US3196625A - Combination ice chip maker-dispenser and method - Google Patents

Description

y 27, 1965 F. G. NICOLAUS 3,196,625

COMBINATION ICE CHIP MAKER-DISPENSER AND METHOD Filed July 16. 1962 I 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 REFRIGERBTING 76 UNIT July 27, 1965 F. s. NICOLAUS COMBINATION ICE CHIP MAKER-DISPENSER AND METHOD Filed July 16, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I Mvfl/IIIII'II; n .11 "p1 fil /24 Afro M 5)- United States Patent 3,196,625 COMBINATEON ICE CHiP MAKER-DISPENSER AND METHOD Frank G. Nicolaus, Chicago, Ill., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Lion Manufacturing Corporation Filed July 16, 1962, Scr. No. 209,828 14 Claims. '(Cl. 6271) This invention has as its principal object the provision of improvements in a method and apparatus for preparing and storing particulated ice, preferably the flaked or chipped variety, in combination with a novel heat-exchange means and a common refrigerating means arranged in a novel system which is particularly unsful in conjunction with coin-controlled beverage dispensers serving cold drinks of the type containing a charge of flake or chip ice.

More particularly, the disclosed apparatus provides a heat-exchange system employing a single refrigerating unit serving both in the preparation of the fine ice and cooling of the beverage constituents, and also serving to cool the low-temperature compartment of a vending machine housing the apparatus and storing reserve quantities of the ice for injection into individually dispensed drinks, such system comprising in general a water bath serving to cool a beverage carbonator and as a general heat-exchanger for other beverage constituents andzor the low temperature area of the vending machine, together with an icestorage structure particularly arranged in contiguity with the water bath and an ice-making unit in a manner to receive and store first a reserve supply of ice, and then to direct excesses into the water bath in a manner to control the temperature of the latter, with additional heat exchange effected directly between the stored ice and the bath.

A further feature of the system relates to the provision of controls sensitive to temperature conditions and to certain ice levels for governing the preparation of ice and causing its movement relative to the storage chamber and the water bath under certain sensed conditions.

Another feature is the provision of a cold-water feedback means for conserving energy in the system by returning melt-down Water to the ice-making apparatus from both the Water bath and the ice storage chamber.

Still another feature is the provision of means for confining a Water bath and a reserve quantity of dispensable particulated ice in a heat-transferring contiguity with a commonly-shared heat-conductive wall, serving in part to confine the water and the ice in separated relation but with an upper margin of said wall defining a spillway unobstructed to passage of ice from upper topping levels of the stored quantity into the water bath, and a freezing machine adapted to prepare finely divided ice and force the same into the storage chamber at a level such as to fill the chamber first to a topping level aligned more or less with the spillway so that when the ice reserve is built up to the reserve topping level further ice will spill into the bath.

Other aspects of novelty and utility relate to details of the method and the construction of the apparatus for practicing the same, as described hereinafter in view of the annexed drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic layout of one form of chip ice apparatus viewed mainly in vertical section with parts shown in elevation, and certain circuit connections;

FIG. 2 is similarly a schematiclayout of a modified form of the chip ice apparatus.

A popular form of cold beverage is prepared by injecting par-ticulated ice in the form of finely flaked or chipped ice into the same, either before or after delivery of the drink into the cup in which it is vended. In coincontrolled machines, the chip ice is made in the machine by any of several types of chipping or flaking mechanism available, and this ice is accumulated and stored in considerable quantities sutficien-t to anticipate rapid dispensing demands on the machine.

Such storage of the ice is generally efiected in conjunction with the usual refrigeration of a carbonating unit, and its water supply, as well as the various beverage flavoring concentrates or syrups required, most of which are perishable; and for such purposes coin-operated drink or beverage venders are almost universally provided with a conventional refrigerating unit consisting of a compressor, condenser, receiver, and expansion valve and line. In most cases a carbonator is employed and a Water bath is frequently provided for such carbonator and the flavor tanks as well, the entire apparatus usually being housed in an insulated compartment of the vending machine and cooled by such refrigerating unit.

