US3196624A

US3196624A - Method and apparatus for making, storing or dispensing ice cubes

Info

Publication number: US3196624A
Application number: US120574A
Authority: US
Inventors: Donald S Reynolds
Original assignee: Reynolds Products Inc
Current assignee: Reynolds Products Inc
Priority date: 1961-06-29
Filing date: 1961-06-29
Publication date: 1965-07-27
Anticipated expiration: 1982-07-27
Also published as: DE1401564B1; GB991332A

Description

, JUIY 27, 1965 D. s. REYNOLDS 3,196,624

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING, STORING OR DISPENSING ICE CUBES Filed June 29. 1961 4 Sheets-Sheet l 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 JNVENToR. REYNOLDS DQNALD S.

BY @nl July 27, 1965 D. s. REYNOLDS METHOD AND lAPPARATUS FOR MAKING, STORING 0R DIsPENsING ICE CUBES Filed June 29. 1961 July 27,1965 D. s, REYNOLDS 3,196,624

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING, STORING OR DISPENSING ICE CUBES Filed June 29. i961 4 sheets-sheet s f5/ 6 l ,7 /a

INVENTOR. DONALD S. REYNOLDS Qw@ @www July 27, 1965 A D, s, REYNQLDSl 3,196,624 l METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING, STORING OR DISPEONSING ICE CUBES Filed June 29. 1961 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 s f1 2, 72W g. L3

9 l? i; f

23a\ .I HEAT 2// :I EXCHANGER 2/2 i j# 52 EvAPoRAToR CONDENSER con.

@L11/: 3G-A f :E5: 1- ExPANs\oN .36 VALVE SO LENOI D `3/0 INVENTOR.

DONALD S. REYNoLDs BY 2(94 I 9o/6I v United States Patent() 3,196,624 WTHGD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING, STRING R DISPENSING ICE CUBES Donaid S. Reynolds, Wilmette, lil., assigner, by mesne assignments, to Reynolds Products, Inc., Arlington Heights, lil., a corporation of Illinois Filed .lune Z9, 1961, Ser. No. 12,574 20 Claims. (Cl. 6271) This invention relates to ice making machines and particularly to automatic ice cube making machines and parts therefor and the method of operation thereof.

Although the ice making machine of the present invention has general utility, it is particularly useful when used in combination with and as a part of a soft drink dispensing machine of the type wherein cups, flavor concentrates or Syrups and sources of water and carbonation are maintained within the dispensing machine and upon insert-ion of a coin in the control circuit therefor, a cup is placed in position to receive the flavor concentrate and water, including carbonated water if desired, therein. In such soft drink dispensing machines it is also desirable t-o place a small quantity of ice in the drink since the public generally desires to have ice in its soft drink, despite the fact that the components of the soft drink are maintained at temperatures near the freezing point. Prior ice making machines and the ice products therefrom have been unsatisfactory When incorporated in soft drink dispensing machines for the principal reason that the form of ice produced is not well suited for incorporation in automatically dispensed soft drinks. More specifically, the quantity of water and flavored syrup and carbonation are carefully calculated and dispensed and the proportions therebetween maintained constant by the automatic dispensing mechanism. The ice machines available heretofore have generally produced aked ice which has a substantial surface area in proportion to the volume thereof and which is wet, i.e., contains substantial amounts of entrained and non-frozen water, and in which the quality and consistency thereof are not constant from one dispensing operation to the next. The prior flaked ice therefore tends to dilute the soft drink and thus destroy the carefully calculatediproportions among the ingredients thereof; the sharp edges and large surface areas on the flaked ice have tended to cause a loss of the carbon dioxide gas from the dispensed drink to produce a dat product; and the ice because of its large surface area in relation to its volume has been quickly melted and dissipated so that there wasno ice present in the cup during the consumption of the last portion of the drink.

rihe type of ice desirable in an automatic soft drink dispensing machine is the type prepared in refrigerators and other large refrigerating machines wherein water is frozen to a solid condition in the form of a cube whereby the surface area of the ice cube is small relative to the volume thereof, there is substantially no entrained ice therein and the ice is hard, compact and dense. It is to be understood that when the term cube is used throughout this specification that a unitary mass or block of ice is meant. The term is not to be construed in its geometric sense and is merely used as a convenient nomenclature to distinguish the compacted unitary ice mass produced by the instant invention from the iiaked ice or small pieces of ice of the prior art. Such an ice cube is ideal for use in an automatic soft drink dispensing machine since the hard dry character thereof does not dilute the drink and thus does not destroy the carefully maintained and dispensed proportions, among the ingredients of the drink, the small surface area thereof relative to the volume and the lack of a large number of sharp edges minimizing the loss of carbonation from the soft 3,196,624 Patented Jul-y 27,1965

drink and the ice cube lasting throughout the normal consumption time of the drink due to its hard compact character. rhe ice cubes to be used in a soft drink dispensing machine must however be small and substantially smaller than those produced heretofore and, furthermore, it is desirable that the ice cubes be produced substantially continuously during the operation of the automatic soft drink dispensing machine and further that the ice making apparatus be contained within the physical confines of the cabinet of the soft drink dispensing machine without changing the external configuration thereof. Prior ice making machines which will fit within the contines of the cabinet of the soft drink dispensing machine have not produced the ice cubes desired and those that produced ice cubes of the character desired have not been sufficiently small to fit within the cabinet of the soft drink dispensing machine or have not been substantially continuous in their operation.

Another serious limitation placed upon ice making machines to be used in conjunction with soft drink dispensing machines results from the-fact that there is no substantial space for the storage'of ice within the cabinet of the soft drink dispensing machine and therefore the ice making machine must produ-ce ice of the desired character at least as fast as soft drinks can be dispensed from the dispensing machine and further the ice making machine must be sufficiently small as is pointed out above to fit within the cabinet of the soft drink dispensing machine but still produce the large amount of refrigeration necessary to manufacture ice cubes at the rate required.

Accordingly, it is an important object of the present invention to provide an improved ice making machine and particularly an improved machine that can make hard, dense and compact ice cubes.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved ice cube making machine which can produce ice cubes of the desired quantity and possessing the desired characteristics substantially continuously and at a high rate.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide an ice cube making machine of the type set forth which is small and compact relative to its high ice producing capacity, and specifically to provide an improved ice cube making machine that can t within the cabinet of soft drink dispensing machines now in common use.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an improved ice cube making machine of the type set forth which utilizes a cold wall and auger arrangement to produce aked ice and thereafter converts the flaked ice into compact rods of ice which can be broken into compact ice cubes of the desired size and quality.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide in an ice cube making machine of the type set forth an improved apparatus for receiving and storing the ice cubes as they are made and automatic apparatus for stopping operation of the ice making machine when the storage chamber has been filled to a predetermined level.

