GB2265331A

GB2265331A - Method and apparatus for making a container of frozen liquid and a stand for an ice object

Info

Publication number: GB2265331A
Application number: GB9305147A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Keith Bradshaw
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1992-03-13
Filing date: 1993-03-12
Publication date: 1993-09-29
Also published as: GB9305147D0

Abstract

A mould for forming a container from freezable liquid eg. water, comprises inner and outer mould parts 14, 12 and retaining means 20, 22 for retaining the inner part in a spaced position within the outer part to define a cup-shaped or bowl- shaped space therebetween. The wall thickness of the container is preferably 5-25 millimetres, and the inner diameter of the container is preferably greater than the wall thickness of the container. A floating ring (36 Fig 5, not shown) may be used in the mould to define a decorated edge of the container rim. Decorative objects, e.g. fruit slices may be inserted between the mould parts for embedding in the container wall. Multiple mould parts may be arranged concentrically one within another to define a plurality of mould cavities of increasing size. A stand (50 Fig 12, not shown) is also described for supporting an object made of ice. The stand includes collecting means (52, 54) for collecting water as the object melts, and supporting means (56, 58) for supporting the object over the collecting means. <IMAGE>

Description

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING A CONTAINER OF FROZEN LIOUID AND A STAND FOR AN ICE OBJECT This invention relates generally to apparatus and a method for moulding a cup-shaped, or bowl-shaped, container of frozen liquid, such as ice. It also relates to a support stand for an ice object such as the container once formed.

The invention is particularly suited for use in the home, but it is not limited to this.

Various moulds are known in the art for forming small objects made of frozen ice or of generally settable or congealable food products.

For example, GB 1329463 describes a mould with a "multiple-seal" closure which can be used for making decorative shapes of ice or of a congealable substance. The decorative shape includes a small well in which fruit or whipped cream can be placed.

The mould design taught in GB 1329463 is not, however, very suitable for forming cups or bowls made of ice. An essential feature of that design is that the inner part of the mould can be used to form a hollow well either in the top surface of the decorative object or in the bottom surface. As a result, the inner part of the mould needs to be much smaller than the outer part of the mould, and this leads to the formation of the decorative object having very thick walls, and only a small central hollow region.

Furthermore, the support for the inner mould part substantially covers the space between the inner and outer parts of the mould, which significantly prevents any access to the space.

Other designs of moulds for forming decorative objects, or for forming ice cubes are described in GB 1463330, EP-A0374021, and WO-A-89/12206.

In first and second aspects the invention has been devised with the aim of overcoming the disadvantages of the prior art, and providing a moulding apparatus and a method for forming a container made of frozen liquid. In another aspect described hereinafter, the invention provides a stand designed specifically for supporting an object made of frozen liquid such as ice.

In the first aspect the invention provides generally an assemblable reusable mould for forming a generally cup or bowl shaped container from freezable liquid, the mould comprising an outer mould part for defining an outer surface of the container, an inner mould part for defining an inner surface of the container and means for retaining the inner mould part in a spaced position within the outer mould part to define a generally cup shaped or bowl shaped space therebetween.

In accordance with a first preferred feature, the external transverse dimension of the inner mould part at any point over at least the majority of the axial length of the inner mould part is greater than about a half of the corresponding internal transverse dimension of the outer mould part.

With such an arrangement, the container thus formed by the mould will have a wall thickness which, at least over the majority of the depth of the hollow of the container, will be less than the transverse dimension of the hollow.

This means that a container can be formed which has a significantly larger internal volume for the overall size of the container than in the prior art.

The invention thus enables cups, beakers, bowls and similar containers to be made from frozen liquid. Water is a suitable liquid since it can be frozen easily into ice.

Preferably, the external transverse dimension of the inner mould part at any point over at least the majority of the axial length of the inner mould part is greater than about two thirds of the corresponding internal transverse dimension of the outer mould part. With such a mould, the container thus formed can have a hollow whose transverse dimension is greater, at least over the majority of the depth of the hollow, than half the corresponding external transverse diameter of the container.

In the preferred embodiments, the mould parts are of circular horizontal section, the transverse dimensions corresponding to the diameters of the mould parts.

