US2261952A - Refrigeration - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 11, 1941. G. -M. BLOMQVIST ETAL' 5 REFRIGERATION Filed Aug. 24, 1937 r 77/ 41v) ATTORNEY .ia mam Patented Nov. 11, 1941 .REFRIGERATION Gustav Marten Blomqvist and Sture Folke Torstensson,

Stockholm Sweden, assignors, by

mesne assignments, to Servel, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application August 24 In Germany Se 12 Claims.

This invention relates to refrigeration, and more particularly to a device to 'facilitatethe removal of ice or other frozen matter. from a shallow tray adapted for use in household refrigerators.

- It is an object of this invention to provide an improved device which can be conveniently employed to remove the frozen contents of a shallow tray without the necessity of using heat or water.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved device for removing a grid and ice cubes from a tray, the device in the present embodiment which is illustrative of one mode of 'carrying out the invention being independent of both the grid and tray so that the necessity of providing duplicate mechanism on a number of trays or grids to efiect separation of these members is eliminated.

The above and other objects and advantages of this invention will be better understood from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing forming a; part of this specification, and of which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view, partly broken away. f an ice tray positioned in a device embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a side view, partly in section, of the.

ice tray and device shown in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a view in elevation of a modification of the device shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, a grid I is shown positioned in an ice tray ll having a resilient bottom and side walls. formed of suitable metal, such as aluminum or stainless steel, for example, and about the upper edges of the side walls is provided an outward extending flange l2. The flange [2 may be curved downward at one end wall, as indicated at M, to provide a finger gri for the tray.

The tray II is shown positioned in a device l5 for removing the grid l0 and ice cubes from the tray. The device I5 is preferably formed of sheet metal and includes a base [6 and end walls l1 and I8. The base It along its longitudinal edges is provided with downward extending flanges l9 which may serve as supports for the device. The end wall I! includes an upper horizontal portion which extends toward the opposite end wall 18. The horizontal portion 20 projects inward beyond the end wall .of the tray II when the latter is, positioned on the base l6.

An arm or lever 2| is pivotally connected at 22 to the upperpart of end wall 18. The lever 2| is relatively wide and serves as a cover for 1937, Serial N... 160,582 ptember 3, 1936 The tray Il may be about 45 i may be at any other acute angle or even parallel beyond the end wall I! and is curved to provide a handle portion 23. Qne corner of lever 2| near the pivotal connection 22 is provided with a ledge or-raised portion 24 which is adapted to I8, as shown in Fig. 2. With the tray'l l 'posi- I tioned in the device l5, the lever 2| is moved downward at the handle portion 23, so that a downward force is exerted at one corner of the tray by the raised portion 24 of the lever. Since the greater part of'the bottom of tray l l is spaced from the base "S by the resilient ridge 25 and upward movement of one end of the tray is preented by the horizontal portion 20, suflicient deformation of the tray is brought about by downward movement of lever 2| to break the ice bond and loosen the ice cubes from the tray.

It is notnecessary to'provide tray II in the device [5 because, after the lever 2| is lowered andbears against one corner of the tray, the tray is wedged between the ridge 25 and horizontal portion 20. The height of the ridge 25 may be as small as 0.5 to 1.00 mm. and still permit sufiicient distortion of the tray to loosen the ice cubes therein.

While the ridge 25 is shown at an angle of to the end walls l1 and I8, the ridge to the end walls. 'Iheraised portion or ledge 24 may be of any desired shape and may be arranged to bear against the corner or across the entire end wall of the tray.

The device may be located in a compartment of a refrigerator cabinet where it is readily-accessible when ice trays are removed from a cooli as the upper horizontal extension which prevents the device. The outer end of lever 2| extends ing element, or the device may be fixed to the refrigerator cabinet or to the top of a table.

In Fig. 3 is shown a modification wherein a device similar to that shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is arranged at an edge of a table 26 or cabinet posi tioned against a wall 21 of a room. The device in Fig. 3 includes a U-ehaped member 28 fixed to the Wall or top of the table. One arm 29 of member 28 rests on the table 26 and'is provided with a ridge or rib 30, and the other arm 3| serves upward movement of the tray II when it is distorted.

a close fit of the' Above the member 28 a lever 32 is pivotally connected at 33 to the wall 21. A spring 34 may be provided at the pivotal connection 33 to maintain the lever 32 in a vertical position against the wall 2'! when it'is not being used. The lever 32 is provided with'a handle portion 34' for lowering the lever and causing a ledge or bar' 35 to bear against an end wall of the tray H. The downward force exerted at one end of the tray ll produces sufficient deformation of the tray to break the ice bond and loosen the ice cubes from the tray.

