US2351742A - Flexible grid ice tray - Google Patents

Description

June 1944- M. K. BUCHANAN 5 FLEXIBLE GRID ICE TRAY Filed NOV. 13, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 j INVENTOR MICHAEL K. BUCHANAN BY mwwW.

ATTORNEYS June 20, 1944. v BUCHANAN 2,351,742

FLEXIBLE GRID ICE TRAY Filed Nov. 15, 1939 '2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I I I i I I. 7 I I I m A f 3a INVENTOR Tuz fi- MICHAEL K. BUCHANAN BYWE.

ATTORN EYS Patented June 20, 1944 umrao STATES PATENT OFFICE- FLEXIBLE GRID ICE TRAY v Michael K. Buchanan, Norfolk, Va. Application November 13, 1939, Serial No. 304,240

(on. sz-uas) 15 Claims.

The invention relates to liquid congealing apparatus and particularly to a device for forming ice cubes for domestic consumption and relates to such devices which include a pan or tray for containing the water or other liquid to be frozen and in which pan or tray is removably positioned a grid for dividing the interior of the tray into a plurality of ice cube forming molds.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a simplified form of the grid element of such apparatus which will facilitate the removal of the formed ice cubes from the grid element by a flexing of the same either while the grid element is in the tray or after it has been removed from the tray with the ice cubes adhering thereto.

Broadly, this object is attained by forming the grid of a thin gage,' extremely flexible form of sheet metal and which will thus have high con-- ducting capacity with relatively low thermal capacity and which grid can be readily distorted, flexed and bent to release it from the formed ice cubes.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will be in part obvious from an inspection of the accompanying drawings and in part will be more fully set forth in the following particular description of one form of device embodying the invention, and the invention also consists in certain new and novel features of construction and combination of parts hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a device for forming ice cubes equipped with a grid forming a preferred embodiment of the invention and illustrated with several of the ice cubes in place at one end;

Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view taken on the plane indicated by the line 2-! looking towards the central partition in the direction indicated by the arrows;

Fig. 3 is a view in side elevation of the gri removed from the tray of the preceding figures and shown distorted in the act of removing the ice cubes, but it is to be understood that the bending of the grid is shown in exaggerated form Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3 looking in the direction indicated by the arrows and showing two of the ice cubes freed from both the longitudinal and transverse walls of the grid;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing a modified form of the grid element;

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 3 showing a distortion of the grid of Fig. 5 about a centrally located support which may be the tray of Fig. 5 turned upside-down;

Fig. 7 is a similar view showing another means of distorting the grid, in this case the grid 10- rid shown in Figs. 5 to 7 inclusive shown with one of the end ice cubes shifted from its formed location relative .to the longitudinal partition.

In the several views of the drawings, there is shown a conventional form of rigid metal tray ll preferably formed of stamped aluminum including side walls II and end walls l2, the walls at their upper edges outlined by an outtumed flange i3.

Fitted within the tray III is a grid, two forms of which are herein disclosed. In each case the grid comprises two separable units, one comprising a relatively rigid upstandlngplate l4 preferably formed of brass and forming a longitudinally extending partition located in the longitudinal medial plane of the grid and of the associated tray to divide the tray into two halves. The mid-partition is provided along the opposite sides of its lower edge I! with a series of longitudinally spaced apart projections or feet It of the type shown in my Patent No. 1,932,689, but which ma be of a longer type such as shown in my Patent No. 2,043,881.

While it is a feature of this disclosure that the longitudinal partition be rigid when considered vertically and when compared with the transverse partitions hereinafter described, this does not mean that the central partition can not be bent transversely of its plane by manual action and is so bent to release the ice cubes therefrom in the eventthat excessively sharp freezing should cause the cubes to adhere tenaciously to the longitudinal partition. In the general operation of the device with normal freezing of the ice cubes, this adhesion of the ice cubes to the longitudinal partitions will not occur.

The other unit I! which goes to make up the grid comprises in both forms of the invention a series of transverse partitions 18.