In accordance with a second preferred feature, the invention provides that the spacing between the inner and outer mould parts in a region corresponding to at least a major portion of a side wall of the container is between about Smm and 25mm.

Preferably the spacing is between about lOmm and 20mm.

Especially when the mould is for forming a container made of ice, the spacing is preferably about 15mm.

An ice container with a wall thickness of about Smm can last for about an hour at normal room temperature before it begins to melt significantly. An ice container with a wall thickness of about 15mm can last for up to about 3 hours at normal room temperature. If the thickness is increased further, the container can last for long periods of time, but the length of time required to freeze the ice thoroughly in the mould also increases proportionately.

The overall depth or axial length of the inner mould part is preferably about 76mm. The overall external transverse dimension of the inner mould part is preferably about 178mm. A mould with such dimensions can produce a container of roughly the same size and capacity as a conventional desert or serving bowl.

The spacing between the inner and outer mould part may depend on the size of the container to be formed. For example, a small container for example for serving individual food portions may have a wall thickness (equal to the spacing between the mould parts) of about 15mm or 1015mm. A larger container for example for serving larger portions of food may have a wall thickness of about 15-25mm.

In accordance with a third preferred feature, the invention provides means co-operating between upper portions of the mould parts for retaining the inner mould part in a spaced position within the outer mould part to define a generally cup-shaped or bowl-shaped space therebetween, the retaining means being arranged so as not to cover substantially the space, whereby the arrangement enables one or more objects to be inserted around said inner mould part into said space, for embedding in a wall of a said container when formed.

The one or more objects may, for example, comprise decorative objects such as pieces or slices of fruit. When formed, the pieces of fruit will be embedded in the wall of the container. This effect can be particularly striking and effective if a transparent liquid such as water is used as the liquid for freezing to form the container.

In one embodiment, the retaining means may comprise one or more lugs on one of the inner and outer mould parts for co-operating with an upper portion of the other of the mould parts. The lugs may form a secure coupling between the inner and outer mould parts, or alternatively, the lugs may serve merely to correctly "centre" the inner mould part relative to the outer mould part. The retaining means would then further comprise releasable means such as adhesive tape for securing the mould parts together, or means for weighing down the inner mould part so that it will not "float" relative to the outer mould part in use.

In another embodiment the retaining means may comprise a member which forms a snap fit or a press fit over the upper edge of one, or the upper edges of both, mould parts.

In accordance with a fourth preferred feature, the invention provides means for defining an embossed or profiled pattern around the rim of the container.

With this feature, the container thus produced can have a decorative rim, for example, with a scalloped design.

The pattern defining means may comprise portions of the inner and outer mould parts, but in the preferred embodiment it comprises a ring which fits between the mould parts. The ring is preferably floatable at the surface of the freezable liquid so that it will automatically locate itself at the rim of the container, and adjust for any expansion or contraction of the liquid as it freezes.

In accordance with a fifth preferred feature, at least one of the inner and outer mould parts is opened outwardly in a region near the open end of the object to be formed.

Such an arrangement can facilitate easy removal of an object once formed. For example, the outer mould part may be tapered near the region corresponding to the open end.

The taper may be achieved by inclining the wall of the mould part outwardly, or by a chamfer on the inner surface of the outer mould part. Similar principles could be applied to provide a taper on the inner mould part.

In accordance with a sixth preferred feature, the invention provides an assembly of three or more mould parts arranged in spaced apart relationship one within another to define a plurality of bowl-shaped mould cavities.

The above preferred features of this aspect of the invention may be used independently, but advantageously the different features described above can be used together.

A further preferred feature of the mould is that once the container has been formed, the inner mould part may be rotatable relative to the outer mould part to facilitate freeing the container from at least one of the mould parts.

At least one of the mould parts, for example, the outer mould part, may be transparent so that it is possible to view the state of the liquid to see whether it has frozen properly.

A "fill line" may be provided on at least one of the mould parts, for example, the outer mould part to indicate the level to which the mould should be filled with liquid.

This can be important especially when the liquid comprises water, because water tends to expand when it is frozen into ice.

The mould parts may be made of material such as plastics, which is flexible or resiliently deformable.

Alternatively, the mould may be made of other material, for example, of metal or glass.

The upper regions of the inner and outer mould parts may have an increased wall thickness to provide additional strength in the upper regions where the retaining means couples the two mould parts.

