US2024517A - Machine for making ice cubes - Google Patents

Description

1F 17, 1935. E FOWLER 2,024,517

MACHINE FOR MAKING ICE CUBES v Filed June 15, 19 34 5 Sheets-Sheet l Dec. 17, 1935, E. E. FOWLER MACHINE FOR MAKING ICE CUBES Filed June 15, 1934 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Dec. 17, 1935. E. E. FOWLER MACk IINE .FOR MAKING ICE CUBES Filed June 15, 1954 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 1366- 1935- E. E. FOWLER MACHINE FOR MAKING ICE CUBES 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed June 15, 1934 13'. J7! Fawler Dec. 17, 1935. E, E, FOWLER I 2,024,517

MACHINE FOR MAKING ICE CUBES Filed June 15, 1954 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Dec. 17, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,024,517 MAcinNE FOR MAKING ICE 'ciiBEs EverettE. Fowler, New York, N-. Y. Application June 15, 1934, Serial No. 730,813 G OIaiins. (c1. 143 3s) This invention relates to amachine adapted to produce ice cubes of small dimensions from large, full size blocks of ice such as arecommo-nly produced and which generally weigh up to three or four hundred pounds each.

It-is an object of the invention to provide a machine which is completely automatic.

A, further object is to provide a machine through which the ice will travel continuously and automatically, the large blocks of ice being directed thereinto at one point and the formed cubes being delivered therefrom at another point without stopping or retarding the movement of the ice at anytime.

A still further object is to provide separate gangs of saws mounted for reciprocation whereby the blocks of ice, as advanced into the machine, will first be cutinto'parallel slabs which subsequently will be divided to form tongues from which the cubes are to be cut.

Another object is to provide a out-off device for dividing the formed tongues into cubes, said cut-off device being adapted to advance with the ice, cut off cubes of predetermined sizes during the advancement of the ice, and subsequently return to itsinitial position relative'to the ice block preparatory to repeating the severing operation.

Another object is to provide a machine of this character which produces minimum-waste in the cutting operation, furnishes cubes in quantities heretofore impossible, and eliminates the accident hazards now existing with present types'of machines.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combinations of .partshereinafter'more fully described and pointed out in the claims it being understood that changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed.

In the accompanying drawings the preferred form of theinventionhas been shown.

In said drawings 7 Figure l is'a plan view of themachine, parts being shown in section.

'Figure 2' is a front elevation thereof.

Figure 3 is a side elevation, parts being shown in section.

Figure 4 is an elevation of the grid and the "cut-off device cooperating therewith.

Figure 5 is a vertical section through a portion of the grid, the saws of the horizontal gang being shown in section andv a portion of the vertical gang of saws being shown in elevation. Figure 6 is a section on line 6'6, Figure 5. Figure 7 is an enlarged transverse section through the frame of one of the gangs of saws, a 5. saw therein being shown in elevation. Figure 8 is a section on line 8-8, Figure 7,

portions of the saws and their attaching means a longitudinal shaft 5 so that all of the rolls will be rotated simultaneously in the same direction and at the same speed. These rolls are adapted to support and feed large blocks of ice one of which has been indicated by broken lines at I 5 and these blocks can be placed end to end and fed continuously into and along the machine during the formation of the cubes.

A motor has been indicated generally at 6 and is adapted to transmit motion through speed 30 reducing mechanism I to a shaft 8 from which power can be transmitted in any suitable mannor, as by chain and sprocket mechanism 9 or the like to another speed reducer I0 which, in turn, drives through gears II and I2 to the 35 shaft 5. Arranged on the side'portions of the frame I are standards l3 each of which has a slot I4 in its upper end for receiving the necks l5 of presser rolls l6. Springs I! which are connected 40- -to the standards l3 are joined at their upper ends to the necks in such a manner as not to interfere with the rotation of rolls l6 but nevertheless exert a constant pull thereupon so that these rolls will frictionally engage the top sur- 45 face of a block of ice I and hold the block firmly to the feed rolls 2-, thereby to insure correct movement of the ice block when the rolls 2 are. actuated.

At one end of the ice block conveyor formed 50 by the rolls 2 and the presser rolls l6 are stationary guides H3 in which are slidably mounted side rods l9 connected by upper and lower cross bars 2!], thereby to form a saw frame mounted for vertical right line movement. To each of'the 55 cross bars is secured a series of threaded stems 2| each of which is provided at one end with a forked block 22. Each block has a transverse slot 23 extending thereinto and provided with an enlargement or seat 24. The blocks 22 are adapted to contact at their side faces as shown particularly in Figure 8 and, as shown in Figure 7, one group of these blocks can be held tightly to the adjacent cross bar 29 by nuts 25 engaging the stems 2|.