In connection with the foregoing object, it is another object of the invention to provide an improved structure for dispensing ice cubes from the storage chamber in an ice cube making machine of the type set forth.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved electrical control systcm for the operation of the ice cube making machine of the present invention and for co-ordinating the operation thereof with an associated soft drink dispensing machine.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an improvedmethod of making ice cubes and an improved method of operating the ice cube making machine of the present invention.

Further features of the invention pertain to the particular arrangement of the parts of the ice cube making machine and to the particular method of making ice cubes, whereby the above outlined and additional operating features are attained.

The invention, both as its organization and method of operation together with further objects and advantages thereof will best be understood by reference to the following specification taken with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view of a soft drink dispensing machine having a portion of the front cover thereof broken away to disclose the various operating parts thereof including an ice cube making machine made in accordance with and embodying the principles of the present invention therein; Y

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary View, partly in vertical section, of the ice cube making machine of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a view in horizontal section on an enlarged scale substantially as seen in the direction of the arrows along the line 3 3 in FIG. 2 and illustrating the relationship between the upper end of the auger flight and the ice cutter, the extruding head between the auger and the ice cutter being shown in dashed lines for increased clarity of illustration;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged View in horizontal section'through the ice cube making machine of FIG.v 2 substantially as seen in the direction of the arrows along the line 4 4 thereof;

l FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a typical ice cube made by the machine and in accordance with the method of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the ice cutter forming a part of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a side view showing three ice cutters in stacked and assembled relationship. as used in the ice making machine of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a plan view of the extruding head forming a part of the `ice making machine of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a side elevational view of the extruding head illustrated in FIG. 8; g

FIG. l0 is a perspective View as seen from below of the extruding head illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9;

FIG. 11 is a view in horizontal section of `a portion of the refrigerating system illustrated in FIG. 2 substantially as seen in the direction of the arrows along the line l-lll thereof;

FIG.12 is a view in horizontal section through the heat exchanger :in FIG. 2 substantially as seen in the direction of the arrows along the line 12-12 thereof;

FIG'. 13 is a diagrammatic view of the refrigeration system of the ice cube making machine of the present' invention; and

FIG. 14 is a schematic electrical diagram of the control circuit of the ice cube making machine of the present invention and the interconnection thereof with the control ycircuit of an associated soft drink dispensing machine.

Referring to FIG. 1 of the drawings, there is shown a front elevational view of a soft drink dispensing machine generally designated by the numeral Ztl, the front door 22 of the casing of the machine 2t? having been broken away to reveal certain of the operatingcomponents thereof. More specifically, there is provided within the machine Ztl means for storing cups generally designated by the numeral 2.4 and having associated therewith a cup dispensing mechanism 26 by which cups can be removed one at a time from the storage area 24 and dropped through a chute 23 to a platform 39, a typical cup 31 landing on the platform 30 in an upright and centered position as is illustrated diagrammatically in FIG. 2 of the drawings. There also is disposed Within the cabinet of the machine 2b a plurality of avored syrup storage compartments 32 with individual plastic dispensing hoses 34 provided for conveying Isyrup from the storage compartments 32 into the cup 3l. on the platform 3i). A connection is made to a water supply and water is conveyed from the supply to a filter 36 from which the water can be fed directly through a conduit e?) to a cup positioned upon the platform 30 in those instances where no carbonation is desired. In the event carbonation is desired, the Water from the filter 36 is conveyed to carbonating equipment (not shown) and thence through a stainless steel pipe 40 to the cup 3l positioned upon the platform 30. Suitable refrigeration equipment (not shown) is also provided to refrigerate the syrup and the water, including the carbonated water, prior to injection thereof into the cup 31 on the platform 3? so that the dispensed drink ywithin the cup 3l is at a palatable temperature. Furthermore, the mechanism for dispensing the water or the carbonated water and the syrup is carefully designed and operated to dispense predetermined quantities of all items so that the resultant drink has a predetermined desired proportion of the various ingredients therein and` in the case of a carbonated drink there is a predetermined amount and form of carbonation. In a typical dispensing machine 20, a cup 3l is iirst placed on the platform 30 after whichthe flow of carbonated water is begun and continues to the end of the dispensing cycle, the flow of `syrup through one of the conduits 34 beginning after the flow of the carbonated water has begun and stopping before the flow of the car bonated water to insure proper mixing of the syrup in the yfinal drink.

In accordance with the present invention, there is disposed within the housing of the soft drink dispensing machine Z0 an ice cube making machine generally designated by the numeral 5t)l including generally a refrigerated cylinder 52 (see FIG. 2 also) having disposed the-rein an auger 54 driven by a motor 56 through a gear reducer 5S and driving ice through an extruding head 69 past ice cutters 62 and into an ice storage compartment generally designated by the numeral 64. Referring sepcilically to FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 of the drawings, it will be seen that the cylinder 52 is arranged generally vertically and has the lower end thereof connected by means ofa bolt de'to a rigid part 68 to hold the cylinder 52 from rotation with respect to the soft drink dispensing machine 2t). Wrapped about the outer surface of the cylinder 52 and making good thermal contact therewith throughout ysubstantially the entire length thereof is a refrigerator coil '70 which is connected in a refrigeration system that Y will be'described more fully hereinafter. Disposed about the refrigerator coil 70 and about the major portion of the cylinder 52 is a quantity of heat insulating material '72 that is held in operative position by means of a housing or casing 74.

The auger 54 has a cylindrical body 76 about which is disposed a helical blade 78, the Ilowerl end of the auger 54 being supported by a bearing Si@ and connected to the output of the gear reducer 58 whereby the auger 5d is rotated by operation of the drive motor 56. The upper end of the auger S4 is provided with a reduced shaft portion 82 which is received within a pilot bearing S4 that is in turn held and press fitted into a cylindrical opening in the center of the extruding head 60. The extruding head ed in turn is xedly mounted with respect to the cylinder 52 by means of a bolt 86.

The cylinder 52 during'operation of the ice making machine 5t) is supplied with water from a level maintaining mechanism 96 (see FIG. l) which includes a receptacle 92 having therein .a float operated valve having the inlet thereto connected to the water lter 36. Water for forming the ice is fed under a constant head from the water mechanism @il through a conduit 94 to a connection 96 communicating withV interior of the cylinder 5?.

.adjacent to the lower end thereof. A watertight condi tion for the lower end of the vcyl-inder 52 is maintained by a watertight seal 98 extending therearound.

