US3843067A - Ice crusher - Google Patents

Ice crusher Download PDF

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Publication number
US3843067A
US3843067A US00348867A US34886773A US3843067A US 3843067 A US3843067 A US 3843067A US 00348867 A US00348867 A US 00348867A US 34886773 A US34886773 A US 34886773A US 3843067 A US3843067 A US 3843067A
Authority
US
United States
Prior art keywords
ice
arms
crusher
stationary
blades
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
US00348867A
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English (en)
Inventor
L Prada
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
General Electric Co
Original Assignee
General Electric Co
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by General Electric Co filed Critical General Electric Co
Priority to US00348867A priority Critical patent/US3843067A/en
Priority to BR2543/74A priority patent/BR7402543D0/pt
Priority to US480040A priority patent/US3889888A/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of US3843067A publication Critical patent/US3843067A/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25C—PRODUCING, WORKING OR HANDLING ICE
    • F25C5/00—Working or handling ice
    • F25C5/02—Apparatus for disintegrating, removing or harvesting ice
    • F25C5/04—Apparatus for disintegrating, removing or harvesting ice without the use of saws
    • F25C5/046—Ice-crusher machines
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25C—PRODUCING, WORKING OR HANDLING ICE
    • F25C5/00—Working or handling ice
    • F25C5/20—Distributing ice
    • F25C5/22—Distributing ice particularly adapted for household refrigerators
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25C—PRODUCING, WORKING OR HANDLING ICE
    • F25C2400/00—Auxiliary features or devices for producing, working or handling ice
    • F25C2400/08—Auxiliary features or devices for producing, working or handling ice for different type of ice
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
    • Y10S—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y10S241/00—Solid material comminution or disintegration
    • Y10S241/17—Ice crushers