Referring to the form of the unit I! illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4, the grid is formed of a single length of extremely flexible sheet metal bent to the form illustrated. This unit may be formed from thin gage stainless strip steel or thin brass. The strip is folded at an angle conforming with a corner IQ of the tray III and forms an end or rocker wall 20 at 24 and extends downwardly to form the other side 25 oi the transverse partition in contact with The sheet is then bent again at the first side 23.

right angles to form the next section 28 of the bottom wall 22. It will be seen that the above described construction is continued to form the desired number of bottom wall members and transverse vertically extending partitions 1:8 and that the opposite end of this grid unit is bent to form an end or rocker wall 21. It will also be .obvious that the sections of the bottom wall 22 and the end walls 20 and 21 lie flat against the tray and that the transverse partitions 13 are formed of a double sheet of the strip metal closed at the top by the told 24 and open on the other three sides. Opposite edges of each of the bottom sections are roundly cut away between each adjacent transverse partition as shown at 28.

These transverse partitions l8 are flexible, that is are capable of movement in a direction transversely of their length about their lower portion as they join the bottom 22. The different bottom sections such as sections 2| and 28 are disposed in alignment as indicated in Fig. 2 to form a normally flat central portion to the grid unit considered as a whole. Flat and relatively rugged plates 29 and 30 are secured to and project at diagonally opposite ends outwardly from the adjacent rocker walls 20 and 21 to form flanges or handles which overlap and extend beyond the outlin ng flange 13 of the tray. Each of the transversely extending partitions 18, but not the rocker walls, are provided centrally thereof with a slot 3| in which the longitudinal partition fits with a loose flt so that the units may be readily separated.

In order to prevent flexing of the grid unit l1 upwards of the tray when force is applied to the ends thereof by the handles 29 and 30 to remove the grid from the tray, stifiening means is provided which consists of welds or solder 32 which fasten together the two sides 23 and 25 of each transverse partition adjacent the bottom of the partit on. When ice cubes to are present in the cells 33, the grid will not flex upwardly because the sides 23 and 25 will not spread at the bottom of the partition due to the presence of the welds and the top of the partitions l8 will not be brought closer together by flexing the sections of the bottom wall 22 because of the presence of the ice cubes ic. It is also obvious that as the part tion l4 fits between the end walls 20 and 21, it will act as an internal strut and resist flexing of the grid l1 upwardly of the tray when force is applied to the handles. The stiffening means, either 32, 14, or the base 34 in the Figs. 5-8 form, however do not prevent flexing of the grid unit l1 in other directions.

It is suggested that a form of grid unit including the transverse partitions may be formed as previously described except that in this case a little more rugged or rather a less flexible structure may be formed by locating the flexible grid element l1 on a flexible base member such as is shown at 34 in Figs. 5 and 7 which is simply a sheet of metal of a little wider gage of material than that used for forming the transverse walls and securing the unit 11 thereto as by welding the bottom wall 22 at a few spaced apart points to the base member 34. In one form of the invention the base member is of slightly less width than the width of the interior of the tray so that in this case the end portions of each ice cube mold is of a. single thickness of material but is, of course, a double thickness of material along the length of the grid unit beneath the longitudinal partition 14. The opposite ends of the base member 34 are bent upwardly to form rocker walls 35 and 36 iii which need 'not be flexible. A pair of pressure receiving flanges or handles 31 and 38 corresponding to handles 28 and 30 are secured to or as in the illustrated case extend integrally from the upper edges of the rocker walls.

Referring particularly to the grid unit 33 of the form illustrated in Figs. 5 to 8, the transverse partitions are not formed by bending a single strip of material as in. the Figs. 1 to 4 form. In this case, each ice forming compartment 40 on opposite sides of the longitudinal partition 14, except the diagonally located end compartments 41 and 42, is formed of a single length of sheet metal bent to the flat bottom U-shape similar to that shown in Figs. 1-4 to form opposing upright walls 43 and 44 and a bottom wall 45. Each wall 43 and 44 except the end walls engage against the corresponding wall of the next adjacent U-form and are preferably in spring pressed bearing engagement with each other. In this way the opposing walls of each U-shape tends to separate but is restrained by the next adjacent U-shape or by the rocker walls. The bottom walls 45 are each secured as by welding or solder indicated at 46 to the base member 34. While this construction provides a double thickness of wall to the transverse partitions 41 thus formed, the upper edges of adjacent walls are not connected so that these walls are free to move slightly relative to each other when pressed by the shifting ice cube as suggested in Patent No. 2,043,881, June 9, 1936.

The transverse partitions 41 in this modified form are disposed parallel to each other and at an angle other than a right angle to the length of the grid and tray illustrated and oi course, at an angle to the grid unit 14 which forms the midlongitudinal partition as particularly shown in Fig. 8.