Parallel ice saws 26 forming a vertical gang, are seated at their ends within the slotted blocks 22 to which they are detachably connected by pins 21 which are arranged in the slots 23 and bear upon the seats 24. By means of nuts 28 one set of blocks 22 can be drawn toward the adjacent cross bar 20 for the purpose of pulling through gears 35 to a vertical shaft 35.

upon the engaged saws 26 and holding them taut.

,Any desired number of these vertical saws can be employed, depending upon the size of the block to be converted into cubes and upon the size of the cubes to be produced.

Another set of guides is located adjacent the ice block conveyor as shown at 29 and these guides are slidably engaged by the top and bottom rods 36 of a horizontal frame, the said rods being connected by bars 31 similar to the bars 20 and similarly connected to a gang of horizontal saws 32. The saws 32 are extended in planes at right angles to the planes occupied by the saws 26 and the two gangs of saws are arranged close together, the vertical gang 26 being interposed between the ice block conveyor and the horizontal gang of saws 32. It is to be understood of course that the number of saws 32 employed will depend upon the size of the ice block to be cut and the size of the cubes to be produced.

The mechanism for reciprocating the two gangs of saws is driven by motor 6. It includes gears 33 for transmitting motion from shaft 8 to a shaft 34 which, in turn, transmits motion This vertical shaft, in turn, transmits motion through meshing gears 31 to a shaft 38 having gears 39 for transmitting motion to a shaft 40.

Shaft 34 has a disk 4| which rotates therewith and this disk is adapted to transmit motion through a pitman 42 to a cross bar 43 secured to the rods 30 of the horizontal gang of saws. Another disk 44 is secured to shaft 40 and is adapted to transmit motion through a pitman 45 to a cross bar 46 secured to the rods 19 of the vertical gang of saws.

A grid of novel construction is arranged adjacent to the gangs of saws, both gangs being located between the grid and the ice block conveyor. This grid is in the form of a rectangular frame 41 divided by vertical and horizontal partitions 48 into cells or passages each of which is of such size as to receive a tongue of ice which has been produced bythe saws. Spacing tongues 49 are extended forwardly from the vertical partitions in the grid as shown particularly in Figures 5 and 6, these tongues being located directly in line with the saws 26 of the vertical gang and being spaced apart so as to receive the horizontal saws 32 between them. Thus the tongues 49 can be extended close to the backs of the vertical saws 26.

The shaft 5 is adapted to transmit motion through a clutch 50 to a shaft 5| and a gear 52 on said shaft is slidably engaged by and meshes with another gear 53 which is secured to a shaft 54 slidable and rotatable within bearings 55 and 56. A stationary cam 51 is secured to or formed on the bearing 55 and another cam 58 is secured to and moves with shaft 54. A spring 59 mounted on shaft 54 and interposed between cam 58 and bar 56 serves to hold the two cams constantly in contact.

A large disk 60 is secured to and rotates with shaft 54 and carries an electric motor 61 or the like which is counter-balanced by a weight 62. The shaft 63 of this motor projects through the disk 60 and carries a circular saw 64 which is spaced from the disk and which is of a diameter greater than the maximum vertical dimension of the grid.

In practice the block of ice to be converted into cubes is placed on the conveyor rolls 2 and these will feed it slowly against and past the saws 26 and 32. Both gangs of saws are reciprocated at high speed and when the block of ice comes against the saws 26 of the vertical gang, the advancing end of the block will be formed into vertical slabs which will enter between the vertical tongues 49 and come against the saws 32 of the horizontal gang. These horizontal saws will then cut transversely through the slabs of ice, tongues 49 acting as reinforcements to prevent the slabs from being broken off by the horizontal saws. The ice will pass from between the horizontal saws in the form of angular tongues each of which is so proportioned that it can freely enter one of the cells in the grid 41. The tongues will be advanced through these cellsand come against the fiat surface of the rotating disk 60. At this time the flying circular saw 64 which is rotating at a high speed, will be swept transversely through the protruding ice tongues, cutting a cube from each of them.