As the water from the inlet pipe 96 rises in-the refrigerated cylinder 52, heat is extracted therefrom by meansA of the refrigerating coil 70 and a layer of ice is formed on the inner wall of the cylinder 52 that is scraped therefrom by the auger blade 73 and is thrust upwardly in a continuous manner along the cylinder 52 and into-a collecting chamber designated by the numeral 16) and disposed between the upper end of the auger blade '78 and the lower surface of the ice extruding head 611. The specific construction of the extruding head 60 `can best be seen in FIGS. 4 and 8 to 10 of the drawings wherein it will be seen that it comprises generally a hollow cylinder 192 within which is press fitted the pilot bearing 84 receiving the auger shaft 82 as has been described above. Extending radially outwardly from the cylinder or hub 102 are two sets of arms including a narrower set 104 and a wider set 106. The arms 164 are positioned between adjacent ones of the arms 1126 and spaced equidistantly therefrom, there being three arms 164 equiangularly disposed apart 120 and three arms 106 also equiangularly disposed apart 120. The outer surfaces of the arms 166 are curved and in fact the outer surfaces thereof are sections of the walls of a cylinder, the extruding head 61B in practice being formed from a cylindrical piece of metal in which are formed tintes 110 or ice passages between adjacent arms 1114 and 1116, the angular extent of the iiutes 116 being 36, the angular extent of the narrower arms 1114 being 12 and the angular extent of the broader arms 166 being 36. The six utes 11) thus formed provide ice receiving compacting and extruding passages in combination with the inner wall of the cylinder 52 as may be best seen in FIG. 4 of the drawings. The arms 164 have side walls 112and the arms 166 have the side walls 114 which actually lie along radii through the center of the extruding head 6@ and extend radially from the cylindrical hub 102 outwardly to the end of the arms 1116, respectively, the junctionV between the hub 102 and the

sides

112 and 114 being chamfered as at 113.

The upper surface of the extruding lhead 66 is formed substantially flat with chamfers 119 formed onAthe outer ends of the arms 164 and 166 and on the periphery of the opening through the center of the extruding head 611. The lower end of the extruding head 60 is best illustrated in FGS. 9 and 10 of the drawings wherein it will be seen that the Vertical extent of the

arms

104 and 106 is substantially less than the vertical extent of the hub 162, the arms 1114 having a vertical extent even less than that of the arms 1116. Furthermore, each of the arms 106 has a lower surface 122 which is beveled inwardly and upwardly in order to direct flaked ice to the inner portions of the ice passages 11d as will be described more fully hereinafter. The surfaces 122 on the arms 106 are rounded as at 126, the outer end of each of the arms being formed substantially semicircular and the rounding diminishing toward and substantially terminating at the charnfer 118. Each of the thicker arms 106 is also provided with a threaded opening 128 therein disposed substantiallvperpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the extruding head 66 to receive therein the positioning bolts S6 described above, and it is for this reason that the three arms 1116 are formed with a greater angular extent than the three arms 164.

1n a preferred construction, there are six of the ice passages 116 as has been explained above and furthermore the total cross sectional area of the ice passages 110 is substantially equal to 60% of the cross sectional area of the tlaked ice collecting chamber 100 that is disposed between the upper end of the auger blade 78 and the lower portion of the arms 1114 and 106 on the extruding head 66. It has been found in practice that the cross sectional area represented by the combined flutes or ice passages 116 may vary from about 45% to about 75% of the transverse cross sectional area of the ice collecting chamber ft and still obtain satisfactory operation of the ice cube making machine 5i?. The vertical extent of the ice passages 116, i.e., the distance from the surface 122 to the top of the extruding head 66, is preferably at least about one and one-half times the major transverse dimension of the passage 110, the major transverse dimension in the form of the invention illustrated being from the juncture of the outer edge of a side wall 112 with the cylinder 52 to the juncture of the outer edge of the adjacent side wall 114 with the cylinder 52. When the extruding head 60 its shaped as illustrated and described and when it has the relations among the dimensions noted, a firm coherent and compact ice rod is formed therein during operation of the ice cube making machine 5? as will be described more fully hereinafter.

The reduced shaft portion 82 at the upper end of the .auger 84has a further reduced portion 83 thereon which also is provided with a at 85 thereon, see particularly FiG. 3. isposed upon the shaft portion 83 are ice cutters 62, the construction thereof being best illustrated in FIGS. 3, 6 and 7 of the drawings. More specifically, each of the ice cutters 62 inclu-des a hub 130 from which extend outwardly three ice cutting or breaking arms 132 that are equiangularly disposed about the hub 1311 and extending outwardly therefrom. The hub has a D- shaped opening 134 therein including a fiat 136 thereon, the opening 134 being shaped and arranged to receive the auger shaft portion 33 as is best illustrated in FIG. 3 of the drawings. The outer end of each of the arms 132 is rounded as at 138 and in use the cutter 62 rotates in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 3 and the leading edge thereof is cut back away from a line through the center of the shaft portion 83 inwardly toward the center of the shaft portion 83, whereby the outer point 142 on each arm 132 is the first to contact a rod of ice and thereafter the leading edge 149 progressively engages the rod of ice, the line of engagement moving inwardly toward the center of the ice cutter 62. The trailing edge 144 of each of the arms 132 is formed substantially parallel to the leading edge 140 and, accordingly, the .arms 132 point forwardly in the direction of rotation of the cutter It further has been found that it is desirable to maintain a particular relationship between the auger 54 and the leading point 142 on the outer end of the arm 132 that overlies the upper end of the .auger blade 73. More specifically, the line interconnecting the point 142 and the center of the shaft portion 83 lies along the center line of the outer surface of the auger blade 7S that is transverse to the axis of rotation thereof and, furthermore, the trailing edge 146 of the auger blade 78 is cut away along a plane parallel to the axis of rotation of the auger 54 and parallel to the line interconnecting the point 142 and the axis of rotation of the auger 54, the plane of the trailing edge 146 being disposed from the point 142 a distance equal to one-fourth of the surface of the auger blade '78 transverse to the axis of rotation of the auger 54. It has been found that this relationship permits ready feeding of ice upwardly through the ice passages 116 in 4the extruding head 66 with a minimum of interference of such movement of the ice by the cutters 62.

In order to simplify the fabrication of the cutter 62, it is formed as three separate identical parts from sheet metal such as by stamping and there further are formed on each of the' arms 132 a projection 148 on one surface thereof and a corresponding depression in the other surface thereof, whereby the three cutters 62 can be stacked as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 7 of the drawings. The projections 14S in the corresponding recesses of each of the arms 132 and the fiat 136 on the D-shaped opening 134 engagingthe hat 85 on the shaft portion 83 serve to hold the three cutters 62 in proper alignment.