The first aspect of the invention also extends to cover a method for forming a generally cup or bowl shaped container of frozen liquid, the method comprising: providing an assemblable mould which includes an outer mould part for defining an outer surface of said container, an inner mould part for defining an inner surface of said container, and retaining means for retaining said inner mould part within said outer mould part to define a generally cup-shaped or bowl-shaped space therebetween; providing in said space one or more objects arranged around said inner mould part; providing in said space said liquid surrounding said one or more objects; and freezing said liquid to form said container with said one or more objects embedded in a wall of said container.

In the second closely related aspect, the invention provides a member for securing together an inner mould part and an outer mould part in a spaced relationship to form a bowl-shaped mould cavity.

Fastening means and/or locating means may be provided on the member to secure or retain the inner and outer mould parts in position relative to the member. Suitable fastening means may comprise a clip-fit or a snap-fit connection to co-operate with a lip on the corresponding mould part. Suitable locating means may comprise a groove or channel into which the rim of the corresponding mould part may be fitted.

The member may be arranged to secure two, three or more bowls concentrically, so that a plurality of bowl-shaped mould cavities are formed. For example, with four mould parts arranged concentrically, three bowl-shaped cavities of increasing size may be formed.

The third aspect the invention relates to a stand for an ice object such as a moulded container made of ice. In this aspect, the invention provides a stand for an object made of ice, the stand comprising means for collecting drops of water produced as said object begins to melt, and support means for supporting said object over said collecting means, said support means being arranged to enable water to run off said object and into said collecting means.

Such an arrangement can ensure that drops of water from the ice object do not drip onto a surface such as a table or a tablecloth on which the ice object is placed.

The support means preferably include passage means therein or therebetween to enable water to run through or around the support means. Depending on the particular arrangement of the support means, this may be an important feature which prevents water from building up on one side of the support means, and possibly overflowing from the stand.

The support means may be in the form of a plurality of projections for contacting a surface of the object. The projections may each include a tip which is adapted to engage the surface of the object to prevent the object from sliding on the projections as the ice melts.

In the case of the object being a bowl-shaped container, for example, from which a person eats a desert, the projections can prevent the bowl from tending to rotate on the stand as a person uses a spoon in the bowl.

Embodiments of the invention are now described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:- Fig. 1 is a plan view from above of a mould; Fig. 2 is a half sectional elevation on the line II-II of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a plan view from above of a first alternative embodiment of a mould; Fig. 4 is a half sectional elevation on the line IV-IV of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a half sectional elevation of a further alternative embodiment of a mould and also including a floating ring; Fig. 6 is a sectional elevation showing the detail of the ring in Fig. 5; Fig. 7 is a sectional elevation through a further emodiment of mould including a modified retaining ring; Fig. 8 is a diagramatic illustration of a detail of the retaining ring in Fig. 7;; Figs. 9 and 10 illustrate diagramatically further modifications of the arrangement of the retaining ring; Fig. 11 is a sectional elevation through a concentric arrangement of multiple mould parts; and Fig. 12 is a sectional elevation showing a container with an internal tray, and supported on a stand.

Figs. 1 and 2 show an assemblable reusable mould 10 for forming a generally cup or bowl shaped container from freezable liquid, for example, water. The mould 10 comprises a generally bowl shaped outer mould part 12 for defining an outer surface of the container and a smaller generally bowl shaped inner mould part 14 for defining an inner surface of the container. The mould parts are of generally U-shaped transverse section, and are of generally circular horizontal section. The outer surface of the inner mould part 14 is smoothly contoured. The inner surface of the outer mould part 12 includes a step profile 16 to define a base portion of the container to be formed.

The mould parts 12 and 14 are made of substantially transparent or translucent plastics material. The walls of the mould parts are typically about lmm thick except in upper portions 18 of the walls where the material is thickened to about 2-3mm to provide additional strength in the upper portions. In a similar fashion to conventional food-type containers made of plastics material, the walls of the mould parts are slightly flexible, or resiliently deformable. This can allow for any expansion of the moulding material during freezing. It can also facilitate removal of the mould parts from the container once formed.

