US3398552A

US3398552A - Bin with cam surfaces engageable by partition walls in inverted container

Info

Publication number: US3398552A
Application number: US609434A
Authority: US
Inventors: Joe P Pietrzak
Original assignee: Motors Liquidation Co
Current assignee: Motors Liquidation Co; Arbor Tool Corp
Priority date: 1967-01-16
Filing date: 1967-01-16
Publication date: 1968-08-27
Anticipated expiration: 1985-08-27
Also published as: GB1148027A

Description

8- 1963 J. P. PIETRZAK 3,398,552

BIN WITH CAM SURFACES ENGAGEABLE BY PARTITION WALLS IN INVERTED CONTAINER Filed Jan. 16, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ll/Il/I/A'l/I BY J5: pz zkfrza 5M 4. M

ATTORNEY Aug. 27, 1968 J, PlETRZAK 3,398,552-

BIN WITH CAM SURFACES ENGAGEABLE BY PARTITION WALLS IN INVERTED CONTAINER Filed Jan. 16, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VENTO Fl ATTORNEY United States Patent BIN WITH CAM SURFACES ENGAGEABLE BY PARTITION WALLS IN INVERTED CONTAINER Joe P. Pietrzak, Dayton, Ohio, assignor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich a corporation of Delaware Filed Jan. 16, 1967, Ser. No. 609,434 6 Claims. (Cl. 62320) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The inverted congealing container has tiltable partition walls with projecting ends extending into alignment with its rim. A receiving bin is located beneath and has pivotal interconnection with the inverted container. When the container is pressed down, the projecting ends of the partition walls are guided sequentially into camming engagement with the individual cam surfaces formed by the notches in the side walls of the bin to eject cubes from the container into the bin.

This invention pertains to receiving bins arranged to receive congealed liquid ejected from an inverted congealing container ,or mold provided with an ejecting grid. Expensive refrigerator models have been provided with arrangements for ejecting congealed liquid from inverted congealed liquid containers directly into a receiving bin. Several examples are shown in Patents 2,809,449 and 2,809,550 issued Oct. 15, 1957, and Patent 2,955,440 issued Oct. 11, 1960. Although these arrangements are of moderate cost, price competition has kept them from being made standard in low priced refrigerators.

It is an object of this invention to simplify and reduce the cost of parts of a congealing container and ejector grid and a cooperating receiving bin and to provide simple cams upon the bin which are engaged by the tiltable walls of the grid when the container is moved in inverted position downwardly upon the bin.

This and other objects are attained in the form shown in the drawings by providing an interengaging pivotal connection between one end of the inverted container or grid and the bin which upon downward movement guides the tiltable walls of the grid into direct camming engagement with the cams upon the bin to eject the congealed liquid into the bin.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein a preferred embodiment of the present invention is clearly shown.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view through a receiving bin and an inverted congealing container provided with tiltable transverse walls embodying one form of my invention shown in the initial ejecting stage;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view similar to FIGURE 1 shown at the completion of the ejection;

FIGURE 3 is a transverse vertical sectional view taken along the lines 33 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of one of the transverse walls in the inclined position shown in FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of one of the transverse walls shown in the vertical position similar to that illustrated in FIGURE 2.

Referring now more particularly to FIGURES l and 3, there is illustrated an inverted congealing and freezing "Ice container 20 provided with a stilt flanged rim 22 having a centrally located set of slots 24 and 26 in its opposite ends adjacent the rim. Within the container 20 is a grid, generally indicated by the reference character 28, which is formed of a longitudinal Wall 30 and transverse walls 32, each provided with a centrally located vertical slot 34 by which the transverse walls 32 are threaded onto the longitudinal wall 30. Adjacent the container 20 the longitudinal wall is provided with a series of spaced notches 36 which form a pivot for the adjacent end portion 38 of each of the transverse walls 32. Each of the transverse walls 32 is formed with a bent on curled edge 40 adjacent the container 20 which cooperates with the surface of the container to move the longitudinal partition wall 30 away from the adjacent surface of the container 20. The longitudinal wall 30 is provided with a projection 42 extending through the slot 26 which has between it and the portion of the rim 22 a transverse leaf spring 44 which resiliently holds the adjacent end of the longitudinal wall 30 in the container 20. The opposite end of the longitudinal wall 30 is provided with a similar projection 46 and a similar transverse leaf spring 48.

The longitudinal wall 30 is provided with a projection 50 extending beyond the adjacent portion of the rim 22 and the notch 24 which is provided with an outwardly or laterally extending notch 52 which is adapted to receive a fixed pivot pin 54 extending transversely across a central notch 56 in the adjacent end wall 58 of the receiving bin 60. The receiving bin 60 has an opposite end wall 62 spaced away from the end 58 substantially the length of the container 20. The

side walls

64 and 66 of the bin 60 are likewise spaced substantially the same as the side walls 68 and 70 of the inverted container 20. Both the container 20 and the bin 60 have flaring side and end Walls with their rims being substantially the same in perimeter.