Definitions

  • An lcedispenserrpartlcularly for a household refrigen V 1 ator includes an ice cube storage-receptacle and an [56] References. Cited integral dispensing and Crushing means for dispensing UNITED STATES PATENTS batches of crushed ice of two different grades.
  • U.S. Pat. No. 3,602,44l-Alvarez discloses and claims a combination ice cube receptacle and storage means and ice dispensing means designed to dispense either ice cubes or crushed ice.
  • the present invention which is an improvement on the dispenser and crusher of the Alvarez patent, is designed to provide the user, a selection of either ice cubes or crushed ice of two different grades, that is, either coarse or finely divided crushed ice.
  • FIG. 1 is a top view, partly in section, of the device of the present invention
  • FIG. 2 is a front elevational view, partly in section, of the crusher component of the invention.
  • FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 showing the operative components of the crusher in a second operative position.
  • FIG. 1 of the accompanying drawing there is illustrated a portion of a household refrigerator comprising a freezer compartment l'having an access opening thereof closed by a door 2.
  • the door 2 is pivotally supported by suitable hinges (not shown) on the refrigerator cabinet for opening and closing movement about a vertical axis adjacent one side edge of the door.
  • An ice storage receptacle 3 is supported within the freezer compartment for receiving ice cubes produced by a suitable ice maker positioned above the storage receptacle.
  • a horizontally disposed rotatable member 5 includes means for conveying ice cubes stored in the receptacle 3 to a discharge opening 6 (FIG. 2) in the front wall 7 of thereceptacle.
  • the member Sis rotatably supported on the front wall of the receptacle for rotational movement about its longitudinal axis and includes a feed section 8 containing, as described in the aforementioned Alvarez patent, means in the form of a double blade screw or auger 9 (FIG.
  • This crusher section includes, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 of the drawing, an outlet 12 at the bottom thereof through which either crushed or cube ice is discharged into the inlet end of a passage 14 provided in the door 2, the outlet end of the passage terminating in a recess (not shown) provided in the face of the door 2.
  • An extending portion 16 of the member 5 extending forwardly through the wall 7 into the crusher section 11 adjacent and to one side of opening 6 has mounted thereon a plurality of crusher blades 17 rigidly secured to the extension 16 and rotatable therewith.
  • the arms 17 extend on both sides of the shaft or extension 16 and are offset approximately from the front edges of the auger blades 9 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 of the draw- 1
  • anvil means mounted within the crusher section are anvil means generally indicated by numeral 19 which are positioned on the opposite side of the shaft extension 16 from the opening 6 and which cooperate with the blades ll7to provide crushed ice.
  • the angular relative positioning of the blades 17 relative to the forward edges of the auger blades 9 is such as to normally permit ice cubes discharged through the opening 6 to fall freely to and through the outlet 12 during each half rotation of the member 5 in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in FIGS. 2 and 3 of the drawing.
  • the blades 17 are in asubstantially vertical position so that ice cubes may fall from the opening 6 freely through the path between the crusher blades 17 and the opposite wall of the crusher section and exit throughthe outlet 12 before contact by the rotating blades.
  • an interceptor means generally indicated by the numeral 21 pivotally supported at its upper end, as indicated by the numeral 22, for movement between an ice intercepting position illustrated in FIG. 2 of the drawing and a retracted position illustrated in solid lines in FIG. 3 of the drawing.
  • the member 21 is of an arcuate plate-like shape and is preferably provided at its front surface with a pair of spaced vertically extending ridges 23 which aid in directing the ice pieces onto the blades 17 when the member 21 is in the intercepting position.
  • the ridges are positioned on the member 21 at locations intermediate the blades 17'as illustrated in FIG. 1 of the drawing. The lower ends of these ridges project a short distance beyond the lower edge of the main body of the interceptor member 21.
  • the member 21 In its retracted position, the member 21 is in a position removed from the path of the crusher blades so that ice cubes discharged through the opening 6 will fall freely through the discharge opening 12 before they can be picked up by the crusher blades.
  • the arcuate member In its advanced or ice intercepting position illustrated in FIG. 2 of the drawing, the arcuate member is positioned generally below the opening 6 but out of the actual path of the rotating crusher blades.
  • the lower end of the member 21 extends to a position generally below the axis of rotation of the blades it prevents ice cubes falling from the opening 6 from reaching the outlet 12.
  • the blades 17 pick up these ice cubes and carry them into crushing engagement with the anvil means 19.
  • a crank arm 28 having a portion 29 loosely engaging a hook-shaped projection 30 on the rear of the member 21 serves to move the member-21 into and out of its intercepting position.
  • the crusher is designed to produce either coarse or more finely divided crushed ice.
  • the anvil means 19 comprises a stationary setof arms or fingers 36 and a movable set of arms or fingers 37.
  • the stationary arms 36 of nylon or the like are integrally formed with a base 38 suitably supported on the side wall 39 of the crusher housing opposite the interceptor plate 21.
  • a finger 36 is positioned midway between the adjacent blades 17, and the spaces 40 between these fingers are sufficiently wide to provide a 1 coarse grade of crushed ice.
