US3008308A

US3008308A - Bottom flap for ice molds

Info

Publication number: US3008308A
Application number: US9099A
Authority: US
Inventors: Wilbushewich Eugen
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1960-02-16
Filing date: 1960-02-16
Publication date: 1961-11-14
Anticipated expiration: 1978-11-14

Description

Nov. 14, 1961 E. wlLBusHEwlcl-i 3,008,308

BOTTOM FLAP FOR ICE MOLDS Filed Feb. 16, 1950 by: 116m;

3,008,308 BOTTOM FLAP FOR ICE MOLDS Eugen Wilbushewich, Rotelstrasse 61, Zurich, Switzerland y Filed Feb. 16, 1960, Ser. No. 9,099 14 Claims. (Cl. 62-357) The invention refers to an ice mold having an upright body provided with -a mold-closing bottom iiap which, to permit the downward passage of frozen goods on harvesting, can tilt open around a horizontal axis.

In certain ice producing methods, eg. according to my U.S. Patent No. 2,723,534, dated November l5, 1955, it is advantageous tightly to close the ice mold by freezing on the bottom iiap all along the bottom flange of the mold. Subsequent release of the iiap from the mold walls, following the freezing of the contents of the mold, can be effected by quickly warming up the mold walls or by mechanically breaking the freeze-seal due to the elongation of the mold contents during freezing. In the above methods, there is a tendency for the mold contents to freeze to the upper central part of the flap and thus to prevent the liap from opening and the frozen block from emerging from the lower end of the mold. `It becomes therefore necessary to break the block from the ilap, which leaves on the surface of the flap a frozen-on hump, interfering with the free sliding movement of the frozen block along the flap. However, for the automatic functioning of an ice block plant it is important that the bottom flap of the individual molds open up as soon as the frozen mold content becomes thawed free from the mold walls.

Attempts have been made to prevent the freezing of the mold contents to the bottom liap by providing on its upper surface a coat of ski wax, ski lacquer, resin lacquer or thev like. It has been found, however, this coat was wiped -away after thepassage of only a few blocks. According to another suggestion, the bottom flap may be thawed free from the adhering mold contents by placing a warm water jet against its outside, but this is a cumbersome and costly method.

According to the invention, an ice mold with a. wall arranged about a vertical axis for the gravity discharge of the frozen contents of the mold downwardly has a hinged ap for closing the bottom of the mold and for tilting it open to harvest the contents thereof after freezing, the iiap having on its inner side a raised rim facing the mold wall and which in the closed position thereof engages the bottom of the mold wall, the raised rim delining a recess whose surface has non-ice adhering properties. If the mold is of square or rectangular cross section with four mutually perpendicular wall portions, the raised rim projects inwardly beyond at least those wall portions of the mold at right angles to the hinge axis of the flap.

Thus, with the bottom tiap in the closed position, its raised rim can be frozen tight to the bottom of the mold wall. Upon the contents of the mold freezing solid, the block will not adhere to the recess defined by the raised rim of the flap. Consequently, there is nothing to hinder the opening of the flap when the ice-seal between the flap rim and the mold Wall is broken. The edge of the block produced by the mold contents, which is parallel to the tilting axis of the flap, will then engage the two portions of the raised rim of the flap surface that project somewhat to the inside of those wall portions of the mold which are perpendicular to the tilting axis, with the result that the frozen block will no longer come into contact with the lower part of the ap surface and will not wipe across its non-freezing surface areas.

The accompanying drawing shows by way of example a preferred embodiment of the invention. In the drawing,

FIG. 1 is a sectional elevation of the lower part of the mold walls with the bottom flap closed land teilt FIG. 2 is a plan View of the ap (seen from above).

The freezing space 1 has a square cross section, and is somewhat splayed downwardly. It is surrounded by four

flat walls

2, 3, 4 and 5 which at their lower part are jacketed by ya refrigerant evaporator space 6 defined by the mold walls and surrounding jacket walls 7. A plurality of arcuate sheets 8 are welded to the lmold walls, their lower ends being welded to the jacket walls 7 to deline with the mold walls a number of evaporator channel spaces 9 running from the evaporator space 6 upwards, their top ends being connected to a refrigerant collector (not shown). Anrinlet pipe (not shown) for liquid refrigerant or moist refrigerant vapor leads into the

evaporator space

6, 9. Furthermore, an outlet (not shown) for liquid refrigerant leads downwards from the evaporator space 6.

A horizontal hinge pin 10I is provided below and parallel to wall 2 of the ice mold. A bottom flap 11 is hingedly mounted on this pin l0 and urged against the ice mold walls 2 5 by means, such as springs or a counterweight (not shown), so as to close the bottom of the freezing space 1 of the ice mold. The top surface, of the iiap 11 has a raised rim 12 which contacts the mold walls when the liap is closed.