In order-that there may be no interference with the continued advance of the ice without interruption during this cutting operation by saw 64, the cams 51 and 58 are so shaped as to permit saw 64 and disk 60 to advance with the ice during the cutting operation but immediately following the cutting operation, when saw 64 has passed away from grid 41, the cams will cooperate to return disk 60 and saw 64 into their initial planes of movement so that the saw will first engage the ice close to grid 41 preparatory to again advancing with the ice during the severance of the cubes. 7

It will be noted that the various parts of this mechanism are so timed that the operation of feeding the ice will be continuous, the cutting ofi of the cubes in no way interfering with the movement of the block of ice within the machine. Furthermore the rotation of the disk 60 is so timed that the saw will begin to cut through the ice tongues as soon as said tongues protrude the proper distance from the grid.

What is claimed is:

1. In a machine for forming ice cubes from a cake of ice, a disk having a fiat face mounted for continuous rotation and for axial reciprocation, a circular saw spaced from the flat face of the disk but movable therewith and eccentrically mounted thereon, means carried by the disk for rotating the saw about its individual axis while moving with the disk, means for feeding a cake of ice continuously toward the disk, means for dividing the advancing end of said cake into tongues, the diameter of the saw being greater than the height of that end of the cake of ice advancing toward the disk, means for rotating the disk to feed the saw intermittently across the advancing end of the cake, and yielding means for urging the disk and saw in the direction of movement of the cake while being out.

2. In a machine for forming ice cubes from a cake of ice, a disk having a flat face mounted for continuous rotation and for axial reciprocation, a circular saw eccentrically mounted on and rotatable relative to the disk and spaced therefrom to provide a cube receiving space, said saw having a fiat face, means for feeding a cake of ice continuously toward the disk and saw along lines parallel with their axes of rotation, yielding means for urging the disk and saw axially in the direction of movement of the cake of ice, means for rotating the disk to sweep the rotating saw through the adjacent end portion of the cake of ice, and means for positively shifting the disk and saw in a direction opposite to the direction of movement of the cake of ice while the saw is out of engagement with said cake.

3. In a machine for forming ice cubes from a cake of ice, a disk having a fiat face mounted for continuous rotation and for axial reciprocation, a circular saw eccentrically mounted on and rotatable relative to the disk and spaced therefrom to provide a cube receiving space, said saw having a fiat face, means for feeding a cake of ice continuously toward the disk and saw along lines parallel with their axes of rotation, yielding means for urging the disk and saw axially in the direction of movement of the cake of ice, means for rotating the disk to sweep the rotating saw through the adjacent end portion of the cake of ice, and cooperating cams controlled by the rotation of the disk for positively shifting the disk and saw opposite to the direction of movement of the cake of ice while the saw is out of engagement with the cake and for controlling the advance of the disk and saw under the action of the yielding means.

4. In a machine for forming ice cubes from a cake of ice, a disk mounted for continuous rotation, a flying circular saw spaced from and eccentrically mounted on the disk, that face of the saw farthest removed from the disk, being flat, means for rotating the saw about its individual axis independently of the disk, means for feeding a cake of ice toward the disk and into the path of the saw, means for dividing the advancing end of the cake of ice into spaced tongues, means for rotating the disk to sweep the revolving saw transversely through all of the tongues, yielding means for urging the disk and saw axially in the direction of movement of the advancing cake during the cutting operation, and cooperating means controlled by the rotation of the disk for positively returning the disk and saw to their initial positions following the cutting operation and for controlling the advance of the disk and saw under the action of said yielding means.

5. In a machine for forming ice cubes, a grid, means for feeding a cake of ice toward the grid, means for cutting into the advancing end of the cake of ice to form tongues movable into and beyond the grid, a disk having a flat face, a flying circular saw spaced from and eccentrically mounted on the disk and having a fiat face, means carried by the disk for rotating the saw about its axis, means for rotating the disk to sweep the saw across and close to the grid, thereby to sever tongues of ice projecting from the grid, yielding means for urging the disk and saw axially in the direction of movement of the advancing cake of ice during the cutting operation and cooperating means controlled by the rotation ,of the disk for positively moving the disk and saw axially to their initial positions following the cutting operation and for controlling the advance of the disk and saw under the action of said yielding means.

6. In a machine for forming ice: cubes from a cake of ice, a disk having a flat face mounted for continuous rotation and for axial reciprocation, a circular saw spaced from the fiat face of the disk but movable therewith, and eccentrically mounted thereon, means carried by the disk for rotating the saw about its individual axis While moving with the disk, means for feeding a cake of ice continuously toward the disk,

means for dividing the advancing end of said cake into tongues, the diameter of the saw being greater than the height of that end of the cake of ice advancing toward the disk, and means for rotating the disk to feed the saw intermitently across the advancing end of the cake.

EVERETT E. FOWLER.

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