Article dispensing – With article treatment – With cooling or heating
Patent
1993-12-08
1995-07-04
Bollinger, David H.
Article dispensing
With article treatment
With cooling or heating
221202, 221262, 221263, G07F 1172
Patent
active
054292697
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention refers to an ice cube containing and dispensing device which keeps the ice cubes in a solid state thanks to a conventional cooling unit, and allows them to be supplied one by one in a very practical manner.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In bars and public places where drinks are supplied the ice cubes remain in their moulds inside a conventional refrigerator, from which they are transferred to an ice bucket consisting of a containing receptacle, which is at best thermally insulated. Anybody needing to use the ice cubes takes them from the receptacle in question, into which new ice cubes from the refrigerator have to be placed from time to time.
This system of conservation and use of ice cubes presents several drawbacks: cubes from the refrigerator to avoid them remaining too long in the receptacle and therefore melting. makes them difficult to be used one by one.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The ice cube containing and dispensing device object of the invention was designed in order to solve the drawbacks outlined above.
In a first embodiment the device in question comprises a thermally insulating receptacle incorporating a cooling unit of a conventional type, provided with an ice-cube loading opening with an enclosure cover. On the basis of this general embodiment, the device is essentially characterized in that the receptacle presents a configuration in the form of a hopper with a lower outlet opening for the ice cubes to emerge one by one, a manually operated mechanism being placed within said receptacle and comprising a series of levers and stops, which tend to remain in a stable rest position in which they intercept the passage of the ice cubes towards the receptacle outlet. When operated manually, the mechanism allows sequential passage of the ice cubes one by one, first to a waiting platform and, finally, to the outlet opening.
The inner mechanism of the receptacle consists of a swivelling lever provided with a projecting section under the ice cube outlet opening in the form of a pushbutton, bearing a platform which closes off said opening. This lever is attached to an inner upper stop which, when the mechanism is in rest position, prevents the passage of the ice cubes towards the platform. Said stop allows the ice cubes to pass when the mechanism is operated manually. The mechanism further comprises an intermediate trapdoor, arranged between the aforesaid stop and the platform and operated by the lever itself, which in rest position is inactive and when the pushbutton is pressed moves to a position in which it intercepts the passage of the ice cube which has gone beyond the upper stop, preventing it from reaching the platform until the mechanism returns to the rest position.
Under the load opening of the receptacle there is a grille provided with openings which match the size of the ice cubes, thus preventing the passage of two or more ice cubes stuck together.
The receptacle is mounted in a raised position on a base supporting the device on a horizontal surface. This base has a tray-type configuration placed beneath the ice cube outlet opening, at a distance sufficient to allow the positioning of a glass for receiving the ice cubes supplied by the device.
In a second version, the ice cube container hopper is formed by a double wall which makes up an enclosing chamber connected to the interior of the hopper by means of orifices in its inner wall, said chamber being linked to an area in which the heat exchange components are situated.
The heat exchange components are placed beside the upper ice cube inlet opening, i occupying closed housings provided with orifices near the bottom, which link with the enclosing chamber of the hopper.
The cube entrance cover is provided with a flexible plate in the form of a watertight gasket, which keeps cold the interior of the hopper.
On the two arms of the mechanism operating lever there is a stop on which the swivelling trapdoor rests, which has a prolongation in the shape of a flexible wing and a long opening through which there passes a
REFERENCES:
patent: 1103952 (1914-07-01), Fisher
patent: 3561231 (1971-02-01), Webb
patent: 3572053 (1971-03-01), Jacobus et al.
patent: 4055053 (1977-10-01), Elfving et al.
patent: 4088243 (1978-05-01), Deveson
patent: 4913315 (1990-04-01), Wagner
patent: 4920764 (1990-05-01), Martin
patent: 5029737 (1991-07-01), Yamamoto
Bollinger David H.
Reichard Dean A.
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