The outermost end of the shaft portion 63 is threaded as at 87 (see FIG. 2) and threadedly receives thereon an upstanding hub 15@ having an internally threaded opening to receive the threaded shaft portion 87. More specically, the hub 150 threads downwardly upon the threaded portion 87 and clamps the cutter 62 against the .y shoulder formed at the junction of the shaft portions 82 and S3.' As the ice cubes are broken into final shape by the cutter 62,'they pass upwardly and beyond the upper edge of the cylinder 52Vand into the storage chamber 64 which is generally cylindrical in shape and includes an outer cylindrical wall 152 having the lower end thereof connected in a watertight manner to the cylinder 52 by means of a coupling member 151i and an O-ring seal 156. in the lower portion of the cylinder 152 is an opening closed by a solenoid operated door 158 hingedly mounted as at 1o@ and opening into a chute 162 which directs ice from the storage chamber 64 into a cup 31 on the platform 3d, the door 153 beingoperated electrically as will be described more fully hereinafter.

As ice accumulates and begins to melt within the storage chamber 64, there may be a tendency for the ice cubes to coalesce, and in order to counteract such a tendency,'a stirring mechanism has been provided which includes the hub 15d having a plurality of outstanding stirring

arms

164, 168, 170 and 172 thereon and extending outwardly therefrom, the outer end of these stirring arms being pointed. There also is an upwardly extending stirring arm 17d positioned on the hub 151) eccentric with respect to the axis of rotation thereof. As the auger 54 is operated, it drives the hub 156 and moves the various stirring arms 164 through 174 to agitate the ice within the storage chamber 64 and thus to prevent coalescing thereof.

As the ice cube making machine operates, and if there is no demand for ice therefrom, the storage chamber 64 proceeds to ll and eventually the entire storage cham-v ber would fill and would even overow. Means is provided to stop operation of the ice cube making machine 5? when the storage chamber 64 becomes lled .and to accomplish this the upper end of `the cylinder 152 receives la cover 176 having a dome 178 thereon. Disposed within the dome 173 is a microswitch 18d pivo-tally mounted on a bracket v1%12 about the pivot point 184 and having .a switch actuator 186 arranged to be moved against an abutment 138 when the switch is rotate-d in a counterclockwise direction about the pivot point 184. Pivotally connected to the switch .180 as at 19th is `a depending actuating rod 122 having a pair of spaced apart abutments 19d and 196 thereon. A Weight 198 is provided having an opening therethrough to receive the rod 192, the weight 198 being disposed between the abutments 1911 and 1916 on the rod 192. Mounted on the upper end of the weight 198 is `a circular plate 2110 having a diameter slightly less than the diameter of the housing 192 and adapted to be contacted by ice within the storage ychamber 64 and to be lifted by the ice into eng-agement with the abutment `196i on the rod 192. The continued n lifting of the plate/2h11 by ice thereunder serves then to move Ithe switch 1S@ about the pivot point 184i and to dispensed from the chamber 64 or as ice melts in an amount equal to four servings of ice cubes, the plate 201) and the weight 19S fall to the position illustrated and move the switch 1h11 to the closed position, the switch being held in the open position by structure not shown until the weight 19S contacts the labutment 196 on the rod 192. K

The refrigeration system for freezing the water within the cylinder 52 is best illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 13 of the drawings, FIG. 13 being a diagrammatic representation of the entire refrigeration system. VAs has been explained above, the evaporator coil 70 is wrapped tightly around the cylinder E2 and in the system the coil 70 is connected in Circuit with a heat exchanger 210, a compressor 221i), a condenser 230 and an expansion valve 2419, the4 refrigerant in the system being one of the Freons.

The compressor 221i serves in its usual capacity to com` press refrigerant gas received at its inl-et 222 in a low pressure state and to discharge the refrigerant gas through an outlet 224 under high pressure and in a heated condition. The outlet 224 is connected by means of a coupling 226 t-o a conduit 22S which in turn is connected to the inlet connection 232 for the `condenser 23?. The heated refrigerant gas in the condenser 230 is cooled by air blown over the coils thereof (by a fan, not shown) and the refrigerant in a liquiiied condition and at a high pressure exits through the outlet 234 which is connected by a coupling 236 to a conduit 23S connecting with one of the inlet to the heat exchanger 2111.

The details of construction of the heat exchanger 211i can be best seen from FIGS. 2, l1 and l2 of the drawings wherein it will be seen that the heat exchanger includes generally an outer wall 211 which is generally elliptical in cross section (see FIG. l2) andhas Ia conduit 212 extending completely therethrough, the conduit 212 being circular in cross section and disposed to one side of the outer wall 211 and 4having an external diameter slightly less than the yminor transverse. dimension of the outer wall 211. Connection is made to the space 215 between the inner surface of the wall 211 4and the outer surface of the conduit 212 by means of an inlet pipe 213 and an outlet pipe 214-, the

pipes

213 and 214 extending only a short distance into the outer wall 211 as can be best seen from FIG. 2 of the drawings. In order to increase the heat exchange capacity of the heat exchanger 211i, the conduit 212 and the pipes 213V and 214 are formed of copper `and connection is made between the outer wall 211 and the conduit 212 and the pipes 213 and 2114i` by attening Vthe ends of the outer wall 211 as is illustrated in FIG. 1l to close the ends of the outer wall 211 about the conduit 212 and 4the pipes 213 and 21d, the joints so formed being closed by silver brazing or the like to form a pressure tight unitV operable well above the refrigerant pressures in the system and operable, for example, at 2.50 p.s.i.

The conduit 238 is connected to the inlet pipe 213 so that the liquiiied refrigerant is admitted into the chamber between the outer wall 211 and about the conduit 212 and flows from the heat exchanger 21d to the outlet pipe 214 that is connected to the conduit 21e communicating with the inlet connection 242 for the lexpansion valve 24d. The liquid refrigerant is expanded `and cooled through the expansion valve 241B and Vleaves through an outlet connection 241i that is connected to the lower end of the evaporator coil 7o. The upper end of the evaporator coil 70 is connected by a conduit 218 to the lower end of the conduit 212 going through the heat exchanger 211i, the upper end of the conduit 212 being connected by a conduit 219 to the inlet 222 for the compressor 221i.

