US2594127A

US2594127A - Ice cube tray

Info

Publication number: US2594127A
Application number: US224519A
Authority: US
Inventors: Raymond L Collier
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1951-05-04
Filing date: 1951-05-04
Publication date: 1952-04-22
Anticipated expiration: 1969-04-22

Description

April 22, 1952 R L, CQLLIER 2,594,127

ICE CUBE TRAY Filed May 4, 1951 f 2 SHEETS- SHEET 1 INVENTOR. RAYMOND L. COLL/ER BY @l f,

A T TOE/VE YS R. L. COLLIER April 22, 1952 ICE CUBE TRAY 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Filed May 4, 1951 INVENTOR. RAYMOND L. CUL/2 TTOENEVS Patented Apr. 22, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,594,127 ICE CUBE friuli*V Raymond L. Collier, Lakewood, Ohio Application May 4, 1951, serial No. 224,519

This invention relates broadly to ice cube trays and more specifically to certain structural improvements in the form thereof which are designed to facilitate the removal of the ice cubes with ease and dispatch.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a tray having ice cube cavities in the upper face thereof and a ange or skirt depending from its lower face to form a chamber which may be filled with hot water to expedite the removal of the cubes.

Another object of the invention is to provide a cover plate for the tray having depressions in the lower face thereof for the reception of the cubes as they fall from the freezing cups in the plate.

Another object of the invention is to provide an interlock between the tray and cover plate to restrain lateral movement of the parts and maintain the ice cube depressions in registration with the ice cube cups.

Another object of the invention is to provide ledges in the sides of the upper face of the cover plate or lid to facilitate alignment of a similar tray when superposed thereon.

Another object of the invention is to provide partitions dividing the chamber defined by the depending anges on the tray so the removal of the ice cubes may be limited to units encompassed by subchambers.

A further object of the invention resides in the provision of overow channels in the top of the tray to delimit the size of the frozen block f ice and also provide ducts in the bottom chambers to control the volume of hot water exposed to the periphery of the ice cup or molds.

Another object of the invention is to provide an ice molding cup which is formed with fluted, cruciform, or other multi-facet structures to facilitate the ready disintegration of the ice block when used as a coolant for a beverage.

Further objects of the `invention contemplate a combined lpray and pan which is economic of manufacture, eflicient of operation, durable of structure, and susceptible of substitution for trays of other types in like environments.

Other objects and advantages, more or less ancillary to the foregoing, and the manner in which all the various objects are realized will appear in the following description, which, considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, sets forth the preferred embodiment of the invention.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the-improved ice cube tray;

2 Claims. (Cl. 62--108.5)

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section thereof including a lid or cover plate not shown in Fig. l, the'section being taken on a plane indicated by the line 2-2 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the lower face of the lid illustrated in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section similar to that shown in Fig. 2, but with the tray inverted and the chamber surrounding the ice block cups or molds filled with a heating medium such as warm water; i

Fig. 5 is a vertical cross section of the combined tray and pan, the section being taken on a plane indicated by the line 5-5 in Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a View in perspective of the improved ice cube tray and cover superposed upon a similar assembly; and

Fig. '7 is a fragmentary view, partially in section, of the improved tray and pan combination illustrating a modied form of the freezing mold or cup.

Referring first to Figs. l and 2, the t-ray comprises a top plate I0 formed with a plurality of depending ice molding cups I I and a downwardly directed skirt or flange I2 preferably extending beyond the bottom walls I 3 of the cups. The ends I4 of the top plate protrude beyond the vertical side walls of flanges I2 and are provided with rectilinear openings I5 for the reception of depending lips or dowel rails I6 formed in a cover plate Il. The cover plate is formed with depressions I8 constituting pockets for the retention of the ice cubes or blocks I9 as they fall from .the freezing cups when the tray is inverted as shown in Fig. 5. The face of the plate I0 is formed with channels or spillways 20 leading from the cups I I and provided to maintain a uniform water level therein and thus regulate the size of the ice blocks. The chamber defined by the flange I2 is subdivided by cross partitions 2| secured in sealed relation with the lower face of the plate I0 and the opposed flange or side Wall I2 of the bottom chamber. The flanges I2 are formed with openings 22 disposed slightly below the outer face of the bottom wall of each of the cups II to facilitate drainage of excess heated water when introduced into the chamber or chambers in the lower face of the tray for the removal of the ice cubes.

The upper face of the lid is constructed with vertically disposed ledges 23 to restrain lateral movement of a second tray assembly when superposed thereon as illustrated in Fig. 6. The lower edges 24 of the end walls of the chambers 25 are relieved to provide a clearance for the protruding faces 26 of the walls that define the de- 3 pressions I8 so that two or more tray assemblies may be readily moved longitudinally when arranged in stacked relation.

The cups 21 as illustrated in Fig. 7 are formed with fluted side walls 28 to increase the area of the ice block and thus expedite the melting rate thereof. Obviously other forms of molds configured to increase the peripheral area of the ice block may be employed to obtain equivalent or superior' results.

In operation, the ice block molds or cups ll are rst filled with water to the height determined by the spillways 20, then the cover plate is assembled in position and the tray placed in the freezing compartment of a refrigerator.`

When the ice blocks are frozen the tray may be withdrawn from the refrigerator and the ice blocks removed therefrom by inverting the tray and filling the chamber`V or chambers 25- with warm water to break the bond between the ice and the molding cups-As the ice cubes or blocks are released they will fall upon the cover plate Il where the depressions I8 willv hold them in erect, separated position which will obviously accommodate the use thereof without undue handling. i

If desired, the tray and lid assembly may be merely inverted and permitted to stand until the icevbondis broken under the influence of the ambient air, such practice being desirable when the immediate use of the ice may be deferred.v

Although the foregoing description isA necessarily of a detailed character, in order that the invention may be completely set forth, it is to be understood that the specic terminology is not intended to be restrictive or conning, and that various rearrangements of parts and modications of detail may be resorted to without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention as herein claimed.

I claim: l

1. An ice cube tray comprising a vessel including top and downwardly directed side walls, spaced cups depending from said top fwall deiining ice block molds, the depth of said cups being no greater than the height of said side walls, and partitions intermediate certain of said cups attached to the lower face of said top wall`and the inner faces of opposed side walls.

2. A vessel comprising a top wall, spaced cups depending therefrom, depending side walls around said top, said side walls being of a height greater than the depth of said cups, a lid on said top wall having depressions therein spaced for registration with said cups, ledges on said lid for the lateral support thereof upon the vessel, ledges on the top of said lid for the lateral support of a similar vessel, said top walls having channels thereon to delimit the capacity thereof, and partitions between certain of said cups connected to the lower face of the top Wall and to opposed side walls, said side Walls having vents therein to delimit the capacity of the chambers dened by the top, side Iwalls, and partitions when the vessel is inverted.

RAYMOND L. COLLIER.

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

UNITED STATES PATENTS