Abstract: There is a pair of cantilevered switch blades having cooperating electrical contacts mounted on their distal ends. The first blade follows a cam and the second is lifted by a pivotable ramp member to vary the distance between its contact and the cam, thereby varying the time the switch is closed. The switch controls a solenoid which controls the water flow to the icemaker tray, thus the size of the ice "cubes" is determined by the distance the second blade is lifted. The blade slides on the ramp as it is lifted so that the range of motion of the pivotable member is greater than the range of motion of the blade. The ramp is shaped so that equal amounts of movements of the pivotable member corresponds to equal increments of ice volume. A spring finger integrally formed with the ramp member cooperates with a notched member to provide a set of predetermined ice "cube" increments. The switch is one of a gang of blade switches that control icemaker functions.

Abstract: There is an ice tray, an ejector for ejecting ice from the tray, an ice storage bin, a mechanism for delivering ice to the tray, a bail mechanism, and a motor for driving the ejector, water delivery mechanism, and bail mechanism. The bail mechanism includes a bail and a bail switch. The motor, via the bail mechanism, raises the bail from a lower position in which the switch energizes the icemaker to an upper position in which the switch opens and the icemaker is de-energized, then permits the bail to return to the lower position if the ice bin is not full. The bail is also manually raisable to a latch-up position to manually de-energize the icemaker. A compound spring provides a bias force to return the bail to the energizing position. The spring provides a weak return force over the range in which the motor drives the bail, a strong force in the range just prior to latch-up, and an intermediate force in the intermediate range.

Abstract: The hub of a camstack is in the shape of a cone. There are ribs carried on the cone surface with the ribs having cam surfaces that are substantially parallel to the cone surface. The camstack is particularly adaptable for actuating a plurality of individual switches in a direction at an angle to the central axis and to the lines normal to the central axis. The individual switches are carried by a single common support member. The camstack permits the building of less expensive, smaller and more reliable appliance timers.

Abstract: A timer includes a cam driven by a motor and a clutch for permitting the cam to be turned independently of the motor. The clutch includes a clutch plate having a toothed rim, the plate sandwiched between a pair of spring washers, and a tubular eyelet passing through openings in the plate and washers. The clutch assembly is placed on a mandrel and the washers are spun while the teeth on the plate engage a force gauge. The end of the eyelet is flared to fasten the clutch assembly together with a force which provides a predetermined torque between the plate and washer as measured by the force gauge.

Abstract: An icemaker includes a motor and a gear train enclosed in a drive housing, a square drive output shaft extending from the housing, an output gear attached to the shaft, a camstack rotatable on a camshaft, and an input gear attached to the camshaft and driven by the output gear, all enclosed in a control housing comprising a first and second portion. The drive housing is mounted in the control housing by means of four openings in a pair of flanges attached to the drive housing, the openings fitting over four locating pins in one control housing portion. The housing portions are fastened together with the pins in the one control housing portion fitting into channels in the other, with the drive housing captured between the two portions. Both the output shaft and the camshaft are journaled in the same housing portion. There is a one-way clutch in the motor gear train and an anti-back mechanism on the camstack gear.

Abstract: A timer having switches are responsive to a cam, the cam being driven through a timer motor through a clutch. The cam and the switches are disposed within a housing. The switches include electrical contact blades with cooperating electrical contacts. Electrical terminals are mounted in the housing and extend through the housing and are unitarily constructed with the switches to form a one piece combination. The electrical terminals are held within slots in a wall of the housing through a pair of projections lanced from the terminals which engage notches opening to the slots. The projections are individually in planes that are at an angle to each other such that their distal ends are directed away from each other and which are spring biased to act as cantilevered spring members and made to squeeze inwardly between sides of the notches.

Abstract: A timing mechanism controls various functions of an ice maker through cams carried on a camshaft. A harvest rake that removes ice from a receptacle is coupled to the camshaft to be rotated thereby. The camshaft is driven by a motor which is coupled to the timing mechanism through a pair of non-circular meshing gears. The gears are programmed such that a slower speed is imparted to the camshaft when ice is being removed from the receptacle by the harvest rake. This provides a slower speed but higher torque to the harvest rake during ice removal and a faster, more accurate timing rate during filling of the receptacle.