  • the fingers 36 also include arcuate or concave upper surfaces 41 extending substantially from the wall 39 to a point beyond the axis of the shaft 16 so that, as will be seen in FIG. 2 of the drawing, ice pieces carried into engagement with the surfaces 41 will be cradled on these surfaces for crushing by the blades 17.
  • the movable blades 37 form part of a unitary structure of nylon or the like including a base 43 pivotally supported as indicated at 44 on the exterior of the crusher housing with the fingers 37 extending into the housing below the stationary blades 36.
  • the fingers 37 are also of an arcuate shape matching the arcuate lower surfaces 45 of the stationary arms or fingers 36-.'A spring 47 biases the movable fingers to a position below the stationary arms 36 as shown in FIG. 2 of the drawing and, when in this position, the arms 37, as shown in FIG. 1, are wider than the stationary arms 36 and, in effect, narrow the spaces through which crushed ice can pass to the outlet 12 thereby providing a finer grade of crushed ice.
  • the movable fingers 37 which preferably are arranged directly below and overlapping the arms 36, are spaced closer together to provide the finely divided crushed ice.
  • these arms 37 are in the path of the rotating crusher blades 17 so that the coarse crushed ice produced by the stationary fingers 36 passes downwardly through the spaces between the stationary fingers and is further crushed during passage of the rotating blades 17 through the narrower spaces between the movable fingers 37.
  • the interceptor member 21 Since finely divided ice tends to accumulate within the anvil means and as such accumulation may cause displacementof the interceptor member 21 which is biased to its intercepting position only by the spring 50, the interceptor member 21 is locked in its operative position when the crusher is set for finely divided ice.
  • the tips 25 of the ridges 23 are designed to overlap the tips of the movable arms 37 so that these arms will support the lower end of the interceptor member 21 during operation of the crusher for the production of finely divided ice pieces.
  • the positioning of the interceptor plate 21 and the movable arms 37 may be electrically controlled by the user, using, for example, suitable solenoids such as the solenoid described in the aforementioned Alvarez patent for positioning the interceptor means.
  • suitable solenoids such as the solenoid described in the aforementioned Alvarez patent for positioning the interceptor means.
  • a suitable mechanical means more particularly claimed in the co-pending application, Ser. No. 348,940, filed concurrently herewith and assigned to the same assignee as the present invention is designed to mechanically interconnect the interceptor plate 21 and the movable arms 37 in such a manner that a single control lever 54 rigidly supported on the lower end of the pivoted base 43, plus suitable operating means operable from the exterior of the refrigerator door 2, can be employed by the user to make the desired ice selection.
  • a tie strip or link 55 having one end pivoted as indicated at 56 on the crank arm 28 for operating the interceptor plate 21 and having the other end provided with a slot 57 for slidably receiving a pin 58 connected to the movable crusher arm structure.
  • the slot 57 provides a lost motion connection withthe movable arm structure so that in one position of the control lever 54, that is the position in which the pin 58 engages the right-hand end of the slot 57 as viewed in FIG. 2, the movable arm structure 37 is in a position to provide finely crushed ice with the tips 37 of the movable arms supporting the lower end of the interceptor plate 21.
  • Movement of the control arm 54 to a point where it is substantially in engagement with the opposite end of the slot 57 retracts the movable arms 37 to provide a coarse grade of crushed ice while the interceptor plate 21 remains in its intercepting position as indicated in the dotted lines of FIG. 3. Furthermovement of the control arm 54 to the left, as viewed in FIG. 3, causes the strip 55 through the crank arm 28 to move the interceptor plate against the biasing action of spring 50 to its full-line position illustrated in FIG. 3 of the drawing, so that ice cubes or pieces can fall directly from the discharge opening 6 to the outlet 12.
  • the biasing spring 47 which normally biases the movable arms 37 to their finely crushed ice operating'position also, through the link 55, positions the interceptor plate in its ice intercepting position.
  • Means for exteriorly positioning the arm 54 for the selection of either cube ice or crushed ice of two different grades comprises a Bowden wire or push-pull cable 60 generally positioned within the door 2 and having its ported within a guide 62 on theouter surface of the door.
  • the inner end of thecable 60 is connected to a rod 63 extending inwardly from the door 2 and slidably supported in a guide 64.
  • the rod 63 is of a length sufficient to engage a slot 65 in the control arm 54 when the door 2 is closed.
  • An ice crusher comprising:
  • stationary anvil means in the path of said crusher blades including stationary spaced arms extending between adjacent crusher blades and spaced to provide coarse crushed ice;
  • anvil means including spaced arms having upper surfaces wider than said stationary arms and each being movable to an operative position below, adjacent, and extending along a respective stationary arm, said movable arms being spaced closer together than said stationary arms to provide finely crushed ice.
  • An ice crusher according to claim 1, wherein the upper surfaces of said movable arms and the lower surfaces of said stationary arms have approximately the same curvature and including pivotal means for supporting ends of the movable arms.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Thermal Sciences (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Crushing And Pulverization Processes (AREA)
US00348867A 1973-04-09 1973-04-09 Ice crusher Expired - Lifetime US3843067A (en)

