Ice ball molding apparatus

• US 5,618,463 A
• Filed: 12/08/1994
• Issued: 04/08/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Joe Rindler, Nanci Pintavalli
• Original Assignee: Joe Rindler, Nanci Pintavalli
• Inventors: Pintavalli, Nanci, Rindler, Joe
• Primary Examiner(s): WEBER, THOMAS
• Application Number:
  US08/351,952
• Time in Patent Office: 852 Days
• Field of Search: 249/92, 249/91, 249/93, 426/66, 426/67, 426/68, 426/91, 426/134, 426/421, 426/515
• US Class Current: 249/92
• CPC Class Codes: A23G 9/221 Moulds
• CPC Class Codes: A23G 9/485 hollow products, e.g. with inedible or edible filling, fixed or movable within the cavity

Abstract

An ice molding apparatus includes a first mold assembly which includes a first hollow chamber portion and which includes a spike assembly which projects inward from a wall of the first hollow chamber portion. The spike assembly includes a distal end adapted to support a quantity of solid material. The first mold assembly includes a first joint member adapted to connect to a second mold assembly. The second mold assembly includes a second hollow chamber portion which includes a filler channel adapted for passing a quantity of liquid water therethrough into the second hollow chamber portion and to fill up the first hollow chamber portion with water. The second mold assembly includes a second joint member adapted to connect to the first joint member, such that the first hollow chamber portion and the second hollow chamber portion form a combined interior mold chamber. The distal end of the spike assembly is located adjacent to a center portion of the combined interior mold chamber. The distal end of the spike assembly includes material-gripping ridges. A first stacking assembly, which includes stacking protuberances, is connected to the first mold assembly. A second stacking assembly, which includes wells complementary to the protuberances, is connected to the second mold assembly. The first and second assemblies are stacked in head-to-tail fashion.

Claims

1. An ice molding apparatus, comprising:

a first mold assembly which includes a first hollow chamber portion, which includes a cylindrical spike assembly which projects inward from a wall of said first hollow chamber portion, said spike assembly including a distal end adapted to support a quantity of solid material, and which includes a first joint member adapted to connect to a second mold assembly, and

a second mold assembly which includes a second hollow chamber portion, which includes a filler channel adapted for passing a quantity of liquid water therethrough into said second hollow chamber portion, and which includes a second joint member adapted to connect to said first joint member, such that said first hollow chamber portion and said second hollow chamber portion form a combined interior mold chamber,

wherein said distal end of said cylindrical spike assembly is located adjacent to a center portion of said combined interior mold chamber, wherein said distal end of said cylindrical spike assembly includes material-gripping ridges, wherein said first mold assembly includes a threaded channel portion, and said spike assembly includes a threaded plug portion and a spike portion connected to said threaded plug portion, wherein said threaded plug portion is adapted to be screwed into said threaded channel portion of said first mold assembly for installing said spike assembly into said first mold assembly.

2. The ice molding apparatus of claim 1 further including:

a first stacking assembly connected to said first mold assembly, wherein said first stacking assembly includes protuberances, and

a second stacking assembly connected to said second mold assembly, wherein said second stacking assembly includes wells which are complementary to said protuberances and are adapted to receive said protuberances when a first stacking assembly is stacked on a second stacking assembly,

wherein said first stacking assembly is connected to said first mold assembly and said second stacking assembly is connected to said second mold assembly such that a first stacking assembly is registrable with a second stacking assembly, whereby protuberances of said first mold assembly can be placed in wells of said second mold assembly when a first stacking assembly is stacked on a second stacking assembly.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said first stacking assembly and said first mold assembly are formed as a unified, integrated structure.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said second stacking assembly and said second mold assembly are formed as a unified, integrated structure.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein:

said first mold assembly is substantially hemispherically-shaped,

said second mold assembly is substantially hemispherically-shaped,

said combined interior mold chamber is substantially spherically-shaped, and

a portion of said distal end of said spike assembly is located at a center region of said spherically-shaped combined interior mold chamber.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein:

said first joint member of said first mold assembly includes a first joint thread, and

said second joint member includes a second joint thread which is complementary to said first joint thread.