US2538939A

US2538939A - Ice tray grid

Info

Publication number: US2538939A
Application number: US78578A
Authority: US
Inventors: Hallock Robert Lay
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1949-02-26
Filing date: 1949-02-26
Publication date: 1951-01-23
Anticipated expiration: 1968-01-23

Description

R. L. HALLocK 2,538,939

ICE TRAY GRID Jan. 23, 11951 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 26, 1949 Jan. 29, 1951 R. L, HALLOCKA 2,538,939

ICE TRAY GRID Filed Feb. 26, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. /5705f/ P7- Hamac/f @fr0/@Mary Patented Jan. 23, lgl .l f, f;

srATEs PATENT o FF'ICE 2 Claims.

My invention relates to ice trays and grids of the resilient wall type and more particularly those with grid walls that are individually flexed to release ice pieces.

The objects of the invention are to provide an ice tray grid that is simple in structure and operation and which permits stacking of ice trays.

The invention is characterized by a grid structure having a center wall intersecting a series of resilient cross walls having projections at their outer top edges generally parallel to the center wall formed to provide leverage ior ilexing the cross walls and to cradle a tray stacked thereon.

Other characteristics and the advantages of the invention will appear in the following description in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a top plan View of an ice tray and grid embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a section on line 2 2 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a section on line 3 3 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a partial View like Fig. 1 illustrating how a cross wall is iexed to release ice pieces;

Fig. 5 is an exploded perspective of a cross wall and part oi the center wall; and

Figs. 6, 7 and 8 are conventional Orthographie views of strip stock in the several stages of blanking and forming a cross wall.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, an ice tray I0 contains a removable grid comprising a center wall II intersecting a series of resilient cross walls I2. The center wall Il is formed of a strip shaped at its ends to conform to the interior of the tray end walls, and out with a series of notches projecting upward from the lower edge of the strip like the notch I3 in Fig. 5.

Each of the cross walls I2, like the cross wall I2 in Fig. 5, has a notch I4 projecting downward from the center of its top edge. The cross walls are assembled on the center wall with the upper part of the center wall resting in the notches M, and the notches I3 straddling the lower parts of the cross walls I2 and l2. The cross walls are held in place by peening the upper edges of the notches Ill at the top of the cross wall. |The cross wall Il may be flat as illustrated, or it may be curved slightly in a, vertical are from its bottom edge to the top of the notches I3 to afford a iirm joint between cross wall and center wall without close tolerance in the notches I3 and lli.

The cross walls I 2 have handles or lnger holds at their outer top edges projecting horizontally and generally parallel to the center wall. The cross walls may be arranged so that the handles project in the same direction or, as seen in Figs. 1 and 2, half of the series of cross walls I2 may have their handles projecting toward one end of the tray while the other series of cross walls I 2 have their handles projecting toward the opposite end of the tray.

The cross walls I2 are formed by a continuous press operation. Referring to Figs. 6, '7 and 8, a strip of resilient material I5 is blanked to form opposite edge notches IS and I'I and the center slot I4. The similar portions I8 and I9 are bent to form tabs 20 and 2|. In the next operation step the wall I2 is sheared from the strip I5 and the sections on which the tabs 20 and 2| are located are bent to form the projections or handles 22 and 23.

The projections 22 and 23 taper from a relatively broad base at the top edge of the wall I2 outward to the edge of the tray. The tabs 20 and 2I form upward flanges on the tapered projections 22 and 23. Bending the material into two intersecting planes generally perpendicular to each other and to the plane of the cross wall produces strong linger holds that can be squeezed toward the center wall to warp the cross walls to release ice pieces as illustrated in Fig. 4.

The grid with its projections is all within the area of the tray as may be seen in Figs. 1 and 4. I'he horizontal and vertical portions of the cross wall flexing handles are aligned and form a cradle adapted to receive the bottom of a. tray stacked on top of this grid. The upstanding flanges of tabs 2D and 2I restrain lateral movement of a tray stacked on top of a grid.k

The tapering of the exing handles provides for a minimum amount of material in the handle but yet affords stifening of the top edge of the cross walls for transmission of the warping or flexing stress well into the cross walls toward the center wall. This is important in eiecting easy removal of ice pieces by wall exure.

Various changes and modications may be made within the scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.

I claim:

1. An ice tray grid having a center wall intersecting a series of flexible cross walls each with a pair of projections at its outer top edges and projecting in a direction generally parallel to the center wall, the pair of projections on each cross wall being directly opposite each other and having upstanding nger hold portions so that each pair can be squeezed toward the center wall to warp its associated cross wall to release ice adhering thereto.

2. An ice tray grid having a center wall intersecting a series of resilient cross walls each 5 by opposed forces applied generally parallel toA the cross walls.

ROBERT LAY HALLOCK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,240,004 Morton, Jr., et al. Apr. 29, 1941 2,418,008 Bauer Mar. 25, 1947 2,454,958 Andersson Nov. 30, 1948 10 2,469,067 Follin May 3, 1949