US2981080A - Ice cube ejectors - Google Patents

Description

April 25, 1961 A. J. KOCH ICE CUBE EJECTORS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 18, 1957 III/ll I 1/ I INVENTOR.

H L A N J. K c H n T K 1961 A. J. KOCH 2,981,080

ICE CUBE EJECTORS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 April 25 Filed Feb. 18, 1957 fill-AN J. KoaH BY ICE CUBE EJECTORS Alan J. Koch, Evansville, Ind., assignor to Whirlpool Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Filed Feb. 18, 1957, s81. No. 640,846

5 Claims. (c1. 62--365) The present invention relates to ice cube ejectors, and is particularly concerned with devices of the type which are adapted to act on ice cubes that have beenfrozen in an ice tray, having a grid, in such manner that the tray and grid are inverted by actuating a simple mechanism and the cubes are loosened and ejected into a bin.

One of the objects of the invention is the provision of an improved ice cube ejector which is adapted to permit the freezing of ice cubes in a tray that is kept in a freezing evaporator without the necessity for removing the tray from the evaporator, as the mechanism is adapted to invert the tray and eject the ice cubes while still in the evaporator.

Another object of the invention is the provision of an improved ice cube ejecting mechanism which is simple in construction, positive in its action, capable of economical manufacture, which requires a minimum amount of manual operations, .and which may be installed in any household refrigerator.

Another object of the invention is the provision of. an ice cube freezing and cube ejecting mechanism which is adapted to provide a supply of ice cubes maintained in an ice cube bin without the necessity for melting thecubes or heating the tray, so that the cubes may always be in a dry conditon and so that they will not adhere together in the bin.

Another object of the invention is the provision of an ice cube freezing and cube ejecting mechanism of the tray type in whichthe water may be introduced into the tray and the ice may be removed from the tray while the tray is in the evaporator and without removing the tray from the evaporator.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings, in which similar characters of reference indicate similar parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the two sheets of drawings accompanying this specification,

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary front elevational view of an ice cube freezing and ejecting mechanism with the parts in the freezing position, with the tray shown in freezing position in full lines, and with the tray shown in the cube ejecting position in broken lines;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary side elevational view in partial section, showing the parts of the mechanism in the full line position of Fig. l;

' Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view, taken on the plane of the line 3-3 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary top plan view of one end of the ice tray;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view, taken on the plane of the line 5--5 of Fig. 4, looking in the direction of the arrows; and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view, taken on the plane of the line 6-6 of Fig. 4, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring to Fig. 1,-a portion 10 of a household refrignited States Patent O 2,981,080 Patented Apr. 25, 19.61

2 erator evaporator has an upper wall 11, a side wall 12, and a bottom wall 13. The walls 11, 12, and 13 are prov vided with a multiplicity of sinuous coils 14, 15, 16 of the evaporator, which is maintained at a below-freezing temperature, preferably well below, such as, for example, zero F. I

A half shelf 17 has a pair of shelf supporting brackets 18, one at each end of the shelf and each having an attaching flange 19 secured by rivets or otherwise to the side wall 12 in heat conducting relation with the side wall. An open top ice cube bin 20in the form of a drawer has a handle 21 on its front wall 22 and a bottom wall 23 resting on the bottom wall 13 of the evaporator.

The bin 20 and half shelf 17 are preferably made of aluminum for ready conduction of heat away from the water and ice cubes. On each shelf supporting bracket 18,

at its outer end 24, a bearing sleeve 25 is provided for the purpose of supporting a shaft 26, which is welded or otherwise secured to the bottom 27 of an ice tray 28, also preferably made of aluminum.

The ice tray 28 comprises an aluminum pan having a bottom 27, which may be fiat for stable support on the top of the'half shelf 17. The tray bottom 27 carries integral side walls 29 and 30 and integral end walls 31 and 32, which are joined to the bottom by easy bends at the lower corners 33-36.

The side walls 29, 30 and end walls 31 and 32 slope upwardly and outwardly from the bottom, making the topof the ice tray substantially larger than the bottom so that the entire amount of ice in the tray is larger at the top and smaller at the bottom and shaped for ejection from the tray.

