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Water tray for clear ice maker

  • US 3,952,539 A
  • Filed: 11/18/1974
  • Issued: 04/27/1976
  • Est. Priority Date: 11/18/1974
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. A clear ice maker in a freezer comprising a tray having side and bottom walls adapted to contain a body of water, a grid in said tray having cavity-forming means for displacing the body of water contained by said walls into the cavity, fan means distributing sub-freezing air over the top planar surface of said body of water in said grid cavity for a sufficient period to initiate the freezing of clear ice in said grid cavity along the interface between said air and said top planar surface and to continue the freezing of clear ice downwardly in said grid cavity, and a bucket for storing said clear ice in said freezer and being removable from said freezer, heating means energizable to maintain said body of water in a liquid state adjacent said tray below the freezing clear ice, harvesting mechanism for removing said grid and clear ice from said tray before the freezing of clear ice downwardly in said grid cavity reaches the bottom wall of said tray and depositing said clear ice in said bucket, the improvement in said tray heating means comprising a composite tray having a plastic frame with side, end and bottom walls formed with window-like apertures therein, plate metal inserts positioned in said apertures, a first heater for said side and end wall inserts, a second heater for said bottom wall insert, said side and end wall metal inserts having a vertical dimension substantially coextensive with the clear ice cubes in said grid from their top planar surfaces to their lower surfaces, said first side wall heater operative to heat said side and end wall inserts, said second bottom wall heater operative to maintain said body of water below the freezing clear ice at an above freezing temperature, said bottom wall metal insert having a plurality of dome-like embossments formed in a grid-like pattern therein, whereby upon the grid being set down in said tray each grid cavity will be centered over an embossment such that heat will be transferred to the center of the clear ice cubes thereby forming a complementary concave bottom surface of the cubes preventing the cubes from forming peripheral flanges locking the cubes in said grid upon the inverting of said grid during the harvesting cycle of the ice maker.

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