US2859009A - Ice cube dispensers - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 4, 1958v o. B. LUND 2,859,009

ICE CUBE DISPENSERS FledvJuly 2, 1956 l 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENToR. 'gzf 5. ff/Y0 WIA( United States Patent @ffice 2,859,009 Patented Nov. 4, 1958 ICE CUBE DISPENSERS Ole B. Lund, Havre, Mont. Application July 2, 1956, Serial No. 595,177

2 Claims. (Cl. 249-45) .This invention relates to a coin-actuated dispenser for dispensing ice and more particularly to a dispenser for dispensing the ice in small pieces such as the popular ice cubes used in beverages. Dispensers are available at present for dispensing containers of cracked or cube ice. For use in such dispensers, however, the ice must be previously weighed and packaged in uniform sacks or cartons which are delivered by the dispenser as a complete closed package.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a piece ice dispenser which can be economically installed in the present dispenser cooler boxes, and which will continuously manufacture ice in the piece form desired and in direct proportion to the demands for ice without the necessity for prior packaging.

Another object of the invention is to provide means which upon receipt of the proper coin or coins will eiiiciently and accurately deliver the ice pieces, more particularly ice cubes, in bulk and in measured amounts to a receptacle or bag provided either by the customer or the lessee of the dispenser.

Other objects and advantages reside in the detail construction of the invention, which is designed for simplicity, economy and efficiency. These will become more apparent from the following description.

In the following detailed description of the invention, reference is had to the accompanying drawing which forms a part hereof. Like numerals refer to like parts in all views of the drawing and throughout the description.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a side view of the improved ice cube dispenser, illustrating it in place in a conventional cooler box, as it would appear with the near wall of the cooler box removed to reveal the interior thereof;

Fig. 2 is a top view of the dispenser of Fig. 1 as it would appear with the top of the cooler box removed to reveal the interior structure;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged side view of an ice weighing mechanism employed in the improved dispenser; and

Fig. 4 is a circuit diagram illustrating the electrical control circuits of the improved dispenser.

For convenience in description, the device will be described as pertaining to ice cubes. It could, however, be employed for dispensing ice balls, ice chips, chopped ice, or any other piece form of ice. While the device has been more particularly designed to be installed in the present dispensing storage cooler boxes, it can, of course, be enclosed and employed as a separate unit. In the drawing a conventional cooler box of the type employed in present coin-actuated ice-dispensing devices, is illustrated at 10, with the improved ice cube mechanism installed therein.

The improved ice cube mechanism makes use of any of the continuous types of ice cube or ice chip freezers presently available on the market. Such a conventional, pontinuous ice cube freezer is diagrammatically indicated on the drawing at 11. The cubes discharging from the freezer 11 are received in a storage bin 12 which is substantially rectangular in plan and V-shaped in cross section with a semi-cylindrical rounded bottom. The bin 12 may be supported from a supporting member 13 secured to the rear wall of the cooler 10 and from an angle iron supporting frame 14 supported upon suitable supporting legs 15.

A scroll conveyor shaft 16 extends longitudinally of the bin 12 axially of the rounded bottom thereof. The shaft 16 is journalled in suitable shaft journals 17 in the end walls of the bin 12 and is electrically driven in any desired manner, such as through the medium of a first electric motor 18 which transmits power to the shaft 16 at reduced speed through a conventional speed reducer 19.

The shaft 16 is provided with a relatively long helical scroll 20 of one hand and a similar relatively short, helical scroll 21 of opposite hand. The scrolls 20 and 21 are so inclined that when the shaft 16 rotates, ice cubes will be carried inwardly from both extremities of the bin 12 to an open space 22 between the two scrolls.

A rotatable screw-type elevating conveyor 23, enclosed within a tubular conveyor housing 24, extends downwardly at an angle through the front wall of the bin 12 and terminates adjacent the bottom of the bin 12 in the open space 22 between the two scrolls 20 and 21. The top of the conveyor housing 24 is cut away within the bin so that the ice cubes delivered by the scrolls 20 and 21 may enter therein. in actual service the scrolls 20 and 21 have a diameter of 16 inches, while the screw conveyor 23 has a diameter of 4 inches.