The ice tray 28 contains a grid assembly 38, which preferably includes a single longitudinally extending divider strip 39 of aluminum or plastic and a multiplicity of transversely extending webs 41 of the same material arranged to provide a multiplicity of cube pockets 43, 44.

The longitudinally extending divider strip 39 divides the grid in half, so that two rows of ice cubes are formed in the pockets 43 and 44 and the cubes are wider at the .top and narrower at the bottom, for convenient ejection.

The transverse webs 41 are made of aluminum or plastic sheet material and are preferably complementary'in shape to the bottom and side walls .of the tray 28, tapering downwardly toward-the bottom; and the webs are preferably high enough to project above the upper edge 37 of the tray, as indicated at 45.

Each web is also provided with a vertically extending center aperture 48, having parallel side walls, the apertures being wide enough to receive the divider strip 39.

The longitudinally extending divider strip 39 is preferably no higher than the top edge 37 of the tray; and is complementary in shape to the inside of the trayon a longitudinal section; that is, the divider strip 39 has a straight bottom edge 52 and an outwardly sloping edge 53 at each end. In its lower edge the divider strip 39 has a multiplicity of rectangular shaped notches 54.

The length of the notches 54 is such that they permit a transverse web41 to lie at an angle, as shown at 41a, with its bottom edge resting on the bottom of the tray.

Thus all the webs 41 slope toward the right, to be pulled from the diagonal position toward astraight or vertical position.

The webs 41 each have an upper aperture 61 for receiving a longitudinally extending'narrow rectangular strip of metal, indicated at 57, the strip resting on the top edge of the longitudinal divider strip. 39.

The strip 57 has a multiplicity of laterally projecting lugs at regularly spaced points, indicated at 58, alongiits top edge. I

The body of the strip 57 may be square and of sheet aluminum and adapted to slide on top of the divider 3 strip in the apertures 61 of the webs 41. The shoulders of the lugs 58 project above the apertures 61, behind each web, in position to pull each web forward. A similar downwardly projecting lug 59 is provided on the end of the strip 57 for limiting movement of the strip toward the left.

The tray has its end wall 32 provided with an upwardly projecting bracket 60 having a similar aperture 61 for slidably mounting the strip 57. The bracket 60 is riveted to end wall 32. In assembling the strip with the webs 41, strip 57 is inserted through the apertures 61 and left with a lug 58 behind each web.

The lever 62 comprises a metal bar provided with an upper spade handle 65 and with an aperture 78 for receiving pivot bolt 63 which connects the lever to a boss 64 at an end of the strip 57. At its lower end the lever 62 is 'bent outwardly at 66 at an obtuse angle; and the lower diagonal portion 67 has a through bore for receiving pivot bolt 68.

The shaft 26 is also provided with a bifurcated end having two flanges 69, 70 with an aperture to receive pivot bolt 68. A pouring spout 71 of a tray filler for directing water into the tray is shown in Fig. 1. A suitable water supply leads to the spout 71; and the tray is filled by pushing a button to open a valve to discharge water from an already measured supply of water.

A latching spring 72 is carried by the side of the evaporator and has a shoulder 73 to releasably hold the tray in its upright position. The spring 72 is secured at its lower end to the side wall 12', and extends upwardly and away from the side wall, giving it space for freedom in bending. At its upper end spring 72 has the latching shoulder 73, which curves downwardly to provide a groove, retaining the edge of the ice tray, and curves upwardly to provide a leading edge which may be cammed upwardly by the tray until the spring snaps down over the edge of the tray. The V shaped member 37 acts as a keeper secured to the side of the tray, and giving it a sloping surface to engage the leading edge of the curved shoulder 73 to cam the shoulder 73 upward as the tray moves to horizontal upright position and becomes latched. The spring 72 being resilient and the shoulder 73 being curved, the keeper 37 earns the shoulder 73 upward and releases the tray when handle 62 is moved in the direction of the arrows. Spring 72 releases the tray and permits it to pivot to inverted position by use of the lever 62 and handle 65, but again secures the tray when the tray is moved back to the full line position of Fig. 1.

The operation of the freezing and ejecting mechanism is as follows: With the tray in the upright position, the water filler button is pushed; and the water supply, already measured, runs into the tray and spreads to all parts of the tray through the loose slots 48 and loose notches 54 in the grid.