-In operation, the refrigerant system of FIG. 13 has warm gas yat low pressure in the conduit 219 which is received through the inlet 222 for the compressor 229 and the .compressor 222 compresses the gas which leaves through the outlet connection 224I and enters the condenser 23@ as a hot gas at high pressure. The refrigerant is cooled and liquiiied in the condenser 230 and leaves the con-denser 23@ as .a hot liquid and is carried by the conduit 23S to the inlet 213 for the heat exchanger 219. The liquid refrigerant which is hot compared to the refrigerant leaving the upper end of the evaporator coil 70 fills the space 215 within the heat exchanger 211i and between the outer wall 211 and the conduit 2.12 thereby to heat the material within the conduit 212 and to be cooled thereby. The cool-ed liquid refrigerant is fed from the heat exchanger 211i by the conduit 216 and through the expansion valve 241B which admits the refrigerant under low pressure to the bottom of the evaporator coil 7d. `In accordance with the present invention, the evaporator coil 70 is operated substantially in the iooded condition whereby to give maximum heat transfer from the evaporator coil '711 to the cylinder 52 and through the cylinder ena-asse 1 1" tion of the ice dispensing mechanism, the circuit being from the line through the switch S and the line 26S to the timer motor 26d. Continued operation of the timer motor 2d@ will cause the cam 275 to contact the actuator 278 which rst operates the switch 282 to move the movable contact thereof from the stationary contact 297 to the stationary Contact 296 thereby connecting the auger motor 5d directly to the main line 292 of the potential source 299. This immediately begins operation of the auger motorrand the stirring arms 154 to 174 are operated. Shortly after the above described operation of the switch 282, the actuator 278 operates the switch 230 to pla-ce the movable contact thereof in connection with the stationary Contact 281 so as to energize the ice door solenoid 31d to open the door 15d and to dispense a portion of the ice from the storage chamber 64 into the cup 31 on the platform 3i) (see FG. 2). It will be noted that the stirring arms are being operated by the auger due to the operation of the auger motor 56 thus to insure that ice cubes are moved from the storage chamber 64 down the i chute 162 and into the waiting cup 31.

The above described operation of the circuit of FIG. 14 in dispensing ice cubes from the storage chamber 64 will occur regardless of the state of operation of the ice making machine Si? prior to the beginning of the dispensing cycle. More specically, if the ice level control switch 18d is closed so that the auger motor S6 is already operating at the time a coin is inserted into the control mechanism 42, the switch 282 is still actuated so asV to bypass the switch 18@ at the proper point in the dispensing cycle so as to insure the dispensing of a portion of ice from the storage chamber 64 regardless of the condition of operationof the ice making machine 59.

The overall operation ofthe dispensing machine 22 will now be described in detail. The cup storage compartment 2d and the syrup storage tanks 32 are filled and the operating potentials are applied to the sources 252 and 299 to energize the various control circuits. A water connection has been made so that a suitable level of water is present in the water level control mechanism 90 so as to provide water under the proper pressure through the line-94 to the connection 96 at the bottom of the cylinder 52. Because of the food use of the ice to be produced in the machine Si?, the cylinder 52 must be made of stainless steel, and because of the relatively poor heat conduction through stainless steel, the cylinder 52 is made as thin as possible and various of the. features described above are provided specifically to remove mechanical Y stresses from the cylinder 52. The water rises within the cyclinder S2 to the prescribed ievel siightly below .the upper level of the auger S4 and since there is no ice in the storage chamber 64, the switch 180 is closed and each of the motors 56, 369 and 394 is energized.

As the compressor 22d operates to provide refrigeran in the proper physical state to the evaporator coil 7i), the water within the cylinder 52 begins to freeze upon the inner surface thereof. Operation of the auger 54 scrapes the ice from the inner walt of the cylinder 52 by pushing it upwardly therealong and there is formed an upstanding cylinder of mushy flaked ice that is fed into the collecting chamber 16M. In the absence of the extruding head 60, the cylinder of iiaked ice would continue to rise until the height was too great to be supported by the relatively small structural strength thereof.

With the extruding head du in position and held stationary with respect to the cylinder 52', the iiaked ice is forced into and substantially fills the collecting chamber 16) and the upwardly and inwardly directed lower surfaces 120 and 122 on the extruding head 60 aid in foncing the aked ice inwardly toward the axis of rotation of the auger S4 and away from the cylinder S2 to relieve the cylinder 52 of a portion of the ice pressure thereon. The auger 54 operates with substantial torque in the order of 1,000 inch pounds and is thus able to force the aked ice into the ice passages 11? through the extrudingv head 6) across the rounded surfaces 124* and 126 thereby completely to till the ice passages 110 and to compress and to compact the tlaked ice therein. Suflicient pressure is provided by the auger 54 and sufficient resistance to the passage of the ice through the ice passages 11G is provided by the extruding head so that a solid rod of ice is Vformed in each of the six ice passages 11i). In order to achieve this compacting of the aked ice into a solid rod, a high torque is required from the auger 54 and in addition the transverse lcross sectional area provided by the passages 11) must constitute from about 45% to about of the transverse cross sectional area of the collecting chamber 15M? and further the length of'each of the passages must be at least one and one-half times the major transverse dimension thereof, namely, the distance between the outer endsof the

walls

112 and 114 dening the passage 110.

As `a result of the above described construction and operation of the machine, a solid, rdense and compact rod of ice issues from each of the ice passages 110 and if the ice cutter 62 and the stirring arms 164 to 172 are removed, these rods of ice will rise for a substantial distance, for example, several inches above the upper surface of the extruding head 60. To form a useful product it is necessary to ybreakthe ice by means of the ice cutters 62 as it issues from the extruding head 69 and the ice cutters 62 are arranged as has been described -in detail above with reference to FIG. 3 in a manner such that the arms 132 contact an associated rod of compact ice first at the outer edge i 142 and progressively force and break the ice toward the shaft of the auger 54 along the line 140 to form ice cubes that are dense, dry and compact. Each of the ice cubes formed has a transverse cross section -generally like the transverse cross section of the ice passages 110 which can be best seen in FIG. 4 of the drawings, although occasionally the impact of the cutters 62 against the lrod of ice will split the rod along a longitudinally extending plane as well as along la transverse plane. The length of each ice cube is dependent upon the rate at which the rod of compact ice issues from the associated passage 110, the ice cubes being longer when the rate of movement of the ice rod is greater and, vice versa, the length of the ice cube being shorter when the rate of movement of the ice rod is less. The rate of movement of the ice rod through the ice passage 11) is in turn dependent upon the amount of refrigeration produced by the refrigeration system and more specifically upon the rate at which aked ice is produced Y by the auger 54 in the cylinder 52.

