Process and equipment for manufacturing clear, solid ice of spherical and other shapes

• US 6,857,277 B2
• Filed: 09/03/2001
• Issued: 02/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Katsuzo Somura
• Original Assignee: Katsuzo Somura
• Inventors: Somura, Katsuzo
• Primary Examiner(s): Doerrler, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ali, Mohammad M.
• Application Number:
  US10/362,995
• Publication Number:
  US 20040099004A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,268 Days
• Field of Search: 62/74, 62/75, 623/47, 623/56, 623/00, 623/01, 249/91, 249/92, 249/93, 249/97
• US Class Current: 62/74
• CPC Class Codes: F25C 1/18 of a particular transparency or translucency, e.g. by injecting air
• CPC Class Codes: F25C 1/22 Construction of moulds; Filling devices for moulds
• CPC Class Codes: F25C 1/25 Filling devices for moulds
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 60/85 Food storage or conservation, e.g. cooling or drying

Abstract

The process and equipment, according to this invention, for manufacturing clear, solid ice of spherical and other shapes are capable of making clear ice balls and block ice of other shapes in the mold quickly, efficiently, and with effective energy utilization. This process is characterized in the steps of:

• • a) preparing a mold for making ice balls and block ice of other shapes, which comprises an upper mold (24a) made of an insulating material and provided with a vertical injection hole (23) drilled therein and a water-injection nozzle (22) fitted in the hole; and a lower mold (24b) made of a water-freezing block (26) having coolant pipe (25) embedded therein;
  • b) preparing for a domed lid (21a) or the lid of a different shape made of an insulating sheet, said lid (21a) having a shape that fits in with the surface shaped for the upper mold (24a) and being provided with a cylinder for being fitted into the vertical injection hole (23); and a shaped hemispherical cup (21b) of the same insulating sheet, which similarly fits in with the shaped surface of the lower mold (24b);
  • c) assembling both halves of the mold (24) after the lid (21a) and the cup (21b) have been attached tightly to each other and placed in the mold;
  • d) then, keeping the liquid to be frozen cooled at a predetermined temperature and spraying the liquid intermittently in the direction of the water-freezing block (26) that has been cooled to a predetermined freezing temperature;
  • e) repeating the spraying operation to freeze the sprayed liquid in the container (21), layer by layer, until clear ice balls (20) or block ice of other shapes are formed; and
  • f) disassembling the halves of the mold under the ice-releasing effect, which the ice container (21) has on the ice-making mold (24), and immediately taking out We shaped ice balls (20) or the block ice of a different shape.

Claims

1. A process for manufacturing clear, solid ice, comprising the steps of:

a) preparing a mold, which comprises an upper mold made of an insulating material and provided with a vertical injection hole drilled therein and a water-jet nozzle fitted in the hole; and

a lower mold made of a water-freezing block having coolant pipe embedded therein;

b) preparing for a lid made of an insulating sheet, said lid having a shape that fits in with a surface shaped for the upper mold and being provided with a bottom flange and a cylinder for being fitted into the vertical injection hole; and

a cup of a same insulating sheet, which similarly fits in with a shaped surface of the lower mold and is provided with a top flange;

c) assembling the upper mold and the lower mold of the mold after the lid and the cup have been attached tightly to each other to form a container and placed in the mold;

d) then, keeping liquid to be frozen cooled at a predetermined temperature and spraying the liquid intermittently in a direction of a water-freezing block that has been cooled to a predetermined freezing temperature;

e) repeating a spraying operation to freeze the sprayed liquid in the container, layer by layer, until clear ice is formed; and

f) disassembling the mold under an ice-releasing effect, which the container has on the mold, and immediately taking out the ice.

2. The process for manufacturing clear, solid ice, according to claim 1, wherein the container is of a type divided into upper and lower halves and comprises the lid that tightly fits in with the surface shaped for the upper mold and being provided with the bottom flange and the cylinder for being fitted into the vertical injection hole;

and the cup that similarly fits in with the shaped surface of the lower mold and is provided with the top flange.