As best seen in Fig. 2, the outer diameter of the inner mould part 14 is greater than about a half of the corresponding inner diameter of the outer mould part 12, at least over the majority of the height, or axial length, of the inner mould part 14. In this exemplary embodiment, the outer diameter of the inner mould part 14 is greater than about two thirds of the inner diameter of the outer mould part 12.

The external diameter of the inner mould part 14 is typically about 178mm (7 inches), and the overall height of the inner mould part 14 is typically about 76mm (3 inches).

These dimensions of inner mould part 14 will produce a container having the same sized internal volume as a conventional desert or serving bowl.

The outer mould part 12 has a radially outwardly projecting flange 19 around its upper edge. The inner mould part 14 has four integrally formed lugs 20 which project radially outwardly from the upper edge of the inner mould part 14. The outer edges of the lugs 20 are turned back under themselves to form inwardly projecting resilient lips 22. The lips 22 form a snap fit under the flange 19 of the outer mould part 12 to act as a snap fit releasable retaining means for securing the inner mould part 14 to the outer mould part 12.

In use, with the inner and outer mould parts 14, 12, respectively, assembled as shown in the drawings, the retaining means serves to retain the inner mould part 14 suspended in a predetermined spaced position with the outer mould part 12. The mould parts together define a generally bowl-shaped cavity 15 corresponding to the shape and wall thickness of the container to be formed.

The spacing between the inner and outer mould parts 14 and 12 is about 15mm at least in a region corresponding to a major portion of the side wall of the object. A container made of ice with this wall thickness will last for about 3 hours at normal room temperature before it begins to melt significantly. In other embodiments the corresponding spacing between the mould part may be generally between about Smm and 25mm, and preferably between 10mm and 20mm.

To form an object using the mould, the freezable liquid is poured from above into the cavity 15 between the inner and outer mould parts 14, 12, respectively. A fill line 24 is provided on the outer mould part 12 to indicate the level to which the liquid is to be filled. The fill line 24 is positioned slightly below the level of the upper edges of the inner and outer mould parts to allow room for any expansion of the liquid which may occur as the liquid solidifies. This is particularly relevant when water is used, since the water will expand as it freezes.

Alternatively, the appropriate amount of the liquid may be poured into the outer mould part 12 before the mould is assembled, and the inner mould part 14 subsequently inserted into the outer mould part 12 to assemble the mould.

If desired, decorative objects such as pieces of fruit may be inserted into the cavity 15 around the inner mould part 14. The spacing between the lugs 20 allows this to be done quite easily once the mould has been assembled.

Alternatively, the decorative objects may be arranged within the outer mould part 12 before the mould is assembled.

Next, the liquid is solidified in the mould by cooling.

For example, if the liquid is water, this can be solidified by placing the mould in a freezer to freeze the water. The transparent walls of the inner and outer mould parts 14, 12, respectively, enable the object in the mould to be inspected to ascertain whether it has yet solidified. Once solidified, the mould is disassembled to release the object from the inner and outer mould parts. By gripping the lugs 20, the inner mould part 14 is first rotated slightly relative to the outer mould part 12. This frees the solidified object relative to at least one of the mould parts. The free mould part can then be removed, and the object freed from the other mould part either by flexing or gently tapping the mould part, or by heating the mould part, for example by using warm water.

Although in the embodiment described above, four lugs 20 are provided on the inner mould part 14 for securing it to the outer mould part 12, it will be appreciated that in other embodiments more, or less, lugs might be used. It will also be appreciated that an alternative design of retaining means could be used.

A first alternative design is to omit or shorten the lips 22 on the lugs 20 so that the lugs 20 act as a means for centring the inner mould part 14 relative to the outer mould part. Additional retaining means are required to prevent the inner mould part from floating on the liquid when the mould is used. Such additional means could, for example, comprise adhesive tape for fitting over the lugs 20 to join the inner and outer mould parts 14 and 12 together.

Alternatively, the additional means could comprise means for weighing down the inner mould part, for example, by placing water or a weight in the hollow of the inner mould part 14.

Figures 3-5 illustrate two other alternative embodiments with different forms of retaining means. In these figures, the features already described above are denoted by the same reference numeral followed by the letter "a" or "b", respectively.