The transverse partitions 41 extend in parallel planes across the longitudinal wall 14 and at an acute angle relative to the transverse extension of the tray end walls 12. Thus the compartments 40 formed in the tray by the grid are i of a parallelogram form. The bottom wall of the compartments 4| and 42 as well as the portion of the base member 34 therebelow are cut off along a bevel line 48 so that in the diagonal opposite comers-the ice blocks are formed directly on the exposed bottom of the tray. In the showing in Figs. 5 and 8, the rocker walls 35 and 36 and the adjacent upturned transverse mold forming walls 49 and 50 extend at right angles to the length of the medial longitudinal partition 14.

In both forms of the grid, the opposite longitudinal edges are wide open and thus exposed to permit the ice cubes to move transversely out of their associated compartments when the grid is removed from the tray.

In operation and assuming that the device with water therein to any desired level has been subjected to the freezing effect of mechanical refrigeration and that the ice cubes have completely formed, the grid may be removed from the tray as in Figs. 1 and 5 simply by pressing down upon the diagonally disposed handles 29 and 30 as shown in Fig. 1 or upon the diagonally disposed handles 31 and 38 in Fig. 5 with a force suflicient to break the adhesion between the ice and the sides and bottom of the tray. The grid considered as a whole may be lifted bodily out of the tray by lifting up on the handles. In one practical form of the device herein disclosed the grid is separated from the tray by manually actuated leverage device reacting between the handle 33 and the adjacent end flange l3 but this mechanism forms no part of the present disclosure. This lifting action irrespective as to how practiced has the effect of removing the grid with the ice cubes adhering thereto as a single unit from the tray. As the grid as shown in Figs. to 8 is moved manually or mechanically upwardly out of the tray by the elevation of one or both of the handles 31 and 38 the base member acts to tie together the portions of the adjacent transverse walls 41 and thus acts as does the welds 32 in. the Fig. 3 form in cooperation with the ice to prevent flexing of the grid unit l1 when force is applied to the ends thereof to remove the grid from the tray.

The grid in the form shownin Fig. 3 may then be laid flat on a table or other support and pressure applied downwardly on the two handles 28 and 30. This will have the effect of bowing the bottom wall 22 towards the arched position shown leaving the longitudinal unit with its center tangent to the crown of the are. In actual practice, it is not necessary to press the handles down as far as is illustrated, usually a slight distortion of the unit out of its normal fiat position is sufficient to break the ice seal between the formed ice cubes and the grid.

It is noted that in both forms of the invention, the pressure receivinghandles are at diagonally opposite corners of the grid and either device may be operated by holding one end of the device on a flat surface adjacent one edge, such as the edge of a table while bending down on the other handle in space beyond the table edge. The removed grid may be broken over a member as shown in Fig. 6. This downward pressure upon one or both of the handles results in two actions and as the action is the same at opposite ends of the tray, the detailed description of what takes place at one end is sumcient for the opposite end. When downward pressure is exerted, say on the handle 30 'in Fig. 3, or 3B in Fig. 7, the adjacent rocker wall 20 or 36 swings outwardly towards the position shown in Figs. 3 and 7 with a lever action fulcrumed about the point 5| in Fig. 3 or 52 in Fig. 'l causing the rocker walls to move longitudinally away from the adjacent end ice cubes. This shifting of the walls 20 or 50 from the ositions shown in Figs. 2 and 5 to the posiions shown in Figs. 3, 6 and 7, tends to peel the walls 20 or 50 away from the adjacent side of the formed ice cubes ie the break starting at the top and continuing downwardly towards the corners BI and 52. As pressure is exerted downwardly upon the outstanding handles, not only does the rocker arm tend to swing outwardly, it also tends to swing downwardly relative to its initial position. At the same time the inner end of the bottom section, such as 2| in Fig. 3, tends to move upwardly relative to the fulcrum point or lines SI and 52. This downward movement of the first bottom wall section 2| is transmitted to the next adjacent bottom section 26 to cause both walls 2| and 26 to swing upwardly about the adjacent fulcrum line so the entire grid unit assumes the position approximating that shown in Figs. 3, 6 and '7 except that the arc in actual practice is not on as small a radius as is indicated in the drawings. While the bottom sections at each end of the grid unit tends to are downwardly II or 32,- another action takes place. The ice cubes do not follow the lowering bottom wall but are restrained from falling by the feet or projections I. on the central longitudinal partition II which due to its rigidity when considered vertically has not moved in space. As each ice block is held from falling at its inner side by the projections orfeet but is not held at its outer side or end, these blocks have a tendency to rock transversely about the projections or feet as pivots with the result that the ice blocks separate automatically from the central partition or are passed away from the central partition as hereinafter described. Anyhow, with all sides of the block free of the transverse partitions, a slight knock on the outer ends of the cubes will readily separate them from the central partition l4. 1