The expressions chip ice and flake ice will be used interchangeably herein as variant forms of particulated ice, because the disclosed system and methods can utilize either form to advantage, although strictly flake ice is thinner and lighter, and tends to be somewhat more uniform in mass and shape than ordinary chipped ice, for the reason that the random chipping action employed in making chip ice produces more irregularities in shape and size.

The present apparatus employs a mechanism adapted to make the flake-type of ice, but since such devices are well known the same will be described only in sufficient detail to convey the principles of its operation and such structural appurtenances as are provided by the disclosure for incorporating the same as a cooperative part of the system.

Referring to FIG. 1, the ice-making unit 10, freqently called a chipper or flaker, comprises a metal sleeve 11 in which rotates a spiral scraping worm 12 with the periphery of its spiralling edges fitting closely to the inner wall of the sleeve in order to scrape off the film of ice rapidly formed thereon as a result of expansion of refrigerant in expansion coils 13 closely fitting around the outside wall of the sleeve in an insulated compartment formed between said sleeve and an outer body shell 14.

A drive shaft 15 depends from the worm into a gear box 16 to be driven from a shaft 17 through gears 18 at a moderate speed determined by reduction gear means 19 driven by an electric motor 20.

Water is fed initially from a tank or sump 25 supplied from pipe 26 under control of a level float switch means 27, 28, the water feeding down through pipe 29 into the chipper through an inlet 30 at the base thereof, and rising into the sleeve Where the layers contacting the cold wall freeze and provide the film of ice which will be scraped off by the rotating worm and slowly elevated by the latter into a delivery channel formed by an outlet sleeve 32 secured to the head of the chipper unit until the entire outfeed sleeve or delivery line becomes full of fine flake ice (or chipped ice if the screw is of the chipping type adapter to pick off very small chunks of the newly formed ice film).

The ice accumulating above the worm is agitated continually by means of a small fin-like agitator 33 on the upper end of the worm shaft in order to break up packing immediately above the upper end of the auger or screw to facilitate advance of new ice from the freezing sleeve or chamber.

The outfeed tube or sleeve 32 preferably flares slightly in its upward progress and curves into Widening conjunction for attachment at 31 with an entrance opening 35 leading into an insulated outer tank and a storage compartment 54 formed therein in immediate communication with said opening 35.

Fitted closely or in otherwise sealed-off relation to the inside faces of three of the four upright walls 41, 42, 43 of the outer tank, is an inner tank 50 of stainless steel or the like having one heat-exchange wall 51 spaced from the inside face of the fourth or remaining wall 44.0f the insulated outer tank 4% so as to complete the definition of the ice storage chamber or compartment 54,. over the upper spillway edge 45 of which remaining wall the incoming chip or flake ice tumbles on egress from the outfeed or delivery sleeve 32 from the chipper unit by d1splacement across the stored ice.

When the storage compartment 54 becomes filled to the topmost level of the spillway edge, further quantities of ice will tend to migrate sidewise and ultimately spill over the edge 52 of the inner tank constituting another spillway into a water bath 56 maintained therein at a desired level by means of an overflow standpipe 60 substantially below the upper edge of such tank, thereby cooling said bath and at the same time disposing of excess ice from the chipper. exchange agency for cooling the cabinet and various beverage constituents.

Disposed within the inner tank 50 and immersed substantially in the water bath is a conventional carbonating unit 70 connecting through valved pipes 71 and '72 with a source of water and carbon dioxide gas to provide the carbonated beverage water issuing via pipe '73 and solenoid valve means '74 into a dispensing spigot 75 and the usual paper cup '76 into which a flavoring syrup is also ejected from means not shown or from a mixing chamber intermingling with the water before it issues from the spigot, depending upon the type of drink dispenser to be employed.

The energy of the system is etficiently employed by reason of the described arrangement and return to the ice making circuit of cold overflowing water resulting from melt-down of the ice in the water bath es, as well as the melt-down in the ice storage chamber 54;

In the system of FIG. 1, the overflow pipe 66 from the Water bath leads via a lower branch 61 to a second inlet 62 in the lower part of the chipping or flaking unit passing into the lower end of the freezing sleeve opposite the main water inlet port 30, and since this returned component of the water is frequently at a lower temperature than the sump water, there is a significant economy of energy in utilizing the cold water overflow in the ice maker.

