Ice maker

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11656017-B2
Application number	US-202016746836-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 18, 2020
Priority date	Jan 18, 2020
Publication date	May 23, 2023
Grant date	May 23, 2023

Abstract

An ice maker includes an evaporator configured to freeze water into ice as it flows vertically down a freeze plate. A distributor distributes the water along the top of the freeze plate to form ice across the width of the freeze plate as the water flows downward along the freeze plate. The distributor can be integrated into the evaporator. For example, the distributor and evaporator can have a part in common. The distributor can be formed from two pieces that come together to form the freeze plate. The distributor can have various features that aid in providing a desirable distribution of water along the width of the freeze plate. The freeze plate can be mounted in an ice maker enclosure in thermal communication with the evaporator and to slant forward.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An ice maker comprising:
a freeze plate defining a plurality of molds in which the ice maker is configured to form ice, the freeze plate having a top portion and a bottom portion spaced apart along a height and a first side portion and a second side portion spaced apart along a width; and
a distributor extending along the width of the freeze plate adjacent the top portion of the freeze plate, the distributor being configured to direct water imparted through the distributor to flow from the top portion of the freeze plate to the bottom portion along the width of the freeze plate;
wherein the distributor comprises a first distributor piece and a second distributor piece, the second distributor piece configured to be releasably coupled to the first distributor piece without separate fasteners to form the distributor;
wherein the distributor has an inlet and an outlet and defines a distributor flow path extending from the inlet to the outlet, the first distributor piece and the second distributor piece defining the entire distributor flow path from the inlet to the outlet and both the first distributor piece and the second distributor piece defining water distribution features along the flow path between the inlet and the outlet.

2. An ice maker as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the first distributor piece and the second distributor piece have complementary integral fittings configured to engage one another to couple the second distributor piece to the first distributor piece.

3. An ice maker as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the ice maker further comprises an enclosure having an access opening, the distributor being received at an interior position in the enclosure, the integral fittings being configured to be disengaged for removal of the second distributor piece when the second distributor piece is urged away from the interior position in a direction toward the access opening.

4. An ice maker as set forth in claim 1 , wherein each of the first distributor piece and the second distributor piece has a first end wall adjacent the first side portion and a second end wall adjacent the second side portion.

5. An ice maker as set forth in claim 4 , wherein second distributor piece is configured to nest between the first and second end walls of the first distributor piece when the second distributor piece is coupled to the first distributor piece.

6. An ice maker as set forth in claim 4 , wherein the first end walls of the first and second distributor pieces define a first pair of complementary fittings configured to couple the second distributor piece to the first distributor piece and the second end walls of the first and second distributor pieces define a second pair of complementary fittings configured to couple the second distributor piece to the first distributor piece.

7. An ice maker as set forth in claim 6 , wherein each pair of complementary fittings comprises a female fitting and a male fitting configured to be received in the female fitting.

8. An ice maker as set forth in claim 7 , further comprising an enclosure having an access opening, wherein each male fitting is configured to be received in the female fitting as the second distributor piece moves relative to the first distributor piece in a direction extending inward from the access opening toward the first piece.

9. An ice maker as set forth in claim 7 , wherein each female fitting comprises an elongate groove having an open end and each male fitting comprises an elongate tongue configured to be slidably received in the respective elongate groove through the respective open end.

10. An ice maker as set forth in claim 9 , wherein each pair of complementary fittings includes a detent configured to keep the respective tongue at a coupling position along the respective elongate groove.

11. An ice maker as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the first distributor piece comprises a bottom wall defining a widthwise groove configured to receive a portion of the second distributor piece therein when the second distributor piece is coupled to the first distributor piece.

12. An ice maker as set forth in claim 11 , wherein the second distributor piece comprises a generally vertical weir having a free edge margin configured to be received in the widthwise groove.

13. An ice maker as set forth in claim 12 , wherein the free edge margin of the weir is convex in a widthwise direction and the groove is concave in a widthwise direction.

14. An ice maker comprising:
a freeze plate defining a plurality of molds in which the ice maker is configured to form ice, the freeze plate having a top portion and a bottom portion spaced apart along a height and a first side portion and a second side portion spaced apart along a width; and
a distributor adjacent the top portion of the freeze plate having a width extending along the width of the freeze plate, the distributor having an inlet and an outlet and defining a distributor flow path extending from the inlet to the outlet, the distributor being configured to direct water imparted through the distributor along the distributor flow path and discharge the water from the outlet such that the water flows from the top portion of the freeze plate to the bottom portion along the width of the freeze plate, the distributor comprising a first distributor piece and a second distributor piece, the second distributor piece being releasably coupled to the first distributor piece to form the distributor, the first distributor piece comprising a bottom wall defining a groove extending widthwise and the second distributor piece comprising a generally vertical weir defining a plurality of openings spaced apart along the width of the distributor, the weir having a free bottom edge margin received in the groove such that water flowing along the distributor flow path is inhibited from flowing through an interface between the bottom edge margin of the weir and the bottom wall and is directed to flow across the weir through the plurality of openings.

15. An ice maker as set forth in claim 14 , wherein the free edge margin of the weir is convex in a widthwise direction.

16. An ice maker as set forth in claim 14 , wherein the groove is concave in a widthwise direction.

17. An ice maker as set forth in claim 14 :
wherein the distributor comprises a front and a rear and the weir extends widthwise along a middle section located between the front and the rear of the distributor;
wherein the distributor further comprises a first end portion and a second end portion spaced apart along the width of the distributor, a first coupling at the first end portion providing a restraint against upward movement of the second distributor piece with respect to the first distributor piece at the middle section of the distributor, and second coupling at the second end portion providing a restraint against upward movement of the second distributor piece with respect to the first distributor piece at the middle section of the distributor; and
wherein the distributor is substantially free of restraint against upward movement of the second distributor piece with respect to the first distributor piece along the middle section of the distributor at locations along the width of the distributor between the first and second couplings.

18. An ice maker as set forth in claim 14 , wherein the plurality of openings are spaced apart above the bottom wall.

19. An ice maker as set forth in claim 14 , wherein the second distributor piece comprises a top wall and the distributor flow path passes between th

Assignees

• True Mfg Co Inc

Inventors

• Knatt Kevin
• Cayemberg Curt

Classifications

• F25C1/25 Primary

  Filling devices for moulds · CPC title

• F25C5/24

  for storing bins (ice bins F25C5/182) · CPC title

• F25C2700/02

  Level of ice · CPC title

• F25C1/12 Primary

  by freezing water on cooled surfaces, e.g. to form slabs · CPC title

• F25C2400/14

  Water supply · CPC title