According to my invention, the notch 52 when engaging the pin 54 forms a removable pivotal connection between the grid 28 and the container 20 with the receiving bin which when engaged generally prevents movement to the left. The upper portion of the side walls of the receiving bin 60 is provided with a series of notches 72, each of which has a substantially vertical wall 74 on the side nearest the pin 54 and the sloping cam surface 76 extending at an angle of about 45 or more .on the side away from the pin 54.

Each of the transverse walls 32 is provided with a pair of oppositely projecting ends 78 which overlie and extend into the space between the rim 22 of the container 20 and the notches 72 in the side walls of the receiving bin 60. The transverse leaf springs 44 and 46 urge the longitudinal wall 30 toward the adjacentportion of the container 20 so as to apply force to the curled edge 40 to tilt the transverse walls 32 to the position shown in FIGURE 1 by the squeezing action provided between the edges of the notches 36 and the adjacent surfaces of the container 20 to the adjacent edge portions of the transverse walls 32.

The container 20 is in its normal upright position and the transverse walls 32 are in the inclined position when it is filled with the liquid to be congealed. Such a liquid may be those in which the principal ingredient is water, milk, cream, starch, fruit juices, gelatin or confection mixes. After filling, the container 20 is placed in the cooling or freezing compartment of a refrigerator for the congealing of the liquid. After the liquid is congealed the container 20 is placed in the inclined position and inverted to place it into the dot and dash position illustrated in FIGURE 1 with the notch 52 engaging the transverse pin 54. The container 20 is then pressed down until the projecting ends 78 of the transverse walls 32 consecutively engage the separate cam surfaces 76 beginning with the cam surface 76 nearest the pin 54. The engagement of each pair of projecting ends 78 with each pair. of opposite cam surfaces 76 causes the consecutive tilting .of each of the transverse walls 32 toward the projection 50 beginning with the transverse wall 32 nearest the projection 50. This ejects the congealed pellets or blocks 82 consecutively from the compartment of the grid 28 for their direct deposit into the receiving bin 60. The projections 78 are preferably curled toward the projection 50 to provide a smooth camming engagement with the cooperating cam surfaces 76 so as to minimize any friction between them.

The container 20 as well as the grid 28 and the bin 60 may be made of any suitable metal or plastic such as anodized aluminum or polyethylene or nylon or polypropylene or polytetrafluoroethylene or in layers thereof and may be provided with a patterned and coated surface such as is illustrated in Patent 3,003,008 issued May 8, 1962, on any or all parts.

While the embodiments of the invention as herein disclosed constitute a preferred form, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. In the combination of a receiving bin and a congealing container adapted to be placed in an inverted position over the receiving bin, said container being provided with a tiltable partition wall for partitioning the liquid to be congealed therein, wherein the improvement comprises the provision of an upwardly facing cam surface on the receiving bin and enterengaging guide means for controlling and guiding the downward movement of said container relative to said bin to guide the downward movement of said tiltable wall into camming engagement with said upwardly facing cam surface to tilt said tiltable wall relative to said container for ejecting congealed liquid therefrom directly into the bin.

2. The combination as defined in claim 1 wherein the container is provided with a plurality of partition walls and the receiving bin is provided with a separate upwardly facing cam surface for individual camming engagement by each of said tiltable walls. v

3. The combination as defined in claim 1 wherein the container is provided with a plurality of partition walls and the receiving bin is provided with a set of cam surfaces in the path of movement of each partition wall for individual camming engagement by the opposite ends of each of said tiltable partition walls.

4. The combination as defined in claim 1 wherein the container has side walls and is provided with a plurality of partition walls having projecting portions substantially aligned with the side walls of said container and the receiving bin has notches on its opposite sides provided with a set of upwardly facing cam surfaces aligned with said projecting portions for individual camming engagement by the.,pr ojecting portions of eachof said tiltable partition walls.

5. In the combination of a receiving bin anda congealing container adapted to be placed in an inverted position over the receiving bin, said container having a longitudinal wall substantially fixed therein and a tiltable partition wall extending transversely to the longitudinal wall for partitioning the liquid to be congealed within said container, said container and longitudinal wall constituting fixed parts, wherein the improvement comprises the provision of a cam surface on the receiving bin, said bin and one of said fixed parts being provided with a disconnectable interengaging guide means for guiding and controlling th downward movement of said container relative to said bin to guide the downward movement of said tiltable partition wall into camming engagement with said cam surface to tilt said tiltable wall relative to said container for ejecting the congealed liquid therefrom directly into the bin.

6. In the combination of a receiving bin and a congealing container adapted to be pivoted to an inverted position over the receiving bin, said container having a longitudinal wall substantially fixed therein and a plurality of tiltable partition walls extending transversely relative to said longitudinal wall for partitioning the liquid to be congealed within said container, said container and longitudinal wall constituting fixed parts, wherein the improvement comprises the provision of a plurality of camming surfaces on the receiving bin, said bin and one of the fixed parts being provided with a removable interengaging pivotal connection for pivoting said container and said partition walls into camming engagement with said cam surfaces to tilt said tiltable walls relative to said container for ejecting the congealed liquid therefrom directly into the bin.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,923,139 2/1960 Sharpe 62-344 2,931,194 4/1960 Sharpe 62-344 ROBERT A. OLEARY, Primary Examiner.

W. E. WAYNER, Assistant Examiner.