There is shown in FIG. 5 of the drawings an idealized representation of an ice cube of the type produced by the machine 50, the ice cube being designated by the numeral 320. The ice cube 320 has been illustrated as having a transverse cross section identical to that of the ice passage 1.10 `and having a length equal substantially to a radial dimension thereof, the top and bottom surfaces of the ice cube 320 `being illustrated as planes substantially parallel .to each other. The ice cube making machine 50 does produce ice cubes as illustrated in FIG. 5, but other forms of ice cubes are also produced. The action or the cutter arms 132 upon a rod of ice issuing from `an ice passage 110 is actually in the form of an impact blow which may shatter the ice rod along planes other than those transverse to the direction of movement thereof. More speciicaily, the ice rod may be shattered along planes generally parallel to the direction of movement or along planes that are at a skew angle with respect to direction of movement of the ice rod. As has been described'above, the length of each ice cube in the direction of movement of the ice rod is also variable and is generally proportional to the rate at which flaked ice is produced and forced through the eX- truding head 60. In all cases, however, the ice cubes produced are dense-and compact in character and whereas aked ice produced by machines available heretofore may have a density or specific volume such that one ounce of the ice occupies 3.6 cubic inches the ice cube made in accordance with the present invention has a density such` has a density approaching that of water. In addition the ice cubes 320 are substantially dry and contain little or no entrained water therein -or therewith, the water being effectively removed by the squeezing action to which the ilaked ice is subjected 4as it is forced through the extruding head 60. i

The ice cubes 320 thus formed are readily stored within the storage chamber 64 and are prevented from coalescing by the action of the stirring arms 164 to 174. As the level of ice increases within the storage chamber 64, the upper surface of the stored ice eventually contacts the plate 200 and lifts the plate 200 to a point to open the microswitch 180 (see FIG. 14) thus removing the operating potentials from the auger motor 54, the fan motor 300 and the compressor motor 304. If thereafter four portions of ice are dispensed or if an equivalent amount of ice melts, the plate 200 is dropped so as to`close the microswitch 180, thus to energize the

motors

54, 300 and 304 to begin again the manufacture of ice cubes.

If la coin is placed in the control mechanism 42 of the machine 20 while the microswitch 180 is closed and therefore while the ice cube making machine 50 is operating, the following sequence of operation is initiated. The circuits within the machine 20 and diagrammatically illustrated at 250 in FIG. 14 are operated to place a cup 3.1 on the platform 30 and thereafter to begin injection of water or carbonated water thereinto, and shortly thereafter the switch 254 controlling the syrup pump is closed. Closure of the switch 254 then completes the circuit to the timer motor 260 so that the cam -274 moves the holding switch 25S to the holding position thereof and the cam 276 operates the

switches

280 and 282 to the other positions thereof. The switch 282 is actuated a short time interval before the closure of the switch 230, this action of the switch 282 momentarily interrupting the operation of the auger motor 56. The closure of the switch 280 a short time thereafter energizes the ice door solenoid 310 thus to open the door 15S in the storage compartment 64. The stirring arms `164 to 172 kick or expel ice cubes from the storage chamber 64 and down the chute 162 into the cup 31, this dispensing of the ice cubes being preferably accomplished prior to the end of the water injecting cycle. By .the time the timer motor has completed one cycle of rotation of the

cams

274 and 276, the switch 254 should be open and movement of the switch 258 to .the left-hand position stops the timer motor 260 and at this time the switches 28() and 282 have also been moved to the position illustrated in FIG. 14 of the drawings, thus terminating an ice dispensing cycle.

Should a coin be inserted into the mechanism 42 when the microswitch 180 is open, i.e., when the storagechamber 64 is substantially full of ice cubes and the auger motor 56 is cle-energized, the above described cycle of operation is repeated except in this case the auger motor 56 is energized when `the movable Contact of the switch 232 is placed against the contact 296. Accordingly, although there is no refrigeration taking place in the ice cube making m"- chine ft), the auger 52 is rotated so that the stirring arms 164 .to 172 are operated' prior to the opening of the door 153 to insure that a proper portion of ice cubes is dispensed from the storage chamber 64 into the cup 31.

In yet another mode of operation, the service switch 27) can be closed without closing the switch 254 thus initiating an ice cube dispensing cycle, whereby only ice is dispensed into the cup 31 on the platform 30. In this mode of operation of the machine 50, ice is dispensed whether ice is being manufactured or not in a manner similar to that described above when the syrup pump` switch 254 is closed to initiate the ice cube dispensing cycle.

It will be seen that there has been provided an ice cube making machine which fulfills all of the objects and advantages set forth above and further that there has been provided an improved heat exchanger and an improved refrigeration system to be incorporated in the ice cube making machine. There likewise has been provided an improved method of making ice cubes of a type particularly suited for use in soft drinks dispensed by automatic machines available on the market today. While there has been described what at present is believed to be a preferred embodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention and it is intended to cover in the appended claims all such changes and moditications which fall within the true scope of the invention.

1. An ice cube making machine comprising mechanism for producing ilaked ice and having a ilaked ice outlet therefor, an extruding head positioned adjacent to said flaked ice outlet and having a plurality of ice compressing and ice shaping passages therethrough, feed mechanism for moving liaked ice from said outlet of said flaked ice mechanism into and through said ice passages in said extruding head to compress and to congeal the particles of said flaked ice to form in said passages rods of compact and coherent ice, and an ice cutter having an arm mounted adjacent to the discharge end of said ice passages and driven by said feed mechanism over said ice passages to block said passages as the arm moves thereacross to assist in compressing the flaked ice into rods in said passages and for breaking the rods of compact ice into individual compact ice cubes as the rods issue from said ice passages.

2. An ice cube making machine comprising mechanism for producing flaked ice including an upstanding cylindrical freezing chamber, means for supplying Water to said freezing chamber, means for cooling said freezing chamber, and an upstanding auger for delivering flaked ice to the upper end thereof and Ato the outlet of said flaked ice mechanism, an eXtruding head positioned above and spaced from the upper end of said auger and having an ice passage therethrough, drive mechanism for operating said auger to force the iiaked ice from said liaked ice mechanism through said ice passage in said extruding head to compress and to congeal the individual ice particles to form a rod of compact and coherent ice, ice breaking means disposed above said extruding head and connected to said drive mechanismfor breaking the rod of compact ice into individual compact ice cubes as it issues from said ice passage, an ice cube holding chamber mounted above said extruding head and in general axial alignment with said auger and having an inlet thereto communicating with the upper end of said ice passage to receive and to store the ice cubes produced by said ice breaking means, stirring mechanism insaid storage chamber for agitating the ice cubes therein to prevent coalescing thereof, and a door in the side wall of said storage chamber opposite said stirring mechanism, whereby upon opening of said door said stirring mechanism serves to discharge ice cubes from said storage chamber.