In the arrangement shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the upper edges of the inner and outer mould parts 14a, 12a, respectively are provided without the four lugs and the projecting flange. Instead an X-shaped retaining member 26 fits over the upper edges of the mould parts to secure the mould parts together. Concentric grooves 28 and 30 are formed in the arms of the retaining member, in which the upper edges of the mould parts are received with a press fit. The upper edges of the mould parts are held sufficiently tightly in the grooves to ensure that the mould parts remain secured together in use.

In this exemplary embodiment, the grooves 28 which secure the inner mould part 14a are slightly narrower than the grooves 30 which secure the outer mould part 12a. The retaining member 26 thus attaches more securely to the inner mould part 14a, so that the retaining member 26 can act as a handle by which the inner mould part can be rotated. It will of course be appreciated that in other embodiments the retaining member 26 could be designed to fit more securely to the outer mould part 12a, or alternatively, equally securely to both mould parts.

Fig. 5 illustrates a further alternative design. In this arrangement, the outer mould part 12b has the radially outwardly projecting flange 19b around its upper edge. The inner mould part 14b has a generally X-shaped handle 32 which is either integrally formed with the inner mould part 14b, or permanently bonded thereto, for example, by adhesive. The end portions 34 of the arms of the handle 32 project radially outwardly from the upper edge of the inner mould part 14b, and are turned back under themselves in a similar fashion to the lugs 20 described above.

Fig. 5 also illustrates a floating ring 36 for embossing or profiling a decorative effect on the rim of the container. The ring 36 is placed either inside the outer mould part 12 or around the inner mould part 14 before the mould is assembled. The ring 36 is a loose fit between the mould parts, and is light enough to float at the surface of the liquid in the mould.

Referring to Fig. 6, the ring is of generally channel section, the underside being shaped with a complementary profile to that desired on the upper edge of the container rim. In this exemplary embodiment the ring includes concave portions 38 for producing a scalloped effect around the rim.

Although the ring has only been described with reference to the embodiment in Fig. 5, it will of course be appreciated that the ring may be used with the other embodiments described herein.

Fig. 7 illustrates a clip arrangement between the member 20c and the inner mould part 14c and outer mould part 12c.

The mould parts each have a radially projecting lip, and the member 20c includes a respective hook profile to engage under each lip. The detail "A" of the hook profiles is shown in Fig. 8. It will be appreciated that the size and shape of the clip arrangement will depend on the lips provided on the inner and outer mould parts.

Fig. 9 illustrates diagramatically a modification of the clip arrangement of Fig. 8. In Fig. 9, one of the clips is replaced by an open channel or groove. This is suitable for retaining a substantially upright rim of a mould part which does not have an outwardly projecting lip. The rim is located in the channel or groove, and is retained in position preferably by being a tight fit.

Fig. 10 illustrates a modification of the arrangement in Fig. 9, in which two channels, or grooves, are provided instead of the hook-shaped clip profiles.

Fig. 11 illustrates an arrangement in which a number of mould parts are arranged concentrically one within an other to define a plurality of bowl-shaped mould cavities. Each "inner" mould part may be approximately half the capacity of the "outer" mould part into which it fits. The mould parts may all be retained in position by a single member fitting over the upper ends of the mould parts. The member may have clip profiles and/or locating channels as described hereinbefore.

Fig. 12 shows a bowl-shaped container 40 made of ice using the mould 10. The wall thickness and shape correspond to the shape of the cavity 15 in the mould 10.

In the container 40, an insert 42 is placed. The insert consists of a raised floor 44 in the form of an open grid or lattice which is supported by a generally U-shaped support 46. The support 46 rests in the bottom of the hollow of the container 40, so that the grid is spaced from the bottom of the hollow. In use, as the ice of the container begins to melt, water will tend to collect in the bottom of the hollow, and the insert acts as a spacer to keep food such as ice cream or salad placed in the container away from this water, and thereby prevents the food from becoming soggy.

The insert can be made of moulded plastics material.

Fig. 12 also shows a stand 50 for supporting the container 40. The stand 50 comprises water collecting means in the form of a cup-shaped base portion 52 with an upwardly curved flange 54 around the base portion 52. The stand also comprises supporting means in the form of a step-shaped profile 56 adapted for receiving the base portion of the container 40. A number of small spaced-apart projections 58 are formed in the step profile 56 to make contact with the lower surface of the container.

