Method and apparatus producing clear ice objects utilizing flexible molds having internal roughness
First Claim
1. A support arrangement for supporting a flexible, water-containing mold of intricate configuration in a tank having supporting sides and containing a chilled liquid, such that an item of crystal clear ice can be created in the flexible mold, said mold having an upper, support portion and a lower, principal portion, the interior surfaces of said mold being rough, said support arrangement including support means operatively engaging said upper portion of said flexible mold and supporting said mold with a selected extent of the principal portion of the mold immersed below the surface of the chilled liquid, and means for causing circulation of the water in the mold, so that the interior sides of the mold will be swept, thus preventing the formation of cloudy ice.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A support arrangement for supporting a flexible, water-containing mold of intricate configuration in a tank having supporting sides and containing a chilled liquid, such that an item of crystal clear ice can be created in the flexible mold. The flexible mold has an upper, support portion and a lower, principal portion, and also has interior surfaces possessing a distinctive degree of roughness. The support arrangement involves elongate support means for operatively engaging the upper portion of the mold, with the elongate support means being of a length sufficient to span between the supporting sides of the tank such that the mold can be supported with a selected extent of the principal portion of the mold immersed below the surface of the chilled liquid. Circulation of the water in the mold is brought about so that the interior sides of the mold will be swept, thus preventing the formation of cloudy ice. The arrangement for causing circulation of the water in the mold may involve a gas supply utilized for supplying controlled amounts of gas to a lower interior portion of the mold so that suitable amounts of gas can be caused to rise up through the water in the mold and prevent the formation of cloudy ice. Other arrangements for causing circulation of the water in the mold may include power driven rotatable means disposed in the mold.
73 Citations
27 Claims
- 1. A support arrangement for supporting a flexible, water-containing mold of intricate configuration in a tank having supporting sides and containing a chilled liquid, such that an item of crystal clear ice can be created in the flexible mold, said mold having an upper, support portion and a lower, principal portion, the interior surfaces of said mold being rough, said support arrangement including support means operatively engaging said upper portion of said flexible mold and supporting said mold with a selected extent of the principal portion of the mold immersed below the surface of the chilled liquid, and means for causing circulation of the water in the mold, so that the interior sides of the mold will be swept, thus preventing the formation of cloudy ice.
- 8. A support arrangement for supporting a flexible, water-containing mold of intricate configuration in a tank having supporting sides and containing a chilled liquid, such that an item of crystal clear ice can be created in the flexible mold, said mold having an upper, support portion and a lower, principal portion, the interior surfaces of said mold being rough, said support arrangement including support means operatively engaging said upper portion of said flexible mold and supporting said mold with a selected extent of the principal portion of the mold immersed below the surface of the chilled liquid, and means for causing circulation of the water in the mold, so that the interior sides of the mold will be swept, thus preventing the formation of cloudy ice, said support means including height adjustment means for selectively adjusting the height of said mold with respect to the surface of the chilled liquid.
- 10. A support arrangement for supporting a flexible, water-containing mold of intricate configuration in a tank having supporting sides and containing a chilled liquid, such that an item of crystal clear ice can be created in the flexible mold, said mold having an upper, support portion and a lower, principal portion, the interior surfaces of said mold being rough, said support arrangement including support means operatively engaging said upper portion of said flexible mold and supporting said mold with a selected extent of the principal portion of the mold immersed below the surface of the chilled liquid, and means for causing circulation of the water in the mold, so that the interior sides of the mold will be swept, thus preventing the formation of cloudy ice, the height of said mold with respect to the surface of the chilled liquid being selectively adjusted by the utilization of an inflatable bladder disposed below the surface of the chilled liquid in the tank, and selectively operable inflation means for controlling the inflation of said bladder, with the enlargement of said bladder serving to raise the level of coolant in said tank with respect to said mold during one phase of the creation of the item of clear ice.
- 12. A support arrangement for supporting a flexible, water-containing mold of intricate configuration in a tank having supporting sides and containing a chilled liquid, such that an item of crystal clear ice can be created in the flexible mold, said mold having an upper, support portion and a lower, principal portion, said flexible mold also having interior surfaces possessing a distinctive degree of roughness, said support arrangement involving elongate support means for operatively engaging said upper portion of said flexible mold, said elongate support means being of a length sufficient to span between the supporting sides of the tank such that said mold can be supported with a selected extent of the principal portion of the mold immersed below the surface of the chilled liquid, and means for causing circulation of the water in the mold so that the interior sides of the mold will be swept, thus preventing the formation of cloudy ice.
- 19. A support arrangement for supporting a flexible, water-containing mold of intricate configuration in a tank having supporting sides and containing a chilled liquid, such that an item of crystal clear ice can be created in the flexible mold, said mold having an upper, support portion and a lower, principal portion, said flexible mold also having interior surfaces possessing a distinctive degree of roughness, said support arrangement involving elongate support means for operatively engaging said upper portion of said flexible mold, said elongate support means being of a length sufficient to span between the supporting sides of the tank such that said mold can be supported with a selected extent of the principal portion of the mold immersed below the surface of the chilled liquid, and means for causing circulation of the water in the mold so that the interior sides of the mold will be swept, thus preventing the formation of cloudy ice, height adjustment means operatively associated with said support means enabling an adjustment of the height of said mold with respect to the surface of the chilled liquid.