The conveyor housing 24 extends forwardly and upwardly in the cooler box 10 and is supported at its forward extremity in a suitable angle iron frame 25 bolted or otherwise secured to the ceiling of the cooler 10 adjacent the front wall thereof. The screw conveyor 23 is driven from a second electric motor 26 through any conventional speed reducer 27 and a universally jointed shaft 28. The motors and speed reducers are such as to rotate the scroll conveyor shaft 16 at approximately twelve revolutions per minute, while the screw conveyor 23 rotates at approximately 230 revolutions per minute.

The bottom of the upper extremity of the conveyor housing 24 is provided with a discharge opening'29 through which ice cubes are discharged into a weighing scoop 30. The weighing scoop 30 4is secured to and supported between two tiltable side arms 31 which are afxed to and which extend from a rotatable scale shaft 32 mounted in suitable bearing boxes 33 in the angle iron frame. The scoop 30 is counter-balanced by means of a counterbalance weight 34 which is adjustably mounted on a counterbalance arm 35 secured to and extending forwardly from the scale shaft 32. The weight 34 is adjusted on the arm 35 so that it will slightly exceed the weight of the scoop 30 so as to constantly urge the scoop upwardly. The downward swing of the arm 35 is stopped at a preset point by means of a stop screw 58 positioned in a cross bar 57 in the frame 25.

The scoop 30 is supported in the horizontal cubereceiving position of Fig. 1 by means of an elongated spring-loaded tiltable latch bar 36 which is mounted upon a pivot pin 37 extending outwardly from one of the side arms 31. The forward extremity of the latch bar 36 is constantly urged upwardly against a fixed stop clip 60 by means of a tension spring 38, the tension in which can be adjusted by means of an adjusting nut 39 threaded on an eye bolt 40 from which the spring 38 is suspended. The bolt 40 extends through a supporting ear 41 aixed to one side of the scoop 30.

The rear extremity of the latch bar 36 engages and rests upon the upper extremity of an adjustable keeper member42, which-is pivotally mounted vupon a pivot pin 43 projecting inwardly froml the angle iron frame 25. The keeper member 42 is constantly urged toward .the arcuate path of theV lat'chbar-36 by means `of a coiled wire spring 44. The amount ofprojection ofthe keeper member' 42 intothe path of thel latch 'member36 -can 'be adjusted by'meansof-a set screw 4S whichl is supported from lthe* frame 25'in`- the path of the lowerextremity of the keeper member 42.

As the iceV cubesare delivered by the screw conveyor 23 through the opening 29 and into the scoop 30, the weight therein-will gradually-increase. This'weight, acting downwardly on thepivot'pin 37, will urge the forward extremity of the latch bar 36' downwardly against the resistance ofthe loading spring 38. The latch bar 36 will continue to tilt until therear extremity of the latch bar 36 slips downwardly past-I the keeper member 42, so` as to allow the entire-scoop and its contentsfto swing downwardly to a substantially vertical position to dump the contained cubes. `When the cubes are discharged, the counterweight. 34 will return the scoop toits cube receiving position. As vthe scoop approaches the latter position, Ythe rear. extremity of the latch bar 36 engages the upper extremity of the keeper member 42 and vforces it rearwardly againstvithenaction of the spring 44 until it snaps beneaththe latchbar 36 tofagain support the scoopin the receivingposition of Fig. 3 to receivea second load.

The cubeslfare. dumped from the scoop 30 into a funnel-shaped 'hopper 46 formed upon the upper extremity of a delivery chute 47 which discharges through the front wall ofzthe cooler box 10 into a cube-receiving hood 48. The bottom portion of the hood 48 is normally closed by means ofY a spring-hinged dump door 49 which may be opened by the customer to discharge the cubes into a. suitable sack or other receptacle positioned on a sack shelf 50 as indicated in broken line at S9 in Fig. 1.

A conventional coin-actuated circuit closing device 51 ismounted on--the front wall of the cooler box over the hood 48, a thermostatically-controlled electric switch 52 is lmounted on the bin 12, and a mercury tilt-switch 53 is mounted on a switch arm 54 projecting from the scale shaft 32. The thermostatically-controlled switch 52. is connected in the operating circuit of the ice cube freezer 11 so that when thesupply of cubes in the bin 12 falls belowy a-predetermined point, the temperature change will cause .the switch'52 to close the operating circuit to the freezer .11. so that yadditional cubes will be supplied to the bin.121until lthe drop in temperature caused bythe newly added cubes causes the thermostatically-controlled switch 52 to open and stop the freezer 11. Thus, it can be seen that the supplyof cubes in the bin 12 will be substantially maintained ,ata predetermined level at all times.