A drain pipe 65 leads from the bottom of the ice storage chamber through a back-up check valve do and a connection 67 with the overflow branch of return pipe 61 so that the melt-down from the stored ice joins the feed back of cold melt-down water from the water bath directly into the freezing sleeve of the chipper unit.

Measured quantities of chipped ice are dispensed from the storage chamber by any of several types of ice ejectors or dispensers, such as a power-driven reciprocable ejecting drawer 68 adapted in one phase of its reciprocatory excursion (not illustrated) to dump its contents of ice into a'chute 69 and thence into the beverage receiving cup '76, such ice dispensers being actuated in timed relation to the other dispensing operations of the usual automatic beverage machine in which measured quantities of carbonated water and flavoring constituents are dispensed in each vending cycle.

Two general types of cooling system may be encounte'red in beverage dispensers of the class described. In one case the entire low temperature compartment of the cabinet including the stored chipped ice, the carbonated water, and the flavoring syrups, and like constituents, may be refrigerated by a separate refrigerating unit operating independently of any ice-making apparatus; While in another system the ice-making machine may also be utilized in one Way or another to cool the low-temperature compartment and the water and flavor supplies, etc. The choice of either a common or multiple type refrigeration apparatus may depend upon the size of the cabinet and dispensing capacity and range of flavor selection involved in a given machine. Ordinarily the larger high-capacity machines require separate cooling and ice-making units, while the smaller Variety of machine can be operated with only one refrigerating unit serving primarily to make ice and incidentally, by use of some kind of special heatexchange expediency, to cool the carbonated water and sometimes the flavoring components as well.

The present apparatus makes it possible to utilize a single compressor or refrigerating mechanism in a common cooling system for both the large and small machines 1 while maintaining an adequate reserve of particulated ice The water bath constitutes a liquid heat capable of serving a maximum fast-delivery vending load.

The form of apparatus shown in either FIG. 1 or FIG. 2 may be adopted and cycled to carry the entire cooling load, in which case the flavor reservoirs as Well as the carbonator may then be immersed in the water bath, if desired.

Where the entire cooling load is carried by the icernaking apparatus, the water bath is preferably the principal heat-exchanging medium for all components to be cooled (other than the freezing chamber itself), and accordingly the master control means includes a temperature-sensitive switch means such as an immersion thermostat switch 8%) situated in the water bath and connecting via conductor 81 to energize the coil 82 of a relay when the temperature of the water bath rises beyond a predetermined level, said relay closing a switch 83 to energize via conductor 84 the chipper motor 28, the motor 35 of a conventional refrigerating unit 86.

In the system of FIG. 1, the water line level WL is determined by the location of the sump 25 and the level of water maintained therein by the float switch control means 27, 28, the disposition of the ice maker being such that the water level thus established and maintained will be located nearly at the upper margin of the freezing sleeve 11 and particularly close to the upper end of the flaking auger worm, which is adapted to rotate slowly and continuously so asto scrape off the ice before too great a thickness is formed. The refrigerating unit will have the usual expansion valves and control suitable to regulating its function in cycling the refrigerant through the expansion coils 13 in the known manner of such machines.

In the operation of the system, it may be assumed that that the temperature in the water bath has risen above that required and the thermostatic control switch 89 has closed and energized the relay means 82 to start the chipper motor 2% and the refrigerating motor 85, as aforesaid, with the object of. restoring the temperature of the water bath by deposit of ice therein.

In a first type of operation, a short duty cycle may be expected if there is a sufiicient topping of ice present in the storage chamber 54, as in FIG. 1, so that the newly formed ice issuing from the chipper throat 35 can more or less promptly exert a moving force on the ice present at the spillway 52 within a matter of a few minutes following the starting of the chipper motor.

But it may also happen that due to a fast dispensing demand, the topping level in the ice chamber has dropped more or less below the level of the spillway; in such a case, the topping level must be restored by accumulation of newly-delivered ice to the level where continued delivery will deliver the topping excess into the bath, this duty cycle for the chipper of course being longer than that for the first-mentioned condition.

