Refrigeration – Means producing shaped or modified congealed product – With raw material projector – e.g. – spray
Patent
1998-04-06
2000-05-16
Tapolcai, William E.
Refrigeration
Means producing shaped or modified congealed product
With raw material projector, e.g., spray
62 75, 62356, F25C 112
Patent
active
060620366
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The invention relates to a device for producing ice cubes in accordance with the preamble of claim 1 and/or claim 20.
DE 41 30 055 A discloses composite pieces of ice, in particular ice cubes, which are formed by placing two ice cubes against one another with plane-parallel bearing surfaces and joining them in this position. To join them together, the bearing surfaces are thawed, joined together and bonded to one another by cooling and solidification of the thawed water. It is possible in this way to produce special optical effects in the interior of the composite ice cube, when air inclusions are formed there. Thus it is possible, for example, to stamp a logo in at least one of the bearing surfaces, which logo then becomes visible in the interior of the composite ice cube. The refraction of light at the ice/air transition at the level of this stamping results in a high-quality, silvery glistening effect, which, possibly in combination with the colour of the liquid, is visually attractive.
Also known are so-called ice-cube machines, which produce ice cubes in a very wide variety of shapes, for example cuboidal, conical, cylindrical, etc., shapes, by forming freezing zones or freezing compartments on a planar freezing unit, which zones or compartments are provided on their inside with a cooling surface, and to which water can be applied from their outside, in such a manner that only part of the water freezes, whereas an excess quantity runs off. As a result, the ice pubes are formed from clear ice, since the constant washing with excess water avoids ice inclusions which affect the appearance of the ice cube. After forming a suitably thick layer of ice, or after forming the envisaged ice cube, the cooling medium behind the cooling surface is switched off and replaced by a heating medium, which thaws the inner surfaces of the ice cubes, so that the ice cubes fall off the freezing unit and pass into a delivery region, where they are accessible from the outside to the user of the ice cubes. Owing to the high heat capacity of water, the ice cubes are preserved, albeit with moist surfaces, for a sufficiently long period in the delivery regions which is in communication with the surrounding environment. Obviously, the duration over which the delivered ice cubes remain usable can be increased by means of suitable heat insulation measures.
Naturally, such an ice-cube machine cannot be used to produce the composite ice cubes described at the outset.
The object of the invention is to create a device for producing ice cubes which functions in a similar manner to a conventional ice-cube machine and can be used to produce composite ice cubes of the type described at the outset automatically.
One solution to this object emerges from the characterizing features of claim 1.
The device which is connected between the freezing unit and the delivery region for joining together in each case two ice cubes allows these ice cubes to be combined so as to form a composite ice cube. To do this, in each case one of the ice cubes is supplied to a support device, and the support devices with the ice cubes positioned therein, are fed towards one another in such a manner that the planar, moist bearing surfaces of the two ice cubes are pressed against one another. Obstructing heat from the adjoining bearing surfaces into the body of the two ice cubes results in solidification of the surface water situated on these bearing surfaces and bonding of the ice cubes to form the composite ice cube. Following the formation of the composite ice cube, the latter is held at a temperature of below 0.degree. C. over the transport path towards the delivery region and in the delivery region itself, in order to ensure that the ice cubes only begin to melt slowly in the glass, so that the visual effect between the bearing surfaces is retained for as long as possible. This visual effect may be caused by simple air inclusions with a silvery shimmer between non-planar bearing surfaces, or can be produced in a controlled manner, for example by stamping.
If, in a
REFERENCES:
patent: 3091194 (1963-05-01), Dickinson
patent: 4550575 (1985-11-01), DeGaynor
patent: 5431024 (1995-07-01), Hobelsberger
patent: 5634344 (1997-06-01), Yamauchi
Behr Esq. Omri M.
Tapolcai William E.
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