- 21. A support arrangement for supporting a flexible, water-containing mold of intricate configuration in a tank having supporting sides and containing a chilled liquid, such that an item of crystal clear ice can be created in the flexible mold, said mold having an upper, support portion and a lower, principal portion, said flexible mold also having interior surfaces possessing a distinctive degree of roughness, said support arrangement involving elongate support means for operatively engaging said upper portion of said flexible mold, said elongate support means being of a length sufficient to span between the supporting sides of the tank such that said mold can be supported with a selected extent of the principal portion of the mold immersed below the surface of the chilled liquid, and means for causing circulation of the water in the mold so that the interior sides of the mold will be swept, thus preventing the formation of cloudy ice, the height of said mold with respect to the surface of the chilled liquid being selectively adjusted by the utilization of an inflatable bladder disposed below the surface of the chilled liquid in the tank, and selectively operable inflation means for controlling the inflation of said bladder, with the enlargement of said bladder serving to raise the level of coolant in said tank with respect to said mold during one phase of the creation of the item of clear ice.
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23. A method for creating objects of crystal clear ice by the use of a flexible, water-containing mold of intricate configuration partially immersed in a chilled liquid, said method comprising the steps of pouring water into the mold so as to substantially fill same, supporting the mold adjacent the surface of the chilled liquid such that the lower, principal portion of the mold is immersed in the liquid, supplying controlled amounts of gas to a lower interior portion of the mold during such immersion so as to cause suitable amounts of gas to rise up through the water contained in the mold, thus to prevent the formation of cloudy ice, and after initial ice crystals begin to form, adding a controlled amount of heat to the interior of the mold so as to thaw the ice beginning to form, so that the formation of clear ice can thereafter commence, and after the ice object of crystal clear ice has fully formed, removing the flexible mold from around the ice object, the controlled amount of heat being applied by adding a relatively small quantity of relatively warm water to the water in the mold, so as to cause the melting of the previously formed ice.
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24. A method for creating objects of crystal clear ice by the use of a flexible, water-containing mold of intricate configuration partially immersed in a chilled liquid, said method comprising the steps of pouring water into the mold so as to substantially fill same, supporting the mold adjacent the surface of the chilled liquid such that the lower, principal portion of the mold is immersed in the liquid, supplying controlled amounts of gas to a lower interior portion of the mold during such immersion so as to cause suitable amounts of gas to rise up through the water contained in the mold, thus to prevent the formation of cloudy ice, and after initial ice crystals begin to form, adding a controlled amount of heat to the interior of the mold so as to thaw the ice beginning to form, so that the formation of clear ice can thereafter commence, and after the ice object of crystal clear ice has fully formed, removing the flexible mold from around the ice object, the controlled amount of heat being applied by inserting a warm object into the ice which has previously formed in the mold, so as to cause the melting of same.
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25. A method for creating objects of crystal clear ice by the use of a flexible, water-containing mold of intricate configuration partially immersed in a chilled liquid, said method comprising the steps of pouring water into the mold so as to substantially fill same, supporting the mold adjacent the surface of the chilled liquid such that the lower, principal portion of the mold is immersed in the liquid, supplying controlled amounts of gas to a lower interior portion of the mold during such immersion so as to cause suitable amounts of gas to rise up through the water contained in the mold, thus to prevent the formation of cloudy ice, and after initial ice crystals begin to form, adding a controlled amount of heat to the interior of the mold so as to thaw the ice beginning to form, so that the formation of clear ice can thereafter commence, the heat being applied by adding a relatively small quantity of water that is warm relative to the water already in the mold, so as to cause the melting of the previously formed ice, and after the ice object of crystal clear ice has fully formed, removing the flexible mold from around the ice object.
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26. A method for creating a spherically shaped object of crystal clear ice by the use of a flexible, water-containing mold having a spherically shaped lower portion to be immersed in a chilled liquid, said method comprising the steps of pouring water into the mold so as to substantially fill same, supporting the mold adjacent the surface of the chilled liquid such that the lower, spherically shaped portion of the mold is immersed in the liquid, supplying controlled amounts of gas to a lower interior portion of the mold during such immersion so as to cause suitable amounts of gas to rise up through the water contained in the mold, thus to prevent the formation of cloudy ice, and after initial ice crystals begin to form, adding a controlled amount of heat to the interior of the mold so as to thaw the ice beginning to form, so that the formation of clear ice can thereafter commence, and after the spherically shaped ice object of crystal clear ice has fully formed, removing the flexible mold from around the ice object.
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27. A support arrangement for supporting a flexible, water-containing mold in a tank having supporting sides and containing a chilled liquid, such that an item of crystal clear ice of spherical configuration can be created in the flexible mold, said mold having an upper, support portion and a lower, principal portion of spherical configuration, the interior surfaces of said mold being rough, with such surface roughness being in the range between the equivalent of a grit size of 1500 and the equivalent of a grit size of 40, said support arrangement including support means operatively engaging said upper portion of said flexible mold and supporting said mold with a selected extent of the principal, spherically shaped portion of the mold immersed below the surface of the chilled liquid, and means for causing circulation of the water in the principal, spherically shaped portion of the mold, so that the interior sides of the mold will be swept, thus preventing the formation of cloudy ice.
Specification