Still another control situation exists when the temperature of the water bath is normal but there has been a very rapid withdrawal of ice sufficient to lower the topping level farther than is suitable for duty cycles of the duration desired for the first two conditions. In order to prevent the topping level from dropping too far in this latter situation, supervisory switch means is provided to sense the level of the ice in the storage chamber, at least,

J and preferably also in a zone adjoining the spillway, this being accomplished by feeler means disposed to be contacted by the topping ice approximately above the middle of the storage chamber, and also in a region proximate to the spillway 52.

The aforesaid level-sensing means preferably includes separate ice detectors in these zones, one satisfactory arrangement, as shown in FIG. 1, comprising two mercury switches 91 and 95 or the equivalent, each respectively carried on a rockable mounting bracket 92 or 96 to rock about respective pivots 93 or 97 from a normal, opencircuit condition as indicated in dotted lines, to an operated or closed-circuit condition as shown in full lines, depending upon the presence or absence of ice in the sensing zones serviced thereby.

The respective pivot brackets or carriers for the two level-sensing switches are provided with a curved paddle feeler 94 or 98 suitable for gliding engagement by the topping ice moving therebeneath in migrating generally toward the spillway, and effective to tilt the switches into their respective non-operated or open-circuit conditions, as shown in full lines, when the topping level is high enough.

A deflecting shield 109 is positioned to overlie the stor age chamber to confine the ice therein in its migration toward the spillway. The operation of the feeler switches is preferably such that a concurrent depression in level in the respective zones supervised thereby will cause operation of the chipper.

In the illustrative arrangement depicted, the two switches are connected in series with the source of power 192, via conductor 193, and relay control conductor 1&4. In this arrangement, a drop in ice level in a small area immediately adjoining the spillway would not necessarily correspond to a generally lowered level throughout the topping zone; nor would the dropping of that portion of the ice immediately beneath the sensing paddle above the storage chamber (such as might possible result, for instance, from the ejection of a single portion of ice or from a central settling action of the ice due to melt-down) neces sarily represent a general or all-over lowering of the topping level suflicient to demand immediate restoration by cycling the ice-making unit.

Accordingly, closure of both sensing switches is utilized as a better index of a more generalized condition of lowlevel ice making it desirable to start restoration of the level in order that a duty cycle signalled by the tank thermostat may be initiated without long delay to build up the necessary topping for movement of ice toward the spillway.

It is to be understood that the apparatus depicted in FIG. 1, with the exception of heat-producing components such as the motor 29 and the refrigerating unit 86, will be housed in a suitably insulated cabinet or compartment in the vending machine.

A characteristic of the embodiment described in view of FIG. 1 is the fact that the water sump and the freezingchamber are located below the bottom level of the water bath and the ice storage chamber so that feedback of the melt-down and overflow water can be achieved wholly by gravitation into the lower inlet regions of the icemaking unit and the freezing chamber therein, while replecement water can gravitate into said inletregions also, without the need or valving control for any of these sources, the check valve 66 merely prevnting a backup of water from the bath tank into the ice storage chamber.

The sump is replenished by the separate control of float switch 28 energizing, when closed, the water inlet solnoid valve 24 via conductor 2?.

The embodiment of FIG. 2 differs from that of FIG. 1 only in respect to the location of the water line WL for the sump and freezing chamber, and the addition of a water return pump and controls necessitated by such elevated water line. In other respects the two systems are identical and the same reference characters are applied to all parts which are duplicated in both embodiments, with the qualification that analogous or corresponding parts in FIG. 2 which are modified in operation owing to the changed water line, are sufiixed with the letter X, as for example the two water inlet ports 30X and 62X to the freezing chamber, which in FIG. 2 have been elevated with reference to the bottom of the water bath and stor age chamber and are therefore at a considerably higher level than their counterparts in FIG. 1.

The embodiment of FIG. 1 is simpler than that of FIG. 2 because the feed back of overflow and melt-down water is entirely gravitational and self-governing, but these advantages are only procured as a result of locating the ice chipping or flaking unit or at least a substantial portion of the freezing chamber at a substantial level below the tank system. While this arrangement also affords some increased ice storage in the delivery sleeve 32, it nevertheless requires additional space within the vending machine cabinet, and such space frequently cannot be made available. Ice flaking and chipping machines are known which employ either inclined or horizontal freezing chambers, but usually nothing is gained in the way of space by resort to these dispositions because they merely require space in a different direction.