.It is noted, howeventhat as the end wall 50, and each succeeding wall thereafter, swings outwardly, that is towards the end of the grid from its normal upright position, the next succeeding partition such as N in Figs. 6, 7 and 8 will press at its upper portion against the end block illustrated in Figs. '1 and 8 to press the end block lengthwise of the partition II, and incidentally tilt it towards the end wall 50 as indicated to the right of Figs. 6 and 7. This has the effect of positively displacing the end ice blocks away'from both parts of the partition 53. Each succeeding transverse partition I from the end of the grid towards the center acts similarly on its next outwardly adjacent ice cube to shift it towards the adjacent end of the grid when released from the holding effect of the ice cube immediately in advance thereof.

The operation as thus far described has been as if the unit provided with the transverse partitions is bendable only about a transverse axis into the arc-shape illustrated and it is true that this is the primary distorting action. However, and to a relatively more limited degree, another action takes place. As pressure is exerted downwardly upon the diagonally arranged handles 29 and 30 or 31 and 33, a diagonal twisting action takes place along the bottom of the arching grid section and about X-shaped intersecting axes. In other words, the diagonal corners 54 and 55 in Fig. 8 remain fixed on the support as shown in Fig. 7 and the other corners 56 and 51 at each end tend to rise'slightly away from the support. This tendency of the portion of each end opposite the adjacent handle to elevate vertically is facilitated by the cut-away portion of the bottom forming the compartments 4| and 42. There is thus affected a weaving, springing or twisting of the bottom of the grid unit out of its normal fiat position with a progressive breaking of the ice seals between the bottoms of the ice cubes and the bottom sections of the grid. From each end the ice cubes break away from the grid in the order of the encircled members shown to the right of Fig. 8. As a result of this combined arching and bottom weaving motion the ice cubes can be quickly removed from the grid without the exertion of any more energy than simply manually pressing down upon the :earlike extensions provided by the handles 29 and 30 or 31 and 38.

When released from pressure the grid member restores itself by virtue of its resiliency back into its normal initial condition after which it may be replaced in the grid for another freezing operation. As the longitudinal partition H can be readily lifted out of the units l1 or 39 provided with the transverse partitions, all parts of the grid are readily exposed for cleaning or replacement 'of any damaged parts. It is also suggested in those cases where long narrow forms of ice cubes are desired, that the longitudinal partition be omitted and the ice blocks formed by the use of grid units ll or 39 alone in the pan so that the ice blocks are formed, with the succeeding ice blocks connected by a, thin, easily frangible web formed by the freezing of the water in the slots 3|, integrally between the opposing side walls ll 01' the tray I I].

I claim:

1. A grid for dividing a substantially rigid metal pan member into a plurality of ice containing cells, said grid being formed of flexible sheet metal and embodying a flexible bottom wall member formed of a double thickness of said sheet metal and a plurality of transverse wall members extending vertically from the bottom wall member and being formed of a double thickness of said sheet metal and means cooper- I ating with the ice in said cells for preventing upward flexing of said grid when force is applied to an end thereof in an upward direction, said grid being flexible in other directions.

2. A grid for dividing a pan member into a plurality of ice containing cells, said grid being formed of flexible sheet metal and embodying a flexible bottom wall member formed of a double thickness of said sheet metal and a plurality of transverse wall members extending vertically from the bottom wall member and being formed of a double thickness of said sheet metal, handle means disposed adjacent each end of the grid structure to remove the grid with ice therein from said pan member, saidhandle means being removable from the pan member with said grid member for flexing the grid after removal from the pan member to remove ice therefrom, and means for imparting rigidity to the grid when ice is present therein so that when force is applied to the ends of the grid in an upward direction by said handle means the grid is lifted a uniform distance from the pan member, said last-mentioned means being ineffective to prevent flexing of the wall member in other directions when :ice is present therein.