. 3. An ice cube making machine comprising mechanism for producing flaked ice including an upstanding cylindrical freezing chamber, means for supplying water to said freezing chamber, means for cooling said freezing chamber, and an upstanding auger for delivering iiaked ice to the upper end thereof and to the outlet of said flaked ice mechanism, an extruding head positioned above andspaced from the upper end of said auger and having anice passage therethrough, drive mechanism for operating said auger to force the flaked ice from said flaked ice mechanism through said ice passage in said extruding head to compress and to congeal the individual ice particles to form a rod of compact and coherent ice, ice breaking means disposed above said eXtruding head and connected to said drive mechanism for breaking the rod of compact ice into individual compact ice cubes as it iS- sues from said ice passage, an ice cube holding chamber mounted above said eXtruding head and in general axial alignment with said auger and having an inlet thereto communicating with the upper end of said ice passage to receive and to store the ice cubes produced by said ice breaking means, and control means actuated by the level of ice in said storage chamber for operating said fiaked ice mechanism :and said drive mechanism to maintain the level of ice cubes in Said storage chamber Within predetermined bounds. v

4. An ice cube making machine comprising an elongated freezing chamber having an inside freezing wall, means for supplying Water to the interior of said freezing chamber, means for cooling at least a portion of said freezing Wall comprising a refrigerator coil and a cornpressor and a condenser and an expansion valve connected in series, a first drive motor for driving said compressor, an upstanding auger disposed in said freezing chamber for scraping ice from said freezing Wall and for delivering flaked ice to the upper end of said freezing Wall, an extruding head positioned above said auger and having an ice passage therethrough, a second drive motor for driving said auger to force the ilaked ice through said ice'passage to form a rod of compact ice, ice breaking means drivenby said auger rotating means and disposed above said eXtruding head for breaking the rod of compact ice into individual ice cubes as it issues from said ice passage, an ice cube holding chamber mounted above said extruding head to receive and to store said ice cubes, stirring mechanism in said storage chamv ber driven by said auger for agitating the ice cubes therein to prevent coalescing thereof, a door in the side Wall. of said storage chamber opposite said stirring mechanism, electrically operated actuator means for opening said door, first control means operatively associated with said chamber and responsive to the level of ice therein, a second coin operated control means, and a control circuit including a source of operating potential and connecting said drive motors and said control means, said control circuit energizing said rst and second drive motors in response to a level of ice in said chamber actuating said first control means to indicate a demand therefonsaid second control means actuating said second drive motor and said electrically operated actuator means upon the receipt of a proper coin therein to dispense a portion of ice from said chamber.

5. The ice cube making machine set forth in claim 4, wherein said second control means is operated first to energize said second drive motor and thereafter to energize said electrically operated actuator means.

6, The method of making ice cubes comprising preparing iiaked ice, collecting the flaked ice in a chamber, forcing the ilaked ice from the chamber through a plurality of ice passages having a' total cross sectional area equal to from about 45% to about 75% of the cross sectional area of said chamber and having a length equal to at least about one and one-half times the greatest transverse dimensionk thereof to compress and to congeal the particles of aked ice into compact and coherent rods of ice, and breaking the compact and coherent rods of ice to form individual compact and coherent ice cubes.

7. An ice cube making machine comprising mechanism for producing flaked ice including an Vupstanding cylindrical freezing chamber, means for supplying Water to said freezing chamber, means for cooling said freezing chamber, a aked ice collecting chamber above said freezing chamber, and anv upstanding auger in said freezing chamber for delivering ilaked ice to the akedlice collecting chamber, an extruding head positioned above and spaced from the upper end of said auger above said collecting chamber and having an ice compressing and ice shaping passage therethrough, the cross sectional area of said ice passage being substantially less than the cross sectional area of said flaked ice collecting chamber, drive mechanism for operating said auger to force the flaked ice from said flaked ice collecting chamber through said ice passage in said extruding head to compress and to congeal the individual ice particles into a rod of compact and coherent ice, and an ice cutter having an arm thereon mounted adjacent to the dischargeend of said ice passage and driven by the said drive mechanism for breaking the rod of compact and coherent ice into individual compact and coherent ice cubes as the rod issues from said ice passage, said arm partially blocking said ice passage during' movement thereacross to assist in compressing the flaked ice therein.

S. An ice cube making machine comprising mechanism for producing flaked ice and having a flaked ice outlet therefor, an extruding head positionedv adjacent to said iiaked ice outlet and having an ice compressingrand ice shaping passage therethrough, feed mechanism for moving flaked ice from said outlet of said ilaked ice mechanism into and through said ice passage in said extruding head, an ice blocking member driven by said feed mechanism for periodically substantially blocking the outlet of said ice passage to compress and to congeal the particles of aked ice therein to form in said ice passage a rod of compact and coherent ice, and an ice cutter driven by said feed mechanism for breaking the rod ofl compact and coherent ice into individual compact and coherent ice cubes as the rod issues from said ice passage. f

9. The ice cube making machine set forth in claim 3 wherein said ice blocking member and said ice cutter are integral. Tit). An ice cube making machine comprising mechanism for producing ilaked ice and having a flaked ice outlet therefor, an extruding head positioned adjacent to said flaked ice outlet and having a plurality of ice compressing and ice shaping passages therethrough, feed mechanism for moving flaked ice from said outlet of said flaked ice mechanism into and through said ice passages in said eXtruding head, and an ice blocking and cutting member mounted for rotation adjacent to the outlet of said ice passage to sequentially substantially block and alternately fully open the ice passages to compress and to congeal the particles of aked ice therein sequentially to form in said ice passages rods of compact and coherent ice andy thereafter sequentially to break the rods of ice into individual compact and coherent ice cubes as the rods issue from said ice passages.

11. An ice cube making machine comprising an upstanding cylindrical freezing chamber having an outlet at the upper end thereof, means for supplying Water to said freezing chamber, means for cooling said freezing chamber, an upstanding auger in said freezing chamber for scraping llaked ice therefrom and for delivering the aked ice to said outlet, an extruding head positioned above and spaced from the upper end of said auger and having a plurality of ice compressing and ice shaping passages therethrough, drive mechanism for operating said auger to force the flaked ice from said outlet into and through said ice passages, and an ice blocking and cutting member mounted for rotation adjacent the outlet of said ice passage to sequentially substantially block and alternately fully open each of the outlets of saidl ice passage to compress and to congeal the particles of aked 1ce thereinsequentially to form in said ice passages rods of compact and coherent ice and thereafter sequentially to break the rods of ice into individual compact and coherent ice cubes as the rods issue from said ice passages.

12. The method of making compact ice cubes comprising, preparing flaked ice, forcing ilaked ice simultaneously through a plurality of ice passages, sequentially substantially blocking the outlets of said ice passages to compress and to congeal'the particles of flaked ice therein into` compact and coherent rods of ice, and thereafter sequentially breaking the rods of ice to form individual compact and coherent ice cubes as the rods issue from said ice passages.

13. The method of making compact ice cubes comprising freezing water on a refrigerated surface to form ice, removing the ice from said refrigerated surface to form flaked ice, forcing the flaked ice through a plurality of ice passages, sequentially substantially blocking the outlets of said ice passages to compress and to congeal the particles of flaked ice therein sequentially to form in said ice passages rods of compact and coherent ice, and thereafter sequentially breaking the rods of ice to form individual compact and coherent ice cubes as the rods issue from said ice passages.

