US2386979A - Plastic ice tray grid - Google Patents

Description

Oct 1945- T. w. RUNDELL PLASTIC ICE TRAY GRID Filed Dec. 24, 1945 Me /7km Patented Oct. 16, 1945 f UNITED STATES PLASTIC ICE TRAY GRID Theodore W. Rundell, Abington, Pa., assignor, by

mesne assignments, to Philco'Radio and Television Corporation, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation 01' Delaware Application December 24, 1943, Serial No. 515,558

7 Claims.

The present invention relates to ice molds, and more particularly to a grid of the class commonly used in the ice trays of household refrigerators for molding ice cubes or other small bodies of a size and shape suitable for domestic uses.

It has been proposed to provide combination grid-and-cover members for ice trays, but the prior devices have been unsatisfactory by reason of certain inherent faults which give rise to difficulties, either in filling the tray with water for production of the ice bodies or in freeing the member from the frozen bodies to make the latter available for use.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a combined grid and cover which, when in place within the tray, will not prevent nor unduly complicate the filling of the tray with water; and which may be readily removed from the tray at" any time either before or after the formation of the ice has been completed.

More specifically, an object of the invention is to provide a grid-and-cover member of a character to establish within the tray a plurality of enclosed freezing chambers or compartments, said member being constructed so as to facilitate the filling of the chambers with water, and so as to afford an automatic separation of the memberfrom the fully formed ice bodies whereby the member may be withdrawn readily from the tray and from the ice bodies, the latter remaining in the tray in condition for immediate use.

Another object of the invention is to provide a grid-and-cover member of the self-releasing character described above wherein the automatic release is efiected by action of expansion forces resulting from the freezing of the water within the enclosed chambers aforesaid.

The invention further contemplates a gridand-cover member of the character set forth having means for producing a supply of ice in addition to the bodies produced within the said freezing chambers and relied upon to afford the automatic release.

Other novel features of the invention will appear from the following detailed description and from the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a top plan View showing the improved combination cover and grid in position within an ice tray;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of the assembly shown in Fig. 1 with portions of the assembly broken away to illustrate the cooperative relation between the cover-and-g fid structure and the tray;

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view illustrating the grid-and-cover elevated in the tray as in the act of insertion or removal; and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional viewlon the line 4-6, Fig. 1.

With reference to the drawing, the reference 50 the same size.

numeral I designates an ice tray substantially of conventional form and preferably composed of metal having relatively high heat conductive capacity and stamped or otherwise shaped from a single sheet of said metal to the elongated substantiallyrectangularform shown. Thesidewalls 2 and end walls 3 are preferably inclined so as to converge toward the bottom wall 4; and the said side and end walls are formed at their tops with an outward lateral flange 5 which extends continuously around the top of the tray and which :rmiilates at its outer edge in an upstanding ad The grid-and-cover member forming the subject of the invention is designated generally by the reference numeral 1. Preferably the member is molded in one piece from suitable material having a lower heat conductive capacity than the material of the tray i, and many plastics, such for example, as that known in the trade as Vinylite, are well adapted for this purpose.

As shown in the drawing, the combination grid-and-cover member 7 is of a size and shape to fit within the confines of the upstanding bead 6 of the tray 1, and has a marginal edge portion sertion and removal thereof in and from the tray.

Arranged at intervals along the length of the member and within the confines of the marginal edge portion 8, are a number of trough-like V-shaped recesses In, these recesses in effect al- 3 ternating with cover portions II. The walls l2 and I3 of the recesses I I] extend to and contact with the bottom wall 4 of the tray when the grid and-cover member is in normal position within the latter, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4. Rib sec- 40 tions It are joined to the under sides of the cover portions II and to the slanting sides of said recesses i0, and serve to divide the spaces defined by said cover portions and sides into two compartments. In the present instance the ribs N,

which extend to the lower edges of the walls I2, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, lie on the longitudinal center line of the grid-and-cover member and the compartments are therefore approximately of Similar ribs l5 extend from the outer walls of the end recesses l0, as shown in Fi 3.

The ribs I 4 and I5 and the depending walls of the recesses Ill coast with the bottom, side and end walls of the tray to form within the latter a plurality of separate ice compartments enclosed at the top by the cover portions II. To this end, and as previously set forth, the lower edges of the downwardly converging walls of the recesses Ill and of the said ribs 14 and I5 will normally engage the bottom wall 4 of the tray. Similarly, the outer edges of the ribs I5 and the end walls I! ot the recesses I II will contact the end and side walls of the tray, respectively, and are member without provision for producing a supply contoured accordingly, as shown in Figsw3 and 4.

