3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the heat insulation material contains a polyethylene material.