US2118211A

US2118211A - Liquid congealing apparatus

Info

Publication number: US2118211A
Application number: US128064A
Authority: US
Inventors: Edward H Lutz
Original assignee: Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Co
Current assignee: CBS Corp
Priority date: 1937-02-27
Filing date: 1937-02-27
Publication date: 1938-05-24
Anticipated expiration: 1955-05-24

Description

May 24, 1938. E H] Um v 2,118,211

LIQUID CQNGEALING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 27, 1957 INVENTOR EDWARD H. Lu'rz ATTO Patented May 24, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LIQUID CONGEALIN G APPARATUS sylvania Application February 27, 1937, Serial No. 128,064

11 Claims.

My invention relates to liquid congealing apparatus, and particularly to liquid congealing apparatus of the type wherein a flexible metallic grid member is employed to divide an ice tray into cells for the formation of ice of a suitable size and shape for domestic and table use.

It is an object of my invention to provide an improved metallic grid member which may be flexed to loosen ice therefrom and in which the flexing force applied to the grid member is particularly effective to break the bond between the ice and the grid member.

It is another object of my invention to provide improved liquid congealing apparatus wherein a flexible grid member is forcibly moved relative to the ice tray, and is thereafter flexed to remove ice from said grid member.

It is still another object of my invention to provide a flexible grid member which is relatively stiff in an upward direction when lifting force is applied thereto because of certain structural characteristics of the grid itself.

It is a further object of my invention to provide a flexible metallic grid member which forms a double row of ice cubes in an ice tray and which only need be flexed in one direction transverse to the horizontal plane of the grid to break the ice bond between the ice cubes and the grid member.

It is also an object of myinvention to provide an improved flexible metallic grid structure which is relatively inexpensive and easy to manufacture.

These and other objects are effected by my invention as will be apparent from the following description and claims taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this application, in which:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of liquid congealing apparatus of thetype in general use in domestic refrigeration, and illustrates a preferred embodiment of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the improved flexible grid structure shown in Fig. 1, illustrated in its flexed position after removal from the ice tray;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the flexible grid structure, shown in its normal position; and

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view 'of one end of the ice tray and grid, with the ice tray broken away to illustrate the leverage means for lifting the grid structure from the tray.

Referring specifically to the drawing for a detailed description of my invention numeral ll designates an ice tray which is preferably formed of sheet aluminum and which issubstantially rigid. A flexible grid structure generally shown at l2 divides the ice tray ll into two rows of cells I3 and I 4 for the formation of ice cubes,- shown at IS in Fig. 2.

The grid structure I2 is preferably formed of a flexible, non-corrosive metal, such as, for example, stainless steel, in the following manner. Preferably, although not necessarily, a single sheet of stainless steel is utilized, and starting at the left hand end of the grid shown in Figs. 1 to 3, the sheet first forms a portion 20 of one side 16 of a first double transverse wall [1. At the middle of the transverse wall H, the sheet .is bent outwardly at right angles to form one side 18 of an end longitudinal wall member l9, and is then folded at 2! and bent back to form a second side 22 of the end longitudinal wall l9. The side 22 extends to said first transverse wall l1 and is then bent at right angles to form a second portion 20a of the side iii of the first transverse wall 11. The sheet is then bent back upon itself, being folded at 23 to form a second side 24 of the transverse wall l1. The sheet is then again bent at right angles to form a wall 25 which extends the length of a cell M, in the same plane as and adjacent to a side wall 25 of the ice tray l I. The sheet is again bent at right angles to form a portion 26 of one side 90 of a second transverse wall 21 and extends to substantially the middle of the transverse wall 21 where it is bent at right angles and extends to the first transverse wall i1 and forms one side 28 of a longitudinal wall member 29. The sheet is then folded at 3! and extends to the second transverse wall 21, forming a second side 32 of the longitudinal wall member 29. The sheet is again bent at right angles to form a second portion 93 of the side 90 of the transverse wall 21 and is then folded at 94 and bent back upon itself to' form a second side 35 of the transverse wall 21.

