US2098850A - Ice tray release mechanism - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 9, 1937. s. w. E. ANDERSSON ICE TRAY RELEASE MECHANISM Filed Oct. 27. 1935 INVENTOR.

SVEN WEJ1NDER880N ATTORNEY.

Patented Nov. 9, 193'} UNITED STATES,-

PATENT orr c-E IcE TRAY RELEASE MECHANISM Sven W. E. Andersson, Evansville, Ind., assignor,

by mesne assignments, to Servel, Inc., Dover,. Del., a. corporation of Delaware Application October 27, 1933, Serial No. 695,398 Claims. '(01. 62-1085) This invention relates to ice trays or the like for use in household refrigerators, in which water, desserts, or other matter, is adapted to be frozen.

Considerable difliculty is experienced in remov- 5 ing ice trays from the cooling units in which they are placed to have their contents frozen, due to formation of an ice bond between the tray and the shelf or other supporting structure, and until such ice bond is broken removal of the tray is impossible.

It is an object of the present invention to provide means for facilitating and simplifying the removal of ice trays after the contents of the same have been frozen. Y

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

} Fig. 1 is a front elevation of an ice tray and fragmentary cooling unit;

Fig. 2, a central longitudinal fragmentary section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig; 3, a central longitudinal fragmentary section of a modified construction; and i Fig. 4, a central longitudinal fragmentary sec-- tion of a still further modified construction.

Referring to the drawing, an evaporator or cooling unit ID of a household refrigerator, not shown, is refrigerated in any desired manner. The evaporator I0 is provided with a tray receiving compartment or compartments, in which an ice tray II is placed for freezing the contents of the same. The tray ll rests on the lower horizontal portion or shelf of the cooling unit, the broad fiat bottom of the tray being in thermal contact with the shelf in order to; provide a good heat path for removal of heat by conductivity through the tray and shelf. When the tray is filled with water, moisture on the bottom of the tray freezes and forms an ice bond between the bottom of the tray and the shelf, which bond it is necessary to break before or at the time of removal of the tray. This breaking of the ice bond can be accomplished by insertion of a flat instrument, such as a knife or the like, between'the tray and the shelf. 'However, as shown on the drawlng, there are provided leverage devices by which the breaking of the above described ice'bond maybe accomplished.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the ice tray ll consists of a tray or receptacle body l2, and a tray front l3 having a handle or hand grip portion ll.

The tray body i2 has its front end provided with tion is provided at the time of stamping the tray, the material at each side of the tray being out along the line IS in order to provide a triangular reinforcement at each front outer corner of the tray. 5 The front of the tray'is rolled over to provide an inverted trough or inverted U -shaped channel I1, and means is provided for exerting pressure,

between the shelf on which the tray is supported and such channel. A lever l8 has its lower end 10 provided with a foot IS, the heel of which is adapted to engage and rest upon the shelf of the cooling unit when the tray is inserted. The foot 19 is provided on its upper surface with a socket 20, in which rests the lower extremity of a lever 15 2|. The lever 2| is in the form of a bar having its upper end provided with a rounded portion 2|, for engagement in the channel ll. The lever l8 has its upper extremity bent to form a finger grip 22, disposed in a readily accessible position for- 20 wardly of the end of the grip M of the ice tray front. The hand grip portion of the tray front is provided with a slot 23 through which the lever I8 projects, the slot permitting reciprocation of the lever. 5 v The parts are maintained in assembled relation when the tray is removed from its support, by means of a fiat spring 24, which has its central portion imbedded in a slot in the lever, as shown,

or otherwise attached thereto, the ends of the 30 spring 24 being provided with lateral portions 25, held in place by the fastening bolts l5, With this described construction the spring 24 normally maintains the parts in the position shown in Figs.