The interior of the tray is thereby divided into-a plurality of compartments I6 each of which is covered for the greater part by one or other,of the cover portions I I and within which the water content of the tray may be frozen into individual ice bodies. The recesses l may also be utilized as freezing compartments, thereby increasing the ice-production capacity of the tray.

In the freezing process, the water within the aforesaid compartments freezes first along the walls ofthe tray I andcontinues to freeze in a direction away from said walls, this by reason of the relative difference in heat conductive capacity of the tray and combination grid-and-cover member I. Accordingly, the expansion forces arising from the ultimate freezing of the water are directed substantially toward said grid-and-cover member with the result that the said forces act to displace said member in relation to the tray and to the ice bodies formed within the latter. Such displacement breaks the bond between the said ice bodies and the surfaces of said member, leaving the latter free for lifting from the tray and from the ice cubes which remain exposed and accessible within the tray. The action above referred to is known in the art and forms no part of the present invention.

The marginal edge 8 of the member I is of extra width opposite the ends of the portions I I, so that in these areas the said edge in part overlies the compartments I6 and in effect forms portions of the covers of the latter. In accordance with the invention, the said marginal edge is provided with openings I! which afford access to the compartments and through which water may be supplied to the latter while the member I is in position in the tray. Also, for a purpose hereinafter explained, the cover portions II are formed with upper surfaces of rectangular pyramidal form presenting inclined planes l8 and I9 terminating, respectively, at their lower ends in the recesses I0 land in the marginal edge Bopposite the openings In use, the combination grid-and-cover memher I may be placed in the tray I by placing one end of the memberon the flange 5 and against the head 6 of the tray, and thereafter through the medium of the handle 9 lowering the other end into place as indicated by the arrow in Fig. 3. Water may then be poured or be allowedto run over the member 1 thereby filling the V-shaped recesses I0 and, by way of the openings II, the compartments IS, the water being directed by the inclined surfaces I8 and I9 to the said recesses and openings, and also to the marginal edge 8 from which it flows into said recesses and openings. In this connection, it is to be noted that the bead 6 projects above the plane of the marginal edge 8 and, therefore, acts as a means for directing the flow of water to the recesses I0 and to the openings I'I.

. The water-filled tray is thenplaced in the freezing compartment, conventionally provided in automatic refrigerators, wherein the water is converted into ice. After freezing, the combination grid-and-cover member may readily be removed from the tray, and from the ice bodies within the compartments I6, which bodies will remain within the tray. The ice within the trough-like recesses III may be liberated by imparting a slight twisting motion to the grid-and-cover member.

of ice other than that produced'in the primary compartments It, then the V-shaped' portions embracing the recesses I0 may be formed as solid or sealed parts of the structure from which water is excluded. It will be understood also that other modifications in the specific structure herein shown and described may be made without departing from the invention. I claim:

- pending from said cover portions and intercoml. Ice molding means of the character described, comprising an ice tray having a marginal flange, a combination grid-and-cover member cooperative with the tray to form within the latter confined areas constituting individual freezing compartments, a marginal edge portion of said member being arranged for engagement with the flange of said tray and having therein means affording access to said areas for introduction of a liquid medium.

2. A combination ice-tray grid and cover comprising cover portions, generally V-shaped portions depending from said cover portions, and a marginal edge projecting laterally from said cover portions and having openings extending therethrough.

3. A combination ice-tray grid and cover comprising cover portions, generally V-shaped portions depending from said cover portions, and a necting said V-shaped portions intermediate the length of the latter, said rib sections extending substantially to the bottoms of the v-shaped portions, and said cover portions having openings extending therethrough.

6. A combination ice-tray grid and cover comprising alternating cover portions and depending generally V-shaped portions, rib sections interconnecting the V-shaped portions and extending from said cover portions substantially to the bottoms of said V-shaped portions, said cover portions having openings extending therethrough and inclined surfaces directed toward said openings.

7. A combination ice-tray grid and cover comprising spaced cover portions and intervening generally V-shaped open-top trough-like portions, rib sections depending from the cover portions and attached to said V-shaped portions and corresponding in height substantially to the lat?- ter, said cover portions having openings extending therethroughand inclined surfaces directed toward the openings in-said cover portions and toward the open tops of said V-shaped trough-like Portions.

THEODORE W. RUNDELL.

Images