In use, as the container 40 begins to melt, water will drip off the outer surfaces of the container. Water from the underside can drip directly into the cup-shaped portion 52. Water from the side wall of the bowl can drip onto the curved flange portion 54 and run down the curved flange portion 54 towards the cup-shaped portion 52. The spaces between the projections 58 act as passages or channels to enable the water to run around the projections and down into the cup-shaped portion 52. Thus, any tendency for the water to collect at the places where the stand 50 contacts the container 40 is avoided.

As the container melts, the water produced will tend to make surfaces under the container slippery so that the container might be slidable. This is dealt with in the present invention by the combination of the step profile 56 and the projections 58. The step profile 56 prevents the container from sliding outwardly sideways off the stand 50.

The projections 58 engage the lower surface of the container 40 to prevent the container 40 from rotating on the stand when a person uses, for example, a spoon to eat food from the container 40.

In this embodiment, the stand is made of moulded plastics material of about 3mm thickness. The cup shaped portion 52 is about 136mm in outside diameter, and about 57mm in height. The outer diameter of the flange portion is about 220mm, and the overall height of the stand 50 is about 80mm.

Although the stand 50 has been described for use with the container 40, it will be appreciated that the stand could be used to support other objects made of ice, to avoid the ice from melting and dripping onto, for example, a table or tablecloth.

Although in the embodiments of the mould described above, only a single member for the inner mould part and a single member for the outer mould part are used, it will be appreciated that in alternative embodiments a plurality of members for the inner mould part and/or a plurality of members for the outer mould part could be used. This would enable objects to be moulded having elaborate designs or decoration which could not easily be released from a single mould part. For example, by splitting the outer mould part into two or more members, it would be possible to mould objects having handles, or embossed surface decoration.

Although in the embodiments described above, the mould parts 12 and 14, the floating ring 36, the insert 42 and the stand 50 are made of plastics material, it will be appreciated that other materials may be used instead. For example, the mould parts and/or the insert and/or the stand could be made of metal or glass. The floating ring could be made of cork, polystyrene or metal provided that the ring floats properly at the surface of the liquid.

Although in the embodiments described above, the upper portions 18 of the mould parts have increased wall thickness, in some cases this might not be necessary. The upper portions of the mould parts may instead be made with substantially the same wall thickness as the rest of the mould parts.

It will be appreciated that the dimensions of the mould parts described above in the preferred embodiments are typical for forming a container of about the same size as a conventional individual-portion desert or serving bowl. The dimensions (including the spacing between the mould parts) can be varied depending on the size of container it is desired to form. The spacing between the mould parts determines the wall thickness of the container to be formed.

This may vary depending on the length of time the container has to retain its integrity before significant melting occurs, and also on the overall size of the container. A spacing 5-25mm (preferably 15mm) is typical for an individual-portion container, but this may be reduced for a smaller container, or increased for a larger container, as appropriate.

In a further aspect, the bowl shaped mould of the present invention may be used as a mould for foodstuff, for example cake mix. The mould cavity may generally be larger for foodstuffs than for frozen liquid, and this may be achieved by using, for example, only the innermost and outermost mould parts shown in Fig. 11. Depending on the intended application, the material from which the mould parts are made may have to be suitable to withstand cooking conditions, e.g. microwave cooking.

It will be understood that the invention has been described above merely by way of example, and that modifications of detail can be made without departing from the scope and principles or spirit of the invention.

Claims

1. An assemblable reusable mould for forming a generally cup or bowl shaped container from freezable liquid, said mould comprising: an outer mould part for defining an outer surface of said container; an inner mould part for defining an inner surface of said container; and means for retaining said inner mould part in a spaced position within said outer mould part to define a generally cup shaped or bowl shaped space therebetween.

2. A mould according to claim 1, wherein the external transverse dimension of said inner mould part at any point over at least the majority of the axial length of said inner mould part is greater than about a half of the corresponding internal transverse dimension of said outer mould part.

3. A mould according to claim 2, wherein the external transverse dimension of said inner mould part at any point over at least the majority of the axial length of said inner mould part is greater than about two thirds of the corresponding internal transverse dimension of said outer mould part.

4. A mould according to claim 2 or 3, wherein said inner mould part and said outer mould part are when said mould is assembled, separated by a space of between about Smm and 25mm in a region corresponding to at least a major portion of a side wall of said cup or bowl shaped container.

