US3538720A - Ice cube maker assembly - Google Patents

Description

V. FEOLA Nov. 10, 1970 ICE CUBE MAKER ASSEMBLY 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 11, 1968 INVENTOR (44 54 77: F5444 ATTOR Y Nov. 10, 1970 v. FEOLA 3,538,720

ICE CUBE MAKER ASSEMBLY Filed Dec. 11, 1968 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 THE E1- Z6 47 55a @V--: J2 4 H;

1f 29 5.9 60 5; I 64 f! g l I H I H Q a a? V INVENTOR ATTORNEY United States Patent O ice 3,538,720 ICE CUBE MAKER ASSEMBLY Valentine Feola, 1515 Castle Hill Ave., Bronx, N.Y. 10462 Filed Dec. 11, 1968, Ser. No. 782,901 Int. Cl. F25c 1/08 U.S. Cl. 62-352 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An ice cube producing apparatus includes a tank having an end wall swingable along its bottom edge to an open position in alignment with a forwardly extending perforate drain plate and urged to and releasably latched in closed position. A float in the tank releases the front wall to open position under tank water pressure. A jacketted compartmented freezing tray is located proximate the tank bottom and defines an expansion chamber through which an evaporable refrigerant is circulated. Upon freezing and solidifying of the ice cubes, water is fed into the tank to separate the cubes from and to refill the tray, trip the latch and release the tank water which floats the separated ice cubes along the drain plate.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to improvements in ice making machines and it relates particularly to an improved apparatus for the production and separation of ice cubes.

The conventional procedure for producing ice cubes includes the steps of freezing water in a compartmented open topped tray or in ice molds and then separating the individual ice cubes from the tray or molds mechanically by distorting the tray compartment or mold walls to break the interface and bond between the ice cubes and walls. This procedure is highly inconvenient and unreliable.

Various mechanisms have been employed and proposed for separating the ice cubes from the ice cube mold cavities in automatic ice cube producing machines but these mechanisms are of complicated and expensive construction and require frequent servicing, and otherwise leave much to be desired.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is a principal object of the present invention to provide an improved ice cube producing mechanism.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved automatic ice cube producing mechanism in which the ice cubes are discharged in a separated condition and the freezing molds are automatically filled with water.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an improved ice cube producing mechanism of simple, rugged and inexpensive construction and of reliable operation, and which is characterized by high versatility and adaptability.

The above and other objects of the present invention will become apparent from a reading of the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment thereof.

In a sense, the present invention contemplates the provision of an apparatus for the production of ice cubes comprising a tank, a freezing tray located in said tank, means for cooling said tray to freeze water contained therein to ice, and means for introducing water into said tank to above the level of said freezing tray to separate and float the ice from said tray.

According to a preferred form of the improved apparatus the freezing tray includes spaced top and bottom walls 3,538,72 Patented Nov. 10, 1970 defining an evaporator chamber, the top wall being provided with ice mold cavities or Wells and the evaporator chamber being connected to a refrigerator unit.

The tank includes an end wall hinged at its bottom and spring urged to and releasably locked in a closed position by a tank float-controlled latch. A perforated plate is located forward of the tank at about the level of the base thereof with its trailing border underlying the open end wall so that upon opening of the latch released end wall under the influence of the water in the tank the separated ice cubes are floated over the plate, the water passing therethrough into an underlying drain. Upon freezing of the ice cubes the tank is flooded with Water to separate and float the ice cubes and refill the ice cube mold cavities.

The improved apparatus is simple and rugged and reliable in operation and is highly adaptable and versatile.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of an improved ice cube making machine embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view thereof taken along line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the ice cube freezing and separating section of the machine;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line 4-4 in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 showing the tank in a flooded condition;

FIG. 6 is a partial sectional view taken along line 6-6 in FIG. 3; and

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line 77 in FIG. 3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the present invention, reference numeral 10 generally designates the improved ice making machine which includes a suitably insulated rectangular cabinet 11 provided with an insulated top lid 12 to provide access to cabinet 11. The cabinet is divided by a vertical insulated transverse partition 13 extending from the cabinet base at a point rearwardly of the front insulated wall 14 thereof to a point below the top of cabinet 11 and a horizontal partition 16 extending rearwardly from partition 13 below its top edge to cabinet rear wall, into an upper rear ice cube freezing and separating compartment 17, a lower rear compartment 18 which houses a refrigerator unit 19, and a front ice cube receiving and storage compartment 20.