It will be seen, therefore, that the wall 25 of single thickness of metal, the transverse wall 21 of double thickness of metal, and the longitudinal wall member 29 of double thickness of metal form an inverted F-shaped member, indicated at 49. The forming of the foregoing F-shaped members 49 are thereafter continued until the desired length of the flexible grid is obtained. At the right hand end of the grid memberl2, the last transverse wall 96, instead of having its right hand sheet 31 extend completely across the transverse wall,- has the sheet 31 bent at right angles substantially at the middle of the transverse wall and doubled at 39 to form sides 39 and I of an end longitudinal wall member 42. The sheet 31 is then bent at right angles and extends to the edge of the transverse wall 39. v

Handles 43 and 44 are preferably attached to the end longitudinal members i9 and 42, respectively, by pivot pins 45, so that the handles 43 and 44 may be disposed in the position shown in Fig. 1 when not in use and may be rotated to the position shown in Fig. 4 when it is desired to lift the grid member l2 from the ice tray H to forcibly break the ice bond between the ice cubes l5 and the ice tray I I, and remove the grid therefrom. Flat portions 46 of the handles 43 and 44 engage a turned reinforced lip 41 of the ice tray ll, so that downward force applied by the user to the ends of the handles 43 and 44 lift the grid structure l2, the lip 41 acting as a fulcrum and the handles 43 and 44 and the fiat portions 46 acting as levers.

It is sometimes necessary to provide means for preventing upward flexing of the grid member l2 when lifting force is applied to the ends thereof, so that the grid will be lifted substantially an equal amount along its entire length and the ice bond between the cubes I5 and the ice tray- II will be broken for the entire longitudinal extent of the ice tray. Several constructions have been heretofore utilized for stiffening the grid, such as providing a rigid longitudinal member, or welding or otherwise fastening the double sheets of each transverse wall together adjacent the bottom thereof. In addition to other obvious disadvantages of such constructions, they are expensive and complicate the manufacture of flexible metallic grids. In my grid member, the only welding utilized is at the

points

43 and 49, to prevent the end transverse sheets l6 and 31 from bending out of shape when force is applied to the handles 43 and 44. The grid member I2 is relatively stiiI in a vertical direction, however, because the folded portions 3| of each F-shaped section 40 freely abuts its contiguous transverse wall for the entire height of the grid structure and, therefore, prevents vertical rotation of the longitudinal grid wall members at these points.

After the grid member i2 is removed from the ice tray II, the handles 43 and 44 are grasped and force applied thereto in a plane coinciding with the horizontal plane of the grid so that the grid is opened up as shown in Fig. 2. I'orsional force may also be applied through the handles 43 and 44. All the walls of the grid are, therefore, moved relative to each other and are spread to break the ice bond between the ice cubes l5 and the grid member [2, and all the force applied is useful to spread the walls, since none of the ice cubes ii are compressed by flexing the grid. It will be obvious that, iii-flexible grid structures where some of the cubes are compressed by movement of the walls in a. given direction, the work required to compress the cubes is useless because such force does not assist in breaking the bond between the ice cubes and the grid. A double row of ice cubes may, therefore, be removed by flexing the grid in one direction, with the aforesaid twisting motion applied if desirable, by my invention.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that I have provided an improved, relatively inexpensive grid member which is inherently stiff in a vertical direction and in which a double row of ice cubes may be removed by flexing the grid with a minimum of effort required.

While I have shown my invention in but one form, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that it is not so limited, but is susceptible of various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit thereof, and I desire,

therefore, that only such limitations shall be placed thereupon as are imposed by the prior art or as are specifically set forth in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A removable grid for dividing an ice tray into a plurality of cells for forming ice cubes comprising a single strip of flexible metal bent to form a plurality of vertical transverse walls of double thicknesses of metal, a plurality of vertical longitudinal walls formed of a single thickness of metal connecting adjacent thicknesses of the transverse walls, and a plurality of vertical longitudinal wall members extending between said transverse walls and each comprising two thicknesses of metal bent from said transverse walls and folded adjacent a contiguous transverse wall.

2. A removable grid for dividing an ice tray into a plurality of cells for forming ice cubes comprising a single strip of flexible metal bent to form a plurality of vertical transverse walls of double thicknesses of metal, a plurality of vertical longitudinal walls formed of a single thickness of metal connecting adjacent thicknesses of the transverse walls, and a plurality of vertical longitudinal wall members extending between said transverse walls and each comprising two thicknesses of metal bent from said transverse walls and folded adjacent a contiguous transverse wall, said folded portion of the longitudinal walls of double thicknesses freely abutting the transverse wall to which it is contiguous.