Since the lever 32 is ordinarily in a vertical position at the wall 2] and only the U-shaped member 28 is-supported on an edge of table.26, an extremely simple device is provided which effectively removes ice cubes from a tray and at the same time occupies a minimum amount of space on the table. By employing a device of the character shown and described above, it is not necessary to provide separate lever mechanisms on a number of trays or grids to remove ice cubes from the trays. The tray H may be provided with a flexible grid to facilitate the removal of the ice cubes from the grid after it is removed from the tray.

Although several embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will be apparent that various modifications and changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as pointed out in the following claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A device for removing frozen matter from a shallow tray including a support having a ridge or rib upon which the bottom of said tray is adapted to rest, an element abo'veone end of said tray when the latter is .resting on said ridge to prevent upward movement at such end when the opposite end of the tray is forced downward, said element and said ridge-normally being in fixed spaced relation, and means for forcing the opposite end of said tray downward to force the bottom of said tray against the ridge and said one end of said tray against saidelement to cause deformation of said tray to break thebond with the frozen matter.

2. A device as defined in claim 1 in which said means for forcing the opposite end of said tray downward includes a lever having a ledge adapted to bear against the edge of said tray.

3. A device as defined in claim 1 in which said ridlgte or rib extends diagonally across said sup- 4. A device as defined in claim 1 in which said means for forcing the opposite end of said tray downward includes 'a member adapted to bear against a comerv of said tray.

5. For use with a shallow ice tray adapted to contain matter to be frozen, 9. device independent of said tray for breaking the bondbetween the frozen matter and said tray, said device including members in spaced relation to engage said tray when the latter is positioned therebetween, and a member movable independently of said tray, said last-mentioned member with move- 'ment thereof toward a part of said tray being capable of applying force on 'said tray to produce a turning moment resistedxby said spaced members to cause sufiicient deformation of said tray to loosen the frozen matter therefrom.

6.. For use with a shallow ice tray adapted to contain water'tobe frozen and a grid removably fitting therein, a device independent of said grid and said tray to facilitate the removal of said by said fixed means,

grid and ice cubes from said tray, said device including members in spaced relation to engage said tray when the latter is positioned therebetween, and a member movable independently of said tray, said last-mentioned member with movement thereof toward a part of said tray being capable of applying force on said tray-to produce a turning moment resisted by said spaced members to distort said tray and break the bond between the ice cubes and said tray.

7. For use with a shallow metal ice tray adapted to contain matter to be frozen, a device independent of said tray to facilitate the removal of frozen matter from said tray, said device including members in spaced relation and adapted to engage said tray when the latter is positioned therebetween, and means in addition to said members operatively connected to said device and constructed andarranged so that, force may be applied on said deformation of said tray to loosen frozen matter therefrom.

8. A device to facilitate the removal of frozen matter from a shallow ice tray and including structure comprising members in spaced relation to engage said tray, and another member movably supported on said device and operable to apply force to one end of said tray to produce a turning moment resisted by said spaced members to cause deformation of said tray to loosen the frozen matter therefrom. V

9. The combination, with a support member, of a tray member removably carried by said support member and adapted to contain a substance the bond betweenits frozen contents and walls thereof.

10-. The combination, with a support member, of a tray member adapted to rest on. said support member, said tray member being adapted to contain matter which may be frozen therein, movable means associated with one of said members and adapted to engage a part of said other member, said other member being actuatable to exert force tending to impart bodily movement to at least a part of said tray member with respect to said support member, and fixed means adapted to engage said tray member and limit bodily movement of said tray member when said movable means is actuated so as to exert said force, said movable means while engaging saidtray to produce a turning 'moment resisted by said spaced members to cause means is capable of exerting said force being so located and arranged with respect to each other that the productionof said force imparts sufllcientlocal movement to parts of said tray member, although bodily'movement thereof is limited to break the frozen bond between said tray member and frozenmatter contained therein.

11. The combination, with a support member,

of a resilient metallictray member adapted to be supported by said support member and removable therefrom. said tray member being adapted to contain'matter which may be frozen therein, a lever pivotally mounted upon one of said members, said lever being adapted to engage the other of said members for imparting force between said members to elevate at least a part of said tray member relative to said disposed in the, path of elevation of said tray member, said means being fixed relative to said support member and adapted to be engaged by said tray member for stopping the elevation'of at least a part thereof, and said means being arranged with respect to the point of imparting force between said members to cause the force, upon engagement of said tray member with said means, to twist said tray member so as to break the bond between its frozen contents and walls thereof.

12. The combination, with a support memsupport member, means ber, of a tray member adapted to rest on said support member and removable therefrom, said tray member being stance which may be frozen therein, movable means for imparting force between said members, said means being operable to move at least a portion of said tray member relative to said fixed means disposed in the path of movement of said tray member and capable of holding a sub-'

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