The upper wall 21 of partition 16 is rearwardly downwardly inclined and with the lip defining upper border 22 of partition 13, a transversely extending upright rear wall 23 and side walls 24 define an open-topped drain pan 26 which is connected to a suitable outlet by a water discharge pipe 27 extending down drain pan 26 at the rear bottom thereof. A door 25 of suitable construction is positioned in the cabinet lower side wall and provides access to the storage compartment 20 for the removal therefrom of ice cubes. The refrigerator unit 19 is of any well known conventional construction and includes an outlet pipe 28 for the cooled liquid refrigerant from the unit condenser and a return pipe 29 for the vaporized refrigerant.

Located in compartment 17 and mounted above drain pan 26 by depending legs 30 resting on the drain pan base 21 is an open-topped tank 32 including a forwardly downwardly inclined base wall 33 and vertical longitudinal side walls 34 which terminate at their forward edges in inwardly transfersely projecting coplanar flanges or lips 36. Vertical, parallel triangular guide plates 37 are coplanar and integral with side walls 34 and project forwardly thereof, the forward bottom corners of plates 37 rest on the partition lip 22. Depending from the rear bottom corners of plates 37 adjacent side Walls 34 are a pair of parallel cars 35 which support between them a transversely extending hinge rod 38.

The front wall of tank 32 is defined by a plate 39 which is engaged by hinge rod 38 along the bottom edge of plate 39 so as to be swingable about the longitudinal axis of rod 38 between an upright closed position abutting the front faces of lips 36 and a forwardly projecting open position. Plate 39 is provided along its rear face with a rearwardly projecting section 40 extending between the inner edges of lips 36 when plate 39 is in closed position and is provided along its top edge with an upright lip 41 coplanar with section 40.

A pair of helical torsion springs 42 encircle opposite ends of hinge rod 38 between cars 35 and the respective confronting lower ends of plate 39. Each spring 42 includes an outer upright leg 43 hearing on the front face of a respective lip 36 and an inwardly projecting opposite leg 44 bearing on the front face of plate 39 normally to resiliently urge the unloaded plate 39 to its upright closed position.

A transverse horizontal rod 46 extends between and is aflixed to opposite side walls 34 shortly rearwardly of the upper edge of plate 39. A latch member 47 is swingably medially supported by rod 46 and includes a rearwardly projecting arm 45 and a forwardly projecting arm 48 terminating in a depending latch element or leg 49 having a vertical rear edge and a forwardly upwardl inclined bottom cam edge 50. A helical spring 55 encircles rod 46 and includes one end leg 55a bearing upon the top face of forward arm 48 and an opposite end leg secured to rod 46 normally to resiliently urge arm 48 to swing downwardly to its lower position with latch element 49 engaging end plate lip 41 whereby releasably to lock plate 39 in closed position.

A float controlled latch release lever 51 is affixed between its ends to a transverse rod 52 extending between and rotatably supported by side walls 34 rearwardly and at the level of rod 46. Lever 51 includes a forward arm 53 overlying latch arm 45 and a rear arm 54 carrying at its free end a buoyant float 56. Also affixed to transverse rod 52 adjacent a side wall 34 is a rearwardly projecting arm 77 movable into engagement with a stop member 78 mounted on side wall 34 and located in the path of arm 77 to limit the downward swinging of arm 54 with float 56. A pipe 79 connects the lower part of tank 32 to a suitable source of water (not shown), the source delivering to tank 32 through pipe 79 water at an adjustable rate and in predetermined volume suflicient at least to raise float 56 sufficiently to release plate 39 to its open position as will be hereinafter described. The water is advantageously automatically periodically fed to tank 32 at predetermined intervals following freezing of the ice cubes or the feed may be manually controlled.

A freezing tray 58 is suitably positioned in tank 32 preferably a short distance above tank base 33, and includes a top wall 59 having a plurality of ice cube mold cavities or wells 60 formed therein. Tray 58 also includes a bottom wall 61 disposed below top wall 59 and connected to it along their respective peripheries to form a refrigerant expansion chamber 63 connected to the re frigeration unit 19 by refrigerant feed and return pipes 28 and 29. The freezing tray 59 is forwardly downwardly inclined.

A perforated drain plate or grid 64 is suitably supported between the forward bottom edges of guide plate 37 with its front border resting on lip 22. The rear border of drain plate 64 registers with the underfacc of closure plate lip 41 when plate 39 is in its open position, plate 39 in its open position being inclined and substantially co- 4 planar with drain plate 64. The openings in drain plate 64 are sufficiently smaller than mold cavities to restrain the passage of the ice cubes therethrough While permitting the free drainage of water.