Priority Applications (3)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US00348867A US3843067A (en) 1973-04-09 1973-04-09 Ice crusher
BR2543/74A BR7402543D0 (pt) 1973-04-09 1974-03-29 Combinacao de distribuidor de gelo moido e cubos de gelo
US480040A US3889888A (en) 1973-04-09 1974-06-17 Combination ice cube and crushed ice dispenser

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US00348867A US3843067A (en) 1973-04-09 1973-04-09 Ice crusher

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US3843067A true US3843067A (en) 1974-10-22

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Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US00348867A Expired - Lifetime US3843067A (en) 1973-04-09 1973-04-09 Ice crusher

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US (1) US3843067A (pt)
BR (1) BR7402543D0 (pt)

Cited By (12)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4176527A (en) * 1978-07-13 1979-12-04 Whirlpool Corporation Ice crusher for refrigerator
US5056688A (en) * 1990-01-02 1991-10-15 Amana Refrigeration Inc. Ice cube and crushed ice dispenser
US5117654A (en) * 1991-06-24 1992-06-02 Whirlpool Corporation Ice conveyor system for refrigerator
US6010037A (en) * 1998-07-30 2000-01-04 Maytag Corporation Refrigerator ice dispensing assembly with enhanced baffle plate arrangement
US6109476A (en) * 1998-07-30 2000-08-29 Maytag Corporation Ice dispensing system
US6655166B1 (en) * 1999-09-10 2003-12-02 General Electric Company Ice crusher housing
US20060144976A1 (en) * 2005-01-06 2006-07-06 Lg Electronics Inc. Ice-crushing device for refrigerators
EP1701118A2 (en) * 2005-03-11 2006-09-13 LG Electronics Inc. Ice bin of a refrigerator
EP1707906A3 (en) * 2005-03-14 2009-04-01 LG Electronics Inc. Shutter mechanism for open ice bin
US9372023B2 (en) 2013-02-14 2016-06-21 Whirlpool Corporation Ice crushing system
US20160370053A1 (en) * 2015-06-18 2016-12-22 Dongbu Daewoo Electronics Corporation Refrigerator and method for manufacturing the same
US11530859B2 (en) * 2017-05-05 2022-12-20 Qingdao Haier Joint Stock Co., Ltd. Ice crushing device

Cited By (18)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4176527A (en) * 1978-07-13 1979-12-04 Whirlpool Corporation Ice crusher for refrigerator
US5056688A (en) * 1990-01-02 1991-10-15 Amana Refrigeration Inc. Ice cube and crushed ice dispenser
US5117654A (en) * 1991-06-24 1992-06-02 Whirlpool Corporation Ice conveyor system for refrigerator
US6010037A (en) * 1998-07-30 2000-01-04 Maytag Corporation Refrigerator ice dispensing assembly with enhanced baffle plate arrangement
US6109476A (en) * 1998-07-30 2000-08-29 Maytag Corporation Ice dispensing system
US6655166B1 (en) * 1999-09-10 2003-12-02 General Electric Company Ice crusher housing
US20060144976A1 (en) * 2005-01-06 2006-07-06 Lg Electronics Inc. Ice-crushing device for refrigerators
US7481387B2 (en) * 2005-01-06 2009-01-27 Lg Electronics Inc. Ice-crushing device for refrigerators
US20060202071A1 (en) * 2005-03-11 2006-09-14 Lg Electronics Inc. Ice bin of refrigerator
EP1701118A3 (en) * 2005-03-11 2007-01-10 LG Electronics Inc. Ice bin of a refrigerator
US7422168B2 (en) 2005-03-11 2008-09-09 Lg Electronics Inc. Ice bin of refrigerator
EP1701118A2 (en) * 2005-03-11 2006-09-13 LG Electronics Inc. Ice bin of a refrigerator
EP1707906A3 (en) * 2005-03-14 2009-04-01 LG Electronics Inc. Shutter mechanism for open ice bin
US9372023B2 (en) 2013-02-14 2016-06-21 Whirlpool Corporation Ice crushing system
US10208997B2 (en) 2013-02-14 2019-02-19 Whirlpool Corporation Ice crushing system
US20160370053A1 (en) * 2015-06-18 2016-12-22 Dongbu Daewoo Electronics Corporation Refrigerator and method for manufacturing the same
US9995518B2 (en) * 2015-06-18 2018-06-12 Dongbu Daewoo Electronics Corporation Refrigerator and method for manufacturing the same
US11530859B2 (en) * 2017-05-05 2022-12-20 Qingdao Haier Joint Stock Co., Ltd. Ice crushing device

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
BR7402543D0 (pt) 1974-12-03

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