Method of making pieces of ice and an ice dispensing device
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method of making pieces of ice comprising the acts of:
- freezing water in a container into ice, wherein the container has an inner surface and an axial length from a first end of the container to a second end of the container;
rotating a helically threaded shaft that extends through the container, wherein the ice surrounds and contacts the shaft and is engaged by a helical thread of the shaft for moving the ice in an axial direction with respect to the shaft toward a cutting member due to rotation of the helical thread that contacts the ice, wherein the shaft carries the cutting member being located at a surface of the ice that moves towards the cutting member by the rotating act; and
shaving the ice by the cutting member,wherein the inner surface of the container diverges over the axial length of the container along a direction of the cutting member to improve movability of the ice toward the cutting member.
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Abstract
A method and a device for making pieces of ice where water in a container is frozen into ice. A helically threaded shaft extends through the container so that the ice surrounds the shaft and is engaged by the helical thread of the shaft. The threaded shaft is rotated with respect to the ice so that the ice is moved toward a cutting member carried by the threaded shaft. Subsequently, the ice is shaved by the cutting member.
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Citations
21 Claims
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1. A method of making pieces of ice comprising the acts of:
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freezing water in a container into ice, wherein the container has an inner surface and an axial length from a first end of the container to a second end of the container; rotating a helically threaded shaft that extends through the container, wherein the ice surrounds and contacts the shaft and is engaged by a helical thread of the shaft for moving the ice in an axial direction with respect to the shaft toward a cutting member due to rotation of the helical thread that contacts the ice, wherein the shaft carries the cutting member being located at a surface of the ice that moves towards the cutting member by the rotating act; and shaving the ice by the cutting member, wherein the inner surface of the container diverges over the axial length of the container along a direction of the cutting member to improve movability of the ice toward the cutting member. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A method of making pieces of ice comprising the acts of:
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freezing water in a container into ice, wherein the container has an inner surface and an axial length from a first end of the container to a second end of the container; rotating a helically threaded shaft that extends through the container, wherein the ice surrounds and contacts the shaft and is engaged by a helical thread of the shaft for moving the ice in an axial direction with respect to the shaft toward a cutting member due to rotation of the helical thread that contacts the ice, wherein the threaded shaft carries the cutting member being located at a surface of the ice that moves towards the cutting member by the rotating act; shaving the ice by the cutting member; placing the container in a freezer after the container has been filled with water so that the water in the container freezes into ice; attaching the container to a structure having an electric motor, wherein the electric motor rotationally drives the threaded shaft; and guiding the shaved ice to an ice delivery opening, wherein the inner surface of the container diverges over an axial length of the container along a direction of the cutting member to improve movability of the ice toward the cutting member. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9)
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10. An ice dispensing device for delivering pieces of ice comprising;
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a cutting member; a container for containing ice and having an axial length from a first end of the container to a second end of the container; and a rotating threaded shaft extending in an axial direction through a space inside the container for contacting the ice by a helical thread of the threaded shaft and moving the ice in the axial direction due to rotation of the helical thread that contacts the ice, wherein the container has a surrounding side wall having an inner surface extending substantially parallel to the axial direction of the container between the first end and the second end of the container, and wherein the threaded shaft carries the cutting member for shaving the ice from a surface of the ice around the threaded shaft, wherein the inner surface of the surrounding side wall of the container diverges over an axial length of the container along a direction of the cutting member to improve movability of the ice toward the cutting member. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13)
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14. An ice dispensing device for delivering pieces of ice comprising:
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a cutting member; a container for containing ice and having an axial length from a first end of the container to a second end of the container; a rotating threaded shaft extending in an axial direction through a space inside the container for contacting the ice by a helical thread of the threaded shaft and moving the ice in the axial direction due to rotation of the helical thread that contacts the ice; a housing comprising an electric motor for driving the threaded shaft; wherein the container has a surrounding side wall having an inner surface extending substantially parallel to the axial direction of the container between the first end and the second end of the container, and wherein the threaded shaft carries the cutting member for shaving the ice from a surface of the ice around the threaded shaft, wherein the container including the threaded shaft with the cutting member is removable from the housing comprising the electric motor, and wherein the inner surface of the surrounding side wall of the container diverges over an axial length of the container along a direction of the cutting member to improve movability of the ice toward the cutting member. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17)
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18. An ice dispensing device for delivering pieces of ice comprising;
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a cutting member; a container for containing ice and having an axial length from a first end of the container to a second end of the container; and a rotating threaded shaft extending in an axial direction through a space inside the container, wherein the container has a surrounding side wall having an inner surface extending substantially parallel to the axial direction of the container between the first end and the second end of the container, wherein the threaded shaft carries the cutting member for shaving the ice from a surface of the ice around the threaded shaft, wherein the container has a bottom wall at a lower side opposite to an upper side of the container where the cutting member is located, the threaded shaft is rotatably fixed in said bottom wall, and the container, after the water in the container is frozen, can be placed upside down in the ice dispensing device, and wherein the inner surface of the surrounding side wall of the container diverges over an axial length of the container along a direction of the cutting member to improve movability of the ice toward the cutting member. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21)
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Specification