US1971879A - Ice cube tray - Google Patents

Description

N. SZAFIR ICE CUBE T Filed Feb. 25, 1933 Patented Aug. 28, 1934 ICE CUBE TRAY Norman Ssaflr, Beaumont, Tex. Application February 25, 1933, Serial No. 658,616

2Claims.

This invention relates to trays for freezing ice cubes in mechanical refrigerators. It has for its object the provision of a tray in which the cube cells are in the form of individual cups, whereby intersecting valleys are formed on the underside of the tray affording a multiplicity of heat interchanging surfaces by means of which the freezing of the cubes is accelerated, and providing means for bringing a body of water into intimate contact with the bottom and sides of the cube cells whereby the cubes are quickly thawed to facilitate their removal.

Another object of the invention is the provi-- sion of a peripheral wall surrounding the tray and extending downward from the upper face thereof, forming when the tray is inverted, a. receptacle from the base of which the inverted cube cells arise, for retaining a. body of water poured thereinto for-the purpose of thawing the cubes. A further object of the invention is to construct the individual cube cells near the plane of the upper part of the tray, integrally or unitarily by a web folded re-entrantly to provide for thermal expansion and contraction of the tray, and having provisions for preventing the freezing of water in the channels thus formed in the web.

Qther objects of the invention will appear as the following'description of a preferred and practical embodiment thereof proceeds.

In the drawing which accompanies and form a part of the following specification, and throughout the several figures of which the same characters of reference have been employed to designate identical parts:

Figure l is a plan view of a cube tray embracing the features of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a longitudinalsection through the tray. part thereof being broken away;

Figure 3 is a cross section taken along the line 3-3 of Figure 2; and

Figure 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of the tray inverted.

Referring now in detail to the several figures, the numeral 1 represents in general the tray which comprises a top wall or web 2 with depending side and end flanges 3 and .4 and with a plurality of cube cells 5 pressed or stamped down therefrom. The cube trays may be separately constructed if desired, and timed to the top wall or web 2 in any suitable manner.

Figures 2 and 4 show that between the individual cube'trays intersecting valleys Bare formed. It is obvious that the four sides 'of the-bottom of each of the cube cells is presented to' the'refrigerative atmosphere in the tray compartment of the refrigerator and thus a much faster freezing of the cubes is possible than in the usual construction in which the bottom only of the tray comes into direct heat exchanging relationship with the cold air. g

I It is also obvious that when the tray is inverted, it constitutes a receptacle having the side and end walls 3 and 4 and from the base of which the individual cells arise so that when water is poured into the said receptacle for the purpose 65 of thawing the cubes, a body of the water will be retained in the receptacle. In melting out the cubes, it isnecessary only to fill the receptacle with water and sit it in a convenientplace for a moment or two until the cubes aresufliciently 7o thawed. The side walls of the cube cells preferably flare slightly toward the top, thus facilitating the sliding out of the cubes when thawed.

It is preferred, for structural purposes, to make some provision for thermal expansion and contraction of the tray. This is done by folding the top wall or web re-entrantly as indicated at '1 in Figure 2, thus surrounding the perimeters of the cube cellswith intersecting channels as shown at 7 in Figure 1. When the ice expands upon freezgo ing, Y it tenth to force the outer edges of the channels '7 together and the contrary takes place when fresh water is placed in the cube cells preparatory to freezing; The slight movement thus permitted prevents strain and eventual s5 7,

cracking of the metal inthe neighborhood of the upper ends of the tube cells. The value of the expansion spaces as constituted by the channels 7 would be entirely lost if these channels become filled with water when the cube tray is filled, for the water when frozen would act as an incompressible body and prevent the movement of the'side walls of the channels 7 under expansion and contraction of the tray, as above related. In order to prevent'the accumulation 5 of water in said channels, they are formed with drainage apertures 8 so that any water spilling into said channels when the cube trays are being filled drains out before freezing takes place.

It is obvious that 'I have produced an invention 'of great utility and efliciency in the art which it relates, and it is to be understood that the structural details herein shown and described are merely by way of example and not to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention as claimed.

What I claim is:

1. Ice cube tray comprising a plurality of individual cube cells with their side and bottom walls spaced apart, and means for uniting said cube m spaced apart, and means for uniting said cube cells near the top comprising a web re-entrantly folded forming channels surrounding the perimeters of the mouths of the cube cells, and of such depth that the lower portions of the walls of said channels are out of contact with the sides of said cube cells whereby free flexion of said walls is possible under expansion and contraction of said tray.

NORMAN SZAFIR.

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