Considering now the operation of the improved ice cube machine 10, freezing tray cavities 60 are initially filled with Water in any suitable manner, such as by flooding tank 32 and then draining the tank in the manner hereinafter set forth. The water in cavities 60 is frozen by reason of the cooling of the water consequent to the evaporative cooling effected by the volatile liquid refriger ant evaporated in the tray chamber 61 in the known manner. After the water in cavities 60 has been frozen into ice cubes water is fed into tank 32 through pipe 79 and since the temperature of the water is well below freezing it will be effective to thaw or melt the interfaces of the ice cubes and the walls of cavities 60 thereby to float the ice cubes from the cavities 60, by reason of the lower densities of the ice cubes than water. Simultaneously with the floating of the ice cubes from cavities the said cavities 60 are filled with the water flooding the tank 32.

As the water level in tank 32 rises it carries with it float 56 to swing lever 54 clockwise as viewed in the drawings. With the swinging of lever 54, lever arm 53 bears on and depresses lever arm 45 thereby to raise latch element 49 and release hinged wall 39. Wall 39, under the pressure of the water in tank 32, is swung outwardly against the urging of springs 42 to its fully open position as shownby broken line in FIGS. 4, 5 and 7. With the swinging of wall 39 to its fully open position, the water and ice cubes floating in tank 32 flow rapidly from tank 32 along inclined open wall 39 and along drain plate 64. The ice cubes flow over drain plate 64 and lip 22 into storage compartment 20 where they may be withdrawn for use, and the water passes through the drain plate 64 into the underlying drain pan 26 from which it flows through discharge pipe 27.

After the water and ice cubes have been discharged from tank 32 the pressure on wall 39 is relieved and float 56 drops to permit the spring lowering of latch element 39. Thereupon wall 39 is swung to its upright tank closing position under the influence of springs 42, wall lip 41 in the closing movement of wall 39 striking latch element cam edge 50 momentarily to raise latch element 49 and permit the swinging of wall 39 to a fully closed and latched position. The machine is now ready for a repetition of the above ice cube producing cycle which may be automatically periodically performed in any suitable manner.

While there has been illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of the present invention, it is apparent that numerous alterations, omissions and additions may be made without departing from the spirit thereof.

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for the production of ice pieces comprising a tank, a freezing tray located in said tank, means for cooling said tray to freeze water contained therein in ice, means for introducing water into said tank to above the level of said freezing tray for thawing the interface of said tray and said ice to separate and float the ice from said tray, and means for discharging said water and said floating ice from said tank said freezing tray being spaced from the tank so that the thawing water makes contact with the side and bottom portions of the freezing tray thereby loosening the bond between the ice and the tray.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, including means for separating said ice from said discharged water.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said discharging means includes an end wall of said tank swingable between an upright closed position and a horizontally extending open position and means responsive to the level of water in said tank for releasing said wall to said open position.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, comprising latching means for releasably locking said end wall in a closed position,

said wall releasing means including a float member located in said tank and means for coupling said float to said latching means, and means urging said end wall toward said closed position.

5. The apparatus of claim 3, comprising an ice piece separating and water drain member positioned forwardly of said tank proximate the outer edge of said swingable end wall when in open position.

6. The apparatus of claim 3, comprising a perforated plate extending forwardly of said tank and having a rear section underlying the outer edge of said swingable end wall when in open position and a water drain basin underlying said perforated plate.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said freezing tray has a plurality of open topped ice piece freezing compartments formed therein.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said freezing tray is jacketted to provide a refrigerant expansion chamber and comprising means for circulating an evaporable refrigerant through said chamber.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said tank includes a forwardly downwardly inclined bottom wall and said discharging means includes a front wall hinged to the forward edge of said bottom wall and swingable between a closed upright position and a forwardly extending open position, means urging said front wall to a closed position, a latching element releasably locking said front wall in its closed position, a float member located in said tank for moving said latching element to a wall releasing position when Water in said tank reaches a predetermined level, means for separating the ice pieces from said water including a perforated plate extending forwardly from a point proximate the forward edge of said front wall when in an open position, and means for receiving water passing through said perforate plate.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said freezing tray includes a top wall provided with a plurality of freezing wells formed therein and a bottom wall positioned below said top wall and sealed thereto and delineating therewith an expansion chamber, and said cooling means includes means for circulating an evaporable refrigerant through said expansion chamber.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,791,103 5/1957 Guild 62353 X 2,886,954 5/1959 Batteiger 62320 X 3,046,753 7/1962 Carapico 62132 WILLIAM E. WAYNER, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 6273

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