Accordingly, the arrangement of FIG. 2 can be resorted to where the more compact lay-out is necessary or desirable, in which case the ice chipping unit 16X is elevated a substantial distance so that the upper water-line level of the freezing sleeve corresponds to that of the water bath; and the sump 25X is likewise correspondingly elevated to maintain the same water line with its feed pipe 29X entering the water inlet port StiX at a considerably higher level than in the embodiment of FIG. I, this port and the companion inlet port 62X to the freezing chamber being approximately at the level of the bottoms of the water bath tank and the ice storage chamber.

The second Water inlet port 62X to the freezing chamber is plugged, and the overflow feedback pipe 61X from the water bath joins with the sump feed pipe 29X at 29Z and the feedback water enters the chipper only at port 30X along with sun'rp water.

However, the melt-down water from the ice compartment is connected via pipe 65X to the inlet side of a motor pump 129 driven by a motor 122, and the pump returns this water via pipe past a normally-closed flow switch 124 back into the sump for entry into the freezing chamber via sump feed pipe 29X.

The operation of the embodiment of FIG. 2 is basically identical to that of the system of FIG. 1 and adds the pumping operation to return only the storage meltdown portion of the water feedback to the sump, the pump motor 122 for such purposes being controlled by the float valve switch means 27X-2SX in a manner such that clossure of the float switch does not at once open the main water inlet solenoid valve 24X, but starts the pump motor first via conduct-or 135, because the conductor 130 which would otherwise complete the energizing circuit to the solenoid valve when the float switch closes is connected to power only through closure of the flow switch 124. Thus, so long as the pump drives Water back to the sump line past flow switch 124, the latter will remain open, thereby delaying the opening of the solenoid water valve 24X until all of the meltdown water has been pumped past the flow switch and the latter is thereby permitted to close and energize the solenoid valve, If, however, the pump has been able to return enough melt-down water to the sump to restore the float valve to normal level, the solenoid valve will not open at all, and no relatively warmer water will be admitted from the mains to the sump.

I claim:

1. In combination with a flake-ice machine having an ice-scraping worm adapted to drive particulated ice through an outfeed passage therefrom, means defining an ice-receiving and storage compartment adjacent said machine; means defining an ice inlet communicating with an upper level of said compartment from said outfeed passage to guide iriven ice into the compartment to fill the latter up to said level; means defining a tank for a Water bath contiguous to said compartment, said compartment-defining means and said tank-defining means being of a character such as to provide a common, heat-conductive wall inv contact with the bath and with ice in the compartment, said Wall having an upper marginal portion contiguous to said upper level of the compartment constituting a spillway into the bath situated subsantially on an opposite side of the compartment from said inlet and over which ice forced into the compartment when the ice therein is substantially at said level Will pass into the bath.

2. The combination of claim ll further characterized by the provision of control means sensitive to the temperature of the bath for actuating the ice machine to effect delivery of ice therefrom in quantity to fill said compartment and force movement of excess quantities of ice into the bath in amount sufficient to cool the bath to a predetermined temperature effective to cause said control means to de-activate the ice machine.

3. The combination of claim 2 further characterized by the provision of a water supply sum-p and connections for directing regulated flow of water therefrom to said ice machine for ice making purposes, and feed-back means for collecting cold Water from said tank and compartment resulting from melting of ice in said system and feeding the same back into said ice making machine.

4. The combination of claim 3 further characterized in that said tank, compartment, sump and ice machine are disposed at predetermined relative levels to maintain a predetermined Water line, and said feed-back means is connected With the tank and compartment and ice making machine with respect to said Water line in a manner such that the melt-down Water is delivered entirely by gravity into the ice machine.

5. The combination of claim 3 further including a pump means and characterized in that said tank, compartment, sump and ice machine are disposed at predetermined relative levels to maintain a predetermined relative water line relationship such that said feed back means delivers meltdown Water from said tank by gravity back into the ice machine, and said pump means is arranged and constructed and operative to receive melt-down water from said storage compartment and force the same into a return fluid circuit for delivery into the ice machine through said sump.

