Clear ice maker

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9518773-B2
Application number	US-201213713244-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 13, 2012
Priority date	Dec 13, 2012
Publication date	Dec 13, 2016
Grant date	Dec 13, 2016

Abstract

An ice making tray has a water basin with a thermally conductive floor and a flexible grid positioned therein to define a plurality of ice making compartments. A motor is coupled to the basin to rotate the basin and grid to an inverted position, and a link is coupled between the motor and drive such that the grid is rotatable out of the basin and is flexed to release ice cubes formed therein.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An ice maker comprising:
a water basin with a thermally conductive floor and an upstanding perimeter edge wall;
a flexible grid positioned in the water basin to define a plurality of ice making compartments;
a thermoelectric plate positioned in thermal contact with the floor of the basin to freeze water in the ice making compartments;
a containment wall extending upwardly around and above the upstanding perimeter edge wall of the thermally conductive floor of the basin; wherein the flexible grid is located in a bottom portion of the containment wall;
a motor drive coupled to the basin for rotating the basin and grid to an inverted position, wherein the motor drive includes a motor having a drive shaft;
a link coupled between the motor drive and the grid such that the grid is rotated at least partially out of the containment wall, and to be twisted, thereby flexing the grid to release ice cubes formed therein, wherein the link includes an arm with a linearly extending slot which extends radially outwardly from the drive shaft of the motor; and
a torsion spring coupled between the link and the water basin for holding the grid in the basin until the motor drive shaft rotates the basin through a predetermined arc.

2. The ice maker as defined in claim 1 , wherein the grid includes end walls and further includes a cam pin at one end wall which extends into the slot of the link, and the grid includes a pivot axle at an opposite end wall which is pivotally coupled to the basin.

3. The ice maker as defined in claim 2 , wherein the link engages the cam pin as the drive shaft rotates beyond the predetermined arc to rotate the grid out of the basin.

4. The ice maker as defined in claim 3 , wherein the grid is molded of a resilient polymeric material that flexes as the grid rotates from the basin.

5. The ice maker as defined in claim 1 , wherein the grid is formed of a polymeric material and the basin is polypropylene.

6. An ice maker comprising:
an ice making tray having an upstanding perimeter edge wall, the tray including a water basin having a thermally conductive floor;
a containment wall extending upwardly around and above the upstanding perimeter edge wall of the ice making tray; the ice making tray having a removable grid made of a flexible polymeric material, the grid defining an array of individual ice cube compartments, the grid being located at a bottom portion of the containment wall; the tray having a longitudinal axis and wherein the grid includes a pivot axle at one end which is pivotally coupled to the tray and a cam pin at an opposite end both of which are offset from the longitudinal axis of the tray;
a harvest motor mounted to the ice maker and having a drive shaft coupled to the tray to rotate the tray to at least a partially inverted first position;
a link coupled to the drive shaft and extending radially outwardly therefrom, the link having a linearly extending elongated slot into which the cam pin of the grid extends;
the harvest motor rotating the link to a position beyond the first position such that the cam pin slides radially outwardly in the slot to rotate the grid at least partially out of the containment wall, and to be twisted, thereby flexing the grid to discharge ice cubes from the grid; and
a torsion spring surrounding the drive shaft of the harvest motor and coupled between the link and the basin to bias the grid into the basin until the basin is rotated by the drive shaft beyond the first position.

7. The ice maker as defined in claim 6 , wherein the first position is a position rotated about 120° from horizontal.

8. The ice maker as defined in claim 7 , wherein the drive shaft rotates the grid about 40° beyond the first position to eject ice cubes from the grid.

9. The ice maker as defined in claim 8 , wherein the grid and upstanding perimeter edge wall of the ice making tray is polypropylene.

10. A tray for use in making clear ice migrating from a floor of the tray upwardly, the tray comprising:
a generally rectangular, substantially flat floor made of a thermally conductive material, the floor having an upwardly extending perimeter edge wall, the floor and perimeter edge wall forming a water basin;
a polymeric rectangular sidewall frame forming a containment wall which is integrally molded to the floor such that the upwardly extending perimeter edge wall of the floor is embedded within the containment wall of the sidewall frame;
a motor drive having a link connected thereto;
a removable grid made of a flexible polymeric material, the grid being located at a bottom portion of the containment wall and defining an array of individual ice cube compartments, the tray having a longitudinal axis and wherein the grid includes a pivot axle at one end which is pivotally coupled to the tray and a cam pin at an opposite end both of which are offset from the longitudinal axis of the tray, wherein the cam pin is configured to linearly move in a slot within the link, and wherein the motor drive is configured to at least partially rotate the grid out of the containment wall, and to be twisted, thereby flexing the grid to release the ice cubes formed therein; and
a torsion spring coupled between the link and the water basin for holding the grid in the basin until the motor drive rotates the basin through a predetermined arc.

11. The tray as defined in claim 10 , wherein the frame has sides and ends which diverge outwardly in a direction away from the floor.

12. The tray as defined in claim 11 , wherein the sides and ends of the tray have upper edge sections which integrally extend from the diverging sections and which are substantially vertical.

13. The tray as defined in claim 12 , wherein the edges of the floor taper from bottom to top such that fasteners can be received in the floor for securing a cooling element to the bottom of the floor.

14. The tray as defined in claim 13 and further including at least one thermoelectric plate secured to the bottom of the floor.

15. The tray as defined in claim 12 , wherein the grid has a height corresponding to the height of the diverging sections of the sides of the tray.

16. The tray as defined in claim 15 , wherein the grid has triangular cross-sectioned longitudinal and laterally extending polymeric walls with centers filled with an elastomeric filler material.

17. The tray as defined in claim 16 , wherein the grid has end walls which extend above end walls of the tray.

Assignees

• Whirlpool Co

Inventors

• Boarman Patrick J
• Thomas Mark E

Classifications

• F25C5/04 Primary

  without the use of saws · CPC title

• F25C1/18 Primary

  of a particular transparency or translucency, e.g. by injecting air · CPC title

• F25B21/02

  using Peltier effect; using Nernst-Ettinghausen effect · CPC title

• F25C5/005

  Mechanical Engineering · mapped topic

• F25C2305/022

  Harvesting ice including rotating or tilting or pivoting of a mould or tray · CPC title