2 and 4, but allows the downward swinging of 35 the lever handle 22 to twist such spring. The bar 2| is confined near the longitudinal center of the tray between ears or other abutments 26, formed integrally with the bent over portionof the front end of the tray. 40

In the use of the above described construction the tray body I2 is filled with water or the like tray bottom and shelf will be frozen, thus firmly uniting the parts When it is desired to remove 50 the tray with its contents, the handle 22 of the lever I8 is swung downwardly, thus increasing. the distance from the curved top of the lever 2 I. and the heel of the lever, and as the shelf is flied,

the upper end of the'tray will be forced upwardly and break any above described ice bond. Release of the handle 22 allows the spring 24 to turn the parts to the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2, whereupon the hand grip ll of the tray front can be grasped and the tray removed from the cooling unit.

Referring to Fig. 3, a lever 30 is provided with an operating handle 3| at its upper end, and is provided with a foot 32 at its lower end. To the heel of the lever is hinged a short lever or bar 33, which has its upper end mounted on pivot 34 beneath the curved tray flange. A spring 35 is provided for normally maintaining the lever 30 in its uppermost and inoperative position. In operation, when the handle 3| of the lever 30 is swung downwardly the foot 32 and lever 33 are moved toward a straight line relation and the distance between the portionof the lever which engages the shelf l6 and the upper end of the lever 33 isv increased, thus raising the front end of the tray from the shelf.

As shown in Fig. 4, a lever 36 is pivoted at 31 beneath the front tray flange, and a lever 38 is pivoted at 39 to the lever 36. The lever 36 will be inclined when the tray is inserted and have its lower end in contact with the evaporator shelf, wherefore swinging of the lever 36 about its pivot 31 will increase the distance between the lower extremity of the lever 36 and the pivot 31, thus raising the front end of the tray. The lever 36 is preferably curved to snugly conform to the outline of the hand grip portion of the tray front It. Further, the lever is preferably of sufficient weight so that it will return by gravity to its normal positionas shown in Fig. 4, and can be grasped and swung upwardly for performing the loosening operation. Instead of allowing the lever to return to normal position by gravity, a spring or other desired means can be used.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various other changes may bemade in the construction and arrangement without departing from the spirit of the invention, and there fore the invention is not limited to what is shown in the drawing and described in the specification,

but only as indicated in the following claims.

- What is claimed is:

1. In combination with an ice freezing receptacle and a refrigerated support therefor of a toggle device on the receptacle for breaking an ice bond between the receptacle and support comprising a pair of levers hinged together and attached to the receptaclein a manner to be operatively associated with said receptacle and support respectively when said receptacle is on said support, means for operating said device comprising a handleformed integrally with one of said levers for, movingsaid levers toward a straight line position to exert a separation force between said receptacle and support.

2. In combination with an ice freezing receptacle and a refrigerated support therefor of a toggle device on the receptacle for breaking'an ice bond between the receptacle and support comprising a pair of levers hinged together and attached to the receptacle in a manner to be operatively associated with said receptacle and support respectively when said receptacle is on said support, means for operating said device comprising a handle formed integrally with one of said levers operatively associated with said receptacle and arranged to be lifted for moving said levers toward a straight line position to exert a separation force between said receptacle and support.

3 In combination with an ice freezing receptacle and a refrigerated support therefor of a toggle device onthe receptacle for breaking an ice bond between the receptacle and support comprising a pair of levers hinged together and atceptacle, adapted to engage a refrigerated support therefor, of a toggle device on the receptacle for breaking an ice bond between the receptacle and such support; said device comprising a pair of levers hinged together and attached to the receptacle in a manner to engage said support when said receptacle is supported thereon, and

means for operating said device comprising a handle formed integrally with one of said levers for moving said levers toward a straight line position to exert a separating force between said receptacle and support.

5. The combination with an ice freezing re- I cepmcle'. adapted to engage a refrigerated support therefor, of a toggle device on the receptacle forbreaking an ice bond between the receptacle and such support; said device comprising a pair of levers hinged together and attached to the receptacle in a manner to exert a force on the receptacle and support respectively when said receptacle is -on said support, and means for operating said device comprising a handle'formed integrally with the one of said levers exerting the force on said receptacle and arranged to be lifted for moving said levers toward a straight line position to exert such force and cause a separation between said receptacle and support.

SVEN W. E. ANDERSSON.

Images