. 3. In liquid congealing apparatus, the combination of a pan member embodying a flat lower surface, a removable grid for dividing the pan member into a plurality of ice containing cells, said grid being formed of flexible sheet metal and embodying a bottom wall member formed of a double thickness of said sheet metal engaging with substantially the entire lower surface of said pan member, a, plurality of transverse wall members extending vertically from the bottom wall member and being formed of a double thickness of said sheet metal and handle means disposed adjacent each end of the grid to remove the grid with ice therein from said pan member, said handle means being removable from the pan member with said grid for flexing the grid after removal from the pan member.

4. In liquid congealing apparatus, the combination of a substantially rigid metal pan member embodying a flat lower surface, a removable flexible grid for dividing the pan member into a pluralty of ice containing cells, said grid being formed of sheet metal and embodying a flexible bottom wall member engaging with substantially the entire lower surface of the pan member and plurality of transverse wall members extending vertically from the bottom wall member and substantially in alinement with the transverse axis of the pan member, bottom walls connecting adjacent transverse wall members, said grid being progressively flexible, when removed from said pan member, in a, direction tending to separate respective transverse wall members, said grid also embodying means tending to hold the ice formed therein from following the flexible bottom wall.

5. The combination claimed in claim 4 wherein handle means are rigidly attached to the ends of the grid to raise the grid from the pan member and to thereafter impart said flexing movement to the grid.

6. In a device for forming ice cubes, the combination of a tray, a grid removably positioned in the tray and acting to divide the interior thereof into a plurality of ice cube compartments, said grid comprising two units, one including vertically extending transverse partitions and an elongated sheet metal bottom forming element having a normal flat central portion rounding at opposite ends into upstanding end rocker walls, pressure applying flanges forming handles projecting outwardly from diagonally disposed parts of the upper edges of the rocker walls to form leverage means for springing said element out of its normal configuration, said element being flexible in its central portion to permit the same to bow upwardly adjacent its mid-portion and to twist diagonally out of its normal flat condition when downwardly directed pressure is applied simultaneously to the two handles in the act of Li eaking the adhesion between the grid and the ice formed therein, and the other unit including a longitudinally extending partition, separable from and disposed on the top of the bottom forming element and located between the rocker walls, said longitudinal partition being relatively rigid in its vertical dimension and tending to remain stationary in space as the opposite ends of the bottom element move downwardly away from the same under the pressure applied to the handles, said longitudinal partition provided with horizontally extending projections tending to hold the ice from following the bottom element as opposite ends of the bottom element are moved downwardly away from the partition and from the ice as it more or less adheres to the same.

7. A grid for a freezing tray comprising an ice compartment forming means including an elongated sheet metal bottom forming element having a normal flat central portion rounding at opposite ends into upstanding end rocker walls, pressure applying flanges forming handles pro- Jecting outwardly from diagonally disposed parts of the upper edges of the rocker walls to form leverage means for springing said element out of its normal configuration, said element being flexible in its central portion to permit the same to bow upwardly adjacent its mid-portion and to twist diagonally out of its normal flat condition when downwardly directed pressure is applied simultaneously to the two handles in the act of breaking the adhesion between the grid and the ice formed therein, and said compartment forming means also includingta longitudinally extending partition, separable from and disposed on the top of the bottom forming element and located between the rocker wall, said partition being relatively rigid in its vertical dimension and tending to remain stationary in space as the opposite ends of the bottom element move downwardly away from the applied to the handles.

8. A sheet metal grid for a freezing tray comsame under the pressure prising an ice compartment forming means including an elongated sheet metal bottom forming element having a normal flat central portion rounding at opposite ends into upstanding end rocker walls, pressure applying flanges forming handles projecting outwardly from diagonally disposed parts of the upper edges of the rocker walls to form leverage means for springing said element out of its normal configuration, said element being flexible in its central portion to permit the same to bow upwardly adjacent its midportion and to twist diagonally out of its normal flat condition when downwardly directed pressure is applied simultaneously to the two handles in the act of breaking the adhesion between the grid and the ice formed therein.

