US2474936A - Freezing device - Google Patents

Description

July 5, 1949.

R. E. ELLIOTT FREEZING DEVICE Filed June 28, 1946.

WH0/ways Patented July 5, 1949 UNITED STATES rE'ENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

My invention relates generally to improved ice cube-forming apparatus for use especially, though not necessarily, in the freezing compartments of domestic refrigerators, for freezing water into cubes for use in serving iced beverages; and more particularly, to improved means for freezing the cubes in desired ornamental shapes, the primary object of my invention being to provide novel and efficient means of this character whereby ice "cubes of varying size and shape may be easily and efciently produced.

Another important object of my invention is to provide improved means of the character indicated above in the form of individual molds for the ice cubes dimensioned to be employed in "ordinary refrigerator ice trays or to be placed individually within a freezing compartment.

Other important objects and advantageous features of my invention will be apparent from the following detailed description and accompanying drawings, wherein a non-limitative embodiment of my invention is set forth merely for illustrative purposes.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a fragmentary top plan view showing a plurality of molds fitted into an ordinary Yrefrigerator ice tray.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary section, taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a bottom plan view of one of the molds.

Figure 4 is a side elevation thereof.

Figure 5 is a side elevation of a diamond-shaped ice cube produced in accordance with the present invention.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the numeral 6 generally designates a conventional or ordinary refrigerator ice tray comprising the bottom 1 from which the end walls and side walls 8 rise, which are topped by a header or overhanging lip 9.

The ice tray 6 is generally elongated rectangular providing an elongated rectangular interior space I0 for conformably receiving a plurality of individual molds Il.

The individual molds II comprise blocks of soft and pliable rubber or rubber-like material, made in a uniform rectangular shape, preferably, although not necessarily, about 1'1/8 inches long, 1% inches wide, and 11/8 inches in height, with 11g inch high legs I2 at the corners of the bottom I3, about 1/8 of an inch square for spacing the molds from the ice tray bottom 1 or other supporting surface during freezing, so that the molds will not adhere thereto and can be easily removed.

The molds II have Water-receiving, cubeforming chambers I4 opening through their tops I5.

The said chambers I4 in the present instance, as indicated in Figure 1, are in spade, heart diamond, and club shapes, whereby ice cubes IB'of corresponding shapes are produced which are especially adapted for use in serving beverages at card parties and cocktail parties.

The chambers I4 are so arranged and disposed in the rubber molds II that the laterally and longitudinally most extended portions of the chambers are uniformly spaced from the sides and ends, respectively, of the molds to define corresponding uniformly thin walls I1 and I8, each preferably, but not necessarily about 116 of an infch thick.

It will be evident from the foregoing that whether the individual molds II are fitted together into an ordinary ice tray 6, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, or placed individually in the freezing compartment of a refrigerator or ice box (not shown), the frozen cubes I6 of the desired varying shapes are easily obtained ready for use simply by exing the walls I1 and I8 and bottom I3, which is of substantially the same thinness as said walls, in a Well known manner to expel the cubes from the mold chambers I4.

I claim:

An ice cube-forming device for producing ice cubes of varying shape, said device comprising a plurality of molds Iconsisting of similar rectangular blocks of flexible and compressible material formed with differently shaped waterreceiving chambers opening through the tops of lsaid blocks, a generally rectangular freezing tray having side and end walls defining an interior space conformably and removably receiving said plurality of molds in side-by-side and end-to-end relationship, and feet on the bottoms of said molds spacing the same upwardly from the bottom of said freezing tray.

ROBERT E. ELLIOTT.

REFERENCES CITED The following referenlces are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Re. 17,279 Copeman Apr. 25, 1929 1,419,097 Andrews June 6, 1922 1,952,729 Rawlings Mar. 27, 1934 2,018,252 Cruickshank Oct. 22, 1935

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