6. Apparatus as set forth in claim 5 in which said fluid circuit includes said sump and there is further provided a level control means for said sump, and said circuit includes a flow-sensitive control including a water infeed valve, and said flow-sensitive control and said level control means are opera-tively associated with said pump for operation such that when the level in the sump descends by a predetermined amount, said pump is actuated to return compartment melt-down to the sump, and if the volume of such returned melt-down is inadequate to restore the level in the sump, said flow control actuates said infeed valve conjoin-tly with control by said level control until said sump level is restored, said pump and said infeed valve being rendered inoperative under control of the level control means when said sump level is restored by the pumped melt-down alone, by Water through the infeed valve alone, or by Water from both said sources.

'7. A method for preparing and storing chipped ice for injection in beverages and also for heat transfer and area cooling in a beverage vending machine, said method comprising the freezing of a thin film of water on the inside Wall of a refrigerated cylinder, scraping ice from said wall by means employing a driven unidirectional scraper driving said ice along a feed path, directing the driven ice from said path into a first storage compartment at an upper level therein constituting a topping level, confining a water bath in a tank disposed in heat-exchanging contact with ice in said compartment, providing an ice spillway into the bath in adjacency to said compartment and at the said topping level along a line of progress of ice directed into the compartment as aforesaid, whereby ice is injected into the bath to cool the same, and controlling the operation of said driven ice scraper in ac cordance with a predetermined desired temperature in the bath.

8. The method of claim 7 further including the steps of collecting Wat-er resulting from the melting of ice retained in said machine and utilizing said water for freezing purposes in the refrigerated cylinder aforesaid.

9. Ice apparatus comprising a source of particulated ice; a storage compartment for said ice including an ice inlet; means for confining a Water bath Within said compartment, said confining means having an ice entrance passage at a predetermined upper level therein constituting a spillway for said ice from said compartment into the bath water; means forcing ice from said source along a predetermined delivery path into said compartment through said inlet at a predetermined topping level approximately oppositeiand in alignment with the level of said spillway passage, such that ice moving along said delivery path will first enter and fill said compartment approximately to said topping level and will thereafter the constrained to migrate across the topping of the filled ice toward and over said spillway into said bath to cool the latter.

1%). Apparatus according to claim 9 further characterized in that said confining means includes as a part thereof a heat-conductive member positioned in the compartment to have the Water bath in heat-exchanging contact with one side thereof, and ice in said compartment in heat-exchanging contact with another side thereof Whereby the bath water is further cooled conductively by ice in the compartment.

1J1. In apparatus for dispensing a'cold beverage, in combination, a water bath compartment having an ice entrance situated above a predetermined maximum water level therein; beverage apparatus cooled by said bath and operatively connecting with a beverage dispensing outlet; means defining a storage compartment for particulated ice contiguous to said Water bath compartment, said storage compartment further having an ice entrance situated at a topping level located a substantial distance above the bottom of said storage compartment and approximately opposite and at the level of said ice entrance to the water bath compartment, said entrances being arranged and constructed so that ice entering said storage compartment entrance first gravitates into and fills the latter to said topping level, and ice subsequently forcibly passing through said storage compartment entrance migrates across the top of the ice in the storage compartment toward and through said entrance into the water bath compartment; means providing an exit for ice for beverage use from a region below said topping level in the storage compartment; means for directing ice gravitationally from said exit to a delivery point closely contiguous to said beverage dispensing outlet; and means for forcing particulated ice into said storage compartment entrance in quantities sufficient to overfill the same and force an excess of such ice to migrate into the Water bath compartment as aforesaid, together with means for regulating the water levels in both the Water bath and ice storage compartments. 7

12. Apparatus according to cla'im 11 further including means cooperative with said forcing means for freezing water and particulating the resultant ice to supply ice for delivery to the water bath and storage compartments as aforesaid, and means for directing Water from both said compartments into said freezing and particulating means to utilize energy existing in the melt-down.