5. A mould according to claim 4, wherein said spacing is between about lOmm and 20mm.

6. A mould according to claim 5, wherein said spacing is about 15mm.

7. A mould according to any preceding claim, wherein the overall external depth or axial length of said inner mould part is about 76mm.

8. A mould according to any preceding claim, wherein the overall transverse dimension of said inner mould part is about 178mum.

9. A mould according to any preceding claim, wherein said retaining means comprises releasable securing means for securing said inner mould part to said outer mould part.

10. A mould according to claim 9, wherein said retaining means comprises snap fit connector means or press fit connector means.

11. A mould according to any preceding claim, wherein the retaining means is arranged so as not to cover substantially the space between said inner and outer mould parts, whereby the arrangement enables objects to be inserted around said inner mould part into said space, for embedding in the wall of a said container when formed.

12. A mould according to claim 11, wherein said retaining means comprises one or more lugs on one of said inner and outer mould parts for co-operating with the upper portion of the other of said mould parts.

13. A mould according to claim 12, wherein the one or more lugs co-operate with a flange on said other of said mould parts.

14. A mould according to claim 11, 12 or 13, wherein said retaining means comprises a member having grooves therein for forming a press fit over an upper portion of one or more of said mould parts.

15. A mould according to any preceding claim, further comprising means for defining an embossed or profiled pattern around the rim of the said container.

16. A mould according to claim 15, wherein said pattern defining means comprises a ring for fitting between said inner and outer mould parts, said ring being shaped to define said pattern.

17. A mould according to claim 16, wherein said ring is floatable at the surface of said freezable liquid.

18. A mould according to any preceding claim, wherein at least one of the inner and outer mould parts is tapered outwardly in a region near the open end of the object to be formed.

19. A mould according to any preceding claim, wherein the wall thickness of one or both of said inner and outer mould parts is increased in upper regions of said mould part or parts to provide additional strength.

20. A mould according to any preceding claim, wherein said inner and outer mould parts are made of slightly flexible, or resiliently deformable, plastics material.

21. A mould according to any preceding claim, wherein a fill line is provided on at least one of said inner and outer mould parts for defining a level to which said mould should be filled with liquid.

22. A mould according to any preceding claim, wherein said inner mould part is, in use once said container has set or solidified, rotatable relative to said outer mould part to enable said container to be freed from at least one of said mould parts.

23. A mould according to any preceding claim, further comprising one or more intermediate mould parts arranged between the inner and the outer mould parts to provide an assembly of three or more mould parts arranged in spaced apart relationship one within another to define a plurality of bowl-shaped or cup-shaped mould cavities.

24. A retaining member for securing together an inner mould part and an outer mould part in a spaced apart relationship to form a generally cup-shaped or bowl-shaped mould cavity.

25. A method of forming a generally cup or bowl shaped container of frozen liquid, the method comprising: providing an assemblable mould which includes an outer mould part for defining an outer surface of said container, an inner mould part for defining an inner surface of said container, and retaining means for retaining said inner mould part within said outer mould part to define a generally cup-shaped or bowl-shaped space therebetween; providing in said space one or more objects arranged around said inner mould part; providing in said space said liquid surrounding said one or more objects; and freezing said liquid to form said container with said one or more objects embedded in a wall of said container.

26. A method according to claim 25, wherein said one or more objects are inserted into said space in said mould once said mould has been assembled.

27. A method according to claim 25 or 26, wherein said liquid comprises water.

28. A stand for an object made of ice, the stand comprising: means for collecting drops of water produced as said object begins to melt, and support means for supporting said object over said collecting means, said support means being arranged to enable water to run off said object and into said collecting means.

29. A stand according to claim 28, wherein said support means includes passage means therein or therebetween, said passage means enabling water to run through or around said support means.

30. A stand according to claim 29, wherein the support means comprises a plurality of spaced apart projections for contacting the object.

31. A stand according to claim 30, wherein each of said protections includes a tip for engaging the surface of said object to avoid the object from being slidable on the projections when said ice melts.

32. Apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to any of the accompanying drawings.

33. A method of forming a container of frozen liquid substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs 1-11 of the accompanying drawings.