In addition, this rim projects into the space 1 defined by lthe four walls of the mold. If desired it need only project towards the inside space on the sides adjacent the two

mold walls

3 and 5, i.e. those lying at right angles to the hinge axis 10 of the bottom iiap.

The recessed surface 13 of the liap, surrounded by the raised rim 12, is constituted by an ebony plate 14 placed into a stepped part 15 of the metal, e.g. aluminium, body of the bottom liap l1 and joined thereto by means of cementing means. The height of the step 15 is greater than the thickness of the ebony plate 14, resulting inthe surface 13 of the plate lying below that of the raised rim 12.

In operation, the mold flap 11 is wetted with the liquid to be frozen and at the same time, the mold walls are cooled down by letting a refrigerant medium evaporate in the space 6 and the evaporation channels 9. The raised surface l2 of the bottom ap `1l will thus become tightly land securely frozen to the mold walls 2 5. The freezing space f1 is now filled with the liquid to be frozen, e.g. water. Continued evaporation of refrigerant in the

spaces

6 and 9 will eventually freeze the liqu-id in the freezing space 1 to form an ice-block. The block, on freezing, will adhere to the mold walls 2 5 but not to the icearepellent ebony surface of the recessed part of the flaps surface. Freezing of the liquid will cause elongation of the frozen contents of the mold in a downward direction, breaking the ice seal between mold walls and the rim of the bottom llap.

Subsequently, the Cold, evaporating refrigerant in the

spaces

6 and 9 is replaced by warm, gaseous refrigerant. This will warm up the mold walls 2 5 to such a degree that the frozen mold contents is thawed free'and, consequently, will rest with its full weight on the ap 11. Because the flap becomes free all around, with no ice adhering, it will be pushed open and tilted around its axis 10 by the emerging frozen block, overcoming the forces tending to keep the liap closed. As is shown in FIG. l, for two positions illustrated by dot-dash lines, the frozen block will now engage the ap surface only with its edge 17 lying parallel to the tilting axis 10 sliding along the inwardly projecting

surfaces

12 and 12, inside the space of the walls 3 and 5t, of the raised surface 12, and will not rub over the ebony plate 14.

The ice block dropping out of the mold will then be received by means not shown, e. g. a trolley with lowerable top, or chute, and removed from under the mold.

A layer of ski wax, ski lacquer or another freeze-prewith one specific embodiment thereof, it will beunder- Y stood that many modifications and variations may occur to the skilled in the art, particularly after beneting from the present teaching, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

I claim: p

1. An ice-making apparatus comprising a mold having a vertical wall; a ap; hinge means secured to said wall and said ap, said hinge means having a horizontally extending axis about which the ap may be tilted from a mold closing position to an open positionpermitting the gravity harvesting of frozen contents of the meld, said flap having a raised rim facing the mold wall and engaging the mold wall in the closed position of the hap, said raised rim defining a recess and the surface of the recess having non-ice adhering properties; and refrigerating means for freezing a liquid in said mold.

2. The apparatus of claim l, wherein said recess has a coating of a solid material having non-ice adhering prop-V erties, the thickness of the coating being less than the depth of the recess. A

3. The apparatus of claim'Z, wherein said material is a wax. l

4. The'apparatus of claim 1, wherein a web of a solid material having non-ice adhering properties is placed in said recess, the thickness of the web being less than the depth of the recess.

5. The apparatus Vof claim 4, wherein said web `is of wood. Y

6. The apparatus of claimy 5, wherein said wood is ebony.V

7. An ice-making apparatus comprising an ice mold having Va wall of four mutually 'perpendicular portions arranged about ya vertical axis; a flap hinge means secured to said wall and to said ap, said hinge means having a horizontal axis parallel to two of said wall portions and about which the flap may be tilted rom a mold closing position to Aan open position permitting the gravity harvesting of frozen contents of the mold, said ap having a raised rim facing the four wall portions and engaging said portions in the closed position of the ap, the raised rim project-ing inwardly beyond at least those wall portions perpendicular to the axis of said hinge means and defining a recess, the surface of the recess having icerepellent properties and refrigerating means for cooling said wall so as to freeze a liquid in said mold.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said recess has a coating of a material having non-ice adhering properties, the thickness of the coating being less than the depth of the recess.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said material is a Wax.

l0. The Yapparatus of claim 7, wherein a web of a material having non-ice adhering properties is placed in said recess, the thickness ofthe web being less than the depth of the recess.

, 11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said web is of wood. Y Y

12. The `apparatus of claim l1, wherein said wood is ebony. i

13. The `apparatus of claim l, further comprising heating means for thawing 1a portion of said frozen liquid adjacent said rim.

14. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising heating means for thawing a portion of said frozen liquid adjacent said rim.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 191,256 Riker May 29, 1877 1,751,899 Whitfield Mar. 25, 1936 2,178,387 Becker Oct. 311, 1939 2,723,534 Wilbushewieh Nov. 15, 1955 2,878,659 France etal -..7 --.7 Mar. 24, 1959