14. An ice cube making mechanism comprising a cold wall refrigerating cylinder, means for supplying to said cylinder water to be frozen on said wall, mechanism for scraping flaked ice from said wall, means forming a flaked ice collecting chamber in communication with said refrigerating cylinder, an eXtruding head positioned adjacent to said flaked ice collecting chamber and having an ice compressing and ice shaping passage therethrough, said mechanism including means for forcing the flaked ice into said collecting chamber and thereby forcing the flaked ice from said collecting chamber into and through said ice passage in said extruding head to compress and to congeal the particles of aked ice to form in said passage a rod of compact and coherent ice, and means adjacent to said extruding head and driven by said mechanism for breaking the rod of compact and coherent ice into cornpact and coherent ice cubes as the rod issues from said ice passage.

15. An ice cube making machine comprising mechanism for producing aked ice and having a aked ice outlet therefor, an extruding head positioned adjacent to said flaked ice outlet and having a plurality of ice compressing and ice shaping passages therethrough, feed mechanism for moving aked ice from said outlet of said flaked ice mechanism into and through said ice passages in said extruding head, and an ice blocking member mounted for sequential movement over the outlets of said passages one after the other for sequentially substantially blocking and alternately fully opening the outlets of said ice passages one after the other to compress and to congeal the particles of aked ice therein to form in said ice passages rods of compact and coherent ice.

16. An ice cube making machine comprising mechanism for producing flaked ice and having a flaked ice outlet therefor, an eXtruding head positioned adjacent to said iiaked ice outlet and having a plurality of ice compressing and ice shaping passages therethrough, feed mechanism for moving aked ice from said outlet of said aked ice mechanism into and through said ice passage in said extruding head, an ice blocking member mounted for sequential movement over the outlets of said passages one after the other for sequentially substantially blocking and alternately fully opening the outlets of said ice passages one after the other to compress and to congeal the particles of flaked ice therein to form in said ice passages rods of compact and coherent ice, and an ice cutter for sequentially breaking the rods of ice to form individual compact and coherent ice cubes as the rods issue from said ice passages.

17. An ice cube making machine comprising mechanism for producing flaked ice and having a flaked ice outlet therefor, an extruding head positioned adjacent to said aked ice outlet and having an ice compressing and ice shaping passage therethrough, feed mechanism for moving flaked ice from said outlet of said flaked ice mechanism into and through said ice passage in said extruding head, and an ice blocking member mounted for movement over the outlet of said passage and fixedly connected to and driven by said feed mechanism for periodically substantially blocking and alternately fully opening 18 the outlet of said passage to compress and to congeal the particles of flaked ice therein to form in said ice passage a rod of compact and coherent ice.

18. An ice cube making machine comprising mechanism for producing aked ice and having a iiaked ice outlet therefor, an extruding head positioned adjacent to said flaked ice outlet and having an ice compressing and ice shaping passage therethrough, feed mechanism for moving flaked ice from said outlet of said flaked ice mechanism into and through said ice passage in said extruding head, drive mechanism, an ice blocking member mounted for movement over the outlet of said passage and driven by said drive mechanism for periodically substantially blocking and alternately fully opening the outlet of said passage to compress and to congeal the particles of flaked ice therein to form in said ice passage a rod of compact and coherent ice, and an ice cutter mounted for movement over the outlet of said ice passage and driven by said drive mechanism for breaking the rod of compact and coherent ice into individual compact and coherent ice cubes as the rod compressed and congealed by said blocking member in said ice passage issues from said ice passage when fully open.

19. An ice cube making machine comprising an upstanding cylindrical freezing chamber having an outlet at the upper end thereof, means for supplying water to said freezing chamber, means for cooling said freezing chamber, an upstanding auger in said freezing chamber for scraping aked ice therefrom and for delivering the flaked ice to said outlet, an extruding head positioned above and spaced from the upper end of said auger and having a plurality of ice compressing and ice shaping passages therethrough, drive mechanism for operating said auger to force the flaked ice from said outlet into and through said ice passages, an ice blocking member mounted for movement adjacent to the outlets of said ice passages for sequentially substantially blocking and alternately fully opening the outletsl of said ice passage to compress and to congeal the particles of aked ice therein to form in said ice passages rods of compact and coherent ice, means for moving said ice blocking member, and an ice holding chamber mounted above said extruding head and in general axial alignment with said auger and having an inlet thereto communicating with the upper ends of said ice passages.

20. The method of making compact ice cubes comprising, continuously preparing iiaked ice, continuously forcing flaked ice simultaneously through a plurality of ice passages, sequentially substantially blocking the outlets of said ice passages one after the other to compress and to congeal the particles of aked ice therein into compact and coherent rods of ice, and forcing the rods of ice from said ice passages.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 530,526 12/ 94 Holden. 1,020,759 3/ 12 Holden 62-354 1,221,054 4/ 17 Hyatt 62-320 X 1,881,171 10/32 Cooley. 1,976,204 10/ 34 Voorhees et al 62-58 X 2,237,189 4/41 McCormack 222-245 2,340,721 2/44 Whitney 62-137 2,397,347 3/46 Gruner. 2,401,236 5/ 46 Fielitz 18-12 2,698,162 12/54 Riesgo 165-154 2,698,739 1/55 Haugen 165-154 X 2,699,045 1/55 Bailey 62-320 2,724,949 11/55 Kattis 62-344 2,779,165 1/ 57 Pichler 62-320 2,825,209 3/58 Nelson 62-354 2,833,126 5/58 Muy 62-71 2,888,252 5/59 Heathman 62-513 (Other references on following page) 19 UNITED STATES PATENTS K Lees 62-71 Mannhardt 222-2 Wright 62137 Keller 62-320 Eschenburg 62-68 Boetteiger 62-513 Clotsel 62-5 13 ROBERT A. OLEARY, Primary Examiner. EDWARD J. MTCHAEL, MEYER PERLIN, Examiners.

Claims

8. AN ICE CUBE MAKING MACHINE COMPRISING MECHANISM FOR PRODUCING FLAKED ICE AND HAVING A FLAKED ICE OUTLET THEREFOR, AN EXTRUDING HEAD POSITIONED ADJACENT TO SAID FLAKED ICE OUTLET AND HAVING AN ICE COMPRESSING AND ICE SHAPING PASSAGE THERETHROUGH, FEED MECHANISM FOR MOVING FLAKED ICE FROM SAID OUTLET OF SAID FLAKED ICE MECHANISM INTO AND THROUGH SAID ICE PASSAGE IN SAID EXTRUDING HEAD, AN ICE BLOCKING MEMBER DRIVEN BY SAID FEED MECHANISM FOR PERIODICALLY SUBSTANTIALLY BLOCKING THE OUTLET OF SAID ICE PASSAGE TO COMPRESS AND TO CON-