3. The process for manufacturing clear, solid ice, according to claim 1, wherein the container is vertically divided into right and left halves, and is provided with reinforcing flanges and the cylinder for being fitted into the vertical injection hole, with the container being put in tight contact with the surfaces of the upper mold and the lower mold and said right and left container halves being attached to each other by a pair of upper and lower uniting rings having a round container seat.

4. The process for manufacturing clear, solid ice, according to claim 2, wherein the container is made of a resinous sheet material.

5. The process for manufacturing clear, solid ice, according to claim 2, wherein the container is made of a hard, conductive metal material.

6. The process for manufacturing clear, solid ice, according to claim 3, wherein the container is made of a resinous sheet material.

7. The process for manufacturing clear, solid ice, according to claim 3, wherein the container is made of a hard, conductive metal material.

8. Equipment for manufacturing clear, solid ice, comprises:

a mold for making ice, which comprises an upper mold made of an insulating material having a vertical injection hole drilled therein and a water-jet nozzle fitted in the hole and connected to an intermittent injection mechanism; and

a lower mold made of a water-freezing block having coolant pipe embedded therein; and

containers, each container comprising a lid made of an insulating sheet, said lid having a shape corresponding to a surface shaped for the upper mold and being provided with a bottom flange and a cylinder for being fitted into the vertical injection hole; and

a cup of a same insulating sheet, which similarly corresponds to a shaped surface of the lower mold and is provided with a top flange.

9. The equipment for manufacturing clear, solid ice, according to claim 8, wherein the container is of a type divided into upper and lower halves and comprises the lid that tightly fits in with the surface shaped for the upper mold and being provided with the bottom flange and the cylinder for being fitted into the vertical injection hole;

and the cup that similarly fits in with the shaped surface of the lower mold and is provided with the top flange.

10. The equipment for manufacturing clear, solid ice, according to claim 8, wherein the container is vertically divided into right and left halves, and is provided with reinforcing flanges and the cylinder for being fitted into the vertical injection hole, with the container being put in tight contact with the surfaces of the upper mold and the lower mold and said right and left container halves being attached to each other by a pair of upper and lower uniting rings having a round container seat.

11. The equipment for manufacturing clear, solid ice, according to claim 9, wherein the container is made of a resinous sheet material.

12. The equipment for manufacturing clear, solid ice, according to claim 9, wherein the container is made of a hard, conductive metal material.

13. The equipment for manufacturing clear, solid ice, according to claim 8, wherein the intermittent injection mechanism takes pressurized water out of circulation pipe by way of tube pumps.

14. The equipment for manufacturing clear, solid ice, according to claim 13, wherein a pushing mechanism used for the tube pumps stands face to face with an arc surface of a pump mount for accommodating the tube pumps;

wherein a rotating body of the pushing mechanism comprises one-point pressure rollers disposed around a shaft but not in contact with a circumference thereof of the shaft, said shaft extending between two rotatable brackets and supporting one-point pressure rollers at roller shafts;

wherein tubes are disposed between the pump mount and the rotating body, with a tube upstream being fixed, and a tube downstream unfixed; and

wherein a thin foil material having high durability, flexibility, and the slidability against the rollers is disposed between the tubes and the rotating body, with an upstream side fixed, and a downstream side unfixed.

15. The equipment for manufacturing clear, solid ice, according to claim 10, wherein the container is made of a resinous sheet material.

16. The equipment for manufacturing clear, solid ice, according to claim 10, wherein the container is made of a hard, conductive metal material.

17. The equipment for manufacturing clear, solid ice, according to claim 9, wherein the intermittent injection mechanism takes pressurized water out of circulation pipe by way of tube pumps.

18. The equipment for manufacturing clear, solid ice, according to claim 10, wherein the intermittent injection mechanism takes pressurized water out of circulation pipe by way of tube pumps.

19. The equipment for manufacturing clear, solid ice, according to claim 11, wherein the intermittent injection mechanism takes pressurized water out of circulation pipe by way of tube pumps.

20. The equipment for manufacturing clear, solid ice, according to claim 12, wherein the intermittent injection mechanism takes pressurized water out of circulation pipe by way of tube pumps.