Abstract: An ice cube maker in which a generally vertically disposed array of fins including first fins extending laterally outwardly from one side of a central vertical plane and second fins extending outwardly from the other side of the plane is disposed over an open top tank to which a predetermined volume of water supplied at the beginning of an ice-making operation in the course of which water from the tank is fed to a distributor over the tank so as to fall downwardly into the fins which are cooled to form ice. When water in the tank reaches a predetermined low level the ice is harvested by heating the fins to permit the ice to falls into a bin below the array. In response to movement of ice into the bin a new cycle is initiated.

Abstract: A plate type ice maker for forming chunks of hard ice in which a member provided with an ice-forming passage having a cutting edge at one end thereof is moved over a plane freezing surface to cause ice crystals scraped from the freezing surface by the cutting edge to be forced into the forming passage in which they are subjected to compressive forces sufficient to form a rod of hard ice which emerges from the other end of the passage and which engages a breaker surface which fractures the rod to form a hard piece of ice.