METHOD OF MAKING PIECES OF ICE AND AN ICE DISPENSING DEVICE

• US 20100257874A1
• Filed: 10/23/2008
• Published: 10/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Muller, Johannes Cornelius Antonius
• Granted Patent: US 9,121,632 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 62/71
• CPC Class Codes: F25C 1/10 by using rotating or otherwise moving moulds F25C1/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F25C 1/145 from the inner walls of cooled bodies
• CPC Class Codes: F25C 5/12 Ice-shaving machines

Abstract

A method and a device for making pieces of ice, wherein water in a container (1) is frozen into ice. A helically threaded shaft (7) extends through the container (1), so that the ice (10) surrounds the shaft (7) and is engaged by the helical thread (18) of the shaft (7). The threaded shaft (7) is rotated with respect to the ice (10), so that the ice (10) is moved toward a cutting member (9) carried by the threaded shaft (7). Subsequently, the ice (10) is shaved by the cutting member (9).

Claims

1. A method of making pieces of ice, in which method water in a container is frozen into ice, and a helically threaded shaft (7) extends through the container (1), so that ice (10) surrounds the shaft (7) and is engaged by the helical thread of the shaft (7), the threaded shaft (7) and/or the ice (10) being rotated with respect to each other, so that the ice is moved in axial direction with respect to the shaft (7) toward a cutting member (9), characterized in that the threaded shaft (7) carries the cutting member (9) being located at the surface of the ice (10), so that the ice (10) and the cutting member (9) move toward each other by rotating the threaded shaft (7) with respect to the ice (10), whereby the ice (10) is shaved by the cutting member (9).

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the threaded shaft (7) is mounted in the container (1) having a side wall (3) of which an inner surface (4) extends parallel to the axis of the threaded shaft (7), the threaded shaft (7) being rotated with respect to the container (1) after the water is frozen into ice (10), so that the ice (10) moves in the container (1) in axial direction of the shaft (7), the ice (10) being prevented from rotating in the container (1) by a non-circular shape of the inner surface (4) of the wall (3) of the container (1) in a cross-section of said inner wall (3) perpendicular to the axial direction.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the container (1) comprising the threaded shaft (7) is placed, after it has been filled with water, in a freezer, so that the water in the container (1) freezes into ice (10), after which the container (1) is attached to a structure (20) having an electric motor (22), which electric motor (22) rotationally drives the threaded shaft (7), and the shaved ice is guided to ice delivery means (28) of the device.

4. A method as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that the container (1) comprises a bottom (2) and is attached substantially upside down to said structure (20) with the electric motor (22), the cutting member (9) being located at the lower side of the container (1).

5. An ice dispensing device for delivering pieces of ice, comprising a cutting member (9) and a container (1) for containing ice (10), a rotating threaded shaft (7) extending in axial direction through the space inside the container (1), and the container (1) having a surrounding side wall (3) having an inner surface (4) extending substantially parallel to the axial direction of the container (1), said inner surface (4) having a non-circular cross-section perpendicular to said axial direction, characterized in that the threaded shaft (7) carries the cutting member (9) for shaving ice from the surface of the ice (10) around the threaded shaft (7).

6. An ice dispensing device as claimed claim 5, characterized in that the inner surface (4) of the side wall (3) of the container (1) diverges a little in the direction of the cutting member (9), preferably less than 0.1 cm over its axial length.

7. An ice dispensing device as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that the cutting member (9) is a substantially disk-like element having a substantially straight cutting edge (12) extending substantially in radial direction with respect to the threaded shaft (7), the surface (17) of the cutting member (9) facing the ice (10) being helically shaped corresponding to the helical shape of the thread (18) of the shaft (7).

8. An ice dispensing device as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that the inner surface (4) of the side wall (3) of the container (1) is substantially cylindrical and comprises one or more inwardly extending axial ridges (5).

9. An ice dispensing device as claimed in claim 5, comprising an electric motor (22) for driving the threaded shaft (7), characterized in that the container (1) including the threaded shaft (7) with the cutting member (9) is removable from the part (20) of the device comprising the electric motor (22).

10. An ice dispensing device as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that the container (1) has a bottom wall (2) at its lower side opposite to its upper side where the cutting member (9) is located, the threaded shaft (7) is rotatably fixed in said lower wall (2), and the container (1), after the water in it is frozen, can be placed upside down in the ice dispensing device.

11. An ice dispensing device as claimed in claim 10, characterized in that the bottom wall (2) is provided with a valve (6) in order to supply air into the container (1).

12. An ice dispensing device as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that the material of the threaded shaft (7) is flexible, so that the portion of the shaft (7) near the end where it is driven can rotate with respect to a portion further away from said end.