The parts of the grid are in the position shown in Fig. 2; and the water is quickly frozen to ice in the evaporator. At any time when ice cubes are desired, the user may grasp handle 65 and may pivot the tray clockwise in Fig. 1 from the full line position to the inverted position shown in broken line.

Then the user may pull on the handle 65, causing the strip 57 with its lugs 58 to pull on each transverse web 41. The webs, which are normally tilted toward the right as viewed in Fig. 2, move toward the vertical position; and all the webs each tend to cam downward a cube in the pocket 43 or 44 next adjacent to the left.

The outwardly sloping end 31 permits the end cube to be cammed outward also. As the webs 41 move to the straight position, which is permitted by the notches 54, the cubes are all pulled looseand permitted to drop into the bin 20. An additional web may be located adjacent the end wall 32 for pulling loose the cubes in the adjacent pockets 43 and 44. v H p The tray is then returned to vertical position and filled with water; and this may be repeated as often as the cubes become frozen.

It will thus be observed that I have invented an ice cube ejector which does not require the tray to be removed from the evaporator. The cubes can be frozen and ejected into an ice bin, where they are available, without, taking out the ice tray or replacing it, and without the possibility of spilling water.

While I have illustrated a preferred embodiment of my invention, many modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, and I do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth, but desire to avail myself of all changes within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In an ice cube ejector assembly, the combination of a support having a wall, a rectangular ice tray carried by said wall, and having a bottom secured to a shaft extending longitudinally of the bottom, generally midway between the lateral edges of the tray, a pair of shelf brackets carried by said wall, each shelf bracket having a bearing at its end rotatably supporting the ends of said shaft, a handle lever pivoted transversely on the forward end of Said shaft and extending upwardly in front of said tray, a connecting strip pivotally connected to said lever and extending horizontally over said ice tray, and a multiplicity of transverse inclined webs located in said tray and dividing the tray into transversely extending ice cube pockets, and said connecting strip having lugs projecting into engagement with the webs, a lateral revolving motion of the lever about the shaft axis pivoting the tray from upright position to inverted position about said axis, and pivoting of the lever moving the webs and releasing the ice between the webs. 2. An ice cube ejector assembly according to claim 1, in which the connecting strip is slidably mounted in an aperture in a bracket carried by the rear end of the tray and has a stop engaging said bracket limiting the movement of the webs by said lever.

3. An ice cube ejector assembly according to claim 1, in which the webs have vertical apertures through which the connecting strip passes and is arranged with its lugs engaging the top portion of each web, the webs initially all tilting rearwardly at their tops and being moved forwardly by the strip.

4. The ice cube ejector assembly of claim 1 having resilient retaining means for releasably holding the ice tray in upright position.

5. An ice tray assembly, comprising: a substantially rectangular pan having upwardly and outwardly sloping sides; a support for the tray comprising a pair of spaced apart brackets beneath the tray and at opposite ends thereof; a shaft secured to the tray underside and rotatably mounted in said brackets whereby the tray may revolve between upright and inverted positions; a handle pivotally connected to an end of the shaft extending beyond an end of the tray for movement toward and away from the tray; and a grid structure in said tray shiftable by said handle for loosening ice cubes from the tray including a central divider strip extending longitudinally of the tray, a plurality of transversely extending movable webs each having a vertical aperture extending upwardly from its bottom edge for receiving the central divider strip, a connecting strip passing through all said apertures and having shoulders engageable with the webs for moving said webs; and means connecting said strip to said handle whereby pivotal movement of the handle shifts the webs to loosen ice cubes from the tray.

(References on following page) UNITED STATES PATENTS Souther Apr. 9, 1907 Souther Feb. 2, 1915 5 Kelly Aug. 5, 1941 Carney July 9, 1946 Clum Sept. 3, 1946 6 Copeman Oct. 11, 1949 Weseman Feb. 19, 1952 Sampson et a1. Aug. 7, 1956 Miller Nov. 27, 1956 Gaugler Dec. 4, 1956 Galin Feb. 26, 1957 Frei Oct. 15, 1957 Frei Aug. 12, 1958

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