The coin-.actuated circuit closing device 51 can bel incorporated in the circuits of the motors 26 and 18 infany suitable manner. One such operating circuit is shownin the diagram-of Fig. 4 in which a solenoid-operated motor control isincorporated having a motor starting coilj 56 anda motorstopping `coil 55. The coils 55 and '56 actuate aswitch armature 61 positioned in circuit with the current supply tothe two motors 18-and 26. TheV tilt switch 53 is placed` in circuit with the motor stopping coil S5 and the..coinactuated device is placed in circuit with themotor startingcoil 56.

Let us assume that :the bin 12 contains a supply of ice cubes and that theproper coins are'deposited in the coinactuated. device 51. This will close an electric circuit to thestarting coil S6 so that the armature 61 will close the'toperating circuitsto the motors 18 and'26. The

scrolls 20 and 21 will immediately begin to pile ice cubes over the intake extremity of the screw conveyor 23 and the latter will operate to elevate the cubes and discharge them through the discharge opening 29 into the scoop 30. When suicient cubes have been accumulated in the scoop to equal a predetermined weight, the latch bar 36 will snap past the keeper 42 and the scoop will dump the accumulated cubes into the hopper-46, which will deliver them through the chute 47 into the hood-48 for the use of the customer.

The dumping movement of the scoop..30 causes the tilt switch 53 to close a circuit to the motor stopping coil 55 to open the circuits to the motors 18 andA 26 to prevent cubes from being deliverd past. the tilted scoop and to return the motor controls to the normal coin-receiving position.

While a specific form of the improvement has been described and illustrated herein, it is desired to be understood that the same may be varied within the scope of the appended claims, without departing'frornlthe spirit` of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what'is claimed and desired secured by` Letters Patent is:

1. In a coin-actuated ice vcube dispensing device, means' for delivering a preset weight of ice cubes comprising: a

supporting frame; a horizontally positioned shaft rotat-' ably mounted in said frame;,an ice-cube`receiving scoop eccentrically mountedon said shaft; a latchbar pivotally` mounted on said'scoop; means Ion said scoop Afor limiting the upward mo ement of the first extremityof said latch bar; spring'means resisting Ithe upward-movement of the second extremity of said latch bar; a keeper member supported from said frame belowand in the path of 'said second extremity and acting to normallysupport'said scoop in ai horizontal cube-receiving position'untilthe.

weight in said scoop is suflicientto tilt said latchbar against the bias ofsaid spring sol as to allow the second' extremity to pass saidkeeper memberV and allow said scoop to swing downwardly to adumping positiongmeans for returning said scoop to the cube-rece1ving position,

said keeper'member being-pivotally supportedfinla sub-`v stantially vertical position, lwith the latch bar restingV upon its upper extremity;and'means for fvarying'the pivotal position of saidkeepermember so as to adjust the degree of engagement of said latch bar therewith;

2. Means for-deliveringl a'ipreset weight vof ice cubes-asV described in claim l -inhwhich the meansffor varying the'- pivotal position of said keeper member comprises a set# screw positioned to engage the lower extremity'of" said keeper Lmember so that rotationv of said screw will vary the position of the upper` extremity of said-l keeper 'mehr ber.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 297,027 Smyser Apr. 1'5, 1884 351,377 Hershey et al. Oct. 26, 1886 375,515 Tryon Dec. A27, 1887 499,223 Gorringe June 13, 1893 585,785 Reisert July 6, 1897 1,256,193 Anderson Feb. l2, 1918 1,606,082 Kirchoi Nov. 9, 1926 1,660,109 Ward Feb. 21, 1928- 1,980,57l lBrach Nov. 13, 1934 2,449,132 Lucia Sept. 14, 1948 2,529,394 Hull Nov. 7, 1950 2,544,210 Zenke Mar. 6, 1951 2,645,092 Ridnour July 14, 1953

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