Integrally formed, modular ice cuber having a stainless steel evaporator and microcontroller
First Claim
1. An evaporator for freezing water into ice cubes, the evaporator being chilled by cold refrigerant from a refrigeration system, the evaporator comprising:
- a first plate;
a second plate mated with the first plate, the second plate having a stamped sepentine depression, displaced oppositely from the first plate, with traversing spaced-apart parallel sections connected by bend sections so as to form a continuous channel for carrying chilled refrigerant defined between the first plate and the depression of the second plate;
an array of icing sites on which water is frozen, each icing site disposed on an outside surface portion of the parallel sections of the depression of the second plate, over the refrigerant channel to allow for efficient transfer of heat from water flowing across the icing sites to chilled refrigerant in the channel; and
means for impeding formation of ice bridges including inserts of material with relatively less of a heat transfer rate than the icing sites located on the outside surface of the second plate between the parallel sections of the depression, the insulating material spacing apart vertically adjacent icing sites in the array of icing sites.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
An ice maker module is built on an integrally formed plastic base. One or more ice making modules are stacked on top of an ice bin. Integrally formed within the plastic base is "wet" compartment within which are disposed multiple numbers of evaporators on which water is frozen into ice cubes. The plastic base also separates the wet compartment from a dry compartment in which is mounted refrigeration components and control circuitry. The evaporators are constructed of two plates of stainless steel. Icing sites are located on the flattened sides of a serpentine refrigeration channel formed between depressions in the stainless steel plates. A microcontroller operates the ice making process. Harvesting of the ice cubes is initiated after the ice maker has used an amount of water necessary to make the ice. An ultrasonic range finder monitors the amount of ice in the bin.
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Citations
15 Claims
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1. An evaporator for freezing water into ice cubes, the evaporator being chilled by cold refrigerant from a refrigeration system, the evaporator comprising:
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a first plate; a second plate mated with the first plate, the second plate having a stamped sepentine depression, displaced oppositely from the first plate, with traversing spaced-apart parallel sections connected by bend sections so as to form a continuous channel for carrying chilled refrigerant defined between the first plate and the depression of the second plate; an array of icing sites on which water is frozen, each icing site disposed on an outside surface portion of the parallel sections of the depression of the second plate, over the refrigerant channel to allow for efficient transfer of heat from water flowing across the icing sites to chilled refrigerant in the channel; and means for impeding formation of ice bridges including inserts of material with relatively less of a heat transfer rate than the icing sites located on the outside surface of the second plate between the parallel sections of the depression, the insulating material spacing apart vertically adjacent icing sites in the array of icing sites. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. An evaporator for freezing water into ice cubes, the evaporator being chilled by cold refrigerant from a refrigeration system, the evaporator comprising:
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a first plate; a second plate mated with the first plate, the second plate having a serpentine depression, displaced oppositely from the first plate, with traversing spaced-apart parallel sections connected by bend sections so as to form a continuous channel for carrying chilled refringent defined between the first plate and the depression of the second plate; an array of icing sites on which water is frozen, each icing site disposed on an outside surface portion of the parallel sections of the depression of the second plate, over the refrigerant channel to allow for efficient transfer of heat from water flowing across the icing sites to chilled refrigerant in the channel; and means for impeding formation of ice bridges between adjacent freezing sites, the means for impeding formation of ice bridges including laterally extending slots defined in the second plate between adjacent parallel sections of the depression and matching slots defined in the first plate so as to form a plurality of laterally extending openings through the evaporator inhibiting formation of ice bridges.
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14. An evaporator for freezing water into ice cubes, the evaporator being chilled by cold refrigerant from a refrigeration system, the evaporator comprising:
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a first plate having a serpentine depression with traversing spaced-apart parallel sections connected by bend sections; a second plate mated with the first plate, the second plate having a serpentine depression, displaced oppositely from and matching the depression of the first plate to form a continuous refrigerant channel between the first plate and the second plate; a first array of icing sites on which water is frozen, the icing sites disposed on an outside surface portion of the parallel sections of the depression of the first plate over the refrigerant channel to allow for efficient transfer of heat from water flowing across the icing sites to chilled refrigerant in the channel;
a second array of icing sites on which water is frozen disposed on an outside surface portion of the parallel sections of the depression of the first plate over the refrigerant channel to allow for efficient transfer of heat from water flowing across the icing sites to chilled refrigerant in the channel; andmatching laterally extending slots defined through the mated first and second plates between parallel sections of the channel, the slots tending to inhibit formation of ice bridges between adjacent icing sites. - View Dependent Claims (15)
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Specification