9. In a device for forming ice cubes. the combination of a tray and a grid lying in the tray, unattached thereto and coacting therewith to divide the interior of the tray into a plurality of ice cube forming molds, said grid comprising two separate units, one constituting a longitudinally extending partition substantially rigid in its vertical plane and the other comprising a base member having a bottom portion adapted to lie on the bottom of the tray, having upturned end walls and handles projecting from the end walls beyond the adjacent ends of the tray and a series of transversely extending partitions having their upper portions flexible relative to each other and having their lower portion secured to the bottom member and provided with longitudinally aligned slots in which the longitudinal partition is received, said grid being responsive to pressure exerted downwardly on the handles to move opposite ends of the base member away from the rigid longitudinal partition to break the formed ice cubes away from the grid.

10. In a device for molding ice cubes, the combination of tray, a grid replaceably fitted in the tray for dividing the same into a plurality of ice forming molds, said grid including a substantially flat bottom member capable of being slightly sprung out of its normal plane, and a plurality of transversely extending mold forming partitions flexible relative to each other and secured at their lower edges to the bottom member and capable of movement relative to the bottom member when the bottom member is flexed to release the ice cubes therefrom and handles at diagonally opposite corners of the grid for flexing the same and certain of said transverse partitions being disposed in substantially parallel relation and inclined slightly towards both handles and at an angle to the length of the grid.

11. In a device for molding ice cubes, the combination of a tray, a grid replaceably fitted in the tray for dividing the same into a plurality of ice forming molds, said grid including a substantially flat bottom member capable of being slightly sprung out of its" normal plane, a relatively rigid upstanding longitudinal partition lying loosely on top or the flat bottom member and -a plurality of transversely extending mold forming partitions flexible relative to each other and secured at their .lower edges to the bottom member and capable of movement relative to the I bottom member and to the longitudinal partition when the bottom member is flexed to release the ice cubes therefrom.

12. In a device for forming ice cubes, the combination of a tray, a grid removably contained in the tray and comprising two separable units. one forming a longitudinal partition and the other forming a plurality of transverse partitions, the partitions of said units coacting with the tray to form a plurality of ice cube mold spaces, said longitudinal partition being provided with a plurality of ice anchoring means, one for each space and acting to secure the ice cubes from downward movement relative to the longitudinal partition and the unit including the transverse partitions having at least one end movable downwardly relative to the adjacent end of the longitudinal partition to cause this end to break away from the ice cubes restrained by the adjacent anchoring means, and handles at opposite ends of the last named unit acting when depressed for successively moving the transverse partitions in a direction parallel to the longitudinal partition and away from the contiguous sides of the ice cubes thereby to free the ice cubes from the transverse partitions.

13. In a device for forming ice cubes, the combination of a tray, a grid removably located in said tray for dividing the same into a plurality of ice cube molds, said grid including a longitudinal partition and a plurality of transverse partitions connected along their lower edge and their upper edges free to move to and from each other, said transverse partitions each comprising a long flat rectangular partition having one short edge at the partition and an opposite short edge at the adjacent side of the tray and extending at an acute angle to the plane of the longitudinal partition.

14. A grid structure for dividing a substantially rigid metal pan member into a plurality of ice containing cells, each cell being formed of a single flexible sheet of metal bent to form a first transverse wall section, a first horizontal wall section comprising said sheet bent at right angles to said first transverse wall section, a second transverse wall section formed of said sheet bent at right angles to the first horizontal wall section, the second transverse wall section abutting the first transverse wall section of the next adjacent cell, the horizontal wall sections of the cells lying flat in said pan member in contact with the bottom thereof, said transverse wall sections being disposed vertically and extending across said pan member, means for fastening the two sheets of each of the transverse wall sections together and rugged handle means fixedly secured to diagonally opposite corners at the ends of the grid structure for forcibly removing the grid structure and ice from the pan member and for flexing the grid structure after removal from the pan member to release the ice therefrom.

15. In a freezing pan assembly, a freezing pan adapted to receive water to be frozen, a divider positioned in said pan having a long, rigid longitudinal dividing member and a plurality of transverse dividing members located on opposite sides of the longitudinal member, a flexible member normally in fixed relation to the longitudinal member in the presence of the water frozen to the divider, said transverse dividing members being carried by said flexible member, said flexible member having a free end adapted to be moved with respect to said longitudinal divider. the construction being such that upon flexing of said flexible member the transverse dividing members will be moved to form diverging angles with each other. 7

MICHAEL K. BUCHANAN.

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