3. A removable grid structure for dividing an ice tray into a plurality of cells for forming ice cubes comprising walls of flexible sheet metal formed to provide a plurality of vertical transverse partitions of two thicknesses of sheet metal, and a plurality of vertical longitudinally extending partitions extending between said transverse partitions and each comprising two thicknesses of sheet metal extending from one of said transverse partitions and connected adjacent to a contiguous transverse partition, said longitudinal walls freely abutting the latter transverse partition.

4. A removable grid structure for dividing an ice tray into a plurality of cells for forming ice cubes comprising walls of flexible sheet metal formed to provide a plurality of transverse partitions of two thicknesses of sheet metal, a plurality of vertical longitudinal partitions formed of a single thickness of metal connecting adjacent thicknesses of metal of the transverse partitions at one edge of all of said transverse partitions, and another group of vertical longitudinal partitions extending between said transverse partitions and each comprising two thicknesses of metal extending from said transverse partitions intermediate of their vertical edges and connected to each other adjacent to a contiguous transverse partition.

5. A removable grid structure for dividing an ice tray into a plurality of cells for forming ice cubes comprising vertical partition walls of flexible sheet metal formed into F-shaped members, the top of each F-shaped member being formed of a single thickness of metal and the remainder of the F-shaped member being formed of double thicknesses of metal.

6. A removable grid structure for dividing an ice tray into a plurality of cells for forming ice cubes comprising vertical partition walls of flex- .ible sheet metal formed into F-shaped members,

the top of each F shaped member being formed of a single thickness of metal and the remainder of the F-shaped member being formed of double thicknesses of metal, the outer end of the top of each F-shaped member being connected to the contiguous thickness 01' metal oi?v the upright portion of the next F-shaped member.

7. A removable grid structure for dividing an ice tray into a plurality of cells for forming ice cubes comprising vertical partition walls of flexible sheet metal formed into F-shaped members, the top of each F-shaped member being formed of a single thickness of metal and the remainder of the F-shaped member being formed of double thicknesses of metal, the outer end of the top of each F-shaped member being. connected to the contiguous thickness of metal of the upright portion of the next F-shaped member, the F- shaped members being otherwise free to move relative to each other.

8. A grid structure for dividing an ice tray into a plurality of cells for forming ice cubes comprising a plurality of walls extending transversely of the ice tray, a central longitudinal wall structure comprising a plurality of members extending between contiguous transverse walls and each connected to one transverse wall only, and a plurality of flexible members connecting the edges of said transverse walls on one side thereof only, whereby the grid forms a double row of ice cubes which are loosened by flexing the grid in one direction in the horizontal plane thereof. 1

9. A grid structure for dividing an ice tray into a plurality of cells for forming ice cubes comprising a plurality of walls extending transversely of the ice tray, a central longitudinal wall structure comprising a plurality of members extending between contiguous transverse walls and each connected to one transverse. wall only, a plurality of flexible members connecting the edges of said transverse walls on one side thereof only, whereby the grid forms a double row of ice cubes which are loosened by flexing the grid in the horizontal plane thereof, and means provided on the grid for imparting-flexing movement to the grid structure.

10. A grid structure for dividing an ice tray into a plurality of cells for forming ice cubes comprising a plurality of walls extending transversely of the ice tray, a central longitudinal wall structure comprising a plurality of members extending between contiguous transverse walls and each connected to one. transverse wall only, a plurality of flexible members connecting the edges of said transverse walls on one side thereof only, whereby the grid forms a double row of ice cubes which are loosened by flexing the grid in one direction in the horizontal plane thereof, and means provided on the grid for imparting flexing movement thereto comprising handle members attached to the longitudinal ends of the grid.

11. A grid structure for dividing an ice tray into a plurality of cells for forming ice cubes comprising a plurality of vertical walls extending transversely of the ice tray, a central verti: cal longitudinal wall structure comprising a plurality of members extending between contiguous transverse walls, each of said members being Kattached to only one of said transverse walls and freely abutting the other contiguous transverse wall for its entire extent, whereby the grid structure is stiffened when force is applied at the ends thereof in a vertical direction, a plural.- ity of members connecting said transverse walls together, and means provided on the grid for removing it from said ice tray by applying vertical lifting force to the ends ofsaid grid and said means being efiective for thereafter imparting flexing movement to the grid.

I EDWARD H. U712.