13. Apparatus for storing dispensable ice and cooling another dispensable substance and comprising, namelyz.

an insulated chamber including therein an ice storage compartment having an ice exit at a lower level therein and an ice inlet at a predetermined upper level therein and adapted for connection with a means for delivery of particulated ice thereto; means in said chamber defining a second compartment adjoining said storage compartment and separated from the latter by a heat-conducting wall such that the-re can be a substantial exchange of heat therethrough between said compartments; said second compartment being adapted to contain a dispensable substance which is to be cooled and ice contained in said storage compartment being adapted for withdrawal by dispensation through said exit; means located substantially at the level of said ice inlet but at a side of said storage compartment located away therefrom toward said second compartment providing a spillway for ice from the upper levels of the storage compartment into the second compartment whereby excess ice moving into said inlet to the first compartment, when the latter is filled to the level of said spillway, will be constrained by the confines of the chamber to migrate toward and over the spil-lway into said second compartment, so that the latter can be cooled both by heat exchanged with the storage compartment and by ice transferred therefrom into the second compartment dependently upon the amount of ice in the storage compartment.

14. In a beverage dispensing machine or the like, apparatus for storing dispensable ice and a beverage constituent in a heat-exchanging and ice-transferring relationship, said apparatus comprising an insulated chamber with means defining therein an ice storage compartment; means further defining in said chamber a cooling compartment in heat-exchanging adjacency to the storage compartment, said cooling compartment being adapted to receive a container of at least one beverage constituent to be cooled and both compartments having open upper portions located at substantially the same common level;

means providing an ice-dispensing exit from a lower region of said storage compartment; means defining an inlet to said storage compartment for divided ice and located approximately at said common level of the two compartments but at a side of the storage compartment which is remotely opposite from the cooling compartment, such that ice entering said inlet first descends into the storage compartment until the latter is filled to said common level, with excess ice thereafter being constrained by confinement in said chamber to move toward and into the cooling compartment, the adjoining common upper levels of said compartments in relation to said ice inlet thereby serving as a means for automatically shunting excess ice from the storage compartment into the cooling compartment dependently upon the amount of ice in the storage compartment and to control delivery of ice first to the storage compartment and only thereafter to the cooling compaltment as the ice level in the storage compartment lowers due to dispensing Withdrawal or melt-down.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,866,322 12/58 Mufily 62-344 2,963,885 12/60 Loewenthal 62135 2,984,059 5/61 Hol-lingsworth 62-344 3,016,718 1/62 Malone 62--l37 3,021,035 2/62 Hill 62--344 3,034,317 5/62 Schneider et a1 62354 3,059,450 10/ 62 Mueller 62-354 FOREIGN PATENTS 5 69,07 1 1/ 33 Germany.

ROBERT A. OLEARY, Primary Examiner.

MEYER PERLIN, Examiner.

Claims (1)

1. 7. A METHOD FOR PREPARING AND STORING CHIPPED ICE FOR INJECTION IN BEVERAGES AND LSO FOR HEAT TRANSFER AND AREA COOLING IN A BEVERAGE VENDING MACHINE, SAID METHOD COMPRISING THE FREEZING OF A THIN FILMI OF WATER ON THE INSIDE WALL OF A REFRIGERATED CYLINDER, SCRAPING ICE FROM SAID WALL BY MEANS EMPLOYING A DRIVEN UNIDIRECTIONAL SCRAPER DRIVING SAID ICE ALONG A FEED PATH, DIRECTING THE DRIVEN ICE FROM SAID PATH INTO A FIRST STORAGE COMPARTMENT AT AN UPPER LEVEL THEREIN CONSTITUTING A TOPPING LEVEL, CONFINING A WATER BATH IN A TANK DISPOSED IN HEAT-EXCHANGING CONTACT WITH ICE IN SAID COMPARTMENT, PROVIDING AN ICE SPILLWAY INTO THE BATH IN ADJACENCY TO SAID COMPARTMENT AND AT THE SAID TOPPING LEVEL ALONG A LINE OF PROGRESS OF ICE DIRECTED INTO THE COMPARTMENT AS AFORESAID, WHEREBY ICE IS INJECTED INTO THE BATH TO COOL THE SAME, AND CONTROLLING THE OPERATION OF SAID DRIVEN ICE SCRAPER IN ACCORDANCE WITH A PREDETERMINED DESIRED TEMPERATURE IN THE BATH.

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